Brag#666 by Furst Media

ISSUE NO. 666 JUNE 8, 2016

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

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

INSIDE This Week

G A R B A GE Butch Vig explains what defines the Garbage sound.

WAY NE SHOR T ER A rare interview with an all-time legend of jazz.

PE T ER B JORN A ND JOHN Why they've embraced pop on their seventh studio album.

LETLIVE Casting egos aside on their way to a defiant new release.

E V ERY BODY WA N T S S OME!! Richard Linklater revisits his college years for his new film.

Plus

PUP JA SON DAV ID FR A NK BL A NCK M A S S PHIL A DELPHI A GR A ND JURY W EINER A ND MUCH MOR E

A DIFFERENT DISPOSITION

thebrag.com

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rock music news

the BRAG presents

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

five things WITH

Metro Theatre Wednesday July 20

THANDO

THE 1975

jamming outside of uni and it stuck, and I’m incredibly lucky to know these very talented men and women. The current lineup is made up by Reece Marr on bass, Tom Clarke on drums, Henry James on guitar and production, and Michael Cooper on keys, synths and co-production. Then I have three kick-ass backing singers: Moe, Danielle and Thembie.

Growing Up I started singing at church 1. in Canberra, and it was stuck

from there. Soon enough I was the girl singing the anthem in assembly and doing the talent shows, so it’s always felt right to continue it into my adult life.

Inspirations Jill Scott is my main inspiration – her songwriting

style is great on account of being able to resonate with the songs no matter the subject matter. On the production side of things, Ngaiire’s last album Lamentations helped us mould R&B into electronic music. Your Band My band is made up of 3. mates from JMC Academy in Melbourne. We just started

PETER BJORN AND JOHN

The Music You Make Henry James produced 4. this EP and the songwriting was

collaborative. I generally write songs as ballads on keys and he translates them into a full band arrangement, and other times he writes a great instrumental and I do my thing over it, then each member brings their own flavour to the tune. Think of the vocal styling of Alicia Keys with choral harmonies over a bed of luscious keys, thick bass and drums and sexy rhythm guitar. Every sound

you hear on the record was created by a member of the band, so we can translate that live with real instruments. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. The music scene is ripe with

musical talent that needs to be exported. I do wish there were more opportunities for local artists to be able to showcase overseas or even secure support slots for internationally touring acts. But I do have to say, live music venues that cut a great deal for artists to play and pay their bills are the lifeblood of this industry, so I hope these lockout laws are overturned soon. What: Digital Love Letters out Friday June 10 independently With: Josue, Imogen Spong Where: Oxford Circus When: Sunday June 12

Sydney Olympic Park Saturday July 23

AT THE DRIVE-IN

Enmore Theatre Sunday July 24

JAKE BUGG State Theatre Tuesday July 26

SAD GRRRLS FEST Feat: Le Pie, Coda Conduct, Twin Caverns + more Factory Floor Saturday October 8

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: Gloria Brancatisano, James Di Fabrizio, Amy Henderson, Keiren Jolly, Anna Wilson ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, Jessica Fitzpatrick ADVERTISING: 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)

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Anita Connors, 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

HANGIN’ ON (TO THE ’80S)

Two of the biggest icons from the ’80s will return to Sydney for a co-headlining tour. Kim Wilde is best knowing for her chart-topping hits ‘Kids In America’ and ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’. She’ll be teaming up with classically trained pianist Howard Jones, best known for ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and ‘What Is Love?’ in a onenight-only show. Wilde and Jones will play the Enmore Theatre on Friday November 4.

MAPLE LEAVES LA

George Maple has announced her return to Australian shores for a run of headline shows this July. The LAbased Aussie product has recently made guest appearances at festivals including Coachella, L’Olympia Paris and Groovin The Moo. Now Maple embarks on her biggest national tour to date, with a slew of special guests to be revealed soon. The announcement follows the release of her latest single ‘Sticks And Horses’, inspired by observations of power, sex, money, and greed. She even road-tested the track at a strip club to make sure she was on the right path. Maple plays the Metro Theatre on Friday July 8.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121

PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 like us:

THE BRAG

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Following on from their acclaimed sixth album, underground punk heroes Screaming Females are heading to Australia. Said album, Rose Mountain, saw the trio working with producer and engineer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Sword, Minus The Bear, Soundgarden) to delve deeper than they ever have into the intricacies of guitar tones and drum sounds, culminating in their most focused release to date. Having notched up over 1,000 shows in the Northern Hemisphere, Screaming Females have taken to the stage alongside Dinosaur Jr., Garbage, The Dead Weather and more. Now, they make their maiden voyage Down Under. Catch them at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday August 13.

GONNA MAKE YOU GROOVE

Get ready for a night of amazing rock music as Whole Lotta Love returns to town. Returning for its 13th year, the country’s best Led Zeppelin homage takes the greatest of the legendary group’s songs and some of Australia’s leading vocalists and mashes them together to produce a brilliant celebration. Featuring the vocal talents of Dallas Frasca, Simon Meli, Jimmy Cupples and Tim Meaco of The Lockharts, this year’s celebration also marks the 40th anniversary of The Song Remains The Same, which will be celebrated at the show. Take a journey through Led Zeppelin’s hits and rarities at the State Theatre on Saturday August 27.

YOURS, MINE AND OWLS

DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600

SCREAM AND SHOUT

George Maple

Yours & Owls Festival, the music and arts event that takes over North Wollongong across the October long weekend, has confirmed plans to return in 2016 for its biggest edition yet. The 2016 instalment of Yours & Owls will expand to a second stage and a bigger-thanever lineup over two days and nights. Not only will there be local and international musicians on show, organisers are promising an influx of food, film and culture for this year’s festival as well. The lineup is all set to drop on Tuesday June 14, with the festival returning to Stuart Park, North Wollongong on Saturday October 1 and Sunday October 2. Tickets go on sale Monday June 20.

City Calm Down

CALM DOWN, EVERYBODY

Melbourne-based City Calm Down are doing their largest capital city shows to date off the back of a national tour. The news comes after the four-piece enjoyed a set at Liverpool Sound City last month and some sold-out London shows, while single ‘Border On Control’ slowly takes over the airwaves. City Calm Down’s previous album tour saw thousands of tickets snapped up across ten sold-out dates, with their upcoming tour set to do the same. It all goes down at the Metro Theatre on Friday September 23.

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City Calm Down photo by McLean Stephenson

DEADLINES: Editorial: Friday 12pm (no extensions) Ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Fishished art: No later than 2pm Monday Ad cancellations: Friday 4pm Deadlines are strictly adhered to. Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045 All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L / Furst Media P/L 2003-2014

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Screaming Females

George Maple photo by Darren McDonald

AWESOME INTERNS: Keiren Jolly, Amy Henderson, Anna Wilson

Bleached have announced they’ll be bringing the West Coast to Australian stages for the first time, gearing up for a Sydney show this year. The tour comes off the back of the trio’s latest album, Welcome The Worms, which was written and recorded in the desolate Joshua Tree desert after the tolls of a rock’n’roll lifestyle caused a creative breakthrough for the group. Bleached will play Newtown Social Club on Saturday October 1.

Screaming Females photo by Lance Bangs

BLEACHED AS, BRO

THE NEW ALBUM

OUT NOW www.bandofskulls.com thebrag.com

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 5

live & local

free stuff

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

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

WITH

SWAMP TO SAHARA

Inspirations Well we all fuckin’ love Zeppelin… 2. especially Lucia. We definitely draw a lot of

inspiration from Stevie Wonder – Sam says, “Ever since I was a child a major part of my growing up was spent listening to Stevie Wonder albums.” The ultimate groove goal is to be tight as Tower Of Power – or just be Tower Of Power.

next year. On the 15th of June we will be performing our LP at Brighton Up Bar. You can expect some badly choreographed dance moves, some tight harmonies, and a bodacious horn section. Rob will also be soloing blindfolded while Stevo has a wet T-shirt competition with himself, pouring several bottles of water over his head to keep hydrated.

Your Band Music, Right Here, Right Now Our core members are Alex McIntyre The local music scene is oozing 3. 5. on gat and vocals, Stevo Lee hits shit, Lucia great talent and a lot of shit. We’ve made

Sarah McLeod

Capell sings, Sam Wilson slaps bass and ass, and Roberto Mouat is our operatic guitarist. But wait, our family is expanding – we also have some horny horns. Tom Smithson plays trumpet and ladies, Ben Reyden is a flame on the flute, and Mitch Lowe is a sleazy slide on the trombone. Sean Mapesone has also featured a couple times on synth, keys and lush BVs.

The Music You Make Psychedelic (Pink Floyd), funk 4. (RÜFÜS), pop (Destiny’s Child). We are

recording an LP at Grove Studios in July, which we are hoping to release early

some tight mateships with bands we play with regularly. Our mates Doko, Treehouse Children, Fox Holmes and State Of Art all played with us during our residency at Captain Cook. The biggest obstacle in the industry would be avoiding the namedroppers who expect you to pay $1 million to record an EP and act like they are doing you a solid. Come on guys, we are poor uni students – be reasonable. With: The Modern Glitch, Sour Dragon Where: Brighton Up Bar When: Wednesday June 15

SAVAGES

As though playing the Coachella and Sasquatch Festivals in the middle of their North American tour isn’t enough, the very busy Savages has announced a small handful of Australian shows to celebrate the release of second album Adore Life and its current single ‘The Answer’. Sydney’s Metro Theatre will host the Thursday June 16 gig by these high-velocity London rockers, with subsequent shows at the Odeon Theatre in Hobart and Melbourne’s Corner Hotel. We have two double passes to give away to the Sydney show. Be in the running at thebrag.com/freeshit.

Swamp To Sahara photo by Liam Cox

Growing Up Lucia grew up in Norway – we are drawing from her childhood in a song we have just started piecing together by chanting in Norwegian, “Men are like fi sh, the large eat the small”. Sam grew up chewing tobacco out in the farmlands of Bowral. We draw inspiration from his cowboy heritage in the hoedown bridge of our song ‘Checkout Chick’. Alex grew up in a Catholic family and played in the liturgy group from a young age, so she learnt how to spot out shit music and how not to groove.

Savages photo by Colin Lane

five things

SARAH’S STILL SUPER

Sarah McLeod will hit the road this July and August for a series of up-close-andpersonal solo shows. The tour will feature acoustic versions of songs from McLeod’s back catalogue. Her career began in the late ’90s as the lead singer/guitarist for ARIA Award-winners, The Superjesus. McLeod has also released three solo albums. Last year she reformed The Superjesus, who are preparing to have a new record out later this year. She will play The Brass Monkey on Thursday July 14, Old Manly Boatshed on Saturday July 16 and Oxford Circus on Saturday August 13.

THAT DAPPLED CITIES SOUND

To celebrate the first taste of new music from their fifth studio album, Dappled Cities will be performing a one-night-only Sydney show. Off the back of two ARIA nominations and high triple j rotation, the celebrated indie rock outfit have unveiled their brand new single ‘That Sound’ from their forthcoming album. Taking cues from the likes of David Bowie and Spoon, the tune melds ’70s-inspired pop with modern-

day rock. Dappled Cities will play Oxford Art Factory on Saturday July 16.

HER KINGDOM FOR A GIG

Evangeline, the honey-and-whisky-voiced troubadour behind ‘My Kingdom’, is set to hit Sydney for the very first time. The rising talent is currently riding the wave of attention brought on by the viral success of the William Black remix of ‘My Kingdom’, a tune that has garnered over three million streams across

Vera Blue

Project Montreal

WYATT’S UP

Under the moniker Project Montreal, creator Ryan Wyatt is to release his debut album Patterns. Written across three continents, Patterns is an original and eclectic blend of alternative pop sounds that sees Wyatt draw on influences from David Bowie to Picasso. These influences have resulted in collaborations with a multitude of artists, including pop icon Van Dyke Parks and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Project Montreal was introduced to Australia with the singles ‘Round And Round’ and ‘Colours’, and Wyatt’s debut album is set to stretch the inspiring, unique sound of the project. The album launch tour hits Oxford Art Factory this Saturday June 11. YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify. Catch her Sydney gig now, so five years down the line you can brag about liking her before she got famous. Evangeline plays The World Bar on Friday June 17.

Okenyo

OVER-CAFFEINATED

Horn-backed hip hop stars Five Coffees have been announced as the headline act for the upcoming Live At The Sly this week. Given their notoriously raucous live shows, the genre-bending innovators are sure to win themselves some new fans while simultaneously satisfying their own evergrowing horde of admirers. Rounding out the bill are apocalyptically monikered punk rock outfit The Melting Caps and exotic rockers Majun Bu, meaning the night will be as diverse and unusual as fans of the evening have come to expect. Live At The Sly is back at Slyfox this Thursday June 9.

THE MANE ACT FEELING BLUE

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In news that is bound to make her fans feel… well, ten feet tall, new Elefant Traks signee and Urthboy collaborator Okenyo has locked in the date for her Sydney single launch. The intimate gig will see the rising talent send her new track ‘10 Feet Tall’ out into the world. Tickets are incredibly limited, so those who want to catch a young musician in full mastery of her talents should get in quick. Okenyo plays Oxford Circus on Wednesday July 6.

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xxx photo by xxxx

Just after wrapping up her sold-out headline tour, Vera Blue has announced a new run of national shows covering capital cities and regional towns, beginning in August. Her second headline jaunt will see Blue returning to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to play bigger rooms, as well as venturing to Adelaide, Tasmania, Darwin and other key regional areas for the first time. She will also make her festival debut at the Maroochy Music Festival. Before kicking off her run of headline dates, Blue will support Broods around the country. She’ll top the bill at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday September 24.

Edgy counter-puncher Mane has just announced the release date of her new single, ‘Bitter’, a snippet from her upcoming EP House Of Horror designed to get mouths across Sydney salivating. But that’s not all. Fans of the up-and-comer will also be able to witness Mane’s talent in the flesh, as the singer has already booked herself a single launch date. So make room in your calendar, and start spinning ‘Bitter’ in preparation. The track drops this Friday June 10, and Mane hits The Newsagency on Friday July 29.

GROWING PAINS

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THE OWLS

+ THE LAZY COLTS FRIDAY JUNE 10TH

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SATURDAY JUNE 11TH

PROJECT SKA + GLADES

SUNDAY JUNE 12TH

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LEVEL 2, 75 THE CORSO, MANLY WWW.HOTELSTEYNE.COM.AU | FACEBOOK/HOTELSTEYNEMANLY | @HOTELSTEYNE

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MARRICKVILLE SMALL BAR & LIVE MUSIC VENUE

Thursday 8 June (7pm) Charlie’’s Formiidable Vegetable Soun nd Sys stem (permacullture-m mania) Friddayy 9 June (7pm)) The Claxton Project + After the Raiin (pop) Sundayy 12 June (5pm) The Dead Marines (indie pop) Friday 17 June (7pm) Queen Porter Stomp (new orleans stomp) Saturdday 18 June (7pm) Lisa Richards + Suzy Con nnolly y (countrry)

115 Marrickville Road, Marrickville Tue-Sat till 11.30pm, Sun to 9.30m.

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AT THE

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FIVE COFFEES

THE MELTING CAPS MAJUN BU 1 9 9 E N M O R E R OA D, E N M O R E BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 7

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with James Jamieson

THINGS WE HEAR • Which company got its lawyer to answer questions from a trade publication on its declining sales? • Which overseas singer no longer wears makeup on Snapchat appearances as her pregnancy makes her too tired to get dolled up? • Did Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith urinate on a cooling fan belonging to Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins during an Australian tour? Blink-182’s Travis Barker said he did, in an interview on KROQ: “It’s the worst practical joke ever. It was so funny, but it was so wrong.” A shocked Smith quickly wrote to Hawkins, “I know I’ve done some really fucked up things, but did I ever pee in your fan in Australia?” To which Hawkins replied, “Absolutely not. I would’ve remembered that.”

LABOR WILL RESTORE FUNDING TO MUSIC, RADIO

If the ALP forms government after the federal election next month, it promises to allocate $6.4 million over three years to the music industry in order to strengthen the live sector and encourage more export opportunities. It will combine Sounds Australia, the Live Music Office and the Australian Music Centre to work on strategies. The ALP will also restore $5.6m funding to community digital radio in the five main capital cities over four years, restore and increase funding to the Australia Council, and drop the Catalyst scheme.

MUSIC ACTS HIT YOUTUBE, WANT LAW CHANGED Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Billy Joel have signed letters asking for changes to the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Passed in 1998, the laws allow sites like YouTube to host copyrighted material posted by users. The industry says the law is outdated and makes removing unauthorised content too difficult, because if a clip is pulled down, another one pops up. The music industry calls it “legalised piracy”.

• Bono joined Bruce Springsteen at his Dublin gig for ‘Because The Night’. Meanwhile, Metallica’s James Hetfield jumped onstage during Corrosion Of Conformity’s Oakland show for ‘Seven Days’. • Nova newsreader Kim Napier, during an item on the Johnny Depp/ Amber Heard split, stumbled over the phrase “irreconcilable differences” twice. The third time, she went for, “They didn’t get on.” • During his “off year”, Ash Grunwald is living in Bali. • Etihad Airways made it up to Dallas Frasca after they arrived in Paris to start a European tour, only to find some of their gear had ended up in Africa. After the band hit social media complaining, the airline officially apologised, and on their last leg back to Melbourne, upgraded them to business class. • Moby says he’ll move to New Zealand if

Donald Trump comes to power. • Usually there’s no love lost between police and rappers. But Adelaide’s Tafadzwa Dzimano of Nvsty Militia got a special commendation from the South Australian police. On the train home after recording, he spotted a sole cop trying unsuccessfully to evict a drunk who was abusing passengers. Our hero barged in to help the officer arrest the man and got headbutted for his trouble (by the drunk, not the cop). • KIIS radio duo Matt & Meshel have a segment called the Ten Grand Jury social experiment, in which a jury decides on which listener has the worst hard luck story to win $10,000. A woman who came on complaining that she needed plastic surgery to redesign her vagina won hands down (ahem)… but later gleefully told the hosts she wanted the dough to take her kid on a Gold Coast holiday, and “my vajayjay is fine”.

MADONNA VICTORIOUS OVER ‘VOGUE’ SAMPLE…

Madonna has won the legal dispute over a sample on her 1990 hit ‘Vogue’. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in America ruled that a 0.23-second sampling of a horn hit from the 1976 song ‘Love Break’ by Salsoul Orchestra was de minimis, meaning small enough to be trivial. Judge Susan Graber wrote that the sample was so brief, “[it] occurs only a few times in ‘Vogue’ [and is] easy to miss”, and the sounds “do not sound identical to the horn hits from ‘Love Break’”, to such an extent that “it is hard to imagine [a listener] would conclude that sampling had occurred”.

…BUT KRAFTWERK LOSE Madonna

A German court has ruled against Kraftwerk in a long-running legal dispute, and in favour of the German hip hop producer who sampled their track. A short drum sequence contained within their 1977 song ‘Metall Auf Metall’ (‘Metal On Metal’), was lifted by producer Moses Pelham and looped repeatedly in Sabrina Setlur’s 1997 song ‘Nur Mir’ (‘Only Me’). German courts had previously awarded Kraftwerk damages, but Pelham and Setlur appealed, and the German Constitutional Court – the country’s top legal decision-making body – overturned the previous verdict. It said that Pelham’s unauthorised sampling had a “negligible” impact on Kraftwerk and therefore “artistic freedom overrides the interest of the owner of the copyright”. Pelham said, “For the future development of art it is a very important ruling.” The ruling does not change the law on copyright protection in Germany but the ruling on “artistic freedom” is bound to spark more unauthorised sampling.

PILL TESTING? SNIFFER DOGS? HAVE YOUR SAY

Moses Pelham

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Split: singer Demi Lovato and actor Wilmer Valderrama after six years, saying they’re “better as best friends”. Split: former One Direction singer Zayn Malik and model Gigi Hadid after six months, but hooray, friends say they might get back together. Split: Calvin Harris wouldn’t commit to marrying Taylor Swift, so Tay Tay told him to take a long walk off a short pier.

Wanted: SA police are looking for a fan sporting an Iron Maiden T-shirt who allegedly smashed up a taxi and hit the driver on his way home after their show. Jailed: High School Musical’s Justin Martin for 18 months, almost a year after he was arrested following a “shoot-out” with police.

…BUT KRAFTWERK LOSE

COCOONS HELPS TO LET, FIND SPACE

Cocoons is a new website launched in Melbourne and Sydney that allows artists, performers and musos to sublet their studios, rehearsal spaces and warehouses when they’re not using them. It can help artists find and book these places, either for a few days or a few hours. Each listing on the site comes with its own description, photos, user ratings and optional equipment list. The site

(cocoons.co) was set up in Melbourne by the now Berlin-based designer and musician Adam Ferns, freelance writer Phon Vongdara and photographer and technologist Andy Rovenko.

GUVERA RAISING BIG FUNDS

Australian music streaming company Guvera is on its way to raising $80 million to expand globally and increase its amount of users from 14 million in ten countries to 21 million by the

Died: Mac Cocker, one of the original presenters on Double J when it launched in Sydney in 1975 and more recently at ABC Radio Darwin until he retired in June 2007. He was the estranged father of Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker. Died: guitarist Thomas Fekete of Florida rock band Surfer Blood, 27, from a rare cancer. Died: Dave Swarbrick, 75, violinist with British folk-rock band Fairport Convention. He struggled with health problems after being diagnosed with emphysema in the 1990s, with three tracheotomies and a double lung transplant in 2004, and sometimes needing to perform onstage with an oxygen canister to help with his breathing.

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Madonna photo by Ashley Mar

EMI Australia has launched a joint venture record label with blogger, social media identity and radio presenter Nic Kelly called Night High Records, The Music Network reports. It will be driven through the 20-year-old Kelly’s online and social presence, with first signing being Pon Cho of Thundamentals. Pon Cho’s new single ‘Lonely Walls’ features Paige IV, known for also featuring on LDRU’s platinum track ‘Keeping Score’.

Lifelines

Suing: Wiz Khalifa is taking action against former manager Benjy Grinberg and his Rostrum Records, which signed him up as an unknown in 2005. He wants US$1 million in compensation, saying they signed him to deals that benefited them more than it did him. Grinberg was shocked at the suit.

NEW HIP HOP MARKETING COMPANY

EMI LAUNCHES NEW LABEL WITH NIC KELLY

Sydney band Phantastic Ferniture have signed a management deal with Heartstop Music, which has been building the international careers of Marlon Williams and the Phantastic Ferniture singer Julia Jacklin. The band initially staged what was to be its first and last gig 18 months ago, but Phantastic Ferniture are now cutting a debut EP (their success in 301 Studios ‘I Am Indie’ comp got them recording time with producer Tim Carr), have released a single called ‘Gap Year’ and are doing shows in July in Sydney and Melbourne.

Arrested: former Destiny’s Child singer Farrah Franklin for public intoxication and marijuana possession after an argument with a male friend. When cops asked how much she’d been drinking, she snarled back, “Not enough!”

No doubt you’ve been mouthing off (as have many of this column’s readers) on pill testing, sniffer mutts and overdoses at festivals. Now someone actually wants to hear your balloon juice. Researchers at the National Drug Research Institute and Curtin University are conducting an anonymous online survey at curtin.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_e3r2OpLuXADrx4h on your drug use (or non-drug use) at festivals and your ideas on what’s to be done for safe drug-taking.

Call & Response is a new music marketing company dedicated to hip hop and urban culture. It is a joint venture by Josh TaylorAnderson of Cassette Entertainment and the SGC Media Group for PR, radio plugging, digital marketing and out-of-the-box marketing in an under-represented genre. Among those on the roster are Seth Sentry, Sarah Connor (who won the Hilltop Hoods Initiative last year), Nico Ghost and Lyall Moloney. Taylor-Anderson, a former manager and festival curator, says, “There’s a not a huge choice of real ‘hip hop people’ who understand marketing as well as the culture and the scene in this country.” Reach him at josh@ callandresponse.com.au.

NEW MANAGEMENT FOR PHANTASTIC FERNITURE

Born: twin daughters Gracie Jane and Alice Rose for Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, 68, and theatre producer wife Sally, 38.

STAR HOTEL EXHIBITION

Newcastle’s Star Hotel, immortalised in the Cold Chisel song after the infamous September 1979 riot that led to 40 arrests, is these days a respectable restaurant. But its owners want to pay homage to its history and are putting up a permanent exhibition. They are calling on contributions from the public, including stories, photos and memorabilia. Email history@starhotel.newcastle.com.au.

end of 2017. It has launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO), offering up to 80 million shares at $1 each. Guvera teams with major brands to create branded channels. Its chairman Phil Quartararo says, “Primarily focused on mobile digital advertising, Guvera’s revenue model replicates that of a major social media platform. The provision of music is a mass-market service, and I believe Guvera is the best-positioned music company to take advantage of this mobile advertising explosion.”

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 9

COVER STORY

THE

TEMPER TRAP CALLING THE SHOTS

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

uthenticity is an ambiguous concept. Just as with art, poetry and literature, the exact criterion isn’t clear, but everyone’s got their own ideas about what qualifies as ‘authentic’ music. Regardless of its nebulous definition, authenticity has long been seen as an essential ingredient in the constitution of a great rock band. Accordingly, you’ll often hear selfstyled purists pontificating about how, for rock music to be truly authentic, it must be autonomously created – straight from the heart, with no ulterior motives. The Temper Trap are back with their third LP, Thick As Thieves, and a lengthy cast of co-writers and producers have assisted the Melbourne four-piece in its creation. There are some big names, too, such as Malay (co-writer and producer on Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange) and Justin Parker (best known for his work with Lana Del Rey, as well as Ellie Goulding and Darren Hayes). When it comes to songwriting, the ‘whatever works’ ideology seems rather apt – if a band sits down with a co-writer and a good song comes out, then it’s still a good song. However, within the realm of rock music, it’s safe to say that not everyone shares this view. The Temper Trap knew they might face criticism for collaborating with a number of writers on Thick As Thieves. But that wasn’t enough to stop them grabbing what seemed like an invaluable opportunity. “At the end of the day, [if] we have an awesome song, then everybody wins, really,” says frontman Dougy Mandagi. “Plus, we’ve done two records exactly the same way where

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it’s been very insular and it’s just us working together. Sometimes you’ve just got to change things up just to keep things interesting.” “I think if you’re honest about it, [it doesn’t matter],” says guitarist Joseph Greer. “Bands that people think probably write their own stuff – it’s pretty interesting how many bands are [working with co-writers], but probably wouldn’t say. Definitely at first I was concerned about that. I was like, ‘How are we going to approach it?’ And we decided that you just be honest about it. It’s been a great step for us and it’s made us better as songwriters and opened up a new world to us.”

Temper Trap were still calling the shots. “It’s not like we got these writers to write for us and then just send us music,” Mandagi says. “It’s been a collaboration. And to be completely honest, in most cases it’s really been just some guy on a laptop basically doing what I tell them to.” After ten years as a band, and with two full-length releases behind them, the involvement of outsiders was effective in shining a light on the strengths and weaknesses of The Temper Trap’s songwriting habits and luring them into unknown territory.

For better or worse, much of The Temper Trap’s existence has been coloured by the success of their 2008 single ‘Sweet Disposition’. When it was reissued in 2009 it became an international hit, reaching the UK top ten and catalysing platinum sales figures for their debut album Conditions. In the aftermath, The Temper Trap became festival headliners, sold out arenas and picked up multiple ARIA Awards. It was infeasible to think their second album, 2012’s The Temper Trap, would match that level of success, but the fact that it didn’t still seemed like a failure for the band. However, with another four years’ distance from ‘Sweet Disposition’, they were able to reclaim some freedom during the making of Thick As Thieves.

“WE MAKE POP MUSIC ANYWAYS, BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE’S LABELS AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE INVESTED MONEY INTO THIS. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY NEED TO HAVE A SAY AS WELL.”

Strict notions about what constitutes artistic legitimacy can often be unnecessarily restrictive. Look at Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, for instance. Although he’s responsible for the concepts and designs, a lot of the time Weiwei isn’t present for the construction of his artworks. But does that limit their potency? The Chinese government certainly doesn’t think so.

Along with Malay and Parker, The Temper Trap teamed up with Ben Allen (Bombay Bicycle Club, Animal Collective, CeeLo Green), Pascal Gabriel (Ladyhawke, Kylie Minogue, Dido), Damian Taylor (Björk, The Prodigy, The Killers) and Rich Cooper (Tom Odell, Josef Salvat). The majority of Thick As Thieves was conceived in London, but recording sessions happened everywhere from Melbourne and Byron Bay to Montreal. Throughout these expeditions, The

“You go down avenues that you normally wouldn’t go down,” Mandagi says. “You reflect on things differently. It’s awesome to spark your imagination. If there’s any blockage or anything, [you realise], ‘Oh, actually I can go down that route.’” “You know how with Radiohead, Nigel Godrich has been their collaborator and someone that works on the albums with them?” Greer says. “I can imagine when they’re working on an album, he would be quite influential on the way things are turning out and how they’re sounding. Just having someone else in the room sometimes, a different ear that you can play things to, that kind of collaboration is refreshing.”

“This is almost like starting over again to a certain extent,” Mandagi says.

“There’s less expectation,” says Greer, “and less [people saying], ‘You have to follow up that album.’ Everything just feels really positive and it feels like a new start.” However, even if the shadow of ‘Sweet Disposition’ has receded somewhat, The Temper Trap are still focused on making music that appeals to the masses. “We make pop music anyways, but obviously there’s labels and people that have invested money into this,” Mandagi says. “At the end of the day, they need to have a say as well. It’s not that we weren’t thinking about songs in that way, but it becomes just as much about managing that. It really sucks if you go into writing

with that in mind. It really kills your buzz creatively and you tend to just work within really tight parameters. But at the same time, we’re not going to make some avant-garde, crazy arthouse music. You just have to manage expectations while still fulfilling our own creative instincts and desires. “Before the debut album, I had no idea what pop music looked like. After working with all these producers [on Conditions], then I learned about the structure of a pop song and stuff. So it’s hard to undo that, because I know that now. We instinctually do it. It’s not like we sit down and go, ‘OK guys, let’s write something [that’s going to be a hit].’” The issue of authenticity seems less significant to The Temper Trap than producing something they can proudly stand behind. Aside from these insular concerns, seeing many of their peers, including Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Tame Impala, achieve crossover success in recent years has been a major creative stimulant. “I definitely hear bands and feel excited, like, ‘I want to be [doing that],’” Greer says. “It makes me hungry to be doing that as well. Hearing Tame Impala’s last album, I feel like they’ve just smashed it. We’d love to be in that position, so it makes you hungry to try and do it – to try and get there. You want to be part of the world of music and get as many people to listen to you as possible, and keep doing what you love.” What: Thick As Thieves out Friday June 10 through Liberation

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Pup Dream On By David James Young didn’t have to bottle everything up anymore. We could just talk about it – we could even sing about it.” The Dream Is Over – named after a verbatim quote from Babcock’s doctor, a warning against him touring with a damaged throat – arrives a couple of years on from Pup’s selftitled debut LP. In the intervening years, Pup – completed by guitarist Steve Sladkowski, bassist Nestor Chumak and drummer Zack Mykula – spent a solid portion of time touring across the world, from empty bars to sold-out crowds in their hometown of Toronto. A lot of it was documented in the music video for ‘Dark Days’, the final single from Pup.

can’t wait for your funeral”. It’s mean, angry and pissed off – but, in a twist even M. Night Shyamalan wouldn’t see coming, all of the band members love it. “Jamming that song out in our rehearsal space would have to be one of the most fun times that we’ve ever had as a band,” says singer and guitarist Stefan Babcock, who’s responsible for penning the song’s scathing lyrics. “They all thought it was hilarious and loved

it immediately. To me, that song is lyrically a representation of all of us. When you’re in such close quarters to one another for such an extensive period of time, the little things tend to drive you mad. I knew that, when I was writing those lyrics, every single person in the band had felt that way about every other person in the band at least once. The fact we could all get together on a song like that and make this goofy, fun, cathartic song – that was all part of us strengthening our friendship. We realised we

Indeed, a lot of grievances are aired during The Dream Is Over’s 30-minute runtime, and no-one is safe. It’s the sound of Pup staring down the proverbial barrel and defiantly screaming in its face.

“I’ve found that being genuine and honest is really important,” he says. “I think it’s missing from a lot of music. The point of writing music, at the end of the day, should be to put yourself out there. That’s the way that I see it, anyway. That’s something that I’ve learned from a lot of bands that we’ve toured with – The Smith Street Band being one of them. Australia’s own. Wil [Wagner]’s lyrics are really honest and really truthful, and I think that’s why I love that band. I think that’s why a lot of people love that band. You’re not making shit up. You’re talking about things that you know. That’s what people are drawn to. I tried to approach this album like that by being honest with myself and not holding back.” To coincide with the release of The Dream Is Over, Pup are heading back to Australia this October for their first-ever headline tour. The shows will come 18 months removed from the band’s first visit Down Under, a 20-show run supporting The Smith Street Band. “That was probably the most fun tour that we’ve ever been on,” says Babcock. “I can’t wait to come back. We’re really excited – Australia has been so good to us in the past.” What: The Dream Is Over out now through SideOneDummy/ Cooking Vinyl Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Tuesday October 4

Pup photo by Vanessa Heins

o doubt you’re across the concept of a diss track – a song that explicitly aims to take a specific person or group down a notch through its lyrics. On The Dream Is Over, the second studio album from Canadian indie-punks Pup, the opening number is entitled ‘If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will’ – and it’s a diss track against every other person in the band. It offers up such ripping lines as, “It makes me ill seeing your face every morning”, and perhaps most devastatingly, “I

“I’d like to think we’re as honest as we can be about the whole thing,” says Babcock. “It’s impossible to understand what touring is like until you’ve actually done it – and even when you have, it’s impossible to comprehend what it’s like to do it for ten straight months the way that we did. Usually, it’s in bursts of a couple of months with breaks in between. For us, we just didn’t stop. Touring is a theme that permeates a lot of the new songs – they’re the backdrop to pretty much everything that we’ve all gone through since the last record came out. I’m hoping that people that listen to this record don’t feel alienated by that, but at the same time I hope it gives people a glimpse into what that life is like. It’s not like a Kings Of Leon video or anything like that.”

There’s no bullshit, no flowery metaphor or coded speak – it’s straight up, blunt and unrepentant. And that’s exactly how Babcock would like to be perceived.

Spring King Like It Or Not By Matthew Galea attention. Their music has aired on triple j and FBi here in Oz, and has been championed by big time UK DJs Annie Mac and Zane Lowe – their track ‘City’ was famously the first song played on Apple Music’s Beats 1 station. Spring King also boast an impressive tour history, including sets with the likes of Courtney Barnett, Slaves and Fidlar, as well as coveted slots at festivals including SXSW, The Great Escape, Reading Festival and the forthcoming Splendour In The Grass. With the growing hype surrounding the boys, there’s no time like the present to release their debut album, Tell Me If You Like To.

“I

“It’s been amazing,” he says. “We’ve been playing in loads of places that we’ve never been to as a band, and nearly every night we’ve been like four tickets off selling out the shows, and it’s amazing to see the responses from the crowds.” 12 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

Tarek, a drummer/singer/producer, formed Spring King in 2012, recruiting guitarists Peter Darlington (a high school friend) and Andy Morton (whom he met at a skate park) before seeking out bass player James Green through Facebook. “Most of the time we just eat chocolate together and laugh and drink beer,” says Musa. “It is a pleasure to hang out with those guys – it’s never a chore, we all love each other.” In true garage rock form, their name was picked at a time when Musa didn’t know if the band would even work.

“I do mixing and producing on the side and whenever I work with artists I always end up using too much reverb, specifically the spring reverb, and someone coined me the ‘spring king’ after years of using too much of that effect on everyone else’s music,” he explains. “So when it came to making my own music, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just call myself the Spring King because I use so much of it.’ It was really off the cuff.” For the past two years, the Manchester four-piece have been slowly building momentum, releasing acclaimed singles and two EPs that have garnered a fair bit of

“There’s a song called ‘It’s So Dark’ on there, which is based off a conversation I had with my dad, like, quite a few years ago. We were watching TV and there were loads of war stories on the news and he was just like, ‘This is so dark.’ He’s always that guy that tells me that the world is going to shit, and that’s when I wrote that song – I just went to the keyboard and wrote ‘It’s So Dark’, just based off what he was telling me.”

“Everyone just says that Splendour is this incredible festival,” Musa says. “We play quite high-energy live shows with a lot of intensity, so expect to jump around and nod your head quite fast ’cause it’s heavy garage pop music. “I really enjoy playing festivals ’cause I love that a person can just walk around and stumble across new music. I find that exciting, because you can see them when you’re playing – people walking through your tent and either stopping or carrying on, but it’s really cool that you see them pause and go, ‘Oh, what’s this?’ ’cause they’ve clearly never heard it. So I love that whole spontaneity of festivals, how you can just do that and you have all these options in front of you.” What: Tell Me If You Like To out Friday June 10 through Dew Process/Universal With: Beach Slang Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Wednesday July 20 And: Also appearing at Splendour In The Grass 2016, North Byron Parklands, Friday July 22 – Sunday July 24

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Spring King photo by Khalil Musa

t was just a bedroom project – I didn’t really think it would ever become a live band,” says Spring King founder and frontman Tarek Musa as he waits for the other three members of said bedroom project to pick him up for one of the fi nal shows of their tour.

“Overall it’s quite a dark album,” Musa explains. “Lyrically it’s about coming of age and finding yourself. It’s the kind of album I would’ve wanted to hear when I was 16 or 17. That was always kind of in the back of my head, because I remember that era of my life was such an inspirational era and I was listening to a lot of new bands, so I wanted to write something that was kind of like a coming of age and a bit of an exploration, trying to find out who you are. So lyrically it’s quite dark and it’s quite intense. Energy-wise, there’s a lot of fast numbers on there which are quite garagey and heavy.

Citing Bruce Springsteen, The Beach Boys and Arcade Fire as key influences, Spring King describe their music as “a balance between pop and garage rock”. The fact these Mancunians have been picking up speed across the music scene for two years, even without a record on sale, speaks volumes about their abilities as a live act – something Australia will soon witness as they play Splendour and co-headline two sideshows with Philadelphia punks Beach Slang.

Garbage Birds Of A Feather By David James Young

015 was a considerably busy year for Garbage, a band generally known to lay dormant for years at a time due to preoccupations with the outside world. The primary focus for them was celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Garbage, the iconic album that remains home to half a dozen staples of both pop and alternative radio to this day. In conjunction with its deluxe reissue, Garbage also ventured out on a relatively brief tour in which they drew exclusively from the source material. “We had to learn all the songs again, as well as all the B-sides,” explains Butch Vig, the band’s drummer. “We wanted to make it really special, as we were only going to do 30 shows all up. It was important to us that these felt like a oncein-a-lifetime experience for our fans, and I think those that came to see the show will testify to that. It felt like the right thing to do, and I think we all got a lot out of it. The truth is we’re really lucky to still be here after all this time.” Simultaneously, Garbage – Vig, vocalist Shirley Manson and guitarists Duke Erikson and Steve Marker – were working towards the completion of their sixth studio album, Strange Little Birds. Vig recalls the recording process fondly, as he feels the band members now have a much clearer idea of both how to make music and what it is they want to get out of it. “The writing sessions are pretty casual,” he says. “We crack open a bottle of wine, Shirley sits down on the couch with a microphone and then Steve, Duke and myself wander around to different instruments – guitar, bass, keyboards, drums – and see if anything we strike up hits our fancy. We’ll work for a couple of weeks, take a couple of weeks off, go back and forth like that. We did this for about a year after we stopped touring [2012 album] Not Your Kind Of People, and soon enough we had about 20 songs. “Garbage being Garbage, we recorded a lot of different things. When it came to mixing the album, though, we stripped everything back. I think that’s what you hear on this record – by drawing everything back in, the songs are able to get right up in your face.” Eschewing the traditional origin story of being friends in high school or replying to a ‘musicians wanted’ ad, Garbage began in the early ’90s as a studio project for some like-minded music industry types who were disenfranchised with what surrounded them. Vig, in particular, is perhaps the most famous member of the group – away from his drumming duties, he is a record producer of some note, having worked on albums by the likes of Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters and AFI. Interestingly, however, he is not the sole credited producer on any Garbage record – these, as the liner notes will testify, are produced by Garbage as an entity. “A producer is someone with an opinion,” explains Vig. “All four of us are very opinionated. We butt heads every day in the studio. We’re lucky that we share a sensibility that has allowed us to work through differences. At the end of the day, I think we get to a point where all four of us have a clear idea of what we need to do. It’s not always easy, but we try. It’s always going to end up sounding like Garbage all the same, even if we tried to make it different. That comes back to our sensibilities – the way that we play, the music we like, how we think things should sound. I think that’s one of our strengths, and the reason we’re still here after 20-something years. We’ve been together long enough to know when to let things go and not take them personally.” Vig speaks both fondly and often about “the Garbage sound”, which is an interesting topic of discussion when one looks at the songs that have come to shape the band’s career, from straight-up sugar-rush pop (‘Cherry Lips’, ‘Special’) to big guitar rockers (‘Why Do You Love Me’, ‘I Think I’m Paranoid’) all the way through to lush, quiet moments of intimacy (‘Queer’, ‘Milk’). The so-called ‘Garbage sound’ exists, paradoxically, because there is no ‘Garbage sound’ – it is a conscientious effort on behalf of Vig and co. to constantly reinvent, adapt and evolve themselves. “On our first album, we blended a lot of different styles,” he says. “We had pop beats, electronica, techno, punk rock fuzz guitar, big melodies and harmonies. At the time, it really caught people off guard. We’re lucky to have a singer like Shirley – she has such a strong persona, so it was easy for us to write songs as different as ‘Vow’, ‘Queer’ and ‘Stupid Girl’. We’ve carried that with us. Every record we’ve done shows that every song has its own unique stamp. Shirley is what holds it together – she can keep the focus and glue it all together.” What: Strange Little Birds out Friday June 10 through Stunvolume/Liberator thebrag.com

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Philadelphia Grand Jury Songs For Us All By Jack Cherry Sydney favourites when they’ve been on tour lately. “Normally it’s after we’ve all packed up and we’re still a bit wired and we’re like, ‘Let’s try and see if there’s an all-night karaoke bar somewhere round here,’” he says with a laugh. “It usually ends pretty poorly.” Recently, the Philly Jays took to their Facebook page to ask fans for suggestions of songs they’d like to cover. Although Beeson admits some of the requests were odd, and not quite as classic as they’d anticipated, he confirms they’ve got “ideas of [their] own” that will hopefully keep the party going all night. “There were some really good suggestions as well. One that I think we’re going to try and learn that will be really cool to do will be ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Kate Bush. I think it’ll be a stretch for us to learn a lot of the other ones that people suggested, but we’re going to give it a crack and see how many we can have ready for people to do. We’ve got a few ideas of our own that will be fun as well.”

t’s an unseasonably beautiful afternoon in Sydney as Philadelphia Grand Jury bassist Joel Beeson – AKA MC Bad Genius – skips work to spend some time in the sunshine

ahead of the band’s upcoming tour. The concept is simple: Philadelphia Grand Jury will be playing at tiny venues across the country, handing the mic over to audience members to

sing some karaoke with the Philly Jays as their backing band. Beeson explains karaoke has become a bit of a tradition for the

The Philly Jays have a reputation for both brilliant and insane ideas, including once playing a show on the back of a moving truck, hosting a listening party for one of their albums on a bus riding around the city, and now the karaoke tour, So You Think You Can Philly Jays. This particular concept dates back to last year, when Beeson and co. had hoped to

pull it off, but realised they couldn’t at that point in time. Between then and now, the Philly Jays have been worried that another band was going to beat them to it – though Beeson laughs that he didn’t think anyone else would be “stupid enough to try it” anyway. Now, as the bassist reassures us on behalf of his bandmates Simon ‘Berkfinger’ Berckelman and Dan ‘Dan W. Sweat’ Williams, “It’s going to be great fun, no matter what happens.” Beeson looks forward to airing some Philly Jays tunes and a few covers with the help of the fans, and he’s particularly excited for what he deems a staple of Australian karaoke: ‘The Horses’ by Daryl Braithwaite. But it certainly won’t be the band’s first public rendition of an Antipodean classic. “There’s one [karaoke story] that I wasn’t actually a part of, but there’s footage apparently of Berkfinger singing ‘Love Is In The Air’ by John Paul Young at a karaoke bar in Berlin, completely naked,” Beeson says. “I’m not really sure how that all eventuated, but yeah, apparently there’s video footage of it somewhere. I’m yet to see it and I’m not sure if I really want to, to be honest.” With: Jai Pyne Where: Brighton Up Bar When: Friday June 10

Peter Bjorn And John The Power Of Pop By Augustus Welby collective that also includes Li, songwriter Coco Morier and members of Miike Snow. “[We] started to hang out more with people in the pop business here in Stockholm,” says Yttling. “Making shows together with them, like Lykke Li and Miike Snow and Teddybears. Also building that studio was a bit different, or actually two studios; they’re called the Ingrid Studios.” Along the way, Peter Bjorn And John were steadily working on their seventh album, Breakin’ Point. They again sought out help with the production, but this time they enlisted a whole range of studio experts. The album credits include Patrik Berger (Robyn, Icona Pop), Paul Epworth (Adele, Coldplay), Emile Haynie (Lana Del Rey, Kanye West), Greg Kurstin (Sia, Lily Allen), Pontus Winnberg (Miike Snow, Bloodshy & Avant) and Thom Monahan (Wild Nothing). These are the people responsible for producing and co-writing many of the most successful mainstream pop releases of recent years, from Kanye’s ‘Runaway’ to Adele’s ‘Skyfall’, Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’ to Sia’s ‘Chandelier’. This is exactly the territory Peter Bjorn And John wanted to inhabit. “We wanted to make pop songs and put out a pop album,” Yttling says. “We started with Patrik Berger. Actually, when we started building the studio he was like, ‘This band I have, they want to make a show in the studio.’ So we had Icona Pop – I think it was one of the first shows they did in Stockholm. I didn’t really know Patrik at the time, but I knew he was in a garage band before. So we contacted him because he was into rock music and pop music at the same time. We started with him – we made maybe five, six songs with him – and we felt like, ‘We have to do this how we did it with him on the other songs too.’

eter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson are all experienced producers in their own right. The Swedish indiepop trio self-produced their first five albums, while Yttling has also produced records for the likes of Lykke Li and Sarah Blasko. But for album six, 2011’s Gimme Some, they brought in fellow Swede Per Sunding, best known for producing The Cardigans. The result was a guitar-centric power-pop record, marked by the trio’s exuberant energy.

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Peter Bjorn And John have been busy in the five years since Gimme Some. Yttling produced Li’s I Never Learn, as well as records for Chrissie Hynde and Franz Ferdinand; Morén released his second Swedish-language solo album, Pyramiden; and Eriksson released a couple of albums under his solo alias Hortlax Cobra (1984 and Night Shift). Plus, the band has been instrumental in the advent of Ingrid – a Stockholm-based record label and artist

“Then we recorded some songs and we wrote songs and we were like, ‘Who else is doing what he does on an international level?’ Paul Epworth was in a band before he started production; Greg Kurstin I knew because I worked with him on the Lykke Li album a little bit; Emile Haynie we also knew and he just seemed like a great fit. So we wanted to make contemporary, current pop music for us that would be valid now.” There’s long been a conspicuous pop aspect to Peter Bjorn And John’s songwriting. Their international breakthrough came ten years

ago via the single ‘Young Folks’, and it’s no exaggeration to describe it as one of the most infectious songs of the 2000s. However, the band’s proclivity for pop music has never before been condensed into a whole album package quite like it is on Breakin’ Point. “Maybe the last album influenced it in such a way that the last album was more of a powerpop, punky album where we looked at Guided By Voices or obscure [bands] like Suicide or something like that,” says Yttling. “Those records were more like getting cool sounds and then recording a record. This time we really wanted to focus on every aspect of the songwriting, sort of like how Motown worked on their songs, where they never finished until they got it right.” On paper, Guided By Voices seem a million audio interfaces away from refined Swedish pop music. The American indie rockers are emblematic of the mid-’90s lo-fi movement, and their iconic releases Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes are characterised by the hum of a four-track tape recorder. That said, Guided By Voices bandleader Robert Pollard certainly knows how to conjure a classic melody. Accordingly, Gimme Some is loaded with accessible songcraft. However, Breakin’ Point is designed to make a broader impact. “If you want to compete with the Drakes – who, by the way, is super great and has awesome melodies, a personal favourite – then you have to look into production and how people communicate,” Yttling says. “We looked at Fleetwood Mac. Not Rumours, more like Tango In The Night. We of course looked at Michael Jackson, [especially] Thriller. “I love Buzzcocks and those sort of bands that have strong melodies, but if you don’t get the communication right then it’s not pop. Since we did the whole rock thing on Gimme Some, we wanted the songs totally solid before going into the studio this time.” What: Breakin’ Point out Friday June 10 through Ingrid/Kobalt Where: Metro Theatre When: Wednesday July 20 And: Also appearing at Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands, Friday July 22 – Sunday July 24

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Wayne Shorter Quartet In The Moment By Augustus Welby

hroughout his career, comedian Richard Pryor was known for regularly abandoning all of his existing material and getting up onstage to start again from scratch. Despite his fame and popularity, the results weren’t always crowdpleasing. Audiences and fellow comedians would often look on in bewilderment as Pryor attempted to pluck new material out of thin air. However, as the months went by, Pryor would eventually accumulate enough bits to fi ll an entire show. The bottom line is that Pryor refused to look back – he was only ever interested in doing something new. The fact that Pryor still ranks as one of the all-time great boundary-breaking comedians is a testament to the dividends of this gutsy method.

Wayne Shorter Quartet photo by Dorsay Alavi

Comparisons between musicians and comedians are generally somewhat incongruous. Many musicians spend their years performing a core selection of compositions, whereas it’s essential for stand-up comedians to keep updating their routines. The career of an improvising jazz performer, however, is perhaps the closest equivalent. Saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has played on more recordings than almost any other living musician. He emerged in the late 1950s, and continued to work at a staggering rate for several decades to come. After three years playing with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, he began a two-decade partnership with Miles Davis, performing on such classic albums as Nefertiti and Bitches Brew. Through the ’70s and ’80s he also led the jazz-fusion band Weather Report, played with Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock and released more than a dozen solo albums. Shorter hasn’t forgotten

about these albums, but he’s never been interested in mimicking his earlier successes. “Someone asked me, ‘What’s your favourite composition?’ I said, ‘The next one.’ For me, these compositions, to speak of them and their singular moments and everything like that, it slows down the momentum that we are currently in,” says Shorter. “I think of them as fuel and to take with me the actual essence of what they was about. It’s always about, go forward. Not just musically – go forward with all of life, your mission, even if you’re on the trail less trodden. I’m taking that trail less trodden. The other trail is crowded with compass owners and formula-driven, strategy-driven people. This challenge of being in the moment and improvising might be the most fearless way of negotiating the unknown.” Shorter has appeared on numerous recordings that aren’t just critically revered, but are seen as genredefining, artistic masterpieces – Bitches Brew, Weather Report’s Mysterious Traveller, Mitchell’s Mingus, and his solo LP Native Dancer are but a few examples. The saxophonist and bandleader is now 82 years old, but with the Wayne Shorter Quartet he keeps pushing forward into the unknown. “Like for the scientist that says, ‘Find me a new number,’ or can you say you love somebody better than that? The effort to do something that’s never [been] done before is, to me, an expression of gratitude for this whole mystery of life. The effort to give a gift of originality… maybe the effort is the best thing you could do. Maybe the effort surpasses the actual realisation of that. Realisation’s very tricky. You know, you get all big-headed, think that you’re the only one that can do it.

“There are two profound moments in life. One is being born and the other is knowing why. When people say, ‘What is life?’ I jump up and say, ‘What is life?’ Then if we talking like that, Miles would say, ‘Why don’t y’all play that? Go out there and play what you just said.’ That’s the challenge. Play what you just said.”

“We’re having another album come out in the fall; this group together with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. This album is going to come out on Blue Note with a graphic science-fiction novel in the package with it. The music is all done. The graphic novel was Don Was’ idea. So why not? You have young kids inventing all kinds of stuff. There’s no university for inventors.”

Shorter’s releases have been less frequent in recent years, but the Quartet have kept touring regularly and released a number of live recordings. Their most recent release, Without A Net, came out in 2013, and Shorter’s next project looks to be another instance of taking the trail less trodden.

Unlike many musicians of a similar age, the release of a new Wayne Shorter record truly warrants excitement. However, we won’t have to wait until the new album for another chance to witness Shorter fearlessly negotiating the unknown. He brings the quartet – featuring pianist Danilo Pérez, bassist John Patitucci and

drummer Brian Blade – back to Sydney for this year’s Vivid LIVE festival. Travel, for Shorter, isn’t just necessary; it’s an essential part of his mission. “The places that we go, no matter the distance, it’s still rehearsal for everyone to experience what the imagination can bring when we all get caught in each other’s crosshairs. I want to see what’s new, what you’re doing there. Not just that we’re bringing this and bringing that – let’s trade.” Where: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE 2016 When: Monday June 13

Letlive Better The Devil You Know By Michael Edney kind of stepped outside of the box a little bit to see what kind of journey we could take our listeners on. “I think we have been through a lot as a band and this record defi nitely represents the evolution of the band as a whole, and where we have been on a personal level as artists. I think we have ended up with something pretty beautiful, and we are pretty excited to show everybody.”

Letlive photo by Jonathan Weiner

If I’m The Devil… strikes the perfect balance between Letlive’s erratic rock infl uences and the smooth soul that has always been an underlying style within their sound. If anything, the record demonstrates the band’s unconcern with the stereotypes of the punk scene, producing new material that is sonically brighter than previous releases.

rom the City of Angels comes California’s own Letlive, a band that made its breakthrough with 2010’s raw and hard-hitting Fake History. Reinvigorating the metal genre with their melodic, infectious soul tones mashed with an onslaught thebrag.com

of frenetic punk and post-hardcore melodies, Letlive are back with another demon. They’re set to explode once again with their latest release If I’m The Devil…, a record that guitarist Jeff Sahyoun admits isn’t your typical Letlive album.

“It’s kind of a new colour that has been added to the Letlive catalogue,” explains Sahyoun. “It’s definitely exciting. We have had the opportunity to experiment immensely with different sounds, different arrangements and a different feel as a whole. We have

“I think there is always going to be that punk rock aesthetic to Letlive and to everything we are,” says Sahyoun. “We didn’t go into this record thinking that we should steer away from the foundation of this band. As one would say, ‘Never forget where you came from.’ I don’t think that will ever happen with us. I think punk rock is all about being you and not really giving a fuck what anyone else thinks. You know, like being in tune with your emotions and being let loose in a way that makes you feel human or alive. I think we got the opportunity to do that with this album. We are very much still a punk band.”

Most bands will reminisce about their favourite childhood artists when it comes to naming infl uences, but for Letlive, this isn’t the case. Although each member comes from a different musical background, it is the collective effort when writing each song that shapes their sound. “We really draw off each other,” Sahyoun says. “Trying to write and compose this album, it was pretty challenging. We all come from different musical backgrounds and everybody in the band had different visions as to where they wanted the end product to end up. This ended up causing a lot of disagreements and tension amongst the group. It was defi nitely challenging. I’m not going to lie, it was defi nitely hell on Earth at times, but I think it gave us a chance to reinvent the band, and bring us to something that we never thought it would be. “Everyone had their own opinions, and I think towards the middle of the writing process we put our egos aside, sat back and realised we all had our best interest for each other in mind. There was this level of trust that was thrown into the equation, and it was only then that we started to agree on stuff, and started to get excited. It was here that we started to build the strong foundations of the musical aspect of the record.” What: If I’m The Devil… out Friday June 10 through Epitaph

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arts in focus

free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Chris Martin, Anna Wilson and Amy Henderson

The Wait

five minutes WITH

CLINTON BARNES FROM OPEN RANT NIGHT We often do small talk in a bar, so bringing big talk made sense. How does the format work? Anyone signs up on the night to be a ranter. They’re then called up from the audience to give a rant for two minutes on a mic in front of about 40 people. We have ten rants a night with a break in the middle. We also allow rants-ofreply. It’s short, sharp, and a little fun.

heavy things. It’s always about people’s passions. It’s been running since September last year but we’ve recently had to upscale to a bigger venue. The idea came when chatting to a friend about how to get more people interested in talking about things that matter.

THE WAIT

From director Piero Messina comes The Wait, a film set against a Sicilian backdrop starring the Academy Awardwinning Juliette Binoche. Hitting select Australian cinemas from Thursday June 30, The Wait sees Anna (Binoche) unexpectedly meet Jeanne (Lou de Laâge) from France, who claims to be the girlfriend of Anna’s son. Generationally and geographically disconnected, the two navigate their differences to build a connection while Anna’s son remains suspiciously absent.

Are you ever worried about ranters courting controversy with their arguments? Most people who come are polite and want to get the audience onside. We can always shut down anything that’s intended to be hurtful. It’s only two minutes.

We’ve got five double passes for the advance screenings from Friday June 24 – Sunday June 26, valid at Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street, Dendy Opera Quays and Hayden Orpheum Cremorne. Enter at thebrag.com/freeshit.

What: Open Rant Night Where: The World Bar When: Thursday June 16

JUNE AT THE LAUGH STAND Sweet Addiction

EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is about to open its new horticultural space with an exhibition that’s sure to get chocolate lovers’ taste buds tingling. Sweet Addiction – an exhibit charting the botanic history of chocolate – will be the opening attraction at The Calyx, a new space dedicated to art, theatre and flora. The Botanic Garden’s exhibit organisers, led by director of horticulture management Jimmy Turner, promise this chocfest will provide “an opportunity to touch, see, smell, taste and experience chocolate like never before”. Visitors will experience the origins of chocolate in a tropical rainforest, and over a 45-minute journey, will follow the process of chocolate creation right through ancient history to a modern-day Lindt mill. The exhibition sponsor Lindt will have plenty of its delicacies available, and Lindt master chocolatier Thomas Schnetzler will host chocolate demonstrations on opening weekend as well as during Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter periods. Sweet Addiction opens at The Calyx in the Royal Botanic Garden on Saturday June 11, and continues until April 2017.

Throttle Roll

newest cuisine and style experience. A Moveable Feast will take guests on a luxurious journey through the best in fashion, food and culture. To ensure a seat at this one-off celebration, hopeful patrons are encouraged to register for an earlybird ticket to be a ‘Head of Clan’, leading a table of 30. General admission tickets will be available from Wednesday June 15. With the dress code being Alpine Chic, there is little doubt that this event will be a night of aesthetic and culinary delights.

The Laugh Stand is descending once again on the Harold Park Hotel every Tuesday night this month. Monday can be a dreary one, and what with the rainy weather that has us all snivelling into our coats, there is a colossal need for a pick-me-up come Tuesday. And lo and behold, there it is glistening and bright in the distance: a night filled with comedy, booze and guffaws. The Laugh Stand’s June headliners include Luke Heggie (Tuesday June 14), Steve Hoskins (Tuesday June 21) and the monthly comedy gala on Tuesday June 28 with MC Luke Joseph Ryan.

SPIN US A YARN

This year’s journalism-focused Storyology festival will feature more than 30 speakers at the Chauvel Cinema. Australian speakers include The Feed’s Jeannette Francis, Caro Meldrum-Hanna of ABC’s Four Corners, FBi executive producer Heidi Pett, and The Age journalist Alana Schetzer. International headliners include Cairo-based Mada Masr editor Lina Attalah, Buzzfeed UK’s Heidi Blake, David Clinch of Storyful, and Gerard Ryle from the International Consortium Of Investigative Journalists. Storyology 2016 will take place from Wednesday August 10 – Saturday August 13.

Trevor Noah

THROTTLE AND ROLL

Custom motorbike show Throttle Roll returns with engines revving for an even bigger event this weekend. The hugely popular event that celebrates Australia’s custom culture and bike communities has grown to become a street party in its fourth year, featuring phenomenal custom motorcycles, live bands, food and bars. With over 60 of the country’s best custom motorcycles displayed on the famous ‘wall of scaffolding’, motorcycle enthusiasts can oggle café racers, bobbers, choppers and more, in a street packed out with trade stands from some of the industry’s finest. Rockabilly, blues and rock bands will smash out tunes all day with a lineup that includes The Snowdroppers, Pat Capocci, Frank Sultana and The Sinister Kids and DJs keeping the Throttle Roll crowd pumped between sets. Get set to party with bikes, babes and beers at Railway Parade in Marrickville on Sunday June 12.

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE

The Inner West’s premiere comedy club, The Laugh Stand, will present a new series of fortnightly sketch shows beginning this month in Double Bay. Thursday Night Live comes to you every second Thursday at the Pelicano and will feature an array of sidesplitting talent. Emceeing the Thursday June 16 event is Stand Up Australia’s Julia Wilson, 16 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

introducing audiences to the likes of Dave Jory (The Footy Show, Last Comic Standing) and upcoming talent Kel Balnaves.

WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

Come Saturday June 30, Carriageworks will undergo a wintry transformation to become the site of A Moveable Feast’s

DOING IT JUST FOR LAUGHS

Just For Laughs is bringing the comedy back to the Sydney Opera House for another soiree this year. The sixth edition of Just For Laughs Sydney – the Australian instalment of one of the world’s most famous comedy festivals – will take over town for a week in September, and the first bumper lineup of three international stars has now been announced. Trevor Noah, the South African-born star of US television, including The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, will make his first trip to Australia since 2014 to perform at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Another TV regular, Britain’s favourite ‘chatty man’ Alan Carr, will also bring a host of side-splitting anecdotes to Sydney this September. And finally, the first Just For Laughs announcement is rounded out by Margaret Cho – a Grammy-nominated and sometimes controversial stand-up who doesn’t shy away from the tough topics. Just For Laughs Sydney returns to the Opera House from Tuesday September 6 – Sunday September 11, though Noah’s show takes place Sunday August 28. The full lineup will be announced shortly.

thebrag.com

The Wait photo by Alberto Novelli

ell us about the concept and history behind Open Rant Night. Open Rant Night is a mash-up of ‘politics in the pub’ and an open mic night. It’s sometimes about petty but intensely annoying things and it’s sometimes about

In this day and age of keyboard warriors, why should arguments return to a public platform? Open Rant Night removes the anonymity those keyboard warriors rely on. We’ve all said things online that we would never say to someone’s face. In real life, we’re all a bit politer. And being in a bar, it starts conversations.

What makes The World Bar a good place for ranting instead of, say, the speakers’ soapboxes in The Domain? Alcohol. I’m kidding (mostly). But a bar is a comfortable space for people. You can relax, have some dinner, chat with friends on a couch, and occasionally hear things that matter.

Everybody Wants Some!! [FILM] Linklater Goes To College By David Molloy kinda what you see in the movies. People think, ‘OK, those guys are competitive assholes,’ and it’s like, ‘Yeah, they all are. You have to be or you don’t belong there.’ But what do you do with all that once you’re not playing ball anymore?” For Linklater, the answer came easily enough – he got stuck into playwrighting before producing his second feature, Slacker, which saw his career leave home plate. But Everybody Wants Some!! has been a grand opportunity to look back on his former ideology.

he 2014 film Boyhood took us through a young man’s life from the tender age of six to his first day at college. Now that the 12-year project has concluded, writer/director Richard Linklater is telling the story of the next phase in life. Adulthood? Not exactly. Everybody Wants Some!! (named after a song by Van Halen) follows Jake – a cipher for Linklater – as he enters the hugely competitive world of college sports and the hedonism of frat house life. But here’s the kicker: they may be full of bluster, but these aren’t the jerky jocks you’re used to as a cinemagoer. “I know!” says Linklater with delight. “I’ve broken new ground in cinema history – to show athletes not as fully thugged, rapists, horrible, stupid. Although, you know, there’s a range of stupidity on display, just

’cause it’s all men, but there’s also a lot of humour and bonding. “They’re not bad guys! I figured that out ’cause I’m an ex-athlete myself, showing something that I remember affectionately, whereas most movies are made by geeks who didn’t like athletes, so their depictions can be very prejudiced.” Sure, he’s arguing that straight white males are being discriminated against, but it’s hard to meet the endearing cast of Everybody Wants Some!! and not think that when it comes to cinema, Linklater might just have a point. “That’s just kinda how this society is geared, even though strangely we worship athletes to a psychopathic [degree],” he says. “They have this unwarranted elevated status; they’re also as a group put down and not taken very seriously as people.

“Talk about objectification – people say they objectify women, but the culture objectifies athletes. People don’t care about their souls, they don’t care about them [as people] – they’re just there to entertain them with their athletic prowess.” Taking place as a ‘spiritual successor’ to his snapshot of the ’70s, Dazed And Confused, the new film is loosely based on Linklater’s experiences as a college baseball player before he made the dramatic and total shift to filmmaking at age 20. He sees it as a critique of young male behaviour, but one without the malevolence of modern initiation rituals. “If you’re good enough to get a college scholarship and play at that level – a) you have to be good; and b) you have to be really competitive,” he says. “You gotta be a little obsessed, you gotta be

“It’s funny how something can mean so much to you – like for me, ages 12 through 20, baseball was such a focus in my life – and then can end and mean so little,” he laughs. “Like, absolutely nothing! It’s just gone. I’m the kind of guy who, the second I wasn’t playing anymore, I didn’t care about it … I was just on a huge non-physicalfitness binge. I just shifted, the arts took over my life.” Now after almost 30 years in the film industry, Linklater’s competitive streak – appearing in the film as endless battles over ping-pong, women, drink and just about anything else – has been steadily replaced by a devotion to cinema. “For me it’s self-exploration, it’s storytelling. It’s not a zero-sum game. Everybody’s victories are kinda everybody’s victories in the arts. That’s how I see it. If some film does poorly, that doesn’t help me, you know?” Thankfully, Linklater’s post-baseball change in career path never meant having to leave his teammates behind. “It’s kinda like going through the war with someone,” he laughs. “You’re kind of a platoon mate forever.” During the filming of Everybody Wants Some!!, the director brought his old “platoon

mates” on set to relive their glory days, and to ensure that his evocation of the past had the same vibrancy and life to it as the reality. “There really was a disco we went to called The Sound Machine, there really was a club called The Jolly Fox. They would come [on set] and the guys were just freaking out,” he laughs. “It was so real for them! There’s really 30 guys on the planet who really, really get this movie. The ones who lived there over a three-year period.” Niche as that may sound, the movie is surprisingly inclusive, as Jake throws himself headlong into every subculture of college life without question or judgement. It’s so all-encompassing that The Guardian’s Noah Gittell referred to the film as a “potent, anti-partisan political statement”. “To me, the movie’s very much a depiction of the end of an era,” says Linklater. “It’s like setting a movie on September 10, 2001 in New York, y’know? Things are gonna change. We know what’s comin’: fuckin’ Reagan/Bush years, anti-drugs, upping drinking ages, AIDS… the culture’s going to shift and go backwards really quick, so to me it’s like the last look at a certain era that’s pretty long gone.” It may also be the best college film of the decade. But hey, it’s not a competition. What: Everybody Wants Some!! (dir. Richard Linklater) as part of Sydney Film Festival 2016 Where: State Theatre / Event Cinemas George Street When: Sunday June 12 / Saturday June 18 And: In cinemas nationally from Thursday June 23

Weiner [FILM] Much Ado About Sexting By Joseph Earp

ould a rose by any other name smell as sweet? That’s the question one can imagine Anthony Weiner was asking himself amid his 2011 scandal – one in which the then-member of the US House Of Representatives was caught out sending indecent selfies to a number of women. After all, when a man with the last name Weiner starts mailing out photos of his weiner, the headlines write themselves. Yet despite the ‘tee-hee’ nature of its subject matter, there is nothing cruel or crude about Weiner, a documentary about the politician and the media maelstrom he found himself caught up in after his embarrassing sexts were revealed to the world. Elyse Steinberg and Josh Kriegman, the film’s co-directors, take a surprisingly intimate look at their subject, painting Anthony Weiner not as a punchline or as a hero, but as a conflicted figure who is ridiculous, relatable and infuriating in equal measure. “My co-director Josh knew Anthony prior to making this film and I didn’t,” Steinberg explains. “So I think I was much like a lot of audience members and New Yorkers in general. I sorta had a punchline, caricature view of Anthony. [But] when I met him and looked through the footage I realised he is … [a] more complicated, human person than I had previously thought.” The film kicks off with Weinergate ’11, but swiftly jumps forward two years, following Weiner as he attempts to run for Mayor of New York City while weathering the thebrag.com

predictable media storm and snarky headlines. Though he initially takes the onslaught well, the everescalating nosiness of mainstream reporters and his own frayed temper mean that before long he finds himself clashing with his own staffers, TV hosts, and even random members of the public. “The ground rule going in was that if at any point they wanted us to turn off the cameras, we did,” Steinberg explains of her amazingly candid film. “And there were a few moments when [he did], but otherwise, he said he would allow us to film and he did. It does lead to the question you’re maybe going to ask next, which is why did he allow us to film? “That’s a question we get often and that’s a question we wondered about ourselves. [In the film] Anthony says he [wants] to be viewed as a whole person … I think that’s why. That was what we hoped to show audience members – a more complicated look at a person who had just been reduced to a punchline.” Though Weiner is the film’s central subject, he’s not necessarily its hero. Weiner’s most sympathetic character is the politician’s wife, Huma Abedin, a close friend of Hillary Clinton and a stoic, startlingly intelligent woman whose decision to stick by Weiner makes her as much of a target as her partner. Before long, Abedin is being treated as both a bullseye and a pawn, as Weiner and those busily trying to take him down begin spending a huge amount of energy painting the young mother in a whole variety of lights.

“[Huma] is obviously more quiet and reserved than Anthony,” Steinberg says. “The relationship we had when we were filming was with him. But I think Huma wanted – I can’t speak for her – but I think she wanted a different version of the story than the one that was playing out in the tabloids. She was hoping for a more complete version than the judgement and the caricature that was being placed on her and is placed on women in these stories.” To imply that the tabloids simply began ‘judging’ Weiner and his wife might even be an understatement. In one of the film’s more shocking moments, a crowd of reporters refuse to part for Anthony and his young pram-bound son until he answers their questions. “There was a certain amount of sensationalism that overtook the conversation and Anthony couldn’t talk about anything other than the

scandal,” Steinberg says. “I think the film does provide a look about how political coverage these days can be driven by spectacle and a lack of substance. That is part of what we wanted to show – the way these stories can overtake everything else. The media played a role, Anthony played a role, and we as consumers play a role.” Of course, given the current American presidential campaign, an exploration of the way the media, spectacle and power all intersect is exceedingly on point. “I think we’re excited for this film to be very relevant to our current presidential race,” Steinberg agrees. “Especially in terms of spectacle and especially in terms of Donald Trump. I think while Anthony and Trump are very different politically and personally – and Anthony had ideas that he was really excited about; really progressive ideas – I think that they both understand about putting on

a show. In order to have a voice in today’s 24-hour news cycle, you’ve gotta entertain.” There’s really only one question left: has Weiner himself seen the film? “He hasn’t,” Steinberg says, a note of disappointment audible in her voice. “We offered to show it to him many, many months ago, before it was finished – before we premiered at Sundance. And he said no. He has said that he is not eager to relive it. And we can respect that. But we look forward to him seeing it at some point.” What: Weiner (dir. Elyse Steinberg and Josh Kriegman) Where: State Theatre / Dendy Opera Quays / Event Cinemas George Street When: Saturday June 11 / Tuesday June 14 / Sunday June 19

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Inner Voices [THEATRE] They Speak To Us Still By Tegan Jones

lmost 40 years since its premiere, Louis Nowra’s Inner Voices is returning to the stage. Playing in a perfectly intimate space at the Old Fitz, the piece is an allegory of Nowra’s own struggles told through the character of Russian historical figure Ivan VI. Imprisoned since infancy, the would-be king has been tortured through deprivation for 24 years under the rule of Catherine The Great and is only released in order to be a pawn in a coup. What happens when such a man is installed as a puppet leader and has to learn to rule? And how closely does it tie to Nowra himself?

Unsurprisingly, these issues are likely to be quite confronting for audiences.

education profile WITH

RAFFLES

20th century Australia is a world away from 18th century Russia, but Nowra’s own context remains a fascinating one for exploration. “I think it was for the same reason that most allegories work,” Rouse says. “He’s not particularly willing to go into depth about his own work and where this stuff comes from. But if you read his memoir, The Twelfth Of Never, you get a pretty good insight into the horrendousness of his mother and growing up in a very poor area of Melbourne in the ’50s. “The play is also populated by very eccentric characters, the kind who people probably wouldn’t have believed existed as Australians. Whereas if you set it in Russia, it buys you a bit of licence with that. I think all of these characters are ones he very clearly observes

growing up in Fawkner and in pubs.” Inner Voices was the play that launched Nowra into the public eye – so why the exhumation in 2016? “We have a really great cast and creative team who were able to investigate and pull it apart,” Rouse explains. “If you’re not really willing to go there both intellectually and emotionally, the work won’t sink. You can’t just do what it says on the page. Not everybody is willing to do that. “Why now? I think it’s great to be able to do Louis Nowra in his favourite pub, but more politically, it’s a really interesting play about the suffering and abuse that a dominant society is willing to inflict on individuals. I’m not really making parallels to that within the text or my production of it, but it just so speaks of Australia’s treatment of Nauru, asylum seekers, the poor and the indigenous communities. There are a lot of people who are on the wrong end of society and this is showing a grotesque extreme of an idea that keeps those sorts of systems in place.” What: Inner Voices Where: Old Fitz Theatre When: Wednesday June 15 – Saturday July 9

Inner Voicesphoto by Anna Gardiner

“[Inner Voices] comes directly from his own experiences as a teenager when he suffered a brain injury and lost the ability to speak,” says director Phil Rouse. “When I spoke to him about the play, he said a lot of this is autobiographical. There’s an allegorical licence taken with Ivan’s ability to learn language and understand grammar. By the end he’s able to form clear sentences. He goes from barely being able to move his tongue to being able to completely formulate reasonably complex ideas and speak as a reigning monarch.”

“I’d be surprised if it wasn’t,” says Rouse. “It’s a fundamentally tragic play where the audience is invited to go through the suffering of the characters. It’s not like a Greek tragedy where it’s white people in nice clothes talking about how sad stuff is – you actually want to see the tragedy and see the suffering. It’s not a gentle night at the theatre. By the end of it I want the audience to feel like they’re trapped in there with the show.”

Arts Snap At theyou heart of thego arts What should and see

Who are the teachers? Our team of academic staff and lecturers (who we call Creative Practitioners) are amongst the best in their field. They remain active in their industries so that your learning experience constantly benefits from real-time knowledge of what’s going on out there.

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Enrolment dates: There are four intakes per year – February, April, July and October – with the next on July 18. Open Day: Saturday September 10 Address: 1 Fitzwilliam St, Parramatta NSW Phone: (02) 9633 3800 Email: contact@raffles. edu.au Website: raffles.edu.au

el camino cantina launch

PICS :: AM

What makes us different: Raffles College of Design and Commerce is a cuttingedge vocational and higher education provider specialising in design, arts and visual communication. We get a thrill in seeing new, fresh, enthusiastic and ready-togo students develop into self-confident and motivated professionals, ready to take on the world. Our aim is to improve the professional landscape with talented, motivated and inspirational designers, creators and managers in all their various guises.

02:06:16 :: The Argyle :: 18 Argyle St, The Rocks :: elcaminocantina.com.au thebrag.com

Raffles interior photo by Ashleigh Giles / Raffles photo by Rob Birchall

Courses on offer: We offer both a Bachelor of Design and Associate Degree in Design majoring in fashion design, fashion marketing, interior design, graphic design or multimedia design. There’s also the Bachelor of Arts (Visual Communication) and the Associate Degree in Visual Communication majoring in animation, games design, photography, or new media and digital film. Vocational courses include the Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Technology, and the Certificate IV in Visual Arts.

Take the next step: One of the reasons Raffles graduates have an enviable employment record – with the majority employed within the first three to six months of completing their course – is our internship program. This subject, along with industry partnerships with well-known organisations, such as LG and Prada, make Raffles an industry favourite where our students are highly regarded.

Jason David Frank [FILM] Green And Gold Pride By David James Young

hroughout the history of the Power Rangers franchise, a wealth of different teenagers with attitude have been recruited to continue on the name and legacy, travelling through space, time and a plethora of cross-sectional mythologies. It seems as though there is one sole constant – the presence of Tommy Oliver, as portrayed by Jason David Frank. Since arriving at Angel Grove High back in 1993, Tommy has served his time as four different Rangers, and appeared in a total of eight versions of the show. What has kept him morphing all this time? According to Frank, it’s about what Power Rangers has come to mean to him, as well as his still-dedicated following of fans. “If you look at everything that’s going on with the Power Rangers franchise now, you’ll see that everyone wants to be a part of it,” he says. “I’m lucky that I have been a part of it since day one. I did four consecutive seasons of the show. I came back for Dino Thunder. The worth of my time doing all of that comes right back to me every single time I do one of these conventions. A lot of celebrities that come to these sort of things have somehow manifested this idea that the fans owe them something. I look out every time, and I just feel blessing after blessing that all of these people still care. I know that I owe it to the fans.” He goes on to relay an immediate example from mere hours before this interview. “I’m visiting my mom at the moment, and this morning one of my mom’s friends told me a guy down at the gas station would love to meet me. I went down, took a photo, easy as that. For this guy, though, he was almost on the verge of breaking down. He was telling me that he had been depressed and even suicidal growing up, and Power Rangers

was his escape that got him through. Meeting me was such a huge deal to him because of that. Whenever I’m struggling to get to the next flight, the next convention, the next whatever have you, I just remember that being a superhero on TV can change people’s lives – and those people have changed mine.” As Frank alludes, there is considerable attention being paid to the Power Rangers franchise at present, due in no small part to the upcoming 2017 movie based on the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, which will star Pitch Perfect’s Elizabeth Banks as the villainous Rita Repulsa and a whole new generation of up-and-comers to play Billy, Jason, Kimberly, Trini and Zack. As for what else we can expect, the original Green Ranger is keeping his cards close to his chest. “I’m really close with [Power Rangers production company] Saban, and they’ve let me in on a lot of the topsecret stuff that’s going on with the movie,” says Frank. “I obviously can’t really say anything yet, but it’s all going to be out in the world next March, and you’ll all find out what’s been going on. It’s a big movie, man – it’s a $140 million movie. It’s going to be up against the biggest blockbusters of the year. I think people are really going to be surprised by it. If you’re a Power Rangers fan, I just know that you’re going to like what you see.” Indeed, it was just over 20 years ago that the first-ever Power Rangers movie hit cinemas, starring Frank as the White Ranger. A lot of the movie, coincidentally enough, was shot here in Australia, where Frank will soon return for the Supanova conventions in Sydney and Perth. “I had an incredible time over there,” he recalls of shooting 1995’s Mighty Morphin

Power Rangers: The Movie. “When you’re young and you’re out of Los Angeles for the first time, the world is so exciting. Everything is new. We filmed in Kiama, which was beautiful, even though it was something like 113 degrees [Fahrenheit] most days! I remember we all went snorkelling, and that was such a beautiful experience. It’s just a beautiful part of the world.” Of course, Frank’s life isn’t entirely dictated by his past. A keen MMA fighter and entrepreneur, Frank also runs a clothing line and does a web series entitled My Morphing Life, in which he allows an insight into both his public and personal life. Along for the ride is his daughter, Jenna, who knows all too well about the pros and cons of having an instantly recognisable dad. “Jenna’s 12 now, so we go through stages,” says Frank with a laugh. “Some days, her dad being a Power Ranger is so cool. Other days, it’s really not. She’d definitely prefer it if she could be doing something at school, like a sports game or a play or something, and not have all the attention on me when I enter the room. Any time that I’m recognised in the street when I’m with her, she’ll just roll her eyes and go, ‘Oh gosh, here we go again!’ The important thing to me, though, is her knowing that it’s just me when I’m with her. The real me. To the rest of the world, I’m Tommy from Power Rangers. To my friends and family, I’m me. I’m Jason. I’m Dad.” What: Supanova Pop Culture Expo 2016 With: Travis Fimmel, Juliet Landau, Brianna Hildebrand, Sean Astin and more Where: Sydney Showground When: Friday June 17 – Sunday June 19

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BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 19

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK PAUL SIMON Stranger To Stranger Concord/Universal

“It’s about getting you to actually hear something in a new way. It’s about making music that sounds old and new at the same time; music with a sense of mystery.” If any other artist had said this, you would be forgiven for thinking it was just wishful boasting. But when Paul Simon says it of his new album Stranger To Stranger, you sit up and take note. If you never got into Paul Simon, this is as good a place to start as any.

PETER BJORN AND JOHN Breakin’ Point Ingrid/Kobalt Whenever reviewing a new release from Peter Bjorn And John, there must be a disclaimer: no, there is no ‘whistling song’ on this album. So everyone who was only interested in that can skip the remainder of this article. As for the rest of you, Breakin’ Point is the band’s seventh album and the follow-up to 2011’s Gimme Some. Unfortunately, opener ‘Dominos’ and ‘Love Is What You Want’ set the album off on the wrong foot, sounding like bad rip-offs of early Hot Chip and The Big Pink, and giving the record an outdated sound before it even gets going. Things do pick up with ‘Do-SiDo’ and ‘Breakin’ Point’, but largely, the album seems to lack an overall coherency. This could be due to the flock of heavyweight producers invited to work on this record, all doing things their way. While the majority of Breakin’ Point is made up of enjoyable songs such as ‘In This Town’ and ‘It’s Your Call’, the fact that they don’t work in concert with each other weakens enjoyment of the whole album. There seems to be a constant battle between the band’s musical sensibilities, with no clear winner song to song. Breakin’ Point isn’t a bad album, but it also isn’t impressive. You’ll get some good listens out of it, but after five years of waiting, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed.

With 13th solo album and the first since 2011’s So Beautiful Or So What, Simon once again proves he’s still at his best, and has been so for over 30 years.

He’s even managed to remake his classic sound into something fresh and new. Opener ‘The Werewolf’ and first single ‘Wristband’ exemplify this immediately, using a strong beat of claps with tribal and carnival drums, and giving a new pulse to Simon’s constantly relevant lyrical messages. ‘Wristband’ could easily become the protest song for the Keep Sydney Open movement. ‘Proof Of Love’ and ‘The Riverbank’ add guitar melodies that tickle you in all the right places, and while ‘Street Angel’ and ‘Stranger To Stranger’ darken the mood somewhat, it wouldn’t be Paul Simon without a little bit of beautiful melancholy. Stranger To Stranger is a wonderful album and a relevant message from an old-school musician’s youthful heart. Daniel Prior

NGAIIRE

JAKE BUGG

LADYHAWKE

ARCHITECTS

Blastoma Maximillian Brown

On My One EMI/Universal

Wild Things EMI/Universal

All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us UNFD

The title of Ngaiire’s second album, Blastoma, refers to the singer’s struggle with illness as a child, and exudes resilience. As if in defiance of all that she’s been through, this album raises the bar for Ngaiire.

With two albums under his belt, 22-year-old Jake Bugg is already a veteran of the music business. His third record, On My One, comes three years after the release of Shangri La. And for an artist who seemed to catapult fully and precociously formed from nowhere back in 2012, it’s a delight to see him once again flexing his songwriting muscles. Sure, his signature world-weary lyrics return, as do his indie-folk, Bob Dylanesque tumbles on the guitar, but so do a fresh sense of vulnerability and a willingness to experiment.

It’s taken four years and a major lifestyle change, but for lovers of all things light-hearted, Ladyhawke’s Wild Things is worth the wait. Refraining from delving into darkness, Pip Brown has created a sweet, sun-kissed record. Wild Things feels at once like a fresh start and a continuation of Ladyhawke’s 2008 debut. Full of hope and evoking the listener’s participation, it’s a beautiful addition to the Kiwi songwriter’s catalogue.

It’s hard to believe, but UK progressive metalcore act Architects have been around for more than a decade. During that time they’ve been ridiculously prolific: this is their seventh full-length album, no less. It’s not a case of quantity over quality, either. These guys deliver an album every one to two years, and they always hit the mark. All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is no exception – it’s a seriously intense ride.

The best thing about this release is that it never loses its spark. Though it is on the short side with only nine tracks, each song has earned its place and will sustain your interest the whole way through. For new Ngaiire listeners, one of her greatest strengths as an artist is evoking emotion through carefully controlled vocals, and ‘Cruel’ shows off this skill in a slinky, ’80s-inspired duet with Jack Grace. But she will have you dancing in the next instant, sliding comfortably between belting a longing ballad like ‘Fall Into My Arms’ and crafting an upbeat, rhythmic track like ‘House On A Rock’. While her big single ‘Once’ may have seemed like a hard act to follow, she shows off different elements of her versatile future soul sound and shines particularly in a few tracks like ‘Many Things’. Blastoma is a carefully thoughtout album with substance to it, and it could be one of the strongest releases from an upand-coming artist this year. Erin Rooney

Recorded in London, LA and his hometown of Nottingham, On My One takes it name from the despondence-dripping opening track. “On my one” is apparently a uniquely Nottingham phrase meaning “on my own’” and perfectly apt given that it’s the first time Bugg has written the songs entirely by himself and also produced a number. However, it is difficult to take him seriously when he croons, “I’m just a poor boy from Nottingham / I had my dreams, but in this world they’re gone”. This uncharacteristic misstep is quickly forgotten, the music is just so toetappingly good. On My One is a compelling return to form by a true songwriting talent.

The Sydney music scene’s nicest human being gives you a massive emotional bearhug with his second LP, a record all the richer for the pained years that separate it from the first.

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Closing with ‘Dangerous’, Wild Things is the most rounded Ladyhawke release to date, which sees Brown in an authentic and charmingly colourful state of mind. Phoebe Robertson

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Things Work Out For People Like You Spit The Dummy/Bandcamp

‘Chills’, ‘Sweet Fascination’ and ‘Golden Girl’ are all romance-based, and they’re set in a blissfully optimistic land of love. Matched by incessantly fun percussion and video game synth sounds, they’re all-round enjoyable tunes. Meanwhile, ‘Hillside Avenue’ is a bouncing tribute to putting the past behind you.

Things Work Out For People Like You showcases a proficiency and diversity rare for an artist cutting their teeth. Opener ‘Bones Sloane’ is all confidence, a fiery dose of pop-rock where David James Young vocally lets loose. The songwriting on display is striking, especially when Young gives in to his pop leanings. It’s never more evident than when he brings in a rowdy pub callback for ‘Song Of The Square Peg (99% Scene Free)’, but that staple of his live shows is far from the only crowd-pleaser here.

The metalcore scene is heavily overcrowded. To stand out from the cookie-cutter pack, it helps to inject a little progressiveness into the sound, and that’s exactly what Architects do. They mix up their arrangements to avoid clichés and formulas, throw in some odd time signatures here and there and include some subtle electronic atmospherics to ensure dynamic variation. They also infuse a punk aesthetic into their sound, which gives them another point of difference. It’s just as intense lyrically as it is musically, covering dark themes such as death, religion, alienation and the shitty state that the world is in right now. The only detractor is the vocals. While effective in their own right, you’d prefer frontman Sam Carter to utilise more variation in his delivery – the almost relentless howls become somewhat monotonous after a while. Overall, however, this is another highly satisfying release from these Brits.

Anita Connors

Daniel Prior

NOTHING RHYMES WITH DAVID

‘A Love Song’ is an upbeat anthem with super-soaked synths and infectious lyrics: “You’ve opened my eyes to the oldest tale of time / This is what a love song sounds like”. Led by a feel-good, funky drumbeat, ‘The River’ is a satisfying sing-along, before the title track’s minute-long intro allows the twinkly synths and reverberating vocals to softly seep in.

The whole affair is slathered with an alt-country air of melancholy that never quite diffuses the light pouring from Young’s mouth. A few harmonies feel like they could have benefi ted from a second take in the studio, but you can’t fault the raw emotions on display. Tracklist changes and a little trimmed fat may have kept more energy in the record’s latter half, however, where the sadness takes too strong a hold. You’d be hard-pressed listening in and not feeling like you’ve met your new best friend. Nothing rhymes with David, but poetry doesn’t need to rhyme.

Rod Whitfield

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... MICHAEL JACKSON - Bad VARIOUS - Day Of The Dead BLINK-182 - Take Off Your Pants And Jacket

PIXIES - Doolittle DAVID BOWIE - Low

David Molloy

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out & about Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson

Collarbones

ver the last week or so, you may have noticed that winter has finally arrived.

It’s hard to be a gay in winter – especially if all you think we do is wear spangly hot pants and dance down Oxford Street (note: that’s definitely not all we do). But if you’ve lived in Sydney most of your life, you might be mistaken in thinking the world ends when we hit June: it’s like everyone goes into hibernation. But never fear! There are plenty of things to do when winter strikes.

Deal with it, it’s not that cold That’s the attitude of some party promoters particularly. With this Sunday June 12 seeing Heaps Gay hit the Factory Theatre (including headliners Collarbones), and Bad Dog at St George Sailing Club, you’d be forgiven for believing it’s summer with all the glittery outfits you can expect to see on the outdoor dancefl oor. The trick here is to dance so much you work up a sweat and forget how cold it really is (because really, it’s not that cold).

Nail your winter queer fashion Harnesses over shirts are a thing, latex exists to keep you warm, as does leather and full body spandex. Brightly coloured, glittery, shiny puffer jackets are fantastic, and once I saw a faux fur pink jacket with built-in fairy lights. Despite it not showing off as much as your skin (sorry twinks), winter fashion still has you covered.

Curl up in bed with a partner (or several) or a sex toy (or several) The best thing about hook-up apps is the convenience of being able to find someone to have sex with, without having to leave the house – the perfect antidote for the horny guy or gal on a

this week…

rainy day! If you’re currently not into people, why not try a sex toy instead? Some vibrators are so loud they need to be used under heavy covers in order to muffle the sound (if you don’t want to disturb people), so basically you have to be cosy to get off.

Hit the gym I know some people hit the gym all year round (who are you?!), but the gym is the perfect place to pick up without needing a dating app or a bar. While I personally haven’t witnessed this, I’ve heard that the showers in Darlinghurst gyms are a great place to be. I guess you can also get fit there, but, meh.

Try a sauna Again, this is a guy thing I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing. The severe lack of women-only saunas in this city means a lot of us L, B and (particularly) T folk don’t get to try this one so often. That said, if you’re lucky enough to be able to frequent one, it’s probably going to pretty warm (by definition, really).

Get politically active With the election coming up, and a whole bunch of shit going down (Safe Schools, Roz Ward getting sacked, Cory Bernardi being Cory Bernardi, the plebiscite), now has never been a better time to start caring. While I’m not exactly sure how this will help get you through the winter, I suppose caring is something you can do in front of a heater, so that’s a win.

Get out of Sydney Do what I do and head to Europe for their summer. Or what Girlthing did last weekend, and head to Brisbane. But stay in Sydney at least for this weekend, because there’s plenty on. It’s the Queen’s birthday, after all.

Candy Royalle

This Wednesday June 8, celebrate the launch of the new lesbian night at Newtown Hotel. Called Homo Loco, there’ll be free beer and pizza from 7-8pm, and music from Tol & Smol, Astrix Little, Megan Bones, TCB, Amsen and more.

Candy Royalle photo by Nicola Bailey

Then on Thursday June 9, head to the Vic On The Park to see Scabz (the shittest band in Newtown) launch their new single, a homage to the greatest beer of all time, Victoria Bitter. Free entry, and a bunch of lesbians in shorts (or topless, if you’re the drummer) – who wouldn’t? Also opening on Thursday June 9 is the annual Sydney University Queer Revue at the Seymour Centre. Tickets start at $15, and if it’s anything like last year’s show, expect a bunch of utterly ridiculous, fun and nonsensical gay jokes. On Friday June 10, head along to Pop Culture, Migration & Revolution, a Vivid Ideas panel at ATYP, featuring a bunch of amazing speakers, performers including Candy Royalle and DJing from Tracksuit Pants and Adonis. Then afterwards, head to Girlthing at the Imperial Hotel to

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hear the best of 2007-2012, featuring Ben Lucid, Cunningpants, NatNoiz, Astrix Little, Catlyf, Smithers, Alex Pye, Wyldstylez and others. Then on Sunday June 12, hit up Heaps Gay or Bad Dog, before Pink Bubble at The Red Rattler, featuring Rohan Willard, Justin Shoulder, Meta Etcetera and more.

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 21

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02:06:16 :: Sydney Opera House :: Bennelong Point Sydney 9250 7111

live@the sly

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new order

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up all night out all week . . .

newtown social club 2nd birthday

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02:06:16 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

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the smith street band

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05:06:16 :: Newtown Social Club :: 387 King St Newtown 1300 724 876

03:06:16 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

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PATR S :: ASHLEY MAR :: JESSICA FITZ

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BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 23

BARS BRAG

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

A Work In Progress 50 King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri noon-2am Ash St Cellar 1 Ash St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri 8.30am-11pm The Attic 275 Pitt St, Sydney CBD (02) 9284 1200 Mon – Fri 11am-1am; Saturday 5pm-1am Assembly 488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808 Mon – Tue 5-11pm; Wed – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight

The Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 2229 Mon – Sun 10.30am-midnight Balcony Bar 46 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3526 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight BAR100 100 George St, The Rocks (02) 8070 9311 Mon – Thu noon-late; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noon-10pm Bar Eleven Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4000 Mon – Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat 4-11pm

The Barber Shop 89 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 9699 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight Basement 33 Basement, 27-33 Goulburn St, Sydney CBD (02) 8970 5813 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-1am Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Sat 4pm-1am Burrow Bar De Mestre Place, Sydney 0450 466 674 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight

deVine 32 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 6906 Mon – Fri 11.30am-11.30pm; Sat 5.30-11.30pm Easy Eight 152 - 156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3769 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight El Camino Cantina 18 Argyle St, The Rocks Sun – Thu 11.30am– midnight Fri – Sat 11.30am-3am Frankie’s Pizza 50 Hunter St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri noon-3am; Sat – Sun 4pm-3am Gilt Lounge 49 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 0000 Wed – Sat 5pm-late

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

RAMBLIN’ RASCAL TAVERN bar OF

bar TH

and also our drinking past with classic photos of Reschs, Tooth’s and Tooheys. What’s on the menu? Eight different Australian craft bottled beers, a shit tinny (usually Melbourne Bitter), two rotating tap beers always from Sydney, five Aussie whites, five Aussie reds, a huge back bar focusing on whisky and cognac and a rotating seasonal cocktail list.

Tell us about your bar: Booze slingin’, undie droppin’ goodtimes! As you descend the stairs you can tell the walls and carpet have seen some shit go down. Our philosophy is, you can do whatever you feel, as long as you’re not being a dick and everyone around you is enjoying themselves too. Too many bars take themselves too seriously – we like to have fun but at the same time providing our guests with exceptional service, quality cocktails, local beer and wine and a place that can feel like you’re in someone’s home. We’ve created a space that devotes a homage to Sydney, the building of its icons such as the Harbour Bridge

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Care for a drink? There’s no real signature, but the standouts are the Sazerac on tap and cognac and fresh apples, and

ADDRESS: 60 PARK ST, SYDNEY OPENING HOURS: MON – SAT 4PM-MIDNIGHT

E E W

of course our shit tinny. Sounds: A heavy blues focus that branches out at points with rock’n’roll, soul and a pinch of jazz. When the time strikes, we hit up some hip hop too. Highlights: This one time Charlie, one of the owners, brought a tricycle and we did a time trial around the whole bar with guests getting involved while drinking beers. You get the picture. The bill comes to: Mary’s burgers and fries plus a tap beer – $24.

Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight The Loft (UTS) 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 1149 Mon – Wed 2pm-10pm; Thurs – Fri 2pm-late Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; 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 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 noon1am; Sun noon-10pm Gardel’s Bar 358 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 8399 1440 Tue – Sat 6pm-midnight Gazebo 2 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Elizabeth Bay (02) 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 Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry thebrag.com

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK

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

FROZEN MARGARITA @ EL CAMINO CANTINA, 18 ARGYLE ST, THE ROCKS Ingredients: • 90ml 100 per cent agave tequila • 30ml Triple sec (cointreau) • 60ml Freshly squeezed lime juice • 15ml Agave syrup • 15ml Sugar syrup (one part water to two parts sugar) Method: Fill a heavy duty blender with crushed/smashed ice. Add all ingredients and blast in the blender. Salud! For different flavour options, to be added into the blender: • 60ml fresh orange juice for orange margarita • Handful of ripe strawberries for strawberry margarita • One ripe mango for mango margarita • Three ripe figs for fig margarita • Or let your imagination run wild! Glass: The biggest margarita glass you can find – salt or sugar rimmed Garnish: A dehydrated lime wheel More: elcaminocantina.com.au

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 noonmidnight; Sun noon-11pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Mon – Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0410 470 250 Tue – Wed 5pm-late; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm The Norfolk thebrag.com

Origins: An entrepreneurial Mexican called Mariano Martinez invented the first frozen margarita machine in Dallas 45 years ago and the drink has been a legendary Tex-Mex tipple ever since. Best drunk with: Tex-Mex classics, such as tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas and burritos as well as our ghost chilli BBQ burger and chicken wings made with the world’s hottest chillies. During: A hen’s night, a buck’s party, a big celebration, or just a rowdy night of rock’n’roll music and live bands. While wearing: Your best grungy faded rock’n’roll tee and ripped jeans. Or take the cowboy/girl boot approach. And listening to: El Camino Cantina’s revolving lineup of rock’n’roll DJs every Friday and Saturday night, or music from members of the ‘27 Club’, which will be celebrated in The 27 Club in El Camino Cantina on the 27th of every month.

305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Old Growler 218 William St, Woolloomooloo 0422 911 650 Tue – Sat 5pm - midnight The Oxfored Circus 231 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 0457 353 384 Wed – Sun 7pm - late 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; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon10pm The Phoenix Hotel 1 Moncur St, Woollahra 0413 688 546 Wed – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10pm The Robin Hood Hotel 203 Bronte Rd, Waverley (02) 9389 3477 Mon - Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-10pm Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Sat 5pm-11pm; Sat – Sun 4pm-10pm Spring Street Social (and Jam Gallery) Underground 195 Oxford St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 5pm-3am Stuffed Beaver 271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm

The Angry Pirate 125 Redfern St Redfern (02) 9698 9140 Tue – Thur 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 3pm-midnight Arco 3 Little Queen Street, Chippendale (02) 9318 0815 Tue – Sat 5pm-9.30pm Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6pm-midnight Bauhaus West 163 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8068 9917 Wed – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 11am-midnight The Bearded Tit 183 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8283 4082 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon - midnight; Sun noon - 10pm Blacksheep 256 King St, Newtown (02) 8033 3455 Mon – Fri 4pm-11pm; Sat 2pm-11pm; Sun 2pm-10pm Bloodwood 416 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 7699 Tue – Wed 6pm-late; Thu – Sun 5pm-late Calaveras 324 King St, Newtown 0451 541 712 Wed – Sat 6pm-midnight Cornerstone Bar & Food 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh (02) 8571 9004 Sun – Wed 10am-5pm; Thu – Sat 10am-late Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0405 671 002 Tue – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 1pm-10pm Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon10pm Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon – Sat 4.30pm-1am Doris & Beryl’s Bridge Club and Tea House 530 King St, Newtown

Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 5.30pm-midnight Earl’s Juke Joint 407 King St, Newtown Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Forest Lodge Hotel 117 Arundel St, Forest Lodge (02) 9660 1872 Mon – Sat 11am-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Freda’s 109 Regent St, Chippendale (02) 8971 7336 Tues – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm The Gasoline Pony 115 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville 0401 002 333 Tue – Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri – Sat 3-11.30pm; Sun 3-9.30pm The Hideaway Bar 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8021 8451 Tue– Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-1am Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 9911 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm Kelly’s On King 285 King St, Newtown (02) 9565 2288 Mon – Fri 10am-2.30am; Sat 10am-3.30am; Sun 11am-11.30pm Knox Street Bar Cnr Knox & Shepherd St, Chippendale (02) 8970 6443 Tue – Thu 4-10pm, Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Mon – Sat 4pm-late; Thu – Sat 4pm-3am The Little Guy 87 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8084 0758 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 1pm-midnight; Sun 3pm-10pm Mary’s 6 Mary St, Newtown (02) 4995 9550 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Midnight Special 44 Enmore Road, Newtown (02) 9516 2345 Tues – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5pm-10pm Miss Peaches 201 Missenden Rd, Newtown (02) 9557 7280 Wed – Sun 5pm-midnight Mr Falcon’s 92 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9029 6626 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 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 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 noonmidnight Firefly 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

Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebragcom

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 noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Jah Bar Shop 7, 9-15 Central Ave, Manly (02) 9977 4449 Mon – Fri 4pm-late; Sat 9am-late; Sun 9am-10pm The Local Bar 6/8 Young Ln, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 0027 Tue – Fri noon-late; Sat – Sun 8am-late Los Vida 419 Pacific Hwy, Crows Nest (02) 9439 8323 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat 11.30am-midnight; Sun 11.30am-10pm Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 6.30am-late The Mayor 400 Military Rd, Cremorne (02) 8969 6060 Tue – Fri noon-midnight; 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

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 25

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

pick of the week Last Dinosaurs

9– THURSDAY JUNE 1 1 SATURDAY JUNE

THURSDAY JUNE 9

Newtown Social Club

Last Dinosaurs + Rolls Bayce + Jody 7:30pm. $33. WEDNESDAY JUNE 8 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Lazybones Acoustique Lounge Lazybones Lounge,

Marrickville. 7:30pm. $10. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Manouche Wednesday - feat: The Squeezebox Trio Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Guantanamera - feat: DJs Av El Cubano + Don Rivera Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Kim Lawson Trio Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10.

Free. Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Sam Brittain Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10. Shining Bird Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $13. Songwriting Society Of Australia Showcase - feat: John Chesher + Gavin Fitzgerald + Kristoffe Fonseca + Paul Mcgowan + Pete Scully Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 7:30pm. Free. The Dawsons Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free. The Ramblers Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. Free. Yessac + Leroy Lee + Richard Cuthbert The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Ben Camden Launch + Nick Murray The Newsagency, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $15. Buoy Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Gin + Jazz Busby, Woolloomooloo. 6pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Dave Anthony Crown Hotel, Sydney. 4:30pm. Free. Ginger’s Jam - feat: Various Bands Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Ricardo Steyer Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. The Idea Of North Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $40.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Anthems Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Back At The Valve feat: Broken Hands + Lxm + The Make Up + The Last Exposure + Guests Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Bears With Guns + Hurst Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free. Death Dealer Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $40. DMA’s Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $30. Formidable Vegetable Sound System The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. Glenn Esmond Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 7:30pm. Free. Harbourview Hulabaloo - feat: Zack Martin + Kenneth D’Aran + Elements Of Soul + Ruby Run + Tracey Chamberlain Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Last Dinosaurs Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $33. Live & Original @ The Merc - feat: Rob De Masi + Bandditts The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Live At The Sly feat: Five Coffees + The Melting Caps + Majun Bu Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. No Refunds Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. Free. Roadhouse Rockabilly Night Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Ted Nash Fortune Of War, The

Rocks. 7pm. Free.

FRIDAY JUNE 10 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Fat Yahoozah + La Tarantella Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $6. Greg Poppleton And The Bakelite Broadcasters Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 6:45pm. $99. Muso’s Club Jam Night - feat: Various Mortdale Hotel, Mortdale. 8pm. Free. Suite Az Fridays + DJ Troy T The Arthouse, Sydney. 8pm. Free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Age Of Menace Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $10. Apia Good Times Tour 2016 - feat: Daryl Braithwaite + Kate Ceberano + Jon Stevens + John Paul Young Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $90. DMA’s Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $30. Jake Martin + The Bottlers + Kang + The Wildbloods + Dal Failure + Josh Arentz + Yvette Vials + BD/SM + Adam Newman + More Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Jester The Newport, Newport. 6pm. Free. JP Project Duo Crown Hotel, Parramatta. 9pm. Free. Last Dinosaurs Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8:30pm. $32.95. So You Think You Can Philly Jays -

feat: Philadelphia Grand Jury Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $16.50. Ted Nash Duo Crown Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Banter Junkies Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. Free. The Claxton Project + After The Rain The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Tommy Novak Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Adrian Joseph 99 On York, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Anna Free & The Unsolved Crimes + Dunhill Blues + Jackie Brown Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $15. Bernie Hayes Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $20. Cameron Henderson + Chris Gillespie The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8pm. $16.50. Dave Anthony Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Dave Anthony Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9:30pm. Free. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. James Lange The Newport, Newport. 12pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Low Down Riders Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 9pm. Free. Michael Gorham Lord Raglan Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Steve Crocker Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 4:30pm. Free.

on the record WITH

TOMAS BATEMAN FROM KIM KILLSPEED The First Record I Bought My first album was Green Day’s 1. American Idiot, I think when I was ten. It

was the best thing I’d heard at the time and I had to get a copy. And for show and tell, of course.

The Last Record I Bought Although it’s been out for a while, 2. Bon Iver’s self-titled album was my latest

purchase. I’m usually into heavier stuff, but I also like to mellow out when the vibe is right.

The First Thing I Recorded I started drums when I was 13. 3. After high school I studied music at JMC

Academy, where I played with a tonne of great musicians and started expanding my infl uences. It was a massive step up from the high school garage bands that I did. My first recordings would have been back then at JMC.

26 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

The Last Thing I Recorded For the past year I’ve been playing 4. with Kim Killspeed. In January we headed

to New Zealand for some shows around the North Island. We came back and did a support for Sarah McLeod. The band then had the opportunity to record in Byron Bay with Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) producing. And the result is our latest single, ‘Inside’, which we just released this week. The Record That Changed My Life Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For 5. Destruction is the album that shaped my style and attitude. I listen to it all the time, on shuffle and on vinyl. It’s the perfect balance of dark and dirty rock with disarming peaceful ballads that got me hooked on music. What: ‘Inside’ out now independently More: kimkillspeed.com

thebrag.com

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

SATURDAY JUNE 11 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Dave Anthony The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Jeff Lang Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $30. Max Marvell The Newport, Newport. 12pm. Free. Rob Eastwood St George Masonic Club, Mortdale. 7pm. Free. Valve Bar Presents Acoustic Delights Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 2pm. $10.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Best Of Smooth Jazz - feat: Armondo Hurley + Katherine Peereboom Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $25. Kavalo The Newport, Newport. 5pm. Free. Los Romeos Oxidados The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $5. Yellowjackets - feat: Yellojackets The Basement, Circular Quay. 10pm. $48.80.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Alfredo Malabello The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Bangers & Thrash 2016: Official Primal Fear Sydney PreShow Party - feat: Murder-World + Hidden Intent + Disintegrator + Imminent Psychosis + Dark

Order + Abraxxas + Wartooth + Purenvyy + Enfiled + Hammer + Fatigue + Sn W Leopard + Panik Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 12pm. $16.90. Benj Axwell Buckley’s Bar, Circular Quay. 1pm. Free. Culture Club + Bjorn Again + Kids In The Kitchen Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 6pm. $125.04. Dean Presents Kirsty’s Birthday Bash - feat: Basic Ecstasy + The Murray Greys + Into The Wild + Mike Crane + The Brendan Frasers + The Otherwise Men + The Lazy Picks + The Faggots + More Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Jimmy Bear Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Kallidad + Th*Fika Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. Free. Last Dinosaurs Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8:30pm. $32.95. Panorama Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. Free. Plts + Top Lip + Wolves In Fashion Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free. Prince Tribute Night - feat: Simon Day + Trent Marden Golden Age Cinema, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Sound City Duo Panania Hotel, Panania. 8:30pm. Free. Spit Roasting Bibbers Crown Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. Free. The Fossicks + The Ninjas + The Dead Set Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. The JP Project Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. The JP Project Panania Diggers, Panania. 8pm. Free. The Living End

+ Bad//Dreems + 131’s Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:40pm. $71.57. The Ninjas Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $15. The Skeletones Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 11:55pm. Free. Unleash Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free.

SUNDAY JUNE 12 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Glenn Esmond The Bourbon, Potts Point. 12:30pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Michael Gorham Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 2pm. Free. Miss Peaches Hootenanny Bluegrass Sundays Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Nat James Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8pm. Free. Ted Nash The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. Free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Cumbiamuffin Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $28. King Tide The Newport, Newport. 4pm. Free. Veena Rao Trio The Newport, Newport. 12pm. Free. Yellowjackets The Basement, Circular Quay. 6:30pm. $70.30.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL,

PUNK & COVERS

Bill Kacir Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Culture Club + Bjorn Again + Kids In The Kitchen Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 6pm. $125.04. Dave Debs The Rivo Hotel, Riverstone. 4pm. Free. Drain Life + Disintegrator + Frame 313 + Pizza Gutt + Head In A Jar Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 4pm. $10. Finn And Friends Newtown Hotel, Newtown. 6:30pm. Free. Halcyon Drive + High-Tails + Yeevs Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Josh Rennie-Hynes + Caitlin Harnett Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $10. Primal Fear + Hazmat Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $65.50. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10pm. Free. Thando + Josue + Imogen Spong Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $17. The Dead Marines The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $7. White Bros Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Yellow Claw + Mike Cervello Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $70.90.

MONDAY JUNE 13 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Sonic Mayhem Orchestra Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. The Monday Jam

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09 June

(8:30PM - 11:30PM)

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10 June

(10:00PM - 1:40AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

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sun

11 June

3:00PM  6:00PM

12 June

3:00PM  6:00PM

(10:00PM - 1:15AM

(10:00PM - 1:15AM)

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(8:30PM - 11:30PM)

- feat: The New Ojezz House Band + Local DJs The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $5. Wayne Shorter Quartet Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $79.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Songsonstage Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free. Ultimate Pink Show + Roxette Show Towradgi Beach

Hotel, Towradgi. 9pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Live & Original @ The Corridor Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free.

TUESDAY JUNE 14 INDIE, ROCK,

(8:30PM - 11:30PM)

POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Bandviews Sessions - feat: Lucas Hendriks Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free. Live Rock & Roll Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Stuart Jammin Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free. The Fossicks Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. Free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Allensworth Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. Bucket Lounge Presents – Live & Originals Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Ingrid Mae Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free.

five things WITH

MICHAEL OECHSLE FROM HALCYON DRIVE

Inspirations I guess my personal heroes 2. have always been songwriters like

Neil Finn or Paul Dempsey – writers who have that uncanny ability to weave narrative and emotion into catchy-as-hell pop tunes.

Your Band So Max [Pamieta] and myself met at uni and played in another band. When I started this project, Max jumped on board and we started smashing the Halcyon Drive tunes out live as a two-piece. More recently Basil [Yu] has joined to make up our most complete lineup to date. I think what has always worked is that Max and myself have a very similar vision for the band, despite the odd creative differences. Our key mission is to keep pushing the boundaries of

Growing Up Key childhood music memory: 1. dancing around the living room to ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ by The Beatles. My direct family aren’t exactly musicians, but Dad was always musical, singing thebrag.com

and listening to (generally) good music. I think the songs you are brought up on shape you. I have a lot of subconscious influence from that era – Stevie Wonder and Phil Collins do just seem to keep popping up.

what we can create sonically, but still fit the pop mould. The Music You Make I really dislike (hate is a 4. strong word) the labels that get

chucked on music today – but I have no shame in saying our music is definitely some form of pop! It’s bands like TV On The Radio or Yeasayer that really get me excited. Quirky, off-kilter pop? We recorded this EP with Steven Schram – we were shacked up out in the Otways National Park in an old mudbrick place to record for two weeks. It was an immersive, and fairly intensive experience. In terms of our live show, I hope people can come and really be blown away by a few dudes bringing all the energy they’ve got! We definitely make a point of being a ‘live band’,

in the sense that we play all our instruments live and often improvise a fair bit too. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I think the biggest difficulty today for

musos is just the sheer challenge of scale. These days every man and his dog can make music – or at least anyone with a MacBook – and that’s a great thing, but the challenge then is finding the avenues in which people can find, access and appreciate your art among all the other noise. What: Untethered out now through Verge/Sony With: High-Tails, Yeevs Where: Botany View Hotel When: Sunday June 12

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 27

live reviews What we’ve been out to see... TINY RUINS

Sydney Opera House Wednesday June 1 Led by Hollie Fullbrook, Tiny Ruins are far from unknown, nor are they newcomers. They have two albums under their belt, plus an EP made by Fullbrook and The Clean’s Hamish Kilgour and a new single produced by David Lynch. Still, you wouldn’t call them a big deal, but were they deserving of a headline slot in the Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre? Yes indeed. Fullbrook’s songwriting isn’t game-changing – it sits snugly in the singer-songwriter folk lineage. But it’s not drily derivative or superficially earnest, and this was made especially apparent via the band’s live show. The Tiny Ruins albums provide an upclose showcase of the core elements of Fullbrook’s craft: songs led by guitar and vocals. A personal voice relates reasonably small tales of life – recollections that have gained accentuated significance over time; lived experiences sparking detailed imaginings. But onstage – and this stage in particular – the off-kilter or unusual nature of the songs, which tends to reside in the margins on record, was fleshed out for all to see. This performance was an exercise in dynamics. Fullbrook began by playing solo, but after a few songs, the four-piece band joined, providing bass, guitar, drums, vibraphone, organ, trumpet and backing vocals. A

ESPERANZA SPALDING Sydney Opera House Saturday June 4

It was obvious Esperanza Spalding’s huge dress was going to do something. It was so big and so square and so clearly not just a dress. Perhaps it hid dancers, or pyrotechnic equipment. Hell, you could get a whole piano under there. After struggling round the stage with it for the opening song – a sensuous, jazzy blues number – Spalding turned her back to the audience and plonked it down. She hoisted up the back, pitching it into a white ruffled pyramid. After a few moments, she then emerged from a split at the base, dressed in bright white and wearing a homemade gold crown. It was a rather pained visual metaphor to show that Spalding has been reborn. No longer the jazz singer you’ve seen serenade the Obamas at the White House, she’s now Emily, the central character of her new concept album, Emily’s D+Evolution. Quite what the concept is wasn’t too clear. It must mean something, because ‘meaning’ was laboured over throughout the show. It was less a gig than a musical – there was some kind of narrative and band members played their parts. Her three backing vocalists took the lead roles. Stood in front

up all night out all week... number of new songs were featured, exhibiting a wider sound and hinting at a jazz-folk direction for the forthcoming album number three. The songs from 2014’s Brightly Painted One were wonderfully enhanced. Guitarist Tom Healy was as much concerned with generating ambient atmosphere as he was playing traditional lead licks. Drummer Alex Freer fully understood the constructive value of restraint. Multi-instrumentalist Finn Scholes was infuriatingly proficient as he moved between organ, vibraphone and trumpet. Bass player Cass Basil was an apt offsider to the bandleader, with her backing vocals adding further intimacy. Surrounded by such assured arrangements, Fullbrook’s songs burrowed into one’s psyche. No single song can offer the whole picture, but several of them related sentiments that resonated with our own lives – capable of refuelling our hope for a better future, whatever that might entail. The show ended with ‘Straw Into Gold’ – probably the closest thing the band has to a hit. Fullbrook’s narration is quietly naïve, but also sharp and tenacious. Things fall apart, ambition is mocked, banks crumble, friendships fray. But the tone remains cheerful. Nearing the song’s conclusion, Fullbrook reminded us, “It’s just a matter of learning”. A Dixieland trumpet solo followed, and the collective mood was a beam of optimism. Augustus Welby

of a bookshelf, they had choreographed moves, at one point coming to centre stage only to fall down dramatically as if playing dead. In another scene, a stepladder was brought out – Spalding took a step up, got down again and it was taken away. The books on that shelf had a purpose. During one song they were piled up in Spalding’s arms and she pretended to read lines from them. Kind of like a library-based revision montage. It all came across like it was dashed together by year 12 drama students desperately trying to be profound. Were we watching a band or a show? What was an act and what was not? The amateur dramatics might not have been great, but the gig needed it. Fusion jazz, especially when mixed with prog rock, is not the most accessible kind of music. There were extended avant-garde instrumental wig-outs, there were precisely syncopated five-syllable-a-second a capellas. But it’s the kind of music only the brain can appreciate. It’s too cerebral to grab the guts. Pretentious and pointless, that dress stunt would have been more fitting if Spalding had instead crawled up the hole in the rear of her gown. George Nott

HIATUS KAIYOTE, SAMPA THE GREAT

overcoat and a rather fantastic feathered headpiece. She looks like the most tropical bird of paradise you’d come across in all of Australia.

As an avid follower of Sampa The Great since hearing her mixtape last year, it gives me slight disappointment that tonight she has selected a gig of such high regard to simply roll out a DJ set with her main musical sidekick Godriguez on the decks. Sampa’s live band is nothing short of spectacular, and aside from the logistical reasons surrounding this decision, songs such as ‘Weoo’ – usually featuring the sultry vocals of Meklit Kibret in its contemplative chorus – just seem to feel a little flat. But there is no denying her sound and flow is completely on point. Take her track ‘Jamal’, in which she constantly repeats the main hook “I’m obliged to be a friend not an enemy” with such sass and a huge smile that it’s infectious. With that, she struts off the stage in a mock diva display, leaving an amused Godriguez to trail after her, shaking his grinning head.

After Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote simper through the crashing intro ‘Choose Your Weapon’ from their latest album of the same name, we’re introduced to its follow-up – the slow-building ‘Shaolin Monk Motherfunk’ – as they perform inside a figure-eight cage of light.

Sydney Opera House Tuesday May 31

Seven very contrasting people take to the stage after the instrument and lighting tweaks, most of them looking relatively casual except for lead singer Nai Palm, who sports a shining sequinned leotard, fur 28 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

gig picks

Shining Bird

WEDNESDAY JUNE 8 Shining Bird Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $13. Yessac + Leroy Lee + Richard Cuthbert The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free.

THURSDAY JUNE 9 Bears With Guns + Hurst Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. Free. Death Dealer Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $40. DMA’s Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $30. Formidable Vegetable Sound System The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. Live At The Sly - Feat: Five Coffees + The Melting Caps + Majun Bu Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free.

The Claxton Project + After The Rain The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.

SATURDAY JUNE 11 Bangers & Thrash 2016: Official Primal Fear Sydney Pre-Show Party - Feat: Murder-World + Hidden Intent + Disintegrator + Imminent Psychosis + Dark Order + Abraxxas + Wartooth + Purenvyy + Enfiled + Hammer + Fatigue + Sn W Leopard + Panik Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 12pm. $16.90. Culture Club + Bjorn Again + Kids In The Kitchen Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park. 6pm. $125.04. The Living End + Bad//Dreems + 131’s Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:40pm. $71.57.

SUNDAY JUNE 12 Halcyon Drive + High-Tails + Yeevs Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Josh Rennie-Hynes + Caitlin Harnett Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $10.

FRIDAY JUNE 10 Apia Good Times Tour 2016 - Feat: Daryl Braithwaite + Kate Ceberano + Jon Stevens + John Paul Young Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $90. Fat Yahoozah + La Tarantella Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $6. So You Think You Can Philly Jays Feat: Philadelphia Grand Jury Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $16.50. DMA’s

Primal Fear + Hazmat Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $65.50. Thando + Josue + Imogen Spong Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $17. The Dead Marines The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $7. Yellow Claw + Mike Cervello Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $70.90. Yellowjackets The Basement, Circular Quay. 6:30pm. $70.30.

MONDAY JUNE 13 Wayne Shorter Quartet Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $79. The Living End

The show inspires goosebumps. Maybe it’s the sheer versatility, power and intimacy of Nai Palm’s vocal ability (best showcased in ‘Breathing Underwater’ and encore ‘By Fire’). Maybe it’s the intricate layering of different elements of sound, such as the percussive clicks and Latin-inspired presence of ‘The World It Softly Lulls’ from previous album Tawk Tomahawk. Whatever the case, you cannot take your eyes off this seven-piece. With most of the audience sitting entranced rather than boogieing down, Hiatus Kaiyote and their incredibly rousing light show solidify themselves as a standout act of Vivid LIVE 2016. Chelsea Deeley thebrag.com

brag beats

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

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin, Keiren Jolly and Amy Henderson

five things WITH

HELENA ELLIS

Argy

A BIT OF ARGY BARGY

Greece-born and Germany-based Argyris Theofilis, better known in dance circles by the moniker Argy, will play a fly-by-night pair of shows in Australia this month. Argy had a hit back in 2005 with ‘Love Dose’, but he’s operated in the underground ever since, occasionally stepping out to collaborate with the likes of New York DJs The Martinez Brothers. If there’s a secret to longevity, it’s the ability to make a mark across several different styles, and Argy’s creations span everything from classic techno to deep disco. His debut Australian tour takes in the Greenwood Hotel on Saturday June 25.

Rainbow Chan

MORE EARS HAVE EARS Growing Up Growing up I lived with 1. my mum, grandma, grandpa and my uncle. My uncle was a drummer in a band. I would watch him rehearse every day. He opened my world musically. When I was six, he bought me my first keyboard. From then I selftaught myself and started writing my own songs.

Inspirations Timbaland, Kanye 2. West, Prince, Alicia Keys,

Lauryn Hill. Anyone who produces and writes their own music is a true music artist in my eyes. I love versatility and feeling in music productions, as well as speaking the truth lyrically.

Your Crew Right now I have 3. some pals in the music biz

who I hang with. DJ Lavida, KLP, DJ Hookie and a couple more. I also have a few close friends from when I was a teenager, my ‘day ones’. I always thought about DJing, but back then, I thought being a girl, it was so out of the question. I got into DJing by helping out a friend in their band. I would go to shows with them and help backstage, until their manager asked me one day, “Hey, do you want to be the DJ for our group?” So I started DJing and then rapping in the group. We toured, did shows, then I left the group a year later as they wanted to go on talent shows, and I didn’t want to

go down that path. The Music You Make And Play 4. In the next month I’m excited to be finally releasing my very first single ‘Stay’, which I produced, wrote and did the vocals for. It’s a bit of a chilled track, as opposed to a club banger, which I’m sure people would be expecting. I took so long for my first release, as I took a year experimenting with so many different musical styles; I didn’t want to rush it. You can’t rush the creative process. I love hip hop, R&B, trap, house. I try to fuse a bit of each element in my productions. I love mixing old-school classic tracks and new-school in my DJ sets.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Right now, I think the Aussie music scene is so great. We are really glorifying producers at the moment, and there are so many talented producers, writers and singers/rappers who I have been with in the studio. There’s also a big shift musically in the clubs. House, bass house, trap and hip hop are my genres, and it’s so prominent right now in the scene.

What: Parallel Universes: Star Wars Where: The Argyle When: Friday June 10 and Saturday June 11

FBi is set to open its doors and your ears to its intimate and last instalment of Ears Have Ears Live. In the fast and unrelenting world of mass mainstream music, FBi Radio has been intrepidly working to support, broadcast and engage the Australian musical talent that is bursting at the seams. In its Ears Have Ears Live initiative – a monthly series of intimate gatherings – artists and audiences alike are invited to interact, engage and collaborate to feed into the rich dynamic of Sydney music. Experimental sound creators Alaska Orchestra and Rainbow Chan are geared up to deliver cracking performances of their innovative and bold original compositions in the Ears Have Ears Live #4 edition for June. As spots are free but limited, it’s imperative that guests register ASAP so as to avoid disappointment. RSVP your full name to live@fbiradio. com with the subject header ‘EHE LIVE – Alaska Orchestra’ by 5pm Wednesday June 29. Ears Have Ears #4 will take place at FBi’s performance space in Alexandria on Thursday June 30.

Ape Drums

VICE IS NICE

Drum and bass maestro René LaVice is on his way for a fi ve-date tour of Australia and New Zealand this month. The Canadian DJ, producer and fi lmmaker is one of North America’s fi nest electronic artists, and has been ever since he predicted the future with The Future EP in 2009. Fast-forward a few years and LaVice earned the coveted seal of approval from The Prodigy when Liam Howlett personally invited him to remix ‘Rebel Radio’. LaVice will be out to make an impression when he hits town on Friday June 24 at Chinese Laundry.

HEAR HIM HOWL

New York-based producer and Australian favourite Jai Wolf will tour our shores again this year. Wolf’s Somewhere In A Forest Tour will be his first visit to this part of the world since his hit ‘Indian Summer’ landed at number 93 in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2015, proving his credentials as a talent to watch. Wolf is signed to Skrillex’s label OWSLA, and has topped internet charts like Hype Machine and the US Spotify Viral

THE MISSING LINK

Dancehall fans, your time is now. Houston’s own Ape Drums has locked in a stream of Australian tour dates, including Friday August 5 at Chinese Laundry. This fella is relatively new to the international scene, but he’s been DJing and producing since way back when he was 15 years old, so you can be sure he’s developed his chops through years of experience. Ape Drums’ recent reimagination of the ’90s on ‘The Way We Do This’ is evidence enough of his approach: classic styles translated for the 21st century dancefloor.

chart, so he’s certainly got a lot of good omens to build on. Get your fi ll at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday September 22.

OF LEISURE LABEL PARTY

Independent record label Of Leisure will celebrate its expansion with a debut party. Taking a hold of the industry last year with releases from Young Franco, GRMM and Cyril Hahn, Of Leisure is

now looking to celebrate its achievements with a festive soiree. Providing the soundtrack for the evening will be Of Leisure signees Young Franco, GRMM, Tyler Touché, MUTO and many more. In collaboration with V Movement, the event will also feature custommade cocktails, high-end sound production and leisure activity giveaways. It all goes down at Marrickville Bowling Club on Friday July 1.

KLP

LONG WEEKEND AT THE BEACH ROAD

In typical Beach Road Hotel fashion, a long weekend has been stretched out even further, with a string of events planned before the Queen’s Birthday. Kicking off the extended party is the US-based Fatherdude on Wednesday June 8 with Twinsy, Amastro and Delta Riggs DJs from 8pm. Richie Ryan will spearhead Friday June 10, taking the stage at 8pm. KLP will be stopping by Saturday June 11 for her Nothing But Air tour, supported by Tigerilla. Other acts filling the huge night include Ellie D, Jesse, Hobophonics, Beni and Chux. Finally, See You Sundays hits Sunday June 12. Xxx

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 29

Blanck Mass He’s Got The Power By Bel Ryan

enjamin John Power is Blanck Mass. After earning his stripes as part of powerhouse noise duo Fuck Buttons, Power has since gone on to forge a formidable reputation as a solo artist in his own right. Following the huge success of his 2015 offering Dumb Flesh, Power is packing his bags for a whirlwind tour of Australia. “I’m actually going to be in and out like a fl ash,” Power says. It’s a contrast to when the Brit came across as part of Fuck Buttons for All Tomorrow’s Parties and Harvest Festival. “I’m going to be in Australia for a total of three-anda-half days, I think. Travelling from where I am on the other side of the world, I’ll be in the air as much as I’m on the ground. It’s going to be fl eeting but I’m super excited to get back over.” Power has been planning a trip to our shores since the release of Dumb Flesh. During that time, he has also released the equally successful EP The Great Confuso. Ahead of his Australian adventure, Power says punters can expect to hear a selection from both his recent releases, plus some older material. “There’s still quite a bit of life in [Dumb Flesh] and a lot of places I haven’t played during the Dumb Flesh life cycle and The Great Confuso,” he says. “Sure, I’m going to be concentrating on that stuff, but I still enjoy playing the old stuff too.” Power’s first tour as Blanck Mass came in support of none other than Sigur Rós back in 2013. “They were huge shows,” he recalls. “The interesting thing about that

was that they had a kabuki, which is like a big screen that kind of drops at a pivotal moment. Kind of like the big reveal for the band. Obviously it was too much of a feat to construct it after I had played, so for the whole time of the tour I was actually playing behind this huge curtain, which was being backlit, so people could see me, but I couldn’t see anyone in the crowd. It was pretty much like I was playing in a room to myself. Now and then a light would fl ash across the audience and I’d get a glimpse of thousands and thousands of people. That was a really strange experience. It was very obscure – I had to make sure I wasn’t scratching my arse or something because you forget there’s thousands of people in front of you watching what you’re doing.” The production of Dumb Flesh spanned several locations and was reproduced several times in full. “It started out in the studio that Andy [Hung, of Fuck Buttons] and I used to have in East London,” explains Power. “Then it moved to a windowless attic space in North London, then it went through its fi nal evolutionary stages in Scotland where I live now.” As a result, Dumb Flesh inadvertently captures a broad landscape of sound. “I think perspective is quite important when you’re working on anything – it’s always good to get a fresh set of ears,” Power says. “Your surroundings definitely have some impact on how you experience these things and life itself in general.” Though he’s a solo act these days, Power insists he has no preference for going it alone or collaborating.

“I’m up for anything,” he says. “I like experimenting with other people’s ideologies and seeing where that takes things. It’s an interesting thing for me to see how other people’s brains work. But I also really like the complete creative control thing I have with Blanck Mass. It’s such an honest picture of the artist, which I really do enjoy.” The one thing Power does prefer in music is following an organic process over one that is overly planned. “I kind of have a rule where I never imagine how an album is going to sound before I start writing it. If you do that, you’ve already sort of set the bar, you’ve made your mind up. I like to

surprise myself when I’m working on something. If you decide how a certain thing is going to sound, you don’t really give yourself any room for manoeuvring, which has never worked for me. I always approach these things in a very naïve sense, and bewilderment can produce surprising results.” With that in mind, the entire Blanck Mass project came about in a natural way. “Fuck Buttons had been touring for a long time and I built up kind of a catalogue of stuff and I felt ready to share it with people,” Power says. “One rule [Andy and I] kind of have in Fuck Buttons is that we both need to be there from the initial get-go for it to

Off The Record

be a Fuck Buttons track. It’s more a relationship between Andy and I and how our current ideologies and tastes manifest themselves.” Though the Blanck Mass moniker is relatively new, Power is no stranger to working on his own. “I’ve always written music on my own, even before Fuck Buttons. I feel very privileged to be in a position where I can do things like take the music out to Australia and play it live to people. I can’t stress [enough] how blessed I feel to be able to do that.” Where: Zoo Project When: Friday June 10

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Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray

Lee Scratch Perry

o how about that Subsonic Music Festival first lineup announcement, hey? Pretty damn solid. While the Lee Scratch Perry meets Mad Professor collaboration is billed as the headliner, I’m friggin’ stoked to see that the house and techno luminaries Ben UFO and Jimmy Edgar are returning. A set from Josh Wink will no doubt cause a bit of déjà vu for the rave generation, while Machinedrum, Alexkid, Peak & Swift and local don Dro Carey round out the bill. It’s going down from Friday December 2 until Sunday December 4 at the Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort. More acts will be revealed mighty soon.

Looking to get your party on this Sunday June 12 to celebrate the most bullshit public holiday we have, AKA the Queen’s Birthday long weekend? Here are your best options: S.A.S.H is going all out at the Greenwood Hotel by day and Home Nightclub by night with Julian Perez, Cesar Merveille, Duncan Gray, Pepperpot and a secret guest; Picnic

Social at Tatler will feature a live performance from Hubert Clarke Jr alongside DJ battles including Adi Toohey vs Andy Garvey, Jon Watts vs Kali, and Andy Webb vs Earl Grey; while Daze, U-Khan and David Bangma will man the decks for Charades at The Cellar.

Digitalism

Tour rumours: Gene Farris, Pirupa and Anna are all coming our way over the next two months. I betcha.

FRIDAY JUNE 10

Andy Webb, Ben Fester Jam Gallery

Best releases this week: sweet merciful Jesus, stop whatever you’re doing right now and get yourself a copy of Russell E.L. Butler’s The First Step (on Black Opal). Otherwise y’all should be spinning Janeret’s Midnight Soul (Finale Sessions), Levon Vincent’s NS-12 (Novel Sound) and Steven Julien AKA FunkinEven’s Fallen (Apron). Also, that new track from The Avalanches fucking suuuuuuucks. Sounds like it was produced by Insane Clown Posse. A shame.

SATURDAY JUNE 11

SATURDAY JUNE 25

Andhim Chinese Laundry

DJ Pierre Civic Underground

Luca Lozano TBA

Argy Greenwood Hotel

Delano Smith

Louisahhh Oxford Art Factory

Arapu The Arthouse Eduardo de la Calle Burdekin Hotel Fatima Al Qadiri Oxford Art Factory

FRIDAY JULY 1

Matthias Meyer Slyfox

SATURDAY JULY 23

Delano Smith Café Del Mar

SUNDAY JUNE 12 FRIDAY DECEMBER Digitalism Oxford Art Factory 2 – SUNDAY DECEMBER 4 Julian Perez Home Nightclub

SATURDAY JUNE 18

Pinch Burdekin Hotel DJ Pete, Marcelus Zoo Project

Subsonic Music Festival: Lee Scratch Perry, Mad Professor, Josh Wink, Ben UFO + more Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. Hit me on Twitter @tysonwray. 30 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

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Delano Smith photo by Marie Staggat

Sydney might be pretty friggin’ cold at the moment but luckily we’ve got some Detroit heat forthcoming in the name of Delano Smith. Over his esteemed career the house veteran has released on the likes of Apparel Music, Kolour Recordings, Stilove4music and Sushitech, while playing at every festival and club on the globe, ranging from BPM to Movement and Panorama Bar to Fabric. He’ll be supported by Magda Bytnerowicz, Jake Hough, Mantra Collective, James Fazzolari, Jimmi Walker, Marley Sherman, Jackson Winter and Sam Roberts on Saturday July 23 at Café Del Mar.

A couple of Melbourne heads are coming up north next month and y’all should forget the rivalry for one weekend and get involved. On Friday July 8 at Jam Gallery we’re going to be treated to some of the best live electronic acts in the country right now when Butter Sessions brings Sleep D, Cale Sexton and Dan White our way. Then on Saturday July 9 you can catch J’nett (who just released her debut record on Maurice Fulton’s Bubble Tease Communications imprint) at Marrickville Bowling Club for Mad Racket, supported by Simon Caldwell, Ken Cloud, Jimmi James and Zootie.

DRINK SPECIAL

10 COCKTAILS $

10PM -12AM FRI & SAT NIGHTS 199 ENMORE ROAD

W W W. S LY F O X . S Y D N E Y

Sunday 12 June

Duncan Gray Matt Aubusson Mike Witcombe G ee Gr eenw nwoo nw o d Ho oo H te el 2p pm to 10p 0pm m $ 0 be $2 b fo fore re e4 $30 $3 0 af a te terr

Julian Perez Cesar Merveille Pepperpot Secret Guest thebrag.com

B _A Geoffrey James Jac Frier Jake Hough Jeff Barrass Kerry Wallace Made In Paris Magda Bytnerowicz Matt Ticehurst Matt Weir Robbie Lowe Secret Guest Shaun Bro Somerville & Wilson Telefunken

HOME HO M Nig ME ight h cl ht club ub b 8p pm ti tillll Bre eak a fa fast s st $40 $4 0 be befo fore re 10 / $5 $50 0 Af Afte t r te $4 40 al alll ni n gh ghtt wi with th h SAS ASH H by b day y sta tamp m mp

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club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week

Linda Marigliano + Made In Paris Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44.80.

Arapu

SATURDAY JUNE 11

HIP HOP & R&B

The Arthouse

Inner Space Arapu + Cote + Gabby + Jake Hough + Jac Frier + More 9pm. $35. WEDNESDAY JUNE 8 CLUB NIGHTS

HIP HOP & R&B

Treble N Bass The Newport, Newport. 6pm. Free.

CLUB NIGHTS House Keeping - feat: DJ Conor Boylan + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Parallel Universes (Star Wars) - feat: Andy Murphy + Lavida + Chivalry + Mike Champion The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Toho Nights - feat: Jay Katz + Special Guests Goros, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free.

FRIDAY JUNE 10 HIP HOP & R&B

Phat Play Friday feat: D-Funk + Jr Dynamite + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 4pm. Free.

xxx

Birdcage - feat: The Lezident DJ Comp - Week 4 Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. Free. Muso’s Club Jam Night - feat: Various Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free. Parallel Universes (Star Wars) - feat: Andy Murphy + Lavida + Chivalry + Mike Champion The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. SBW - feat: Jonski Babysham + Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Sosueme - feat: Fatherdude + Twinsy + Amastro + The Delta Riggs (DJ Set) + Krissy Jaman + Bassic J Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Yellow Wednesdays Secret Garden Bar, Enmore. 7pm. Free.

THURSDAY JUNE 9

32 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

CLUB NIGHTS

Banquet - feat: Colourwaves + Arrowbird + Gatling Gun + Wntd + Luxe Af + Jesse (Porsches) + Lola Siren + Flip The Script + Lostkeyz The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Bassic - feat: Apa She + GG Magree + DJ I-Dee + A-Tonez + Gradz + Delfi k + Wa-Heavy + Bank Wobber + Lambo Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Blanck Mass Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $22. Blvd - feat: Minx Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. Cause - feat: Ben Nott + Space Junk + Jahra Mortimer + David Cooper + Philip Kanis + Alex Ludlow Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. $10. Club Night #9 - feat: Simon Caldwell B2B Baron Castle Eleven Nightclub, Paddington. 9pm. $10. DJ Sam Wall The Newport, Newport. 8pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm.

Free. Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. Free. Friday Frothers feat: DJ Babysham + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Fridays At Zeta Zeta Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Fridays - feat: Richie Ryan Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Harbour Club Fridays The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Jam Fridays Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9:30pm. Free. Loco Friday - feat: DJs On Rotation The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Parallel Universes (Star Wars) - feat: Andy Murphy + Lavida + Chivalry + Mike Champion The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. $20. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Welove - feat: Various DJs Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free. Winter Weekender feat: Louisahhh +

Come Together 2016 - feat: Drapht + Allday + Tuka + Spit Syndicate + Dylan Joel + Gill Bates + Mallrat + Manu Crook$ Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point. 5pm. $55. Funk Trust Tracksuit Party - feat: The Learned Hand + Frenzie + Dr Seuss + The Right Honourable Reverend Doctor Groove Shoes + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Player Haters Ball Kanye West Tribute - feat: The Goods Kanye Cover Set + Flexi Mami + Shantan Wantan Ichiban + Adit Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $16.90. Treble N Bass The Newport, Newport. 2pm. Free.

CLUB NIGHTS

Alberto Ruiz + Summit DJs + Louis Coste + T1000 DJs + This DJs + Jez Sands + Rouss + Kev Frost + Von Lach Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $30. All Night Long feat: Cliques Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $11.70. Clique Sydney Cruise Bar, Sydney. 8:30pm. $20. Curve Ball @ Vivid Sydney - feat: Zhu + Cosmo’s Midnight + Basenji + Joy. + Elk Road + Yuma X Carriageworks, Eveleigh. 3pm. $86. Dance Etc. @ Taylor’s Rooftop feat: Father Dude + Stace Cadet Taylor’s Social, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Dilf Party The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $45.80. DJ Somatik The Newport, Newport. 7pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Frat Saturdays feat: Danny Simms + Jayowens Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Groeni - feat: Anatole + DJ Luen Oxford Circus, Sydney. 8:30pm. $11. Ivan Gough + Jebu Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $26.70. Lndry - feat: Andhim + Dom Dolla + Torren Foot Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $38.20.

Lovebombs Cake Wines Cellar Door, Redfern. 1pm. $32.34. Luca Lozano + Heavenly + Ghostly Secret Location, Sydney. 10pm. $27.50. Masif Saturdays - feat: Titan + The Strangerz + Fanatics + Raw Dawes + Suae + Pulsar + Steve Hill + Che Valino + Arbee + Zario + Yev + United As One + Tosh1r + Archetypez + Bipolar + Luxdelano + Ecklipz Nick Kim vs Ha-Stla Space, Sydney. 10pm. $29.90. My Place Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Pacha - feat: Drezo Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Parallel Universes (Star Wars) - feat: Andy Murphy + Lavida + Chivalry + Mike Champion The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. $20. Peoples Rave Secret Location, Sydney. 9pm. $27.50. Rotarydisco Presents - feat: Alkalino + Rotarydisco DJs Tatler, Darlinghurst. 8pm. Free. S.A.S.H & Mantra Collective Present Inner Space - feat: Arapu + Cote + Gabby + Jake Hough + Jac Frier + Le Brond + Datura + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace The Arthouse, Sydney. 9pm. $30. Scubar Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Soda Saturdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Something Else feat: Eduardo De La Calle + Oscar Mike + B_A + Jac Frier + Brosnan Perera + Steve Frawley + Jahra Mortimer Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11. Spice After Hours EP Launch - feat: Special Guest + Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe + Ant J + Steep + Mike Witcombe Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $22.10. Thankyou City + Ben Nott B2B Aaiste + Playdate + Andy Ef + Leoch + Cassette + Philip Kanis + Jac Frier + Tony Garcia + Jimmy Galvin B2B Boet Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 9pm. $27.50. Winter Weekender - feat: Fatima Al Qadiri + Sidechains Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44.80. Yours - feat: KLP + Tigerilla

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 6pm. Free.

SUNDAY JUNE 12 HIP HOP & R&B

Girls Meet Boys feat: Flexi Mami + Shantan Wantan Ichiban + Helena Ellis + Anissa + Radge + Mowgli May + Cache One Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $11. Swagger Lemonade Party The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $19.

CLUB NIGHTS

80s Nation - feat: DJ M.I.S.H.O + Darcy + Steve K + Boogie Barry + David Chaim + MC Mike Scott The Establishment, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Beresford Sundays - feat: DJs On Rotation The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free. Charades - feat: Daze + U-Khan + David Bangma Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $16.50. Cool Hand Luke The Newport, Newport. 6pm. Free. DJ Phil Toke The Newport, Newport. 2pm. Free. Ever After - feat: Anna Lunoe + Nina Las Vegas + Antiserum + Mayhem + Kuren + Benson + P0gman + Oski B2B Hydraulix + Amastro Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $63.80. Heaps Gay - The Festival Of Queer Delights - feat: Collarbones + The Blow Waves + Rainbow Chan With Moon Holiday & Corin + HTML Flowers + Yo! Mafia & Heaps Gay Twerk Team + Heaps Decent Showcase + Simo Soo + Dweeb City + Adi Toohey Ariane + Fleetwood Crack + Sideboob DJs + Levins + Yung Brujo + The Smuts + Heaps Gay DJs Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 4pm. $45. Hook N Sling Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $26.70. Maison Des Chiens Mauvais Presenté Bad Dog’s Hound Couture! - feat: DJs Annabelle Gaspar + Steve Sonius + Bill Cotsis + Ben Drayton St George Sailing Club, Sans Souci. 3pm. $50. Parallel Universes (Star Wars) - feat: Andy Murphy + Lavida + Chivalry And Mike Champion The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Picnic X Vivid - feat: Hubert Clarke Jr + Adi Toohey vs Andy Garvey + Jon Watts

vs Kali + Andy Webb vs Earl Grey Tatler, Darlinghurst. 4pm. Free. Pink Bubble - feat: Rohan Willard (L’Oasis) + Hannah Lockwood + Lorna Clarkson + Justin Shoulder + DJ Meta Etcetera Red Rattler, Marrickville. 9pm. $20. Reset By The Sea #2 - feat: Binary + Ben Nott + Vouki Sydney Harbour, Sydney. 9pm. $33. S.A.S.H Queen’s Birthday Sunday By Day - feat: Duncan Gray + Matt Aubusson + Mike Witcombe Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $20. S.A.S.H Queen’s Birthday Sunday By Night - feat: Julian Perez + Cesar Merveille + Pepperpot + Secret Guest + B_A + Geoffrey James + Jac Frier + Jake Hough + Jeff Barrass + Kerry Wallace + Made In Paris + Magda Bytnerowicz + Matt Ticehurst + Matt Weir + Robbie Lowe + Shaun Bro + Somerville & Wilson + Telefunken Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $40. Winter Weekender - feat: Digitalism + Bang Gang DJs 2000s Era Set Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44.80.

MONDAY JUNE 13 CLUB NIGHTS I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Lost In The Zoo feat: Open Decks 9 To 11 + Anthony Elia + Anya B2B Surkess B2B Nick Reverse + Kazi Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. Free. Parallel Universes (Marvel - Avengers Assemble) - feat: Minx + Dave Winnel + Chivalry The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free.

TUESDAY JUNE 14 CLUB NIGHTS

Parallel Universes (Marvel - Avengers Assemble) - feat: Minx + Dave Winnel + Chivalry The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Side Bar Tuesdays - feat: Black Diamond Hearts Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Terrible Tuesdays Slyfox, Enmore. 5pm. Free.

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club picks p

live reviews

up all night out all week...

FRIDAY JUNE 10 Bassic - Feat: Apa She + GG Magree + DJ I-Dee + A-Tonez + Gradz + Delfik + Wa-Heavy + Bank Wobber + Lambo Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Blanck Mass Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $22. Cause - Feat: Ben Nott + Space Junk + Jahra Mortimer + David Cooper + Philip Kanis + Alex Ludlow Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. $10. Winter Weekender - Feat: Louisahhh + Linda Marigliano + Made In Paris Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44.80.

SATURDAY JUNE 11 Alberto Ruiz + Summit DJs + Louis Coste + T1000 DJs + This DJs + Jez Sands + Rouss + Kev Frost + Von Lach Zoo Project, Potts Point. 9pm. $30. Come Together 2016 - Feat: Drapht + Allday + Tuka + Spit Syndicate + Dylan Joel + Gill Bates + Mallrat + Manu Crook$ Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point. 5pm. $55. Curve Ball @ Vivid Sydney - Feat: Zhu + Cosmo’s Midnight + Basenji + Joy. + Elk Road + Yuma X Carriageworks, Eveleigh. 3pm. $86. Dance Etc. @ Taylor’s Rooftop - Feat: Father Dude + Stace Cadet Taylor’s Social, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Lndry - Feat: Andhim + Dom Dolla + Torren Foot Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $38.20. Something Else - Feat: Eduardo De La

What we've been out to see...

Calle + Oscar Mike + B_A + Jac Frier + Brosnan Perera + Steve Frawley + Jahra Mortimer Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11. Spice After Hours EP Launch - Feat: Special Guest + Murat Kilic + Robbie Lowe + Ant J + Steep + Mike Witcombe Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $22.10. Winter Weekender - Feat: Fatima Al Qadiri + Sidechains Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $44.80. Yours - Feat: KLP + Tigerilla Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 6pm. Free.

SUNDAY JUNE 12 Heaps Gay - The Festival Of Queer Delights - Feat: Collarbones + The Blow Waves + Rainbow Chan With Moon Holiday & Corin + HTML Flowers + Yo! Mafia & Heaps Gay Twerk Team + Heaps Decent Showcase + Simo Soo + Dweeb City + Adi Toohey Ariane + Fleetwood Crack + Sideboob DJs + Levins + Yung Brujo + The Smuts + Heaps Gay DJs Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 4pm. $45. S.A.S.H Queen’s Birthday Sunday By Day - Feat: Duncan Gray + Matt Aubusson + Mike Witcombe Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $20. S.A.S.H Queen’s Birthday Sunday By Night - Feat: Julian Perez + Cesar Merveille + Pepperpot + Secret Guest + B_A + Geoffrey James + Jac Frier + Jake Hough + Jeff Barrass + Kerry Wallace + Made In Paris + Magda Bytnerowicz + Matt Ticehurst + Matt Weir + Robbie Lowe + Shaun Bro + Somerville & Wilson + Telefunken Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $40.

TA-KU, WAFIA

Sydney Opera House Friday June 3

the most part, geometrical shapes and flowers accompany the flowing electronic compositions, pulsating against the beat.

After a false start brought on by a technical failure, Perth producer Ta-ku (born Regan Matthews) returns to the stage not ten minutes later with banter fully in tow.

Following Wafia’s appearance onstage, they launch almost immediately into her hit track ‘Heartburn’, taken from her well-received 2015 effort XXIX – EP.

“When I first got asked to do Vivid, I was going to do an hour of interpretive dance for you,” he says in mock seriousness. “But I decided instead to play some music.”

Promotion of their upcoming EP (M)edian comes in strong with a three-track preview dominating the next few minutes. At this point, however, it feels like a bit of a dent in the atmosphere, with these songs just a little too sleek and shiny pop entities next to Ta-ku’s usual progressive beat production. The duo also use this time to gush about their partnership with Intel, giving the latter a shameless plug and drawing attention to the digital face scans floating across the screen in what’s meant to be an abstract fashion.

Probably for the best, Reg. The packedout Concert Hall is vibrant with animated chatter, many here also to witness his collaboration with Future Classic labelmate Wafia, but also to experience the full bass force of his slick, soulful production. He is accompanied by a live drummer and pianist, as well as a string quartet that really adds weight to those forlorn, drawn-out notes. It’s also exciting to see that he has recruited the talents of Kiwi artist Thomston, local soul singer Thandi Phoenix and the Melbourne R&B prodigy Oscar Key Sung on backing vocal duties. As Ta-ku opens with ‘I Miss You’ from his 2013 release Songs To Break Up To, Phoenix takes vocal duties amid the short and sharp bursts of strings. ‘We Were In Love’ is another early highlight. For

#PORTALS FEAT. KUČKA & RACHAEL ARCHIBALD, NITE FLEIT The Basement Thursday June 2

Right before commencing, one of the most buzzed-about and exciting Australian voices filling our ears of late, Kučka, declared to avid listeners at her Vivid Festival #Portals show that there would actually be no vocals performed during the evening. A collaborative project with visual artist Rachael Archibald, #Portals took Kučka’s lesser-focused-on (but no less great) production skills and paired them with Archibald’s pastel virtual realities. It was so cohesive that you’d be hard-pressed to independently conclude that the two manifested the whole project largely online via Skype. Marbled rock formations were projected onto a screen onstage, gliding around and melting into molten metal, as Kučka hid behind the screen with laptop in tow, conjuring a spatial, intergalactic hum. At this point, although early on, one thought came to mind: how long would we all be standing here, relatively stationary, watching this pseudo-virtual-reality? The question soon escaped us, however, with the beat and visuals switching up quickly so the mind didn’t linger in inactivity.

GOODGOD SUPER CLUB FEAT. ASMARA Sydney Opera House Saturday June 4

I had high expectations of the final night of the four Goodgod Super Club events at Vivid LIVE, held in the Sydney Opera House basement. The one night last year was so much fun, and this year’s lineup was promising. Sometime in the last few months, Joey LaBeija was quietly replaced by Asmara, and then on Tuesday, it was announced that rapper Junglepussy was cancelling, with no replacement. Refunds were offered, and it was pretty clear on the night they were taken. That, coupled with the stormageddon that lashed its fury on Sydney, meant the venue was pretty empty (or emptier than I would’ve expected a Goodgod event to be). Coming from Goodgod’s low ceilings and crowded, sweaty parties, the high ceilings of the Opera House’s Studio only made the room feel less intimate, not necessarily ‘super’. Last year, a stage was set up that gave the venue the desired atmosphere, as it oriented everyone toward the front. This year, with the DJ booth standing in the

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After performances of ‘Love Again’ and ‘Down For You’, with Key Sung and Phoenix on lead vocals respectively, the show finishes with a final Wafia and Ta-ku duet – the slowed-down, slightly creepy version of ‘American Girl’. It doesn’t seem to stoke the fires. As soon as the song finishes, practically everyone rises to leave, with only a pipsqueak call for an encore. The audience has spoken. Chelsea Deeley

The immersive experience, with its surround sound set-up, started to find its focus when banal expressions like “Friday night, have nothing to wear” and “Trying to be an adult is so confusing” were read monotonously (and hilariously) by a robotic voice on loop, with strobe lights flashing across the room like paparazzi. The combination not only brought the audience back to a more tangible reality, but exemplified the show’s exploration of how technology is so present in human interactions. Scattering natural and synthetic samples through the rest of the show, Kučka provided a textural balance between these all-consuming images and a measure of bass-filled, disruptive electronic beats – some of which will hopefully form the basis of any new vocal tracks from the lady herself. As the show wrapped up with symbols bouncing across the screen and the pulsing sounds fading everything to black, #Portals concluded for what may be its first and only time – such is the nature of the quality projects, performances and collaborations Vivid has yet again brought to our city. As Nite Fleit moved into her post-#Portals set, a blanket of positivity extended across the room. Can Vivid just be year-round? Emily Gibb

middle beneath a giant foil disco ball that occasionally hid behind Venetian blinds, the party felt a little more lonely. With just a DJ now, and no performers (excluding the dancers), it felt like you could stand anywhere, and dance in your own world without even seeing those around you. Asmara put on a good show – remixing Enya’s ‘Orinoco Flow’ was my favourite part – but it wasn’t enough to hide the fact that a headline act had pulled out days before with no explanation or replacement. The Studio, while high-ceilinged and roomy, is still an excellent venue to party in. There’s nothing like coming up from sweaty dancing in the basement to get some fresh air overlooking the harbour while the Vivid lights flash around you. This time, watching the storm from undercover while the music pulsated behind you was captivating, until you had to go out into the rain to find your way home. I wish I’d been able to get to one of the other Super Club events, because an event that was missing its headliner while a storm raged outside just didn’t live up to the expectations I had of both Goodgod and Vivid. Lucy Watson

BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16 :: 33

live review thebrag.com/snaps

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

BJÖRK DIGITAL

backs of buses; white, milky Björks, red lengths of string pouring out of their nipples like ticker tape.

Vivid’s Björk Digital premiere wasn’t about a Björk – it was about Björks, plural; hundreds of them, each cast in an ever-soslightly different light. If it weren’t for the role the pop auteur’s latest album, Vulnicura, played as a kind of fulcrum upon which the entire night could hinge, the evening would have seemed utterly deranged – a shattered-mirror-load of howling, tearstained faces, all of them identical.

There was even Björk in app form, pinned down by 20-odd Android devices strapped to a table. Fans – some old, some young, some dressed as the singer, others dressed down – plugged themselves into the tablets via headphones, clicking away at screens that matched snatches of Vulnicura with shots of human skin tissue.

Carriageworks Saturday June 4

There was a digital version of Björk, her pixelated form tearing itself into poorly rendered composite parts, as her audience members stood separated, boxed in by the clunky VR devices that allowed them to steal glimpses of the disintegrating form. There were two Björks trapped in giant screens, both clad in oil-spill slick dresses, both singing ‘Black Lake’ from opposite ends of the one room, as the hushed onlookers flicked their heads from one form to the other, awkwardly catching each other’s gaze.

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bag raiders

There were younger Björks too – happier Björks, Björks years away from the breakup that would birth Vulnicura, all singing down the barrel of a dozen different lenses as a dedicated ‘Björk Cinema’ played a seemingly endless loop of the singer’s past videos. Grinning Björks dancing down streets; black-and-white Björks riding the

02:06:16 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711

And then, in the corner of Carriageworks’ biggest room, surrounded by plastic plants and clad in an ornate headdress, was the real Björk. She drew the biggest crowd, of course, head bent, busy playing DJ and spinning strange snatches of African tribal music. Fans packed in tight, throwing up their phones to shoot over the gaggle as though the singer were some animal at the zoo, pushing and shoving their way ever closer. But for the fans at the front – the ones who got the uninterrupted view of the musician – the experience was an oddly deflating one. After all, Björk isn’t made of pixels, or oil, or red string – she’s made of flesh and blood. Maybe that’s the lesson, then. Maybe that’s the point of Björk Digital. Don’t idolise the real self. Idolise the imagined one. Don’t go to the artist. Go to the art. Joseph Earp

s.a.s.h by day: subsonic music festival launch party

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snap

05:06:16 :: Greenwood Hotel :: 36 Blue Street North Sydney 9964 9477

five things WITH Growing Up The key childhood 1. memory was when I was

listening to electronic music at eight or nine years old back in 1991ish. My friends and I were waiting for our older friends, cousins, brothers and sisters to come back from the clubs every weekend. They were bringing us tapes recorded on the night. Now that’s not really common but DJs in that time were recording various tapes of the sets at the same time every night. We knew all that music from that time after many listenings before we started getting into records years after. Inspirations Quincy Jones, Herbie 2. Hancock, Depeche Mode. I

had them on repeat and [still do]. Your Crew I was getting into DJing 3. and producing, taking it as my full-time job in the time when the scene was about talent, effort and dedication. 34 :: BRAG :: 666 :: 08:06:16

I’m still working with my close friends who share this point – for me that’s the only way to stay here in this business, being happy and staying true to yourself and to the people who follow us. Now working in the studio is what is really pushing me, learning every day from other people and having fun doing what I love most: leaving some music here for the future. The Music You Make And Play 4. The styles are a bit messed

up lately when listed online. People are a bit confused with what is what and how to classify each record into styles and sub-styles. On my sets as well as on my releases you’ll find a mix of house, techno, minimal, deep house, dub techno, and lately even ambient. So people can expect a set quite wide in styles. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. The music scene right now

JULIAN PEREZ

is growing so fast, it has become very popular and [with] new artists growing up quick, it’s not always just about the talent like it used to be, but about the political interests on the scene, management companies, et cetera. How true to yourself do you want to be? Luckily there is an amount of true artists out there doing a great job and hopefully more every time. The bigger obstacles to overcome now? Our own ego. What: S.A.S.H Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend Party With: Cesar Merveille, Pepperpot, Secret Guest Where: Home Nightclub When: Sunday June 12 And: Duncan Gray plays S.A.S.H By Day at the Greenwood Hotel, Sunday June 12 More: facebook.com/ events/572947039534115

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LIGHTS PARTY MUSIC

STAR WARS ANDY MURPHY . CHIVALRY . LAVIDA . MIKE CHAMPION

6-12 JUNE THEARGYLEROCKS.COM.AU

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