ISSUE NO. 670 JULY 6, 2016
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MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE
A CHANGE OF HEART
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S W I T CHF OO T M A Z JOBR A NI G O JIR A SETH SENTRY
METRONOMY
GEORGE MAPLE
WHOLE LOT TA LOVE
JACK THE S T RIPPER
He's on the campaign trail and has some advice for today's politicians.
Their most danceable record is here, but it's come in a time of upheaval.
The Aussie-born electronic star who's making waves in LA and London.
Dallas Frasca and friends pay tribute to the great Led Zeppelin.
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rock music news
the BRAG presents
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Gloria Brancatisano, Abbey Lew-Kee and Natalia Morawski
PETER BJORN AND JOHN
songwriters’ secrets WITH
CHRIS CAVILL
THE 1975
Nothing’ is currently the fifth most requested track from community radio across Australia, which we’re really chuffed about. ‘SFN’ is a bit of a dirty blues rock anthem that advocates a world of love and generosity. Songwriting Secrets The thing about songwriting is you don’t know when or where it’s going to hit you, but when it does you gotta roll with it. For me, it’s all about that lyrical hook, that distinct melody, so the tune has its own identity. You then have to write the story and provide the supporting details. This is the part that can lead you to madness, but most of the time if it doesn’t work then and there, it never will. That’s why I believe the best songs write themselves.
3.
The First Song I Wrote I started learning guitar 1. when I was about 12; it wasn’t
long after this that I began writing my own songs. I can’t exactly remember which was the first, but what I do know is that even in the early days I had a huge desire
Metro Theatre Wednesday July 20
to write original music. It gave me (and still does) a reason to perform and express myself.
The Last Song I Released The Song That Makes Me We recently released a Proud 2. 4. new EP titled All That You Got. In 2007 I wrote a song called The opening track ‘Something For
‘Admire Your Courage’ for my
Sydney Olympic Park Saturday July 23
dad about his ongoing battle with MS. I have many fond memories performing this song onstage in front of him. More recently I wrote a song called ‘Midnight Train’. This track is a testament to my musical peers and their dedications to the music industry.
AT THE DRIVE-IN
Enmore Theatre Sunday July 24
The Song That Changed My Life 5. ‘Old Man’ by Neil Young. A few
JAKE BUGG
years ago I was struggling to find a direction and purpose with my music. I doubted myself and my ability to write interesting and engaging songs. This gem guided me to write with more mystery, yet remain true to myself, my experiences and beliefs.
State Theatre Tuesday July 26
SAD GRRRLS FEST
Who: Chris Cavill and The Prospectors What: All That You Got out now independently Where: Lazybones Lounge When: Saturday July 9
Band Of Horses
Feat: Le Pie, Coda Conduct, Twin Caverns + more Factory Floor Saturday October 8
BOTTOM BACK ON TOP
New Jersey rockers The Front Bottoms will kick off 2017 with a run of headline shows around the country. As well as good times, potential audience tambourine-playing and huge singalongs, they’ll also be bringing their latest record, 2015’s Back On Top. The last time The Front Bottoms were on our shores, they were wowing fans on a sold-out run with The Smith Street Band. This time around they’ll play eight cities in headline events, kicking things off in Perth. For us Sydneysiders, The Front Bottoms will take over The Bald Faced Stag on Friday January 27.
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, Abbey Lew-Kee, Natalia Morawski, Anna Wilson ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: D.A. Carter, Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar
The Front Bottoms
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) AWESOME INTERNS: Anna Wilson, Natalia Morawski 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 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Friday 12pm (no extensions) Ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Fishished art: No later than 2pm Monday Ad cancellations: Friday 4pm Deadlines are strictly adhered to. Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045 All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L / Furst Media P/L 2003-2014 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600 PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 follow us:
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4 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
JUST LIKE MONSTERS
South Carolinian five-piece Band Of Horses are set to play a one-off intimate set in Sydney, filled with old and new material for a select audience. The special show at Marrickville’s Grifter Brewery on Wednesday July 27 is presented by Optus, and tickets will be given away to fans who can prove their love of a Band Of Horses song in 25 words or less. The show comes off the back of their recent fifth studio album, Why Are You OK. If you’re not one of the lucky ones selected to head to this intimate setting, you can catch Band Of Horses when they take the stage at Splendour In The Grass or at their Sydney Opera House gig on Monday July 25. Register at music.optus.com.au/go/band-ofhorses-live-intimate-in-sydney.
THE DEATH OF SAM WOOD
OBLIVION’S OPERA
Award-winning worldwide rock juggernauts Panic! At The Disco are set to stop by Australian shores over the summer to celebrate the release of their latest album, Death Of A Bachelor. It’s been over a decade since those suburban Las Vegas teens dropped their debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, which saw the band launch into a career as colossal rockers. Death Of A Bachelor marks the triumphant fifth release for the band. Catch Panic! at the Hordern Pavilion on Friday January 27.
Hellions have announced their brand new album due out by the end of July, and they will be taking it on the road at the same time for their Australian headline tour. Structured like a theatrical presentation, Opera Oblivia is the Sydney quintet’s boldest work to date. Recording the album in Thailand, Hellions have worked alongside producer Shane Edwards and collaborated with members of Northlane and Ocean Grove to bring it to life. Catch them at The Bald Faced Stag on Friday August 12.
LET’S DANCE
Australian Music Week, the Sydney-based music conference taking place over three days in November, has revealed the first round of speakers and delegates for its 2016 event. AMW made a successful debut in 2015, and the conference of talks, industry pow-wows and showcases is returning to Cronulla this year with some heavyweights from Australia and overseas. Jed Hilly, the director of the Americana Music Association, will be there, as will Bluesfest director Peter Noble. Key partners for AMW 2016 include the East Coast Music Association (ECMA), Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and BreakOut West presenting a Canadian Blast showcase, and Showcase Scotland Expo, which will host a reception. The full list of industry delegates includes executives from Rolling Stone Australia, The Australian, ABC Music, MGM, the Live Music Office and many more. See the full list of names at thebrag.com.
David Bowie’s music will once again be explored and celebrated with the inaugural Rock Symphony In The Vines concert. Off the back of 2013’s Ziggy: Songs Of David Bowie tribute, Jeff Duff, Steve Balbi and Brydon Stace will reunite for a show in the Hunter Valley. The trio are considered some of Australia’s most captivating performers and are set to revisit some of Bowie’s greatest hits, including ‘Changes’, ‘Let’s Dance’, ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Life On Mars?’, ‘Heroes’ and many more. Joining the trio is George Ellis, leading the Australian Symphony Orchestra. The concert will be held on Saturday October 15 at Hope Estate, one of Australia’s major winery concert destinations that has previously hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, the Eagles and Bruce Springsteen.
Gavin James
OMG IT’S AMW
HARD TO SWALLOW
Gavin James has announced he will tour Australia for the very first time this September. Taking to stages in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, the Irish singer-songwriter will bring with him tracks from his debut album Bitter Pill. After years spent honing his craft in pubs around Dublin, a chance meeting with Ed Sheeran in 2014 led to his big break. As well as sharing stages with Sheeran, James has also opened for the likes of Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. Catch him at Plan B Small Club on Friday September 23.
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live & local
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Anna Wilson, Gloria Brancatisano and Natalia Morawski
head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
five things WITH
BALKO is a big Dinosaur Jr. man. Asher is into his psychedelic bands. Somehow they all kind of fall under a broad rock umbrella, but it’s that moment when you hear something completely new that makes us lean in.
3.
Growing Up Three of us went to school 1. together and have always been
into music. Tom played in the jazz band, then we met Jeves through friends. None of us had rock star parents, however our synth player
had a comedian dad who has left him mentally scarred. Inspirations We all like really different 2. types of music. Jack listens to lots of Tool and alternative stuff. Jeves
Music, Right Here, Right Now The scene in Sydney is pretty sick, there’s plenty out there to go see if you want. We’ve been playing fairly constantly with bands who are all mates of ours and they’re all bringing something new to the table. We’ve just done a residency in June and each week the bands have been completely different and awesome to listen to.
5.
With: Cosmic Flanders Where: Brighton Up Bar When: Thursday July 14
FEELING GOOD
JAKE BUGG
Jake Bugg’s upcoming tour will mark a first visit to the State Theatre for the UK songwriter, alongside a performance at Splendour In The Grass. Speaking of firsts, he was also the youngest British male artist to land a number one debut album in the UK charts, thanks to his self-titled 2012 record. His success continued from there, with his second album reaching the top five and earning him a sold-out UK arena tour. Bugg is now on his way to share his third album, On My One, and he’ll be joined on the road by Stockport five-piece Blossoms. Bugg will headline at the State Theatre on Tuesday July 26, and we’re giving away a double pass. Get in the draw at thebrag. com/freeshit.
Lazy Colts
Rachel Maria Cox is set to launch a second EP, I Just Have A Lot Of Feelings, hitting stages up and down the east coast with an accompanying tour. The Sad Grrrls Club founder has written an intimate set of songs that address Cox’s own struggles with mental illness and eating disorders. With the EP being released on Sad Grrrls Club Records, Cox will embark on an eight-date tour that follows the mantra of the Sad Grrrls events, with a safe space invitation attached to all performances. Catch Cox at Black Wire Records, Sunday July 31.
NO KIDDING
This August, Bec Sandridge will head out on a run of headline shows to support her latest single, ‘You’re A Fucking Joke’. The tune has just been given the video treatment, and inspired by Blondie, the clip puts a spin on traditional gender roles. Sandridge explains: “As a proud guitarist, singer-songwriter, musician and lipstick-wearing female, I wanted to create a video that subverted the way I experience
xxx Rachel Maria Cox photo by Courtney Joy Fry
Rachel Maria Cox
We’ve just released our single ‘Redesign’/‘She Hit Me’ that has two of the very first songs that we wrote. Plenty more stuff coming soon too.
Xxx
Your Band We originally formed with no real intentions of doing anything, but we always enjoyed playing so we keep chugging along. We’ve changed a lot over the last few years discovering new music and playing together with a lot of great musicians and other bands, and that has kind of shaped what Balko is today. Recently we’ve been working on songs for our first EP, live testing what we think best sums up our sound and working with producer Luke Bertoz (DMA’s, Sticky Fingers, Dappled Cities) at Yap Yap Studios in Coogee.
The Music You Make We want to be original and 4. make music that we enjoy playing.
gender and stereotyping not only within the music industry, but the world in which we exist.” Sandridge plays Oxford Circus on Wednesday August 17.
HIGH LEAR-IOUS
Perth indie rockers The High Learys are set to tour the country for their biggest shows to date. The band will be stopping at five major cities plus regional towns, all off the back of
FEELING TWENTY TWO
Cinematic alt-folk group Lazy Colts have announced the release of their brooding new single, following it up with an east coast tour. The new track, ‘Twenty Two’, comes in support of the group’s full-length LP Trojan. The record has been two years in the making, and was recorded partially in an empty church. Lazy Colts hit Oxford Circus on Sunday August 28.
two successful European tours and a number of well received singles. In preparation for the tour, High Learys frontman Jamie Turner has purchased a six-seater van, so you can bet they’ll be doing it in style. Catch the Learys when they play Newtown Social Club on Sunday July 17.
SOME SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
M.E. Baird, the soft-spoken troubadour behind this year’s acclaimed EP Fall, has unveiled the date for an upcoming Sydney show. Baird’s songs of subtle heartbreak have earned him a legion of fans, and his single ‘Full Of The Devil’ has received its fair share of local airplay. Recorded before, during and after the deaths of his mother, father, sister and nephew, Fall is a stunning mediation on loss, one that will
Foam
SHAKING LIKE MILK
Foam will celebrate the release of their latest single with a run of national tour dates throughout July and August. ‘I Could Milk Myself’ is the first taste of the Perth lads’ upcoming debut album, building on the four EPs they have dropped in the last three years. The band has toured Australia supporting the likes of The Rubens, DZ Deathrays, Wax Witches and Sleepy Sun, as well as making appearances at Big Day Out and Groovin The Moo. Catch Foam at Waywards on Friday August 26.
6 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
THE QUEEN’S STILL DEAD, BOYS
Who can believe it’s been three decades since the release of The Smiths’ genre-defining album The Queen Is Dead? The Factory Theatre can. In order to pay tribute to that seminal work of art, the venue will be hosting a star-studded show dedicated to Mozza and friends, one that will see the likes of Steve Kilbey, Dispossessed and Pete Fenton of Crow all band together to belt out the saddest songs in the world. Tickets are only 18 bucks, so you’d be about as switched on as Mr. Shankly if you missed it. The tribute hits the Factory Floor on Saturday September 24.
Georgia Mulligan Georgia Mulligan photo by Brianna Elton
MULL THIS ONE OVER
undoubtedly wow in the live setting. Get ready to weep when Baird plays Django Bar on Friday July 15.
Rising Sydney songwriter Georgia Mulligan has locked in the date for her debut EP launch. The musician has already won ample acclaim for lead single ‘White Lies’, a trembling dose of trauma that calls to mind the likes of Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten. She’ll be supported by Skinny Legions and ‘friends’ (who doesn’t love friends?), so save the date. It all goes down on Friday July 29 at Petersham Bowling Club.
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BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 7
Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
THINGS WE HEAR • Visitors to which nightclub operator’s new house are greeted by a huge nude painting? The operator used to love it when he went clubbing at the venue, and when he ultimately bought it, insisted the painting be part of the deal. • Why is Lil Wayne a suspect in a nightclub assault on a bouncer following the BET Awards in Los Angeles? • Is Apple planning to buy Jay Z’s Tidal music service? • Is Paul Simon planning to retire after a European tour this year? He complains he’s losing his eyesight and needs more rest when on the road. • Did model Kendall Jenner try to “mediate” between brother-in-law Kanye West and Taylor Swift over the naked ‘Famous’ video? And why did things go “nuclear”?
FALLS EXPANDS TO WA
This summer sees Falls Festival expanding to a fourth site, Fremantle, on Saturday January 7 and Sunday January 8. This one breaks the typical Falls format, with the Falls Downtown event to utilise Fremantle streets and forgotten buildings, as well as the town square, a church and an atrium, plus rooftop camping. Last year, Lorne, Marion Beach and Byron Bay drew a total 45,000 people. Fremantle has space for 8,000 for each of its two days.
LAWYER WHO SUED ZEPPELIN SUSPENDED
Francis Malofiy, the attorney who last month tried to prove Led Zeppelin plagiarised ‘Stairway To Heaven’, has been suspended from practising law for three months. Last year, he was censured for his conduct during a copyright lawsuit over Usher’s ‘Bad Girl’, when he was found to have tricked unrepresented co-defendant William Guice into signing an affidavit without consulting a lawyer. During the six-day Zep hearing, Malofiy drew 100 sustained objections and multiple admonishments from Judge R. Gary Klausner.
• After Adele dropped the F-bomb 33 times during her set at Glastonbury Festival, the BBC received 18 complaints. It broadcast the set live to 3.7 million people. • Wolfmother will open for Guns N’ Roses at their shows in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia this month. • Last month’s Art of Music event in Sydney (where artists create work inspired by local rock songs for auction) raised $263,000 for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity. The highest bid was $61,000 for Ben Quilty’s portrait of singer-songwriter Jenny Morris, who founded the event. Just before Bernard Fanning’s live performance, the bidder got up and introduced herself as a classical musician. Fanning quipped she had to be the only muso in the room who could drop that kind of money in one night, even for charity. • Apple has been granted a patent that could block photos and recordings at concerts.
INERTIA’S TRIFONAS LAUNCHES INCGNITO
Inertia’s digital media manager Eva Trifonas leaves the company this week to launch her own management company, Incgnito, to look after “intriguing” artists. Her first signing is Perth singer-songwriter Kučka. Aside from winning four WAM Awards last year, including Song of the Year, and reaching number two on the US emerging artists chart, Kučka wrote two songs on Flume’s Skin album.
SYDNEY LOCKOUT VIDEO GOES VIRAL
A long-form video, showing in time-lapse how ten popular clubs and venues turned into wastelands after the Sydney lockout laws, has gone viral. Sydney Closed, made by David May and Tim Pass of Shifted Pictures, received 500,000 views in the first four hours after they posted it on Facebook last week. The ten venues are Hugo’s, Candy’s Apartment, the Flinders Hotel, Jimmy Liks, Backroom, Soho, Goldfish, the Exchange Hotel, The Passage and Bar Century. The music was provided by Jim Finn of
• Lorde donated NZ$20,000, the entire target figure of a crowdfunding campaign, to a New Zealand charity that had lost funding to feed poor children from the Upper Hutt region who turned up at school without lunch. • Metallica fans barged into fast food chain Joe’s Crab Shack in Arizona, thinking the band was playing there. Hoaxers posted a fake Metallica site that claimed golden tickets were hidden in the restaurant’s burritos. This is the latest instance of hoax shows, including The Smiths reforming to play at KFC Yum! Center in Kentucky, Smash Mouth in a dumpster behind a supermarket and Limp Bizkit at a petrol station in Ohio. • The guitar that singer-songwriter John Schumann used to write Redgum’s iconic Vietnam War era song ‘I Was Only 19’ has been loaned to the Australian War Memorial for display on Vietnam Veterans Day, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.
In Court: a jury has found a 26-year-old man guilty of robbing the home of Rita Ora, taking £200,000 worth of valuables while the singer slept upstairs.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has announced Terese Casu as its new CEO. Casu was executive director of Performance Space from early 2015.
GOLDEN ROBOT BUYS SOCIAL FAMILY RECORDS
Golden Robot Records (GRR), set up last year by Noiseworks’ Steve Balbi and hard rock promoter Mark Alexander-Erber, has acquired Social Family Records (SFR). GRR’s roster includes Mi-Sex, Rose Tattoo, Toe To Toe and Choirboys. Since setting up four years ago, SFR has scored ten top 40 albums including those by Dallas Frasca, Damien Leith, Reece Peking Duk
In Court: a Minnesota judge told attorneys representing those claiming a share of Prince’s estate that they will have until Friday July 8 to put forward protocols for genetic testing. Died: Mississippi-born, Detroitbased songwriter Sir Mack Rice, best known for ‘Mustang Sally’ and ‘Respect Yourself’, 82, after complications from Alzheimer’s. Died: Elvis Presley’s legendary guitarist Scotty Moore, 84, after several months of illness in Nashville. Died: US bassist Rob Wasserman (Lou Reed, Bob Weir), 64. Mastin and Baby Animals. It’s business as usual for both companies – SFR will now focus on country and adult contemporary acts, while GRR will do rock, taking on SFR’s The Superjesus and Steve Kilbey. In addition, GRR retains key Social Family staff including National PR and label manager Nardia Drayton, while Social Family CEO and cofounder Jake Challenor serves as a consultant. GRR’s label coordinator Lola Major will work on both labels, and Balbi is head of A&R for both. GRR is looking to buy a Queensland label as well.
Betting by Chinese fans on Taylor Swift’s love life has been banned. The nation’s largest online marketplace banned vendors offering “insurance policies” (insurance is legal in China, but not gambling) on her romance with British actor Tom Hiddleston. With a minimum wager of one yuan (AU$0.20), fans could double their money if the couple broke up. One vendor alone took 545 bets. For fans, it was a quick way to make money: after all, aside from Calvin Harris, most of Tay-Tay’s relationships – including Joe Jonas, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles – have lasted just a few months.
SIMA ON FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
MUSICNSW GRANTS OPEN
8 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
Divorcing: Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie has filed for divorce from musician husband Michael Lockwood after ten years, citing irreconcilable differences. They have twin seven-year-old daughters. The pair married in a traditional Japanese ceremony in Kyoto, Japan.
CASU MOVES TO MARDI GRAS
CHINA CRACKS DOWN ON TAY-TAY BETS
This year’s Art Music Awards will be held in Melbourne on Tuesday August 16 at the Plaza Ballroom. Staged by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre, it has 11 categories covering contemporary classical, electroacoustic, improvised and experimental music, and contemporary jazz. Taking on the role of awards music curator for the first time is pianist Gabriella Smart.
Ill: Tamworth held a fundraiser last Saturday in aid of local singer/guitarist Mel Little for surgery to remove an aggressive tumour in her brain, which paralysed the left side of her body.
In Court: One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson seeks joint custody with ex-flame Briana Jungwirth to spend more time with his fivemonth-old son Freddie, for whom he pays US$15,000 a month in child support and rents a $1 million home in LA.
Arwen Curson has joined Universal Music Publishing Australia and New Zealand as vice president of creative. Based in its Sydney office, she oversees the A&R and film/TV sync teams. She was formerly director of operations (Australia and NZ) for the London-based, musicfocused social media platform Crowdmix. Prior to her move to Australia, Curson was a partner at ATC Management in the UK for nine years, managing Kate Nash, Half Moon Run and Catfish and The Bottlemen.
ART MUSIC AWARDS HEAD SOUTH
Hospitalised: Rita Ora due to exhaustion. She shared snaps of herself on Instagram with a drip connected up to her arm.
Art vs Science, who lamented, “A city’s nightlife is the heart of its creative culture. Grand plans and grander ideas are born from bars, clubs and dancefloors, where friends and lovers are forged in the later hours. To kill this is to stop the beating heart of a city’s creative soul, to snuff out relationships before they can take a breath. Goodbye art. Goodbye love.”
CURSON JOINS UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING
Round one of MusicNSW’s Opportunity Development Grants has opened. It aims to support musicians and managers to develop opportunities while attending Australian conferences, tours and trade fairs like Bigsound, Face The Music, the Electronic Music Conference and AWME. The scheme offers one-off funding of up to $850 per member of a touring party, to a limit of $5,500 per group. Apply by Monday July 11 at musicnsw.com/ funding.
Lifelines
BMG SIGNS PEKING DUK TO GLOBAL DEAL
BMG has signed Peking Duk to a worldwide publishing deal, excluding Australia and New Zealand. Building a US profile from playing festivals like South By Southwest, Coachella and Lollapalooza, the duo’s ARIA- and APRA-winning hit ‘Take Me Over’ was certified triple platinum for Australian sales of 210,000, and featured in US television ads for Taco Bell and the UFC. In preparation for their next album to be issued in the US on RCA Records, BMG is holding a Peking Duk SoundLab workshop in Malibu. It will feature an eclectic mix of songwriters and artists from around the world who are working on Peking Duk’s new material across three studios.
The Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA) has begun a fundraising campaign to raise $20,000 in order to continue its programs. These include the Young Women’s Jazz Workshops, an education program and children’s workshops in regional NSW to grow future audiences, and the new initiative Trigger, in which an emerging artist is paired with a leading jazz musician to bring alive original compositions. See more info and donate at sima.org.au.
WHY KEYSTONE WENT DOWN
In the wake of last week’s shock announcement that venue operator Keystone Group had gone into receivership, directors Richard Facioni and John Duncan explained what went wrong. “Two years ago, The Keystone Hospitality Group undertook a major expansion program, including acquisitions, to become a significantly larger, national group,” they said. It built them up to a firm with 1,000 staff and 17 venues, including Sydney’s Cargo Bar, restaurants and bars. “However, the debt raised to undertake its expansion, combined with changes to the local market, including lockout laws, have placed significant financial strain on the business. As a result, the senior lenders to Keystone took the decision … to appoint receivers to the group to pursue a sale process.”
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COVER STORY
THE 1975 JUST FOR FUN BY PHOEBE ROBERTSON
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he 1975 are undeniably a global sensation. The English quartet has received a stream of critical acclaim for its instantly infectious sound, straddling everything from synthpop to alternative rock. Matthew Healy, Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald and George Daniel met as schoolmates on the outskirts of Manchester and have since become one of the world’s most celebrated music collaborations. Earlier this year, their second album – I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It – saw The 1975 skyrocket to the top of the album charts in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Since then, they have been playing sold-out tours around the world. Irrespective of their commercial success, frontman Healy assures fans that the band’s goal has always been a simple one: “We just wanted to make music, man.” “We had no kind of careerist motives [when we started] because we were like 13,” he says. “We were just playing music because of the purity of playing, for the same reason we played football or video games, which we still do. We were doing it just for fun. It wasn’t until we were like 17, 18 when we realised that maybe we could actually do something. It was about the act of making music, making those kinds of sounds with your friends. It wasn’t about getting girls or being cool – it was just a fun thing to do and it turned into what it is today. “I’m constantly in awe of things that happen, whether it be how high we get billed at festivals or how many people come to our shows, or you know, just the opportunity to do what we do live. I’m constantly having to
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remind myself of how amazing it is. The album going to number one in America was something we’d never dreamed of, it’s not something that ever seemed realistic. And it happened.”
visualise that, to try and stimulate people visually, like the way they are stimulated musically. I think it’s beautiful.
it’s called that, it’s already ridiculous and we don’t have to worry about it being overly ambitious,’” he laughs. “We got a lot of stick, a lot of shit for it – but as they say, there’s no such thing as bad press. I just think if we are going to make big albums and be in the charts, we are going to do it on our own terms, as weird as they may be.”
“IT WASN’T ABOUT GETTING GIRLS OR BEING COOL – IT WAS JUST A FUN THING TO DO AND IT TURNED INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY.”
As evidenced by their chart success in Australia, The 1975 have attained strong support from fans here as well. The Brit boys are returning the favour this month, heading Down Under for Splendour In The Grass and a pair of massive sideshows.
“I always say that everybody’s similar – it seems like we play to a similar group of kids every night – but Australia is actually particularly different,” Healy says. “Australia is louder. Australia is a bit more intense. I don’t know whether it’s because we’re so far away and you’re kind of starved of shows – I don’t know what it is,” he laughs. “It’s not like your favourite band if they’re not from Australia is going to be knocking around, whereas that could be the case with New York or LA or London or Paris. The people are excitable and I love playing shows in Australia.” The 1975 capture the essence of the album in the live environment through the use of copious visual elements, and their Australian shows will offer a unique experience for those fans who’ve been awaiting the band’s return for 18 months. “When we toured the last time we realised how much of an emotional investment people had with our music and how involved they were with it,” Healy says. “I wanted to
“There’s everything on that record. I talked about the fundamentals of what I was scared of, or what made me think. There are songs on there about my mother’s postnatal depression or the death of my grandmother. When you talk about those things in the context of music or whatever it may be, you kind of allow people to feel the same way. You kind of give people permission to… not necessarily grieve with you, you just give people permission to feel the same way as you. I like that. It makes you feel more accepted as a person when people relate to it. I try not to get lost in self-pity and just talk about how it feels.” It’s not only the themes of The 1975’s second album that have caused a stir. The lead singer admits the record’s title has evoked quite a reaction, but that was exactly what they had in mind. “It was just a lyric,” Healy says. “We named the record a long time ago and it was during a time when we wanted to make bold decisions. We wanted to make a record that was about conviction. It wasn’t necessarily the best lyric or the most appropriate lyric, but at one point we said, ‘Let’s call the album that. If
Having posted a cryptic letter to their social media pages last June, sparking rumours of a break-up, The 1975 now look back on the creation of their second record as the most inspiring and challenging time they’ve ever shared. “Obviously we’d been writing on the road, but because we were still touring the first album, we were still in that time frame, we were still in that world,” says Healy. “We came off tour and went straight into the process of making our next record, and I think that time materialising, it was quite overwhelming. “The silence of coming off tour was something to get used to in itself – going back home and getting used to not being onstage every night is a weird thing to try and figure out. Trying to be creative in a time frame is very difficult, and I think we got stuck in our heads a little bit – we started to kind of freak out. But it was eventually reconciled and we managed to make the best record we’ve ever made. “We were on tour for a good few years. Missing your bed and missing all of that kind of shit that you think about goes quite quickly – you find comfort and consistency
in different things. We used to make records on a laptop in a bedroom and then it changed to a tour bus or a hotel, so it wasn’t too different as long as we had each other – we don’t have to go into a Zen environment to make a record.” Recently, The 1975 unveiled a new music video for their single, ‘A Change Of Heart’, which Healy both starred in and wrote. “I realised there was a sexuality to almost all of the videos we’d ever done,” he explains. “I wanted to take a song that was in that realm and make a video that was platonic and pretty and beautiful. I wanted to have innocence to my character.” The multitalented Healy remains unwaveringly faithful in the future progression of The 1975, and he leaves us with his thoughts on the pressure of preparing for their next album. “It’s all about belief – whether you believe in it or not, or believe that person or not. There’s a great quote by David Foster Wallace where he says, ‘You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realise how seldom they do.’ I think that’s what you’ve got to think about when making a record.” What: I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It out now through Dirty Hit/Sony Where: Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park When: Saturday July 23 And: Also appearing at Splendour In The Grass 2016, North Byron Parklands, Friday July 22 – Sunday July 24
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Greenthief On Shaky Ground By Rod Whitfield second time around. “In the second batch of things, most of the songs changed. It turned out to be a bit of a different record. Which is cool, and I think it came out stronger as a result of the restart. But it was definitely one of those processes where by the time we’d got there, we were definitely ready to get it out there.” Not only did Greenthief record a bunch of stuff, scratch those entire sessions and start again, the finished product ended up being recorded all over the place, with a number of different people working on it. “We used lots of different studios, different people mixing it, recording it,” says Schweitzer. “One of the tracks was recorded in Brisbane, as a single, a year ago. We did two of the tracks with a producer by the name of Steve Schram – we had the two singles leading up to the release of the album dropping – and the rest of it was recorded in another studio. “And then there was lots of different people mixing it – I mixed one of the tracks, other people mixed tracks, I think about four different people mixed the record!” he laughs.
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“Like any record, this one has a story to it – a big process, a scattered process,” he says. “But all in all, I’m really stoked with it. It is what it is, and I think it’s marked an honest place and time for us, of what it represents and where we’re at. I couldn’t be happier.
and during that process we had a newish drummer, and I think we went in a bit early,” Schweitzer says. “We listened back when it was getting mixed and it just wasn’t gelling as well as we’d hoped. So we just deleted the whole thing and started again from scratch.”
“We started tracking it maybe a year and a half ago. We did all these takes,
After much reworking and rethinking, the album worked out better the
Despite the diffuse nature of the album’s recording and mixing, the reaction to its content and its inherent diversity has been extremely positive. “Critics have seen that there’s a lot of variety on the record,” says Schweitzer. “I think someone referred to us as like being in a food court, where you can pick and choose your favourite food [laughs], but I’ve always liked records that do that. I think there’s been a lot of transition in the band, like when I moved down to Melbourne three years ago – new lineup, new people to play with – and the record refl ects that.” Greenthief have just kicked off an extensive Australian tour to launch the record, and Schweitzer is looking forward to the remainder of the dates. “It’s lots of familiar venues that we dig playing at, so [we’re] really, really pumped for this tour.” What: Tremors out now independently Where: Frankie’s Pizza When: Sunday July 31
Xxx photo by Xxxx
elbourne psychedelic rockers Greenthief have just released their second album, the appropriately titled Tremors. Frontman Julian Schweitzer feels a strong sense of relief that the album is finally done, dusted and out there in the world, as it has been quite a long and arduous process to make it this far. But he is ultimately satisfied with the final results of their toils.
Ultimately, Schweitzer feels that such a long and disparate process gave Tremors its best qualities. “There was a lot of faith in the mastering that it would kind of glue the whole thing together, and I think it did, but I think it’s a scattered record, and not necessarily in a bad way. It just comes back to what I originally said – it just marks a moment in time for what it is. It’s a bit of a scattered record, and that’s cool. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to say that.”
“SOMEONE REFERRED TO US AS LIKE BEING IN A FOOD COURT, WHERE YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD.”
Switchfoot Shine A Light By David James Young pop and rock, as well as songwriting that balances out between innermost confessions and a wider message. After going through what Foreman describes as a “dark season”, he has come out the other side with a greater sense of purpose and being.
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0 years ago, the world was a remarkably different place. The music scene was filled with young up-and-comers like Spiderbait, You Am I and Silverchair. Current Rookie editor Tavi Gevinson had just been born. Out in San Diego, meanwhile, two brothers and a good friend were just starting out as a humble alt-rock trio by the name of Chin Up. That trio would eventually change its name to Switchfoot, expand out to a five-piece and secure its place as one of the more commercially successful pop-rock bands of the 21st century. Across ten studio albums, Switchfoot have managed to score huge soundtrack appearances, sell millions of albums and tour the world on the back of them. “We’ve been through a lot,” says vocalist/ guitarist Jon Foreman, the tone of his voice practically acknowledging the incredulity that comes with such an understatement. “I look back on those early days with a little bit
of nostalgia – I mean, we were very naive. We were just kids. All the songs on that first record [1997’s The Legend Of Chin] were about my life in college as a freshman – the first single [‘Chem 6A’] was about a chemistry class that I took. How funny is it to think that the very first single your band put out was about chemistry? “As we toured more, we started to take in more and more of the world around us. We wanted to enter a wider dialogue of what the purpose and meaning of life was – not just in the dorm room, but for folks around the world. The biggest change for me has been looking at life as a father. Through this band, I’ve been able to explore and think about exactly what kind of world I want my daughter to grow up in.” As Foreman speaks, he is gearing up for a world tour in support of Where The Light Shines Through, Switchfoot’s tenth LP overall. At this stage, there is more within
“THROUGH A LOT OF THE SONGS THAT I WRITE, I’M TRYING TO FIND THE HOPE FOR MYSELF.” 12 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
the Switchfoot canon to draw from than ever, which makes curating a setlist all the more difficult – or at least, one would assume as much. As far as Foreman is concerned, a Switchfoot show in 2016 is about keeping the faith and making sure people leave with a positive, warm feeling. “With the events in Orlando recently, we emphasise the songs that spin around the subject of hope,” he says. “That’s what tends to galvanise the setlist for me these days. Through a lot of the songs that I write, I’m trying to find the hope for myself – I have to believe in that message myself before I could ever feel comfortable sharing that with anyone else. There’s a song called ‘Needle’ [‘Needle And Haystack Life’] that we’ve been starting our sets with, and it has this lyric: ‘It’s no accident that we’re here tonight / We are once in a lifetime’. The title track to our new album is based on a lyric that says, ‘The wound is where the light shines through’. It deals with the concept, the idea that our most painful and trying times are when our souls can be truly healed.” Where The Light Shines Through sees the band exploring both the wider spectrum of
“For me, the story behind this record centralises around the wound,” he explains. “When we were tracking the album, it felt like we were pursuing a darker album – I wasn’t going through a great time in my own life, and I felt like I had to be honest with those feelings and with those wounds. What ended up happening, however, was that we made an album that was filled with light. This album deals with darkness and seeing the light break through. I was talking with a friend of mine about this – I feel like it’s something that reflects on everyone in this country right now. We need to ask ourselves if we are going to be compassionate, if we are going to show love to those around us that are different. These are questions that remain to be answered.” Throughout our interview, Foreman never goes into specific details pertaining to his “dark season”. It’s understandable – he’s speaking to a complete stranger on the matter, after all, and even someone with a public profile ultimately owes you nothing. What is most clear, however, is that Foreman has been able to properly exorcise his demons through his music – a living display of art as catharsis. “I think you can understand things in retrospect a lot better than when you’re in the middle of it,” he says. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming – especially if you’re trying to be honest and are trying to tell the truth. There’s a little bit of risk involved every time that you put your heart out on your sleeve – it could get destroyed by any little thing. I made the decision in my own life to face up to the darkness that crosses my path, rather than run away from it.” What: Where The Light Shines Through out Friday July 8 through Vanguard/ Caroline
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Gojira In The Mouth Of A Volcano By David James Young
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t 39 years of age, Joe Duplantier has been playing music for over half his life. His most notable work has come under the banner of Gojira, perhaps France’s most celebrated metal band, which Duplantier started while still in his teens. Slowly but surely, Gojira have built up a cult status on an international scale, brandishing a sound that is brutal and biting yet also able to maintain a balance between brains and brawn. At Joe’s side the entire time has been his younger brother, Mario, on drums. Despite the age gap between them, the frontman is thankful to have had his sibling in tow for the band’s lifespan. “I think he and I were both going to end up playing music, no matter what,” Duplantier says. “I started to play music without him when I was in high school – there’s a fi ve-year age difference between us, so he was ten when I started playing music. What can you do with a ten-year-old? The drumsticks were bigger than he was! By the time he was 12, he started to pick up drums a bit and he started to get really good at it – we couldn’t
“WE’VE COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND STILL BE ABLE TO PLEASE EVERYONE.”
believe how quickly he was picking things up. Soon enough, he’d proven himself and I thought he was ready to start playing music with me. That was 20 years ago, and we’ve been in bands together ever since. It’s become our lives – it’s all that we know. I feel like it has become the engine room as far as Gojira is concerned. Music is very important to our family.” 2016 has seen the release of Magma, the sixth studio album from Gojira and one that marks a signifi cant change in the band’s sound. Though still borrowing heavily from progressive and groove-oriented infl uences, the album also forges further into a more melodic approach to alternative metal. It’s not necessarily something that is going to sit well with diehards – but then again, Duplantier doesn’t have any time for people like that. “The more that people hate this record, the better,” he says. It comes with a laugh, but the laugh seems a little ambiguous – it’s clearly meant to indicate that he is joking, but it also comes across as a nervousness from believing such a seismic, defi ant statement. “We’ve always released records that were more death metalinclined, and we built up an audience that was primarily people that exclusively listen to death metal,” Duplantier continues. “As we have gradually moved away from that specifi c sound, we have had those kind of fans turn on us. We’re more interested in mixing heavy metal with rock music now, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s opened up new avenues for us artistically. We’re experimenting a lot more. We’re
evolving as a band. It’s always going to hurt to see those negative comments from the death metal lovers, but we’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s impossible to move forward and still be able to please everyone.” Magma was recorded in Gojira’s second home of New York City, where they relocated in order to focus more on that continental market. Several delays pushed the album’s progress back further, including the death of the Duplantier siblings’ mother. The end result, however, is more than worth the wait. This is particularly apparent when one notes just how much the band – completed by lead guitarist Christian Andreu and bassist Jean-Michel Labadie – has made the effort to push forward in an inventive and engaging way. For Joe, this came in the form of focusing on his singing – and that’s meant literally, as being the lead singer in a metal band doesn’t always necessitate doing what’s typically defi ned as singing. “When we made our previous album [2012’s L’Enfant Sauvage], I wanted to try singing more and blending that with the screaming and harsh vocals,” he says. “During the pre-production, I was constantly trying to figure out which arrangements would suit which kind of vocals. At first, I tried to compromise by doing dual tracking – one of me singing and one screaming – and having them run at the same time. That’s not exactly what we ended up going with for the finished product, but I think that’s what sparked the idea that it was a possibility as far as being a vocalist was concerned. That was a few years ago, and my interest in singing has only grown stronger.
“We’re very excited about this record. We feel in tune with it – we feel as though it’s really us coming through in the music that made it onto the album. We’re very interested to see people’s reactions to it. This is an album
we’re very ready to share with people, both in terms of them listening to it and people coming to see it played live.” Where: Magma out now through Roadrunner/Warner
MARRICKVILLE SMALL BAR & LIVE MUSIC VENUE
HOTEL STEYNE & SAPPORO PRESENT
Saaturdsy 9 July (3pm) Paul Ha ayward & the Sidekicks (3pm)) Steve e Wernick (CD Launnch) (indie roots)
JULY 27 + 28
Sundayy 10 Julyy (5pm)) Tanya Sparke & Friends (vocal delights!!) Weddnesdayy 13 Julyy (7pm) Baltic Bar Mitzvah + Devil on the Rooftop Friday 15 July (7pm) Andy y’s Night on the Praw wns (busking! ) Saturdday 16 July (7pm) Queen Porter Stomp + Sca arlet’ss Reven nge
115 Marrickville Road, Marrickville Tue-Sat till 11.30pm, Sun to 9.30m.
AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST INDOOR SKI & SNOWBOARD COMPETITION HUGE PRIZE PACKS UP FOR GRABS + LIFT PASSES + LESSONS & APPAREL + THOUSANDS IN PRIZES FOR COMPETITORS AUSTRALIA’S BEST RIDERS & INDUSTRY RENOWNED JUDGES
WWW.HOTELSTEYNE.COM.AU | @HOTELSTEYNE | #SWITCHMANLY PHOTO: MARK CLINTON | @MARKCLINTON
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Jack The Stripper Darkness And Light By Jack Pilven
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ometimes the catalyst for action comes from the most testing times. Though it can be particularly difficult to cope when we’re faced with sudden and unexpected loss, it’s how we adapt and learn from the experience that’s important in the long term. Luke Frizon, vocalist for Melbourne metal outfit Jack The Stripper, knows this all too well. He speaks candidly about a recent experience with loss, and how it’s shaped his drive within the band. “My best friend, who I learned how to play music with and who was always a massive advocate of the band and everything we’ve done, committed suicide last January,” Frizon says. “And that’s had a profound effect on everything I’ve done since that point. He was my best mate and my first friend in high school. So it’s been a difficult period and it still reverberates emotionally.” Frizon reflects on the fact he’s no longer able to phone his friend to share the band’s breakthroughs. There’s pain in his voice. He pauses. “It definitely galvanised me into action, especially the note that he left me, which was pressuring me to work harder. It was a directive to try and achieve more with the time we’ve got and what we’re doing. So I’m spending more time throughout the day working on and developing the band and working on pathways for us to follow over the coming years.” This drive to achieve is evident in the band’s upcoming touring schedule. Jack The Stripper are currently on a lap around the country in support of the single and music video for ‘Nibiru’, taken from their 2013 debut album,
“WE’RE NOT REALLY A BAND THAT CAN HOP INTO A REHEARSAL STUDIO AND JAM IT OUT.”
Raw Nerve. Next, they’ll head to Europe in August to play a series of festivals, including Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic and Romania’s Rockstadt festival, after which they’ll continue on to Japan. It will be Jack The Stripper’s first time touring Europe, and while they’ve managed to secure a spot supporting fellow Aussies Parkway Drive in Slovenia, Frizon says they’re still in the process of booking further shows in Germany and Belgium. “It’s fumbling in the dark, well and truly,” he explains of booking European shows. “I don’t know anyone from those scenes, so it takes a lot of chasing. We have a booking agent for Australia, and that’s Wild Thing Presents, and those guys have been helpful with getting further shows. But yeah, it’s still an independent effort.” While Jack The Stripper are sharing a couple of new songs on tour, they’re very much still in the process of writing and tracking their second album, which is slated for release early next year. Thematically, the follow-up to Raw Nerve will be a darker affair, with lyrics shaped by harrowing reallife events. Fans can expect the band’s signature groove-laden metallic sludge and frenetic rhythms, mixed with a greater sense of melody this time around. But Jack The Stripper – rounded out by guitarists Julian Renzo and Adam Harris, bassist Tim Anderson and drummer Max Reps – aren’t rushing the process. “We’re not really a band that can hop into a rehearsal studio and jam it out, like I imagine bands like The Bennies or King Gizzard can achieve,” Frizon says. “Ours has to be a little more precise, and it takes a couple of extra steps of development just because the songs are so frenetic and tend to head in different directions.” Jack The Stripper have shared stages with the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fear Factory, King Parrot, Cancer Bats and Northlane, among others, and they’ve refined a live show that’s equal parts performance and controlled chaos. Though it’s always been about the music, there have been occasions when things have gone astray.
“We had a roof collapse during our set at Wake Up Festival in Taiwan,” Frizon says. “Parts of the roof were actually hitting members of the audience and one guy’s head split open. It was a bit traumatic finishing up our set and then looking down and there’s just blood all over the floor and all over people… that’s a little bit extreme.” But did the band have anything to do with the collapse, or was it just a dodgy building? “It was my fault,” Frizon admits. “I’ll cop that one on the chin. I did go to the hospital to check in on the guy and to make sure he was OK. And the crazy part was that he got his stitches done, got his head sewn back together, then hopped in a taxi and went back to the festival and got in the mosh again. Taiwanese are tough people.” Despite performing music that addresses some severe subject material, there’s also a light-hearted side to Jack The Stripper that
comes out in their online presence. They’re more than prepared to have a laugh at themselves or share the odd meme, because at the end of the day, music is all about enjoying the ride. “Sometimes we like to take the piss out of ourselves,” says Frizon. “Sometimes have a cheeky poke at other bands that might be getting a little bit up themselves, but at the same time we’re never going to call out a band and start any of that kind of lame soapbox beef kind of shit. That’s just childish and embarrassing. We’re about the good times. We might not always seem like it, but we want people to enjoy themselves and have fun, so we always try and encourage that.” With: Daemon Pyre, Witch Fight, Gvrlls Where: Factory Floor When: Saturday July 9
Whole Lotta Love Dallas Frasca And Friends By Tegan Reeves
“THERE WAS SOMETHING PRETTY INSANE THAT HAPPENED WHEN THOSE GUYS GOT TOGETHER, AND THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN WITH BANDS.”
“It’s actually insane, and I don’t know how I’m still sane – maybe I’m not,” says Frasca, the frontwoman of the band that shares her name.
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The Oz rock three-piece has been slogging it out since 2006, spending most of that time on the road. Surprisingly enough, Frasca and friends have found a home on the touring circuits of France and the UK, where they regularly return. Their Facebook page describes their sound as “rock/riffage/heavy soul”, and so it’s fitting that Frasca herself will take the stage next month as part of Australia’s biggest Led Zeppelin tribute concert, Whole Lotta Love.
This will be the third time Frasca has taken part in the show, which is now in its 13th year. “It’s such a great show,” she says, “and there is so much great energy from everyone who is involved.” In particular, Frasca speaks highly of Whole Lotta Love creative director Joseph Calderazzo. “I understand why it’s been running so long – because of people like him,” she says. “The musicians involved are next level. It’s so great to be
this music that was just out of this universe, and there’s been no band that has touched [as] closely upon what those guys created to me. You learn so much, especially by going through the lyrics and phrasing. I always come out of this show picking up a few little tips”.
Frasca remains tight-lipped about what songs she will be performing during the tour, but it’s safe to say she’ll do a fine job. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to say what I’ll playing,” she teases. “We’re still in the process of working out a couple of songs, so people will have to come along to the shows to find out.”
The coming months will see Frasca and her band head back into the studio to begin recording their fourth album.
When asked what her all-time favourite Zeppelin songs are, Frasca seems genuinely stumped, unable to narrow her list down. After thinking it over, she goes with ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ from the band’s 1969 self-titled debut. “I don’t know, there’s just so many!” she says. “I really love ‘Trampled Under Foot’ too – the groove of it is great. My list changes all the time, though – there’s just so much music. But if I had to choose one song right now, it would be ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’. “I listen to those songs and think, ‘How did you write that?’ There was something pretty insane that happened when those guys got together, and that doesn’t happen very often with bands. They created
“We’re just about at the end of the touring cycle with our last album Love Army, but now we’re ready to go back into the studio,” she says. “We’ll be working with one of my favourite producers in Australia at the moment, a wonderful woman by the name of Anna Laverty. I’m looking forward to getting that buzz going again and I really admire the way she works. This year will be our tenth anniversary together as a band, so to celebrate we’ve got something special up our sleeves.” What: Whole Lotta Love With: Simon Meli, Jimmy Cupples, Tim Meaco Where: State Theatre When: Saturday August 27 And: Also appearing at Laycock Street Theatre, North Gosford, Saturday August 20 and Friday August 26
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Whole Lotta Love photo by Josh Groom
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allas Frasca has just returned from a week-long songwriting camp at her parents’ house in north-east Victoria when she speaks with the BRAG. Her voice sounds hoarse over the phone, but that is probably to be expected when you’ve toured 50 of the 52 weeks in the past year.
thrown into a room of people that all have a mutual love for Led Zeppelin. It’s so fantastic to have that much energy and so many sounds coming off different instruments. Led Zeppelin songs need different textures and different elements in them.”
BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town
arts in focus
resident alien Away photo by Maryna Rothe
the life and times of quentin crisp also inside:
ARTS NEWS / MAZ JOBRANI / ARTS REVIEWS / ARTS GIVEAWAY / ARTS EXPOSED / OUT & ABOUT thebrag.com
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arts in focus
free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Natalia Morawski and Anna Wilson
Maz Jobrani
five minutes WITH
How much of a challenge have you found it performing Gilchrist’s words? I have to say, the words Paul has written in Cristina In The Cupboard are actually fantastic! Having
worked on numerous different shows, by an array of different writers I have come to really love that Paul writes in a natural way – it makes my job a whole lot easier. He has a wonderful way of being able to capture the essence of the Gen Y voice. Most of the characters that are in this play are under 30, so it’s very apt. He also has a very fun way of jumping between moments which are more natural and moments which are heightened and magical. I guess the main challenge comes from wanting to do the words justice, and finding the truth in some moments which explore some very big ideas. Is fantasy just a means of escape, or can it have a lasting effect on the ‘real world’? I do believe it can have a lasting effect on the real world. When people let themselves live in a fantasy, whether it’s completely retreating from the outside world and locking themselves in a cupboard (like Cristina), or just
having unrealistic expectations of themselves and others, these fantasies/expectations can stop you living to your full potential. It’s important to just go with the flow and to try not to control every situation. For audiences who aren’t familiar with your work, what other acting roles have you performed? I graduated from Excelsia College (formerly Wesley Institute) in 2013 with a bachelor of dramatic arts. Since then I have really immersed myself in the Sydney independent theatre scene, working on a number of shows at The Depot Theatre including their inaugural production The Cherry Orchard. I have also worked with Matriark Theatre Company on a number of shows, and am very excited to begin developing one of their shows in conjunction with Monkey Baa Theatre Company, Much Dell’Arte About Nothing, which is a reinvention of the classic Shakespearean tale into
a commedia dell’arte piece. In addition to this, I have done a number of shows with Convict Footprints, a company who do sitespecific theatre based on convict and settler tales. The Depot Theatre is a local not-for-profit company. How essential are these in a healthy theatre scene? Absolutely! What I love about independent theatre companies is that they are more provocative, and can speak to a wider variety of audiences. This, in my opinion, is because they are not ruled by a need to appeal to a ‘target market’ in order to sell tickets. Because hey, let’s face it, that ‘market’ is not where I fit into, but I still love seeing shows relevant to my demographic. What: Cristina In The Cupboard Where: The Depot Theatre When: Wednesday July 13 – Saturday July 30
MAZ JOBRANI
Maz Jobrani, a founding member of The Axis Of Evil Comedy Tour, is returning to our shores for two shows this month. You might recognise the Iranian-American comic from his television specials including Brown And Friendly, I Come In Peace and I’m Not A Terrorist, But I’ve Played One On TV. His comedy tackles politics, race and religion, and he places particular emphasis on breaking down stereotypes about Iranians and the Middle East. Jobrani will bring the laughs to the Enmore Theatre on Thursday July 14, and we’ve got one double pass to give away. Put yourself in the running at thebrag.com/ freeshit.
Cristina In The Cupboard photo by Peta Addy
Y
ou’re playing the title role in Paul Gilchrist’s Cristina In The Cupboard. What kind of secrets does Cristina have to share? Hmm, secrets hey? It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, now, would it? I guess you’ll just have to come and watch to find out.
EMILY MCGOWAN FROM CRISTINA IN THE CUPBOARD
P.J. O’ROURKE ON POLITICS The Hanging
America’s renowned political satirist P.J. O’Rourke is heading to Sydney to give a talk called Dangerous State Of The Nation – his take on the upcoming US presedential election. O’Rourke, a former managing editor of National Lampoon, is famous for his witty observations and his gonzo-style view on US politics. Recently, he gave Hillary Clinton an endorsement in his typical style: “I endorse Hillary Clinton for President. She is the secondworst thing that could happen to America. I endorse her. And all her pomps. And all her empty promises. Better the devil you know than the Lord of the Flies on his own 757.” O’Rourke has also penned 18 books, including Parliament Of Whores and Give War A Chance, both of which reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list. O’Rourke will speak at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on Tuesday August 9.
Smash! Sydney Manga And Anime Show
CULTURE CLUB THE HANGING
Sydney Theatre Company is set to present the world premiere of Angela Betzien’s The Hanging. Exploring an Australian gothic motif of lost children and the loss of innocence, The Hanging presents a vast and uncompromising landscape that draws on themes of mystery. This latest work from Betzien, STC’s 2014 Patrick White Fellow, provides an ingenious way of dealing with elements of the unknown through a powerful script. The production features Ashleigh Cummings of Network Ten’s Puberty Blues in her STC debut, alongside one of Australia’s most versatile actors, Genevieve Lemon. The Hanging plays at Wharf 1 Theatre from Thursday July 28 – Saturday September 10.
SCIENTIFIC MINDS
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Smash! Sydney Manga And Anime Show, Australia’s premier Japanese pop culture convention, returns for 2016 with another spectacular event celebrating its tenth anniversary. The ultimate experience for fans of geek and Japanese pop culture, Smash! is back with a bumper celebration of all things anime, cosplay, fashion, gaming and entertainment. Convention organisers have announced some very special guests: cosplay artists Yuegene Fay and Takahiro Sakai, and voiceover artists Hideo Ishikawa and Ai Nonaka, will all feature at the festival’s tenth anniversary celebration. With more special guests to be announced, the festival also sees the return of exclusive and fan favourite events including guest panels, artists, exhibitors, screenings, workshops and cosplay competitions. Smash! takes over Rosehill Gardens from Saturday August 20 – Sunday August 21.
Into Deep Space, including whether we are alone in the universe, and if we will ever know what happened before the Big Bang. Events will take place in some of the city’s favourite science and engineering landmarks, including the Powerhouse Museum and the Australian Museum. The Sydney Science Festival takes place in various locations across town from Thursday August 11 – Sunday August 21. Check out the program at sydneyscience.com. au.
CONCERT FOR ORLANDO
Actors, comedians and performers including Magda Szubanski, Joel Creasey, Bob Downe and more are coming together at Sydney Town Hall to remember those killed and impacted by the recent Orlando mass shooting. Funds raised will be donated to the Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, which supports the victims’ families, survivors and those in the Pulse nightclub who may not have suffered physical injury but are in need of support. So far in excess of US$6 million has been raised. The lineup for the event also includes Paul Capsis, iOTA, Emma Matthews, Simon Burke, Virginia Gay and more. It takes place on Monday July 11.
Natasha Leggero
JUST FOR MORE LAUGHS
Natasha Leggero, Beardyman, Charlie Pickering and Peter Helliar will join the previously announced Trevor Noah, Alan Carr and Margaret Cho for this year’s edition of Just For Laughs Sydney. The festival takes place from Tuesday September 6 – Sunday September 11, and is this year expanding its festival footprint to include shows at the Enmore Theatre in addition to performances held at the Sydney Opera House. The Opera House program includes the Just For Laughs All-Star Gala and The Comedy Channel’s Just For Laughs – The Stand Up Series, which will be filmed exclusively for Foxtel. For more information and a show schedule, check out justforlaughssydney.com.
thebrag.com
The Hanging phto by James Green
Boasting a stellar lineup of science superstars, the Sydney Science Festival 2016 program is set to host a massive array of dazzling events. Now in its second year, the festival is led by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), in collaboration with museums, galleries, universities, businesses, scientists, engineers and community organisations across greater Sydney, in order to deliver a vibrant 11-day program in line with National Science Week. This year’s event will feature talks from some of the world’s leading scientific names, including Australia’s hottest scientist Dr. Alan Duffy and a special appearance from Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki. British rock star/physicist Professor Brian Cox will explore of some of the universe’s great unanswered questions in A Journey
SUPER SMASH BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Returning from August, the Sydney Opera House’s popular arts talk series Culture Club is back in a new evening format. The Culture Club series allows art lovers of all kinds the opportunity to explore the big issues and ideas surrounding the Australian cultural landscape. Culture Club sessions will feature diverse perspectives from the country’s artists, thinkers and cultural leaders. The 2016 program is jam-packed with topics and events covering everything from cultural crises (State Of The Arts, Tuesday August 2) to technology (HighTech Stories, Tuesday October 4), Stravinsky (Nijinsky And Stravinsky: Creative Collaborators, Tuesday November 1) and Shakespeare (Shakespeare The Radical, Tuesday August 30). Visit sydneyoperahouse.com/cultureclub. aspx for full details.
arts in focus
Resident Alien [THEATRE] Individual In His Time By Tegan Jones
Q
uentin Crisp isn’t an instantly recognisable name these days, even within the LGBTQI community. This is something of a tragedy, because for the majority of the 20th century, Crisp was the epitome of individuality. Starting his career as an androgynous nude model in 1930s London, he eventually became a controversial gay icon, a writer, and an infamously opinionated, witty and eccentric character.
“Quentin was an arm stretching back in time, where I couldn’t imagine people like him ever existing. It’s one of the most challenging roles I have ever undertaken. I have to appear in my underclothes, for goodness’ sake, and inhabit the skin of a 90-year-old, to speak as him. Not to mention all the lines and philosophies of Mr. Crisp that he himself has said and wrote, that I have memorised … I take two hours to become him every night.”
Helpmann Award-winner Paul Capsis will be embodying Crisp this month in the one-man show, Resident Alien. Written by Tim Fountain, this intimate night at the theatre invites audiences into Crisp’s New York apartment to chat about life from his unique perspective. It’s the role of a lifetime for Capsis – not only because of its specific demands, but also because of his personal admiration for Crisp.
The LGBTQI community is growing stronger and more inclusive every day, despite the hatred and challenges it still faces from certain groups and individuals. Rather tragically, despite being iconic for his homosexuality, Crisp never felt welcomed during his lifetime.
“He is important to me because he made me realise that homosexuals have always existed since God made Adam and Steve,” says Capsis.
“Back in the day, when it was just a simple ‘H’ for ‘homosexual’ or ‘Q’ for ‘queer’ – now we have the entire alphabet to deal with,” says Capsis. “When Quentin first went to London in the 1930s, he found himself in the company of a group of effeminate homosexual men who were
prostitutes, and Quentin himself had become a prostitute. He didn’t know there were gay men who acted and behaved like ‘real’ men until much later. He was dismayed when he was rejected by the underground illegal gay establishments because of his obvious effeminacy. As far as community is concerned, I don’t think Mr. Crisp felt at all part of any such thing. He was alone really. It was his choice to be a one-man protest, even though he didn’t believe in protest. And he didn’t believe in relationships either.” This rejection certainly didn’t breed conformity within Crisp. He was known for being outspoken with his opinions and commentary, even when it got him into hot water, such as ridiculing Princess Diana and saying AIDS was “just a fad”. “Mr. Crisp got into a lot of trouble with his views on AIDS at the time,” says Capsis. “He never changed as a person. He told it as he saw it, and it’s just unfortunate that a lot of people were hurt by his opinions. They forget that he was
“He never tried to appease or win over any group – he was the real deal. No political correctness for him.”
to murder him! He would ask what time best suited the meeting – the other person always had to pay for the coffee and lunch, of course. In fact, Mr. Crisp existed in a time when people actually met in real time, not in this cyber unreal time. Today we have the impression we are connected, but in fact, we are supremely disconnected. This is in my own view and how I see the world today. The internet has separated us. I think Mr. Crisp would be disheartened by today’s world.
true to himself to the end, he was unflinching in the way he saw the world. He never tried to appease or win over any group – he was the real deal. No political correctness for him.
“One thing about Mr. Crisp is he didn’t believe in political correctness at all, and I do admire him for that. Today we are shutting down conversation due to political correctness. I admire his courage to be himself at all costs. It’s something that I try to do in my own life – be myself at all costs – and you do indeed pay a price for that, even today. Not that I’m bothered. In some countries in the world today, gay men are executed for being themselves – that bothers me.”
“He never felt part of any community. He never asked to be hailed or worshipped by any group. No-one was more surprised than he when the world suddenly took notice of him and wanted to know his views on every subject. This happened from about 1975 – when asked, he gave them as honestly as he knew how. He didn’t censor himself. He was courage personified. In America at the time, the gay community turned on him after hailing him a saint. He kept living, breathing, blinking and meeting strangers.” By “meeting strangers”, Capsis doesn’t mean Crisp was simply greeting fans and signing autographs. He took fame to a whole new level. “Mr. Crisp was one of the most unconditional people on the planet Earth. He would talk to absolutely anyone. He liked people and he was listed in the phone book and met with anyone who wanted to meet him – even those who promised
With such a huge character to portray, and a lifetime of incredible stories and opinions, the audience can take high expectations into Resident Alien. “It’s solid Crisp-isms from beginning to end,” says Capsis. “Mr. Crisp is going out to meet Mr. Brown and Mr. Black, and we meet him in his apartment in New York and he talks to us as he dresses … the rest is a big surprise. Trigger warning: [expect] bandages, filth, soiled sheets and Mr. Crisp’s many wonderful philosophies. Oh, and a hairstyle to die for.” What: Resident Alien Where: Seymour Centre When: Tuesday July 12 – Saturday July 23
Maz Jobrani [COMEDY] Stand-Up For The Mind By Tegan Jones
T
he Persian Pink Panther is a nickname that’s not only hard to ignore, but straight-up irresistible for journalists. Names are clearly important to Iranian-American comedian Maz Jobrani: with tours such as The Axis Of Evil under his belt, and a book titled I’m Not A Terrorist (But I’ve Played One On TV), he’s comfortable making waves. But sadly, the Clouseau sobriquet he’s constantly being attributed with is actually being misused. “I made a movie called Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero, which is a silly comedy that I co-wrote, co-produced and starred in,” says Jobrani. “The way I described it was, ‘The Persian Pink Panther meets Borat’. Someone got wind of that description, put it on my Wikipedia page and now whenever I do an interview it’s brought up,” he laughs. One of the most important aspects of comedy is its ability to make social and political commentary through laughter. Jobrani wholeheartedly embraces this side of the job – in fact, he takes it incredibly seriously. “I studied political science in college, so I was always interested in history and understanding our world beyond what’s going on today. I was born in Iran but I grew up in America, so when I started doing stand-up I would talk about my experiences being Iranian-American, and that led to being interested in the politics of a lot of stuff.” He continues, “After September 11, I saw that the Bush administration was using that attack as an excuse to go
into Iraq. I thought that somebody had to talk about these things, because comedy is a good way to broach serious subjects. “The comedian D.L. Hughley once said comedy is like giving people their medicine in orange juice, so they don’t taste it. Laughter can bring us closer. Even if you’re on different sides of an argument, if you’re open to listening to a comedian, it may get you to think a little bit more than someone on the stage pontificating or screaming.” Jobrani takes this philosophy all over the world, including to the Middle East. It’s interesting to hear how he alters his routine depending on his audience. “I think the differences come in how far you can push the envelope,” he says. “I was recently in Europe, and it was interesting because they’re liberal [enough] in Holland that you can talk about sexuality and they don’t blink twice. But in some other places, like some of the Arab countries, they’re a little bit more conservative and you really can’t touch on some of those topics. “I once did a show in Saudi Arabia and they split the audience so it was families on one side and single guys on the other. It was funny because I would do a penis joke and the guys would all laugh and the families would have their mouths open in shock. But then I would do a political or family joke and the families would laugh and the guys would look bored to death.” Jobrani’s personal brand of comedy has become so prevalent over the years that it even put him on the radar of royalty. “It was when I was
doing the Axis Of Evil tour back in 2007 – they said that they wanted us to perform in Jordan. I said that we would love to but that it’s all in English and the guy answered with, ‘I’m speaking to you in English right now, you idiot.’ We were told that the king would be attending and it was during the Bush administration, so some of the jokes made fun of him and the former president of Iran. When I would get to those jokes I would look at the king like, ‘Yo, you could do something about it. You could help change the politics of the world.’ “It was interesting, because when we did the Bush jokes he wasn’t laughing as hard and it wasn’t until the day after, when he invited us to the palace, he made a good point. When we made those jokes, his brother was falling out of his chair with laughter. But the king said that he couldn’t be laughing that loud at some of the political jokes because people are going to see and it would become a world issue.” Only a few days before our interview, the world had been shocked by the Orlando nightclub shooting. I wonder whether reactions to Jobrani’s routine change, or if he approaches his comedy differently, when controversy, violence and division are so prevalent in the news – particularly when the focus of hatred is on people with a Middle Eastern ancestry. “That’s an interesting question, because my material involves social issues, political issues and my family,” he says. “Some jokes that wouldn’t be controversial become controversial when something big happens. For
example, I was doing some jokes about the [LGBTQI] community, such as Bruce Jenner becoming Caitlyn Jenner. It was a very tolerant joke which pushed the envelope with certain audiences. If someone brings their parents who might be a little bit more traditional, or some of the
“If you’re open to listening to a comedian, it may get you to think a little bit more than someone on the stage pontificating or screaming.” thebrag.com
Middle Easterners, I like to put that in their face to make them ease up a little bit. But given the victims of the shooting were [LGBTQI], it became really hard for me to do those jokes. If somebody misconstrues what I’m trying to say just a little bit, it becomes bad taste.” Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday July 14 BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 17
film & theatre reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and bareboards around town
■ Film
■ Opera
■ Cabaret
Reviewed as part of Sydney Film Festival 2016
Playing at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House until Friday August 12
Reviewed at The Studio, Sydney Opera House on Wednesday June 22
WHAT’S IN THE DARKNESS Great storytellers speak to painful truths buried beneath our daily lives. They make us conscious of that we wish not to give voice; they make us face our complicity in evil. In challenging modern China’s sexual and political repression, debut filmmaker Wang Yichun proves herself a great storyteller in the making. Jing (Su Xiaotong) lives an unremarkable life in an unremarkable town, with her deeply embittered mother (Liu Dan) and incompetent detective father (Guo Xiao). When the body of a young girl is found bearing signs of rape, a serial killer is feared. Curious, Jing pursues the case, becoming increasingly aware of her own womanhood. Yichun’s incisive film speaks as clearly of China’s troubles as to harsh realities in the Western world. Dare we claim our society’s sexual repression is lesser? Have we not heard, time and again, the claim that victims of sexual assault “shouldn’t have been drinking” or “shouldn’t have travelled alone”? Jing’s experiences, while framed in Chinese trappings, have global resonance. The culprit of the crime is no single shadowy figure, but deeply entrenched cultural values that view women’s sexuality as something to be controlled, suppressed, exploited. Yichun repeatedly references myopia, implying that what lingers in the dark may in fact be right in front of us. Jing’s home village is your average town, replete with social hierarchies, and truly feels like a living, breathing place. As in Twin Peaks, the focus is not on the crime but the town, the environment that could breed such cruelty. Even with the youngest performers, the rich inner life of each character is visible. Xiaotong is naturally a standout, but is complemented by Lu Qiwei as Zhang Xue, a rebellious teenager fully embracing her coming of age. Brutal minimalism serves the story well. Yichun’s approach is ruthlessly economical, keeping the 100-minute film lean and mean. One minute, we are thrilling at Jing’s unabashed singing in a junkyard; the next, fearing for her as we realise she is being watched. One minute, we are chuckling at the incompetence of the local police; the next, despairing as their incompetence leads to innocent people taking the fall for the villainous. The ending, a terrifying abstraction, leaves the distinct sensation of danger lurking just offscreen.
HOT BROWN HONEY
With more than a century of accolades under its belt, it can be easy to forget that Georges Bizet’s Carmen was the Bold And The Beautiful equivalent of 19th century opera. Considered by its contemporaries to be scandalous and erring on the side of trashy, it was only celebrated as a convention-breaking masterpiece after the composer’s death. John Bell has stayed true to Bizet’s penchant for reinvention by trading in the gypsy skirts of Seville for a vivacious modern Cuba, selfies and all. The ultimate cautionary tale against sexually awakened women, Carmen follows the tumultuous love affair of Don José (Yonghoon Lee), a naive soldier who falls desperately in love with a gypsy girl whom he then murders after she grows tired of him. Ignoring José’s history of violence and the fact he abandons his betrothed, Carmen is generally depicted as the villain of the story due to her loose morals and desperate need to be loved and desired. Fortunately, Opera Australia’s production discerns the complexities of the characters and portrays Carmen as more than a mere succubus. The striking juxtaposition between the beautiful yet crumbling architecture and the vivid, sometimes mismatching costumes is immediate. It feels as if costume designer Teresa Negroponte drew inspiration from a Dangerfield sample sale, and this contrasts nicely with the strident military presence on the set. Simultaneously retro and modern, Carmen’s complexity and contradictions between the setting and the costumes is a clear reflection of the societal turmoil that’s under the microscope. It also feels entirely familiar – having the ‘Toreador Song’ performed against the backdrops of lanterns and a food truck feels like something out of a hipster wedding in the Inner West. Clémentine Margaine brings a refreshing depth of character to Carmen – seduction is punctuated with the intelligence and perception that she expertly weaves into every note. She also highlights the character’s insecurities, particularly during José’s initial indifference. This Carmen is a lost young woman who uses her sexuality to mask her inner demons.
Casting a light into the dark corners of a culture is a painful and necessary experience. Should we ever hope for the darkness to recede, we must be as unafraid of staring into it with the same resolve as Jing.
Similarly, Natalie Aroyan portrays Micaëla as more than a prude whose height of excitement is a threesecond open-mouthed kiss. Her sweet notes also betray a quiet determination and bravery that exceeds her moral duty. These subtle yet positive steps are refreshing for modern audiences who find the madonna/whore characterisation of women trite and jarring.
David Molloy
Tegan Jones
“Fighting the power / Never tasted so sweet…” Such is one of many call-and-response moments from cabaret extravaganza Hot Brown Honey, though in terms of theme you’d be hard-pressed to fi nd another quite as fi tting. Sure, we may ostensibly be gathered here for a night of song, style and burlesque (though the production is more cheeky than debauched), and in this regard the Adelaide-based troupe leaves no stone unturned. But this is theatre with a pulsing political heart, determined to engage our gender, racial and intellectual assumptions as much as entertain us. As a result of this, while the show is undeniably affecting and entertaining, it’s difficult to describe. If this were an evening of stand-alone vignettes, each presenting a sometimes hilarious, sometimes harrowing window into stereotypes, exploitation, violence and empowerment, it would perhaps make more sense. By attempting to stitch each performance into an overarching narrative – a kind of cosmic beehive decrying how cold and cynical the world has become – you start anticipating a loose plot where there is none. Indeed, for its many strengths, when the show concludes it does so inelegantly, not so much fi nishing as running out of breath. These structural hiccups, however, are the sole criticisms from the night. The sheer scope of talent from these performers is remarkable: from hip hop and beatboxing to hula hoops, striptease and poetry, each segment is uniquely mesmerising and challenging. It would do the show a disservice to divulge in detail what to expect – part of the thrill is fi nding yourself presented with a familiar and/ or stereotypical cultural image, only to have it dismantled before your eyes. But Lisa Fa’alafi ’s Coconut Woman routine deserves particular mention (for the gusto of her performance, certainly, but also for the grand mutability of her costume), as does what is perhaps Hot Brown Honey’s powerful, confronting highlight: the aerial dance of Crystal Stacey’s assault victim. As MC Busty Beatz, Kim Bowers has one of the most entertaining jobs out there, presiding over a motley crew of singers, dancers and acrobats, and doing so with great panache. She has referred to the production as political theatre in disguise, though by the end of the night such a disguise is no longer needed. The anti-racist, feminist messages of the show have been writ in bold, and it is a rare audience who will remain unmoved by this entertaining and vital performance.
Adam Norris
Arts Exposed What's in our diary...
New Romance: Art And The Posthuman Museum Of Contemporary Art, until Sunday September 4 We’re getting to a point where asking what it means to be human today is a necessary task, and this is exactly what artists from Australia and Korea are tackling in a new exhibition. Drawing inspiration from science fi ction, biology, psychology, robotics, consumer technologies and social media, the question of what it means to be human today and in the future is deeply explored in New Romance: Art And The Posthuman. The creations vary from emotional triggers to provocative forms that raise questions about the difference between humans and other species, machines and plants. Artists include Rebecca Baumann, Ian Burns, Sang Hyun Lee, Siyon Jin and more. Alone With The Gods by Patricia Piccinini and Peter Hennessey
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Admission is free. For more information, visit mca.com.au.
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Hot Brown Honey photo by Anna Kucera
While the cinematography’s bleached uniformity serves the story, the editing lacks the same consistency. Transitions occasionally happen so abruptly, they seem to be in error. This may simply be cinematic language in which Western viewers are sub-literate, but it unbalances the otherwise startling clarity.
CARMEN
out & about Queer(ish) matters with Lucy Watson
Vivelavie
W
hen I go travelling, it usually ends up being a world tour of all the gay bars. Having just left Amsterdam after spending a few days there for work, I can’t tell you all that much about the museums or the sights, but I can tell you about the five different gay bars I visited. Time Out describes Amsterdam as the city where everyone is gay, and that feels pretty true – there is no single concentration of gay bars; rather, there are heaps of them dotted all over the city. The rainbow flags are on every street, lighting up the days like the pissweak sun never will. During my visit, I set myself the goal to try as many of the bars as I could, but work and jet lag got in the way, so unfortunately five was the best I could do. And so here I present to you five of the gay bars of Amsterdam, as experienced by me. Taboo Bar Imagine the Midnight Shift, but a quarter 1. of the size. It was packed when we went, the tunes were cheesy, the drag queens flamboyant, the cocktails cheap and the games silly. Men were lined up and asked to suck the drag queen’s cock(tail) and guess the flavour to win a prize. Clutching €2.90 beers, we sang along to JoJo’s ‘Leave (Get Out)’ before realising we were essentially the only women in the bar, and decided to try somewhere new. Vivelavie The first night we arrived in 2. Amsterdam, we met a gay Hungarian guy
who told us that museums suck (except the sex museum) and the best thing to do is get drunk and high, and recover by watching TV. After complimenting me on my “French I don’t give a fuck” attitude, he told us that if we wanted to try a lesbian bar we should go to Vivelavie. “It’s quiet though,” he warned us. “Not like the gay bars. There’s usually three women in there, and one is the bartender.” He was pretty shockingly accurate. The place is celebrating 36 years of providing a space
this week…
Vivelavie photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Back to Sydney, and on Thursday July 7, About Life returns to Tatler Sydney with Annabelle Gaspar of Bad Dog fame hitting the decks.
for lesbians in Amsterdam, but compared to Taboo especially, it was dead quiet. And not just quiet in the lack of people, but lacking in any kind of atmosphere. Getto Later, we tried Getto. The bartender 3. was casually filing his nails as we entered.
This place does food as well as drinks, and one of the burgers (black bean and quinoa) is named after Sexy Galexy, the legendary Sydney drag king who spent two-and-a-half years on the scene in Amsterdam. The bar is full of Warhol-esque colour and gold disco balls, and it even has a resident cat. While every other bar in the area screened the Poland versus Portugal football game, on TV here was a documentary about some kind of dragon lizard eating water buffalo. Hectic. Oh, and there was a fantastic collage of porn on the bathroom walls. Cafe ’T Mandje Cafe ’T Mandje is the oldest gay bar 4. in Amsterdam. It first opened in 1927, shut
in 1982, and reopened in 2008. This place was incredible. My beer cost €2.60, and the place just reeked of history and community. The bartender was an amazing old lesbian in leather pants, the playlist included Édith Piaf followed by CeeLo Green, the walls were adorned with old Dutch portraits, and the ‘tablecloth’ on our table was an actual Persian rug. Kitsch as fuck, but I felt at home as soon as I walked in. The Web Hello, leather. While we were 5. searching for this bar in a hidden alley, a
man in head-to-toe leather rode past on his classic Dutch bicycle. Following him, we found The Web. Two men sat outside, smoking and both wearing leather hats. Inside, there was leather galore, fetish rooms out the back, and men with Santa Claus beards. The distinct lack of women again made this place feel like it wasn’t mine, and so we didn’t stay long. So there you have it. A brief tour of some of Amsterdam’s gay bars. With EuroPride happening here at the end of July, I really wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true that everyone in Amsterdam is gay.
Bob Downe
SAT 9 JULY SPECIAL GUESTS
Then on Friday July 8, Girlthing is back at the Imperial Hotel, its new home, and launches its brother, Boything. The action features Tanzer, Sveta, NatNoiz, Matka, Mowgli May, Dunny Minogue, Smithers and more.
DAMIEN OSBORNE DICK COSMIC
On Monday July 11 at Sydney Town Hall is From Sydney With Love, a concert for Orlando. All funds from the night go towards the Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, and the concert will feature love songs from some of our top LGBTI and ally artists: Magda Szubanski, Bob Downe, Paul Capsis, iOTA and more.
MESAN
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RESIDENT
1 0 P M T I L L L AT E
$10 BEFORE 12AM / $15 AFTER 1 9 9 E N M O R E R O A D W W W. S LY F O X . S Y D N E Y
BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 19
FEATURE
A
s the gre at music is Shakespeare onc es th and cook e f ood of love. So uggested, ing are t ngwr itin w aim to b operate on the sa o art f orms tha g yp t m hard-to- ass the head enti e level – crafts t hat rely, mov de f ine, n ebulous w ing peop le in ays. For that re favourit ason, we reached e Austra out to so lia m submit t heir go-t n musicians and e o f o u r ok as touring l ife or for itchen creations; ked them to recipes fo songwr i home. Th tin rt e as varied submissions we g in the conf ines he rec of a list conta s the artists we c eived ended up b on in ei lowbrow s both high cuisi tacted, so the fol ng l ne and s delights. ome deli owing ciously Maybe A u MasterC stralia’s musician s would hef after do alrigh all. Bon t on appétit!
The Smith Street Band’s Vegan Creamy Curry Pasta (for four) INGREDIENTS: 250g spiral pasta 3 medium size garlic cloves 1 onion 300g mushrooms ½ head of broccoli 8 cherry tomatoes 8 pieces of asparagus 400ml coconut milk 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon chilli flakes METHOD: 1. Preheat oven to 180°C 2. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus and slice cherry tomatoes in half 3. Place them all on a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and some smoked paprika 4. Place in the oven for around 30 minutes 5. Bring some water to the boil for pasta and cook according to packet directions 6. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep large frypan. Cut up onion, mushroom, broccoli and garlic. Add onion, garlic, broccoli and chilli flakes to oil and sauté for three minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes till they are just a bit browned 7. Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Then add curry powder, vegetable stock powder and smoked paprika 8. Simmer for ten minutes and stir through pasta 9. Place pasta in a bowl, put tomatoes and asparagus on top and serve
Camp Cope’s Porridge (for two)
Tully On Tully’s Ahi Poke
INGREDIENTS: 2 handfuls of oats 1 generous sprinkle of chia seeds 1 tablespoon of agave syrup 1 chopped up or mashed banana 1 tin of coconut milk 1 pinch of cinnamon
INGREDIENTS: 1 yellowfin tuna fillet, cut into 1cm cubes 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1 ½ tablespoons sriracha garlic chilli sauce 1 teaspoon water 2 spring onions, finely chopped 1 ½ white onions sliced super thin and cut into 1cm strips Dried Japanese nori torn into small pieces
METHOD: 1. Put in a pot and cook on medium heat until it becomes thick and delicious. Serve NOTES: I like porridge because it’s simple and delicious and warms the soul. I also like having people around for porridge because it reminds me of being a kid. NOTES: Me and our manager Bosma discovered our love for curry pasta in Germany. It seems like a bastardisation of Italian, Indian and British cuisines, but it tastes rad. When I got home I knew I needed to replicate this dish (minus the dairy), as it was coming into Mario Kart season and I really needed a meal that could sustain me through the rigorous training and subsequent competing. It’s a completely nutritious and well-rounded dish with the crunch of the broccoli for perfect power sliding, the sweetness of the tomato for composed cornering, the creaminess of the coconut milk for glorious gliding and the kick of the chilli and curry powder to make a great Mario Karter out of anybody!
Scabz’s The Scabz Martini INGREDIENTS: 1 bottle of VB 3 olives METHOD: Take one chilled schooner glass and fill it with fresh, golden Victoria Bitter. Garnish with not one, not two, but three Sicilian olives
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The An
NOTES: Best enjoyed on a Sunday when you are feeling that little bit more fancy than usual.
METHOD: 1. Place the tuna in a large bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce 2. Mix sesame seeds through 3. Stir in sriracha garlic chilli sauce and the water, then add spring onions, onion and nori 4. Mix and serve
NOTES: Ahi Poke is a traditional Hawaiian raw fish salad-esque dish. We discovered it in Hawaii at the end of 2015 and now whip it up heaps because A) it’s delish and B) it’s super easy to prep thanks to all the ingredients being uncooked. We travelled around Hawaii looking for the best Poke we could find and after visiting a bunch of restaurants we found an isolated little supermarket on the north shore that a local referred us to. They served this pre-made Poke from their deli and it was killer. If you wanna be proper about things you should probably pair this guy up with a good, dry vino blanco, but in Hawaii we just ate it on the beach with plastic forks and a few pilsners.
thebrag.com
FEATURE
AUSSIE BANDS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE RECIPES
archists’ Cookbook Primitive Calculators’ Pasta Al Burro
Geoffrey O’Connor’s Eggplant Burger
INGREDIENTS: 1 pack of the really fucking high quality spaghetti. The one with the rough surface texture that holds the sauce really well and often comes in a brown bag 1 big lump of really fucking expensive unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 1 big lump of the best and oldest parmigiano-reggiano you can get your hands on, grated coarsely 1 whole bunch of roughly chopped parsley
INGREDIENTS: Burger buns – ideally the whitest, cheapest kind 1 eggplant 2 mushrooms 1 tomato 1 fistful of lettuce Pickles Tomato relish Olive oil 1 bottle of wine – ideally the whitest, cheapest kind
METHOD: 1. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water 2. Drain it 3. Put it on a big plate 4. Add the butter, parsley and cheese 5. Mix at the table and serve 6. Serve with the cheapest red wine in the world NOTES: I first had this in Nicholson Street, North Fitzroy in 1978 when you couldn’t get a legal drink in Melbourne after 10pm. There was this pizza joint that used to sell red wine in small Coke bottles for $1 – it was called ‘special Coke’. We used to go there after gigs for the special Coke and eat this pasta. I tell you, God invented this fucking pasta.
METHOD: 1. Turn fire alarm on 2. Fry three thick slices of eggplant in olive oil until they are slightly charred 3. Fry each side of the burger bun for a few seconds 4. Spread the relish and pickles on the lower bun 5. Layer the charred eggplant with the thinly sliced mushrooms and tomatoes on to the bun in whichever order you like, then throw a fistful of lettuce and the top bun onto that. Easy! NOTES: The eggplant burger is an absolute mess to eat. It’s definitely a meal for one – unless you want to get rid of an unwanted guest. It goes well with a bottle of white wine and can be prepared in about as much time as it takes to torrent Clueless. Obviously I’m no Nigella Lawson and this recipe is hardly going to get me a retweet from Jamie Oliver, but then again my lazy cooking motto has always been, “No meal that takes longer to cook than it does to eat can be truly delicious.”
thebrag.com
BY JOSEPH EARP
Major Leagues’ Nam Chim
Jackie Brown Jr’s Banana Bug INGREDIENTS: 1 banana Peanut butter METHOD: 1. Slice the banana in half down its length, being careful not to break it (otherwise, the dish is ruined) 2. Arrange the two perfect halves on a plate in the shape of a butterfly 3. Spread peanut butter along the top of each piece, with the aim of being as sensual as possible. Smooth! 4. Microwave your banana bug for however long you wish, depending on desired consistency. A minute and a half may be sufficient 5. Enjoy your hot sticky mess on a plate NOTES: This dish can be served for dessert, breakfast, snack, or whenever you wish – I don’t know, I’m not your mum. I haven’t seen this spectacular recipe anywhere else, possibly because of its immensely complicated and tasty nature, so I may quite possibly be the pioneer of this game-changer. It works well with a good red. Come to think, any red is a good red. Actually, everything goes with red.
INGREDIENTS: 2 red cayenne chillies A few bunches of coriander roots, cleaned A couple of coriander leaves if you have them A small handful of peeled garlic A small thumb of ginger, skinned A couple of limes Fish sauce Light soy sauce Palm sugar, honey or even maple syrup METHOD: 1. Throw in your chillies and blend them up good 2. Little by little throw in your garlic, ginger, coriander roots and leaves and keep blending until it’s begging for some liquid to keep going 3. Add in a bit of soy sauce and a couple of good squirts of fish sauce and then hit it with the sugar 4. From here is where you start tasting. Get the balance right between sweet and salt and spice and sour by adjusting those elements 5. Serve with big pieces of fried chicken. It’s also amazing in a salad, with dumplings or anything really. Go nuts NOTES: (by Jake, drummer of Major Leagues/ owner of Lucky Egg in Brisbane): I’m not very good at following recipes. When I opened Lucky Egg almost a year ago I forced myself to have everything down to the most mundane sauces written out gram for gram so my staff who had no cooking experience could follow them. But it never worked – they wouldn’t taste anything, and half the time I don’t either when I’m following a recipe too closely. I think it’s better people learn techniques and apply them everywhere.
Loose Tooth’s Totally Nuts Granola INGREDIENTS: Rolled oats Buckwheat kernels Coconut flakes Loads of unsalted mixed nuts (macadamias, brazils, almonds, et cetera) Loads of seeds (chia, pepitas, sunflower, sesame, et cetera) Ground cinnamon Coconut oil METHOD: 1. Preheat oven to 120°C and line a baking tray with baking paper 2. Combine all ingredients, chuck on the tray 3. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden, turning halfway through the cooking time 4. Remove from the oven to cool 5. Store in an airtight container in the pantry and enjoy NOTES: Breakfast is the most important meal for the day for rock dogs. Whether eaten at 7am or 4pm, this granola will give you the energy to shred all night long. Adapted from the Coco Nutty Granola recipe found on I Quit Sugar, there is no need to ‘rot any teeth’ (har har har)!
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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
NEWTOWN SOCIAL CLUB OF
bar bar TH
great lengths to give you the time of your life! What’s on the menu? We have a fresh seasonal menu, which offers a large range of pub classics with a twist! Anything from a chicken schnitty to spicy lamb ribs and burgers, my recommendation being the amazing Barramundi Burger – a kombu and miso crusted barra fillet with wasabi and mirin mayo, lettuce and house pickles. Mmm…
Tell us about your bar: We are one of Sydney’s leading live music venues and watering holes located smack-bang in the hubbub of King Street, Newtown. We host a range of live music, in-house events and offer a tasty seasonal food menu and great drinks. Our staff are by far the coolest cats in town, knowledgeable on all things food, drink and music, and go to
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Care for a drink? We stock a large range of beer, spirits, wine and cocktails, happily supporting local guys such as Young Henrys and Archie Rose. Cocktail of the month is our frosty weather-appropriate Dark And Stormy, which uses Bathurst’s Stone Pine Distillery’s Dead Man’s Drop black spiced rum. It’ll warm ya cockles. Sounds: Music ranges from indie-pop to heavy metal to punk and folk. We are massive advocates of all types of music, supporting local industry and international acts alike. Many of our staff are working musicians (who also make up our in-house
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ADDRESS: 387 KING ST, NEWTOWN PHONE NUMBER: (02) 9550 3974 WEBSITE: NEWTOWNSOCIALCLUB.COM OPENING HOURS: MON – THU 4PM-LATE, FRI – SAT NOON-2AM, SUN NOON-LATE
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band!) with a broad range of music knowledge, so the playlist is always cracking. Highlights: Free in-house events such as Monday’s Swerve Society (a curation of talent playing in our famous band room), Tuesday’s Trivia with charming and hilarious host Richie Cuthbert, Wednesday’s Acoustics Anonymous (acoustic sets in our front bar) and banging DJs with regulars such as DJ VU (Lemonheads, Ratcat) and DJ Jack Shit (FBi) on Friday and Saturday nights. On top of this, you get even more live gigs upstairs, the friendliest staff in town, colourful locals and fab food and drinks offerings. What’s not to like, eh? The bill comes to: Depends on your level of splurge! For budgets, though, we do offer awesome deals such as the $15 schnitty or parmi + drink* (Mondays), burger** + drink* (Tuesday – Wednesday), and the $12 express lunch menu Friday to Sunday. *house beer, wine or soft drink **beef, chicken or veg
Mon 7am-3pm; Tue – Fri 7am-late The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Thurs & Sat 4pm-late; Fri noon-late Harpoon Harry 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 8800 Mon – Sun 11.30am-3am The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 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 thebrag.com
COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK
Pour it in your mouth-hole... (responsibly).
MULLED SPICE APPLE MULE @ MUNICH BRAUHAUS THE ROCKS, CNR PLAYFAIR & ARGYLE ST, THE ROCKS
Mulled Spice Apple Mule photo by Kitti Gould
Ingredients: • 45ml Jägermeister Spice • 30ml apple juice • 2 lime wedges, squeezed • Ginger beer Method: Heat all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Leave to warm (not boil!) and serve as required. Glass: Tall glass Garnish: Two fresh lime wedges and mint sprig More: munichbrauhaus.com/whats-on/ jagermeister-winter-chalet-parties
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 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 thebrag.com
Origins: Sydney temperatures are dropping and our friends at Jägermeister have concocted the ultimate warming bevvie to heat us up! The Spice Apple Mule has similar attributes to the classic mulled wine, but with the added kick of the delicious Jägermeister Spice. Best drunk with: A gaggle of mates. During: Jägermeister Winter Chalet Parties, every Friday night in July. While wearing: Your winter woolies! And listening to: ’90s R&B – we’re talking TLC, Ginuwine and all the classics in between.
Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Mon – Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0410 470 250 Tue – Wed 5pm-late; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Old Growler 218 William St, Woolloomooloo 0422 911 650 Tue – Sat 5pm - midnight The 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 – Thu 4am-late; Fri – Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-late 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
Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebragcom
The Hayberry Bar & Diner 97 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest (02) 8084 0816 Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri & Sat noon-midnight Sun noon-10pm Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030 Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm The Hold Shop 4, 9-15 Central Ave (02) 9977 2009 Tue – Sun 4pm-midnight Honey Rider 230 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 8880 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm InSitu 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly (02) 9977 0669 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm The Hunter 5 Myahgah Rd, Mosman 0409 100 339 Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 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 :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 23
Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE AVALANCHES
It’s been 16 years. 16 long and painful years for fans of the geniuses who gave us Since I Left You, which ironically allowed The Avalanches to fall off the face of the Earth. No shows, no announcements – nothing. Until now.
Doom lay down whacked-out verses that almost conjure vivid hallucinations of a descent into madness. The song smoothly transitions into ‘Subways’, which gives vintage fans a glimpse of greatness – a groovy-as-hell bassline coupled with a sample of 1980s teenage punk princess Chandra that improves with every listen.
Wildfl ower is an album that gives a spirit to the hopeless, an outlet for the weird and the wonderful to get lost in, over and over. Lead single ‘Frankie Sinatra’ exemplifies the band’s unpredictability by employing a calypso-laced beat, as wordsmiths Danny Brown and MF
Backmasking adds to the psychedelic experience that tracks like ‘Zap!’ and ‘Colours’ bring to the record, while ‘The Noisy Eater’ sees Biz Markie munching and rhyming about cereal over a pitchshifted Beatles sample.
Wildfl ower Modular/EMI
Wildflower attempts to give a soul to the soulless, a message to all those who ever felt hope was lost.
OH PEP! Stadium Cake Barely Dressed/Remote Control Oh, isn’t it great when you discover an album that delivers on all fronts – lyrically, melodically and with originality? When your ears get the opportunity to experience an album that features toe-tapping, whistling, hum-along tracks right up until the very end? Oh yes it is, and the latest release from Oh Pep! is just this. Here we have an Australian duo offering listeners a refreshing take on folk and indie-pop. These Melbourne musical explorers are Olivia Hally (guitar, vocals) and Pepita Emmerichs (fiddle, mandolin), and while they initially sound like a cross between First Aid Kit and The Jezabels, these talented ladies pave their own road from there. Hally’s hauntingly beautiful yet powerful voice weaves throughout the album, and the mandolin and fiddle are ideal accompaniments. Stadium Cake is filled with consistently original and catchy tunes, drawing you in and leaving you hanging onto every word. Don’t disregard the last couple of gems, either – ‘Seven Babies’ and the soulfully melancholic ‘Afterwards’. Go ahead, let yourself devour every last slice of Stadium Cake.
THE JOHN STEEL SINGERS Midnight At The Plutonium Plutonium / Create/Control The John Steel Singers are no strangers to producing bright, poppy sounds. But on their third studio album, Midnight At The Plutonium, the environment of choice is a disco in the ’70s and a soundtrack punctuated by smooth basslines, sweet melodies and hypnotic synths. The single ‘Weekend Lover’ boasts local champions Donny Benet on keys and Jonathan Boulet on vocals, and they seem to have created some healthy rivalry, because it comes across like a competition for the highest falsetto and tightest pants. The result is an awesome party anthem with a fabulous video clip to boot. ‘Can You Feel The Future’ is nothing less than a bizarre, eight-minute epic that started life as a psychedelic jam and includes some sultry saxophone lines and a bass that bubbles like an effervescent soft drink. It’s the complete opposite to the slower, more dream-like ‘Taxi Or Walk?’. This short interlude of introspection doesn’t last long, however, because it’s clear this record has sold its soul to classic funk and pop. Midnight At The Plutonium is the sound of a confident band in a playful mood, tinkering away on various pieces of instrumentation for its own amusement. Good times.
There are countless samples and features on this album that will only be discovered with time, but that’s the beauty of The Avalanches. Benjamin Potter
CAT’S EYES
MICK HARVEY
Treasure House RAF/Kobalt
Delirium Tremens Create/Control
Cat’s Eyes create music shrouded in darkness, largely due to the solemn voices of The Horrors’ Faris Badwan and soprano Rachel Zeffira. Treasure House follows the duo’s self-titled debut from 2011, and stylistically not much has changed. Cat’s Eyes’ signature chamber pop remains intact, with the sound still managing to be both dramatic and spellbinding.
Like a recidivist grave robber, Mick Harvey returns for a third time to pillage the rather substantial body of work left by Serge Gainsbourg. This is a mausoleum that keeps drawing Harvey, and he shows no sign of abating in his desire to re-enliven the work of the famous Frenchman.
The album laments relationships, with Badwan and Zeffira dividing vocal responsibilities as they hone in on themes of regret and isolation. The title track is a cinematic opening enhanced by harp and string accompaniment. Badwan’s baritone sounds delicate as he sets the scene with a heightened sense of vulnerability. ‘Drag’ has a light and cheerful melody, but this doesn’t distract from sinister lyrics that paint a portrait of abuse. Zeffira’s vocals shift from a near-whisper to an intensity that borders on uncomfortable. ‘Be Careful Where You Park Your Car’ is the most energetic track on the album, reminiscent of ’60s girl groups with its layered vocals and steady clapping beat. ‘Girl In The Room’ is plagued with regret and nostalgia, steadily building up to a string outro that transitions nicely into the organs of ‘We’ll Be Waiting’.
In his time, Gainsbourg managed to straddle the divide between aristocratic musings and drug den bohemianism. Similarly, Harvey steps too close to the cliff edge and has to catch himself from teetering over. It is with a degree of morbid irony that this album begins with ‘The Man With The Cabbage Head’. On ‘Deadly Tedium’ and ‘Coffee Colour’, we are introduced to the seedy debauchery of late nights filled with lust. Just like the original, ‘SS C’est Bon’ is a sucker punch of Wagnerian jackbooting with frantic lyrics and feedback. The blistering finale leads into an equally anguished ‘I Envisage’, which stumbles around with ginsoaked abandon to its sinister refrain of “I envisage the worst”.
Treasure House lulls in the middle, but has an undeniable depth that unlocks on repeated listens.
‘More And More, Less And Less’ is similar to previous interpretive work, but kudos to Harvey for tackling a difficult subject with a degree of inventiveness and guile. There is clearly life in this project yet.
Holly Pereira
Bronius Zumeris
JENNY BROKE THE WINDOW Feels Good Independent Sydney locals Jenny Broke The Window’s second EP Feels Good contains three brand new tunes in addition to earlier singles ‘Black Skeleton’, ‘Skinny Dip’ and ‘Airport Love’. The indie-pop collective definitely have a Last Dinosaurs vibe going on with the interplay between echoey, layered vocals and often independently moving basslines. This is especially the case on ‘Skinny Dip’ and new cut ‘Number 1’s’ – the latter is one of the more full-bodied efforts on the EP, contrasting hard-hitting guitar melodies with softer lines. ‘Bleachers’ stands out instrumentally, preferring a synth-heavy chorus and introduction, and as a result giving off a much brighter timbre and vibe. Its back end employs a common technique in indie-pop, but one which is just as fun as the day it was born, whereby firstly the percussion, then the remaining instruments cut out and we’re left with just the layered vocals. Despite these new additions to their catalogue, ‘Black Skeleton’ remains Jenny Broke The Window’s standout song – but the slow-burning, percussion-light bonus track ‘Smiley Eyes’ provides a window into what we might get from these guys if they pursue some more ballad-style tunes. With this in mind, the future looks bright: Feels Good just needed more tracks like ‘Smiley Eyes’.
Prudence Clark Natalie Salvo
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
ELI PAPERBOY REED My Way Home Yep Roc/Redeye
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After playing musical chairs with record companies for a number of years, American soul shaker Eli Paperboy Reed has finally found a home with Yep Roc. It’s that age-old story of a major label promising the world and not only not delivering but dropping the wannabe superstar. So back to basics it is. And taking this spiritual homecoming to heart, Reed’s fifth album positively crackles with retro grooves, bluesy beats and gritty funk. Underscoring it all is garage gospel and references to the heavenly, making My Way Home seem like it thinks the past 50 years of music didn’t happen. The album was tracked across four days in Reed’s drummer’s
Brooklyn loft-cum-recording-studio. This infuses My Way Home with a polished but raw energy. It’s immediately felt on opener ‘Hold Out’, where Reed is at his loosest, most screeching best. ‘Your Sins Will Find You Out’ maintains this frenetic pace. Record highlight ‘Movin’’ takes it down a notch with allusions to the crooner’s recent career upheavals, including the notso-subtle lines, “I’ve been movin’, movin’ to a better home … where I won’t be alone”. And title track ‘My Way Home’ is a stirring, guts-bared ballad.
Zanda Wilson
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... SMASHING PUMPKINS - Adore RICHARD SWIFT - Ground Trouble Jaw WOLF ALICE - My Love Is Cool
VARIOUS - If I Were A Carpenter DAVID BOWIE - Reality
A thrilling, timeless throwback. Anita Connors
thebrag.com
live reviews What we’ve been out to see...
THE BEARDS, GAY PARIS Metro Theatre Saturday July 2
True to the spirit of Dan Kelly, Gay Paris are well and truly drunk on election night. Then again, one supposes they would be in the exact same situation regardless of whether Australia’s political future lay in the balance or not. This is Gay Paris in their element – swashbuckling, swaggering and sinister, blending a love of hollered blues rock with devilsummoning heavy metal. As long-time friends of tonight’s headliners, they prove to be an exceptional complement to the bill. Perhaps the band’s greatest trait is the fact that all four members have the charisma and stage presence of a frontman. Away from Luke Monks’ satanic howls and mumbo-jumbo banter, Lachlan Marks adds some voltage to his churning electric guitar, while Dean Podmore saunters around stage right like he owns it and Adam Simpson leaps from tall drum fills in a single bound, sounding like some sort of avalanche with each and every hit. Not even a dodgy mic cord can kill the rhythm – Gay Paris are one of the few bands in this great southern land doing all they can to keep music evil. God may save the Queen, but Satan has other plans for these gents. Long live.
After what was supposed to be a singlegig joke, the band formerly known as The Dairy Brothers – and commonly known to hirsute audiences here and abroad as The Beards – are shutting up shop. The guys have spent half the year waving a long goodbye to those who have supported them over the years, and amazingly, they’re still not done. Tonight, The Beards have come back to Sydney for a full-career retrospective split across two sets – the first has them donning dinner suits and going acoustic, while the second is a loud-and-proud beard party.
PUNCH BROTHERS
There are advantages to both – the first half sees a revival of some obscurities, such as ‘Shaved Off His Beard’ and a cover of ZZ Top’s ‘Sharp Dressed Man’. Set two, meanwhile, lets the audience drown out lead singer/keytarist/ saxophonist Johann Beardraven on the tried and true ‘A Wizard Needs A Beard’ and the Hottest 100-placing ‘You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man’. Yes, it’s been a ridiculous journey – but dammit, we’ve been there every chinstroking step of the way, and there’s no doubt we’ll be running after the train and waving at it long after it leaves the station. Goodnight, sweet Beards. David James Young
PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR
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brighton up bar’s 4th birthday 02:07:16 :: Brighton Up Bar :: 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9361 3379
live review What we’ve been out to see... FALLING JOYS, THE HUMMINGBIRDS Newtown Social Club Saturday July 2
We’re a funny mob, us Aussies. We have a strange, hysterical stoicism – a reliance on the relaxed that’s so profound it occasionally threatens our true feelings. Just take the ground floor of Newtown Social Club on Saturday, as a roomful of tipsy Labor and Greens voters tried to pretend they weren’t nervously watching the LNP’s Senate seat numbers rise like the swelling sea levels the Coalition doesn’t believe in. The story upstairs was, by the end of the evening, very similar, as Falling Joys played a set full of their blocky pop to an audience trying to ignore a whole host of blatant truths. Namely, that it’s been some 32 years since the band formed; that the years have not been kind to its everything-and-the-kitchensink approach to songwriting; and that the group’s lack of showmanship was beginning to cast such a pall on the depleted audience that it felt like a wake might burst out at any minute. It was bleary, doom-laden stuff, and though Suzie Higgie et al. played the set every diehard fan in the audience wanted them to play, they did so without charisma, charm or much energy.
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Proceedings were so dull it felt like the floor itself was buckling under the weight of all that boredom. But in between the two failures – the failure of politics and the failure of the Joys – something very special occurred. Though The Hummingbirds took to the stage to enthusiastic cries, not even the most committed of fans could have expected what was going to happen next. The band members actively encouraged moshing, but nobody took them up on their offer. Instead, the crowd stood in quiet awe as the group blasted through tracks like ‘Blush’ and ‘Hollow Inside’, trembling tunes that the years seem only to have strengthened. Hummingbirds songs are the auditory equivalent of neat handwriting – precise and deeply satisfying. By the time the triumphant musicians crossed their last ‘T’ and nodded their way offstage, a sigh shuffled through the room – not of relief, but of very sincere contentment. And though the audience members tried to keep the smiles off their faces as they wandered over to the bar, where the bad news poured out of the TV, there was only so much they could do. It’s hard work hiding joy that sincere – even for Aussies. Joseph Earp
thebrag.com
g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
WEDNESDAY JULY 6 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Nathan Hawes Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 1pm. $30. Okenyo Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Paul Winn Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Phantastic Ferniture + Betty & Oswald + Suiix Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $13. Sugar Jam Open Mic Night Sugarmill, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. The Fall Of Troy + Closure In Moscow + Mensicus + Osaka Punch Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $61.75. The Ramblers Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Guantanamera feat: DJs Av El Cubano + Don Rivera + Guest DJs + Monthly Live Bands Barrio Cellar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Hammerhead Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Folkswagon - feat: Olly Friend + Joseph Van Der Hurk + The Cafe Loungers Cafe Lounge Bar, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free. Manouche Wednesday - feat: The Squeezebox Trio Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Muso’s Club Jam Night Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. Free.
THURSDAY JULY 7 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Gin + Jazz Busby, Woolloomooloo. 6pm. Free. Mojo Juju Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $23.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK thebrag.com
Donna Amini The Temperance Society, Summer Hill. 7pm. Free. Ginger’s Jam - feat: Various Bands Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst. 7:30pm. Free. Kate Lush & Band + Glenn Cardier & The Sideshow + DJ Raul Pa Nui Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $10. Live & Original @ The Merc - feat: Bronwyn Aeather + Cloud Bird + Steve Saxton Band The Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Muso’s Club Jam Night Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Out Of Nowhere The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Super Bowl Hokum Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. The New Savages The Wanderer, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Bandviews Sessions - feat: The Ramblers Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. Free. Boo Seeka Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $16.50. Dio Driver Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free. Hot Damn! feat: Vices + Boardwalks Scary Canary, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Independence Day Party! - feat: The Ra Ra’s + DJ Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free. Joe Echo Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Jurassic Nark + Cubans In Whistler + Daggers + Crocodylus Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.50. Live At The Sly feat: Colin Jones & The Delta Revue + Lazy Colts + Grand Oyster Palace Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. No Refunds Bald Faced Stag Betty & Oswald
Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free. Roadhouse Rockabilly Night - feat: Miss Pia & The French Tailors Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Sam Shinazzi + Buddy Glass Golden Barley Hotel, Enmore. 8pm. Free. The Grand Magoozi + Georgia Mulligan Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. Free.
FRIDAY JULY 8 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Factory Fridays feat: The Syphons + Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free. Four Way Split Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 9:30pm. Free. Planet Groove Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Satellite V The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free. Stonefield Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28. The Australian Blink 182 Show Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 9pm. Free. The Elton Jack Show Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. The Others + Mood Swing + Downside + Primitive Blast + Homesick Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 8pm. $15. The Return - feat: Lockjaw + Mack Da Ripper + Ill-Faded + Convict & Raw Machine Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. Free. Uncle Geezer + Durry + Disintegrator + Dog + Basikk Ekstasy Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Wax Witches + Hunch +
Neighbourhood Void Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. $11.80.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
pick of the week Broods
Cath & Him Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 9:30pm. Free. Foreday Riders The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $35. Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free. Rory Ellis + Cass Eager Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. The New Savages The Old Growler, Woolloomooloo. 8pm. Free. Tomi Grey Band Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 9pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
An Evening With Steve Ross Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $28.70. Ngaiire + Lanks + Jack Grace Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $23.10. Sami Yusuf The Concourse, Chatswood. 8pm. $67.03. Suite Az Fridays + DJ Troy T The Arthouse, Sydney. 8pm. Free.
SATURDAY JULY 9 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Cath & Him Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 10pm. Free. Emily Wurramara + Chris Cavil Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $15. Evie Dean Engadine Bowling Club, Engadine. 7pm. Free. New Savages + Freya Josephine Hollick
SATURDAY JULY 9 Enmore Theatre
Broods
+ Vera Blue + Xavier Dunn 7:30pm. $51. Vic On The Park, Marrickville. 7pm. Free. Sam Lyon Duo Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 8pm. Free. Steve Wernick & Friends The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Big Swing Band Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Gatsby’s Ballroom Electro Swing Sessions IV - feat: Mojo Juju
Gypsy Dub Sound System + Electro Alley + DJs Jade Deluxe + Mortiville Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 8pm. $33. Punjabi Mundeer - feat: Sukh-E Muzical Doctorz + Amrit Maan + Dilpreet Dhillon + Avi J + Shrey Sean Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $30. The Serra - feat: The Bright Sides + Lorenzo + The Marquis Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 2pm. $10.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Australian Trilogy Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Beautiful Beasts + Aviva + Moth King Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 7pm. Free. Big Way Out Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Blake Tailor Duo The Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 8pm. Free. Broods + Vera Blue + Xavier Dunn Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm.
$51. Buffalo Trio Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.50. Chris Cavill Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15. Chris O’Dear Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Chris Turner And The Cavemen Paddo RSL, Paddington. 8pm. Free. Dream On Dreamer Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $20. Elevate Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Glass Animals Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $55.46. Jack The Stripper + Daemon Pyre + Witch Fight + Grvlls Factory Floor, Marrickville. 8pm. $13. Paul Hayward & His Sidekicks The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. Free. Shy Guys Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Soundproofed Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill. 9:30pm. Free.
BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 27
g g guide gig g
gig picks up all night out all week...
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com The Bennies Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $25. The Creases + Planet + Las Vagueness Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15. The Fossicks + Napoleonic Hornsby Inn, Hornsby. 8pm. Free. Whispering Jack A Tribute To John Farnham Campbelltown RSL Club, Campbelltown. 8pm. $18.
SUNDAY JULY 10 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Miss Peaches Hootenanny Bluegrass Sundays Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Nat James & Emad Younan Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Rory Ellis Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 2:30pm. Free.
PUNK & COVERS
From Street To Stage Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Outlier Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Punk’N’Fuckin’Roll - feat: Black Knuckles + Topnovil + Capital Colours + Skinpin Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 4pm. $10. Repressed Records Birthday Party feat: The Stevens + The Rangoons + Sex Tourists Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 5pm. $10. Sundays Live At The Bowlo - feat: The Slowdowns Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. Free. Tanya Sparke & Friends The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $7. Tezza & The Twistops Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. White Bros Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free.
MONDAY JULY 11
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL,
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Latin & Jazz Open Mic Night The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. Free. The Monday Jam - feat: The New Ojezz House Band + Local DJs The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $5.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Live & Original @ The Corridor Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Russell Neal + Kenneth D’Aran Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free. Swerve Society feat: Split Seconds + The Zeds + More
Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.
Okenyo
TUESDAY JULY 12 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Live Music @ Manning Manning Bar, Camperdown. 3pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Co Pilot Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Live & Original @ Mr Falcon’s - feat: Michael Dimarco + Greta Ziller + Peasant Moon Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Live Rock & Roll Karaoke Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Ingrid Mae Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free.
WEDNESDAY JULY 6 Okenyo Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $12. Phantastic Ferniture + Betty & Oswald + Suiix Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7:30pm. $13. The Fall Of Troy + Closure In Moscow + Mensicus + Osaka Punch Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $61.75.
THURSDAY JULY 7 Boo Seeka Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $16.50. Live At The Sly - Feat: Colin Jones & The Delta Revue + Lazy Colts + Grand Oyster Palace Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. Mojo Juju Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $23.
FRIDAY JULY 8 Ngaiire + Lanks + Jack Grace Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $23.10.
wed
Stonefi eld Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28.
thu
06
07
July
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
July
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
08 July (10:00PM - 1:40AM)
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
5:45PM 8:45PM
sat
sun
09
4:30PM 7:30PM
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July
SATURDAY JULY 9 Buffalo Trio Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $11.50.
Dream On Dreamer Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. $20. Glass Animals Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $55.46. Jack The Stripper + Daemon Pyre + Witch Fight + Grvlls Factory Floor, Marrickville. 8pm. $13. The Bennies Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $25. The Creases + Planet + Las Vagueness Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $15.
SUNDAY JULY 10 Repressed Records Birthday Party Feat: The Stevens + The Rangoons + Sex Tourists Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 5pm. $10. Tanya Sparke & Friends The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $7. The Bennies
July
(8:30PM - 12:00AM
(10:00PM - 1:15AM)
mon
tue
11 July
The Others + Mood Swing + Downside + Primitive Blast + Homesick Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 8pm. $15. Wax Witches + Hunch + Neighbourhood Void Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. $11.80.
fri
Ngaiire
12 (9:00PM - 12:00AM)
28 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
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thebrag.com
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
brag beats
inside:
also: + club guide + club snaps + weekly column
seth sentry
george maple
metronomy xxx
the sounds of summer thebrag.com
BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 29
brag beats
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin and Natalia Morawski
five things WITH
Return To Rio
LAVIDA
RETURN TO RIO GOES LARGE
Growing Up Mum was a bit of a 1. local singer back in her day,
That’s inspiration and always will be.
need I say more? Growing up there was plenty of dancing and singing along with her to Elvis Presley, ABBA’s golden hits, Disney Sing-Alongs, and pretty much anything ’90s. I didn’t quiet inherit the same vocal finesse as Mum, but I did grow a very keen eye on musical instruments. My favourite toy electric guitar eventually led to real-life electric guitar, then drums, piano, flute and dabbling with ACID Music Pro (thanks school excursion) – playing with that was really was a turning point for me, eventually leading to my love of DJing!
Your Crew I’ve recently moved 3. to Melbourne, so been
Inspirations You’d hate to see 2. my Spotify playlist – it’s
Argyle and so when I’m on main room duties I like to keep it real eclectic, from classic house anthems to bassy/future house, and of course bits of deep and electro EDM. Think Jauz, Riton’s ‘Rinse & Repeat’ and then you’re singing your lungs out to CeCe Peniston’s ‘Finally’. When in the back room, you can expect rap, trap, hip hop and R&B.
everywhere from The Beatles to Grandtheft and TLC [laughs]. But the true standouts for me are local artists, and one (not so local anymore) talent would have to be Anna Lunoe. She’s been real from day one and has kept that integrity with her in all her successes.
RBMA WEEKENDER LINEUP LANDS
Sydney will be transformed into a hotbed of dance and live performances this September, as the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender makes its debut in our fine city. The Red Bull Music Academy’s dedicated festival event has taken over a number of cities around the world previously, from Tokyo to Vienna, Warsaw and Stockholm, and now it’s Sydney’s turn. With the festival spanning four days, 11 events and venues across town, it’s a pretty damn good excuse to represent locally if you can’t make the trip north to Bigsound the same week. Sydney’s RBMA Weekender will begin on Thursday September 8 with the world premiere of a new visual work by Ta-ku, the beatmaker who recently sold out the 30 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
hanging with a bunch of cool people there! But in Sydney I can’t go without mentioning my solid gal pals Beth Yen, KLP and Helena Ellis. And of course, my ever-supportive clique of childhood mates. Moreover, my day job is heavily related to the entertainment scene, which is deeply motivating on an everyday basis, maybe because I work with absolute legends. The Music You Make And Play 4. My main residency is at The
Sydney Opera House during Vivid LIVE. The festival also features a talk with Larry Heard (AKA Mr. Fingers), and workshops (‘Why Hardware?’, ‘How To Build Your Own Custom Soundsystem’). The performance side of the program includes a massive orchestral show by Flight Facilities in The Domain on Saturday September 10, an all-star birthday celebration by
Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. If we’re talking locally,
Sydney is definitely fighting a tough but worthy battle. Putting the political judgements aside, I fear that these lockout obstacles will restrict talented up-andcomers, possibly demotivate them, but if we stick together, help each other out, real talent will and can continue to surface, thus helping keep our creative nightlife and passions alive! It’s ‘fair go’, no? Recently moving to Melbourne, I’ve truly been spoilt with a wrath of amazing Aussie talent there. Seeing acts like Client Liaison at The Forum and Anna Lunoe at Prince, then dancing till late to the talented local DJs that help drive that late-night economy with style and culture – that in itself is inspiring and makes me want to fight for my hometown Sydney even more. Where: The Argyle When: Friday July 8 and Saturday July 9
seminal hip hop label Stones Throw, an all-nighter rave called 1800-Analog, a show from Gigi Masin/Gaussian Curve, and a closing set by Mr. Fingers, breaking his 20-year hiatus. RBMA Weekender takes over Sydney from Thursday September 8 – Sunday September 11. Book tickets via syd. redbullmusicacademy. com.
Two pioneering acts in the dance and hip hop genres lead the mammoth lineup for this year’s edition of Return To Rio. The three-day festival, which takes over Wisemans Ferry (an hour and a half north of Sydney) each November, has locked in its biggest lineup yet, headlined by a ten-hour set from Carl Cox and Eric Powell’s Mobile Disco. Joining them are Grammy Award-winning hip hop legends De La Soul, whose new album And The Anonymous Nobody drops on Friday August 26. Rounding out the first Return To Rio lineup announcement are DJ EZ, Super Flu, LTJ Bukem, Mr C, Atish and YokoO. Return To Rio 2016 takes place at Del Rio, Wisemans Ferry from Friday November 11 – Sunday November 13. Tickets are available through a word-of-mouth-style ‘golden ticket’, with any remaining tickets going on general sale Monday August 1.
UNDR CTRL TURNS TWO
Oxjam, the month-long music festival raising money to help Oxfam fight poverty around the world, is back in Australia for 2016 – and now the details of the Sydney launch event are here. The party people behind UNDR Ctrl will celebrate their second birthday with a full-venue Oxford Art Factory takeover this month, doubling as the official Sydney launch for Oxjam 2016. Leading the festivities will be Melbourne tastemaker Roland Tings, playing a headline DJ set just after he closes the Tiny Dancer stage at Splendour In The Grass. Joining him are experimental sound sculptor Rainbow Chan, new UNDR Ctrl signing Third Floor (making his live debut with an audio-visual performance), Motorik Vibe Council, Purple Sneakers DJs, Adi Toohey, Luen, World Champion (DJ set) and more. UNDR Ctrl’s second birthday and Oxjam fundraiser takes over OAF on Saturday July 30. The dress code is ‘all white on the night’.
MAGDA’S PICNIC
The sixth year of Picnic’s One Night Stand series welcomes local selector Magda Bytnerowicz to the decks in a lockout-free event next weekend. The seasoned DJ,
Delano Smith
A DETROIT PIONEER
One of Detroit’s pioneering house DJs, Delano Smith, is set to make a return to our shores. Smith has been hard at work on production lately, returning to Berlin’s Sushitech Records with the release of his new EP From Silence, but his background is well and truly in DJing, having been mentored by Motown’s first DJ, the legendary Ken Collier. Smith has been at the forefront of the scene for what feels like forever now, and he’ll show why at Café Del Mar on Saturday July 23 for Bare Essentials.
who has previously supported the likes of DVS1, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Tama Sumo and most recently Kyle Hall at Vivid Sydney, will take over Jam Gallery for the entire night, mixing tracks from house, techno and disco. Pack yourself a picnic and
SNOWTUNES HEATS UP
Snowtunes Music Festival is set to return to Lake Jindabyne this September. The festival takes place at the base of the alpine resorts Thredbo and Perisher in the Snowy Mountains. This year’s lineup includes What So Not, Hot Dub Time Machine, Ball Park Music, Kilter, Asta, DJ Hydraulix and triple j Unearthed artists Savilian, One Day Apart, Soul Benefits, Ivy and Timmy Will, plus local artist Deejay Ox. Chartered buses have been arranged from Canberra, Berridale, Cooma and Queanbeyan and are available when a Snowtunes ticket is purchased. Snowtunes 2016 heats up on Saturday September 3.
What So Not
head to Bondi on Saturday July 16.
SAY HELLO TO SATIE
One of the Berlin scene’s rising stars, Emanuel Satie, is making his debut trip to Australia in July and August. The house and techno producer’s rise has accelerated since the release of his ‘Get Out’ (The 2 Bears) and ‘Never Enough’ (Santé) remixes last year, and he hit number one on the Beatport chart with a rework of Late Night Tuff Guy’s ‘I Get Deep’. The Frankfurt-born Satie’s tour is a timely one, being a great (and arguably rare) chance for local dancers to experience a young talent before he gets massive. Satie pulses into The Cellar on Saturday August 6. thebrag.com
Metronomy Old-School Meets New By Emily Gibb
B
elieve it or not, but for their fifth album, Metronomy have turned their focus away from touring. For now, at least. Even after the release of easily their most danceable record – filled with ’70s disco vibes, ’80s pop synths, intimate vocals and that unmistakable Metronomy feel – Summer 08 won’t actually see fans dancing to it live for some time to come. “I mean, we’re going to tour again, it’s a short-term thing,” clarifies the band’s singer, songwriter and guitarist Joseph Mount. “When you put out a record, and tour it for two or three years, it’s fun, and then when you have children, it becomes a little less easy. You’re kind of making a decision between hanging out with your kids when they’re young or disappearing on a tour for, you know, three years. I’ve got kids, Gbenga [Adelekan] in the band’s got a young baby as well and Oscar [Cash] just got married – it just feels like a shame to miss all that stuff, just out of the fear of the unknown or something.” When Mount puts it like that, it’s easy to forgive Metronomy for their empty calendar. Harking back to when things took off for the group upon the release of 2008’s breakout (and highly praised) Nights Out, Summer 08 doesn’t so much reminisce on the year that was but acknowledge the catalyst behind the band’s soaring career trajectory. “It feels like this significant period of time for me and for Metronomy when Nights Out was released and we started travelling around,” Mount explains. “At the time, it was just me, Oscar and Gabriel [Stebbing] and it became our job for the first time. And I think it’s kind of the year that led to now, that I feel like something had happened, something that started then which is still happening. I thought it was a nice time to –” he breaks into an aristocratic accent – “tip the hat to the old time.” Part of that trajectory now includes a Dawn Shadforth-directed video for Summer 08’s
stellar lead single ‘Old Skool’, while the band travelled to Palm Springs in California to film a clip for the follow-up, ‘Night Owl’ – a far cry from the English town of Brighton, where Nights Out took its cues. It’s all part of the direction Mount wanted to take this LP, particularly when it came to its pace and sound. “I felt like after the last album [2014’s Love Letters] I wanted to do something that sounded a bit more up to speed. I mean, there’s something about what I do which means that, for some reason, it never really sounds like, I dunno, Bieber or Skrillex,” he laughs. “But I wanted to make something that was a bit more clubby or dancey at least. When you start thinking like that, the visual side of it just follows that quite easily, and you don’t really need to think about it too much. It was all led by just wanting to do something a bit fun and kind of up to date.” Whether consciously or not, Summer 08 sees Mount and co. move on from Love Letters’ mix of Motown and ’60s British Invasion tones to a fusion of the eclectic dance and electronic pop sensibilities of later decades. At several points it echoes the late greats David Bowie and Prince, with constantly surprising and unpredictable results.
The surprises aren’t limited to the sounds alone, as Mount reveals the track ‘Love’s Not An Obstacle’ was not officially his own to begin with. “I wrote it with Melody [Prochet] from Melody’s Echo Chamber. That’s kind of nice because I was writing music – we were writing music together – for her, and we ended up with this little idea, but then she kind of never claimed it, so I just stole it,” he laughs. “So it was a kind of collaboration without her even knowing.”
“I think the first half of the record is quite fun,” Mount says. “Once you set up the idea that anything could happen, then you’re quite free, really. I just like the idea of having quite a kind of surprising album, you know? I don’t think there’s too much … but I think it’s great if you listen to a record and you don’t really know what’s going to come next. I think that’s a rare pleasure.”
Other big-name collaborations for Mount include the Beastie Boys’ legendary Mix Master Mike scratching to stunning effect on ‘Old Skool’, Robyn lending her vocals to mid-album standout ‘Hang Me Out To Dry’, and producer Erol Alkan adding his mixing chops to the track, too. “The song with Mike on it, I wanted to have a scratch break and so he was the person I would always ask,” Mount
“IT’S GREAT IF YOU LISTEN TO A RECORD AND YOU DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO COME NEXT. I THINK THAT’S A RARE PLEASURE.”
says. “‘Hang Me Out To Dry’ needed a female voice and Robyn is someone I really admire and have got to know recently. I think you should never use people just for the sake of them being names … Robyn obviously helps,” he laughs, “but you know, I think you should always try and let the song decide what it needs.” Looking ahead, Mount is taking advantage of the studio-friendly circumstances he’s created by being off the road, with even more music in the works. “I just like the idea that you should push yourself to be kind of prolific, you know? Even if you book out some studio time, go in and work for two weeks and don’t really do anything, I still feel like it’s not wasted time. I suppose it’s a nice time to have a break from [touring], but then I still have the desire to put out music, and if I’m not touring, then I’ve got all this time to make music. It’s a real treat, you know? And it’s a treat that can’t last forever, so I’m just going to enjoy it while I can.” What: Summer 08 out now through Because/Warner
George Maple Raw Energy By Erin Rooney
A
n unmistakable sense of drama has emerged in George Maple’s sound over the past couple of years, as she has forged a formidable name for herself in the electronic music scene internationally. But it hasn’t always been this way. For the Australian-born artist otherwise known as Jess Higgs, listening to Jamie xx and Gil Scott-Heron’s 2011 remix album We’re New Here was an important moment that changed her perspective on songwriting altogether, and drew her into the dance scene.
George Maple photo by Darren McDonald
“I grew up listening to pop music and soul, and didn’t really understand the dance world until I got a little bit older,” says Higgs. “Then I discovered this album. I think it was the fusion of Gil Scott-Heron’s soulful voice with Jamie – just such interesting production – that I started to become really obsessed with production more than anything, and just sound.” Though Higgs had been touring with Flight Facilities at the time, and was being exposed to lots of electronic music, she was still discovering the intricacies of the genre. Singing big, energetic ballads was where she felt comfortable in pop, but she decided to go the other way entirely with her electronic writing, starting off by favouring the subtle, floaty vocals that can be heard in tracks like ‘Fixed’. Today, Higgs says she has somewhat returned to her songwriting roots of beltedout vocals and pop influences, becoming less reserved and more adventurous with her sound. In fact, Higgs recently debuted one of her new tracks, ‘Sticks And Horses’, in
thebrag.com
a US strip club. The experience was certainly an eye-opener for her. “It’s just this crazy bizarre world of colours and light and sexuality, and vulgarness, and I had this weird sort of relationship with it that I feel connected to it in some ways, and I have various opinions on whether I like it or don’t like it.” The strip club stunt didn’t meet with an entirely positive response, but Higgs explains that actually experiencing the club’s culture was crucial to getting the song’s vision over the finish line. “There’s so much observation – the combination of my environment and observation of my own experiences, I guess, and it’s about sex, money and power. I think that I’ve experienced a lot of bullshit in the last two years, and I’m now writing about it.” The staples of a George Maple live show these days include snares, costume changes and lighting design, a dramatic vision that dates all the way back to Higgs’ childhood. “When I was a kid, I used to throw themed parties,” she says. “It’s in my blood that everything has to be thematic, and really quite theatrical.” Higgs has always been an artist and individual “of the moment”, she says, and this eventually inspired her decision to leave Australia and pursue her music career in London. After spending a while in the UK, drawing infl uence from artists like Bonobo and Jamie xx, she now lives in Los Angeles. But this hasn’t stopped her from collaborating on writing and production with an impressive lineup of Australian artists, including Flume, Touch Sensitive, Hayden James, Tkay Maidza, and most recently, What So Not.
Though collaborating internationally has been easy for Higgs (with a lot of back-and-forth on the phone and over email), she says there’s nothing like being in the studio with another musician. “In the studio is always better. Being in person with someone is always the best form of collaboration, but if you can’t get that, sometimes it’s best to be on your own and to be able to reflect upon things. But definitely my favourite thing is to be absorbing as much energy as possible in the studio.” Higgs speaks highly of the Australian music scene’s “raw energy”, and particularly mentions what a great source of influence and collaboration Chris Emerson of What So Not has been throughout the years. She says one of the best things about their friendship is their brutal honesty with each other, which is sometimes what’s needed most during the songwriting process. “He once said that to me: ‘Why do you have such weak drums?’ and I was like, ‘OK…’” says Higgs. “But it was really good, I think we challenge each other.” Ultimately, like many talented producers, Higgs wants to end up helping other musicians develop their sound to become career artists, and she sees LA as a brilliant stepping stone for just that. But in the meantime, Higgs will be heading back to our shores for an Australian tour. With 20-year-old producer UV Boi joining her for shows around the country, and more special guests to be revealed on each night, there are lots of surprises in store. “There’s new music, it’s all quite dramatic,” Higgs says. “I’m going to be coordinating the whole thing as a full show and working on the costumes and the lighting – I love that stuff so much. I’m hoping I’ll
“I’VE EXPERIENCED A LOT OF BULLSHIT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND I’M NOW WRITING ABOUT IT.” be able to bring what’s in my brain and be able to put it onto a stage and walk away [from the audience] feeling like they’ve actually experienced a show.”
With: UV Boi Where: Metro Theatre When: Friday July 8
BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 31
Seth Sentry Nuking The Moon By Sam Caldwell
“I
f I go quiet or weird, it’s ’cause I’m literally cleaning blood out of my ear,” Seth Sentry says as our call is connected. “I went and got these moulds done for my ears so I could get these inear monitors, but the chick when she was doing it cut the inside of my ear, so I’ve been literally bleeding from the ear as I’m doing these interviews. That’s added a new element to the day.” Sentry’s music is definitely not the kind to make your ears bleed, though, and he’s hitting the road with his 1969 Campaign Trail Tour this month, promoting the fourth single from his 2015 album Strange New Past. ‘1969’ is a killer track, and its lyrical discussion of Americans getting excited over nuking the Moon (something they legit made plans to do in 1958) is eerily relevant to some of the political discourse today. Speaking of politics, Sentry offers some advice for one fellow campaigner who’s made plenty of headlines of his own this year. “My tip to Trump would be: ‘Stop. Just stop,’” says the rapper. Of course, if Donald Trump does get elected to the American presidency, blowing up the Moon may not be off the cards. “I wouldn’t put it past them, no,” Sentry laughs. “Or putting a big neon ‘Trump’ sign on the Moon doesn’t seem that far-fetched.” Closer to home, and the campaigning situation is also bleak (by the time this article is published, we may or may not have our PM for the next term locked in – something no-one is particularly excited about).
“Oh man, it’s been a bit of a shitshow,” says Sentry of the Australian election campaign. “Both of them [the Australian and US campaigns] really have been pretty amazing, especially with all that ‘fake tradie’ stuff coming out – and obviously what’s happening in the States is crazy, you know? It really does show how much of an election is entertainment.”
#Sentry69 is part of a competition where entrants represent the campaign in a photo, with the winners being flown to Sentry’s Sydney or Melbourne show to meet the man himself. But with a hashtag like that, have any of the entries needed censoring?
And Sentry would know about where entertainment meets campaigning – the ‘1969’ video he released in April is framed as a presidential speech. “Basically the video clip was just one of those ones where you kinda just gotta do it; it’s gotta be a literal clip, you know? Obviously we didn’t have the Hollywood budget to do CGI Moon explosions, which would have been dope, but we kind of found a nice middle ground where we did it like the presidential address.
The show stops by the Enmore Theatre next week, and having already toured Strange New Past last year, Sentry wanted these dates to be “something a little bit different”.
“It came out really good. Jeremy/ Grey Ghost, who directed it, really wanted to make it look like some of those early Kennedy addresses, and I think it looks really, really great – it kinda feels like that to me. We got Sizzle, my DJ, and my drummer, Stevie Cat Jnr, to play Secret Service guards, and it was sick.” In 2016, a key aspect of any campaign is the official hashtag. It’s an important art to master, because it allows for easy sharing of campaign material. A good hashtag needs to stand out enough to be recognised and embraced by audiences. #Sentry69 seems to have done just that, one fan even making custom #Sentry69 condoms. “Man, some dude got it tattooed like ten minutes after I announced it – it’s crazy,” says Sentry.
“Censor? Not yet! I don’t censor a lot, I let a lot slide.”
“We’ve scrapped a lot of songs that we’ve just been doing forever, and we’re now playing a whole bunch of songs that we’ve never played before live,” he says. “We’ve got a drummer now, so it’s a cool little three-piece … We’re bringing Remi along as well, and yeah, I’m excited to come back and hit the road with something that to me feels fresh and new and challenging.” Challenging musically, perhaps, but Sentry enjoys a luxury that most politicians on the campaign trail don’t – people actually liking his company and being nice to him. “I love Sydney,” he says. “Man, Sydney was like one of those towns that when I was starting off, if you were from Melbourne, you’d say, ‘Oh man, Sydney’s tough,’ you know? … But we always got love from Sydney, especially ’cause we supported a crew called Horrorshow back in the day and they were from Sydney … We generally sell as many [tickets], if not more, in Sydney than we do in Melbourne, so
it’s really nice. Feels like a second home, you know?”
they’ll just be there. I’m just gonna finish them off and just put them out.
With the tour wrapping up in August, the only solid plan Sentry seems to have after that is gaming: “A bit of Overwatch,” he says of Blizzard’s new first-person shooter. Thankfully, new music is still on the cards.
“I just wanna start writing music again … I want to start rapping just for the sake of it, you know? That’s why I got into it. I got into it because I truly love it, I’m passionate about it and that’s what I wanna do.”
“I’ve got a bunch of songs I’ve been working on in the studio of late,” he says. “When songs are finished
“I WANT TO START RAPPING JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT, YOU KNOW? THAT’S WHY I GOT INTO IT.”
What: Strange New Past out now through High Score With: Remi Where: Enmore Theatre When: Friday July 15
Stereogamous Mesan Stuart Hunter Kerry Wallace Greenwood Hotel 2pm to 10pm
Kevin Over Rod Lee Winters Bump DJ's Steven Sullivan Aaron Andrews Kelly Kingi Jay Mac WeLove Matt Weir
www.sash.net.au
HOME Nightclub 9pm till 4am
32 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
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club pick of the week George Maple
Sydney. 5pm. Free. Memo Fridays feat: Resident DJs Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. Free. Scubar Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Slice N Dice Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $13.40. Welove - feat: Various DJs Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. Free.
SATURDAY JULY 9 CLUB NIGHTS
FRIDAY JULY 8 Metro Theatre
George Maple + UV Boi
8pm. $44.10. WEDNESDAY JULY 6 CLUB NIGHTS Birdcage - feat: Various DJs Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. Free. SBW - feat: Jonski Babysham + Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Wall The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Yellow Wednesdays Secret Garden Bar, Enmore. 7pm. Free.
THURSDAY JULY 7 Bookclub - feat: Human Movement Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 9pm. Free. Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. House Keeping - feat: DJ Conor Boylan + Guests Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Thursday Mix Up feat: DJs + Bands Hermanns Bar, Darlington. 4pm. Free. Toho Nights - feat: Jay Katz + Special thebrag.com
FRIDAY JULY 8 HIP HOP & R&B
Juñor + Yung Dread + Phillabusta Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $13.50. Soul Kitchen - feat: Satva + Leeroy Brown + Milkcrate Jones + Jon McCulloch + Long John Saliva Play Bar, Surry Hills. 4pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Fridays feat: Yolanda Be Cool + Tass + Chivalry + Lavida The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Banquet - feat: Lucianblomkamp + Kitty Gatling + Heimanu + Livewire + Korky Buchek + Lola Siren + Cold Vulture + Beautiful Beasts The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free. Bassic - feat:
Atliens + Gradz + Gomu + Leviathan + Wa-Heavy + Jwlz + Kinetic Theory + Bassline Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. DJ Somatik Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 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. George Maple + UV Boi Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $44.10. Girlthing X Boything - feat: Tanzer + NatNoiz + Sveta + Matka + Mowgli May + Dunny Minogue + Smithers + Dolly B Manzer + More Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 9:30pm. $15. Harbour Club Fridays The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Loco Friday - feat: DJs On Rotation The Slip Inn,
SUNDAY JULY 10 CLUB NIGHTS
Beresford Sundays - feat: DJs On Rotation The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free. DJs Boy B And Graham M Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 8pm. Free. S.A.S.H By Day feat: Stereogamous + Mesan + Stuart Hunter + Kerry Wallace Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $15. S.A.S.H By Night feat: Kevin Over + Rod Lee Winters + Bump DJs + Steven Sullivan + Aaron Andrews + Kelly Kingi + Jay Mac + Welove + Matt Weir Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Vibe City - feat: Ivan Ooze + Matt Mcguire + Kuren + More The Lair @ Metro Theatre, Sydney. 4:45pm. $25.
MONDAY JULY 11 CLUB NIGHTS I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
Just A Gent
THURSDAY JULY 7 Bookclub - Feat: Human Movement Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 9pm. Free.
FRIDAY JULY 8 Argyle Fridays - Feat: Yolanda Be Cool + Tass + Chivalry + Lavida The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - Feat: Atliens + Gradz + Gomu + Leviathan + Wa-Heavy + Jwlz + Kinetic Theory + Bassline Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Girlthing X Boything Feat: Tanzer + NatNoiz + Sveta + Matka + Mowgli May + Dunny Minogue + Smithers + Dolly B Manzer + More Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 9:30pm. $15. Juñor + Yung Dread + Phillabusta Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $13.50.
SATURDAY JULY 9 Dro Carey Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $17.10. Foxlife - Feat: Damien Osborne + Dick Cosmic + Mesan Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Justin Vs Justin Round 2 Feat: DJ Levins Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $16.90.
Lndry - Feat: The Aston Shuffle + Issac Tichauer + Pantheon + Robbie Lowe + Jeff Drake + Nick Reverse + Fiktion + DJ Just 1 + Fingers + King Lee Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Mad Racket - Feat: J’nett + Simon Caldwell + Ken Cloud + Jimmi James + Zootie Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 10pm. $38.50. Pacha - Feat: Caked Up + Generik Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Precious Cargo - Feat: Just A Gent + Fingers + Bozetto + PHDJ Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Something Else Vs Blueprint Vs Shaped Records - Feat: Gabby + Thom’as Sampson + Ben Nott + Dave Stuart + Edoardo Perlo + Anthony Bohlock Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11.
SUNDAY JULY 10 S.A.S.H By Day - Feat: Stereogamous + Mesan + Stuart Hunter + Kerry Wallace Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $15. S.A.S.H By Night - Feat: Kevin Over + Rod Lee Winters + Bump DJs + Steven Sullivan + Aaron Andrews + Kelly Kingi + Jay Mac + Welove + Matt Weir Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 9pm. $15.
The Aston Shuffle
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.
TUESDAY JULY 12 CLUB NIGHTS Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm.
$10. Side Bar Tuesdays - feat: Black Diamond Hearts Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Terrible Tuesdays Slyfox, Enmore. 5pm. Free.
BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16 :: 33
George Maple photo by Ashley Mar
xxx
CLUB NIGHTS
Guests Goros, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Underground Sounds 2.0 Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.
Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + TapTap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Clique Sydney Cruise Bar, Sydney. 8:30pm. $20. Dance Of The Dead - feat: Odd Mob + Far-Cue + Lawson + Blackjack + Mojoman + Recluse + Akunu Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 8pm. Free. DJ Michael Casserino AKA Micky Trick Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free. DJs Stuart B And Ketami Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. Free. Dro Carey Civic Underground, Sydney. 8pm. $17.10. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Father Bass Club Weekly - feat: Myrne + Hatch + Luude + Holly Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10. Foxlife - feat: Damien Osborne + Dick Cosmic + Mesan Slyfox, Enmore. 10pm. $10. Frat Saturdays feat: Danny Simms + Jayowens Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Justin Vs Justin Round 2 - feat: DJ Levins Plan B Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. $16.90. Kings Cross Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 5pm. Free. Lndry - feat: The Aston Shuffle + Issac Tichauer + Pantheon + Robbie Lowe + Jeff Drake + Nick Reverse + Fiktion + DJ Just 1 + Fingers + King Lee Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Mad Racket - feat: J’Nett + Simon Caldwell + Ken Cloud + Jimmi James + Zootie Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 10pm. $38.50. My Place Saturdays - feat: DJs On
Rotation Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Pacha - feat: Caked Up + Generik Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Precious Cargo feat: Just A Gent + Fingers + Bozetto + PHDJ Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. $10. Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs + Special Guests Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. $10. Scubar Saturdays - feat: DJs On Rotation Scubar, Sydney. 8:30pm. Free. Soda Saturdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Something Else Vs Blueprint Vs Shaped Records - feat: Gabby + Thom’as Sampson + Ben Nott + Dave Stuart + Edoardo Perlo + Anthony Bohlock Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11. The Elements Of Tech And Bass Presents Drum’N’Bass/Jungle Party - feat: Ncrypt + Mark Bionic + Alf + Slice + Struz + Thierry D Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. Free. Tigerlily Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $26.70.
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Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray xx
Ten Walls
s.a.s.h by day
PICS :: AM
F 03:07:16 :: Greenwood Hotel :: 36 Blue Street North Sydney 9964 9477
or those following the Ibiza circuit, disgraced producer/DJ Ten Walls was removed from a Circoloco lineup following intense backlash after his inclusion. In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Lithuanian went on a vitriolic rant about homosexuals last year (’cause, y’know, it’s not like the house and techno scene was formed from queer communities, you absolute dickhead), and after being diced from the circuit he offered up a half-arsed apology. Midland took to Twitter: “Booking Ten Walls is so whack. There are literally 100s of DJs to pick from, what he did was no mistake, it was a sustained hateful tirade.” Pearson Sound joined in: “Did I really just read correctly that Ten Walls is playing the next Circo Loco [sic] in Ibiza on Monday?” It turns out, rightfully, people don’t want to see him commanding the decks anymore. Circoloco’s team took to social media to state that they “exist due to values of equality and freedom and we deeply regret any offense caused by this booking”. Glad to see him gone. Not exactly sure why they thought it was appropriate to bill him in the first place, though?
Oh my fucking God, Larry Heard is coming to Australia! For the very first time, Mr. Fingers himself has been booked in for a sojourn Down Under as part of the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender in Sydney, which will see him both perform and deliver a rare ‘in conversation’ event. Joining the Chicago house legend will be over 40 artists playing across venues such as Carriageworks, Oxford Art Factory and Manning Bar. My picks include Stones Throw Records’ 20th anniversary party with Peanut Butter Wolf, Berlin’s Xosar and Night Slugs stalwart Bok Bok. The program is running Thursday September 8 – Sunday September 11. Head to syd.redbullmusicacademy.com for the full list.
RECOMMENDED SATURDAY JULY 16
Dense & Pika
Dense & Pika Chinese Laundry
SATURDAY JULY 23 Delano Smith Café Del Mar Subjected TBA
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8 – SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11 Red Bull Music Academy Weekender: Mr. Fingers, Bok Bok, Peanut Butter Wolf + more Various venues
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11 – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13
Return To Rio: Carl Cox, De La Soul, Eric Powell, DJ EZ + more Del Rio, Wisemans Ferry
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 – SUNDAY DECEMBER 4
Subsonic Music Festival: Lee Scratch Perry, Mad Professor, Josh Wink, Ben UFO + more Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort
Hooooooboy, the next incarnation of Return To Rio is looking like a doozy. Headlining will be none other than Carl Cox, going back-toback with his partner in crime Eric Powell for ten goddamn hours. All of this follows Cox wrapping up his final season at Space Ibiza after a 20-year residency = pretty goddamn special. Expect everything from disco to jazz, funk, soul, house and more. Joining them on the bill are De La Soul, DJ EZ, Super Flu, Mr C, LTJ Bukem, Atish, YokoO and more to be announced. It’s going down at Wisemans Ferry’s Del Rio Riverside Resort from Friday November 11 – Sunday November 13. Tour rumours: It’s been far, far, far too long in between drinks with Theo Parrish, hasn’t it?
PICS :: AM
motorik futurism 5th birthday
02:07:16 :: Secret Location :: Sydney 34 :: BRAG :: 670 :: 06:07:16
Best releases this week: don’t let the terrible moniker put you off, y’all need to give a spin to The True Underground Sound Of Rome’s Liquid Time (on Vibraphone Records). Otherwise I’d suggest spinning Lukas Nystrand von Unge’s Studio Barnhus No. 2 (Studio Barnhus), Matthew Herbert’s A Nude (The Perfect Body) (Accidental) and Container’s Vegetation (Diagonal). Can’t say I’m really feeling Tycho’s ‘Division’ (Ghostly International) or Gold Panda’s Kingdom (Notown), though.
Carl Cox
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com
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