ISSUE NO. 684 OCTOBER 12, 2016
FREE Now picked up at over 1,600 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com
MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE
INSIDE This Week
JUL IEN B A K ER The rising star talks tattoos, heroes and boxer shorts.
T HE S OF T MOON The apocalypse never sounded quite so enticing.
S OF T H A IR A ten-year-old project brought back to life.
S A L LY SELT M A NN The talented songwriter on the joy of being on your own.
Plus
S T ICK Y F INGER S T HE MONK E Y W R ENCH JOR DIE L A NE T HE BE S T OF MOV EMEN T S Y DNE Y A ND MUCH MOR E
N I A R B R U O Y H T I W G N I Y A L P
MOVEMENT SYDNEY AND SIBERIA RECORDS PRESENTS WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE SHOW
SEBASTIAN TELLIER x DANIEL STRICKER x JOHN KIRBY SUPPORTED BY SHAGS CHAMBERLAIN (ARIEL PINK) + ZURI AKOKO + SIBERIA DJS + MORE FRIDAY OCTOBER 21ST OXFORD ART FACTORY
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 3
music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with James Di Fabrizio, Emily Norton and Anna Wilson
five things WITH
DAVE BELL FROM KINGFISHA on upturned Tupperware containers with chopsticks. My family are not musical, so I didn’t have anyone round helping in that way, and it has been a process trying to overcome that pedigree.
2.
Growing Up Growing up I never really 1. learned an instrument, but I used to
watch Rage religiously on channel two every weekend morning. Then, in
grade seven, I formed my first band, The DB2. It was a hip hop duo with raps about cows and codfish. Things got real though when, in grade 11, I joined my first band playing drums
Your Band Kingfi sha is a band that 3. loves roots, reggae and dub music.
The Music You Make The Kingfisha sound is quite 4. organic in that it is a live band with a
vocal, but at the same time we have a bunch of synths and live effects too. It’s basically got a huge swinging beat, lush melodies, sparse but tight arrangements, and everything drips in reverb and delay. Bands like Disrupt, Little Dragon, Mad Professor, Electric Wire Hustle, Max Romeo and The Upsetters are some
stylistic reference points. We have just released our second album, Offered It Up, and we will be playing brand new tunes from the record on this tour. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. Obstacles that the musician must
overcome include sharks, stagnation, unending poverty, back pain, hearing loss, police road blocks, drug-andalcohol free events, plane babies, decibel limits, drunk guys, ‘hotels’ that are actually just tents, requests for ‘Khe Sahn’, a non-unionized workplace, and your own ego. Plus, it’s the only job I can think of where alcoholism is encouraged by your employer. Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday October 15
MANAGING EDITOR: Chris "Coldplay" Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 DEPUTY EDITOR: Joseph "Sayonara" Earp ONLINE EDITOR: James Di Fabrizio SUB-EDITOR: Sam Caldwell STAFF WRITERS: Joseph Earp, Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Alex Chetverikov, James Di Fabrizio, Anna Wilson ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Brianna Elton, Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Tony Pecotic - (02) 9212 4322 tony@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Furst Media MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATOR: Sarah Bryant - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties)
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Prudence Clark, Tom Clift, Anita Connors, Christie Eliezer, Emily Gibb, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Sarah Little, 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
As part of its fourth major announcement, Bluesfest has announced the legendary Barry Gibb will take to the festival stage, making a welcome return to Australian shores. As a key member of the Bee Gees, Gibb is responsible for penning hits including ‘To Love Somebody’, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, ‘Stayin’ Alive’, and ‘Tragedy’. Gibb will be joining the likes of Neil Young, Santana, Zac Brown Band, Patti Smith, Mary J. Blige, Buddy Guy, The Doobie Brothers and many more. Bluesfest 2017 will go down from Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17, just north of Bryon Bay.
THIS JUST-IN
Global superstar and celebrity Justin Bieber will be bringing purpose to the lives of his Australian fans as he tours across the country in March 2017. The tour is in support of his fourth studio album, Purpose, which has sold over eight million copies worldwide. The Canadian musician has not toured the country since his 2013 Believe Tour, which marked his first ever Australian and New Zealand visit. The first leg the Bieb’s tour will kick off at Perth’s Stadium before he makes his way through Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland. Sydney Beliebers can catch the Beebs at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday March 15.
SOMETHING GOOD
Lauded alt-country musician Ryan Adams is returning to Australia before the year’s end. It was only last year that Adams toured Down Under, and he will now be appearing at the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday December 6. It is, interestingly enough, the only Oz date announced at this stage. Given the Enmore was where he delivered his infamous admonishment to a crowd that refused to stop taking photos of him with their flash on, is this a make-up of sorts? Only one way to find out...
Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen
A DATE WITH DEATH
In support of their new collaborative effort, Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen will be heading on a cathedral tour of Australia. Inspired by a drive to a friend’s funeral, the pair’s new record Death’s Dateless Night revolves around songs played at funerals from the spiritual to the philosophical. “It’s interesting to look at the kinds of songs people request at funerals. They’re not always sad, of course,” said Kelly. “They tend towards the philosophical, wide and deep in scope.” The pair will perform Death’s Dateless Night in churches and cathedrals across the country. You can catch them bringing their heavenly sounds to St. Stephen’s Uniting Church on Thursday November 17 and Friday November 18.
Green Day So Frenchy So Chic
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
So Frenchy So Chic photo by Simon Shiff
AWESOME INTERNS: Anna Wilson, Emily Norton, Alex Chetverikov, Angela Antenero
Paul Kelly Charlie Owen photo by Steve Young
BEE READY FOR BARRY
Kingfisha photo by Mia Forrest
Inspirations As a drummer, I’m inspired by players with their own sound: Zigaboo from The Meters, Ginger Baker who plays with Fela Kuti, Stewart Copeland from The Police… These are all drummers I respect in that way. Mostly, I get into music with a deep groove and some swagger: trancey music. Not trance music, you understand, but trancey in its effect on an audience.
Most of the time we can agree on what is hip and what sucks, and that makes long car trips much more bearable. Aussie bands that we kick around with and love are One Dragon Two Dragon, Kooii and Ruby Blue. Production-wise, we like working with Drewid, Peet Gardner, Frank Booth, Paulie B and King Charlie.
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: Kris Furst: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121
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:
@TheBrag
like us:
THE BRAG
4 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
FEELIN’ VAGUE
Oh la la! Those sexy people over at So Frenchy So Chic have announced its 2017 return with another supurb lineup of Frenchie delights. Their party and picnic will be full of cultural discovery and culinary experiences that are sure to tantalise and excite. Musical entertainment will be provided by several French favourites, including Nouvelle Vague, Bertrand Belin, The Liminanas and Deluxe. You can explore the full lineup of food, fun and all things French right here, mes amis. So Frenchy So Chic In The Park takes place at Bicentennial Park, Glebe, Saturday January 21.
AMERICAN IDIOTS
Green Day are set to return to our shores with the announcement of their "Revolution Radio" tour. With more than 75 million albums sold across the globe, the band was last in Australia in 2014 with a series of festival dates. Their forthcoming Aussie jaunt will be their first headline tour since their sell-out 2009 effort. They’ll be showcasing tunes from their new album Revolution Radio, as well as dipping into their long reaching discography for some classic Green Day moments. Green Day will hit the Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday May 10.
thebrag.com
Green Day photo by Frank Maddocks
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
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 5
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Alex Chetverikov, James Di Fabrizio and Joseph Earp
five things WITH
get a lot of inspiration from my many dear friends and comrades who are out there weaving their mighty sounds around the country. This could be a very long list, but here’s today’s tip of the iceberg: Liz Stringer, Lost Ragas, Jimmy Dowling, The Yearlings, JoJo Smith, Shane Howard, Suzannah Espie...
Your Band I still play a lot of solo 3. shows, but my more usual lineup is a duet with drums. Hamish Stuart has become my regular wingman, but there’s a selection of other very fine drummers that I love working with too. For this
Medicine Voice
year’s Majors Creek Festival, I’ll be reuniting with the excellent Jay McMahon, who I first worked with back in the mid-2000s when I moved to the Bega Valley. I sure am looking forward to making music with brother Jay again. The Music You Make It lands somewhere on the 4. lyrical folk/rock’n’roll spectrum,
I guess. I love the condensed, poetic nature of song form, and I love the stretchy spaciousness, and the harmonic freedom of a band that’s just one electric guitar and drums. My most recent album Everything Sings Tonight is predominately a duet record with Hamish Stuart which we recorded the guts out of in a little studio in Berlin over just two days. Right Here, Right Now 5. Music,
GOOD ON GOLDEN
HOLY TEMPLES BATMAN!
Skate-rock legends Holy Serpent have just released their new album Temples on US label RidingEasy, and now they’re celebrating with a free show down at Frankie’s Pizza. The Melbourne-based outfit take cues from sludge, skate punk and stoner rock, with influences ranging across early Soundgarden, Saint Vitus and Kyuss. Indeed, Temples sees them take a heavier direction musically, with album closer ‘Sativan Harvest’ emphasizing this fresh sonic direction with 12 minutes of droning peaks and troughs, culminating in a gradual violin fade-
What: Majors Creek Festival Where: Majors Creek When: Friday November 11 – Sunday November 13
That Michael Franti is a bit of a legend, huh? The man is a musical institution, a powerhouse who has been churning out acclaimed record after acclaimed record, all with the help of his backing band Spearhead. His newest release, Soulrocker, has been heralded by critics worldwide as one of his best works, full of the anthemic tunes that he has based his career on. We have two copies of the record to give away. To enter, just hit us up at thebrag. com/freeshit and one of ’em might well be yours.
NOTHIN’ DIFFERENT
Tom Stephens has announced a free Sydney show, hot off the back of the release of his debut album What Lies In The Difference. The record is about as self-assured as one can expect from a debut release, filled with a circumspect sense of maturity and restrained sleight of songwriting that reveals its nuances upon every single listen. Indeed, some pretty hip street press chose it as album of the week, so that’s gotta tell you something, right? You can catch Stephens playing his free show down at Oxford Circus on Saturday October 15. Tom Stephens
out. They hit Frankie’s on Sunday October 16, supported by Lord Sword and Way Of The Wolf.
BRUSH UP ON YER ANATOMY
Anatomy Class are one of Sydney’s most promising rising acts, combining as they do elements of ’90s indie rock with a sense of crushing ’Strayan bravery that is entirely their own. In short, they’re the kind of band perfectly suited for both fevered moshin’ and quieter introspection, meaning the group’s upcoming
show at the Oxford Art Factory on Saturday November 26 is an exciting prospect not be missed, particularly given it will be the launch of their new record, the hotly anticipated Tell Me What You See. Don’t miss it!
Youngblood
WHAT’S ON FOR WOTTON?
Jack T Wotton and The Wünderz have spent some time on the circuit now: these boys aren’t exactly fresh faced anymore, and that experience has translated itself into an assured live sound. Indeed, they’ve just churned out a new single, the impeccably titled ‘The Böy’ (check out that accent!) which has dropped via Dinosaur City Records. The group will be showing off the new tunage at an exclusive show at Leadbelly, Newtown’s hippest new joint. Catch it all go down on Friday October 14, with support provided by Body Type and Daiso.
Medicine Voice photo by Jessica Chapnik Kahn
Let’s be real: those folks at the Golden Age Cinema have all-round impeccable taste. Not only do they know exactly how to program excellent movies, they also hand-pick some of Sydney’s most astounding rising acts to play sets in the beautiful confines of their cinema. On Thursday November 3 they will host a set by Medicine Voice, the new project from acclaimed singersongwriter Sar Friedman. The music mixes the acoustic and the electronic, resulting in a beautiful mishmash of verse-chorus-verse accessibility and strange, blissed-out soundscapes.
I reckon the music scene in Australia is in great shape at the moment: there’s a lot of great music being made, we’ve got really vibrant community radio across the country, and there’s a lot of folks hungry for live music. I do a lot of regional touring, and I’m especially heartened by the enthusiasm and diversity of audiences in smaller towns and localities. I’m also really heartened by the overwhelming sense of camaraderie and community that exists among my fellow touring musos. It can be a pretty marginal life in some respects of course, but it sure is rich in a myriad of ways.
Michael Franti and Spearhead photo credit Chelsea Klette Xxx Tom xxx Stephens photo by Scarlett McKee
Inspirations There’s so much great music 2. being made in Australia, and i
books, art, records, ideas and music-loving parents. My dad’s a poet, and my mum’s a DJ on the local community radio station, so it’s no surprise that language
MICHAEL FRANTI
LUCIE THORNE
and music have remained such enduring loves of mine.
Growing Up I’m very lucky to have 1. grown up in a house filled with
head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
Lucie Thorne photo by Heike Qualitz
live & local
Jack T Wotton
BLOOD FOR WATER
BIG THINGS FOR BREE
Following the great success of her album Another Night On Earth, released in June, along with its subsequent singles ‘More Sex And Love’, ‘Tuesday Fresh Cuts’ and ‘Your Rhythm’, multi-instrumentalist and all-round talent Bree Tranter has announced a new tour to take place across the east coast. Tranter, who has been a pivotal member of Australian groups including The Middle East and Matt Corby’s band, will invest her hypnotic blend of dreampop-meets-downtempo with the upbeat jazzy verve of her accompanying live band. She will perform at Oxford Circus on Thursday November 24, with Alby and “special guests” supporting.
6 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
Jack T Wotton photo by Oscar Colman
Bree Tranter
Nothing beats a bit of retrofuturism. After all, there’s something so intoxicating about seeing the past mashed up with the sleek and the fresh, creating a stunning combination of recognisable textures and alien elements. That’s exactly the kind of territory Vancouver-based artist Youngblood mines with both flair and skill. The dream-popper has touches of both Lana Del Rey-esque balladry in her music and strange, electro layers. We’ll be real with you: she could well be your new favourite artist. Find out for yourself when she hits Leadbelly on Sunday November 6.
thebrag.com
. -
(:;
. -
(:;
ON SALE NOW VIA
WWW.NEWTOWNSOCIALCLUB.COM AND 1300 724 867 387 KING ST, NEWTOWN, 2042
RY X
ANTHONY FANTANO VS. THE INTERNET
06/01
USA - 13/11
JAALA
SON LITTLE
26/10
USA 30/11
LAURA JEAN
AKALA
18/11
. -
UK 10/12
&#' ), # &
, -
!1 (() 8.
(.")(3
$ ( &)" , & ."
( & -- - 6(//,1* )$67
-"#(#(! #,
%#(!
' 3
#-" $/&# (( ,1# % 86$ &#( # ),. ! &$1 + ." ./- &)--)'- 86$ . -" -/&. ( 62/' 287 . -" -/&. ( 62/' 287 . -" -/&. ( 62/' 287 - &&3 - &.' (( &#- '#. " && 62/' 287 &#- '#. " && 6(//,1* )$67 $ & ." -) . '))( 86$ (# )& '#&& , . -" ) . - ( " , ' & ( ")&3 -1 ." ,.-
& /, $ (
285 6:$1 621* WK $11,9(56$5<
'# % .")' - & ." ,)0#(! )''#--#)( &#!/& - "),- #& ( $ 1 && 86$ 6(//,1* )$67 $/&# ( % , 86$ 62/' 287 $/&# ( % , 86$ 6(//,1* )$67 ." ')(% 31, ( " 86$ *)&)!, *"#
, '# 6(//,1* )$67 && -
7+( $8'5(<6
." " , " -
Ë&#x2020;-.
*)(3
$), # & ( &
EILEN JEWELL USA 22/11
CERES 12/11
)&/' /-
&33#(! )&)/,-
-)( &#..& 86$
,# "# , ')( 86$
(:;
(. () 0-
." #(. ,( . 86$ 6(//,1* )$67
L@= -& * ,-
, - -- ' )' - 86$ 6(//,1* )$67 ' % ." ' -/ , 8 . % & ,) 3( "#. " ) % 8. + '' -1# . 6<' ,3 26(//,1* )$67 1 &&#- #, , 5(
HAPPY HOUR PINTS MON - FRI 5 TO 7PM II KITCHEN OPEN LATE PLUS HEAPS MORE AT WWW.NEWTOWNSOCIALCLUB.COM
THURSDAY OCTOBER 13TH
HENRY WAGONS + LACHLAN BRYAN
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14TH
MANALION + SONS OF RA
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16TH
REVOLUTION INC.
LEVEL 2, 75 THE CORSO, MANLY WWW.HOTELSTEYNE.COM.AU | FACEBOOK/HOTELSTEYNEMANLY | @HOTELSTEYNE
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 7
Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
THINGS WE HEAR • Is Nine Network about to announce The Veronicas as replacements for The Madden Brothers on The Voice? • Which hotel had the $2,000 stolen from its charity collection tin for Can Assist for families of cancer sufferers replaced by its state hotel association? • For their upcoming tour, Boy & Bear have teamed with Akasha Brewing Company for the All Australian Ale (AAA) to be sold at shows. All proceeds go towards the charity Buy A Bale, helping to support rural Australian communities and farmers. • It’s nice to be rich, and even nicer to be able to splash your wealth around. Take Fetty Wap, who turned up at a New Jersey court to face a number of traffic offences (including driving with tinted glasses). The 25-year-old rapper was fined a total of US$360. He pulled out a bag with $165,000 cash and paid it off. • We might see more indie acts on the ARIA chart. It’s started to count sales from US publishing platform and online marketplace Bandcamp. This would be of help to the Dune Rats, whose Social Atoms is in the
NEW VISA FEES: LESS TOURS, HIGHER PRICES?
Aussie promoters are looking with alarm at the Federal Government’s new visa fees, which come into effect on Saturday November 19. They remove discounts on entertainment visas, which means up to a 600% hike on international tours and festivals that book many overseas acts, and which will have to be passed on to consumers with higher ticket prices. Bluesfest’s visa costs go up to $55,000 (up 600%) while Splendour and Falls are up 200%. Applying for Guns N’ Roses’ 80-strong entourage will now cost TEG Dainty $22,000 instead of $7,200. Live Performance Australia has called for an urgent meeting with Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. Its CEO Evelyn Richardson says, “These new fees add significantly to the cost of touring Australia, and will act as a major disincentive for international artists to come here compared to opportunities in other markets. Australians who go to a live performance event or who work in the industry will be the biggest losers under this new scheme, as well as those who work in local tourism and hospitality businesses, especially in regional communities.”
STUDY: AUSSIES STILL PREFER RADIO TO STREAMING
In the first study into audio consumption by Australians, it seems we’re still taking our time shifting from traditional radio to streaming and internet radio. The Australian Share of Audio study, by research company GfK, covered 1,000 people in the five capital cities over a week in August. On average, Aussies spend three hours and 23 minutes listening to music. Of this, two hours and 12 minutes is to radio, an equivalent of 64.9% of listening. Dipping into our own record collections takes up 13%, while combined streaming services Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music account for 9.2%. Online music videos (via YouTube et cetera) make up 3.7% share, podcasts 3.5%, while 2.1% covers TV music channels, audio books and background music in cafes and gyms. According to the study, Australian radio (AM, FM, DAB+) has five times the daily reach of the combined streaming services (69.7% compared to 12.4%). Australian radio has nine times the daily reach of Spotify and almost 25 times the reach of Pandora. 10- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 24-year-olds spend three times longer listening to live Australian radio than Spotify and eight times longer than Apple Music and Pandora each day.
NEW SERVICE FOR VINYL LOVERS
Australian vinyl lovers now have a one-stop service called FinestVinyl. Its mail-order platform has long been established in Europe. Now music industry exec and German expat Tex Bauckhorn has introduced it locally. A biweekly bulk shipment offers cheaper and faster FinestVinyl’s incredible European catalogue covering pop, rock, punk, jazz and classical including limited editions and rarities. The FinestVinyl Australia team also provides their expertise and contacts in vinyl manufacturing with quality European pressing plants for local artists, labels and retailers. Your contact is tex@finestvinyl.com.au.
platform’s global Top 10. • Jay Z is producing a biopic of the late Richard Pryor, the hip and outspoken African American political comedian who once famously badly burned himself while cooking cocaine and/or deliberately set himself on fire, depending on which story you believe. • The Ramones are to have a street in Queens, New York City named after them. Meanwhile a section of Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx was earlier this year renamed Hip Hop Boulevard to denote the vital contribution to the genre by the suburb. On August 11 1973, DJ Kool Herc held a house party at an apartment complex at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. Herc was DJing and MCing, and showed off a new technique he had been perfecting that involved playing the “frantic grooves at the beginning or in the middle of a song”. People at the party include Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and KRS-One. • Robbie Williams has whimpered and apologised for saying he bonked “four out of five” Spice Girls, saying it was a joke. • The New Zealand Music Foundation, which helps music industry folks in health and
financial distress, has launched an online 24-hour well-being service (the first in the world, it says) so performers and biz people can ring any time for comfort. A recent survey found that NZ performers attempt suicide and have mental health disorders at double the rate of the general population. • AC/DC’s Brian Johnson could resume performing in six months using new in-ear monitor technology, claims hearing aid developers Asius. • Melbourne’s Chapel Street is running a campaign urging Sydneysiders hit by the city’s lockouts to travel south to party. • The mud was so thick during the Deni Ute Muster that some folks were running around naked hidden by mud cloaks. • Sticky Fingers aren’t just celebrating their Westway album debuting at number one on this week’s ARIA chart. Bassist Paddy Cornwall can fly Qantas again: he was banned after a mid-air scuffle with singer Dylan Frost. • Australian video streaming service Presto will close on Tuesday January 31. It will be folded into Foxtel’s revamped streaming service Foxtel Play.
HOST MICRO MUSIC FESTIVALS
Five Western Sydney councils – Blacktown, Camden, Fairfield, Parramatta and Wollondilly – are taking part in a $150,000 NSW Government program called The Western Sydney Live and Local Strategic Initiative. It allows local musicians to play in streets, restaurants, cafes and shops while giving local families the chance to hear music for free. It connects the Live Music Office with local governments to provide more gig opportunities for musos. LMO’s John Wardle said, “The Live Music Office is proud to be in partnership with Western Sydney councils and we look forward to working with council staff, local businesses and musicians to celebrate live music in the region.” It is part of the State Government’s $7.5 million commitment to boost Western Sydney arts and cultural opportunities over the next four years. In fact, due to the positive response for the 2016 initiative, it has allocated an additional $100,000 for the second round in 2017.
STAFF MOVES AT REMOTE CONTROL
Remote Control Records has made major staff changes after Lorrae McKenna opted to return to artist management with her own company after three years. Publicist of five years, Sweetie Zamora, is promoted to the wider role of Head of Labels & Promotion. Vanja Bezbradica becomes Digital Accounts Manager liaising with all key digital music services. Georgia Cooke is Melbourne-based Promotions Lead. Jill Stewart becomes Production & Licensing Manager with an expanded role in synch and third party licensing in Australia and through RC’s partnership with
the Beggars Group licensing team in the UK and USA. Darren Lesaguis takes on a full-time role as Sydney-based Promotions Coordinator. Letecia Luty continues to provide marketing and promotional support.
WANNA PROJECT MANAGE LIVE MUSIC CHAMBER?
MusicNSW and others are establishing the Sydney Live Music Chamber of Commerce to provide a platform for voice venues, artists, promoters, ticketing, labels, festivals and other businesses to work together to expand the city’s live music sector. They’re looking for a Project Manager who can work from MusicNSW’s Glebe offices or from home. Applications close Friday October 22. Full into from musicnsw.com or call Emily Collins on 02 9953 5279 or email ecollins@musicnsw.com.
NEW VENUE FOR SYDNEY
Hudson Ballroom is Sydney’s latest venue – formerly Plan B and Goodgod Small Club – with its name inspired by New York’s street culture. Three friends pooled their money to keep the institution alive. “For us, the priority was to keep the doors open to one of the few places you can still go for a dance and see a live music gig,” says part-owner Clark Mak. Nathan Farrell Entertainment curates live acts while the venue continues club nights like Rhythm Of The Night, Halfway Crooks, Player Haters Club, Sidechains, IZMZ Girls, Freshly Squeezed, and Red Bull Sound Select.
NICHE ADDS NOAH SLEE
Niche’s latest addition to its agency roster is Noah Slee, an Auckland-raised, Berlin-
Lifelines Hospitalised: Slipknot guitarist Jim Root had back surgery to replace a disc. Ill US rapper Kid Cudi checked into rehab for “depression, anxiety and suicidal urges”. He posted, “I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me.” Injured: Drake postponed three North American shows after injuring his ankle. Ill: doctors found a cancerous tumour in revered funk and R&B singer Charles Bradley’s stomach. Ill: Bastille axed a New York show after Dan Smith badly strained his voice. Ill: US singer Sharon Jones, 60, who’s battled two bouts of pancreatic cancer, cancelled an appearance at the White House after she got pneumonia. In Court: Jeffrey Greaves was extradited from Darwin to South Australia to face 73 charges of fraudulently getting $20,000 from concert goers looking to buy tickets on Gumtree between July 2014 and May 2016. Died: British songwriter and producer Rod Temperton, 66, from cancer. He worked with many artists but best known for writing ‘Thriller’, ‘Off The Wall’ and ‘Rock With You’ for Michael Jackson.
based R&B singer, producer and multiinstrumentalist who’s been playing the European festival circuit since relocating there a year ago. He will be in Australia between December and March, with his Otherland Mixtape out on Melbourne label Wondercore Island early in 2017.
ELEFANT TRAKS TURNS 18
In 1998 Traksewt (Kenny Sabir) started a collective, Elefant Traks, with friends to release music, with hours spent burning CD-Rs and hand assembling plastic cases. It developed into a major hip hop voice. To mark its 18th birthday, it is holding a bash on Saturday December 10 at the Cake Wines carpark in Redfern, with sets from The Herd, Horrorshow, L-Fresh The Lion, The Last Kinection and newest signee B Wise, with a DJ set from guests Imaginary Friends. DJs include Jimblah, Jayteehazard, Chasm, Dggz and Josie Styles.
90 FINALISTS FOR VANDA & YOUNG SONGWRITING 90 finalists have been announced for the Vanda & Young Songwriting competition. It received 2,412 applicants ranging from 11 to 82 years old, from 20 countries, submitting 3,934 songs. Seven artists have two songs in the shortlist: Client Liaison, Emma Louise, Gordi, Katrina Burgoyne, King Social, Louis Schoorl and Oh Pep!. Other shortlisted artists include Abbe May, Jarryd James, Josh Pyke, Kevin Mitchell, M-Phazes, Ngaiire, Sheppard, Urthboy, Deep Sea Arcade, L-Fresh The Lion, Jordi Lane and Taasha Coates/ The Audreys, alongside Bigsound buzz acts Middle Kids, Sampa The Great and Tash Sultana and recent triple j Unearthed High winner Gretta Ray. Full list at vandayoungsongcomp.com.
Client Liaison
First prize is $50,000 from APRA AMCOS and Alberts. Second prize of $10,000 is from AMPAL (Australasian Music Publishers Association) and the $5,000 third prize is courtesy of sponsor AEG Ogden. All winners will also take home a microphone prize pack from Shure. Winners are announced on Thuesday October 27. Applicants pay a $50 fee per submission, which goes to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia. This year’s comp raised an astounding $196,700 from entries. Another $3,300 was donated by a former recipient of the prize, taking the final amount raised for this very worthy cause to $200,000.
WESTERN SYDNEY COUNCILS TO
8 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
thebrag.com
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 9
COVER STORY
MIND GAMERS
SMOOTH MOVES BY JODY MACGREGOR
W
hen this year’s MoVement Sydney festival was announced there was a surprise on the lineup. Right there at the top of the bill sat the debut performance from a group called Mind Gamers, a three-headed dance music beast consisting of Sébastien Tellier, John Kirby of Blood Orange fame, and Midnight Juggernauts’ Daniel Stricker. Though the trio is new, its story goes all the way back to the early days of Sydney’s legendary Goodgod Small Club, where two of those three heads first met.
and every now and then me and a bunch of friends would play in this improvised band that we called SLRL.”
Stricker remembers Goodgod when it was just a club night that took place in a lurid Spanish restaurant where he used to put on shows. “You had to run up the street and buy booze from the pub on the corner and set up your own PA,” he recalls. “And there’d be crazy Spanish music playing in the room next door – so loud.
Stricker got the gig, and though he became friends with Tellier and Kirby as they travelled around Australia together, he believed that the end of the tour would also represent the end of the trio’s creative endeavours. But then,18 months ago, the pair reached out and said they had another project they wanted Stricker to be involved in.
“I remember I used to put on nights there once every couple weeks and just have friends’ bands playing. I’d been touring a lot with the Midnight Juggernauts around the world and we’d just come back and had a bit of downtime, so I was looking for a place to do some fun stuff while we were writing a new record. I was putting on this night
10 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
That band featured Jono Ma, later of Jagwar Ma, and Kirin J Callinan. It was at one of its shows Stricker first met John Kirby, a musician who just so happened to be in need of some backing players. Kirby was playing keyboard for Sébastien Tellier at the time and was helping him search for a drummer for an Australian tour: his shortlist consisted of Stricker and Jay Watson from Tame Impala.
“‘We wanna do a record that’s kind of like jazz,’ they’d said,” Stricker reveals. “‘Not jazz in the sense that it sounds like a jazz record, but in its spirit – free-form. Pop but with a jazz spirit.’ I said, ‘Definitely, I’d love to work on that with you guys.’ That was the genesis of this project.” Stricker is quick to explain that even though that selfsame “jazz spirit” plays a large part in the record’s inspiration, when we see Mind Gamers at MoVement – or hear their debut album later this year – it’s not going to involve a squeaking saxophone, dark sunglasses and beat poetry delivered over bongo drums. “It’s not gonna be like this super indulgent improvised thing,” he says. “It’ll be something that people can really get off on rather than it being about us, even though we love it and enjoy it.” While velvet jackets and cigarette holders won’t be required, Stricker says there will be an element of smoothness in the music, largely because that has long been Tellier’s modus operandi. “A lot of the time with Sébastien’s songwriting style, it’s pretty sensual,” Stricker says. “It’s pretty smooth: he’s a pretty romantic guy. There’s that feeling of romance definitely, but the sounds that we use aren’t what you’d traditionally find in a romantic song.” Stricker has a lot of good things to say about Tellier, who he talks about like a fan as much
“THERE’S THAT FEELING OF ROMANCE DEFINITELY, BUT THE SOUNDS THAT WE USE AREN’T WHAT YOU’D TRADITIONALLY FIND IN A ROMANTIC SONG.” thebrag.com
as a collaborator. “I don’t think you find people that sound like that so much any more,” Stricker says. “I don’t know anyone really in this country that can do that and maybe that’s a very French thing. When you go to France, or Paris specifically, it’s entrenched in this ‘old world culture’, for better or for worse. That’s a beautiful thing when you can tap that and distil that and put that in a modern context, but it still has that flavour or that feeling. It’s like updating something that’s really classical – I love that.” Though debonair French lothario Tellier is the chief songwriter of the group, its roles aren’t set in stone. “He has this classical way of looking at music, in a way Serge Gainsbourg or other classic French modern composers would have,” Stricker says. “Also I think Kirby is an incredible player, an incredible keyboard player, and I do a lot of production and rhythm and work on a lot of sound design. I think those are our main roles, but in the end when we get into a room together everyone’s just kind of doing everything and we’re vibing off each other. I think that’s what makes this special, rather than the sum of its parts.” Though the band’s debut album isn’t complete, the trio has been working on it for a while, recording in different parts of the world whenever schedules make it possible for the three of them to be in the same country at the same time. Stricker says that the most productive period of all their time spent together was when they visited the Greek island of Hydra. “That was amazing,” he says. “It was a really inspirational place to work on the music. I think the record has been informed by all the
thebrag.com
places we come from: a lot of it’s a love story to California, but then we went to this Greek island and that had a large influence on the record. I think all of us are influenced by imagery and going to different places in the world brings that to the table in a big way.” For the group playing the new material live is tantamount, and Stricker reveals that the songs may well be reworked after the trio has had a chance to play some of their music to crowds and see how it works in that context. “When you take a song outside of a studio, it’s a completely different beast,” he says, “and it’s good to get that perspective on it too I think.” Given that Stricker has nothing but good things to say about the trio’s working habits, it’s perhaps unsurprising that all three members want to carry on and release more than just a single record. Mind Gamers isn’t some dalliance: it’s the start of something long-term, and Stricker speaks of the group less as though its’ a supergroup shoved to the side and more as though it has become one of his primary concerns as a creator. “We’ve talked about ideas for the second record and yet we haven’t played a show,” Stricker laughs. “[Mind Gamers] is definitely something we will keep doing. It’s not just a way of putting out music: we want it to be something where we can produce and conceptualise or collaborate with other artists.” What: Mind Gamers as part of V MoVement Sydney Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday October 21
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 11
Julien Baker
“I KNOW THERE’S A LOT OF CONTENTION AND DEBATE OVER THE BENEFITS OF STREAMING, BUT … ISN’T IT CRAZY THAT A RECORD I NEVER THOUGHT ANYONE OUT OF MY FRIENDS WOULD EVER CARE ABOUT IS BEING SUNG BACK TO ME IN PARIS?”
G
The conversation starts with talk of the massive names Baker has performed alongside in the last year, among them indie giants such as Death Cab For Cutie, who she was discovered by when they saw her deliver a dreamy rendition of their track ‘Photobooth’ for The AV Club. But another name that quickly comes up is Frightened Rabbit, Baker’s most recent touring partners,
shows I’ve ever played. We are two acts that are diametrically opposed from a stylistic viewpoint, so I was a little nervous at first when Jeremy [Bolm, vocalist] asked me to play. When it was over, I’ll never forget, this big, burly Orange County hardcore dude came up to me and said, ‘That was a sick set.’ I said to him, ‘Oh, that’s good – I thought everyone might have been a bit bored.’ He immediately said back, ‘Nah, man. Honesty transcends genre.’ How beautiful of a thing is music that things like that can happen?”
which leads her to deliver an anecdote from their first physical encounter. “I was at this festival called Shaky Knees in Atlanta,” she explains. “They were doing free tattoos, and I was getting one done on my leg. So there I am – down to my Pokémon boxers, screaming at the pain – when their lead singer Scott [Hutchison] walks in. That was our first interaction. When we actually met for the first time, I went to say, ‘I’m not sure if you remember...’ but he just started laughing, saying that he definitely did. What’s so funny is that me and my friend Josh ended up getting matching Legend Of Zelda tattoos, but our original plan was to get a corresponding lyric tattoo from the last Frightened Rabbit record. I’m so glad that we didn’t do that now.”
Another name recently associated with Baker is Touché Amoré, the American emo/post-hardcore powerhouse who enlisted Baker as a guest vocalist on ‘Skyscraper’, the heart-wrenching closer to the band’s recent LP Stage Four. Originally brought together through mutual acquaintances and connections, Baker now speaks of the band like good friends, and she’s amazed that she is so closely aligned with a band she has admired for many years. “I’ve been so, so lucky to be able to establish a friendship with them,” she says. “For all of the angst of my younger years, their music was there for me, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. The first show that we played together at Chain Reaction in Anaheim is still, to this day, one of the best
Sprained Ankle, Baker’s debut album, was released quietly with little fanfare through indie label 6131 Records towards the end of 2015. But it wasn’t long at all before the album found a global fan base and ended up becoming one of the highest selling LPs on Bandcamp. From basement shows and all-ages matinees, Baker has now stepped up to theatres and clubs that are constantly hanging up ‘sold out’ signs, both in her native land of North America and in various other continents as the demand grows bigger and bigger. “It comes as a surprise to me – and I hope that it always does,” says Baker of her international following.
but here’s the thing: isn’t it crazy that a record I never thought anyone out of my friends would ever care about is being sung back to me in Paris? I couldn’t even have a conversation with a lot of people there. In that moment, though, we’re all singing at the same time.” Almost exactly a year since the release of Sprained Ankle, Baker will be making her debut tour of Australia. As well as several key headline shows, Baker will also be performing at regional music festivals in Mullumbimby, as well as Fairgrounds in Berry. “I’m so excited to come and play for you guys,” she enthuses. “There’s been a lot of Australian music doing the rounds over here – Violent Soho were just in town, and I know they’re massive. They’ve been playing some pretty small shows here, and they might never do anything like that again. “Also, I love Camp Cope – the second I heard ‘Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams’, I was on board instantly. I’m really excited to be playing these festivals – I honestly have no idea what to expect. Everything I know about Australia, I’ve learned from The Guardian!”
“I’ll go through Twitter, and I’ll see posts from people listening to me in Venezuela and in Austria – and they’re begging me to come play for them. Last year, when Sprained Ankle had been out for just over a month, it got added in rotation to a playlist for coffee shops in Spain. I was getting all of these messages from Spain and from Italy... I was so overwhelmed. I know there’s a lot of contention and debate over the benefits of streaming,
Where: Newtown Social Club When: Monday November 21 / Wednesday November 23 / Thursday November 24 And: Fairgrounds Festival, Berry, Friday December 2 – Saturday December 3 With: Mullum Music Festival, Mullumbimby, Tuesday November 17 – Sunday November 20
because we played a festival, so we didn’t get that true sense of connection. It wasn’t one of our personal shows, which would have made it more intimate, but the people seemed to be pretty excited about music and culture”
past is feeding into a little too much of who I am. I already have these dark feelings inside and so living in an environment that’s similar to myself kind of brings me down further. If I lived on a tropical island or something like that, it would be more of a yin and yang situation.
The Soft Moon Going Deeper By Andi Lennon
B
irthed right around the time the tail end of ’70s punk bled into the nascent futurism of the ’80s, post punk in its many guises is a genre that refuses to die. There is something so appealing about the emotional, abrasive and angular textures of the subgenre, and there is a reason the sound has been picked up by such luminaries as Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails and The Soft Moon.
just a means to discover more about myself: about being harsher on one end of the spectrum but also more subtle on the other side. It was just an exploration of extremes.”
Indeed, Luis Vasquez, the lead singer of the latter band, picks at the fabric of post punk until it’s almost threadbare, resulting in a sound that is sparser than most, yet no less weighty. However, on Vasquez’s new album Deeper the musician made a concerted effort to sidestep such genre concerns: to let out something inside himself that defied easy explanation.
“The whole apocalyptic thing started when I was a child,” he explains. “I’ve always had recurring nightmares about the world ending. It’s interesting that they stopped for the last couple of years, but now they’ve slowly started to come back and that’s something that’s always made its way into my music: that sense of desolation.
“With this record I just wanted to completely let go and try to express as many sides of myself and emotions as possible,” he says. “I felt like with the previous records I was kind of pigeonholed into this ‘post punk’ thing. I kind of had a particular sound and I wasn’t completely comfortable with who I was as a person. I hadn’t accepted who I was. “With Deeper I wanted to let it all out: whichever emotion surfaced is what I would let out. That is definitely how I ended up with the piano elements and things like that, things I never thought I would do. It was
Thematically, the album continues Vasquez’s obsession with the apocalyptic, combining harsh synths and Krautrock elements to create an aura of desolation that is as unnerving as it is inviting.
“I spent a lot of my younger years growing up in the desert and I think that has a lot to do with those themes. Living out there kind of felt like living at the end of the world: just pure desert. The population was pretty small. I was north west of LA about an hour away from the border with Nevada. So this whole apocalyptic thing is just something I’ve been trying to figure out, but in the meantime I kind of play with it. It seeps out in my music because it’s just something that’s a part of me” With the current end-times cloud cast by looming climate change and resource shortages, does Vasquez feel that the apocalypse is a matter
“THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING I FOUND FASCINATING ABOUT BERLIN. IT IS QUITE A DARK PLACE WITH A DARK HISTORY AND IN A WAY IT REALLY DOES HELP ME FACE MY DEMONS” 12 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
of when, rather than a question of if? “Yeah!” he laughs nervously. “It’s so hard to say, but that’s at least how I feel. But that could be because of my anxiety. I could just be suffering from anxiety, so I think the worst, but I do feel that it could happen at any moment.” If the future is a bum prospect, then Vasquez is at least making the most of the present, with his upcoming Australian tour set to be followed by a trip behind the veil of state control to the exotic frontier of China. Given the logistical hoops it must take to visit such a country, one has to wonder whether Vasquez’s booking agents have been working overtime. “I’m not too sure what’s happening behind the scenes with the agents, but it’s been a long time coming,” Vasquez says. “The only other time we’ve been to Asia was two-anda-half years ago in Taiwan. The audiences were hard to gauge
Between perennial touring commitments and his new home in Berlin, Vasquez seems to have adopted a somewhat nomadic lifestyle in recent years – though by semi-settling in Germany, the artist follows in a long lineage of musicians who have made the pilgrimage to the country, ranging from Nick Cave to Amanda Palmer. “There was always something I found fascinating about Berlin,” Vasquez says. “It is quite a dark place with a dark history, and in a way it really does help me face my demons. Over time I’ve noticed that it’s kind of backfiring though because sometimes that dark mood and dark
“But there’s something about Berlin that’s challenging me,” he continues. “I don’t want anything I do to be easy, so I’m intrigued by this city and its darkness. I’m trying to harness its energy. We’re very similar and I’m hoping that connection gives me some kind of breakthrough or revelation for future material and then once that happens hopefully I can move on.” Where: Newtown Social Club When: Thursday October 27 And: Deeper out now through Captured Tracks
thebrag.com
Julien Baker photo by Jake Cunningham
iven the emotionally-wrought and striking honesty of her music, it’s easy to forget Julien Baker is still all of 21 years old. The sombre, sparse tone of her songs belies not only Baker’s age, but her mannerisms away from the work. She’s excitable and talkative, peppering the conversation with exasperations like “gosh” and “gee” while she hops from story to story.
Truth Of My Youth By David James Young
The Nation Blue Beaten Black And Blue By Alex Pink
F
ew bands make it to 20 years. Fewer still reach that milestone and have the strength to push forward and create arguably their best material. To that end, it’s been a trying slog for The Nation Blue: the band formed in Hobart during the mid ’90s, cutting their teeth within the city’s underground punk-rock scene. Not many bands find success in Hobart and those that do tend to quickly relocate to the Australian musical melting pots of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. After all, Hobart can prove tight to the point of claustrophobic, even if it does have the power to sometimes breed a unique artistic vision in all that isolation.
Tom Lyngcoln has that vision. The man who fronts The Nation Blue holds nothing back: he and his band came to Melbourne at the start of the century and though they were outsiders to begin, quickly garnered a cult following due to their visceral live shows. Lyngcoln’s onstage persona projects a veil of danger and despair, while his lyrics are a harrowing reflection of his dark sensibilities and his guitar style is akin to a sonic assault. “The physical intensity just comes from years of repeated abuse,” he says. “It’s doing the same thing night after night: people expect to see it so you’ve got to up the stakes.” But when talking with Lyngcoln, it immediately becomes apparent that there’s a difference between the performer and the man. To speak to, he is refreshingly modest and makes constant references to his day job as a carpenter and newborn child. Indeed, he doesn’t seem to be in any mood to reflect on the positives of the band’s achievement. “I look up at a lot of the venues around the country and there’s always some evidence that we’ve played there,” Lyngcoln says, the closest he comes to straying into self-promotion. “I’ve had to take stock on a few of the things I’ve done over the years. We did a gig in Sydney where I completely destroyed the roof: I got yanked off stage by bouncer and it took a while for everything to calm down.” How does one destroy an entire roof? “Ah you take your guitar and just repeatedly smash it through the roof until it just rains asbestos,” says Lyngcoln, deadpan, though he does admit he offered to repair the damages.
“I’M ABOUT 160 SONGS DEEP WITH ALL THE BANDS I’VE BEEN IN, SO I’M STARTING TO RUN OUT THINGS TO SAY THAT’S FOR SURE.” After a seven-year hiatus, the band is now embarking upon a new era. With each member fresh from other musical projects, their 20th anniversary now coincides with the release of not one but two new albums, Black and Blue. So why did the band decide to release two records at once? “I had a child halfway through the process and had a lot of downtime and I found a formula that really worked for me,” Lyngcoln says. “Cranking out 29 to 30 songs was pretty easy to be honest. We had the time and the resources and realised we had two distinct records sitting there so we put them out.” With an excess of new material that stretches far beyond what actually ended up on the albums, Lyngcoln admits that these days he struggles to pick up a guitar, such is the amount of writing he has done. While both Black and Blue maintain the unnerving punk stamp of their earlier records, the differences between the two albums lie in their themes. “Black is definitely the one that when lyrics started coming through, they were political,” Lyngcoln says. “But on Blue they are more personal. It’s a real clusterfuck on Blue: a lot more personal stuff.” Given these dark themes are similar to subject matter Lyngcoln has explored before, he does admit to worrying he might go stale. “I’m pretty fastidious with the lyrics,” he says. “I’m always wary if they drag on, but I got on a couple of them here that I was pretty happy with. But I’m about 160 songs deep with all the bands I’ve been in, so I’m starting to run out things to say that’s for sure.” Fortunately years of touring and recording have given him the chance to get to a place where he seems to find solace in his own creative output. “Over the years perspectives change a bit, but beyond that, there are definitely a few themes that have been overused and you have to be a master of disguise to dress those things up in a different wig to make them sound different.” The Nation Blue will commence its album tour this month, a series of sets that will include a short run of three east coast shows and the hometown show in Hobart. Lyngcoln is unsure what will happen afterwards though, and it’s evident that the band is often in a state of real flux. “I don’t know how long the period of activity is going to last for: this time we’re just rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing,” he says. “For the limited amount of shows we’re doing there’ll be as much bang for your buck as possible.” Don’t fret then: it’s unlikely the band will end at this point, particularly given it seems like it’s just hit an alltime high. Though The Nation Blue are older and wiser, they’ve never lost their edge. How’s that for a band who have been kicking about for more than two decades? Where: Factory Floor When: Friday October 14 And: Black and Blue out Friday October 14 through Poison City thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 13
Bullet For My Vale Bulletproof By Matthew Galea
A
lot can happen to a band in over a decade: its sound can alter, band members can leave and fans can taper off. But despite such possibilities, Bullet For My Valentine’s frontperson and founding member Matthew Tuck is adamant that the collective are the same men that started the band all those many years ago; they’re just a little wiser. “Deep down we’re exactly the same people that we were when we started,” he says. “We have the same sense of humour, the same goals, we’re motivated by the same things, we still have our same group of friends back in Wales, but we’ve just grown up as men and we understand how the music industry works. We started this massive business from just four boys in Wales playing in school to having made hundreds of millions of dollars for the music industry. You know, it’s crazy.” Fresh off the back of a slew of incredible international tour dates, including the US Warped Tour and many a European festival, the band is set to head back to Australia for a triple bill of any self-effacing metal head’s dreams, playing alongside Atreyu and Cane Hill. Only, this time the group has an added level of excitement associated with its trip Down Under: it recently scored its first ever number one album, with 2015’s Venom topping the charts right here on our soil. “I’m absolutely blown away,” Tuck says. “It was a fantastic achievement. It was our first ever number one we’ve had on any album ever, so it just feels very special. Apparently we’re the only Welsh artist to have ever done it as well, so we’re in the history books which is great.
Soft Hair Mockasin’s New Jam By Meaghan Weiley
I
t’s difficult to describe the enigma that is Connan Mockasin. Softly spoken, his face framed by blonde locks, Mockasin (whose real name is Connan Hosford) is the pictureperfect musical poster boy. Emerging under the moniker Connan And The Mockasins in the early 2000s, the New Zealand artist proceeded to release two albums, tour with Radiohead and Charlotte Gainsbourg, and collaborate with the likes of Dev Hynes, AKA Blood Orange. Behind all this, however, it seems the driving force for Hosford’s initial success came from somewhere closer to home. His number one fan, apparently, is none other than his dear ol’ ma. “I started making my first record because my mum told me I should,” Hosford says. “I was kind of brainwashed into the idea of recording in a proper studio, but my mum just said, ‘No, you don’t’.” That DIY element came to strongly influence Hosford’s approach to songwriting, and his early albums have a kind of taped together feel that comes with their own distinctly lo-fi pleasures. “The equipment I made my first album [Please Turn Me Into The Snat] on was quite simple: it was all home recording,” he says. “I didn’t really have many options. I think having that freedom and no restrictions helped me make it.” Nowadays however, all of Hosford’s focus is on an old project that has only recently come to light: a record put together close to a decade ago has resurfaced, and is due for release towards the end of this month. Recorded in numerous locations but predominately in England, Soft Hair brings together Mockasin and Sam Eastgate, more commonly known as LA Priest and a member of disbanded dance punk outfit Late Of The Pier. Together, the pair are Soft Hair, and their record combines the best of both of their worlds, gaining from Eastgate’s slow jam style and Hosford’s strange and demented pop strains. Nonetheless, speaking from Los Angeles, it seems Hosford is
14 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
“I STARTED MAKING MY FIRST RECORD BECAUSE MY MUM TOLD ME I SHOULD.” hesitant about feeling a sense of nostalgia regarding the release. “Maybe once it’s released [I’ll feel nostalgic], and then when it’s been another eight years – but I’m not sure. Not many people have heard this record quite yet: it’s just been our friends. Those people encouraged us to release it. “We made this record eight years ago and it was finished about seven years ago, so it’s been quite a long time. I’m quite eager to release this: it’s a record I’m really proud of. I wouldn’t release it if I was embarrassed by it or because it was too old.” Despite its age, the album is a testimony to both Hosford and Eastgate’s ability to create music that can still remain so relevant and ‘with the times’, particularly in such a dynamic and constantly evolving industry as the music business. Indeed, the album opens with ‘Relaxed Lizard’, a track that tips its hat to the off-the-wall sensibilities of both artists while still proving danceable. The lyrics meld together, proving indecipherable at points and adding to the song’s already overwhelming lustre. If all that sounds a bit esoteric, then there’s a reason for that: Hosford works in musical realms that are difficult to describe, and more often than not his tunes hit you on a level that is emotional rather than logical. It’s difficult to pinpoint a genre that his music sits in, and as a result quite often his work is thrown under the ‘psychedelic’ umbrella – another term Hosford seems hesitant towards using. “I don’t really think that I make psychedelic music,” he says. “When I first started getting into guitar I
was listening to blues a lot, so I was quite heavily influenced by blues.” Indeed, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy and B.B. King are a few of the names Hosford lists off the top of his head. “I don’t even really know what the word ‘psychedelic’ means. I’d probably say Caramel was more soft R&B instrumental. But I can definitely see why people have taken to using that term.”
“We’ve always had a fantastic time in Australia. It’s like a home away from home in many ways. We’ve
That mix and meld of genres is evident all across Soft Hair, particularly on the album’s lead single ‘Lying Has To Stop’. The track itself seems like an out take from Hosford’s Caramel – aspects of R&B collide with delicate, electro layers as a strange squeaking sound rises and falls. Given how odd and layered the tune is, it’s not particularly surprising that Hosford reveals that he is more interested in weaving together soundscapes than he is writing regular old tunes.
Touring Junkie By Adam Norris
“I don’t particularly like writing songs more than I like writing music,” he explains. “I like writing music and putting it together as a song – it’s like work for me. That’s why I like writing and focusing on more instrumental pieces. Then also, I like singing, but I don’t like the concept of songs.” Ultimately for Hosford, one of the most rewarding aspects of the process was having a collaborator. Although he has in the past featured on other artists’ records, and has engaged with other musicians by writing the odd tune for them here or there, never before has he had a true comrade in arms: someone that has been able to encourage and influence him every single step of the way. “Having two of us writing this record made it really easy,” Hosford says. “Because you could [have someone] take over the role of the writer, you know? You could come up with an idea and someone could help out and try something when you couldn’t really be bothered.” What: Soft Hair out Friday October 28 through Domino
celebrated some big achievements there as well: I’ve got a big plaque on my wall here in my living room with an Australia Sony Music ARIA Recognition Award. I’ve got every single album gold and platinum in the big Australia plaque, so we’ve had some amazing moments there, and obviously having the number one has just surpassed that again. I can’t wait to come back. We’re just gutted that it’s taken us this long, but that’s kind of not been our fault. In any case, we’re excited its happening and we can’t wait to come down.” Boasting the accolade of being one of the most successful UK metal bands of the 21st century, Bullet For My Valentine’s tunes continue to stand the test of time, which, in an ever-changing industry, is a truly remarkable feat in and of itself. “I’d like to think it’s the quality of the music we make ” Tuck says. “I think [that’s] the only thing that would keep someone coming back. We’ve delivered quality album after album: people always have their favourites but from my point of view as a songwriter, from the first EP right up to Venom, I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve ever done and everything’s always up in the top five all over the world so we’re obviously doing something right. “We’ve always had quite a diverse fan base because of the nature of our music: it’s got old school influences, but there’s obviously modern melodies in there and big anthemic songs as well, so we’ve always had a younger fan base. But the people that were like, 19 all those years ago when they first discovered us are in their thirties now and some of them have kids. So everything’s grown with us and it’d be nice to keep getting the younger fan base with each album. We’ve kept the older guys which is brilliant.
Jordie Lane I
was born in Bulli, a few suburbs north of Wollongong, so when Jordie Lane sings, “She’s a black diamond from Bulli” on his new album,Glassellland, well, it’s like he’s known me all my life. Sure, he might have got the genders confused, but you can’t blame such a busy guy. While we’re on that tune, ‘Black Diamond’, actually, it’s worth noting that though Lane started writing it in NSW, it was finished on a distant toilet in Tennessee. Evidently the musician is no stranger to roaming the lands in search of song, but given the rigours of cutting an album, his boots haven’t been quite their usual dusty selves recently. “They’re not as dusty as they have been,” Lane agrees, “but only because we realised, ‘OK, we need to make a record,’ and that the one problem was spending way too much time being totally addicted to being on the road and touring. I could write songs on the road, but getting into the space to pull an album together and record it was impossible. “So finally, late last year, we had a little gap in the States and put aside all November, but that was the first time we sat down to start writing and recording. We’ve had a couple of small tours in Canada, Australia and the US, but nowhere near as many as we used to. That gave us the time to really spend as much of it as possible making this album, which was really cool, but also scary at first. I hadn’t really done that for real since 2011, when the last full length came out. Now that’s all I want to do: be in these
little cubbyhouse studios and hide in there making sounds.” I’ve had the fortune to catch Lane perform many times over the years – last time, in fact, he sang ‘Black Diamond’ and I swear he looked me dead in the eye – as he has roamed from festival to festival. It’s a beguiling lifestyle to dedicate oneself to, thriving on the momentum and on the applause. In some ways touring is like a drug, one that must be abruptly weaned off when it comes time to settle into the studio. “It’s completely, hugely addictive, and it’s not the real world. That makes it like a drug. First you get addicted to the movement, of having a real reason to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve always struggled with that,” he says. “I should have more respect for myself and others around me that I should get up on time anyway – but having a plane to catch gets me up, and I get a real rush from that. Getting that instant gratification from an audience, whether that’s 5,000 people on a festival stage or five people in a bar: you feed off that praise. I’m a sucker for attention and for seeking approval. So it’s been hard to come off that drug. “We got really good at touring: knowing how to get through security quickly, weight allowances, little tricks like that,” he continues. “So coming off the road and recording was daunting, because there’s not that fast-paced adrenalin rush. For this, it was just myself and Clare Reynolds, so it was
“GETTING THAT INSTANT GRATIFICATION FROM AN AUDIENCE thebrag.com
ntine So it’s everything from like 15-year-old girls to 50-year-old men at our shows. It’s a good thing.”
“WE’VE ALWAYS HAD A FANTASTIC TIME IN AUSTRALIA. IT’S LIKE A HOME AWAY FROM HOME IN MANY WAYS.”
As the fans have grown up, so too has Tuck, namely by getting married and becoming a father. And despite the band’s incredibly hectic tour schedule, he admits that the wild partying lifestyle is very much behind them. “I’m a normal family guy,” he says. “I like to hang out, do housework, be involved with Evann my son, take him to school and just be with him as much as possible: just everything that normal parents get to do most of the time is stuff that I don’t get to enjoy so coming home and being in the house and being a dad for a minute is kind of what I focus on when I’m back. “We’ve been doing it a long time now, so the partying thing died a long time ago. These days it’s more of a joined experience and making sure that we go out there and do our jobs the best we can.” For a group that has cemented itself in rock music history, one would wonder what’s next for Bullet For My Valentine. Tuck answers quickly, with perhaps exactly the kind of sure-footedness that one might expect. “I’d like to see us just where we are right now. I think everyone’s really content with what we’ve done over the last ten years. What we’ve achieved means we will become bigger and better: that’s great. “We’re always going to strive for that and keep on trying to deliver the best album we ever can. So hopefully we’ll still be talking on the phone with people like yourself and still looking forward to upcoming tours around the world.” With: Atreyu and Cane Hill Where: Big Top, Luna Park. When: Thursday October 27
learning to be OK with things being a lot slower and quieter.” Glasselland is not only the culmination of five years of writing and refining: it also marks a shift in the way Lane composes. A solitary writer by nature, here he’s been joined by Reynolds – a seasoned collaborator – in writing and playing all that we hear. The result is not a breakaway from a sound he’s spent a lifetime developing as much as it is an evolution. “A lot is still storytelling, is still folk and blues driven. But quite a bit of it has a different stylistic sound. The live shows are going to feel a bit more rock’n’roll. But I think the storyteller always wins. I’ve worked years finding my voice, and telling those stories through that and through my style of guitar picking, and I’ve worked really hard on that. “But in the end, I hope it’s the stories that are more important to people,” Lane says. “They’re more important to me. How a story’s told is definitely what gets it over the line, but growing up in a family of performing parents, a mum who could turn any boring story of her day into a thrilling, epic tale, that’s what really inspired me as a kid. And there’s definitely heaps better guitarists and singers out there, but none of them are telling the exact story that I’m telling. Someone like Paul Kelly, who delivers his so well and uniquely: he’s telling his own stories.” Lane powers on. “Paul Kelly talks about having a trick on the road with making coffee in a little espresso pot with running shoes while you
balance it on an iron, heating it up on that,” he laughs. “We did it last night. We tried it out. Got my
little ASICS runners, grabbed the iron, got the espresso things, and it was perfect coffee. So to come
up with something like that, that’s a seasoned touring musician right there. Thank you, Paul Kelly.”
E, WHETHER THAT’S 5,000 PEOPLE ON A FESTIVAL STAGE OR FIVE PEOPLE IN A BAR: YOU FEED OFF THAT PRAISE.” thebrag.com
Where: Newtown Social Club When: Thursday November 10 And: Glassellland out now through Blood Thinner
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 15
Clowns Always Moving Forward By Joe Hansen
M
elbourne punk rock staples Clowns are no strangers to local stages. While the past year and a half has seen the band tour the US and Europe twice, not to mention numerous national support slots, the group’s upcoming east coast shows are its first headline appearances on our shores this year. As a former member of the band – journalistic impartiality aside – it’s remarkable and honourable to witness the degree to which the group has continued to develop and expand from our local scene. I spoke with drummer, founding member and old mate Jake Laderman about the upcoming third full length, the approach to booking the perfect lineup, and how to keep a band motivated after years of relentless workmanship. It’s been over a year and half since the release of 2015’s Bad Blood. Now the dust has settled, how do you feel the album has been received by the new and old fans? And how has touring it for so long shaped your vision of what’s to come?
The Monkeywrench
We’ve absolutely taken that album for as long of a ride as we could have. I’m really stoked with how everything has gone with that record and touring it. It was a really hard album to write, as you would know playing guitar on it, but it’s been amazing to see all the opportunities we’ve been given and the places we’ve been able to go since it came out. I think it definitely has a good
shelf life in it as a good Aussie punk rock record. I wouldn’t change a thing on it. You’ve already released the new single ‘Destroy The Evidence’. Is this a good insight into the sound of the new record? The record definitely won’t all sound like that; it’ll definitely be mixed up. I think a good record consists of a lot of dynamics and as much as I’d love to write a record of three-minute pop punk songs, it’s not really what our band has ever been about. There’s definitely going to be a few surprises on the new album. That’s the plan anyway. Despite being known as staples of the Melbourne live scene, in the last year or so you’ve played relatively few headline shows in Melbourne. How does it feel to be headlining your own show at home after so long? I’m absolutely ready for it. This year the plan was to not play that many shows, just to dedicate time to writing and recording a new record and putting it out when it was ready. Just take care of that and take the necessary steps from there. But we got offers for tours that you can’t say no to. Eventually we had to give ourselves the ultimatum of saying no to shows and tours that we otherwise would have loved to do, otherwise we’d never have had time to start working on a record. Obviously things are a bit different from the old days when we had to play in Melbourne every week, but
Heart-Wrenching Stuff By Adam Norris
“Ha! No, no. It’s just, well, we were never asked!” Bland chuckles. “But the last time we got together in April, we were supposed to do a festival in London and we were rehearsing for it, and while we were practising, Tim [Kerr] said, ‘Look, I’m just putting this out there. Is there any chance we could go to Australia?’ “Mark [Arm] and Steve [Turner] said, ‘Huh. Well, we’ll check with our promoters down there and see if they’re interested.’ And hey, we got the thumbs up! That’s all it took. The other guys have always wanted to come, but I’m pretty excited about it myself. I haven’t played there now in
“I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YEARS AGO THAT THERE WASN’T [MUCH] PROSPECT OF US GETTING BACK TOGETHER. BUT THEN, INTERESTING PROPOSALS COME UP.” 16 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
about 26 years, so it should be fun. I’ve been back three or four times over the years, but I’ve got kids now, and I’m obligated to take them back to the ancestral home on occasion.” 26 years is a long time between drinks, and the Sydney of today is a long way removed from the one Bland would have experienced back in the ’80s. The venues he once frequented have since closed their doors or dropped live music entirely, and not much remains of the Sydney independent scene from the days of The Scientists, Lime Spiders and Salamander Jim (which featured Bland, Kim Salmon and Tex Perkins). They were glorious, frantic days, but it wasn’t all wine and roses. “I remember them being a real grind, actually,” Bland says. “I remember [playing in] Zulu Rattle in Sydney, it was very hard to get established. There were a lot of bands around at the time, and great ones, too. You could go down and see the Hoodoo Gurus or The Scientists at the Strawberry Hills Hotel for free. But it was a hell of a lot of hard work, just playing around. We never really gelled. “Salamander Jim, that band only went for around six months: that’s another band that never quite found its identity I think,” Bland continues. “We were just starting to figure out what we were going to do. When we started, we already had songs that we were supposed to play because the band had already kind of been going with Kim Salmon. He’d written a bunch of songs, so we just played those for a while until we figured out what we wanted to play. By the time we actually figured that out, Tex had got an offer to head over to London, and the band just fell apart. But it was a great time. I have fond memories of those Salamander Jim days.” In addition to whacking the skins in The Monkeywrench, Bland has also been keeping himself busy playing in both Tom Price Desert Classic and, more recently, as part of a soul band called Bonneville Power.
Versatility seems to be the name of the game for The Monkeywrench crew. “I’ve got a certain style I’ve developed over the years, and it suits some kinds of music, it doesn’t suit others,” Bland says. “I definitely feel like my role is different in every band. In the soul band, me and the bass player have to really keep it pumping along, otherwise it all falls apart. It’s really helping out with playing in The Monkeywrench, actually. But with The Monkeywrench, the fulcrum of the band is Tim Kerr’s guitar. He has this incredible sense of swing, and he’s very much rooted in the blues. He plays this fantastic swing-blues guitar that’s more like Hound Dog Taylor: it just drips off his fingers and he can’t help it. So I just play off him. In other bands, it’ll be different again, but I find that really stimulating. I’d find it really dull otherwise.” As it stands, The Monkeywrench are something of a rarity these days. Coming together roughly every eight years for a new venture, the chances of them returning to Oz are looking rather slim. But as a great man once said, you should never say never... “You never know, I would have thought years ago that there wasn’t [much] prospect of us getting back together. But then, interesting proposals come up. We’ve still never played South America, and if that came up we’d certainly do it, if Mudhoney isn’t too busy. It’s the initial getting back together and blowing the dust of songs that takes a little bit of effort. But once you get past that it’s actually pretty easy to get back together. If a couple of years pass, then suddenly it’s hard again. You’ve got to remember all of the lyrics!” he laughs. “None of us feel that old, but then, we try not to look at any old photos, either. We’re pretty full on – I think people will like it.”
Raised Fist photo by Richard Kårström
M
artin Bland is, well, anything but. The long standing drummer for supergroup The Monkeywrench has played in a variety of bands for decades, and has travelled the world doing so. From his days playing the Strawberry Hills Hotel to steeping himself in American soul, the expat muso has seen his share of adventure. Now at long last The Monkeywrench are touching down in Australia for the first (and likely last) time. It could have happened much sooner, but I figure the other band members must have been put off by our reputation for containing the world’s most dangerous everything, and our oceans full of teeth.
Where: Newtown Social Club When: Friday November 25
thebrag.com
Sally Seltmann Alone Again, Naturally By David James Young
“IT WAS A REALLY HARD ALBUM TO WRITE … BUT IT’S BEEN AMAZING TO SEE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES WE’VE BEEN GIVEN AND THE PLACES WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO GO SINCE IT CAME OUT.” these days we can afford to spread it out. This tour that we’re doing was definitely well needed, since we’ve got new songs we’re keen to play to everyone back home. It’s really exciting to be able to finally have our own headline show here. It’s rare to see bands these days, especially in the hardcore/punk rock side of things, make a point of booking mixed bills with highly versatile and varied styles of music. What motivates you to play and tour with such diverse bands? There’s a few things involved in that. I love nothing more than going to a show and seeing four completely different bands do a different kind of set. I’ve only seen No Anchor once, in 2014, and since then had become friends with Alex [Gillies]. I ended up planting the idea with them about how awesome it would be if they reformed and played some shows with us. With Don Bosco, who I think musically are unreal, I just have a big desire to include people I consider my mates at the shows we play. We know so many people around the country that are our friends that we love hanging out with. It sounds obvious, but if we’re travelling around the country and
playing in a new city every night, we want to be having a good time with our mates. You’ve been a band for almost seven years. The musical style has evolved and members have come and gone, but what do you think is the main motivating factor that has kept the band constantly moving forward? To me and our singer Stevie, who I’ve played with in Clowns since we were 18, we’ve seen a lot of small milestones of success happen over time. From simply playing some good shows, putting out a single, selling some shirts, playing a show interstate, everything like that has served as a reminder of how being in this band is something that we can actually do. Most importantly it’s just really fun. Over time it’s become such an important part of our lives and all of these milestones have reinforced that and motivated us to keep moving forward. Just like Descendents, it’s all about going for all. Where: Blackwire Records When: Saturday October 15 / Sunday October 16 With: No Anchor
I
t’s been two years since the release of Hey Daydreamer, the second solo studio album from Melbourne-via-Los Angeles singer, songwriter, composer and multiinstrumentalist Sally Seltmann. It should be stressed, however, that Seltmann has been far from dormant in that window of time: among a myriad of other projects, she has released a new single entitled ‘Dancing In The Darkness’ and has begun reverting her attention to that of the music that solely bares her own name. “I’ve been so busy collaborating with other people in the last few years,” she explains. “It’s been pretty fun, but I’m pretty desperate to start on my own record. Things keep popping up that I feel like I can’t say no to. My husband Darren and I composed all of the music in an ABC series called The Let Down, and that took quite a while. I’ve also been playing some parts on some friend’s albums and taking on different creative projects. I’ve even gotten a start on the next Seeker Lover Keeper record, which we’re all writing together at the moment. I got to the point where I wanted to have something out there – something to share and something to play some shows on the back of – so that’s where ‘Dancing In The Darkness’ factored in.” The single is the second that Seltmann has released since Hey Daydreamer, following on from last year’s ‘We Are The Music’. Both are expected – at this stage, at least – to
xx
“I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING OUT THERE – SOMETHING TO SHARE AND SOMETHING TO PLAY SOME SHOWS ON THE BACK OF.” thebrag.com
be a part of the tracklist for what will be Seltmann’s third solo album. With hopes for a release some time in the middle of 2017, the prospective work will see Seltmann continue what she describes as an enamoured relationship with the long player. “I’m slowly writing toward an album: I still feel like that’s the best format for me,” she says. “I’ve had quite a few of my musician friends tell me that it’s antiquated and that the way forward is just to release singles. I’m just not so sure that I feel that way, even though my last couple of releases have just been singles. A whole album just feels complete, with a journey that you undertake in full. I still really appreciate that, so that’s still something I want out of my own music. I still have journals full of lyrics and all these ideas to work through, and I look forward to sitting down and organising all of it into something cohesive that I can present as an album.” In the last decade, Seltmann has established just as solid a reputation for being a collaborative co-writer as she has for her solo material. Famously, she was one of the people responsible for bringing Feist’s sole crossover hit ‘1234’ to life, while the aforementioned Seeker Lover Keeper saw her harmonising with Sarah Blasko and Holly Throsby for a critically-acclaimed self-titled album. It’s not something that’s lost on Seltmann, particularly given that she notes a great disparity between the attitudes she once held towards allowing other people in on her process initially, compared to its role in her life now. “What’s funny about it is that I never even considered doing any co-writing whatsoever when I was first starting,” she says. “I never liked it as an idea, really. Now that I’ve written so many songs on my own, I suppose I’m more open to working with other people. Sometimes, you’ll have an idea presented to you by someone you’re writing with that you’d have never thought of yourself. Other times, you work with people that have a really similar
line of thinking. That was certainly the case when I was writing songs with Susanna Hoffs, for instance. It can be exhausting, but I find it really interesting.” For now, however, Seltmann is taking time to focus in on writing by herself. “I think I might prefer it, to be honest,” she adds. “You tend to find that songs come a bit more organically if you’re just working by yourself at your own pace – sessions with other people, as inspiring as they can be, they can really wear you out.” With ‘Dancing In The Darkness’ out, alongside a short film of her performing it in Portland, Seltmann has two intimate shows planned for the end of October in both Sydney and Melbourne. Rather than enlisting her usual ring-ins and accompanying musicians, Seltmann will be performing solo, swapping between the piano and guitar. Seltmann intends to use the opportunities to work through a few new songs as well as tracks that stem all the way back to her beginnings under the moniker of New Buffalo. “I’m going to be playing some songs that I’ve never played before, as well as some New Buffalo songs and a few tracks from my solo albums,” she says. “When you’re playing solo, the lyrics that you’re singing come through really clearly, so it’s nice to pull out some songs from the back catalogue that are more storytelling and that connect with the audience on that sort of level. I feel like that’s something audiences really appreciate about going to see an artist playing solo. It’ll also be good to get an idea of whether my new songs are any good or not. When you’re in front of an audience like that, you sense it either way immediately.” Where: Newtown Social Club When: Friday October 21 And: ‘Dancing In The Darkness’ out now through Three Of Hearts
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 17
Sticky Fingers Bawdy Bards By Emily Norton
A
fter an exhausting stint of international touring, the Sticky Fingers lads have returned to Oz for the release of their new album m and to pull themselves back together before pissing off to the states. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, vocalist Paddy Cornwall is feeling cheeky and cheerful when talking
to the BRAG, excited to discover that the interviewer he is talking to, yours truly, has never before done a phone interview. “So I’m popping your cherry right now?” Cornwall laughs. “That’s pretty cool.” Such is the musician’s attitude throughout the interview: he’s fun and funny, eager to
talk about the things that give him joy, chief among them the simple pleasures of rock’n’roll. “Everything is all coming back to rock’n’roll,” Cornwall giggles. “Before that there was a wave of like indie folk, which made me fucking vomit. I’m really glad to see the end of the phase and I hope it never fucking comes back.” Actually it seems Cornwall is fairly familiar with vomiting, and offering up the contents of his guts used to be a fairly staple element of his pre-show warm up. “Before we went on stage I’d always spew,” he says. “I fi gured out that it was a way of turning a mental pressure into a physical transformation: I’d feel really loose and ready to rock afterwards. But I haven’t done that for ages like a year or two.” So it’s true then: the rock’n’roll lifestyle really does take a toll on the body, coming complete with drunkenness, nervy poops, and puking. Enter at your own risk.
wed
12 Oct
thu
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
13 Oct
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
fri
14 Oct (10:00PM - 1:40AM)
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
sat
sun
15 Oct
5:45PM 8:45PM
3:30PM 6:30PM
16 Oct
(10:00PM - 1:15AM)
mon
17 Oct
(8:30PM - 11:30PM)
tue
(8:30PM - 11:30PM)
18 Oct
EVERY SATURDAY
Party DJs GROUND FLOOR - AFTER BANDS
18 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
(8:30PM - 11:30PM)
But should you choose to accept your mission and enter a life of rock’n’roll, the experience will at least be uplifted by comical tales, of which Cornwall has many. “It was our sound guy Manny’s birthday in Manchester recently so we took him out for a nice Chinese lunch,” he says. “There was a massage parlour across the road, so afterwards I decided to shout all the boys a massage. But then when we were all in there, it turned out to be a very different massage joint to what I thought it was. I thought it was traditional Chinese: it was a bit more of an entire other thing all together. All the girls from the massage parlour ended up coming down to the show that night. Then our photographer nearly burnt down the venue trying to cook a baguette in a microwave. It caught on fire and then the venue got evacuated.” Of course, such a tale practically begs to be accompanied by a pun about how the StiFi lads are on fire, particularly given the astronomical success of their recent touring efforts. It’s not all glamour and glitz though, and Cornwall reveals the group embarked upon its recent tour riding around the place on a big sleeper bus. “That can create the best and the worst of times because you’re literally living on top each other and it can go from zero to ten real quickly,” Cornwall says. “You just start almost getting in a serious brawl over something as small as who gets to go next putting their macaroni cheese in the microwave. But we were all mates before the band got together. The first step to being in a somewhat successful band is to fi nd fi ve people who are stupid enough to dedicate literally their entire life into giving this thing a stab and forgetting their jobs, studies, girlfriends, boyfriends – depending
E RE EA T E ER T FR AR T RE A T A E ER A EA T ER A T EA T E T ER on which boat you fl oat – and just bashing it head on.” Bashing it head on is indeed what the group has done: these lads have worked relentlessly to bring you their latest album, and the record was born from a punishing period of creative expression. “We’re a band that’s been pushing, pushing, and pushing for so long without having a break. “You’ve got members of the band who are fl ying off the rails while other members of the band are almost like imploding and exploding. Then we’re dealing with everything from psych wards to rehab clinics to band members bashing each other and not speaking to one other. Then having this American tour booked and not being able to get into the country because of criminal records.” Such external pressures had a powerful effect on the group’s internal dynamics, and it wasn’t long before their working relationship started to strain. “We did magically somehow get our visas sorted before getting into America, but it had been weeks or months since we’d even spoken to each other. But then we just remembered that at the end of the day all the bullshit washes away and we still love making music together. That’s kind of what that whole album is all about.” Given the bawdy way the interview started, it feels only appropriate that it ends with a reasonably crude question: if Cornwall could lose his virginity again, what song would it be to? Cornwall answers in a heartbeat. “‘Sexy Eyes’ by Dr. Hook,” he says. “Yeah I bet that’d be perfect. You have to listen to it: like, imagine me dancing around to it with latex and some guyliner, and really going for it. Maybe with a bit of baby oil.” Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear latex. Where: Enmore Theatre When: Friday October 28 And: out now through Sureshaker
m
thebrag.com
arts in focus
arts news...what's goin' on around town... with Alex Chetverikov, Joseph Earp and Emily Norton
free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit House For Rent
five minutes WITH
KAILESH REITMANS FROM FACES – THE MUSICAL ghost of Ethan’s grandfather, Arthur, who follows them in their exploration, leading to a most unexpected and revealing discovery of who Arthur truly was. Unbeknownst to Ethan, this discovery impacts his life profoundly, and leads to a life-changing experience for all those involved. What do you think the play is about thematically? Inherent to its nature, all art bears some kind of duality and deeper meaning behind the facade of its narrative. Thematically, Faces is like any allegory: a resonant message of humanity, compassion, and civility are at its core. This musical is specific however, in that it focuses on how true compassion and unity achieve the ultimate harmony. There are lessons of course on friendship and camraderie – however the true message of this work is about oneness and collaborative empathy.
Kailesh Reitmans
T
ell us a bit about the plot of Faces Upon meeting in an attic, four young adults, led by Ethan Fielding, are in search of a long lost token: a penny whistle that belonged to Ethan’s deceased grandfather. Its discovery sparks an unforeseen journey of the self, and challenges these characters’ social relationships. Their journey invokes the
What kind of audience are you hoping to attract? This is a musical for all audiences: there is no age, gender, race, or demographic who should be limited to its enjoyment. There is, however, an obvious point of similarity or
How have rehearsals been so far? There have been a vast range of experiences and moments, testing every member of the cast and production team in one way or another. Naturally, rehearsals are meant to be dynamic, involved, and testing. They are where characters are developed and the story is realised. But the word which best comes to mind when describing our rehearsals is ‘beneficial’.
RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL
What do you want audiences to leave the theatre thinking/feeling? Uplifted. Positive. Happy. Simple. But that is ultimately the message of compassion and humanity in general: to look forward and upward.
So, feel like indulging yourself in a whole heap of Soviet pleasures? Well, you’re in luck: the Russian Resurrection Film Festival is heading to Sydney, hitting Event Cinemas George Street and Burwood, and running from Thursday October 27 to Sunday November 6. We have ten double passes to the Festival to give away, so head over to thebrag. com/freeshit for your chance to check out fi lms like Eisenstein’s Ivan The Terrible.
What: Faces – The Musical Where: Factory Theatre When: Tuesday October 11 – Sunday October 23
Those Russians sure know how to make movies, don’t they? After all, Sergei Eisenstein called the Russian Empire home, and he was one of the pioneering theorists and artists working in the medium – a genius who laid the groundwork for pretty much every movie that comes out these days.
Xxx
Dan Harmon
relatability to adolescents, millennials and all young people, as this is a story exploring that age group. Nonetheless, enjoyment will no doubt be found by all those who see it.
Ant gelato
ANT-ENNA FILM FEST CLICKS OUT FOR HARAMBE
A brand new 24-hour-plus experience is kicking off at the Sydney Opera House over one action-packed December weekend. Bingefest invites one and all to binge on an unpredictable collection of television, performance art, podcasts, video game battles and something we can all get on board with: internet cat videos! The festival will also feature Rick & Morty and Community creator Dan Harmon in conversation, alongside the commission of a special participatory performance artwork by Shia LaBeouf and artists Rönkkö and Turner. It’s a sprightly celebration of pop culture in its many forms, with a healthy dose of internet lols in store. And yes, of course there’ll be a Harambe memorial service included. It’s all going down at the Opera House from Saturday December 17 to Sunday December 18.
FATHER’S DAY
Dad’s the word, and they’re not about to keep quiet with new show Dads. Seeking inspiration from the most unexpected places, Sydneybased dance and choreography group Dance Makers Collective has announced a show that will draw influence from the fathers of those involved within the collective, taking cues from the pleasures of the everyday to inform its dance practice. The show has been designed to explore an untapped resource of dad-based content, including carport parties, door-knob dance partners and tambourines (no, seriously). FORM Dance Projects and Riverside Theatres will present Dads from Wednesday November 2 to Saturday November 5.
GOT THE BLUES
Well known for the way it captures life as a teenager in the late 1970s in the unique microcosm of Australian society, Bruce Beresford’s 1981 film Puberty Blues is now set for a special screening at the Randwick Ritz. The flick’s renowned director will attend the thebrag.com
screening, providing a keynote interview to be hosted by silver-screen and all-round legend Lee-Lin Chin. Best of all, proceeds from the Ritz screening will help Sunrise Cambodia in its continued provision of healthcare, housing and education to impoverished Cambodians. The event looks to raise $50,000 for this great cause. The Puberty Blues event will kick off at 6.45pm on Thursday October 20.
FRIGHT NIGHT
Rob Zombie is the master of provocation: his films are equal parts blood, gore, and, uh, blood. But, underneath their outwardly icky exterior, his flicks are often concerned with, oddly enough, the power of family, and even his most difficult work (The Devil’s Rejects, anyone?) has a weird kinda heartwarming pull all of its own. To see whether his new flick 31 has that same seam of familial warmth underneath all of its clown murders, you’ll have to head along to the Dendy Cinemas Newtown on Monday October 31. There will be DVD prizes for costumes and you’ll be able to snag some Halloween candy too.
And now for something completely different... The Antenna Documentary Film Festival has teamed up with gelato house Cow & Moon for a highly ant-icipated sweet treat for attendees of the Australian premiere of vibr-ant documentary Bugs. Ignoring those tasteless puns for a moment, Cow & Moon are dishing up an exclusive guava sorbet with a sprinkling of ants to provide a bit of crunchy acidity. It’s a social experiment considering the environmental benefits of eating insects, which the film itself considers as a potential solution to the world hunger epidemic. With the sustainable and culinary benefits of insects being impossible to ignore (ants make up the largest biomass on the Earth, and reproduce endlessly), it will parallel the film’s message with the visceral sensation of actually eating the critters. Bugs will screen on Saturday October 15 at the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington.
GET YER ROCKS OFF
Australian Heritage Hotel
Oktoberfest is returning to historic heritage precinct The Rocks for its 12th year running, with the Australian Heritage Hotel and The Mercantile set to host two beer and food showcases to celebrate the German festival. The Australian Heritage Hotel, one of Sydney’s oldest and most respected pubs, will showcase more than 34 different Aussie breweries as part of its Australian Beer Festival, which runs from Friday October 14 to Sunday October 16. Also, for something a little different, the Mercantile Hotel will present the Guinness and Oyster Festival on Sunday October 16. It’s going to be a free day of family fun, with Irish musicians and dancers to provide the soundtrack to food stalls offering an indulgent selection of oysters and seafood, face painting, and a whole lot more.
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 19
film reviews
arts in focus ■ Film
TRASH FIRE Reviewed as part of the Sydney Underground Film Festival Cinematic cruelty is an understated currency these days. After all, Hitchcock founded his career on a distinct form of stylised meanness, and everyone from Brian De Palma to French auteur Claire Denis have injected their films with a squirmy kind of sadism. Indeed, it is the shadow of Denis that falls most obviously across Trash Fire, the new film from indie horror wunderkind Richard Bates Jr. – though it should be stressed that despite the debt it owes to her stylish, scathing work, the film never feels parodic or derivative. Indeed, quite the opposite is true: Trash Fire might be the most inventive American film of the year.
■ Film
A CRACKUP AT THE RACE RIOTS Reviewed as part of the Sydney Underground Film Festival Nobody makes films like Harmony Korine. The lo-fi lovin’ cinephile has a sense of humour that borders on the all-out offensive, and over his determinedly bizarre career he has contributed a number of groundbreaking films to the international canon, thumbing his snotty nose at critics along the way. Indeed, the very specific nature of the director’s trashy style is chief among the reasons A Crackup At The Race Riots fails quite so spectacularly. The hour-long flick is based on Korine’s book of the same name, but he had no direct hand in its production. Instead, the project was helmed by Leo Gabin, a collective of three Belgian artists who try to invoke the auteur’s aesthetic with less-than-ideal results. The film follows the book closely, and as a result more resembles a series of vignettes than anything recognisably narrative. It’s more a string of unconnected shorts: brief, bizarre glimpses into the underbelly of American culture, with a number of speakers (many of them with their vocals heavily altered) reading straight from Korine’s book while seemingly unconnected visuals play on the screen.
What's in our diary...
If that description makes the film sound insufferably artsy, that’s because it is. It barely holds the viewer’s attention, and many of the scenes border on the mastubatory. A particularly lengthy sequence featuring subtitled text, what sounds suspiciously like the hold music you’d encounter while chatting to a bank, and some grainy footage of a field is the most egregious example of the directors’ disdain for the audience, and the film often confuses flat out boredom with provocation.
And yet the true genius of the film comes from the various levels of unlikeability that Bates Jr. weaves together. You certainly don’t enjoy the company of any one of the characters, but you do somehow find yourself rooting for some of them – hoping that the shitheads come out on top over the fuckers – and before long the piece begins to smack of a distinctly complicit form of unkindness. None of Trash Fire’s players are worthy of being saved – but neither are we, the audience, watching on like a gaggle of old-age pensioners peering out at a flaming car wreck, and Bates Jr. revels in a cathartic brutality that proves as infectious as the plague. To sum up Trash Fire, then? Everyone’s awful, no-one is redeemed, innocence is a lie and kindness is weakness. And ain’t that the fucking joy of it? Joseph Earp
The trio also attempt to ‘modernise’ the book by spruicing it up with overt references to YouTube vloggers, a move that initially holds some promise, but again quite rapidly proves irritating and piss-weak. There’s no oomph nor bite to drawn-out scenes of off-camera vloggers filming their bedrooms, and ultimately such trite cinematic asides just fill viewers with a hearty sense of “so what?” 'Cause here’s the thing: Korine might be a provocateur, and he might have little to no regard for the rules of conventional cinema, but you’d never ever call him boring. Even his most outrageous projects are fascinating, full of ‘can’t look away’ horror and dark humour that is outright hypnotising. Leo Gabin ripped off every other element of Korine’s style: you’d think they would have ripped off his sick sense of fun, too. Joseph Earp
Arts Exposed
Soft Core Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Saturday October 15 - Sunday December 4 Soft Core doesn’t just boast a cheekily provocative title: the works contained within the exhibition are also determinedly left-of-centre in their nature, and aim to disrupt the established norm when it comes to sculptural art. A number of well-known Sydney artists are involved in the exhibition, with 13 acclaimed award winners submitting their pieces to the showing, including Tully Arnot, Brook Andrew, Mikala Dwyer and Tully Moore. Better still, it’s all going down in the perfect confines of the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, an intimate gallery setting that will let the soft, smooth and surreal textures of the works really shine. Soft Core opens on Saturday October 15 and runs through 'till Sunday December 4. For more information, head to casulapowerhouse.com. 20 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
The plot is bare bones, and deliberately so: the shockingly unlikeable Owen (Adrian Grenier in a career-defining 180-degree swivel away from his work on Entourage) hates his girlfriend Isabel (Angela Trimbur), his burnt-to-death parents, his downright evil and estranged grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan), his life. But when he gets Isabel pregnant, she demands that they visit his grandmaw and Owen’s disfigured sister, a survivor from the blaze that offed his folks.
What ensues is a brilliantly understated, expertly controlled lead-up to one of the grottiest cinematic punchlines of recent memory. Bates Jr. reins in the vivid visual madness that defined his debut, Excision, instead choosing to focus all his talents on a kind of clinical coolness that gives the proceedings the feeling of a slow, precise autopsy. Characters stare straight down the barrel of the camera; the lighting is even; the scenes are trimmed short. Nothing lingers but everything stings.
five minutes WITH
JEFF KHAN FROM LIVEWORKS
T
ell us a little bit about Liveworks: what goes on at the events? Liveworks is a celebration of new art from across Australia and Asia. From installations to participatory performance, contemporary dance and experimental music, the festival presents the most interesting new developments in contemporary art each year. For this year’s festival you can expect to hear some moving and challenging stories about Indigenous culture, have a conversation with an artist about her family’s sex lives, and witness a contemporary Indonesian dancer transform between man and woman. That’s only some of the experiences on offer! Is there a guiding philosophy in place when the event is being curated? When we curate Liveworks we are curious to see what the most interesting new developments in art are each year. We’re really interested in artists who are pushing boundaries and who think differently about how they engage with audiences. There are a few recurring themes through this year’s program, from new perspectives on sex and gender, to the changing relationship between humans and nature in the era of climate change. Big themes for turbulent times, you might say. Are there any events in particular that you are excited about?
Ecosexual Bathhouse by PonyExpress That’s like being asked to choose favourites between your children! But two works that we’re thrilled to bring to Sydney this year are Ecosexual Bathhouse by Perth collective Pony Express and SoftMachine by the Berlin-based Singaporean artist Choy Ka Fai. Ecosexual Bathhouse invites audiences into a performative romp through some erotic and strange encounters with nature: it made quite a splash when it premiered at Melbourne’s Next Wave Festival this year. SoftMachine is an astonishing and intimate glimpse into the work and lives of artists making cuttingedge dance work in Asia. What is your average Liveworks event audience member like? Our audiences is pretty
diverse in terms of their age and background, but everyone tends to be openminded and excited about diving into new experiences. Our audiences love to be surprised and are looking for something beyond the predictable cycle of mainstream media and traditional artforms that crowd our airspace. What do you want people to walk away from Liveworks events thinking/ feeling? I hope people away from the festival feeling inspired, exhilarated, challenged or curious. Or any combination of the above! What: Liveworks 2016 Where: Carriageworks When: Thursday October 27 – Sunday November 6
thebrag.com
bread&thread Food & Fashion News... with Alex Chetverikov, Emily Norton and Joseph Earp
The Night Noodle Markets
Well Sensered Food
SENSE ATE HYDE YOUR NOODLE
Delicious carbohydrates in a box! The Night Noodle Markets has returned to its Hyde Park home. The celebration of all things noodley has already kicked off (it started on Thursday October 6) but don’t worry, you didn’t miss out: the event is going to run all the way to Sunday October 23 as part of Good Food Month. All the fan favourites will be returning, with Mr Bao, Mamak, Hoy Pinoy, House of Crabs and Queenies all making mouthwatering entries to this year’s event. Desserts will include sweet treats provided by Black Star Pastry, so you’ll be able to load yourself up on watermelon cake.
WHAT’S UP IN WAHROONGA?
The Wahroonga Food and Wine Festival will return to the lush and leafy surrounds of Wahroonga Park on Sunday October 30 for this year’s event, with over 130 wines from 30 wineries on offer, along with a great range of local produce and gourmet food stalls serving up a variety of cuisines. At the park’s centre is the delectable Swift Sparkling and Oyster Bar, with hand-shucked South Coast oysters and Swift Sparkling bubbles fresh on hand for your pleasure. If that wasn’t enough for your insatiable appetite, Hunter Valley Cheese Factory platters, signature dishes from a range of restaurants, and homegrown produce stalls from all around NSW will be available. Kids will be kept entertained with inflatable rides and Southern Highlands petting animal farm. Best of all, entry is free!
STOP WINING!
While plebs like you or I might be more attuned to wine-tasting events offering half a dozen wines (or a dozen if we’re lucky!), the folks at Mental Notes are giving you the
carefully-curated opportunity to taste over a hundred wines from Australia and overseas down at Paddington Town Hall. Taking place over two sessions on Saturday October 15, with all-day tickets also available,
Secret location events are all the rage these days, and for good reason: there’s something distinctly alluring about rocking up to a random venue, unprepared for the experience that’s about to leap out of the dark and intoxicate you. Well Sensered Food, taking place as part of Good Food Month is taking that idea and running with it, leaving potential audience members in the dark as to a lot of what is going to occur. You’ll rock up, get wrapped up in a blindfold, and then taste your way through to a range of culinary delights. Of course, given the nature of the event, if you’re a vegetarian you’ll want to sit it out: you will come into contact with alcohol, eggs, nuts, pork and beef over the course of the evening. But, if that sounds like you’re kind of thing, head over to the Good Food Month website, goodfoodmonth.com and buy tickets. The event runs on Thursday October 20 through to Saturday October 22, so you have three separate opportunities to get involved
GET TO THE GROUNDS
Wahroonga Food And Wine the event also features a chance to sup at some rare saké and spirits, and with a heavy emphasis on quality. To keep you stable, Mary’s will have a stall providing tasty treats all day.
More drool-inducing baked goods are about to be made available as The Grounds of Alexandria introduces a new experience at its revitalised location. New culinary experience The Bakery at The Grounds provides a larger environment and a tempting menu aimed at being more engaging for fans of pastries. The new open
format bakery will allow customers to watch bakers at work, enticing all who visit. New items on offer will include a variety of artisan breads, granolas, coffees and designer pastries. The retail area of the company has expanded and take-home products will now be on offer, as well as masterclasses in baking and cake decorating on offer. The Bakery is now open for business.
A Flume Sweatshirt
MOVERS AND MAKERS AND SHAKERS
Nothing beats a good ol’ fashioned market, hey? After all, who doesn’t love the experience of rummaging through stall after stall, getting yer filthy mitts on a whole load of sweets, treats and trinkets? Those folks over at the Makers And Shakers Market sure have you covered on that front: the twice-annual celebration features a stunningly diverse lineup of sellers, so you can get your hands on everything from homewares to stationery to original prints, all at a shockingly fair price. It’s all going down at Marrickville Town Hall on Saturday October 15. Entry is two bucks, but kids are free, so load up the family and get them trucking over, won’tcha? Makers And Shakers Market
FLUME FASHION
xxx
Following in the esteemed tradition of other famous musicians who have launched their own clothing lines, ol’ mate Flume has announced his own brand of threads. Items include a rather nifty looking sweatshirt, a sleek black shirt, and a range of patches inspired by the front cover image of his new album. It’s an ecclectic selection of bits and bobs, but given that the young muso has one of the most dedicated fan bases about, you can be sure that the range will sell ridiculously well. Head your way over to shop.flumemusic.com in order to feast your eyes upon the mauve beauties.
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 21
BARS BRAG
HUSTLE & FLOW BAR
Ash St Cellar 1 Ash St, Sydney CBD
bar
OF
3/105 REGENT ST. REDFERN PHONE NUMBER: (02) 8964 9392 WEBSITE: HUSTLEFLOWBAR.COM OPENING HOURS: MONDAY CLOSED, TUES – SAT 6PM – MIDNIGHT, SUN 2PM – 10PM
A Work In Progress 50 King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri noon-2am; Sat 5pm-2am
TH
EK
B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O S Y D N E Y ’ S B E S T WAT E R I N G H O L E S
(02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri 8.30am-11pm
E E W
The Attic 275 Pitt St, Sydney CBD (02) 9284 1200 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu 10am-1.30am; Fri 10am-3am; Sat noon1.30am Assembly 488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808 Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight The Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 2229 Mon – Sun 10.30am-midnight Bar Eleven Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4712 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
bar
Basement Bar Basement, 27-33 Goulburn St, Sydney CBD (02) 8970 5813 Mon – Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-1am Beta Bar First Floor, 238 Castlereagh St, CBD (02) 8599 8970 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri midday-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 4-10pm
Tell us about your bar: Hustle & Flow reopened at the start of the year under the ownership of a local family who undertook a stylish refurbishment with handmade timber furniture, complementing pieces by renowned graffiti artists like Days One and Yipes. The bar is a very cool space with a uniquely urban signature and has become an artistic hub for artists of various mediums. Hustle & Flow offers a large selection of bottled beers, wines, inventively tasty cocktails and impressive top-shelf liquors, all at reasonable prices.
Burrow Bar De Mestre Place, Sydney 0450 466 674 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight The Captain’s Balcony 46 Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 3526 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight deVine 32 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 6906 Mon – Fri 11.30am-11.30pm; Sat 5.30-11.30pm
What’s on the menu? Americanstyle burgers, fries and sides from The Milk Bar by Café Ish. Burgers range from $10 to $18.50. The ‘WTF’ burger is highly recommended, although this bad boy is not for the faint-hearted given it contains two house-blend
Easy Eight 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney (02) 9299 3769 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight beef patties, double American cheddar, pulled pork, artisan bacon, hash brown, red onion, pickles, house BBQ sauce, and jalapeno and lime aioli. Add hand-cut, twicecooked chips and a beer for $12. Care for a drink? Red Horse is a seven per cent beer from the Philippines, a deeply hued larger with a distinctive sweetish taste balanced by a smooth bitterness that leads into a strong alcohol kick. This is the only bar in Sydney where you’ll fi nd it. Sounds? Hip hop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae and all that good shit!
22 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
Highlights: The staff are always friendly, engaging and up for a laugh. The bar has a comfortable and funky vibe that is unpretentious and welcoming. Enjoy a drink with friends and take advantage of the extra-long ‘happy hour’ during the week, get your groove on Friday and Saturday nights or chill for a Sunday session. There is something for everyone, with a wide range of events and themed nights, including local and international performances, champion DJs, live bands, interactive theatre, community fundraisers, live radio broadcasts, comedy, movies, sports and art exhibitions. It’s also available for private functions. Hustle & Flow Bar is very different to anything else: it’s the perfect place to socialise or start a night out and still beat the lockout laws. Get in early and claim your spot. It’s a little hard to find but well worth the effort. The bill comes to: WTF burger + fries + Red Horse = $30.50
El Camino Cantina 18 Argyle St, The Rocks Mon – Thu noonmidnight; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun 11.30am-midnight Frankie’s Pizza 50 Hunter St, Sydney CBD Sun – Thu 4pm-3am; Fri noon-3am Gilt Lounge 49 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 0000 Mon – Fri 5pm-2am; Sun 5pm-midnight 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
Sun – Fri noon-9pm
Grandma’s Basement 275 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 3004 Mon – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-1am The Fox Hole 68A Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 4369 Mon 7am-3pm; Tue – Fri 7am-late The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri noon-1am; Sat 4pm-1am Hacienda Sydney 61 Macquarie St, Sydney CBD (02) 9256 4000 Mon – Sun noon-late Harpoon Harry 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 8800 Mon – Sat 11.30am-3am; Sun 11am-midnight Kittyhawk 16 Phillip Ln, Sydney CBD Mon – Thu 3pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 3pm-2am The Lobo Plantation Basement Lot 1, 209 Clarence St, Sydney CBD 0415 554 908 Mon – Thu, Sat 4pm-midnight; Fri 2pm-midnight The Local Bar 161 Castlereagh St, Sydney CBD (02) 9953 0027 Mon – Wed 7.30am-10pm; Thu – Fri 7.30am-11pm The Loft (UTS) 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 1149 Mon – Fri 2-11pm Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu 4pm-1am; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am The Morrison 225 George St, Sydney CBD (02) 9247 6744 Mon – Wed 7.30am-11pm; Thu 7.30am-midnight; Fri 7.30am-2am; Sat 11.30am-2am The Palisade 35 Bettington St, Millers Point 9018 0123 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat – Sun 11am-midnight Mr Tipply’s 347 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 4877 Mon – Thu 11.30am-10pm; Fri 11.30am-midnight; Sat 10pm-4am Palmer & Co. Abercrombie Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Sun – Weds 5pm-3am; Thu 3pm-3am; Fri noon3am; Sat 4pm-3am 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 PS40 40 King St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern
199 Elizabeth 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 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 4.30pm-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 Tuxedo Bar 195 Gloucester St, The Rocks Mon – Fri noon-7pm Uncle Ming’s 55 York St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight York Lane 56 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 1676 Mon – Wed 6.30am-10pm; Thu – Fri 6am-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 Bellini Lounge 2 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 9331 0058 Thu – Sun 6pm-late The Bells Hotel thebrag.com
The Beresford 354 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 8313 5000 Mon – Sun noon-1am Big Poppa’s 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 5pm-3am Black Penny 648 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9319 5061 Mon – Sat 7am-midnight; Sun 7am-10pm 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 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 Wed 6-11pm; Thu – Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 5-10pm The Cliff Dive 16-18 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst Fri – Sat 6pm-late The Commons 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 1487 Tue – Wed 6pm-midnight; Thu – Fri noon-late; Sat – Sun 8:30am-late 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-midnight Della Hyde 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Thu – Sat 5pm-late Eau-De-Vie 229 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst 0422 263 226 Sun – Fri 6pm-1am; Sat 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 Tue – Sun noon-midnight Golden Age Cinema & Bar 80 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills (02) 9211 1556 Wed – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 2:30pm-midnight thebrag.com
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 Hinky Dinks 185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6379 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 2-11pm Hollywood Hotel 2 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9281 2765 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu – Sat 10am-3am The Horse 381 Crown St, Surry Hills 1300 976 683 Mon – Thu noonmidnight; Fri 11.30am-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon10pm Jangling Jack’s Bar & Grill 175 Victoria St, Potts Point Tue – Wed 4-11pm, Thu – Sat 4-1am, Sun noon11pm Hustle & Flow Bar 3/105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8964 93932 Tue – Thu 6pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 2pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Fri noon-11pm; Sat 4pm-midnight LL Wine and Dine 42 Llankelly Place Potts Point (02) 9356 8393 Mon – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm The Local Taphouse 122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Sun noon-9:30pm Love, Tilly Devine 91 Crown Ln, Darlinghurst (02) 9326 9297 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm Low 302 302 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1548 Mon – Sun 6pm-2am Mr Fox 557 Crown St, Surry Hills 0410 470 250 Tue – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm Moya’s Juniper Lounge 101 Regent St, Redfern 0431 113 394 Tue – Sat 4pm-11pm; Sun midday-10pm The Noble Hops 125 Redfern St, Redfern 0431 113 394 Mon – Fri 4pm -midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3pm-10pm The Norfolk 305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills (02) 9699 3177 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Old Growler 218 William St, Woolloomooloo 0458 627 266 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight The Oxford Circus 231 Oxford St,
Darlinghurst 0457 353 384 Wed – Sat 7pm-3am
(02) 9212 0006 Mon midday-10pm; Tue –Sat midday-midnight
The Owl House 97 Crown St, Darlinghurst 0401 273 080 Mon – Sat 5pm-late; Sun 5-10pm
Vasco 421 Cleveland St, Redfern 0406 775 436 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight
Peekaboo 120 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo 0403 747 788 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 0885 Tue – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri 4pm-midnight; 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 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4:30pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-midnight The Print Room 11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Thu – Fri noon-midnight; Sun – Wed noon-10pm Queenie’s Upstairs 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Tue – Thu 6pm-late, Fri noon-3pm & 6pm-late; Sat 6pm-late Riley St Garage 55 Riley St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9326 9055 Mon – Sat noon-midnight Roosevelt 32 Orwell St, Potts Point (02) 8696 1787 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Rosie Campbell’s 320 Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9356 4653 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sun 11am-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 – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 5pm-3am; Sat – Sun 6pm-3am Surly’s 182 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3705 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Sweethearts Rooftop 33/37 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point (02) 9368 7333 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun noon-midnight 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 9am-10pm; Tue – Fri 9am-midnight; Sat 10am-midnight; Sun 10am-10pm
The Village Inn 9-11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Mon – Sun noon-late The Wild Rover 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 2235 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight The Winery 285A Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 0833 Mon – Sun noon-midnight
Anchor Bar 8 Campbell Pde, Bondi (02) 8084 3145 Mon – Fri 5pm-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 – Fri 11am-1am; Sat 10am-1am; Sun 10am-10pm Bondi Hardware 39 Hall St, Bondi (02) 9365 7176 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri noon-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-8pm The Bucket List Shop 1, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive (02) 9365 4122 Mon – Tue 11am-5pm; Wed – Sun 11am-midnight The Corner House 281 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 8020 6698 Tue – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 1pm-10pm Fat Ruperts 249 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 1033 Tue – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 2pm-midnight Jam Gallery 195 Oxford St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tue 4pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 4pm-3am The Phoenix Hotel 1 Moncur St, Woollahra (02) 9363 2608 Tue – Wed 4-11pm; Thu – Fri 11.30am-1am; Sat 8am-11pm; Sun 8am-10pm The Robin Hood Hotel 203 Bronte Rd, Waverley (02) 9389 3477 Mon-Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-10pm Selina’s at Coogee Bay Hotel 253 Coogee Bay Rd, Coogee (02) 9665 0000 Selina’s Thu 8pm-midnight; Coogee Bay Hotel Mon – Thu 7am-3am, Fri – Sat 7am-6am; Sun 7am-midnight
Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6pm-midnight Batch Brewing Company 44 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville (02) 9550 5432 Mon – Sun 10am-8pm Bauhaus West 163 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8068 9917 Wed – Thu 5-11pm; Fri 4-11pm; Sat 2-10pm; Sun midday-10pm 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 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm 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 – Fri 10am-late; Sat 9am-late
Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0405 671 002 Mon 5pm-midnight; Tue 4pm-midnight; Wed – Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Different Drummer 185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9552 3406 Mon 4.30-11pm; Tue – Wed 4.30pm-1am; Thu – Sat 4.30pm-2am; Sun 4.30am-midnight Doris & Beryl’s Bridge Club and Tea House 530 King St, Newtown Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 3.30pm-midnight Earl’s Juke Joint 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 Grifter Brewing Co. 1/391-397 Enmore Rd, Marrickville (02) 9550 5742 Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat noon-9pm; Sun noon-7pm The Hideaway Bar 156 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8021 8451 Tue– Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 1376 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 Kingston Public Bar & Kitchen 62-64 King St, Newtown (02) 8084 4140 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm Knox Street Bar Cnr Knox & Shepherd St, Chippendale (02) 8970 6443 Tue – Thu 4-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Mon – Sat 4pm-late; Thu – Sat 4pm-3am Leadbelly 42 King St, Newtown (02) 9557 9409 Sun – Thur 4pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 4pm-1am 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 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-10pm The Oxford Tavern 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 Mon – Thu noonmidnight; Fri – Sat noon3am; Sun noon-10pm Lord Raglan 12 Henderson Rd, Alexandria (02) 9699 4767 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm The Record Crate
LIVEWORKS 2016 FESTIVAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ART 27 OCT - 6 NOV 2016 Over two jam-packed weeks, 27 October 6 November, join us – and join in – with experimental choreography, kinetic installations, sonic sculptures, captivating Indigenous stories and sexy encounters.
HURRY only 4 weeks to go!
performancespace.com.au
Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Sat 5pm-11pm; Sat – Sun 4pm-10pm
Tio’s Cerveceria 4-14 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1955 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight
Spring Street Social 110 Spring St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tue – Sat 5pm-3am
Tipple Bar 28 Chalmers St, Surry Hills
Stuffed Beaver 271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002
#LIVEWORKSFESTIVAL #PSPACE
2N R D& EL F EA IN SE AL
1 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9357 3765 Mon – Sun 10am-1am
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 23
out & about Queer(ish) matters with Arca Bayburt
On Gay Men Who Hate Women A march in Paris
34 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 1075 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Sat 2pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm
Wayward Brewing Co. 1 Gehrig Ln, Annandale (02) 7903 2445 Thu – Sat 2-10pm; Sun noon-8pm
24 Young St, Neutral Bay (02) 9909 0193 Mon – Wed 5-11pm; Thu 5-11.30pm; Fri noon11.30pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10pm
The Royal 156 Norton St, Leichhardt (02) 9569 2638 Mon – Thu 10am-1am; Fri – Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-midnight
Websters Bar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-midnight
The Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 4pm-2am; Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 4-10pm
Secret Garden Bar 134a Enmore Rd, Enmore 0403 621 585 Mon – Tue 7am-5pm; Wed – Fri 7am-11pm; Sat 7am-10pm; Sun 7am-11pm Staves Brewery 4-8 Grose Street, Glebe (02) 9280 4555 Thu 4-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4-10pm
Earlier in the week, Broadly published an article titled, ‘The Gay Men Who Hate Women’. It was based on the premise that misogyny exists in the queer world and is perpetrated by gay men.
As my friends and I discussed this article, somebody chimed in with a surprisingly vicious, sneering dismissal of the idea that misogyny could thrive among the already marginalised. He said this: “These stories, of which there are more and more every day, just seem to be putting women and their rights on a pedestal at the detriment to everyone else.” Women’s rights becoming equal do not prevent other groups from achieving equality. The outrageous claim that women’s rights are on a pedestal, acting as yet another oppressor, is one that is oft touted by men’s rights activists throughout the catacombs of the internet. If I point out that the sky is blue, my statement doesn’t magically suck the colour out of the rest of the world. So pointing out that division exists within minority communities doesn’t mean that no other problems exist. Saying that misogyny is perpetrated by gay men isn’t about being divisive: it is about examining how minorities react to pressure and acknowledging our issues. The pressure comes from societal expectations. Minorities are oppressed because they fail to meet these expectations in some capacity. Think about our systemic oppression: all of us queers are trapped within this system. As you can imagine, this generates an immense pressure. Like panicked lobsters climbing over each other in an attempt to escape boiling water, people within minority communities can sometimes attack or hold each other down too, which is what ultimately creates the divide. A lot of this can be traced back to shame, internalised homophobia and other such
this week… On Wednesday October 12, the Red Rattler in Marrickville is proud to be hosting queer poet Alok Vaid-Menon for a night of poetry, art and entertaining performances featuring ELSZ, DJ Fwyar, Candy Royalle, MM Dogs and Koco Carey. Tickets are $10, available online and at the door. On Saturday October 15, The Shift Club
24 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
Misogyny exists in the queer community and is very often perpetrated by gay men. This is something we need to accept as a reality. We don’t need to be defending our little corner of Planet Oppressed. It’s as ridiculous as the lobsters murdering each other in the pot as opposed to forming a chain to help each other climb out. We can all keep screaming at each other forever, but ultimately we’re still stuck in this shitty place where we are all treated as second class citizens. It’s all the more disappointing when we treat each other like garbage, but we must recognise that minorities can sometimes treat each other like shit because we are unconsciously reacting to a colossal amount of external pressure.
Thievery 91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8283 1329 Mon – Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri 6pm-midnight; Sat noon-3pm & 6pm-midnight Timbah 375 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9571 7005 Tue – Thu 4-10pm; Fri 4-11pm; Sat 3pm-11pm; Sun 4pm-8pm Vernon’s Bar L2. One Penny Red, 2 Moonbie St. Summer Hill (02) 9797 8118 Mon – Sun 4pm-11:30pm
The Workers Lvl 1, 292 Darling St, Balmain (02) 9555 8410 Fri – Sat 5pm-3am; Sun 2pm-midnight Young Henrys D & E, 76 Wilford St, Newtown (02) 9519 0048 Mon – Sat 10am-7pm; Sun noon-7pm Zigi’s Wine And Cheese Bar 86 Abercrombie St, Chippendale (02) 9699 4222 Tue 4pm-10pm; Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Sat 3pm-midnight
Crooked Tailor 250 Old Northern Road, Castle Hill (02) 9899 3167 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight Daniel San 55 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9977 6963 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Friday – Saturday noon–2am; Sunday noon-midnight Firefly
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, Sydney Rd Plaza, Manly (02) 9977 2009 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Honey Rider 230 Military Rd, Neutral Bay (02) 9953 8880 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm InSitu 1/18 Sydney Rd, Manly (02) 9977 0669 Tue – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm The Hunter 5 Myahgah Rd, Mosman 0409 100 339 Mon – Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon- 10pm Jah Bar Shop 9, 9-15 Central Ave,
Manly (02) 9977 4449 Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed-Fri noon-midnight; Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 9am-midnight
Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 6.30am-late Miami Cuba 47 North Steyne, Manly 0487 713 350 Mon – Sun 8am-4pm Moonshine Lvl 2, Hotel Steyne, 75 The Corso, Manly (02) 9977 4977 Mon – Thu 9am-3pm; Fri – Sat 9am-2am; Sun 9am-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 – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Sat noon-2am; Sun noon-midnight The Stoned Crow 39 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest (02) 9439 5477 Mon – Sat noon-late; Sun 11.30am-10pm The Treehouse Hotel 60 Miller St, North Sydney (02) 8458 8980 Mon – Fri 7am-midnight; Sat 2pm-midnight
If you’re reading this and you’re a gay man, it’s crucial you don’t allow this discourse to make you feel persecuted, but rather, informed. Men who react negatively to feminism often don’t understand that feminism is about helping men too. The entire point of the feminist movement in the 21st century is to remove these barriers so that we may all freely move about the world without being dicks to each other. Feminism means things like male victims of rape being taken seriously. Saying something like, “But I’m not a misogynist!” in reaction to somebody saying “Sexism exists in the queer world” is akin to saying, “Not all men!” Well of course not: nobody is suggesting that every individual member of an entire group holds toxic beliefs. If I talk about feminism, it does not mean, in any universe, that I am lumping all men together. If I talk about racism and racists, it does not mean that I am lumping all white people together. To do so would indicate that I am a reactionary idiot with my head up my arse, a chip on my shoulder and an ego so huge I’m slowly suffocating beneath it. We have to be willing to face these issues in our communities, despite the discomfort of admitting we’ve got a problem. It’s the first step.
will be throwing the Candyland Launch Party, featuring musician Zoë Badwi. There are prizes for best dressed provided by Gear Sportswear. DJs James Tobin, Matt Green and Domenic De Sousa will provide the tunes while The Sugar Pops, April Fools and Sia Tequila entertain you with their performances throughout the night. The illustrious Felicity Frockaccino will be hosting. Also, go-go boys. Don’t miss out on this party: it’s gonna be a good one.
Also on Saturday October 15, head over to the Factory Floor in Marrickville for Bad, an event that promotes diversity within our local music scenes and celebrates artists who sear boundaries and burn conventions. DJs include AIYA, Corin, Dispossessed, DJ Logic, Kimchi Princi x Slim Set and more. Directing the art installations is multidisciplinary artist Danielle Karlikoff in collaboration with artist and curator Anna May Kirk. Tickets are available now.
thebrag.com
Feminist Forever by Looking4Poetry/Flickr
As something of a disclaimer, the author wrote, “The topic of misogyny among gay men is a difficult one to broach. In my experience, men either simply refuse to believe the phenomenon exists, or the conversation is quickly derailed (“yeah, but what about homophobic women?”).”
nasties. It manifests as an aggressively reductive view of the world. It’s almost like a Lord Of The Flies situation. Instead of being upset with each other, we should be united in attempting to understand the constraints within which we have been forced to operate for so long.
Temperance Society 122 Smith St, Summer Hill (02) 8068 5680 Mon – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat: noon-midnight; Sun: noon-10pm
Wilhelmina’s 332 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8068 8762 Wed – Fri 5-11pm; Sat – Sun 8am-11pm
Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebrag.com
Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE PEEP TEMPEL Joy Wing Sing
At first glance, The Peep Tempel’s decision to name their new record Joy seems like a sick joke. After all, this is a band famous for writing the world’s least glamorous love song; a band that tell tales of pathetic gangsters, and the slow, sad dance of divorce. Australia’s finest sonic storytellers return with a surprisingly uplifting new record.
But quite quickly Joy reveals itself as a distinctly hopeful record. Sure, it’s still full of old drunks, as on
‘Kalgoorie’, and semi-veiled, semislurred threats, as on the exemplary ‘Constable’, but there is a kind of manic brilliance to the piece too. It’s an adrenaline rush of an album, full of the sticky rush you get after doing something ever-so-slightly illegal, and the punch-a-wall chorus of ‘Totality’ has an ear-hooky brilliance solely of its own. Indeed, even when songs wade knee-deep into human filth and stupidity, as on ‘Rayguns’, there is still a kind of grityer-teeth dignity about the piece – something that defies evil and comes bloodily birthed into the world with its mangy head held high.
After all, the lyric on the record that lingers most is the clenched fist chorus of ‘Neuroplasticity’, a song that features the closest thing The Peep Tempel have ever
offered to life advice: “Don’t stress / Think about it less.” One of the records of the year? You betcha. Joseph Earp
AUSMUTEANTS
GOBLIN COCK
THE LAURELS
WARPAINT
SET IT OFF
In pre-Enlightenment days, people who claimed they could predict the future were revered for their apparent magical abilities, condemned as crackpots, or put to death as witches. These days, add in a bit of trite economic analysis and corporate jargon and predicting the future of the market can make you an absolute fortune as a consultant, or, in Ausmuteants’ case, astute self-promoters.
After an eight-year hiatus, Goblin Cock are finally back, bringing with them a strange offering indeed. Combining stoner metal with math rock, Necronomidonkeykongimicon is a deeply political album, aimed to take on a corrupt society.
Four years after their debut and following much fan outrage via social media, The Laurels have finally succumbed to what the crowd wants. With Sonicology, the Sydney boys take us on a hazy adventure through a range of genre styles.
The great vocal performance heard on the album comes courtesy of Lord Phallus, the alter-ego of Pinback frontman Rob Crow. His vocal delivery is exceptional, particularly on opening track ‘Something Haunted’, a song that boasts the less than delicately worded line, “Fuck shit and fuckin’ fuck you”, backed with real eyepopping guitar work that sets up for more stoner fun.
Sonicology sounds like what would happen if The Beatles, The Dandy Warhols and a selection of ’90s Brit pop bands got drunk in a Sydney garage and smashed a bunch of their hits together. The record is full of understated dream pop with a watered down, otherworldly feel to it, and, ultimately, it takes a couple of listens to truly get used to.
Los Angeles-based Warpaint make bold new strides towards unexplored territory on their third album Heads Up, showing a surprising new side to their sound while retaining their signature psychedelic infused approach to makin’ art. Long renowned for their dreamy soundscapes and haunting vocal performances, the band’s magnetism makes for a thrilling listen.
Though Set It Off bring a few irritatingly catchy tunes to the table with their new record Upside Down, ultimately the record is just straight up irritating. It’s a shame, because things start well, and the album has nothing if not depth – it shows off a collection of tones that move from the sugar sweet bubble gum vibe of ‘Something New’, to the faux heavyrock feel of ‘Want’.
‘Whiteout’ opens the album with a pulsating beat, as vocalists Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal sing passionately and in unison. Spanning six glorious minutes, the track ‘So Good’ sets the benchmark for the whole record, completely changing direction at the halfway point to become a much bigger and bolder song.
There are pockets of songs to be loved here, and at times Upside Down really works. Occasionally tracks pack in a powerful sound that’s so easy to memorise, you’ll find yourself belting the tunes out in no time.
Band Of The Future Aaarght! Records
Are Ausmuteants really the band of the future? Perhaps not, given that these surf coast reprobates have about as much affection for corporate sycophancy as George Christensen has for Yusuf Islam. But that’s straight society’s problem, not Ausmuteants’. Band Of The Future is another Ausmuteants album that reminds you that rock’n’roll needs to be sharp and angry to bite, and to survive. There’re 14 tracks on this record, clocking in at a breezy 21 minutes. ‘Silent Genes’ makes Suicidal Tendencies sound like a 60/40 dance band, ‘I Hate You’ is scathing knife cutting and ‘Music Writers’ is a salient reminder that not all opinions are necessary to be heard and read. If Ausmuteants really were the band of the future, the world might well be a better place. Patrick Emery
Necronomidonkeykongimicon Joyful Noise
The songs move quickly from one track to the next, exuding a comical nature typical of past Goblin Cock releases – but for new listeners it might be hard to digest this exclusive brand of face-melting power metal, with ‘Island, Island’ and ‘The Dorse’ shaking up presentation a little and calling for attention. With far more personal lyrics on offer than have previously delivered by the group, Goblin Cock’s brand of metal veers away from the traditional boundaries of the genre, presenting a goodnatured – albeit savage – record. Anna Wilson
Sonicology Rice Is Nice
It’s easy to get lost in images of enflamed skies upon learning that ‘Reentry’ was written and recorded while the band were camped out during the Blue Mountains bush fires of 2013. Similarly disguised by an upbeat chord progression and light vocals, the black undertones of single ‘Hit And Miss’ go unnoticed until one learns it’s a protest against the mask many people wear to disguise mental illness. Exhibiting the kind of sound one might not necessarily have expected to come from Lewisham, Sonicology transcends the local, mixing The Laurels’ unique brand of shoegaze bliss a with epic, sonic nods to those who forged the genre before them. Evie Kennedy
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
JULIA JACKLIN
Don’t Let The Kids Win Mushroom
thebrag.com
Since the release of her lauded single ‘Pool Party’, critics have scrambled over themselves to compare Julia Jacklin to other musicians. Names like Courtney Barnett and Angel Olsen have all been summoned, while the word ‘alt-Americana’ has been used probably more than is necessary.
It is similarly a mistake to pinpoint the record as being about any one particular thing. Though Don’t Let The Kids Win is on first glance a record about finding your place in the world – about establishing guiding philosophies – soon, as a song like ‘Small Talk’ whirls upwards, the futility of making a strict semblance of a narrative out of the record is revealed.
’Cause here’s the thing: though Jacklin pays tribute to a host of sonic influences, the most striking element of Don’t Let The Kids Win is how much she sounds like herself. A song like the crashing ‘Coming Of Age’ has a melancholia-tinged might all of its own, while ‘Motherland’ speaks of a complicated mix of the weighty and the everyday.
Don’t Let The Kids Win is an album that works on levels that words don’t reach. More than anything else, it is the sound of a singer at full control of their talents; the sound of a generous voice that asks nothing of you but that you listen.
Heads Up Remote Control
The aptly named ‘New Song’ is an entirely different sound for the band, with its pop sensibilities rising straight to the forefront. The chorus is daring and completely arresting as they bring a newfound sense of vibrancy to the tune, while ‘Dre’ is similarly a wonderfully slow burning ambient number. The album ends on a quieter note with ‘Today Dear’, showing the band at their most exposed. Warpaint are truly masters of their craft, with their songs carefully constructed to fully immerse their audience in the listening experience.
Upside Down Rude Records
There’s the standard look-at-me-andmy-posse-aren’t-we-so-awesome tracks, numbers like ‘Uncontainable’, and the title tune oozes bouncy beach fun, but it’s the unconscious attempt at a revival of the ’90s boy band that does just hard to get past. And, indeed, that’s where things start to sour. There are tunes that simply do not work, and before long the album is grating in a way that defies belief. Though there are some strong elements to this album, Upside Down slides in and out of a number of genres, like a band still trying to find the sound they’re comfortable with. Anna Wilson
Holly Pereira
OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... VANGELIS - See You Later TY SEGALL - Goodbye Bread CHASTITY BELT - Time To Go Home
SPLIT ENZ - See ’Ya Round NELSON - Peace Out
Joseph Earp
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 25
live reviews What we’ve been out to see...
CHASTITY BELT
PUP, OSLOW
The concept of musical ‘coolness’ is a tricky one. Tunes that routinely get characterised as stylish by the media are exactly the same kind of songs destined to inspire great bouts of cringe only years later, as even the most cursory of glances at the hits of the early ’00s proves. Music has a shelf life, and more often than not, it’s a short one.
Sydney four-piece Oslow have their roots in hardcore, but material from their upcoming LP – songs like ‘Cold, Dark Space’ – sees them moving in a more melodic direction, albeit with touches of the breakneck pace and abrasive din associated with bands like Cloud Nothings and Violent Soho.
Oxford Art Factory Saturday October 1
For that reason, Chastity Belt’s showing at the Oxford Art Factory was a rare treat: a chance to see four singularly skilled musicians showing off the kind of ineffable cool that seems impervious to the great, encroaching weight of the daggy. Tunes shimmered and held in the air, full of the kind of pleasures that more often than not revealed themselves in the short moments of silence after they had actually concluded. The band’s music comes with its own artful, inbuilt delay: it would be patronising to describe a tune like ‘Drone’ as a grower, but performed live, the song had the audience making those short, breathy noises people make when something very beautiful reveals itself almost as if by accident, and the gig’s quieter moments proved as powerful as the instrumental jam sessions that closed out the set proper. Indeed, a tune like ‘Time To Go Home’ doesn’t rely on great, clanging choruses; nor does it pummel its listener into submission. Rather, it rests on insinuation, the knockout punch camoufl aged as an afterthought. Songs fl owed perfectly from one to the next, and though the band’s most recent album, Time To Go Home, was paid the most attention, cuts were slipped in from No Regerts and the group’s incoming third record, currently unnamed. In that way it proved to be a gig both perfectly tailored for the fans – one of those shows that die-hards could not have walked away wanting more from – and also a brilliant way to introduce the group to the uninitiated. But more than that, the gig delighted on that ohso-mysterious, nebulous level: it was fucking cool. Cool in a way that relies not on the things we’ll look back and cringe at – not on clothes, or slang, or such surface level concerns – but cool in a way that defi es time, and the shitty things it does to us. Cool the way rock’n’roll should be, music that obviously requires a great deal of effort, delivered with seemingly no effort at all. Joseph Earp
ESCAPE THE FATE, DREAM ON DREAMER
Oxford Art Factory, Tuesday October 4
A polite, unassuming stage presence belies their muscular, aggressive approach and they benefit considerably from an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd who remain fully engaged throughout. Canadians Pup also ride on surging waves of audience exuberance and have the raucous but good-natured crowd yelling along and pumping fists from the very first snatch of the diary entry-like ‘If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will’, which segues seamlessly into the frantic ‘DVP’. Their most recent record, The Dream Is Over draws its title from a doctor’s sobering words to singer Stefan Babcock after he badly injured his vocal chords. Given Pup managed to bounce back so well from adversity, every song on the record is shot through with palpable relief at their continued existence, as well as the fiery defiance of a band that has taken a few blows but remains on their feet and swinging. So much of the appeal of Pup is their ability to take their tales of loserdom and self-loathing and attack them with enough conviction and fire that they leave any trace of mopiness far behind. Early set highlight ‘Can’t Win’ takes lyrics of malaise, regret and inertia and sets them on fire, while ‘My Life is Over And I Couldn’t Be Happier’ somehow makes its farcical tale of getting caught masturbating into a rallying cry. ‘Dark Days’ is another energetic tantrum, with gang vocals battling for space against buzzsaw guitars. By the time the band reach ‘Guilt Trip’ the crowdsurfing has well and truly kicked off, and punters are regularly finding themselves on stage, some even taking the opportunity to add their own backing vocals or kiss the sweat-drenched faces of the band members. Apart from one break required for some running guitar repairs, it’s a four-to-the-floor nonstop juggernaut of a set, but the energy doesn’t flag through the lurching dynamics of ‘Factories’ or the sheer speed and vigour of ‘Familiar Patterns’. The hardcore blast of ‘Old Wounds’ is the final song, with Babcock ditching his guitar to stalk around the stage and do some crowd-surfing of his own.
Manning Bar Thursday October 6
It doesn’t matter if you’re a rocker who harbours fond memories of your noughties emo heydays, or you’re a young’un new to the world of rock gigs: when you go to see Escape The Fate you enter a place where everyone comes together in love. From the supports to the beers, the hyped-up crowd to the insane guitar riffs the group brings, there’s nothing about an ETF show that doesn’t make you feel good. A massive contrast to the band’s last, admittedly lukewarm Sydney appearance, Dream On Dreamer warmed up the stage with a red hot energy, absolutely slaying it. It didn’t take much for the crowdmembers to get going, with frontman Marcel Gadacz crashing into their collective evenings with a familiar relentless energy, the band’s mere presence creating a circle in the pit. Undeterred by a brief power cut toward the end of their set, the band showed massive dedication and an admirable energy that left devoted fans well and truly hyped for the night’s headliners, while also drumming up considerable support for its own material. Later, when frontman Craig Mabbitt cried out that Escape The Fate don’t play Australia often enough, the crowd wildly agreed. The subtle dubstep undertones of most of the band’s songs gave the audience something it could really move to, with the moshing crowd encouraged by the unabashedly appreciative band itself. Shows at Mannning Bar rarely rock as hard as this one did. Breaking into powerful numbers like ‘Ashley’ and ‘Live For Today’, there was no song new or old that Escape The Fate performed with either a lack of energy or interest. They offered up a continual feast for the ears and a wonder for the eyes as Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft and Thomas “TJ” Bell marched around the stage with an unironic swagger and drummer Robert Ortiz beat his drums into a frenzy. Though very different, each member of the group exuded pure sophistication and swagger. Crazy light displays, manic riffs, killer dress sense and a warm, phenomenal frontman defi ned the set, but to be honest, the best part of a show had to be the bedfellows we all walked home with, and we left the show with the bells of Notre Dame in our ears and a maniacal grin on our faces. Anna Wilson
Daniel Herborn
speed date WITH
LOS SCALLYWAGGS Inspirations Joel Tyrrell: The tunes that 2. stand out are for us are bands
like Black Lips, The Cramps, Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall. When we first started playing together we always covered these bands, and every now and again we throw ’em into a set. NT: Bands back home like Gardens and Vanilla Gorilla shred super hard, so that inspires us to play better as well. Also doing stupid stuff with your mates is always good inspiration too. Your Band JT: Los Scallywaggs is 3. made up of the three of us. Nat
and I are brothers, and Dale is our good mate we have known forever. NT: Our music has changed a little over the last couple of years. It has defi nitely gotten faster and faster, which is sick because it makes the shows about ten times more fun and energetic for the people who come to see us play.
1.
Growing Up Nat Tyrrell: We all grew up listening to the same sort of stuff
26 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
really. My old man played guitar and always had some rock’n’roll bangers by Metallica, Led Zeppelin or Pink
Floyd blaring through the speakers while my brothers and I were running around the house with sticks.
The Music You Make NT: I live on a farm on the Mid North Coast and we have a
4.
sketchy shed at the back where we write and practice, record and throw parties. We had a party in there the other week and all the walls have massive holes from people throwing their heads through. It’s cool. Dale Smith: We try to keep the music we make raw and fast. We defi nitely have this weird psych/ punk rock thing going on, which is dope. We don’t want to get anyone to produce any of our songs, because if it’s too polished it will just ruin what we are going for with our music. DIY for life. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. DS: The Australian scene is
great. Solid Australian bands are making waves at the moment all around the world. It makes me proud to be an Australian citizen. Bands like King Gizzard are killing it over in Europe, as well as Hockey Dad and The Gooch Palms over in the states. Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday October 14 With: Crocodylus and Wolf Cola
thebrag.com
snap sn ap
VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT
thebrag.com/snaps
PICS :: BE
chastity belt
up all night out all week . . .
ellie goulding
OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER
MAR S :: BRIANNA ELTON :: ASHLEY
::
PICS :: AM
01:10:16 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711
ball park music
PICS :: AM
07:10:16 :: Qudos Bank Arena :: Sydney Olympic Park
30:09:16 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 27
g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
pick of the week DMA’S
$10. The Dirty Earth + The Nice Folk + Machine Valley The Hideaway Bar, Enmore. 8pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 Enmore Theatre
DMA’S
+ Bad//Dreems 8:30pm. $40.80 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Folkswagon - Feat: Fleur Wiber + Guest Cafe Lounge Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Kinky Friedman + Luke O'Shea Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. Free. Live & Original - Feat: Willowy + Stuart Dwyer + Dominique Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $10. Michael Dimarco Sappho Books, Cafe And Bar, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Songsonstage Feat: Bill Hunt + Chris Carrapetta + Russell Neal Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 7:30pm. Free. Songwriting Society Of Australia Showcase - Feat: John Chesher + Pete Scully + Richard Bevins + Gavin Fitzgerald + Paul McGowan Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 7:30pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Beethoven Heroic - Feat: Vladimir Ashkenazy + Jayson Gillham Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $39. Kim Lawson Trio Lazybones Lounge,
Marrickville. 8:30pm. $10. The Fever Pitch - Feat: Special Guests The Hideaway Bar, Enmore. 8pm. Free. Wailing Wednesdays Feat: Live Reggae Acoustic Rosie Campbell's, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Australia Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Chris Cooke Duo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Dos Enos + Apollo Hooks + Marlis Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Lime Cordiale + Hey Geronimo Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $23. Manouche Wednesday - Feat: The Squeezebox Trio Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Muso’s Club Jam Night Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7pm. Free. Symphony X + Black Majesty Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $70.90.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 13 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
28 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
Converge Festival 2016 Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. John Maddox Co. Sappho Books, Cafe And Bar, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Kylie Auldist + Aaradhna The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 8pm. $28.60. Sam Westphalan The Temperance Society, Summer Hill. 7pm. Free. The Asthmatix Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $15.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Anthems Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. Free. Art Alexakis The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 8pm. $45. Blake Tailor Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 6:30pm. Free. Caiti Baker Midnight Special, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Clive Hay Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 4pm. Free. Crocodylus + The Knowgoods + The Dardi Shades Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Crystal Cities The Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free. Dan Skeed Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. 6:30pm. Free. Frankie’s Pizza Thursdays - Feat: Child Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Frnkiero Andthe Patience. + Walter
Schreifels Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $59.90. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Gwenno + Shoeb Ahmad + DJ Jack Shit Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $28. Jen Mize + Sam Newton Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $15. Live & Original @ The Louis - Feat: Pat O'Grady + Men With Day Jobs + The Grinning Bellhops Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 7:30pm. Free. Live At The Sly - Feat: Enderie + Aloha Units + Sinkhead + Ela Stiles Slyfox, Enmore. 7:30pm. Free. Live Band Karaoke Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9pm. Free. Muso’s Club Jam Night Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. No Refunds The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free. Pirra + Elki The Record Crate, Glebe. 8pm. $10. Reilly Fitzalan Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 5pm. $10. Reilly Fitzalan OAF Gallery, Sydney. 8pm. $11.60. Space Boys + Space Boys + Bleeding Gums + Powla Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm.
Acoustique Lounge - Feat: Sisco Electro + Cassie Judy + Georgia June + Harry Cobon + Sean + Miss Bow Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $10. All Our Exes Live In Texas Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $23.10. Anthony Charlton Australian Arms Hotel, Penrith. 8:30pm. Free. Diana Rouvas Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $25. Gadjo Guitars The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Harbourview Hulabaloo - Feat: Zack Martin + Chris Brookes + Zoe Ryan Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Jen Mize + Sam Newton Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6pm. $18. Mark Lucas & The Dead Setters Leadbelly, Newtown. 4pm. Free. Mark N The Blues Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. Marshall Okell + Special Guests Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $15.30. Mogadishu Family Band The Bunker, Coogee. 7:30pm. Free. Moonshine Thursday - Feat: Henry Wagons & The Only Children + Lachlan Bryan Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 8pm. Free. Pat Lyons + Justin Frew & Steve Robinson The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Angelena Locke 99 On York, Sydney. 5:30pm. Free. Claude Hay Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15. Marshall Okell + Special Guests The Bunker, Coogee. 8pm. Free. Michael Fryer Waterworks Hotel, Botany. 4pm. Free. Pato Lara + The Afro Urugayan Project Venue 505, Surry Hills. 3:10pm. $20. Tawny Owl Stringband
Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Andrew Russell + John & Yuki Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Glebe. 8pm. Free. Armandito & Trovason - Feat: Armandito Garcia Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6pm. $25. Armandito Y Su Trovason Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $25. Back To Bacharach + Love Child The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $40.30. Bakoomba Lizotte's, Dee Why. 7pm. $25. Beethoven Heroic - Feat: Vladimir Ashkenazy + Jayson Gillham Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $39. Fridays - Feat: Manalion + Sons Of Ra Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. Free. Katchafire + Tiki Taane + L.A.B. Max Watt's, Moore Park. 8:30pm. $52.85.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Adrian Joseph Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 4:30pm. Free. Angelena Locke St George Masonic Club, Mortdale . 7pm. Free. Awaken I Am + The Beautiful Monument The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. $11.80. Back To Bachrach Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $35. Big Way Out Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Blake Tailor Wallacia Hotel, Wallacia. 8pm. Free. Blake Tailor Duo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 9pm. Free. Clive Hay Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 6pm. Free. Dean Smith Buckley's Bar, Circular Quay. 6pm. Free. Dee Donavan Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 10:30am. Free. DJ Alex Pisani St Johns Park Bowling Club, St Johns Park. 8pm. Free. DMA’s + Bad + Dreams Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8:30pm. $40.80. East Coast Expansion Tour Feat: Misguided The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 1:50pm. Free. Everyday People Band
Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Fridays - Feat: New Horizons Band + M7 & DJ Marty Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 7pm. Free. Gavin Bowles The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. Free. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Engadine Bowling Club, Engadine. 7:30pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Duo Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 11:50pm. Free. Green Mohair Suits The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Grooveworks Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 10:30am. Free. Groovology Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 9pm. Free. Horace Bones The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. Jack Horner Club Central Menai, Menai. 8pm. Free. Jackt Wotton & The Wunderz 'The Boy' Leadbelly, Newtown. 4pm. Free. James Rietdijk Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. 11pm. Free. Jen Cloher And The Endless Sea + The Finks + Caitlin Harnett Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28. John Vickers Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 10:30am. Free. Johnny G & The E Types Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $25. JP Project Lord Raglan Hotel, Alexandria. 7pm. Free. Karaoke Figtree Hotel, Figtree. 8pm. Free. Lacuna Coil + Orpheus Omega & Gods Of Eden Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $65.45. Leroy Lee Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 4:30pm. Free. Los Scallywaggs + Illumination Zap Oaf Gallery, Sydney. 8pm. $8.50. Mesa Groove Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Michael Fryer Duo Crown Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Midnight Swim + The Dawn Collective Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $17.85. Monique Montez Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 10:30am. Free. Phat And Dirty 2.0 - Feat: Eddie Boyd + Jesse Redwing + Narla + Hello Bones And Maroota Joe + The Bleeding Flares Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 6pm. $10. Radiators + Rock Central Toongabbie Sports And Bowling Club, Toongabbie. 8pm.
$20. Ratcat + Toys Went Berserk + Spod Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $30. Raw (Verve) - Feat: Artist & Music Showcase Manning Bar, Camperdown. 7pm. $20. Ryan Enright Royal Hotel, Bondi. 8pm. Free. Series + Honeyglow The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7pm. Free. Simon Rudston Brown Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Stephanie Lea Heritage Hotel, Wilberforce. 7:30pm. Free. Ted Nash Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. The Frocks Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 9pm. Free. The Harveys Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. $5. The Macs Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9pm. Free. The Matchbox Tribute Show Riverstone Memorial Club, Riverstone. 8pm. Free. The Nation Blue + Mere Women + Burlap Factory Floor, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free. The Stiffys Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10. The Stiffys + Rick Dangerous And The Silkie Bantams Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 8pm. $15. They Call Me Bruce Plough & Harrow, Camden. 8pm. Free. Whelan & Gover The Bourbon, Potts Point. 6pm. Free.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Alex Lloyd Lizotte's, Dee Why. 7pm. $49. Los Romeos Oxidados The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $5. Marshall Okell Leadbelly, Newtown. 4pm. Free. The Basment Big Band The Basement, Circular Quay. 9pm. $15.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
70’s Disco Mania Feat: Hot Chocolate + The Real Thing Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $81.50. Beethoven Heroic - Feat: Vladimir Ashkenazy + Jayson Gillham Sydney Opera
thebrag.com
g g guide gig g
g g picks gig p up all night out all week...
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com House, Sydney. 8pm. $39. Huneriya Red Rattler, Marrickville. 8pm. $25. Katchafire + L.A.B. Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8pm. $40. Kingfisha Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $20. Sounds Of Afrobeats Festival (Celebrating The Life Of Fela Kut) - Feat: Soul Of Sydney DJs + Kristelle Morin + Ronnie Omuga + Fasmwa + Dante Rivera + Kaynana Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 2pm. $21.89. Tony Burkys + John Mackie Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Glebe. 8pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
4 Bar Avenue Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. Free. Alan Solomon Jazz Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Art Party Central Coast - Feat: Majun Bu + Sea + Zipper Clone + Rose Cooper + Thank You So Much + Will Small The Rhythm Hut, Gosford. 7pm. $15. Back To Bacharach Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $35. Bad Festival Feat: Big White + Body Promise + Dispossessed + Felix Lush + Aiya DJ Set (Mel) + Angie + Candlelyte + Chunyin + Corin + DJ Logic + DJ Atro + Gussy + Htmlflowers + Jikuroux + Kimchi Princi X Slim Set + Post Motel Factory Floor, Marrickville. 5pm. $30. Beatnix Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free. Blake Wiggins Duo The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Clowns + No Anchor Blackwire Records, Annandale. 7:30pm. $18. Cyclone Rose Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. 8pm. Free. Dean Michael Smith Peachtree Hotel, Penrith. 7pm. Free. Explosive Hits Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 10am. $5. GJ Donovan Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 5:45pm. Free. Jayde Buckley's Bar, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. Free. Jimmy Mann The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. JP Project Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 1pm. Free. JP Project Trio Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 11:50pm.
thebrag.com
Free. Katcha Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free. L7 + The Mis-Made Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $76.90. Leroy Lee Red Cow Inn, Penrith. 3pm. Free. Lime Cordiale + Hey Geronimo The Lair @ Metro Theatre, Sydney. 4:45pm. $20. LJ Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 5pm. Free. Luke Escombe Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $15. Magnus + Shake + Dividers Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8:30pm. Free. Marc Crotti Twin Willows Hotel, Bass Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Melancholy Flowers Town Hall Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. Free. Metal Down Under - Feat: Daemon Pyre + Dark Order + Murderworld + Decryptus + Grill And The Plague The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 6pm. $23.60. Monsieur Camembert Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $38. Ollie Mcgill Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $20. Our Past Days + Undercast + Set The Score + Whatever Forever Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Oxford Art Factory 9th Birthday - Feat: Skegss + The Dorsal Fins + The High-Tails + Jody & Twelve Point Buck + A.D.K.O.B + Good Boy + Sparrows + Nyck + Mvrks Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. Free. Queensryche + Lord + Hemina Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $89.90. Rogue Company The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Simon Rudston Brown Duo The Bourbon, Potts Point. 6pm. Free. Songsonstage Feat: Russell Neal + Guests Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield . 7pm. Free. Ted Nash The Intersection Tavern, Ramsgate. 3pm. Free. Ted Nash Duo Panania Hotel, Panania. 8:30pm. Free. The Wildbloods The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7pm. Free. Whelan & Gover Crown Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16 JAZZ, SOUL,
FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Rat Pack Brats Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $25. Sundays Roots & Reggae - Feat: Revolution Inc Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 4pm. Free. Sunshine Sunday Sound System Feat: DJ’s Bossman + Prince Vince + Guests Rosie Campbell's, Surry Hills. 4pm. Free. The Regent Street Big Band Petersham RSL Club, Petersham. 3pm. Free. The Unity Hall Jazz Band Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 4pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Alesa Lajana Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6pm. $22. Bridie King And The Boogie Kings Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 4:50pm. $15. Hayes Carll Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $45. Heath Burdell Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 3pm. Free. Isingonthecake Choir The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $5. Joseph Banks + Bill Hunt + Kay Camargo Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $10. Performing Brazil Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Total Country Sundays - Feat: 8 Ball Aitken Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 2:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
After 3 Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. 1pm. Free. Alesa Lajana Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. Free. Angelena Locke Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 2pm. Free. Benj Axwel Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 1pm. Free. Blake Tailor The Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 2pm. Free. Blake Wiggins The Rivo Hotel, Riverstone. 4pm. Free. Brenton Williams Buckley's Bar, Circular Quay. 1pm. Free. Dio Driver The Basement, Circular Quay. 5:30pm. $15. Ethan Conway The Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 4pm. Free.
Holy Serpent + Lord Sword + Jumpin' Jack William + Tom Wilkinson Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free. Jj Hausia The Push Bar, The Rocks. 4pm. Free. Josh Needs Waterworks Hotel, Botany. 4pm. Free. JP Project Bellevue Hotel, Paddington. 2pm. Free. Julianna Barwick Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $30. Katchafire + L.A.B + Dom Diaz The Rhythm Hut, Gosford. 4pm. $40. LJ Sackville Hotel, Rozelle. 3pm. Free. Matt Toms The Bourbon, Potts Point. 12:30pm. Free. Michael Fryar Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 1pm. Free. Nathan Cole The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. Free. Red Velvet + Lorenzo + Dizzies Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. Free. Steve Crocker Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Steve Crocker Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Tim Mcartney Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 12:30pm. Free. U2 Elevation Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. Free. UK Anthems Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free.
MONDAY OCTOBER 17 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Lindi Ortega + The Cactus Blossoms + Callum Wylie Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $41.50. Live & Original @ The Corridor Corridor Bar, Newtown. 7pm. Free. Songquest, Heat 5 Feat: Russell Neal + Iyanoosh Reporter + Gia Clarissa Kelly's On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Frankie's World Famous House Band Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Marty R Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Nasty Rumours - Feat: Nasty Rumours + Dirtbag + The Salty Tenders The Bald Faced
Stag, Leichhardt. 8pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $6.
Lime Cordiale
Frank Iero
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Beethoven Heroic - Feat: Vladimir Ashkenazy + Jayson Gillham Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 7pm. $39. Jazz Jam & Games Night Venue 505, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free. Sonic Mayhem Orchestra Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 18 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Steve Hunter Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Robert Ellis And The Perfect Strangers + Joshua Hedley & Joe Pug The Basement, Circular Quay. 6:30pm. $38.50. Songsonstage - Feat: Massimo Presti + Chris Brookes + Guests Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage Feat: Stuart Jammin + Zoe Ryan + Guests Kelly's On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Blake Tailor Zest Grill House, Rooty Hill. 4:30pm. Free. Bucket Lounge Presents – Live & Originals Mr Falcon's, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Jackson Holt Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. Karaoke Party Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Live Rock & Roll Karaoke Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Next Wave Band Competition Round 3 The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7pm. $11.80. Safia + Set Mo + Running Touch Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:45pm. $45.90. Tash Sultana + Lyall Moloney Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $20.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12 Lime Cordiale + Hey Geronimo Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $23. Symphony X + Black Majesty Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $70.90.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 13 All Our Exes Live In Texas Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $23.10. Crocodylus + The Knowgoods + The Dardi Shades Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10. Diana Rouvas Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $25. Frnkiero Andthe Patience + Walter Schreifels Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $59.90. Moonshine Thursday - feat: Henry Wagons & The Only Children + Lachlan Bryan Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 8pm. Free.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 Awaken I Am + The Beautiful Monument The Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. $11.80. Jen Cloher And The Endless Sea + The Finks + Caitlin Harnett Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28. Johnny G & The E Types Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $25. Katchafire + Tiki Taane + L.A.B. Max Watt’s, Moore Park. 8:30pm. $52.85. Lacuna Coil + Orpheus Omega & Gods Of Eden Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $65.45. Los Scallywaggs + Illumination Zap
Oaf Gallery, Sydney. 8pm. $8.50. Ratcat + Toys Went Berserk + Spod Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $30. The Nation Blue + Mere Women + Burlap Factory Floor, Marrickville. 8:30pm. Free.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 Bad Festival - feat: Big White + Body Promise + Dispossessed + Felix Lush + Aiya DJ Set + Angie + Candlelyte + Chunyin + Corin + Dj Logic + Dj Atro + Gussy + Htmlflowers + Jikuroux + Kimchi Princi X Slim Set + Post Motel Factory Floor, Marrickville. 5pm. $30. Clowns + No Anchor Blackwire Records, Annandale. 7:30pm. $18. L7 + The Mis-Made Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $76.90. Monsieur Camembert Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $38. Oxford Art Factory 9th Birthday - feat: Skegss + The Dorsal Fins + The HighTails + Jody & Twelve Point Buck + A.D.K.O.B + Good Boy + Sparrows + Nyck + Mvrks Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 7pm. Free. Queensryche + Lord + Hemina Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $89.90.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16 Holy Serpent + Lord Sword + Jumpin’ Jack William + Tom Wilkinson Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free.
MONDAY OCTOBER 17 Safia + Set Mo + Running Touch Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:45pm. $45.90.
Ratcat
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 29
brag beats
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
on the pulse club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Joseph Earp, Emily Norton and Alex Chetverikov
five things
Antigone
NICOLE MILLAR
WITH
Dale Howard
PROLEFT
If you’re a fan of French techno, then you have undoubtedly heard of Antigone. The rising star might be young, but his years do not belie his incredible talent. Over the last little while he has moved from strength to strength, following a trajectory that has brought him all the way to Australia for a series of Antipodean shows. He‘ll be blasting his “sincere and authentic” tunes in the Zoo Project on Friday October 21.
Ulterior Motive
Growing Up Your Crew I was such a I used to put up 1. 3. shy child growing up. songs on Myspace I always loved music but would only sing to myself in my room or in the shower. I then went to a performing arts school, where I gained a lot more confidence and started writing my own songs. Inspirations This is always 2. such a hard question
to answer for me: I love so many different songs and styles and it’s always changing. When I was growing up I was obsessed with Destiny’s Child. That was the first concert I ever went to. I am always updating a playlist of songs I listen to and it changes and evolves often. R&B and hip hop are key at the moment – those genres inspire me so much lyrically.
music: those songs were terrible. I then got introduced to Cosmo’s Midnight through my friend Jack. That was around the time that I started making more electronic-focused music. I basically wanted to work with everyone I met. Being in the studio and writing songs was so much fun to me. I quit my job in a coldpressed juice store maybe two and a half years ago now, just after the Peking Duk collab came out.
The Music You Make And Play 4. My show is all about
having fun: it’s really energetic and I jump around a lot on stage. I’ve got a three-piece band that includes lots and lots of drums! I perform songs from
As part of the absolutely jam-packed V MoVement festival this year, Potts Point’s own Zoo Project is hosting a massive set from the one and only El-B. The acclaimed English producer has been a luminary of the house sub genre for years now, and even though he has taken a break recently (he fell silent for four whole years), fans should rest assured that the DJ and producer has far from hung up his hat. 30 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
Music, Right Here, Right 5. Now
There is a lot of great talent out there at the moment, especially in Australia. I swear there is a new artist popping up every day! I recently performed at Yours & Owls in Wollongong which was full of local talent: I loved Hermitude, Kilter, Client Liaison and so many more! What: Nicole Millar at the Boundary Sounds Showcase as part of V MoVement Where: Metro Theatre When: Sunday October 23
Indeed, he will undoubtedly be ready and raring to blow the roof of the Zoo, blasting out a series of loud, lusty tunes in the confines of the club on Thursday October 20.
SECRET SOUNDS
Nothing beats a good ol’ fashioned warehouse party, hey? After all, there’s a reason there exists a techno subgenre called underground – club music has always had the whiff of the
To be perfectly real with you, I can’t imagine doing anything for ten hours straight, let alone DJing. But that’s how Dale Howard and I differ, I guess. The UK legend is hitting our shores for a mammoth tour, one that will see him play some truly lengthy sets. Luckily enough, the guy has the material to back it up: he’s been in the game for years now, and has held residencies at venues across the globe. He’ll be hitting up The Chippendale Hotel on Saturday October 22. Props to those with enough staying power to stay for the whole ten hours: we might just nab a portion of that, to be honest with you.
MUSICAL MOTIVES
Not only do Ulterior Motive boast one of the best monikers around – seriously, how cool is that name? – the duo also produce singularly powerful remixes and original tunes, combining the best of house, club and techno. They have stamped their signature sound on tracks from acts as varied as Future Cut and Mercedes, and their own fresh material has appeared on such lauded labels as Subtitles and Critical. Catch them play a bevy of material when they hit Miind Nightclub on Friday October 21.
rebellious about it, and never more so than in our lockout-strangled era have we needed some real subversive tunes. To that end, hats go off to those folks over at party collective TempenT, a cluster of alt-geniuses who have curated yet another incredible lineup for their upcoming warehouse party, to be held at a secret location. Rogue Gentleman, Lady Eboshi and Backyard Rhino will all be making an appearance, so make sure you save that date. It’s all happening on Saturday October 22, with the location to be revealed after tickets are purchased. Head to the TempenT Facebook page for more information.
HNQO
HOT FOR HNQO
HNQO is a legend, a Brazillian star who has collaborated with countless esteemed producers, toured the world, and dropped blissed-out tune after blissed-out tune. His work incorporates elements of hip hop, jazz and deep house, in the process creating powerful bangers that sound quite genuinely like nothing else out there. Now he’s heading to Sydney, hitting up the Burdekin Hotel on Saturday October 15.
thebrag.com
HNQO photo by Conde Liniers
ELL-O THERE!
my EP Tremble, collaborations that I’ve done and some newbies that are about to be released, so I’m very excited every time I perform.
HOLD UP FOR HOWARD
Hermitude Sweeter Still By Benjamin Potter
S
ome say that patience is a virtue. Others still say that determination and hard work will always get you where you want to be. Australian electronic veterans Hermitude are a combination of the two, both patient and determined, and as time has passed, it proved only inevitable that the duo would finally find themselves cracking the nut they’ve always wanted to crack – the United States. Returning from a huge world tour, the band is more than chuffed about its recent shows overseas, and as one half of the trippy electronic duo, Angus Stuart (El Gusto) says it’s hard not to admit that the band is making quite a stir around the globe, particularly with the recent release of their single ‘The Buzz’. “The tours been really amazing,” says Stuart. “America, Indonesia, Europe as well – it still amazes me that we get to go and play these places. It’s truly special. We did a lot of festivals over in America, which was super fun. The crowds were huge: there were good vibes all round. It’s been a crazy summer. We’ve got a really good buzz going on there at the moment, especially in the States, and we’ve shared a lot of amazing moments with amazing people. Something I’ll never forget.” Hermitude are no strangers to the festival circuit. Name any festival in Australia, and nine times out of ten they have played it over the span of their almost 15-year career. Some might say the novelty would wear off, but the band remains committed. “Festivals are super fun because you play to a lot of people, some of which may not have heard your music before, so it can open you up to a lot of new fans,” Stuart says. “The general vibe’s always good: extremely hard to beat. Club shows are much more intimate,
personal, and you get more of that hot and sweaty vibe. We generally play a lot longer sets in a club show environment, so you can normally take people on much more of a journey. They both have their own merits: we just love performing either way.”
“MUSIC IS THIS FASCINATING THING THAT HAS BEEN SOLD BACK TO US FOR SO LONG: IT’S HARD TO REMEMBER WHAT IT IS TO US. BUT IT’S SOMETHING VERY COMMUNAL.”
Their most recent album, 2015’s Dark Night Sweet Light saw the duo take a different approach to songwriting and most interestingly, their whole production stencil. While experimenting with samples early on in their career, after being heavily influenced by a hip hop background, they decided to experiment and create their own samples. “We used to do a lot of sampling, but these days we tend to lean more on synths and recording our own stuff,” he says. “Mainly because of licensing, but we’ve also found that it’s much more of a challenge. Every now and then we’ll throw in something, but we normally try and chop it up and make it our own sound, but that comes through experimentation. “Even for Dark Night Sweet Light, we went out into different urban areas and hid microphones in like stormwater drains and old abandoned silos, and we found that it produced these amazing reverbs and other effects that we ended up using on the album. It gave our tracks such a different atmosphere, so we’ll be definitely doing that again for the next one.” While the band’s touring has been relentless in the last two years, it hasn’t stopped the boys from planning a new album, incorporating more features and guests than they’d ever collaborated with before, including up-and-coming Australian electronic acts like Yeo. “It’s still pretty early days, so I guess I
can’t really drop any names yet,” Stuart says. “But we’re definitely looking to get in some more awesome Australian local talent. There’s so much good stuff going on in the Australian music scene at the moment that it would be silly not to. And the States as well: the last tour really opened us up to a lot of incredible musicians, so we’re scoping that out as well.” While the Australian electronic scene seems to be thriving locally and overseas, with more Australian exports than the country has ever seen creating waves, Stuart claims that the community is under threat. The current lockout laws have hit him hard on a personal level, and he argues the restrictions strangling the life out of a city so dear to his heart.
“It’s horrible what’s happening in Sydney right now,” he says. “It’s really sad. All these venues have provided platforms for us, and even festival headliners like Flume. We need those platforms to come up on, try different things and gain new fans. The lockout laws have really diminished that. You go and experience places around the world, like America, where they don’t have these laws and people are responsible. “It’s sad when you’re over there and in places like New Orleans, you can just hop to different bars and venues and see amazing acts way past 2am, and it’s not an issue. When I was there, it made me really sad thinking about what’s happened to our city. I’m gutted.”
Off The Record D
Daniel Bortz
he hits Chinese Laundry on Saturday October 15. Another international coming our way this weekend, Max Chapman has locked in two Australian dates. Breaking through in 2011, over the past five years Chapman has had a genre-sprawling career with his eclectic releases finding homes on Twisted Fusion, Delusion Music, Dilate Records, Hatchwork and Manocalda. Alongside AJ Christou and Mark Horsey, he
What: Field Day Where: The Domain When: Sunday January 1 And: ‘The Buzz’ out now through Elefant Traks
RECOMMENDED FRIDAY OCTOBER THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 10
Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray aniel Bortz will be making his way to town this weekend. Since first making waves with his rework of James Blake’s cover of Feist’s ‘Limit To Your Love’, the German head has gone on to release on the likes of Crosstown Rebels, Fiakun, Get Physical Music and Innervisions, and now runs the Munich-based label Pastamusik. Expect a smattering of everything from house, techno, ‘80s new wave, hip hop and disco when
Despite the ever-altering scene, Hermitude still have at least one pretty massive Sydney date lined up: the group is going to play Field Day, a perfect opportunity to show off the talents they have been honing after the last year of playing dates. But, despite the draw of NSW, it does feel like Stuart is shifting his alliances over towards Sydney’s greatest nemesis: Melbourne. “We’ve always had really good support down in Melbourne, and all of Victoria really,” says Stuart. “It’s the music capital of Australia.” Hmm.
also co-founded Resonance Records. He’s coming to Civic Underground this Saturday October 15.
DJ EZ Oxford Art Factory
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11 – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 13
HNQO Chippendale Hotel / Burdekin Hotel
One of the most (and let’s be honest, only) intriguing names to come from Iceland in recent years, Bjarki, is coming our way. Championed by Nina Kraviz and her label Trip, his productions span the realms of Chicagoinfluenced house and jacking deep techno. His 2015 EP Arthur And Intergalactic Whales featured one of the most ubiquitous tracks of the year in ‘I Wanna Go Bang’. Give a spin of his 2015 Resident Advisor mix (made exclusively from his own unreleased productions) to get in the mood before he comes for Chinese Laundry on Friday November 18. Tour rumours: well, according to the neck beards over on reddit, Daft Punk will be announcing a world tour on Thursday October 27. The claims come from deciphering cryptic clues on the recently launched website alive2017.com. Jump into the source coding and you’ll see what I mean. Wait and see, I guess. Fans will, of course, know that Daft Punk last toured the world in 2007 with their Alive 2007 tour, which wrapped up in Australia. Remember that shit? Nevereverland or something was the name of the festival. People complained because it clashed with Meredith. Muscles played. What the hell happened to him?
Asquith TBA
Daniel Bortz Chinese Laundry Max Chapman Civic Underground
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16
Fort Romeau Cruise Bar
SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 Bjarki Best releases this week: there’s some more fire coming from the Text imprint with the vinyl-only release of Designer & Four Tet’s Mothers / Dark. Otherwise I’d suggest spending some time with two new full lengths: Machinedrum’s Human Energy (on Ninja Tune) and Fis’ From Patterns to Details (Subtext). Also, jump onto the Rinse FM SoundCloud and have a spin of a live recording of Mount Liberation Unlimited from their set during the recent Beats In Space x Daytime Session party. Tasty, tasty stuff.
Seven Davis Jr Civic Underground
SUNDAY OCTOBER 23
Honey Soundsystem Cruise Bar
SATURDAY OCTOBER 29
Green Velvet Greenwood Hotel Sleeparchive, Claudio PRC Zoo Project
Return To Rio: Carl Cox, De La Soul, Eric Powell, DJ EZ + more Del Rio, Wisemans Ferry
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12
Marcel Dettman Chinese Laundry
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18
Bjarki Chinese Laundry
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20 HVOB Cruise Bar
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26 Randomer TBA Jackmaster Greenwood Hotel
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30
Machinedrum Civic Underground
Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos? Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. Hit me on Twitter via @tysonwray. thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 31
club guide g
club picks p up all night out all week...
send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
club pick of the week HNQO
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 Burdekin Hotel
Something Else Feat: HNQO, Trent Hadid, Dave Juric + more 10pm. $11 THURSDAY OCTOBER 13 CLUB NIGHTS
Candys Apartment Take Over The Brewery - Feat: Press Play + Bonka + G-Wizard + Highjackerz + Jordan Magro + Luke La Beat + 6ft Sounds + Debeak + Jai Den + Odd Souls + Call Me Josh + Tekkie + Westy Vs Doom + Wafu + Tactician + Alijay + Totem + Akwasi Spins Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 8pm. $20.40. Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Italo Dining & Disco Club - Feat: Mike Simonetti + Stefano Pierozzi Icebergs, Bondi
Beach. 7pm. $150.
HIP HOP & R&B
Alphamama + Jackie Brown Jr + Hustle Mama Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. Free.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 HIP HOP & R&B
Beatlab Live - Feat: The Beatlab + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Fridays Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Girls - Feat: Liz Bird + Yemisul + Ebony Boadu + Anissa Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 11pm. $10.
32 :: BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16
CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - Feat: Preditah + Gravez + Tdy + Blackjack + Sidhu + Fiktion + Bassilisk + Propaganda + Leviathan Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Blueprint - Feat: Marc Roberts + Cassette + Ben Nott B2b Mark Craven + Andy Ef Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. $22. DJ Oli Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Dubmersion V.2 Feat: Dub Princess + Xsetra + Sooth Sayers + Kodiac Kid + Itsu Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. El Loco Later - Feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel,
Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Fatback - Feat: DJs Adverse + Juzzlikedat + Caratgold + Amity + Makoto + Cman + Edseven + Vj Spook Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Feel Good X Oxjam Fundraiser - Feat: Klue + Pluural + Friendless + Esther Sparkes + Nic Kelly The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. $15. Halloween 2016! - Feat: DJ Matt + DJs Team Rocket + Atomic Theory + Jenetik + Danejer Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 10pm. $10. Jackass - Feat: Weeman + Preston Lacy + Chris Pontius + Dave England + DJ’s Jordan Magro + Bvntr + Troy T + DJ K-Time + Anfinity Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 7pm. $37.50. K-Note Vs Sabio Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $12.30. Old Skool Fridays - Feat: DJs On Rotation St Johns Park Bowling Club, St Johns Park. 8pm. Free. Peoples Club Weekly #8 Feat: Andras + Donnotella + David Bangma + U-Khan + Alley Oop Goodbar, Paddington. 8pm. $15. Rotarydisco - Feat: Simon Caldwell + Rotarydisco Team Tatler, Darlinghurst. 8pm. Free. Somatik Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 8pm. Free. Spice X C.U - Feat: Robbie Lowe + Garth Linton Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $16.50.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 HIP HOP & R&B
Horrorshow + B Wise Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $30. Soul Train - Feat: Shan Frenzie + Juzzlikedat + Makoto Play Bar, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS Argyle Saturdays - Feat: Tass + TapTap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Back To Funk, Player Haters Feat: Meem + Shan Frenzie Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. Free. C.U.Saturday Eclipse - Feat: Max Chapman + Dan Bayton + Tristan Case + B_a + Lawrence Daffurn Civic Underground, Sydney. 9:30pm. $30.
DJ Blake Frankie's Pizza, Sydney. 10pm. Free. El Loco Later - Feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Hnqo + Kato + Vivi + Jimmi Walker + Eddie Sherwood + Jimmy Galvin The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 4pm. $16.50. Lndry - Feat: Dr Fresch + Daniel Bortz + Kormak + Persian Rug + Non Applicable DJs + Royle Pineapple + Tom Ackroyd + Dollar Bear + Mike Hyper + DJ Just 1 + Offtapia Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Moonshine Saturdays - Feat: DJs Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 8pm. Free. Pacha - Feat: Danny Avila Ivy Bar/lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $38. Resonant Evil Feat: DJ’s Rompa + Mischief + Dilbert + Ymas + Samsquamch + Polar + Pitch Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 10pm. Free. Sangria Latin Saturdays St Johns Park Bowling Club, St Johns Park. 9pm. Free. Something Else Feat: Hnqo (Bra) + Trent Hadid + Dave Juric + Brosnan Perera + Alex Ludlow B2b Jahra Mortimor + Arta B2b Harrison Morris + Carlos Nunes Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $11. Telefunken Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. Free. Timmy Trumpet Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $31.80. Vibe Positive - Feat: Myles Mac + Jon Watts + Grand Jete + Body Corp + Bobby Vibe Positive Secret Location, Sydney. 8pm. $20. World Records 03 - Feat: Setwun + Edseven + Tom Studdy + Mike Who + Glen Cassidy + Freda And Jackson + Mohi Cake Wines Cellar Door, Redfern. 1pm. Free. Yes Rave Social #1 Feat: Bilbo + Marky Vaw + Moonsign + Old Ate DJ + DJ Wildstylez + DJ Toot + Yes Rave DJs + Cat Lyf Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Yours - Feat: Twinsy Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16 CLUB NIGHTS Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Stuey B And Husky Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 4pm. Free.
Alphamama
Horrorshow
THURSDAY OCTOBER 13
Klue
Alphamama + Jackie Brown Jr + Hustle Mama Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8:30pm. Free.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 14 Blueprint - feat: Marc Roberts + Cassette + Ben Nott B2B Mark Craven + Andy Ef Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 9pm. $22. Feel Good X Oxjam Fundraiser - feat: Klue + Pluural + Friendless + Esther Sparkes + Nic Kelly The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. $15. Girls - feat: Liz Bird + Yemisul + Ebony Boadu + Anissa Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 11pm. $10. Peoples Club Weekly #8 feat: Andras + Donnotella + David Bangma + U-Khan + Alley Oop Goodbar, Paddington. 8pm. $15. Yemisul
Spice X C.U - feat: Robbie Lowe + Garth Linton Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $16.50.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 15 C.U.Saturday Eclipse feat: Max Chapman + Dan Bayton + Tristan Case + B_A + Lawrence Daffurn Civic Underground, Sydney. 9:30pm. $30. Horrorshow + B Wise Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $30. Lndry - feat: Dr Fresch + Daniel Bortz + Kormak + Persian Rug + Non Applicable DJs + Royle Pineapple + Tom Ackroyd + Dollar Bear + Mike Hyper + Dj Just 1 + Offtapia Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Vibe Positive - feat: Myles Mac + Jon Watts + Grand Jete + Body Corp + Bobby Vibe Positive Secret Location, Sydney. 8pm. $20.
thebrag.com
FEATURE
2.
6.
9.
V MoVement Best Of The Fest By Joseph Earp
A
festival as jam-packed as V MoVement Sydney doesn’t come along very often. The celebration of dance music and culture is positively bursting with international and local acts, and boasts one of the most impressively varied lineups of recent memory. Whether you’re a club hound or a lover of subtler beats and textures, the fest has you covered. To that end, here are our picks of the best that the festival has to offer, ten tastes of one of the most exciting celebrations of boogieing about.
1.
Steve Spacek At The Civic Underground, Saturday October 22 Steve Spacek is a legend, a master of beats and drops with an incredibly varied CV. The man has recorded under a number of monikers, releasing highly textured and tonal works that you can still get down to – and he’s done it for decades.
2.
Rave Of Thrones: The Resurrection Tour At The Enmore Theatre, Saturday October 22
Game Of Thrones isn’t a TV show, it’s a goddamn religion. Such a staggeringly high proportion of people watch – and pirate – the show that Rave Of Thrones will
undoubtedly prove to be one of V MoVement’s most popular events. DJ Hodor, AKA Kristian Nairn, will be manning the decks on the night, blasting out trap and house beats that you can pump and grind to, all while you’re dressed up in your best Game Of Thrones cosplay. Oh, and you will be dressed up: costumes are compulsory.
Five Years Of Astral People At Oxford Art Factory, Saturday October 22
3.
Proving that the V MoVement lineup is nothing if not diverse, the celebration of all things Astral People going down at the OAF will feature a performance from Winston Surfshirt, a rising Sydney act that play a brand of tunage that’s more akin to straight up rock’n’roll than the club bangers V MoVement is largely known for.
4.
No Zu At Jam Gallery, Saturday October 22
No Zu’s Afterlife is one of the local records of the year, a distinctly odd but nonetheless upbeat collection of psych-pop tunes. To that end, only a fool would pass up the opportunity to catch the acclaimed act in the live setting, particularly given the intimate confi nes of the Jam Gallery will suit the group’s warm, frenetic sound to a tee.
Mind Gamers At Oxford Art Factory, Friday October 21
5.
You will already have noticed the handsome visages of Mind Gamers adoring the front cover of the magazine. The three-headed musical act is a supergroup of sorts, comrpising of a trio of musicians – Sebastien Tellier, Daniel Stricker and John Kirby – all of whom have had ample acclaim in their own right. So take it from us, you will be in six singularly skilled hands when you attend the group’s worldwide debut performance at the Oxford Art Factory: to say the trio knows what it’s doing is almost an understatement.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video is a pioneering work of pop culture art, a glorious romp through camp horror tropes and some of the fi nest dance moves about. To that end, those folks over at World Bar have decided to pay tribute to the work by hosting their very own ‘Thriller’ night, an evening fi lled with sets by such rising stars as Seaz and Bobby Gray, and, excitingly, ‘Thriller’ dance classes, giving all y’all the unbeatable opportunity to move like MJ.
Daft Punk’s Unchained at Dendy Newtown, Friday October 21
8.
Given ‘Bent’, the new tune from ‘Strayan Yahtzel and his good mate Bengal, is resolutely one of the songs of the summer, who could give up a chance to hear the tune blasted out at a venue as perfect as El Topo? The banger is perfectly designed to have rooms heaving and moshing away, so prepare to get yer sweat on.
Got excited about those Daft Punk tour rumours that started circulating last week? Yeah, us too. So, what better way to celebrate the possibility of the helmet-clad Frenchmen heading our way than to head over to the Dendy Newtown and check out Daft Punk Unchained, a 2015 documentary about the enigmatic musicians. Only thing is, there’s a catch: entry is dependent upon you having subscribed to the Stoney Roads email newsletter, so you better get on that, stat.
7.
9.
6.
Yahtzel At El Topo, Wednesday October 19
Thriller Night At The World Bar, Thursday October 20
10.
Heaps Gay Third Birthday at The Imperial Hotel, Saturday October 22
Heaps Gay is one of Sydney’s premier party outlets, and a real champion of the LGBTQIA community. Given all the brand has done, it’s time to give back by attending the Heaps Gay third birthday party at the Imperial Hotel. What V MoVement Sydney Where: Various locations around Sydney When: Wednesday October 19 – Sunday October 23
4.
No Zu photo by Kristy Barros
3.
Insert Coin(s) at Oxford Art Factory, Thursday October 20
Nothing beats Halloween. That’s not hyperbole: it is objectively the best holiday of the year. Halloween parties, on the other hand, can be rather hit and miss. There’s nothing as demeaning as standing in the corner of the party, hot and sweaty from a themed pirate costume that your mate made you wear, your layers of make up smudging and getting in your eyes. So, rather than going down that particular path, why not head over to Insert Coin(s), a celebration of video game culture and dance music that will feature playable Resident Evil and sets from Martin Novosel and Levins.
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 684 :: 12:10:16 :: 33
snap
VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT
listen out
thebrag.com/snaps
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
01:10:16 :: Centennial Park :: Randwick
34 :: BRAG :: 685 :: 12:10:16
thebrag.com