ISSUE NO. 659 APRIL 20, 2016
FREE Now picked up at over 1,600 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com
MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE
INSIDE This Week
OF MONS T ERS A ND MEN
Iceland's latest stars bring the atmosphere to the Opera House.
R ATATAT
SUPERSUCKERS
AN ASSAULT ON THE SENSES
After fighting off cancer, Eddie Spaghetti is ready to rock again.
MS MR
The musical soulmates look forward to an Australian return.
W E W IL L ROCK YOU
Ben Elton's all-conquering Queen musical takes over Sydney.
Plus
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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Amy Henderson, Keiren Jolly and Tom Parker
speed date WITH
SPATSY CLINE FROM SPURS FOR JESUS Your Profile Current Playlist 1. 4. We would loosely describe ourselves as Most of our musical heroes are either cowpunk – i.e. a little bit country and a little bit dead or dying, but I’ve seen a few killer gigs rock’n’roll with a liberal dose of humour and piss-taking. Keeping Busy 2. We haven’t been very busy at all since our new axeman Crank Williams upped sticks
of late – Dave Rawlings Machine and Jason Isbell being the most recent. Anything Willy Vlautin does I thoroughly recommend, whether it be his bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines or one of his novels – such a brilliant writer.
and left for the Top End to become a crocodile wrangler. However, he will be back on ANZAC Day for our gig at Marrickville Bowlo with our old pals the Handsome Young Strangers.
Your Ultimate Rider 5. We’re pretty easy to please, just the usual slab of cold beer and a bottle of
3.
Best Gig Ever A few years back we toured the east coast as backing band for Jason Ringenberg of Jason and The Scorchers. That was an absolutely mind-blowing and surreal experience and we managed to pull it off with one very brief rehearsal. I witnessed The Scorchers live when I was still in high school, having absolutely no idea I’d be backing such a cowpunk legend a few years down the track!
Drambuie for KD Twang – purely for medicinal purposes. Dirt Track Daisy and myself love a good strong cup of tea, so we usually demand an electric jug and a few teabags if we’re feeling outrageous. With: Handsome Young Strangers Where: Marrickville Bowling Club When: Monday April 25
Patrick James
The Paper Kites
xx
MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: James Di Fabrizio SUB-EDITOR: Sam Caldwell STAFF WRITERS: Joseph Earp, Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Rochelle Bevis, James Di Fabrizio, Amy Henderson, Keiren Jolly, Zanda Wilson ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant COVER PHOTO: Timothy Saccenti PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, D.A. Carter ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com Tony Pecotic - (02) 9212 4322 tony@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Furst Media MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATOR: Sarah Bryant - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Elias Kwiet, Zanda Wilson, Keiren Jolly, Amy Henderson REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Anita Connors, James Di Fabrizio, Christie Eliezer, Emily Gibb, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Emily Meller, David Molloy, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, George Nott, Daniel Prior, Tegan Reeves, Natalie Rogers, Erin Rooney, Spencer Scott, Natalie Salvo, Leonardo Silvestrini, Jade Smith, Lucy Watson, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, Stephanie Yip, David James Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG.
PATRICK GIGS IN RENEGADES OF FOLK
Australian folk group The Paper Kites are heading off on a national tour, hitting Sydney along the way. The news follows the release of the video for ‘Renegade’ – the latest single from their debut album Twelvefour – directed by the renowned Dan Huiting (Bon Iver), and the widespread success of the album. The Paper Kites play the Enmore Theatre on Thursday June 23.
SHINING FLAPPY PEOPLE
To celebrate the release of their new single, seven-piece outfit Shining Bird have announced an exclusive Sydney show. Lifted from the band’s upcoming second album, ‘Helluva Lot’ was mixed by producer Tim Whitten (The Go-Betweens, Hoodoo Gurus). Winners of the coveted Song of the Year award at the FBi SMAC Awards, Shining Bird will head out out for one last tour before putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming album. See them shine at Newtown Social Club on Wednesday June 8.
SPOOKY BIG HEAD
Spookyland have unveiled a new video for recent single ‘Big Head’ ahead of the hotly
anticipated launch of their latest album Beauty Already Beautiful, due Friday May 6. Sydney post-punkers Yeevs, who are enjoying the aftermath of a whirlwind 12 months after last year’s How To Harken Back, will be special guests at Spookyland’s Sydney album launch, taking place at Newtown Social Club on Wednesday May 11.
THE LION’S ROAR
Perth grunge rockers Tired Lion have joined the set-up at Dew Process and announced a Sydney show to celebrate. They won triple j’s prestigious Unearthed award in 2015, tore down the main stage at Splendour In The Grass the same year, and claimed gongs for Best Rock Act and Best EP (Figurine) at the 2015 WA Music Awards.
Parkway Drive
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With a solid career backing performers like Tina Turner, Nine Inch Nails and The Rolling Stones, Lisa Fischer is finally heading to Australia for her first solo tour. She’ll be joined by her band Grand Baton to perform Grammy-winning originals from her 1991 album So Intense, alongside familiar songs from her tours with the Stones and Turner. After the 2013 documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom moved backing vocalists to the centre stage, Fischer won her second Grammy and is taking the opportunity to expand her audience Down Under. Catch Fischer with Grand Baton at City Recital Hall on Wednesday June 15.
MUST BE MARBLES
TIME TO HIT THE ROAD
Parkway Drive are back with a nod to Australia’s favourite outback adventurer, Russell Coight. The band enlisted the help of their fans to name their latest east coast regional tour, spawning what has since been named the All Aussie Adventure Tour. The tour will be flanked by metal band Make Them Suffer along with other local groups. Parkway Drive will rock Panthers in Penrith on Friday June 24.
Discovered At Marble Bar, the band competition that dangles the prize of a twomonth stint at the famous Sydney Hilton venue, has raised the stakes once again, announcing its judges overseeing the night. Former Channel [V] presenter Danny Clayton, acclaimed singersongwriter Mahalia Barnes, Rolling Stone Australia publisher Mathew Coyte and Inertia MD Tim Kelly are ready to set their ears and eyes on the contestants gunning for the sweet, sweet gig. The finale of Discovered At Marble Bar takes place on Wednesday May 4. thebrag.com
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Once they’ve ruled the Newtown Social Club stage, they’ll embark on their first-ever European tour and will play at Glastonbury. Tired Lion will be in town on Saturday May 21.
LISA FISCHER LIVE
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A man who has been swiftly flitting about to the soft harmonies of success has seen fit to provide us with the opportunity to hear his intervals again. In partnership with GiggedIn, Patrick James has announced an intimate and exclusive show next month. The songsmith, who hasn’t shied away from vulnerable honesty, raw lyrics, soft acoustics and harmonies, will once again make your heart sigh in Sydney. Over the course of his career, James has busked and toured his way into supporting the likes of Boy & Bear, Josh Pyke and The Paper Kites, bringing his soft dulcet tones to the places they’re needed. The gig is free for GiggedIn members, and nonmembers are able to sign up and RSVP. See it go down at Brighton Up Bar, Saturday May 14.
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live & local
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Amy Henderson, Keiren Jolly and Rochelle Bevis
songwriters’ secrets WITH
DEVON SPROULE collection of songs now called The Gold String. “I’m imagining a golden string that is connecting / Everything but especially, beings where love has been. / I’ve imagined it again and again so often / It isn’t even imagining, it is making it happen.” Songwriting Secrets 3. I usually start with a few lines, then see if I can fit some
to a teenage romance… at least, I was a teenager. “I always wanted to tell you how much I miss you when you’re gone / But somehow I only remember when I’m alone”. I think those might be the least cringeworthy lines.
Want’, when we found out we’re having a girl. Before that, a demo of a song I wrote for my dead cat Clover. And before that, a live track from a show I played in Nova Scotia with my friend-band Bernice. I’m working on a new
The Song That Makes Me 4. Proud I have a couple songs that get requested more than others – ‘Old Virginia Block’ and ‘Plea For A
5.
The Song That Changed My Life Do you know that song ‘Kiss Of Fire’? I used to sing it all the time as a vocal warm-up. I’m still not sure I’ve ever heard a recorded version, which might be why it feels so special. A woman named Rajal taught it to me while walking through a cow field at Twin Oaks, the intentional community where I grew up. Where: The Gasoline Pony When: Thursday April 21
IRON MAIDEN
One of the world’s biggest rock bands is on the way Down Under to capture your souls. Iron Maiden’s The Book Of Souls World Tour has already started making its journey around the globe, and these guys travel in style like no-one else – frontman Bruce Dickinson is piloting Iron Maiden’s own Boeing 747-400, the new Ed Force One, across six continents himself. The six-monthlong tour marks its midway point in Australia, with five dates around the major capital cities including an engagement at Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena) on Friday May 6. We’ve got a double pass to give away to the show, so pilot yourself over to thebrag.com/freeshit to enter.
WILLIAM CRIGHTON
The tradition of storytelling in songwriting is one that extends throughout the history of Australian music. William Crighton is its latest proponent; a singular talent from the rural New South Wales who prides himself on honesty and directness in his work. His self-titled debut album, out now, was recorded in his hometown, and produced and mixed by Matt Sherrod (Crowded House, Beck). Crighton and his four-piece band play The Gum Ball in the Hunter Valley, Friday April 22 – Sunday April 24, before headlining at The Vanguard on Friday April 29. We’ve got two double passes to give away to the Sydney show – enter at thebrag.com/freeshit.
Devon Sproule photo by Paul Curreri
The First Song I Wrote The Last Song I Released 1. It was called (ahem) ‘Deeply 2. Paul Curreri and I just You’. And yes, it was a love song released a Devo cover, ‘Girl U
of them to music. The lines often change when I do that. My initial melody ideas are usually pretty dumb, so I use the guitar to remind me of notes I’ve forgotten, or to come up with melodies that have wider or closer jumps. And I record everything obsessively as I go, so I don’t forget anything, and so I feel more productive.
Good Night’s Rest’. I think they’re both pretty good, it’s just that they were written a long time ago, so their vibe is pretty different to what I’m writing and listening to now. One thing people might not know about songs like that? I referenced a John Hartford song, ‘Big Blue Balloon’, in ‘Old Virginia Block’. Now that – ‘Big Blue Balloon’ – is a great song.
head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
DON’T CALL IT A TOUR
From Oslo
Kate Martin
The three cheeky lads that make up the galactic wandering trio of Space Monk have announced a Don’t Call It A Tour, It’s Just A Bunch Of Shows Close Together tour. Full to the brim with wit, musical talent and frank honesty come this three-member-strong musical outfit who are set to bring the funnies and the fresh times to a local haunt near you. With Space Monk having found early success with single ‘Dead’, surely their dreams of filling the passages of your ear canals are very much alive. Their next shows are at Oxford Art Factory’s Gallery Bar on Thursday April 21, the Time And Tide Hotel in Dee Why on Friday April 29 and the White Horse Hotel in Surry Hills on Friday May 6.
SOFAR, SO GOOD KATE’S ON FIRE A LONG WAY TO NORWAY
Up-and-coming punk rock outfit From Oslo have announced their debut self-titled EP to be released in May, and they’ve locked in a Sydney show to celebrate. Off the back of supporting the likes of Kingswood, the Melbourne duo will hit up the east coast for a string of shows in June and July. The EP was recorded in their hometown with producer Jez Giddings (Clowns, Sincerely Grizzly). They’ll play Sydney on Sunday June 5 at Frankie’s Pizza.
HEALTHY RIVALRY
The rock’n’rollers down at Frankie’s Pizza are going big for the long weekend. Their weekly Sabbath Sessions event never holds back, admittedly, but for this Sunday April 24 they’ve used the excuse of a public holiday Monday to book an international headliner.
Rival Sons, the Californian heavyweights who conquered all with their 2014 record Great Western Valkyrie and are in town to support Black Sabbath at Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena) this Saturday April 23, are backing up at the CBD’s home of rock. It’s gon’ be loud.
Contemporary pop musician Kate Martin will celebrate the release of her new single ‘Kintsukuroi’ with a one-off Sydney show. The first release since her 2013 single ‘Awaken’, Martin’s latest single, a preview of her forthcoming album, is a multi-layered blend of her signature finger-picking style mashed with tabla percussion and textures. The LP, Set My Life To Fire, is due for release this year. In the meantime, Martin will play Brighton Up Bar on Thursday May 26.
Ever wished you could host a stripped-back live show in your lounge room, your backyard or on your rooftop? Sofar Sounds Sydney might be the gig you’re looking for. Sofar Sounds, the international movement that started with secret shows in London and now hosts regular invite-only gigs in 237 cities around the globe – including Sydney – has put out the call for new host venues. The Sydney chapter of Sofar Sounds has held intimate shows from the likes of The Preatures, Jack Carty, Jones Jnr., Inês and many more. And the best bit? They’ll bring the bands and the production to you. All you need is a cool space you can share for an evening. To get involved with Sofar, and volunteer to host (you can even sell your own snacks or beverages at the show, if you like), visit sofarsounds.com.
The Sugarcanes
RED BULL SOUND SELECT
SWEET AS SUGAR
Victorian soul powerhouses The Sugarcanes are playing a Sydney show as part of their national debut album tour. In what has been a huge start to 2016 for the Melbourne group, late last month saw The Sugarcanes release ‘Never Call’, the second taste from their groovy forthcoming album. Catch them at Brighton Up Bar on Friday June 3 with support from Loose Tooth and Lily and The Bellows.
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Red Bull and its partners I Oh You and Laneway Festival have been in cahoots to bring the spice and life back into the Sydney live music scene. With that in mind, Red Bull Sound Select will be happening on the last Friday of every month, commencing Friday April 29 with headliners Methyl Ethel. I Oh You’s Johann Ponniah and Laneway Festival’s Travis Banko will be personally curating these nights of solid, fresh live music. Each gig will feature one headline act, supported by two others, ready to shred up the space and satisfy your hungry ears. The first show will be at the Chippendale Hotel.
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From Oslo photo by Tim Ware Photography
Methyl Ethel
Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
AUSTRALIA IS THE WORLD’S SIXTH BIGGEST MUSIC MARKET Australia remains the sixth biggest music market in the world, according to trade body IFPI’s Global Music Report. Top of the list is the US with revenue of almost US$5 billion, followed by Japan, then the UK, Germany, France, Australia, Canada, South Korea and Italy, with Brazil rounding out the top ten. China was the fastest growing market in 2015, with a rise of 63.8% after legal music began replacing pirated music. The report also revealed that the global music industry grew 3.2% to $15b last year. The 45.2% increase in streaming revenue to $2.9b offset the decline in CDs and downloads. Digital exceeded physical for the first time, now accounting for 45% of all revenues compared to physical’s 39%. The Australian market grew by 5% to $333.8m (or up by 6.1% if you include live performances). Digital now accounts for 62% of Australian music sales (from 59% in 2014).
HOW AC/DC ANNOUNCED AXL There was something irresistible about the way AC/DC announced Axl Rose as the new singer to finish off their Rock Or Bust world tour. On Saturday they released a statement on their official website thanking Brian Johnson and wishing him well. At the end of the statement, they slipped in that Axl “has kindly offered his support�. A few hours later, when Guns N’ Roses were playing the Coachella Festival in California before an estimated 90,000 fans, they brought on Angus Young to jam on AC/DC’s ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ and ‘Riff Raff’, blowing the place apart. Footage went viral worldwide within minutes, and it was obvious that Rose fronting Acca-Dacca was something to see.
STUDY: LIVE MUSIC REDUCES STRESS Live music reduces stress, says a study from the Centre For Performance Science in London. Researches analysed before-andafter saliva samples of 117 volunteers at two classical concerts. “This is the first preliminary evidence that attending a cultural event can have an impact on endocrine activity,� said lead researcher Daisy Fancourt. More research will be done on various rock genres. A Spotify study found Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ to be the best song for nervous fliers.
DROP LOCKOUTS, FOLLOW NEWTOWN MODEL, SAYS AHA Scrap lockout laws in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross, change the 3am last drinks and follow Newtown’s model: these are among 13 recommendations that the New South Wales chapter of the Australian Hotels Association submitted to the State Government’s current
Lifelines Hospitalised: Danish/American rock singer Maryann Cotton was smashed over the head with a bottle and stabbed in a nightclub in Latvia after a show there. In Court: Coachella is suing marketing firm Particle for scalping wristbands. In Court: MÜtley Crße’s Vince Neil, charged with misdemeanour battery following an alleged incident in Las Vegas, involving a woman who came to get an autograph from actor Nicolas Cage and says the singer grabbed her by the hair and pushed her to the ground. Died: Brisbane musician, promoter and journalist Bek Moore, who over 20 years was an instrumental member of the city’s punk scene. One of her bands, Clag, would provoke and unsettle their crowds, performing in masks or hospital gowns and gleefully turning each gig into a raucous riot. Died: Brisbane-based indigenous activist and broadcaster Tiga Bayles, 62, from cancer. The long-time radio presenter on 98.9FM helped set up Radio Redfern in Sydney in the early ’80s, as well as the National Indigenous Radio Service, and began in the music industry as GM of Murri Jama music productions.
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THINGS WE HEAR • Which newspaper is apparently trying to lift the injunction on the extramarital affairs of a well-known celeb? • Which music media person, as part of their AA treatment, is ringing up music execs to apologise for slights she/he might have inflicted on them – only to discover none of them were aware of any insults? • Only 30% of Australian Spotify users are paid subscribers, 20% haven’t watched commercial TV, and 40% didn’t listen to commercial radio in the past month, the service’s ANZ sales director told Mediaweek. • Slaves guitarist Alex Lyman on the band’s sudden split: “I’m in debt, have hundreds of tickets sitting at my house and I’m still trying to figure out what life has in store for me at 26.â€? • The South Australian parliament has passed a motion for a coronial investigation into the drug
death of 19-year-old Stefan Woodward at Stereosonic Adelaide, to see what could have been done to prevent drugs coming in. • Served with temporary closure orders were Sydney karaoke bars Queen KTV in Ashfield (six months) and K1 in Haymarket (72 hours) after authorities allegedly discovered illicit drugs and “seriousâ€? liquor law breaches. • Father John Misty recalled the “disturbingâ€? experience of taking LSD at a Taylor Swift concert as both “holyâ€? and “psychedelicâ€?. • While US rapper Tyga was in Australia, an auto repossession company was trying to repossess his 2013 Lamborghini Aventador. • After Newcastle producer Szymon lost his battle with depression in 2012 at the age of 23, family and friends finished off his album last year, Tigersapp, which was nominated for an ARIA for Best Adult Contemporary Album. Now four family members will play a set at Splendour In The Grass in tribute.
review of the controversial lockout laws. It suggests a ‘no new patrons’ policy after 3am to replace the ‘no service’ policy at that time. It says this has worked well in Newtown, where the number of late-night patrons has increased but violence has remained under control. “This has been achieved through the local community, including hoteliers, working together on issues in their own area,� said AHA NSW director of liquor and policing John Green. The Newtown Liquor Accord, introduced in mid-2015, allows patrons who plan to arrive after 3am to book ahead. It is “the sensible and pragmatic alternative to a lockout�, the submission says. “Existing patrons can leave to have a cigarette or obtain food whilst other persons can pre-plan their attendance and notify the premises, with that position in the venue held for their arrival.� Lockout laws are “blanket measures that unfairly penalise many safe, wellrun venues with a proven track record of compliance. The Liquor Act already has real teeth to deal with rogue operators. The power to cancel or suspend a licence already exists, as does the power to disqualify any person from having an interest in the business.�
KENDRICK SUED OVER SAMPLE
Kendrick Lamar is being sued for using the music of Bill Withers’ 1975 track ‘Don’t Want You To Stay’ on his ‘I Do This’ from 2013’s Kendrick Lamar EP mixtape. Last July, a photographer sued after his photo appeared on the digital artwork of Lamar’s ‘The Blacker The Berry’ single. In 2014, Eric Woolfson and his group The Alan Parsons Project claimed Lamar used their song ‘Old And Wise’ on his track ‘Keisha’s Song (Her Pain)’.
MUSICIANS ON $2 A DAY Musicians are joining thousands of Australians who are eating on $2 a day for five days to raise funds and awareness for those living in extreme poverty. The Live Below The Line challenge, held in May, is run by The Oaktree Foundation. Joining in are Tom Iansek (Big Scary, #1 Dads), Big White, DJ Maxwell, Will Cumings (Lanks), Simon Ridley and Shane Parsons of DZ Deathrays, City Calm Down and The Brow. Frenzal Rhomb’s Lindsay McDougall, who is also participating, says: “It’s important to remember that while we’re out there spending thousands of dollars on our acai-infused chia and cacao smoothies, there are people in the world who have to feed themselves on $2 a day.� To donate to the artists or to sign up for the challenge, head to livebelowtheline. com.au. Funds raised will support education projects in remote areas of Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Cambodia.
MUSIC TECH SUMMIT The first Australian Music Tech Summit on Wednesday April 27 brings together music tech startups and the wider music community. The speakers are America’s Bob Moczydlowsky (former head of music at
• The amount of Australians buying tickets online for concert tickets has climbed to 25 per cent from 18 per cent of all Australians online, says a Nielsen report. • Facebook is to start selling concert tickets for Ticketmaster and Eventbrite. • Rammstein are suing the German government for â‚Ź66,000 in damages after the Federal Department for Media Harmful To Young Persons put their album Liebe Ist FĂźr Alle Da on a banned list for being “brutalâ€? and “immoralâ€?. • Out of the NSW Government’s $1 million fund for 27 innovative arts and cultural projects, Nextwave got $90,000 and Tyalgum Music received $16,000. • Tired Lion are confirmed for 15 European and UK festival appearances between Friday June 24 and Sunday July 17. They include Germany, the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. • Dubbo has a new community radio station, DCfm, broadcasting from its Apex Cottage site.
Twitter and now marketing chief at Topspin) and Australia’s Stephen Phillips, who founded the music discovery platform We Are Hunted before it was bought by Twitter. The startup panel includes event marketing platform Ticket Squad, live music providers Muzeek and GiggedIn, playlist perfector Muru Music and apps studio Hydric Media. It takes place from 5:30pm at Fishburners, 608 Harris Street, Ultimo.
AROWAGENCY LAUNCHES ArowAgency is a new management, digital and artist development services company set up by former Sony Music executives Elizabeth Browne and Tamara Georgopoulos. With the aim of finding new strategies that put artists first, they launched with a roster of Sydney’s Breakaway (two million Spotify streams, three million YouTube views), Victorian band Residual and Tasmanian hardcore outfit Save The Clock Tower.
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LEARNING THE HARMONICA
Tony Maguire, who started playing harmonica at the age of five and played in Sydney bands Missing Button and The Keith Armiger Band, has been teaching it since 2005. He reckons he can get newcomers playing within 15 minutes. An eight-week evening course at City East Community College will end with students jamming with the resident blues band at the Bald Faced Stag in Leichhardt. The next course begins on Wednesday May 4 for $210 at Coogee Public School. See more details and enrol at cityeastcc.com.au. The college also has jazz guitar, singing, piano and ukulele courses starting soon.
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RECLAIMING NEWTOWN STREETS Reclaim The Streets is holding another rally on Saturday April 23, this time to protest violence against Newtown’s diverse community. RTS’ James Loch says the violence has moved to Newtown as a result of the lockouts in Kings Cross and the Sydney CBD, and recent LGBTI policies. “Bring something, wear something, or do something out of the ordinary. This protest is a giant ‘fuck you’ to anyone who ever tried to make you to fit in,� says Loch. The Keep Newtown Weird protest meets at 3pm in Victoria Park before heading down King Street.
ABC JOINS IHEARTRADIO AUSTRALIA 34 ABC Radio stations – including triple j and Double J – are now part of Australian Radio Network’s iHeartRadio Australia platform. Michael Mason, director of ABC Radio, said, “Joining iHeartRadio is an amazing opportunity for ABC Radio to reach new audiences (in metro and regional areas) and make our content available for easy discovery.� It gives iHeartRadio a wider content base including country, alternative and classical, plus talkback and 24/7 news.
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“PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THAT WE’RE DRUG ADDICTS [AND] REALLY INTO WEED AND ACID, AND I’M LIKE, ‘NEITHER ONE OF US ENTIRELY DOES MUCH.’” the fun of it though, ’cause you can improve. I’m also learning drums – I’ve been practising a lot. I have a recording studio at my house, so even on downtime, I’m still working on music. I sort of get depressed if I don’t make new songs, so I’m kind of always working on new stuff in the studio. Whether it’s for Ratatat or something like an official release thing, it’s still just keeping practice.” Putting a great deal of effort into their work has resulted in great returns for Ratatat, both at home and overseas. This will be their second time on the regional Groovin The Moo bill. “With Groovin The Moo especially, we don’t usually hit all of those spots, and I guess that’s kind of the point,” says Stroud. “We did it once before [and] it’s just really different than Sydney or Melbourne, for example. You know, you’re out in the middle of nowhere. It’ll be fun!” That said, Stroud isn’t as familiar with the new talent on the bill as before. “I was looking at the lineup as well, and maybe I’m just getting old or something but I only knew one: Danny Brown. I’ll definitely check some bands out. That’s why festivals are cool, too, ’cause you get exposed to some music that you would never hear otherwise. We’re touring so much that you don’t have time to check out new bands. That’s the problem: I’m out of the loop, I’m not checking out new bands that much these days, which is – whatever, that’s just how it is. “On our recent tours, it’s been really fun playing at big, outdoors festivals. The only thing I don’t like about them is that the crowd is always so far away. I like to play intimate shows where there’s no barricade, the people are just right up against the stage. I sort of prefer that.” If Stroud could have his way, an audience up against the stage wouldn’t be the only thing on the list. “I would love to be able to have every sound 100 per cent [perfect] live. That would mean probably having a band of like 50 people or something. I would love to do a show with 20 guitar players and strings, more like an orchestra. I would love to do that, but it would be so expensive to take that on tour.”
SUPREME DREAMS BY EMILY GIBB
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ew York polymaths Ratatat and their guitarheavy instrumental tunes spent a long five years away from live shows while they were fiercely focused on making their fifth LP, Magnifi que. Consequently, the duo’s Supreme Exhalation tour – Ratatat’s second visit to Australia in six months – is aptly titled.
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“It’s really funny too,” laughs Stroud, “because people seem to think that we’re drug addicts [and] really into weed and acid, and I’m like, ‘Neither one of us entirely does much.’ “At least on the last bunch of tours, I went out a lot after the shows to meet
Ratatat’s arresting visuals are the result of a laborious process, and they form the basis of the shows these two self-labelled “control freaks” put together, almost taking focus off rehearsal. “Evan makes all the videos,” Stroud explains, “and that takes him a really long time, so I think he kind of pulls his hair out over that process. It’s really time-consuming and intense. We don’t necessarily practise that much, but the shows aren’t just thrown together, there’s a lot that goes into it – all the programming of videos and lights and lasers and whatever. “I think a lot of our music is sort of meant to be funny, so we try to put some humour into it, or not try [too hard], I guess. We just always try to put humour into what we’re doing – it’s more fun. At this point, we’re sort of
on autopilot ’cause we did so many shows in a row, so after a while, you stop thinking about it, you just do it.” Throughout our chat, it’s clear in Stroud’s steady banter and high spirits that his sense of humour and fun comes naturally. It’s also integral to the essence of Ratatat and permeates their live shows, with demand for the duo consequently high. Taking a mini-break after touring since April last year, the pair were pretty happy to have some time at home in New York before getting back into the swing of things with Groovin The Moo this month. Their time off hasn’t involved much Netflix and chill, though, with Stroud refining his lap steel guitar technique and already making new music – although he’s fairly selfdeprecating about the former. “It kind of comes in spurts – I’m still learning. Actually, I kind of suck at it,” he laughs. “I was starting to get a lot better around tours ’cause I had to play it every night, but now I haven’t played for like a month and I absolutely suck. But that’s kind of
Stroud has one more ambition to add, and it concerns a certain Australian band led by Kevin Parker. “Usually the bands that I want to play with on tour are bigger than us,” says Stroud, “so I would love to play with Tame Impala – but at this point, I don’t necessarily want to open for another band; I would rather do our own shows. We actually played with Tame Impala ages ago and they were supporting us! Which is funny ’cause they’re huge now.” What: Magnifi que out now through XL/Remote Control With: Frikstailers, Kirin J Callinan Where: Metro Theatre When: Wednesday April 27 And: Also appearing at Groovin The Moo 2016, Maitland Showground, Saturday April 23 and University Of Canberra, Sunday April 24
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Leftfield photo by Dan Wilton
“Yeah,” multi-instrumentalist Mike Stroud laughs. “We took a long break and it was starting to feel way too long, so it felt really good to get back out and start playing shows, to have new songs out there for people to get into, you know what I mean? They translate pretty well for the live show, so I feel like the new stuff is getting bigger reactions than we were expecting. [It] feels good.”
After returning to our ears – and their roots – with Magnifi que in 2015, Stroud and Ratatat’s other half, Evan Mast, have earned plenty of attention, increasingly so online. Since 2010’s LP4, the exponential rise in significance of visual content has seen their mesmerising, comedic, often trippy and sometimes unsettling music videos find a larger audience. The frequent bewilderment caused by Mast’s people-melting visuals is reflected in the feedback Ratatat receive from their fans.
people and there’s some funny ones. I can’t remember anyone acting that crazy – people are always just so nice, everyone just wants to take pictures – but a lot of people will be like, ‘Wanna smoke pot with me?’ and I never do… with them. It’s like, ‘Nooo, it’s OK.’”
At the suggestion of the increasingly common symphony-orchestraaccompanied show, Stroud is all for it. “Yeah, if we could do a residency somewhere or where we could just put on that kind of show, I think that would be really fun. I feel like we kind of make up for it with the visual element at this point. Who knows – maybe that’s a good point?”
1 olympic drive, milsons point
o rappa
DITA VON TEESE
STEEL PANTHER
fri 20 may
4 & 5 JUNE
fri 17 jun
T JUS D E ADD
Plus Unearthed Winner
sat 18 jun Northlane & iN hearts wake
VENGABOYS
bullet for my valENTINE
1st show SOLD OUT
sat 18 jun
sun 6 NOV
THURS 27 OCT
for more info and tickets visit bigtopsydney.com or contact our box office - 1300 big top // luna park
facebook.com/bigtopsydney thebrag.com
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The Cat Empire The Rising Sun By Seth Robinson
F
or more than 15 years, The Cat Empire have been an inescapable feature of the Australian music scene. They probably hooked you with the catchy singles ‘Hello’ and ‘The Car Song’, or maybe you were late to the party and only caught on with last year’s ‘Wolves’. Either way is fi ne, because these guys aren’t going anywhere. To kick off 2016, The Cat Empire have released their seventh studio album, Rising With The Sun, and set out on an accompanying tour. We track down frontman Felix Riebl to speak about the new record, tour dates and what it means to be in a band nobody can put their fi nger on. “We didn’t rehearse this album, which I think was an awesome decision in the end,” he says. “In the past, we’ve spent months in pre-production. This time we didn’t do that at all. A lot of the songs were actually written in the studio. We’ve played so much together as a band, and our sound has evolved from what used to be a collection of ideas to a sound that the band has inherently now. It has a real freshness.” The Cat Empire are known for their stageshaking live shows, and Riebl makes it clear that Rising With The Sun was created with exactly that in mind. It’s an ode to the festival stage, the fans, and the world we live in. “It helps having played on so many festival stages, because I can draw on that for the band,” he says. “I can imagine, ‘This is what I want to feel onstage,’ or, ‘This is the uplift I want for this chorus,’ and write with that audience in mind. These are songs I love; ‘Bulls’, because it’s so immediate, ‘Creature’ as well, because it’s really light-hearted. But the song I’m most attached to emotionally is ‘Bataclan’, which is written about a venue that we played at many times. I was really cut by what happened in Paris. To write a song about that is important, because that’s so much the world we’ve lived in. I think that song’s going to perform well onstage. For me, it’s a chance to really sing about what we do.” Rising With The Sun was recorded in two blocks over the course of 2015, with production split by a European tour, which itself added more spice to the album’s live fl avour.
“Each night is its own kind of world in itself,” Riebl says. “Whether it’s in Australia, Europe, or even India, where we just played for the first time. Each night is its own community. There are differences in every country, though. In Spain, people go absolutely mad pretty quickly, whereas in a country like Switzerland you might need to work a little harder to get that kind of enthusiasm. Australia is great. It’s our home. A lot of the music has been written here and played to these audiences first of all. Overall though, it defi nitely comes down to the night and the people in the room.” The Cat Empire’s greatest achievement could be that their fan base doesn’t just spread across hemispheres, but across generations. Many of the Rising With The Sun tour dates are all-ages, which is a necessity for Riebl. “I doubt the band would still be around if our fan base didn’t continue to become younger, and older – honestly, everything at once. It’s a really nice feeling to go into a room and have people who know you from your first album, but at the same time it keeps it fresh knowing the albums are crossing over generations. That keeps our enthusiasm strong. It’s different to feeling like you’re becoming a nostalgic band, and that only. I think if that was the case, it would be time for the band to fi nish. “The great thing about having a new album is that you can play the new stuff, and give some new life to the old stuff as well. We’re putting a lot into this tour. The production is going to be bigger than anything we’ve done before.” More than anything, Rising With The Sun is a celebration of The Cat Empire and the community that supports them. “The atmosphere comes from the people, and as long as we continue to be a band that no-one can quite put their fi nger on or describe in terms of a genre or style, people are going to keep being a part of the music,” Riebl says. “For me, it’s about the fact that everyone in the room that night doesn’t necessarily belong to any country. It’s not about any one genre or style, it’s about people being part of the music as we perform it. That’s
our legacy, and we’ve been around long enough now to realise it. We’ve surpassed what I imagined the band might do, so it’s been incredible to sit back and just be surprised by what might happen. It’s nice to look up, as opposed to always looking down.”
What: Rising With The Sun out now through Two Shoes With: Pierce Brothers Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday May 19 – Saturday May 21
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content around.
Skunkhour The Time Is Nigh By Joseph Earp ecreating the successes of the past is a strange – if sometimes lucrative – business. After all, when was the last time you spared even a passing thought for something you did over two decades ago, let alone completely restaged it? It’s surprising, then, that Skunkhour’s rapper-cum-creative force Del Larkin isn’t feeling nervous about his band’s upcoming gig at the Metro, one that will see the group play their 1993 self-titled debut from beginning to end. In fact, he’s positively looking forward to it.
“The Metro holds so many great memories for us as a band,” Larkin says. “We’ve had so many great shows there over the years, but we’ve never done a show like this before … We have never played the first album track-for-track, [and] that’s what makes it so special. There are tracks like ‘A Cow And A Pig’ and ‘Free Man’ that we wouldn’t have played for over 20 years. So it’s time to dust ’em off and give ’em a good shake.” Performing the album from beginning to end was a very natural choice for Skunkhour – almost a love letter to the past and their former selves. “We’ve played the odd reunion-style gig over the last few years and the sets have always been a kind of ‘greatest hits’ mix of all four albums. But this time we decided it would be fun to showcase the album that started it all, and the best way to do [that] would be to play the album track-for-track.” Of course, by its very nature such a gig will fire up the old nostalgia senses, not only for the audience but for the performers themselves. “From memory I think [Skunkhour] took about two weeks to record,” Larkin says. “There are lots of animal references, which originate from the working titles the band gave to the jams in rehearsals. Lyrically, Aya [Larkin, Del’s brother and Skunkhour’s singer] and I sometimes used those animals as a starting point to build the 10 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
“We had had offers to sign [a record deal] but we wanted autonomy as a group, so we paid for it ourselves,” Del adds. “This meant we didn’t have a whole lot of studio time or that much experience really, so it was just a case of getting in there, trusting our instincts and going for it. I think you can hear that vitality in the sound … I think it’s an incredible album for its time and genre. No-one sounded like that and [they] still don’t. We wanted to sound different from the start.” It’s worth noting, however, that Larkin doesn’t regard the album entirely with rose-tinted glasses, and has the familiar mixed feelings about Skunkhour that so many musicians have about their work. “I struggle listening to my performance on it,” he admits. “I had only been rhyming [properly] for about six months and you can hear that in my delivery and the American drawl I have on most tracks.” Larkin’s reservations are inevitable – 23 years is a long time, after all. A lot has changed, not only for the rapper and his voice, but for the music industry at large, and Larkin tips his hat to anyone who can make a career out of writing songs these days. “Any band or artist anywhere that can manage to have a career is a legend,” he says. “The only way you can [do it] is to tour and tour and tour. There is no money in recording due to the ease of illegal downloads.” So what’s the answer to keeping the industry healthy? Larkin says it’s simple. “Buy the albums of the artists you love, people!” Where: Metro Theatre When: Saturday April 30
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Of Monsters And Men Another Little Talk By Adam Norris very important to me. You go home and breathe.” As sabbaticals go, this one is certainly well earned. Hilmarsdóttir and her four bandmates have been yo-yoing from swerve of shore to bend of bay lately, with performances across the breadth of North America and Europe prior to heading back to the US, South America, Australia, Africa – it’s an itinerary that brings tears to your eyes. And all of this thanks to an inauspicious living room in Reykjavík.
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t’s a fitting time to be chatting with Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, female lead of Icelandic juggernauts Of Monsters And Men. We have recently farewelled the triple j Hottest 100 for another year, but back in 2012 the band was just pipped for the number one position by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Even so, ‘Little Talks’ cemented Of Monsters And Men’s presence not just in Australia, but led to debut album My Head Is An Animal reaching the tops of charts across the globe. Not bad for a track that first gained attention via a small recording filmed in somebody’s living room. Hilmarsdóttir reflects on where the band is today, and why it’s sometimes necessary to simply step back and breathe in the frozen night sky air.
“I’m good, hi, hello!” Hilmarsdóttir laughs, sounding happily flustered. “Sorry, I’m good. I just took a really sturdy walk – sturdy walk? What am I saying? But it’s really, really cold outside right now and I was panicked, because my phone actually died from how cold it is. It went from 20 per cent suddenly to one per cent and then just died! So I had to run back to make this phone call.” As Hilmarsdóttir paints this portrait of a standard Icelandic evening, I am on a balcony sweltering in 40-degree heat. Extreme as her temperatures sound, it’s hard not to feel a pang of sweaty envy. “It’s really nice to come home to your own environment,” the singer/
guitarist says. “I feel like right now is such a good time to be writing, and we’re home now for two months, which is great. I think everyone here is cursing Iceland right now, but I love it. “Touring life can be very… it’s weird, because you’re very busy but also not. Your whole status revolves around playing the show, so while there’s time between, it just gets sucked up. I think we definitely had to learn how to exist as a band and be active. You always feel like you have this time, you should create, you should be active, and you just end up not doing anything. It’s strange, but I think you have to just exist in that craziness, just go with it. That’s probably why Iceland becomes
“The way that we started was kind of that living room session,” Hilmarsdóttir says. “Seeing that [footage] is seeing very much how we functioned at that time. We would meet in my living room, hang around and make music, drink beers and have a good time. It was really nice when [Seattle radio station] KEXP came over doing Iceland Airwaves, and they said, ‘Hey, we’ll come tomorrow and do a session,’ and we just ran it from the living room because that’s where we usually were. And when people saw that video and started connecting to it, they were very much [connecting] to our world at that time. “I really like talking to fans – I think we have really cool and interesting fans and I like interacting with them. Like that remix thing we did. It’s so cool that we can be like, ‘Hey, we have this song, do you want to be creative and do something cool with it?’ And the things that we got out of it were so amazing.” The song in question is ‘Wolves Without Teeth’ from the band’s second album Beneath The Skin, which saw fans compete in submitting their own remixes of the
track. It illustrates that despite the commercial and critical success the band has enjoyed, Of Monsters And Men are still very much a protean act. They have developed at an incredible rate, and the colour of their catalogue, the depth of their sound, is remarkable. But Hilmarsdóttir feels certain the band has more shape-shifting to come; indeed, it may never settle on a final form, and that’s exactly the way she would have it. “I think we still haven’t figured out who we are, but I also don’t think you’re ever supposed to get to that place. I don’t really know when we’re going to make the next album or what we’re going to be feeling like then. I feel like it’s important for us to keep an open mind, and to figure out [who we] are more and more, because I have no idea. No idea at all. People ask me all the time – ‘Oh, so what kind of band are you in?’ And I feel like I could say this, and this, and this, and then all of that could just change again. “I think we’re just getting through the winter, and finishing touring. But in all of our minds we’re thinking about it. We’ve started writing a little bit, started piecing things together. We’re all slowly getting ready for the next chapter. But you shouldn’t always be thinking ahead of yourself. You should just be enjoying things while they happen.” What: Beneath The Skin out now through Republic/Universal Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House When: Sunday May 1 and Monday May 2
LIVE
AT THE
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SLY
FIREBALL WHISKEYS + SLY FOX BEERS 7.30 - 9.30PM
5
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TINNIES ALL NIGHT
Thurs 21 APR
30/70 (MELB) THE BALDWINS TRICERATOPS
1 9 9 E N M O R E R OA D, E N M O R E thebrag.com
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Ms Mr All The Right Moves By Natalie Rogers
L
ennon and McCartney, Richards and Jagger, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – throughout history, select musical duos have embodied a special chemistry. Ms Mr vocalist Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow are another fine example of this rare partnership. After meeting at the renowned Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, the pair became fast friends and have been virtually inseparable ever since. “It must have been fate that caused Max and me to stumble into each other’s lives,” says Plapinger. “We’re lucky to have the relationship that we do – we definitely keep each other in check.” Their debut single ‘Hurricane’ propelled the pals onto the world stage in 2012 thanks to its unforgettably haunting melody, and made way for the release of their first LP, Secondhand Rapture, in 2013. Featuring tracks like ‘Bones’ and ‘Dark Doo Wop’, this ambitious record cemented Ms Mr’s growing reputation as one of the breakout indie-pop acts of the year. “I think one of the reasons that we had the success and received the attention we did is because we both hadn’t made any music
before Secondhand Rapture, so what people were hearing was the rawest, most visceral and emotional version of music that we could possibly make,” Plapinger says. “It was really us lyrically bleeding in your ears.” Ms Mr spent the next couple of years touring the world, including multiple visits to Australia, a place they call their “home away from home”. Australian audiences have returned the love, and the duo has consistently sold out major venues across the country and played at our biggest and best festivals, including Laneway and Splendour In The Grass. “The first time we played Splendour was honestly one of the best nights of my entire life,” Plapinger says. “So when we were asked to do it a second time I was pretty emotional and excited, and it was such a spectacular evening. What made it even better was that Tame Impala were headlining, so they played at the end of the night. To see them playing the festival that they grew up going to, in front of all their hometown fans, was so inspiring. I know their records intimately, so it was amazing – watching them is my favourite memory from last time we were in Australia.” This time around Plapinger and Hershenow will weave their magic at Groovin The Moo, followed by a headline show at the Metro Theatre. It will be the first time Aussie audiences have the chance to hear their latest LP How Does It Feel, including singles ‘Painted’ and ‘Criminals’, up close and personal. “What we learnt after the release of Secondhand Rapture was that people who listened to our music expected us to be quite different in person, because our first album was rather dark and gloomy,” says Plapinger. “Then they’d meet Max and me, and we’re very bubbly, upbeat people, and there was a disconnect. So on this next one we really wanted to marry the two worlds and create a rounder image and perspective of where we were in our lives, and who we were as people – and I think we did find a little bit more of a balance this time.”
PERTH CONCERT HALL 25 SEPTEMBER QUEENSLAND PAC 28 SEPTEMBER SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 30 SEPTEMBER THEBARTON THEATRE 02 OCTOBER PALAIS THEATRE 05 OCTOBER
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT JB O N A MASSA .COM 12 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
As co-founder of Neon Gold Records, Plapinger knows a thing or two about what it takes to become a well-rounded artist. Together with her business partner Derek Davies, Plapinger can take some credit for the initial discovery and/or support of numerous success stories, including Lana Del Rey, Haim, Grouplove and Chvrches, not to mention being instrumental in the success of Australia’s own Gotye in the US. “I’ve been so lucky to work with the artists that I have with Neon Gold,” she says. “Even the biggest artists we’ve worked with – whether it’s Marina and The Diamonds, Ellie Goulding or Gotye – everyone is still incredibly down-to-earth, humble and thankful for being able to do what they do. “Running my own label has been a real learning lesson, in terms of realising that you’re never too big for your britches – treat everyone like a human being, and just be appreciative that you’re in the game at all, because as soon as it comes, it can also all go. It’s something Max and I always remember.” As part of her Neon Gold duties, Plapinger is also involved in the running of popular club nights in NYC, London and LA, and producing approximately 100 events a year in addition to their flagship annual showcases at SXSW, CMJ and The Great Escape Festival. Plapinger says this gives Ms Mr a unique insight into what festivalgoers really want. “We go to so many festivals and we hear our favourite bands all the time, so we know what it’s like. You want to hear the new songs, but I know you also want to hear the songs that you’ve grown accustomed to and that are close to your heart. So we would never deprive people of the songs that we know that they want to hear. We’re always thinking about it from the fans’ perspective.” Ms Mr certainly aren’t shy at giving their fans what they want. Their social pages are filled with photos of the pair in fabulous fashion (“We adore clothes,” Plapinger says. “It’s the best way to inhabit the wildest version of yourself”), while YouTube is full of clips of the two perfecting new steps together. “Max was a choreographer and dancer, and I was a dancer growing up. That’s actually what I thought I was going to do professionally – I used to compete around the world. It’s so awesome that it’s something we both love and get to share onstage – and the more we perform, the more (unintentionally) our moves sync up, which is really cool. It’s just wonderful to explore another side of our interests together.” What: How Does It Feel out now through Columbia/Sony Where: Metro Theatre When: Thursday April 28 And: Also appearing at Groovin The Moo 2016, Maitland Showground, Saturday April 23 and University Of Canberra, Sunday April 24 thebrag.com
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Supersuckers The Bag In Hand By Adam Norris
C
hatting with Eddie Spaghetti of Supersuckers is, well, actually kind of remarkable. Not only because talking with the frontman of such a renowned rock band is awesome in itself, but because for a time there, the possibility of no-one talking to him became a genuine, harrowing concern. After being handed a diagnosis of stage three oropharyngeal cancer, the Arizona singer-guitarist underwent intensive surgeries. But now, with a series of Australian tour dates planned in support of 2015’s Holdin’ The Bag, Spaghetti is ready to rock. “I’m much better these days than I was for a while there, for sure. It’s a real relief to start feeling like myself again. I’m so glad that it’s behind me. It was really scary, of course … The support from people, though, that was the best thing that came out of it, for sure. If you’re going to find a silver lining in the cloud, that was definitely it. The support, the outpouring of goodwill was really, really awesome. I liken it to dying without the dying. You get to hear what people really thought of you, how awesome you were. Kind of an incredible thing. That’s also why I relocated from Seattle to Los Angeles, to receive treatment that was going to be designed specifically for me to recover and be able to sing again. That was always on my mind, and when I got to my doctors, that was the thing on their minds as well, and that was a relief.”
Spaghetti’s vocals have had an unusual evolution even without the health scare. When the band first formed back in 1988, being the singer was the furthest thing from his mind. It’s an odd jump to these many years later, where not only does he continue to front Supersuckers, he has also carved out a respected solo life. “I definitely didn’t want [the focus]. In fact, my heroes were the ones who worked behind the scenes. I envisaged myself as the wizard behind the curtain, you know? I’ll just play the bass, write all these songs, maybe sing back-up; that’ll be fine. So I was reluctant to be the frontman. I had this mindset for the first couple of years that, ‘We’re still going to get someone else to do this.’ Solo is a different animal altogether. I feel like the smaller shows really flex my entertainer muscle. I don’t fancy myself this serious singer-songwriter type of dude. I don’t force people to sit there and listen, you know? I want people to yell and scream and get involved. But it involves many of the same songs. I’ll play a lot of Supersuckers songs because they’re, well, me. Those are still my thoughts.” It’s also Spaghetti’s hope to try and find space to work on new material as he criss-crosses the great, empty Australian distances between gigs.
“I find inspiration strikes at any time. The secret for me is to capitalise on it immediately, to write something down or record it into your phone. Nowadays it’s so easy to document something with these phones, so there’s really no excuse for letting something slip through the cracks. I hate when I wake up the next morning and think, ‘Man, those lines last night were so good!’ and I have no documentation. So it never really matters where I’m at, because a lot of time I’m on the road, writing in hotel rooms
Richie Ramone
Lush
The Right To Entitlement By Elias Kwiet
Blinded By The Light By Aaron Streatfeild
T
he following is brought to you by a dodgy phone connection and a crappy day job, both of which get under Richie Ramone’s skin. “I’ve done three [interviews] this morning, and this [connection] is the worst,” begins Ramone, real name Richard Reinhardt. In 2013, 26 years after leaving the Ramones, Reinhardt wrote and produced a solo album, also acting as its primary vocalist and drummer. Although echoing the Ramones’ 1984 album Too Tough To Die and 1986’s Animal Boy, for which Reinhardt was the primary composer (the only Ramones drummer to hold such a role), 2013’s Entitled spoke to a new generation of the disenfranchised. “They go to school and can’t get a job, they can’t get ahead, and end up working something they don’t want to do,” Reinhardt says. “If everybody had a job they were good at, it would be a beautiful world. And that’s the name of the feeling [‘entitled’]. I just think everybody’s entitled to a good life.” Unfortunately, Reinhardt’s utopia of selfdetermination doesn’t ring true in the real world. Even after his five-year stint with one of the most famous bands to ever wear skinny jeans and Converse, and maintaining a music career ever since – non-stop touring, recording albums with The Rock N Roll Rats and The Gobshites, and embarking on a solo career – Reinhardt thinks it’s harder than ever for young musicians to make it. “There’s a terrible economy over here,” he says when asked about the New York scene in particular. “You have a hundred people going for the same job. You can’t live like a musician, there’s no money in it anymore. You gotta work a shitty day job and do shows at night. That’s rock’n’roll. It’s just not what it used to be.”
What: Holdin’ The Bag out now through Acetate With: Front End Loader, The Bitter Sweethearts Where: Newtown Social Club When: Thursday April 28
Aside from the money and lifestyle, shows have changed too. When Reinhardt came onto the scene, New York was the place for punk. Manhattan club CBGB was hosting the likes of Television, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Bad Brains, The Dead Boys and the Ramones. “When I got onto the scene in late ’79, it was still, uh… anything went,” Reinhardt says. “You could do whatever you wanted. You could jump off the stage. It was crazy. There’s a lot more rules now – that’s just part of the changing times. They don’t want lawsuits for people jumping off the stage and breaking their neck. What are you going to do about it?” When we speak, Reinhardt has just returned home to Los Angeles from a successful European tour. Although crowds varied from place to place, he was excited to discover pockets of anarchy that still exist, and in areas you wouldn’t expect. “It’s different everywhere. Some crowds are reserved. You have to work harder for those guys to get involved. But in places like Prague and Italy, they’re crazy from the get-go. Jumping off speakers, smoking inside. You don’t have to do nothin’. In the UK they have curfews at 11 and 12 o’clock. Some places much earlier.” Although unaware of our own curfews, Reinhardt has a strong appreciation for the opportunity to play Down Under this month. “It’s a big expense to come to Australia. I really love it over there, but it means I can’t do other places. But if it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it anymore. To come out there and have a good time, it makes me smile, and that’s what it’s about.” Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday April 30
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hortly after Lush’s most successful international chart release, 1996’s Lovelife, the band dissolved – an end brought about by the death of drummer Chris Acland. Distraught by the loss of a dear friend and band member, Lush receded into obscurity, eventually calling it quits in February 1998. Two decades later, the UK shoegazers have resurfaced with a new EP, Blind Spot. With tours lined up in the UK, North America and mainland Europe, bass player Phil King talks of the band’s resurgence and how it all came to fruition.
“We did think about it a few years ago, but we’ve all got families. At the time, Miki [Berenyi, guitar/vocals]’s children were too young. Miki wasn’t comfortable with the idea just yet, so we put it on the backburner. So now just seemed like the right time. I mean, there was talk about doing it last year, but I was doing the Psychocandy tour with The Jesus and Mary Chain, so I asked if we could delay it a year. It also makes it a clean-cut 20 years since disbanding, so it’s a lot neater,” he laughs.
Co-produced by Danny Hunt of UK outfit Ladytron and famed British producer Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian), Blind Spot was recorded over a week at Abbiss’ studio. The result is a handful of songs that are undeniably Lush – dreamy guitars awash with reverberating vocal melodies and hazy pop undertones.
“Emma wanted new songs rather than playing the old numbers and it being more of a revival thing,” says King. “All the reviews of it have been very positive. We picked up from where we left off, really. And hopefully, you know, we will be planning an album at some point. I hope we make it to Australia at some point; we haven’t been there since 1992.” A photo researcher for Uncut magazine and a veteran of the British music press, King has witnessed both sides of the music industry coin. “I think the climate has changed a lot,” he says. “I think in terms of music press, the press that’s around today is not as bitchy and negative. It could be quite flattering at times but also extremely vicious. It doesn’t seem to happen anymore, thankfully. And also with the internet you’ve got your audience right there; you’re in direct contact with fans. So the power of the press isn’t as overwhelming or as strong as it was, especially the English music press. At one point they could build you up and knock you down.” Reminiscing on the times of old, in particular the band’s visits to America, King cites one of Lush’s most memorable hiccups while touring the States. “I think the only time we really got heckled was at the KROQ Weenie Roast in 1996. It was KISS’ return show. We were on a revolving stage and the Fugees were on right before us. They went over the stipulated set time and were only halfway through ‘Killing Me Softly’ – which reached number one on the charts – and the stagehands rotated the stage. We came out to resounding boos and a lot of unhappy punters.” What: Blind Spot out now through Edamame
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Richie Ramone photo by Mozzchopz
“Originally it was just about getting back together and playing some shows. Then Emma [Anderson, vocals/guitar] suggested we write new songs. It was all quite effortless really. But because we’ve all got families and day jobs, it took quite a while to organise anything.”
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and the backstages of the dirtiest shitholes across America,” he laughs. “That’s my creative environment. The dirty shitholes of the world.”
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FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Fits (Feature) Unhurried and ďŹ&#x201A;uid, this coming of age story that follows an 11 year old tomboy as she looks for a place to belong.
Mapplethorpe (Doc) A dazzling look at the life, times and inďŹ&#x201A;uence of one of the great renaissance men and one of the great artist/photographers of the 20th century.
The Strongest Man (Feature) This ďŹ lm is from that special oddball school of innocent ďŹ lmmaking in the zone of the legendary American Astronaut and The Adventures of Power.
Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Still Here: Johnny Cashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bitter Tears Revisited (Doc) Johnny Cashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bitter Tears recording is beautifully reconstructed in the studio by a stellar collection of country music stars.
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BRAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town
arts in focus
we will rock you
Xxxx
the queen musical comes to town also inside:
PAWNO / ARTS NEWS / ARTS REVIEWS / FILM GIVEAWAY / GAME ON / OUT & ABOUT thebrag.com
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arts in focus
free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Zanda Wilson, Amy Henderson and James Di Fabrizio
five minutes WITH
KATE COATES FROM THEATRESPORTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS nothing more than to see their faces when we win that big, outlandish cup. Just how competitive is the Theatresports scene? The competitive thing is purely for the audience. It adds to the fun of the night to cheer on your favourite team but as soon as we go backstage it’s all hugs and congratulations. That being said, we’re geared up to totally wipe the floor with our interstate rivals!
Y
ou’re part of the Sydney Cranston Cup champion team, set to compete against Theatresports winners from around the country at the National Championships. Why do you have what it takes to win? We’ve been preparing for endless minutes, we’ve learnt no lines and we’re completely 100 per cent ready to fail! Edan Lacey and Simon Greiner are beautiful boys and two of my favourite improvisers on the planet. I’d love
AMERICAN CINEMA NOW
Palace Cinemas are set to host premieres of 14 American indie films as part of the new festival Essential Independents: American Cinema, Now. Across a program of 32 films, the nationwide event will celebrate independent filmmaking and achievement from our friends across the Pacific. Highlights include The Fits, the debut from Anna Rose Holmer, and Oren Moverman’s Time Out Of Mind starring an impressive Richard Gere. The whole program is split across categories including Essential Fiction, Essential Intrigue, Essential Experiments, Essential Originals and Essential New York, which means there’s something to enjoy for any cinephile. Visit essentialindependents. com for the full program, running in Sydney from Tuesday May 17 – Wednesday June 1.
National Art School
To many people, improv comedy sounds like the scariest thing you can possibly do. Do you have any greater fears of your own?
Is improv comedy currently in a golden age, or perhaps undergoing a revival on the comedy circuit? Improv is certainly growing in recognition throughout the Sydney comedy circuit, particularly among stand-up comics. The success of comedians who got their start in improv, such as Susie Youssef and Steen Raskopoulos, is helping build a name for the art form. The thousandseater Theatresports shows at the Enmore every year are testament to its consistent popularity. What: Theatresports National Championships as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2016 Where: Enmore Theatre When: Sunday April 24
BASTILLE DAY
Now this will be one Bastille Day you won’t forget in a hurry. Bastille Day, the new action blockbuster by director James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman In Black), charts the adventures of Michael Mason (Game Of Thrones’ Richard Madden), an American pickpocket living in France, and CIA agent Sean Briar (Idris Elba, the man touted as a future James Bond). The foes turned unlikely allies team up to uncover a shocking conspiracy and track down its source before the city of Paris, and the world, is changed forever. Bastille Day opens in cinemas nationally on Thursday May 12, but BRAG readers can win the chance to be among the first to see the film. A preview screening will take place on Wednesday May 4 at Event Cinemas George Street, and we’ve got ten double passes on offer. Enter the draw at thebrag.com/freeshit.
INTO THE MOTHERLAND
Critically acclaimed Australian play Motherland is set to show at Glen Street Theatre next month. Premiering in Brisbane in 2013, Motherland has won a plethora of awards since its debut, including the Matilda Award for Best Independent Production and the Groundlings Award for Best Overall Production. The creation of Katherine Lyall-Watson, directed by Caroline Dunphy, tells the story of three women living in vastly different times and places, each united in the heartache of exile from their homes. Brisbane-born Nell is trapped after marrying the Russian Prime Minister, while writer Nina struggles to return to Russia after spending most of her life in Paris, and Aloyna is watching her Australian future crumble before her eyes after leaving Russia to marry a Brisbane businessman. During its run week, there will be special captioned performances as well as a ‘meet the cast’ evening on the opening night. Motherland will play at Glen Street from Tuesday May 17 – Sunday May 22.
LADYBOYS LIVE
The Thailand Ladyboy Superstars Cabaret will come to the Big Top at the Entertainment Quarter for a limited season from late May this year. Known for their flawless and flamboyant female impersonations, the entertainers at the Thailand Ladyboy Superstars Cabaret will be here for their debut visit Down Under. The shows will feature more than 20 of Thailand’s most glamorous ladyboy stars from some of the country’s most prestigious cabaret shows. Thailand Ladyboy Superstars Cabaret promises a blend of dance, cabaret and comedy, with the stars set to dress up in more than 200 specially designed costumes. The shows will be complemented by a resident Thai chef on hand to prepare a vast number of exclusive speciality dishes, which will be available prior to and throughout the performances. Thailand Ladyboy Superstars Cabaret will play from Thursday May 26 – Sunday June 19.
Anne Loxley, Mirabelle Wouters and Diego Bonetto
FOOD FIGHT FOR A CAUSE
The Museum of Contemporary Art, in collaboration with Liverpool City Council and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, is holding a series of community workshops culminating in a huge evening event in Liverpool to raise awareness for food security. Food Fight – The Battle For Food Security is a social project aiming foremost to raise awareness and start conversations about food security and access to affordable, fresh and nutritious food for people in Sydney’s south. Part of the MCA’s C3West program curated by Anne Loxley, the project is being headed by Sydney artists Diego Bonetto, Lee Wilson and Mirabelle Wouters. It will culminate with a major event in Bigge Park, Liverpool on Saturday April 30, including a night market packed with healthy local food stalls, a DJ set, nutrition chats and a dramatic finale involving a choreographed food fight.
ANALYSE THIS
Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, producer, writer and director Billy Crystal will share the stage with celebrated Australian interviewer Andrew Denton for two hilarious and personal evenings, as Crystal provides his unique observations on the world around him and reflects on his life and career so far. An Evening Of Sit Down With Billy Crystal will provide insight and first-hand accounts into the famous life and career of a stand-up comic turned television star who
found Hollywood success via When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers and Analyze This. Crystal and Denton will be in conversation at The Star Event Centre on Sunday July 10 and Monday July 11.
UP LATE WITH NAS
Dean Strang and Jerry Buting
YOU BETTER GET A LAWYER SON
Dean Strang and Jerry Buting – famously known as the defence lawyers for Making A Murderer subject Steven Avery, have announced a speaking tour of Australia, and will be hitting Sydney to talk about one of the most infamous cases of recent times. The event will feature Strang and Buting in discussion about the systematic failures of the justice system, Avery’s case and its wider implications, as well as a Q&A session open to the audience. A Conversation On Making A Murderer will take place at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on Thursday November 3.
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National Art School photo by Adam Davis-Powell
From the historic site of the old Darlinghurst Gaol and its dark past comes a night of light, art, history, tours, delectable cuisine and aromatic wine awaiting your most hearty enjoyment. And it’s all for free. The National Art School is set to present its latest instalment of NAS Nights on Thursday April 28. Art being a phenomenon to be enjoyed by all the senses, it should come as no surprise that every medium has been covered. The night will feature the Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, art and history tours, artist engagement opportunities, live music and lights to bring a most convivial ambiance to those sashaying in its midst. 43 leading contemporary artists will proffer forth their works across a range of media from painting, video and photography to sculpture and installation. Invite your bestie and mosey along to NAS Nights to satisfy those culture cravings.
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Bastille Day
Anne Loxley, Mirabelle Wouters and Diego Bonetto photo by Anna Kucera
Time Out Of Mind
Does a good improviser have to be born with the talent, or can it be nurtured? Anyone can become a good improviser. Some people are quicker in allowing themselves to take risks but I think the skill of thinking on your feet and trusting your scene partner can definitely be nurtured. It’s not about having the funniest lines or the best gags, it’s about being present and playful and committed.
My greatest fear is probably heights, which is ridiculous when you’re six-foot-one. The idea of having to remember lines is much more terrifying for me than making it up on the spot, because with a script there’s a chance you’ll get it wrong!
Pawno [FILM] Rates Of Interest By Adam Norris
A
fter a staggered start to the day (“Nothing has quite gone as planned this morning,” Damian Hill wryly admits following communication gremlins and overlapping schedules), our conversation about new Australian feature Pawno seems to have been weirdly presaged. An ensemble drama centred around a pawn shop in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, the film sees an assortment of lives intersecting and complicating each other; fitting, then, that our interview begins in convoluted fashion. Yet the film itself is far from haphazard – it is a stunning debut from director Paul Ireland and showcases actor/writer Hill in exceptional form. “There’s probably something in that naïvety when it’s married with enthusiasm,” Hill muses on the pair’s relative inexperience behind the camera. “There’s a real learning curve. We definitely became producers by proxy – it’s not what I set out to do. That said, the next thing I do I’d probably produce to some degree. But our thing was to surround ourselves with people who were better than us. We got an amazing first AD [Karen Mahood], which is really what producers do, I think. Get people who know what they’re doing. “As we built the pawn shop, I remember driving out to hard rubbishers, ordering plastic jewellery from China, all sorts of ridiculous things. Trying to price make-up, endless emails to try and get the money, to get it in shape. We had a lot of assistance from the right people. But creatively, we
were really left alone. What you see is really our film.” While a film’s budget is no real yardstick of the quality, the struggles in getting any feature off the ground are significant. Between Ireland, Hill and a large cast and crew, the spirit to realise this gritty tale of a single day in Melbourne was strong, but the numerous hurdles that stand between the page and premiere are many. “Man, it’s hard!” Hill says. “Every rejection from a distributor or film festival or actor, losing any potential money, you all share that feeling. You might find yourself working two or three other jobs in between, finding a part in some other film that means, ‘Thank fuck, I can pay rent for the next six months.’ That’s the hardest part. I think a lot of the best actors will just drop off from the pressure, and I totally get that. If you don’t absolutely love doing it, there’s no easy way. But the pay-off is, last year Paul and I went to Estonia for the most beautiful film festival in a building that used to be occupied by the Soviets that’s been converted into a cinema, where people thought the film was so exotic and amazing. Those experiences, you can’t buy that.
The proof is entirely in the product. The centrepiece of Pawno is a shop operated by the hard-edged Les Underwood, played with subtle menace by John Brumpton. Though the film is ostensibly seen through the eyes of Hill’s own character, Danny, it is Underwood who captures our fascination – a mix of charm and aggression in the vein of Ian McShane’s character Al Swearengen from Deadwood.
done that play, a few short films, then another play with him. Then we ended up on a film called Fell, and, well… Men at times probably aren’t the best at saying what they think, but you can do it through actions. There’s something to that with John and I, and I knew we’d work well together. We’d even played brothers together, and another with a kind of father-son element. So there’s a lot there in how we work together.”
“There are certain scenes I still look at and think, ‘Wow, that was amazing.’ Plus my partner and oldest daughter is in it; Paul’s wife and daughter is in it. It was an absolute joy to have your family and friends there. And that’s not all that normal. A lot of times you’ll show up, say hi to the costumer, the director, and that’s it. It’s work. This was different.”
“I’ve worked with John on a play where I also met Paul the director, and Tony Rickards who plays Harry,” says Hill. “John had played the role I was playing 20 years earlier. I’d always wanted to work with him. He came to my high school when I was 15 to do a one-man play, and I was blown away. That’s where I found out I wanted to be an actor. By the time of writing [Pawno], though, I’d
Though Pawno certainly boats an impressive cast – including Maeve Dermody, Malcolm Kennard, Kerry Armstrong, Mark Coles Smith and many more – what becomes quickly apparent is the role of Footscray itself. Brimming with despair, colour, violence and love, it is very nearly a character of its own. “It’s a character within the piece,
definitely,” Hill agrees. “I don’t know Sydney that well, but I guess it’s comparable to what Redfern was, or the Cabramatta I remember from when I was younger. I’m sure there are pockets of London, of New York, every country – even Estonia, as I saw over there – everywhere you find pawnbrokers. People need loans everywhere. I think most of these characters could live everywhere, and at first I thought, ‘Yeah, it could be a Melbourne story,’ but I don’t think that’s it. It’s a huge part of it, but that’s not the focus. Really, it’s just people being people. It’s the Australia I know. There are no kangaroos or koalas in this one.” What: Pawno (dir. Paul Ireland) Where: In cinemas Thursday April 21
We Will Rock You [MUSICAL THEATRE] An Audience With Elton By Adam Norris “My manager has always said, ‘Why don’t you write a character like James Bond or Harry Potter, something where you can build an audience? Every book you write is completely different!’ I mean, the three eco novels – Stark, Gridlock and This Other Eden – were still pretty different. Since then, they’ve really been different. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of connection, but sometimes the ideas might touch. I guess dystopian visions is something I’ve done a bit. This Other Eden was definitely that, and We Will Rock You. It’s not an environmentally concerned one, but it is a prediction for the increasing digitisation and corporatisation of entertainment. It was written at the end of the last century, when there were no iPhones, there was no streaming, no American Idol. But all that was in the script in 1999 when I did the first treatment. It made it quite difficult, because it’s all come true so quickly, I’ve had to change it!
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B
en Elton’s career has been so varied that it’s hard to predict just how people are most familiar with him. His groundbreaking television work on The Young Ones and Blackadder is one facet, but then there are his achievements in musical theatre, including Love Never Dies and the phenomenally successful Queen musical We Will Rock You – not to mention his 15 novels and film and radio work. Meeting the dual Brit/Aussie on the eve of the We Will Rock You Sydney season provides a comprehensive look at his winding career. Elton’s first novel, Stark, was released in 1989 – a comedic thebrag.com
bestseller about environmental collapse that was largely set in Australia. “It’s getting close!” he laughs. “Obviously I didn’t know about global warming then, because in those days it was the ozone layer we were all worried about. I was particularly concerned with the physical pollution. I had this idea that there’d just be so much dirt that it wouldn’t be possible to clean the world, and certainly these rubbish islands that are fl oating around the seas now, these great slicks of plastic bags – I think it’s horrifying. The only reason I would ever regret having children is, well, that doubles your despair because you
can’t even think, ‘Well, at least I’ll be dead when the end comes.’ That’s an awful way to put it, and I can scarcely bear to talk about our consumption of the world’s resources, and we’re all a part of it. We’re all culpable.”
“There’s nothing very interesting in observing a kid locked onto a little device that takes their attention and deprives them of a social life, because I’ve got three kids and that’s just normal now. So I guess there are recurrent themes in my work, but I do tend to reinvent myself. The Young Ones was a bit like The Black Adder, and The Thin Blue Line was a bit like The Young Ones. But sometimes when I do [something different], people feel betrayed.”
The world of Stark is grim, and as we turn our focus to the rest of Elton’s canon – the doomed anarchy of The Young Ones, the Orwellian undertones of We Will Rock You – you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s a depressed man. Instead, he is animated and engaging, and quick to assure that if there are indeed thematic links between his work, it is not by design.
We Will Rock You first opened in London in 2002, and has since been seen by tens of millions. While the legacy of Queen can hardly be disputed, there is a strong argument to be made for the musical sustaining their contemporary presence, and introducing many people to the remarkable versatility of the band. Queen’s catalogue is so comprehensive – so vibrant and
inspiring – that the process of finding songs to anchor Elton’s story was fairly direct. “The story came from the vibe of Queen rather than any specific song,” he says. “In fact, one of the reasons that the most complex and intriguing of all Queen songs, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, is not in the story but nailed on at the end, is because the songs didn’t directly inspire the story. Queen and the vibe and the legend, their obsession with live music, that’s what informed it. They’re all storytelling songs. ‘Somebody To Love’ can be a love song, or it can be a song of selfloathing. ‘Each morning I get up I die a little / Can barely stand on my feet’. Some people hear it as looking for somebody to love, but I hear it as needing to learn how to love yourself. Or that’s how I used it. Brian [May], Roger [Taylor] and I talked a lot about it. But everyone has their own meaning to songs. [Bob Dylan’s] ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, who knows what that means? “So I was able to use the songs that I wished, really, but most of them fell entirely into place. Mainly I used hits, which wasn’t hard since it’s Queen; they have something like 40 chart hits! But there’s one song I used that Freddie [Mercury] never heard, called ‘No-One But You’, that Brian wrote for Freddie after his death. It’s a beautiful song that wasn’t really known, but we made it into a hit. From this album track scarcely known, to 20 million people hearing it as a tribute to everyone who dies young. To those whose promise is unfulfilled. We use it not just for Freddie, but for anyone who has those feelings in their heart.” What: We Will Rock You Where: Sydney Lyric Theatre When: From Thursday April 28 BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 19
film & theatre reviews
game on Gaming news and reviews with Adam Guetti
Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town
2016
We’re almost halfway through 2016, so there’s certainly no shortage of amazing games on the horizon. But what should you be paying attention to? Well, it all starts on Tuesday May 3 when Gearbox, the team behind Borderlands, drops Battleborn. The colourful game mixes shooters with MOBAs as a group of heroes try to protect the universe’s last star.
Savages ■ Theatre
SAVAGES Playing at Eternity Playhouse until Sunday May 1 We need to talk about Australian men. It’s a conversation we’ve undoubtedly been avoiding, and one at the foundation of Patricia Cornelius’ Savages. But with its predisposition towards well-trodden masculine archetypes and lack of narrative catharsis, this is not the play for such a vital discussion. Four blue-collar blokes set out on the trip of a lifetime, determined to leave their worries in life behind as they board a luxurious cruise ship. As the holiday proves unfulfilling, their frustrations mount and begin to give way to more animal instincts. While Cornelius certainly has an excellent grip on language, there’s something to the sing-songy nature of her rhyming prose that puts the whole show on tilt. Sure, there are some powerfully uncomfortable phrases, but they are undercut when overemphasised. The potential in Jeremy Allen’s Griffinesque set design is underused by the cast, who are all too light on their feet as they trip merrily up and down the slanted surfaces of the ship’s deck. The actors
move from mark to mark with little purpose except to let loose a few more cheers or wolf howls, the play’s most unpleasant signifier of their descent into savagery. Every time one of the actors is given an empathetic moment – Runt’s backlash after constantly being the butt of everyone’s jokes; Rabbit’s frank talk about his sexuality – the moment is robbed of lasting effect by the tacked-on growls, grunts and howls of animals. It’s a cheap trick all too present from beginning to end, with no real journey for the characters save their inevitable bad behaviour. Perhaps most disappointing is the sudden ending, which implies a truly shocking event but leaves the audience with few genuinely provocative questions. Bereft of the comforts of masculine superiority, they turn to an act of violence that the truncation of the play robs of consequence. Savages has every reason to be shown on Sydney stages – its themes could hardly be more relevant. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see such a fundamental topic oversimplified. Its motivated design is laudable, but in almost every other category, its bark tries to hide its absence of bite.
Wait just a week longer, however, and the PlayStation faithful will finally be able to get their hands on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on Tuesday May 10. After multiple delays, here’s hoping that Nathan Drake’s final adventure is a memorable one. Not far behind on Friday May 13 is one for the shooter lovers. Yes, the one and only Doom blasts its way onto store shelves, 12 years after its last entry. Should you prefer your FPSes without murderous monsters, hold out until Friday May 20 for Homefront: The Revolution. It’ll have you leading a resistance against a superior North Korean military force. Meanwhile, Nintendo 3DS fans can get their strategy game fix a day later on Saturday May 21. That’s the release date for both Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright and Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, which may sound similar, but actually feature varying stories, allies, classes and maps. Finally, EA and DICE bring the month to a spectacular close on Thursday May 26 with Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. The reboot of the 2008 cult classic has been long requested, so fingers crossed the final product has been well worth the wait.
MONEY MAKER It seems Nintendo’s first foray into the smartphone app market, Miitomo, has been quite the successful venture, with estimates from SurveyMonkey reaching as high as a whopping four million users. A quarter of those users are also reportedly playing the game every single day – generating US$280,000 per week purely from in-game purchases. In case you missed it, Miitomo lets players build their very own Miis, then answer questions, interact with friends and play the occasional mini-game. It’s available on Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
NEWS
MAY
New Releases
STAND BY FOR TITANFALL The existence of Titanfall 2 may not come as a surprise, but EA and Respawn Entertainment have lifted the curtain a little with a recently released teaser trailer. Specifics are scarce, but a proper solo campaign is confirmed for the sequel, as is the addition of mech swords. More details have been promised in June, which can only mean one thing – get excited for one hell of an E3.
A STELLAR SHOWCASE Speaking of E3, Microsoft has confirmed its regular Monday timeslot for this year’s show. “We’re excited to return to E3 this year where we’ll showcase more games and experiences coming later in 2016 and beyond, starting with our briefing at 9:30am PDT on Monday June 13,” Microsoft said in a statement. That translates to Tuesday June 14 at 2:30am on our shores, so grab a warm blanket and expect to hear more about Gears Of War 4, the next Forza and maybe even a refreshed Xbox One console.
Review: Quantum Break (XBO, PC)
David Molloy
■ Film
THE JUNGLE BOOK In cinemas now Biting at the mention of remakes is a truly Sisyphean act: producers are, after all, investors and want products that will guarantee returns. But in the medium of film, the return for an audience member should be something new and previously unseen in the story. Getting Iron Man director Jon Favreau on board was the wisest move Disney could make in mounting a live action version of its beloved classic, The Jungle Book. The new elements he brings are charming, but where Disney falters is in paying homage to its own legacy. Mowgli the man-cub (Neel Sethi) has always called the jungle home, having been raised by a wolf pack under the oversight of the panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley). But when the vicious Shere Khan (Idris Elba) demands the boy’s life in exchange for peace in the Animal Kingdom, Mowgli is forced to escape, and embarks on a journey to where he truly belongs.
The heart of the film is Baloo (Bill Murray), an absolutely inspired piece
of casting and a reconfiguring that sees the bear come across quite the con man. There’s nothing malicious to his manipulations, which makes him enormously endearing, and his relationship with the adorably gangly Sethi (as Mowgli) feels genuine. Even Murray’s efforts at crooning Baloo’s song warm the soul. But the songs feel unwelcome. Favreau, a master of action choreography in CG environments, struggles when coordinating a song. As the camera lingers on the locked expression of Christopher Walken’s King Louie singing ‘I Wanna Be Like You’, the feeling is not delight but disorientation. (Louie is otherwise topnotch.) The casting choices are excellent, but Lupita Nyong’o, Giancarlo Esposito and Scarlett Johansson feel underused. Then there’s Khan – Elba’s cockney accent genuinely disrupts the otherwise cohesive whole of the jungle. When Khan barks with authority, the audience members tremble before him; when Elba drops into Luther, they snicker. Favreau’s skills as an action director bring pathos, joy and light into the depths of the jungle, which makes it all the stranger on the occasions when he stumbles.
E
xplaining Quantum Break to somebody for the first time can be an exercise in confusion. Part video game and part television show (both of which can influence the other), what you’re presented with is an incredibly fascinating experiment in game design. Thankfully though, it’s also pretty damn fun. The set-up is classic science-fiction fare. You’ll control Jack Joyce (played by X-Men and Animorphs star Shawn Ashmore) who, upon visiting his estranged friend Paul Serene (Game Of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen), unwittingly takes part in a risky experiment that causes a fracture in time. As a result, Jack must not only fight the ruthless security corporation Monarch Solutions for his life, but to save the foundations of time itself. This allows Quantum Break to toy with the nature of time and offer some rather unique shooter mechanics. Maybe you’ll choose to freeze an enemy in place to make them easier to shoot, or maybe you’ll quickly zip across a room like the Flash for some much needed cover. Working out how best to combine your powers into a deadly combo and outwit your enemy is a thrill. Sure, Jack is in many ways fundamentally overpowered, but the fun is not merely in surviving your enemies’ attacks, but discovering the best way to defeat them. That said, developer Remedy does arguably grant you access to Jack’s complete arsenal a little too early, so by the home stretch, fights can feel slightly repetitive. Once you’ve completed one of the game’s acts you will be granted access to a junction. It’s here that you gain temporary control over Paul in order to make a decision between two fairly morally grey outcomes – both of which affect events that follow. Most importantly, these decisions influence Quantum’s live action television show, where you’ll gain a greater understanding of the people behind Monarch. Go in expecting an Emmywinning production and you’ll likely be disappointed, but they still greatly add to the game’s story and are incredibly well produced, even if it does feel strange to put down the controller for 20 minutes at a time. Regardless, while Quantum Break won’t be for everyone, it’s an experience that deserves to be tried by most. Blurring the line between passive and interactive entertainment, Remedy has crafted a wonderfully unique experience that is easily one of the Xbox One’s strongest exclusives.
David Molloy Adam Guetti
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Savages photo by Helen White
There’s a wondrous sense of nostalgia to the whole film, one of which Favreau is keenly aware. The soundtrack twinges at the heartstrings when it references the ‘Bare Necessities’ we all know and love, and the CGI jungle feels more lively than any we’ve yet seen. In fact, the film’s effects are close to peerless, making even Life Of Pi seem dated as the grasses of the savannah (and the fur of its inhabitants) dance in the wind. The real breathtaker is when Mowgli is introduced to man’s “red flower” in a stunning flashback.
The Jungle Book
out & about Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson
Y
ou might have seen the news last week of Isaac Keatinge, who was brutally bashed in Newtown for wearing a dress. Isaac is a friend of mine. When I saw his post on Facebook about it, I was incredibly shaken. The response has been huge, and fairly positive. That’s probably partly due to the fact that Isaac himself was so incredibly sweet about the whole thing, writing on Facebook in the caption under his brutalised and bloodied face that it’s “a gentle reminder of how lucky we are to live in a country where gay bashing is rare”, and urging others to “take care”. While most media outlets and police have been careful with their words, it’s important that we be clear: this was a hate crime, a homophobic assault, in which my friend was singled out because of his appearance and the connotations that appearance generates. Isaac is right: gay bashing in Australia is rare. But as Lane Sainty pointed out on Buzzfeed, LGBT harassment is frighteningly common. We arm ourselves with a safeguard every time we go out. Prior to last week, I thought my guard was a kind of paranoia, and assured myself, “This won’t happen, not to me, not in Newtown,” but now, my paranoia seems entirely legitimate. Sometimes I think I live in a bubble. And I do, to some extent. The Inner West is a queer bubble where everyone supports marriage equality, no-one bats an eyelid when you walk down the street holding hands with your partner, no-one is turned down employment for who they fuck. When I leave the bubble, it’s hard to know what popular opinion is – can I hold my partner’s hand? Can I book this accommodation for me and my partner? Can I write my LGBT-based experience on my CV? For sure, my bubble is expanding. In most places, the answer to all of those questions is yes. But as a bubble expands, it’s more susceptible to breakage. I just didn’t expect the bubble to burst right on my doorstep. We thought we were safe in Newtown.
Isaac Keatinge While we can’t necessarily know for sure, there’s every chance the men who bashed Isaac were in Newtown because the lockout laws had forced them there. While the government is adamant that the lockout laws haven’t driven the violence elsewhere, anecdotal evidence at least indicates the culture of King Street has changed on the weekends. Statistical evidence might not be able to prove that the lockouts have driven the violence elsewhere, but it’s really not that left of field to suggest they haven’t curbed violence, because all research indicates the lockouts are a band-aid. It might stop the bleeding, but it hasn’t done anything to fix the cause. The lockout laws have done nothing to change the hypermasculinity our culture has bred. It is the hypermasculinity that leads men to feel threatened by other men who don’t display their masculinity as vibrantly, and those who display some femininity. It is the hypermasculinity that leads men to feel threatened by lesbians, who get along perfectly well without them or their penises, thank you very much. Until we fix this culture of masculinity that demonises or belittles femininity, we won’t fix the violence that breeds in our society when you add alcohol to it.
this week… On Saturday April 23, there are two protests to show your support of the LGBT community. At 12:30pm in the city, there’s a protest outside the ACL conference, opposing its views on Safe Schools, marriage equality, transgender rights, and its general shittiness. Later, at 3pm in Victoria Park, Reclaim The Streets is doing a Keep Newtown Weird And Safe protest following Isaac’s bashing. The march will move up to King Street in an effort to reclaim the street from the weekend crowd.
The Presets photo by Elvis Di Fazio
Then on Sunday April 24, the House Of Mince and The Presets bring you Last Exit at The Red Rattler. As well as The Presets doing a DJ set, the event features Massimiliano Pagliara, Zero Percent, Mike Callander, DJ Kiti, Annabelle Gaspar, Jon Watts, Gemma, Steve Sonius and Forrest Ensemble. If that lineup sounds appetising, it’s also sold out, so you better get on your knees if you want to go. Finally, Studio Kink is doing a weekend of intensive classes, with a performance evening on
thebrag.com
The Presets Sunday April 24. The performance evening will be featuring rope
displays, as the intensive weekend is all about rope techniques.
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THE
BRAG’S
V
GUIDE TO
This Week At Sydney Comedy Festival
SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016
PAUL FOOT have normal thoughts like, ‘I gotta wash this cauliflower,’ or, o ‘Our society and government are cruel and heartless to the vulnerable.’ It comes out all surreal when I think it. I’m creating new humour at the moment called surrealism’, and there’s a piece ‘literal surre ‘Immigration X-Factor’ that is a called ‘Im of this. It involves a man perfect example e and being made to sing being deported de Rihanna while crying. Sometimes, the observations are made by most powerful pow surrealism.” While it could be seen as somewhat resting laurels to do what is ostensibly on one’s laur a ‘greatest hits’ hit show at a festival, Foot is ecting on older material in order to simply reflect give it a proper prop send-off. He has some much bigger fish to fry at present, and these are taking shape for his next festival show. “I have been working on my next hour show since January last year,” he says. “It will contain literal surreal surrealism, which uses surrealism and madness to make m powerful observational points that observational ob comedy cannot. It will premiere at the Edinburgh Festival this August, and iti will hopefully come to Australia next March a and April.”
By David James Young
A
fter a solid half-decade of oddness, absurdism and acute observations about the world at large, UK comic Paul Foot is taking a brief moment to reflect on his last batch of original festival shows before he ventures off onto a new one entirely. His imaginatively titled 2016 Sydney Comedy Festival show, An Evening With Mr. Paul Foot, is a collection of stories and bits from across his history at Australian festivals, put together in painstaking detail by the man himself. Despite the potential for a lot of the material to be dated, or not work outside the context of its original performance, Foot feels like he has created something cohesive to present to audiences. “It’s been quite a challenge to condense all five hours of comedy I’ve done in Australia into one show,” says Foot. “I considered a show containing all the starts of my previous shows, a five-star-rated show. But in the end, I decided to just jam every single piece of humour into one hour via the method of time warping, speaking quickly and leaving bits out.”
Foot’s 2015 festival hour, Hovercraft Symphony In Gammon # Major, was celebrated as one of the best shows of the 22 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
best of the fest
Ivan Aristeguieta: Chorizo Sizzle
MONDAY APRIL 18 – SUNDAY MAY 15
An Evening With Mr. Paul Foot
For the duration of Sydney Comedy Festival 2016, we’re bringing you a weekly roundup of the hottest tickets in town. Zanda Wilson reports.
entire Sydney Comedy Festival season. It was also seen as an interesting approach on Foot’s behalf to mix his usual quirks (see the title) with some more hard-hitting reality-based material on both organised religion and the rights of the LGBT community, of which Foot is openly a part. According to the man himself, however, there’s just as much weirdness in the real world as there is going on in his own head at any given time. “I don’t see why one couldn’t discuss both religion and surreal absurdism in the same show,” he says. “Most religion is far more surreal and absurd than any of my warped ramblings. I mean, a talking snake? I can’t remember, was that from my show or from that book by God?” There has always been an interesting blend within Foot’s stand-up – which he has been doing for nearly 20 years – of the observational and the abstract, often where the two combine in the most unexpected of ways. One could see it as a matter of Foot intentionally setting out to find a unique angle on common topics, while it could also simply stem naturally from the way Foot sees the world around him. His take? It’s a little bit of both. “I do often think of things in abstract and surreal ways,” he admits, “but sometimes I just
Foot has enjo enjoyed a considerable degree of success w with Australian audiences over the years, including inc a run of sold-out shows and some of the most glowing reviews of his career. When asked to single out a highlight from his mult multiple visits to Australia, he says, “I loved performing perform in the Sydney Opera House. That was very exciting. It’s so beautiful there.” As for Foot’s worst moment in Australia, he responds in a typically silly manner. “My worst moment was one night in Adelaide when I went to bed hungry because it was Sunday and all the shops were shut,” he says. “I had to survive on a few nuts and overpriced sparkling water.” Of course, for every sell-out and every five-star review, Foot will still be met with apprehension and angry confusion. Famously among Australian comedy fans, Foot appeared on an episode of Melbourne podcast Little Dum Dum Club alongside Michael Hing. His derailment of the show’s normal style of banter has simultaneously been hailed by fans as one of the podcast’s best and worst episodes ever. As far as the man himself is concerned, he doesn’t see what he does as any more out-there or eccentric than the next stand-up. His main focus is his work, which he feels speaks for itself. “I’ve just been saying things for years, and people seem to like it,” he says succinctly. “So I just keep on saying things. I don’t know if it’s divisive, or an acquired taste. It’s just the things that come out of my mouth. Like Prunella Flagon’s loose leg. Some people love it, some people hate it. Don’t ask me. Blame Prunella.”
WHERE: The Comedy Store WHEN: Wednesday April 20 and Thursday April 21 THE BRAG’S GUIDE TO SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS
Enmore Theatre, Thursday April 21 – Sunday April 24 With his own unique cultural take on what it means to be Australian, Ivan Aristeguieta is ready to treat audiences to a taste of his chorizo. The Venezuelan comic is now a permanent resident of our sunburnt country, and to celebrate he’s turning up the heat on some lightly charred jokes about the traditional Aussie barbecue.
Dave Williams: Dakota Dick
Enmore Theatre, Thursday April 21 – Sunday April 24 A reflection on the 1950s, when the communist threat was constant and political correctness was barely an afterthought, Dakota Dick tells the story of an Indiana Jones-style character from an age when men were men, and who will stop at nothing to uncover communist plots using his inappropriate and hilarious methods.
Kelly Fastuca: Don’t Get Up
Enmore Theatre, Thursday April 21 – Friday April 22 Issues that come with typical mid-life crises can often depress, but as Kelly Fastuca proves, they can just as easily be turned into hilariously relatable anecdotes. Don’t Get Up is a breakthrough in observational humour based in mid-life anxieties that come with being good at everything but great at nothing.
Ross Noble: Brain Dump
Sydney Town Hall, Saturday April 23 – Sunday April 24 The UK’s Ross Noble has mastered the art of comedy through seemingly random thoughtspeech. He generates a believable sense of spontaneity within the show that is Brain Dump, resulting in a free-wheeling sense of randomness that will have audiences unable to guess what’s coming next but loving every second of it.
Frank Woodley: Extra Ordinary
Giant Dwarf, Thursday April 21 – Sunday April 24 If you think you’d enjoy being convinced that a piece of paper is in fact an anatomically incorrect giraffe, then the imaginative and nonsensical stylings of Frank Woodley may just hit your comedy soft spot. The Aussie is a veteran of the scene, and Extra Ordinary is a perfect example as to why. thebrag.com
small box being $4.90 and buying the large box – even though we’re on holidays and it’s only going to be two days and my wife is going to get angry at me for the large box, not the small box – but I can’t walk away from the value of the large box of Nutri-Grain being cheaper than the small box of Nutri-Grain.” Hughes pauses, then laughs at himself. “Seriously, those things tear me apart. I just can’t fucking do it. I can’t buy a small box of Nutri-Grain that is more expensive than the big box. They’re tiny moments in my life but that shit ends up in my show.” Hughes is speaking from his car, having soundchecked ahead of a gig and ducked back home to iron a shirt. He’s on his way to start his drivetime radio shift with long-time broadcasting partner Kate Langbroek. The pair have worked together since 2001, but Hughes’ comedy career dates back further than that. His first show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was in 1996, having started stand-up three years prior, and right from the beginning ‘Hughesy’ was a hot ticket. Ultimately, nothing has changed – only the size of his venues around the country has continued to increase.
DAVE HUGHES Sweet
By Joanne Brookfield
anecdote. Take his supermarket shopping habits, for instance.
Dave Hughes has always had a way of turning the minutiae of life into a hilarious, relatable
“I’m still torn between the large box of NutriGrain at the supermarket being $3.50 and the
Playing With My Selfie By Tegan Jones
“I love accents,” says Scottish comedian Craig Hill. “I’m a bit obsessed with the Australian one. It’s so positive-sounding!” Even with its penchant for F-words and C-bombs? You better believe it. “Even then, [you’re] sounding fucking aliiiive!” says Hill, Aussie accent and all. Hill will be hitting Sydney Comedy Festival this week with his latest show, Playing With My Selfi e. It’s a memorable name. “There are thousands of shows on at festivals and I always think that your poster has to stand out, make people smile and give them the flavour of your sense of humour,” Hill explains. “I also think that the minute that it has a little double entendre, it can lighten someone’s day. “So I always like to have a provocative and cheeky title and this one occurred to me because so many people are obsessed with selfies. I also thought it would be a good excuse to take selfies of the audience and then turn that into a dance routine.” At this point, the imagination goes wild. Sure, Hill is known for injecting music into his shows, but how does anyone turn a selfie into a dance routine?
When he first started in comedy, Hughes was a laid-back country boy navigating a new life in the city, writing material about being on the dole. Now his touring seasons and media
After bursting onto the scene in 2010 as a national finalist in the Raw Comedy competition, Anne Edmonds has quickly become a favourite across the Australian comedy community, presenting shows at festivals around the country and appearing in TV programs like It’s A Date and Back
That honesty extends to candid revelations about his wife and three children. Hughes has just built a new house that might get a mention, as could his experience hosting Australia’s Got Talent. “Whatever goes on in my life will end up onstage,” he says. “I never have an order, I don’t know what order I’m going to roll out my stuff.” Having switched from the breakfast radio shift to drivetime in 2015, Hughes has been able to concentrate more on his stand-up. “I genuinely focus on my stand-up much more than I used to – much more. And consequently, I’m enjoying it much more. I really do feel like I’m giving audiences really good value at the moment, because I feel that I’m maximising my shows in terms of funniness, basically,” he laughs.
WHERE: Enmore Theatre WHEN: Friday April 29
CRAIG HILL
This is most definitely true of Hill’s shows. In addition to being known for his comedic song-anddance numbers, Hill has never been one to shy away from making his audience members firm participants in his shows. “I think that’s what my shows have become known for. It keeps me on my toes and keeps everything so alive. Some people come to my show during the Edinburgh Festival four times because they know it’s going to change.” Spontaneity can be a fearful thing for a performer, but it’s something Hill enjoys and thrives on. “You either respond well to that pressure or you don’t, and I love it. I think it brings out the best in me, because sometimes I’m put on the spot and say something that I genuinely could not have prepared and couldn’t have been funnier anywhere but in that moment. My favourite thing is when people ask if the guy I got to dance was a plant. It never is, but I’m so flattered that they think it’s so good that it must have been rehearsed.” This brings the conversation back to Hill’s brave combination of selfies and dance.
thought that you can’t dance to that unless you have a song with a photographic theme. But then I thought, ‘Why not do it to Duran Duran’s ‘Girls On Film?’’ This turned into me dancing with some woman’s husband and I thought it would be funnier for the audience to sing ‘Gays On Film’ because we were pretending to be lovers taking a selfie.”
“So because it’s called Playing With My Selfi e, I
WHERE: The Comedy Store WHEN: Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23
happened to me last year. Hopefully it will help more people discover me again … It’s given me a lot of confidence, that award, knowing that the other comics think I’m doing a good job, so that helps.” Now that she’s gained some experience onstage, Edmonds has some advice for would-be comedians looking to achieve festival success. “I think a lot of comedy is about being yourself onstage – 100 per cent. When people are genuinely expressing their ideas for the sake of comedy, rather than for the sake of getting famous or pleasing the mainstream – pushing the boundaries a bit and challenging the way people think – that’s often what makes a good show.” Edmonds is known for the quirky characters she presents in her shows, and her ability to intertwine their tales with her own – all while plucking away on a banjo.
By Kelsey Berry
“Just personal stuff. The money doesn’t make much difference to me,” he says, and then gives the Nutri-Grain example. “The amount of money I’ve got in the bank, or don’t have, or whatever – it’s still my life and anyone’s life. I’m being honest.”
“It’s me,” the comedian declares. “I will find a way to turn anything into a dance routine. People are always saying to dance more and sing more, so it’s turned into a kind of cabaret. It isn’t strictly just stand-up.”
ANNE EDMONDS
That’s Eddotainment
profile have led him to become one of this country’s most successful stand-ups. Given how far he has come, what is the rich and famous Hughesy talking about in his new show, Sweet?
Seat Drivers. Her place on the scene was well and truly cemented last year when she was awarded the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s coveted Piece of Wood award – as voted by her peers – and now she’s on the way to Sydney Comedy Festival. “I’ve always presented my best hour of stuff,” says Edmonds of the Melbourne award, “but it’s just a lovely thing that
“I remember I got a one-star review in Adelaide once, and the guy said, ‘Not only can Anne Edmonds not do comedy, but she also can’t sing.’ That was always my fallback plan, to sing, so that was a bit of a double blow. It put me in bed for a couple of days,” she laughs. Now with plenty more positive reviews under her belt, Edmonds is coming to
Thankfully, audiences tend to respond positively when Hill draws them into his routine. “That’s a fun part of the show, trying to work out who looks the most frightened of joining in,” he cackles mischievously. “I’m kind of joking there. Most people in the front know what my show is about and there’s a part of them that’s up for it.”
Sydney with her latest show, That’s Eddotainment. “It’s my brand new hour of stand-up,” explains Edmonds. “There’s a bit of stuff in there about relationships – a lot of it’s about trying to get people to like me. My stand-up is normally fairly personal. A lot of it comes from what’s been happening with my life and what I’ve observed in the world. Apart from that, I find a lot of inspiration from middle Australia, the average man on the street.” In addition to her solo show, Edmonds will team up with fellow comics Damien Power and Greg Larsen for a show with the True Australian Patriots – a satirical reflection on Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front movements. “I think it’s something that we wanted to shine a light on and make fun of,” explains Edmonds. “These groups are making certain parts of the community feel pretty horrible so we thought we’d have a go at them instead. “I’ve always done a bit of character comedy. When I first started out I did an online sketch called ‘Raylene The Racist’, which is actually similar in context to True Aussie Patriots. It’s a bit sad because that was eight years ago and I don’t think we’ve moved forward very much since then.”
WHERE: Giant Dwarf WHEN: Friday May 6 and Saturday May 7 AND: Also appearing as part of True Australian Patriots, Giant Dwarf, Saturday May 7 thebrag.com
THE BRAG’S GUIDE TO SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL 2016 BROUGHT TO YOU BY COOPERS
BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 23
BARS BRAG
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
THE ARGYLE
bar
OF
ADDRESS: 18 ARGYLE ST, THE ROCKS, PHONE NUMBER: (02) 9247 5500 WEBSITE: THEARGYLEROCKS.COM, OPENING HOURS: MON – SUN 11AM-LATE
TH
EK
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
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-late 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
E E W
Tell us about your bar: The Argyle is situated at The Rocks, in one of Australia’s oldest buildings, and is the ultimate Sydney nightlife venue. The venue has a rich historic feel, with a uniquely modern take blending an alluring mix of historic and ultra-modern. Stylish yet relaxed, The Argyle brings a distinctive style to the Sydney dining and nightlife scene. What’s on the menu? We have an Italian cantina in-house and totally recommend ordering any of our famous wood-fire pizzas from the menu! Especially on Mondays where you can indulge in any pizza of your choice combined with a glass of Moët & Chandon while watching free movies under the stars. Buon appetito! Care for a drink? You can’t go wrong with skipping the daily coffee and heading straight for our signature espresso martinis! Sounds: Live and local with Sydney’s best acoustic artists midweek and all about the indomitable DJs across the nation making guest appearances and dropping all your favourite R&B and club anthems all weekend long. Highlights: Our events. We really make it our point of difference to deliver some of the best multi-sensory party experiences in Sydney! Prepare to be mind-blown for what we have installed for this year’s Vivid festival across four epic weeks. The bill comes to: $25-30 per person. 24 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
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; 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 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 noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon-1am; Sun noon10pm 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 noon11pm Hustle & Flow Bar 105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 9310 5593 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sun 5pm-late
thebrag.com
COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK
Pour it in your mouth-hole... (responsibly).
THE STRAWBERRY BANDIT @ FLYING FAJITA SISTAS MEXICAN KITCHEN, 65 GLEBE POINT RD, GLEBE Ingredients: • Strawberries • Lime • Home-infused jalapeño tequila • Agave syrup Method: Shaken like you want to Glass: Coupe Garnish: Chilli salt, sugar rim and a strawberry More: flyingfajitasistas. com.au and facebook. com/flyingfajitasistas
Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Fri noon-late; Sat 4pm-late LL Wine and Dine 42 Llankelly Place Potts Point (02) 9356 8393 Mon – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat noon-late; Sun 11am-10pm The Local Taphouse 122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon11pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; 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 thebrag.com
Origins: A lot of first dates happen at the Flying Fajita Sistas and every date can benefit from a touch of sugar, something spicy and a whole lot of strawberries. Best drunk with: Our double fajitas to share and lashings of guacamole. During: In a perfect world there would always be a Strawberry Bandit within arm’s reach. While wearing: The default for a date is smart casual, right? And listening to: ‘Mi Negrita’ by Devendra Banhart, the perfect song to enjoy with this cocktail.
The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Sat noonmidnight; 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 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; BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 25
Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebragcom
Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10pm 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 noonmidnight; 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 noon10pm 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 noon-midnight; 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 noonmidnight; Fri – Sat noon3pm; Sun noon-10pm Lord Raglan 12 Henderson Rd, Alexandria (02) 9699 4767 Mon – Sun noon-3pm, 5pm-9pm
26 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
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
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 Firefl y 24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri 4-11.30pm; Sat noon11pm; 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 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 noonmidnight; 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; Sat 8am-midnight Miami Cuba 47 North Steyne, Manly 0487 713 350 Tue – Thu 8am-10pm; Fri – Sat 8am-1am; Sunday 8am-4pm Moonshine Lvl 2, Hotel Steyne, 75 The Corso, Manly (02) 9977 4977 Thu 5pm-2am; Fri 1pm-2am; Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-midnight The Pickled Possum 254 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 2091 Thu – Sat 9pm-1am SoCal 1 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9904 5691 Mon – Tue 4pm-late: Wed – Thu noon-1am; Fri – Sat noon- 2am; Sun noon-midnight The Stoned Crow 39 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest (02) 9439 5477 Mon – Sun noon-late The Treehouse Hotel 60 Miller St, North Sydney (02) 8458 8980 Mon – Fri 7am-late; Sat 2pm-late Wilcox Cammeray 463 Miller St, Cammeray (02) 9460 0807 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 2pm-11pm; Sun 2pm-10pm
The Argyle What to see and do: It’s all about the party vibes this ANZAC long weekend! Friday will see the legendary Tenzin headline the main room followed by a very exclusive back-to-back set with house queens Beth Yen and Lavida. On Saturday, Melbourne’s favourite Tess Vockler will take the reins, and on Sunday we welcome back triple j host
and party monarch KLP. For those wanting to continue on the celebration, on Monday we’ll see the king of smooth Mike Champion laying down some smooth jams – and how can we forget the classic two-up and Aussie courtyard BBQ!
Helena Ellis. Sunday is all about the house party vibes with KLP and Monday we’ll be getting unclubbed with the Mike Champion band live.
For our ears: Party jams and all your favorite club anthems on Friday and Saturday with DJs Tenzin, Beth Yen, Tess Vockler and Tass. Plus all your guilty R&B pleasures can be heard in our back room with K-Note, Sabio and
Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? “I got to party up close and personal with KLP from triple j!”
Bevvy of choice: Our famous espresso martinis for sure!
Two-up tips: Go for tails, because at The Argyle we’re always shaking our tail feathers. Cost: Free entry before 8pm on Friday – Sunday and $1020+ thereafter Where: 18 Argyle St, The Rocks When: Friday April 22 – Saturday April 23 6pm-3am, Sunday April 24 – Monday April 25 11am-late
Orient Hotel What to see and do: Great live acts from noon till late, and check out our new menu, washed down with $6 VB cans – $1 from every sale goes to Legacy. For our ears: Great party classics with a huge Aussie songlist. 12pm: Rob Henry, known as the human jukebox, playing all your favourite classics, new stuff, requests et cetera. Everything from Hozier to Hendrix, Van Morrison to Ed Sheeran, and everything in between. 4pm: Paul Winn Trio. Paul Winn performs a smorgasbord of edgy vocal stylings and virtuosic guitar, from the acoustic sounds of the Eagles and James Taylor, to Frank Sinatra and classic jazz, to a night of sing-along favorites from Cold Chisel and other great Aussie bands. 8:30pm-12am: Gary Johns Band. Gary Johns Band has earned a reputation in Sydney as one of the best party bands when
it comes to getting the dancefloor and the singalong aspect of your day or night to a whole new level of awesome! The band has more than 1,000 songs to choose from and knows how to read and work a crowd. As it’s an ANZAC celebration, you can be assured of a great songlist and the best ANZAC songs of all time. Bevvy of choice: The Orient Hotel has a huge range of drinks available and an impressive list of Aussie beers, bottled and on tap. Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? The Orient Hotel draws a great mix of people from international visitors to our local community, and as they do every ANZAC Day, people from all areas of Sydney come to the Orient for great service and a great day. The Orient has bars that range from the intimate to party-crowded – check it out. Cost: Free entry and hotel prices for drinks and food Where: Cnr George St and Argyle St, The Rocks When: Monday April 25 from 11am
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T H E B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O W H AT ’ S O N
Monday april 25 Come in, spinner! The ANZAC Day long weekend is here, with ANZAC Day itself falling on Monday April 25. And while the day is one of commemoration to our fallen, it’s also one of celebration. Enjoy an ANZAC Day of food, drinks, entertainment – and a bit of two-up – with our picks of the best venues in Sydney.
Beach Road Hotel What to see and do: Doors open 8am with the beer fl owing and BBQ breakie rolls on offer. Four bars and three can bars to take care of the drinking throughout the day. BL Burgers are doing a pop-up burger stand upstairs, yum! Once upstairs, head to our custom-built grandstand for your game of two-up run by our local legends Tommy, Carney and Ox. For our ears: All four bars have a different DJ playing throughout the day so you have your pick of tunes. You will see gracing our decks: Luen, Drabs, Stu Turner, Jesse and many, many more! Bevvy of choice: Nothing beats an ice-cold beer from one of our four bars or three can bars, however if cocktails are more your style, head
upstairs to our newly renovated cocktail bar for a house special. Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? Nothing is going to beat our grandstand around the two-up ring, with plenty of room and viewing points for all involved. Throw in a tasty BL Burger and the option to kick off from 8am after the dawn service, and this is the only place to be for ANZAC Day 2016! Two-up tips: Jump in for your own toss, or just watch from the sidelines, playing from midday to sundown. For those who don’t know the rules, don’t worry – we have you covered with rules around the venue. Head ’em up! Cost: Free entry all day – the only costs are the money well spent in your game of two-up and on the tasty burgers from BL and your beers! Where: 71 Beach Rd, Bondi When: Monday April 25, 8am – late
Newtown Hotel What to see and do: Two-up arena from midday hosted by the fabulous Hannah Conda! For our ears: DJs kicking off from 4pm till late featuring PHDJ (Purple Sneakers), Meem and Ego (UNDR ctrl). Bevvy of choice: $6 Colonial Brewing tinnies ($1 from every sale goes to Legacy Australia).
Martin Place Bar What to see and do: Located in a prime position for the dawn service proceedings in Martin Place and directly on the parade route along Elizabeth Street, Martin Place Bar will be hosting a Diggers’ Breakfast BBQ from 5-10am on the alfresco terrace, bordering the iconic Martin Place forecourt, featuring free-range bacon and egg rolls and gourmet sausage sandwiches on Sonoma Bakery sourdough ($7 each). The bar will be in full operation offering a vast selection
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Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? Join us ANZAC Day eve for a lineup of Sydney’s best DJs, then we open early at 10am on ANZAC Day! Two-up tips: Get to know your terminology – this can be a very serious (but fun) event. “Come in, spinner!” Cost: Free entry, as always Where: 174 King St, Newtown When: Monday April 25 from 11am
of wines, beers and spirits throughout the day. Following on from breakfast, a tailored bistro favourites menu will be on offer between 10am and 2pm featuring items such as Martin Place Bar’s delicious free-range chicken schnitzel and pot pies.
Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? Prime location bordering the Martin Place ANZAC Day proceedings, killer B&Es from the Martin Place Bar Terrace BBQ, and of course the large array of beers on tap.
Bevvy of choice: It’s ANZAC Day, so pretty much everything. Martin Place Bar features a large selection of local, international and craft beers and ciders available on tap and bottled, spirits and a noteworthy wine list boasting an array of cellar-aged Australian wines.
Two-up tips: Heads! Cost: Free entry, $7 B&Es and sausage sandwiches Where: 51 Martin Place, Sydney When: Monday April 25, 5am-late (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
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T H E B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O W H AT ’ S O N
monday april 25
Marrickville Bowlo
Bevvy of choice: Local brewery Shark Island will be doing a great special on their famous kolsch for the day – a great drop, and we’ve done our research.
What to see and do: From 12pm the Marrickville Bowlo will be doing two-up on the dancefloor and from 2pm we have some mighty local live music to see the day through.
Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? Seeing a massive crowd go silent for the Last Post. Apart from that it’s just another massive day at Sydney’s new spiritual home of rock.
For our ears: This is the tenth anniversary of Spurs For Jesus and Handsome Young Strangers doing their massive ANZAC Day gig (previously at the Annandale and Vic On The Park). Anyone who has been to these gigs previously knows that the day has grown to be as much a Sydney institution as both the bands are. We even have a special guest trumpeter coming along to pay respects, playing the Last Post.
Two-up tips: Heads all the way, baby. Cost: $10 cover charge for the bands from 2pm. Everything else at Bowlo prices. Where: 91 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville When: Monday April 25 – two-up from 12pm, bands from 2pm
Hotel Steyne What to see and do: From 12-6pm we’ll have two-up in the beer garden, $5 VB tinnies, and $5 sausage sangas. Bevvy of choice: VB Getting in the ANZAC spirit – what’s the highlight? Coming out on top after two-up and all while juggling your sambo in one hand and a cold beer in the other. Two-up tips: Tails never fails. And if it does, run. Just kidding. Get out your set amount of cash, stick to it, and just enjoy the game! Cost: Completely free Where: 75 The Corso, Manly When: Monday April 25, 12-6pm
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
wed
20 Apr
(4:30PM - 7:30PM)
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
sun
24 Apr
thu
21 Apr
(9:00PM - 12:00AM) (8:30PM - 12:00AM)
ANZAC DAY
fri
22 Apr
(10:00PM - 1:40AM)
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
ROB HENRY
mon
25 Apr
5:45PM 8:45PM
12:00PM 3:00PM
PAUL WINN TRIO
(4:00PM - 7:30PM
GARY JOHNS TRIO
sat
(8:30PM - 12:00AM
23 Apr
tue
(10:00PM - 1:15AM)
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26 Apr
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
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ANZAC DAY At The NewtownHotel — Midday 2-up! Hosted by Hannah Conda
— DJ’s from 4pm PHDJ Meem + friends
174 King Street, Newtown 02 8070 2424
newtownhotel.com.au newtownhotel
Newtown Hotel promotes the responsible service of alcohol
Located in prime position for the dawn service proceedings and directly on the parade route, Martin Place Bar will host a
DIGGERS’ BREAKFAST BBQ FROM 5-10am featuring free-range bacon & egg rolls on Sonoma sourdough.
BISTRO FAVOURITES MENU FROM 10am-2pm including MPB’s famous free-range chicken schnitzel.
EVENTS AT w. www.martinplacebar.com.au
t. 9231 5575 a. 51 Martin Place, Sydney Tag us @martinplacebar
Martin Place Bar promotes the responsible service and consumption of alcohol.
thebrag.com
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Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
ALBUM OF THE WEEK PJ HARVEY
so extreme is Hope Six’s dissatisfaction that it makes Harvey’s last record seem like a polite request by comparison. This is brutal, uncompromising stuff, with ‘The Ministry Of Defence’ and ‘The Wheel’ in particular screeching through the record like a flaming car hurtling through a warzone.
The Hope Six Demolition Project Island/Universal
Any record that makes politicians nervous must be doing something right. The Hope Six Demolition Project is so vicious – so unreservedly fed up with the disparity between life in the Third and First Worlds – that the former mayor of Washington, D.C. felt compelled to describe the work as “inane”. This machine kills fascists indeed, though rather than Bob Dylan’s acoustic, PJ Harvey has armed herself with an electric guitar, a saxophone, and page after page of acerbic poetry.
BABYMETAL Metal Resistance RAL/Sony
Two years ago, avid YouTube trawlers stumbled on the oddity of Babymetal’s ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’, a divisive track that put three adorable Japanese teenage girls onstage with a metal band. Now they’re touring with Lady Gaga, dropping in on Dragonforce sets, and believe it or not, releasing one of the most fun pop-metal albums of recent memory. Keen ears will pick up the solo from Dragonforce’s ‘Through The Fire And Flames’ kicking the record off – it might seem like a rip-off, but who cares? Lyrics worthy of Sonata Arctica give way to bubblegum chants of “Wow wow wow wow” and asking why would be missing the point.
Given its political intent and bone-rattling sound, some will view the record as Let England Shake part two, but
In that way, Hope Six is a genuinely significant record: less an auditory distraction and more a kind of memorial, a blood-soaked spire pointing straight up. Joseph Earp
THE DANDY WARHOLS
M83
MOGWAI
STURGILL SIMPSON
Distortland Dine Alone/Cooking Vinyl
Junk Pod/Inertia
Atomic Rock Action
A Sailor’s Guide To Earth Atlantic/Warner
The Dandy Warhols have returned with one of the more inspired and diverse records in their recent years. 2012’s This Machine was a similarly solid exercise in fine form, if only mired by the frequent lyrical touchstone that was ageing gracefully as a band. Not a taboo topic at all, of course, but its frequent reference made it feel that way – the results were sometimes endearing, sometimes shaky but ultimately a little too pervasive across the whole record. You couldn’t not think about it.
As nostalgia continues to overwhelm every artistic medium, even the most forward-thinking musicians prove they are not immune. French aweinspirers M83 are back with their first studio album in five years and brand new musicians in tow, both of whom make strong contributions to a record themed around old-fashioned TV shows.
Releasing their soundtrack for the documentary film Atomic as a standalone record shows the kind of confidence that Mogwai have in their composition, and that confidence is well placed. The Scottish powerhouse have stripped back for this cinematic effort, emphasising keyboard and orchestrals over their post-rock format, and created an evocative soundscape ringing with the wonder and horror of the atomic age.
Not since Refused’s The Shape Of Punk To Come has there been as prophetic an album title as Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds In Country Music. With his breakthrough second album, Simpson established himself as one of the genre’s most progressive minds, blending the grit of its traditional origins with psychedelia, blues and rock’n’roll. The best part? He’s far from finished.
Translating their lyrics reveals an array of adolescent quandaries, among them overcoming hurt (‘No Rain, No Rainbow’) and dealing with self-involved teenage boys (‘Sis. Anger’). More often than not, these tiny teens are encouraging their listeners to stand up, be proud of who they are, and fight on despite all odds. The music itself is heavily produced pop-power-metal excellence, with everything from hilarious call-and-response chants/ screams to bone-crushing riffage and the year’s best cowbell drop (‘GJ!’), all with blast beats in tow.
With Distortland the group have really hit their post-Capitol stride, confining their “I’m too old for this shit” sentiment to one song and ultimately having fun with the rest of the album. ‘Search Party’ opens the record with a drone-inspired jam that lulls just a little – it’s sonically stimulating nonetheless, but an interesting opener. The record picks up the pace later on – ‘Catcher In The Rye’ is a lovely pop song filtered through the same Americana charm that permeated their early ’00s repertoire. Elsewhere there are bongos, bowed guitar, hand claps, a great chorus in ‘Give’ and plenty of tongue-in-cheek.
Babymetal say life is a mosh pit. Stop asking questions and dive the fuck in. David Molloy
New vocalist Kaela Sinclair makes her presence known in the stunning balladry of ‘For The Kids’, and Jordan Lawlor showcases his writing and singing chops in the groovy ‘Walkway Blues’. Junk’s borderline vaporwave sounds conjure the fuzzy idealism of ’80s television with great charm, but the buzz doesn’t last the runtime and never quite reaches the dazzling heights of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Still, the album certainly has those quintessential M83 moments – when the muffled soundtrack of ‘The Wizard’ opens out into gorgeous, crystalline dream-pop, we’re reminded of the wonders the group can create.
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The record’s emotional core is twofold – the giddy urgency of scientific progress, and pensive reflection on the tragedy of a miraculous power misused. ‘Fat Man’, as the album’s closer, is naturally the most haunting standalone track and a fitting companion piece to the elation of ‘Tzar’ and its callback to ‘Ether’.
Fans of old will find plenty of comfort food to survive the winter on Distortland.
Mogwai’s cathartic powers have long been known, but the band that emerges here is one that has mastered another feat altogether. Atomic reveals Mogwai to be storytellers of profound imagination.
Nicholas Johnson
David Molloy
David Molloy
There are some days when you just don’t want to leave the house. Locked in with the clutter, the dust and inanimate objects, slowly succumbing to a Fantasiatype cabin fever, you’re left in the mindset of being the king of your own box of broken toys. Parquet Courts have always been exceptional in expressing rambling, chaotic and streamof-consciousness thoughts, but Human Performance brings it to a whole new level.
Human Performance Rough Trade/Remote Control
It’s at its most vibrant when it picks up momentum, as in the pulse of ‘Scram’ and the driving synth of ‘U-235’. The masterful interplay of song pacing shows the care put into assembling the album and makes the wasteland of ‘Pripyat’ feel grounded in the dread and promise of the documentary.
Junk is far from trash, but Anthony Gonzalez and co. have uncovered more captivating treasures in the past. This offering is best regarded as dessert – it’s groovy, gooey, sugary fun.
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
PARQUET COURTS
xxx
Britain’s sharpest musical commentator returns to attack class divisions in the 21st century.
Not that the record is one-note, mind you – ‘Dollar, Dollar’ brings to mind the simple horror of Pablo Neruda’s I’m Explaining A Few Things, its sonic simplicity the equivalent of Neruda’s line about “the blood of children … [running] through the streets like children’s blood.”
Parquet Courts took a year to record this album, and you can’t help but feel they didn’t go outside for the entirety of it. Containing less of the sporadic energy of previous albums, the band instead revels in an inner madness. The trade of
energy for insanity ironically makes Human Performance one of the New Yorkers’ more approachable releases. Without the distortion and tortured squeals of instruments assaulting your ears, the music instead imparts a type of cabin fever within your own head with songs like ‘Dust’, ‘Captive Of The Sun’ and ‘One Man, No City’. While perhaps not Parquet Courts’ best album, this does mark an impressive step forward. Rather than simply expressing their own madness, they help bring out a little of your own.
As thoroughly excellent as Metamodern was, Simpson has gone above and beyond – in as many senses as one can imagine – on A Sailor’s Guide To Earth. The album launches forth in grandiose fashion with ‘Welcome To Earth (Pollywog)’, brimming with Queen-sized vocal layers and triumphant horns that stem from Simpson’s quiet, intimate addressing of his newborn child. It’s an album with equal footing in both the past and the present: ‘Brace For Impact (Live A Little)’ is an existential bar-room shuffle, while Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’ transforms from thudding screech into gentle lullaby. Through masterful production and an expansive array of sounds, Simpson has put together what can only be described as a game-changer. Metamodernity be damned – Sturgill Simpson has become the living embodiment of music that’s out leaving crop circles and dreaming of the great beyond. David James Young
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... THE MURLOCS - Young Blindness THE KILLS - Blood Pressures NINE INCH NAILS - Hesitation Marks
CROWDED HOUSE - Woodface ELECTRIC GUEST - Mondo
So close the door, shut the blinds, press ‘play’ and let Parquet Courts lose your mind. Daniel Prior thebrag.com
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VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT
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up all night out all week . . .
MARRICKVILLE SMALL BAR & LIVE MUSIC VENUE PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR
STICKY FINGERS, WILL AND THE PEOPLE, RACKETT, AMASTRO Enmore Theatre Thursday April 14
It’s relatively mind-boggling to see a local band go from playing tight shows at the Annandale to selling out the Enmore Theatre five times over. No doubt even more so for the band members themselves, as Sticky Fingers bassist Paddy Cornwall told the crowd that he attended his first gig at the Enmore – Linkin Park – when he “was like, 12”. Sticky Fingers’ career trajectory hasn’t been smooth or without substantial effort, meaning such achievements ahead of the third LP from one of the Inner West’s most successful acts should certainly not go unrecognised. Marking a year since Sticky Fingers sold out the Enmore without even officially announcing the gig, the first show of this three-night engagement kicked off with local and international flavour. Sydney ladies Rackett kicked off to an excited and obedient crowd with their badass rock, more of which will hopefully be released soon. Fresh off the plane, Brit boys Will and The People delivered fun pop-rock before a DJ set from Amastro took over and amped the room up even more during a tedious tuning period. Gracing the stage dressed a little sharper (bar keyboardist Freddy Crabs
in his footy shorts and shirtless glory) and more sober than tours past, Sticky Fingers launched into set opener ‘Land Of Pleasure’, with the all-ages room going ballistic. As they paced themselves through a mix of well-known tunes, StiFi’s lack of usual antics was made up for by blinding flashes of light and top guitar solos courtesy of Seamus Coyle. The set finally picked up halfway through thanks to a taste of new material showcasing Dylan Frost’s heartbreaking vocals and Crabs’ often overshadowed keys. Bootleg Rascal’s Jimmy Young joined the band, Frost surrendered guitar duties and it was time to turn the crowd’s respectful behaviour raucous. ‘Gold Snafu’, ‘Just For You’, a gritty, guitarladen newbie and ‘Dreamland’ led the charge with flair, right through until the moment Cornwall screamed into the mic, “Here’s some new shit!” and ‘Outcast At Last’ was smashed out. Lapping up the cheers for an encore, Freddy Crabs returned solo to the stage before kicking into the synths on his namesake tune. Then, as Frost sung out the appropriate lyric on ‘Lazerhead’ – “Until tomorrow” – the night came to a close. Sticky Fingers may not have played their most memorable or passionate gig, but sharp it was, and there’s ample chance their next performances will multiply in showmanship. Emily Gibb
Wednesday Wednesdday 620ApApril ril (7pm) Vanishing Shapes + Echo Deer Thursday 721AApril priil ( p ) Devon Spro (7pm) p oule e + Leah Flanagan g Friday 822ApApril ril (7pm) Equa Hey + Ionia Saturday y 923ApApril rill (3pm) Jullian Temple + Jesse Morris s (7pm) Dame Jo oan’’s Lo ove Children (Moriarty & Co.) Sunday 10 24 April April ((from 5pm) from 5pm) (5pm) The Dead Marines (Gallagher, Hayes & Campbell)
115 Marrickville Road, Marrickville Tue-Sat till 11.30pm, Sun to 9.30m.
www.gasolinepony.com thebrag.com
BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 31
live reviews
live @ the sly
PICS :: DC
What we've been out to see...
the stranglers
PICS :: AM
14:04:16 :: Slyfox :: 199 Enmore Rd Enmore 9557 2917
17:04:16 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666
dead + moe
PICS :: AM
party profile
william crighton album release tour It’s called: William Crighton Album Release Tour
Sounds like: My debut record will give you an idea of what to expect from our show as there’s not much on YouTube. Acts: Amber Rae Slade and The Mighty Big Noise, Magpie Johnston, Eagle and The Wolf, my band and I. Sell it to us: Please check out the music and if you like it, come along to the show. The bit we’ll remember in the AM? I can’t give that away. Crowd specs: Anyone looking for a good night of folk-rock songwriting and honesty. Wallet damage: $15 Where: The Vanguard When: Friday April 29
17:04:16 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney
32 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
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g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
pick of the week Black Sabbath
SATURDAY APRIL 23 Qudos Q udos Bank Ba Arena
Black Sabbath 7:30pm. $122.24. WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Kit And The Cub + Harry Treg + Miss Mikalia + Roses In Hand Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Manouche Wednesday - Feat: Gadjo Guitars Mr Falcon’s, Glebe.
7pm. Free. Musos Club Jam Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Nadia Reid Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $15.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Hello Bones Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free. Joseph Calderazzo Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 7:30pm. Free. Josh Groban
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $132.50. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Magnus + Filthy Lucre + Mount Zamia Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. The Vanishing Shapes + Echo Deer The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Twenty One Pilots UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington. 8pm. $60.
Don Hopkins Low 302, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. Free.
THURSDAY APRIL 21 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC JR’s Jazz Jam
B.E.D., Glebe. 8pm. Free. Sex On Toast + The Cactus Channel Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $20.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Dee Donovan + Grooveworks + Karen Beckett + Stuart Davey Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 12pm. Free. Devon Sproule + Leah Flanagan The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free. Hey Geronimo + Twin Haus Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Hurst + Octavian + New Regulars & Tijuana Stag Party Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. Free. Jamie Hutchings + Jep And Dep Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $25. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Space Monk + Prints Familiar + Shnand Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10. Tiana Martel Band Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Captain Cook Rooftop Sessions Feat: July Morning Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 5pm. Free. Ginger’s Jam - Feat: Various Bands Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. Free. Harbourview Hullabaloo - Feat: Zack Martin + Chris Brookes + Kenneth
D’Aran + Simon Marrable + Giorgio Montanari Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Huknee Puknee Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. Musos Club Jam Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Wards Xpress Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm.
FRIDAY APRIL 22 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Bonnie Lee Galea’s Jazz In Cheek Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15. John & Yuki Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Blow Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 8:30pm. Free. Equa Hey + Ionia The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $5. Evie Dean Engadine Bowling Club, Engadine. 7pm. Free. Georgia White Club Liverpool, Liverpool. 5:30pm. Free. Mitch Grainger Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 7pm. $20. The Swinging Gypsies Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 9pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Babaganouj Waywards, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Better Live
Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Damien Leith The Concourse, Chatswood. 8pm. $65. Grizzlee Train Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Paper Hearts The Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 7pm. Free. Revel Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Soul Tattoo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. Free. Th’fika Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free. The Pigs The Vanguard, Newtown. 8pm. $30.
SATURDAY APRIL 23 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Julian Temple + Jesse Morris The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $7. Mitch Grainger Stag And Hunter, Newcastle. 9pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Johnny Nicol The Music Lounge, Brookvale. 7pm. $25.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bad Moon Born + Black Heart Breakers + Red Gazelle Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Bin Juice + Capital Coast Moonshine Cider
& Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Black Sabbath Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. 7:30pm. $122.24. Dame Joan’s Love Children The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Groovin The Moo 2016 - Feat: Alison Wonderland + Boo Seeka + Boy & Bear + British India + Client Liaison + Danny Brown + Drapht + DZ Deathrays + Emma Louise + Golden Features + Harts + Illy + In Hearts Wake + Ms Mr + Mutemath + Ngaiire + Odesza + Ratatat + Remi + The Rubens + Safia + Twenty One Pilots + Vallis Alps + Vic Mensa Maitland Showground, Maitland. 10:30am. $110.80. Kinsky + Black Bird Hum Venue 505, Surry Hills. 7:30pm. $20. Pseudo Echo Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 7:30pm. $30. Sounds Like Winter - Feat: No Rest For The Wicked + Triangle Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.
SUNDAY APRIL 24 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Johnny Osbourne & Max Glazer + Inner West Reggae Disco Machine + Nick Toth & Big Joe (Jamrock) + DJ Naiki + Mikey Glamour The Lair @ Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $35. Lulacruza Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Bondi Beach. 6pm. $45. Medusa’s Wake PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt. 4pm. Free.
speed date WITH
FRANK LAKOUDIS AND VOYA MILUTINOVIC FROM BAD MOON BORN to be and one of us aspires to be a Calvin Klein underwear model. We only look for fans who are willing to be in a dark room with us to discover who’s who.
2.
Keeping Busy FL: We as a band have been constantly busy since last year. Last year was all spent writing and recording for our debut EP. Once we finished that, we jumped straight back in and started writing and recording new tracks. At the same time we’ve been hitting the rehearsal studio hard to get ourselves gig ready for all our upcoming shows. Best Gig Ever 3. FL: A standout show for us would have been when we played
1.
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two of us have girthy fingers, one will serenade you like you deserve
an afterparty for the Lost Angels to a ridiculously packed-out room at the Slyfox. What makes it further more
memorable is that John Corabi (The Dead Daisies/Mötley Crue) and Eric Dover (Slash’s Snakepit) came up to us after the show and gave their tick of approval. Our worst gig was when we played at a New Year’s event to three people at Penrith, including a guy with an eyepatch who came onstage and slurred his way through ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’. After that we all drove home listening to the countdown on our radios. Current Playlist 4. VM: I’ve been in an extremely ‘90s vibe lately so a lot of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine and Stone Temple Pilots, but as for the whole band, since we all have quite different listening palettes I think the few we’d all agree on would be Audioslave, Guns N’ Roses, Avenged Sevenfold and Alter Bridge. As for
gigs that have inspired us, a few of us saw Chris Cornell at the Opera House doing his acoustic set. It was quite surreal, almost a godlike aura. Your Ultimate Rider 5. VM: Our ultimate rider would be a carton of Benson & Hedges Smooth, one bottle of Death Sauce and one kilogram of pepper. With: Red Gazelle, Black Heart Breakers Where: Annandale Hotel When: Saturday April 23 And: Also appearing at Frankie’s Pizza on Saturday May 7 and The Red Rattler on Wednesday May 11 More: Bad Moon Born headline Miss Ink Australia 2016 at Max Watt’s on Saturday April 30
BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 33
g g guide g
g g picks gig p
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Bluesonstage Feat: Ann Brita Nilsson + Lucy Tiger + Phil Marino + The Old Brown Foot Band + Kenneth D’Aran + Steve Lojewski + Andrew Denniston Red Lion Hotel, Rozelle. 4pm. Free. Jesse Redwing Band + The Jim Mitchells + Sun Sap Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Singer Songwriter Sunday - Feat: Various Artists Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 6pm. Free. Sound Sketches - Feat: Brigitte Handley + Sam Wickham + Daniel Gavin The Record Crate, Glebe. 7pm. $5.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Amanda Easton Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $35. Bad Night Out Feat: Buffalo Trio + Dime + Comacozer + Sour Cream + Heavy Daze Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. $10. CBD Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 8pm. Free. Extreme Mayhem At The Valve - Feat: The Otherwise Men + Contagion + Dark Raven + Psycho Smiley + Florentine + The Still Shadows + The Kids Don’t Like It + The Dirty Reeds Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 3pm. $20. Kristin Hersh Newtown Social Club, Newtown.
8pm. $45. Rival Sons Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Satellite V + The Mangrove Boogie Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. Free. The Dead Marines The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. Free. Vance Joy + Holy Holy Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 7pm. $80.40.
John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Live & Original @ The Corridor Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Songsonstage Feat: Russel Neal Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.
TUESDAY APRIL 26 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
MONDAY APRIL 25 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Gary Johns Band Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8.30pm. Free. Joseph Calderazzo + Simon Meli + Juliane Di Sisto + Mark Da Costa Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 6pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Paul Winn Trio Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. Free. Rob Henry Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 12pm. Free. Spurs For Jesus + Handsome Young Strangers Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 11am. $10. The Monday Jam The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Vance Joy + Holy Holy Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $80.40.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Live Rock & Roll Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Plastic Jack Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Bandsonstage Ruby Tuesday Feat: That Retro Band + Russel Neal Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Live & Original At Mr Falcon’s - Feat: Dominique Morgan + Arna Georgia + Greasy Lake Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Organic Jam Experience B.E.D., Glebe. 8pm. Free. Songsonstage Feat: Ingrid Mae Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage - Feat: Stuart Jammin + Kiara Jack Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free.
up all night out all week...
WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 Josh Groban Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $132.50. Twenty One Pilots UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington. 8pm. $60.
THURSDAY APRIL 21 Devon Sproule + Leah Flanagan The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free. Sex On Toast Hey Geronimo + Twin Haus Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Sex On Toast + The Cactus Channel Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $20. Space Monk + Prints Familiar + Shnand Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.
FRIDAY APRIL 22 Babaganouj Waywards, Newtown. 8pm. Free.
Hey Geronimo
Grizzlee Train Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free.
Twenty One Pilots + Vallis Alps + Vic Mensa Maitland Showground, Maitland. 10:30am. $110.80.
The Pigs The Vanguard, Newtown. 8pm. $30.
Kinsky + Black Bird Hum Venue 505, Surry Hills. 7:30pm. $20. Pseudo Echo Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 7:30pm. $30.
SATURDAY APRIL 23 Bad Moon Born + Black Heart Breakers + Red Gazelle Annandale Hotel, Annandale. 8pm. Free. Bin Juice + Capital Coast Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Groovin The Moo 2016 - Feat: Alison Wonderland + Boo Seeka + Boy & Bear + British India + Client Liaison + Danny Brown + Drapht + DZ Deathrays + Emma Louise + Golden Features + Harts + Illy + In Hearts Wake + Ms Mr + Mutemath + Ngaiire + Odesza + Ratatat + Remi + The Rubens + Safia +
SUNDAY APRIL 24 Jesse Redwing Band + The Jim Mitchells + Sun Sap Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Kristin Hersh Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $45. Rival Sons Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Sound Sketches - Feat: Brigitte Handley + Sam Wickham + Daniel Gavin The Record Crate, Glebe. 7pm. $5. Vance Joy + Holy Holy Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 7pm. $80.40.
MONDAY APRIL 25 Gary Johns Band Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8.30pm. Free. Babaganouj
Spurs For Jesus + Handsome Young Strangers Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 11am. $10.
five things WITH
JOSH DUFFICY AND BRANDON DODD FROM GRIZZLEE TRAIN Growing Up 1. JD: We were both lucky enough to grow up about a two-minute walk from the beach
The Music You Make 4. JD: Since day one we’ve had a freakishly similar taste in old-school rock and blues music;
on the Central Coast. Whilst no-one in our families were musicians, our parents did all love music and certainly shaped our early playing/ songwriting influences.
it’s something that shows in our live act and particularly in our most recent EP Burned Him Again. We wanted the EP to reflect the high energy and vibe of our live shows, so we (along with award-winning producer Nash Chambers) decided to give it a totally stripped-back, rough feel. We hated the idea of people buying a CD because they enjoyed our live show and having the two sound completely different.
Inspirations 2. JD: My old man bought me the best of John Fogerty and Creedence when I was about ten years old – it immediately became my favourite album and still is to this day. Something about Fogerty’s music stuck with me, I couldn’t get enough! BD: Being a blues/roots-style guitarist, John Butler’s early work was a major inspiration for me, and still is. Your Band BD: We’re a two-piece alt blues/rock 3. act from the Central Coast. We went to the same high school and begun busking on the streets of our hometown when we were about 12 or 13. When we were old enough we hit the east coast pub scene and have been travelling the country playing music ever since. 34 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. BD: In many ways the music scene is tougher than it’s ever been. This is mainly because there are so many incredible artists around Sydney and the country as a whole, it’s hard to stand out (especially as a blues-based band in the modern market). However, with social media it’s so easy to get your music out there these days. I guess it’s just a matter of finding the right audience. What: Burned Him Again out now independently Where: Moonshine Bar, Hotel Steyne When: Friday April 22
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BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Abbey Lew-Kee, Zanda Wilson and Keiren Jolly
five things WITH
KLP
Motez
MIKAH FREEMAN FROM THE ASTON SHUFFLE
THE MOTEZ VIBE
Adelaide producer Motez has graced us with his latest single, the title track from his forthcoming EP, The Vibe. The track features English MC and producer Scrufizzer and comes after Motez worked with the likes of Tkay Maidza for his last single ‘Down Like This’. To celebrate the single release, Motez will embark on an Australian and New Zealand tour throughout May, hitting up Oxford Art Factory on Saturday May 7. The EP is out on Friday April 22 via Sweat It Out.
Growing Up 1. I’ve got a lot of childhood memories that
Your Crew 3. We’ve been working with heaps of people – we’ve
revolve around music. I started playing piano when I was three years old, so there almost isn’t a time when I don’t remember being involved in music. My parents played music in the house quite a lot as well – they didn’t have the coolest taste in music overall, but luckily they have just enough great records that I was exposed to a lot of good music from a very early age.
worked a lot with Styalz Fuego in recent years, we’ve spent some awesome time in the studio with Deutsch Duke recently, and the vocalist on our new single ‘Only 1’, Nathaniel S Lewis, is an amazing dude to work with.
2.
Inspirations It’s tough to boil it down. Inspiration can come from a lot of places and it’s not always other musicians or even music itself. I was incredibly inspired by the sandwich and coffee I had for lunch today – true story.
The Music You Make 4. And Play Our most recent releases have been very club-focused. After a couple of albums we are really enjoying making music for the club again, and I think that element of fun is really evident in the music we’re making at moment as well. Music, Right Here, 5. Right Now It’s a pretty exciting time
Traumer
PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMER
xxx
Making his Australian debut, French producer Traumer will play a Sydney show in May. The man behind the project, Romain Reynaud, has been steadily gaining attention for his melodic deep house over the last couple of years. His 2014 debut album, Takt, featured collaborations with the likes of Antoine Husson and Stephan Bodzin, while his track ‘Hoodlum’ reached number one on Beatport’s Techno Top 10. Traumer will play Sydney for the first time on Saturday April 30 at Chinese Laundry.
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for music – music is made more quickly than ever, released to an audience more quickly than ever, genres come into existence and then burn out more quickly than they ever have. The biggest obstacle musicians face right now would have to be carving out and building your audience in that kind of environment, where so much amazing music is being made and released on a regular basis – having something unique and distinctive to say. What: Captain’s Club With: Set Mo, Refuge, Ariane, Jackson Hunter Where: Watsons Bay Hotel When: Sunday April 24
NASH BRINGS THE LIGHT
The stars in question are Hospital Records label boss London Elektricity, Med School’s own Etherwood, new label signing Maduk and Danny Byrd, with MC Fava playing host. Headliner London Elektricity has tracks from his sixth record to share, while the remainder of the billed acts will get the dancefl oor heaving as well. Experience some Sydney hospitality at Manning Bar on Saturday June 4.
SEEKA AND YOU SHALL FIND
Newcastle indie-electro act Boo Seeka recently released the song ‘Oh My’ and now they’ve announced a Sydney date to showcase it. The track follows on from their 2015 hit singles ‘Kingdom Leader’, ‘Deception Bay’ and ‘Fools’
and successful national tours supporting the likes of Kim Churchill, Sticky Fingers and SAFIA. They’ve also hinted at the release of a new album in late 2016 to be produced by Ian Pritchett (Angus & Julia Stone, The Beautiful Girls), and are preparing for their first Groovin The Moo festival set and a spot at Splendour In The Grass. Boo Seeka will warm up for Splendour at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday July 7.
A PIECE OF PARASOLE
Anthony Parasole, the techno artist who was so unsatisfi ed in running one label that he decided to run two (The Corner and Deconstruct Music), will pay us a visit next month. Parasole broke onto the
KLP CLICKS INTO GEAR
KLP is embarking on a national tour, and has released a new live video for her single ‘Air’ to celebrate. Having just finished her tour with Art vs Science earlier this month, KLP is now launching her own solo dates. Her singles ‘Air’ and ‘Recover’ showcase her distinct blend of electronica and house, with a big collaborative flavour thrown in. KLP will perform live at Newtown Social Club on Saturday June 4.
scene when ‘Tyson’ featured on Levon Vincent’s Fabric 63 mix back in 2012, and Vincent is now his partner at Deconstruct. The Brooklyn-born Parasole has gone on to claw his way to the top of the New York techno resurgence, and become a regular at the prestigious Berghain nightclub. He’ll show just why at the Burdekin Hotel on Saturday May 7.
Milwaukee Banks
Tatler in Darlinghurst is well on its way to becoming a first stop on your weekly checklist for free music in Sydney. Soon the venue will look to step up its game for Tatler Fridays, with the Friday April 29 event set to host the first international act of the year – the UK’s Jonny Nash. One half of collaborative electronic duo Land Of Light, Nash is breaking out as a solo act in his own right, frequently now releasing his own music and playing various live and DJ sets across the UK. He’ll bring his latest banging DJ set to Sydney for a free oneoff show.
HOSPITALITY IN SYDNEY
A drum and bass storm is coming. Under the banner of the Hospitality events brand, a bunch of emerging DnB stars are gearing up for a seven-date tour of Australia and New Zealand, starting over the June long weekend.
BREAKING THE BANKS
Melbourne-based electronic act Milwaukee Banks are set to jump on a national tour in celebration of their debut record. Following on from their 2014 EP, Rose Water, new release Deep Into The Night boasts a combination of R&B, house and electronica influences together, as well as featuring a host of collaborating artists including Kuçka and Stax Osset. Catch the Milwaukee Banks vibe at The World Bar on Friday May 27.
BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 35
club guide g
club picks p up all night out all week...
send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
club pick of the week Carl Cox
SATURDAY APRIL 23 Hordern Pavilion
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Pure Carl Cox + Joseph Cipriati + DJ HMC + Format:B + More 4pm. $81.51. WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 CLUB NIGHTS Birdcage - feat: Various DJs Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. Free. Dillon Francis Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $65.50. Odesza Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61. Salsa Wednesdays - feat: DJ Miro + Special Guests The Argyle, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. SBW - feat: Jonski Babysham + Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free.
THURSDAY APRIL 21 HIP HOP & R&B
Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. House Keeping - feat: DJ Conor Boylan + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Mixed Tape - feat: DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 4pm. Free. Odesza Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61. XO Thursdays Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. Free.
FRIDAY APRIL 22 HIP HOP & R&B Jimmy New Presents (In With The New) - feat: The Outpatients + Renee Pounsett + Flip The Script + Beat Theory + Boxay And Kaotic LCD + Zyrel + Avalonia + Lord St Collective + King Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10. Vic Mensa Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 8pm. $59.90.
CLUB NIGHTS Acid Tannins Dance - feat: Mike Who + Anno Cake Wines Cellardoor, Redfern. 5pm. Free. Argyle Fridays
36 :: BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16
The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - feat: Mija + Noy + A-Tonez + Jade Le Flay + Snillum + Gomu + Gradz + Netfleek + Squeef Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Ben Morris Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 11am. Free. Blvd Fridays - feat: Some Blonde Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. 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 + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Fridays At Zeta Zeta Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Harbour Club Fridays The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Jahra Mortimer + Scotty Doesn’t Know + Philip Kanis + Jac Frier + Kaiser Waldon + Alex Ludlow Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Jam Fridays Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9:30pm. Free. Karizma + Mikekon + Mr X + Oscar De Lima & Donald Leicester + Jack Ross + Seher + Scruby & Aron Chiarella Civic Underground,
Sydney. 10pm. $22. Loco Friday - feat: DJs On Rotation The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Lucianblomkamp + Lower Spectrum Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $20. Odesza Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61. Opiuo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $33.80. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Student DJs Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 5pm. Free. The Elements Of Tech And Bass Presents War Drums - feat: Thierry D + Strafe + Polar + D-Vide + Micky Roll + Pitch And Kill-E Mc + Retali8 + Gav Vhalan + Braincellz + Vic Zee + Heretic + Aggro + D Tech + Tuka D + MC Busta Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. Free. Welove - feat: Various DJs Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free.
SATURDAY APRIL 23 HIP HOP & R&B R&B DJs By The Greens
CLUB NIGHTS Argyle Saturdays feat: Tass + Tap-Tap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Brenny B + Graham M Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 11am. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Foxlife - feat: Pepperpot + Ezra + Rabbit Taxi Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Frat Saturdays feat: DJ Jonski Side Bar, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Frat Saturdays feat: Danny Simms + Jayowens Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. J-Trick Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $26.70. Lndry - feat: Will Clarke + Mike Metro + Ben Nott + Tech No More + Offtapia + Sanger + Noy-C Andee + Nes + DJ Eko + Samrai + King Lee Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Mona Saturdays feat: Local DJs Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. Free. My Place Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Pure - feat: Carl Cox + Joseph Capriati + Format:B + DJ HMC + Eric Powell + Murat Kilic + Mantra Collective Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 4pm. $81.51. Pure Afterparty - feat: Cesare + Disorder + Cassette + Mantra Collective + Mike Witcombe + Murat Kilic + Persian Rug + Robbie Lowe + Tyson Bruun Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 11pm. $27.50. Pure Afterparty feat: Anya + Murat Kilic + Nick Reverse + Tva Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $25. Pure Afterparty - feat: Late Nite Tuff Guy + Lauren Hansom + Mira Boru + Genie + U-Khan Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $22. Scubar Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Soda Saturdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Something Else - feat: Bronx + Bodywork + Marley Sherman + Watson & Clive + High Beam + CD Inc + Ph + Aaiste + Brosnan Perera Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11. The Sweet Escape feat: Stereogamous
WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 Dillon Francis Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $65.50. Odesza Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61.
THURSDAY APRIL 21 30/70 + The Baldwins + Triceratops Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free.
FRIDAY APRIL 22 Bassic - Feat: Mija + Noy + A-Tonez + Jade Le Flay + Snillum + Gomu + Gradz + Netfleek + Squeef Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Jahra Mortimer + Scotty Doesn’t Know + Philip Kanis + Jac Frier + Kaiser Waldon + Alex Ludlow Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Karizma + Mikekon + Mr X + Oscar De Lima & Donald Leicester + Jack Ross + Seher + Scruby & Aron Chiarella Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. $22. Lucianblomkamp + Lower Spectrum Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $20. Opiuo Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $33.80. Vic Mensa Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 8pm. $59.90.
SATURDAY APRIL 23 Foxlife - Feat: Pepperpot + Ezra + Rabbit Taxi Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Lndry - Feat: Will Clarke + Mike Metro + Ben Nott + Tech No More + Offtapia +
Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 9pm. Free. Tmrwz Sounds feat: The Goods + Diola + Kun + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free.
SUNDAY APRIL 24 CLUB NIGHTS Beresford Sundays - feat: DJs On Rotation Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 3pm. Free. Captain’s Club feat: The Aston Shuffle + Set Mo + Refuge + Ariane + Jackson Hunter Watsons Bay Hotel, Watsons Bay. 2pm. $45. House Of Marquee - feat: Stafford Brothers
Sanger + Noy-C Andee + Nes + DJ Eko + Samrai + King Lee Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Pure Afterparty - Feat: Cesare + Disorder + Cassette + Mantra Collective + Mike Witcombe + Murat Kilic + Persian Rug + Robbie Lowe + Tyson Bruun Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 11pm. $27.50. Pure Afterparty - Feat: Anya + Murat Kilic + Nick Reverse + Tva Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $25. Pure Afterparty - Feat: Late Nite Tuff Guy + Lauren Hansom + Mira Boru + Genie + U-Khan Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $22. Something Else - Feat: Bronx + Bodywork + Marley Sherman + Watson & Clive + High Beam + CD Inc + Ph + Aaiste + Brosnan Perera Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11.
SUNDAY APRIL 24 Captain’s Club - Feat: The Aston Shuffle + Set Mo + Refuge + Ariane + Jackson Hunter Watsons Bay Hotel, Watsons Bay. 2pm. $45. House Of Marquee - Feat: Stafford Brothers Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $31.80. S.A.S.H By Day - Feat: Kevin Griffiths + Michelle Owen + Cassette + Hamish Radford Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $20. S.A.S.H By Night - Feat: Jona + Azimute + Cesare + Disorder + Quenum + Dexter Kane + Brohn + Pepperpot Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $40. Wilkinson + MC Ad-Apt Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $33.80.
Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $31.80. Roger Sanchez Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 11am. Free. S.A.S.H By Day feat: Kevin Griffiths + Michelle Owen + Cassette + Hamish Radford Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $20. S.A.S.H By Night - feat: Jona + Azimute + Cesare + Disorder + Quenum + Dexter Kane + Brohn + Pepperpot Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $40. Shady Sundays Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 5pm. Free. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Wilkinson + MC Ad-Apt Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $33.80.
MONDAY APRIL 25 CLUB NIGHTS I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
TUESDAY APRIL 26 CLUB NIGHTS Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $10. Lanks Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 8pm. Free. Side Bar Tuesdays - feat: Black Diamond Hearts Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Terrible Tuesdays Slyfox, Enmore. 5pm. Free.
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30/70 + The Baldwins + Triceratops Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. No Dice Paradise - feat: VXV + Vuli + Elsz Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. $10. The Proxy + Mista Maniac + Emre2k Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.
CLUB NIGHTS
Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4pm. Free.
SAT 23 APRIL SPECIAL GUESTS
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BRAG :: 659 :: 20:04:16 :: 37
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VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT
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up all night out all week . . .
Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray
Sven Marquardt
the argyle’s 9th birthday
PICS :: AM
L
15:04:16 :: The Argyle :: 18 Argyle St The Rocks 9247 5500
party profile
captain’s club It’s called: Captain’s Club It sounds like: The last drop of summer, serve d super cold with a full serving of house music and a dash of disco. Acts: The Aston Shuffle, Set Mo, Refuge, Ariane , Jackson Hunter Three songs you’ll hear on the night: The Aston Shuffle – ‘Only 1’; Set Mo – ‘White Dress’; Lindstrøm – ‘Closing Shot’ And one you definitely won’t: No EDM, thank you very much. Sell it to us: Captain’s Club returns to the Sunse Boutique Hotel on Sunday April 24 for a secon t Room at Watsons Bay d the huge sell-out show on Easter Sunday with exclusive event following Touch Sensitive and Hayden James. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: When Set Mo plays ‘White Dress’, naked, dancing on The Aston Shuffle’s shoul ders. Crowd specs: 400 of the best-looking dance rs in the world. Wallet damage: First release: $35+bf, secon d release: $40+bf, door: $45. Entry includes a free Captain Morgan drink on arrival between 2-4pm. Where: Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel When: Sunday April 24
et’s start off this week with someone a little different. Anyone who knows anything about electronic music knows about Berghain, right? Right. And anyone who knows anything about Berghain knows about Sven Marquardt, right? Right. In case you’ve been living under a guitarladen rock, Marquardt is the club’s notorious head bouncer – a tatted-up motherfucker who turns back nine out of ten people and scares the living hell out of them all while doing it. He’s a man etched in techno folklore. Well, he’s also a photographer! Fancy that – and he’s having his first-ever exhibition in Sydney next month. Head down to Ambush Gallery from Thursday May 5 to see Berlin’s debauchery captured through his black-and-white lens, with an opening night talk and afterparty hosted by the man himself. Let’s hope the weather is goddamn fine this weekend, because there is one hell of a pool party going down. Spearheaded
by London’s Dexter Kane, who has released on the likes of Highgrade, Murmur and Fear of Flying as well as running his own label, Shadow Sanctuary, a host of Sydney’s finest are throwing down in the deep end including Robbie Lowe, Ben Fester, Mantra Collective, This DJs, Persian Rug, Thomas Zebaj, Lachie Simpson and Tyson Bruun. It’s happening on Sunday April 24 at the Ivy Pool Club. Wear your floaties. Alongside supporting RÜFÜS on their eight-date national tour, Canadianborn, NYC-based duo Bob Moses have locked in a Sydney headline show. The cats who dropped their debut record Days Gone By late last year are one of the most sought-after acts on the planet right now, with their recent addition to the seminal Essential Mix series already being heralded as a classic. They’ll hit up S.A.S.H at the Greenwood Hotel on Sunday May 15. Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets AKA Detroit
Swindle will return to Sydney late next month. The names behind Heist Recordings have released productions from the likes of Fouk, Max Graef, Brame & Hamo and Frits Wentink, and have had their own cuts go out on Freerange, Dirt Crew, Tsuba and many more. On top of that, the house heads have also worked with the likes of Hercules and Love Affair, Chet Faker and Seven Davis Jr. It’s going down on Saturday May 28 at Chinese Laundry. Tour rumours: what’s all this I’m hearing about upcoming Londoners Hælos booking in a tour? Oh, and Locked Groove is, uhh, locked in for a visit at the end of May. Best releases this week: sweet merciful Jesus, if there is only one release you spin this week, make sure it’s Motor City Drum Ensemble’s Selectors 001 (on Dekmantel). I’m also giving thorough workouts to both Globex’s Inversia 1 (Acting Press) and Fumiya Tanaka’s You Find The Key (Perlon).
Detroit Swindle
RECOMMENDED SATURDAY APRIL 23
SUNDAY APRIL 24 Danny Krivit TBA
s.a.s.h by day
PICS :: AM
Dexter Kane Ivy Pool
17:04:16 :: Greenwood Hotel :: 36 Blue Street North Sydney 9964 9477 38 :: BRAG :: 659:: 20:04:16
Bob Moses
Hunted/Game Burdekin Hotel
SATURDAY MAY 7
Anthony Parasole Burdekin Hotel
SATURDAY MAY 14 SUNDAY MAY 15 Edit Select Burdekin Hotel
Bob Moses Greenwood Hotel
SATURDAY MAY 28 Detroit Swindle Chinese Laundry
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com
Sven Marquardt photo by Ole Westermann
Pure: Carl Cox, Joseph Capriati, Format:B Hordern Pavilion
SATURDAY APRIL 30
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$1499 $1499 $699 $699 $699
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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 PE PEAVEY MILLENNIUM 4 TGE P PE PEAVEY HEADLINER 600W HEAD PE 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
$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
21% OFF 50% OFF 50% OFF 50% OFF 23% OFF 22% OFF 50% OFF 50% OFF 20% OFF 35% OFF 44% OFF 25% OFF 21% OFF 32% OFF 22% OFF 23% OFF 22% OFF 21% OFF 25% OFF 23% OFF 28% OFF
ANNANDALE Parram 55 Parramatta Rd 9517 1901 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.