ISSUE NO. 655 MARCH 23, 2016
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MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE
PIERCE BROTHERS
SIBLINGS IN SONG Plus
T HE BRO S . L A NDR E T H K R IS T IN HER SH S T E V E P OLT Z MICK F L EE T W OOD
A BIGGER SPL ASH
JOE BON A M A S S A
PR IM A L S CR E A M
The Fleetwood Mac founder brings his blues project Down Under.
Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes in an emotional new thriller.
After a quarter of a century in the game, melody is in his blood.
The Scottish genre-benders are still raising hell today.
T HE C A C T U S CH A NNEL A ND MUCH MOR E
SSO PRESENTS
Join your SSO and Australian music industry greats to celebrate the legacy of David Bowie. Performing his greatest hits including Changes, Life on Mars, Under Pressure, Let’s Dance and more. Benjamin Northey conductor
19–21 MAY SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
THIRD SHOW
DAVID BOWIE
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Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive & The David Bowie Archive ™
ON SALE NOW!
GRAMMY AND
ACADEMY AWARD
WINNER
FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR
FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
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RILEY PEARCE
ADAM ECKERSLEY BAND “A reminder of what Southern Rock is, and what it should be” ZAC BROWN
“A joyous rude-boy revue from an act as slick and brash as their shiny silver suits” NOTTINGHAM ROCK CITY
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
IRISH MYTHEN WITH SPECIAL GUEST
TONIGHT ! WED MAR
23 THE BASEMENT “The best effing voice I’ve ever heard.” MTV
PROJECT COLLECTIVE SKA
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23 FACTORY THEATRE
“The crowd became a sea of smiling faces and dancing feet”
“Lord Huron’s music is so impressionistic; it sometimes sounds like it emanates from a dream.”
TONIGHT ! WED MAR
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ART 23 OXFORD FACTORY
“Stax of glorious noise.” DAILY MAIL UK
STAR TELEGRAPH
MIKE LOVE
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WED MAR
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“you feel every sweaty note, a full-tilt, damn the torpedoes showcase”
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ILUKA
TONIGHT !
NEXT WEEK ! WED MAR
30 METRO THEATRE
BLUESFEST
SIDESHOWS
WITH SPECIAL GUEST DJ
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THU MAR
STEPHEN FERRIS (FBI)
31 FACTORY THEATRE
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“a voice you don’t forget in a hurry, a big, booming thing with a Janis Joplin-esque rasp”
FACTORY THEATRE
FIRST AUSTRALIAN TOUR
PLAYING EARLY FLEETWOOD MAC WITH HIS GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATED BAND
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
ANN VRIEND
WHO MAGAZINE
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
TOMORROW !
VICTOR MARTINEZ WITH GUEST
VICTOR MARTINEZ “Funky, southern rock played with such originality and soul will knock you out.” BONNIE RAITT
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
WOODLOCK
TOMORROW ! THU MAR
24 METRO THEATRE
“Takes you back to the early blues-driven years of Fleetwood Mac” MAUI NEWS
MON MAR
THIS MONDAY !
28 METRO THEATRE
THIS MONDAY ! MON MAR
28 NEWTOWN SOCIAL CLUB
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA BRIAN WILSON THE DECEMBERISTS JACKSON BROWNE SHAKEY GRAVES TAJ MAHAL THE WAILERS BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 3
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rock music news
the BRAG presents
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Zanda Wilson, Gloria Brancatisano and Joseph Earp
LORD HURON Oxford Art Factory Wednesday March 23
songwriters’ secrets WITH
VANESSA HEINITZ
1.
The First Song I Wrote I would have been only about five or six years old. I was supposed to be practising my scales on piano, and I would always get in trouble from Mum, because I preferred to write my own music instead. I think it was to do with Mother Nature. Pretty sure it was a three chord song, in C. I’d have the lyrics somewhere, as I’ve kept everything I’ve written.
‘Less Of A Man’. I was lucky to get back in the studio with Michael McGlynn at Vienna People (L-Fresh The Lion, Little May), and [it was] mastered by King Willy Sound (Gotye). It’s a raw song. I wrote it soon after a break-up, and I put myself out of my comfort zone. I took the time to make sure I was 100 per cent happy with every aspect of this song, and I really am.
The Song That Makes Me Proud 4. ‘Less Of A Man’ is definitely my favourite song. My songwriting has developed, and I feel that the structure of this song is different to other tracks I’ve recorded. It was also the first time I tried writing in open tuning. It was great taking the song into
The Song That Changed My Life 5. So, an interesting answer: ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls. The first time I heard it, I was on a family holiday – it’s when I discovered there were radio stations other than 2WSFM, so I began my own music discovery. Beyond that, I’d say discovering the band Dashboard Confessional, [who use] elements of acoustic guitar, and [have a] strong focus on harmonies, mixed with indie rock instrumentation. [All those] elements are quite common in my songwriting.
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REMEMBERING A LEGEND
The late Jon English, a veteran of the musical theatre stage, will be honoured with a public memorial service to take place next month. English, who first rose to national attention with his performance as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar, was a beloved entertainer, singer, songwriter, actor and family man, and his loss has been deeply felt by the public at large. All are welcome, and the memorial has been organised by English’s family itself. The memorial will take place on Monday April 4 from 4:30pm at the Capitol Theatre.
SHIFT OVER
The Living End, one of our fair land’s finest musical exports, have just announced the date for their 2016 Sydney show. The seminal group will be heading our way ostensibly to promote their new album Shift, their seventh musical offering, but the show will undoubtedly
NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL Exhibition Park, Canberra Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28
SHAKEY GRAVES The Basement Thursday March 31
Swervedriver
also serve as a reminder of the three-piece’s extraordinary talents. Don’t miss out, folks – you’ll be kickin’ yerself if you do. The Living End play the Enmore Theatre on Saturday June 11.
LOST AND FOUND
THEY WEREN’T BORN TO LOSE YOU
Swervedriver have announced that their long-awaited return to Australian shores will occur this June. The shoegaze legends bring with them a stack of classics, as well as tracks from their new album I Wasn’t Born To Lose You, their first since 1998. After releasing their fourth full-length 99th Dream in 1998 and returning from an Australian tour to support it, the band announced a hiatus. The break lasted until 2013, when their first single in 17 years, ‘Deep Wound’, arrived. What followed was the release of their fifth album last year, recorded in part at legendary studios Birdland in Melbourne, and Konk in London. Swervedriver will take over the Factory Theatre on Saturday June 25.
Post-rockers We Lost The Sea have revealed a sweeping national tour, making it their first headline effort across the country. It comes after their latest critically acclaimed release, Departure Songs, and follows acclaimed and buzzed-about support slots with This Will Destroy You and Rosetta. They’ll play Oxford Art Factory on Saturday June 25 as well as Beatdisc Records in Parramatta on Saturday May 28.
Sal Kimber and John Flanagan
Vivid Sydney
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TWO FOR ONE
VIVID LIVES!
The 2016 edition of Vivid LIVE has has just dropped its massive lineup in full. Set to take place from Friday May 27 through to Monday June 13 at the Sydney Opera House, the artists for this year’s event include New Order, Bon Iver, Anohni, Onexhtrix Point Never, Esperanza Spalding and Ta-ku alongside Wafia. Other artists set to be featured include Hiatus Kaiyote, Sampa The Great, Max Richter, Poliça, Deafheaven, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Tiny Ruins, Walter Martin, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby. Meanwhile, over at Carriageworks, Vivid Sydney is launching an event called Björk Digital, with Björk herself to appear as a DJ.
Victorian country acts Sal Kimber and John Flanagan have announced the date for their 2016 Sydney gig. The pair became friends in Nashville while Flanagan was recording his album, and Kimber was performing at the Americana festival. The friendship has since blossomed massively, and the two have decided to hit the road together, all to support the release of the brand spankin’ new record they wrote together. They’ve already played a full set of shows across Victorian country halls, and now Kimber and Flanagan will bring their respective talents to an intimate show in Marrickville. They’ll bring their bristling country tunes to Django Bar on Friday May 6.
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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: Gloria Brancatisano, James Di Fabrizio, Joseph Earp, Keiren Jolly, Zanda Wilson
Metro Theatre Thursday March 24
Where: The Rocks Brewing Company When: Saturday March 26
ON THE NOSE
Prepare to get funked up: left-of-the-dial legends Skunkhour have announced the date for their 2016 Sydney show. The game-changing group will be playing their debut album from beginning to end, providing long-term fans with the opportunity to relive the oversaturated pleasures of that landmark record. The group’s unique combination of hip hop beats and funky, eccentric grooves will be well known to many, but even those who haven’t heard the band should head along to the show: it promises to be one to remember. Skunkhour play the Metro Theatre on Saturday April 30.
ELLE KING
the studio, and having Michael weave his magic and transform the song beyond what I could have imagined.
Shakey Graves photo by Jarred Gastriech
The Last Song I Released 2. I just released my new single
3.
Songwriting Secrets Songwriting is different every time. The easiest time to write is when I’m emotional, and usually when I’m busy, and don’t really have time to write. Each song is different. I tend to be fairly lyric-driven, but as my guitar skills have developed, I’ve found myself experimenting more with chord variations, and using the guitar more percussively. I’ve gotten in the habit of recording things on my phone, as all my best ideas seem to come at inconvenient times.
BOSTON GLOBE
$30 tickets for anyone under 30! TICKETS
“One of the most interesting musicians around”
City Recital Hall, Sydney Sat 16 April 2pm & Mon 18 April 7pm Visit cityrecitalhall.com or call 02 8256 2222
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BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 7
live & local
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Chris Martin, Zanda Wilson and Joseph Earp
five things WITH
1.
Growing Up My parents took me to see Michael Jackson perform when I was pretty young. Ever since then I think I’ve wanted to have my own band. I feel like there’s so much music inside of me trying to get out! Much of my family are musical too, so I guess I decided quite early I’d be a songwriter.
head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
Caligula’s Horse
OLIVER GOSS FROM OLIVER GOSS BAND
2.
Inspirations I think as a human it’s easy to immortalise certain people you see achieving the things you’d like to. Michael Jackson and Queen have been my biggest musical influences this way. The first album I owned was Sum 41’s All Killer, No Filler and I’ve spent a lot of time listening to bands like Poison and songwriters like John Mayer and Dave Grohl.
Your Band There’s me on vocals and 3. guitar, Jono on lead guitar and BVs,
dance: we’ll rock out as hard as we can for you!
Matt on drums and Vangel on bass. We all studied at the Australian Institute of Music. It’s exciting hearing the different flavours the guys bring to the foundations I lay – our different backgrounds fuel the creative process. We were pretty stoked to work on our record with Rick Will, who’s also produced artists like Diesel, Jimmy Barnes and Incubus. We also dig having Roly Elias mix us live.
Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. It can be really hard to ‘make it’ as
The Music You Make Without being purists, we 4. love the idea of everything you hear live is us playing through our instruments. We like the idea of calling ourselves a rock band: playing alongside other bands like Rufflefeather and Blake Saban has brought this to life for us. We’ve also been shooting for a YouTube channel and will be releasing videos soon. If you see us play live, be prepared to get loose and
an artist in Sydney. It’s easy to be blinded by the goal and lose sight of how to get there. I think the key is write songs, make records, shoot videos – just keep creating. Sydney is brimming with opportunities for artists, like the myriad of pop-up festivals. Get involved and don’t leave any rock unturned. There’s also stacks of original artists playing venues like the Brighton Up Bar. The only thing stopping you from going is… well, there’s nothing stopping you! What: Kill It Or Face It out Wednesday March 30 independently With: Rufflefeather, Sabrina Soares Where: Brighton Up Bar When: Wednesday March 30
CALIGULA’S HORSE
The Roman emperors really were an eccentric bunch. The emperor Caligula was one of the most extravagant of the lot, particularly when it came to his prized possession, his horse Incitatus. According to legend, Caligula even planned to make his horse a consul in the Roman government. Caligula’s Horse lives on in 2016, this time the prized possession of the Australian progressive metal scene. Their 2015 album Bloom was met with enormous critical acclaim (more than can be said for the reign of Caligula himself), and now they’re on tour to celebrate their new single ‘Turntail’. Caligula’s Horse march into Oxford Art Factory on Friday April 15 with support from Chaos Divine, and we’ve got a double pass to give away. Enter at thebrag.com/freeshit.
Tully On Tully
Why We Run
TULLY TIMES TWO
Tully On Tully have announced a run of national headline shows in support of their forthcoming EP, Miles Away, kicking off this month. The tour will see the band on the road until the end of May, playing a stack of Victorian dates as well as shows in Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and Adelaide. The run of shows will also include festival appearances at The Hills Are Alive and Moonee Tunes. Miles Away was written about the band members’ experiences while they were abroad in New York City and was recorded in a studio in the Victorian highlands. Tully On Tully will be on more regularly trodden soil at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday May 26.
SOME GOSS ON OLIVER
Brighton Up Bar will host The Oliver Goss Band’s EP launch this month, midway through a string of of Sydney shows for the
local four-piece. The Brighton Up gig is all in support of the Kill It Or Face It, and the bill includes support from Sabrina Soares and Rufflefeather. The launch will take place
THIS IS WHY WE RUN
Why We Run just can’t stand still. The Sydney indie pop-rockers have just aired their new video for ‘A Moment To Return’, the first single from their forthcoming debut album Holograms, which will arrive later this year. Meanwhile, they’ll spend the lead-up to their Easter weekend onstage, joining Jenny Broke The Window for the latter’s gig at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday March 24. Catch them live on Oxford Street, and visit YouTube to check out the clip filmed in Sydney’s picturesque Middle Harbour.
in between two all-age shows in Manly on Saturday March 26 and Saturday April 16 at the Ivanhoe Hotel, so the opportunities to see the Goss live are coming thick and fast.
MUSIC AT THE STAVES
Staves Brewery, Glebe’s own home of craft beer, is set to host an extravaganza of live music, comedy, lagers and ales as part of the suburb’s Coloursound Festival this Easter weekend. The headline event is perhaps the Craft Beer Fight Club taking over Staves, in which competitors will include Feral Brewing Company, Merchant Brewing Co., Nomad Brewing Co. and Badlands Brewery. But there’s nothing like a good soundtrack to send down a few schooners, so Driftwood, Spencer Scott, Blackie & Keish (Hard-Ons), A-Rock Newman, Peter Miller Robinson, Oli Statham and Scruffamudda will all be on hand to get the beats flowing. Mug and Kettle Comedy will be there to bring the laughs as well, and on Easter Sunday afternoon, Staves will attempt to set a world record for the most people drinking from tankards at once, so BYO tankard. Coloursound Festival runs across Glebe from Thursday March 24 – Sunday March 27.
A BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAY
The Dead Love
DROP DEAD IN LOVE
8 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
MARKETS AT MANNING Crack out your can of pomade, tuck a packet of Winnie Blues into your shirt sleeve, and prepare to get down and dirty at the best gosh darn market around. Here’s one for all the teddy boys and rockabilly gals out there: the Sydney Rock ‘N’ Roll & Alternative Market is set to return to Manning Bar next month. The action-packed day of stalls, live music and unbeatable food is a Sydney staple, and truly an event not to be missed. As ever, you’ll be able to buy out-of-print DVDs, a range of vintage fashion, tour posters, and of course, that shiny black stuff. With Western Australian swing band The Satellites taking the headline spot, there is very little more one could ask for. Get those blue suede shoes polished. The market hits Manning Bar on Sunday April 3.
girls who suffer from drug-related issues and homelessness. The fundraiser takes place on Friday March 25. thebrag.com
Xxxx photo by xxxx
Ignore the naysayers: Australian grunge didn’t die in the ’90s. In fact, Australian grunge is only just getting started. The Dead Love, a trouble-making two-piece out of Sydney, have just announced the date for their official single launch. The gig will be the official moment ‘Love Drugs’ is sent off into the world, but if you want to study the song in order to sing along to it live, you can access it on Spotify now. Most excitingly, the launch will be one of many promising events the boys have lined up this year, with rumours suggesting they will be announcing the release date for their second album some time in 2016. The Dead Love play Newtown Social Club on Thursday April 7.
Leichhardt Bowling Club will host an afternoon of music featuring The Day Street Band to raise funds for the Detour House women’s refuge in Glebe. The Day Street Band formed in December 2015 from a group of area neighbours, and features beginners as well as occasionally semi-professional musicians. The project of Sydney musician Simon Morel, Good Friday will see this group of community-minded musos, along with other bands like Chich and The Soul Messengers and The Pukes, playing an afternoon of fundraising and community fun. The action kicks off at 3pm and all money raised will go directly towards Detour House, which runs a variety of services for women and
The Satellites
Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
THINGS WE HEAR • Which company had to pull its product launch six weeks after announcing it? • Which rising rapper has just returned from four months in rehab in Thailand? • Why did only two members of De La Soul play WOMADelaide? DJ Maseo stayed back in LA after his 22-year-old son Tre Mason, the LA Rams footballer, was tasered by cops and arrested on drug and driving charges. • Will Melbourne venues get later hours to tie in with the State Government’s trial of 24-hour pubic transport on weekends? Music Victoria is in discussions with authorities. • The latest artists to put their names up to replace Brian Johnson in AC/DC for postponed US shows include Pelle Almqvist of The Hives and Krokus’ Marc Storace (one of those whom the band approached to replace Bon Scott). Singer/actor Rob Liotti, who plays Bon Scott in the upcoming biopic Bon Scott: The Legend Of AC/DC, says he’s contacted the band. Meanwhile, comedian Jim Breuer, who claimed Johnson was kicked out by AC/DC, is distancing himself from his ridiculous comments. • Splits: The Preatures’ guitarist Gideon Bensen is leaving the band, presumably after his recent solo EP Cold Cold Heart
MUSIC INDUSTRY ROCKS PARLIAMENT FOR SUPPORT
The Australian music industry came together in Canberra last week to discuss its issues and to seek an investment and industry development partnership with the Federal Government in this year’s federal budget. The Parliamentary Friends of Australian Music (#PFOAM) was convened by Townsville’s Liberal MP Ewen Jones and Parramatta’s Labor MP Julie Owens in partnership with APRA AMCOS and the Australian Hotels Association, and was underscored by live sets in a Parliament House courtyard by Jimmy Barnes, Suze DeMarchi, Josh Pyke, Paul Dempsey, Benny Walker and Gordi.
Lifelines Born: a son to US R&B singer Ne-Yo and model wife Crystal Renay, their first. Marrying: New Zealand music legend Chris Knox to his caregiver and poet Raewyn Alexander, who’s looked after him since a severe stroke in 2009. Electrocuted: Grimes onstage during a Dublin show after her pedal failed. Ill: Bad Brains frontman Paul ‘H.R.’ Hudson has been diagnosed with a rare neurobiological disorder that gives him crippling headaches and is nicknamed ‘Suicide Syndrome’. There is no cure or reliable medical treatment for it. In Court: Justin Bieber settled a lawsuit that claimed he kicked a paparazzo in his gut and then punched him outside a Southern California shopping centre in 2012, after the photographer took shots of him with then-girlfriend Selena Gomez. In Court: Swedish metal band Entombed’s singer Lars-GĂśran ‘LG’ Petrov lost a bid to stop former guitarist Alex Hellid from issuing a range of drinks under the band’s name. The two are battling over who owns the rights to the band’s name. Died: Nik Green, ex-keyboardist of Blue Murder (formed by Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes and ex-Black Sabbath singer Ray Gillen) from cancer. Died: Melbourne mandolin and tin player Andrew Carswell (My Friend The Chocolate Cake, The Stetson Family) after a three-year battle with cancer. Died: Lee Andrews, lead singer of US doo-wop band The Hearts (and father of Questlove of The Roots), 79.
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got great acclaim. Kingswood bassist Jeremy 'Mango' Hunter has also left, with the band calling him “a tremendous manâ€?. • Cosmo’s Midnight axed their US trip and SXSW appearance due to visa issues. Meantime, Wolfmother’s outdoor SXSW set got axed due to a major storm. • Adelaide’s longest running CD shop If Pigs Could is throwing a rent party to raise $10,000 so it can pay off its rent and avoid closing. • Newcastle’s Nova and The Experience won the ANZ Blue Stage comp in Sydney and will use the $15,000 cash component of the prize to record tracks. • Sydney is getting a new 5,000-seat live music venue as part of Carriageworks’ $50 million expansion plans, reports the SMH. It will be the cultural hub of the historic Eveleigh Rail Yards, which will include a 200-seat cinema, large public exhibition space and cafĂŠs, bars and restaurants in addition to its existing venues. It expects to be attracting two million visitors a year by 2021 and generate $15 million. Its Six-Year Strategy will expand on its plans when it is released next month. • The Australia’s Got Talent finale pulled 908,000 metro viewers, its lowest figure yet. But Channel Nine should take the
It was pointed out to pollies that more people attend live music events than sports, and that the Australia’s live contemporary music industry contributes over $2 billion annually. With that in mind, the industry wants the government to work with it to co-invest in a development structure for musicians and businesses to go global, as well as initiatives to set up Australia as a centre of music excellence. The industry is also seeking support for a broad-based tax offset for the venue-based live music industry, which could increase the number of venues by 50 per cent, create 250,000 more gigs and provide greater cash flow to the Australian economy. In addition, the event highlighted to politicians the struggles of artists to make the minimum existing wage. Jones said while two per cent of musicians earned over $200,000 a year, 78 per cent made less than $10,000 a year from their art. “We have to do better than that,� he said. “You won’t find a more creative, a more innovative industry than music.�
blame for pitching it against ratingsbuster My Kitchen Rules. If Nine does bring Australia’s Got Talent back in 2017, it should consider jettisoning three of the four judges who were out of their depth. Fletcher Pilon, the 14-year-old who won, is using part of the prize money to take his family for a surfing holiday in Indonesia. Meantime, finalists King Social flew back to Townsville to a heroes' welcome at the airport. They had to hastily hire a booking agent as the festival offers flooded in, with ten on the day after the finale. Meanwhile, three tracks, two EPs and two albums tore back into the iTunes chart. • New York’s Magic Shop Recording Studio, which featured in Foo Fighters’ Sonic Highways, has closed despite Dave Grohl trying to buy it. • The Central American country of Belize has named an island after an inspirational DJ Khaled phrase – “Major Cayeâ€?. • In a push for more roads to be named after dead musicians, the Herald Sun cited the recent Melbourne’s Music Laneways report that showed that onethird of people visiting AC/DC Lane were overseas tourists and 60 per cent of those in Amphlett Lane came from outside Melbourne.
JUSTIN HEMMES APPOINTS NEW EVENTS GM Nightclub and restaurant entrepreneur Justin Hemmes’ company Merivale has signed Debbie Higgins as its new group general manager of events. She’s just returned from 11 years in the UK, working in various hospitality firms and, most recently, as head of hospitality at Chelsea Football Club.
SONY MUSIC LAUNCHES A&R DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
PUBLIC MEMORIAL FOR JON ENGLISH
DJ FINED FOR PLAYING ‘FUCK THA POLICE’ DURING RAID
Massachusetts DJ Boogy was fined $50 for playing N.W.A’s ‘Fuck Tha Police’ while cops raided a bar in October 2015. They were clearing out the 160-capacity Shenanigans Pub, which had 350 patrons. Police complained that playing the track in an overcrowded room filled with drunks “was an intentional act by the DJ to incite the crowd [that] showed a reckless disregard for public safety�. Boogy said the track was already queued up ready to play when the cops charged in.
HOW HOTTEST 100 KEEPS J RATINGS UP
In the first ratings survey for 2016, triple j performed well – and radio site Radioinfo crunched the numbers to find that the Hottest 100 is a major draw. The Hottest 100 website had 1,332,772 visits (up nine per cent on last year) while triple j’s Facebook engagement took a 51 per cent leap to 1,206,546. Total
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SOUNDWAVE TICKET AGENCY TO SUE MADDAH
German-based BMG, the fifth largest music company in the world, has set up operations in Australia, its 11th office globally. It will be run out of Sydney by Heath Johns, who as director of A&R at Universal Music Publishing Australia signed up the likes of Wolfmother, Jet, Peking Duk, 360, M-Phazes, Guy Sebastian and The Living End, among others. BMG has already signed acts in Australia and New Zealand, to be announced shortly.
Sony Music Entertainment Australia has set up the Sony Music A&R Academy to develop A&R execs. Three tertiary graduates (initially two in Sydney, one in Melbourne), will be chosen for a 12-month program on full pay to attend creative sessions, receive mentoring from Sony and masterclasses from Sony’s GM. A&R execs offering their expertise include Ross Fraser in Melbourne and Paul Harris, Pat Handlin and Tim Pithouse in Sydney. At the end of the program, the three will either be given a full-time job at Sony Music or have the company invest in them as entrepreneurs. See sonymusic.com.au/anracademy.
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sessions on triple j’s iOS and Android apps increased by 34 per cent with 1,654,412 app sessions. Nearly 2.1 million votes were cast for 16,000 songs by 298,851 voters from 172 countries.
The drama over the cancelled Soundwave Festival continues. Immediately after it went belly-up last December, Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah and its ticketing agency Eventopia took shots at each other as to who should take responsibility for refunding money to those who bought the $185 tickets. In the end, Eventopia decided to do it so as not to inconvenience the punters. All monies were returned by the end of January. If you haven’t received yours, email soundwave@ eventopia.co. The agency’s GM Martin Curnow told The Music Network it is initiating legal action against Maddah. “Eventopia is investigating all possible courses of action against AJ Maddah and his companies,� it said in a statement.
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Jon English’s family has agreed to a public memorial to celebrate his life. It is on Monday April 4 at the Capitol Theatre, where his career launched in 1972 when he played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Arrival time is at 4:30pm for a 5pm start.
WOMADELAIDE REACHES 95,000‌
This year’s WOMADelaide (Friday March 11 – Monday March 14) hit new heights as it celebrated its 20th year, organisers reported. It achieved its box office target even before it started, and drew a record 95,000 over four days. The Friday night was sold out. The Saturday and Sunday were close to capacity. Highlights included The Cat Empire, AngÊlique Kidjo and The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, gypsy flamenco singer Diego el Cigala, Colombian harpist Edmar Castaùeda Trio, US singer-songwriter John Grant, Mali’s Songhoy Blues and Asian Dub Foundation, who closed the festival.
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‌AND CMC ROCKS QLD DRAWS 45,000
This year’s CMC Rocks Queensland was the first-ever Australian country music festival to sell out, organisers said. The official count was 45,000 over the three days (doubling 2015’s attendance), helped by US superstars like Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini and Nashville star Sam Palladio making their debuts. “I’m very proud to have the biggest country festival in the Southern Hemisphere in our backyard,� said Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale. “After only two years since relocating to Ipswich [from the Hunter Valley], the event was completely sold out.�
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PIERCE BROTHERS THE NICE GUYS OF FOLK BY ADAM NORRIS
L
ast we spoke, one thing about the Pierce Brothers became immediately clear: they really dug the ’90s. Back then the Melbourne folk duo were singing along to ‘Mr. Jones’ while reflecting on the first song they ever learned (Nirvana’s ‘Come As You Are’) and the best song ever written (Pearl Jam’s ‘Black’). This time, Jack Pierce is singing ‘Gimme Shelter’ and impersonating an angry Mick Jagger, but that respect for Eddie Vedder remains. With an album in the not-too-distant future and more gigs than you would believe reasonable, Pat and Jack Pierce are wearing their hearts and influences on their sleeve – but they’re still not without a few surprises. “‘Black’ is a classic, I’ll always love it,” says Jack. “We played Sooki Lounge last night and I was playing a song there, which was really just your usual sad heartbreak song. But it really started to get to me – all of these emotions started coming through. I was surprised, because I’ve played this song a million times before. But I had a lot of fun with it, because there is a lot of emotion to get out of it. In my songwriting that’s something I’ve wanted to strive to. I mean, ‘Black’ takes you on such a journey, you know exactly how he feels. ‘My bitter hands cradle broken glass of what was everything’ – Eddie’s voice is just dripping with emotion. That’s something I’ve always wanted to achieve, and it’s such a relatable story. The thing is, I really
love writing self-indulgent, sad love songs. ‘Oh, I’m so fucking sad, blah de blah!’” Pierce laughs. “Right in front of me now I’ve got Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago and the Lumineers record. ‘Flume’, ‘Skinny Love’ – all the most miserable songs in the world. And that’s one of my favourite albums! Yeah, Bon Iver! Life sucks!” Even when he’s talking the blues (or piss-taking them, for that matter) it’s hard not to get caught up in the sheer exuberance of Pierce’s conversation. Every other remark is the start of a story, and given that his words come thick and fast, you’re never entirely sure just how far you’ll finish from his original thoughts. The brothers’ love of busking has by now been well documented, and between acts like the Stones and Pearl Jam is a great gauntlet of genre, from Lorde to Alice Cooper to Mumford & Sons. While there is much to learn from each of these artists, the trick with embracing your influences is ensuring you still sound like you at the end. “The thing about influences is it can cripple you if you think too much about it,” says Pierce. “Like, I love that Lumineers album. I know it’s really simple, just folk-pop, but I love that simplicity and their lyrics are fantastic. Especially with this new record … We’re often a bit more of a live act than a studio act, so we’re focusing on trying to get as
big a sound as we can in the studio, and jump out the gates as fast as we can, except not always doing the same old chord structure, that Mumford shuffle. “There’s one song called ‘Stone In The River’ with 20 verses, like an old Paul Kelly story about a guy killing his wife and being run down by the police. It’s really dark and weird, and slips away from the pop genre that we’d been doing. There’s nothing wrong with doing all pop numbers and having a good time. But I guess we’re worried that if we just had tried to have nothing but bangers in the album to try and get somewhere, it’d lose integrity. If we write a Lumineers or old Mumfordstyle song, I’m still totally OK with that, because that’s my jam! But we wanted to try new things, and carve out our own way of writing songs.” Six months back, Pat and Jack released Into The Dirt, an EP that managed to crack the ARIA top ten and was reviewed favourably across the board. Though there are a handful of earlier releases under their belt, this upcoming album is positioned to be the most significant release of their stillswelling careers, and it is clear from Jack’s voice that tremendous care and attention has gone into crafting it. That said, it’s rather amazing they have found time to write new material in the first place. Their tour schedule is the stuff of myth, and though it sounds like several shades of amazing, it also makes for an exhausting run.
“Last weekend was our only weekend off until… late August? We’re playing Kidgeeridge, then Perth [and before that] Bluesfest. And then we go straight to the UK with The Cat Empire, and straight after that we come back to do a whole bunch more festivals here by ourselves before doing the east coast with The Cat Empire. Then we have two days off. Then straight back for our European tour, which is about three months. We’ve got four days coming up to get back into the studio, and another three dates somewhere down the line. We’re trying to fit in as many dates as we can before we leave, but our agent keeps booking stuff and we’re dumb enough to keep saying yes,” he laughs. “I think that’s kind of the space that we put ourselves into. We’ve always been playing to further the career, rather than stopping to focus on an album. Because you can get an EP out quicker, we were able to do that between busking and performing without stopping too long. This album is the first time we’ve written something that I’m really excited about, and I think captures our live essence for the first time.” Given the infectiousness of their live performance, and the raucous energy they consistently summon from their audiences, the Pierce Brothers are slowly becoming one of the stalwarts of Aussie music. They enjoy a huge fan base because, well, they just seem so
“WE’VE ALWAYS JUST WANTED TO MAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAPPY. IF THAT’S YOUR ATTITUDE, AND YOU KNOW YOU WON’T GET TIRED OF IT, THEN YOU’LL ALWAYS BE SUCCESSFUL.” 10 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
damned nice. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the feeling is mutual. “As long as you can have a good time playing, and make the audience have a good time, that’s what it’s all about,” says Pierce. “That’s why we love busking. It’s not so much carving out your own unique sound to be remembered by. Some people do that, and that’s amazing, they’ll go down in history for it. But for us, sure, that’d be great, but we’ve always just wanted to make a lot of people happy. If that’s your attitude, and you know you won’t get tired of it, then you’ll always be successful. People will always be enjoying themselves. “Personally, we can almost kill each other every day. There can be screaming matches any time. But then, there’s also realising that we need to keep focused on getting the album out. But playing live, it’s never really stopped for us, that feeling of making people happy – that’s always been what we wanted to do, and we love doing it. And I think that’s what we’ll continue to do. If we don’t kill each other first.” What: Kidgeeridge Music Festival 2016 With: Dan Sultan, Kingswood, Joe Camilleri and The Black Sorrows, Dallas Frasca and more Where: Milton Showground When: Friday April 22 – Saturday April 23 And: Also appearing at Bluesfest 2016, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 More: Into The Dirt out now through Warner thebrag.com
12 APRIL - 1 MAY
PALACE NORTON STREET • PALACE VERONA
FESTIVAL TRUMAN HIGHLIGHT!
“WISTFUL AND WELL-OBSERVED… AMUSING AND AFFECTING” VARIETY
Ricardo Darín and Javier Cámara star in this funny, moving and hugely entertaining reflection on male relationships which won Best Film, Director and Actor at the recent Goya (Spanish Academy) awards.
EARLIER START:
LIVE
7PM
AT THE
5
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SLY
FIREBALL WHISKEYS + SLY FOX BEERS 7.30 - 9.30PM
5
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TINNIES ALL NIGHT
Thurs 24 MAR
RUTH CARP & THE FISH HEADS SOUTHEND RAINBOWS TIMOTHY McMAHON
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Mick Fleetwood There And Back Again By David James Young
A
s wonderful as it can be to see artists still performing several decades into their career, it’s easy to notice the shortcuts that some will take. The key of a song will be brought down a few steps in order to better accommodate the singer’s range. The tempo will be slowed down for the musicians to keep up. And if they’re still able to sing and play at the same level? One word: teleprompter. Mick Fleetwood, however, has no interest in such things. Anyone who saw the British drumming veteran behind the kit for his ‘day job’, Fleetwood Mac, when they toured Australia last October will testify to his uncanny ability to hold the fort as a pure-bred drumming powerhouse – especially when it came to unwieldy drum solos and big jams on songs like ‘World Turning’. So what is Fleetwood’s secret to keeping the beat after 40-plus years?
Roughly six months after Fleetwood and the Rumours lineup of the Mac were in town, the band’s long-time leader and sole constant is set to return to Australian shores across the Easter long weekend as a part of the gargantuan Bluesfest lineup. He will be joined by the band he has moonlighted with for many years, playing a mix of electric blues and early rock’n’roll in what can only be described as the most aptly named band in the history of Bluesfest: The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band. Surely if any band does what it says on the tin, it’s this one. “I live in Maui, which is a Hawaiian island,” says Fleetwood, “and the band I’ve assembled are all from that area, too. Rick Vito is a brilliant singer and guitar player who’s a very old and very dear friend, and he sings for us. With the band, we take it pretty much all the way back to the very beginning. It’s a documentation of where I come from – we play a lot of the songs that the earliest incarnations of Fleetwood Mac used to play. It’s a rock’n’roll band and it’s a blues band in the truest sense of both.
Long before Fleetwood Mac were led by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, the band took its cues from the great early blues musicians, guided by 12-bar jams and harmonica rather than frilly tambourines and inner-band turmoil. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the latter, as classic LPs like Rumours will testify, but Fleetwood himself always held a deep-seated love of the blues. When he’s not touring the world and playing the pop hits of a generation, he likes to take things back to where it all began for him as an idealistic teenager who headed for the big city of London with a drum kit and a dream. “The love and the affinity that one has for where they came from as a musician – that never goes away,” he testifies. “That never leaves the party. In truth, it’s something where you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Fleetwood Mac will be back at it, doing what we love to do as that band. Having my own band and my own situation allows me to have a bit of fun and do something that comes really easily. We don’t have to write 20 brand new songs every time that we tour – we have a catalogue’s worth of songs to draw from. It allows us to do whatever we want, really, and allows us to get to do it all on the fly. We don’t need two weeks of rehearsal – we just get up there and we do what we do.” Fans will get the chance to see Fleetwood, Vito and the rest of the MFBB in action at Bluesfest, as well as some key headlining shows around the festival. Fleetwood admits that it’s a remarkably quick turnaround between visits – “I’m a glutton for punishment, aren’t I?” he quips – but is incredibly thankful to the festival for the opportunity to come back again so soon. “This is what I’m talking about!” he says. “The freedom of this band allows us to do stuff like this!” Who: The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band What: Bluesfest 2016 With: Kendrick Lamar, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Modest Mouse and many more Where: Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm When: Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 And: Also appearing at the Metro Theatre on Monday March 28
Primal Scream Still Screaming By Paul McBride
M
uch like a rectangular container filled with assorted sweet confectionery, the best thing about a new Primal Scream album is you never know what you’re going to get. Since their formation in the early ’80s, the Scots have dipped their collective toes in jangle-pop, acid house, dub, Stonesinfluenced rock, krautrock and electronica, all while raising enough hell to kill off many a band of weaker constitution. As the Scream’s 11th album Chaosmosis is released this month, guitarist Andrew Innes explains that while the band members may have left their troublemaking days behind, they are still as experimental and angry as ever.
After a dalliance with Byrds-esque pop, Primal Scream broke big with 1991’s Screamadelica, a masterpiece of acid house and neo-psychedelia. A long period of success and excess followed, and Innes admits
writing songs is much easier these days with the benefit of a clear head. “I think you get better at your craft,” he says. “Now, the bit that’s inspiration is hard, but the bit that’s perspiration isn’t as hard. Being more together – I mean, obviously we aren’t as crazy as we were in 1993 – means you know right away what’s good or not. We don’t have that thing where you get up in the morning after working all night and don’t know whether it’s good or not; you know right away. Things are a bit less hectic than they used to be, shall we say.” A constant in Primal Scream albums over time has been the sense the band has its finger on the political pulse. Chaosmosis is no different, says Innes. “Songs like ‘Golden Rope’ and ‘When The Blackout Meets The Fallout’ [are political],” he says. “‘Autumn In Paradise’ is about devastated towns and communities in Britain. Maybe there’s not as much in-your-face shouting about it as there has been in the past, but it’s more subtle. [The British conservative government] made that promise about making the north a powerhouse, and they don’t give a fuck. They really don’t care. As soon as the Tories got a majority, they just got on with doing what they want to do, which is making the world safer for their mates, and making the world better for big business. “The weird thing is, in the past the Tories would have at least thrown a bone to the middle classes, but they don’t even give a fuck about them anymore,” he adds. “And the sad thing about it is, people in the south of England vote for it. People in the old industrial heartlands in the north don’t vote for it, the Scottish definitely don’t vote for it … My friend has a
good theory that the English had their revolution too early. It was maybe 100 years too early, and then they wanted their king back. They like being subjects, but when you grow up in Scotland you’re a bit more anti-authority.” Picking top-drawer collaborators is another skill the band has mastered. This time around, Haim feature on opener ‘Trippin’ On Your Love’, Rachel Zeffira pops up on ‘Private Wars’, and Sky Ferreira duets on lead single ‘Where The Light Gets In’. “We met Haim on Jools Holland’s show,” Innes explains. “They are lovely girls and we just clicked and liked them. They’ve got this thing that siblings have, because they’ve been singing together all their lives – they’re just good and know what they’re doing. They brought this sunshine to the record, and it was a great honour for us … Then we had this song that we thought would be a good duet, and Sky’s name came up. Luckily we knew someone who knew her, but we thought she might not know who we were because we’re not that big in America, but she was more than happy. She can really sing and as I was recording I got to listen to just how good she is, just like I did with Robert Plant on the last album.” The band has no immediate plans for an Australian visit, but that could all change with one phone call, Innes says. “All we need is one of those Australian promoters,” he says. “I’ve been telling people that next January is free, because you can’t beat leaving [the UK] and heading south, preferably for three weeks [laughs]. If there are any promoters out there, we’re just a call away and we’re ready to work.” What: Chaosmosis out now Ignition/Warner thebrag.com
Mick Fleetwood photo by Sean M Hower
“We try to keep moving on and trying new things,” he says. “I always buy new bits of equipment, and that’s how the band evolves. We don’t just sit down and write on the guitar we’ve written songs on for ages. Some of the most mental sounds on [the new album] are things David Holmes [DJ, composer and producer] emailed me about. He said I should get this fuzzbox because it’s insane and told me to just buy it and don’t even think about it. What people think are distorted synths are a guitar through this crazy fuzzbox. One of the pluggers of the record said, ‘What’s that terrible noise at about 2:30? I think it’s a goddamned synthesiser; can we edit it out?’ I emailed back telling him it was one of my finest guitar solos in the last ten years. The sound evolved to be quite electronic, and because we’re using electronic synths, the drums are also quite electronic.”
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Primal Scream photo by Sarah Piantadosi
“I take it as quite a compliment that people still think I play as well now as when I did when I was younger,” says Fleetwood, who turns 69 this year. “It’s a funny thing, really. I certainly try and keep fit, and I work at it. I’m always training, at least three or four days a week. I’m alive, y’know? I’m blessed that I’ve got this sort of stamina, as I’m one of those classic idiot drummers that goes in swinging. It’s very much in the style of Keith Moon, or Animal from The Muppets, that sort of thing. Sometimes, I wish I was more like Charlie Watts. He’s my favourite drummer, because he always plays it so cool – it’s all in the wrists with him, and it never even looks like he’s so much as breaking a sweat up there!”
“It’s a chance for us to do a lot of cool older stuff. Rick and the band get to bring their own flavour, and I get to relive some old memories. It’s a cool set-up, the way we have it. We get to have a blast, and the fans get to come down and blow it out with us.”
Joe Bonamassa Different Shades Of Blue By Paul McBride
B
luesfest 2016 is almost upon us, and American blues rock maestro Joe Bonamassa is seeking redemption. His two exclusive Australian sets at the Easter long weekend event, while hardly requiring a crossroads-like pact with the devil, will provide the hugely talented singer-guitarist with a chance for atonement.
“I played Byron Bay one time, I believe it was 2010,” he says. “I had the shittiest backline and came off the stage thinking I had ruined my entire career in the country of Australia. I thought my guitar sound was just dreadful, but Sod’s Law meant that I had more people, artists included, coming up to me asking me, ‘Man, what were you using up there, because it sounded great?’ So I go, ‘What fucking show were you watching?’ This year I’m actually shipping my own gear over there, so it gives me a fighting chance – at least me personally. But probably nobody will say anything. ‘Oh, it sounded shit, never mind’ [laughs].” The garrulous and amiable New Yorker’s 12th solo album, Blues Of Desperation, will be released just in time for his Australian shows, and represents somewhat of a return to his roots. “After exploring so many avenues – I was in a hard rock band, I did two years of doing traditional blues, we did The Three Kings tour, the album with Mahalia [Barnes], the stuff I do with Beth Hart – I woke up one day and thought that what I am really good at is blues rock,” he says. “That’s actually probably what I’m best at, and I should get back to doing what I do best. The album represents that; the urgency to get back to swinging the heavier bat and playing heavier stuff.” Blues Of Desperation sees Bonamassa once again teaming up with producer Kevin Shirley, an arrangement that is unlikely to change anytime soon. “Kevin and I came up with the title based on the song,” Bonamassa says. “For a minute it was changed to Drive, before I finally decided that my life should not become a focus group thinking about who will be turned off by a title. Frankly, it’s not going to sell one more or less copy either way, and I’ve always done things in my career that just felt good, natural and organic. If I saw the record in a store, I would stop and look at it. But if I saw an album called Drive, it’s too vanilla for me. [Kevin and I] have been together for 11 years now. I told him that I think the reason we get on so well together is that everyone sticks to their job: I’m the travelling salesman, Kevin does the records, and Roy [Weisman, manager] runs the business.” At only 38, Bonamassa has already been a working musician for 26 years, having opened for B.B. King when he was 12. The idea that a true bluesman never really retires might not apply here, however. “I reckon I have another 24 years left before I can officially retire after 50 years in,” he laughs. “I tell you, I’m not going to be a lifer. The problem is, to do this at a high level and to keep the quality up, it takes a lot of preparation. I’m not one of those cats who just walks onstage and it all just comes out of me. I think there’s more to life. I don’t want to look down the line when I’m too old to pursue something else and think I squandered the opportunity. Not that having a career in music is a bad thing – it’s an honour to do this for a living – but there’s more to life than plugging a Gibson guitar into a Fender amp, you know?” On top of his abundant playing and writing skills, Bonamassa has been a student of the blues since childhood, starting with the ’60s British blues guitarists who brought the form to the masses. “It was my original gateway into blues,” he says. “As a six- or seven-year-old, it’s very hard to get the subtleties of Robert Johnson, as you can barely hear it on a record player. Only 20 years after the fact did I realise the true genius of those original masters, and even now I’m discovering them and realising how many of their ideas were, let’s say, borrowed by the British blues rock scene of the ’60s. My first introduction was The Jeff Beck Group, and that was the gateway.” While Bonamassa is a big fan of Australia and its music, he admits he lives in a bubble when it comes to what music is most popular here, or anywhere. Luckily his Sydney-born girlfriend keeps him informed. “I have a lot of ties to Australia,” he says. “Mahalia and I were literally just a week ago at Carnegie Hall; she was singing with me. I kind of know what is going on. I’m wilfully ignorant about the pop music scene. I mean, sometimes I’ll run into somebody and my girlfriend knows I have that ‘What the fuck?’ look on my face. She’ll be like, ‘That’s actually a really popular artist,’ and I’ll be like ‘Great! Congratulations.’ One guy I love is [blues slide guitarist] Dave Hole, who lives in Perth. He’s one of the best.” What: Bluesfest 2016 With: Kendrick Lamar, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Modest Mouse and many more Where: Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm When: Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 And: Blues Of Desperation out Friday March 25 through J&R Adventures thebrag.com
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Kristin Hersh That Old Chesnutt By David James Young
“I
can’t believe you can hear me all the way over in Australia!” Kristin Hersh – author of two books, mother of four children and indie darling – cackles down the line as she candidly chats away in the apartment she has just moved into in New Orleans. “We had the phone line installed two days ago,” she explains. “We’ve only had trouble with it so far. I had a friend call me literally from out in my front yard and I couldn’t hear them! The fact that you’re able to talk to me and there’s no disruptions is so funny to me.”
“I never thought I’d write a book, let alone two,” Hersh confesses. “Honestly, I only wrote the first book [2011’s Paradoxical Undressing] because other people had threatened to do it for me. Some writer wanted to move in with me and make me talk for months on end – I stopped returning their calls. My manager told me that since I wasn’t willing to talk to anyone else in order for them to write a book, that it was
Once Hersh properly began work on Don’t Suck, Don’t Die, however, she found herself immersed in the process of detailing her relationship with the estranged Chesnutt, fondly recalling the bond they shared as perceived outsiders. “I would be up at dawn every morning, ready to go into the past,” she says. “I found it such a beautiful experience. People always make out our lives to be so hard and such a struggle – we honestly never saw it that way ourselves. To us, we were living out our dreams as we played music for people that loved it. The only real sadness that arose from the process of making the book, interestingly enough, was something completely unrelated to it. I was married when I started the book, but I wasn’t married anymore by the time I fi nished it. It was a time of great sadness and great heartbreak for me – so it was a gift from Vic himself, really, that he was indirectly able to get me through that time in my life.” Now that Don’t Suck, Don’t Die has been out in the universe for nearly six months, Hersh has had time to fully soak in the public reception to the book. Although
she still doesn’t see herself as an author of any particular note (“I’m not a creative person,” she quips, “I think I’m just a weirdo!”), she expresses both surprise and gratitude at the way people have reacted to the stories shared within the book’s pages. “I was ready for people to bristle at the way I treated him in the book – we were like squabbling siblings a lot of the time,” she says. “We’re supposed to treat the dead like gods, and the way I wrote about him definitely takes the good with the bad. Almost entirely, though, people have been so positive about the book. People that never listened to him while he was around, people that knew him – I’ve gotten to share our story with so many people, and I’m grateful that people have been so kind to this little book.” Hersh is set to return to Australia this coming April, performing several headlining shows around the country and joining the party at The Gum Ball Festival in the Hunter Valley. At her headlining dates, Hersh will delve into her back catalogue – solo, with Throwing Muses and with 50 Foot Wave – as well as readings from Don’t Suck, Don’t Die and a few key covers of Chesnutt’s most beloved songs. Australia has been oft-described by Hersh as her second home, and she makes it clear exactly why this is the case. “I think the reason my kids and I love New Orleans so much, in fact, is because it reminds us of Australia. The green of the cities, the down-to-earth people, that familial sense whenever you’re
there – I mean, that’s heaven to us. When I was over there doing the Adelaide Fringe, when my eldest was still young, he actually developed an Australian accent – it was the only way that he could be understood! Honestly, we would never leave if y’all didn’t kick us out as soon as my tour dates run out.”
What: The Gum Ball Festival 2016 With: You Am I, Oka, Dan Sultan, Caitlin Park and more Where: Dashville, Lower Belford When: Friday April 22 – Sunday April 24 And: Also appearing at Newtown Social Club on Sunday April 24
The Bros. Landreth Brotherly Love By Augustus Welby
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anadian folk rockers The Bros. Landreth originally dropped their debut album Let It Lie in their home country in 2013. Initially a low-key independent release, it has steadily gained distribution overseas after being re-released in the States at the beginning of last year and midyear in the UK. Now the band is bringing those selfsame songs Down Under, securing both a Bluesfest slot and a Sydney headline show. “It’s actually [been] almost three years since the record’s been out in Canada,” says guitarist and lead vocalist Joey Landreth, who formed the band with his brother, bassist and backing vocalist David. “It’s kind of funny, but with every step of the way, the album keeps sprouting legs in places. “We keep getting given reasons to keep touring it. We just fi nished doing a week in the UK – that was our first time out there and it went really well. We’re having a lot of fun. It’s taken us to a lot of cool places, much further than we ever thought it would.” The record’s gradual spread around the world has forced the band members to continually refresh their enthusiasm for the songs. While it’s been a test of faith, they spent a lot of time making sure they believed in the album material prior to its original release. “That was kind of always the name of the game right out of the gate,” Landreth says. “Because of what my brother and I were doing professionally as musicians beforehand, our goal was never really to worry about anything beyond making sure the music we were making was honest. “It’s defi nitely something we feel confi dent we can get behind [and] believe in. Touring the same record for the last three years defi nitely has its challenges, but you get to a new place and it gives you new life. “If we can’t stand behind it night after night then we’re not going to do it – we’re not
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going to write it,” he adds. “[With Let It Lie] that’s what’s kept its integrity for us, and defi nitely helps having to play it for the last three years. We’re certainly ready to play some new songs, but we still feel like the music is fresh and relevant.” While it’s not an overnight success story, the last couple of years have been very good to The Bros. Landreth. They’ve gained peer support (the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Trisha Yearwood are avowed fans) and critical accolades, snapping up the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, and a nomination for International Artist of the Year at the UK Americana Music Awards. By virtue of this increased exposure, their next release won’t be a low-key affair, but they’re trying not to get distracted. “I would hope that it wouldn’t inform too much of how we behave moving forward. I think that very much the same sort of motto is going to be applied. We’ve defi nitely tried to write more commercial material in the last couple of years, but if we can’t sit there and play it 200 nights a year, we just can’t do it. “The success that we’ve had, it’s defi nitely a little freaky. We know that there are more eyes on us. But I think at the end of the day we’re just going to try our best to do things the way we did it the first time, which was trust our gut. It’s kind of a cliché hockey thing: you just give it 110 per cent. You play your heart out.” What: Bluesfest 2016 With: Kendrick Lamar, Tom Jones, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Modest Mouse and many more Where: Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm When: Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 And: Also appearing at Newtown Social Club on Monday March 28
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Kristin Hersh photo by Renata Steiner
Minutes later, she’s letting the cable guy in, all the while cheerfully discussing everything going on in her life. It’s said that the best interviews can often feel as though they’re not interviews at all, but rather conversations between friends that haven’t met. This is certainly the case when it comes to Hersh, who is currently in the midst of promoting her second book. Entitled Don’t Suck, Don’t Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt, the memoir of sorts details Hersh’s friendship with Chesnutt, one of the truly underrated American songwriters, who tragically passed in 2009.
up to me – so I did it. This one similarly came about by accident – I was approached to do it, and I’m such a doormat that I immediately said yes. I didn’t entirely mean ‘yes’, though. Just, ‘Yes, I’m interested.’ I didn’t even start work on it until six months later when the publisher called up and asked how the book was coming along. I had to be straight with them – I was like, ‘Yeah, not great!’”
Steve Poltz A Story To Share By Adam Norris
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heck online for any performance by Steve Poltz and you will see one of the most expressive musicians around. Eternally restless, Poltz is a man brimming with energy, both in life and in art, and as his reputation for storytelling suggests, he’s certainly not afraid to put himself in outlandish situations. Impromptu Columbian drug raids with former songwriting partner Jewel? Check. Pinwheeling drunk across the country in a cowpunk band? Check. Pretending to be Australian in the middle of soundchecks? Check. Or at least, that’s how our meandering conversation begins. “G’day!” Poltz exclaims down the line, then pauses. “That confused you, right? You thought you were talking to someone in Australia! Here, listen to me do it again.” He clears his throat. “G’day. Wait. G’day mate? Man, I should have said ‘cobber’. Nobody uses that over there anymore; it makes me mad. It’s such a good colloquialism, you guys need to get on that. Cobber. ‘G’day cobber.’ We don’t have anything like that. We only have ‘asshole’.” I’m talking with Poltz, San Diego’s “Most Influential Artist of the Decade” on Super Bowl Sunday, when nobody in their right mind is performing as the entire country’s attention is fixed on sportsball. Still, there is clearly no rest for the wicked, since Poltz and his cohorts are waist-deep in prepping for their next gig. The sounds of squawking guitars and garbled, amplified voices wash away roughly one sentence in ten. “You really gotta be consistent,” he is saying. “Keep going out there
and playing, and you’ll build an audience. I always tell younger singer-songwriters, in some ways today it’s harder, in some ways it’s easier, because you can be whatever you want. You can put out whatever you want, while before there were gatekeepers telling us what we had to make. The key is, nobody is going to do it except you, so if you really want to do it, the audience will find you. I still believe that even now, and I’m still not sick of it. I still love what I get to do. I mean, if it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it. Life is too short.” Part of that fun is surely his knack for anecdotes and good oldfashioned, home-spun stories. Many of his songs are prefaced with his idiosyncratic observations on the world, and you can’t help but shake the impression that Poltz would be just at home sitting around a campfire swapping ghost stories as he is onstage before the faces of a thousand strangers. “I love it. I love the art of storytelling. I like being able to take audiences on a journey and not having to rely on a light show or anything. Just to sing and tell a story, to be able to hold their attention. I think if you can learn to do that, and hopefully get better and better at it, you’ll fi nd people really appreciate what you do, and…” His voice is drowned out by the soundcheck. These odd interruptions actually aren’t all that frustrating, chiefl y because with our time difference, fi nding an ideal time that suits us both is like juggling porridge. With the 50th anniversary of the National Folk Festival coming up, it seems fairly pertinent to get his thoughts
on what this latest tour to Australia will entail, but Poltz has other ideas. He calls out to one of his bandmates. “Do you know Australian colloquialisms? Colloquialisms! I’m talking to Australia! I’m trying to bring back the word ‘cobber’. “OK, I’m back to you now,” he says. “I play a lot of festivals – they’re always fun. I enjoy them, because you get exposed to people who would never come to see you. They might never, ever have gone to see you, but they’re at the festival. It’s always a good way to let people discover you, to just stumble into some tent and hopefully you convert them. It’s almost like you’re selling brooms, you’re knocking on door to door and you’ve got one minute to tell them why your broom is better than the other one to keep the fl oor clean. I’m a broom salesman. That’s my gig now.” However Poltz chooses to perform, broom or mic stand, his National Folk Festival set will likely be a festival highlight. His tangential musings, his clear sincerity in connecting with an audience, and above all else, his outstanding brace of songs are certain to entertain (and given he enters each gig without a setlist, each performance is pretty much guaranteed to be unique). “I think after you do it long enough, hopefully you become more at home onstage. But there’s always something new happening, you always have something new to talk about and you’re always seeing all these new things. So hopefully you’re able to keep creating. One thing though is that
as you create more and more, you get a bigger back catalogue that you’re dragging behind you [and] people want to hear certain songs. It’s about fi nding that fi ne balance of going way back into the well of early songs and playing those, but you also want to say, ‘Hey, I also wrote this,’ and hopefully nobody gets up to take a leak while you’re in the middle of it. With me, I’ve always been lucky in that I’ve always been able to play and create. I don’t think that’s going to stop.”
What: National Folk Festival 2016 With: Nancy Kerr, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Stephen ‘Baamba’ Albert, Jordie Lane and many more Where: Exhibition Park, Canberra When: Thursday March 24 – Monday March 28 And: Also appearing at The Vanguard, Thursday March 31 and Friday April 1 More: Folksinger out now through 98 Pounder
ALBUM OUT APRIL 8TH
The Weeping Willows BEFORE OR RE DAR DARKNESS RKNEESS C COMES OMES A-CALLIN A-CALLIN' ALBUM TOUR 2016 / NSW LEG FRI 1ST APRIL
HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB’S ‘FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE’ CANBERRA (ACT)
8pm / bookings: www.harmonieclub.com.au
SAT 2ND APRIL
DJANGO BAR
MARRICKVILLE (NSW) w/ Katie Brianna 7.30pm / bookings: www.stickytickets.com.au/35081
SUN 3RD APRIL
THE LASS O’GOWRIE WICKHAM (NSW)
w/ De’May 3.00pm - 6.00pm in the Beer Garden / bookings: www.lassogowriehotel.com.au
MON 4TH APRIL
JANE’S
WOLLONGONG (NSW) w/ Rhea Mangles 6.00pm / bookings: www.janeswollongong.com www.theweepingwillows.com.au
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The Cactus Channel Not So Prickly By Joseph Earp kind of voodoo horror, a lively but distressed new style. “I feel like after our second album we kind of established a bit of a dark tip,” Thor says. “I don’t know why that is really. I guess that’s what appeals to us. That’s just what happens when we make music. It’s definitely something that appeals to most of the artists in the band.” The Cactus Channel tend to write individually these days, rather than as a group. Perhaps that’s sensible – it’s easy to imagine the madness that would break out if ten people crowded into a room and tried to write a song. But Thor attributes such a change in working methods to simple timetabling, rather than a desire to avoid creative pandemonium.
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arvid Thor has a beautiful voice. Not that you’d know by listening to his albums. The Cactus Channel, the ten-piece neosoul band for which Thor serves as guitarist, eschew vocals altogether, save for the odd collaboration with the likes of Chet Faker. It’s a shame – resonant and deep, Thor’s tones make every word coming out of his mouth sound wise and considered, even when he’s not saying much at all.
tour managing and all that shit. So it’s a bit full-on.
“We just got back from playing some shows in Sydney so we’re a bit… we’re a bit tired,” he says, chewing over every word. “We went a bit hard for two, three days. And all the driving and that. I kind of do all the tour managing as well – the
For the most part, Thor enjoys navigating the twinned worlds of art and commerce – though he admits it’s easy to find yourself mired in deadlines and details – and is frank about the issues that can arise when one finds themselves
“We did have a manager about a year or two ago but some things happened with that,” he says vaguely. “So now we self-manage. But I work at the record label that we are on as well [Hope Street Recordings], so I do have an interest in that side of the business. And I guess I’m learning about it and getting used to it.”
liaising with venues and the press. “Sometimes it’s a bit much,” he says. “It’s important to try and remember to make art as well. Sometimes the admin shit gets in the way.” ‘Admin shit’ aside, Thor has spent close to a decade as a member of The Cactus Channel. Over that time, the band has released two albums and a host of singles, and though the Melburnians have a distinctive voice – a raucous mix of horns and affected, bluesy guitar riffs – that doesn’t mean they’re one-trick ponies. ‘Cobaw’, 2015’s joyfully insidious single, marked a change for the group: a gradual migration away from the funky rhythms of the past and towards a
“It’s more common for someone to bring in an idea that is pretty well fleshed out and then we work on it from there on in,” he says. “There’s a lot of space for things to change [while recording], but within a pretty solid framework. I think it works better now this way, because we’re all extremely busy and don’t have time to get together as often.” When the band members do write songs together, they find themselves thinking about textures and tones rather than extraneous influences. They are concerned with specifics; with which instrument can make which noise. In this way, there’s something almost craftsmanlike about their work – something unpretentious and direct. “We do think a lot about sounds,” Thor explains. “At least for me, that is number one: the sound and the tone of the instrument. I guess we have a pretty particular guitar tone, but we also think about the organ sounds and all that quite a lot. And
textures, I guess. Usually our music is quite dense, but I guess we’re experimenting a bit more with space at the moment.” Since the release of ‘Cobaw’ last year, The Cactus Channel have kept surprisingly quiet, hinting at a mysterious ‘project’ on their Facebook page but releasing no substantial new material. Nonetheless, it would be wrong to imply that they have been completely silent – following on from their recent Sydney tour, they’ve announced they will be joining The Gum Ball Music and Arts Festival, a weekend of tunes that will see the ten-piece rubbing shoulders with the likes of You Am I and Kristin Hersh. “[Gum Ball] will be fun. I’ve never played up that way with Cactus Channel. We’ve either played Sydney or Brisbane or those coastal towns, but not in the Hunter Valley. So it should be fun,” Thor says. He’s excited – he loves performing, particularly when surrounded by the gaggle of musicians and friends that make up his band. And though he admits playing live can be “quite difficult”, there is something that brings him back to the challenge; something he can’t ignore. “It’s always different playing with ten people, and because we don’t have a singer there’s no one focal point. But we’ve been doing it since we were like 16 or so, which is a good six, seven years. So I think we’ve got our thing going,” he laughs softly. What: The Gum Ball Festival 2016 With: You Am I, Oka, Dan Sultan, Caitlin Park and more Where: Dashville, Lower Belford When: Friday April 22 – Sunday April 24
No Illuminati Under Surveillance By Elias Kwiet Founded by producers Haptic and Xan Müller in 2013, the Newtown-based ‘cultural hub’ that is Surveillance Party has been developing a diverse roster of techno, trance, drum and bass, as well as rock and indie acts. Since a chance meeting with Müller, the band has played all but one of the four warehouse parties hosted by Surveillance. “We met Xan at a Chicks With Tits show at the Townie,” says Ang. “We started playing shows with Surveillance and they were very small, in pubs and that sort of thing. Xan was living in a warehouse at the time. He actually went and got a lease to live there and put two parties on.” Although the State Government’s current nightlife laws suggest dangerous alcohol consumption and antisocial behavior is endemic to our culture, and police frequently shut down unregulated parties, the Surveillance crew has created a safe and respectful environment for artists and audiences alike.
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“When we started with our own shows, we were playing the more traditional venues almost everywhere in the Inner West and on Oxford Street,” says guitarist Lishan Ang. “We were keeping our options open, and when [record label and party promoters] Surveillance Party took off we thought, ‘Well, if these ones are going to bring great crowds, we can’t be bothered
playing those shitty pub gigs that no-one comes to.’ “We’re not bad-mouthing anyone, it’s just easier for us to be under the umbrella of Surveillance Party because there’s a guaranteed crowd there. If you need to get people to the shows, it’s a lot harder when you don’t have the [label] behind you.”
“I feel like there’s not a huge focus on alcohol. People just rock up with thermoses of tea and they’re just chilling out doing their own thing. Because the parties are private, and they’re DIY and it’s BYO, there’s not a focus on booze sales … It’s an excellent mix of people. There are all your geeks and your
No Illuminati’s faith in the DIY ethic extends to their recordings. Ang will undertake production responsibilities for their upcoming album, set for release this year, and the band will record in the comfort of home. “A few years ago I went and bought all the microphones, Cubase and mixing gear to make a record myself,” Ang says. “Now we don’t have to pay for the stupidly high production costs to put an mp3 on the internet for people to download for free.” When asked if the venue hosting the next Surveillance Party, Oxford Art Factory – a location with tighter security and within the lockout zone – will have an impact on the underground atmosphere No Illuminati have become accustomed to, Robinson has no concerns. “Oxford Art is one of the most incredible venues in Sydney, and obviously it’s going to be the same. I’ve loved what we’ve done in the past but I’m nothing but excited for this.” What: Surveillance Party Radar With: Mirella’s Inferno, Wonky, Xan Müller, Froyo, La Luz Music, Dotmicro and more Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday March 26
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No Illuminati photo by Hannah Anderson
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ydney electronic rockers No Illuminati have spent the last three years playing at warehouse parties in the inner city. In light of the recent lockout laws and with aspects of our nightlife diminishing, they believe a faith in the DIY ethic has led to larger audiences and a safer, more colourful environment in which to play and party.
“People enjoy going to these warehouse gigs a lot more than conventional venues because they don’t feel as restricted,” says No Illuminati singer Cat Robinson.
nerds. And there are fascinating people who look incredible in dedicated costumes. They’re drinking, they’re partying, but in a respectful way.”
arts in focus
arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Zanda Wilson, Joseph Earp and Anita Connors
five minutes WITH TROY
HARRISON FROM SAVAGES
Is mateship an overstated aspect of the so-called Australian identity? That’s a hard one to answer. I think mateship is absolutely a part of the Australian identity, which is a good thing. That said, [it can be] overstated in parts of the media, or in high level sports, or even within those who grow up in a bonded group of blokes who sometimes use it as an excuse. I’d like to think that the Australian identity is about so much more than mateship.
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Should audiences expect to laugh, cry, be in suspense or frightened?
Arj Barker photo by James Penlidis
avages is set to open at Eternity Playhouse. What’s the play about? In short, it’s about misogyny and mateship. But deeper [than that], it deals with the question of what it is that lies within the male psyche that can make seemingly affable men treat women so horrifically. Especially when the pack mentality of ‘mateship’ is allowed to fester.
How well does Patricia Cornelius’ text capture a snapshot of the Australian experience? That’s actually one of the things that I love about this play – the language. Patricia has used a beautiful mix of prose and verse. I think what makes it great is that while parts of the text are undeniably Australian, the heightened language allows the play to be quite universal. The way women are seen and treated by some men is a universal issue and Patricia’s text allows it to be [seen as such].
Niall Ferguson
Like any good play, you should expect to do most of those. It’s a funny play that grows into something quite frightening. Like any [play] or film you take in, it’s best to attend with an open mind and allow whatever comes. How much work goes into developing the necessary chemistry among the cast for a play like this? Having chemistry between the four of us is a must for this play to have its full impact. Rehearsing six days a week forces that chemistry, but we have also been getting together before each rehearsal and going for a run together. It has helped us bond as a group with the added benefit of a bit of cardio work each day, which should assist with the production as it’s quite a marathon for an actor. Luckily we all get along really well so we found our chemistry quite early on.
free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
THE DETECTIVE’S HANDBOOK
New Musicals Australia has teamed up with Hayes Theatre Co. to present a brand new, original Australian musical: The Detective’s Handbook. Directed by Jonathan Biggins, the production pays homage to a bygone golden age of detective novels, with a smart and intriguing script starring Justin Smith, Sheridan Harbridge and more. Set in 1950s Chicago, the action follows police detective Frank Johnson as he is called in to investigate the murder of two policemen. The investigation sees him assigned a new partner, Jimmy Hartman, a recently promoted detective. The Detective’s Handbook runs from Thursday April 21 – Saturday May 7. We have three double passes to give away for opening night, so head to thebrag.com/ freeshit to enter the draw to win.
What: Savages Where: Eternity Playhouse When: Friday April 1 – Sunday May 1
conflicting ideas of art representing time as a finite historical construction versus artwork that is concerned with the present and humanity as a timeless system. Then, Saturday April 16 is the date for Skyfire’s Leichhardt Gallery TourBy-Bus, part wine tour, part exhibition tour. This tour will break down the barriers between being a casual art buff and a proper art collector, and will include a lesson on art buying.
of one-man show Resident Alien, Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, the new adaptation of Greek tragedy Antigone, and the Australian premiere of the provocative The Nether take to the Reginald Theatre stage. The Original Grease plays at the Seymour Centre from Wednesday April 6 – Saturday May 7. Arj Barker
SUPANOVA LINEUP IS SUPER
Get witchy with some of the classiest spectreraising sisters around. Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs, AKA Prue and Piper from Charmed, have been announced as two of the guests at the upcoming 2016 Sydney Supanova Pop Culture Expo. The pair represent a very welcome addition to an already killer lineup for an event that will also feature appearances from the likes of Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman!), Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee!), Jeremy Shada (Finn the Human!), and Troy Baker (the voice of every bad guy in every video game ever!). What more could any self-effacing genre nerd ask for? Supanova hits Sydney Showground from Friday June 17 – Sunday June 19.
THINKING CAPS ON
Prepare to watch the sparks fly as two of the 21st century’s most innovative thinkers empty their brains out in public. Marxists and contrarians alike, rejoice: noted historian Niall Ferguson and social commentator Theodore Dalrymple have both announced one-off Sydney Opera House shows. The two thinkers are legends in their own right, and though both explore slightly different concepts – Ferguson the shaping of international history, Dalrymple the inequality of wealth distribution – they are united by a sense of moral outrage and the desire to challenge the norm. Dalrymple will speak at the Studio on Monday April 18, and Ferguson in the Concert Hall on Sunday May 22.
Louis Theroux photo by Carsten Windhorst
VIVID PROGRAM LIGHTS UP
Vivid Sydney has finally shed light on the 2016 edition of the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas. Following on from the announcement of its full set of dates earlier this month, the program for the eighth Vivid Sydney has now been made public. The festival is split into three main areas: Vivid Light, Vivid Music and Vivid Ideas. Vivid Light this year will showcase its most extensive set of visual attractions, with over 80 light installations across the city and surrounds. Campbell’s Cove, the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Opera House, Walsh Bay, The Botanical Gardens and the Harbour Bridge, as well as Chatswood and Taronga Zoo, will all host installations. Vivid Ideas, meanwhile will feature talks with acclaimed director Spike Jonze, Orange Is The New Black creator and writer Jenji Kohan, and House Of Cards creator Beau Willimon, who will all appear at Sydney Town Hall. Vivid Sydney 2016 runs from Friday May 27 – Saturday June 18, and full program details are available at vividsydney.com.
SKY’S ON FIRE
Skyfire Studio is a new gallery within Leichhardt’s Italian Forum, and April will see the studio holding two fantastic social events for lovers of everything art and culture in Sydney. Skyfire has announced a closing party for its Ides Of Now exhibition on Saturday April 9. The exhibition itself has featured the thebrag.com
Louis Theroux
GREASE LIGHTNING
Now in its sixth year, the Reginald Season at the Seymour Centre is again supporting emerging talent and independent theatre with five massive productions. Launching the annual program is Squabbalogic Independent Musical Theatre Company’s new production of The Original Grease. It promises to be “raw, raunchy and risqué” with never-before-heard songs and previously unseen scenes. The 2016 program will also see the Sydney premiere
LOUIS THEROUX LIVE
The widely loved journalist and documentary maker Louis Theroux has announced his first ever Australian appearance, heading to Sydney on a speaking tour of the country. The show will see Theroux reflect on his years of filmmaking in conversation with Julia Zemiro. The intimate dialogue will draw on footage from his watershed Weird Weekends series, as well as his experiences dealing with everyone from white supremacy groups, to encounters with celebrities and the criminally insane. Inspired by previous Q&A sessions held in Britain, Theroux will discuss his working methods and how he navigates danger, as well as following up on the lives of those he has documented throughout his career. Featuring previously unseen footage, the two-hour event will unpack his vast discography of critically acclaimed and popular documentaries. He’ll appear at the State Theatre on Tuesday September 27 and Wednesday September 28.
SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016
The 12th annual Sydney Comedy Festival is set to be the biggest and most diverse edition yet, with a slew of local acts to be mixed in with some of the most hilarious names in international comedy showing their talents across nine Sydney venues. Ross Noble, Arj Barker, Stephen K Amos, David O’Doherty, Luisa Omielan, All India Bakchod, Sarah Callaghan and Tony Woods lead the international crew, while the Aussie contingent is set to be headed by the likes of Akmal, Kitty Flanagan, Dave Hughes, Tom Ballard, Chopper Read, Nazeem Hussain, Tom Gleeson, Lawrence Leung and The Axis Of Awesome. This year will also see the biggest influx yet of millennials and cult YouTube sensations in a live setting, with Alex Williamson, Neel Kolhatkar, Frenchy and The Bear Pack flying the flag for internet-discovered talent. Sydney Comedy Festival 2016 will take place from Monday April 18 – Sunday May 15. See the full program and grab tickets from sydneycomedyfest.com.au.
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MAASive Lates: Super Heroes [EXHIBITION] The Powerhouse At Night By Adam Norris
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very child who grew up in Sydney, or was fortunate to visit from afar, likely underwent the rite of passage that is visiting the Powerhouse Museum. Its versatility has seen exhibitions celebrating the likes of The Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, and most recently, that bastion of imagination, the humble Lego block – yet too often our appreciation for all the Powerhouse has to offer becomes lost with age. Now, however, the museum’s afterhours event, MAASive Lates: Super Heroes, promises to bring back that childlike sense of discovery around current exhibit The Art Of The Brick: DC Comics. As program producer Isabelle Kingsley explains, it’s time to dust off your cape and undies. “I pop in as much as I can and play with Lego,” Kingsley laughs, proving that some people truly have stumbled across their dream job. “Some of the works there have over 30,000 pieces in them for the one artwork, so there are probably millions [of bricks] in there altogether. There are 120 sculptures in the exhibition, so I wouldn’t even be able to guess how many hours have gone into making them.” Lest you be mistaken, these aren’t just any sculptures we’re talking about here. Kingsley is at pains to emphasise that while The Art Of The Brick is primarily a showcase of all things good and evil (in a super sense, of course), the work on offer is legitimately art, and with the rise of comic culture in the public imagination, it is an exhibition that is both nostalgic and completely contemporary.
“The exhibition was constructed by Lego artist Nathan Sawaya, who is from the US. We were really excited to be the only place in Australia that this collection of artworks is shown, and it really brings you back to when you were a kid, watching those cartoons or reading the comics. It’s very popular with kids obviously, but grown-ups get just as much of a kick out of it with that nostalgia factor. You get to see your favourite characters, plus we all remember spending countless hours playing with Lego. It really brings the child out of you.” And for one night only, you can bring out that inner child without having to actually share the space with real-life children. Super Heroes is the first of a free quarterly program that allows adults to descend on the Powerhouse to enjoy a themed evening of performance, conversation and discovery. Not only will you get the chance to demonstrate your own latent superpowers, but the performances on offer promise to be quite dizzying. “Making it adults-only is very attractive for a lot of people, because they get to take over the museum and not have to share with young people,” says Kingsley. “The first one, which I’m really excited about, is MAASive Lates: Super Heroes, which is inspired by the exhibition. We’re going to have heaps of fun by encouraging people to dress up as their favourite superhero, to wear their underwear on the outside; to be goofy kids again for a night. We’re working
with Legs On The Wall, a dance company here in Sydney who do aerial performance, and they’re creating two performances for the night where they’ll be suspended from the ceiling, flying around doing some beautiful dance and fight scenes. That’ll be an amazing thing to see, and then we’ve got activities like the Phone Booth Challenge, where we’ve got an old-school phone booth and you have to get changed in there in the fastest possible time. And of course there’s food and drinks, all kinds of fun things. And then if you want to actually see the Art Of The Brick exhibition, you can by adding the exhibition to your ticket, which is $18/$15 on the night. The event is free, but there’s the discounted tickets for the exhibition for one night only.” At its heart, the Museum Of Applied Arts And Sciences (which includes not only the Powerhouse, but also the Sydney Observatory and the museum’s Discovery Centre in Castle Hill) is passionate about curating exhibitions and experiences that will resonate across every walk of life – no small feat in a city as diverse as ours. Having been a part of Sydney since the late 19th century, it is one of our oldest institutions and will undoubtedly continue to entertain young and old for a long time to come. “All museums all over the world, their main purpose is to collect. We’re collectors of history and objects and stories. We’re responsible for keeping those things
safe, and sharing that knowledge. I think museums in Sydney are very conscious of that, of being relevant and accessible to everyone. There’s a lot of time and energy that goes into making sure we can attract and encourage as much visitation as possible. I often speak to people who say they used to visit the Powerhouse all the time when they were a kid but haven’t been in 20 years. That’s an audience that is really important to us, and one that we’re really hoping to re-engage. We’re trying to find ways to serve the community as best we can, [to] get them to come to the museum and realise that it may have been a
great place to go when you’re little, but it’s still a great place to visit as an adult. A lot of our exhibitions are targeted at either kids or adults. This one is very much for everyone.” What: MAASive Lates: Super Heroes Where: Powerhouse Museum When: Thursday March 24 And: MAASive Lates: Fashion is on Thursday May 19; MAASive Lates: Science on Thursday August 11; and MAASive Lates: Design on Thursday October 27
A Bigger Splash [FILM] Making A Mood By Ian Barr
I
n 2010, a film called I Am Love arrived in cinemas, and immediately stood out in an arthouse cinema landscape rife with so many films marked by a certain stylistic austerity. Here was something that owed more to the plush, decadent style of Luchino Visconti than, say, the austere social realism of the Dardenne brothers. After a long filmmaking hiatus, I Am Love director Luca Guadagnino has returned with the equally lush A Bigger Splash, a deceptively sunny riff on Jacques Deray’s 1969 film La Piscine. The latter film’s star wattage of Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Maurice Ronet and Jane Birkin is here substituted for Guadagnino’s long-time collaborator (and I Am Love star) Tilda Swinton, alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Dakota Johnson and a manic, frequently naked Ralph Fiennes, playing a holidaying quartet whose fraught dynamic eventually leads to violence. “I tend to surround myself with the most varied, unpredictable, disconcerting mix of people,” Guadagnino says. “I’m curious, and for me it’s important to fulfil that curiosity of the other. “I saw the movie La Piscine when I was 16, and I haven’t seen it again since,” he offers, suggesting that he came to the material with fresh eyes. “[I thought], ‘Instead of remaking it, let’s use the basic terms of the storyline as a jumping pad towards something different, or something more personal to me.’” What’s surprising and refreshing about A Bigger Splash is how wilfully undramatic it is, before the darker turn it takes near the end. Rather, its main pleasures are experiential, which owes to Guadagnino’s expert ability to envelop you in an environment and its associated 18 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
moods – in this case, the remote Italian island of Pantelleria, where rock star Marianne Lane (Swinton) and her documentarian boyfriend Paul (Schoenaerts) are enjoying a peaceful holiday, before the surprise visit of Harry (Fiennes) and his daughter Penelope (Johnson). Guadagnino’s favouring of mood over narrative partly comes from his self-education as a filmmaker, and the autonomous development of his own practice and methodology. “I’d been working with moving images and narrative within moving images since I was a little kid, because I had my Super 8 camera when I was eight or nine, and I completely pursued my interest in that and I always made my own stuff – meaning that I never attended a film school, or … did work on other people’s sets before I did my own work.” After his own Super 8 films, he began making documentaries, whose subjects ranged from “a blue collar Marxist theatre automobile worker” through to the Algerian Civil War in the ’90s – a vast array of subjects that puts to rest the idea that his interests lie in the activities of bored rich people. When describing his ongoing relationship with Swinton (which started with 1999’s little-seen docofiction hybrid The Protagonists), Guadagnino is effusive in a way that makes you realise why the actress has yielded so many fruitful ongoing collaborations with her directors. “Tilda is a filmmaker who has the great capacity of developing fantastic and lifelong relationships, starting with her beautiful, historical relationship with the late Derek Jarman, to the Coen brothers and Wes Anderson and so on. She’s a filmmaker … and I love filmmakers. So for me to discuss films, to think of films, to partner with a filmmaker, it’s a joy.”
Clarifying his reiteration of the term ‘filmmaker’ as opposed to ‘actor’ also emphasises Guadagnino’s unorthodox approach to screen performances. “I don’t believe Tilda is an actor – I think Tilda is a filmmaker. I never say ‘actor’ referring to her. She’s a performer and a filmmaker. She’s not looking for a ‘part’, or to play out a dramatic instance. She’s behaving – she’s looking for behaviour. There’s nothing very alluring in ‘acting’; it’s a toolbox. In the best case scenario, an actor who can act in front a camera is going to try and mimic some sort of truthfulness of life and reality. In the worst case, they will give you a sort of heightened version of what they believe is a common ground of what an attitude is, and that’s drama, which is horrible. I think behaviour is more interesting to look at than acting.”
I’m instantly reminded of Jean-Luc Godard’s insistence that “every film is a documentary of its actors”, though Guadagnino is equally combative toward that idea. When I bring up a show-stopping dance scene in A Bigger Splash, which sees Fiennes boogie to The Rolling Stones’ ‘Emotional Rescue’ in a long, unbroken take, Guadagnino replies: “I hope that when you see that scene, you see Harry, and you don’t see Ralph Fiennes having fun.” Indeed, music plays a large role in A Bigger Splash. Alongside a handful of Rolling Stones songs are tracks from Popol Vuh, Captain Beefheart, St. Vincent, and Harry Nilsson’s ‘Jump Into The Fire’, used twice in two vastly different dramatic contexts. “The movie had to be very rock’n’roll, and that was a great
piece of rock’n’roll, and a great soundtrack for Harry,” says the director. “Harry’s endlessly listening to music, and making people listen to his music. The first time you hear ‘Jump Into The Fire’ it happens to be where they are, lounging, and then the music spurts out of the water, like in the head of Marianne.” As with Guadagnino’s method of fi lmmaking as a whole, his use of music comes down to the mysteries of intuition. “It’s a process that leads me to things by reasoning with my editor, that I’m not sure I can literally describe.” What: A Bigger Splash (dir. Luca Guadagnino) Where: In cinemas Thursday March 24 thebrag.com
Film & Theatre Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town ■ Film
The Witch
THE WITCH
80 MINUTES NO INTERVAL
In cinemas now The Witch is an evil film. It’s a haunted strip of celluloid, the kind of movie the conservative far-right is terrified will have teenagers trying to summon the devil in their garage – a sick, sadistic experience helmed by a director both disgusted by and fascinated with the human race and its frailty. It’s also a masterpiece, and one of the most singularly impressive cinematic debuts in recent memory. The plot is bare bones. A family in the 17th century are banished from their plantation home, cast out into the wilderness. Once there, they find themselves facing escalating horrors, as the daughter of the clan (expertly played by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy) must overcome aggressors both human and supernatural. The key to the film lies in its simplicity. Writerdirector Robert Eggers deliberately strips back the piece, reducing it until it resembles a fairy tale. The Brothers Grimm are the fathers of horror cinema after all, and The Witch pays homage to them in a number of ways, from the haunted wood that sits as the film’s fulcrum, to a key moment with a rosyred apple. Though there is little blood shed onscreen (save one sudden, gasp-inducing shot of violence in the third act), the dread is palpable, and before long the film becomes an assemblage of bad omens. Just as unsettlingly, Eggers shoots his totems
Playing at the Old Fitz Theatre until Saturday April 9
lovingly, framing yellow-eyed rabbits and blood-filled eggs as though they were bouquets of roses or perfect sunsets. Fittingly, though all the cast does fine work, with Kate Dickie nailing the role of the overzealous, grieving mother, the true star of the film is not human. It’s a goat, the perfectly monikered Black Phillip, a presence that exudes demonic energy and clings to the film like a curse. The Witch doesn’t as much end as it does expertly collapse in on itself, falling apart like a burnt-out bonfire, and though the film opens itself up to thousands of readings – is it about repressed female sexuality? The short-sightedness of religion? The fall of man? – the conclusion refuses to pander to a single theory. It’s more an invocation than an ending; a harrowing celebration of sadism. See The Witch. It will change you. Though perhaps not for the better. Joseph Earp
■ Film
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE In cinemas now The answer to the obvious question is: no, this is not a sequel to Cloverfi eld. If you left that movie thinking, ‘What the hell just happened, I need explanations’, 10 Cloverfi eld Lane will not provide them. If you’re looking for answers, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re looking for a neat little thriller that keeps you in a chokehold for the full hour and a bit – you won’t be. The filmmakers have said the events conspire in the same ‘spiritual universe’. They retrofitted the ‘Cloverfield’ to the title as a marketing ploy (J.J. Abrams is executive producer), concocting the connection to get bums on seats. They needn’t have. 10 Cloverfi eld Lane stands up in isolation. Nevertheless, there are enough geeky tidbits to have fans of Cloverfi eld connecting the dots ad infinitum. Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is leaving her life behind. She places her engagement ring and keys on the sideboard as she closes her apartment door behind her for the last time. She’s on the run from herself, hitting the highway headed for… a crash. She wakes up with a broken leg, connected to a drip and chained to the wall, on a mattress on the floor of a windowless room. Her captor (possibly) What's in our diary...
■ Theatre
A couple are sitting down to dinner. They’re having a tiff. She’s losing patience as he annoyingly asks for every detail about each dish on the menu. He’s trying to keep her happy – tonight’s the night he’s going to pop the question. So far, so normal. It’s a perfectly rich situation for comedy: there are some funny quips and dry lines from the waiter. It's all good old-fashioned Fawlty Towers-esque skit material. But it’s a deceptive start – 80 Minutes No Interval is not that kind of play. It’s not like any kind of play. From genteel beginnings it ascends rapidly into gorefest, tap-dancing, sci-fi insanity. The audience starts off tittering at witticisms. By the end they’re laughing inanely while trying to keep down the vomit. Hapless hero Louis (Ryan Johnson) is an aspiring but so far failed novelist. He tries to be too clever; why can’t he just write straight and mainstream? Write a Pollyanna? His girlfriend Claire (Sheridan Harbridge) wants him to focus more on theatre reviewing, but his main income is threatened by a little red computerised
80 Minutes No Interval
box that uses algorithms to pop out perfectly formed reviews. Well, perfect enough for his editor, who has got the publication’s bottom line to think of. In short, bad luck follows Louis around, and his situation is only getting worse when his parents decide to kick him out of their investment property. By the time Louis finds a publisher (Robin Goldsworthy again playing a walking heart attack waiting to happen) for his novel, we know the meeting is going to go badly. Few will imagine quite how badly, but the sight is sure to stick with audiences. It’s hilariously appalling.
80 Minutes No Interval is a play about being a writer, balancing art and life, weighing creative integrity against commercial appeal. It could have conspired to be an introspective piece full of industry in-jokes. Luckily it’s bold and bloody with broad appeal. Each scene ups the ante on the last, the whole thing like watching an angry stomach ulcer bulging ever closer to bursting point. It mocks pretension, putting a crooked middle fi nger up to every wanky piece of theatre you’ve ever had to endure. Pollyanna it ain’t. George Nott
10 Cloverfield Lane and saviour (perhaps) is the half-scary, half-pathetic Howard (John Goodman), who has built an underground bunker. Also down below is Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.), who entered of his own accord. Doomsday has come, or so Michelle is told. Which is where the audience’s constant guessing game begins. Is it safe out there? What’s really going on? Who’s in on it? In on what? It’s one of those films it’s best not to know too much about before going in, so I’ll leave it there.
GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
REPLAY BY PHILLIP KAVANAGH 2 APRIL-7 MAY
Unlike the dumb move after dumb move gang of Cloverfi eld, Michelle is sly and resourceful. She’s watched enough horror movies to know you should close doors behind you and cover your tracks. You root hard for her; she’s an everywoman.
The past is what you make it.
Tickets $35 - $55 SBW Stables Theatre 10 Nimrod Street Kings Cross
Taking place almost completely underground, it’s a fun suspenseful movie full of OMG, ‘no way’ and WTF moments. You’ll leave the cinema gasping for air.
griffintheatre.com.au 02 9361 3817
George Nott
Arts Exposed
80 Minutes No Interval photo © Rupert Reid
Turandot On Sydney Harbour
Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, Thursday March 24 – Sunday April 24 Proving the Opera House isn’t enough to contain such a spectacle, Turandot has found its temporary home on the Fleet Steps of Sydney Harbour. The evening sky, peppered with fireworks and acrobatics, will be your backdrop to this fable of struggling love between Prince Calaf and the obdurate Princess Turandot. With its own pop-up theatre and dedicated bars, this Chinese operatic adventure will feature conductor Brian CastlesOnion and choreography from director Chen Shi-Zheng. Easter Sunday will also see many chocolate “dragon eggs” scattered around the site from 5pm for your hunting pleasure. The epic event runs from Thursday March 24 – Sunday April 24, and tickets start at $70. Visit opera.org.au for details.
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Production Sponsor
Government Partners
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bread&thread Food & Fashion News... with Anita Connors and Joseph Earp
The Newport
Easter Bunny Bun
THE NEWPORT IS HERE
It’s always a good idea to schedule your resurrection around the same time as Jesus’ – it just adds a nice Biblical flavour to proceedings. In any case, that’s what the folks at Merivale have done with The Newport, their new Pittwater venue, set to open its doors for the first time on Good Friday. The remarkable location will provide punters with a stunningly diverse range of culinary delights, from chicken burgers to classic seafood, smoothies, and donuts. If that list doesn’t get your salivary glands going, then nothing will. The Newport opens at noon on Friday March 25.
VARIETY CYCLE
On Saturday April 2, head down to Civic Park in North Sydney to support a peloton of bright red lycra-clad cyclists as they push off for a 15-day, 2,002-kilometre journey to the Great Barrier Reef, and raise money for Variety. Now in its third ‘spoketacular’ year, Variety Cycle sees novices and elite athletes challenge themselves across various routes while visiting schools and local communities, and donating resources and equipment along the way.
MEZCAL AT TIO’S
Surry Hills tequila tavern Tio’s Cerveceria is honouring mezcal with a month-long focus on the Mexican agave-based spirit, as well as presenting the inaugural Mezcal Mini Fest this Sunday March 27. The event will see eight of Australia’s leading mezcal importers come together to showcase their best and rarest spirits with free tastings and signature serves, as well as engaging in a roundtable discussion. Ghostboy Cantina will be on site as well, serving its trademark AsianMexican fusion tacos. Juicy Lucy
EASTER BUNNY BUNS
’Tis the season. For a limited time only, the award-winning dumpling and noodle house Chefs Gallery is playing home to the Easter Bunny Bun. Available from Friday March 25 – Tuesday March 29, these pillowy-soft steam buns are sure to give hot cross buns a run for their money over the Easter long weekend, with their sweet and smoky black sesame molten centres. Taste them at the Town Hall, Macquarie, Bankstown and Parramatta restaurants.
A MERRY DAY OF MALBEC
Given a glass of red wine a day has been scientifically proven to keep the doctor away (sorta), Sydney GPs must be shivering in their boots. After all, Malbec World Day is almost upon us, and this year the annual celebration of the Argentinian red wine blend is being conducted on a scale like never before. So if you feel like staining your pearly whites in the classiest,
GET JUICY WITH LUCY
It may only be March, but it’s pretty obvious that 2016 is the year of the fried chicken in Sydney. And throwing down a hot wing in the foodie ring is new Surry Hills eatery Juicy Lucy. The second venture for the team behind Sugarcane Restaurant, this is a nod to the classic Aussie chicken shop, albeit with South East Asian influences and flavours. Grab a burger with Malay-style chicken, a wrap with kimchi and garlic rice, a whole chicken spiced overnight in a ring of Sichuan pepper, cassia bark and coriander seeds, or tapiocabattered drumettes and tenders. Consider our feathers ruffled.
Ky-Oto
KY-OTO ON KENSINGTON
Chippendale culinary precinct, Kensington Street, has just added Japanese cuisine to the menu of its hawker-style market, Spice Alley. Celebrating all things ramen, udon and don, Ky-Oto evokes the old world charms of Japan’s former capital city albeit with a modern twist. Punters can enjoy a heartening meal against a backdrop of bamboo, Shaoji paper screens, and street artist Scott Marsh’s geisha murals.
FLYING FAJITA SISTAS
most delicious way possible, head over to the National Art School, where you’ll be able to partake in a tango class, nosh on some Porteño provided grub, and of course, drink your way through a host of Malbec blends and flavours. Gauchito Gil’s Malbec World Day will be held on Saturday April 23, and full details are at gauchitogil.com.au.
BURGERS ’R’ THEM
In one of the most significant meetings of minds since the Paris Peace Accords, a group of Sydney’s top burger chefs will join forces for the 2016 Burgapalooza festival. The two-day event will feature a host of cooks and brands serving up miniature burgers – morsels that sit on just the larger side of a slider – so you can fit a number of ’em in your gob before you get full. Even better, a James Squire bar will be providing beer-burger pairings, and there will be tunes provided by “burger DJs” (imagine putting that title on your resume). Just don’t think about the carb hangover that’s awaiting you the day after. Burgerpalooza now hits Manning Bar on Saturday April 16 and Sunday April 17, after enormous interest on Facebook led to the relocation of the event scheduled for the Vic on the Park. Search Burgapalooza on Facebook for more details.
restaurant of the week
ADDRESS: 65 GLEBE POINT RD, GLEBE OPENING HOURS: 5PM – LATE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND FROM 12PM ON SATURDAYS It’s called: Flying Fajita Sistas Mexican Kitchen
with succulent confit duck legs, charred tomato salsa, and queso fresco. Amazing.
Who’s the cook/bartender? Joe Slakey – chef/owner
The main course: Our pork belly tacos will keep you coming back for more. Crispy pork belly, black beans, salsa almendrado and queso fresco on fresh white corn tortillas.
Eye candy: Kylie Sinclair-O’Keefe of K.S.I.D. designed the interior décor and selected exterior colours. Southern Design provided all graphic design elements including the wallflowers. Local mural artist Roger Robinson painted our Flying Fajita Sistas mural and the wallflowers. Flavours: Diners can expect to sample fresh tortillas, bright, rich sauces and pickles, tender cactus pads, fresh soft shell crab, grilled salmon, achiote pulled pork, ropa vieja, plus all the usual Mexican suspects.
Care for a drink? The drinks menu is a rich array of craft cocktails, quality Mexican and Australian craft beers, and we feature weekly cocktail specials with a rotating weekly sangria special. This week we have sparkling hibiscus sangria and The Strawberry Bandit, a spicy jalapeño margarita with fresh muddled strawberries. Sounds? The vibe from the speakers is upbeat and
current. To celebrate the long break over Easter during the four-day Coloursound festival, we will be featuring a dozen local bands live in the main dining room. Checkout the Coloursound lineup for details. Make us drool: Here at Flying Fajita Sistas, our mission is to use traditional Mexican techniques and the best of fresh Australian seafood and produce to bring patrons simple, vibrant, Mexican fare in a fun and funky atmosphere. The bill comes to: $43 per person for the meal above.
xxxx
Something to start with: Duck confit sopes for two people: two crispy fried corn masa boats, topped
Room for dessert? Banana chimichanga: a flour tortilla wrapped around banana and chocolate then fried crispy, served with caramel and cinnamon anglaise and fresh cream. Designed to be shared.
20 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
thebrag.com
out & about Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson
L
ast week, the Federal Government’s review into the Safe Schools program was completed, and, surprise surprise, it found nothing wrong.
During the last few weeks of furore that arose from the program – a furore that, in the five years the Safe Schools program has been running quietly and uncontroversially, has never before reared its head – conservative MPs were quick to deny any allegations of homophobia, instead just proclaiming their concern for the children. The children who, according to them, were being indoctrinated with Marxist cultural relativism.
When Malcolm Turnbull became PM, we were given the impression that we’d have a more socially progressive government. But so far he’s been all chat. Turnbull, the Member for Wentworth, would’ve publicly condemned these hard right near-lunatics, but Turnbull the PM placates them by ordering a review into a program his education minister supports.
As Bill Shorten brought out his annual zinger and labelled Cory Bernardi a homophobe, Bernadi’s mates jumped to his defence, labelling such allegations as offensive and outrageous. “I have never met anyone that displays an extreme or irrational fear of homosexuality,” decried Luke ‘old straight man’ Simpkins. Meanwhile, George Christensen likened Safe Schools to paedophile grooming. These MPs sat there all high and mighty, certain they’d caught the gays with their pants down.
Bernardi and his mates grow ever more irrelevant in a climate where a large majority of the Australian population supports marriage equality. These guys cling to the nuclear family, because it’s their source of dominance. And as divorce rates soar, single parents and gay parents abound, feminism gets stronger and gay rights grow, the role of the white man becomes less and less significant. These poor fellas just don’t know what to do.
But they didn’t. The review came back, and while it offered some suggestions, it recommended the program continue to exist, and continue to be funded. Naturally, these MPs (well, we don’t know for sure, since they were quoted anonymously) cried foul, calling the review a “fraud” and a “stitch up”. The fact is though, the review confirmed what everyone who uses the Safe Schools program already knows: that it’s age appropriate, pedagogically sound, and, well, safe. And now it just makes plainly clear something else we already knew: that those who oppose it are just bona fide homophobes. Not only that, they’re homophobes who pick at low hanging fruit. I mean, Bernardi et al. have already picked off the higher fruit, taking aim at marriage equality in the past, but that doesn’t mean he now needs to turn his attention to picking on kids.
These men are treating parliament like an echo chamber, shouting into a void where no-one really cares what they have to say. Sure, almost every media outlet in the country covered Bernardi’s comments about Safe Schools, but did so to essentially shut him down. How will Turnbull respond to the rejection of the review by these grumpy old men? If he’s smart, he’ll ignore them, like the rest of the country does (aside from the spectacle, of course). If he’s smarter, he won’t preselect them when he calls the next election. These people are now so far to the right of the rest of the Liberal Party that they no longer represent its core values, so why should they represent it at the ballot box? The outcry over what was, and has now been found to be, an uncontroversial and productive education program simply demonstrates how irrelevant and hateful these people are. Why they still form some of our government is completely incomprehensible to me.
this week… Marcus Whale
It’s Easter! But that doesn’t mean you can’t party. On Friday March 25, the Botany View Hotel is having a Bad Friday celebration, featuring a bunch of bands including World Champion and “the shittest band in Newtown”, Scabz. Also on Friday, Marcus Whale launches his new single at The Red Rattler, supported by Habits and Lupa J.
This Saturday March 26 sees The Justin Bieber Appreciation Society land at Plan B Small Club. Justin Bieber has a long track record of stealing lesbian haircuts, and now he just all out looks like one, so this is basically a gay event. On Sunday March 27, Oxford Street is the place to be. Head to Oxford Art Factory for Loose Ends with L’Oasis, Matt Vaughan, Annabelle Gaspar, Brooke Powers, The Sweats and more. Or head underground at the Oxford Hotel for NatNoiz’s new party, Queerave, featuring Love Club, Hookie, Tanner Derrby and more.
Marcus Whale photo by Daniel Boud
NatNoiz
And on Monday, don’t rise, because He did that for you.
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BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 21
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 Mon – Tue 5-11pm; Wed – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight The Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St,
The Rocks (02) 9247 2229 Mon – Sun 10.30am-midnight Balcony Bar 46 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3526 Mon – 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 Burrow Bar De Mestre Place, Sydney 0450 466 674 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight deVine 32 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 6906 Mon – Fri 11.30am-11.30pm; Sat 5.30-11.30pm
Easy Eight 152 - 156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3769 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight 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 The Glenmore 96 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 4794 Mon – Thu, Sun 11am-midnight; Fri – Sat 11am-1am Grain Bar 199 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9250 3118 Mon – Sun noon-1am 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 The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight The Loft (UTS) 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 1149 Mon – Wed 2pm-10pm; Thurs – Fri 2pm-late Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight;
bar
THE SHAKESPEARE HOTEL TH
glass and the bottle. There’s also a large assortment of bottled goods and even cocktails for when you’re feeling fancy.
EK
OF
bar
ADDRESS: 200 DEVONSHIRE ST, SURRY HILLS PHONE NUMBER: (02) 9319 6883 OPENING HOURS: MON – SAT 10AM-MIDNIGHT; SUN 11AM-10PM
E E W
Sounds? Like music served best with whisky. Classic tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s mixed with some newer gems and typical pub anthems. Highlights: Happy hour is from 4-6pm, Monday to Friday. Come by for $4 beers, wine and house spirits! On Mondays we have our very popular trivia in the main room upstairs, starting from 7:30pm, and Wednesday is our badge draw where you could win $1,000. We often have special events on so make sure to follow our Facebook page to keep up to date! The bill comes to: $20 for dinner and a drink. We take reservations so give us a call sometime soon to book a table. Website: shakespearehotel.com.au
Tell us about your bar: The Shakespeare Hotel (affectionately known as “The Shakey” by locals) is a Surry Hills institution. The building has remained practically unchanged since doors were opened in 1879, making it a rare time capsule of oldschool pub culture. Inside you’ll find locals who have been coming in for 50 years drinking happily alongside hip 20-somethings. There’s heaps of room, including space for private dining in the bar upstairs where the décor is kitsch in the best sort of way. The food is delicious and affordable and the staff are friendly and always happy to help with whatever you may need. What’s on the menu? We’re famous for our $12.50 menu, along with our daily $10 specials 22 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
throughout the week. Whether it be steak, a burger or a schnitzel, the Shakey is the only place in Sydney you’ll be able to get a generous feed and a beer for under $20. There is a lot of variation in the menu, with plenty of options for vegetarian folk and carnivores alike. We also have unique chef specials every day for when you’re wanting something a little bit different. The best bit is the bistro remains open throughout the entire day, so you never have to wait to come visit us. Care for a drink? We believe that beer is best served ice cold. You’ll find pub staples such as Reschs, Guinness and VB on our taps, nestled amongst lesser known yet delicious local boutique beers such as Young Henrys. We have a great list of wines by the
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 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 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 The Beauchamp Hotel 02) 9331 2575 Mon – Thu noon-2am; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noonmidnight 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 Jangling Jack’s Bar & Grill Bar & Grill 175 Victoria St, Potts Point Tue – Wed 4-11pm, Thu – Sat 4-1am, Sun noon-11pm 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 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 thebrag.com
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 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 thebrag.com
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 Calaveras 324 King St, Newtown 0451 541 712 Wed – Sat 6pm-midnight Cornerstone Bar & Food 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh (02) 8571 9004 Sun – Wed 10am-5pm; Thu – Sat 10am-late Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0405 671 002 Tue – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 1pm-10pm Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon – Sat 4.30pm-1am Doris & Beryl’s Bridge Club and Tea 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 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 Miss Peaches 201 Missenden Rd, Newtown (02) 9557 7280 Wed – Sun 5pm-midnight Mr Falcon’s 92 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9029 6626 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat noonmidnight; Sun 4pm-10pm Newtown Social Club 387 King St, Newtown (02) 9550 3974 Mon 9am-6pm; Tues – Fri 9am-8pm; Sat 10am-8pm The Oxford Tavern 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 Mon – Thu noon-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-3pm; Sun noon-10pm Lord Raglan 12 Henderson Rd, Alexandria (02) 9699 4767 Mon – Sun noon-3pm, 5pm-9pm Raven’s Eye 127 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 6429 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 11.30am-midnight; Sun 11:30am-10pm The Record Crate 34 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 1075 Tue – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Royal 156 Norton St, Leichhardt (02) 9569 2638 Mon – Thu 10am-1am; Fri – Sat 10am-3am; Sun
10am-midnight 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 Staves Brewery 4-8 Grose Street, Glebe (02) 9280 4555 Thu 4-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Temperance Society 122 Smith St, Summer Hill (02) 8068 5680 Mon – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat: noon-midnight; Sun: noon-10pm Thievery 91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8283 1329 Tue – Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri 6pm-midnight. Sat 11pm-3pm & 6pm-midnight Timbah 375 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9571 7005 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri noon-11pm; Sat 3pm-11pm; Sun 4pm-8pm Wilhelmina’s 332 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8068 8762 Tues – Fri 5pm - late; Sat – Sun 8am - late The Workers Lvl 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain (02) 9555 8410 Thu – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 2pm-late ZanziBar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-12am
Zigi’s Wine And Cheese Bar 86 Abercrombie St, Chippendale (02) 9699 4222 Tue 4pm-10pm; Wed – Sat 2pm-late
Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm The Hold Shop 4, 9-15 Central Ave (02) 9977 2009 Tue – Sun 4pm-midnight 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;
Alberts Bar 100 Mount St, North Sydney (02) 9955 9097 Mon – Wed 11.30am-10pm; Thu 11.30am-11pm; Fri 11.30am-midnight Crooked Tailor 250 Old Northern Road, Castle Hill (02) 9899 3167 Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm Daniel San Manly 55 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9977 6963 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Friday – Saturday noon– 2am; Sunday noon-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 The Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri – Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 4pm-10pm 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
wed
23 Mar
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
thu
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
24 Mar
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
GOOD FRIDAY
fri
25 Mar
sat
26 Mar
3:00PM 6:00PM
(7:00PM - 10:00PM)
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
EASTER SUNDAY AFTERNOON
5:45PM 8:45PM
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
sun
27 Mar
(9:30PM - 1:00AM)
(10:00PM - 1:15AM)
EASTER LONGWEEKEND mon
tue
28 Mar
29 Mar (2:00PM - 5:30PM)
(6:15PM -9:30PM)
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 23
Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE GOON SAX Up To Anything Chapter
A gang of teenagers make music that owes a lot to adolescence, but never feels juvenile or simplistic.
MATT CORBY Telluric Universal
Preconceptions seem to haunt Matt Corby at every turn. From the Australian Idol-born stereotype that he is merely a semi-talented musician seeking fame, to the rumour that he’s a pop star primadonna, Corby has constantly dashed expectations. Now, with his debut album Telluric, Corby makes who he is and who he always was plain for all: he’s an incredibly talented musician.
The band members’ youth – a factor that most would take to mean inexperience – is used to their
Up To Anything is a snapshot of those teenage days when we interpret our awkwardness as a fault, not yet recognising it as that which makes us unique. This makes the music both personal, relatable, and wonderfully sincere. This is a brilliant debut filled with teenage bravado and a talent belying the band’s years. Daniel Prior
LIIMA
TUKA
II 4AD/Remote Control
Alive Death Time Eternal EMI
Liima assembled their first album II during a series of artistic residencies where they improvised new material in front of a live audience, and the end result is a tightly layered piece of electronica, albeit one slightly darker than those initial live recordings.
Brendan Tuckerman, better known as Tuka and member of hip hop collective Thundamentals, has gone out and rehashed his 2015 full-length Life Death Time Eternal as an EP made up of acoustic and live versions of the formerly released songs.
ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES Half The City Single Lock/Cooking Vinyl St. Paul and The Broken Bones’ brand of soul is at once defiant, longing, gentle and joyful. It’s their experimentation within the genre that makes them relatable and relevant, and Half The City does an excellent job of catering to a wide range of listeners.
Driven by the eclectic percussion of Tatu Rönkkö, II functions best when Liima hit a complex and melancholic groove, but they sometimes lose their edge in uninspired vocals and chords. Take, for example, their lead single ‘Amerika’. It starts off as a minimalistic headbanger, with a pulsating reverberation propelling it forward, only for lead singer Casper Clausen to rob the song of its momentum with his sonorous lament. The music takes a back seat to Clausen’s voice, and in this case he shouldn’t be driving.
It nails that brand of indie/hipster hip hop – let’s call it hipstop – which is best showcased in lead single ‘L.D.T.E.’ Here Tuka ponders the meaning of life and the feeling of being just a mere speck amongst the universe using some well composed melodic patterns. It’s this kind of introspective lyrical style that sets Tuka apart from some of his hipstop contemporaries.
However, in ‘You Stayed In Touch With The Wrong Guy’, the band’s haunting vocal harmonies soar over the rippling synth, building into a bittersweet crescendo. After a moment’s silence, Liima rev back into gear and they build into another climax that concludes once again with a staggering effect.
As we’ve come to expect, the EP is interlaced with female vocals that convey some of the raw emotion of Tuka’s lyrics, especially in the track ‘Tattoo’. Tuka finishes off the EP with his triple j Like A Version cover of ‘Big Jet Plane’ – an odd choice, given the song has been covered by a number of high-profile artists to varying degrees of success in the past.
Telluric is an incredible selfportrait, one that dismisses preconceptions and portrays a man and his love for music. It’s a long overdue debut and an optimistic nod to whatever comes next.
When II maintains the rawness of the improvisation from which it was born, the album succeeds, but its willingness to rest on its laurels makes this a flawed gem of experimental electronica rather than an all-out success.
Points are lost here for a lack of originality, but then again, the crux of this EP isn’t exactly original. In fact, that’s almost the point.
St. Paul and The Broken Bones bring a modern take to the soul genre whilst simultaneously letting old influences shine through, making this album an easygoing, nostalgic listen.
Tegan Reeves
Erin Rooney
Daniel Prior
James Ross
An immensely raw and patient album, Telluric unfolds slowly, like a flower coming into bloom. A simple funk and groove is threaded throughout the album, somewhat reminiscent of Chet Faker’s 2012 Thinking In Textures EP, particularly on opener ‘Belly Side Up’. A departure from singles like ‘Brother’ and ‘Resolution’, the style change elevates Corby’s tender voice and hints at some of the hardships he has gone through to find himself. ‘Do You No Harm’, ‘Good To Be Alone’ and ‘Wrong Man’ hold you tight as Corby bares his emotional sincerity, while ‘Knife Edge’ contains a funky rhythm you would expect from CeeLo Green or Frank Ocean.
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Dappled Cities’ Tim Derricourt has already dipped his toes into side-project waters with the release of two EPs under the moniker Swimwear. His latest, High Summer, offers up a book-end to the previous Low Summer EP and also celebrates the hot season with some bittersweet dance music via indie-pop sounds.
SWIMWEAR High Summer Independent
24 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
The songs are not a huge departure from the Dappled Cities style, all sounding like they’ve been orchestrated by someone who has dug through old vinyl recordings by David Bowie and the Pet Shop Boys. ‘Heartbroken’ sounds quite warm and joyful considering the track’s dour title, and gives a good indication of Derricourt’s desire to mix up tone and style. On ‘Great
DIIV photo by Sandy Kim
For most of us, our teenage years were filled with awkward and uncomfortable days as we tried to find our place in the world. The Goon Sax, a Brisbane trio made up of 17- and 18-year-olds, present those days in all their frenzied glory on their debut release Up To Anything. Here, teen melodrama melds beautifully with shoegaze pop music, amplifying the messages of wanting to blend in, stand out, and fade away all at the same time.
benefit. Who else but teenagers are more qualified to sing about the misery of trying to get others to like you when you’re not sure you do yourself? Songs like ‘Home Haircuts’ and ‘Boyfriend’ cover thematic material that swings from the emotionally overdramatic to the painfully dull, while ‘Sweaty Hands’ captures the shared embarrassments we take for personal failures.
Leaps Forward’, his voice vacillates between a quivering falsetto and a deeper croon over the top of some shimmery beats-driven pop. ‘Closer’ is the EP’s most unique track, where the sound of Django Django is mashed with repetitive computer bleeps and bloops before the piece rapidly diverts towards the beautiful terrain hinted at in New Order’s ‘Elegia’. High Summer is like that blissful moment just before the bartender calls for last drinks. It’s a relaxed, sweet and gorgeous place where the night feels so grand that it has the potential to go on forever.
If you’re prone to emotion, grab the tissue box for ‘I’m Torn Up’, because this opening track is so careful and powerful that you’ll want to run and give vocalist Paul Janeway a big hug by the end. In fact, Janeway’s vocals are extraordinary consistent throughout the album, bringing Otis Redding’s tenderness and texture to mind. They must not be overlooked, particularly on ‘Grass Is Greener’ and ‘It’s Midnight’, where even the tiny details and vocal inflections shine. But the mood quickly changes from solemn to upbeat from song to song, and there is a nice change of pace in tracks like ‘Sugar Dyed’ and ‘Don’t Mean A Thing’. However, ‘Call Me’ really steals the show with its catchy hook, and the composition moves along without a hitch.
PACES Vacation Etcetc I’ll be honest and admit I’d never heard of Mikey Perry, AKA Paces, but going on his Instagram and Facebook pages, this guy has quite the (female) fan base. Frankly, I don’t buy the hype – and after listening to his debut album, Vacation, I’m even more perplexed at how a songlist so bland could be so outrageously popular. Although it has been described as a “poppy, fresh and tropical” album, after a few listens, I feel more inclined to put it into the repetitive, ‘turn this shit off before I stab someone’ category. Featuring a range of local and international guests who at least bring a welcome distraction to the screechy mess of beats, the album does have a couple of non-eardrum-damaging songs. But let’s just say they’re the best of a bad bunch. The majority of the tracks sound the same and the lyrics are hideously repetitive and childish. Given the amateurish sounding melodies and mixes, the only people I could imagine enjoying this album are a bunch of 18-yearolds at an O-Week toga party. Though perhaps that’s exactly what Paces had in mind. Either way, I think if I had to listen to it all again, I’d need a vacation. A really long one. Prudence Clark
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... THE ROLLING STONES - Let It Bleed MODEST MOUSE - Strangers To Ourselves SMOKE - Heaven On A Popsicle Stick
ROYAL TRUX - Cats And Dogs RADIOHEAD - In Rainbows
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What we've been out to see...
MADONNA
Allphones Arena Saturday March 20 Preparing to watch Madonna’s performance from a seat that cost nearly two weeks’ rent, you would probably question whether you were getting value for money. But the two-and-a-half-hour performance (which surprisingly started on time) lived up to the hype. Lowered down from the ceiling in a metal cage, the Queen of Pop made her dramatic entrance to ‘Iconic’. Dancers emerged onstage as if from inside a music video. From heavy religious imagery with pole-dancing nuns for ‘Holy Water’, to the Latin carnival of ‘La Isla Bonita’, the costume changes were like watching her entire career on fastforward. Each song was partnered with choreography that would rival a Broadway musical or Cirque du Soleil. No part of the stage and heart-shaped runway was left untouched. But all the theatrics faded into the background compared to Madonna’s commanding vocal and dancing talents. You have not heard the Rebel Heart album until you have seen it live. With a setlist heavy on her newer material, an intense ‘Heartbreak City’ instantly became a highlight. Even the songs not considered standouts, like ‘Body Shop’, became unforgettable high-octane performances.
Madonna’s ability to connect with her audience made the Allphones Arena an intimate room. Her renditions of ‘True Blue’ and Édith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’ on ukulele revealed a side of Madonna that gets lost in superstardom. Indeed, controversy has followed Madge throughout her entire career – and it was no different on this tour. Even if you didn’t have a ticket, you knew about her highly publicised struggles both on and offstage. “I don’t want be accused of having a meltdown. God forbid a mother should miss her son, it’s a goddamn sin,” she said in reference to her ongoing child custody battle. Elsewhere, bending a backup dancer over her knee, she asked: “Are you 15? Or 16? … I’m doing well with minors these days,” before spanking her. There was no hiding from the most recent headline-making mishap when Madonna pulled down the top of an underage girl at her Brisbane show. She remarked, “I’m glad you all have a sense of humour, because if I didn’t have one I wouldn’t survive.” ‘Material Girl’, ‘Like A Prayer’ and ‘Vogue’ were sprinkled into the set and received with ecstatic delight. They came as a bonus, rather than an expected sing-along, for this was not a ‘greatest hits’ show. But it all proved that Madonna’s relevance should never be a debate. She holds up a mirror to our own musical expectations, and then takes them a step further. Tanydd Jaquet
OUTSTANDING w MUSIC w RETRO
Brag 125mm x 180mm VINTAGE & ALTERNATIVE STALLS ing FeaturTHE SATELLITES (SA) w WEST TEXAS CRUDE (QLD) w Cruisin’ Deuces The Drey Rollan Band D j s ROD ALMIGHTY w ROCKIN’ MARC RONDEAU THE CRIMPLENES w SOLID GOLD HELL and MCs: WOLFMAN DAN & THE ROCKABILLY RHINO
2016
SUNDAY APRIL 3 RD MANNING BAR & HOUSE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY WWW.ROCKNROLLMARKET.COM.AU UNDER 18s MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR
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up all night out all week . . .
JOHN GRANT
Metro Theatre Wednesday March 16 It’s a pity there’s already a band called Neurosis; one imagines John Grant would like to enter the stage with that name. Beyond his lyrical content – often about coming to terms with his homosexuality, or ending relationships – and his apologising for being “selfish” for not talking to the audience earlier, and describing a couple of songs as about him “being a c**t”, Grant managed to put on a consummate show no doubt aided by his own flawless musicianship.
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The lopsided setlist may have resulted in the same sense one has when they drink during the day – living through the comedown – but as it was a school night, some punters might have preferred it that way. Grant too may have intended to respect the timing of the gig – not only did he profusely thank the crowd for coming out on a Wednesday, he, unlike Madonna, was only 15 minutes late. Nicholas Hartman
PICS :: AM
For live vocals to match up to recorded vocals is a rare thing indeed, and plenty of times Grant’s voice managed to serenely fill the Metro’s cavern during his many quiet and slow songs. Beginning the set with a trio from his latest album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure – even entering to that same album’s intro track – the show had a smooth lift off.
The middle section of the gig was jampacked with Grant’s more energising and synth-heavy bangers, the sort of tracks that crowds find irresistibly moving – ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ and the pre-encore ‘Disappointing’ (voted by Time as one of the greatest songs of 2015, by the way) being particular highlights. The rather large encore ended the show as it started, with crowd favourite and set-ender ‘Caramel’ bringing the energy in the room down to a trickle.
17:03:16 :: Slyfox :: 199 Enmore Rd Enmore 9557 2917 26 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
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SUNN O)))
Manning Bar Tuesday March 15
bryan adams
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They had travelled for 40 days and nights. Men and women were weary, the children hungry. Those who could lift their heads would see the orange glow rising behind a monolithic object. Although without food and water, a pact was made with their divine leader to reach the holy mountain before sundown.
16:03:16 :: Allphones Arena :: Sydney Olympic Park (02) 8765 4321
The cave’s entrance was a crack that split apart a large cliff face, and through it they were guided by torchbearers. The further they travelled, the more the weight grew heavy on their shoulders. They were forced to slow until all stood motionless among thousands of others who had travelled the same journey. Then, a hum. A hooded figure with arms raised above its head emerged from the clouds of red smoke. The hum turned into a choir of voices, and the voices became choirs of harmonics. The leader lowered his arms, dimming the volume, hushing the choirs, and in a voice so deep it shook the flesh from bones, cast its first spell. A transparent wave travelled through the cave and momentarily shifted every atom it passed through. The room shifted backward, corrected itself, and then detonated into the loudest motherfucking guitars I have ever heard. The pilgrims had gathered at Sydney University’s holy Manning Bar to witness Seattle drone band Sunn O))), who have been handing out religious experiences since 1998. The band’s two guitarists played one power chord every two minutes through a Napoleonic-sized army of amps, a Moog player added Heliodromus cries (a mythical creature from Northern Europe that’s half vulture, half mammal) and the singer recited medieval incarnations and mantras. One guitarist bent the strings in his power chord ever so slightly down, creating a visceral flutter of harmonics. A minute later, the chord changed. Being my first Sunn O))) show – as well as everybody else’s, because this was the band’s first Australian tour – I didn’t know to pay attention to the harmonics. After closer inspection I discovered full-blown songs within them – verses, pre-choruses, choruses, middle eights, solos, breakdowns. “AAARGGGGGHHHHHHHH,” shrieked the singer, interrupting what I thought was a Beatles song and scaring me half to death.
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ruby boots
It was a non-stop two-hour set of feedback, noise and being hexed in a language I didn’t understand, and barely anyone moved for the duration. Elias Kwiet
KOI CHILD, KIRIN J CALLINAN, WINSTON SURFSHIRT Newtown Social Club Saturday March 19
Fresh from releasing their Kevin Parker-produced debut album on Friday, Koi Child blasted Newtown Social Club with warmth, heating the cool night right up. Sydney collective Winston Surfshirt brought the funk early on. Powering through a bevy of tracks – including Mos Def’s ‘Ms. Fat Booty’, a number full of bubbling trombone solos and pert lyrics – the band had appreciative bodies fi lling the fl oor. Their easygoing mix of dub, funk and hip hop sounds (to name but a few genres) and smoky Anderson Paak-like vocals may not be outstanding per se, but Winston Surfshirt’s fun delivery and stage presence proved a worthy support for Koi Child. Kirin J Callinan’s ‘DJ’ set followed, and it’s best to leave the review short here. Sure, his ever-entertaining dance moves accompanied songs such as Santana’s ‘Smooth’ and the DJason remix of Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’, but the YouTube use and frequent breaks between songs killed the buzzy vibe Winston Surfshirt worked up beforehand. A riff on instrumental album opener ‘Grease’ built into a neat crescendo for Koi Child, as all seven members squeezed on stage. An enthusiastic “Oh yeah!” from the crowd immediately refl ected the room’s sentiment. Once the vocals kicked in, ‘Cruz’ Patterson, the man front and centre, bestowed his cool charisma upon the room, cracking open a can on the mic. From there, the jazz and words fl owed furiously; single ‘1-5-9’ tapped in and the band’s trombonist whacked on a high-vis vest and speed dealer sunglasses – things were most defi nitely on. What followed was an impressive display of skill and passion, full of manic changes of pace, relentless fl ow from Patterson and a controlled tone that melded every instrument together harmoniously. As the 12am curfew loomed on their set, tracks including ‘Black Panda’ and The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ had the boys upping the pace. With two minutes to go, they returned to the stage to pump out a demanded encore, and the heated chorus at the centre of ‘Japes’ – “Go fuck yourself man we that new generation” – aptly fi lled the room. While it’s hard to fi nd mention of the band without the name of the Tame Impala mastermind nearby, Koi Child soon shouldn’t fi nd that the case in the future after performances this tight. Emily Gibb
18:03:16 :: Newtown Social Club :: 387 King St Newtown 1300 724 876
ED KUEPPER
Camelot Lounge Thursday March 17 If you’ve heard of the seminal Brisbane punk band The Saints, or the jazzier sounding (by name and by nature) Laughing Clowns, or even the satirically named band The Aints – or failing that, Jeremy Sims’ 2015 film Last Cab To Darwin (for which he composed the score) – then you’ve encountered Mr. Ed Kuepper. In his own words, “Every year’s an anniversary for me”.
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Kuepper’s packed CV has reserved him a place among Australia’s most cherished singer-songwriters. He’s dynamic, a sensational guitarist and his music is affecting. His performance at Camelot Lounge was the first in a string of dates to promote his new album Lost Cities. It was also very nearly the gig that wasn’t: “I dedicate this whole thing to my wife who’s just come out of hospital,” he said during the show. “I was going to cancel this whole tour, but I couldn’t do it.” The room was brimming with hardcore fans, many of whom gave the impression of
being musos themselves (or perhaps just RocKwiz’s core audience). The performance itself was pared back: just Kuepper onstage with his guitar – and, oddly, an Argentinian film crew. Highlights from the setlist included ‘Horse Under Water’, ‘Rue The Day’, ‘Messin’ With The Kid’ (a Saints-era track that came as a surprise), ‘Electrical Storm’ (when he announced this song someone yelped out, “Yewwww! Yes!”), ‘The Way I Made You Feel’; and ‘Free Passage To Mars’ (from the new album).
There was so much happening at this gig: the familial relationship between audience and musician – a room full of devotees who have been keenly following his career for years, if not decades – and the tales of broken bands, ex-collaborators and shitty Countdown experiences all simmered under the surface. I’ve never seen an audience so intimately engaged with a performer; it was honestly amazing. Kuepper, you have my heart. Sarah Little
BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 27
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pick of the week Elle King
Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Lord Huron Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $55. Manouche Wednesday - feat: Gadjo Guitars Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Melissa Etheridge + Irish Mythen Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $96.90. Phil Wiggins + Dom Turner The Vanguard, Newtown. 8pm. $28.
THURSDAY MARCH 24 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Chango Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $11.80. Elysian Fields Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
THURSDAY M A RC H 2 4 Metro Theatre
Elle King + Woodlock 7:30pm. $44.10. WEDNESDAY MARCH 23 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Hieronymus Trio Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $16.50. Kamasi Washington Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $59.90. The Groovemeisters Lazybones Lounge,
Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free. The Selecter Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $62.80. The Wailers Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8pm. $59.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Blackberry Smoke The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $57.
Kamasi Washington
28 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
Gwyn Ashton Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bad Moon Born Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Bleurgh! The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Live Music @ Manning
Cath & Him Ettalong Beach Hotel, Ettalong. 8pm. Free. Christie Lamb Band Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 8:30pm. Free. Coloursound 2016 - feat: Terrible Truths + Contrast + Buzz Kull + Dead Radio + Mere Women + Hideous Towns + Kigo + Suiix + Miners The Record Crate, Glebe. 8pm. $6.22. Ed Kuepper Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $34.70. Elle King + Woodlock Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $44.10. Gypsy & The Cat Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $30. Hed Ubd Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Hein Cooper Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15. Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite Of Everything + Edema Ruh + The Jerry Cans Factory Floor, Marrickville. 7pm. $14. Jellybean Jam Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Live At The Sly feat: Ruth Carp And The Fish Heads + Southend Rainbows + Timothy Mcmahon Slyfox, Enmore. 7pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm.
British India
BLUES & FOLK Andy Baylor The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Matt Toms The Bells Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 7pm. Free. The Rumjacks Penrith Gaels, Kingswood. 8pm. $20.
Free. Melissa Etheridge + Irish Mythen Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $96.90. The Residents Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $70. White Bros Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK The Hollerin Sluggers + Zach Odgers And The East Coast Low Narrabeen Sands Hotel, Narrabeen. 8pm. Free. Fire And Rain - feat: Juan Gonzalez The Bells Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 7pm. Free. Harbourview Hullabaloo - feat: Zack Martin + Tony West + David Levell Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Murphy’s Law The Bells Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 7pm. Free. RB Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Sounds On The Terrace - feat: Aleisha Mcdonald Museum Of Contemporary Art, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free.
FRIDAY MARCH 25 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Baltic Bar Mitzvah Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 9pm. Free. British India + Hedge Fund Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 8pm. $30. Cath & Him Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 9pm. Free. Coloursound 2016 - feat: Terrible Truths + Contrast + Buzz Kull + Dead Radio + Mere Women + Hideous Towns + Kigo + Suiix + Miners + And More The Record Crate, Glebe. 10am. $6.22. Darren Fewins Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Houndmouth Newtown Social Club, Newtown.
8:30pm. $39. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Masterpiece Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Mesa Groove Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Pete Hunt Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Ryan Enright Zest Grill House, Rooty Hill. 5:30pm. Free. Suite Az + DJ Troy T The Arthouse, Sydney. 5pm. Free. The Cannons Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 5pm. Free.
SATURDAY MARCH 26 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Festival Jamaica - feat: Sunil Snr + Altafari + Wally Wally + Iah Jah + Mystic + Odd Dance Hall Dancers + Masta Gibbs + Fastmwa + Ted Vassell + Zara Demus + Judgement Addison Road Community Centre, Marrickville. 11am. $10. Funkdafied Presents - Grab Life By The Bowls Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 2pm. Free. Piccoli Miracoli Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $27.50.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bob Gillespie Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Cold War Kids Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $68.60. Coloursound 2016 - feat: Terrible Truths + Contrast + Buzz Kull + Dead Radio + Mere Women + Hideous Towns + Kigo + Suiix + Miners The Record Crate, Glebe. 10am. $6.22. Easter Saturday Mini-Fest - feat: Dividers + Wasters
+ Batfoot! + Kang + The Great Awake + Nudist Colonies Of The World + Spencer Scott + Josh Arents + Tim Hampshire + Yvette Vials + Jason Guy Smiley + Angus & Julia Stoned Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 4:30pm. $10. Everyday People Band Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Evie Dean Plough & Harrow, Camden. 8pm. Free. From Dusk Till Stag Nights - feat: Nova & The Experience + Goldheist + Nocturnal Tapes + Ill Capone + Edens March + Stormbird + Sleeper + Hallows + Bad Moon Born Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 3pm. Free. Hedge Fund + British India Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. 8pm. $30. Jimmy Bear Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 5:45pm. Free. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $101.85. Party Central Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Rattle & Hum U2 Show + The Coldplay Show North Bondi RSL, Bondi North. 8pm. Free. Soundbird Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Stephanie Lea Novotel, Rooty Hill. 6:30pm. Free. Talk Of The Town Belmont 16s, Belmont. 7pm. Free. The Citradels Freda’s, Chippendale. 3:45pm. $5. The Matchbox Tribute Show Kareela Golf Club, Kareela. 8:30pm. Free. Thru The Rhythm No.3 - feat: The Citradels + Montes Jura + The Uplifting Bell Ends + Third Eye Stimuli Records DJs + Dluna Freda’s, Chippendale. 7pm. $5. Wafia Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $22.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY,
SUNDAY MARCH 27 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Live Music Sundays - feat: Sydney Blues Society Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Singer Songwriter Sunday Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 6pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jazz & Shiraz Sundays Northies Cronulla Hotel, Sydney. 1pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS British India + Hedge Fund Carmens, Miranda. 8pm. $28. Coloursound 2016 - feat: Terrible Truths + Contrast + Buzz Kull + Dead Radio + Mere Women + Hideous Towns + Kigo + Suiix + Miners The Record Crate, Glebe. 10am. $6.22. Curbside Twisters Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Eagles Of Death Metal Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $75.10. Elevator + Dan Rumour + Captain Freedom Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. Free. Evie Dean Mosman Returned Services Club, Mosman. 3pm. Free. Matt Lyon Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 4:30pm. Free. Medusa’s Wake PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt. 4pm. Free. No Zu Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $23. Paper Hearts The Henry Sports Club, Werrington County. 12:30pm. Free. U2 Elevation Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free. UK Anthems Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free.
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MONDAY MARCH 28 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Stuart Jammin + Guests Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free. The Bros. Landreth Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $33. The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $81.25.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Jackson Browne Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 7pm. $101.90 Live & Original @ The Corridor - feat: Andrew Samuals + Bandditts + Hester Fraser Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Outlier Trio Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 6:15pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Watsup Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 2pm. Free.
Mic Night The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. Free. Reggae Mondays feat: Eric Renaud And Caribbean Soul Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $5.
TUESDAY MARCH 29 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Songsonstage feat: Russell Neal + Guests Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Stuart Jammin + Guests Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Anton Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Bandquest - feat: Ionia + Black Diamond + The
up all night out all week...
Dark Side Of The Saloon + Green Manalishi + Andrew Denniston Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Brian Wilson Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $99. Bucket Lounge Presents – Live & Originals Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Live Rock & Roll Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Long Way South + The Sea Monkeys Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 8pm. $11.80. Nicholas Allbrook Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $12. Outlier Trio Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 6:15pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Andrew Robson Trio Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $11.50. Sunset Jazz Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 6pm. Free.
Houndmouth Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8:30pm. $39.
SATURDAY MARCH 26 Cold War Kids Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $68.60. Eagles Of Death Metal Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $75.10. Easter Saturday Mini-Fest - Feat: Dividers + Wasters + Batfoot! + Kang + The Great Awake + Nudist Colonies Of The World + Spencer Scott + Josh Arents + Tim Hampshire + Yvette Vials + Jason Guy Smiley + Angus & Julia Stoned Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 4:30pm. $10. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $101.85. Wafi a Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $22.
SUNDAY MARCH 27 Medusa’s Wake PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt. 4pm. Free. No Zu Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $23.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 23 Kamasi Washington Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $59.90. Lord Huron Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $55. Melissa Etheridge + Irish Mythen Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $96.90. The Selecter Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $62.80.
MONDAY MARCH 28 The Bros. Landreth Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $33. The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $81.25.
TUESDAY MARCH 29 Brian Wilson Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $99.
THURSDAY MARCH 24 Elysian Fields Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50
Nicholas Allbrook Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $12. The Residents
Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite Of Everything + Edema Ruh + The Jerry Cans Factory Floor, Marrickville. 7pm. $14. The Residents Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $70.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Darren Heinrich Foundry616, Ultimo. 8pm. $6.50. Latin & Jazz Open
Melissa Etheridge
FRIDAY MARCH 25 British India + Hedge Fund Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 8pm. $30. Mick Fleetwood
five things WITH
DAVID REGLAR FROM LYRE BYRDLAND Growing Up All of the horn players in Lyre Byrdland 1. studied together at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in the jazz program there while most of the other guys studied at AIM doing the popular music course. Liam (bass), Kieran (guitar), Yani (percussion) and myself grew up in Wollongong while the other guys are from Sydney, save for Nando (drums) who’s originally from Brazil – probably why he’s so goddamn groovy!
studying together and we all love groove music so it was pretty easy to get together and start jamming. The Music You Make Lyre Byrdland is a mix of everything 4. groovy – Afrobeat, funk, reggae-dub, rock. We’ve just released our latest single ‘Bowser’ on SoundCloud with our second album to follow soon. I think it encapsulates the fun, carboloaded energy of the music we play and the shows we put on.
Inspirations I’d say we’re mostly influenced by guys like 2. Music, Right Here, Right Now Fela Kuti, The Daktaris and Tony Allen as well as In terms of musical talent, I think Sydney 5. contemporary bands such as Tame Impala and is right up there with the best scenes in the Fat Freddy’s Drop. Those big funk horn bands from the ’70s like Parliament, Tower Of Power and The J.B.’s are definitely inspirations as well. A pretty eclectic mix! Your Band Our band is pretty huge (currently nine 3. members). The current lineup is tenor sax, bari sax/flute, trumpet, trombone, two guitars, bass, drums and percussion. We used to have a keys player but he buggered off to the States! Liam, Will (trumpet) and I used to be in a band called Beaten Bodies and after that broke up a couple of years ago, Liam formed Lyre Byrdland. As I mentioned, we all kind of know each other from thebrag.com
world, particularly the jazz/soul/hip hop kind of scene that our band inhabits with acts like The Venusians, Sam Dobson, Midnight Tea Party and Sampa The Great. The much publicised lockout laws in Sydney have made it harder to get people out to gigs and unfortunately forced the closure of lots of great venues, but if it were to ever turn around, I feel the scene is ready to put on a show! What: Mansion Lane Where: The World Bar When: Thursday March 24 and Thursday March 31 BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 29
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, Keiren Jolly and James Di Fabrizio
five things WITH
SIMON CALDWELL
Small Club, is bringing back its short clubbing program at the Sydney Opera House for another year. The Goodgod Super Club event will run for four nights in the Opera House Studio, drawing on the gonebut-not-forgotten atmosphere that saw the original Goodgod venue host DJ sets from the likes of Thom Yorke and Jamie xx, plus an early live show by Lorde. Stay tuned for the Goodgod Super Club lineup as it’s announced. Goodgod Super Club takes place at the Opera House on Friday May 27, Saturday May 28, Friday June 3 and Saturday June 4.
Urthboy
GET JACKED WITH JACKAL
Growing Up As so many DJs will 1. attest, I grew up surrounded by musical inspiration in a musical household, with a cello-playing mother, a vinyl collection including the Baja Marimba Band and Herb Alpert, plus regular doses of Countdown. Surely it was a foregone conclusion that I would become a DJ. Classically trained to fourth finger violin, the influences run deep.
2.
Inspirations Kraftwerk would have to be my favourite live band. I first heard them in primary school and have been attempting to emulate their stage presence ever since. The funk, dance inspiration and general life coaching comes from the Godfather, James Brown. Except for the wife-beating and guns stuff.
Seriously, though, I still find the soul, jazz and funk of the ’60s and ’70s and the boogie and house of the ’80s to be my main inspiration. They pretty much set the template for everything we are still playing and listening to. I put getting into funky music down to my Sudanese flatmate Ashraf in London, circa 1989. Your Crew In the ’90s I had a 3. stint with the gangsters of All Funked Up, and managed to avoid doing time. Now I be rolling with the Mad Racket homies and doing some work on the side for the FBi. The Music You Make And Play 4. I play a lot of styles. At Civic with Dreems I’ll be mainly playing house and techno music. I have a penchant for
Timo Maas
AN EASTER VIGIL
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As far as last-minute Easter announcements go, this one rates highly. German techno icon Timo Maas has locked in his first visit to Australia in six years, and he’ll be in town this Easter Saturday. Maas’ albums have featured guest vocals from similarly influential artists like Kelis, Finlay Quaye, Brian Molko (Placebo) and Neneh Cherry, while his tracks have landed in pop culture consciousness via video games like The Sims and FIFA and movies like The Italian Job. As far as club land, Maas has held a residency at Circoloco in Ibiza for some 15 years, and he remains committed to filling dancefloors worldwide. See him at Zoo Project in Potts Point on Saturday March 26.
30 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
Detroit bass and German electro in my downtime. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. The Sydney club scene is as healthy as it’s ever been, if your idea of healthy is a morbidly obese gambling addict sitting around watching MMA, drinking cheap takeaway piss, listening to talkback radio (and chill trap) and complaining about The Noisy Young Folk. The upside of all this difficulty has been something of a uniting of the scene, which hopefully continues. What: C.U Saturday With: Dreems, Robbie Lowe, Murat Kilic Where: Civic Underground When: Saturday March 26
Los Angeles bass maestro Jackal begins his Australian tour dates this weekend. Momentum has been building for the enigmatic Jackal, whose tracks have landed in sets by Skrillex, Diplo and Flosstradamus, and he’s fresh off a collaboration with Dr. Fresch on ‘Netflix N’ Kill’. Jackal’s eight-date tour of Australia and New Zealand makes its way around to Sydney on Saturday April 2, when you can see him at Oxford Art Factory.
THE WINNER IS SIDNEY
As the Bible story goes, Jesus rose on Easter Sunday to resolve humanity of all its sins. That might be so, but plenty of Sydneysiders will need all the help they can get to rise again this weekend after a massive Easter Saturday night at Chinese Laundry. Germany’s Sidney Charles and US selector Justin Jay will be behind the decks, dropping beats of biblical proportions to a packed dancefloor. Support this Saturday March 26 comes from Skin & Bones, Marc Jarvin, Acaddamy,
URTHBOY HITS THE ROAD
After releasing his fifth solo album, Urthboy is hitting the road to tour his biggest album yet. The Past Beats Inside Me Like A Second Heartbeat may be his most successful release to date, garnering critical acclaim and five-star reviews, including one right here in the BRAG. The album preview shows sold out in advance, so the latest tour offers a new chance to catch the man in action. Capping it off, he’ll be joined by a new band alongside special guests including Okenyo, L-Fresh The Lion and more. Urthboy will play Friday June 17 at Oxford Art Factory.
Tristan Case, Goonz, Elijah Scadden, DJ Motto, Samrai and Jade Le Flay.
SCHULZ IN THE HOUSE
Pacha Sydney has landed a big name for its Easter long weekend festivities. This Saturday March 26, Germany’s Robin Schulz will headline at the Ivy, capitalising on what has been
a massive last two years since his breakout Grammynominated remix of ‘Waves’ by Dutch hip hop act Mr Probz. Schulz went on to top charts around Europe with another remix, this time of Lilly Wood and The Prick’s ‘Prayer In C’, and his 2015 album Sugar delivered bigtime across the Northern Hemisphere. Forget the Easter Bunny: Schulz will be the star of the weekend.
COME TOGETHER, RIGHT NOW
Come Together, the biggest all-Australian hip hop festival in Sydney, has announced the first round of acts on its 2016 lineup. The 11th edition of Come Together will once again take over Luna Park as part of the Vivid Sydney program, and the first announcement includes some great homegrown talent indeed. Perth’s finest hip hop export, Drapht, will headline the event, joined by Adelaide star Allday, Sydney’s own Spit Syndicate and more. The full first round lineup also includes Gill Bates and Mallrat. Come Together 2016 takes over the Big Top, Luna Park on Saturday June 11.
GOODGOD PARTIES ON
Goodgod Small Club, the cult favourite clubbing location in Chinatown, is getting a revival this year as part of the 2016 Vivid LIVE lineup. Goodgod, which was put up for sale last year and transformed by its new owners into the Plan B
Klue
BIG UPS, BEACH ROAD
The Beach Road Hotel has your diary filled as the long weekend approaches. Kicking off with a blast of electronic, multi-instrumental grooves, Just A Gent and Klue will be your party-starters on Wednesday March 23. Dancing through the week, the venue will present Richie Ryan on Thursday March 24, DJs In The Backyard on Friday March 24, and Yours with Dom Dolla on Saturday March 26. Such an explosive string of events is just to warm you up for Coolhand Luke on Sunday March 27. Then you get to wake up in the arvo and head to DJs In The Backyard again on Monday March 28. Now that’s a long weekend.
thebrag.com
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BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 31
Xan Müller
“We need to back up what we’re doing politically with the music. Just to show we have a valid alternative to the lockout laws and the restrictions.”
Under The Radar By Joseph Earp
W
ho would have guessed the words of the Beastie Boys would turn out to be quite so prophetic? You really do have to fight for your right to party these days, particularly in the city of Sydney. Foot traffic in the CBD is down 84 per cent since 2012, venue after venue has faced closure or significantly reduced business, and even the general feeling one gets when they venture out of their own home has drastically changed. Not that you need to tell all that to Xan Müller, one of the founders of the Surveillance Party label and a musician in his own right. “Honestly, around Sydney, you go to the city and you just don’t feel comfortable,” Müller admits unhappily. “You get left out and there are cliques, and you don’t feel right all the time.” Müller isn’t simply moaning, mind you – the man is actively working to change the situation, backing up his words with action. For some time now, Müller and the folks at Surveillance Party have been organising and hosting warehouse parties – vibrant celebrations of house and techno music designed to shake up Sydney’s stale scene. “I just wanted people to show up to our parties and have a good time and feel like they’re welcome,” says Müller. “With [the warehouse parties] we completely ignored the establishment, we ignored the rules, we ignored the law … we just wanted to provide something that was subverting the establishment.” ‘The establishment’ isn’t necessarily a fixed term either, and Müller quickly clarifies that he’s not just talking about the police or politicians. “The establishment might even include certain parts
of the music scene as well,” he laughs. “We just never ever [want to] find a situation where we answer to the establishment. And I think as a society we have to do that all the time.” Müller has long insisted on a ‘no douchebag’ policy at Surveillance Party events (it’s point number two of the regulations when you buy a ticket), but he claims the rule arose from practical concerns rather than any kind of snobbery or actual incidents of violence. “We had to have this safe zone where everyone felt accepted and happy, because we didn’t want someone grumpy to come in and hurt people and sue us and cause trouble and attract police,” Müller says. “So all that was born out of necessity.” Müller insists most Surveillance partygoers are gentle, easygoing people anyway. “I think we get a certain type of person,” he says. “They’re people who don’t necessarily feel comfortable in [specific] situations … where they walk into a joint and it’s too cool for them. We do get that feedback from them. We’re not judging them. We’re just there to share music from all of the artists. That’s all we’re trying to do.” Right now Müller is gearing up for the biggest Surveillance Party event yet: Radar, a huge evening of music and dance in which audience members will have to don a pair of headphones if they want to hear the headline DJs. And they certainly will, given Müller has recruited the likes of creative heavyweights Wonky and Dotmicro, plus live bands No Illuminati and Mirella’s Inferno.
Though Müller claims the guiding ethos of the event is “bums on seats” (“Otherwise we will all go bankrupt,” he adds, laughing), he does admit there is an element of protest to the event, albeit one different from the explicitly political agenda some others have been pushing. “You know the whole Keep Sydney Open thing? I think it’s been really amazing, the way that [people] have politically activated themselves. There is a really big community of people who … want a positive change for society – artists and punters and lots of people who are halfway in between. All these people are getting together and really politicising and they’re getting active. We’ve been a hundred per cent behind that. But I think that what I want to do is just a little bit different.
“I want an artistic response to the lockout laws. We’re trying to share our art. “I certainly think that music at its heart is often a form of protest,” Müller continues. “It can be so beautifully engaging when it is. We can protest with our music. I just think we need to back up what we’re doing politically with the music. Just to show we have a valid alternative to the lockout laws and the restrictions.” Even more than that, Müller sees a kind of artistic unity at play within certain sects of Sydney’s music scene; a kind of natural drive and defiance that unites the diverse artists playing at Radar. Though the acts on the bill range from trip hop troubadours (No Illuminati) to experimental, psych-rock
Off The Record O
“We’re now [surrounded] by the music that was born out of the lockout [era] in Sydney,” he says, sounding almost awed. “I mean, think about that. You look back on history and go, ‘They were prohibiting music. But look at the music that grew as protest in response to that.’” What: Surveillance Party Radar With: No Illuminati, Mirella’s Inferno, Wonky, Froyo, La Luz Music, Dotmicro and more Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday March 26
RECOMMENDED Nico Stojan
Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray
h my lord, the Sex Tags experience is returning to Sydney: that being Norway’s brothers-in-arms DJ Fett Burger and DJ Sotofett going back-toback in an all-night throwdown. If you saw the duo last time around (almost exactly a year to the day), then you’ll know this is not a gig to be missed. Not enough for you? Cap that with support from the UK’s Going Good founder Brian Not Brian and we have one of the shows of the year on our hands. It’s going down on Friday April 1, venue TBA. Stay tuned to facebook. com/70heavenly for further details.
electro outfits (Mirella’s Inferno), to a man who plays hacked Gameboys (Dotmicro), they all share a dedication that Müller believes might even be historically significant.
Mo Kolours
Who’s been in the game for over 40 years and has amassed a collection of over 90,000 records? The original don from New York Danny Krivit, that’s who. And he’s coming back next month. Best known for his releases on 718 Sessions and Body and Soul, Krivit is a master in everything ranging from disco, boogie, soul, funk, garage, Afrobeat and more. Y’all can catch him on Sunday April 24. Again, the venue is being kept a secret for now. Bookmark facebook.com/soulofsydney for updates.
THURSDAY MARCH 24
Pepperpot Home Nightclub
FRIDAY APRIL 1
Dennis Ferrer Civic Underground Lee Gamble Slyfox
SATURDAY MARCH 26 S.A.S.H are turning fi ve with a huge bash, featuring a host of internationals over two venues throughout the day. During the daytime it’s going down at the Greenwood Hotel headlined by Nico Stojan, while once the sun sets it’s time to head over to Home Nightclub with Sammy Dee, Sonja Moonear, DeWalta and Pepperpot. There’s a discount for fancy dress, so get in the spirit.
It’s time to order shots and slur out ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of our favourite crews. This Sunday March 27 our mates over at
Tour rumours: Just sayin’, maybe we’ll see a return from the We Play House luminary and Berlin selector San Soda next month.
Don’t be surprised if a staple from the Cómeme imprint visits soon, either. Best releases this week: OK, not out just yet but goddamn, Omar-S has just announced the release of his latest LP suitably titled The Best. You can head to omarsdetroit.us to hear samples right now. It sounds luuuush. His first album in three years is dropping on Thursday March 31. Until then, I suggest spinning Buz Ludzha’s (AKA The Cyclist) Basslines For Life (on 100% Silk) and Antigone’s Saudade (Token).
Vril Burdekin Hotel
DJ Fett Burger, DJ Sotofett, Brian Not Brian TBA
Aeroplane Cargo Bar
SATURDAY APRIL 2
SUNDAY MARCH 27
Francis Inferno Orchestra Burdekin Hotel
Nico Stojan Greenwood Hotel
Mo Kolours Oxford Art Factory
Sammy Dee, Sonja Moonear, DeWalta,
SUNDAY APRIL 24 Danny Krivit TBA
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. 32 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
thebrag.com
Mo Kolours photo © Dexter Lander
A few weeks ago I teased that a tour announcement from Mo Kolours was on the horizon – and today I can happily confirm it. Since first emerging in 2011, the half-Mauritian, half-English producer known to his parents as Joseph Deenmamode has been garnering attention through a slew of EPs featuring low-slung MPC sounds interlaced with carefully curated spokenword verses. Space out with the voodoo master behind the One-Handed Music imprint on Saturday April 2 at Oxford Art Factory.
club guide g
send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
WEDNESDAY MARCH 23 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: Just A Gent + Klue Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B Kendrick Lamar Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. 7:30pm. $101.85.
THURSDAY MARCH 24
Xxx
CLUB NIGHTS 73 Til’ Infinity feat: Phil Toke + Juzzlikedat + Edseven + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Bassic - feat: Odd Mob + Enschway + Tdy + Jade Le Flay + Snillum + Bluegrass + Squeef + Vsuvs + Oh-Boy + Korky Buchek + Stossington Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Blueprint - feat: Olivier Giacomotto + Pepperpot + Ben Nott + Alex Tebaldi + Matt Meler + Nick Mcmartin + Phill Sure + Cassette + Aaiste + Jay Doyle + Damien Osborne Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 9pm. $44. Bunny Hop - feat: DJ Adam Love + Carmen Geddit + Thomas Peisley + Ripley Water The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free. Dance Party #2 feat: Grandtheft Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 11:30pm. $28.70. Discotheque 71 - feat: Pedrecal + Astronafrika + Kriss + Brendan + Bizzee Katt Zoo Project, Potts
thebrag.com
FRIDAY MARCH 25 CLUB NIGHTS Acid Tannins Dance - feat: Mike Who + Anno Cake Wines Cellardoor, Redfern. 5pm. Free. Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Ben Morris Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 8pm. Free. Blvd Fridays - feat: G-Wizard Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. Bondax & Friends feat: Bondax + Tcts Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $39.70. Cult - feat: Laurence Vector + DJ Rise + Derek Turner Different Drummer,
Glebe. 7pm. Free. DJs In The Backyard Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 4pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. 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. Harbour Club feat: Resident DJs The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Harbour Club Fridays The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Jam Fridays Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9:30pm. Free. Loco Friday - feat: DJs On Rotation The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Student DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 5pm. Free. The City Knock Off - feat: DJ Just1 + King Lee + Samrai Taylor’s Social, Sydney. 5pm. Free.
SATURDAY MARCH 26 HIP HOP & R&B Boathouse Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Chasm Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8pm. Free. Element No.5 - feat: Joel Turner + Zman + Lukerative + Lc Beats & Morganics + Voltak & Gale + Bernie Van Tiel + DJ Limbo Play Bar, Surry Hills. 7pm. $15. R&B DJs By The Greens Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS DJ Perry Carter 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 8pm. Free. Aeroplane + Set Mo + The Backhanderz + Kormak + Kara + Mash Posse + All Friends Crew Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + TapTap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. C.U Saturday - feat: Simon Caldwell + Dreems + Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Easter Saturday @ Soda - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 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. House Of Marquee - feat: Havana Brown Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.80. Justin Bieber Appreciation Society - feat: DJ Levins + And Friends Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $16.90. Lndry - feat: Sidney Charles + Justin Jay + Skin & Bones + Marc Jarvin + Acaddamy + Tristan Case + Goonz + Elijah Scadden + DJ Motto + Samrai + Jade Le Flay Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Murray Lake + Anthony Toomie Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. Free. My Place Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. No Zu (DJ Set) + DJ Susan + Guests Cake Wines Cellardoor, Redfern. 1:30pm. $16.67. Northern Beaches Easter Saturday House Party - feat: Dom Dolla + Sable + Poolclvb + Linda Marigliano + Fear Of Dawn Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 12pm. $40.70. Pacha - feat: Robin Schulz Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $43.30. Scubar Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Something Else feat: Trinity + Vril + Matt Lush + Dave Stuart + Lachie Simpson + Sam Roberts + Tyson Brunn + Persian
club pick of the week Kendrick Lamar
WEDNESDAY M A RC H 2 3 Allphones Arena
Kendrick Lamar 7:30pm. $101.85. Rug + Jimmi Walker + James Cripps Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $22. Surveillance Party Radar - feat: No Illuminati + Mirella’s Inferno + La Luz Music + Haptic + Dotmicro + Animatic + Xan Muller + Db Drobs + Wonky + Nefarius + Bernie Davies Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $33.80. The Beat Kitchen feat: Elchino + Xs.If + Dggz Different Drummer, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. The Sweet Escape feat: Stereogamous Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 9pm. Free. Timo Maas + Mantra Collective Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $25. Yours - feat: Dom Dolla Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.
SUNDAY MARCH 27 HIP HOP & R&B Busy P + Boston Bun Ivy Bar/lounge,
Sydney. 8pm. Free. East Coast Easter Sunday Special Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS DJ Matt Meler 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 8pm. Free. DJ Timmy Coffey 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 8pm. Free. Beresford Sundays - feat: DJs On Rotation Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 3pm. Free. Drag Fest 2016 feat: Manila Luzon + Derrik Barry + Chelsea Bun + Candice Box + Polly Petrie + Charisma Belle + Decoda Secret + Penny Clifford + Hannah Conda + Vybe + DJ Victoria Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 9pm. $56. Escape Sundays Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 2pm. Free. House Of Marquee - feat: Timmy Trumpet Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.80. Legends Of House - feat: Danny Rampling + Nick Law + Trent Rackus + Tim Boffa + Brenny B-Sides Manly Wharf Hotel,
Manly. 8pm. $10. Loose Ends Easter Sunday Party Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $23.10. S.A.S.H By Day 5th Birthday - feat: Nico Stojan + Mesan + Le Brond + Ben Booth + Jimmy Brûs Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $20. S.A.S.H By Night 5th Birthday - feat: Greg Pepperpot + Dewalta + Sonja Moonear + Sammy Dee + Mantra Collective + Kerry Wallace + Jimmi Walker + B_deep + Pete Nouveau + Dave Hawtin + Chris Woods + Will Allan + Raffi Lovechild + Gonzo Discopants Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $40. Shady Sundays Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 5pm. Free. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Spice Easter Sunday - feat: Spice DJs Secret Location, Sydney. 6pm. $22.10. Sunday Party Syd - feat: Coolhand Luke Beach Road Hotel,
Bondi Beach. 4pm. Free. Sunday Sundown feat: Saskwatch + Yesyou + Two Can The Newport, Newport. 3:30pm. Free.
MONDAY MARCH 28 CLUB NIGHTS Acaddamy + Ben Morris + Sir Jonathan + DJ Lust1 + DJ C-Bu Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Mashup Monday - feat: Resident DJs + DJ Thieves + Recess + Otg + Chivalry + More Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free.
TUESDAY MARCH 29 CLUB NIGHTS Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $10. Terrible Tuesdays Slyfox, Enmore. 6pm. Free.
EASTER CLUB PICKS cont.
BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16 :: 33
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Haptic
Point. 9pm. $10. DJ Benny B 5 Sawyers, Newcastle. 8pm. Free. Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. In The Valley - feat: Richie Ryan Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 6pm. Free. Mixed Tape - feat: DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 4pm. Free. Not To Admire (001) - feat: Cliques + Null + Body Promise + The Gahn Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $10. On & On - feat: Aboutjack + Whitecat + Space Junk Slyfox, Enmore. 10:30pm. $15. Sessions #003 feat: Dennis Ferrer + Kato + Persian Rug + Tyson Bruun + Lachie Simpson + Elijah Scadden + Harry Sanger + Cd Inc + Bronx + Tailor + Jackson Winter Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $42.86. The Thursday Jive - feat: Nukewood + And Friends Taylor’s Social, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Throwback Thursday Retro Electro Party Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free. Xo Thursdays Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. Free.
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club picks p
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up all night out all week . . .
up all night out all week...
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OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER
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:: ASHLEY MAR
C.U Saturday - Feat: Simon Caldwell + Dreems + Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $20.
Just A Gent
Something Else - Feat: Trinity + Vril + Matt Lush + Dave Stuart + Lachie Simpson + Sam Roberts + Tyson Brunn + Persian Rug + Jimmi Walker + James Cripps Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $22. Surveillance Party Radar - Feat: No Illuminati + Mirella’s Inferno + La Luz Music + Haptic + Dotmicro + Animatic + Xan Muller + Db Drobs + Wonky + Nefarius + Bernie Davies Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $33.80.
SUNDAY MARCH 27 WEDNESDAY MARCH 23
Drag Fest 2016 - Feat: Manila Luzon + Derrik Barry + Chelsea Bun + Candice Box + Polly Petrie + Charisma Belle + Decoda Secret + Penny Clifford + Hannah Conda + Vybe + DJ Victoria Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 9pm. $56.
Sosueme - Feat: Just A Gent + Klue Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.
House Of Marquee - Feat: Timmy Trumpet Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.80.
THURSDAY MARCH 24 Bassic - Feat: Odd Mob + Enschway + Tdy + Jade Le Flay + Snillum + Bluegrass + Squeef + Vsuvs + Oh-Boy + Korky Buchek + Stossington Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Blueprint - Feat: Olivier Giacomotto + Pepperpot + Ben Nott + Alex Tebaldi + Matt Meler + Nick Mcmartin + Phill Sure + Cassette + Aaiste + Jay Doyle + Damien Osborne Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 9pm. $44. Bunny Hop - Feat: DJ Adam Love + Carmen Geddit + Thomas Peisley + Ripley Water The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free.
S.A.S.H By Day 5th Birthday - Feat: Nico Stojan + Mesan + Le Brond + Ben Booth + Jimmy Brûs Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $20. S.A.S.H By Night 5th Birthday - Feat: Greg Pepperpot + Dewalta + Sonja Moonear + Sammy Dee + Mantra Collective + Kerry Wallace + Jimmi Walker + B_Deep & Pete Nouveau + Dave Hawtin + Chris Woods + Will Allan + Raffi Lovechild + Gonzo Discopants Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $40. Pepperpot
On & On - Feat: Aboutjack + Whitecat + Space Junk Slyfox, Enmore. 10:30pm. $15. Sessions #003 - Feat: Dennis Ferrer + Kato + Persian Rug + Tyson Bruun + Lachie Simpson + Elijah Scadden + Harry Sanger + Cd Inc + Bronx + Tailor + Jackson Winter Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $42.86.
SATURDAY MARCH 26 Aeroplane + Set Mo + The Backhanderz + Kormak + Kara + Mash Posse + All Friends Crew Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 4pm. Free.
It sounds like: Future house, bass, big room house tangled up in a sexy cacophony of sound. Sound , EDM and all the rest s good? We think so too!
Acts: Jesabel, Minx, K-Note, Helena Ellis Three songs you’ll hear on the night: Valen tino Low’; DJ Deeon – ‘Freek Like Me’; Minx – ‘What Khan – ‘Deep Down Lovers Do’ And one you definitely won’t: Shannon Noll! Sell it to us: Seriously, just look at that lineup ! You know you’re in for a good night when Jesabel and Minx are on the bill. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Two epic DJ sets from our favourite residents Minx and Jesabel. Wallet damage: $20 Where: The Argyle When: Saturday March 26
34 :: BRAG :: 655 :: 23:03:16
s.a.s.h by day
PICS :: AM
party profile
argyle saturdays easter special
20:03:16 :: Greenwood Hotel :: 36 Blue Street North Sydney 9964 9477 thebrag.com
MASSIVE CLEARANCE
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GIBSON SG SPECIAL BS GIBSON BASS EXPLORER SB GIBSON ES-335 STUDIO MB GIBSON LP PAUL LANDERS SIGNATURE GIBSON J-200 STUDIO VS GIBSON LP JUNIOR SATIN EB GIBSON LP SIGNATURE W/MIN ETUNE WR GIBSON LP DELUXE WR GIBSON LPM W/MIN ETUNE VS GIBSON LP FUTURE TRIBUTE WR GIBSON SG SPECIAL FADED WB
$1999 $3099 $3399 $4749 $5999 $1899 $4199 $4499 $1999 $1999 $1999
$1499 $1799 $1699 $2499 $3599 $999 $2399 $2799 $1049 $1099 $999
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EP RIVIERA CUSTOM P93 BLACK ROYALE EP EXPLORER 1984 EX EB EP TOM DELONGE SIGNATURE ES-333 EP BASS ZENITH AC/ELEC FRETTED TB EP BASS THUNDERBIRD IV LTD TS EP BASS THUNDERBIRD IV LTD SB
$1399 $1399 $1149 $1599 $879 $879
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ORANGE TINY TERROR 15W HEAD ORANGE TINY TERROR 15W COMBO ORANGE TINY TERROR JIM ROOT #4 HEAD ORANGE 2 X 12 JIM ROOT #4 CABINET
$899 $1399 $1199 $999
$579 $1189 $999 $849
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STEINBERGER SYNAPSE XS-1FPA BASS TA STEINBERGER SYNAPSE XS-1FPA BASS TL STEINBERGER SPIRIT XT-2DB STD BASS BK STEINBERGER SPIRIT XT-25 5STR STD BK STEINBERGER SPIRIT XT-25 5STR LH STD BK
$1999 $1999 $999 $899 $999
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PEAVEY CLASSIC 50 4X10 COMBO GUITAR AMP PEAVEY 430B 412 STRAIGHT CABINET PEAVEY 430A 412 SLANT CABINET PEAVEY VB 115 BASS CABINET PEAVEY TOUR700 BASS HEAD PEAVEY TOUR TKO 115 400W BASS COMBO PEAVEY AT-200 GUITAR CAR PEAVEY AT-200 GUITAR BLK PEAVEY ECOUSTIC 110 100W COMBO PEAVEY MILLENNIUM 4 TGE PE P PE PEAVEY HEADLINER 600W HEAD PEAVEY VALVEKING 412 SLANT CABINET PE PEAVEY BANDIT 112 100W COMBO PE PEAVEY VYPYR VIP 3 100W COMBO PE PEAVEY MAX112 200W BASS COMBO V2 PE PEAVEY MAX110 100W BASS AMP V2 PE PEAVEY SANPERA II FOOT CONTROLLER BLK PE PEAVEY ECOUSTIC E110 FOOT CONTROLLER PE PEAVEY RAGE 258 25W COMBO PE PEAVEY SANPERA I FOOT CONTROLLER BLK PE PEAVEY RAGE 158 15W COMBO PE
$2399 $1999 $1999 $1599 $1299 $1229 $1199 $1199 $999 $924 $799 $799 $759 $729 $669 $569 $499 $329 $319 $259 $249
$1899 $999 $999 $799 $999 $959 $599 $599 $799 $599 $449 $599 $599 $799 $519 $439 $389 $259 $239 $199 $179
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ANNANDALE 55 Parramatta Rd 9517 1901 Parram www.gallinsmps.com.au
UNTIL SO LD OUT! !
The RRP is the recommended retail price as set by the Australian distributor of the product. While stocks last. Products pictured are for illustration purpose only.