ISSUE NO. 695 DECEMBER 28, 2016
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MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE
INSIDE This Week
BR IEF S : THE SECOND COMING
Sequins and sexiness take over the Spiegeltent.
T HE SE A S ON
A new play from ancient Aboriginal culture in Tasmania.
R E GURGI TAT OR
Putting their spin on The Velvet Underground.
O T T O & A S T R ID
They really are a serious band, you guys.
Plus
T HIR S T Y MERC W E Y E S BL OOD A NE BRUN L UB OM Y R MEL N Y K A ND MUCH MOR E
IT C R OU
Y
E M M IN S U
R
FREE ALL AGES
Celebrating triple j’s iconic countdown! L-FRESH THE LION OLYMPIA VXV FROYO KUREN HURST MC JAKE STONE hottest100parramatta.com.au #hotinparra 26 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 - PA R R A M AT TA PA R K COUNTDOWN STREAMING BETWEEN SETS z THE BIG BBQ AND FOODTRUCKS OUTDOOR BAR z BACKYARD GAMES z DEDICATED BROADCAST FROM 6.30PM
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the BRAG presents
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with James Di Fabrizio and David Burley
Newtown Social Club Monday April 10
he said she said WITH
B
which, for some, is as significant to Bowie in Berlin as his own albums. What made Bowie’s Berlin period so important to his career and discography? Obviously it coincided with a big change in his writing and his personal life. It is generally understood he moved there to rediscover his motivation and get away from drugs and
He wasn’t the first artist to draw great influence from Berlin. Does the city have a pull on creative types? I’m not sure Berlin influences people. In Bowie’s case maybe it did – when the Wall was there a certain atmosphere pervaded the place which was affecting, but for the most part I think people go there to find their own path. It’s a place which can give you a sense of artistic freedom. How will the songs be divided up between different vocalists? Fairly evenly between our performers Kylie Auldist, Dave Graney, Ron Peno, Kim Salmon and Max Sharam.
How much of an influence did Bowie have on your career personally? In the mid-’70s he was probably the single biggest artist for me. Over time other bands and artists came to have a more profound influence. The Berlin period was, however, particularly significant as it coincided with the beginning of the punk/new wave era and showed that Bowie was not a creepy, corporate, shallow pop star. We could hold on to him and his work whilst clearing out the rest of our record collections in the wake of punk. Bowie was real, maybe for the first time, and the Berlin period kept him dear to us. What: Bowie In Berlin With: Kylie Auldist, Dave Graney, Ron Peno, Kim Salmon and Max Sharam Where: Enmore Theatre When: Saturday January 7
MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 SUB-EDITOR: Joseph Earp ASSOCIATE ONLINE EDITOR: David Molloy STAFF WRITERS: Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: David Burley, James Di Fabrizio, Harriet Flitcroft, David Molloy, Ariana Norton ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHER: Ashley Mar COVER PHOTO: Noah Kalina ADVERTISING: Tony Pecotic - (02) 9212 4322 tony@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Furst Media MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATOR: Sarah Bryant - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Anna Wilson, Ariana Norton, Harriet Flitcroft, David Burley REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Arca Bayburt, Prudence Clark, Chelsea Deeley, Christie Eliezer, Matthew Galea, Emily Gibb, Jennifer Hoddinett, Tegan Jones, 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, Aaron Streatfeild, Rod Whitfield, Anna Wilson, Stephanie Yip, David James Young
Sydney Psych Fest is bringing the good vibes back to town for a third time in 2017. The independently run and diversity-focused music festival will return to the Factory Theatre in February with a pair of international headliners. Carsick Cars and White+, two of China’s best indie exports, lead a first round lineup that’s also packed with Aussie talent. Flyying Colours will make their Psych Fest debut, joined by Mere Women, Belles Will Ring, Buried Feather and The Black Heart Death Cult, with more to come. Sydney Psych Fest III takes over the Factory on Saturday February 25.
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CORINNE BAILEY RAE Metro Theatre Sunday April 16
NIKKI HILL
Newtown Social Club Monday April 17
THE STRUMBELLAS Oxford Art Factory Monday April 17
ST PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES Metro Theatre Wednesday April 19
Lazertits
LAZERTITS OUT
Melbourne punk rockers Lazertits are bringing the party to Sydney in 2017. It’ll be the triple j Unearthed favourites’ first trip to our fine city, and they’ll bring some of their finest hits along with them, including ‘Boss Bitch’ and ‘Ladies’. And if you need some more Lazertits to get you through the holiday season, the band has announced a 2017 calendar. 50 per cent of profits will go to Minus 18, which provides peer mentoring and mental health support to young LGBTQI people. The remaining 50 per cent of profits will be put towards Lazertits’ debut album recording in 2017. Lazertits play The Vic On The Park with Rackett on Friday January 20, and Tokyo Sing Song on Saturday January 21.
POSTMODERN OPERA HOUSE
EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG.
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Enmore Theatre Thursday April 13
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MILES ELECTRIC BAND
Mother’s Cake
BAKED CAKE
Austrian psych/prog trio Mother’s Cake are making the big trek Down Under in support of their third full-length album, No Rhyme No Reason, which drops on Friday January 27. The tour will see Mother’s Cake make their secondever appearance in the country, with Aussie punters last getting the chance to catch the group in 2014. Having played alongside the likes of AC/DC, Iggy Pop, Deftones, Wolfmother, Velvet Revolver, Anathema, Pentagram, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group and more, Mother’s Cake have truly been soaring sky high since their formation in 2008. Don’t miss ’em at The Factory Floor on Saturday February 11.
Following on from their last two successful tours, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox are coming back for more. 2016 saw the New Yorkers take on a 75-date sold-out European tour, as well as covering North America and selling out their debut Australian tour the year prior. An internet phenomenon, Postmodern Jukebox have amassed millions of views for their style of music, which sees them reimagine pop hits in various throwback genres. They’ll play the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on Thursday September 28 next year.
GIBB IT UP
Barry Gibb has cancelled his Australian tour plans, citing “a change in international commitments”. As it is not possible to reschedule the performances, refunds will be available to all ticketholders of the Live Nationpresented headline shows. Ticketholders do not have to take any action. For Byron Bay’s Bluesfest patrons, Monday Single Day Tickets are available for refund from now until seven days after the new artist announcement has been revealed. Bluesfest 2017 will go down from Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm.
TIDE YOU OVER TILL NYE
Join King Tide and friends as they usher in the New Year with a party at Lazybones Lounge. If you still haven’t made plans for NYE, King Tide have got you covered as they bring in DJ Nothing and DJ Ted Vassall for what’s sure to be a swell night. The ARIA-nominated band will also be playing a special set of roots and reggae tunes on the night. The event includes free sparkling wine until 9pm, and finger food will be on offer all night. The doors are opening at 5pm on Saturday December 31. For more info on the event and booking details, head to the website.
EL TOPO THE WORLD
Catch Deep Sea Arcade and Yeo at El Topo in Bondi next year as El Topo Basement continues its live music series in 2017. Throughout November and December of this year, the venue has been hosting some of the best Australian up-and-coming acts. Bands like The Lulu Raes, WildHoney and Ocean Alley have already performed as part of the ongoing Friday series at the venue. Now, the January lineup has been revealed. Deep Sea Arcade will be in to preview their highly anticipated second album on Friday January 13, while the following Friday January 20, Melbourne multiinstrumentalist Yeo will deliver his unique live show experience. thebrag.com
Mick Harvey photo by L.J. Spruyt
IN THE INTERIM
Sydney-via-Toowoomba alt-rockers Interim are kicking off the New Year with an Aussie tour, fresh from recording their upcoming debut LP. The five-piece has spent the best part of 2016 settling into a new (better) home of Sydney, writing the album and testing out tracks as regulars at Frankie’s Pizza – the very place the tour kicks off on Thursday January 19. Interim have wooed crowds around the country with their two DIY releases, Metanarratives (2015) and Future Memories (2012), as well as recent single ‘She’s The Devil’. The new album was produced by the reputable Yanto Browning (Art Of Sleeping, Jungle Giants, The Belligerents), and recorded over an intense 13 days. Come see some good ol’ sweaty rock’n’roll.
Newtown Social Club Wednesday April 12
The Strumbellas photo by Josh Goldman
owie In Berlin will tour Australia in January. Just how much material will the show cover? The plan is to cover as much of the so-called ‘Trilogy’ as we can. A couple of the instrumental tracks may pose difficulties, issues like finding a virtuoso koto player. Also, playing all the songs will probably make the show too long, especially if we want to include any Iggy Pop,
TREVOR HALL
MICK HARVEY FROM BOWIE IN BERLIN the ‘entertainment biz’. Once there his writing became more experimental and a big departure from his earlier glam, pop-rock and the more recent plastic soul period. It was very European in feel.
TURIN BRAKES
St Paul and The Broken Bones photo by David McClister
music news
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FLOWER TRUCK + SLUMBER HAZE SPECIAL GUESTS + SLUMBER HAZE
THE DINLOWS + BORNEO + THE KAVA KINGS KLP (DJ SET/TRIPLE J) + GUESTS
FRIDAY NIGHT IN SELINA’S FROM 8PM
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live & local
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Ariana Norton and David Burley
head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
WITH
Growing Up I was born in 1. Liverpool, England –
Liverpool Irish. Everyone had a song. Your mother had a song. Your father had a song. Your brother, your sister had a song.
TONY HUGHES FROM KING TIDE
Inspirations The very first 2. popular song I can
remember on Top Of The Pops was ‘My Boy Lollipop’ by Millie Small. I do a radio show on Eastside, so I am always listening for new stuff.
Presently I’m listening to Anderson. Paak, The Frightnrs, D.R.A.M., Father John Misty and that Dog Trumpet album Medicated Spirits. Your Band I put the band
3.
together ten years ago after Glenn Wright from Vitamin Records rang me up to put together a reggae band to play Thursday roots night at the Beach Road Hotel in Bondi. I just rang up my mates from my old belly dance band days, Lindsay Page and Terepai Richmond and Robbie Wolf, and worked it up from there. I sent them some loops I had made, they came and played them live, and I made up songs around them. It was all very informal. Sean Collins, who I met at a jam down gig, would freestyle over them. That was until he was deported. The band’s first album was called To Our Dearly Deported. At present we are working on our fourth album. It’s been a difficult child. But she is behaving herself now.
The Music You Make 4. Our style is uptown jam
down rocksteady reggae got soul. Jamaican music is our compass. What can peeps expect? “Infectious melody welded to sinuous rock-steady dance rhythms,” according to Anthony O’Grady (The Australian). Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. What do I think of the
music scene at the moment? I don’t think about it. Obstacles musos have to overcome include getting a legal park close to the gig. Where: Lazybones Lounge When: Saturday December 31
WHITE LUNG
Canada’s White Lung are an incredibly cool outfit. Hailing from Vancouver, they recently released their fourth album through Domino Records, the influential label that also has Arctic Monkeys and Wild Beasts on its books. Both White Lung’s vocals and social commentary are sharp and cutting, and landed them a place on the lineup of Laneway 2017. They’ll also grace us Sydneysiders with a sideshow on Thursday February 2 at Newtown Social Club, supported by Phantastic Ferniture, the garage poppy darlings featuring vocalist Julia Jacklin, who has made 2016 her year. We have two double passes up for grabs to the sideshow. Enter the draw at thebrag. com/freeshit.
Jeff Duff
Matt Gresham
ALL HE NEEDS IS LOVE
Western Australian native, surfer and X Factor alumnus Matt Gresham will be back on Aussie shores next year in support of his brand new single ‘Survive On Love’. Gresham released his debut album One Night Away in 2014 and has been charming audiences with beautiful ballads and a swoonworthy voice pretty much ever since. He’s been living in Berlin and working on a whole bunch of new stuff, showcasing a newfound vibrancy and explosiveness to his sound. ‘Survive On Love’ is a passionate plea for harmony in a crazy messed-up world, and a colourful request for love to remain. Gresham will play The Old Manly Boatshed on Sunday January 29.
ONE LAST LIVE AT THE SLY
Expect a big show for the final Live At The Sly of 2016, with Narla, Taylor King and Maroota Joe set to perform. Slyfox in Enmore has been working hard all year to provide sweet live gigs for Sydneysiders with its Live At The Sly series, and to end the year, it’ll be hosting what’s sure to be a night of headbanging as three Sydney rock acts take the stage. Headlining the night are Narla, who have just wrapped up a tour of the east coast to show off their new single ‘The Way’. Helping them out will be King, as he prepares to release his debut album, and Maroota Joe with their psych rock vibes. The event is taking place on Thursday December 29.
MICHAEL GRIFFIN QUINTET
The five-piece jazz combo led by Michael Griffin will be playing a show in early January at Foundry616. The Sydney-born saxophonist is making a big name for himself in the jazz community worldwide. He’s worked with jazz legend Billy Kaye in New York, been a finalist four times for the Generations In Jazz James Morrison Scholarship, and this year he was nominated for the Young Australian Jazz Artist Of The Year award. After the success of his debut album release last year, he’s ready to bring the band back to 6 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
BOWIE UNZIPPED
Australia’s very own starman is returning to The Basement in January for the first show in a national tour of Bowie Unzipped. Jeff Duff’s tribute show marks the first anniversary of David Bowie’s death and is one of what is sure to be many tributes to the original Ziggy Stardust coming up to the date. With Bowie Unzipped shows having been an integral part of Duff and his band’s career for many years, this is sure to be done with nothing but love and the utmost care. Bowie Unzipped is on at The Basement on Friday January 6.
The Vic On The Park
his hometown for a show. Griffin and co. will be at Foundry616 on Thursday January 5.
ODDS AND EVANS
Singer-songwriter Evan Klar is hitting the road in the wake of his debut single, ‘Sleep’. The 27-yearold artist cut his teeth working as a session player alongside the likes of Charli XCX and Alex Metric before moving to Melbourne and developing a sound of his own, signing to EMI before he’d even played his first official show. “Before I start writing music I sometimes collect field recordings out in nature and use them to set a scene in a song,” says Klar. “For example in ‘Sleep’ I wanted the voice of the character and structure of the song to be straightforward or simple but have the sound design and music lead the story.” He’ll play Brighton Up Bar on Saturday February 25.
BLUE KING BROWN
Blue King Brown, formed in Byron Bay by Natalie Pa’apa’a and Carlo Santone, have three albums under their belt and have supported big names such as Damien Marley, Silverchair, Carlos Santana and The Cat Empire. Now, they will bring their beats-driven sound to Sydney early 2017. See them at the Mona Vale Hotel on Friday January 13, plus the Boyd Education Centre at Illaroo on Saturday January 14 and Proud Mary’s in Erina on Sunday January 15.
NEW YEAR’S AT THE VIC
Head down to Marrickville on New Year’s Day to catch some great live bands, partystarting DJs and good food and drink. Throughout the day at The Vic On The Park, there will be live bands playing including Hockey Dad, Unity Floors, Betty & Oswald and Greenwave Beth. Once the bands wrap up, Aussie legends Donny Benet and Kirin J Callinan will be jumping on the decks to keep the party going all night. The festivities will be kicking off from 1pm on Sunday January 1, so get down early for lunch and to enjoy a day of free live music.
thebrag.com
White Lung photo by Rick Rodney
five things
White Lung
Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer
12
WAYS YOUR CONSUMPTION OF MUSIC AND MEDIA WILL CHANGE IN 2017
NEW USER EXPERIENCES 1
As music fans increasingly move away from owning music to renting it, user experience will become the key for growth. Music apps and platforms, for all their hype, lag behind their digital rivals for visuals and sound quality, and in the multidimensional and scalability stakes. Some major brands have started to work at this, but if they’re not quick enough to move in 2017 (for reasons including lack of revenue or needing to overhaul staff to be younger and tech-smart), expect a new generation of well-funded tech-savvy ones to launch and move in. Our tip for the first to disappear in 2017: Tidal, most likely bought out by Apple. Currently there are 103.1 million subscribers to music streaming services worldwide. It’s expected to be 200 million by the end of 2017. The huge gap between the users and the subscribers indicates streaming services need to do more to reel them in. A study by media agency OMD found that only one in three Australians use music streaming, and only 21 per cent of those subscribe. But half of the latter are open to it – meaning that they’ll do it once they’re happy with current services. Similarly, the successful festivals and concerts will be the ones providing multiple experiences – a trend that began in Australia some years ago with boutique events and is now becoming the norm. See further down for more on this.
STREAMING WILL CONTINUE TO SAVE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY 2
After streaming became the main revenue earner for record companies in 2016, expect it to escalate in 2017. Spotify Australia, which received 4.2m visitors in late 2016 (up from 3m early in the year), will focus on more integrated in-car streaming. Pandora Australia promises more new products through 2017.
Coldplay at Allianz Stadium and Harbourlife photos by Ashley Mar
The streaming boom will see major financial companies returning to invest in the music industry after decades of treating it as a pariah. The canary in the mine will be Spotify’s Initial Public Offering (IPO), probably in the first half of the year. If it’s successful, investors will dive back panting hard. If not, there’ll be a crisis of confidence, and its rivals will have second thoughts about expanding at all costs. Recently, The Australian Financial Review reported that a number of Australian-made apps have started to draw major investment. The musician network VAMPR, after raising $650,000 to launch, is heading to the market this year for major injection. GiggedIn, which launched with a $750,000 booster shot from financial institutions, is close to concluding a $1m bridging fund. Online ticketing platform Pulse Global raised $1.2m ahead of a 2017 listing on the ASX. Ticket sales marketing startup Ticket Squad will complete a seed round in January.
MORE GOMO THAN FOMO 3
Until 2015, FOMO (‘fear of missing out’) was the catchphrase that Australian promoters and marketers
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used to get those pesky millennials to their events and products. 40% of Aussies admitted their FOMO was driven by social media. But early last year, ticketing platform Eventbrite’s study of our spending habits found that FOMO was replaced by GOMO (‘get out more often’). Because of the anxiety of missing out, 60% of Australians planned to go to more concerts in 2016 with 28% indicating they’ll spend $300 each time, and 30% planned to attend more music festivals. Expect this trend to continue in 2017. 4 CONCERT TECH TO CREATE CLOSER ENCOUNTERS The energy and excitement of watching a band with thousands of other like-minded freaks can never be surpassed. But technology has redefined the whole concert experience. Not everything is available in Australia yet, but it will be. Wearable technology covers cashless payment, paperless ticketing and superior social media connection. Fans entering the venue are handed LED light-up devices – beach balls, wristbands or lanyards – which the lighting director can control and turn the entire crowd into a magnificent screen with changing individual effects. Super fans in the front rows can be rewarded by bands who may release new tracks only to them, or offer discounted merch. Venues can physically ‘change’ with the ebb and flow of the crowd. The biggest change will be commonplace streaming of concerts. So far it’s limited to major acts because setting up a stream is expensive, timeconsuming and a logistical and red tape nightmare. But new companies have popped up in North America and Europe to make future concerts work on parallel universes. The idea is to give the fan on the sofa a different experience to the fan who physically attends the show. This includes experiencing the gig from the band’s view – being onstage with them and going backstage. In Australia, it would be a boon to those in regional areas where major acts don’t play, those who don’t have the extra cash to travel and buy stuff at shows, and to those who are apprehensive about their safety at concerts. Expect the value of the global live music industry – US$25 billion in 2016 – to rise in the next 12 months.
WIDER LIFESTYLE MARKETING AT EDM EVENTS 5
Research shows that unlike po-faced rock and alt-rock audiences, dance and hip hop crowds aren’t averse to having branding thrown in their faces. Expect more of that in 2017, especially at EDM events and festivals. These are where Aussie millennials (16-34) congregate, especially the male of that species. A study by Nielsen declared these males the most digitally connected and earliest adopters, spending 4.5 more hours a week online than female millennials and almost 7.5 more than older males. Nine out of ten own smartphones, compared to 74% of older men. However, they are also the hardest to reach for advertisers and marketers: they are so engrossed with their phones that they don’t notice ads.
A survey last year opened the corporate world’s eyes to possibilities, which it will most likely put in place in 2017. The study Sponsoring A Live Music Event Makes Millennials Trust And Recommend Your Brand! found 93% of respondents like brands that sponsor live events, 81% have the coolest brand experience where music was involved, 80% think the best way to connect with them is via a branded live music event and 37% of these come away with a better perception of the brand. 89% regard those brands as “more authentic”, up to 80% buy a product after the experience, and 80% recommend brands that sponsor a live music experience to their networks.
GREATER TECHNOLOGY TO DRIVE FESTIVALS 6
The millennials’ dual obsession with technology and music festivals has seen major changes in that sector’s experience. Ticketing company Eventbrite’s US statistics are probably similar to those in Australia. The biggest attendees were found to be millennial men and college students. 25% of college students have attended a music festival in the past 12 months. The festival experience will grow with wider use of virtual reality, drone and Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) wristbands. Coming in 2017 is the Oculus Rift, which means you can experience a festival from your sofa. Will we one day be looking at promoters offering two-tier ticketing systems: one for actual attendance and the other for virtual attendance? What extras will the sofa-dweller get?
RADIO TO AGGRESSIVELY CHASE LISTENERS 7
More people are listening to radio than ever before – 10.3m a week in the five capital cities to commercial radio, while the number was close to 4.8m a week (or 6% of the population aged over 15) to community radio. Research company GfK’s Australian Share Of Audio study found that Australians spend an average of three hours and 23 minutes each day consuming audio “in a dynamic and changing market that includes internet-only services, podcasts and online music videos”. 13% listen to their own music collections, 9.2% to streaming services Pandora, Spotify and Apple Music, 3.7% to online music videos, 3.5% to podcasts, just 2.1% to TV music channels and 2.6% to ‘other audio’ including audio books and music playing at various locations as gyms or in pubs. American listeners still regard radio as the place to discover new music. A new US study from Morning Consult in December provided greater insight. 37% listen to the radio most, followed by Pandora (17%), purchased music (15%) and Spotify (9%). 12% did not listen to radio at all. People in the 30-54 age range listen most often. Those in the 18-29 age group are the biggest users (11%) of Apple Music, and make up 20% of Spotify users and 22% of Pandora users.
A poll by AdNews in December of Australian commercial radio figures predicted that through 2017 we can expect to see more investment in branding and innovative content, and in the multiple platforms where the younger listeners are. The oncesquabbling radio networks will work together more to promote the value of radio, and deal with issues like streaming, audience measurement and consumer insights.
VIRTUAL REALITY ENTERS THE MAINSTREAM 8
After bubbling away for years, VR has become a reality, even if flawed and fascinating, and even if the price of headsets limits the audience to enthusiastic early adopters. Games such as House Of The Dying Sun and Elite: Dangerous were the obvious showcases of its possibilities, but so too were 3D painting app Tilt Brush and desktop apps like Bigscreen and Virtual Desktop. VR could enter the mainstream this year. Some experts suggest VR is just a fad, destined to go the way of the LaserDisc and 3D TV. But given the excitement still whirling around it, that’s not expected to happen in 2017.
VOICE RECOGNITION 9
In 2017, Australians will be expecting their smartphones, music systems, cars and cameras to respond to their voices. As it is, 10% of all queries globally (that’s 50b searches a month) are via voice. It’s still a novelty, with a MindMeld study showing that 60% of smartphone owners only began using the feature last year, and 41% in the past six months. Half the searches will be voice activated by 2020. This is because the speech recognition word error rate is now 8%, compared to 20% in 2014. It will probably be a mobile phenomenon only. Similarly, 75% of the world’s mobile data traffic will be videos by 2020.
TWITTER WILL SAVE ITSELF? 10
The expectation was that Twitter would sink into the ocean by 2018. It was turned down by potential suitors Disney, Google and Salesforce.com, and the perception was that users saw it as outdated. But its last two quarters have seen audience growth and engagement. In December 2016, it introduced live broadcasting through its Periscope software and put itself back in the game, though it needs to play catch-up with Facebook Live, which launched in April 2016. Live video is the future of social media: the total daily digital video consumption by an American adult is expected
to reach 72 minutes in 2017 across all digital devices. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has also made it more appealing with a block on hate and abusive messages and trimming worldwide staff by 9% to give it a wider financial smile.
INCREASED UPTAKE FOR SVOD 11
Research firm Nielsen predicted that 67% of Australians would be accessing subscription videos on demand (SVOD) by the end of 2016 – Netflix with 25% and Stan 11%. Subscriber management specialist Paywizard’s research found that just before Christmas an additional 14% planned to trial a service, but 59% of that group weren’t sure if they’d stick with it after the trial. So through 2017, expect providers to hold on to them with more aggressive pricing, more original and specialist content, and new loyalty-building initiatives. Whether this stops or slows Netflix’s early rapid growth in Australia remains to be seen. Traditional TV is still accessed by 89% of Australians, mostly on the TV set. But younger viewers are doing so through mobiles. Pay TV could grow if it gets its strategies right: 44% of Australian households have yet to take out a subscription, which must be worrying to the suits.
TV WILL AIM AT MORE ORIGINAL CONTENT 12
The last Australian multiscreen report showed 86% of TV viewing was still on the TV set, and ‘traditional’ TV habits remained dominant. But the ‘seemingly infinite’ number of devices and program options is fragmenting audiences. This is particularly during peak evening viewing when the TV set is increasingly used for eight-to-28-day playback. It’s common knowledge of course that millennials watch less TV. One study suggests that 20% of their media consumption is on streaming or SVOD (compared to 9% of older demographics) and 12% on video games (compared to 9% for older demos). There’ll be greater efforts by TV networks to rush out some content as close as possible to overseas broadcast dates. There’ll be more original programs in 2017 than ever before to keep viewers onside. According to FX Research, there were 451 scripted original programs aired in in America in 2016, up 30% from 2015. It’s expected to be 500 in 2017. Listening to radio also took up a lot of Australians’ time: 15.1 billion hours in the past 12 months. Some 87% tune in to radio during the week, listening to an average of 881 hours over the year. We took a combined 189m trips to the beach, 124m to nightclubs, casinos, race tracks and clubs, 95m to the cinema, 75m to art galleries, museums, exhibitions and historical buildings, and 50m to the theatre, ballet, opera and concerts. And we never let go of our smartphones for a second!
BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16 :: 7
BRAG SPECIAL
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN
THE BRAG SYDNEY GUIDE FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN 2017 TO
“As much as you write, you’ve got to think about it as well. You dream about it during the day.”
THE SEASON A MUTTONBIRD STORY BY JOSEPH EARP
F
or some, playwright Nathan Maynard’s description of his new work The Season as a “muttonbird story” might be a little confusing. After all, the history and importance of the muttonbird – a dark-feathered species of shearwater mainly found around Tasmania and New Zealand – is yet to be comprehensively covered in mainstream channels, and the significant role the animal plays in the Aboriginal community isn’t widely known. And yet, it is that very absence of understanding that Maynard’s work aims to combat. The Season takes its name from the window of time in which members of the Aboriginal community hunt the new generation of muttonbirds before they fledge, in the process seeking to connect not just to the land and nature but also with each other. To that end, Maynard’s work is deeply tied to the community it was written about and for.
The play focuses on the Duncans, a multi-generational indigenous
“I knew what I wanted to say. I knew I wanted to tell a muttonbird story. I knew I wanted to tell a story about our connection to the muttonbird and our connection to each other. There’s a real culture down here, and a really unique culture. It was about trying to structure that into a clear narrative, into a clear story. “There’s so much to say. There’s so many layers to a muttonbird story, particularly a family muttonbird story. Trying to get that into a story that gels and flows and is clear – that was difficult. But that’s where I got guidance off others, and dreaming – what I call dreaming. As much as you write, you’ve got to think about it as well. You dream about it during the day.” Maynard’s process of dreaming about The Season has kept him busy since 2014, and allowed him to stay connected to the work even if he wasn’t explicitly sitting down to write it as often as he’d like to.
ANE BRUN
“It took about two years [to] write,” he says. “So it’s been a bit of a process. It was about trying to learn my craft. I’d like to be a full-time artist – I’m working towards it. But at that stage I was nowhere near it, so I had to juggle a nine-to-five job while doing all my own community commitments and writing. It wasn’t like I could just spend every day focusing on it. Even though it never leaves your mind, you can’t just sit in front of the computer and write every day. “Some days [you’re thinking] about the plot, some days the characters,” Maynard adds. “Some days all of it. Sometimes you might get to a part where you’re like, ‘That
character’s not strong enough. So what’s missing from that character’s journey?’ So I’ll sit there and I’ll dream it up. I’ll think about that story all day, or all week. And then I’ll go, ‘That’s what was missing.’” The struggle was also very much one about communication. Maynard knew from the beginning that he would have to write The Season in a way that quickly explained the importance of muttonbirding to the wider community, but educating those with limited knowledge without irritating those in the know proved difficult. “Sometimes I had to work on it at points where … I understood
The Season has already enjoyed a limited, well-received run around the country. Through the process of touring the play, Maynard has been able to effectively spread the story of muttonbirding, but he’s also learnt
FREEDOM CALLS BY ADAM NORRIS
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first fell in love with Ane Brun’s voice when ‘Don’t Leave’ was released back in 2008. Since then, I’ve kept a distant eye on the Norwegian singer-songwriter, hoping to one day catch her live but resigned to the likelihood I’d have to travel to Europe to see her theatrical performances in the fl esh. Now, however, Brun – who was recently heralded as a young and promising talent to watch – will appear at Sydney Festival, and she chats about the winding road of her proudly independent career. “It’s nice to be young and promising when you’re 40!” she laughs. “I think the thing is, I’ve always been independent. I released my first album on my own label and have ever since. I’ve always done licensing and distributing through bigger companies, but the main record company is my own. So in that sense things go slower.
“I think also that the playfulness or the diversity of my music can be a result of me being independent. I’ve never had anyone telling me what
kind of direction to take; it’s always up to me. So when I make an album I don’t have someone there saying, ‘No, we don’t have a hit,’ or ‘This song doesn’t fit.’ I can always do what I want. So if you look at my career I think you can see I’ve made a lot of choices I might not be able to do on a big label.” Read any article on Brun, and her sense of theatricality is inevitably applauded. You really need look no further than the video for ‘Do You Remember’ to see the imaginative scope her music summons, but theatricality itself is a curious accolade. There is the implication of fi ction; of the real Ane being hidden behind a mask, and a stage-friendly facsimile taking control. “I think maybe it’s because it’s very emotional. I feel I’m very authentic when I do music. Maybe being ‘theatrical’ is just learning to express emotions onstage. But of course, you do a lot of gigs. I feel like I’ve learned the technique of an actor. I go onstage and I perform, I deliver these emotions, but I feel more and more that I’m doing it as a craft. You understand how to deliver emotions without being in the drama.” With her latest album, When I’m Free, Brun proves she is not one to rest on old methods. Just as her stagecraft is an evolving beast, so too does she try to instil her songwriting with a sense of evolution and experimentation. thebrag.com
Ane Brun photo by Aida Chehrehgosha
“The good thing about that kind of career is that it’s growing all the time, this growing organism. It’s a rewarding feeling. I’ve let go of a lot of restrictions and fears, so I’ve tried to go into music with a sense of freedom, to see what comes and have no expectations of where I should fit. I like to see what happens.
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it, but didn’t know if the audience [would] understand it. I knew my community would understand it – I only have to say a couple of words and my community understand it. But as much as I started writing it for my community, I was always hoping the wider community would get to see it. I had to be really clear about what muttonbirding is. I had to think of the play like a person who had never even heard of muttonbirds before.”
The Season photo by Simon Pynt
“[The Season] is a Tassie story,” he says. “I don’t know about many other Aboriginal writers, but I can only assume for them too that the first people you write it for are your own community. When I first started writing it, I didn’t think in my wildest dreams that it would get to Sydney Festival. I just thought it might be a little play for a Tassie Aboriginal audience.”
family who have travelled to the Bass Strait’s Dog Island in order to take part in a muttonbird hunt. The Season juggles both thematic matters – the uneasy tension between the old and the new, the weight of tradition, the connection between people and place – and the lives and concerns of its characters. Maynard’s challenge quickly became about communicating a culture without ever losing sight of the actual people in the story.
BRAG SPECIAL
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN
< THEATRE
< MUSIC
REGURGITATOR STAYING UNDERGROUND BY DAVID MOLLOY
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years ago, Brisbane electro-punks Regurgitator released Unit and, contrary to their thoughts at the time, found a whole lot of people liked their new stuff better than their old stuff, rocketing to mainstream attention with fi ve hit singles.
Skip forward to the eve of Unit’s 20th anniversary, and the band isn’t focused on celebrating the milestone. Instead, Regurgitator are doing something truly unexpected: coming to Sydney Festival with a reimagining (regurgitating?) of one of the most worshipped rock albums of all time, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Fresh off the back of their 2016 tour, which h e wryly describes as “pretty physically challenging at our old age”, founding member and bassist Ben Ely refl ects on his first belated encounter with the Velvet Underground record, at a time when he was far more focused on Prince, Metallica, Michael Jackson and Iron Maiden.
how little is known of the ritual, and how badly it needs to be cherished and nurtured. “Most people in Tassie will have even a limited knowledge of [muttonbirding],” he says. “But I noticed when I went to Yarramundi with the play, the majority of the community up there didn’t have a clue,” he laughs. “Even the blackfellas up there didn’t have a clue!” What: The Season Where: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House When: Tuesday January 10 – Sunday January 15
<MUSIC
“I’ve let go of a lot of restrictions and fears, so I’ve tried to go into music with a sense of freedom, to see what comes and have no expectations of where I should fit.” “It kind of comes through improvising. That’s how a lot of songwriting starts. On this album, I wanted to make something different, so I tried out a lot of things. I also wrote on top of productions I put together myself to find a different approach, so in a sense things changed. On certain songs, instead of writing to a guitar, I’d write to a bassline and drum samples. It became different. But it also took a lot of time to get there. It was a hard album that took months to do. But I had more ambition of where to go than I’ve ever had before.” What: When I’m Free out now through Balloon Ranger/ Universal Where: City Recital Hall When: Saturday January 7
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surprise hit of the exhibit, with critics lavishing praise on the band’s last-minute decision to cover ‘When Doves Cry’ in tribute to the late Prince. “He passed away on the day we did the Velvet Underground show,” says Ely. “I don’t even know how to play the song – I mean, it’s very simple, it’s just repeating four chords, that kinda thing. I say that as I’m sitting in my backyard surrounded by purple fl owers having fallen off the tree. Oh, it’s so poetic!” he laughs. Now 46 years old, Ely is prosaic about the loss of his heroes – a staple sensation for music lovers in 2016 – and optimistic about the future. “I think it’s one thing to respect the people that’ve existed and our elders who have made great music and they’ve made great music on major labels and had a massive commercial push behind them, but I think it’s good to get out there and support younger independent artists who are really amazing,” he says, citing bands and labels that have grabbed his attention recently including Bad//Dreems, Summer
Flake, Bedroom Suck Records and Rice Is Nice. “The exciting thing is that our heroes will go, but it’s the circle of life, y’know? It’s just like The Lion King: there’s gonna be some new little cubs that’ll come out and turn into strong lions and make really great music. That’s what I’m getting excited about. Especially in Australia, there’s a lot of great music in Australia and I’m trying to get into that a lot more.” As for anniversary celebrations, a tour for Unit could well be on the cards. At least, it could be now, as it hadn’t occurred to Ely to celebrate in such a fashion. “We’d love to do a little tour, that’d be super fun,” he says. “Music is really funny like that; I think it’s the closest thing you can come to in this world of owning a time machine of listening to that, or even if I physically pick up the bass and play and sing some of those songs, it really can teleport you back in time to where you were when you wrote it or recorded it or played it live – so
“It’s like our midlife crisis, instead of getting a Ferrari we’re just playing like we’re 18 again.” for that reason it’s quite a trippy experience.” Funnily enough, Regurgitator may already be channelling their adolescent selves into their new record, which is still but a twinkle in their eyes. “At the moment it’s pretty rocky – it’s like our mid-life crisis, instead of getting a Ferrari we’re just playing like we’re 18 again,” Ely laughs. “But who knows, we might turn into MOR country by the time we go to play and record together. We’ll see what happens.” What: Regurgitator perform The Velvet Underground & Nico Where: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent When: Tuesday January 17
“It just sounded really completely alien, like it’s kinda pop music but so completely alien to everything else around,” he remembers. “I think that album and that band inspired so many musicians to think out of the box and have that DIY attitude. A lot of those punk acts like Jonathan Richman and Iggy Pop and all that New York scene is infl uenced by that sound. I think it’s a pretty great record.” It’s no surprise that the do-ityourself vibe rings true for Ely, considering Regurgitator’s penchant for creating on their own terms. The approach suits their distaste for major label interference, their abrasive artistic impulses and a simple broad pragmatism. “We’ve kinda always recorded very cheaply and bought our own gear and recorded it at home or in a garage – we’ve done most of our records that way,” Ely says. “We’re kinda control freaks and we don’t wanna waste money as well. I guess the idea of going to a studio is quite nice? But we’re just such tight-arses.” Their days of tight-arsery may be coming to an end, however, as they’re considering booking a studio – “Heaven forbid,” says Ely – to record their next album, currently in gestation. “Or at least I think we’re talking about going to a mate’s studio,” the bassist laughs. The ’Gurge – Ely and partners-incrime Quan Yeomans and Peter Kostic – showcased their lateral thinking in planning for the Velvet Underground gig, appropriating Chinese musical elements into their new vision as a means to pitch it to the National Gallery of Victoria for its Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei exhibition. “My wife’s a contemporary dancer, and she just did a tour of China with some classical Chinese musicians,” Ely explains. “We met this girl Mindy [Meng Wang] who was really lovely, and she plays the guzheng, which is very similar to the koto. That was kinda fresh in my mind, so I just said, ‘Because it’s Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei it could be cool to do The Velvet Underground, but instead of violins and pianos you could use the guzheng to play those parts.’” The performance proved the BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16 :: 9
BRAG SPECIAL
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN Briefs photo by Chantel Concei
BRIEFS: THE SECOND COMING
< CABARET
NUMBER ONE FAN BY JOSEPH EARP
D
allas Dellaforce is busier than ever. The cabaret, drag and stage show performer otherwise known as Daniel Squires Cater is in charge of costuming for Briefs: The Second Coming, an upcoming production that aims to combine the rich history of musical theatre with some deliciously risqué and renegade flair. As you’d imagine, being in charge of all that fabric is proving to be a daunting task. “I’m just running around the place,” Cater says. “I’m getting things done – there’s a lot of sequins involved, as well as a lot of tits and arse. “There have been a few new acts added [since rehearsals] that have required new costumes. The show’s been going for the last four years I think, and so constant updates and upgrades of costumes always need to happen, because they get worn out. So I’m redoing a whole set of costumes for this next upcoming season, making them bright, fresh and delicious, hopefully.”
WEYES BLOOD FOR THE SAKE OF THE SONG BY JOSEPH EARP
< MUSIC “I’ll notice different crowd vibes depending on the venue too, in any given place. You can tell if it’s a [venue] run by people who really try or people who don’t really care that much. There’s a lot of things that go into a show.” Of course, by association, there are a lot of obstacles to overcome in order to play a gig. Though Mering doesn’t suffer from stage fright per se, she does struggle when it comes to finding the balance between fulfilling her own performative needs and not shutting the audience out entirely. “I don’t look at the audience, because I think it would really distract me if I locked eyes with people,” she says. “But I see performers do that and I’m really envious that they’re capable of doing that. I feel like if I did that I’d see too many souls and lose my concentration. I actually zone out on the audience and just look past them. “There’s times where performing is better than others. There are times when it’s really transcendental and amazing and times when it feels like you’re kind of just going through the motions. But it’s funny, there are times when I’m playing sometimes and I’ll notice somebody in the back and I can feel someone’s energy being really involved or something. Like, if they stand out to me and I can tell they’re having a moment or it’s really affecting them. That’s kinda cool.”
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One would imagine that carting around a discography that epic would come with its own share of problems – it’s hard to imagine Mering belting out a song like ‘Generation Why’ in a DIY punk venue, for example – but the Californian musician
argues that performing is one of the most cherished parts of her artistic process, particularly at smaller venues. “Playing these tiny rooms all jammed with people … those have been some of our most fun shows,” she says. “Those have been really special.” Touring the world in support of her acclaimed new record has also afforded Mering a unique vantage point to note differences between international audiences, and she relishes analysing and understanding the crowds who flock to see her. “I think there’s subtle variations between audiences. In Northern Europe and Southern Europe and even the States and Canada, there’s little subtle differences everywhere.
And yet ultimately, for Mering it all comes down to the music. Everything else is distraction: the songs and the songs alone are the reason she does what she does. “The songs are like my baby children,” she says with a gentle laugh. “They’re all spreading out across the world.” What: Front Row Seat To Earth out now through Mexican Summer Where: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent When: Thursday January 19
“I don’t look at the audience, because I think it would really distract me if I locked eyes with people.” 10 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
“That was the first time it was ever put on, in that back room. It was just a bunch of friends who thought, ‘Let’s put a show on! Let’s do something crazy.’ They did it and it built momentum and then after a couple of years it became so popular that they put together a solid, structured show. So they did that, and kind of wowed everyone.” The night Cater first saw Briefs wasn’t just notable for being the young performer’s first time interacting with those he would later work alongside – it also coincided with a larger, significantly more tragic event. “I came to see [Briefs] actually … on the night Brisbane went under in the floods,” Cater says. “So everyone was affected by it. Some people had houses that went under, and they still went on and did the most incredible show I’ve ever seen and I’ve loved them ever since. I’ve [long] had a mutual admiration with the Briefs boys.” ‘Mutual admiration’ might even be an understatement, and Cater talks of his now friends and colleagues with all the giddiness of a devoted, obsessive fan. “Before I started they’d come to Sydney and pop into where I was working and say hi, and I’d always be like, ‘Oh my God, why do they want to come in and see me?’” He laughs. “I was a little bit starstruck. And eventually they asked me to be a part of the brand new show and I couldn’t believe it. It was the highest honour. And that’s how we got to here.” And isn’t ‘here’ grand? Cater has been humbled by the reception The Second Coming has so far received, and he reckons the production is one of the best the troupe has yet mounted. That’s high praise coming from Cater especially, given he is the world’s biggest Briefs fan. “With this show we got a little bit of funding from the government, which is unusual to say the least,” he explains. “We put the show together in Brisbane over the course of a month. And we thought, ‘Oh you know, we’ll do Edinburgh Festival, maybe, or tour around Australia.’ But everyone just ate it up, and it just snowballed into this giant, giant thing. So it’s been so well received everywhere.” As far as Cater is concerned, there are lots of factors that have so far contributed to the production’s rapturous reception, but more than anything, he thinks it’s the deep universality at the heart of Briefs that draws in audiences like moths to a flame. “I think there really is something in it for everybody. I’ve read reviews in the past where they’ve said, ‘It’s definitely not one to bring your mum to.’ But everybody loves it. I’ve had relatives who are complete bogans come and surprise me. All of a sudden they’re just like, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.’ “I think the most exciting thing about this is that it walks the line between what people want to see and what we want to show them. So it kind of sucks you in. There’s a lot of eye candy, there’s lots of colour and movement, but there’s also a much more serious political side to it. But that’s almost more of a subtext in a way. So people get the message, but it’s through lots of fun as well.” Ultimately, though Cater admits that rehearsals have been a tad draining, and performance anxiety has dogged the cast throughout the process, at the end of the day, they are a group of artists who deeply love each other. The critical reception to the show is one thing, but all that pales in comparison to the deep bond the Second Coming boys have. “It’s been a very intense experience but wonderful and really exciting,” says Cater. “And the thing that I think is most exciting about Briefs, and the thing that you get when you see us in action, is that we get along so well. There’s a real family dynamic.” What: Briefs: The Second Coming Where: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent When: Friday January 6 – Sunday January 22
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Weyes Blood photo by Cayal Unger
atalie Mering makes big music. The songs she records under the Weyes Blood moniker are striking most of all for their scale – Front Row Seat To Earth, the record she released earlier this year, is one big, long, emphatic chorus, exuding as it does both grandeur and an embattled sense of defiance. It is the kind of music that overloads you, deliberately overstuffing you with climbing scales and beautiful, overdubbed vocal lines until you surrender and give in.
For Mering, it’s all about creating open lines of communication with her audiences. She is thankful for everything they have given her; thankful for every punter who rocks up to cheer her on. “People reach out to me – it’s hard for me to keep track. Like, my Facebook messages – I don’t read them all. There’s only so many ways to be in touch. At shows is the best. Like, I’ve had people come up to me and start conversation and things like that. That’s great.”
Cater’s relationship with Briefs goes back several years, although he first came to the show as a fan rather than as a creative cog in the machine. “I saw Briefs for the first time at the Sydney Opera House, as part of Sydney Festival as well actually, though that was the original Briefs show, which was actually developed in the back room of a bookstore in Brisbane,” he explains.
BRAG SPECIAL
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN < CABARET
OTTO & ASTRID STANDING ROOM ONLY BY ADAM NORRIS
O
ccasionally in the life of an entertainment journo, you find yourself talking with one of the greats. Sergeant Pepper. Benny and The Jets. The Monkees. It helps to prepare you for when you’re deep in conversation with a band that has been storming the world with its chart-dodging catalogue for years now. From Berlin to Winnipeg, Die Roten Punkte have unleashed a rock’n’roll cavalcade that is once again set to descend on Sydney Festival, and the beating, bloody heart of the band – Otto & Astrid – agree to a super rare conversation about life in the spotlight.
Otto & Astrid photo by Andrew Wuttke
“We are great!” the heavily accented Otto exclaims. “It’s a very exciting time at the moment. We launched our web series! It’s 15 episodes, a couple of minutes each. People are loving it! The strangest thing. I didn’t think this would happen, but the one that is getting the most hits is one called Lunchtime, and it’s really strange because it’s just me talking about food. Astrid is messing around and stuff, so I don’t know why this one is so popular.” “I’m not messing around,” Astrid interjects sullenly. “I’m just eating lunch.” Their web series is the latest facet in a career that has stretched the globe, and has seen them play alongside some of the most enviable
names to take the stage (Amanda Palmer, anyone?). The German wunderkinds have built a devout following here in Australia, and although their gigs are inevitably a standing room only bacchanal, it seems their trajectory has not unfolded exactly as the gregarious pair anticipated.
commercial success and have lots of hits.”
“Well, I thought that maybe we would have played some bigger stadiums by now,” Otto confesses. “I thought that would just be a natural thing to happen. We have played some pretty big outdoor festivals, and playing with Amanda Palmer was incredible. We played in Sydney at the Enmore with her, that was good.”
“And the Woodford Folk Festival,” says Astrid. “Amanda Palmer is going to be there too. The show is not a comedy at all, we just keep getting booked into them. And we find that for some reason people will laugh at us. Particularly in Australia.”
“And we’ll be back in January! We’re having a late-night party show,” Astrid says. “Our last album, Kunst Rock, which we did at the Sydney Festival a few years ago, well… We’d had such commercial success and played with these super musicians, so we wanted Kunst Rock to be more arty and experimental. But it didn’t sell many albums, because it is so obscure. There was one song which was Otto putting a guitar input cable into his head making weird farting noises.”
“We don’t know what’s going on,” Astrid says. “We’ll just be having a discussion about how the show should go, and they start laughing! It’s an Australian thing I think. And New York.”
“Not a big seller,” Otto sighs. “So now we show people Eurosmash! I want to make the Euro smash, you know? Sell lots of albums and have
“It is a bit weird for us, though,” Otto suddenly muses, “because we’re a serious rock’n’roll band, but we have this manager who books us into comedy festivals and theatre festivals, cabaret and stuff.”
“People are laughing all the time!” Otto cries.
“Well, they laughed at us in Edinburgh too,” Otto reflects sadly, before suddenly perking up. “If people are having fun, we are bringing happiness into the world. And we have the best job in the world! We get to travel around the world making rock’n’roll music! Who doesn’t want to do that?” What: Eurosmash! Where: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent When: Thursday January 26 – Saturday January 28
“We’re a serious rock’n’roll band, but we have this manager who books us into comedy festivals and theatre festivals, cabaret and stuff.” <MUSIC
LUBOMYR MELNYK around themselves not by scientifi c thinking and resolutions, but by deep and unscientifi c prejudice. But truth is actually obvious … and now, because of the heavy propaganda, intelligent people are too afraid to admit the truth to themselves even for fear of persecution. If only we had the child to shout the truth!”
Lubomyr Melnyk photo by Aleksandra Kawka
TELLING TALES BY JOSEPH EARP
E
arlier this year, celebrated continuous pianist Lubomyr Melnyk took to a stage before a jam-packed audience in Hobart to tell stories. Sometimes he used the keys of his piano to unfurl the tales. At other points he used words, describing the sometimes complex, sometimes startlingly simple histories that drive his back catalogue. But in either case, the sum effect was the same: the audience, hypnotised, was drawn into a world wholly of Melnyk’s making, one where beauty is always attainable and God is close.
thebrag.com
He also mentioned that humans have a natural tendency to avoid the exquisite; to look down when they could be gazing up. How, then, does Melnyk believe that we can always stay present, tied to the moment and the beauty of it all? “I am not sure I can tell people how to do this,” Melnyk admits. “But loving God is defi nitely a prerequisite. This can take many forms, even without any active faith. To see beauty requires seeing truth.”
This reading of the world means Melnyk often fi nds himself actively opposed to those who traditionally identify as ‘scientists’, as well as those with a blind belief in technology. A self-confessed hippy, he spurns any analysis of music, art or politics that simply requires faith in facts, and instead embraces lines of thought that accept life’s essential unknowability. “Darwinians are really lost in a dark place with no windows. A dark place they have walled
For Melnyk, truth also comes in the form of music – particularly continuous music, the multi-toned, note-heavy style of playing he has pioneered over the course of a 40-year career. “Seeing beauty can be very difficult for some people. It takes time to achieve. But continuous music I believe helps one to reach a better state of mind, so that the soul and the eye can become enabled to see things and understand things. I am not saying this is the only way to do this, but it is the way of which I know. There is something wonderful and magical in this music, which touches the soul in a special way.” Of course, by contrast, Melnyk believes there is music out there that can have the reverse effect: music with the ability to enact great harm. “Music changes the fi bre of human intelligence. Music can make people very, very stupid, or very, very intelligent. It is really obscene how politicians will jump up and down like aggravated monkeys if someone smokes a cigarette, but stay
totally unconcerned while certain kinds of music turn the brains of millions of children and youth and adults into mushy porridge. As people become stupider, so does the music they listen to. And as humanity becomes stupider, it becomes harder and harder to see beauty.” Nonetheless, despite the evil out there, Melnyk is convinced that music has the power to impact real change – and ultimately to save us all. “Music can change the world,” he says. “Especially politically … as you read these things, you must understand that I am a product of continuous music. Continuous music is not really a product of me. So if I see beauty in the spaces between the fi bres of existence, it is because continuous piano playing has made it so.”
“As people become stupider, so does the music they listen to. And as humanity becomes stupider, it becomes harder and harder to see beauty.” Where: City Recital Hall When: Saturday January 28
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BRAG SPECIAL
< DANCE
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN
CHAMPIONS AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD BY JOSEPH EARP
T
he connection between contemporary dance and football might not be entirely apparent at first glance. After all, dance these days tends to be thought of as belonging to the exulted uppermost crust of hoitytoity delights – all the way up there with such distinctly middle-class pleasures as fox hunting and fine dining. Football (or soccer), by contrast, is often frowned upon as a mere distraction, an excuse for a group of brawny players to run around the place getting sweaty. Indeed, it’s that very divide that has inspired Champions, a new contemporary dance piece directed by Martin del Amo. The work aims to disrupt generalisations and clichés about both dance and football as art forms, and by combining the two not-so-disparate sports into one mucky, adrenaline-filled package, Del Amo believes he can radically alter audience preconceptions about both.
“The similarities between football and dance actually outweigh their differences.”
For Del Amo, poring over dance techniques on one hand and football skills on the other never seemed like a contradiction in terms. “I grew up in Germany where soccer is pretty much the national sport. I never really played myself but a lot of my friends did, and I avidly followed soccer on TV and in the sports pages.” He laughs. “I think I could probably name all the World Cup winners from the last 60 years, as well as the winners of the Women’s World Cup since the early 2000s.” That expertise and talent has translated nicely into Champions. The work has been conceived as a kind of fully fledged football match, complete with all the trimmings you’d expect if you flicked on your TV one lazy Saturday arvo and caught a game. “It’s a dance piece presented as if it is a sporting event,” Del Amo explains. “It will feature pre-show analysis, running commentary and backstage interviews by Channel 7 sports presenter Mel McLaughlin. We also have a mascot. The aim of the work is to playfully challenge audience expectations of what dance is and how it can be presented.” Though Del Amo has a wealth of personal knowledge to draw from in creating the piece, he
isn’t a dictator, and he takes great strength from involving others in his practice. “I would say I’m usually responsible for the original concept and the overall vision for the work. The actual development process tends to be highly collaborative though … I closely collaborate with the performers and we often share the choreographic credit.” It helps as well that Del Amo has worked with a lot of Champions’
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performers before. He likes to develop a productive, stress-free environment in which all feel like they can contribute to the evolving product, and as a result, he carefully hand-picks those he works with. “The cast of Champions is a mix of dancers who I worked with in the past and wanted to work with again and dancers I never worked with but always wanted to,” he says. “I’m not a great fan of auditions and try to avoid them at all costs.” Ultimately, all those separate,
M
ost theatre entreats you to take your seat, to surrender your imagination for however brief a time and let the performance wash over you – there are worse ways to spend a night out. And while Kaleidoscope is theatre – in part – it is a style of performance you’re unlikely to have seen before. The story of Ethan Hugh – who, at age four, was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome – is one of spontaneity, colour and impression, in which the audience is invited to not simply watch the now 13-yearold Ethan and his Company 2 circus cohorts, but to experience the world through his very unique perspective.
At the heart of Freeman’s songs lies her desire to keep things real and relatable for her listeners. “I hope [the music] translates the way I hope, that it doesn’t seem like I’m trying to imitate anyone else and that I can represent Appalachian people – they often get given a typical hillbilly perspective,” she says. “I have found there’s certain situations where people assume certain things. I feel like my accent is one thing and people hear and don’t take it seriously – a lot of people say it’s so sweet, but it can be little condescending sometimes.”
WILD AT HEART BY ANNA WILSON
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Freeman is unabashedly humble when it comes to discussing the rate of her success, just as she is incredibly proud of her Appalachian roots from which her musical influences stem. “Appalachian is 12 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
what I consider my heritage,” she explains. “I’m from Virginia and got a lot of family from Tennessee, from Kentucky, so growing up in the mountains has been a big influence. “My biggest [influence] was my family – my dad was a music teacher and plays pro on the side, my grandad does portraits for a living but plays, and I’ve listened to them play together, play oldtime tunes, write new things. My grandfather is 84 and really sprite – I still play with him, I have since I was a teenager. They were the first people I ever played with.” Taking encouragement and inspiration from her family, Freeman has embarked on a musical journey all of her own.
That laid-back Southern attitude is reflected not only in Freeman’s assessment of her own career, but also her approach to songwriting. “Maybe I’ll go six months before I write anything,” she says. “I think [the album] had to do with the big events in life. I think it has to do with whatever you’re going through – you may not have a whole lot going on in life and then something will spark that creativity again.”
Freeman’s first trip to Australia brings her to Sydney Festival, an opportunity she sees as both exciting and nerve-wracking. “The first thing I have planned next year is Australia in January,” she says. “It’ll be my first time that far away from anywhere. I’m really excited to go to a country so far away and happy to share my music.” So relaxed is Freeman that her closing message about her music remains sincere to her character – bold and authentic. “I guess there’s not really anything I want people to know particularly, but that I hope my songs come across as real and good.” What: Dori Freeman out now through Free Dirt Where: St. Stephen’s Uniting Church When: Saturday January 28
Dori Freeman photo by Kristen Horton
o often in life, the places we’ve been and the people we’ve known shape who we become. It’s the hardships and adversity we face that trigger a creative reaction, and Dori Freeman’s response to her past, her heritage and her heartbreaks is to channel them through music. She’s dazzled country music lovers with her self-titled debut album, a sweetly honest and genuine work that has given rise to the singersongwriter’s well-earned position as America’s new country music sweetheart.
The reception to her debut album has thrust the artist into an unexpectedly lofty position, one for which she feels both surprise and gratitude. “It’s overwhelming and intimidating at the same time,” she admits. “I don’t wanna get my hopes up and expect something to happen, so I try to take everything as it comes and not look too far into the future and expect anything else.”
What: Champions Where: Carriageworks When: Tuesday January 17 – Sunday January 22
CIRCUS >
“I hope [the music] translates the way I hope, that it doesn’t seem like I’m trying to imitate anyone else and that I can represent Appalachian people.”
DORI FREEMAN
essential creative elements have been combined to produce something truly special – the kind of dance show as rare as it is hypnotic. “I hope that audiences will have an exciting, unusual, and ultimately unforgettable viewing experience,” Del Amo says.
Champions photo by Heidrun Lohr
“I think I’ve always been fascinated with the rift that seems to exist between the football camp on one side and the dance camp on the other,” he explains. “Personally, I am both an artist and an avid sports fan, and I feel that the similarities
between football and dance actually outweigh their differences. After all, both strongly rely on physical skills, rigorous training, a sense of rhythm and an understanding of performance, strategy and team spirit.”
“What’s beautiful about Ethan and his creativity, and it is part of who he is with Apserger’s, is that he’s very singular, very pragmatic,” Ethan’s mother Joanna says. “He doesn’t really have much selfawareness, but as a parent, I have seen him be creative since [he was] a little boy, and always this uninhibited creativity – it’s very natural and unrehearsed. I think that really comes out in his performing, his humour, his physical comedy. And that is just him in his everyday; he doesn’t realise it. It’s wonderful that the director Chelsea McGuffin can actually observe that as well, and she navigates his performance skills. It’s such a unique quality that she has as a director, working with a child who’s not necessarily seeking fame or performance.” “It’s good,” Ethan agrees. “You make a lot of friends. It’s really fun, and also gives a message.
“We’re all on this learning thebrag.com
BRAG SPECIAL
SYDNEY FESTIVAL 7-29 JAN Mother’s Ruin photo by Patrick Boland
< CABARET
MOTHER’S RUIN BOTTOMS UP BY ANNA WILSON
I
f you were of the opinion that gin is a nasty, dry and bitter alcohol to be swilled about only by our elders at stuffy gatherings, then think again. The juniper-based drink is making the rounds onstage thanks to Maeve Marsden, who is on a mission to share her love affair with gin through song. Mother’s Ruin is a cabaret created by Marsden that revolves around her favourite spirit; it’s a stage show that’s one part history, one part song and a whole lot of gin. “When we call it a cabaret about gin, we’re being quite literal,” Marsden explains. “We got excited researching particular times throughout history on one topic, in this case gin. We got interested in it being a woman’s drink and how it appeared in different times of history, particularly the 17th century when there was a gin craze and there was a lot of social stigma around women and how they could drink and where – and so Mother’s Ruin was born.”
Kaleidoscope photo by Dylan Evans
With the aid of musical director Elly Baxter, whose popular blog The Ginstress provides fellow gin-sippers with in-depth information and commentary on the beverage, Marsden and her company took inspiration from, in her words, their nerdy love of gin to create the show. “I suppose when Elly and I were coming up with the concept,
Well, Asperger’s, you can either be really shy or really creative. And I’m in the creative side, yes. Basically, Asperger’s is thinking outside the box, and if you mix that with creativity then you get some really unique experiences and ideas.” Kaleidoscope first saw life in a different form altogether. Joanna began writing her observations of Ethan’s life – his insights and struggles with the outside world – at the urging of a friend. Though she never had any intention of transporting her words from page to stage, when McGuffin read the story of Kaleidoscope, she saw clear potential there to open up Ethan’s world to an entirely new audience. “It was just my way as a mum of processing the grief that we’d been through together,” Joanna says, “but fi nding the beauty through that grief, and drawing out the best of this experience and the best of this
little boy, and celebrating the life we had together. I had no agenda of it going any further. I suppose translating a written word to the lyrical arts world, I write in a very poetic way. It’s not a clinical story, it’s not a checklist of the day or the struggles. It’s written in a lyrical way, and that enabled Chelsea to translate it poetically to the stage as well.” “Though without you the book wouldn’t have happened,” Ethan reminds her. “And I wouldn’t have been born.” Joanna laughs. “Here’s some backstory for you,” he continues, choosing his words carefully. “Mum, me and the rest of the family saw a circus show, and I liked it so much I asked Mum if I could do circus. And she tried to find anything you could learn circus from, and it took a bit of finding. But we eventually landed on Flipside, though it was an hour drive away, but it was worth it. When I was at Flipside, during and before, Mum,
because I was so special, wrote down my little thoughts and things in a book called Kaleidoscope. Chelsea somehow found that book and she liked it a lot. So she came up to me and Mum and said, ‘Hey, do you want to have a performance based on your life?’” “While I think Ethan’s story pushes boundaries in terms of perception and creativity,” Joanna says, “Chelsea also pushes boundaries within the circus/acrobatic world. We’re all on this learning curve together and all taking risks together, but it’s really allowed the poetry of Ethan’s life to come through. It’s very deep and intimate, but it’s also very delightful and humorous, because it does draw in all these different elements of musicality, of physical comedy, a little bit of improv from Ethan, the unexpected – and all of the cast are prepared for that. He’s not a trained professional, and the cast has this way of nurturing him that no one really notices. We’ve found our tribe.”
we realised we both are people who have an interest in feminism and gin, and the truth is that’s our drink of choice. If you want to know the history of something you like, you investigate, and that’s how we got into it. “I have 15 types of gin at my home – I really do love it. It’s got a place in pop culture. People in Australia are doing interesting things with gin. I recently went to England to a specialist bar and they had 687 types of gin – and they only placed third in the country! There’s a lot of gin in the world.” If whisky is associated with rock’n’roll, then why not link gin with cabaret? Marsden has certainly found a creative way of presenting the historical side of her favourite fluid in a fun manner, linking it with her performing passions. “It’s a funny thing,” she says. “Cabaret is a form I love to sing and I can do that while still making a work that has a humorous or political focus, not just a narrative or singing pop songs. And on top of that, I’m not a songwriter. “Seven years ago I created an act called Lady Digs It Better. Sometimes we call [cabaret] different subsets, and it’s on the rise – the more we did it the more other cabaret artists
“We both are people who have an interest in feminism and gin, and the truth is that’s our drink of choice.” worked hard to build the profile here and overseas. The passion for me was the intersection of humour, politics, music and storytelling.” Mother’s Ruin really does sound like lip-smacking fun, and it comes as jolly good news for Sydneysiders as Marsden and her troupe are bound for Sydney Festival in January. “[It] will be our first time bringing the show to Sydney,” she says. “We’ve done Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra festivals, and though we’re based in Sydney, we’ve only performed something of a minishow of sections of Mother’s Ruin. We were really keen to have Sydney Festival pick up the show and when they did, we really jumped on the opportunity to perform.” What: Mother’s Ruin: A Cabaret About Gin Where: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent When: Wednesday January 11 – Sunday January 15
KALEIDOSCOPE INCLUSIVE ENTERTAINMENT BY ADAM NORRIS It is a busy period for the mother/ son circus team. Prior to their performances at Sydney Festival, they will be undertaking workshops at the Woodford Folk Festival, where Ethan is conducting social circus classes (“For youth, by youth,” he says, “which is really exciting.”). A commendable aspect of Kaleidoscope is its embrace of relaxed performance, a feature rarely seen outside of children’s theatre. “It’s such a unique way this all happened,” says Joanna. “It isn’t your traditional, ‘Hey, we have
these themes and we’ve thrown these usual elements together, and hey, we have a performance!’ It wasn’t like that at all. It’s a very inclusive creation. Often the culture with performing arts is as an audience you’re quiet, you don’t intervene in any way, while relaxed performances allow a variety of audiences. If you have noisy children, or people with disabilities, people can feel they can engage with the show but not feel embarrassed by having any peculiarities that may interfere with the show. There’s a lot of love there.” What: Kaleidoscope Where: Riverside Theatres When: Friday January 13 – Wednesday January 18
curve together and all taking risks together, but it’s really allowed the poetry of Ethan’s life to come through.” thebrag.com
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Thirsty Merc Getting Into Gear By Anna Wilson honestly – I felt drunk. It makes you feel like someone has put you in a cardboard box and turned a hairdryer on. Such a rush.” Coffee has been a staple for Thirsty Merc of late thanks to their relentless touring in support of Shifting Gears – and it isn’t over yet. The three-piece are gearing up for an appearance at Summernats in January. “I used to hear about Summernats growing up in Sydney and my dad was always a bit of a car fanatic,” says Thistlethwayte. “I’ve named my band with an automotive tone there – I don’t know if that was part of [Summernats’] thinking. “When we saw the gig was there and Airbourne were playing – I saw them play one time, a really hard-biting band with a real tight vibe – we thought we’d be a good pairing and jumped at it.”
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ith the sun bearing down and the long open road before him, Thirsty Merc frontman Rai Thistlethwayte couldn’t have picked a finer day to embark on a breezy cruise down the coast. Accompanied by his lady friend and her puppy, Thistlethwayte is enjoying the chance to unwind, taking a welcome break
amid an admirable stretch of extensive touring. “We’ve been go, go, go since we released Shifting Gears last year,” he says. “There were so many styles of gig – outside things, [A Day] On The Green things, RSL-style, community, small venues… it was hard to organise the info, to make it clear on social media what was going on,
so we kind of called it the Shifting Gears Tour. Giving it the same name as the album was sort of a way of bringing it all home.” At the time of our interview, Thistlethwayte is suffering from sleep deprivation and something of a hangover, having been at a Christmas party the night before. Generously, he shares a
recommendation for the best hangover cure in the BRAG’s backyard. “You absolutely must check out Single O on Reservoir Street,” he says. “It’s seriously the one place I’ve been where after three lattes I’ve turned to the friend I’ve been with and had to say, ‘Dude, I’m smashed.’ The coffee there is amazing,
Following Summernats, Thirsty Merc anticipate that touring will continue until at least March, with a release date for any new material still a little uncertain. “We did bash around the idea of doing a smaller size release late next year,” Thistlethwayte says. “It could be something like an EP, but you never know. These things have a tendency to snowball. You sort of get six songs on a page and you think maybe you should continue. “I’m constantly out there with
“I’M CONSTANTLY OUT THERE WITH THE FIREFLY NET TRYING TO GRAB AT INSPIRATION.” the firefly net trying to grab at inspiration. These days you’re thinking about the concept, the time management of new material. We still have a lot of gigs in the books and it’s about getting to the end of February with them and finishing strongly with the album tour.” Thistlethwayte speculates that this could very well be the last run of Thirsty Merc shows for some time, and it might be the best part of a year before they play live again. “I can’t overstate just how good we are as band right now,” he says. “We’re absolutely firing at this point and the dynamic when we’re playing live, it’s feeling better than it’s ever felt in my opinion.” What: Summernats 2017 With: Drapht, Airbourne, Spit Syndicate and more Where: Exhibition Park, Canberra When: Thursday January 5 – Sunday January 8 And: Shifting Gears out now independently
THU 29 - PAT CAPPOCCI + EDDIE BOYD
FRI 30 - CAPITAL COAST +The DINLOWS
SUN 1 - CARRIBBEAN SOUL
LEVEL 2, 75 THE CORSO, MANLY WWW.HOTELSTEYNE.COM.AU | FACEBOOK/HOTELSTEYNEMANLY | @MOONSHINEBARMANLY
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arts in focus
free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit
arts news...what's goin' on around town... with David Burley and Ariana Norton
five minutes
Julius Caesar by Marnya Rothe
WITH
ulius Caesar is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. As a director, how do you breathe fresh life into it? With any classic text you need to look for elements within it that mean something to a contemporary audience;
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MICHAEL PIGOTT, DIRECTOR OF JULIUS CAESAR
elements that are part of the ongoing discussion of what it is to be a human being, what it is to live in a society in the here and now. For example, we have cast female actors in many of the main roles, including that of Caesar. This has the amazing effect of opening up different ideas within the play as well as eliminating preconceptions of what the play might be. It also allows us to be part of wider discussion about gender construction and power and the role that texts like these play in relation to both. Is there an eerie political relevance to Julius Caesar today? Very eerie – the US election was going on all throughout our rehearsal period. The funny thing is that the play echoes so much of contemporary
politics. One of the main characters in this play is the ‘mob’. We are constantly presented with a crowd of people easily swayed and quickly manipulated. The scariest thing is that nothing much has changed since the Romans, except that instead of standing in the Forum listening to rhetoric, we are now swayed by ideas tweeted in 140 characters or less. What drove Shakespeare’s own obsession with Roman history? It is likely that story of the assassination of Julius Caesar was very much in the public consciousness at the time of writing. The play was written against the backdrop of political turmoil – a result of this was that at the time many books about the history of England were banned and/
or destroyed. This forced many writers including Shakespeare to look further back in history for source material including the first English translation of Thomas North’s Plutarch’s Lives in 1579. What makes Sport For Jove’s Outdoor Summer Season the perfect context in which to enjoy Shakespeare? The audience are much closer to the mechanics of theatre – there is no backstage, the actors can be seen in costume before and after the show. Rather than detract from the experience, this enriches it. There is an immense generosity of spirit that is shared between audience and performers because of this. Will the cast be familiar to Sport For Jove fans?
The Australian Museum
There are a few familiar faces for SFJ fans. We are very lucky to have Damien Ryan, the artistic director of the company, playing the role of Brutus, as well as company regular Megan Drury in the role of Cassius. There are also a few other familiar faces in both this and the production of Antony And Cleopatra that makes up the other half of this year’s summer season. This year, we are lucky to be working with Amy Kersey, Bryce Youngman, Camilla Ah Kin, Felicity McKay, Giles Gartrell-Mills, Rupert Reid and Tony Taylor for the first time. What: Julius Caesar as part of The Sydney Hills Shakespeare In The Park Where: Bella Vista Farm When: Until Saturday January 7
NIGHTS AT THE MUSEUM
Throughout January and February, the Australian Museum will host Wednesday night events as part of the celebration of the 190th year of the museum, and of the New South Wales Government’s Culture Up Late initiative. There will be music from the likes of Georgia Mulligan, Marlene Cummins, triple j’s Zan Rowe and Alex Gostin, as well as hands-on science and the latest in virtual reality storytelling. Other highlights include an Italian folk dancing workshop, a look into the Creepy Creature Zoo and life-saving information from the Venom Lab, in conjunction with twofor-one entry to the museum including the Spiders – Alive & Deadly exhibit. The late nights begin Wednesday January 4 and run weekly until Wednesday February 22.
MARGARET OLLEY ON SHOW
One of Australia’s most important painters, Margaret Olley, will be celebrated with a new exhibit in Sydney in 2017. Margaret Olley: Painter, Peer, Mentor, Muse will cover the breadth and depth of the esteemed artist’s career, which spanned more than 60 years in the 20th and 21st centuries. Olley’s own paintings are set to feature as part of more than 80 Australian artworks from her peers and teachers, including Caroline Barker, Robert Barnes, Jean Bellette, Mitty Lee-Brown, Criss Canning, Cressida Campbell and many more. The exhibit is showing at the S.H. Ervin Gallery from Saturday January 7 – Sunday March 26.
NYE AT THE GREENS
The NYE event at The Greens in North Sydney promises to finish off your year with some of the best food, drink and entertainment going around. As part of the theme, several roving carnival performers will be putting on their acts, and King St Swing will be performing some cruisy jazz, while DJ Natural Selector will deliver some evolutionary beats. The menu will feature beef and halloumi sliders, gourmet hot dogs, oysters, a fire pit barbecue and an assortment of desserts. The event is family-friendly and is taking place in The Greens’ courtyard with a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks on Saturday December 31.
All A Dream That Ends In Nothing by Ben Ali Ong
THE GOOD NEWS
Conservation icon and primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall will come to Sydney for a one-off lecture and conversation next year. Throughout her groundbreaking career, Goodall has brought the world closer to our nearest relatives through her scientific discoveries and studies on chimpanzees of the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. During her research, Goodall has illuminated the intelligence of chimps, demonstrating their capacity for toolmaking, complex family relationships, intimate friendships and violence. This rare opportunity will allow audience members to meet her in person, as well as listening in on a 20-minute lecture followed by a 40-minute conversation
A FLOOD OF LOVE
I Hate You My Mother photo by John Marmaras
Ben Ali Ong’s new collection, This Flood Of Love Drowned Me, will be displayed at Artereal Gallery in February. For over a decade, Ong has been creating photo-based artworks, shot entirely in black and white. His new exhibition is set to be his most brooding to date as it takes influence from film noir, the subconscious and visual poetry of Chinese calligraphy. Based in Sydney, Ong’s artistic perspective has been awarded with nominations for many prestigious photographic prizes such as the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award. The exhibition opens on Wednesday February 1 and is running until Saturday February 25.
thebrag.com
TOMBOY SURVIVAL GUIDE
Writer and storyteller Ivan Coyote brings a heartwarming tale and an “all-tomboy band” to Sydney Festival 2017 with Tomboy Survival Guide. This Canadian production is a funny and insightful exploration of issues around gender and personal identity, dealing with such universal experiences as navigating public toilets, tying a Windsor knot and finally achieving a sense of self. Dive in and enjoy drums and percussion from Sally Zori, basslines by Pebbles Willekes and trumpet flourishes by Alison Gorman. Tomboy Survival Guide plays at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent from Wednesday January 25 – Sunday January 29, and we’re giving away a double pass to the opening night. Enter at thebrag.com/ freeshit.
I Hate You My Mother
MOTHER MY DEAR
In a world where Mummy knows best and Daddy should know better, I Hate You My Mother is set to make waves when it premieres at the Old Fitz Theatre next year. The play begins as a 16th century Breton Bishop lays his hands on his illegitimate daughter and sets off an epic, torrid chain of events that inspires four centuries of secrets, hatred and revenge-seeking. Jeanette Cronin (Queen Bette, The Shadowbox, The House On The Lake) and 2016 NIDA graduate Simen Glømmen Bostad travel through all four centuries and take on ten different characters in a massive story of five couples as they fight with destiny, stoke the flames of lust and dabble in all that is taboo. Revenge may not be quite as simple as expected, but it sure as hell is sweet. I Hate You My Mother will play at the Old Fitz from Tuesday January 24 – Saturday February 11.
with a special guest host. It’s going down at the Hordern Pavilion on Friday June 23.
STAND UP FOR COMEDY
Tuesday nights at the Harold Park Hotel will continue to be the home of comedy in 2017 as The Laugh Stand reveals its star-studded lineup for January. The year of comedy will begin on Tuesday January 10 with John Conway and Matty B. In the following weeks Ray Badran, Marcel Blanch-de Wilt, Steve Philp and Mat Wakefield will be making you chuckle, with help from some special guests. The month ends with The Laugh Stand Comedy Gala on Tuesday January 31, which will feature a mystery superstar headliner supported by Daniel Townes as MC and Alex Jae. BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16 :: 15
out & about
game on Gaming news and reviews with Adam Guetti
Queer(ish) matters with Arca Bayburt
Queer And Heading Home For The Holidays
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et’s talk about how queers can deal with this potentially awful, awkward or just difficult time of year. Christmas and New Year’s is always talked up as the time to be with your loved ones, but what happens when your family aren’t exactly down with you being queer? What happens if your family is stacked with lessthan-loving homophobes? Or if they’re just a little weird and ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ about it? What about if you bring your partner around to your family home during the holiday season and they’re treated poorly, or ignored, or not acknowledged as your partner but as your ‘friend’? What if your relatives think it’s OK to ask intensely personal questions they’d never dream of asking if you were hetero? As it turns out, the magic of the holidays doesn’t quite mean that disapproving or difficult family members will behave differently – but that doesn’t mean we don’t harbour some secret hope that they might. I remember being on my way to a particular holiday dinner to see my family, hoping that the years between my coming out and that evening would be enough of a buffer for them to have gotten over
it. It wasn’t, and having my assumptions dashed like that, well, it resulted in my emotional annihilation for the rest of the time I spent with them, until I could scurry home and wonder what the fuck had happened. Queers work hard to gain a sense of self-worth, and something like feeling barely tolerated by your own family is enough to dismantle it all. My only words of advice are the result of many years of repeating this cycle with my own family. I spend time away from them, and in my head, they mature as people and become less ignorant and shitty. In reality, however, nothing much changes and I’m woefully unprepared for the double whammy of my expectations falling hilariously short and suddenly having to deal with knuckle-dragger uncles saying stuff to me over dinner that brutalises my soul. After years of this, I realised I could no longer rely on the magic of holiday time to align reality with my expectations. I decided to just prepare myself – not for the worst, but for some self-care. I’m in a much better place to deal with family issues when I’ve taken the time to look after myself. The rest is harder to plan, though my general rule is to form
alliances and try to avoid those who make me feel bad rather than engaging them in a pointless, draining argument that will change no minds. It’s easy to think up a few canned retorts to some of the lunatic shit your relatives might say to you at a family dinner, but in the long run it’s better to compartmentalise these people as essentially meaningless and impotent when it comes to damaging your selfworth. It takes a long time to get to that stage, but it is actually possible to feel less pained by this sort of thing eventually. The really amazing thing is that your private life is nobody’s business. If things get too personal or invasive, set boundaries. As a queer person, your life is not there to be prodded at and examined without your permission. You’re allowed to not answer questions like, “But which one of you is the man?” and you certainly don’t have to discuss your sex life with anybody else. When all else fails, try to laugh through the ridiculousness of it all. Seeing the family can be like a nightmare trip to the circus if they’re a bunch of intolerant jerks, but let yourself be comforted by the fact that you get to return to your chosen family afterwards.
for the diary…
JAN 2017
New Releases It’s a brand new year, ladies and gentlemen, so if you have a little bit of money left over from the silly season, here’s what you could be spending it on.
It’s a pretty slow start to the month, but things do gear up on Wednesday January 18 when Gravity Rush 2 crash-lands onto PS4. It’s the sequel to the PS Vita original that has you returning to a world where the laws of gravity are yours to bend or break as you see fit. A few days later on Saturday January 21, 3DS fans score an RPG to sink their teeth into in the form of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey Of The Cursed King – filled with magic, betrayal and people transformed into plants. Meanwhile, Tuesday January 24 serves up three wildly varied choices. For Disney fans, there’s Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (PS4), the last of the collection releases before we hopefully see Kingdom Hearts III, while anybody looking to live life as a Japanese gangster can do just that in Yakuza 0 (PS4). Finally, there’s the latest instalment of the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS4, XBO, PC), which hopes to substantially shake up the series’ formula. Closing out the month is the full retail release of Hitman: The Complete First Season for PS4, XBO and PC. The disc will contain all previously released episodes and content. It sneaks its way onto store shelves on Tuesday January 31.
Review: Steep (PS4, XBO, PC)
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ou have to hand it to Ubisoft – for an unexpected crack at the winter sports genre, Steep is an incredibly ambitious attempt. Thanks to a complete lack of linear progression, you can essentially play to your own whims. If you want to ski straight down a giant mountain, you can. If you’d rather swap out those skis for a bit of snowboarding action, you can do that too. If paragliding or wing suits are more your bag… you get the idea. This level of freedom acts as both blessing and curse. Roaming around the expansive world tackling one death-defying endeavor at a time can feel absolutely exhilarating. Yet at the same time you’ll also start to notice an underlying lack of direction due largely to the absence of a substantial in-game driving force. Making things worse, should you actually want to make it all the way through to the game’s conclusion, Steep’s focus on freedom is turned slightly on its head. That’s because in order to unlock later areas you will be all but forced into continuing to advance your player’s level by completing events you’d been steadily ignoring up until that point. At its core, though, Steep looks to follow a similar trajectory to many of Ubisoft’s other original IPs. There is a strong and promising foundation at play here, but one that will hopefully be built upon and improved with a return trip to the slopes.
Review: The Last Guardian (PS4)
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hen a game is in development for as long as The Last Guardian has been, a certain amount of pressure and anticipation is inevitable. Seven years have passed since the game’s original inception, so it’s somewhat of a wonder that Team Ico hasn’t buckled under the weight of its own expectations, and instead presented a truly touching tale of a boy and beast.
Mood II Swing On Saturday December 31, for those homos and their pals still left in Sydney, get on down to the Imperial Hotel for some Heaps Gay vibes. It’s the cheapest NYE party in town, and you can count on short bar Gaff E
lines, three stages, 20 acts, party tunes, drag and other performances. The lineup includes Gaff E, Moonsign, Ladonna Rama, The Magda Szubanskis, Simo Soo, Nic Kelly and more. Presale tickets only.
On Saturday January 14, Harpoon Harry in Surry Hills is hosting a house party not to be missed. The fourth edition of Harry’s House Party welcomes New York City house music legends Mood II Swing to the mansion. Also in attendance will be Simon Caldwell, Ben Fester, Kali, Rimbombo and Sydney Pony Club. Tickets are available now. On Saturday January 21, Giant Dwarf presents Grumble N’ Friends. Join Betty Grumble in an evening of vibrant variety and genre-smashing fun. All are welcome, with more guests to be announced.
16 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
Most of your time will be spent escaping increasingly elaborate rooms by making use of the boy’s slender frame or Trico’s strength, but it’s all about the relationship that develops between the duo. The resulting connection is what truly makes The Last Guardian something special. An annoying camera and poor frame rates may frustrate, but don’t let that detract you from experiencing it for yourself.
Game On’s Best Of 2016 With 2016 now officially coming to a close, it’s time to take a look at the year that was, and some of the games that left notable impressions.
narrative that has come to define Uncharted, and once again A Thief’s End was simultaneously engaging, humorous and touching.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Pokémon Go
Of all the developers in the video game business, there’s no question that Naughty Dog is one of the best. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End proved as such time and time again, as fans revelled in the final swansong for one of Sony’s most popular modern heroes. The action was refined, puzzles creative and visuals absolutely drop dead gorgeous. But it’s the
While it mightn’t have been the deepest game of the year, or even the most polished, there is no denying Pokémon Go was an absolute phenomenon. It united thousands for public walks, disrupted major roads in cities across the world and even helped discover the occasional body. It’s doubtful the game will ever reach such a memorable peak again, but it’s a peak that will surely go down in the history books.
Overwatch
Everybody knew that Blizzard entering the firstperson shooter space would make waves, but not that it would help reshape the genre as we know it. Overwatch is a wonderfully considered multiplayer romp where characters are expertly balanced, visuals are enticing, and core mechanics feel simple enough to wrap your head around yet take skill and nuance to master. It magically manages to cater towards both newbie and eSports wannabes, but most importantly, it’s a boatload of fun. thebrag.com
arts reviews
arts in focus ■ Film
ROSALIE BLUM In cinemas now French film Rosalie Blum is a new adaptation of the graphic novels of the same name by Camille Jourdy. It’s a quirky dramedy told across three separate parts, taking in the different viewpoints of three separate characters. In act one we are introduced to Vincent Machot (Kyan Khojandi). He is the king of predictability, a man who lives with his overbearing mother in a flat, and who can divide his time neatly between that spent at work on his own business, and his encounters with his cousin, cat and parent. One day, a series of circumstances forces
■ Theatre
BABES IN THE WOODS
Machot into a grocer’s shop in a provincial part of France. The shopkeeper is one Rosalie Blum (a dowdy-looking Noémie Lvovsky). Confronted with this mysterious older woman, Machot can’t help but shake the feeling that they already know each other – so, naturally, he becomes her stalker, going through her garbage in order to satisfy his curiosity, if not the audience’s. From her perspective, Rosalie is aware that she’s being followed, and enlists the help of her gorgeous young niece Aude (Alice Isaaz) to spy on her stalker. First-time director Julien
Rappeneau uses his time to slowly reveal how these three characters are really connected, and while the concept has potential, the actual execution is dull. The Belle And Sebastian song ‘Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying’ is a welcome distraction (though the sentiment of that title is probably going a bit far, even if this film struggles to maintain any momentum). Still, Rosalie Blum is little more than a flat and forgettable game of hideand-seek in which nobody seems to win. Natalie Salvo
Played at the Old Fitz Theatre until Wednesday December 21, then Friday January 6 – Saturday January 21
Babes In The Woods photo © Anna Gardiner
Let’s face it, 2016 has been a real trash fire of a year. As we finally slip into the silly season, Babes In The Woods offers a very welcome haven of hilarity and frivolity, counterbalancing a season at the Old Fitz that’s been crammed with heavy-hitters. Written by Phil Rouse, the play is based on Tom Wright’s pseudo-colonial pantomime Babes In The Wood. And this carnivalesque Christmas romp is a damn good time. Somewhere in an anonymous Australian bushland, Aunty Avaricia (Annie Byron) is our chief villain and narrator of sorts. Following the unexpected death of her brother, she conspires to snatch the inheritance left to her niece and nephew, Ruby (Alex Malone) and Robbie (Ildiko Susany). After she enlists the assistance of an air-headed emu with a split personality, Flapgherkin (Eliza Reilly), things go awry and shenanigans ensue. There is also some bawdy slapstick from
What's in our diary...
Avaricia’s sultry daughter Phyllis (Gabriel Fancourt) and her buff, dim-witted boyfriend Jack (Sean Hawkins). The cast sets a cracking pace, underpinned by a near-constant score from Phillipe Klaus. Under the hand of Martelle Hunt, the stage is extravagantly dressed with lashings of tinsel. A gold coin will supply you with a bag of cabbage to hurl at the cast and there are cue lights overhead, prompting the audience to applaud, boo, warn the actors about dangers lurking behind or shout at them to “get on with it!”. A series of songs punctuate the frantic flow of the pantomime, including a standout Lion King-like number featuring a pair of kookaburra hoodies. Following the form of Wright’s Howardera production, there are snippets of social commentary woven throughout. Rouse lances Australia’s cruel indifference toward
asylum seekers, obsession with real estate and nanny state lockout laws: as the clock strikes 1:31am, a zombie Mike Baird admonishes the actors. There is also a hilarious appearance from the Angel of White Privilege, reassuring Robbie and Ruby of their first world immunities. These self-deprecating takes manage to strike the right balance, salting the pantomime without dampening its drive. It’s hard to be critical of rough edges given Babes In The Woods is so patently and delightfully silly. It’s also a production that fosters a deep appreciation for the communality and warmth of the Old Fitz. Have a drink beforehand, but save some spare change so you can buy a tinnie from the cast midshow. It’s all bloody good fun and light as fairy floss: a perfect tonic to soothe end-of-year stresses.
11 – 22 JANUARY, 6.30–10pm BOOK NOW Limited Capacity COLO LANE CAR PARK urbantheatre.com.au BLACKTOWN sydneyfestival.org.au
Urban Theatre Projects, Blacktown Arts Centre & Sydney Festival present
Annie Murney
Arts Exposed
Flickerfest 2017 Bondi Pavilion, Friday January 6 – Sunday January 15 Nearly 200 short films from Australia and around the world will feature on the bumper 26th edition of Flickerfest at Bondi Beach this summer. Australia’s only Academy-accredited short film festival prides itself on its diversity, and this year’s immense program was chosen from more than 2,500 entries. Highlight sessions include the Best of International and Best of Australian categories, plus FlickerKids and the FlickerLab panels. And keep an eye out for the international films Nocturne In Black and Bon Voyage, which are both in Oscar contention. For the full program and to book, visit flickerfest.com.au.
thebrag.com
BRAG :: 695 :: 28:10:16 :: 17
BARS BRAG
B R A G ’ S G U I D E T O S Y D N E Y ’ S B E S T WAT E R I N G H O L E S
A Work In Progres King St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri noon-2am; Sat 5pm-2am The ArtHouse 275 Pitt St, Sydney CBD (02) 9284 1200
TH
EK
OF
THE DECK SYDNEY bar bar RESTAURANT AND BAR E E W
ADDRESS: 1 OLYMPIC DRIVE, MILSONS POINT PHONE NUMBER: (02) 9033 7670 WEBSITE: THEDECKSYDNEY.COM OPENING HOURS: TUE (UNTIL FEBRUARY 21) – SUN, 11AM-LATE
bar
Mon noon-midnight; Tue – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu 10am-1.30am; Fri 10am-3am; Sat noon1.30am
Ash St Cellar 1 Ash St, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Mon – Fri 8.30am-11pm
Sounds: Upbeat! Every Sunday from 4-9pm, The Deck Sydney is excited to present an all-new weekend music lineup with Sunday Sounds. Kick back and relax to the chilled-out DJ sets from our guest DJs, enjoy a cocktail or two from our new menu.
Tell us about your bar: The Deck Sydney embraces expansive harbour and waterfront views, spanning the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Circular Quay. Just a ten-minute ferry ride from the CBD, The Deck is poised to become a favourite Sydney destination all week long. After work drinks are now even better with The Deck Sydney’s $10 cocktails every Thursday – take your
pick from our $10 cocktail or $6 wine menu, which includes a range of scrumptious beverages from our classic and signature cocktail lists. A selection of wines by the glass are reduced to $6. What’s on the menu? Share cocktails: share jugs for $35 featuring St Germain liquer, Dandelion rosé, fresh watermelon, edible flowers, basil leaves with crushed ice and topped with soda water.
Highlights: The Deck’s summer foodie event is on again, with the award-winning Ferris Wheel Dining Experience serving a mouth-watering three-course meal from the spectacular vantage point of the Luna Park Ferris Wheel. Boasting unbeatable views of the Sydney Opera House, the CBD skyline and the Harbour Bridge through to Walsh Bay, the unique dining concept can be enjoyed every Sunday until March 2017.
Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern 199 Elizabeth St, Sydney CBD Mon – Fri noon-midnight Rockpool Bar & Grill 66 Hunter St, Sydney CBD (02) 8078 1900 Mon – Fri noon-3pm, 6-11pm; Sun 5.30-10pm
The Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks (02) 9247 2229 Mon – Sun 11am-midnight
The Grasshopper 1 Temperance Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9947 9025 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri noon-1am; Sat 4pm-midnight
The Rook Level 7, 56-58 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 2505 Mon, Sat 4pm-midnight; Tue – Fri noon-midnight
Bar Eleven Lvl 11, 161 Sussex St, Sydney CBD (02) 9290 4000 Mon – Thu 4-9pm; Fri – Sat 4-11pm
Hacienda Sydney 61 Macquarie St, Sydney CBD (02) 9256 4000 Sun – Thu noon-10.30pm; Fri – Sat noon-midnight
The Barber Shop 89 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 9699 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 4pm-midnight
Harpoon Harry 40-44 Wentworth Ave, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 8800 Mon – Sat 11.30am-3am; Sun 11am-midnight
Barrio Cellar Basement Level, 58 Elizabeth St, Sydney (02) 9232 7380 Mon – Sun noon-late
Hudson Ballroom 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney CBD Wed – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 6pm-3am
Basement Bar Basement, 27-33 Goulburn St, Sydney CBD (02) 8970 5813 Mon – Thu 5pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight
Kittyhawk 16 Phillip Ln, Sydney CBD Mon – Thu 3pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 3pm-2am
Beta Bar First Floor, 238 Castlereagh St, CBD (02) 8599 8970 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri midday-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight
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
Bulletin Place First Floor, 10-14 Bulletin Place, Circular Quay Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thurs – Sat 4pm-1am; Sun 4-10pm
The Loft (UTS) 15 Broadway, Sydney (behind 2SER) (02) 9514 1149 Mon – Thu 2-10pm; Fri 2-11pm
Burrow Bar De Mestre Place, Sydney 0450 466 674 Tue – Sun 4pm-midnight
Mojo Record Bar Basement 73 York St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4999 Mon – Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu 4pm-1am; Fri – Sat 4pm-1am
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 noon-11.30pm; Sat 5.30-11.30pm Easy Eight 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney (02) 9299 3769 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight El Camino Cantina 18 Argyle St, The Rocks (02) 9259 5668 Mon – Sun noon-midnight Frankie’s Pizza 50 Hunter St, Sydney CBD Sun – Thu 4pm-3am; Fri noon-3am Gilt Lounge 2/49 Market St, Sydney CBD (02) 8262 0000 Wed – Friday 5pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-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
18 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
Grandma’s Basement 275 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9264 3004 Mon – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-1am
PS40 40 King St, Sydney CBD Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight
The Fox Hole 68A Erskine St, Sydney CBD (02) 9279 4369 Mon 7am-3pm; Tue – Fri 7am-late
Assembly 488 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9283 8808 Mon noon-midnight; Tue 5pm-midnight; Wed – Sat noon-midnight
The Baxter Inn Basement 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney CBD (02) 9221 5580 Mon – Sat 4pm-1am Care for a drink? The seasonal cocktail menu has also been updated for spring. We’ve introduced a host of cocktails, drawing on refreshing fruits and botanicals, including watermelon, fresh mint, Dandelion rosé and edible fl owers.
(02) 9250 3118 Mon – Sun noon-midnight
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 Mr Tipply’s 347 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 4877 Mon – Thu 11.30am-10pm; Fri 11.30am-midnight; Sat 10pm-4am The Palisade 35 Bettington St, Millers Point 9018 0123 Mon – Fri noon-midnight; Sat – Sun 11am-midnight Palmer & Co. Abercrombie Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 9240 3000 Sun – Weds 5pm-3am; Thu – Fri 3pm-3am; Sat 4pm-3am
The SG 32 York St, Sydney CBD Tue – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight Shirt Bar 7 Sussex Ln, Sydney CBD (02) 8068 8222 Mon – Fri 8am-10pm Since I Left You 338 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9262 4986 Mon – Tue 4.3010pm; Wed – 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 – Tue 4pm-midnight; Wed – 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; Sat 5-11.30pm Tuxedo Bar 195 Gloucester St, The Rocks Tue – Wed 3-9pm; Thu – Sat 3-10pm 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 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm
Papa Gede’s Bar Laneway at the end of 348 Kent St, Sydney CBD (02) 9299 5671 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight
Bar Cleveland Cnr Bourke & Cleveland St, Redfern (02) 9698 1908 Mon – Thu 10am-2am; Fri – Sat 10am-4am
Peg Leg Pyrmont 11a Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Pyrmont Mon – Thu 3pm-midnight; Fri – Sun 11am-midnight
Bar H 80 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 1980 Mon – Sat 6pm-11.30 Bellini Lounge thebrag.com
2 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 9331 0058 Thu – Sun 6pm-late
The Bells Hotel 1 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9357 3765 Mon – Sun 10am-1am The Beresford 354 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 8313 5000 Mon – Sun noon-1am Big Poppa’s 96 Oxford St, Darlinghurst Mon – Sun 5pm-3am Black Penny 648 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9319 5061 Mon – Fri 3pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-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; Sun 5pm-10pm Central Tavern 42-50 Chalmers St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3814 Mon – Sat 10am-2am; Sun 10am-10pm Ching-a-Lings 1/133 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 3333 Wed 6-11pm; Thu – Sat 6pm-1am; Sun 5-10pm The Cliff Dive 16-18 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst Fri – Sat 8pm-3am The Commons 32 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 1487 Tue – Wed 6pm-midnight; Fri noon-1am; Sat 8.30am-1am; Sun 8.30am-11pm Darlo Bar 306 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst (02) 9331 3672 Mon – Sun 10am-midnight Darlo Country Club Level 1, 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 4279 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-2am Dead Ringer 413 Bourke St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 3560 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-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 Exchange 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (02) 9358 2311 Mon – Sun noon-late Fonzarelli’s 65-67 Foveaux St, Surry Hills 0402 874 511 Wed – Sun 5pm-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 thebrag.com
(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 4pm-midnight; Sat – Sun 2:30pm-midnight Goros 84-86 Mary St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0214 Mon – Wed 11:30am-midnight; Thu 11:30am-1am: Fri 11:30am-3am; Sat 4pm-3am
The 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; Sun 4-10pm The Oxford Circus 231 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 0457 353 384 Wed – Sat 6pm-3am
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 Tio’s Cerveceria 4-14 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9368 1955 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight Tipple Bar 28 Chalmers St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0006 Mon midday-10pm; Tue – Sat midday-midnight
Batch Brewing Company 44 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville (02) 9550 5432 Mon – Sun 10am-8pm
Peekaboo 120 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo 0403 747 788 Tue – Thu 4pm-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight
The Horse 381 Crown St, Surry Hills 1300 976 683 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
Play Bar 72 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 0885 Tue – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 5pm-midnight
The Winery 285A Crown St, Surry Hills (02) 9331 0833 Mon – Sun noon-midnight
Pocket Bar 13 Burton St, Darlinghurst (02) 9380 7002 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight
Anchor Bar 8 Campbell Pde, Bondi (02) 8084 3145 Mon – Fri 5pm-late; Sat – Sun 12.30pm-late
Li’l Darlin Darlinghurst 235 Victoria St, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6100 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight
The Print Room 11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Thu – Fri noon-midnight; Sun – Wed noon-10pm
Li’l Darlin Surry Hills 420 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills (02) 9698 5488 Mon – Fri noon-11pm; Sat 4pm-midnight
Queenie’s Upstairs 336 Riley St, Surry Hills (02) 9212 3035 Tue – Thu 6pm-late, Fri noon-3pm & 6pm-late; Sat 6pm-late
LL Wine and Dine 42 Llankelly Place Potts Point (02) 9356 8393 Mon – Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 11am-10pm
Riley St Garage 55 Riley St, Woolloomooloo (02) 9326 9055 Mon – Sat noon-midnight
The Local Taphouse 122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst (02) 9360 0088 Mon – Wed noonmidnight; Thu – Sat noon1am; Sun noon-11pm The Long Goodbye 1/83 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst (02) 8957 7674 Tue 5-11pm; Wed – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5-10pm 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 2-10pm
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
Stuffed Beaver 271 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 3002 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
The Village Inn 9-11 Glenmore Rd, Paddington (02) 9331 0911 Mon – Sun noon-late
Hollywood Hotel 2 Foster St, Surry Hills (02) 9281 2765 Mon – Wed 10am-midnight; Thu – Sat 10am-3am
The Powder Keg 7 Kellett St, Potts Point (02) 8354 0980 Wed – Thu 5pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 4:30pm-midnight; Sun 5pm-midnight
Spring Street Social 110 Spring St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Tue – Sat 5pm-3am
Bar-racuda 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown (02) 9519 1121 Mon – Sat 6pm-midnight
The Owl House 97 Crown St, Darlinghurst 0401 273 080 Mon – Fri 4pm-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight; Sun 6-10pm
Hustle & Flow Bar 3/105 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8964 93932 Tue – Thu 6pm-midnight; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 2pm-midnight
Speakeasy 83 Curlewis St, Bondi (02) 9130 2020 Mon – Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4-10pm
Vasco 421 Cleveland St, Redfern 0406 775 436 Mon – Sat 5pm-midnight
Hinky Dinks 185 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6379 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 2-11pm
Jangling Jack’s Bar & Grill 175 Victoria St, Potts Point Tue – Wed 4-11pm, Thu – Sat 4-1am, Sun noon-11pm
7am-midnight
The Wild Rover 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills (02) 9280 2235 Mon – Sat 4pm-midnight
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 4pm-midnight; Fri noon-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm The Bucket List Shop 1, Bondi Pavilion, Queen Elizabeth Drive (02) 9365 4122 Mon – Sun 11am-midnight The Corner House 281 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 8020 6698 Mon – Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat 9am-midnight; Sun 9am-10pm Fat Ruperts 249 Bondi Rd, Bondi (02) 9130 1033 Tue – Fri 4-11pm; Sat – Sun 2-11pm Jam Gallery 195 Oxford St, Bondi Junction (02) 9389 2485 Wed – Sat 7pm-3am The Phoenix Hotel 1 Moncur St, Woollahra (02) 9363 2608 Mon – Wed 4-11pm; Thu – Fri noon-11pm; Sat – Sun 8am-11pm 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
Lodge (02) 9660 1872 Mon – Sat 11am-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
Alexandria (02) 9699 4767 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon10pm
Freda’s 109 Regent St, Chippendale (02) 8971 7336 Tue – Sat 4pm-midnight; Sun 4pm-10pm
The Record Crate 34 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 1075 Mon – Thu 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun 3-10pm
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 Royal 156 Norton St, Leichhardt (02) 9569 2638 Mon – Thu 10am-1am; Fri – Sat 10am-3am; Sun 10am-midnight
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
Bauhaus West 163 Enmore Rd, Enmore (02) 8068 9917 Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight
Hive Bar 93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville (02) 9519 1376 Mon – Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10pm
The Bearded Tit 183 Regent St, Redfern (02) 8283 4082 Mon – Fri 4-11pm; Sat 2-11pm; Sun 2-10pm
Kelly’s On King 285 King St, Newtown (02) 9565 2288 Mon – Sat 10am-11pm; Sun 11pm-midnight
B.E.D. 36 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 9660 0678 Tue – Sat 2pm-midnight; Sun 2-10pm
Kingston Public Bar & Kitchen 62-64 King St, Newtown (02) 8084 4140 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun 2pm-midnight
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 Tue – Wed 6-10pm; Thu 5-11pm; Fri – Sat 5pm-midnight; Sun 5.3010pm Cornerstone Bar & Food 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh (02) 8571 9004 Sun – Wed 10am-5pm; Thu – Sat 10am-midnight Corridor 153A King St, Newtown 0405 671 002 Mon 5pm-midnight; Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun 3pm-midnight Cottage Bar & Kitchen 342 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8084 8185 Mon – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu – Sat noon-midnight Deus Sydney Bar + Kitchen 98-104 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown (02) 9519 0849 Mon-Tue 8am-3pm; WedSun 8am-11pm 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 Forest Lodge Hotel 117 Arundel St, Forest
Knox Street Bar Cnr Knox & Shepherd St, Chippendale (02) 8970 6443 Tue – Thu 4-10pm; Fri – Sat 4pm-midnight Kuleto’s 157 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 6369 Tue – Sat 4pm-3am; Sun 4pm-midnight 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 – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-midnight The Midnight Special 44 Enmore Road, Newtown (02) 9516 2345 Tue – Fri 5pm-noon; Sat 1pm-midnight 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
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 Temperance Society 122 Smith St, Summer Hill (02) 8068 5680 Mon – Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri – Sat 3pm-midnight; Sun 3-10pm Thievery 91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (02) 8283 1329 Mon – Thu 6pm-11pm; Fri 6pm-midnight; Sat noon3pm & 6pm-midnight The Thirsty Wolf 127 King St, Newtown (02) 9517 2081 Tue – Sat 6pm-midnight; Sun 6-10pm 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 4-10pm; Tue – Thu 4-11pm; Fri – Sat 4-midnight; Sun 4-10pm Wayward Brewing Co. 1 Gehrig Ln, Annandale (02) 7903 2445 Thu – Fri 2-10pm; Sat noon-10pm; Sun noon8pm Websters Bar 323 King St, Newtown (02) 9519 1511 Mon – Sat 10am-4am; Sun 10am-midnight Wilhelmina’s 332 Darling St, Balmain (02) 8068 8762 Wed – Fri 5-11pm; Sat 8-11pm; Sun 8am-10pm 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 – Fri noon-7pm; Sat 10am-7pm; Sun 11am-7pm Zigi’s Wine And Cheese Bar 86 Abercrombie St, Chippendale (02) 9699 4222 Tue 4pm-10pm; Wed 4pm-midnight; Thu – Sat 3pm-midnight
The Oxford Tavern 1 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham (02) 8019 9351 Mon – Thu noon-midnight; Fri – Sat noon-3am; Sun noon-10pm
Crooked Tailor 250 Old Northern Road, Castle Hill (02) 9899 3167 Mon – Sun 4pm-midnight
Lord Raglan 12 Henderson Rd,
Daniel San 55 North Steyne, Manly
Your bar’s not here? Email: chris@thebrag.com
(02) 9977 6963 Mon – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri – Sun 11am-2am
Firefl y 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 Foxtrot 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest Tue – Wed 5pm-midnight; Thu 5pm-1am; Fri 4pm-2am; Sat 5pm-2am; Sun 4-10pm The Hayberry Bar & Diner 97 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest (02) 8084 0816 Tue – Thu 4pm-midnight; Fri & Sat noon-midnight Sun noon-10pm Hemingway’s 48 North Steyne, Manly (02) 9976 3030 Mon – Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 8am-10pm The Hold Shop 4, 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 4pm-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-10pm Manly Wine 8-13 South Steyne, Manly (02) 8966 9000 Mon – Sun 7am-11pm 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 BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16 :: 19
The BRAG Writers’ Poll 2016 The year in music that was...
THE TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE YEAR It’s been a massive year for music, and in many ways a sad one. While we mourn the loss of musical legends like David Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen, we also celebrate the songs they left behind, and indeed the new releases from younger artists who’ve excelled this year. The BRAG’s writers and reviewers were asked to nominate their favourite albums of 2016, and now we can reveal the results…
1.
Honourable Mentions
DAVID BOWIE
The albums that just missed the top ten…
Blackstar Xxxx
What we said then: “Blackstar shows Bowie had lost none of his experimental edge, still challenging traditional form and structure, all resulting in a spellbinding album to truly complement the imagination. His last was one of his best, and an exemplary way to celebrate his outstanding contribution to art.” - Iain McKelvey What we say now: Bowie must have known that Blackstar would be his farewell to the world, and what an epilogue it is. History will record this album as one of the key releases in the Bowie collection, and that refrain on ‘Lazarus’ will haunt us for eternity.
2.
3.
4.
5.
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
RADIOHEAD
THE DRONES
BEYONCÉ
What we said then: “Radiohead are a band in constant motion; nothing remains the same for too long. This remarkable record is despairing, delicate and desolate in equal measure – and provides possibly the band’s most listenable collection of songs.” - Tim Armitage
What we said then: “After making the Drones album to end all Drones albums – 2013’s masterwork I See Seaweed – Australia’s best live export has decided to radically alter its approach, producing eight slabs of warped cyberpunk.” - Leonardo Silvestrini
What we say now: Beyoncé surprised the world with her sixth solo album, and in the process, revolutionised how a pop record could be released. Lemonade arrived after an hour-long HBO special; a visual album that seemed to navigate a woman’s journey through love, hate, romance and defiance. Its contents shocked those who had looked on in awe at her Camelot-style relationship with Jay Z, but nothing could stop Lemonade racing up the charts worldwide – and controversially, even onto the triple j playlist.
Skeleton Tree
What we said then: “Skeleton Tree is one of the artistic achievements of the year, but it’s also much more than that; not a record but a trembling snatch of life, offered up, ready for you to take.” - Joseph Earp
A Moon Shaped Pool
Feelin’ Kinda Free
Lemonade
Alcest – Kodama Alter Bridge – The Last Hero Angel Olsen – My Woman The Avalanches – Wildfl ower Black Rheno – Let’s Start A Cult Blood Orange – Freetown Sound Bon Iver – 22, A Million Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!” D.D Dumbo – Utopia Defeated Death Grips – Bottomless Pit DMA’s – Hills End Explosions In The Sky – The Wilderness Flume – Skin Frank Ocean – Blond Glass Animals – How To Be A Human Being Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression Jeff Rosenstock – Worry. John K. Samson – Winter Wheat Kaytranada – 99.9% Kendrick Lamar – Untitled Unmastered. The Peep Tempel – Joy RÜFÜS – Bloom Shining Bird – Black Opal Shonen Knife – Adventure Solange – A Seat At The Table Storm The Sky – Sin Will Find You These Are Our Demands – The Mess We Inherited Urthboy – The Past Beats Inside Me Like A Second Heartbeat Violent Soho – Waco White Lies – Friends
What we say now: Another record written to deal with the finality of death, though this time it’s the tragic and accidental demise of Cave’s son Arthur that resonates throughout these songs. The lyricism is typically prosaic, but there’s no hiding the pain and weariness in Cave’s voice.
What we say now: The UK art rockers’ ninth album follows Thom Yorke’s separation after 23 years from his late partner Rachel Owen, and though it’s an introspective set, it’s also expansive. A return to the songwriting-focused side of Radiohead’s oeuvre following the beat-heavy and inconsistent The King Of Limbs.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD
CAR SEAT HEADREST
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
CAMP COPE
A.B. ORIGINAL
Camp Cope
Reclaim Australia
What we said then: “There are at least two very distinct sides to Melbourne indie-punk trio Camp Cope. One is bruised and broken, while another is defiant and angry, and it’s this juxtaposition that makes their debut record so captivating.” - Paul McBride
What we said then: “If you’re expecting the creators of an album called Reclaim Australia to hold anything back, you’re in for a wild ride … There is a deep pain and anguish that underlies Reclaim Australia’s ferocity. Briggs and Trials demand that we sit up, take notice and take action.” - Ariana Norton
Nonagon Infi nity
What we said then: “We can usually find them freaking out in Northern California alongside Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall, but new synths, soaring Moogs and recurring motifs tell us King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard have travelled to late 1960s England for a ritualistic slaughter with Hawkwind.” - Elias Kwiet
20 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
Teens Of Denial
What we said then: “Will Toledo is the voice of a generation that doesn’t want a voice … Teens Of Denial feels like the kind of album you have listened to your whole life even if you’ve only heard it once. You might not yet know Will Toledo, but Will Toledo knows you.” - Joseph Earp
What we say now: Gareth Liddiard’s plan to take The Drones into a much weirder place has paid off. He thrives with the freedom to explore some of his best-ever lyrics here, and The Drones have become a must-see presence on the Australian live scene.
We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service What we say now: Hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest had been missed on the scene since their 1998 split, but their torch was taken up by a host of protégés, from André 3000 to Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. All three of those artists and more appear on We Got It From Here, a symbol of kinship but also (perhaps) a final bow from the beloved Tribe.
thebrag.com
g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
SUMMER HOLIDAY GIG GUIDE WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 28
THURSDAY DECEMBER 29
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Salsa Wednesdays - feat: DJ Miro The Argyle, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. The Groovemeisters Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $10. The Gypsy Art Club Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $10. Wailing Wednesdays Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Folkswagon Cafe Lounge Bar, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free. Jp Project Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. Free. Manouche Wednesdays - feat: Gadjo Guitars Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Ricardo Steyer Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 8:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
End Of Year Bash - feat: The Hanged Men B.e.d., Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Karaoke Wednesdays Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. Free.
Jr’s Jazz Jam B.e.d., Glebe. 7:30pm. Free. Katherine Vavahea Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $10. Live Jazz And Blues The Long Goodbye, Darlinghurst. 5pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Folk At The Lodge - feat: John Vella + Leroy Lee + Friends Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge. 7pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Harbourview Hullabaloo - feat: Bill Hunt + Chris Brookes + Monica + Kenneth D’Aran Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Mark Crotti The Bourbon, Potts Point. 5pm. Free. Pat Capocci + Eddie Boyd Hotel Steyne Manly, Manly. 8pm. Free. Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Balmain Blitz Band Comp Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7pm. $15. Cath & Him Manly The Smooth Groove Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 31 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Jazz Express Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. NYE At Clark Island - feat: The Shuffle (Live) + DJ Clark Island, Sydney. 6pm. $375. NYE - feat: King Tide + DJ Nothing + DJ Ted Vassall Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $59. The Bamboos New Year’s Eve Party The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $77.
thebrag.com
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Acoustic Grooves The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Benj Axwel Duo Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 9pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Michael Gorham Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Monty Cotton Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Abbalanche - The Australian Abba
Leagues Club, Brookvale. 7:30pm. Free. Celebrating David Bowie - feat: Bernard Fanning + Sarah Blasko + Paul Dempsey Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 7pm. $161. Live At The Sly feat: Narla + Taylor King + Maroota Joe Slyfox, Enmore. 9pm. Free. Pat Capocci + Eddie Boyd Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 8pm. Free.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 30 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Salsa Kingz Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Blake Tailor Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. Free. Cath & Him St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. 9pm. Free. Cover Me Crazy Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 8pm. Free. Dave Anthony Duo The Bourbon, Potts Point. 6:30pm. Free. DJ Sehwah Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. Free. Ed Clayton Jones Chordblood Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15.
Tribute Show Hornsby RSL, Hornsby. 8pm. $35. Aj Dyce The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Beatnix - Beatles Show St Marys Band Club, 8pm. $35. Cath & Him Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 10pm. Free. Cover Me Crazy Smithfield RSL, Smithfield. 8:30pm. Free. DJ Pranesh Gurung Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 7pm. Free. Groovology Sydney Boulevard Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Hits & Pieces The Henry Sports Club, Werrington County. 7:30pm. Free. Lady Vamps Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 5pm. Free. Lucas Farrell The Bourbon, Potts Point. 7:30pm. Free. Michael Dimarco Bellevue Hotel,
Everyday People Band - Duo Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. Free. Georgia White Club Central, Hurstville. 5pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Trio Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 11pm. Free. Jp Project Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Matt Lyon Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 6pm. Free. Michael Gorham Duo Gregory Hills Hotel, Gregory Hills. 7:30pm. Free. The Skeletones Hotel Steyne, Manly. 7pm. Free. Whelan & Gover Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Angelena Locke Waterworks Hotel, Botany. 4pm. Free. Blake Wiggins Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. Free. Dean Michael Smith Buckley’s Bar, Circular Quay. 6pm. Free. Jared Baca Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 3pm. Free. Jj Hausia Figtree Hotel, Figtree. 8:30pm. Free. John Milligan The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Mark Crotti Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 4:30pm. Free. Michael Fryar Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Ted Nash Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 6pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Panania Diggers, Panania. 8pm. Free. Paddington. 6pm. Free. Michael Gorham Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Nathan Cole Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 5pm. Free. Satellite V 4 Pines Brewing Company, Manly. 5pm. Free. Soundproofed Wallacia Hotel, Wallacia. 8pm. Free. Stephanie Lea Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 8pm. Free. Ted Nash The Intersection Tavern, Ramsgate. 5pm. Free. The Villains + Sgt Retro Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 9pm. $12. Vanessa Heinitz Band Selina’s @ Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 11pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Duo Selina’s @ Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 1pm. Free.
COVERS
SUNDAY JANUARY 1 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Carribean Soul - feat: Errol H. Renaud Hotel Steyne Manly, Manly. 4pm. Free. Sunday Collective Secret Garden Bar, Enmore. 5pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK &
MONDAY JANUARY 2 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Latin & Jazz Open Mic Night The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
John Maddox Duo Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Songsonstage - feat: Andrew Denniston + The Wooden + Guests Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Blake Wiggins Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free. Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 4pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $6.
TUESDAY JANUARY 3 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Live & Original @ Mr Falcon’s Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 7pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Charli + Guests
Blake Wiggins Duo Gregory Hills Hotel, Sydney. 1pm. Free. Dean Michael Smith Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 1pm. Free. DJ Brent Cox Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 4pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 2pm. Free. James Brennan Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free. Jj Hausia The Push Bar, The Rocks. 4pm. Free. Matt Lyon Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 3:30pm. Free. Michael Gorham Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill. 12:30pm. Free. Nathan Cole Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill. 7:30pm. Free. Songsonstage feat: Stuart Jammon + Guests Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free. That Red Head Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Dean Michael Smith Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 4pm. Free.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 4 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Hammerhead Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $10. Salsa Wednesdays - feat: DJ Miro The Argyle, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. The Gypsy Art Club Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $10. Wailing Wednesdays Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 4pm. Free. Jamie T + Polish Club + Hockey Dad Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8:15pm. $69.90. Karaoke Wednesdays Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Modern Baseball +
Buckley’s Bar, Circular Quay. 3pm. Free. Peta Mai Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 4pm. Free. Peter Gabrielides Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Sunday Sundown feat: Jarryd James + Cleopold The Newport, Newport. 12pm. Free. Ted Nash The Bourbon, Potts Point. 12:30pm. Free. The Cassettes 4 Pines Brewing Company, Manly. 5:30pm. Free. Travis Loughhead Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 6pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Camp Cope Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $58.10. Parquet Courts Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $45.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Duo The Greens North Sydney, North Sydney. 1pm. Free. Vic On The Park NYD - feat: Hockey Dad + Donny Benet & Kirin J Callinan (DJ set) + Unity Floor + Betty & Oswald + Greenwave Beth Vic On The Park, Enmore. 1pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Acoustic Sessions Buena Vista Hotel, Mosman. 2pm. Free. Angelena Locke Panania Diggers, Panania. 12pm. Free. Jared Baca The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 12pm. Free.
FRIDAY JANUARY 6 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Cath & Him Club Central, Hurstville. 5pm. Free. Dave Anthony Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. Free. Jack Horner Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 8pm. Free. Saloon Daddies + Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes + Deadwood The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7.
Folkswagon Cafe Lounge Bar, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free.
THURSDAY JANUARY 5 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Live Jazz And Blues The Long Goodbye, Darlinghurst. 5pm. Free. Michael Griffin Quintet Foundry616, Ultimo. 7:30pm. $21.50. Sam Mcnally Group - feat: Mitch Anderson Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $15.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Balmain Blitz Band Comp Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7pm. $15. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Live At The Sly feat: The Tambourine Girls + Easy Street + Lennie Tranter & The Bagism Revelation + Zig Zag Wanderers DJs Slyfox, Enmore. 8pm. Free. Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Adrian Joseph Buckley’s Bar, Circular Quay. 6pm. Free. Blake Wiggins Figtree Hotel, Figtree. 8pm. Free. Catfish And The Bottlemen Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $57.90. Dave Anthony Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. Free. Demage Duo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. Free. Future Folk - feat: Dubmarine + Circle Of Rhythm + Matiu Te Huki + New Venusians + Deepchild (DJ Set) Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $20. Glenn Esmond Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 4:30pm. Free. Hælos + Yeo + Buoy + Christopher Port Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $39.90. Jeff Duff The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $38. John Milligan The Push Bar, The Rocks.
BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16 :: 21
g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com 7:30pm. Free. Michael Gorham Duo The Bourbon, Potts Point. 6:30pm. Free. Peter Gabrielides Lord Raglan Hotel, Alexandria. 7pm. Free. Revel Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Ry X + Lanks Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8:30pm. $44.90. Spectres Of Love Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. Free. Whelan & Gover Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Zac Coombes Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free.
SATURDAY JANUARY 7 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Illya Szwec’s Irie Man Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $15.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Chich And The Soul Messengers The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 3pm. $7. Finn Hawkesbury Hotel, Windsor. 8pm. Free. The Sharon Shannon Band The Basement, Circular Quay. 7pm. $49.80.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Aj Dyce Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. Free. Ane Brun City Recital Hall, Sydney. 8pm. $46. Angelena Locke Crossways Hotel, 8pm. Free. Benj Axwel Panania Hotel, Panania. 8:30pm. Free. Bowie In Berlin feat: Kylie Auldist + Dave Graney + Ron Peno + Kim Salmon + Max Sharam Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $69.90. Cambo Plough & Harrow, Camden. 8pm. Free. Dave Anthony Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 5pm. Free. Dean Michael Smith Panania Diggers, Panania. 8pm. Free. Di Bird Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 3pm. Free. Josh Needs Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. Free.
Jp Project Peachtree Hotel, Penrith. 6:30pm. Free. K - Groove Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Michael Gorham Buckley’s Bar, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. Free. Moose Blood Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28. One Hit Wonders Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Spectres Of Love Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free. Summer Hedonism Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 6pm. $32. The Cassettes The Bourbon, Potts Point. 7:30pm. Free. The Naked And Famous Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $54.90. The Prehistorics + The Stukas Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. Vanessa Heinitz The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free.
SUNDAY JANUARY 8 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Cambiamuffin Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free. Soul Of Sydney Hyde Park, Sydney. 12pm. Free. Sunday Collective Secret Garden Bar, Enmore. 5pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Adrian Joseph Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. Free. Becky & The Pussycats Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. Free. Chantal & Cesar 4 Pines Brewing Company, Manly. 5:30pm. Free. Dave Anthony The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 1pm. Free. Dave Anthony Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free. Dean Michael Smith Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free. Mark Crotti The Bourbon, Potts Point. 12:30pm. Free. Raoul Graf Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 4pm. Free. Rockin Eddie Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Steve Crocker Bellevue Hotel, Paddington. 2pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 1pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
22 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
Acoustic Sessions Buena Vista Hotel, Mosman. 2pm. Free. Chorizo Slim & The Boogie Blues Band The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 5pm. $7. Evie Dean Greengate Hotel, Killara. 2pm. Free.
MONDAY JANUARY 9 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Latin & Jazz Open Mic Night The World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $6.
TUESDAY JANUARY 10 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Louis Stapleton & Co Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Live & Original @ Mr Falcon’s - feat: Lachy Becke + Lucas Hendricks + Sahar & Michael Mr Falcon’s, Glebe. 9pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Every Time I Die + Letlive. Metro Theatre, Sydney. 6:30pm. $63.95.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Halestorm + Devilskin Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $64. Henry Manuell + Lee Sullivan The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7. Karaoke Wednesdays Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. Free. Pirra Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY,
BLUES & FOLK
Folkswagon Cafe Lounge Bar, Surry Hills. 7pm. Free.
JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Cameron Henderson Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. Rautavaara City Recital Hall, Sydney. 7pm. $60. Salsa Wednesdays - feat: DJ Miro The Argyle, The Rocks. 8:30pm. Free. The Gypsy Art Club Django Bar @ Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 6:30pm. $10. Wailing Wednesdays Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.
THURSDAY JANUARY 12 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Live Jazz And Blues The Long Goodbye, Darlinghurst. 5pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Live & Original @ The Louis - feat: Tracey Coombes + David Harrod + Ruby Run Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 9:30pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Angelena Locke Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 4pm. Free. Balmain Blitz Band Comp Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. 7pm. $15. Dean Michael Smith The Bourbon, Potts Point. 5:30pm. Free. Dinosaur Jr + Luluc Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $66.30. I Heart Hiroshima Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Sydney. 7pm. $40. Peter Head Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. Free. UB40 With Ali + Astro & Mickey Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $99.
FRIDAY JANUARY 13 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Blue King Brown Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 8pm. $28.60. Mighty Duke &
The Lords Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 6:15pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Alex The Astronaut + Guests The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8pm. $11.50. Evie Dean Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 6pm. Free. Gadjo Guitars The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. Free. Gene Deer + Stormcellar Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8:30pm. $15.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Adrian Joseph Lord Raglan Hotel, Alexandria. 7pm. Free. Airbourne Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $44.10. Aj Dyce The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Angelena Locke Waterworks Hotel, Botany. 4pm. Free. Beatworx Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard. 9pm. Free. Blake Tailor Duo Penrith Panthers, Penrith. 8:30pm. Free. Blake Wiggins Panania Diggers, Panania. 8pm. Free. Cath & Him Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 7pm. Free. Darren Johnstone Club Central, Hurstville. 5pm. Free. Dave Anthony Duo The Bourbon, Potts Point. 6:30pm. Free. Deep Sea Arcade The Eastern, Bondi Junction. 8pm. $10. Feelsclub + Froyo + Chymes Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. $13.30. Glenn Esmond Trio Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9pm. Free. Groovology Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free. Icehouse Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $85. Jed Zarb Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 8pm. Free. Jellybean Jam Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Jp Project Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Lake Street Drive Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Sydney. 7:30pm. $40. Lime Cordiale Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $20. Mark Crotti Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 4:30pm. Free. Nathan Cole Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. Free. Soul Tattoo Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. Free. Stairway To Heaven Led Zeppelin Masters - feat: Zep Boys + Vince Contarino + The Black Dog Orchestra Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $89.
Szun Waves St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Sydney. 7pm. $40. Ted Nash Trio Hotel Steyne Manly, Manly. 7pm. Free. Whelan & Gover Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Zac Coombes Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. Free.
SATURDAY JANUARY 14 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Michael Avgenicos + Zela Margossian The Sound Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. $25. Mighty Duke & The Lords Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Alex The Astronaut + Guests The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8pm. $11.50. Bob Gillespie Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. Free. Evie Dean Ettamogah Hotel, Rouse Hill. 1pm. Free. Kris Mcintyre Plough & Harrow, Camden. 8pm. Free. Moses Sumney St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Sydney. 7pm. $40.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Acoustic Grooves The Bourbon, Potts Point. 7:30pm. Free. Angelena Locke Engadine Bowling Club, Engadine. 8pm. Free. Australian Trilogy: Tribute To Crowded House/Split Enz/ Hoodoo Gurus Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free. Benj Axwel Red Cow Inn, Penrith. 3pm. Free. Blake Tailor Duo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9:30pm. Free. Cath & Him Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 9pm. Free. Dave Anthony The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Donny Benet Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $12.49. Freedom 1.0 - feat: The Gooch Palms + Middle Kids + Pearls + Joseph Liddy & The Skeleton Horse + The Jim Mitchells + White Blanks + Felix Lush + Imperial Broads + Body Type + Los Scallywaggs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 5pm. Free. Geoff Davies The Push Bar, The Rocks. 7:30pm. Free. Glenn Esmond Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 8pm. Free.
Half Moon Run + The Franklin Electric Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $52. Icehouse Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $85. Mark Crotti Crossways Hotel, 8pm. Free. Michael Gorham Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly. 5pm. Free. Peter Gabrielides Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. Free. Sam Lyon Duo Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 8pm. Free. Soundbird North Bondi RSL, Bondi North. 8pm. Free. Stairway To Heaven Led Zeppelin Masters - feat: Zep Boys + Vince Contarino + The Black Dog Orchestra Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $89. The Cassettes The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free. The Pinheads + Drunk Mums The Chippo Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. $18.40. The Turtlenecks Rocks Brewing Co, Alexandria. 2pm. Free. Tower Of SongCelebrating The Music Of Leonard Cohen Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5pm. $40. Travis Loughhead Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. Free. Urban Stone Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. Free. Vanessa Heinitz Panania Hotel, Panania. 8:30pm. Free. Xparte Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. Free. Zac Coombes Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free.
SUNDAY JANUARY 15 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Mighty Duke & The Lords Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 12:30pm. Free. Moses Sumney Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Sydney. 5pm. $40. Soul Of Sydney Hyde Park, Sydney. 12pm. Free. Sunday Collective Secret Garden Bar, Enmore. 5pm. Free.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Adrian Joseph Bellevue Hotel, Paddington. 2pm. Free. Dean Michael Smith Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West. 1pm. Free. Glenn Esmond The Bourbon, Potts Point. 12:30pm. Free. Josh Needs Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 6:30pm. Free. Jp Project The Mill Hotel, Milperra. 1pm.
Free. Lloyd Cole City Recital Hall, Sydney. 7:30pm. $60. Nekromantix Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 6pm. $49. Ryan Enright Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. Free. Stairway To Heaven Led Zepplein Masters - feat: Zep Boys + Vince Contarino + The Black Dog Orchestra Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 7pm. $89. Sunday Sundown - feat: Middle Kids + Jack River The Newport, Newport. 12pm. Free. Ted Nash Fortune Of War, The Rocks. 6pm. Free.
ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK
Acoustic Sessions Buena Vista Hotel, Mosman. 2pm. Free. Circuit Des Yeux St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Sydney. 6:30pm. $40. Evie Dean Wallacia Hotel, Wallacia. 1pm. Free. Grace Fuller Colonial Hotel, Werrington. 4pm. Free. Stephanie Lea Greengate Hotel, Killara. 2pm. Free. The Splinter Orchestra Jets Sports Club, Tempe. 6pm. Free.
MONDAY JANUARY 16 INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. Free. The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $6.
TUESDAY JANUARY 17 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC
Orszaczky Budget Orchestra Hyde Park, Sydney. 6:30pm. Free. Steve Hunter Band Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 9pm. $10.
INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS
1967 (Music In The Key Of Yes) feat: Dan Sultan + Thelma Plum + Radical Son + Leah Flanagan + Emily Wurramara + Alice Skye + Ursula Yovich & Yirrmal + Adalita Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 8pm. $35. Regurgitator Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Sydney. 7:30pm. $40. thebrag.com
brag beats
BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture
on the pulse club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin, Ariana Norton and James Di Fabrizio
five things WITH
Desiigner
LOTTI BENARDOUT FROM HÆLOS
GRAND DESIIGNS
Growing Up There’s a history of 1. creatives in my family. My
grandmother wrote jingles in the ’50s for American radio stations, my mother came to the UK on a dance scholarship and my aunt is a singer and music teacher in the States, so I guess it was inevitable that I would grow up to also have a passion for the arts.
2.
Inspirations Come from everywhere. Relationships, current affairs, literature, emotions, art, strangers in the street, friends… In terms of music, as writers we all bonded over our love for artists like
Radiohead, Björk, Talk Talk and the Bristol trip hop scene, which had a big impact on us growing up. Your Band We started the 3. band around two years
ago. Arthur [Delaney] and I were both working independently with Dom [Goldsmith] on separate projects and decided to have a go at collaborating on a track. We wrote ‘Dust’ in that session and put it online a few weeks later. That song started a spiral of events that led to us signing a deal with Matador Records and releasing our debut LP Full Circle in March.
The Music You Make 4. Our music has been
described as ‘dark euphoria’. Onstage we bring it to life with the three other band members, Daniel (guitar), Martin (percussion) and Bo (drums). It’s about reinterpreting the album live, not just pressing ‘play’. Music Right Here, Right Now 5. It’s a challenging but
exiting time to be an artist. The rules are changing and there’s a huge amount of scope to be innovative and creative in the art you make and way you present it to the world. It’s all good
being the latest buzz band, but not so easy to break out from the hype with integrity and build a sustainable carer. You have to do it for the love or you’ll just end up in a superficial bubble that’s all too easily burst. What: Full Circle out now through Matador/ Remote Control With: Yeo, Buoy, Christopher Port Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday January 6 And: Also appearing at Falls Festival 2016/17, Lorne and Byron Bay, Wednesday December 28 – Monday January 2
US rap wunderkind Desiigner will hit Sydney for a one-off under18s show, joined by some very special guests. The 19-year-old Brooklynite has recently signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music label, and is the man behind the international hits ‘Panda’ and ‘Timmy Turner’, as well as landing a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance. He’ll be joined by Melbourne rap hero Ivan Ooze, alongside Slumberjack, Benson and Elizabeth Cambage from the CRXZY SXXY CXXL collective. Be there at the Enmore Theatre on Monday January 9.
issues.” Rainbow Serpent goes down from Friday January 27 – Monday January 30 in Lexton, Victoria.
MORE MARDI PARTY
The 2017 Mardi Gras Party has added a stellar lineup of local and international DJs to its program for next year, with DJ Citizen Jane, Oxford Hustlers and JimJam locked in to join Tegan And Sara on the Mardi Gras stage. Miami’s Citizen Jane boasts a resume that reads more like a party circuit passport, including NYC Pride
weekend at Madison Square Garden, San Francisco’s Folsom Fair and the White Party in Miami. She’s set to bring her signature blend of main room circuit and house anthems to her first Aussie set and light up the dancefloor like kerosene. Local boys Oxford Hustlers are back for their first performance in the Party main room as well as UK expat and house expert JimJam. The 2017 Mardi Gras Party is on at Playbill Venues and Entertainment Quarter on Saturday March 4.
T ON TOUR CC:Disco!
Tickets are moving quickly for Jamie T’s Sydney show next week. The British rapper and genre chameleon has songs covering everything from hip hop to reggae and more mainstream folk and punk compositions, but it’s in the live arena where he excels. He’s on the way for Falls Festival, having previously performed at Splendour In The Grass 2015, and his new album Trick was a late contender for album of the year lists, especially in his homeland. See T with Hockey Dad and Polish Club at the Enmore Theatre on Wednesday January 4.
SAFE SPACE AT RAINBOW SERPENT
EXTRA PULP
Undr Ctrl and I Oh You have come together for the debut of a new party series called Extra Pulp. The aim is to activate spaces around Sydney that don’t usually host music, and the organisers are being extra hands-on with the lineups to make sure the tunes are freshly squeezed. The Wednesday January 25 (Australia Day eve) event at the Pier One hotel on Sydney Harbour will feature music from CC:Disco!, Dreems, Juno Mars, Rimbombo and Simon Caldwell.
Delta Heavy
DELTA DRUM AND BASS
DnB proponents Delta Heavy, AKA Ben Hall and Simon James, are coming to Australia in the New Year. The UK bass pros made an impressive landing with their debut album Paradise Lost, which leaped into the top ten of the British and American electronic charts upon its release in March. From there, they accelerated through the northern summer, playing everywhere from Glastonbury Festival to the Warehouse Project. Their eight-date Australasian tour will take them from Wellington to Perth, and they’ll stop along the way at Chinese Laundry on Friday January 27. xxx
thebrag.com
Victoria’s Rainbow Serpent Festival has announced an Australian-first initiative to provide comprehensive on-site support services to people affected by sexual and gender-based violence. Dubbed ‘The Nest’, the space was created in consultation with government-funded advocacy groups and emergency service providers and will offer information and support for patrons who have experienced assault. Social services manager for the festival Mel Pearson said: “Research shows that while most gender and family violence occurs inside the home, outside the home the greatest risk is in large crowds such as sporting and music events … We need to acknowledge that family and sexual violence is a problem in wider society and it’s therefore natural a festival with 18,000 attendees isn’t immune from those
BRAG :: 694 :: 28:12:16 :: 23
club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 28 CLUB NIGHTS
Sbw Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Sosueme - feat: Krafty Kuts + Gl + Pluural Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Wet Wednesdays Scary Canary, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 29
Xxx
CLUB NIGHTS
Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Get Some Goodbar, Paddington. 6pm. Free. House Keeping Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Throwback Thursdays Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Yo/ Da Fu/ Nk -
SATURDAY DECEMBER 31 HIP HOP & R&B
The NYE R&B Shoop-er Club Freda’s, Chippendale. 6pm. $27.12.
CLUB NIGHTS Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + TapTap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bungalow NYE Bungalow 8, King St Wharf. 6pm. $190. Clique Sydney
feat: Resident Funk DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Argyle Thursdays - feat: Mike Champion + Moto + Nino Brown + Tubz + A-Game The Argyle, The Rocks. 12pm. Free.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 30 HIP HOP & R&B
Changeroom Fridays - feat: DJs On Rotation Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Fatback Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - feat: Eprom + Tdy + Caesura + Dirty Harry + Earljay
Cruise Bar, Sydney. 8:30pm. $20. Code NYE - feat: Guy Gerber + Mano Le Tough + Alex Niggemann + Audiojack + Special Guest Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney. 4pm. $80.20. Discovery - Daft Punk Tribute Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $20. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Frat Saturdays Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Harbour Hoopla -
+ Loudmouth + Matter + Nexus + Tonewolf + Zoanstoich Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Brenny B Sides Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 4pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Fire Up Fridays feat: Cool Jerk DJs Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free. Friday Frothers Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Friday Night Dance Off - feat: Modern History + DJ Lou Lou Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Leon Vynehall + Mantra Collective Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $25. Resident DJ (Kali) Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Robert Babicz + Kerry Wallace + Ben Nott B2B Sampson Elia Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $33.80.
feat: Live DJ And Dancefloor Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 6pm. $299.20. Lndry NYE feat: AC Slater + Terminus43 + Ludovic + Gradz + Robustt + Goldbrix + Coda + Squeef + Netfleek + Tonik + Non Applicable DJs + King Lee + DJ Just 1 + Mike Hyper Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $33.10. Mad Racket NYE feat: Session Victim + Simon Caldwell + Ken Cloud + Jimmi James + Zootie Marrickville Bowling Krewella
24 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
Guy Gerber
Club, Marrickville. 10pm. $66. Mantra Collective Warehouse NYE 2017 + Matt Weir + Mike Witcombe + Le Brond + Venda + Mike Watts + Highbeam + Datura + A.Lias Secret Location, Sydney. 9pm. $33. Marquee New Year’s Eve - feat: Krewella Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $106.60. Midnight At The Oasis - feat: Live DJ + Live Band And Dancefloor Fleet Steps, Sydney. 6:30pm. $419. New Year’s Eve Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 4pm. Free. NYE - feat: Purple Disco Machine + DJs Beth Yen + Johnny Gleeson With Paul Wheeler On Trumpet + Mark Dynamix + Rodd Riches feat. Arrnott Olssen On Vocals + Leukas + Vito Cavaretta & 64’ Collective Cafe Del Mar, Sydney. 6pm. $99. NYE - feat: Late Nite Tuff Guy + Joey Negro + Brenny B Sides + Ben Morris Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. $54.10. NYE - feat: Poolclvb
+ Jonny Powell + More Watsons Bay Hotel, Watsons Bay. 5pm. $124.70. NYE - Endless Summer - feat: DJs Ariane + Leun + Kato + Martin Novosel + Cell Block 69 (Live) Opera Bar, Sydney. 6pm. $440. NYE Museum Of Contemporary Art, The Rocks. 8pm. $225. NYE Mobilee Rooftop Sydney feat: Ray Okpara + And.Id (Live) Museum Of Contemporary Art, The Rocks. 6pm. $258.70. NYE @ Home feat: Didier Cohen + Royaal + Rees Hellmers + Beau North + Iko + J-Reyes + Ryan Bee + Seiz Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $70. NYE @ Watson’s Bay Hotel Watsons Bay Hotel, Watsons Bay. 8pm. $247.40. NYE At The Burdekin - feat: Mat.Joe + Sessions + Mtba Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $33. NYE At The Watershed - feat: William Singe The Watershed Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. $112.50. NYE On The Harbour - feat: The Aston Shuffle (DJ Set) + Yolanda Be Cool + Touch Sensitive + Benson
+ Elizabeth Rose (DJ Set) + Bad Decisions + Friendless + Ariane + Aftertouch + Buried King + Charles Oliver + Chivalry + Coopa + Fiktion + House Bear + Joker Squad + Jordz + Jye Emdur + Kara + Recess + Sam Resch + Solace + Whatz + Yung Munk Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 6pm. $47.96. NYE On The Harbour - feat: Joey Negro + Late Nite Tuff Guy + Brenny B Side The Port, Darling Harbour. 7:30pm. $85.90. NYE Shark Island Party - feat: DJs Luen + Recess Shark Island, Sydney. 6:15pm. $227.70. NYE With Raven & Jujubee Live! The Shift Bar, Darlinghurst. 10pm. $39. Our House Collective + Cpt Rhys Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi . 9pm. Free. Pacha Sydney NYE 2016 - feat: Tommy Trash + Oski + Senor Roar + Glover + Jaysounds + Kyro + Alex Preston + Jordan Magro + Kormak + Mo’funk + Katie Valentine + Nukewood + Beth Yen + Troy T + Fingers + Steve
Elizabeth Rose Zappa + Mike Hyper + K-Time + Houston + Jaysquad + Afinity + Saxo Johnny + Jonny Boy + Hayden Cleary + Joey Karlile + Alx Ivy Bar/ Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $53.50. Resident DJ (Kali) Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Selecta Saturdays feat: Cool Jerk DJs + Special Guests Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 8:45pm. Free. Splash NYE - feat: DJs Elite + Lil B + Dane + MCs Suga Shane + Uncle Abe The Pontoon, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $37.70.
The Elements Of Tech And Bass Presents (New Years Eve Party) feat: A.L.F + Thierry D + Gillittene + D-Vlde + Trippple. Absence + Andrew Wowk + Kevin C + Heretic + 6th + Raw Machine + The Saint + Toon & Raziel + Mistortion + Twitch + Catzeyez + Dionysus + Barbz Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. Free. The Push New Year’s Eve The Push Bar, The Rocks. 8pm. $25. Tweekay16 NYE feat: Da Tweekaz Space, Sydney. 9:30pm. $60.60.
thebrag.com
club guide g send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
SUNDAY JANUARY 1 HIP HOP & R&B
Rooftop Sundays Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free.
Shady Sunday - feat: Retro DJs Imperial Hotel, Erskineville. 4pm. Free. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Sunday Sundown - feat: Pnau (DJ Set) + Running Touch Coogee Pavilion, Coogee. 12pm.
Free. Sunshine Sunday Sound System - feat: Bossdog + Cool Jerk DJs Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free. Tropical Sundae The World Bar, Kings Cross. 5pm. Free. Remi
Xxx
CLUB NIGHTS
Beresford Sundays - feat: DJs On Rotation The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free. Field Day 2017 - feat: Alison Wonderland + Aluna George + Booka Shade + Broods + Chance The Rapper + Childish Gambino + Claptone + Client Liaison + Dusky + Getter + Giraffage + Hermitude + Highasakite + K Lsch + LDRU + M + Mstrkrft + Newham Generals + Paces + Phantogram + Remi + Ryan Hemsworth + Safia + Shura + Tkay Maidza + Vera Blue + What So Not + More Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain, Sydney. 12pm. $147. Kyro Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $20. Marco Polo - feat: Cut Snake + Luke Million + Young Franco + Chivalry + Danec + Daniel Chapman + Dean Zlato + Jennifer Jennifer + Kane & Abel + Strange Associates Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $93.40. NYD - feat: Hot Chip (DJ Set) + Bag Raiders (DJ Set) Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 6pm. $54.10. NYD - feat: Riton + Oli Benz + The Bang Gang + D&B Selecta + Halfway Crooks + Multi Culti Soundsystem + Beni + Alice Q + Matty Sav Watsons Bay Hotel, Watsons Bay. 12pm. $206.50. NYD Sunday Sounds - feat: Yogi The Deck, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Postside Sundays - feat: Mark Jarvin + Guest DJs The Port, Darling Harbour. 3pm. Free.
MONDAY JANUARY 2 CLUB NIGHTS
I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Rotary Disco Takeover - feat: Andy Donaldson + Tony Garcia + Josh Mchaffee + Alex Pisani + Alex Low Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free.
TUESDAY JANUARY 3 CLUB NIGHTS
Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. Mø Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $57.50. Propaganda Tuesday Scary Canary, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free. Side Bar Tuesdays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 4 CLUB NIGHTS
Lemaitre Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $42.90. Sbw Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Sosueme - feat: Bag Raiders (DJ Set) Beach thebrag.com
Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. Free. Wet Wednesdays Scary Canary, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Chance The Rapper Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point. 7:30pm. $85.70. Denzel Curry The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $49.90.
THURSDAY JANUARY 5 CLUB NIGHTS
Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Get Some Goodbar, Paddington. 6pm. Free. House Keeping Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. The Avalanches + Grandmaster Flash Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8:15pm. $80. Throwback Thursdays Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Argyle Thursdays feat: Mike Champion + Moto + Nino Brown + Tubz + A-Game The Argyle, The Rocks. 12pm. Free. Hudson Mohawke Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $45.
Lndry - feat: Dusky + James Petrou + Tristan Case + Marley Sherman + Litmus + Val York + Dollar Bear + DJ Just 1 + Goldbrix Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $28. Pacha Sydney - feat: Uberjak’d + J-Trick Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $27.70. Precious Cargo - feat: Special Guest DJs Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Press Play Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $20. Resident DJ (Kali) Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Selecta Saturdays feat: Cool Jerk DJs + Special Guests Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 8:45pm. Free.
SUNDAY JANUARY 8 CLUB NIGHTS
FRIDAY JANUARY 6 HIP HOP & R&B
Changeroom Fridays feat: DJs On Rotation Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Fatback Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Freshly Pick’d Heads - feat: Benji + Dseeva + Listic + Klirx + Scum City + Cee + Big Hustle + Kaoe + Dolzy + DJ Myme Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $5.
CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Bassic - feat: Alix Perez + Ivy Lab + Capture + Open-Eye + Mr Pink + Sequel + Topdeck + No ID + Wa-Heavy + Pterradon + Josh Cassidy Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.90. Booka Shade Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $61. DJ LT Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 10pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Fire Up Fridays - feat: Cool Jerk DJs Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free.
Friday Frothers Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Friday Night Dance Off - feat: Modern History + DJ Lou Lou Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Resident DJ (Kali) Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Sam Wall Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free.
SATURDAY JANUARY 7 CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + Tap-Tap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Brenny B-Sides + Graham M Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free. C.U Saturday - feat: Soukie & Windish + Murat Kilic + Lola Heart + Bronx + Nick Berry + Elijah Scadden + Jahra Mortmer Civic Underground, Sydney. 9pm. $22. Clique Sydney Cruise Bar, Sydney. 8:30pm. $20. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Electric Fields Meriton Festival Village, Sydney. 12:30pm. Free. Frat Saturdays Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Funkdafied Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 7pm. Free.
Beresford Sundays feat: DJs On Rotation The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free. Courtyard - feat: To Be Advised Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $21.50. DJ Brent Cox Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 4pm. Free. FOMO 2017 - feat: Flosstradamus + Empire Of The Sun + Peking Duk + Desiigner + Jme + Goldlink + Metro Boomin + Hannah Wants + Slumberjack + George Maple + Feki + Maribelle + Lastlings Parramatta Park, Parramatta. 12pm. $104.74. Marco Polo Ivy Bar/ Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $22.90. Nick Toth Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 4pm. Free. Postside Sundays feat: Mark Jarvin + Guest DJs The Port, Darling Harbour. 3pm. Free. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Somatik + Cullum Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free. Sunday Sounds - feat: Sani Deejay The Deck, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Sunday Sundown - feat: Yolanda Be Cool + Generik Coogee Pavilion, Coogee. 12pm. Free. Sunshine Sunday Sound System - feat: Bossdog + Cool Jerk DJs Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free.
MONDAY JANUARY 9 CLUB NIGHTS
I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Desiigner Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 6pm. $67.40.
TUESDAY JANUARY 10 CLUB NIGHTS
Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. Propaganda Tuesday
Scary Canary, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free. Side Bar Tuesdays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11 CLUB NIGHTS
Sbw Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Wet Wednesdays Scary Canary, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free.
THURSDAY JANUARY 12 CLUB NIGHTS
Femme Fetale The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Get Some Goodbar, Paddington. 6pm. Free. House Keeping Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Throwback Thursdays Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 8pm. Free.
HIP HOP & R&B
Argyle Thursdays - feat: Mike Champion + Moto + Nino Brown + Tubz + A-Game The Argyle, The Rocks. 12pm. Free.
FRIDAY JANUARY 13 HIP HOP & R&B
Back To The ‘90s - feat: C’Man + Adverse + DJ Saywhut?! Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Changeroom Fridays feat: DJs On Rotation Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 9pm. Free. Fatback Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Fridays The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. Free. Brenny B-Sides Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free. DJ Mickey Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 10pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Fire Up Fridays - feat: Cool Jerk DJs Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 5pm. Free. Friday Frothers Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Friday Night Dance Off - feat: Modern History + DJ Lou Lou Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. Free. Resident DJ (Kali) Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Stephen Allkins Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 7pm. Free.
SATURDAY JANUARY 14 HIP HOP & R&B Lks X Midnight Swim - feat: Tom Studdy + Edseven + Diola + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.
CLUB NIGHTS
Argyle Saturdays - feat: Tass + Tap-Tap + Minx + Crazy Caz The Argyle,
The Rocks. 6pm. Free. C.U Saturday - feat: Ulk Eriksson + Tm404 + Cop Envy Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. $27.50. Clique Sydney Cruise Bar, Sydney. 8:30pm. $20. DJ Mickey Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8:30pm. Free. El Loco Later - feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills. 9pm. Free. Frat Saturdays Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Funkdafied Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 7pm. Free. Joel Fletcher Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point. 8pm. $20. Pacha Sydney - feat: Lucky Nights + Special Guests Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 6:30pm. $27.70. Precious Cargo - feat: Special Guest DJs Cargo Lounge, Sydney. 8pm. Free. Resident DJ (Kali) Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free. Selecta Saturdays feat: Cool Jerk DJs + Special Guests Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 8:45pm. Free. Stuart B + Ben Morris Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free.
SUNDAY JANUARY 15 CLUB NIGHTS
Beresford Sundays feat: DJs On Rotation The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free. Brenny B-Sides + Stuart B Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 7pm. Free. DJ Ivan Drago Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 4pm. Free. Marco Polo Ivy Bar/ Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $22.90. Misbehaviour Sky Terrace, Pyrmont. 4pm. Free. Postside Sundays - feat: Mark Jarvin + Guest DJs The Port, Darling Harbour. 3pm. Free. Sin Sundays The Argyle, The Rocks. 7pm. Free. Sunday Sounds - feat: Rob Kittler The Deck, Sydney. 4pm. Free. Sunshine Sunday Sound System - feat: Bossdog + Cool Jerk DJs Rosie Campbell’s, Surry Hills. 12pm. Free.
MONDAY JANUARY 16 CLUB NIGHTS
I Love Mondays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free.
TUESDAY JANUARY 17 HIP HOP & R&B Little Simz Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $45.
CLUB NIGHTS
Coyote Tuesdays The World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. Free. Propaganda Tuesday Scary Canary, Sydney. 9:30pm. Free. Side Bar Tuesdays Side Bar, Sydney. 9pm. Free. BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16 :: 25
Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Alex Chetverikov
W
ith more than a handful of brilliant talents blooming across the scope of Australian electronic music at the moment, the community is really coming into a resurgent and resounding period of creative expression. You only need look at the international exposure and recognition that such craftsmen as Harvey Sutherland and Mall Grab are getting to know there’s something very special in the water. Following on from last week’s general retrospective, I’m taking a look at my favourite records from what’s proven to be an incredibly fruitful year for Australian producers, who seem to have a knack for expertly moulding their many influences into a musical melting pot that resists overt classification.
LIVE IN
MON
MARTY R
JANUARY '17 09 MON CO PILOT KYE BROWN TUE 10 02
(8:30-11:30PM)
(8:30-11:30PM)
(4:30-7:30PM)
WED MARK CHRIS 11 TRAVERS COOKE DUE (8:30-11:30PM)
(9:00-12:00AM)
TUE
03
CO PILOT
(8:30-11:30PM)
MARK 04 TRAVERS WED
MATT 12 JONES DUO THU
(9:00-12:00AM)
FRI
(9:00-12:00AM)
13
RECKLESS
(10:00-1:40AM)
PETER HUNT SAT JONATHAN 05 DUO 14 JONES (9:00-12:00AM) THU
(5:45-8:45PM)
06 RECKLESS
ELEVATE
FRI
(10:00-1:40AM)
GJ 07 DONOVAN SAT
15
(5:45-8:45PM)
THE CHOSEN FEW
(10:00-1:15AM)
JESS & 08 BRUNO SUN
No Zu
RECOMMENDED FRIDAY DECEMBER 30
JESS & BRUNO
FRIDAY JANUARY 13
(7:30-10:30PM)
Luis CL
Simon Caldwell B2B Ben Fester Salad Society Trus’me Goodbar
SATURDAY JANUARY 14 Mood II Swing
Harpoon Harry Linkwood The Two Wolves: Community Cantina
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25
Project Pablo: Adi Toohey Secret Location (revealed to ticketholders)
THURSDAY JANUARY 19 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1 – SUNDAY JANUARY 22 Nao, Kucka The Now Now Festival 2017 107 Projects
Oxford Art Factory
TOM 16 TRELAWNY MON
(8:30-11:30PM)
(3:30-6:30PM)
(7:30-10:30PM)
CRAIG 17 THOMMO TUE
EVERY SATURDAY
(8:30-11:30PM)
Party DJs in the Atrium Chris 14 Jordan 21 Steve 07 JAN Coast JAN Magro JAN Zappa 9:30PM - Late
Nao
thebrag.com
No Zu photo © Le Petit Blue des Cotes D’Armor
WILDCATZ
26 :: BRAG :: 695 :: 28:12:16
Shedbug – Incipience EP Fantastic Man – Galactic Ecstasy Mic Mills and Furious Frank – The Three Palms 7” Nicky Crane – Bent Waters / Bent Night Various – Salt002 Luis CL – It’s Getting Better No Zu – Afterlife Andy Hart – Mistress In Your Mind Fantastic Man – Rhythm Algorithm Bjorn This Way – Suco Edits Vol. 2 Warren Raww – Ross DJ Heure – First Hour András Presents… H.O.D. – House Of Dad Udmo – Open Water Mall Grab – Menace II Society Albrecht La’Brooy – Eventide Harvey Sutherland and Bermuda – Priestess / Bravado DJ Dogg & Furious Frank – Space Call / Flamen Galah Mic Mills & Roy G – BD05 Luis CL – BD04 Cale Sexton – East Link Mall Grab – Let U Kno Various – Midnite Spares Various – Domestic Documents Vol. 1 Pelvis – Dance Freak Dan White – Digital Physics
ED & ASTRO
(3:30-6:30PM)
Bring on the New Year! Happy holidays, and see you on the dancefloor.
THE STANDOUT AUSTRALIAN RELEASES OF 2016:
(10:00-1:15AM)
SUN
Among these releases you’ll hear lush, encompassing ambience, disco edits, no-wave respect from proclaimed mutants No Zu, the satisfying squelch of 303 and bubbling acid, shades of jungle, ghetto courtesy Luis CL and Pelvis, ethereal house from Dan Curtin and DJ Heure, and perhaps the most interesting of them all, the Midnite Spares compilation. Released on Aussie label Efficient Space, it’s a welcome retrospective of Australian synthpop, new wave, spoken word and casual experimentation (check out the Sky Girl comp of folk and lo-fi /throwback pop on this label as well).