Metior Magazine - Edition #6 by Metior Magazine

METIOR

Murdoch Empire Telegraph & Indian Ocean Review

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Edition #1 February 2013

Murdoch Empire Telegraph & Indian Ocean Review – Since 1975 Edition 1, February 2013 Metior acknowledges that this is and always will be Aboriginal land. Metior is a Murdoch University student publication. For latest Guild news, events and info go to www.the-guild.com.au Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/metiormagazine Want to catch up on previous issues? Go to www.the-guild.com.au/metior Editor Phoebe Phillips

Cover Photo Ava Mandel

Graphic Design Karmen Lee

Photographers Rosie Henderson Cydne Williams Piotrek Ziolkowski Ava Mandel Reece Harley Twenty Eleven Ruben James Charlie Samson

Our undying everlasting gratitude to... Mark Walsh Sarana Haeata Clinton Little Hannah Muir Bonnie Butler Agnes Gajic Aimee Drew Katie O’Halloran Amy Mowle Eva Elizabeth Sharpe-Finlayson

We Want You. We are on the hunt for a new Metior editor for 2013. It is potentially the radest job on the market, so email gensec@the-guild.com.au. Metior’s deadlines for the next three editions of 2013 are 22nd February, 29th March, 3rd May In future, if you’d like to contribute writing, photography, poetry, illustrations or ideas please email us at metior@the-guild.com.au Editor Phoebe Phillips

Advertising Kingsley Norris

Email metior@the-guild.com.au

Phone 9360 7634

Address Murdoch University Guild of Students 90 South Street, Murdoch WA 6150

Email k.norris@the-guild.com.au

This magazine is printed using vegetable based inks onto paper stock which is manufactured from pulp sourced from plantation grown timber. Both paper manufacturer and printer are certified to ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard for Environmental Management. Disclaimer Metior is published by the students of Murdoch University, under the governance of Murdoch University Guild of Students. Content should not be regarded as the opinions of the Guild unless specifically stated. The Guild accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions or information contained within the magazine.

CONTENTS From The General Secretary ��2 Editorial ��2 Lifestyle Where’s the Tuna? ��5 Deep Sea Arcade ��6 Fringe Binge ��10 Everlasting Modernity: An Insight Into The Workings Of Twenty Eleven ��11 AIME ��12 MUPSA..........................................................................................12 First Home Project ��16 Do Volunteers Make Better Lovers? ��18 Husky ��19 My Bloody Valentine ��26 Review: Les Miserable ��27 Bounding South ��28 Photography Ava Mandel....................................................................................8 Twenty Eleven.............................................................................11 Reece Harley................................................................................13 Piotrek Ziolkowski.......................................................................14 Charlie Samson............................................................................18 Rosie Henderson..........................................................................23 Cydne Williams...................................................................24 & 28 Ruben James................................................................ 30, 32 & 33 Fashion Eva Elizabeth Sharpe-Finlayson ��20 Visual Art Sarana Haeata ��3, 5 & 17 Fiction Old Orchard Way ��22

FROM THE GENERAL SECRETARY Words by Alex Bellotti Thank you for picking up the first issue of Metior for 2013. Usually our vegan in chief Ms Rebecca Thompson occupies this space but with her interstate for some organic recycling co-op or something, I finally have my chance to bring, traditional, patriotic and above all a non biased conservative message to this socialist hipster rag. Accordingly given the absence of dear leader it falls to me your General Secretary to welcome you all to 2013, and the opportunities that it brings. As it not only provides those amongst you who shirk personal responsibility yet another opportunity to make something of yourselves, but it also heralds a new era for the Metior. As while the Metior is currently indistinguishable from a copy of Pravda, there is an opportunity for an industrious and hard working individual to shake off its smug socialistic leanings and lead it to more liberal pastures as Metior Editor for 2013. So if you’re a true patriot and lover of the twin mistresses of freedom and liberty, I encourage you to apply for the position at gensec@the-guild.com. However please note that applicants who ascribe to the writings of Marx or ride a fixie need not apply, and are instead encouraged to return to the Fremantle communes from which they emerged. Seriously though, the Metior is pretty amazing and with our current awesome editor Phoebe leaving us upon the publication of this issue it would be great if someone who appreciates what the Metior is doing to come aboard and steer it to greater heights. With all this said and done it only remains for me to thank Phoebe our editor and her amazing team for all the hard work they have done over the last year, and wish you once again dear reader all the best in the coming semester.

EDITORIAL Words by Phoebe Phillips Interviewing people is different every time. Sometimes you walk away thinking; “Well that was awkward,” and you are not quite sure how to fill a page with writing from the combination of drawn out pauses, stilted conversation and shoulder shrugs. Other times you listen through recordings thinking you’ve nailed it only to realise you spent the entire interview talking about wok recipes when your opening question was about an album release. Then there are the interviews which get you all excited. The ones that get you inspired, that make you want to do things, the ones that get you high with a “can do” attitude. The First Home Project was one of those of interviews. When I pulled up in my car for the interview I was immediately ordered by a little three year old West African kid to come and see their butterfly. Oblivious to whom I was this little girl alongside her brothers and sisters showed me their butterfly and gave me a detailed tour of their garden. After the interview with the project founders Jarrod and Teresa in The First Home Project (now their home), I walked away feeling so humbled. It was inspiring to experience firsthand how two young adults had chosen to share their home with refugee families whilst I complain about my housemates forgetting to clean the pool. When I came to writing the article there was way more detail to their story then could fill a page, too many inspiring side stories and moments of generosity. So to do justice to their story I recommend checking out. www.firsthomeproject.com.au

We Want You. Being the Editor of Metior has been a barrel of laughs. At times I have wanted to strangle my laptop, throw things at members of the guild and murder Scot Print but more often than not you’d find me giggling behind my laptop at reviews, getting over excited about cover options and feeling super proud of our journo’s writing. What I am trying to say is being the editor of Metior is rader then your nanas chocolate cake recipe and I don’t say that lightly. So if you want to get your greasy mitts on this awesome opportunity for 2013 email: 2 gensec@the-guild.com.au

VISUAL ART Sarana Haeata

Where’s The Tuna?

A Few Words From The Guild Student Assist Team

No matter how your first few weeks on campus go, there are a few things you definitely shouldn’t forget. So when you’ve mastered the art of pretending you’re cool, or not cool you can start concentrating on the list below. •

Everyone else in your class is also lost, broke and clueless.

•

Uni is as fun as it’s cracked up to be. Just make sure that if you play hard you work hard, or you’ll get left behind.

•

Ask for support or nobody will know you need it.

•

Join everything – even if you’re rubbish at it, you’ll meet some new people.

•

Don’t go hungry - The Guild food-bank is for students with empty pockets and empty cupboards. It’s stock is plentiful, but there is no tuna. Please don’t ask for tuna, there was some once, but sadly it’s gone now and there won’t be any more.

•

Deadlines don’t keep track of themselves – get a wall calendar.

•

Take all the workshops you can and read everything at this link - http://our.murdoch.edu.au/ Student-life/Study-successfully/

•

Find this Facebook page – “Everything I Wish I Knew Before I Started University” and pretend to be studying while you read it.

•

If you’re a first year, keep in touch with your First Year Advisor - they’re awesome.

•

Cross your fingers it’s all smooth sailing. After a few weeks, if your plans start to go out the window, because your dog eats your assignment and you leave your wallet on the bus - Don’t panic, The Guild Student Assist Team is here to 5 help.

You wouldn’t be having a true University experience if there wasn’t a road bump or two along the way! At The Student Assist Office we know that life doesn’t stop just because you have an assignment due. In fact, it can be downright inconsiderate, and often at the worst possible time. We have two permanent staff members to keep you on track when you need it most. Drop us a line or a quick email to fill us in and we’ll get to work on your query A.S.A.P. Just don’t ask us for tuna. Education Related Issues: Jen Email: Education@the-guild.com.au Ph: 9360 6432 Welfare Related Issues: Jess Email: Welfare@the-guild.com.au Ph: 9360 6583

Illustration by Sarana Haeta

If you’re a new student this semester, you’ll probably spend your first few weeks desperately trying to remember everything that everyone tells you. It’s an ambitious goal, but obviously impossible when really your highest priorities are; pretending you’re not lost, pretending you’re not new; figuring out which outfit is ‘just right’; trying not to be too nervous; and doing everything possible to make sure you’re not the person who walks into a packed lecture theatre, sits there for ten minutes, and then realizes they’re in the wrong class (If this happens, stick it out, you never know what you might learn and it’ll make for a good story).

Deep Sea Arcade

Interview by Phoebe Phillips

What began for Deep Sea Arcade as bedroom recordings in high school has culminated in the release of their first album Outlands. The album pays homage to the psychedelic movement of the sixties whilst also drawing inspiration from contemporary British indie rock. Metior got in touch with Deep Sea Arcade vocalist Nic McKenzie and what started out as a chat about the release of their album and first European tour ended in talk of obscure wok concoctions and surreal YouTube clips. Is it bazaar having such a fan base so far from home? It is. We are very influenced by the UK music scene and British music in general. So it’s good that it resonates with them. For them I think it still sounds a bit weird, like it’s a weird take on what they do. Do you think because of our isolation in Australia we have a unique or different sound? Now, more than ever people are more responsive to Australian music. Tame Impala and a few other bands are doing really well in the UK so people are really interested...We (Australian muso’s) bring a funny sound to that kind of music, a kind of melancholy. Australians do put their own spin on it, which as Australians we probably can’t hear. A lot of our interviewers (there) were saying in the eighties Australians were really behind in what was happening in London and New York but now we are pioneering sounds in a lot of ways. Did you get to immerse yourself in the psychedelic scene in London? We did. We were hanging out with TOY an up and coming band in the UK and Charlie Boyer and the Voyeurs...they were all really interested in Australian music. People in the UK are really interesting you meet them at a party and then straight away they find you on Facebook and kind of get to know you that way too. Has being a part of the Facebook generation influenced your music? People are more in touch with each other culturally; if you are into the same things then you are going to be going to similar websites and following the same blogs. We are so connected in that way. The one thing that is the same around the world is that people who write music and make music are all such music nerds. We all try and find the most obscure thing on YouTube. In the UK everyone would have these YouTube parties and try and outdo each other trying to find obscure ‘psych’ songs. What was the best one you found? Julie Driscoll “Season of the Witch” (1968), you have to look that up. There are lots of other things people are finding and sharing. It is sort of like self educating. How was the making of your first album Outlands? These days a lot of the recording can be done at home. So a lot of the recording was done in my bedroom then other parts were recorded across the world in London and Sydney even in Brisbane. The process for us with recording has always been pretty ‘D.I.Y’ What is your creative process? I kind of find the melody and vocals when I am just walking along...then I go home and...I find all the supporting notes on base. Then, Nick Weaver and I work out the chords from there. I like to find out the whole song structure with the base and melody and then fill it out with the whole band. We find that’s the best way collaboratively. What are you looking forward to about being on tour? I’ve started taking an electric wok on tour and it is really nice to get together with all the other people and cook food...You can cook anything in a wok. That’s a bold statement. What is the most obscure thing you’ve cooked in a wok? Burgers...All the guys really like it. The food in Australia is really expensive... this way everyone chucks in a couple of dollars and you’ve got food for everyone. When you’ve got a wok everyone’s your friend. What do you look forward to about playing in Perth? In some cities we go to in Australia people just stand there with folded arms. In Perth and Brisbane people go to gigs because they love music and they go really mad for it.

Photos Courtesy of Deep Sea Arcade

PHOTOGRAPHER Ava Mandel

Binge on Fringe Words by Hannah Muir

2012 saw the debut of the Perth Fringe World Festival… And it was a hit.

“The great thing with Fringe is they help you with publicity, they are constantly checking in to see how you’re going… It makes producing a show really easy,”

“It was a runaway success in its first year and we hit audience targets we were expecting on a three year horizon in the first year,” Says organizer Marcus Canning.

Better still, there’s no extortionate clause to sign, no creative pre- nup and no selling of souls (or bodies)

There are more than 200 Fringe Festivals bringing cities alive and tantalizing spectators around the globe. With the 2013 Festival opening weekend spread over the four day Australia Day long weekend, excitement is building, and the city is buzzing. With 45 venues within the Perth and Northbridge area (all on the comfortable side of a 10 minute walk from the train station) and over 1,500 acts, just try and think of an excuse to not to see some cool shit.

The very essence behind the Fringe ethos is simple… it’s where anyone can have a go and take part, and where all are welcome. It’s understood that this can be a tough gig, hence the relaxed helping hand. The buzz that comes off Fringe is like steam on a hot spring or the hunger felt after walking past a bakery. See what I’m saying? The city becomes a beacon of lively busyness and fresh atmosphere. There’s pop up shops and bars alongside traditional buildings. And lets not forget that in the past Perth hasn’t exactly been well known for its cultural influence, unless I’ve completely misunderstood what ‘FIFO’ stands for.

Last year, the festival brought a butt load (like millions) of dollars into the local economy, and there’s no doubt this year will rake in similar benefits. However, while I recognize this is great news on some level, capital is dull, so lets move on.

“It makes people of Perth aware that there is art here, there is performance, there’s comedy and music and there’s things for kids,” Mikala said.

Fringe is not only an easily accessible and cheaper option for Perth peeps to get a culture hit but it also offers a platform for local artists to be seen in an open and casual environment. Mikala Westall has always been theatrically inclined, taking part in plays throughout school and university. Post degree she found possibilities were somewhat at a loss.

Damn straight. The variety and styles of performances showcased at Fringe is extreme. Cabaret, circus, comedy, community, dance, film, multi- media, music, performance, theatre and visual arts on offer means there’s something to blow everybody’s hair back. And with over 69 venues means you can blow wherever you like.

“My options in terms of performance, or if I wanted to pursue theatre were limited to what I was already doing, ” Mikala said.

Mikala and her co-star Paul Grabovac have gone for a bit of a different approach than usual by heading into the more relaxed realm of theatre.

So, she along with five other like-minded comrades began their own theatre company, ‘Renegade Production Company’.

“We decided to do a family show because in the past we’ve done lots of political work, stuff that deals with issues that might shock people”

While I’m certainly not going to go down the ‘struggling artist’ route, telling tales of aspiring actors and actresses stealing petty cash and working the street corner, apparently, even with your own company it can be somewhat difficult to be in the Perth theatre game.

Friends? Is an audience inclusive tale of two wee chums, their chance encounter and the fun, fears and hope that make a friendship. The performance that includes games, puppetry and music will even evoke memories for the older audience of the simpler days when all you had to ask was “do you wanna be friends?”

“There is support but there needs to be more. I would like to see more performance spaces” And here comes the glowing admiration for Fringe. Festivals such as this, act as somewhat of a platform for those that may not ordinarily get an opportunity (with such decreased hassle).

Friends? Will be playing every Saturday and Sunday at 5pm between February 2nd and the 24th. Performances are held at De Parade Teatro 2 (State Theatre courtyard).

Everlasting Modernity: an Insight into the workings of Twenty Eleven Words By Agnes Gajic & Photography by Twenty Eleven Western Australia is home to a bevy of prolific artists who are gaining rampant popularity on a national and international scale. Not exempt from this fact is Fremantle based Twenty Eleven. He bid farewell to 2012 with his sophomore solo exhibition Kings Crooks Castles which was a distinct evolution from his exhibition Twenty Eleven one year prior. It is not uncommon for one to feel bewildered whilst observing the paintings of Twenty Eleven. His art is chaotic, disjointed and is laden with allusions and statements – so much so that it is difficult to understand how this artist feels about the world in which he occupies. At times his work is ironic, political and comedic and is never short of amusing.

has been instilled with the notion that you can use anything to make something. This comes from the modest country ideals young Twenty Eleven was brought up with the understanding that; you can produce your own food and you can repair your own tools. You can create art. Twenty Eleven has recognized a cumbersome division between the craftsmanship of the old world and the modernity of the new world. He’s trying to find a medium between old school artistry and contemporary design in timeless pieces that can mould with progressive styles. The primary idea is to design antiques, now. “Everyone wants to re-engineer stuff yet everyone still wants elements of the ‘old school.’ I’m trying to tap into these desires and create items which can still be used in 300 years time,” he said.

Twenty Eleven’s distinguishable style is partly owed to his appreciation of such avant-garde artists as Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Warhol. “All of these artists started their own movements. For their times, their styles were unique and unexplained,” he said.

“So when the zombies attack, someone is using a Twenty Eleven piece to barricade their door. Or Nona’s putting the keys to her flying car on a Twenty Eleven landing plate.”

Even more so, Twenty Eleven reveres the local lads who have worked their asses off in recent years.

Like every immortal artist, he wants to make sure that after he is gone his designs remain culturally and socially relevant.

“Kid Zoom, Kyle Hughes-Odgers (better known as Creepy) and Charlie Isoe have all flourished into internationally renowned artists from humble beginnings,” describes Twenty Eleven. You can most commonly find Twenty Eleven with paintbrush or pen in hand and increasingly behind a welder or grinder. “[When I paint] I prefer to work on custom made boards, not just shop-bought canvas… I’m currently designing and creating sculpture, furniture and for lack of a better word, homewares. There is just so much [wasted] steel and raw wood out there,” Twenty Eleven explained. “there is a certain appeal about a one-off, quality local handmade product.” Twenty Eleven has a charming penchant for resurrecting forlorn and rejected materials whilst following the ancient mantra ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’ Growing up in country Queensland, he

AIME

Words & Photograhy by Reece Harley When 25 Sydney University students walked down to Alexandria Park Community School in Redfern, to meet up with 25 Indigenous high school students they had no idea that just eight years later more than 1,000 Indigenous kids and 1,000 Uni students right around the nation would end up walking in their footsteps. That was the beginning of Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) and since then, the program has been implemented in 200 schools and 16 university sites from Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia. Now, it’s arrived in the west for the first time and it’s here at Murdoch. AIME kids are finishing school at almost the same rate as every other Australian child. Retention rates are through the roof and our students are going on to University at six times the national average. We are leading the effort to close the gap. This is where we need your help. At AIME we believe that every step forward you take in life, you should reach back and bring someone along with you. Do you have what it takes to be one of our mentors? Can you give up just one hour a week to forever change the life of a local indigenous kid who’s asking for your help to guide them through school? From hip-hop to resume-writing, from public speaking to study skills and with plenty of laughs thrown in for good measure our workshops are always high-energy and heaps of fun. You’ll get all the training and support you need to get the most out of our your mentoring experience. Plus, we’re partnered up with Google, CommBank, Telstra, Virgin Australia, Lendlease and many other major corporates who are working with us to provide an awesome graduate development program for our mentors. Go to www.aimementoring.com and register your interest in becoming an AIME Mentor in 2013 and get the opportunity to be a part of something massive here in WA.

MUPSA

Words by MUPSA Postgrads. You’d think they were intelligent. Yet many of them are labouring under serious misunderstandings. We’re here to tell you, however, don’t believe anyone who says that the postgrad experience is all about loneliness, doing it tough, not asking for help, seeing fellow postgrads only as competitors and thinking you’ll land that dream job by the strength of your academic achievements alone. Complete rubbish. Studies show that actively participating in a postgraduate community helps students achieve better results and improve their career prospects. Such research demonstrates that engaging regularly with other postgrads increases the likelihood of students finishing their courses and decreases delays in completing their studies. Therefore don’t feel guilty when you take part in MUPSA events like monthly Coffee Mornings, Semester Welcome events, professional development workshops, industry networking functions, Family Fun Day, MUPSA Debate, MUPSA Multidisciplinary Conference and End-of-Semester parties. Apart from being fun social occasions, MUPSA events are always great networking opportunities. The global job market and university programs privilege the same soft skills: teamwork, communication, interpersonal skills and yes, networking. Well, we hate to break it to you but all these skills actually mean you have to talk to other people. So get out from behind your desks and join your fellow postgrads at MUPSA events this year. Don’t need new friends? Think again. And what about finding people with whom to collaborate in projects or who can tell you about job opportunities, CFPs and journal issues in your field? Be intelligent, get involved with MUPSA.

PHOTOGRAPHER Ava Piotrek Ziolkowski

First Home Project

Words by Phoebe Phillips & Visual Art by Sarana Haeata I first heard about Jarrod McKenna, Teresa Lee and their son Tyson from a friend who described them as; ‘This amazing couple who are attempting to fundraise $600,000 in 13 days to buy a house for refugee families.’ When I came across their blog The First Home Project they were still hundreds of thousands away from their goal and they had two days to go.

“Basically the people became our bank and loaned or donated the money we needed,” Jarrod said. “We had a Financial Advisor, a Lawyer and a Commercial Auditor who all volunteered their time.”

We don’t agree with what

Fast forward five months and I am chatting with Jarrod and Teresa in the property they bought for The First Home Project. Their house is in a state of cosy chaos as the kids of their refugee neighbours happily wander in and out, family members stop by to fix a leaky tap and another neighbour pops in for an impromptu English lesson.

the Government is doing. The fact that children are on

Nauru

and

Manus

horrific... Who would want

What originally began as an attempt to provide supported affordable housing to newly arrived refugees during Perth’s rent crises has resulted in an international campaign which has shown support from as far off as Russia.

that for any child? Today Jarrod, Teresa and Tyson share their home with two families from West Africa who had previously lived in refugee camps in Ghana and Rwanda for up to 17 years. Their hope is that other people will consider developing similar models to The First Home Project as there are so many newly arrived families who currently need support.

When Teresa and Jarrod realised they could not provide supported accommodation to newly arrived refugee families whilst living in a rental they took matters into their own hands. “The family next door (now living in The First Home Project) has 11 people living there. So the possibility of housing that many people plus ourselves into one rental house was quite difficult,” Teresa Said.

Jarrod and Teresa stress The First Home Project’s human focus, how it is designed to give these refugees a ‘fair go’ unlike the Governments current refugee policy.

“We just found that through renting we had no opportunity to do what we wanted to do so the alternative was to become the landlords.”

“We don’t agree with what the Government is doing. The fact that children are on Nauru and Manus is horrific... Who would want that for any child?” Jarrod said.

It all began to take shape when Teresa found a building for sale in Midland which they could easily renovate into three separate homes. However, the banks rejected their home loan application as they deemed the property commercial despite its residential zoning.

“It’s responding at a community level and responding to these people (refugees) and just being good neighbours.” As for the future, Jarrod and Teresa are currently looking forward to an Afghan barbeque and a evening soccer match with their neighbours.

When a mate offered to loan them $55, 000 towards their project Jarrod and Teresa realised they were onto something and began one of the fastest and biggest crowed sourcing projects collecting 600,000 dollars in 13 days. Support began pouring in from family members, friends, the local community and internationally from all kinds of people interested in their project.

“Most importantly it is fun that is the best kept secret about the First Home Project is just how much fun we are having.”

Do Volunteers Make Better Lovers? Words by Katie O’Halloran & Photography by Charlie Samson Volunteering is not something that is normally synonymous with romance in mainstream media. However, having been involved in a volunteer planting project or two, I can tell you first hand that if you want to get hot and sweaty with members of your favorite sex, this is the way to do it. And you really will be getting down and dirty. Now I’m not encouraging stalking, but it has also been found that the more time you spend with the object of your affection, the more they will feel a sense of liking towards you. Popular psychology says so. There is no better way to really get to know the object of your affection than spending several hours planting seedlings with them in a remote location. It is also fairly safe to assume that most people who volunteer are giving individuals who don’t mind getting active for things they are passionate about, two highly desirable qualities in a potential partner.

be fun for a while, the constant ups and downs may leave you feeling a little dizzy. If you have already bought tickets for that ride, fear not. Volunteering has also been found to improve mental health by increasing social networks and increasing your skills of coping with emotional psychology. Volunteering Australia found that 61% of people who volunteer five or more times a year say volunteering helps them de-stress. When we feel less stressed we are more creative and productive. I’m betting there are more than a few ways you can imagine where this would be useful in a lover. Deciding to volunteer might not be such a bad idea for you either, what with the increased physical and mental health benefits. If you like the ladies, you may be keen to learn that there are consistently more women than men out there volunteering, which is much better odds than Northbridge on the weekend and there is significantly less vomit involved. I would recommend picking something that you actually care about; that way you are more likely to meet people who share your interests.

But does any of this make them a better lover? For years now research has been coming out suggesting that people who volunteer are happier and healthier than the rest of us who don’t. People who are happier are not only more fun to be around but also have better relationships. Although the emotional rollercoaster that your brooding lover takes you on might

If you are keen to give volunteering a go, contact the Murdoch Volunteer Hub on volunteering@the-guild.com.au or 08 93606307.

Husky

Words by Amy Mowle Last month Fremantle found itself graced with the presence of Triple J Unearthed winners Husky. The band, hailing from Melbourne, had previously supported big names including The Shins and Devendra Banhart. So it really wasn’t a surprise when the 12th of December rolled around and Mojos Bar was swarming with the hippest cats in town.

it up as a heartfelt set of charismatic, multi-layered blues with a little balls. The electricity that flowed between Bain and Kramer was almost visible to the naked eye, a subconscious connection that created a beautiful audible chemistry.

Opening the night on that balmy evening was folktronica duo Whisky Winter, newcomers to the circuit here in Perth but nonetheless impressive. Soft and slow, the pair delivered a set that warmed the blood as it coursed through my veins. They had captured melancholy and rearranged it into a musical experience. The crowd had just begun to warm up, beers were steadily flowing and the ebb and flow of conversation had turned up a few decibels by the time the second act Morgan Bain fronted the stage. At only eighteen years old Morgan Bain has enjoyed huge success on the local blues and roots scene, and his reputation certainly did not surpass him on the night. By the end of the opening track the punters had crowded hungrily around the stage licking their lips for more. Aided by drummer Callum Kramer, the pair delivered a mesmerizing show that would have impressed even the most cynical individuals that frequent Perth’s blossoming music scene. I would sum

Photos Courtesy of Husky

Mojos was either at capacity, or very close to it, and the red velvet walls breathed in the bodies that filled the bar. It was hot, but as soon as Husky started to play I don’t believe there was a single person in that venue who was thinking about the temperature. The intricate sounds of delicate harmonies and angelic composition caressed the ears of the audience and it became clear what all the fuss was about. Frontman Husky Gawenda took the audience on a journey, passing through emotional folk ballads into blues rock jams. The set was filled in by dutifully extended intros and outros, giving Gideon Preiss the chance to prove to the crowd just how prolific he is on keys. During one of Preiss’s solos I don’t think I was alone in experiencing some kind of quasi-religious-musical experience, I was absolutely transported along with the majority of the audience. Husky is a band made up of unbelievably talented musicians - those who had the opportunity to see them in such an intimate setting as Mojos will become aware of their luck as Husky’s popularity continues to increase.

FASHION Styling by Eva Elizabeth Sharpe-Finlayson

OLD ORCHARD WAY

Words by Mark Walsh & Photography by Rosie Henderson He never wanted to be a writer. Growing up, I mean, when I lived across the street from him. When I made him him cut that dead bird in half with a shovel, the insides heaving out through the feathers in that terrible way. Walsh ran home while I stayed and watched, sweaty and sick and afraid. He came back later and buried the bird. He was so pale you could see the veins under his skin. Bullied and spat on so I’d walk him home, share my lunch, pick him for sports. Even then he smoked too much. I’d say ‘You shouldn’t smoke those’ in a voice like my mother’s and he’d practice inhaling, the cigarette filter glistening with spit. I’d ask him what it felt like to travel on a plane. ‘I don’t remember’, he’d say. ‘There was heat rash on my thighs’. He won a poetry competition during our last primary school year. The mayor shook his hand and gave him a book voucher. But he never wanted to be a writer. I kept a copy of his poem. I kept everything he wrote. When we were walking home he asked me why girls didn’t like him. I didn’t know. They didn’t like me either. He started drinking. Before class, in the orchard behind his house. We’d steal apples and talk about music and sex. I’d sit with him in detention, watching teachers stroll past the windows while he broke pencils on his desk. We’d stand together on the bus, our legs bruised by the careless swaying of school bags. It was hot, when I remember it, the times we spent on the bus. It was always a dry, heavy summer. We’d collapse, wake up drunk in a friend’s garage with the air wet from heat. Spend the night stumbling home, pissing from a freeway overpass, calling to the cars below. I can’t lock these memories down in time. They’re just moments. Me with my arms to the sky. Walsh fishing his cigarettes out of a heating vent in his bedroom. A girl who kissed me out of pity. My mother waiting for me by a train station turnstile. Then my parents told me that we had to move. That my father had lost his job. That the money just wasn’t there. I explained it all to Walsh later that night. We sat in a park, on the swings, and scuffed our heels against the soil. The silence, black and vast and total, pressing down hard, crushing us. We walked home in silence. I let myself in through the back gate and, when I turned to say goodnight, he was already gone. We never spoke again.

I would walk past his house, sometimes knock, lightly, and ask his mother if I could come inside. She’d step out and ease the door shut behind her. She’d say things like ‘I’m sorry, but he really isn’t feeling very well’, or, ‘He’s asleep at the moment. Could you come back a little later?’ Then, on that final afternoon, I saw him briefly through his high bedroom window as our car pulled away. The lace curtains dropped down across the glass and he was gone. My parents left their furniture on the front lawn next to an old, rusted washing machine. I waved. At nothing. I went to university, met someone, we married. Her name is Carol. We have two little girls. We took a trip together last year to the town where I grew up. We drove along my old street and I pointed toward the window where Walsh had been standing. I don’t know why. I talked to our old neighbours... I asked them what had happened to him after I had gone. They said that he never did go back to school. People would see him standing up there in that window, a shadow behind the curtains, staring out across the street. Then he vanished. The house was sold and a new family moved in. They had a dog. I asked around, wondering if anyone knew where he had gone. No one did. Then it was late and dark and I was driving. Carol was asleep, her face resting against the passengerside window. I watched the road, wet and black and speckled with cat’s eyes and stars. Walsh once told me that he was born a month premature and that he spent the first days of his life in an incubation chamber. A small, yellow thing staring out at the world through tubes and plastic and glass. I checked the mirror and saw the arc that my children formed as their heads met over the backseat. They stirred slightly as I eased the car onto the freeway and toward the cluster of distant lights that I now called home. Later that night, when the house was silent and still, I sat by the fireplace and burnt everything that Walsh had ever written, pulling vast handfuls of paper out into the room, crumpling them into useless balls and throwing them to the flames. All those poems and stories and songs, shrinking and twisting and peeling away. I kissed Carol before I turned out the light and then I settled to sleep beside her, locking my knees behind her own.

22 I still miss him.

PHOTOGRAPHER Cydne Williams

My Bloody Valentine Words by Clinton Little

Regardless of your opinion concerning its origins, be it greeting card company scam or a conspiracy to keep the makers of variety chocolates and heart shaped boxes in business, Valentine’s Day is hard to ignore.

field of their American high school hell by embarking on a killing spree that begins with the offing of the popular clique it quickly gets out of control. Laced with dark humour this is a sexily subversive black comedy that is a mix of Mean Girls with a body count and timeless one-liners.

After the absurd urge to exchange saturated fats and bad poetry is out of the way many couples face the dilemma of choosing the appropriate movie to mark the passing of February 14th. It can be a tricky process and I offer the following recommendations to avoid some of the inherent pitfalls.

Knocked Up If there is a more unlikely romantic pairing than Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen, I wish you good luck finding them. Despite this mis-match it’s the combination of Rogen’s pink-eyed buffoon impregnating Heigl’s Type-A Barbie that blends Gross-Out and Rom-Com in a way no-one has managed before or since. This is a sure fire winner for all romantics, just try and not be in the mood for snuggling after watching the “crowning” scene.

A warning: this sample contains no tearful kisses in the rain, nor will you find any twinkly “teenage” vampires wandering about in the fog, there are no last minute dashes through airports, no final frame realisations that “love had been there all along” and at no point will your tween heroine utter the phrase, “I was never the same after that summer.”

Interview With The Vampire When Tom Cruise first bites Brad Pitt in this Boy meets Boy love story their doomed 18th Century romance predictably ends in bloody tears. But not before their gothic mansion is burned down by rioting slaves; when they adopt a young Kirstin Dunst from a broken home in a bid to start a modern family it ends in a grisly divorce. If this movie didn’t star such big names it’s doubtful it would ever have been made, but it’s a daring, decadent tale of manly vampire love without a tube of body glitter in sight. For a movie that has Tom Cruise in it, ironically, it doesn’t suck.

Away We Go What could be more romantic than a cross country road trip in a crapped out Volvo when you’re 8 ½ months pregnant? That’s the unlikely premise of this movie that sees John Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids) searching for a place to call home and encountering nothing but a series of wildly unhappy and hilariously dysfunctional friends and relatives that have them finding more questions than answers. In the end this is a romantic comedy, just one that proves you can’t have the light without the shade.

Photos Courtesy of Away We Go

500 Days of Summer You know how the slightly nerdy guy fancies the cool hipster girl who normally goes for the bad boys but he wins her over with his dorky charm? Then they wind up together and live happily ever after, finishing each other’s sentences in an impossibly cool apartment? Well this both is and isn’t that movie. It does have egregiously bad greeting cards and a full blown musical number but its bittersweet core is what resonates after the credits roll. Heathers If Jack Nicholson and Elizabeth Taylor were a pair of murderous teenage lovers, in 1988 they would have been played by Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. When the two choose to level the social playing

IN CINEMAS

Review by Clinton Little Les Misérable You know you’re in trouble when five minutes into a two and a half hour musical you remember that you don’t like musicals. OK not all musicals but there’s something fundamentally irritating about everyone needing to sing everything all the time. Les Mis is packed with two and a half hours of non-stop singing, and not all of it is good. A great deal of fuss has been made about Les Mis being the first ever filmed musical to be sung through live to camera. Usually actors would lip-synch their performance to a pre-recorded soundtrack but here we get to witness them sobbing their way through a lot of very sad songs. As it turns out simultaneously sobbing and singing live isn’t the easiest thing and not the entire cast do it well. Though it was a bold attempt to bring out more emotional performances, the songs take a back seat to the acting at the film’s expense It’s Anne Hathaway, who in a small role outshines everyone else involved. She delivers the standout moment with a moving rendition of “I dreamed a dream”. Helena Bonham-Carter and Sasha Barron-Cohen make for a humorous but jarring break from the overwhelmingly drab and earnest material but Russell Crowe stomps about attempting to “sing” his lines yet barely achieves mediocrity. He also seems blithely unaware that he’s not actually the leading man. Story wise Les Mis is a fairly straight forward tale of downtrodden convict Jean Valjean who breaks free from oppression and eventually plays a part in a working class uprising in the finale. Played by Hugh Jackman with all the Broadway hamminess he can muster, it’s not so much the quality of his performance that’s the problem, it’s the sheer volume and over the top style in which it’s delivered that becomes grating by the end. Despite boasting some beautiful songs, impressive production design and some memorable performances Les Mis suffers from poor casting choices and the direction from Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) seems intent on focussing so much on the actors faces that the grand scope of the story is diminished.

Photos Courtesy of Les Miserables

Overall Les Mis on film is pretty uneven and over blown but none of that will stop it pleasing hordes of movie goers which can only mean we can expect to see the trend of stage to screen musicals to continue, regardless of whether or not it should.

Bounding South Words by Bonnie Butler & Photography by Cydne Williams The festival goers sought the shady spots as if they were prime real estate, which, of course, they were. The day was scorching. Water scooped from the trough to cool sweaty limbs evaporated within seconds, leaving the same limbs sweaty once more. Though we were undercover for San Cisco, there was no escape from the heat. The tent was bursting at the seams, ready to explode at any minute. But the heat was no hindrance. It created an atmosphere of intensity: everything was magnified. Once I gave in to the atmosphere, I became a part of the crowd. The intimate proximity, suffocating warmth and uncontainable, pushy drunkards bothered me no more. I was lost in “Golden Revolver”, “Rocket Ship” and “Fred Astaire.” As the sun dipped low on the horizon, we waited, securing our spot in the front row for Boy & Bear. We were not disappointed. With the cooling breeze on our backs we surrendered ourselves to the hypnotic folk singa-longs. The lead singer demanded full attention of all your senses, with his energetic dancing and cheeky smile. The infectious happiness leaked off the stage, ready to be soaked up by the eager crowd, who buzzed excitedly with the opening chords of the band’s cover of “Fall at Your Feet.” The set’s pinnacle was “Part Time Believer,” which even as it came to a close, and the crowd went their separate ways, its lyrics still circulated in my head: “I was under the impression I was gonna lead, some kind of simple understated life…” The endless sun almost turned me away from The First Aid Kit, the act I was anticipating the most. At the last minute, however, I came to my senses, jumped out of the shady bunker I was hiding in and joined the crowd. The two “Swedish sisters from Sweden” (their words) were captivating. The younger of the two added to their soothing tunes with her heavy-metal style head-banging and wild dancing. Their nod to the embattled Pussy Riot was welcomed by the crowd, as was their cover of ABBA’s “Chiquitita”. After satisfying our lunch cravings with the unhealthiest of foods imaginable, we meandered over to the largely unoccupied barrier to wait for Lisa Mitchell. The crowd grew quickly, expanding at an ever increasing rate to soon become an endless sea. And so we rode the uplifting waves of “Spiritus,” “Bless This Mess” and “The Story of the Raven and the Mushroom Man,” and all at once, the heat didn’t matter at all. The two days of mosh-pitting and tent-sleeping were absolutely unforgettable. The next morning my friends and I walked the Busselton jetty, shielding our faces from the spitting rain which had stubbornly refused to fall beforehand. And as we began our three hour journey home, I couldn’t help but look forward to what next year’s festival would have in store.

PHOTOGRAPHER Ruben James

Race To Save the World

Words by Aimee Drew & Photography by Ruben James The Race to Save the World has been the latest craze to sweep the nation with its take on the hit TV show ‘The Amazing Race.’ But the best part is, instead of a cash prize at the end of the competition, contestants will each contribute to different charities. Contestants will contribute to these organisations a huge amount of advocacy across five Australian cities in eight days. The race consists of a maximum of 40 teams who will compete in each of the five Australian cities and will participate in challenges which will enable them to contribute to campaigns on global health, international aid budget, climate change, food security, refugee rights and fair trade. There are many globally renowned charities involved that have assisted in building the challenges such as Oxfam, whose challenge for contestants revolves around food security and requires participants to visit and engage with a Federal Member of Parliament or a Mayor of a city. Fair Trade’s challenge gets participants to engage with a primary school or high school and attempt to convince them to become a fair trade community. Amnesty International’s challenge encourages participants to engage with refugee children in detention centres in an attempt to improve their lifestyle. Lastly is Make Poverty History, whose challenge requires participants to attempt to find ways to increase the amount of money that comes from the international income to aid poverty. The Race to Save the World has occurred in Perth before in 2009, where it was extremely popular. Race Director Jeremy Brennan was extremely impressed by the support in 2009 and this year is running it nationally. So what originally started in Perth but will for the first year be run right across Australia. The Race to Save the World is a great way to create an awareness of the poverty and misfortune around the world and with the help of Jeremy’s charity The Greatest Need he is advocating governments around the world to help those that are the hardest to help. One of The Greatest Need’s main objectives is to provide opportunities for organisations to work together co-operatively and to therefore increase their capacity to work together. They will be up-loading a website in the coming months which will enable anyone and everyone to log on and find out all the information about many different charities all in the one place. The Race to Save the World is expecting around 500 people to participate across Australia, if you are interested in participating log on to www.racetosavetheworld.net for more information.

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