Brag#652 by Furst Media

ISSUE NO. 652 MARCH 02, 2016

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

D F M AN O A CE R T DE FL HE O O R

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

IN AU TE ST INSID R R E TA NA AL : I EX TTO TIO AN P O O NA L

MIIKE SNOW IBE Y I

The French-Cuban twins want Australia to party with them.

THAO AND THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN This is what California sounds like in 2016, and we love it.

S A R A H MIL L IC A N

One of the wittiest voices in British comedy comes to Sydney.

T HE CH A R L ATA NS

Britpop has come and gone, but the Northwich lads remain.

Plus

L Ă&#x2026; P SL E Y BUZ ZCOCK S JEF F RO SENS T OCK W OR K A HOL IC S T HE B A R BER OF S E V IL L E A ND MUCH MOR E

RIDERS WEEK HOTEL STEYNE MANLY . FEB 27 - MAR 6 TUE MAR 01 RED BULL PRESENTS

SKEGSS & MINI RAMP COMP + THE VANNS

WED MAR 02 JACK DANIEL’S & RED BULL PRESENT

HOCKEY DAD & MINI RAMP COMP + DUMB PUNTS

THU MAR 03 SAILOR JERRY PRESENTS

FOOD COURT

+ SEA LEGS, SAILOR JERRY POP UP BAR & CAPTAIN SIP SOP’S BARBER SHOP FRI MAR 04 CANADIAN CLUB PRESENTS

WINSTON SURFSHIRT + THE DOLPHIN SHOW SAT MAR 05 BACARDI PRESENTS

CHASE CITY

+ BILLY FOX + JAMES CROOKS SUN MAR 06 COOPERS PRESENTS

ASH GRUNWALD + ANIMAL VENTURA

50th National Folk Festival 9977 4977 75 The Corso, Manly www.hotelsteyne.com.au Photo: Mark Clinton

24-28 MARCH, 2016 | EXHIBITION PARK, CANBERRA

WWW.FOLKFESTIVAL.ORG.AU

200 ACTS, 18 VENUES, 1 BIG FESTIVAL!

19-TWENTY

SIAN EVANS

SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR

THE EASTPOINTERS (CANADA)

HURRY! EARLYBIRD TIX CLOSE 20TH MARCH! thebrag.com

BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 3

rock music news

the BRAG presents

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Gloria Brancatisano, Joseph Earp and James Di Fabrizio

The Basement Tuesday March 22

five things WITH

DOM TURNER FROM BACKSLIDERS

Inspirations Mississippi Fred McDowell, Lead Belly, 2. Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Ry Cooder among many, many others. Your Band Backsliders has been playing, recording 3. and touring for 30 years in 2016 and has produced 13 albums in that time. The current lineup – me as founding member and Rob Hirst on drums – has been together 16 years. Joining

us on harmonica at Girrakool is the young sensation, Joe Glover. The Music You Make Driving Delta and Mississippi hill country 4. blues sounds mixed in with original 21st century new blues anthems, all with a distinctly Australian flavour.

LORD HURON Oxford Art Factory Wednesday March 23

ELLE KING Metro Theatre Thursday March 24

Music, Right Here, Right Now There is a great resurgence in music 5. that is partially retrospective – drawing on various traditional music forms including folk and blues, which I see as incredibly healthy. As well, festivals such as Girrakool are cropping up throughout Australia, providing a venue for live acts and a place for communities to get together in one place and enjoy music en masse. What: Girrakool Blues Festival & BBQ With: Cedric Burnside Project, Clayton Doley’s Bayou Billabong, Gail Page and more Where: Mount Penang Gardens, Kariong When: Saturday March 5 More: girrakoolblues.com.au

NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL Exhibition Park, Canberra Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28

SHAKEY GRAVES The Basement Thursday March 31

Shakey Graves photo by Jarred Gastriech

Growing Up In the early to mid-1960s, an undeniable influence on my overall musical development was inspiration generated from eldest brother Keith and his penchant for surf guitar music. While I have no clear memories of listening to him playing as a child there has been a profound indirect effect in terms of overall construction of tone. A secondary yet equally important seminal influence was the physical sharing of bedroom space with his custom-built electric guitar. As well, it was the record collections of my older brothers and sisters – all who have great eclectic tastes in music – which eventually led me to my true love, blues.

LUCKY PETERSON

Cat Power

After the sad announcement that Chan Marshall AKA Cat Power had been forced to pull out of her Australian shows last month due to a rare blood disease, the US singersongwriter has announced she will return as promised this May. Tickets for all previous shows remain valid, with more tickets for the new dates going on sale this Friday March 4. The Georgia-born artist has a long-standing relationship with Oz, first gracing our shores in 1997 and having since collaborated with the likes of Jim White and Mick Turner of Dirty Three fame, as well as playing such festivals as Meredith, Golden Plains, Mona Foma and Sydney Festival. Cat Power will hit the City Recital Hall solo on Monday May 16.

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: Anita Connors, James Di Fabrizio, Joseph Earp, Anna Wilson ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, D. A. Carter ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com Tony Pecotic - (02) 9212 4322 tony@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, Joseph Earp, Anna Wilson, Anita Connors REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, James Di Fabrizio, Christie Eliezer, Emily Gibb, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Emily Meller, David Molloy, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, George Nott, Daniel Prior, Tegan Reeves, 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 Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Friday 12pm (no extensions) Ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Fishished art: No later than 2pm Monday Ad cancellations: Friday 4pm Deadlines are strictly adhered to. Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045 All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L / Furst Media P/L 2003-2014 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600 PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 follow us:

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4 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

POWER’S PROMISE

BIG COUNTRY DOWN UNDER

Scottish rockers Big Country will bring their music to Australian shores for the first time in June. Rising to fame in the ’80s, the band has secured a cult popularity ever since and will look to revive many of its trademark hits, such as ‘In A Big Country’, ‘Chance’, ‘Wonderland’ and ‘Look Away’. Big Country play Friday June 17 at the Factory Theatre.

MELB SKA AT MANNING BAR

26-piece-plus groove juggernauts Melbourne Ska Orchestra have locked in a Sydney show. It comes in support of their latest album, Sierra-Kilo-Alpha, their second release since their seminal eponymous debut took them across the nation and overseas with sell-out shows and major festival appearances. Nicky Bomba and mates will play the University of Sydney’s Manning Bar on Friday May 13 (spooky).

of 11 of their favourite local artists to visually interpret the songs of their debut album for an art exhibition in Sydney. This time around they’ve launched their #artforthecompany tour poster competition, inviting designers and visual artists to create their own poster artwork for the upcoming tour. More info at littlemaymusic.com/artforthecompany. See them play the Metro Theatre on Friday May 6.

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

After an extended hiatus, LA punk heroes L7 are back with a Sydney show amid a national tour. Rising to acclaim in the ’90s, L7 have a back catalogue that boasts such hits as ‘Shitlist’, ‘Pretend We’re Dead’, ‘Everglade’, ‘Slide’, ‘Andres’, ‘Wargasm’ and ‘Fast And Frightening’, to name a few. Cited as a key influence on everyone from Nirvana to the riot grrrl movement, the tour marks their long-

awaited return to Australia. L7 play Saturday May 21 at the Metro Theatre.

LIVE LIFE AT VIVID LIVE

Vivid LIVE has announced the first artist for its 2016 program, and she’s a winner. Anohni – the artist formerly known as Antony Hegarty of Antony and The Johnsons – will join the lineup for the staggeringly popular annual Sydney event. Anohni’s voice is the stuff of legends: trembling and powerful, emotive and blistering, and described as “the most exquisite thing you will hear in your life” by none other than Laurie Anderson. Her addition represents not only the event’s significant pulling power, but also its focus on the contemporary cutting edge, making the anticipation for future artist announcements palpable. Prepare thyself. Vivid LIVE 2016 kicks off on Friday May 27 and runs through until Monday June 13 at the Sydney Opera House.

Primal Fear

DON MCLEAN POSTPONES

American singer-songwriter Don McLean has postponed his Australian tour and Bluesfest performance until 2017. The postponement comes after McLean was arrested on a misdemeanour domestic violence charge in January this year. “Don McLean graciously accepts the willingness of the promoter to postpone the current tour to exactly the same time in 2017 in order to allow Don McLean and his family time to work at reuniting,” said a statement from McLean’s representatives. “This is an unprecedented moment in the family history. Don McLean thanks all his fans for their patience and love and he looks forward to seeing them next year.” Refunds will be be given automatically to all Sydney ticketholders for McLean’s performance at the State Theatre, while Bluesfest ticketholders who wish to change their Friday single day ticket are able to do so until Friday March 11. McLean rose to fame in 1971 after releasing ‘American Pie’, which became an international hit. Bluesfest 2016 will continue to take place from Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 at Tyagarah Tree Farm, just north of Byron Bay.

LITTLE MAY PLAY IN MAY

Little May have returned home and announced they will be hitting the road this May. Their debut LP For The Company scored them triple j’s feature album and FBi’s Album of the Week, as well as an international world tour. Now the trio are back on home soil and gearing up for their biggest national tour to date. Last October the band enlisted the help

FEAR IS NEAR

Metal stalwarts Primal Fear will hit Sydney for the very first time off the back of their debut Australian tour. They’ll be unleashing tracks from their latest release, Rulebreaker, along with all their classics. Fronted by Ralf Scheepers (ex-Gamma Ray) and Mat Sinner, Primal Fear have a career that has spanned over 19 years, producing numerous chart-topping albums. They’ll play Newtown Social Club on Sunday June 12.

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BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 5

live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Anita Connors, James Di Fabrizio and Joseph Earp

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five things WITH

BONNIE KAY FROM BONNIE KAY AND THE BONAFIDES

Jimi Hendrix, but that’s a whole other story.

Dad played sax and clarinet – he always said he liked everything from ABBA to Zappa. I don’t think he actually liked ABBA, but he liked the idea of A to Z. He did love Zappa though, and Coltrane. Mum taught me the use of the word ‘quintessential’ by saying that Eric Clapton was the quintessential guitarist. I then argued it was really

Inspirations Vocalists who inspire me 2. the most are Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Etta James. Bonnie Raitt is high up there too – she’s such an amazing guitarist and I just adore her phrasing and her tone. Band Ahhh, The Bonafides. My 3. Your

The Music You Make This is a hard one. I say 4. blues and roots. Other people say other things, so let’s just call those influences soul, funk, jazz, country

and rockabilly. We’re recording this weekend (dance of joy) at Gary Brown’s studio in Brookvale and playing a big long string of gigs with bands we really like in the next few months. It’s really exciting! Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. Here in the Inner West, we’ve no shortage of hip venues that provide quality bands in a nonviolent milieu. My favourites are Lazybones Lounge, Gasoline Pony and Camelot – all in Marrickville. It’s terrific that these places are dedicated to a live music scene and have live bands almost every night, but it’s an uphill struggle for them and the bands now with the new midnight restriction on live music. These venues need the support of the people, as well as the support of the government. With: Nick Luke Where: Merton Hotel When: Saturday March 19

NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL

The National Folk Festival is set to transform Canberra’s Exhibition Park from Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 in an epic celebration of music, creativity, diversity and community. Now in its 50th year, the five-day event will feature music from more than 200 international and local artists across 18 venues, including the likes of English singer-songwriter Nancy Kerr, Canadian troubadour Gordie Tentrees, Scottish band Mànran, and Aussie fivepiece Skipping Girl Vinegar. There will also be performances by dancers, circus groups and spoken-word poets. We have two adult season passes to the National Folk Festival, which provides access to the full festival, to offer to BRAG readers. To enter the draw, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit.

ON HIS HEIN LEGS

Hein Cooper

LOVE AND OTHER JUNK

Hot on the heels of announcing a new member and dropping a new single, The Love Junkies will head off on a national run of shows this May. The group’s newest single ‘Nobody’ provides the first taste of the band’s forthcoming third album of the same name. Having already shared the stage with the likes of La Dispute, Band Of Skulls, Die! Die! Die! and Birds Of Tokyo, as well as playing spots at Big Day Out and Groovin The Moo, SXSW and Canadian Music Week, The Love Junkies will be touring around the US throughout

After a huge 2015 including slots at major festivals and a recent tour in support of the UK’s James Bay, Illawarra’s Hein Cooper has announced he’ll be hitting Sydney to launch his debut album. The release, entitled The Art Of Escape, was recorded in Canada with producer Marcus Paquin, who has worked alongside the likes of Arcade Fire, The National and Local Natives. Cooper plays Newtown Social Club on Thursday March 24.

March and April. See them when they get back at Brighton Up Bar on Friday May 27.

BIGGER THAN BEN ABRAHAM

Melbourne-based folk and pop artist Ben Abraham will launch his upcoming album with an intimate Sydney show. Entitled Sirens, this marks the long-awaited debut album from Abraham, who has collaborated with the likes of Jono Steer, percussionist Leigh Fisher, Gossling and Gotye to bring the record to life. He’ll play at The Vanguard on Sunday April 3.

MERRY MEDICINE SHOW

Prepare to get acquainted with the good doctor and his unique brand of musical medicinal healing. Lovers of blues unite: Dr Taos’ Medicine Show will be returning to Marrickville’s Lazybones Lounge in 2016. Dr Taos will be riding high off his recent Australian Blues Festival Busking Competition win, so all should be prepared to witness a roots musician at the height of his powers. Fellow groovers Dan Hopkins and Gareth Jay will be filling out the support slots, making the whole package a very enticing proposition indeed. Dr Taos plays Lazybones on Wednesday March 2. D Henry Fenton

D HENRY DOWN UNDER

This Los Angeles-based artist doesn’t head over our way often anymore, so his next visit will be a rare treat indeed. D Henry Fenton, the Americanaobsessed troubadour who has opened shows for the likes of John Mayer, is heading Down Under for a oneoff Sydney show. He’ll be hitting up The Gasoline Pony – a perfectly intimate venue, and the ideal fit for the musician’s world-wearied but ultimately optimistic tunes. Better still, he’ll be joined onstage by Amanda Brown on violin, and the addition of strings will undoubtedly take his music to another level. D Henry Fenton hits The Gasoline Pony on Wednesday March 9.

6 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

THE JAZZ MAN SYMPHOSISES

Jazz will meet symphony for the tenth annual free starlight concert in Sydney this March.

No Zu

NO ZU FOR YOU

Off the back of their second album Afterlife, No Zu have announced a run of national dates including a stop-off in Sydney this March. The Melbourne-based octet dropped the record earlier this month, exploring themes including human beauty, body movement, belief systems and immortality. No Zu will be taking their 16-legged percussive punk-funk machine to stages in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide, as well as Wollongong and Fremantle. They’ll hit up Newtown Social Club on Sunday March 27.

In a very special performance, Australia’s foremost jazz man James Morrison is pairing up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a fun-infused concert for all ages. Spectators are invited to bring a picnic or enjoy the food and drinks available onsite, and to kick back to a night of old and new jazz hits. On the

cards are a little Dixieland, a bit of Duke Ellington, as well as such jazz standards as ‘Basin Street Blues’ and Judy Bailey’s ‘Four Reasons’. Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Morrison hit Parramatta Park on Saturday March 19. The show also hits the Sydney Opera House on Sunday March 20.

READY, GO, SET

Australian punks The Go Set have locked in a Sydney show to celebrate their latest album. Rolling Sound is the group’s sixth studio record, and while earlier records have been produced by the likes of Lindsay Gravina (Hole), Jonathon Burnside (NOFX), Rob Younger (Radio Birdman) and Paul McKercher (Something For Kate, Silverchair), this was the first time the Melbourne-based sextet decided to go it alone, producing and recording the album entirely DIY-style in a surf club on the Victorian west coast. They’ll play Brighton Up Bar on Friday April 15.

The Go Set

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National Folk Festival photo by Ben Davies

Growing Up My childhood was richly 1. musical, with so many influences.

partner, Wayne Rigby, plays sax and flute for the band and we both adore being able to perform together. Jed Wesley-Smith came to see us at Gasoline Pony and was our double bass player from then on. Peregrin Chiara, Jed’s long-time friend and co-music maker, then joined us on drums. Those two barely have to speak to understand each other. I met Tanya Bethune at a music teachers’ course in Brisbane, of all places. When I found out she played trumpet and lived in Marrickville I asked her to play at our very next gig. Kaiki Suzuki has recently joined us on trombone as well. We also have guest guitarists and other horn players depending on the gig. Whatever the make-up on the day, they’re all Bonafide, with a capital B.

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR â&#x20AC;˘ Are there moves for an Australian version of new US TV show Vinyl based around sex, drugs and rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll in New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1970s music scene? If so, which highprofile music executive will it be based on? â&#x20AC;˘ Is Samsung talking to the Tidal streaming service about buying it out? â&#x20AC;˘ Will we see private medical groups testing pills at New South Wales music festivals despite the State Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s zerotolerance stance on drugs at such events? â&#x20AC;˘ After an awesome show at Perth Arena before 12,000 (three encores, yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all), Prince arrived at his afterparty at Eve nightclub at Crown Perth at 12:30am. He waved to the crowd on the dancefloor below from the second-floor VIP section, while a DJ spun soul tracks. At 1:30am, a buzz began as a piano was set up, and the man himself came down and played a 40-minute set of pop and electro totally different to the arena set, with EDM jams and hits as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sign Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Timesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hot Thingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If I Was Your Girlfriendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When Doves Cryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Alphabet Stâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Although he did call on crowd members to dance onstage, the set was about intimacy: lights were lowered (â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to see

LIVE NATION, UNIFIED TOURING PARTNERSHIP Live Nation Australasia and Unified have set up a new heavy music touring partnership. Called Live Nation & Unify Present, its first tour is Bring Me The Horizonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arena run in September. Unified manages acts and runs events such as the Unify festival. Live Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard rock credentials include Metallica, Black Sabbath and Linkin Park tours. Heading Unifiedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s touring is booker and promoter Luke

Lifelines Ill: Daryl Braithwaite axed some Far North Queensland shows after his throat was â&#x20AC;&#x153;stricken with something weirdâ&#x20AC;?. Hospitalised: Jon English for â&#x20AC;&#x153;a small operation, but is expected to make a full recovery over the coming weeksâ&#x20AC;?. Remarrying: Phil Collins has reconciled with third wife, jewellery designer Orianne Cevey. They married in Switzerland in 1999, split in 2006, and divorced two years later where he paid her ÂŁ25 million in a record-breaking settlement. In Court: Rymir Satterthwaite, 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who claims he is a son of Jay Z after his mother Wanda slept with the rapper â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Is trying to get a court to force Jay Z to take a paternity test. In Court: NSW guitarist David John Wallenborn was fined $300 and ordered off the road for three months by the Armidale Local Court after pleading guilty to having an illegal drug in his blood stream after a roadside test last September. His lawyer said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been to a party and â&#x20AC;&#x153;accidentally inhaledâ&#x20AC;? the stuff. The magistrate told him to â&#x20AC;&#x153;be careful about what parties you go toâ&#x20AC;?. Died: Vi Subversa (Frances Sokolov), singer and guitarist with UK anarcho-punks Poison Girls, 80, after a short illness. Her songs looked at gender roles and sexuality from an anarchist viewpoint. They were involved in Aids â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Musical and Mother Russia Was A Lesbian, while song â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bully Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; about violent machismo saw them being physically attacked by members of the National Front. Died: Elvis Presleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physician, George C. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dr. Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nichopoulos, 88. He lost his medical licence for prescribing too many pills to patients (including Jerry Lee Lewis) and in 1981 escaped criminal charges for â&#x20AC;&#x153;indiscriminately and negligently prescribing drugsâ&#x20AC;? to Presley.

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me, you just need to listen and danceâ&#x20AC;?) and those who broke the â&#x20AC;&#x153;no photosâ&#x20AC;? rule were quickly turfed out. â&#x20AC;˘ SBSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PopAsia show has become the first Australian radio station to reach one million likes on Facebook. Triple j was a runner up, beaten by 50,000 likes. â&#x20AC;˘ Tame Impala have taken out Best International Group at the BRITs in London. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already amazing to be invited, let alone be given an award to accept,â&#x20AC;? said Kevin Parker. They were against Major Lazer, Eagles Of Death Metal, Alabama Shakes and U2. â&#x20AC;˘ If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been to Splendour In The Grass five or more times, you can apply by Monday March 7 to become a Splendour Member, where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re guaranteed four tickets in the member pre-sales. See the festival website. â&#x20AC;˘ For the seventh year in a row, Bendigo has become the first sell-out for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Groovin The Moo. â&#x20AC;˘ At the Hordern Pavilion, A$AP Rocky (fresh from a brawl in a New Zealand hotel elevator when he was attacked after telling three men it was crowded) dissed Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refusal to allow Tyler, The Creator in last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They say his rap lyrics are too explicit, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some bullshit!â&#x20AC;? he

Logemann, who has run its recorded music division for the past ten years. Nigel Melder, head of touring at Destroy All Lines, has joined Live Nation.

HOW YOUTUBE KILLED THE CHANNEL [V] STAR Foxtelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dumping of Channel [V] came as no surprise. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been losing viewers steadily for the past four years. Last year, viewer figures were down 28 per cent between May and November. Foxtel realises that music fans under 30 are getting their video fix from YouTube. An experiment 12 months ago with long-form videos wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as successful as hoped. Foxtel will rely on the V Hits format of non-stop music 24/7 with no interruptions. It will set up V Hits 2 by end of March, work on its social media (MTV has 3.3 million social media users), and focus on older viewers who tune in to MAX and Smooth. Three staffers were let go, including Jason â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jabbaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Davis. Danny Clayton remains until his contract ends mid-year. Rebecca Batties continues at Foxtel as GM of music channels and head of digital.

DID BRUNO AND RONSON STEAL â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;UPTOWN FUNKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? In the latest saga of modern hits â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inspiredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by old soul and funk songs, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson have been accused of stealing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Uptown Funkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Early all-female rap posse The Sequence say it was nicked from their 1979 hit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Funk You Upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the songâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first flap. Ronson added five new writers to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Uptown Funkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; credits last year after 1970s group Gap Band claimed a similarity with their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oops Up Side Your Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

CHANGE.ORG CAMPAIGNS FOR DIVINYLS An online petition has begun at change.org, urging the Australian operations of major record labels Warner, Sony and EMI/Universal to release a DVD by Divinyls. It was started by Nicholas Walsh who says that EMI didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t release a DVD of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music videos and live performances when it issued the Greatest Hits album around the time Divinyls were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and before they toured a year later.

THE GAME COMES CLEAN ON AUSSIE CANCELLATION First it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;missing his flight from Dubaiâ&#x20AC;?, then â&#x20AC;&#x153;visa issuesâ&#x20AC;? that stopped The Game from entering Australia. These were trotted out when the US rapper axed his club tour last week, as well as New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Raggamuffin festival two days before. Now The Game has suggested that it may have been his criminal past, including being jailed for 60 days for possession of a firearm and assault. In 2011, he was refused entry to Canada for alleged ties to the Bloods gang. Gamey confessed to TMZ: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did some things in the past that sort of limits my travel sometimesâ&#x20AC;?.

BLUESFEST SITE GETS MORE EVENTS Bluesfestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permanent site Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm can hold more events, Byron Shire Council has unanimously voted. Currently it can have 100 days of events with up to 2,000 people attending, ten days of events with up to 15,000, and ten days with up to 25,000 attending including Bluesfest, which is held

said before the 5,000-strong crowd booed and chanted â&#x20AC;&#x153;bring Tylerâ&#x20AC;?, while A$AP freestyled over Tylerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yonkersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;˘ During their Melbourne visit, Wu-Tang Clan spent ten hours at Ginger Studios working on new rhymes. â&#x20AC;˘ Estimated contribution to the Las Vegas economy by the EDM festival Electric Daisy Carnival: US$1.3 billion. â&#x20AC;˘ Brisbane freelance music journo and author of the 2004 book Pig City, Andrew Stafford, had friends worried after a series of â&#x20AC;&#x153;concerningâ&#x20AC;? tweets before he deactivated both his Twitter and Facebook accounts. His mobile was also switched off. The 44-yearold was listed by police as a missing person, but 24 hours later he made contact with Screamfeederâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tim Stewart. â&#x20AC;˘ Swansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Michael Gira has been accused of sexual assault by musician Larkin Grimm, whose 2008 album Parplar he produced and released through his Young God Records. She says he made unwanted advances during the sessions, and once woke up from drunken sleep to find him allegedly having non-consensual sex with her. She says when she confronted him, she was dropped from the label. Gira has cancelled his forthcoming Australian solo tour to spend time with his family.

over Easter. The small events will mostly be for the community, such as wedding receptions and farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets in a functions room that is yet to be built. The new regulations also allow another major festival, which Peter Noble says will be Boomerang once it becomes a standalone event (itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s currently staged as part of Bluesfest). Outsider promoters can also hold one-day concerts there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get everything we wanted from Byron Council today and are a little disappointed, we did get an approval where we have certainty in our future and now we can make the decisions to invest in infrastructure so that our site becomes a professional event site for community use,â&#x20AC;? Noble said.

BOOMERANG FUNDRAISER While Byron Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indigenous festival for all Australians, Boomerang, continues its crowdfunding campaign to be a standalone festival, three local cafĂŠ owners have joined together for a fundraiser. Tristan Grier of Harvest CafĂŠ and Jeff Bennett and Darren Robertson of The Three Blue Ducks will host a soirĂŠe at Coorabell Hall on Friday March 18 as First Friends of Boomerang. Ja Nghari (Bundjalung for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;food gatheringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) is a celebration of food, country and culture, with a focus on Indigenous culture. Book at events.bizzabo.com/boomerang or donate at boomerangfestival.com.au.

SCA GROWS PROFITS Southern Cross Austereo has posted a 25 per cent leap in profits in 2015 to $43.379 million, and a revenue rise of 4.7 per cent to $322 million from $307 million last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These results demonstrate material progress in the operational turnaround of Southern Cross Austereo,â&#x20AC;? said new CEO Grant Blackley. He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been heavily investing in our strong radio business, particularly on talent and marketing. We expect to derive increasing benefit from those investments in future periods.â&#x20AC;?

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MAMMOTH AGENCY ACQUIRED Sydney merchandising company Mammoth Agency has been acquired by the US-based The Araca Group. As a result, Mammoth Agency â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which includes Mammoth Merchandise, Mammoth Stores, Street Ninja and Band Of Villains â&#x20AC;&#x201C; will now trade as Araca Australia Pty Ltd. Its client data is expected to grow due to Aracaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s properties including musicals as Wicked, The Book Of Mormon and Chicago, and such acts as Linkin Park and Britney Spears. Mammoth owner and managing director Rowena Crittle, who remains as managing director of Araca Australia, says the local company will expand globally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will move into new marketplaces with the theatrical business, and expand our reach to service our Australian roster worldwide. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting times ahead!â&#x20AC;?

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AUSTRALIS BUYS BACKLINE HIRE Australis Music Group has acquired the business and assets of Backline Hire Stage Systems (formerly known as Billy Hyde Stage Systems) from AJ Maddahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Madjo Enterprises. Australis will broaden its operations, offering wider services to existing retail customers, growing its â&#x20AC;&#x153;distribution of musical instruments, pro audio equipment and now the live sound and stage event spaceâ&#x20AC;?.

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“I WASN’T TRYING TO TELL SOME GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT THIS OR THAT, YOU KNOW? I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE MUSIC THAT WAS FUN TO MOVE TO.” bloody honest about it. I think that level of songwriting has become more common; that people really wanna hear the real shit about what’s going on in your personal life. “Everything from [Drake’s song] ‘Marvin’s Room’ to whatever, it’s kind of everywhere in pop. And a lot of what we experience in life is not positive all the time, so it’s just a reality and it’s one of the things that, across the board, everyone has felt.” Alongside their chart-busting originals, Miike Snow’s collaborations have seen them land some spectacular remixes, the most notable cut arriving at the end of the new album: a version of ‘Heart Is Full’ featuring a verse from hip hop powerhouses Run The Jewels. “I think there was a brief minute where it was gonna be Young Thug and Run The Jewels,” Wyatt explains, “and then Young Thug got, you know, just distracted by something and left town. And of course, that was our window of opportunity, it was gone with him, because now he’s like the biggest rapper since Drake, really, or Kendrick. “I think our manager knows [Run The Jewels] so just casually asked them to do it and they did it that weekend, so it was really, really great working with people who are that responsible, frankly.”

MIIKE SNOW A

SHALLOW CUTS

fter three years of solo projects and collaborations with pop royalty, indie-pop giants Miike Snow are back and swinging the biggest dance hooks of their careers. They’ve never been strangers to the dancefloor, but with time away to work through new ideas and new influences, the trio have blended hip hop aesthetics into the mix to expand their sound into bombastic club tracks. For singer Andrew Wyatt, it makes perfect sense – fresh from making cuts with the likes of Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars and Flume, his motivation is simply to get bodies moving.

There’s a vivacity to the new album, simply titled III, that lends itself to the new angle, and the

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honing of Wyatt’s songwriting is evident in the renewed focus of the band. “I wasn’t, on this record, trying to tell some great truths about this or that, you know? I was just trying to make music that was fun to move to. I don’t think I’ve ever had a song that I could put on in a club and people would just dance! “I think in some ways it’s just a shallower sound, or something. We were just having fun and trying to make songs that were super catchy and classic-sounding without being annoying.” Drawing heavily from the swagger of contemporary hip hop and a ‘classic’ pop aesthetic (read: horns), III is a record that shamelessly struts its stuff as assuredly on its album tracks as its singles, ‘Genghis Khan’ and ‘Heart Is Full’. “It sounds quite confi dent, which I like,” says Wyatt. “Relaxed and confi dent, so in a way it’s like you get through the difficult [second] album and you relax a little bit, do your thing. I hope people hear that in it.”

How confi dent? How about an opening line like, “I saw you licking a dollar bill”? The image takes Wyatt all the way back to the heady days of Miike Snow’s selftitled debut. “When we did ‘Silvia’, I was in a phase in my life where I was actually going to strip clubs a lot. I dated a girl who then became a stripper – that was what that song was about – and I don’t know why but I don’t do that anymore; I haven’t in years. “Actually Christian [Karlsson] came up with that line, and when he did I kinda just put myself in the strip club and fi nished the song from there, in the sense that I knew what I wanted the song to be about and Christian was down with having it be about that, so it was cool. But yeah, somehow, we have a lot of songs about strippers in our band. I don’t know why.” The self-assuredness of Miike Snow’s new sound is indicative not just of Wyatt’s working

“I’m just a very impulsive person with music and I respond to what’s right in front of me,” he says. “My own music, I’m a bit more conceptual and I have a target, at least. I miss the target, but I at least have some kind of a target I’m focusing at when I start my own record, because I know I’m gonna have control over steering the ship all the time. With Miike Snow, I don’t really have a target, I just respond to what’s in the speakers, which is cool; I like that. And then its infl uence or whatever it’s supposed to mean out there – you can decide that, and I don’t have to.” Written in response to beats crafted by Karlsson and Winnberg, Wyatt’s lyrics touch on tangible lived experience, primal emotions and the ever-present spectre of pop’s core lyrical obsession: love. As often happens, darker emotions slip in occasionally from the periphery – ‘Genghis Khan’, for instance, is loaded with irrational jealousy and the potential for violence – though Wyatt shrugs them off as broad truths of the human experience. “I just think people like to hear lyrics they can connect to, you know? You try to write songs for others. Even John Lennon did a better version of it with ‘Jealous Guy’, where he’s just being so

“I think the new Flume song with Kai is fucking amazing!” he says when the young Aussie otherwise known as Harley Streten is mentioned – Wyatt dropped ‘Some Minds’ with him last year. “I mean that’s, to me, great pop music and it’s kinda the first glitch laptop hip hop song that’s been done well as a pop song, you know? I think there’s been many attempts and this is the most exceptional one. I think it’s had a huge life in the United States, too. I keep texting Harley about that.” Wyatt has always had an ear for great pop songwriting, and he leaves us with a recommendation: the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, his go-to source for greatness. “It’s got so many layers to it and it’s enjoyable and the images that it conjures are so rich and textured and subtle,” he says. “It was part of a cultural movement at a certain time, and then it’s just structured so brilliantly and it’s sonically so deep and it’s mature and sensitive – at the same time it’s masculine but it’s sung in a falsetto. It’s like, I dunno – that music is kinda like supreme pop music to me.” With that record in his decks, it’s no wonder Wyatt’s mind is wired to the dancefl oor. What: III out Friday March 4 through Atlantic/Warner

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Hilltop Hoods photo by xxx

“We bring a combination of what you might see in DJ sets, and some of the sonics of a DJ set,” he says. “We try to combine some of the elements of more improvisational bands with the strict pop songwriting that’s in our recorded library. And then just really hot dance moves.”

BY DAVID MOLLOY

environment with Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (AKA producers Bloodshy & Avant), but of a maturing in their approach to making music. Wyatt actually fi nds working in the band environment quite liberating.

As for their own show, Miike Snow are gearing up to take on a huge American tour that lands them at Coachella alongside the two massive reunions of LCD Soundsystem and Guns N’ Roses. Who knows when we’ll next see Wyatt, as he makes regular trips down here to play with Mark Ronson and Flume.

Buzzcocks Eargasm Addicts By Paul McBride up to 150. Even choosing 48 out of those, there are still lots of ones I’d forgotten I’d written, so I suppose we’ve got an expansive piece of cloth to cut our modest garments on.” While the vast majority of bands from the original wave of punk are long gone, Buzzcocks have endured lineup changes, breakups, and the stress of putting together nine studio albums and countless tours. The secret to the band’s longevity is simple. “I think the obvious reason is we couldn’t take a hint,” Shelley laughs. “We’re almost like brothers now. I’ve probably spent more time with Steve in the past 40 years than with my own brother. We still disagree on most things, but we agree to disagree. It’s an important step in life to be able to do that.”

ith a 40-year career under his belt, Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley could be forgiven for wanting to slow down and take stock. In true punk fashion, however, that’s exactly what the 60-year-old is not doing. The frontman and writer of punk-pop classics ‘Orgasm Addict’ and ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)’ is taking his band on a world tour to celebrate four decades in the business. Just don’t expect the understated and softly spoken Shelley to do anything but take it all in his stride. “We’re naming all our shows this year our 40th anniversary shows,” he says. “But it’s something which

has snuck up on us, really. We never expected 40 years – even 40 minutes would have been stretching it when we started. We started off with small expectations and didn’t know how long we could carry on before someone stopped us. [Punk was] the most uncommercial form of music we could imagine. It was completely the antithesis of what popular or critically acclaimed music was at the time, and that’s probably why it worked, because it wasn’t the same old, same old. I tend to see how it actually was, to keep myself from slipping into nostalgia. I think nostalgia is for other people, but it does occur to you sometimes. I think, ‘Oh, there are quite a lot of good songs we’ve got.’”

The quartet, also including longserving guitarist Steve Diggle, is bringing its glorious punk-pop anthems to Australia to play Golden Plains Festival and a string of state capital shows. Preparations have begun in earnest. “We started rehearsals on Wednesday and have a list that is 48 songs long,” Shelley says. “There’s no way we’re going to be able to play all 48 at one gig. We’re trying to get up to speed on enough songs so, during the year, we can chop and change to keep it fresh, instead of having the same 20 songs being played all the time. I think I’ve written about 120 to 130 songs, or maybe

“WE NEVER EXPECTED 40 YEARS – EVEN 40 MINUTES WOULD HAVE BEEN STRETCHING IT WHEN WE STARTED.”

In an interesting twist of fate, the DIY aesthetic of ’70s punk is once again an element of Buzzcocks’ recordings, with 2014 album The Way being brought to life with the help of online crowdfunding. “We went back and made our own album again, so we were right back to the DIY principle,” Shelley says. “It gives you the control and you have a relationship with the people who are buying your records and appreciating it. I’d rather that than getting someone else to sell it to complete strangers. You’re making music for your friends. Making an album can be quite daunting because normally it’s done in complete secrecy and nobody knows you’re doing anything, but with this, it’s a bit more transparent and people’s enthusiasm that you’re doing it is something that gets relayed to you.”

The chances of Shelley adding to his 150-odd tracks aren’t exactly helped by his songwriting style. The suggestion he makes it hard for himself is laughed off in his typically understated manner. “I’m not actively writing at the moment,” he says. “The way I write songs is, if I have an idea, I give myself the luxury of being able to forget it. When it comes back I’ll think about it some more, then forget it again. I work on the assumption if it’s such a great idea and even I forget it, it’s not all that good an idea [laughs]. I’d rather have things I can remember. When it comes down to record the music, [that’s] when I crystallise the song.” As veterans of multiple world tours, Buzzcocks know Australia well, and it’s always a good place for the band to get into tour mode. “I remember driving through country roads and avoiding cane toads,” Shelley says. “It’s so different to the UK; there’s no escaping it. It’s always good to [visit]. The people are friendly and we’ve always had a good time. “I remember the first time I was in Adelaide and it was about 40 degrees and was like being in front of a blast furnace. The trip to Australia is the first of the world tour trip. Then it’s the West Coast of America, France, Italy and Holland. In the UK we’re doing some festivals – the Isle of Wight Festival is one of them. It’s going to be a full year.” What: The Way out now independently With: Hits!, White Dog Where: Factory Theatre When: Friday March 11

COMING UP

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AN EXPLORATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSITION, LIFE & DEATH. In a brand new partnership between Carriageworks and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor David Robertson leads a concert of music by Pierre Boulez, Gérard Grisey and Australian composers Lisa Illean and Brett Dean. DAVID ROBERTSON conductor š JESSICA ASZODI VRSUƓQR š PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD piano

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Delve into the music that has resonated, inspired or changed our assistant concertmaster Lerida Delbridge in our brand new Playlist series. This personal mixtape includes Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending, Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No.9, Mahler’s Adagietto from Symphony No.5 and more. Every piece is a memory or a story to be told, so come and be a part of this informal 1-hour concert and join the musicians at the bar after the concert. ANDREW HAVERON YLROLQ GLUHFWRU š LERIDA DELBRIDGE violin š KATE AMOS soprano

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*Selected performances. Prices correct at time of publication and subject to change. Booking fees of $5-$8.95 may apply depending on method of booking. ^Additional fees may apply.

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Ibeyi Deux Fois By Natalie Rogers Australians are really cool people and there’s loads of nature, waves and sand – it will be beautiful!” Ibeyi (which translates to ‘twins’ in the Yorùbá language) may be new faces on the international stage, but don’t be fooled – they’re old souls with a rich musical ancestry and a strong connection to their faith. On their self-titled debut album (released last year through XL Recordings), the sisters sing in English and Yorùbá, the Nigerian language brought to Cuba by slave ships in the 1700s. “We learnt this language from our mother,” Lisa-Kaindé explains. “When we were girls, she would sing to us.”

“C

ome have a party with us!” cries LisaKaindé Diaz, one half of the French-Cuban duo Ibeyi (pronounced “ee-bey-ee”), who have taken the music world by storm with their blend of Yorùbá prayer, piano, percussion and electronic R&B.

“We can’t wait to meet everyone,” adds her sister Naomi (who is quieter, more reserved and the elder of the pair by two minutes). The Diaz twins are in high spirits as they prepare to fly to Australia for the first time. Booked to perform in every major city this month – with a special show at

Oxford Art Factory – the sisters say this tour is a dream come true. Naomi begins: “It will be our first time in Australia…” “…And we’re really excited about it,” Lisa-Kaindé continues, finishing her sister’s sentence (something that happens a lot). “We know that

“I didn’t know what I wanted to be,” Naomi chimes in. Lisa-Kaindé adds: “Now we always say that life took us on that path – we were not expecting it at all.” Originally created as a homage to their father and sister, today

“All we could say was to have hope – that’s the most important thing for us,” Naomi adds. “And the beautiful thing about music is having people connect to it. For me, writing is really personal and I never thought those songs were going to be out in the world one day,” Lisa-Kaindé, who writes most of their lyrics, explains. “So when I hear people say that our songs have helped them a little bit, even for two minutes, then that feels really nice. In our songs we just talk about what’s going on in our lives, and talk about our pains and our joys. Making pain look and sound beautiful – that’s our goal.” Ibeyi’s Australian gigs will no doubt be a sight to behold, with Lisa-Kaindé at the helm of a piano and Naomi slightly hunched over her cajón drum. “When we play live, our music comes to life,” Lisa-Kaindé says. “We just want everyone to enjoy the party and come to our show!” What: Ibeyi out now through XL/ Remote Control With: Sampa The Great Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Tuesday March 8

Thao And The Get Down Stay Down The Mad Scientists By Adam Norris side of Nguyen’s life and writing. The recording process has been described as an experiment, which sounds enticing and also suggests the band members were garbed in their best mad scientist gear throughout. Produced with familiar cohort Merrill Garbus, it allowed for a much more spontaneous approach to shaping the latest sound. “That’s exactly right! We had white hair and test tubes,” laughs Nguyen. “It was really fun, and an incredibly warm creative environment. And time, even though it wasn’t necessarily a luxury, it felt like enough time was carved out that we could meander down different sonic paths. Our engineer was with us as well, and he was an instrumental part – ha, I didn’t mean to make that pun. We’d do a bunch of different takes with these incredibly manipulated guitar sounds. That was incredibly fun. I wanted it to be deep, and evoke our live energy more than any other recording has, and I wanted to be able to have fun performing these songs live. We wanted people to move to it, to feel it, even if they don’t actually know what the song is about.”

very so often you fi nd yourself chatting with someone who is just downright pleasant. Witty, warm, insightful. Likes long walks on the beach and scuba gliding (sure it’s a thing). Thao Nguyen is all of this and more; an artist whose career arc has not only been growing steadily, but has been branching in truly compelling directions. With her band The Get Down Stay Down she has collaborated with Joanna Newsom, and since 2005 has released seven albums across various incarnations. It’s been a wild ride for the San Franciscan performer who hails originally from

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a small town in Virginia. Though as it turns out, her home of Falls Church is actually the richest county in the entire United States. “Really?” Nguyen sounds pleasantly shocked. “No-one told me! It’s in an affluent county because we’re so close to Washington, D.C. and there’s a lot of money there. I defi nitely did not grow up that way. We were much more middle class. My experience there was really solidly suburban, in a chain strip mall kind of way. I didn’t really grow up with any kind of interesting scene, so I wouldn’t be the one to tell you. I

can tell you what my room looked like, my mum’s cooking. I had a Janis Joplin poster there, an Ani DiFranco poster, and a poster of guitar chords. My mum owned a laundromat, so I spent a lot of time there doing other people’s laundry. But I love San Francisco. I moved here ten years ago, after my first tour. It was always a bit of a beacon to me, even though I’d never lived there. It was always a city that I wanted to return home to.” Thao and The Get Down Stay Down’s new album, A Man Alive, delves into an arguably deeper

Nguyen has long been celebrated for the strength of her live act, and just as the course of her musical output has evolved over the years, so too have her live strengths grown. The live energy she hopes the new album captures is something she has worked hard to conjure onstage, although as with all performance, the fear of laying yourself open in front of fans is never far away. “True, but at the same time, I can determine the parameters in which I’m vulnerable in a way that I can’t do in real life. I think this is a chance to tap into that irrational energy and frustration, whatever that is. I think I’m more kinetic and aggressive in my live show than my day-to-day. I think it’s

important and I really welcome, I think, the opportunity to show myself a little bit more, and I do believe that’s the kind of live show I would want to go to – where it feels like whoever is trying to communicate, and you feel a connection with them. “You know, I miss a really intimate show where I’m just there performing solo. I think that challenges and frightens me in a way that’s quite healthy. I should do it more. I miss talking in between songs, and being more casual about interactions. It’s important to me to still be able to engage, but now it’s more of a one-liner or a joke here and there. But I also want our fullband shows to feel like a party, like a celebration, and I don’t necessarily want to hold up the moment with some long and winding story. That’s not the right environment. But I still try and crack jokes. I don’t know if I’m funny, but I’ll try.” Before we wrap, there’s something I need to know. The mandolin has started to feature quite frequently in Nguyen’s work, and she’s not the only one. Mandolins are suddenly everywhere you turn, and I wonder exactly what the allure is. “I started writing on mandolin for [2013 album] We The Common because I wanted to move away from writing on guitar. It’s easier to write on a familiar instrument, so I introduced banjo and mandolin. I just wanted to try exploring something else. I think it’s helpful to take an instrument that you’re not incredibly familiar with and have fun with that. Plus, it felt silly just to have it for one record and tour, so it’s with me now.” Nguyen laughs. “I just didn’t want to waste the money.” What: A Man Alive out Friday March 4 through Ribbon/Domino

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Lucky Peterson photo ©JM Lubrano

Their bond with their mother – French-Venezuelan singer Maya Dagnino – is strong. With the death of their father, the musician Miguel ‘Angá’ Diaz, in 2006, and the passing of their eldest sister in 2013, their family ties (and tragedies) have become a source of inspiration, setting their life in a new direction. “We never wanted to be musicians before, even though music was a huge part of our lives,” says LisaKaindé. “I wanted to be a music teacher for teenagers.”

Ibeyi see their debut release as a celebration of hope. “I remember people used to ask us a lot about the message of our album or about what we were trying to say with it,” Lisa-Kaindé says.

A L B U M

L A U N C H

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Jeff Rosenstock Cool For The Summer By David James Young

or the better part of his adult life, Jeff Rosenstock raged against the machine as part of the biggest little DIY punk band on the planet, Bomb The Music Industry! The collective was not so much famous, but certainly well known for things like releasing all of its music for free, touring relentlessly and featuring a constant rotation of members – it was, after all, conceived as the band anyone could be in. After the group’s split in 2012, however, Rosenstock found himself at a loose end. It was from here that he took the initiative to start going solo – well, sort of, anyway.

Rosenstock’s most recent release is last March’s We Cool?, the second album to solely bear Rosenstock’s name, and a followup to the tastefully titled I Look Like Shit from 2012. The record features full-band arrangements as performed by a group of friends who also join Rosenstock on tour to perform We Cool? live. This, as he points out, is one of the new

“I think the liberty of putting out music under your own name is that you can make any kind of record you want. I made this fullband album, but I can go out to the woods and make an acoustic album. I can do some weird, experimental shit. It’s just my name – I don’t have to put it out under any other pseudonym or anything like that.” Months after the release of We Cool?, the first screenings began for Never Get Tired; a documentary about Rosenstock himself, and by extension, the life, times and death of Bomb The Music Industry! Created and directed by independent filmmaker Sara Crow, the project was crowdfunded, raising over US$30,000 and premiering in Rosenstock’s native New York City last July. It’s since been shown in theatres and DIY movie nights across the world – including a screening in Melbourne – and the subject himself is blown away by the fact that something like that could even exist in the first place. “When we were first approached about doing it, I just couldn’t believe that anyone would care about my band enough to want to make a documentary about it. You don’t think that anyone cares about what you’re doing when you’re still holding down a job while trying to tour, trying to make rent for the month, trying to get the booking agents to call you back about the next tour… When a stranger just comes into your life and says they want to make a movie, you’re just like, ‘What the fuck?’ There are parts of it I get mortified

watching – especially with other people around when I’ve attended some of the screenings. The parts where they get the really surly, angry side of me on tour – I don’t like anyone seeing that side of me. I will say that I do love watching that first part, from when we were kids and we were first starting out. I know it’s a dumb thing to say, but I really can’t believe how young we all look.” Rosenstock is set to return to Australia this month for a whirlwind national tour that will take him up and down the east coast in only 11 days. Joining him on the tour will be Melbourne upstarts Camp Cope, as well as long-time friend Chris Farren, who will perform with Rosenstock under the guise of their side project, Antarctigo Vespucci.

Although Rosenstock has not played in Australia since the final Bomb The Music Industry! tour in 2012, he did return here for a spell back in 2014 to work as producer on The Smith Street Band’s acclaimed third album, Throw Me In The River. Recording took place in Forrest, a small town in regional Victoria where both he and The Smith Street Band will return for a huge show at the local pub, The Wonky Donkey, called A Weekend At The Wonk. “Of all the places in Australia, Forrest is the hardest one to explain to my friends back home,” laughs Rosenstock. “I’m going to show my bandmates this weird little town out in the woods where I spent a month making an album. Where I’m from,

doing anything away from New York is weird. Even going to make a record a couple of hours out of town is seen as weird. The other side of the fucking planet, though? They’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I’m going to miss Smith Street a lot on this tour, but I’m so glad it’s happening – and that Weekend At The Wonk is happening, too. We’re so stoked to see everyone, man.” What: We Cool? out now through SideOneDummy/Shock With: Antarctigo Vespucci, Camp Cope Where: Factory Floor / Black Wire Records When: Wednesday March 9 / Thursday March 10

The Charlatans Nature Trail By David James Young persevering – just as much to honour the legacy of the band as to honour Brookes himself – and fi nishing work on last year’s album, Modern Nature. But what The Charlatans have gone through has only strengthened their foundations. “Sometimes, your best songs are made under difficult circumstances,” says Martin Blunt, the band’s bassist and sole remaining original member. “Even with Jon passing, he was adamant this album had to be done. This sort of galvanised the direction of the album with all of us. The process and what was happening in the band gave us what is probably our most positive album … The thing about Modern Nature is that, for the time since [2001’s] Wonderland, we headed back to our studio in Cheshire. We shut the door, brought down the hatches, communicated and jammed. We went in with small ideas and they turned into big ideas.” Modern Nature marked a signifi cant comeback for The Charlatans – not just on account of overcoming adversity, but the fact its sales and reviews have been the best the group has had in over a decade. Audiences across the globe have welcomed the band rapturously at live shows as well.

riumph and tragedy have laced the last few years for Northwich lads The Charlatans. They have proven to be one of the true evergreen British 12 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

rock bands of the last 20 years, having survived the ’90s Britpop era and lived to tell the tale. The tragedy came in the form of Jon Brookes, the band’s drummer and

one of its original members, who passed away in August 2013 at the age of 44 after a battle with brain cancer. The triumph, subsequently, has come with The Charlatans

“We started the Modern Nature tour last February in the UK,” says Blunt. “We went on to Japan and Europe, then the USA with a festival in Mexico City, [which was] a first. It felt exhilarating. The reaction and the connection with the new songs, along with the

not-so-new songs, made every concert incredible. This was our first proper touring in fi ve years.” Blunt expresses his excitement for The Charlatans’ return to Australia in the coming months, where they will perform headline dates in key capital cities. “Talk about a long time coming!” he says. “It took us 15 years to get to Australia, and has been totally worth it. We first came over in 2010 with the Who We Touch album, and this will be only our third time over [there]. We’re very much looking forward to the shows.” 2015 marked some interesting milestones for The Charlatans – not only did they release Modern Nature, their 12th LP overall, in January, but they also celebrated the 25th anniversary of their acclaimed debut, Some Friendly. Although only Blunt and vocalist Tim Burgess remain from that era of the band, and the struggles around the album’s completion have been welldocumented since, Blunt still looks back on the time fondly – particularly on account of hits like ‘Then’ and ‘The Only One I Know’, both of which are still included in setlists today. “It was the debut album that made us,” he says. “We can still connect with most of the tracks. In fact, Mark [Collins, guitar] and Tony [Rogers, keyboards], who weren’t in the band at the time, when they heard Some Friendly back when it was first released, they actually went out and bought it!” What: Modern Nature out now through BMG/Cooking Vinyl Where: Max Watt’s When: Friday March 11

thebrag.com

Lucky Peterson photo ©JM Lubrano

“Like most things that I end up doing, it ended up being completely accidental,” says Rosenstock in between takes of recording at his home studio. “Right after Bomb broke up, I was talking to Sean [Bonnette] from Andrew Jackson Jihad. He had this tour planned, and he was going to ask Bomb – but, obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. I suggested going out on my own with them – just as Jeff Rosenstock, just playing songs, nothing to do with Bomb. He agreed to it, and it lit a fire under my ass. I had all these half-formed songs that I’d been working on, and that inspired me to finish them and get them ready.”

freedoms he has discovered and subsequently embraced as a ‘solo’ act.

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

arts in focus

sarah millican

everyone’s cup of tea

also inside:

WORKAHOLICS / MOST / THE BARBER OF SEVILLE / ARTS NEWS / ARTS REVIEWS / ARTS GIVEAWAY thebrag.com

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arts in focus

free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Joseph Earp, Anita Connors and Anna Wilson

A BIGGER SPLASH

five minutes WITH

RICHIE BLACK, WRITER OF THE LOCAL write a searing expose of the hotel industry. As a microcosm of a certain kind of social upheaval, I just thought it would be a good setting for theatrical fun times and a satirical take on the various urban tribes which bring colour to our lives. Additionally, the themes of change and renewal are universals with a fair bit of the ol’ poignancy about them. I also like pubs. In the play, the pub regulars are becoming increasingly unhappy about renovations.

our new play, The Local, is set to open at the Exchange Hotel. What inspired it? The play is set in a gentrified pub but it wasn’t as if I was champing at the bit to

Do you see the changing face of Sydney’s venues as an allegory for what’s going on outside the pub doors? The Upper Crass Players, with dinner and drinks included in the ticket price. Eat your fill of comedy on Thursday April 7 at the Exchange Hotel in Balmain.

BIENNALE COMPLETES THE SET

The 20th Biennale of Sydney has revealed the final artist list for Australia’s largest contemporary art event. Under the banner of ‘The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed’, the 2016 Biennale will see the participation of 83 artists from 35 countries, as well as more than 200 works presented across 19 locations free to the public. Highlights include Torres Strait Island collective Erub Arts’ large, wall-based installation entitled Solwata at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, curatorial collective Don’t Follow The Wind’s immersive 360-degree video piece A Walk In Fukushima at Carriageworks, and French artist Céline Condorelli’s installation Structure For Communicating With Wind at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The 20th Biennale of Sydney runs from Friday March 18 – Sunday June 5. See the full program and list of venues at biennaleofsydney.com.au.

Just how much of your research involved frequenting local pubs around Sydney? Be honest. Write what you know, they say. How did you become involved with Insomniac Theatre for this production? I knew Insomniac’s director, Maggie Scott, via Steve Maresca, who plays Keith. The Sydney theatre scene tends to be one incestuous family. That’s a metaphor, by the way, in case Cory Bernardi is reading this and is worried. What: The Local Where: Exchange Hotel, Balmain When: Tuesday March 8 – Sunday March 20

CREATE OR ELSE

Art lovers across Sydney are invited to a major showcase of emerging Australian artists as Marrickville’s Create Or Die warehouse launches a new pop-up exhibition, Is This Art? Presented by dLux MediaArts, the Create Or Die warehouse space will be taken over by robots, projections and installations, as work by 17 of Australia’s most innovative and experimental media artists is celebrated in a night of the unexpected. Is This Art? is a critical platform for showcasing the best new video and interactive artworks, bringing to the public a true representation of the increasingly diverse space within media arts. In conjunction with the Spectrum Now program, this evening of festivities allows inquisitive art lovers the chance to interact with luminaries including Dr. Daniel Mudie Cunningham, assistant director and head curator at Artbank, who will be leading a special guest tour of selected works amid VJ Rory McKay’s explosive sound and light performance, plus tunes from Denzel Sterling, DJ and founder of Sidechains. Is This Art? takes place Thursday March 10.

Rent

LIVING ART WEEKEND

Showcasing local artists, arts organisations and other creative industries, Living Art Weekend promises three days of exhibitions, performances, demonstrations, artist talks, open studios, workshops and activities. Hosted by the TWT Creative Precinct, the event aims to highlight the creative landscape developing in the Lower North Shore. Living Art Weekend is a rare opportunity to explore studio spaces and to meet the artists and creatives who work in them. The program runs Friday March 11 – Sunday March 13. Visit twtstleonards.com.au for full details.

THE NEW HUNGER GAMES IS HERE

Order up! Packed Lunch is set to explore comedic improvisation outside the usual conventional boundaries. Featuring the whimsy and humour of Atlas Adams, Brenton Amies, Alice Furze and more, Packed Lunch is a brand new form of sketch comedy. The brainchild of actor and writer James Hartley, it sets up performers to compete with one another to be funny, encouraging the creation of something to satisfy audiences’ appetites. Packed Lunch looks to explore improvisation outside the usual formats, consisting of two new embodiments by the show’s troupe, collectively known as 14 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

Who doesn’t love a sensuous psychodrama with a rocking soundtrack? A Bigger Splash tells the fictional story of rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton). Enjoying a romantic Mediterranean getaway with her filmmaker boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), her holiday is interrupted when record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) unexpectedly arrives on the scene with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), igniting a whirlwind of nostalgia, desire and jealousy. The soundtrack pays tribute to The Rolling Stones, and includes St. Vincent’s cover of ’Emotional Rescue’. A Bigger Splash opens in cinemas on Thursday March 24, and we have ten in-season double passes to give away. To enter the draw, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit.

Rent photo by Kurt Sneddon

Living Art Weekend

Are local pubs our connection to a Sydney of the past, and if so, why should we hold onto them? They are – but I ain’t an unconditional nostalgist. Unless it comes to old eps of Press Gang or something. I like change as long as it delivers on the promise to improve things for the general good. So often, unfortunately, it’s only designed to improve things for developers, politicians and other gronks.

They’re obviously linked. For example, charging ridiculous amounts for the privilege of drinking a schooner of watery piss in a tacky gastropub and making it virtually impossible for a young person to afford to buy (or even rent) a house in Sydney are both motivated by the same entrepreneurial spirit.

Replay

INSTANT REPLAY

Under the lens of Griffin Theatre Company comes Replay, an unreserved tale of brotherhood, men and memory. Griffin will present the world premiere of the latest tale from acclaimed playwright Phillip Kavanagh, who has established a voice of exceptional delicacy through this work. Replay revisits the past in search of truth with terrifying consequences. Jack Finsterer, who has appeared onstage in Griffin’s Don’t Say The Words and The Woman With Dogs Eyes, rejoins the company in Replay’s lead role. The play runs Saturday April 2 – Saturday May 7 at SBW Stables Theatre.

ANOTHER KIND OF LIGHT

A new exhibition, Another Kind Of Light, explores the very distinct hues we get Down Under, giving them a uniquely Australian slant. The work from world-famous painter Virginia Cuppaidge has now opened at the Stella Downer Fine Art Gallery. Though she was New York-based for almost five decades, Cuppaidge was fascinated with the distinct nature of Australian light and it informed a great deal of her work. The exhibition largely features Cuppaidge’s striking paper-based work, vibrant pieces that transform the real into the mythic. Another Kind Of Light continues until Saturday March 26.

OPEN FOR RENT

After last year’s sold-out run, rock musical Rent is set to return to Hayes Theatre Co. Jonathan Larson’s award-winning musical opened off Broadway in 1996 and quickly became a cult phenomenon. It tells the story of a group of bohemian artists struggling to survive and make a living in New York City while dealing with love, loss and the threat of HIV/AIDS. Stephen Madsen reprises his Sydney Theatre Award-nominated performance as Mark, and Linden Furnell, who won a Best Newcomer Glug Award for his performance as Roger, will also return to the role. Newcomers include Angelique Cassimatis (King Kong, Strictly Ballroom) and Chloe Zuel (Les Misérables, Legally Blonde, Hairspray). Rent opens on Tuesday March 29 at Hayes Theatre Co. and continues until Sunday April 17.

A TURNING POINT

On The Turning Point Of Becoming And Returning, a brand new two-part floral-themed exhibition from Anna McMahon, is set to hit Sydney. The work straddles the worlds of traditional Japanese art and contemporary practice, exploring the metaphorical weight of the flower through a series of sculptures. The exhibition will be split across MOP Projects in Chippendale and the Peacock Gallery in Auburn, meaning art fiends have not one but two venues to hit up. On The Turning Point Of Becoming And Returning is running until Sunday April 3. thebrag.com

Sarah Millican [COMEDY] Outside The Square By Adam Norris

“It is a bit weird,” Millican says. “When I was a civil servant I really wanted to be a writer, so it feels huge that I have achieved this. But I still feel a little overwhelmed when I walk onto a stage and see lots of people who have chosen me as their night out. It feels wonderful. I couldn’t even get invited to parties as a teenager.”

Though not a revelation of sidesplitting hilarity, part of Millican’s path to success was a committed work ethos that saw her undertake a variety of classes in refining her writing skills. It’s one thing to be able to drop a joke here and there off the cuff, but for Millican, developing a routine is as much about humour as it is preparation. “I’ve done a couple of writing courses and workshops. I did a playwriting course a long time ago and still use what I learnt. The workshop I did at the start of my stand-up career gave me lots of skills I use every day. My writing style for stand-up is just to constantly be scribbling. I always have a notebook with me. That way, when I have a new material gig booked in, I just go through my most recent scribblings. It’s very low-key but constant and absolutely works for me. I respond to deadlines, but lack of food does

not a happy Sarah make.” Since those fledgling days, Millican has found herself with a recurring guest spot on QI (I mean, she gets to hang out with Stephen Fry; what else do you want from a career?), and scooped enough accolades to break a shelf: Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe, BAFTA nominations, and the 2011 Queen of Comedy at the British Comedy Awards (the actual Queen sends us her best, Millican relays). Outsider is now her fourth touring show, and as part of her Australian rambling, will stop by the Seymour Centre in April. “I’ve been [to Australia] a few times now and always had a lovely time. Apart from when you trapped me with the ash cloud, but I suppose technically that wasn’t your fault. I’m hoping to see some excellent friends, eat all of your delicious food and get

some sun on my bones. And if, during my two-week trip, I could hold a koala like a baby, that would be great too. I’m mainly hoping to avoid dying from a creature I didn’t know existed. But that’s the same every time I come. It’s part of the fun. But I carry my slippers everywhere, so no need to worry about that. I’m also a dab hand with a newspaper or weekly magazine. Good wrists, see. I’m probably going to download lots of pictures of things that kill and memorise their faces. My problem is I love animals and get excited when I see a new one, so if you see me gently approaching a killer anything with meat in my hand and a kind expression, shout, please.”

Sarah Millican photo by Matt Crockett

arah Millican is a delight. While you’re happy to sit back and enjoy most comics at a safe removal onstage, Millican is someone you could see yourself quite happily taking home to Mother. What is even better is that she’d probably take you up on the offer. Her latest tour, Outsider, is all about stepping away from familiar trappings and enjoying the weird and wonderful (provided she has a suitable cardigan. And sensible shoes; that goes without saying). It’s quite a journey from her days as a civil servant to a globetrotting funnylady.

What: Sarah Millican – Outsider Where: Seymour Centre When: Saturday April 9 and Sunday April 10

Marrickville Open Studio Trail [VISUAL ART] A Suburb On Show By Adam Norris

Anne Zahalka

he first weekend of March will unveil a side of Marrickville that many people may not know exists. Given the suburb’s proximity to Newtown – erstwhile bastion of all things alternative – it can sometimes be overshadowed by its north-eastern neighbour in terms of culture and diversity, yet the Marrickville Open Studio

Trail seeks to remedy that notion. A free Art Month program that invites the public to engage with over 200 artists, MOST celebrates the unique and the varied, from photography to woodwork, jewellery and more. Renowned photographer Anne Zahalka leads us by the hand into Marrickville’s artistic heart.

“There is a very vibrant gallery scene in Marrickville, where obviously studio space is more affordable [than Newtown],” she explains. “There’s quite a current demand for open studio. There are 20 or 30 galleries in the area – it’s exciting. I think it’s hard to shift the audience from the Paddington, Eastern Suburbs side, the collectors and curators over to those shows. But it’s starting to happen as there is more and more awareness of what’s going on. I think it’s a really healthy scene.” Zahalka raises an interesting concern. While Marrickville enjoys a local renown for its celebrations of multiculturalism and artisans – from the markets to the road-closing Marrickville Festival – beyond the suburb this vitality remains little-known and unexplored. An event like MOST seeks to not only encourage support and interaction between the public and artists, but to showcase the creative spirit of Marrickville itself. “I think you definitely get a lot of art happening in Newtown, more street art, and there is that edgy stuff that people come here to see,” says Zahalka. “But [Marrickville’s]

different from those artisans who work through more exhibition space environments, and I think because of the number of galleries around there you can have more opportunities to show. I don’t think there’s a commercial imperative there. Artists are always putting time and money into making work, and there often isn’t a commercial outlet for it, sadly. It’s awful, but they often have to pay rent to the exhibit.” Such are the everyday hurdles faced by Sydney creatives, yet as MOST showcases, this need not always be the case. “There is a very serious, dedicated group of artists who are trying to fi nd spaces to exhibit, and who are thoughtful about the way in which works are installed; that there are catalogues sometimes produced that become the remains, the document of those shows. A lot of the more interesting works are coming out of areas like this, because there is a developing culture here, there is a possibility to put it out there. There are spaces being run by people who aren’t just about selling work – that would be the last thing that they’re thinking of. It’s about providing an environment that is supportive, with

works well selected; being broader in trying to have other things take place there; feeling connected by each other; and having something very different to what commercial galleries might be offering.” With 200 artists and 52 studios involved, the only real concern is finding time over the course of the weekend to sample all that the Trail has to offer. Zahalka sees the event almost as a tease to entice people to return to the area, and continue to engage with this burgeoning Inner West gem. “I think you’d get just a bit of a sense of the kind of work that’s getting shown there. I think it’s probably about being selective. The program that they’ve got gives you a little bit of sense of what’s what, and it will be exciting.” What: Marrickville Open Studio Trail as part of Art Month Sydney 2016 Where: Various galleries around Marrickville When: Saturday March 5 – Sunday March 6 More: marrickville.nsw.gov.au/ most

The Barber Of Seville [OPERA] Shaping The Language By Adam Norris

“Classical music has always been a part of my thebrag.com

The Barber Of Seville contains one of the most famous arias in all of opera; so much so, its most renowned refrain – “Figaro, Figaro!” – has become a lampooning standard of the genre. Rossini’s 19th century opera buffa provides Dowsley with one of the most significant leading roles of her young career – after all, it is the foibles of her character’s potential suitors that provide the production with much of its movement. “I’m singing Rosina, who has a soprano sound

but she needs to have a bit of guts. She is quite a feisty woman and has a lot of lower notes as well. So first and foremost it’s about what the composer has chosen, and then of course you have to use the text to colour your voice to how you want to express that word or line. It’s something you work on throughout the rehearsal period by yourself, with coaches. Having confidence with certain words, trying different dynamics. It’s all about shaping the language, and you can do that in so many different ways.” The great operas endure for many reasons, and The Barber Of Seville’s comic leanings are certainly one of these. But opera is a remarkably adaptable art form, and these classic stories can be moulded into a gamut of captivating shapes and peculiar, evocative settings. “The production itself is around 21 years [old], but it’s lasted because it’s such a great concept,” Dowsley explains. “It’s set in the era of 1930s silent film, so we all have quite extreme make-up on, these very white faces and very blushed cheeks. To go with it, there is a lot of not-so-subtle acting,” she laughs, “because it’s all about that theme of the silent

film where so much was conveyed through your eyes and your gestures. It really goes quite well with the music and plot, where everyone is taking themselves very seriously but it’s such a crazy story. The flapper era comes in towards the end, where the cast wear these really gorgeous outfits. There is a very distinct theme to the action. It’s something different, something special, and at this beautiful landmark of the Opera House. It’s a story that you want to be taken away by.” What: The Barber Of Seville as part of Spectrum Now 2016 Where: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House When: Until Tuesday March 22

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The Barber Of Seville photos by Keith Saunders

here is something so otherworldly about opera, and also something very misjudged. The nature of the art form never fails to astound, and yet seems so at odds with popular impressions of the craft – rotund ladies with horned helmets; great yawning gentlemen with dessert-sounding names; and perhaps the most enduring myth, that opera is music for the old and out of touch. As mezzo-soprano Anna Dowsley explains, there is so much more excitement and colour lying just below the surface.

life,” Dowsley says. “I used to play the piano as a little girl, I picked up the violin. But opera, not at all. I was a typical teenage girl listening to pop songs, but I decided to study music at university not knowing where that would take me, and it was there I guess I was awakened to the opera repertoire. I always used to love drama and acting, but I think having that combination of singing and theatre is pretty special. I love the idea of creating characters through music that is centuries old, and of course you have an orchestra there, which is so special. And you sing in other languages! It just combines so many facets and contains so many challenges. I fell in love with everything about it.”

Workaholics

film reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen around town

[COMEDY] The Fab Four By Tegan Jones

‘H

ilarious chaos’ is the only way to describe an interview with the Workaholics boys: Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Kyle Newacheck. The off-the-wall team will be hitting town next week to host two Comedy Central comedy nights as part of the Spectrum Now festival. Having four boisterous men being patched in from LA offers just a small taste of the insanity that audiences can expect from the show. Our interview begins with an admittedly safe question regarding their excitement about visiting Australia. As Anderson enthusiastically yells “Woooo!” in the background, Holm replies: “We’re excited to see some Australian comedy – we haven’t really seen much. Every Australian I’ve met has been really, really cool, so I’m excited to meet some of the funniest.” Pitch Perfect’s Devine also jumps in. “We’ll grab a beer for sure, cause we know that’s the bottom line for Australian folks. There’s a nice golden hue to them, you know?” When it comes to what audiences can expect from a night of local comedians with international celebrity hosts, Devine dives right in. “There’s going to be magic, there’s going to be mystery, there’s going to be love – Denzel Washington might make a cameo. We don’t know.” “I think that anything can probably happen,” Holm adds, which the rest simultaneously agree is “the perfect answer”. Anderson does have one point to add, though: “I just want people to leave and go, ‘What the fuck was that?’ We’re pretty confident we can deliver on that.” With such a stellar lineup of comic talent, it’s hardly surprising that both nights of the show are already sold out. This does, however, come as news to the hosts. After a spirited “Heck yeah!” from Devine, Holm asks, “That’s terrifying, how many people?” Devine assures him a total of 15 people will be in attendance, and Holm issues a sigh of relief. “Alright, we can handle 15 people, but if it’s any more than that, we’re shit out of luck.” Despite making a big name for themselves on the small screen with Workaholics, the four-man team began as a sketch group, Mail Order Comedy. They remain eager to get back to their roots on the stage. “100 per cent,” says Newachek. “I think it’s something that we all like to do but haven’t had a chance to do it together for a long, long time. So I think it’s going to be something fun and we’re glad that we can do it and get a free trip to Australia. I’m probably going to meet my wife down there – I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Hail, Caesar!

It also doesn’t sound like this will be the last we see of the Workaholics crew when it comes to live performances and touring. “I’m the one out of the four of us that gets to do it most,” says Devine, “just because I do stand-up comedy, so I get to go up quite a bit and improvise and perform. But we haven’t done anything together as a group for a few years now. Especially with Workaholics starting to wind down – we’re going to do one more season of it – we’ll be able to have more time and freedom to do fun things like this. “We can go out, go on the road, go to strange new cities and meet strange people, get in some kick-fighting rings and really find ourselves. I’m hoping to have some stories for the weird book I’m going to write about myself someday. Don’t psychopaths write books about themselves? I’m hoping to do that.” Speaking of being on the road, one thing they make a point of in an episode of Workaholics is the importance of mansnacks. I wonder what their favourites are. “I like vanilla ice-cream,” says Anderson, “but then I like to cover it with beef jerky. That way I’m getting my dairy intake but I’m also getting my protein, which is important as a man.” Holm adds, “I’d say mine is Big League Chew – it’s bubblegum that’s supposed to look like chewing tobacco, because that’s the kind of man I am.” Snacking habits aside, it’s also incredibly enlightening to discover some of the weird things that can happen to comedians on the road. “I had a girl once outside of a show with cupcakes,” says Devine. “I ate one when I got home and I found a lock of her hair inside of the cupcakes. This psychopath wanted me to ingest her hair. I did eat the rest of them though, because they were pretty delicious. They were extra moist – I don’t know what that was.” Anderson also has some odd stories to share. “When I first started off, I stayed in a shady-ass hotel in Baltimore where a car [was] shot up, and I was scared of that. I hope that Australia is very safe and that we don’t have any kind of problems.” Unfortunately, Australia isn’t the safest of places for tourists – especially thanks to our deadly wildlife, which Devine has heard about before. “Oh yeah, everything out there can kill you, right? Even the butterflies can fuck you up. I’m not excited about that.” Where: Big Top, The Domain When: Monday March 7 and Wednesday March 9

■ Film

HAIL, CAESAR! In cinemas now It’s an absurd statement to say that Joel and Ethan Coen have set the bar for themselves too high to jump, but it certainly seems the case with Hail, Caesar! – a movie filled with all the trappings of a Coen creation, but one that feels less like the sumptuous meal they normally serve and more like a puffy dessert. In the midst of the 1950s’ “golden age of cinema”, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is the go-to guy for every problem, almost singlehandedly keeping Capitol Pictures afloat, but his mettle is tested when the studio’s foremost actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is kidnapped from the set of its most expensive film. On paper, it seems like the kidnapping should take pride of place, but that’s not how the Coens roll. Their focus is on recreating and paying tribute to the grandeur and flamboyance of the Hollywood of old, intrigues and politics intact. It’s the audience’s job, much as it is Mannix’s job, to corral and contain every rapidly unravelling plot thread and wrangle it into a coherent narrative. As a snapshot of the times, Hail, Caesar! is impeccable. Lensed by the eminent Roger Deakins, it’s a lavish and expertly crafted production on par with the films it simultaneously lampoons and serenades. All but one of the most memorable sequences exist in the confines of filmswithin-the-film: a ridiculous water-dancing ■ Film

SON OF SAUL In cinemas now To see the world through the eyes of another is surely the core of great storytelling; the sharing of experience is what binds us together as human beings, even when that experience is suffering. Though it’s his first film, László Nemes showcases an unshaken belief that this experience must not simply be distantly related, but lived up close and personal in horrific detail. Hungarian-born Saul (Géza Röhrig) is rounded onto a train to Auschwitz, where he faces the sickening prospect of working as a member of the Sonderkommando, a team of young Jewish men forced to partake in the mechanisms of the Nazi genocide. When Saul witnesses a young boy’s death, he claims him as his own and seeks to have him properly buried, whatever the cost. Nemes’ choice to shoot the whole film in close-up – with the camera rarely more than a metre from Röhrig’s nose – spares us little of the gruesome realities of Auschwitz. As a measure of history, Son Of Saul is never short on shock: in long, unbroken takes that see naked Jews executed point blank, dumped into pits,

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sequence with Scarlett Johansson in her “fish ass” and Channing Tatum’s extraordinary (innuendo-laced) tap-dance stand out. The exception is a very amusing scene involving a submarine, but let that be a surprise. A cursory glance at the cast list – also featuring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill and many more – further pushes the angle of glamour. Far from parodying the notion of paramount productions, the Coens emulate them. But beyond that there is little substance. Certainly, there is plenty of the brothers’ trademark dialogue, with two especially hilarious exchanges about representations of the Christ and a single sticky line of conversation (one of the exceptional Alden Ehrenreich’s finest moments) keeping the laughs flowing. They even nail straight-up slapstick in a perfect Frances McDormand cameo moment. But the ending leaves little to ponder beyond a stale chorus of “aren’t films great?”, and the profundity of Michael Gambon’s narration is left meaninglessly hanging in the air like expensive set dressing. There are also some jokes too obvious for a tongue-in-cheek approach to carry. No doubt it’s high-quality entertainment, but it lacks something intangible. It may simply be that Brolin’s leading man is just too straight to really get behind. Come for the spectacle and savour its richness, but don’t expect fulfilment. David Molloy

Son Of Saul

dragged from the gas chambers and subjected to all manner of mockery and degradation, Nemes exposes the horrors of the Holocaust in a more deeply affecting way than most films on the subject. His refusal to moralise and paint his Jewish characters as flawless lends gravity and complexity to his approach. Saul is no rebel hero, nor a complete naïf, but instead a man so single-minded in his task – the only thing within his control – that he is often enraging to the viewer. To paraphrase Abraham (Levente Molnár), he betrays the living for the dead. But what else is he to do? He is a character faced with the abject, and certainly broken by it. A particularly distressing sequence in which he is puppeted by an SS guard in a grotesque mockery of Jewish dance lays bare

his character’s truth – buffeted by fate, he clings desperately to a single act of potential redemption. There are plots to rebel against the SS, to sneak photos of the slaughter out to the global press, and to blow up the crematoriums – their manoeuvrings involve Saul when it suits his purposes and keep the plot flowing smoothly, as does the choice to shoot in extended takes. However, the film’s greatest asset is its immaculate, haunting sound design. We never enter the gas chambers, but hearing what Saul hears from the other side of the door is enough. Though it often frustrates with its dogged narrative, Son Of Saul is daring filmmaking and potent historical record. May we never witness its like again. David Molloy

thebrag.com

out & about

five minutes

Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson

WITH

his weekend, Mardi Gras season comes to an end with the parade. 10,000 people will march up Oxford Street in front of a crowd of thousands more.

CHENIER MOORE FROM HAMLET

ou’re playing Hamlet in an upcoming production from Bard On The Beach. It’s a role with a lot of history and prestige attached to it – how did you feel when you found out you had the part? Oh wow, when I first got the news, I was flattened. There’s a saying amongst actors, which goes something like, “It’s a horrible day when an actor wakes up to realise he will never play The Dane,” meaning that it’s a younger man’s part, and an honour to play. Of course there are so many prestigious actors of the past (and present) that have played the role, which is both intimidating and exciting. What I hold before me in the role is that what is true to Hamlet is what is true to me. I’ve got to give it my very best shot. What is your own personal connection to the work? Do you remember the first time you came into contact with it? Well, the very first time I encountered the work would have been in high school. I remember being none too thrilled with it at the time. However, as I’ve grown up, I’ve found the play to be inspiring, humbling, but at the same time, horrifically relatable.

The Mardi Gras Parade has been my favourite event of the year (probably not an exaggeration) since I first marched in 2012. Being in the parade is euphoric. The first time I marched, we were walking up Market Street to Hyde Park, and the crowds of people on the street literally parted for us as they took photos, cheered and applauded. The last time I was in the city before that, some guys had yelled at me and my partner, “Fucking dykes, you just need a dick!” Every year around the parade there is a spike in homophobia – the queer bashings last week, and the government’s inquiry into Safe Schools make this year no different – but I’ve always been lucky. The parade has felt like the one time of the year I can be the most exaggerated form of myself: covered in glitter, sequins, and wearing the shortest shorts I can find, while people cheer and applaud me for being myself. However, watching the parade really isn’t that fun. Among hordes of crowds, if you’re short (like me) there’s little to no viewing room, and it’s looooong. And it seems that every year it gets longer. The corporatisation of Mardi Gras means that each year, the parade gets bigger – to accommodate community groups, as well as corporates that want to use the parade as a chance to show they’re not homophobes. This year, for the first time, the NRL has a float. While this is a pretty big step, the float’s organiser, Paul Langmack, told the Sydney Morning Herald he foresees a time when every NRL team has its own float. Why?! This year’s float will apparently barely have any current NRL players, because the parade coincides with the code’s first round of the 2016 season. The float is an important step in showing queer solidarity, and perhaps eradicating homophobia, but with barely any actual players – and little other visible commitment to ending

homophobia (unlike what’s being done in the AFL, for example) – why should we be looking to applaud every individual team? It’s a stretch to applaud just this float – especially in light of Mitchell Pearce’s recent antics (why does no-one ever talk about how many gay jokes him and his mates throw around in that video?). Homophobia in these kinds of sports is rife. Ending that is a huge step forward. But committing to not be homophobic should not be enough to earn you a spot in the parade. Not being homophobic is a fairly simple commitment to ‘not being a dickhead’. It definitely doesn’t make you an ally. The NRL needs to do much more, especially if it wants all of its teams to have a presence on Mardi Gras night.

What is it about Hamlet that keeps drawing audiences back? I think, for one thing, that the pain that Hamlet goes through is no different than the pain that we all go through in life. Everyone whose parents have divorced each other, for instance, knows the pain and strange feeling that Hamlet feels toward Gertrude and Claudius at the start of the play. Hamlet is like an emotional lodestone that draws in our own aches and pangs and gives them a small release. The play’s monologues are arguably some of the most famous in Western literature. How do you keep them fresh? It comes down to keeping them honest. Far too often is “To be or not to be” a hypothetical question to actors, whereas, to the character of Hamlet, it is nothing less than the most real and honest examination of whether he

should end his own life. What makes the speeches of Hamlet fresh is treating them as real and honest expressions of deep thoughts. What do you think makes the Bard On The Beach production different from others? Well, for one thing, I have found that our production is playing Hamlet without adornment. Bard On The Beach is a company that specialises in period (and contemporary) theatre, but they always handle Shakespeare in his time, without trying to realise it if it were happening today. The issues and feelings of Shakespeare and Hamlet are relevant to people, they don’t need to dress up like it. What: Hamlet Where: The Greek Theatre When: Friday March 11 – Saturday March 19

Companies, too, need to show an active commitment to diversity if they want to be included in the parade. The Liberal Party has a float, despite organising inquiries into Safe Schools, and actively preventing marriage equality from passing. Having a few LGBT members doesn’t prove you’re an ally organisation. Corporates like ANZ, which are major sponsors of Mardi Gras, do showy things like GAYNZ on Oxford Street, and a flashy float. But ANZ also has a diversity unit and is committed to employing LGBTI people. The University of Sydney has an ally network, which is still developing, but it is already making important steps on campus for things like gender neutral toilets, and allowing trans and gender diverse students to use preferred names and pronouns in their documentation. Organisations like this can definitely do more. But they’re already doing far more than simply not being dickheads. Ending homophobia is something everyone should be committed to. Participants in the Mardi Gras Parade should have to prove their commitment to diversity and allyship in order to get a float. We can expect better for the best day of the year.

this week… Mardi Gras Parade photo by Ashley Mar

On Friday March 4, ACON is teaming up with Shades at the Burdekin Hotel, with Sveta and Homosocial DJs. Nearby, in the Oxford Hotel basement, NatNoiz is doing a Mardi Gras warm-up party, with Sideboob, Cunningpants and Kate Monroe. Across town at the Red Rattler, San Francisco favourites are bringing back Swagger Like Us, a queer hip hop party featuring Big Dipper, Davo and local Hip Hop Hoe. Afterparties on Parade night, Saturday March 5, are plentiful. There’s the official party at the Hordern Pavilion, Bar Fruity and Club Fruity at The Shift, Girlthing at the Metro Theatre, Heaps Gay at The Imperial, Monsta Gras at the Red Rattler, Klub Koori at Hermann’s Bar, Halfway Crooks x Flex at Plan B Small Club, and so much more. Check events aren’t sold out in advance. Recovery parties are also in hot demand. The official Laneway party at the Beresford Hotel is sold out, as is Club Kooky. The Imperial Hotel will have its Shady Sunday, and most pubs up and down King Street and Oxford Street will have specials on Bloody Marys. Take Monday off, if you can. You deserve it. It’s Christmas, after all!

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 17

BARS BRAG

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

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 Mon – Fri 11am-1am; Saturday 5pm-1am Assembly 488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808

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 – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight BAR100 100 George St, The Rocks (02) 8070 9311 Mon – Thu noon-late; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noon-10pm

Bar Eleven Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4000 Mon – Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat 4-11pm The Barber Shop 89 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 9699 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight Basement 33 Basement, 27-33 Goulburn St, Sydney CBD (02) 8970 5813 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD

Mon – Sat 4pm-1am Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Sat 4pm-1am 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 – Sat 5pm-late

MOONSHINE @ HOTEL STEYNE

The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight

Grain Bar 199 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9250 3118 Mon – Sun noon-1am

The Loft (UTS) 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 1149 Mon – Wed 2pm-10pm; Thurs – Fri 2pm-late

Grandma’s Basement 275 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 3004 Mon – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-late The Fox Hole 68A Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 4369 Mon 7am-3pm; Tue – Fri 7am-lste The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Thurs & Sat 4pm-late; Fri noon-late Harpoon Harry 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 8800 Mon – Sun 11:30am-3am

bar

ADDRESS: 75 THE CORSO, MANLY PHONE NUMBER: (02) 9977 4977 WEBSITE: HOTELSTEYNE.COM.AU OPENING HOURS: THU – FRIDAY 5PM-1:30AM; SAT NOON-1:30AM; SUNDAY NOON-MIDNIGHT

Mon – Tue 5-11pm; Wed – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight

The Glenmore 96 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 4794 Mon – Thu, Sun 11am-midnight; Fri – Sat 11am-1am

E E W

Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu 4pm-1am; Fri 3pm-1am; Sat 4pm-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 The Palisade 35 Bettington St, Millers Point 9018 0123 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 (02) 9299 5671 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Plan B Small Club 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney CBD

Wed 5pm-11pm; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 6pm-3am 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 noon-3pm, 6-11pm Tell us about your bar: Rough and ready for live entertainment, Moonshine’s grittier, more authentic atmosphere has developed into a cult classic venue, lending its space to some of the fi nest original domestic and international live acts. With a balcony overlooking Manly Beach, it is a prime destination with location and views unmatched in the area. Dabble in one of over 100 rums, sink back in the afternoon sun, and it’s guaranteed Moonshine will be the seaside shanty shack you’ll never want to leave. There are heel-tappin’, knee-slappin’ live music antics every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights; all free entry gigs, 18+. What’s on the menu? Rum and cider are the standout choice in Moonshine, and if you’re

feeling a little peckish, a few of our delicious pizzas to share should certainly go down nicely! If you’re around this week you are in for a particularly ripping time, with our annual Riders Week event lineup, free live gigs in Moonshine through to Sunday March 6, and of course some boss drink deals and promos to get your hands on. Care for a drink? You can’t go past a Sailor Jerry dark n’ stormy. Sounds: With a weekly four-night lineup we have a wide variety of genres/ styles of bands cutting around. As a bit of an outline you can expect the following vibes: folk, rock and blues on Thursdays; garage, surf, alt and rock on Fridays; indie-pop/ rock on Saturdays; and roots/ reggae/soul on Sunday. All original

acts, no covers. This week alone, just to give an idea, we have the likes of Ash Grunwald, Skegss, Hockey Dad, The Vanns, Dumb Punts, Food Court, Sea Legs, Winston Surfshirt, Chase City, The Dolphin Show, Billy Fox, Animal Ventura and James Crooks gracing the Moonshine stage. If you hit up our website/Facebook events, there are sure to be gigs that’ll rock your socks off. Highlights: Let’s keep this simple. Four gig nights each week, eight to ten bands per week, all sorts of genres, original live tunes, free entry every gig, rum, cider, beer, beach views… that should hit the spot, no? The bill comes to: Dirty Hawaiian pizza $21 + SJ dark n’ stormy $9 = $30.

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 Mon – Sat 4pm-late Stitch Bar 61 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 0380

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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-11.30; Sun 11am-3pm Bellini Lounge 2 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 9331 0058 Thu – Sun 6pm-late The Bells Hotel 1 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9357 3765 Mon – Sun 10am-1am 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 Busby 55 Riley St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9326 9055 Wed – Sat 3pm-midnight 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 Tavern 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 Fri – Sat 6pm-late The Commons 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 1487 Tue – Wed 6pm-late; Thu – Fri 12pm-late; Sat – Sun 8:30am-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 Darlo Country Club Level 1, 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 4279 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-2am Dead Ringer 413 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3560 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Della Hyde 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Thu – Sun 4pm-late 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 noon-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-1am; 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) 8070 2424 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat – Sun noon-midnight Golden Age Cinema & Bar 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 1556 Mon - Sun 3pm-midnight Goros 84-86 Mary St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0214 Mon – Wed 11:30am-midnight; 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 6pm-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 5pm-late thebrag.com

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 noon-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-11pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 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 – Sun 4pm-midnight The Powder Keg 7 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 8354 0980 Wed – Thu 6pm-late; Fri 1pm-2.30am; Sat – Sun 6pm-late The Print Room 11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Thu – Fri 5pm-late; Sat – Sun noon-late Queenie’s Upstairs 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Tue – Sat 6pm-late & Fri noon-3pm Roosevelt 32 Orwell St, Potts Point (02) 8696 1787 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 – Thu 5pm-late; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat – Sun 6pm-3am thebrag.com

Surly’s 182 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3705 Tue – Sun noon-midnight Sweethearts Rooftop 33/37 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point (02) 9368 7333 Mon – Thu 4-11.30pm; Fri – Sun noon-11.30pm This Must Be The Place 239 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 8063 Mon – Sun 3pm-midnight The Tilbury Hotel 12-18 Nicholson St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9368 1955 Mon – Fri 9am-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Tio’s Cerveceria 12-18 Nicholson St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9368 1955 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 2-10pm 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 White Horse Hotel 381-385 Crown Street, Surry Hills 1300 976 683 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm 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 (@ The Spot) (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 4pm-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 The Hill Bar/Eatery Cnr Campbell Pde & Hastings Pde, North Bondi (02)9130 2200 BAR Mon – Fri 4pm-late, Sat – Sun 12pm till late

Mr Moustache 75-79 Hall St, Bondi Beach (02) 9300 8892 Mon – Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon10pm The Phoenix Hotel 1 Moncur St, Woollahra 0413 688 546 Wed – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10pm The Robin Hood Hotel 203 Bronte Rd, Waverley (02) 9389 3477 Mon - Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-10pm 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 Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 5pm-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 Arco 3 Little Queen Street, Chippendale (02) 9318 0815 Tue – Sat 5pm-9.30pm Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6pm-midnight Bauhaus West 163 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8068 9917 Wed – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 11am-midnight The Bearded Tit 183 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8283 4082 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon - midnight; Sun noon - 10pm Blacksheep 256 King St, Newtown (02) 8033 3455 Mon – Fri 4pm-11pm; Sat 2pm-11pm; Sun 2pm-10pm Bloodwood 416 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 7699 Tue – Wed 6pm-late; Thu – Sun 5pm-late

House 530 King St, Newtown Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 5.30pm-midnight Earl’s Juke Joint 407 King St, Newtown Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Forest Lodge Hotel 117 Arundel St, Forest Lodge (02) 9660 1872 Mon – Sat 11am-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Freda’s 109 Regent St, Chippendale (02) 8971 7336 Tues – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm The Gasoline Pony 115 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville 0401 002 333 Tue – Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri – Sat 3-11.30pm; Sun 3-9.30pm The Hideaway Bar 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8021 8451 Tue– Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-1am Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 9911 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm Kelly’s On King 285 King St, Newtown (02) 9565 2288 Mon – Fri 10am-2.30am; Sat 10am-3.30am; Sun 11am-11.30pm Knox Street Bar Cnr Knox & Shepherd St, Chippendale (02) 8970 6443 Tue – Thu 4-10pm, Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Mon – Sat 4pm-late; Thu – Sat 4pm-3am

The Workers Lvl 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain (02) 9555 8410 Thu – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 2pm-late

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

ZanziBar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-12am

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

Zigi’s Wine And Cheese Bar 86 Abercrombie St, Chippendale (02) 9699 4222 Tue 4pm-10pm; Wed – Sat 2pm-late

Secret Garden Bar 134a Enmore Rd, Enmore 0403 621 585 Mon – Tue 7am-5pm; Wed – Sun 7am-11pm Soho In Balmain 358 Darling St, Balmain 0407 525 208 Tue – Sun 5pm-11pm

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

Temperance Society 122 Smith St, Summer Hill (02) 8068 5680 Mon – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat: noon-midnight; Sun: noon-10pm

Daniel San Manly 55 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9977 6963 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Friday – Saturday noon– 2am; Sunday noon-midnight

Thievery 91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8283 1329 Tue – Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri 6pm-midnight. Sat 11pm-3pm & 6pm-midnight

Firefly 24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri 4-11.30pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10pm

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

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

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

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

Sun noon-10pm Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030 Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm 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 6/8 Young Ln, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 0027 Tue – Fri noon-late; Sat – Sun 8am-late 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 – Fri noon-midnight;

Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebrag. com Sat 8am-midnight Miami Cuba 47 North Steyne, Manly 0487 713 350 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

The Little Guy 87 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8084 0758 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 The Midnight Special 44 Enmore Road, Newtown (02) 9516 2345 Tues – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5pm-10pm

Calaveras 324 King St, Newtown 0451 541 712 Wed – Sat 6pm-midnight

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

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

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

Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0405 671 002 Tue – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 1pm-10pm

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

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

The Oxford Tavern 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 Mon – Thu noon-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-3pm; Sun noon-10pm

Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon – Sat 4.30pm-1am

Lord Raglan 12 Henderson Rd, Alexandria (02) 9699 4767 Mon – Sun noon-3pm, 5pm-9pm

Doris & Beryl’s Bridge Club and Tea

Raven’s Eye 127 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 6429 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 11.30am-midnight; Sun 11:30am-10pm

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The BRAG guide to Australian International Tattoo Expo

AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL TATTOO EXPO The Appetite For Ink By Anna Wilson

ack and bigger than ever, the Australian International Tattoo Expo returns to Sydney this month to showcase the best the city has to offer in tattoo talent. The national event, which visits each of Australia’s major cities, has long been a highlight on the calendar for any budding or seasoned tattoo artist. It’s an opportunity to present skills and techniques among their peers as adoring body art enthusiasts watch on, intrigued and in awe of the artistic skills on show. Since June 2015, the Expo has been under new management, with organisers Rhiannon Kennedy-Bush and Daniel Bowler helping steer it in a direction where the industry’s appreciation and recognition of its finest proponents becomes key. For Kennedy-Bush and Bowler, it was important the three-day Sydney event focus on finding the right balance between the commercial and celebrity attractions, the type of tattoo fan who follows reality television, and the underground tattoo scene. “The Expo is about the artist,” says KennedyBush. “We want to give tattoo artists a platform where their talent is recognised throughout the tattoo community in Australia, giving them exposure and getting their brand up, making sure the artist is the focus of the Expo.” The spotlight will certainly shine brighter on the artists at this year’s event thanks to the expansion of the Artist of the Expo competition, which offers a huge incentive for both national and international contestants. Bowler explains, “There’s prize money of $2,500 for each artist, the largest amount put up in any event of this kind, as well as a free stand in future Expos. Different categories are judged on different days and points are acquired through the competitions.” The more categories the artists enter, the more chances they have of winning and gaining recognition across a range of styles. Meanwhile, there are several national and international artists

visiting this year who stand out in particular. “The big draw is obviously Paul Booth, who will be tattooing and is a judge on the panel for the Artist of the Expo competition,” says Bowler. “Kurt Jones is the best traditional tattooist in his age group in Australia; only in his mid-20s and already with 100,000+ Instagram followers.” The organisers’ other tips to look out for include Matt Curzon of Empire Collective, Jimi May, and Maija Arminen of Kaleidoscope Tattoo, who will jump out at you for her unique fusion of styles, particularly pastels, that seem to create something new. It sounds like it’s all great things happening for the artists at this year’s Expo, but what of the loyal tattoo enthusiasts – what attractions do the public have to look forward to this year? (Besides the chance to see their favourite artists in action, of course.) “We’ve been working hard to have more of a mix of entertainment up onstage, more things to do for visitors while their friend is getting tattooed,” Kennedy-Bush explains. These various sights to see include local circus act Kanteena, paying service to another alternative interest outside tattooing, as well as a classic car and bike show inside the venue. There’s also talk of a meet-and-greet session with Booth, a special appearance by tattoo model and SullenTV host Bernadette Macias, as well as the Girls of Ink competition. With all this to see, hear and do, the 2016 Sydney edition of the Australian International Tattoo Expo is set to offer enough inspiring tattoo action to melt your eyeballs and whet your appetite for ink. Where: Royal Hall Of Industries When: Friday March 11 – Sunday March 13

BLACKTOWN TATTOO Your story: Kenny ‘TMD’ Taylor owns the studio. We have Gaz and Gino, both tattoo artists, and Paul Eyebrow our piercer. Kenny TMD has owned the shop since 2013. Your speciality: We do it all – colour, black and grey, realism, new school, Oriental and everything in between. At the expo: TMD and Gaz will be doing a range of different styles to showcase our skills. Pop past our booth and say hi. Address: Shop 1/6 Sunnyholt Rd, Blacktown Website: facebook.com/blacktown.tattoo

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LITTLE TOKYO TEMPLE OF ART

LITTLE-TOKYO.COM.AU 02 8068 4912 5A/71 OXFORD STREET, BONDI JUNCTION, NSW, 2022

LONSDALE

thebrag.com

TATTOO

AUSTRALIANTATTOOHISTORY.COM

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Australian International Tattoo Expo

Game On Gaming news and reviews with Adam Guetti

New Releases

2016

March madness has arrived, and it’s bringing a whole lot of premium games with it. First up this week is Far Cry Primal. Yes, the game has already been released for both Xbox One and PS4 players, but now PC owners can get in on the Stone Age action too. Releasing this Wednesday March 2 is the Heavy Rain And Beyond Two Souls Collection. Both titles are remasters of incredibly divisive PS3 games, created by none other than the controversial David Cage. Soon PS4 owners will be able to join in on the debate and see what all the fuss is about with prettier versions of the two ‘interactive movies’.

LITTLE TOKYO Your story: With 25+ years’ experience both here and abroad, Rhys Gordon opened Little Tokyo: Temple of Art three years ago in Bondi Junction. Rhys also set up the Australian Tattoo History website after his long love of tattooing and tattoo history.

Conversely, hold out until Tuesday March 8, and after a whole lot of delays the world will finally be able to get its hands on Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4, XBO, PC). Will the post-apocalyptic warzone be an addictive hit or publicly misguided flop? You’re going to have to wait to find out!

Your speciality: Rhys is well known for his interpretation of traditional Japanese tattooing, from one-shot pieces to full bodysuits. Mark Lonsdale is the consummate all-rounder with a strong focus on black and grey and his own version of traditional tattooing, from dot work to mandalas. Jimi May comes from a strong painting background and is a modern-day realism master. Tristan Bentley produces some of the most vibrant colours in his unique take on traditional tattooing. Luke Mills produces amazing black and grey work with heavy influences from the dark side.

Wrapping things up on Saturday March 19 is a bit of family fun with Pokkén Tournament (Wii U). No, this isn’t a cheap knock-off, but rather an incredibly popular overseas fighting game that pits your favourite Pokémon against each other in various fighting arenas.

The Australian Tattoo History website preserves and documents Australia’s rich tattoo history, featuring information on tattoo artists, tattoo machines, designs and other interesting facts. Rhys is also documenting on film the forefathers of our industry. At the expo: Everybody will be tattooing a mixture of appointments and walk-ups showcasing our work, and we will have a variety of merchandise on sale, from T-shirts to prints and more. Rhys will be doing a talk, accompanied by a slideshow on tattoo history, mainly focusing on Sydney.

Come Saturday March 5, and The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is reborn on the Wii U with a very welcomed 1080p facelift. Considering the lack of options for the console, longtime Zelda lovers and newbies alike should pick it up.

Divides Yet Conquers

NEWS

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Looking forward to The Division next month? Well so are a lot of people, it seems, with the game’s recent beta shooting down records. A whopping 6.4 million players participated in the brief beta, making it the industry’s biggest ever for a new game brand on current generation platforms. Players spent an average of four hours and 52 minutes within The Division’s pandemic-stricken New York City, with more than a third of that time spent in the Dark Zone – the game’s player-versus-player environment. On the other hand, more than 2.5 million players went rogue. “We think the beta is going to help ensure a great launch for the game,” said Magnus Jansen, creative director at Ubisoft. “We’re looking forward to everyone getting their hands on the full game.” You’ll be able to do just that from next week.

Playing With Reality Sony looks to be gearing up for the eventual launch of its hotly anticipated virtual reality device, aptly named PlayStation VR, with the company sending out invites for an exclusive event in San Francisco on Tuesday March 15. The event is reported to begin with a presentation of the VR device along with several hours of demonstrations. Held as part of this year’s Games Developers Conference (GDC), many are hoping the event will feature long-awaited details, such as a price and release window. Originally codenamed Morpheus, price is especially interesting, especially considering the hefty price tag of both competitors Oculus Rift (US$600) and the Vive ($US800).

Review: Street Fighter V (PS4, PC) Also on display and for sale will be vintage tattoo machines, flash and memorabilia. Address: 5a/71 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction Website: little-tokyo.com.au / australiantattoohistory.com

AUTHENTINK STUDIO Your story: Authentink Studio is the brainchild of Canadian-born Horisumi Kian Forreal, who has been tattooing all over the world for 23 years, but has made Sydney his home. Horisumi specialises in large-scale traditional Japanese tattoos; sleeves, back pieces and full body suits. At the expo this year, there will be nine artists working under the Authentink banner, all specialising in their own style. Your speciality: Among Authentink’s other artists, Lauren Fox specialises in traditional tattoos, loves to mix styles from East and West, and anything with a pop culture reference. Seth Arcane is our dotwork and geometric master, specialising in all ethnographic and tribal designs where precise linework is required.

Ning Chula and Enku Shoji are our two other Japanese specialists. Both love to do traditional and neo-Japanese work. Lance St Vincent is our newest addition to the team – with a solid street shop background, he can turn his hand at almost any style, however he has an especially unique style of elaborate lettering that is like no other. At the expo: In addition to our permanent crew, we will have three additional guest artists with us who specialise in neo-traditional, script, photorealism, black and grey and traditional Japanese: Jess Martucci, Jonas Bødker and Kevin Marr. Address: 306/4-14 Buckingham St, Surry Hills Website: authentink.com

ut of all the genres within the video game industry, fighters are arguably the most difficult not just to master, but to simultaneously wrap your head and fingers around. From learning parries and specials, to perfecting that specific mix of combos that will get you across the line, for newbies, it can be a daunting process. This is precisely what makes Street Fighter V such an interesting proposition: a fighting series with such a hardcore lineage, producing a sequel designed to appeal to loyal fans and entice new players in equal measure. It’s by no means an easy task, but one that is made all the easier via the inclusion of V-Skills. Tap both medium attack buttons together, and your character will instantly perform a special move or attack unique to them – that’s it. Even better, despite the execution being similar across the board, how each relates to the 16 fighters can differ fairly significantly. Ryu is able to parry potentially deadly hits, for example, while Bison can grab fireballs out of the air and hurl them back towards his foe. Nail these and you’ll eventually be able to enable your V-Trigger (again via two button presses), which can grant your character various options like a timed power-up or the chance to pull off a single move that can win you a tight match. By making the most of these new abilities, the moment-to-moment gameplay of Street Fighter V has had its pace fundamentally changed. With a fresh level of approachability, newer players can go toe-to-toe with more skilled opponents with greater ease, while still retaining plenty of nuances that can be discovered and experimented with should you so please. Most of all though, it helps make matches a boatload of fun. Yet for many of Street Fighter V’s beneficial changes, there are also negative ones. Arcade mode, for example (a series staple for many years), has all but been given the boot, leaving paltry story and survival modes in its place – at least for launch. The former ends after only two to four fights, while the latter lacks substantial charm or variety in terms of your opponents. Likewise, early server issues mean that finding more skilled competitors can prove to be troublesome. Still, though, this is an incredibly enjoyable fighter that fans of the genre definitely shouldn’t ignore. Fight! Adam Guetti

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JORDAN RAKEI, TULALAH Newtown Social Club Saturday February 27 Any keen eyes, or ears, would have noticed that the weekend’s live roster was full of soulful New Zealand artists playing around town. After Fat Freddy’s Drop tore up the Hordern Pavilion on Friday night, it was Jordan Rakei’s turn to impress on Saturday at Newtown Social Club. Whether fans made it to one or both, they were spoilt either way. Melburnian collective Tulalah commenced things dreamily, playing to the relatively full room with a quiet performance that commanded attention and had most of the audience happily seated. Four of the nine members took to the stage with a huddled setup of guitars, xylophone and hi-hat, their acoustic melodies and jazzy folk harmonies an enticing start to the evening’s live music. A DJ set between Tulalah and Rakei then brought the beat

PASSENGER, ALL OUR EXES LIVE IN TEXAS Enmore Theatre Thursday February 25 The Enmore Theatre is a flexible venue. It’s been privy to a smorgasbord of different sounds, and on Thursday night it might just have reached its peak amount of feels when Passenger took it over for the night. Michael Rosenberg AKA Passenger had his work cut out for him when he chose All Our Exes Live In Texas to warm the crowd. These four impeccably dressed, supremely talented performers captivated from the start to the finish of their short but definitely sweet set. With an engaging air of self-deprecating humour they ran through tracks like the catchy ‘Tell Me’, a song that made us feel a little

and bass up before the man himself graced the buzzy room. It speaks volumes when an artist can make their audience silent within the first song. Carrying just an acoustic guitar, Jordan Rakei and that voice had the room at his feet. The depth of the silence was heightened when the crowd erupted in chatter after each song, no doubt raving about what it was witnessing. Its significance was even more emphasised when Rakei mentioned he’d been frustrated about the lack of silence at some shows on his tour. A few songs deep and Rakei moved to stage left to play the keys, unseen to almost everyone, and probably the only criticism for the night. For what sight lacked, his charming anecdotes and crowd interaction made up. From talking about his love for Game Of Thrones’ Khaleesi, the inspiration for ‘Bey Shing’, to adding context to

strange for the enthusiasm with which we sung lines like “Tell me you don’t love me anymore”, and the incredible harmony-laden cover of The White Stripes’ ‘Hotel Yorba’. Despite all the jokes and off-kilter stage banter, you couldn’t deny these were incredibly clever women talking to each other on an equal level in a way the crowd lapped up. Subtlety is an art form and when you realised there were no drums, just all acoustic instruments, the power of song finally began to break through. If we’re talking the power of song, the cake really must go to Passenger, a talented, eccentric, witty and disarmingly honest showman who played with the crowd like the willing putty we were. Stating upfront that tonight was just him and an acoustic guitar, Rosenberg followed with two hours of storytelling in every sense of the word. As he enthralled us with

new song ‘Snitch’, inspired by Biggie Smalls’ ‘Ten Crack Commandments’, to forgetting lines on ‘Hope’ and then explaining what brought him to cover country with Chris Stapleton’s ‘Tennessee Whiskey’, Rakei had entertainment on lock. When it came to the encore, it was nice to hear his enjoyable side of the story behind his collaboration with Disclosure, ‘Masterpiece’, as it was stripped back to acoustic. It’s hard to distinguish exactly what shone the most for Rakei; his capable voice, bursts of scats, smooth changes of pace, those tasty guitar licks, or the warming lyrics that spurred the crowd to take over. You name it – it was all there. Maybe it was all in the essence of his last words, humbly chuckled during the applause: “My name is Jordan, if you didn’t know.” Emily Gibb

tales of ‘David’, a 50-something hostel visitor, or the combined heartbreaking stories of a widowed but strong Gold Coast man in Copenhagen and the disenchanted lady met outside a hotel in ‘Travelling Alone’, it was clear that a pin could have been heard dropping among the audience. Everyone was here to listen to what was to be said, and Passenger repaid it in kind. From crowd favourites ‘Things That Stop You Dreaming’, ‘Life’s For The Living’ and ‘27’ to a unique cover of ‘The Sound Of Silence’ and his selfconfessed one and only hit single ‘Let Her Go’, Rosenberg truly laid it all bare and showed what it was to truly deserve an encore. This was a largerthan-life night that felt like it restored faith in the power of a song, with a human who had a story to tell, right at a time when many need it most.

live reviews What we've been out to see... FAR FROM FOLSOM, VIC SIMMS Taronga Zoo Sunday February 28 It’s an odd thing to sit beneath the uninterrupted canopy of the sky and listen to songs about incarceration. Indeed, at first the striking contrast between setting and sound worked against Far From Folsom, a night of Johnny Cash covers led by Australia’s equivalent to the Man In Black, Tex Perkins. Audience members listened to songs about injustice while snacking on overpriced containers of cheese and fig jam, tapping their shoes along to the line in ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ in which Cash rails against “rich folks … smoking big cigars”. Things weren’t helped by the shakiness of the support, either. Though Vic Simms tried his best, his lukewarm, cover-heavy set failed to connect with the audience, and he was met with relative silence as he belted out songs by the likes of The Everly Brothers and wiggled across the stage, his gold shirt catching in the dying light. The bad vibes were palpable; even the giraffes a few cages over must have felt them. That said, perhaps Simms can be forgiven. After all, the biggest act on the bill struggled too: for the first few songs of his set, Perkins failed to find communion with the audience, and a couple of his jokes fell heavily on some very deaf ears. And then there was that strange vibe, made even stranger by the mocked-up prison shirts for sale in the merchandise tent. But the longer Perkins strutted about the stage, intermittently joined by the talented Rachel Tidd, the more natural the whole thing felt. The humour of the songs bubbled to the surface: the morbid ‘25 Minutes To Go’ was as farcical as it was ferocious, and Perkins’ decision to rephrase ‘San Quentin’ as a song about despising Taronga Zoo rather than the prison paid off in droves. “Taronga Zoo, I hate every inch of you,” Perkins gleefully spat, and the audience cheered and laughed. Eventually, almost an hour in, the evening began to make sense. As Perkins strolled around the stage as though it was his own living room, so at home he could have started to undress and it wouldn’t have seemed out of place, the strangeness of the night settled. The truth of the matter revealed itself. Johnny Cash didn’t write songs about prisons. He wrote songs about the world. He didn’t write songs about death. He wrote them about life. Joseph Earp

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK URTHBOY

The Past Beats Inside Me Like A Second Heartbeat Elefant Traks/Inertia

It’s only March, but it looks like Urthboy has dropped one of the finest Aussie albums of the year.

HENRY WAGONS After What I Did Last Night… ABC

Henry Wagons has developed a cult of personality. He gets by with the kind of laconic humour and textbookclever lyrics that have served the likes of Dave Graney and David McCormack for years – although he’s a little more country than rock’n’roll. You’re drawn in on the basis that you want to tear a coaster and shoot the shit with him. That’s not to negate the songs, of course – particularly on this, his second album under his own name following his duets suite, Expecting Company? Wagons is all bar-room waltzing and selfdeprecation here, turning in some of his most fun and formidable tracks to date. ‘Cold Burger, Cold Fries’ is a modern-day ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’, complete with regret food and Cash-like baritone.

His highly conceptual lyrical approach blends introspection with the interpersonal, stepping

DIIV photo by Sandy Kim

At a time when Urthboy (AKA Tim Levinson) could understandably have been winding down as far as his own music is concerned – he’s in his mid-30s, settling into family life – he has emerged with what can only be described as his pièce de résistance. The Past Beats Inside Me Like A Second Heartbeat is a striking, resplendent reflection on the world around him and the private universe he has come to call home.

in and out of the picture as he tells stories of his family (‘Little Girl’s Dad’, ‘Daughter Of The Light’, ‘Second Heartbeat’) as well as fi gures he observes distantly but acutely (the stunning ‘Hey Juanita’, ‘Long Loud Hours’). The guest list is immaculate too. Long-time collaborators Hermitude, newcomer Sampa The Great and Bertie Blackman all make their presence felt – and this is naming but a few. Each story compels and is masterfully conveyed, whether coming from a place of darkness or of light. Urthboy has not put a single step wrong here. It is going to take something of mammoth proportions to knock this LP from its perch as the most rewarding and overall best Australian album of the year. David James Young

GABRIELLA COHEN

DMA’S

HILLTOP HOODS

CUB SPORT

Full Closure And No Details Independent

Hills End I Oh You

Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung Golden Era/Universal

This Is Our Vice Nettwerk

Taking a step away from her work as frontwoman for The Furrs, Gabriella Cohen has delivered her first solo record, Full Closure And No Details, an album with the same sweetness and thorns of a black rose.

Whenever you read about the hugely hyped DMA’s there’s always a mention of Oasis (a fact perpetuated here). That’s hardly a surprise – the Sydney trio is without doubt an indie Britpop band, just one that’s half the world away from the UK and 20-odd years too late to the party.

Cohen crafts a dark slacker grungepop sound, her work feeling like the natural offspring of Courtney Barnett, The Velvet Underground, and The Cure. Opening song ‘Beaches’ contains the cruel stupor of romance, as though Cohen is inviting you to go skipping down the beach, kicking over kids’ sandcastles and laughing all the way, while ‘I Don’t Feel So Alive’ is a seductive invitation to give up, grow a beard and/or beer belly, sit on the porch and just watch life go by. Tracks like ‘Piano Song’ and ‘Sever The Walls’ see Cohen’s voice drenched in the echoes of some empty bar, full of a bleak darkness that wouldn’t seem out of place on the soundtrack for True Detective.

You can’t knock their influences. British music in the mid-’90s was brilliant. Blood was shed in my school’s playground over the perceived merits of Blur versus Oasis. Bands were worth fighting for. Well, most of them. For every Pulp there were a thousand Dodgys. For every La’s a Shed Seven. There were truckloads of generic dreck between the classics, cluttering up the cassette mix you’d stolen off your older brother.

Is it possible that The Simpsons permanently ruined the idea of a hip hop act working with an orchestra? Ever since Cypress Hill stole Peter Frampton’s string section, it’s been treated more as a punchline than a genuine artistic endeavour. Still, kudos to Adelaide mainstays Hilltop Hoods for not only entertaining the idea, but going through with it. Twice. Here, the Hoods mix cuts from their last two albums, as well as two brand new songs, with arrangements for a 50-piece orchestra. Some work beautifully – ‘Shredding The Balloon’ and ‘Through The Dark’ both benefit from the added emotional depth, while ‘Cosby Sweater’ has playful horns and triumphant swells that are guaranteed to raise a grin.

The band that rose to prominence under the name Cub Scout have proven they were not at all deterred by the forced name change that Scouts Australia demanded back in 2013, and have now completed their debut album, This Is Our Vice. After bursting out of Brisbane’s thriving indie-pop scene way back in 2012, the four-piece took some time off to record, and the result is a release that eloquently expresses the notion of coming of age. Radio listeners may be familiar with the first two singles ‘Only Friend’ and ‘I Can’t Save You’, which hit the airwaves earlier in the year. These singles are somewhat indicative of the rest of the album – think catchy pop beats with Cub Sport’s signature call-andresponse vocals.

‘King Hit’ takes cues from the standard ‘Sixteen Tons’ and reflects on the late-night violence that is (supposedly) becoming an epidemic. Elsewhere, ‘Only Sane Motherfucker’ is a bluesy shuffle-and-stomp that packs considerable wallop, and ‘Head Or Heart’ is an ethical dilemma in which Wagons resolves to “see [his] doctor and get ’em both removed”. Yikes.

There’s a character to Cohen’s voice that is both charming and whinging, and it’s difficult to ever work out whether it’s enjoyable or irritating, but the riffs and melodies soothe and coax you into the affirmative.

Hills End has some solid, anthemic material (‘Delete’ and ‘Play It Out’, for example) that you’ll be singing aloud with a pal in one hand and a pint aloft in the other. There are blissful, pop-Valium-with-the-curtains-closed acoustic numbers like ‘The Switch’ and ‘Step Up The Morphine’. But there’s a lot of just-another-janglyindie-song that wouldn’t have cut it in 1995 and doesn’t today either.

He might regret it in the morning, but Wagons is living for the moment on this fun alt-country outing. Perhaps you should join him.

When you need to flip life a big “Fuck you!”, this is the album for the job. It’s dark, it’s rebellious, it’s intoxicating, and it’s a beautiful debut.

For now, they’re a little stuck in sound-alike mode. Soon, though, they’ll have their day in the sunsheeeeine, and be worth fighting for.

With all the potential to be gimmicky and fruitless, this second Restrung effort instead breathes new life into some of the Hoods’ best songs. Classical is the new classic.

All in all, the album is a strong offering, and shows a new maturity to Cub Sport’s musical direction. This Is Our Vice is a delight, and proves that taking time to get it right has paid off.

David James Young

Daniel Prior

George Nott

David James Young

Tegan Reeves

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK They say that from darkness comes beauty. Emerging from what may have been the darkest time of M.E. Baird’s life comes his latest release Fall, recorded before, during and after the deaths of his mother, father, sister and nephew.

M.E. BAIRD Fall Independent

24 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

The heartbreak is evident, clearly and painfully, on every note and chord of the album. From the opener ‘Always Tuesday’ to the closer ‘Sertraline Dream’, the violin cries, the guitar weeps, the drums echo, and through it all, Baird’s vocals struggle on, desperately defeated. And yet this isn’t an album drowning in depression. Baird’s writing has transformed it into something more, transcending the pain and instead casting tear-stained eyes

up to the horizon in search of better days. With the pacing of a funeral march, Baird ever so slowly takes us through emotions that would come off as forgeries by songwriters of lesser skill. This is an album of twilight folk, to be played at the sun’s departure, when you’re left alone with your thoughts in the dark, to brood on in sorrow. Baird speaks of lost loves and scarred hearts, and while he paints life in a harsh light, he still finds something to hold onto, be it a memory or a dream not yet faded. This is folk; sad, bitter and beautiful.

Perhaps including both records meant spreading the idea a little thin, however, and there are certainly songs where the arrangements add next to nothing. Even so, it says a lot about the Hoods that they are using their position at the top of the Australian hip hop pecking order to taste a little bit of the spice of life.

If indie-pop was what Cub Sport were going for, then they have certainly nailed it, while managing to incorporate a healthy dose of broodiness, best heard in the relationship ballad ‘Come On Mess Me Up’.

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... THE SHINS - Chutes Too Narrow KURT VILE - B’lieve I’m Goin Down... BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - High Hopes

SLEATER-KINNEY - No Cities To Love DUNE RATS - Dune Rats

Daniel Prior thebrag.com

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

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What we've been out to see...

SECRET GARDEN 2016 Secret Location Friday February 26 – Saturday February 27 The annual arts and music festival Secret Garden went down over the weekend on its picturesque private farm in Camden, an hour out of Sydney, with tasty offerings in the way of music, theatre and drag. Both the natural setting – a working farm with a maze-like tree grove in which all kinds of tiny stages and arty set-pieces were hidden – and the whimsical set and stage designs by the production team were immersive, well thought out, and in the case of waking up to a number of dairy cows walking around, just damn delightful. Think a Viking den tucked into the brush and decorated with real cow bones and skulls, a tree decorated with plastic ears, and funhouse mirrors in unexpected places, for starters. In the words of some very proud parents overheard congratulating their daughter, who I can only assume was one of the organisers, “It was fabo.” They weren’t wrong. The whole festival was fabulous; in fact, it was one of the best camping festivals I’ve ever been to. The lineup of top-notch local dance and indie acts was excellent as always – Black Vanilla’s powerful stage show stood out among a crowd that included sets from Matt Corby, Gang Of Youths and Raury, as did the awesome Camp Queen stage, with drag queens vogueing hard to trap bangers – but more than that, it was about the sideshows and installations. One of these was Farmer Wants A Girlfriend, where the site’s farmhand was set up with one of the revellers; he chose the pretty Cleopatra and not the guy in a bird’s nest costume, who was the crowd favourite – although it was revealed not long after that ‘Nesty’ wasn’t even single. Or the ‘megaphone of love’ – a megaphone set into a piece of wood encouraging revellers to share the love. Then there was the wedding chapel, hosting rotating “weddings” all weekend long, replete with joyous dancing to Michael Jackson, where I heard someone say, “Everybody get out your Snapchats” in a gravelly Grace Jones voice; guys, this festival is peak 2016. Secret Garden isn’t a festival for dickheads, and while – as with every mass gathering in Australia – you do get a few, like the clowns (literally) who managed to shut down a stand-up comic’s show, mostly it was a ridiculous time with interesting people in an array of hilarious costumes doing seemingly normal things, like playing pool in the forest or hosting a fake Viking banquet.

PICS :: DC

live at the sly ft. yeevs + julia why? + dead brian

Everything about the festival was meticulously planned and primed for hilarious encounters. Watching a bunch of guys in nuns’ habits play pool in a forest is funny; hearing a passing girl yell at them “The nun outfit is so 2015” is even funnier. Bravo, Secret Garden. Sarah Little

25:02:15 :: Slyfox :: 199 Enmore Rd Enmore 9557 2917

LIVE

AT THE

SLY

FIREBALL WHISKEYS + SLY FOX BEERS 7.30 - 9.30PM

TINNIES ALL NIGHT

Thurs 3 mar

SAMUEL DOBSON WALLACE BEASTSIDE

1 9 9 E N M O R E R OA D, E N M O R E thebrag.com

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up all night out all week . . .

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PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

far from folsom

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28:12:16 :: Frankieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

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between the buried and me + chon

28:02:16 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 26 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

spiderbait + tired lion

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28:02:16 :: Taronga Zoo, Mosman

27:02:16 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

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

pick of the week The Jesus and Mary Chain

SATURDAY M A RC H 5

THURSDAY MARCH 3

The Domain

Divine Times The Jesus and Mary Chain + Seekae + Alvvays + U.S. Girls + Jonathan Boulet 5pm. $99.90. WEDNESDAY MARCH 2 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK John Tennyson + The Passage North + Stewart & Monica

+ Jo Thomas + Ryan Thomas The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Hammerhead Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm.

Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Mini Ramp Jam feat: Blackbird Hum + The Ramp Jam 2016 Skate Comp Hotel Steyne, Manly. 5pm. Free. Osaka Punch Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Riders Week - feat: Hockey Dad + Dumb Punts Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Saskwatch + Cub Sport + Wildhoney Studio Six, Sutherland. 7:30pm. $18.90. Stag Blues Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free.

Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Casa Loma + Balko + Amber Lies + Spencer Scott Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10.

CJ Fairlight + Special Guests Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $12.25. Homeshake + Mezko + Donny Love Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $22. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar,

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Vulgargrad Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 7:45pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Cass Eager Black Penny, Redfern. 8pm. Free. Closer To Forever + Raven The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Fire And Rain - feat: Juan Gonzalez The Bells Hotel, 7pm. Free. Harbourview Hullabaloo - feat: Russell Neal + Ionia + Caoirne Ward + Jo Thomas Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free.

Sounds On The Terrace - feat: Aleisha Mcdonald Museum Of Contemporary Art, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free. Sunset Sessions feat: Benny Vibes + Krysitie Erickson The Bristol Arms Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Xylouris White The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $31.80.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS AJ Dyce The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Blake Tailor Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 7:30pm. Free. Conchita: From Vienna With Love Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $69. Evie Dean Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 4pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Halcyon Reign + Rancor + Disclaimer + Magic Bean Merchant + Guardian Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Homeshake + Noire + Donny Love Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $22. Iota + Melodiqa Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. $30. Klub Koori First Nations Unite - feat: Green Hand Band + Renegades Of Munk + Krista Pav And The Social Fabric + The Black Turtles + Mt Druitt Indigenous Children’s Choir Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 7:30pm. $15. Lazy Thinking

Presents: Earthquake Magnificent + Autosuggest Red Rattler, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Mabel Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free. Max Frost Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $38.20. Riders Week - feat: Food Court + Sea Legs Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 7pm. Free. Rock The World Band Comp - feat: Dream Cities + Kingdog & The Catz + Farr + Order 66 + Lorenzo + Buffalo Trio + Sarahkills The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7:30pm. $15. Saskwatch The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $21.20. Slide McBride Band Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free.

FRIDAY MARCH 4 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Dirt Track Demons + Cope Street Parade Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $15.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Amistat Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Sunset Sessions -

feat: Benny Vibes + Krysitie Erickson The Bristol Arms Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. When Saturday Comes + Rough Church The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Alfredo Malabello The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Alvvays + Major Leagues Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 7pm. $36. Banquet - feat: The Con & The Liar + Recluse + Robustt + Kidult Hood + Luxe Af + Live Wire DJs + Sures DJs + Bruise Pristine The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Big Bad Echo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $9.50. Carlos C Major + Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free. Clutch + Cosmic Psychos Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $70.24. Courtyard Sessions - feat: Fanny Lumsden Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 6pm. Free. Deez Nuts Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $23.60. Died Pretty Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $42.82. Ecca Vandal Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15. Glenn Esmond Engadine Bowling Club, Engadine. 7:30pm. Free. Hein Cooper The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $15. Hotel California A Tribute To The

five things WITH

STEVE BUCKLES FROM CHICO SEEDS different influences, which obviously comes down to our part in the band. So many different musicians always inspire you in different ways at different times. As for Chico, I think major influences are any decent rock tunes. Bands like RATM, Jeff Beck, Little Richard, Queens of the Stone Age, AC/DC, et cetera. I remember I heard ‘Would?’ by Alice In Chains for the first time whist driving. I deadset had to pull the car over as my mind was that blown I thought I would crash – epic!

Growing Up 1. I remember growing up, my parents made me learn church organ – no idea why, we weren’t religious and neither of them played. All I can remember is thinking, “Fuck, I don’t want to play this. I want to thebrag.com

play rock’n’roll.” It wasn’t till I was a bit older a friend of mine got a guitar for his birthday, then it hit me that’s what I wanted to do.

2. Inspirations Individually we all have a lot of

Your Band Our band consists of Matty Everitt (drums), Steve Buckles (vocals), Anthony Machon (bass), Adam ‘Shet’ Stephens (guitar). We’ve known each other for over 20 years growing up in the same area. Shet, Mach and Matty have all played in several bands and were accomplished musos before I decided to have a crack. We’re connected via our passion for energetic music with edge, groove and hooks. Musically we all have our thing that drives us;

we definitely are on the same road pushing in the same direction when it comes to musical opinions. It’s always funny when we bring ideas and riffs down the studio – when you play it and no-one says anything, you think to yourself, “OK, maybe that needs a rewrite” [laughs]. The Music You Make 4. Our style I guess you could say is upbeat hard rock. We have just released our second album Go Again, which is the follow-up to our first album Walkdown. Reggie Bowman from Scream Louder Productions has worked with us on both our albums; he is an absolute legend guy. Our first album we recorded ourselves in our studio and then got Reggie to mix it. For our second album we decided to do it all down at Reggie’s studio, which was good for Shet because he could just concentrate on the guitar and not be strapped to the mixing desk. The studio is in a great location down in Warrandyte, northeast of Melbourne, far enough from

the city to clear your head but close enough to get your brain licked if need be. His input was amazing and kept us glued together for the album process. When it comes to playing live, we definitely try to put a lot of, as Arnie Schwarzenegger says, “enargy” into our live shows, and hopefully get that energy coming back at us. Music, Right Here, Right 5. Now I think the music scene overall is really good. There’s a lot of music out there – playing live is really where it’s at. It seems to be coming full circle again. We’ve been fortunate to have Shepherd Entertainment Group help us get out to all sorts of venues and play as much as possible. What: Go Again out now independently Where: Frankie’s Pizza / The Record Crate When: Wednesday March 9 / Saturday April 9

BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 27

g g guide g

g g picks gig p

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Eagles - feat: With Special Guests Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $28.60. I Am Duckeye + Nasjap + Skinpin + Warhawks + Pegbucket + A Gentleman’s Agreement Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10. Indie Music For Youth Off The Streets - feat: Little Fox + Kim Killspeed + Becky Brown The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $23.80. Iota + Melodiqa Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. $30. Judy! Barbra! Liza! Bette! - feat: Velma Vegas & The Vaguettes Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 8pm. $38.50. July Morning + My Perfect Sunday Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Michael Fryar Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Michael Fryar Padstow Park Hotel, Padstow. 7pm. Free. Michael Fryar Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9pm. Free. Patrick James The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $19.20. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. Free. Riders Week - feat: Winston Surfshirt + The Dolphin Show Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Rob Eastwood Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 6pm. Free. Shanghai + Alithia + Osaka Punch + Hello Bones Factory Floor, Marrickville. 8pm. $12. Suite Az + DJ Troy T The Arthouse, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Ted Nash 99 On York, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free. Thirsty Merc Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 7:30pm. $35. Tina Arena State Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $99.90. Twilight At Taronga - feat: Violent Femmes + Xylouris White Taronga Zoo, Mosman. 7pm. $80.95. Vanessa Heinitz Lord Raglan Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free.

SATURDAY MARCH 5 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Panania Hotel, Panania. 8:30pm. Free. Jake Howden Hibernian House, Surry Hills. 6pm. $18.70. Vanessa Heinitz Duo Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 9pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Benn Gunn Picton Hotel, Picton. 8pm. Free. Diesel The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $40. Divine Times feat: The Jesus And Mary Chain + Seekae + Alvvays + U.S. Girls + Jonathan Boulet Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 5pm. $99.90. Elevate Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. Free. Floyd Vincent And The Temple Dogs + The Faraway Eyes Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $15. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Hentai Magi + Suiix The Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Klub Koori Mardi Gras After Party feat: Jessie Lloyd + Ben Fraietta Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 8pm. $15. Lee Seung-Chul Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $49. Leroy Lee The Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Pete Hunt Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 5:45pm. Free. Riders Week - feat: Chase City + Billy Fox + James Crooks Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Rob Eastwood Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. Free. Shining Bird Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 7pm. $12.25. Sound City Trio The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Spit Roasting Bibbers Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9:30pm. Free. Studio 529 Royal Motor Yacht Club, Newport. 8:15pm. Free. The Bravados The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Twilight At Taronga - feat: Colin Hay Taronga Zoo, Mosman. 7pm. $70.95. Vanessa Heinitz Buckley’s Bar, Circular Quay. 1pm. Free. Whelan & Gover Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free.

Blaming Vegas

up all night out all week...

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Afro Latino Festival Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Liverpool. 11am. Free. Chich And The Soul Messengers Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. Free. Jamie Oehlers + Dale Barlow Band Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $25. Malo Malo Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Umbrellas The Sound Lounge, Sydney. 9pm. $15. Xylouris White + Special Guests Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $31.65.

As A Rival + Nerdlinger + The Great Awake + Laser Brains + Dividers + Ebolagoldfish Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Bill Kacir Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 2pm. Free. Calexico + Augie March Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 7pm. $69.90. El Duende + Oh Reach The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $5. Finn And Friends Town Hall Hotel, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. John Dixon The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. Free. Lonesome Train Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free. Natalie Prass Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $40. Peter Byrne Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Riders Week Wrap Party Hotel Steyne, Manly. 5pm. Free. Sleater-Kinney + U.S. Girls Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $39.05. Smadj + Damien Wright Trio + D-Jinn The Basement, Circular Quay. 6:30pm. $19.20. Space Shred Vol 1 feat: The Dinlows + Dadskin + Dominic Breen & The Dopamine + Foot Filth Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Steve Crocker Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Ted Nash Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 2pm. Free. The Vegas Nerve Experience Coogee Diggers, Coogee. 5pm. $25. Witchwood Royal Motor Yacht Club, Newport. 2pm. Free.

SUNDAY MARCH 6 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jazz & Shiraz Sundays Northies Cronulla Hotel, Sydney. 1pm. Free. Lion’s Den Reggae Sunday - feat: DJ Altafari + DJ Ted Vassel + Mystic Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 5pm. $10. Paul Mbenna & The Okapi Guitar Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6pm. Free. The Martini Club + Cavan Te And The Fuss + Hot Potato + Victoria Avenue The Spot Festival, Randwick. 1pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Dave Anthony Panania Diggers, Panania. 12pm. Free. From Street To Stage Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Live Music Sundays - feat: Sydney Blues Society Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Red Wine Roses feat: With Special Guests Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $12.25. Riders Week - feat: Ash Grunwald + Animal Ventura Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Russell Neal + Pete Scully Petersham Inn, Petersham. 4pm. Free. Sunday Live At The Bowlo Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Ingleburn Hotel, Ingleburn. 1pm. Free.

MONDAY MARCH 7 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Songsonstage feat: Russell Neal Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Latin & Jazz Open Mic Night The World Bar, Kings

Cross. 7pm. Free. Reggae Mondays feat: Eric Renaud And Caribbean Soul Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Sonic Mayhem Orchestra Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $5. The Necks Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 9:15pm. $49.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bucket Lounge Presents – Live & Originals - feat: Mihka Chee + Maia Jelavic + Joe Havea Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Marie’s Crisis Outdoor Sing-ALong - feat: David Campbell + Casey Donovan + Ben Mingay + Mitchell Butel + Erin Clare + Hillary Cole + Kenney M. Green + Jennifer Pace Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Marty R Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.

TUESDAY MARCH 8

Sleater-Kinney

WEDNESDAY MARCH 2 Riders Week - Feat: Hockey Dad + Dumb Punts Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free.

Diesel The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $40.

Conchita: From Vienna With Love Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $69.

Leroy Lee The Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free.

Iota + Melodiqa Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. $30. Riders Week - Feat: Food Court + Sea Legs Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 7pm. Free. Saskwatch The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $21.20.

FRIDAY MARCH 4 Alvvays + Major Leagues Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 7pm. $36. Big Bad Echo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $9.50. Clutch + Cosmic Psychos Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $70.24. Courtyard Sessions - Feat: Fanny Lumsden Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 6pm. Free.

Sunset Jazz Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 6pm. Free. The Dave De Vries Quartet Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10.

Deez Nuts Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $23.60.

Co Pilot Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Godspeed You! Black Emperor Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 7pm. $69.90. Ibeyi Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $48.90. Live & Original @ Mr Falcon’s - feat: Georgia Mulligan + Naomi Nash + Charli Simmons Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:45pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Live Rock &

SATURDAY MARCH 5

THURSDAY MARCH 3

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Violent Femmes + Xylouris White Taronga Zoo, Mosman. 7pm. $80.95.

Died Pretty Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $42.82. Ecca Vandal Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15. Hein Cooper The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $15. Patrick James The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $19.20. Riders Week - Feat: Winston Surfshirt + The Dolphin Show Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Twilight At Taronga - Feat:

Rollkaraoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Aldous Harding

Riders Week - Feat: Chase City + Billy Fox + James Crooks Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Twilight At Taronga - Feat: Colin Hay Taronga Zoo, Mosman. 7pm. $70.95.

SUNDAY MARCH 6 As A Rival + Nerdlinger + The Great Awake + Laser Brains + Dividers + Ebolagoldfish Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Calexico + Augie March Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 7pm. $69.90. Natalie Prass Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $40. Riders Week - Feat: Ash Grunwald + Animal Ventura Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 7:30pm. Free. Sleater-Kinney + U.S. Girls Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $39.05.

MONDAY MARCH 7 The Necks Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 9:15pm. $49.

TUESDAY MARCH 8 Aldous Harding Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $15. Ibeyi Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $48.90.

Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $15. Bandquest - feat: Russell Neal + The Vegas Nerves + The Dark Side Of The Saloon + Causeway Connect Ruby L’otel, Rozelle.

7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Russell Neal Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Stuart Jammin Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free. xxx

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thebrag.com

brag beats

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

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin, Anna Wilson and Joseph Earp

five things WITH

MARLEY SHERMAN

stunning showcase of the LGBTQI community’s diversity, a side of the culture not often acknowledged by the mainstream media. And of course, it’s bound to be messy and debauched in all the right ways too. Get on it! The event hits Hermann’s Bar on Saturday March 5.

Kolombo

KOLOMBO KID

Samuel Dobson

While all eyes on electronic music in Europe are turned the way of Germany, and Berlin in particular, plenty of great things are happening just to the west. One of the leading lights in Belgian dance circles, Kolombo, is making his way Down Under this month to prove it. Kolombo, the man born Olivier Grégoire, is a prolific producer and DJ, and an underground legend in his homeland. He runs Loulou Records, and his house and disco beats have been released through the likes of Kompakt, 2DIY4, Warung, Noir Music and more. He’ll be at Chinese Laundry on Saturday March 12.

SAM SLAMS AT THE SLY

Growing Up My dad used 1. to play trumpet and

Your Band After turning 3. 18, I got more into

Music, Right Here, Right 5. Now

keys in bands around Sydney, and Mum used to work in nightclubs, so there was always lots of music on in the house. On Friday nights, we would listen to records and dance around the lounge room – apparently De La Soul was a big hit with me and my brother.

electronic music, which eventually led to me DJing at parties with a couple of mates. Since playing my first club gig at Chinese Laundry last year, I’ve played for S.A.S.H, Something Else, This and of course Mantra Collective! I also work in the dispatch section of Store DJ Sydney, by far the best day job I’ve had.

I think the music scene in Sydney is actually pretty damn good considering how hard the government seems to be trying to shut it down. If anything, it’s made everyone in the scene friendlier, and it’s exciting getting to DJ at the same gigs as friends. More often than not, the locals outshine the internationals. As for dance music, I’m really happy where the underground is going at the moment, especially in Europe.

Inspirations Roy Ayers, 2. Donald Byrd and James Brown would be my top three favourite musicians. It’s hard to describe, I just feel their music. I saw Roy Ayers perform live early last year and it was mindblowing; he played all my favourite songs. Special mentions to Pete Rock and St Germain.

The Music You Make And Play 4. I’m all about the house music; deep and druggy, with the right amount of funk to keep it rolling, and groovy enough to dance to. I’m definitely a sucker for some 909 action, so expect to hear plenty of hi-hats in my sets.

xxx

KLUB KOORI FOR MARDI GRAS

As a celebration of a too-often marginalised society, this is a very welcome addition to the Mardi Gras calendar indeed. Klub Koori, in association with Gadigal Information Service and ACON, is set to host a Mardi Gras afterparty designed thebrag.com

With: Dana Ruh, Mantra Collective, Nathaniel Garry Where: Civic Underground When: Saturday March 12

in part to celebrate members of Australia’s indigenous LGBTQI community. The party will feature performances from Aboriginal musicians Jessie Lloyd and Ben Fraietta, as well as drag queens Destiny Haz Arrived, Lasey and Nova of the Dreamtime Divas and many more. It’s set to be a

Those sly ones at Slyfox have snuck in some awesome music this week, so prick up your ears and pay close attention. Samuel Dobson is set to headline Live At The Sly as part of his current seven-date tour, bringing an unmissable diversification of hip hop, jazz and classical music to the stage. Hailing from across the ditch is Wallace Gollan, who brings sensuous and rich tones to the jazz and blues influences underpinning her hip hop and soul tunes. Wrapping up the lineup are Beatside, a local six-piece collective that combine oldschool techniques of fast flow and instrumentation with wordplay and imagery in a cohesive sound that embodies the best elements of hip hop. Live At The Sly is back at Slyfox this Thursday March 3.

The Potbelleez

AUTUMN INTENSIVE RETURNS

There’s nothing like an intense and intensive musical jamboree, particularly one with a carnival theme. The date for Autumn Intensive, the sequel to Port Macquarie’s hugely successful Summer Intensive EDM festival, has now been announced. A carnival-themed celebration of music, food, and good times, the event will feature DJ sets from The Potbelleez and more, plus such innocent delights as a fairy floss stand. Given the summer version of the event attracted over 800 ravers, Autumn Intensive is sure to be popular, meaning tickets are expected to sell out fast. The festival happens on Saturday March 26 at the Port Macquarie Hotel.

Hayden James

MARCH INTO BEACH ROAD

Autumn has arrived, but that doesn’t mean partygoers have to ‘fall’ (ahem) on their swords when it comes to a good night out. Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel is kick-starting the season with a meaty lineup of dance, starting off with Sosueme on Wednesday March 2 featuring Basenji (DJ set) and Young Franco. They’ll be ably supported in the second room by Haans Job, Viberia and Gambit. Then on Saturday March 5, Hey Sam will be on deck for the Yours party, followed by an epic Sunday session on Sunday March 6 with Beni and Kaiser.

SPECTRUM NOW OPENING NIGHT

The 2016 edition of Spectrum Now has announced its opening night program in The Domain, with outdoor music, food and drink, and Hayden James revealed as headliner. Bringing his summer house jams to the new Big Top stage, James is set to sizzle. Along with Wave Racer, the artists will celebrate the opening of Spectrum Now’s Big Top venue at The Domain, lifting the lid off the ornate marquee with a free show that sets the tone for ten successive nights of music and frivolity. Gold Coast boy Paces joins the two heavyweights, bringing his signature swag to the opening festivities. The free event kicks off this year’s Spectrum Now program in The Domain on Thursday March 3.

BASS ET CETERA

It’ll be another pumping night of bass at Chinese Laundry this Friday March 4 as the Bassic night lights up the weekend. This week’s bill features a pair of imports from North America – namely LA native Etc!Etc! and Canada’s own Ekali. Etc!Etc!, the headliner, has already got the tick of approval from AC Slater, Congorock, 12th Planet and more, but he’s very much his own man, with his own distinctive set of sounds to deliver. Et cetera. BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 29

Off The Record

Låpsley

Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray

A Long Way From Home By Adam Norris Marco Shuttle

h man, this is going to be good. Anomaly, [Insert] and If? Records are teaming up for the debut Sydney show of Marco Shuttle. Trust me, in a decade’s time he’ll be the next Marcel Dettmann. In 2013, one of the other ultimate techno dons, Peter van Hoesen, began dropping a deeeeep track with the eeriest of female vocals. Everyone around the planet was trying to ID it. Turns out it was Shuttle’s ‘Sing Like A Bird’, eventually released the next year. Since then he’s been the most in-demand newcomer in the game. He’s coming to town on Friday March 11, venue TBA.

åpsley is thinking big. Sure, her debut is only just appearing across the globe, but she already has seasons of musical development under her belt. From her unintended SoundCloud success, to playing Glastonbury and recording with some of her favourite producers, the British artist born Holly Lapsley Fletcher has travelled the world to develop her sound. Yet the admirably independent songwriter is much more than a voice and lyricist; her own forays into production are at the core of her expression, and she went about learning the craft the old-fashioned way. “I was worried I’d be branded as a singer, and I’d be put into this box,” Fletcher explains over a telephone connection that is fading in and out. “And you do, automatically. You get put into a box as a female singer, and I hate it. I wasn’t. I was a writer and producer – I just happen to use my voice instead of someone else’s because I can sing. It’s a factory thing. [They’re] going to put you with this producer, rather than say, ‘I’m going to leave you alone to work out your own thing.’ Each producer started not being very good, but had this idea that they wanted to be a producer and they’re going to learn how. ‘I’m going to try, I’m going to make mistakes.’ You have to start somewhere. “People just want to rush this – it’s easier to put someone with a producer, rather than that person developing the skill. You can write the song, and that determines what it’s about, but the style of the song is completely determined by the production, the feeling and emotion, in the same way that people do covers of pop songs, and they suddenly mean more when everything gets stripped back.” It’s a very interesting point, and arguably an aspect of music whose significance many listeners underestimate. An artist’s entire intent and expression can shift dramatically once a song reaches the stage of external production, and choosing your collaborators is largely a leap of faith. By developing skills as a producer, the original shape of your song may be that much closer to your heart. Not that this was a career that Fletcher ever planned. “I was a very academic kid. People assume that you’re not creative, because you’re obviously not good at art if you’re into science and English. So it was kind of suppressed, and it made [for] a bit of depression in high school and college because I wanted to make music, but I didn’t know what it was. Like, ‘If people are good at math or science or whatever, you should take advantage of that. You’re academic, you shouldn’t waste it on being creative.’

30 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

“It’s saying that people who are creative shouldn’t be good at science, which is complete bullshit. It doesn’t work like that. But I have family in America. We’d send each other pictures, or I’d send an essay or a favourite poem. I was making music, and put it online for them to hear, and then suddenly, it blew up on SoundCloud. I didn’t send it to any blogs or anything; I’d never read a music blog in my life and didn’t even know something like that existed. It was weird – suddenly this door opened where there hadn’t been a door.”

Hell fucking yes, Mr. Ties is coming back to Sydney for not one, but two shows! To top that, he’s bringing some international friends. He is without doubt one of the best DJs I have ever seen. YouTube “Mr. Ties @ Inner Varnika 2015” and you’ll see what I mean. How many other DJs do you know that hold a copy of Deep Experiments’ ‘Thinking About U’? The man behind one of Berlin’s most raucous parties Homopatik will come to Arq on Saturday March 12 with Marcellus Pittman (this Detroit head is also, quite seriously, one of the best DJs I have ever seen – I cannot explain how good this party will be) and then again on

At the time of our conversation, the album is still some weeks away from seeing the light of day, and I wonder about Fletcher’s anticipation, her sense of how these songs might live once they’re unleashed on the world. “It needs to be out to feel real. At the moment, everything I’ve ever done has always been moving to something – I don’t think it shows me as an artist the way the album does by working as a whole. It’s the same for individual songs – I don’t think they’d really work without hearing the rest of the album. It’s such a different thing to just hearing one single. People assume they’ll hear a single and it will mean you have a certain [sound]. I think people need to hear the differences.” What: Long Way Home out Friday March 4 through XL/Remote Control

Saturday March 19 with Tom Of England. 1000/10. The legends behind Start:Cue are closing out the summer (well, not technically, but shut up) with a boat cruise around the harbour of epic proportions – headlined by Matt Tolfrey. Seth Troxler has called Tolfrey “the last great British DJ”, but Troxler is a dickhead so let’s let Tolfrey’s accolades speak for themselves. He’s the head honcho behind Leftroom Records (which has released productions by the likes of Maceo Plex, Laura Jones and Jay Haze) and is a regular at Fabric. Set sail on Saturday March 5. Two other tours of note that are happening this weekend: Marco Faraone (who has released on Drum Code, Desolate and Moon Harbour) is coming to Miind Nightclub on Friday March 4, while on the same night Ryan Elliott will headline the Sydney launch party for Dimensions at Civic Underground. Tough decisions, although does anyone really buy into the idea of launch parties for international festivals?

Mr. Ties

Recorded entirely in Fletcher’s bedroom, those fledgling songs already spoke of an artist with great potential, and her Monday EP found itself with over half a million followers. A second EP, Understudy, followed in 2015, and now – following jaunts from Liverpool to LA – her first album, Long Way Home, arrives. Yet despite her travels, Fletcher feels the album is less a product of her roaming, as much as a testament to the person she remains away from the stage lights. “I think I’m the same person. My music isn’t about the places I’ve been. It may talk about distance, and how that affects relationships. I’m not one of these people who can only work between these hours, I need this kind of light, I need this kind of room, blah, blah, blah. It’s the same mind, the same thinking. I think I just naturally wrote most of the album in one room because I didn’t have to pay for studios. I think you reach a point where you’ve been in a windowless room for so long you maybe need a bit of change, and that’s part of the creative process too, that feeling of being a bit claustrophobic.”

Matt Tolfrey

Tour rumours: expect to see some of these cats on the Easter weekend (or the weekends before and after): Jamie 3:26, Throwing Shade, Brian Not Brian, Lee Gamble and Mo Kolours. Bank on it, even. They coming.

Marco Faraone

Best releases this week: if you’re trying to save money and not buy records (you monster), do not go and listen to the previews of Jayda G’s Jaydaisms, because you will be pre-ordering straight away. ‘Sound Of Fuca’ is blowing my mind. Other things I’m spinning: Traumer’s Gettraum001 (on Gettraum) and Late Echo Express’ Parallel (Hidden Hawaii).

RECOMMENDED FRIDAY MARCH 4 Marco Faraone Miind Nightclub

Ryan Elliott Civic Underground

SATURDAY MARCH 5 Prins Thomas Civic Underground Matt Tolfrey Sydney Harbour The Black Madonna Factory Theatre

Paula Temple Bridge Hotel

SUNDAY MARCH 6

Jeremy Underground, Sadar Bahar, András National Art School

FRIDAY MARCH 11

TUESDAY MARCH 15 St. Germain Enmore Theatre

SATURDAY MARCH 19 Soichi Terada Jam Gallery

Marco Shuttle TBA

Mr. Ties, Tom Of England Arq

SATURDAY MARCH 12

SATURDAY MARCH 26

Mr. Ties, Marcellus Pittman Arq

Vril Burdekin Hotel

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com

SAT 5 MARCH SPECIAL GUESTS

YOKOO

MONKEY TENNIS RESIDENTS

KERRY WALLACE

1 0 P M T I L L L AT E

$10 BEFORE 12AM / $15 AFTER 1 9 9 E N M O R E R O A D W W W . S LY F O X . S Y D N E Y

BY DAY

BY NIGHT

Sunday 6th March Sven Dohse Daniel Nitsch Brendan Clay Kerry Wallace

GREENWOOD HOTEL

Gabe ࠮ YokoO Edgar Peng RifRaf ࠮ Tezzel ࠮ Robbie Glass Tom Studdy ࠮ Filter Bear Anomaly ࠮ Matt Weir Kerry Wallace

HOME NIGHTCLUB 9pm to 4am

2pm to 10pm

www.sash.net.au thebrag.com

BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 31

club guide g

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

SATURDAY M A RC H 5

Courtney Act and Conchita Wurst

Hordern Pavilion

Mardi Gras Party Conchita Wurst + Courtney Act + Deborah Cox + More $159.55. 10pm. WEDNESDAY MARCH 2 CLUB NIGHTS Salsa Wednesdays - feat: DJ Miro + Special Guests The Argyle, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Snapback - feat: Various Artists Newtown Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Sosueme - feat: Basenji + Young Franco Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. The Wall - feat: Luude + Myrne + Monomyth + Blue Grass + DJ Sdoins? + Recluse + Groovy Tony + Sarkozy The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free.

THURSDAY MARCH 3 HIP HOP & R&B G-Eazy Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $64.90. Live At The Sly - feat: Samuel

Dobson + Wallace + Beatside Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free.

CLUB NIGHTS Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Keep Sydney Open Fundraiser Freda’s, Chippendale. 6pm. $20. Keep Sydney Open Fundraiser Late Night Edition - feat: Phile + Simon Caldwell + Kali + Paul Jextra + Grand Jete Tatler, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $20. Mixed Tape - feat: DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 4pm. Free. Spectrum Now Festival Big Top Opening - feat: Hayden James + Wave Racer + Paces Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free. The Thursday Jive - feat: Nukewood And Friends Taylor’s Social, Sydney. 5pm. Free. World Champion + Mezko + Marco Vella + Cocolo Magic Pirate Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $17.

32 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

XO Thursdays Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. Free.

FRIDAY MARCH 4 HIP HOP & R&B DC Breaks + Frankee Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $17. DJ Guv + Thierry D + Invictus + Polar + Smooch + Open Eye DNB B2B Strafe Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $20. Dyan Tai Hornsby Mall, Hornsby. 5pm. Free. Latam Friday Fiesta - feat: DJ Don Juan + Dante Rivera Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Phat Play Friday - feat: Cman + Makoto + Juzzlikedat + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 4pm. Free.

CLUB NIGHTS 2 Floors Of Fur - feat: DJ Vinny Vero + DJ Scott

Anderson The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $16.67. Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Barba Party - feat: Thatfahriguy + Grant Cook + Andrew Wowk + L’Oasis + Mikey J White + Matt Fortmat Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. $45. Bassic - feat: Etc!Etc! + Ekali + Gradz + Ventures + Whyse + Goldbrixx + Ebony + Squeef Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Blvd Fridays - feat: Tydi Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. Cult - feat: Pm Kanza + Saffron Mash + DJ Dmitry Different Drummer, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Dimensions Festival Sydney Launch - feat: Ryan Elliott + Dave Stuart + U-Khan + Charades Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $22. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Eve #4 - feat: Venus X + Chanel + Body Promise + Bhenji Ra

SATURDAY MARCH 5 HIP HOP & R&B Boathouse Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. $20. O-Ii-Shi!! Presents - feat: Mr. Choc + Rudy Jackson +

Frenzie + Naiki + Kavi-R + Dancekool The Baddies + Dance Central Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. $10. R&B DJs By The Greens Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4pm. Free. Swagger Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $28.50.

CLUB NIGHTS Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + TapTap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. AWOL #002 - feat: Shepz + Marley Sherman + Modul8 + Kamorta + Quattro Quattro + Jake Small + Nathaniel Garry + Rascal Secret Location, Sydney. 2pm. $33. Bar Fruity - feat: DJ Frankie Shin + Menage A’Trois + The Gayme Of Thrones Cast The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $10. Body Heat - feat: Lauren Hansom + Marc Mane + Earl Grey Freda’s, Chippendale. 7pm. Free. Boiler Room X The House Of Mince Presents - feat: Mr.Ties Secret Location, Sydney. 5pm. Booty Bouncin’ Mardi Gras Party - feat: Halfway Crooks X Flex + Levins + Captain Franco + Matka + Flex Mami + Sezzo Snot + Nellie + Net Daddy + Sista Act + Amrita Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $16.90. C.U Saturday - feat: Prins Thomas + Murat Kilic + Kali + U-Khan Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $22.10. Cakes 4th Birthday - feat: Go Freek + Lo’99 + Danny T + Acaddamy + Clueless + Diego Slim + D*Funk + Jean Claude + Brizz Bounce Crew + Rave Doss + Oh Glam + Losky + Noqu The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $22. Club Fruity - feat: DJs Kirby & Johny Blueboy + Annie Mation + Millie Poppins + Chris Haines + Michael Corbett + Vonni The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $20. Dirty Disco 2016 Mardi Gras - feat: Tech No More + Karl Prinzen + Welove DJs + 2026 DJs Ft Venda + Rotary Disco DJs London Calling DJs Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 6pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm.

Free. Foxlife - feat: Rabbit Taxi + Mesan Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Frat Saturdays feat: DJ Jonski Side Bar, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Garden Party feat: Kolsch + Jeffrey Alexander + Mantra Collective + Offtapia + Elijah Scadden + This DJs + Tech No More Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 1pm. $53.50. Girls You Wouldn’t Dream Of - feat: Brandy Schnapps + Lani Deluxe + Jamaica Whormone + DJs Till Late Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $5. Girlthing Mardi Pardi - feat: Sveta + Joyride + Tink + Lazer Gunne + Funk Kato + Natnoiz Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $33.90. Lndry - feat: Sonny Fodera + Jody Wisternoff + Pantheon + Refuge + Kris Ramea + Andrew Wowk + Pedro Villa + DJ Mike Hyper + Nes + DJ Just 1 Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $33.10. Mad Racket Mardi Gras Special feat: The Black Madonna + Mad Racket DJs Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 6pm. $40. Mardi Gras Party - feat: Conchita Wurst + Courtney Act + Deborah Cox + More Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 10pm. $159.55. Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Mona Saturdays feat: Local DJs Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. Free. Monsta Gras 6 - feat: Seymour Butz + Marcus Whale + Geryon + Lorna Clarkson + Brooke Powers + DJ Meta Etc + Russian Bride + Boy_friend + Davo + Yung Brujo + Slé + Caroline Garcia Red Rattler, Marrickville. 9pm. $26.20. My Place Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Nervo Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.80. Nina Las Vegas + Crux + Ward + Signs + Justin Carmens Miranda, 8pm. Free. Pacha - feat: Nicky Night Time Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $32.80. Paula Temple + Hannah Lockwood + Kate Doherty B2B Magda Bytnerowicz

+ Subaske + Jordan Peters B2B Methodix + Bloom + Insomnia + Gareth Psaltis + Gav Whalan + Sebastian Bayne Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 10pm. $27.50. San Saturday Nights - feat: Jimmi Walker + Mike O’Connor Daniel San, Manly. 9pm. Free. Scubar Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Soda Saturdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. The Beat Kitchen - feat: Fifi La Frug + Walking Fish + Maxxxyt Different Drummer, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. The Sweet Escape - feat: Stereogamous Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 9pm. Free. Tim Boffa + Ketami Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. Free. Venom Clubnight feat: The Ruckus + Shatter The Crown + Five Decade Faint + Wicked Envy Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $15. Yours - feat: Hey Sam Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.

SUNDAY MARCH 6 HIP HOP & R&B Hi Tops Brass Band Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free.

CLUB NIGHTS Apollo The Party feat: Kate Monroe + Adam Cox Metro Theatre, Sydney. 2pm. $80.20. Escape Sundays feat: Beni + Kaiser Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 4pm. Free. Extra Dirty (Mardi Gras Edition 2016) Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $39.70. One Day Sundays feat: Joyride + Adit + Raph + Nick Lupi + Jayteehazard + Jimmy The Gent + Luen Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 1pm. $20. Post Gras Sunday Session - feat: Heaps Gay DJs + Fleetwood Crack + DJ Davo + Boy_ friend + Show Us Your Teeth Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 2pm. Free. S.A.S.H By Day feat: Sven Dohse + Daniel Nitsch + Brendan Clay + Kerry Wallace Greenwood Hotel, thebrag.com

Courtney Act and Conchita Wurst photo by Jeffrey Feng Photography

club pick of the week

Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $28.20. Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. Free. Friday Frothers feat: DJ Babysham + DJ Jesse Sewell Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Friday Lite - feat: Victoria Kim Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Fridays At Zeta Zeta Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Guilty Pleasures - feat: DJ Sean Rowley Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Harbour Club feat: Resident DJs The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Hot Dub Time Machine Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 7pm. $54.90. Jam Fridays Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9:30pm. Free. Loco Friday - feat: DJs On Rotation The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Marco Faraone + Shacklo + Mitch Fowler + Lee Novell Miind Nightclub, Darlinghurst. 9:30pm. $27.50. Mardi Gras Eve feat: Matt Vaughan + DJ Daddy Banga + Canoe Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 6pm. Free. Neko Nation Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $39.30. Night Lyfe - feat: Richie Ryan + Yanya Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Sam Wall Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 8pm. Free. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Soda Party - feat: Sophie Ellis-Bextor + Mary Mary DJs + Hannah Conda Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 9pm. $53.50. Student DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 5pm. Free. The City Knock Off - feat: DJ Just1 + King Lee + Samrai Taylor’s Social, Sydney. 5pm. Free. V Movement Ship2shore - feat: Paces Sydney Harbour, Sydney. 7pm. $38.50.

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

MONDAY MARCH 7 CLUB NIGHTS Mashup Monday - feat: Resident DJs + DJ Thieves + Recess + OTG + Chivalry + More Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Peking Duk + The Meeting Tree + Benson + Jordan Burns Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:15pm. $50.90.

THURSDAY MARCH 3 G-Eazy Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $64.90. Live At The Sly - feat: Samuel Dobson + Wallace + Beatside Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. Keep Sydney Open Fundraiser Freda’s, Chippendale. 6pm. $20. Keep Sydney Open Fundraiser Late Night Edition - feat: Phile + Simon Caldwell + Kali + Paul Jextra + Grand Jete Tatler, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $20. Spectrum Now Festival Big Top Opening - feat: Hayden James + Wave Racer + Paces Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free. World Champion + Mezko + Marco Vella + Cocolo Magic Pirate Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $17.

FRIDAY MARCH 4 2 Floors Of Fur - feat: DJ Vinny Vero + DJ Scott Anderson The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $16.67. Barba Party - feat: Thatfahriguy + Grant Cook + Andrew Wowk + L’oasis + Mikey J White + Matt Fortmat Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. $45. Bassic - feat: Etc!Etc! + Ekali + Gradz + Ventures + Whyse + Goldbrixx + Ebony + Squeef Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Dimensions Festival Sydney Launch - feat: Ryan Elliott + Dave Stuart + U-Khan + Charades Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $22. Hot Dub Time Machine Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 7pm. $54.90. Soda Party - feat: Sophie Ellis-Bextor + Mary Mary DJs + Hannah Conda Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 9pm. $53.50.

SATURDAY MARCH 5 Booty Bouncin’ Mardi Gras Party - feat: Halfway Crooks X Flex + Levins + Captain

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up all night out all week . . .

Franco + Matka + Flex Mami + Sezzo Snot + Nellie + Net Daddy + Sista Act + Amrita Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $16.90. C.U Saturday - feat: Prins Thomas + Murat Kilic + Kali + U-Khan Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $22.10. Club Fruity - feat: DJs Kirby & Johny Blueboy + Annie Mation + Millie Poppins + Chris Haines + Michael Corbett + Vonni The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $20. Garden Party - feat: Kolsch + Jeffrey Alexander + Mantra Collective + Offtapia + Elijah Scadden + This DJs + Tech No More Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 1pm. $53.50. Girlthing Mardi Pardi - feat: Sveta + Joyride + Tink + Lazer Gunne + Funk Kato + Natnoiz Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $33.90. Mad Racket Mardi Gras Special - feat: The Black Madonna + Mad Racket DJs Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 6pm. $40. Monsta Gras 6 - feat: Seymour Butz + Marcus Whale + Geryon + Lorna Clarkson + Brooke Powers + Dj Meta Etc + Russian Bride + Boy_friend + Davo + Yung Brujo + Slé + Caroline Garcia Red Rattler, Marrickville. 9pm. $26.20.

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PICS :: AM

North Sydney. 2pm. $15. S.A.S.H By Night - feat: Gabe + YokoO + Edgar Peng + RifRaf + Tezzel + Robbie Glass + Tom Studdy + Filter Bear + Anomaly + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15. Shady Sundays Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 5pm. Free. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Somatik + Husky Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 4pm. Free. Summer Dance - feat: Jeremy Underground + Andrais + Sadar Bahar + Ariane National Art School, Darlinghurst. 3pm. $40. Sunday Sundown - feat: L D R U + Chiefs + Nick Lynar Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 2:30pm. $20. Sunday Sundown - feat: Asta + Just A Gent + Elizabeth Rose The Newport, Newport. 3:30pm. Free. Sunday Sundown - feat: Yahtzel + Aukouo + Acaddamy + Mantra Collective Coogee Pavilion, Coogee. 3:30pm. Free. Sunday Sundowners - feat: Jimmi Walker + Mike O’Connor Daniel San, Manly. 3pm. Free. The DILF Party The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $55. The Laneway Party - feat: Kitty Glitter + Jodie Harsh + Sveta + James Tobin Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 2pm. $61.18.

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22:02:16 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

SUNDAY MARCH 6 Apollo The Party - feat: Kate Monroe + Adam Cox Metro Theatre, Sydney. 2pm. $80.20. Extra Dirty (Mardi Gras Edition 2016) Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $39.70. One Day Sundays - feat: Joyride + Adit + Raph + Nick Lupi + Jayteehazard + Jimmy The Gent + Luen Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 1pm. $20. S.A.S.H By Day - feat: Sven Dohse + Daniel Nitsch + Brendan Clay + Kerry Wallace Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $15. S.A.S.H By Night - feat: Gabe + YokoO + Edgar Peng + RifRaf + Tezzel + Robbie Glass + Tom Studdy + Filter Bear + Anomaly + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

TUESDAY MARCH 8 CLUB NIGHTS Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $10. Terrible Tuesdays Slyfox, Enmore. 6pm. Free.

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BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16 :: 33

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

FAT FREDDY’S DROP

genres, Fat Freddy’s always had control of the pace and focus, with the gritty guitar on ‘Razor’ a nice splice through the bass. The group’s concentration on execution, delivery and spontaneity meant that everyone onstage had their time to really illustrate their talent; from MC Slave’s killer spitting to Chopper Reedz’s exceptional harmonica skills and the ear-melting collective brass of Tony Chang, Hopepa and Reedz. It all filled the room joyously.

Hordern Pavilion Friday February 26 Fire, or more accurately, “Fiyahhh”, was a precursor for the evening Fat Freddy’s Drop had in store for their Sydney show, as the heat permeated the Hordern Pavilion aurally, lyrically and physically throughout the night. With a capacity crowd and inescapably sticky, humid air, few punters left the venue after more than two hours of non-stop grooving without embracing the sweet relief of hitting the cool air outside. That’s not to say that anyone wanted things to end.

When even the sound guy can hardly contain his moves and the audience literally roars, unprovoked, several times, there’s no question that what’s being delivered is something special. Indulgence was the lifeblood of this performance, but it was hardly out of self-importance.

Expecting anything less than a brilliant performance and instrumentation at a Fat Freddy’s Drop show is like getting annoyed at enthusiastic dancing at said show; it just doesn’t suit the territory. Everything was in full swing off the bat, with a luxurious extended cut of ‘Blackbird’ and the first of many solid trombone solos garnering massive cheers from the crowd – so much so that it seemed the masses were too busy dancing to get their lighters up and swing their arms with lead singer Joe Dukie when they slowed things down.

WU-TANG CLAN Hordern Pavilion Wednesday February 24 It’s a common adage that any promoter who aims to bring Wu-Tang Clan out for a tour must have a death wish. The last time they came to Sydney, in 2011, they were brought out by a dreadlocked extreme sports promoter who insisted on hosting the event and having a huge party side of stage. The party eventually spilled onto the stage itself while the Clan got exceedingly drunk and left, one by one, presumably with any number of girls, leaving Raekwon freestyling over beats for ten minutes before he followed suit. It was an epic train wreck of a show but worth every penny.

turning up. Opening up a set that featured a heavy amount of their debut, it was a sonic mess, with four of them hyping for any one MC at a time, creating a sloppy show that was one of the loudest heard by these ears at the Hordern.

Moving smoothly across their 15-yearplus repertoire, and just as many

Emily Gibb

There were some more odd moments, with RZA’s random a cappella rhymes about pregnancy and childbirth and a stage mosh to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ that seemed to come out of nowhere, but within all of that was the same hungry, energetic Wu we know and love. Even in front of 5,000, it had the energy of a steamy club, with the up-for-it crowd bouncing off the rafters. As much as Wu-Tang’s legacy has been tainted in recent times, it was never really sparkling in the first place. A ramshackle group of personalities put on a ramshackle show and somehow made it last 20-odd years, but they’re still having a party doing it.

This time was a much more sober affair, but no less messy. Two of the announced members, Inspectah Deck and U-God, were nowhere to be found due to visa issues, leaving a lean group of five onstage. But we got the best of them, with Raekwon, RZA, GZA, Ghostface and Masta Killa

25:02:16 :: Hordern Pavilion:: 1 Driver Ave Moore Park 9921 5333

PICS :: AM

s.a.s.h by day

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Julian Ramundi

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

28:02:16 :: Greenwood Hotel :: 36 Blue Street North Sydney 9964 9477

34 :: BRAG :: 652 :: 02:03:16

By the time it came to wrap things up, there was a mash-up of tracks from first album Based On A True Story, including ‘This Room’ and a down-tempo ‘Wandering Eye’ – just as popular and fresh after almost 11 years. It was a surprise it took this long for Fat Freddy’s Drop to play the Hordern; they could easily fill stadiums with their gooey melodies and full-body experiences.

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

:: ASHLEY MAR

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