Reverb Magazine - Issue 49

central coast|hunter|north coast #049 Aug ‘10

music, arts & culture monthly

TAYLOR HAWKINS Look, Foo’s talking The future sounds

of HOT HOT HEAT

WASHINGTON

tells the truth

Also Inside: silversun pickups Scissor Sisters Children Collide Basement Birds Scary Kids Scaring Kids

The Leave limbo Seabellies

FRIDAY 06.08

Y R T S I N I M SOUND OF

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SATURDAY 07.08

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IFF OT M X RE & WA MO A L M SA

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FRIDAY 13.08

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KILLAQUEENS 1 3T H H O R

PA R RO

FRIDAY 20.08

BISTRO SPECIALS MON $8 PASTA TUES $8 BANGERS & MASH WED $8 CHICKEN SCHNITZEL THUR $8 300GM GRAIN FED RUMP FRI $8 FISH & CHIPS SAT SEAFOOD SPECIALS SUN ROAST

SATURDAY 21.08

TIMMY TRUMPET

RADIATORS FRIDAY 27.08

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TAC

FR ID 0 TU 3.0 AY SF OR 9 MO RE

20 PH 47 ENTR 367 ANCE 5222 RO AD, INF

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WOODPORTINN.COM.AU 207 ENTRANCE RD, ERINA PHONE 4367 5222 ARTIST ENQUIRIES 4367 5222 TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WEBSITE

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SNOB SOUN S C R I LL A D SYS TEM & MOBI N MA STER

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No. 49

Reverb Magazine is localy owned & published by The Lockup Garage.

Printed by Spotpress, marrickville: sales@spotpress.com.au

index

contents

News Seabellies Taylor Hawkins The Hard Ons Dead Letter Circus M-Phazes Scary Kids Scaring Kids Hot Hot Heat Silversun Pickups Basement Birds CD reviews Gig guide Crow

8-13 14-15 16 17 17 18 18 19 20 21 22-23 24-25 26

North Coast Section Washington News Children Collide Scissor Sisters Gig guide

27 28 30 31 32

Fashion 34-35 Motoring 36 Akmal Saleh 36 Talking shop 38 Simply Red 38 Gaming 39 Live reviews 40 Reverb birthday party review 41 Film & DVD reviews 42 Socials 43-44

alberta cross

Publisher’s letter

Credits

Thanks to everyone who ventured out to the Cambridge for Reverb’s 4th birthday party. To Alberta Cross, they put on an amazing set, one that will go down as a memorable Cambridge gig. If you missed it, I am sure you have already been told “You should have been there”.

As we head into the second half of the year, the festivals are starting to raise their head.

We have already had the Fat As Butter, Global Carnival and Coaster announcements, with Festival of the Sun and Homebake not too far away. There is also a small festival that is worth checking out — the Wollombi Music Festival on September 11. It may not get the column inches that the others do, but with King Tide, Chase The Sun and Tijuana Cartel involved, it’ll be a great day in the country. Issue 49 done, the BIG 50 coming up. Much love, Kevin.

Editor

Senior Writers

Nick Milligan

Peter Douglas Hugh Milligan Mark Snelson

6 r e v e r b m a g a z i n e i s s u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u s t 2 0 1 0

Sub-Editor

Contacts

Amanda Bevan

Writers IT Manager Kieran Ferguson

Sales Stephen Bocking Kevin Bull Nick Milligan

Amy Barnwell Nick Bilbey Steve Bisset Kevin Bull Andrew Chesham Cameron Clarke Noah Cross Bianca Danti Sean Frazer Scott Gilbert Kirri Liepin Matthew O’Donnell

Scarlett O’Horror Matt Petherbridge Jessica Saxton Madeline Smith Cassandra Tobin Lee Tobin Kirsty Virman Kellie Wallace Mel Woodward

Photographers

Editorial

Tim Boehm Kevin Bull Celia Galpin Timmy Johnston Sean Roche Madeline Smith Linda Wales

nick@reverbstreetpress.com.au or 0421 255 566

Graphic Design

Gig guide

Kevin Bull

gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Cartoonist

Production

Dave Townley Jones

cam@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Sales Manager: Newcastle/Central Coast kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360

Sales Manager: North Coast stephen@reverbstreetpress.com or 0458 559 938

Postal address PO Box 843, Woy Woy NSW 2256

AUGUST SAT 7TH

KATO FROM SPLENDOUR] + TAP TAP,[FRESH A CATT, LOODS, MENNA, PARK OH SUN 8TH

YOUNG GUNS +MONSTERS N CLAWS FASHION SHOW ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS DJ'S FRI 13TH

FREAKY FRIDAY FT

ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS

NEW WEEKLY FRIDAY LAUNCH + NEOTERIC [DUBSIDED - CANADA], + KATO, ONE NIL, A CATT, CASSI SAT 14Th

BLAZE TRIPP [NO FRILLS / IDIOT HOUSE QLD] + DONNA BRASCO, MENNA, LOODS, JUN WAN, PARK OH FRI 20TH ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS

FREE ENTRY SAT 21ST

BENI [KITSUNE / MINISTRY OF SOUND] + LOODS, MENNA, A CATT, SO CAL, TAP TAP FRI 27TH ROCK N ROLL CIRCUS

+ Special Guest - The Vines DJ Set FREE ENTRY SAT 28TH

LIGHT YEAR [BANG GANG 12 INCHES] + LOODS, MENNA, A CATT, CASSI, JUN WAN

COMING SOON...

HOOPS, DOCTOR P [DUBSTEP], CASSIAN, JOHNNY LOVE [GUNS N BOMBS / DEATHFACE LA], TRASHBAGS, DAN DE CAIRES

CEEBEEDEE 4 7 1 H u n t e r s t N e w c a s t l e / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / c e e b e e d e e

news

Giveaways 3 double passes

3 x double passes to see Akmal Saleh.

Your choice of Newcastle, Central Coast or Hunter gigs

3 double passes 3 x double passes to Grinspoon.

Your choice of Newcastle, Central Coast or North Coast gig.

SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS LAST TOUR EVER

After eight years, Arizona’s blistering posthardcore sextet Scary Kids Scaring Kids have called it a day, but are going out on a high by mounting a Final Nightmare tour of the paths least travelled while still on top of their game.

The Scary Kids story is a familiar one most musicians can relate to. A bunch of high school friends form a band in 2002 and release a self financed EP, After Dark. It’s what happens next that sets them apart. After attracting the attention of Immortal Records (Korn, Incubus, Rage Against The Machine) they would spend the next three years touring their home-made sounds, culminating with a coveted spot on the Smartpunk stage for the 2005 Warped Tour. With a focus on small details that made a big difference, subsequent albums The City Sleeps in Flames (2005) and Scary Kids Scaring Kids (2007) were an obvious departure from the screamo path, showcasing the full scope of their seemingly disparate influences to catch even the most jaded cynic off guard.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids play the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, Thursday August 26, and the Coolangatta Hotel, Saturday August 28.

They are supported by Mission In Motion and We Are The Emergency.

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS ON TOUR

5 copies Triple J Live At The Wireless CD/DVD.

Just email editorial@ reverbstreetpress. com.au.

First come, first served.

Come to the Island!

Live Entertainment – August Sat 7th - Horizontalists Sat 14th - Angie Sat 21st - Driver 8 Sat 28th - Extreme Blues All from 8.30pm Coming in Sept – Bunch of Funkers

Every Week Monday Night NRL Footy - $3.50 Schooners while footy is on + FREE Pool TUES - $10 Jugs + Trivia Starts 7pm Win Cash + Other Round Prizes WED - Killer Pool Comp ($100 Prize Money) THURS - Lunchtime Raffle (6.30pm Schooner Draw FRI - Double Happy Hour 4-6pm $3.50 Schooners Afternoon Wind Down Raffle, Hot Bar Snacks - 7Seas6pack Challenge

Take aways are available till midnight 6 nights a week.

COWPER ST CARRINGTON 4961 2467 8

r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

Dead Letter Circus are unlike any rock band to emerge from Australia. In a whirlwind two years, the band have ascended to the forefront of alternative rock. Their much anticipated debut album This Is The Warning hit number two on the national ARIA charts and their national album launch tour sold out everywhere.

Catch them at the Great Northern, Byron Bay, Monday, August 16; and Thursday, September 2, at Newcastle Leagues Club.

broken compass tour

MONTPELIER AT PIPPI’S AT THE POINT

Montpelier will bring their Broken Compass Tour to a venue that doesn’t get enough live music — Pippi’s At The Point. On Friday, August 6, Montpelier will perform alongside Blame Ringo and Claire Whiting.

“Going on tour with your band is always exciting,” says Montpelier’s drummer John Pickering, “but the thought of visiting all these new places and sharing our music with a new audience is even more exciting! I think it’s going to be really worthwhile for bands and punters alike.”

On top of playing their full live shows in licensed venues, The Broken Compass Tour will be visiting schools and community centres along the way to run workshops and play all ages gigs.

“We are all really looking forward to getting involved with the community on this tour. The school visits will be fun and hopefully we can share with them a thing or two that we have learnt from our time in the music industry,” says Claire Whiting.

Montpelier, Blame Ringo and Claire Whiting play Pippi’s At The Point on Friday, August 6.

NEWCASTLE PANTHERS

August 20th - The Junkyard, Maitland August 26th - Gold Coast Arts Centre August 28th - The Lennox Hotel with Matty Barker

August 29th - The Rails, Byron Bay

news

It’s OUR FIRST

Dinner SHOW

WHITLEY to say HIS FINAL GOODBYE

@ LAURIETON HOTEL Bistro

THURSDAY 19th August

An intimate acoustic evening with ARIA Award Winning Entertainers

&

Diana Anaid Monique Brumby

BOOK NOW!

Show and 2 Course Meal in our Restaurant

Table Service and Great Entertainment!

PACKAGE $45 per person

Phone 6559 6181

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r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

Phone 6559 6181

urthboy

INDENT TEN YEAR TOUR

The Indent Ten Year Tour kicks off in Newcastle, before winding its way across NSW delivering the best in live music to Cessnock, Sydney, Tamworth, Byron Bay, Tuncurry, Bathurst, Wagga, Bega and Batesman Bay. Headlined by one of Australia’s finest hip-hop artists, Urthboy, with Jane and El Gusto, each event is supported by emerging local artists.

In each location, Indent is working with teams of young people (12-25 year olds) who manage the event completely — from programming, logistics and site management, to making sure the word gets out.

Tour headliner, Urthboy says, “Some people think the music industry is a great big mystery, especially when you’re not from the city. This tour will be great because during the day we help demystify aspects of the business and during the night we play some crazy all-ages shows. I’m really happy to have teamed up with Indent on this and I hope they pack the Berocca.”

The local dates for Indent Ten Year Tour are — Friday, September 24, Newcastle Panthers; Saturday, September 25, Cessnock High School; Wednesday, September 29, Byron Bay High School; Friday, October 1, Club Forster.

Melbourne songwriter Whitley is gearing up for what will be his final tour ever. In the five years since he came onto the scene he’s completed countless tours to fans all over the country and the world.

The young songwriter is setting sail for greener pastures and relocating to Europe where he plans to explore new kinds of music in a new environment.

“It’s been a great time playing all this music, but it’s time for me to pack it in here, there’s only so many times you can play around the same venues and expect to be stimulated and inspired,” says Whitley. “I mean, when you’re sitting in a band room and realise you’ve read and memorised 48 per cent of the toilet’s graffiti in every venue, you know it’s time to explore new horizons… I know there could be a whole new world of toilet graffiti out there, new penis drawings that I can’t even conceive of in my feeble mind right now, with swearing in a completely foreign language.”

The word from the Whitley camp is that there will be songs from both releases played in a huge double set. “The first half will be solo, quiet songs… then I’ll bring on the band for the finale. I’m actually really excited. I can’t say that I have felt like that in a while, but I’m sure that this will be something to remember for us and hopefully the punters as well,” says Whitley.

Whitley’s last tour will take him around Australia in August with Australia’s favourite shoegaze band, Seagull. Catch him at the Cambridge Hotel, Wednesday, August 11, and Lizotte’s, Kincumber, Thursday August 19.

news

ice cube

FAT AS BUTTER

Fat As Butter is back in 2010 with its biggest line-up yet. In its third year, it returns to Camp Shortland, Nobby’s Beach — back to where it all began. Taking place on Saturday, October 23, this year FAB will be headined by west coast rap legend Ice Cube. An icon of movies and music, Ice Cube gained worldwide acclaim as a member of NWA… As a screenwriter he penned the cult comedies Friday, Next Friday and Friday After Next. In September he releases his new studio record I Am The West and appears in the comedy Lottery Ticket.

Ice Cube is joined on the bill by Wolfmother, Grafton Primary, Sneaky Sound System, Bliss n Eso, Tame Impala, The Beautiful Girls, The Potbelleez, Muscles [Live], Children Collide, Ian Carey [USA], Yacht Club DJs, Vandalism, Kid Kenobi and MC Sureshock, Tim and Jean, The Jezabels, Horrorshow, Static Revenger featuring Luciana [USA], Metals, Cabins, and Tenzin.

Tickets are on sale now.

Fat As Butter is a 16+ event. For more info head to www.fatasbutter.com.au.

©matchless snapshots

PARTY WITH THE PINUP KITTENS

The Pinup Kittens may only be the new Kittens on the block, but are already being recognised as the best thing to hit the Australian pinup scene. The Kittens are currently planning their incredible launch event, The Pinup Party. The event they have up their sleeves has more eye candy and good old fashioned service, with a wink and a smile than you could poke a fairy-floss stick at.

Everything will be vintage, retro pinup and burlesque themed. There will be gorgeous roaming ticket girls, drinks waitresses donning corsets and stockings, glamorous vintage canapé waitresses, and cutesy 50s styled candy stripers serving mini cupcakes and sweet goodies. They also have the sauciest Kittens in the business from as far as Melbourne and Sydney, ready to hit the catwalk for a retro inspired fashion show for highly acclaimed retro designer, Miss Fancypants, and two other local corset designers. There will be the Burlesque bump ‘n grind starlets Ms Bluebell, Sapphire Blue, Amber Dextrous and Miss Lash L’Amour, along with local rockabilly legend, Pat Capocci and his band. As you can see, this is an event not to missed. The Pinup Party will be at the Cambridge Hotel, Saturday, August 21.

against me!

AGAINST ME! IN NEWCASTLE

For Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel, sometimes you have to get the hell out just to find your way back in. The past 12 years have seen Gabel rise from acoustic folk-punk gunslinger in the dives of Gainesville, Florida to releasing Against Me!’s four searing, blood-smeared slices of scrappy punk. The last of which, 2007’s New Wave, was the major label debut, one that Spin magazine anointed as their Album Of The Year. And while Gainesville was home, Gabel felt the walls closing in when touring for New Wave came to an end. So he split. With his wife, he left behind the “didja-hear-about-so-and-so” insular Gainesville world for the sleepy beach town of St. Augustine, wandering the streets and driving dusty back roads: searching, pining, hoping for inspiration.

Now he’s bringing Against Me! to Newcastle on October 10 at the Cambridge Hotel. Tickets on sale now through Moshtix.

sienna skies

SIENNA SKIES to play THE CAMBRIDGE hotel

Sienna Skies continue to have a massive year with their debut album — a best seller among MGM Distribution’s entire catalogue; signed an endorsement agreement with SJC Drums, Schecter Guitars and The Guitar Factory; and recently a support slot for Closure In Moscow on their Sydney dates. Their debut album, Truest Of Colours, was clearly what Australian hardcore fans had been waiting for if sales for the long player are any indication, having made MGM’s top sellers list, sitting alongside artists such as the John Butler Trio and The Waifs. Sienna Skies play the Cambridge Hotel, Sunday, August 15. r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

11

news

WOLLOMBI MUSIC FESTIVAL

GRINSPOON GO REGIONAL

AMITY AFFLICTION PULL ANCHOR

SAMSARA AND DROPSAW TOUR

Set within one of the most beautiful environments in the Hunter Valley, the Wollombi Music Festival will be a celebration of music, film, markets and art. Wollombi is renowned for its creative and diverse culture with a rich indigenous history. The festival is about reflecting all those things and wrapping them into one groovy night of festival fun.

The line-up will include Deep Street Soul, Tijuana Cartel, King Tide, The Rhythm Hunters, Street Warriors, A French Butler Called Smith, Chase The Sun, The Dennis Boys Band, Grandmaster Monk and Wollombi Radio.

The Wollombi Music Festival is located two minutes outside the beautiful village of Wollombi, in a field looking up into the mountains. Tickets are limited to 500, and the event occurs Saturday, September 11.

It’s been a busy, rewarding month for Brisbane hardcore kids The Amity Affliction. Their new album Youngbloods was released on June 18 and debuted at #6 on the ARIA charts, gatecrashing the mainstream and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Eminem, Jack Johnson and Justin BieberCurrently in the home stretch of a gruelling national tour launching Youngbloods at predominantly capital city venues across Australia, The Amity Affliction are looking to spread the pandemonium to regional fans hungry to see the Brisbane six piece, and are proud to announce The Anchors Tour. The Amity Affliction perform at the following venues Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong, Sunday, August 29; Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Tuesday, August 31; Byron Bay High School, Thursday, September 2.

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r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

Overwhelmed by demand to play shows in regional areas, Aussie rockers Grinspoon have decided to do what they do best and hit the road once again, this time taking in regional venues across New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. Grinspoon’s sixth studio album Six To Midnight has received a tremendous response so far, debuting at #4 in the ARIA charts and winning praise from fans and reviewers alike. The first two singles, ‘Comeback’ and ‘Summer’, have gained high rotation on most major TV and radio stations.

Grinspoon play: Sunday, August 15, Entrance Leagues Club; Wednesday, August 18, Newcastle Leagues Club; Thursday, August 19 at Port Macquarie Panthers; Sunday, August 22, Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay; Tuesday, August 24, Coolangatta Hotel.

Formed in 2005 by members of Within Blood, Shotpointblank and Mindsnare, Melbourne quintet Samsara wasted little time in proving themselves as one of the hardest hitting outfits in Australia’s thriving hardcore scene.

Recorded by Kurt Ballou at Melbourne’s Three Phase Studios, Samsara’s debut full-length, The Emptiness [Trial And Error, 2007] was a vicious slab of metallic hardcore.

After the loss of imposing front man Luke Bainbridge and drummer Tim Shearman in 2009, one could be forgiven for thinking that Samsara’s time in the spotlight was over, however the introduction of Face Eater’s Nick Vine [vocals] and Mat Woodhouse [drums] breathed new life into the group.

Samsara, supported by Dropsaw, perform at the YAC, Byron Bay on Sunday, August 1, and the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday, August 6.

seabellies

leaving limbo

Years of touring and writing have finally paid off for Newcastle’s Seabellies. Their luscious pop sound has evolved into a vast and diverse record called By Limbo Lake. Nick Milligan sat down with singer Trent Grenell and the lady of the group, Steph Setz.

Did you see your debut album as an opportunity to change people’s perception of you?

Trent Grenell Yeah, definitely. We had the singles idea a couple of years ago to get on the radio and we wrote with the radio in mind. We weren’t as free as you can be on an album. With this album we wanted to still show our pop sound, but have half of the album as that playful, experimental stuff.

Will the record surprise people?

TG I think the record will. There’s still all the singles on there which have come out, which have pop leanings. But there are a few darker elements on the album, different rhythms and instruments — definitely not radio-friendly stuff.

We’re a two-sided coin.

Did the fact that Triple J were already supporting you guys help the decision to focus on releasing singles?

Steph Setz I guess we made that decision beforehand. We hadn’t really had any radio play — a few sporadic plays of ‘Drain The Lake’.

I suppose we wanted to get to that next level.

Instead of jumping in and doing an album — because we had enough songs, we could have made an album at the start of 2008 when we were doing the singles — but we were practising the recording experience. It was a surprise that ‘Heart Out’ got smashed by Triple J for a while. That felt good — getting on the right track.

Finally, we got to actually record an album a year later. Then a year later we’ll get to release it.

TG It’s been a long, long journey for us. But now we’re at a good stage because we’ve just got so much back-catalogue. It took so long to build to this album, we’re kind of ready to do the next one. The next couple of years, I think we’ll be doing a lot of releases.

SS We’re so proud and happy of what we’ve come out with this album. I feel like we’ve done it right. Of course, we’re looking forward to what we’re going to do with the next one. Who knows what would have happened if we had done [an album] really quickly before the singles?

Did you re-record your singles for the album?

TG The only one we re-recorded was ‘Feel It Leave’. We recorded half of it and kept some elements that we just couldn’t part with.

SS That was released as a single in that year when we did a few singles, then we changed it for the album.

TG The rest of [the record] was all new sessions.

We were only planning to be in the studio for a month and we were in there for about seven weeks. Part of that was fun — it was just experimenting. We got carried away with new

“ For us this album is a snapshot of the last three or four years and saying goodbye to it.”

14

r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

LIVE MUSIC

“ …we’re a naturally melodic band structures and instruments — just having the freedom to muck around with Wayne Connolly in the studio, that was something really new to us.

SS It’s always so different once you get in there and start laying things down. Just hearing it differently, coming from the live focus. That’s the main way you’re exploring songs — playing them together and playing them live. Things were adapted to suit being recorded and the concept we had for the song. Now we’re going the other way — in preparing for touring we’re varying songs to make them better live. You can’t just do it exactly like on the recording — it’s just getting that balance and what’s best for the song in a different context.

How long ago was the album recorded?

TG We started pre-production in May [2009] and didn’t emerge from the studio until the end of July.

Did you have a very clear idea about how you wanted the album to sound?

TG We had a very clear idea.

SS We had long enough to think about it.

TG We definitely knew everything — down to the artwork. It’s called By Limbo Lake because it’s about us waiting for so long. For us this album is a snapshot of the last three or four years and saying goodbye to it. Even the cover represents that.

Have you been able to write new material during the process of releasing By Limbo Lake?

TG Yeah, we’ve all been working on heaps of stuff — the next [record’s] going to be quite different.

SS I think we’ll have a lot more material to work with and choose from. For this album we were planning on having extra songs so that we could cull some, but in the end we knew which songs would be on there.

TG The main issue is how many voices you hear when making an album. Obviously for the last few years we’ve been trying to get labels and people involved and every person you speak to has a different idea on what your sound should be. That process slowed our songwriting down for a year or two, because you keep rethinking the songs you’ve got. Now that we’re quite settled we know what we are and we’re comfortable in what we are.

The layering of your arrangements and production is quite elaborate at times, but do most of Seabellies’ songs start on guitar?

TG Essentially, yes. Being a guitar-orientated band, most of the songs start on guitar. But the opening track is this big soaring orchestral and guitar explosion, but it was a low-fi, minimalist electronic song.

SS That was the point of that song — no guitar, no bass. Just electro and drums.

TG But after six months we felt we were missing something.

When you’re in the studio is it ever hard to know when a song is complete?

TG Fuck yes. Absolutely. Especially that (opening) song, ‘Ices’ — we could have layered that for

L I V E S P O R T, G R E AT F O O D

and it’s not something we should suppress.”

AUG 4

WED

STRiKeN

Isle Of Ruin

AUG 6

another week.

SS It’s so easy to go overboard on things, especially with overdubs. That’s what we did with the EP — we were just so excited to be recording.

TG We learned that mistake early. There was a point in mixing our first EP where the producer turned around and said, ‘Trent, I literally can’t mix this song. There’s 130 tracks. I don’t know where to put anything.’

SS And that was without vocals!

Lyrically, do you see recurring themes on By Limbo Lake?

TG Definitely, lyrically with this album. It’s about waiting — the songs were written in this period of waiting. There’s a lot of yearning and striving in the lyrics. I think that’s why I wanted to call the album By Limbo Lake, because that’s what it’s about. Struggle and hope. It’s definitely a theme — it’s not a concept album.

There seems to be a sense of nature in your lyrics too?

TG Yeah, I’ve always had earthy imagery.

It’s something kind of natural to me, I guess.

I never quite notice it when I’m doing it, but when I’m actually typing up lyrics for lyric books and stuff, I go, ‘Oh, shit... there’s lots of earthy themes...” It’s not an environmental slant, that’s for sure. It’s just my style, I guess.

What would you guys have thought of By Limbo Lake if you heard it when Seabellies were first forming?

TG If you’d shown us this album a few years ago I probably would have been surprised. I guess that’s a product of being steered in so many directions. I think it’s a little more ‘up’ than a record we would have made a few years ago.

That’s a good thing for us — we’re a naturally melodic band and it’s not something we should suppress.

SS Thinking back to the days when I was a spectator, watching [Seabellies] when I wasn’t in the band, I’d be really surprised at how far we’ve come. There’s growth there. In the early days it was more sprawling.

So you have more focus in your music now?

TG Definitely. I think ‘focus’ is the perfect word for it. I guess when we started to play bigger shows and stuff, we couldn’t pull off those really sprawling sets anymore. You need to connect with a song on some level— [our music] is more direct now.

By Limbo Lake is on sale August 20. The Seabellies play at Queen’s Wharf Brewery, Newcastle, on August 6.

FRI

ANIMAL SHAPES

LIKE ALASKA BAYONETS FOR LEGS

AUG 7

SAT

THE BOO HOOS THE RAVENOUS

AUG 8

SUN RUN SQUIRREL ELISA KATE BARKER Rein Room AUG 11

WED AUG 13

FRI

PANIC RESEARCH Mo Trowell And The Delivery THE DENNIS BOYS

AUG 14

SAT

THE HARD ONS SLOGAN FREE YOUTH

F a n g s o f a TV E v a n g e l i s t

SPEW YA GUTS

AUG 15

SUN

JESS L AMBIE

The Havelocks

AUG 16

MON

H O R AC E P I N K E R

NOT OK E X C IT E B I K E

AUG 20

FRI

BREAKING ORBIT

Memorial Drive

AUG 21

DAEMON FOETAL HARVEST SAT DYSCORD THE SEER OVERTHROWN AUG 22

SUN

BRAD VINCENT

Jen Buxton

AUG 25

WED Safe Hands MARATHON

LOST CROUTONS

AUG 27

FRI FUCK-U-SAURUS EP LAUNCH

Live It Up Karaoke

GRANNYFIST Bad Taste

FRI SAT 9.30PM–2.30AM FRONT BAR

Monday Night Poker Tuesdays

$20 BUY IN CASH PRIZES

7.30PM BEAUMONT STREET’S ONLY POOL COMPETITION

Happy Hour

THURS SUN 4-6PM $3.50 SCHOONERS

2-6 BEAUMONT ST OPEN 9.30AM-3AM DAILY

02 4961 3852

EXCEPT SUN 10AM-MIDNIGH

tay lo r h aw k i n s

While most people know Taylor Hawkins as the grinning whirlwind that pounds the drum kit for American rock band Foo Fighters, the blonde-haired musician is about to step out from singer Dave Grohl’s shadow. Hawkins spoke with Nick Milligan about his new Coattail Riders record, Red Light Fever.

If you’re a drummer, then it’s likely that Taylor Hawkins is perched on your hero mantel. His furious rhythmic ability is awe-inspiring — it’s a large part of the Foo Fighters’ rock juggernaut. But while the world knows Hawkins as just an incredible skinsman, our perception of him will change with the release of his second album with side project, The Coattail Riders.

While his self-titled debut with the threepiece received a very limited international release, the brand new follow-up, Red Light Fever, is guaranteed to reach far more listeners. The first thing that strikes you about Taylor Hawkins in this project is how impressive his singing voice is. There’s a raw power in his vocals that echoes of the masters, like Freddie Mercury, Phil Lynott and Bruce Springsteen — and it’s every bit as effective as band mate Grohl’s.

Foo Fighters fans were allowed a small insight into his ability when he sang the song ‘Cold Day in The Sun’, on their 2005 double album, In Your Honour. On Red Light Fever, Hawkins is the music’s centre piece and it’s a grandiose and ambitious production.

“I knew one thing I wanted to do was to make sure I upped the production,” explains Hawkins, from his home in California. “The production on

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the first Coattail Riders record was done in a living room on an abysmal amount of gear — it was very low-fi. On the new record I wanted to have it be a bigger sounding thing — I wanted the songs to be better and a little more thought out.”

The first Coattail Riders record was written in an earnest fashion. “I did the first one on the fly — a song a day,” Hawkins says. “Write the song in the morning, show up at the studio, record it, then keep going. The stuff turned out to have a vibe to it.”

Red Light Fever is more polished and shiny than its predecessor. With a little help from Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, and The Cars’ Elliot Easton, Hawkins has created a second album that pays homage to his favourite British bands of the 70s, like Queen and T-Rex. “Sweet, Queen, The Move...even 10cc — it’s all in there,” Hawkins admits. “We just went for what felt natural without worrying. People forget that sometimes the reason you do this in the first place is that it’s supposed to be fun.”

While his list of influences might suggest that Red Light Fever is tongue-in-cheek, this is far from the truth. Hawkins has penned a very strong, varied and cleverly crafted set of rock

“ My role in the Foo Fighters is supportive and that comes with a whole other set of pressures. With the Coattail Riders, I’m setting the pace…”

songs. But he did have a very small amount of help from his famous best friend.

“Dave [Grohl] came in and helped me arrange the songs and get things squared away,” says Hawkins. “Then I could go nuts — I had a full size recording studio to mess around in, and that lent itself to a big, wide-open sounding record.

About halfway through, I thought fuck it, I don’t care if the record ends up sounding like me having sex with my record collection.”

Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders have already lined up tours through Europe. But how does this massive, studio sounding record translate to the live arena? Hawkins may have had to marginally strip back the songs on stage, but he’s finding that he much prefers these more direct arrangements. “If I was recording the record right now it might be different. It might not have all the harmonies, it might be something else. It might be sparse. It just

happened to be the headspace I was in at the time. I was just really getting into layering harmonies. But now, the way we play them live, in a way I wish the album was more like that, to be honest. There’s a certain something that’s happening to these songs live.”

On stage, Hawkins is in charge of vocals as well as the drum kit. Does this add more pressure than what he’s used to in Foo Fighters? “It is a bigger challenge, but it’s just such a different headspace. When I’m the drummer in the Foo Fighers, I feel like have to make sure that that dude up front is happy and feels good and feels like he has the support he needs back there. My role in the Foo Fighters is supportive and that comes with a whole other set of pressures. With the Coattail Riders, I’m setting the pace so I’m not really too worried about how Gannin [Arnold, guitarist] feels about how I’m doing.

They’re such good musicians, they can lock with where ever I’m going. If I’m playing a little faster, they say, ‘Shit man, you played everything pretty fast tonight,’ and I’ll say, ‘Yeah, well then, just pay attention.’ I’ll do it in the Foo Fighters and Dave will turn around and say, ‘C’mon dude, you’re killing me. I’ve got to sing this!’”

Red Light Fever is out now through Sony Music.

the hard ons - dead letter circus

Still Erect

The Hard-Ons are one of only a few remaining punk bands still in battle since the genre hit its boom in the early eighties. 30 years later, the boys from Punchbowl are back with the release of their fifteenth studio album, Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform Or Die. Sean Frazer chats to bassist Ray Ahn. Having been around for close to 30 years, and apart from the fans, what keeps you guys writing music together?

We started off as a high school band when we were all just fourteen. We only made a band to have a bit of fun, we never took the music industry seriously, we just had a high level of musical ambition. We hit a bit of luck back in the eighties and managed to sell a lot of records and tour to some unbelievable places — this was all just luck. Back in the day we were never into photo shoots or writing meaningful lyrics, all we wanted to do was create noise and that is what we intend to do for years to come!

How do you feel you guys have changed musically since your start in the eighties?

Our music has always been all over the place, with a bit of pop and metal mixed together with some punk, too. Technically we’ve gotten better and nowadays we think about what we are playing rather than just knocking up a whole heap of songs that may sound the same. For the latest record we mixed around with the guitar and bass sounds to suit the songs we had written. If the song was heavy we would make it even heavier with the distortion. If the song was mellow we would make the guitars light to fit each track.

When it comes to the writing process, do you guys all contribute to the lyrical side of things?

Our lead guitarist has always been the chief contributor to our lyrics. When we were just in high school we would all contribute to the lyrics.

Nowadays we’ve all got full-time jobs so we leave it to Blacky [Peter Black, guitarist] to do, which is great because he’s actually really good at it.

You guys have been on the punk scene since the early eighties — how do you feel punk music has changed from the time you guys started?

When we first started we caught the tale end of the original “punk explosion” from 1977. I remember seeing bands like The Sex Pistols on the television and we were all just little kids.

In 1980 we started the band and at that time punk had seemed to slightly trail off the scene.

We found ourselves in the second explosion of punk music and people started to get back into punk bands again. I think nowadays there is so many ways to be a punk. I think a lot of bands that are starting out now struggle to find there own formula, as all the blue prints have been in place since the late seventies and early eighties — sometimes it feels like you’ve heard it all before. Back in the day, real punk rock was all about offending people and pissing people off. When The Hard-Ons began, we were banned from tonnes of places because of our name.

On our first couple of tours through the US, we weren’t even allowed to advertise our name because it wasn’t “socially acceptable”.

Tell me about your friendship with Dave Grohl?

We’ve known Dave Grohl for years now. We knew Dave before he was in Nirvana. In 2003, when The Foo Fighters came back out, we were struggling to get shows because we were no longer the flavour of the month. We caught back up with Dave and started chatting again.

Lo and behold he asked us if we would like to jump on the Big Day Out tour with them. I asked him, “Can you really do that for us?” He replied, “Yeah man, of course I can… I’m Dave Grohl!” [laughs]. We went on the tour with the guys [Foo Fighters] and The Hard-Ons got booed off stage every single night, but we didn’t have a care in the world.

What’s been the highlight for you playing in The Hard-Ons? Well, we’ve toured Europe fourteen times, toured the United States four times and toured Japan twice. We’ve been grateful to see

Delivering the Warning

I noticed a couple of the songs on the album

The Hard-Ons play the Hamilton Station Hotel, Saturday August 14.

to finish off the album, we decided to do it in Forrester’s hometown studio in Melbourne where he works at Sing Sing. It’s one of the best studios in Australia and it just has a great vibe. It was really good for our creativity to switch environments.

How have the punters been reacting to the new songs?

We’d been playing the EP songs for a long time so we were aching to do a longer set. We did a little tour when the album was first launched and that was almost entirely a new set. We played every song off the album minus one song I think, but we always chuck in some old stuff. We haven’t gotten tired of our EP songs and we’re still really proud of them. People seem to like them so they are always going to be there, we just might mix it up a bit.

Five years after forming, Brissie boys Dead Letter Circus have let their first long player out of the box.

Guitar-man Rob Maric caught up with Nick Bielby to talk about doing things from the ground up.

Since forming in 2005, Dead Letter Circus have released two EPs but it has taken five years for a full-length album to appear. Is this a reflection of how busy you guys have been touring and building a following or more so an effort to really get things right?

It was a combination of both actually. With the EP we had a long time, as the saying goes, “You have your whole life to write your first album,” or in our case our first EP. Triple J jumped on board and we found ourselves touring like a professional band. We weren’t making much cash from it, it’s pretty tough in Australia, but it was taking up a lot of our time just touring and getting out there. In hindsight it worked really well at the price of being a little bit delayed with the album.

and do so many things with this band. The highlight for me has definitely been travelling.

At our peak we were playing to a thousand people in the UK and and 800 people in Spain.

We were playing to three or four hundred people here in Australia, but that would triple when we would head overseas because the populations are a lot larger. One of my friends from Blacktown went travelling overseas in 1989 and was in the queue of about one and a half thousand people to see us play in England. I walked up to him to see what he was doing, and he said, “Mate, I saw you guys playing at the Seven Hills Inn about two years ago... What the fuck - how did this happen!?”.

It was one of the most surreal moments of my life. All those people were there to see a three-piece punk band from Punchbowl.

have been released quite a while before the album came out. What was the idea behind this?

We thought the album was so far off, so we thought we could keep the momentum rolling by dropping a single or two along the way. The songs were always meant for the album, we just happened to release them along the way. It was our way of not feeling like we were ripping people off. But songs like ‘Next In Line’, we still feel like they’re our current kind of style. We knew we were releasing an album to people who already knew us and as long as we had an album’s worth of material on top of that it’d be okay.

You guys did a lot of promotion for This Is The Warning before its release through Project Dead Letter. Where did this idea come from?

It’s not entirely a new concept. We thought,

“What can we do to make this more than suddenly having the album come out.” We thought that we could give people a look at what goes on behind the recording, and at the same time get people really pumped about it.

The idea was that if you pre-ordered the album, we allowed you into Project Dead Letter as our way of saying thank you.

This Is The Warning was recorded with Forrester Saville who you’ve worked with before on the band’s first release. What was it like stepping back into the studio with him again?

Because it was so spaced out we started off recording on the Gold Coast. There was a real fun vibe there, there was accommodation upstairs and ping-pong tables and Xboxes and everything. Later in the year when we decided

Any plans to head overseas?

It looks very likely that we are going to spend about three weeks in the UK, possibly supporting a band called Oceansize who are one of our favourite bands, so that’s pretty fortunate. From there we have to go back and do our own shows and just start building it from nothing over there. We’re in a position now where we can take the cash from touring here and put it into that. It’s pretty good because Karnivool have gone and paved the way over there. They’ve done the hard work.

Dead Letter Circus play Hotel Great Northern, Byron Bay on Monday, August 16, and Level One, Newcastle Leagues Club, on Thursday, September 2.

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m-phazes — scary kids scaring kids

Good Graces M-Phazes is a local producer making big impressions abroad, particularly in the United States. He released his debut album Good Gracious earlier this year to critical acclaim. Cameron Clark caught up with M-Phazes as he prepares for the album’s national tour.

M-Phazes’ ambition is evidently limitless. For quite some time now he has harboured plans to relocate to the United States to further pursue a career in production. He explains the progress of the idea. “I’ve just been speaking to an immigration lawyer and getting an idea of what I need to do so when I get some spare time, I can jump straight into it. Right now I’m just in the process of getting my application letter sorted. Nothing has really moved forward in terms of getting approved. I’ve just been finding out what I need to do to make it a smooth process. I’ll be concentrating on it more once the tour has finished. I’ll definitely be over there at some point.”

Collaborations with esteemed US artists are yet to dwindle for M-Phazes. Perhaps this was given an immeasurable boost recently when DJ Premier named the local lad as one of the prime emerging producers worldwide. Phazes explains what projects have been on his plate in recent times. “Pharoahe Monch is one of the major ones I’ve been working with. Also, I’ve just started talking to a guy called David Banner who is quite a big artist. He’s known for being mainstream but has just started making ‘underground’ tracks,

so many different artists did my head in.

Although I’m in talks with a label in Prague about doing some work for them over there, so hopefully that happens. But I haven’t been working on anything to pin me down because I feel that’s the one thing I don’t want to do.”

M-Phazes has also put a great deal of preparation into the nationwide tour for Good Gracious which, at various points, features many of those who contributed to the album, including Solo, Illy, Nine High, Mantra and Drapht. He details what will be transpiring in venues this August. “Basically, half the set will be me playing stuff, previous work and some exclusive remixes as well as some other little surprises. The other half will be performances.

Everything played during my set will be produced by me. I won’t be DJing per se as far as playing other people’s tracks. Everything will be me — it will almost be like a showcase I guess, hopefully I can get the crowd involved and do something special.

for lack of a better word. I’ve just started speaking with him and it looks like we’re going to do some work together. I think it’s a good time for me to get over there and keep the ball rolling.”

The principle at work in M-Phazes’ success is a very worthy lesson for any Australian artist looking to emulate his feats. Persistence and keeping in mind that one collaboration will inevitably lead to a larger mark, are obviously some of the primary reasons why M-Phazes is situated in such an advantageous position. He describes the nature of his path thus far. “The people I’m working with now all stems from the people I was working with years ago — word of mouth really helps that. It’s all stepping stones and persistence. Years ago I might have been working with someone you wouldn’t have heard of but through that, somebody bigger heard about me and so on and so forth.”

In terms of the music, M-Phazes explains precisely what he has been working on lately.

“I’ve just been making beats — not for anything in particular, just to have in the catalogue so when I go on tour or I’m not making as much music, I’ve got a bunch of stuff available. I think Good Gracious put me off projects for a while,

M-Phazes performs at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle, Saturday, August 28, and the Coolangatta Hotel, Friday September 17.

The Final Scare With Arizona’s Scary Kids Scaring Kids about to call it a day, the band is heading to Australia for one last assault. Bassist DJ Wilson chats with Sean Frazer about spending the band’s final moments with us Aussies, and becoming Idaho’s Potato Czar.

It has been blogged that you boys wanted to have an Australian farewell tour because you felt that Scary Kids Scaring Kids [SKSK] had a strong bond with the Australian crowd. What do you fellas enjoy so much about us Aussies?

The energy at the shows we’ve been able to play in Australia has always been really intense. It seems as though you Aussie’s really appreciate live music more. Not that other places don’t, but it’s always fun playing for people who like to show you how excited they are.

SKSK were in the process of recording a new record when the news hit that you would no longer be together. Will any of these unreleased tracks be played on the Australian tour?

No. We’re going to play as many old songs as possible. We’ve got a lot to cram into our set.

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Will any of the songs that were going to be on the latest album ever be released?

Nope. We never actually recorded the album.

In the end, what was the sole reason that you guys decided to split?

I don’t think you arrive at a decision to end things because of one sole reason. I’d guess that each of us have our own reasons.

During the Warped tour, Tyson was unavailable for a few shows, so Craig Mabbitt, Cove Reber and Brandon Bolmer helped out with vocal duties. How was it playing alongside those guys?

It was a really fun way to end the Warped tour.

We’ve toured with those guys at different times and in different places around the world for a few years now, so it was a cool experience all around.

When the band began in 2002, did you boys have goals that you set out to accomplish?

Our main goal in the beginning was just to party and have fun. The more we took it seriously, the more we wanted to accomplish.

Do you feel SKSK achieved all that you had set out to do?

I think we accomplished more than we set out to, so I’d like to think we achieved everything that Scary Kids was supposed to.

Having been together for eight years, what do you think you will miss most when SKSK are no longer together?

Eight years is a long time. I’m sure there’s a lot we’ll miss about the band and a lot of things that won’t be missed at all. I think you’ll have to ask us that after we’ve had a little more time apart.

What’s on the horizon for you guys [individually] when this tour is done. Any exciting projects to look out for?

I’m enjoying regular life again. I was raised as a potato farmer in Idaho and I’ve been trying to bring the potato game to Arizona for the last few months. I’d like to be known as the Potato Czar one day and hope to bring the world the greatest golden fries — chips, for you Aussies — known to man. A few of the other guys are doing various projects both in and out of music as well and I’m sure they’ll be announcing more info on that in the coming months.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids perform at the Cambridge Hotel, Thursday, August 26, and Coolangatta Hotel, Saturday August 28.

Supports are Mission In Motion and We Are The Emergency.

h ot h ot h e at

Futuristic Vision Canadian electro-punk popsters Hot Hot Heat have locked themselves away in a studio and gazed into the future. Nick Milligan discusses their new record, Future Breeds, with the band’s two songwriters, singer Steve Bays and drummer Paul Hawley.

Where are you performing your new songs next?

Paul We’re doing a residency in New York City.

We’re doing four shows in Brooklyn over the course of a month. Then we have some time off.

Is there a real pocket of fans in that area?

Paul Yeah, New York has always been great to us. I’m feeling the love.

I know you guys really experimented in the studio for Future Breeds, freeing yourself of any preconceived ideas of what Hot Hot Heat’s sound should be. Was this a reaction to the sound of your previous record, Happiness Ltd? Paul Yes… well, specifically no, but maybe generally. On [Happiness Ltd] we tried to write perfectly written pop songs and some of them are a little bit bigger than the others in terms of our ambition. But that being said, on this one we wanted to be more of the band that we knew we were. We didn’t want to fake it. We were a bunch of weirdos with keyboards and crazy late-night ideas. I’m just really proud of this one, because it’s total expression. It’s us producing, us writing — there was no outside involvement or polluting of ideas. It’s just 100 per cent, punch-in-the-face Hot Hot Heat.

You weren’t afraid to let some flaws into the finished recordings. Have you guys been guilty in the past of searching for too much perfection?

Paul We work really hard, it’s hard to say we work too hard, we really do torture ourselves to make it something we all think it needs to be.

This album took a year-and-a-half to record and then six months to mix. We needed to do it that way, whether or not it’s right or wrong, or healthy. Every single recording is a different project by a slightly different group of people, in a whole new surrounding. It’s a new ball game, every time.

There’s a futuristic sound on the record, due to some electronic nuances — what was the biggest influence on that sound?

Paul We were sick of harkening back to the past. Any time we were working on the record and we had any question or doubt — we’d look at each other and ask, ‘Does it sound like it’s from the future?’ If it didn’t, we would work harder.

Steve The goal was to make music with a ton of new ideas that sounded like it was from the future and unhindered by outside opinions.

Basically, if it sounded like something we’d done before, then it was like we were cheating. So much of what makes a band cool are the flaws — the things that accidentally fall into place.

Paul The ‘future breeds’ thing came later.

We had a title of a demo, but one day near the end it clicked in [as the album title]. It’s a bit audacious to declare yourself futuristic, as it’s obviously fraught with potential complications, as if you’re up your own arses.

But we needed that to make it interesting for

ourselves and I justify it on those grounds. You use whatever you have to to get it done and keep it going.

You recently joined Canadian indie label Dine Alone Records, sharing a roster with Alexisonfire. What was behind that decision?

Steve Just like our US label, Dine Alone got our vibe right away. Because of the kind of record we were making, we realised early on that we needed to finish the entire record before looking for a home for it, if they ‘got it,’ then we could talk. Also, they’re just really cool people and that’s huge to us because, at the end of the day, they are essentially inviting us to join their family. We are pretty thrilled.

Tell us about the uber-catchy track, ‘Goddess On The Prairie’.

Steve It’s the first positive love song I’ve ever written. The last album was super bitter, and this one comes from being in a good head space, and surrounding myself only with fun, creative people who get me. A lot of my lyrics are just stolen snapshots from life, yanked out of context, and spun with a few words that fit the rhythm and flow of the vibe I’m going for that day.

And what about the single, ‘21@12’?

Steve We were stranded in a small US town, mid-winter, and we were travelling with our friend who was literally three hours away from his 21st birthday. Not a single person would let him in anywhere and he refused to be stuck

freezing in the van, so I yanked the chorus lyric idea from a photo I took of him screaming ‘Look, I turn 21 at midnight!’ and pointing at the clock and his ID, but then expanded it to be more about the cocky, false sense of confidence we experience in our early twenties when we have all the benefits of youth and none of the restrictions of socially-conscious adulthood.

Paul, though you’re the drummer, you’re also involved in all aspects of the songwriting. What was your specific involvement on Future Breeds?

Paul I did all the drumming, but I also did a lot of bass playing, a lot of guitar playing and also singing. I was involved in the writing. [Steve’s] the singer, but we write together. This time around, it was whoever had the best idea. I did guitar solos that Luke [Paquin, guitarist] probably could have done. It was more of an avenue for me to diversify as a musician. It was fun, I liked it.

You’ve had a successful collaboration together for over ten years. Why has it worked for this long?

Paul I think it’s just mutual musical respect.

We just see eye-to-eye on music. We listen to music a lot. He knows where I come from and I know where he comes from. It really makes it easy. We’re just really close.

Future Breeds is out now through Shock/Dine Alone.

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s i lv e r s u n p i c k u p s

After releasing the Swoon, one of ing sh ni most asto , 09 20 of s album s up ck Pi n su er Silv are finally returning to Australian soil.

Nick Milligan nger spoke to the si of er rit w and song es el ng A s the Lo , nd ba ck ro d se ba .

Brian Aubert

r o F y d a e R

e g e i S The You’re returning to Australia!

I know, I can’t believe it’s happening. We’re so excited.

What are your strongest memories of your previous tour here supporting Snow Patrol?

Oh, man. The logistics of touring in Australia means you have to fly a lot — the cities are so far away from each other. That gave us opportunities to have days off. When we went to Australia, we actually got to hang out in Australia — hold koalas and all the tourist-y shit, but it was still fun. I remember with our Snow Patrol shows, we were friends with them from a previous tour and it was a very family experience. But there was a time when we broke away and did three of our own shows, in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and I just remember them being completely mad. Absolutely insane.

Brisbane was interesting because it was a sort of outdoor, Chinatown night time thing.

When we arrived there it looked kind of mellow and we thought, “Oh well, we’ll play these songs then go and look around.” But then when we got on [stage] it was just chaos. There were people hanging from the roofs.

The heat in the Ding Dong [Melbourne] and the Annandale [Sydney] was insane — my guitars were detuning because of the insanity that was going on.

The scope of your second record, Swoon, is quite massive. Was it always a goal to make it a bigger sounding record than your debut Carnavas?

Yeah, absolutely. When people say they want something bigger, they really mean harder or something like that. Our idea was to be more

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grand. Carnavas was designed a certain way to bounce off an EP we had called Pikul, which was sizzly and futuristic. There was all of these organic sounds that for Carnavas we wanted to strip away. With Swoon we wanted to put all that back in — we knew Swoon was going to be a more emotional record and more filmic. We also wanted it to be almost like the mids were cut out of it and you have a lot of highs and lows — not necessarily one song doing that, but the album doing that. So if you have one song that’s very schizophrenic and crazy, that will allow us to have a song that’s just really delicate and creepy. We used the songs to colour the record. We wrote more than we needed of course — if it just didn’t play well in the record, we got rid of it.

What have been the biggest challenges in translating Swoon to the stage?

The first challenge really was rehearsing. We didn’t have much time, because when Swoon went to radio here in Los Angeles, it started up really fast. It was kind of alarming. I think people forgot that we needed to rehearse! For us, when you play live and then you start recording, it’s hard to get your head into the recording space.

Because it’s a different animal, completely.

What you do live sounds kind of goofy on the record. When you record it you’ve almost got to find a different way to put that same feeling in it. Our biggest challenge was when we first started rehearsing for Swoon we were all depressed. It was sounding fine — it sounded like the record. It just didn’t feel like the record.

It’s just because our live hats weren’t on. It took us so much time to play live again that our muscle memory wasn’t there. We didn’t

remember how to be live and translate live.

Once we were working through it and not necessarily paying attention to the little details of the album, and making the songs flesh out live, they felt like the record. I know it sounds weird.

Lyrically, do you see any recurring themes on the album?

Yeah, Swoon is a definite cathartic experience for me personally. When you say, ‘We’re a little moodier at the moment. We’re a little emotional,’ you set yourself up to make a record like that.

I don’t know why. Life gets involved. It’s like you’ve doomed yourself a little bit — you’re definitely going to make that record, you know?

At the end of the day, it’s a time capsule of who you are at the time. I remember telling Nikki, our bass player, that I felt like it was so embarrassing. There’s so much introspective writing. It’s almost like shining a mirror on yourself and you’re looking through things that you’d sometimes rather not. It felt so naked that I was nervous. I gave Nikki my lyrics first and she said, ‘Oh don’t worry, no one’s going to know who you’re talking about.’ [laughs] Has anyone figured out that you’re talking about them?

Maybe one or two… but not really. You’re really not even talking about a person. A person can make you react a certain way, but you’re almost talking about that reaction. You’re using these little details of your life to paint a more broad, general picture of what everyone goes through.

Hopefully. That’s what makes it surreal and a little esoteric, which is something I really like.

It’s nice when people have their own connection to a song and they put their own details into

“ … I felt like it was so embarrassing.

There’s so much introspective writing.” it. It’s a little hard to tell them what the song is exactly about, because I think it’s wrong of me to do so. If you have a collection of words and it means something to someone else, then that’s correct. But the one thing that’s amazing is that everyone gets the mood right. No one has a 180-degree flip on the song — “Oh, I love that song, it’s so nice!” [laughs] There’s a sense of urgency and danger in many of the songs on Swoon — is that something you’ve noticed?

I see that, too. Near the ending of the writing process, I got a weird nervous breakdown feeling from it. From playing all those songs and seeing the scope of where the album was actually going. Like a ticking down to something.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on exactly why that was. That caused me to write the song ‘Panic Switch’. I thought, ‘If I’m really feeling this from the raw materials of this album now, then there should be something on the album that hits that in the most fundamental way.’

Silversun Pickups play Coaster festival, Gosford on Saturday, September 25. They also support Birds Of Tokyo at the Hordern Pavilion on Thursday, September 30, 2010. Swoon is out now through Warner.

basement birds

In The Basement, Baby Basement Birds are the indie-folk super group made up of some of Australia’s leading singer/ songwriters — Kevin Mitchell (Bob Evans/Jebediah), Josh Pyke, Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe) and Steve Parkin. Speaking to Mitchell, Cassandra Tobin finds out what they set out to achieve.

You’re all celebrated artists in your own right, how did it go working together? Did any egos get in the way?

(Laughs) To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t think any of us have the kind of egos people must suspect — certainly not the kind that would get in the way of working together on a project like this. We’re all lead singers in our own ventures, so I guess you have to have a certain amount of ego to be able to do that, but you know what, it was really easy.

Everyone went into it with the right attitude right from the beginning.

Did everyone end up putting in equally?

Yeah I think everybody did. For a song like ‘Hardest Part’, it was pretty much a finished song, but we’d sort of mess around with the structure — decide what voices were going to sing, work out the harmonies. With every song we’d try and make sure one guy wasn’t singing lead all the time. If there was a bridge, someone else could take over. A lot of the time people would just come in and say, “This is an idea I’ve got.” It might just be a verse and then we all

work on it from there. Everybody’s invested a little bit of their self into every little song.

Was the process any different from your individual careers?

You go through the same process, but when you’re on your own all you’ve got is your own inspiration. There was only one song on the album that was plucked from thin air, ‘Bus Stop’.

All the rest were songs that somebody in the band had been working on themselves and had brought in to show everybody.

Julia Stone does guest vocals on that one, too?

Yeah she does, that was Josh’s bit actually, the original demo is pretty golden. Josh is singing in this high girlie voice. It would be great for that version to see the light of day so that everyone could hear Josh singing in a high, Julia Stone voice — it’s pretty funny.

What was your main goal coming together to create the album?

The general manifesto we had before going in to record was basically to make an acoustic record, using organic instruments. Which we managed for the most part. There was a few times where we had to plug in a few instruments, but it’s about 80 per cent organic, and the other thing was to use the four-part harmonies. That was the theme that ties all the songs together.

The Good Evening & Good Night Tour is said to be a one-off. Have you achieved everything you set out to with this project?

It’s just a logistical thing, we’ve only got a small window of time where we can do things for this record. We just don’t have 12 months to devote to this record which we would with our own projects, so we decided to do this short run of gigs and maybe a few festivals and that would be it. I think we’re all never-say-never

kind of people. I wouldn’t say that we’d never do anything in the future, but having said that we certainly don’t have any plans to.

In the film-clip to ‘Not The One’, the four of you come to a crossroad signposted ‘Purgatory’, ‘Penance’, ‘Paradise’ and ‘Perth’ – who goes in which direction and why?

Steve goes to Perth, I reckon I go to Purgatory, probably because I’m the most deserving of going to that place. Kav goes to Paradise and Josh goes to Penance [laughs].

Any reasons for that?

[Laughing] Actually, no, scrap that. I reckon

Kav goes to Perth cause Kav loves Perth — he and Steve both live there, but Kav loves it the most. When he got to Perth he’d probably go straight to Freo [Fremantle] because Kav loves Freo. I think Steve and I go to Penance and Purgatory because we’re the most evil out of the four of us. That means Pykie gets to go to Paradise, only because that’s the only place left.

The Basement Birds play Newcastle Uni on Wednesday, August 18; Wollongong Uni on Thursday, August 19; the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Friday, August 20; and The Tivoli, Brisbane on Saturday, August 21.

Baaba Maal Mulatu Astatke and the Black Jesus Experience / Lulo Reinhardt The Monks of Tibet / Ego Lemos / Diego Guerrero Flamenco Latin Quintet Ash Grunwald / The Bamboos / Grrilla Step / Fyah Walk / Vulgargrad Public Opinion African Orchestra / Way Out West...plus more www.globalcarnival.com

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album reviews Feature albums

SIA

Eminem

Ash Grunwald

Thirsty Merc

We Are Born

Recovery

Hot Mama Vibes

Mousetrap Heart

Monkey Puzzle

Aftermath Records/Universal

Independent

Warners Music

4.5/5 While Sia Furler’s previous album, Some People Have Real Problems, may have been tempered by a quieter acoustic sensibility, her latest release is far bolder in execution.

There’s no ambiguity of style here; Sia has launched herself triumphantly into dance pop territory with Greg Kurstin on board as producer, and the resultant offering is easily her most exuberant and self-assured to date. Every track is a tightly arranged gem loaded with catchy hooks and tongue-in-cheek playfulness, with an accessibility that doesn’t yield to convention. Sia’s vocals have, as always, an unmistakably raw and expressive quality, and they’re applied here with complete confidence. This is Sia’s fourth full-length studio release, and she’s in fine form indeed. For Fans Of: Cassette Kids, Róisín Murphy, Shy Child ~Hugh Milligan

3.5/5 Controversial rapper Eminem has returned with a new album that will not disappoint his devoted fans. The aptly titled Recovery comes at an important time in the performer’s life. After a short break battling drug abuse, the rapper transforms his demons into a raw and naked album. Recovery is more emotionally driven then its predecessor Relapse. There is a new level of maturity and growth on the record. A stand out on the LP is the eerily beautiful duet ‘Love The Way You Lie’ with pop star Rihanna. Here Eminem draws from experience, recounting his troubled relationship with ex-wife Kim Scott. ‘Won’t Back Down’ is another sure fire chart topper. Featuring rock star Pink, the track also illustrates Eminem’s skill in his song writing. Recovery is a portfolio of change and growth for Eminem, showcasing his talent with artists Pink, Rihanna and Lil Wayne. For fans of: 50 Cent, old school Eminem. ~Kellie Wallace

3.5/5 Hot Mama Vibes is an earthy collection of laid-back blues. With a pleasing garage band feel, this album is reminiscent of a live performance and will be well received by fans of the Melbourne singer-songwriter’s previous work. Lead single ‘Walking’ is a clear stand-out. It is an upbeat, toe-tapping tune with dirty, seductive vocals and an instant sing-along quality. Most songs on the album follow this basic formula. ‘Raw’, however, is especially blues-influenced, ‘Never Let You Go’ includes chilled electric piano and ‘Lady Luck’ is a little darker and more thoughtful. To mix things up, bonus track ‘Parents’ features the fresh beats of Adelaide hip-hop collaborative, The Funkoars. This gentle diversity lends way to overall easy listening. ~Lee Tobin

4/5 Thirsty Merc’s new album has taken a new direction in comparison to their previous releases, Thirsty Merc and Slideshows. Showcasing Rai Thistlethwaite’s talent on the piano, Mousetrap Heart presents sombre piano pieces, as well as the punchy guitar-driven tunes which are a staple of a Thirsty Merc album. ‘Mousetrap Heart’ is a funky tune thanks to the jazz-style playing from Thistlethwaite. Full of analogies about the entrapment of the human heart through the dating game, the rock tempo has made this an instant hit. ‘All My Life’ is a solemn piano tune dealing with losing somebody. But there is still a hint of rock as the 16-beat drum warms up the guitar throughout the chorus and bridge. This album is Thirsty Merc’s defining moment. ~Bianca Dantl

Stars

The Red Eyes

The Five Ghosts

Red Army

Vagrant Records

Echofoxtrot

3.5/5 According to its female vocalist, Amy Millan, Stars has ‘never written an album with this much cohesion and unity.’

Unfortunately, this statement proves to be a double-edged sword – The Five Ghosts is, if anything, excessively cohesive and unified. As a work of indie-pop, it’s undoubtedly well-crafted; each track moves with a measured energy, lyrical but quietly driven. It lacks, however, the episodic contrast of the band’s previous release. There’s no relief from all the sweetness – the dreamy aesthetic is so relentlessly uniform that the songs lose their individual impact, and the whole experience becomes distinctly lethargic. As an album, it’s beautiful and sonically pure; what’s desperately needed is some ugliness to shake things up a bit. For Fans Of: Lovers Electric, Lenka ~Hugh Milligan

3/5 Red Army is the sophomore LP from The Red Eyes, a Melbourne collective who cite themselves as a “dub/ reggae monster band”. Formed in 2002, the act is renowned for their explosive live shows, where up to twelve musicians can occupy the stage at once. This live energy is palpable on opener ‘Get It Started’, where the impassioned croons of vocalist El Witeri compete with the song’s funky piano progression and shimmering guitar blurts. For a reggae album, Red Army is unexpectedly diverse – from the wailing sirens and triumphant horns of ‘Inside Out’, to the groaning synths and bouncy organ blasts of ‘Remedy’. However, Red Army could grow repetitive for those unaccustomed to hour-long blocks of reggae – I found the insistent reggae rhythm began to grate at about the halfway point. But for fans of the genre: you could do a lot worse than The Red Eyes’ sophomore effort. ~Scott Gilbert

Cabins Bright Victory Ivy League

4/5 Opening with echoed tribal drumming, a slinking bass line, sliding guitar runs and croaky, ancient vocals, Cabins’ debut exudes nothing if not atmosphere. On ‘Hounds’, singer Dan Brooks warns “The hounds are going to get you...” with the kind of brooding quality that would make Nick Cave proud.

‘Catcher In The Rye’ pulses with the same smokey nuances of its predecessors, slinking with slowly twisting bass and ghostly piano. ‘Mary’s’ a torrid burst of energy, but quickly falls back into the darkness of ‘The Moon’.

‘Father Ripper’ steps into a psychedelic rock haze, with fuzzy organ towards its conclusion.

A Central Coast four-piece, Cabins’ rustic and slightly demented folk-rock will be mostly appreciated by fans of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, The Bad Seeds and The Drones. Bright Victory is more shadows and whispers than it is sunlight, but it’s well worth the journey. ~Nick MilLIgan

The Devil Rides Out The Heart and the Crown Impedance Record

4/5 The debut LP from Perth rockers The Devil Rides Out reeks of whisky, cigarettes and a dirty bar in the desert. The bluesy, fuzz-driven riffs trudge through a swamp of metal tones.

The vocals are gruff and ballsy; part Lemmy, part Tom Waits and part bearded drunkard hijacking the microphone at a pub and yelling incoherently — but it fits. And honestly, a more melodic and clean vocal would surely sound ridiculous against the backdrop of sleaze and grit. The Heart and The Crown is rough-as-guts rock ‘n’ roll at its filthiest. ~Matthew O’Donnell

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Grant Walmsley and the Agents of Peace Free Love Independent

3/5 Grant Walmsley and the Agents of Peace’s third album, Free Love, is how its name suggests — free. They’re giving away 10,000 copies and you can download the album, a doco and a “booklet” that comes in the shape of a .pdf file from their website.

Now, to the music: rockabilly blues with a heavy splattering of Hammond organ that has a very distinct Aussie-rock vibe, while still sounding fresh. Sure, Walmsley’s vocals aren’t the best in rock — they get a bit nasty on the ears at times, but it sits well with the reverb-heavy guitars. Most importantly, you believe what he’s singing — a quality often overlooked in music today. Overall, Free Love is another solid album from a Novocastrian favourite. ~Matthew O’Donnell

Andy Clockwise The Socialite ABC Music/Universal

The Hard Ons Alfalfa Males Once Summer Is Done Conform Or Die IThe Cool Banana Record Company

4.5/5 Legendary Aussie punk act The Hard-Ons have returned with their fifth album since their 1998 reformation, the somewhat cumbersomely-titled Alfalfa Males Once Summer is Done Conform or Die. With guitar-work reminiscent of Rather Ripped-era Sonic Youth, ‘Feisty’ is a pretty, upbeat introduction to the album, with Peter ‘Blackie’ Black’s strained, imperfect croon continuing the messy, anarchic aesthetic the three-piece are known for. For a punk album, it’s also a surprise that many of the record’s greatest moments occur in it’s back half – from the incredibly fun death metal homage, ‘The Socialists’ Smoko’, to the rapid-fire twelve-bar blues of ‘Atomic Handshake’. And despite the record’s bloated nineteen tracks, at no point does Alfalfa Males outstay its welcome: rather, it maintains a satisfying blend of originality, humour and punk authenticity throughout, placing it alongside Hard-Ons classics like Love is a Battlefield of Wounded Hearts and Too Far Gone. ~Scott Gilbert

3.5/5 In 1932, Aldous Huxley envisioned a “Brave New World”. Some 80 years later, so did Sydney singer/songwriter Andy Clockwise. The Socialite’s opening song, which does have a certain spaced-out, futuristic feel, borrows Huxley’s famous title.

Skip then to Renaissance poetry which Clockwise samples in track two, ‘Love and War’. All is fair in both, he reminds us in this delightful pop-influenced track. Even token silly song, ‘Let Them Eat Cake (Too Many Fatties On The Dancefloor)’ calls upon infamous Frenchy Marie Antoinette. The very cultured Clockwise is so cool it’s almost painful.

The Socialite is soulful and uplifting, subdued and devastating. Effortlessly it blends rock, hip hop, indie and electro – and the song writing offers compelling social commentary.

At times, however, it does border on pretentiousness. ‘Everybody’s In A Band’ and ‘Open Relationship’ should be greeted with a swift press of the skip button. ~Lee Tobin

Animal Shapes Calabi-Yau IWireless Records

4/5 Calabi-Yau is the first album from Sydney’s Animal Shapes, a four-piece whose MySpace defines their sound as ‘indie twinkle-core’ – a classification that at first seems self-deprecating, but becomes curiously apt after repeated listens. Opener and first single ‘Ransacking the Chinese Room’ is a bustling, propulsive creature, anchored by the deft stick-work of Nick Van Breda. The song’s nimble, lead guitar flurry seems ripped from Minus the Bear’s Highly Refined Pirates, with the band’s group harmonies adding a touch of chamber pop to the otherwise straightforward indie stomper. But because of its similarities to the guitar noodling and bouncy rhythms of Minus the Bear (minus that band’s brazen hyper-sexuality), CalabiYau doesn’t feel like a wholly unique work.

And while originality has been sacrificed to some extent, Animal Shapes make up for it by attacking their craft with a boisterous, contagious sense of enjoyment, sounding legitimately excited by the prospect of recording a long player. ~Scott Gilbert

album reviews album of the month

Ben Solo

Jack Johnson

Ben Solo

To The Sea

Plastic Viking Helmet Records

Brushfire Records/Universal

3.5/5 Ben Solo, the self-titled album of one of Adelaide’s most talented musicians, is a musical concoction sprung from the pure magic and innocence of folk, infused with the raw grit and energy of a garage band. The album starts slowly, with delicately sweet acoustic vocals and guitar, before launching into alternate grunge rock.

Though the songs are extremely diverse, ranging from folk to grunge and simmering back down to a sweet something in between, the album has a pleasant flow. Solo’s sound so perfectly captures the soul of garage rock you can almost taste the petrol fumes, without losing the bluesy feel that carries you through right to the final toe-tapping tune. ~Jessica Saxton

3/5 Since the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales (2001), the Hawaiian-born singer-songwriter has seemingly made a career from crafting catchy campfire songs. (‘Flake’ is a staple of any decent beach-side sing-a-long.) Recorded in Johnson’s eco-friendly solar-powered studios, and released through his own label, Brushfire Records, To The Sea follows the familiar terrain of lightly strummed love-songs and upbeat, fully accompanied numbers about people, relationships, and the environment. At this point in his career it would be nice to see him take a chance, experiment a little. But on tracks like ‘Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythologies’, ‘You and Your Heart’, and ‘At or With Me’ it’s hard to fault him. The songs aren’t inventive, but they do highlight Johnson’s ability to create infectious rhythms and catchy melodies. Fans will want to pick this one up to keep their Jack Johnson album collection up-to-date. Others would do better by picking up his debut album, and learning ‘Bubble Toes’ on guitar for the first beach party next summer. ~Andrew Chesham

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Mojo Warners Music

4/5 Almost a decade after the last Heartbreakers’ record the group have, to quote a classic blues song, “got their mojo working” on their latest offering. There are obvious comparisons to old Petty (his trademark drawl and undeniably catchy hooks), but Mojo moves in a more natural and relaxed way. The record has a distinct blues flavour and Petty even falls back on classic melodies and structures at times.

Opener ‘Jefferson Jericho Blues’ is a standout — a bopping riff matched by dirty harmonica. The disappointment is, even though it’s a cracker of an opener, it’s misleading. The songs that follow, drop in energy, tempo and meander in a laid-backbar-music kind of way. It’s reminiscent of fellow ex-Wilbury Bob Dylan’s recent records — timeless music from an American songwriting legend. ~Matthew O’Donnell

Buried In Verona Saturday Night Sever Riot! Entertainment/Warners

2.5/5 Ideal for a death metal moshpit. Are you intrigued? If so, this album is right up your dark and scary alley!

Take a glance at the album cover art of pastel coloured corpses, maybe flip it over and check out the song list; yep, hardcore, angst ridden death metal through and through. This album is a sure step forward from their 2008 release, Circle the Dead, seeing the boys experimenting more in finding their own sound within the genre. Though the majority of the album is somewhat limited melodically, there are a few moments that show the band’s ability to bring something more to metal. ‘Hangin’ Hoes By Their Toes’ mixes things up a bit with a great electro riff intro, and the entire album has a punchy, intense and slightly disturbed energy that we have come to expect from this band.

For fans of: I Killed the Prom Queen. ~Jessica Saxton

Marshall and the Fro Friends For Life Independent

2.5/5 This trio from Lennox Head, NSW, are consistently a favourite at the roots and blues festivals. Their rabid rotweiller intensity on-stage make them captivating to watch and fun to dance to. I saw them at Gumball 2009, and was an instant fan. While Friends for Life, their second studio album, is a competent roots-rock affair, it doesn’t have any of their live energy. As a result, there’s very little on this album to get excited about. The riffs and rhythms on ‘We’ve All Got Something to Say’ and ‘Squished and Squashed’ feel restrained and uninspired. As well, the title-track comes off as a high school graduation song. The best track on the album is ‘In My Mind’, but at 10 tracks in, it’s buried pretty deep. Marshall and The Fro work best in front of a crowd. With that in mind, you’re better off seeing them live or waiting for them to release a live album. ~Andrew Chesham

Darren hanlon I Will Love You At All Flippin’ Yeah

3.5/5 Folkster Darren Hanlon returns with a musically stripped and lyrically intriguing record, I Will Love You At All. It is clear that Hanlon is a natural storyteller. The lyrical inventiveness and vocal phrasing create the hooks that are littered throughout these songs. There is an unmistakable likeness with Paul Kelly here. This is not to undermine Hanlon’s vocal quality. The seven-minute ‘Home’ sees his voice stretch to notes that exude a genuine charm, creating the vibe that this guy has lived what he’s singing. I Will Love You At All is a collection of intelligent yet emotionally connected threads of a story that is both uniquely Australian and sincere in its delivery. In short, a pleasant and thought provoking listen. For fans of: Paul Kelly, Bob Evans, Josh Pyke. ~Nick Bielby

The Book Of Ships Dark Continent, Cold Century Vitamin

4.5/5 After recording music at a secluded Newcastle bowling club and then allowing producer Scott Horscroft to add his trademark finesse, Calf sailed his magical project — Book Of Ships — down to Melbourne. Now he has finally delivered his debut record and it was well worth the wait.

It’s an incredibly eclectic mix of soundscapes and sonic influences — from the hazy, Brian Jonestown Massacre-esque psychedelia of ‘Fruits Of The Earth’ to the whimsical whirlwind of ‘Push/Pull’, Dark Continent, Cold Century is held together by Calf’s understated, yet dynamic charisma.

The upbeat buzz and soaring chorus of ‘Broken Glass In My Mouth (Words Are Lines That Turn To)’ is almost the polar opposite of the chilling, echoed eight-minute finale, ‘Keep Ur Blues’, where Calf channels Jonsi and Sigur Ros. On ‘In & Out’ he creates an aching ebb-and-flow ballad that Jeff Buckley would likely have covered if he was still with us.

While this diversity would place other artists in danger of spreading their creativity too thinly — and perhaps warranting the ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ label — Calf is in ultimate control on every song and delivers them masterfully. While he may not hide his influences all that well, none of these tracks feel like anything you’ve heard before. There’s quirks and nuances wrapped in lush instrumentation on Dark Continent, Cold Century and it’s an album that continues to unravel with repeated listens. ~Nick Milligan

The Smashing Pumpkins Teargarden by Kaleidyscope — Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor Martha’s Music/Rocket Science

3/5 The Smashing Pumpkins in September last year announced the upcoming release of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, a 44-song concept album based on the ‘The Fool’s Journey’, a metaphor for life embedded within the Tarot.

Following their aggressive but unremarkable 2007 offering Zeitgeist, frontman Billy Corgan hit the reset button hard, firing drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, adding 20-year-old drummer Mike Byrne after a worldwide audition process and enlisting help from bassist Mark Tulin (of Electric Prunes fame) for Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor – the first of 11 Limited Collector’s Edition EPs from Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.

Whilst Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor doesn’t contain a single alá ‘Bullet from Butterfly Wings’, it highlights a newfound wistful enthusiasm through the folk psychedelic fusion ballad ‘A Song for A Son’, the upbeat, mantric psychgarage ‘Astral Planes’, its sunshine-pop cousin ‘Widow Wake My Mind’ and the nautical, acoustic feel of ‘A Stitch in Time’. Thanks to Byrne’s youthful, energetic backbeat and Corgan’s brighter lyrical focus and more interesting musical approach, Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor is spacious, atmospheric and more playful than past Pumpkins releases. Watch out for Vol. 2 over the coming months. For fans of: The Doors, The Who (70s era), Zwan. ~Matt Petherbridge

Jez Mead Beard Of Bees Belly Up Records/EMI Music

4/5 Bluesy, rootsy, folksy; how else to describe Jez Mead’s new album, Beard of Bee? Armed with his voice and guitar, Mead unleashes this extraordinary collection of folk bliss. His beard may well be made of bees, because his voice is pure honey. Mead has also used some secret weapons on this album; with guest vocalist Julia Stone and hauntingly beautiful backup use of violins.

Beginning with a lovely ditty likening a lover to blackberries, the album then takes a step towards grunge before a very quick and quiet tune called ‘Tree’. Then it’s back to the roots and blues, not stopping until the very last song - slow and soft enough to be a lullaby.

This is foot-stomping, folklore brilliance crafted into a single album. For Fans of: Angus and Julia Stone ~Jessica Saxton

Scissor Sisters Night Work Universal/Polydor

2/5 Theatre. Disco. Pop. Two years in the making, Scissor Sisters front man Jake Shears takes dance to falsetto highs and bass lows on the band’s third album.

Sexual rather than sexy, lyrically dirty, verging on crass, this record is not for the fainthearted. ‘Something Like This’ is a cheesy parody of the repetitiveness of dance music, which the Sisters are themselves a part. Ana Matronic takes over the vocal role on ‘Skin This Cat’ adding some much needed contrast, a slower beat and a sexier voice. By track ten, ‘Sex and Violence’, the band find the music and carry it through the last two tracks. Night Work is fun — it’s certainly disco, but it’s not their best work. ~Cassandra Tobin

John 5 The Art Of Malice Cycle Humm Records/Warners

4.5/5 John 5 is an amazingly talented musician and a guitar god. For those who might not be acquainted with his genius, he has toured with KD Lang and, in contrast, toured and collaborated with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. The Art of Malice is his fifth solo album and it is a divine work of art.

Having worked as a session guitarist since the age of 18 you’d be hard pressed to find another guitarist with such brilliant ability for variation. ‘The Nightmare Unravels’ and ‘The Last Page Turned’, which are the first and last tracks, are very different from one another.

The album has an amazing flow which incorporates shredding, flamenco, chicken picken, blues, rock and classical guitar. The Art of Malice unfolds a beautiful story from start to finish. ~Scarlett O’Horror

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NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night 6 Aug 7 Aug 8 Aug 12 Aug 13-14Aug 15 Aug 19 Aug

Chain The Alchemical Cabaret Psycho Zydeco The Dingoes Ian Moss Damien Leith Amber Lawrence and Country’s New Stars

21 Aug 22 Aug 27 Aug 28 Aug

Glenn Shorrock Spinal Tap Movie Night Spectrum Lonnie Lee

29 Aug 2 Sep

Casey Donovan Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback Special Vika and Linda Bull Janet Seidel Father’s Day special feat.

Chasin’ the Train The Brewester Brothers

3 Sep 4 Sep 5 Sep 10 Sep

11 Sep 12 Sep

Spy Vs Spy Chris Wilson

Sunday, August 1 Bateau Bay Hotel Eye On You Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Equinox Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle J-21’s + Bats and Battleships Lizotte’s, Kincumber Ray Beadle + Geoff Achison Lizotte’s, Lambton Vince Sorrenti + Steve St John + Darren Sanders Metro Theatre, Sydney Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Oxford Art Factory, Sydney The Drums + The Motifs Premier Hotel, Broadmeadow Steve Edmonds Band

Enmore Theatre, Sydney Mumford and Sons Manning Bar, Sydney Surfer Blood Metro Theatre, Sydney Ash + We Are Scientists + Last Dinosaurs Newcastle Uni Money For Rope Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Band of Skulls

Wednesday, August 4

Saturday, August 7

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Thy Art Is Murder Enmore Theatre, Sydney Mumford and Sons Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Merewether Fats Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Striken Lizotte’s, Lambton Tenielle Neda + Gilbert Whyte + The My Tys Metro Theatre, Sydney Broken Social Scene + Bearhug Stockton Bowling Club Brian Cadd and Russell Morris View Factory, Newcastle Mr Percival

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Speakers + Fishkicker + State of Grace CBD Hotel, Newcastle Kato + Tap Tap + A Catt + Loods + Meena + Park Oh Coast Hotel, Budgewoi Steve Edmonds Band Enmore Theatre, Sydney Florence and the Machine Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Watt Riot + Royal Chant Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Heart Attack and Vine Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle The Boo Hoo Hoo’s + The Ravenous Lizotte’s, Kincumber Chain Lizotte’s, Lambton The Alchemical Cabaret Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Grant Walmsley and the Agents of Peace Woodport Inn, Erina Killaqueens

Monday, August 2 Enmore Theatre, Sydney Jonsi Manning Bay, Sydney Two Door Cinema Club

Harry Manx Bodacious Cowboys Lulo Reinhardt Shannon Noll

25 Sep 30 Sep 1 Oct 7 Oct

Tim Freedman Mr Percival 1927 Shannon Noll

For bookings and information, phone (02) 4956 2066 or visit lizottes.com.au

Thursday, August 5 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Heart Attack and Vine + The Owls + RedDawn 24

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Sunday, August 8 Edgeworth Bowling Club Brian Cadd and Russell Morris Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Clarabella Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Run Squirrel + Elisa Kate Barker + Rein Room Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Florence and the Machine Lizotte’s, Lambton Psycho Zydeco Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Steve Edmonds Band

Friday, August 6 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Samsara + Dropsaw Enmore Theatre, Sydney Florence and the Machine Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Errol JM and the Tade Secrets Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Racz ‘n Waters Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Animal Shapes + Bayonets for Legs + Like Alaska Lizotte’s, Kincumber Diesel + Carmen Smith Lizotte’s, Lambton Chain Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle The Seabellies View Factory, Newcastle Galleri Wests Leagues Club, New Lambton The McClymonts

Tuesday, August 3 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 23 Sep

Chilli Lounge, Wyong Vanstorm + In This Defence + Worse Case Scenario Enmore Theatre, Sydney Florence and the Machine Lizotte’s, Kincumber Diesel + Carmen Smith Lizotte’s, Lambton Rock Trivia Metro Theatre, Sydney Kate Nash Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Amy Vee + The Bruise Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Navigators

whitley

Wednesday, August 11 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Whitley Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle The Tillegra Damned Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Panic Research Hordern Pavilion, Sydney A Tribe Called Quest Lizotte’s, Lambton Dan March & Tim Sladden + Danny Sullivan + Brooke Harvey + Low Flying Hippies Wests Leagues Club, New Lambton Akmal

Thursday, August 12 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Little Blak Dress + Tortoise Head Platoon Gallipoli Legions Club, Newcastle Darren Hanlon + Shelley Short Gosford RSL Akmal Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle The Do Riders Lizotte’s, Lambton The Dingoes Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Lowrider + Nicholas Ray Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Hatty Fatners

Friday, August 13 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle I Am The Agent + Cota CBD Hotel, Newcastle Neoteric + Kato + One Nil + A Catt + Cassi

Croation Club, Wickham Hell On Earth 2 w/- The Clap + Bitchcraft + Hot Girls + Elephant Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Chase The Sun Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Bunt + Batfoot + Vivarta Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Mo Trowell and the Delivery + The Dennis Boys Lizotte’s, Kincumber Glenn Shorrock Lizotte’s, Lambton Ian Moss + Nick Saxon Roundhouse, Sydney 3OH!3 + Alive + For Our Hero The Loft, Newcastle Control Disorder + Wholehearted + 69 Rhysons + Spew Ya Guts Up + Bare Grillz Woodport Inn, Erina The 808s

Saturday, August 14 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Hungry Kids of Hungury + The Holidays + Artisan Guns CBD Hotel, Newcastle Blaze Trip + Donna Brasco + Loods + Meena + Park Oh + Jun Wan Enmore Theatre, Sydney Eels Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Zennith + Last Kinection Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle The Hard Ons + Slogan Free Youth + Fang and the TV Evangelist + Spew Ya Guts Up Lizotte’s, Kincumber Damien Leith + Ashleigh Grace Lizotte’s, Lambton Ian Moss + Nick Saxon Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Ride Ons

Lizotte’s, Lambton Morpeth Jugbusters + Amy Vee + Funkwit Newcastle Leagues Club Grinspoon + Snowdroppers + Electric Horse

Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Half Nelson Lizotte’s, Kincumber Cookin’ Up Comedy w/- Alan Glover + Peter Berner + Robert McHugh

Thursday, August 19

Monday, August 23

Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni Art Vs Science + Tim & Jean + Jinja Safari Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle House Vs Hurricane + Heroes For Hire Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Michael Burn’s World Of Music Lizotte’s, Kincumber Whitley Lizotte’s, Lambton Amber Lawrence + Luke Dickens + Victoria Baillie + Luke Austen Metro Theatre, Sydney Brand New Heavies Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Jenny Morris

The Loft, Newcastle Free For All + City In Crisis + Plus Many More + A Bleeding Nation + Alice Vs Everything

Friday, August 20 Doyalson RSL The Black Sorrows Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Justin Carter Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Empire Burlesque Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Breaking Orbit + Memorial Drive Lizotte’s, Kincumber Ian Moss + Jacob Pearson Lizotte’s, Lambton Cookin’ Up Comedy w/- Alan Glover + Peter Berner + Robert McHugh Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Solver + State Of Grace The Loft, Newcastle House Vs Hurricane + Heroes For Hire

Monday, August 16 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Slash The Loft, Newcastle Liam Green + Pat James + Di Drew + Lachlan Collins + Local Resident Failure + Cannon’s Mouth + Karmajar + Mistaken

Wednesday, August 18 Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni Basement Birds + Old Man River Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The City Shake Up + Broadway Mile Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Tortoise Head Platoon + Strangers + The Big Empty Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Horace Pinker + Not OK + Excitebike Lizotte’s, Kincumber Amy Newton-Banks + Novakayn + Racz and Waters

Civic Theatre, Newcastle Angus and Julia Stone Doyalson RSL Akmal Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Safe Hands + Marathon + Lost Croutons Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jessica Ashby + Ruth Shooter + Sam Buckingham Lizotte’s, Lambton Racz and Waters + Kieran Wicks + The Havelocks

Thursday, August 26 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Scary Kids Scaring Kids + Mission in Motion + We Are The Emergency Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Genevieve Chadwick Lizotte’s, Kincumber Lianna Rose Lizotte’s, Lambton Dragon Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Light Noise + Ron Mcquarie

Friday, August 27 Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle The Jimmy Bazil Project + Pete Akhurst + Danny Roff Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Fuck-U-Saurus + Grannyfist Lizotte’s, Kincumber Lonnie Lee Lizotte’s, Lambton Spectrum

Sunday, August 15 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Sienna Skies Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay Grinspoon + Amy Meredith + The Snowdroppers Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle James Lyons Trio Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle The Havelocks + Jess Lambie Lizotte’s, Kincumber The Dingoes Lizotte’s, Lambton Damien Leith + Ashleigh Grace The Loft, Newcastle Extortion + Iexist + Sxwzd + Taipan Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Retro Rockets

Wednesday, August 25

house vs hurricane

Saturday, August 21 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Pinup Party CBD Hotel, Newcastle Beni + Loods + Meena + A Catt + So Cal + Tap Tap Fannys, Newcastle Savage Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Dyscord + Daemon Foetal Harvest + The Seer + Overthrown Lizotte’s, Kincumber Ian Moss + Jacob Pearson Lizotte’s, Lambton Glenn Shorrock + Dexter Morph Newcastle Leagues Club The Black Sorrows Northern Star Hotel, Newcastle The Bedroom Philosopher Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Torpedos Woodport Inn, Erina The Radiators

Sunday, August 22 Bateau Bay Hotel Steve Edmonds Band Civic Theatre, Newcastle Let It Be Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Pinky Beecroft and the White Russians

Saturday, August 28 Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni Death In The Swamp 2010 w/- Celephai + The Seer + Deathmaask + Cerebral Contortion + Sagacity + Red Dawn Belmont 16” Sailing Club Akmal Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle M-Phazes + Drapht + Muph + Mantra + Illy + Nine High + Dialectrix + Mase & Mattic CBD Hotel, Newcastle Light Year + Loods + Meena + A Catt + Cassi + Jun Wan Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Kira Puru and the Geordie Malone

CENTRAL COAST Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night

1 Aug 7 Aug 13 Aug

Ray Beadle & Geoff Achison Chain Glenn Shorrock

14 Aug 15 Aug 19 Aug 20,21Aug 22 Aug 27 Aug

Damien Leith The Dingoes Whitley Ian Moss Cookin’ Up Comedy Lonnie Lee and The Leeman Birthday Bash

28 Aug 1 Sep 4 Sep 9 Sep 10 Sep

Casey Donovon Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback Special Vika and Linda Bull The Brewster Brothers Spy Vs Spy

11 Sep 16 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 23 Sep 24 Sep

Chris Wilson Mr Percival Anne Kirkpatrick Harry Manx Jim Conway’s Big Wheel Tim Freedman

26 Sept Shannon Noll 29 Sep Lulo Reinhardt 30 Sep Angie Hart & Matt Barber 2 Oct 1927 10 Oct Shannon Noll

Sunday, August 29 Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Cady Redford Duo Lizotte’s, Lambton Casey Donovan Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong The Amity Affliction Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Big Red Rockets

For bookings and information, phone (02) 4368 2017 or visit lizottes.com.au

Tuesday, August 31 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Amity Affliction

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crow

RELEASE THE CROWS

with someone you have a history with, is they constantly surprise you. They’re playing around what you’re working on, so they can throw things that dance around what you’re doing without even thinking about it almost.

Would you say that walking away from Crow on your own terms made it easier to come back on your own terms?

Yeah, a lot of the reason why we walked away was that people had stuff going on in their lives.

It wasn’t like there was some kind of implosion or the “I hate you[s]”. It was all very adult and pretty cool. Basically it was all there, we just needed to link it all together again.

It’s been almost ten years since we heard anything from Crow — one of Australia’s most criminally underrated bands. Now they’re back with a new album — Arcane. Stephen Bisset spoke with front man Peter Fenton about getting back into the swing of things.

Hi Peter. So, what’s happening?

Well it’s quite a chilly night here on the rural fringe and I’m just cooking a bit of dinner.

Well, I’ll try to make this as short and sweet as possible.

Well, I’m up to a point now where it’s on the simmer. I think that should actually be the theme of the interview. I plan to simmer all the way through.

It’s been nearly ten years between drinks for Crow. Why so long and what was the impetus behind the reformation?

We got asked to do some shows — one was called Long Player in Melbourne and the other one was called That Was Then, This Is Now — and I had my brother over for Christmas one year and I said, “Gee, we’re getting asked to do a couple of shows,” and he said, “Well, why

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SC1437C&PA_Rev_172x245 4C.indd 1

don’t we do something, what’s actually stopping us?” And then, y’know it comes down to a point when we’ve all got our ‘strength of mind’ so to speak — our own kind of fragile grip on that — and none of us are dead, which is convenient.

How was it heading back into the studio with the original Crow line-up? Was it kind of like putting on an old pair of slippers? [laughs] I actually had that exact thought. I think somebody asked me straight after how the initial practise went and I said, “It was just like putting on your favourite pair of boots from years ago that you just loved.” It has that homely, cardigan kind of feel to it. Because my brother played on the first record, when we did those couple of shows we decided to play that record live. We actually had to go back quite a way and dust off songs that were long forgotten.

It’s uncanny how your hand remembers where it goes.

Did having that familiarity inform the song writing for Arcane as well?

Yeah, I think so. Again we wrote separately; me and Peter Archer, the other songwriter.

He’d send me little cassettes from his four-track on the far south coast. I’ve evolved a little bit in that I’ve moved into the digital era and can send a CD or even an MP3 — it still blows me out… still. But yeah, that familiarity does inform the songwriting. Not only do you have a connection with each other musically — rock bands tour a lot and we’ve been overseas a couple of times and you get to see people at their most brilliant and at their absolute most stupid, and, in between, you get to know and understand a person pretty well. One of the best things about playing

So how would you describe Arcane?

We’ve gone for a pretty raw record. We’ve kind of managed to saddle the whole digital/ analogue thing — some songs we recorded in a studio and others we did with a mobile recording unit that I’ve got. But yeah, it’s a pretty no nonsense record — there’s none of that new software like Auto Tune — it sounds pretty live and I like that. My philosophy is if the songs are there, you don’t need to dress them up.

The other thing that I really liked is that, to a degree, we did it ourselves. It might have taken a little longer to push it through, but we were in a situation where we controlled it.

So any final scoops we should be aware of?

That’s a very open question. I think we’re going to suck it and see I think. We’ll see if we can get a little bit of airplay and travel around a bit.

Arcane is available now through Nonzero/ Shock Records.

7/07/10 10:43 AM

washington

It might seem that Megan Washington’s rise in the music industry has been a rapid one, but the singer and songwriter is here to explain her insider’s perspective.

“I think it often looks different from the outside looking in,” says Washington, sitting in a boardroom in the Melbourne headquarters of Universal Records. “I know that a lot of people have said that to me — that the last year has been really hectic.

Yeah, it has been, but at the same time a large proportion of the year has been sitting on planes and buses, or sitting in the studio fighting with my producer about the drum sounds. It hasn’t been all razzle dazzle or ginger and jazz — it’s dichotomous. But it certainly has been a big year. I finished my record. I played festivals — I did stuff. I went to America and won a competition — it’s been really great. But it’s happened over a year — it doesn’t really look as good from the inside.”

Washington’s debut record, I Believe You, Liar, was released on July 30, officially launched at her rousing Splendour In The Grass performance.

The record follows the success of Washington’s popular radio singles, ‘Cement’ and ‘Rich Kids’, which have seen her join a long list of Australian acts on national tours, like The Beautiful Girls, Sia, Tim Finn and Kate Miller-Heidke. Appearances on both Spicks and Specks and RockWiz further exposed the petite songstress to a national audience. The latter invited her to perform on their national live tour.

The pop singer, who was born and raised in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea until 1997, has also released a series of EPs, like the well-received How To Tame Lions. But for the 24-year-old, releasing her first album will be the closing of a very long and arduous chapter.

“I feel like I have no closure on the record — I’ve been making it for two years,” admits Washington. “I’ve spent a large portion of my life making this thing and it’s been finished for a while now and I’m just waiting, like a spider in a web. I’m really looking forward to having it be out so I can actually write another song. I have no closure, so I can’t move on with my musical output.”

Indeed, Washington has struggled to write new material while waiting for the release of her debut album. “I’m stuck,” says Washington, ruefully. “I sit down (to write music) and I can’t conceptualise anything. I’m very emotional about my writing. In a way, I have to divorce myself from this album. I just need for someone to sign the paperwork and for me to go, ‘Ok, that’s done now.’”

“Some people say that making a record is like giving birth,” continues the petite singer, “but for me it’s like getting a divorce. It’s not as physically painful, but it’s emotionally involving.”

Because of her attachment, Washington wrestles with commenting on the record objectively. “I have no idea what the fucking album sounds like, because I just can’t hear it.

Even when I listen to it I don’t hear it properly.

I’ll be able to hear it in about five years when

“ I’m very emotional about my writing.

In a way, I have to divorce myself from this album.”

I’ve made three more albums.”

But during the creation of the album, which was recorded with her savagely honest producer John Castle, Washington had clear ideas on what she wanted. “I wanted to make a record that was both personal and universal,” explains Washington. “I didn’t want to make a record that was like a diary. I don’t enjoy records like that — brutally personal, too-much-information records. I’ll take Rufus Wainwright over Martha Wainwright, because Rufus writes from a universal perspective about universal events.

Like his song about September 11 is called ‘11:11’ and is about what happened on that morning, but the best line in the whole world is, ‘Realised that everything really does happen in Manhattan.’ It’s funny and personal.

I just wanted to make a record that I would enjoy listening to. I like (Paul Simon’s) Graceland, but who the fuck knows what that album is about? It’s about everything and nothing — it’s like Seinfeld. I just wanted to

make a record that was a little bit more than, ‘this is my life, I went to the shops, I met a boy, we fell in love, we broke up, blah blah blah.’”

While Washington may not go into the gory details of her life, I Believe You, Liar does summate much of her young existence. The record’s title also captured the album’s lyrical tone.

“If you really boil it down, it’s a documentation of my life so far,” says Washington. “I like the circularity of the title and it kind of reminded me of Ouroboros — the Greek symbol of the snake eating its own tail. The songs are quite contrary on the one hand — there’s a song like ‘Spanish Temper’, which is quite a hostile song, but it sails along on this jaunty, Carribean-esque vibe. I think that juxtaposition is quite inherent on a lot of the stuff. Having only two people in the studio makes for a lot of tension and that tension manifests itself in different ways. My life is quite dichotomous — that strangeness was really something that I wanted to interrogate and explore. That (album) title was a great summation of that sentiment.”

Washington will tour Australia to promote her debut record, stopping through the Hunter Valley for the Funk N Grooves festival, Polkolbin, on Saturday, September 11. She will perform on a bill alongside Spiderbait, Gyroscope and Bertie Blackman. For more information, head to www.funkngrooves.com.au. r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

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news

4am the morning of the last day of recording.

This meant that there was enough pressure to keep it exciting.” With the band having kicked off their world tour in the USA, you won’t want to miss them on their only headline Australian tour for 2010. Catch The Cat Empire at the Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, Thursday August 26, and the Coolangatta Hotel, Friday August 27.

ZENNITH HAVE NOTHIN’ TO LOSE black devil yard boss

BLACK DEVIL YARD BOSS australian surF fest

AUSTRALIAN SURF FESTIVAL to hit PORT macquarie

The Country Energy Australian Surf Festival will see over 350 competitors from around the nation descend on Port Macquarie for a shot at being crowned an Australian Champion. In all, 24 prestigious Australian Titles will be decided across three surfing disciplines with the Australian Longboard Titles, Australian Surfmasters Titles and Australian Stand Up Paddleboard Titles all being staged during the two-week festival, August 14-28. Action is certainly not restricted to the competition in the water. An ever expanding entertainment and activity schedule will see competitors, spectators and the local community immersed in surfing culture with an ecclectic surf themed art exhibition, live music and surf films being staged at the Glasshouse Arts, Conference and Entertainment Centre.

Selected works from Reg Mombassa will be on display at the Centre up until September 26.

The surf films Going Vertical - The Shortboard Revolution (Wednesday August 18) and Tim Bonython’s Sessions 2 - Slab Hunter and MayDayz - Two Massive Days at Teahupo’o (Thursday August 26) will be shown, as well as music by Haldanes Daughters and The Grains (Friday August 20) and King Tide and Mojo Bluesmen (Friday August 27).

Black Devil Yard Boss (BDYB) was born out of the need to explore the power within the three-piece, leaning on such influences as The Band Of Gypsys and Cream. The band’s debut self-titled EP will be independently released on Friday August 13, a date unlucky for some but not when you have stood at the crossroads and sold your soul to the Devil. “We wanted to take all our influences, put them in the blender, add some protein powder and pull the sound into 2010,” states guitarist and vocalist Pete Williamson. “The great thing is that the band can be a completely different beast live and that’s very exciting.” BDYB are special guests on the Dead Letter Circus national tour, performing at the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Monday August 16, and Newcastle Leagues Club, Thursday September 2.

SCU NATIONAL CAMPUS BAND COMPETITION

The Southern Cross University 2010 Glaceau Vitamin Water National Campus Band Competition will be running all the way through August, with four big heats leading up to the finals on Thursday September 2. Heat 1 Monday August 2: Panther Attack Force, Zephyr, The Charlotte Marshall Band, We Are Box, and East of Anabor. Heat 2 - Monday August 16: The Matterhorns, Gang of Five, Hybridize, Arcane New Year, and This Time Only. Heat 3 - Monday 23 August 23: The Deachlers, Roberto, Jenova Birth, A Little Province, and Cupids Bullet. Heat 4 – Monday August 30: Rose & Boys, The Blind Watchmakers, The Kamikaze Thunderkats, Kathryn & the Hardie Boys, Bats vs Snakes, and Headphone Symphony. Proudly sponsored by Reverb magazine.

HELM RECORD ICON

L-R johnny rollins, justin carter

PAINTING PICTURES WITH JUSTIN CARTER

Greater Taree City Council

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With his collection of acoustic and electric guitars, stomping drum beats and soulful vocals, Justin Carter has created a unique mixture of surf rock, soul and grungy blues.

Having won the Apollo Bay Music Festival’s young songwriters award for his debut release, Whatever Happened To Real Music, Carter joined forces with Johnny Rollins on drums/percussion/backing vocals and released his second album Painting Pictures in 2009.

Justin Carter and Johnny Rollins are set to be surfing their way back up the east coast again during August as they continue to promote Painting Pictures, performing at the Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland, Friday, August 20; the Lennox Point Hotel, Saturday, August 28; and The Rails, Byron Bay on Sunday, August 29.

Hailing from the Gold Coast, and with two albums behind them, HELM have tackled an Australian icon by covering Icehouse’s ‘Great Southern Land’. HELM have gained the blessing of the song’s writer Iva Davies to re-record the classic song and will hit the road from August through to January 2011 on an Australian/New Zealand tour to promote the release and awaken Australia with a boot in the ass. The bones of the band’s third album are currently being assembled for release next summer. Catch HELM on their Great Southern Land tour at the Tattersals Hotel, Lismore, Thursday August 12 (supported by Electric Horse), and the Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle, Saturday September 11.

CATCH THE CAT EMPIRE

Following rave reviews and explosive live performances around the country recently, The Cat Empire’s fourth studio album, Cinema, has debuted at #3 on the national ARIA albums chart this week, making it their third consecutive top three studio album debut.

The band now announce details of their new single, ‘Falling’. Written by lead singer Felix, he says “…I wrote the lyrics to ‘Falling’ at about

Celebrating the forthcoming release of their debut album, Nothin’ To Lose, up-and-coming roots reggae band Zennith are embarking on their first official east coast tour, kicking off in Brisbane and Woodford with a billing on the coveted Splendour In The Grass festival line-up. Harking from far north Queensland, Zennith are forging their way in an industry previously dominated by pop, and showing that real music by real musicians is the way of the future. Vocalist and songwriter Aden Brim says the band is looking forward to touring unchartered territories. “We’re looking forward to not only spread our music, but to win new hearts,” he says. “We were blown away to be named on this year’s Splendour In The Grass line-up, where we will play alongside some of the world’s finest musicians, which will hopefully lead to bigger and better things for Zennith.” Zennith perform at the SCU Uni Bar, Lismore, Thursday August 5; The Rails, Byron Bay, Saturday August 7; and with Last Kinection at the Great Northern Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday, August 14.

afro moses

NORTH COAST AFRO MOSES

Newcastle reggae icon Afro Moses, is heading North to play shows in Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Tweed Heads. When you go to see Afro Moses doing his thing, expect passion, colour, energy, powerful messages, dancing and a sense that you’ve just witnessed something deeply special. Born in Ghana, Afro Moses hit the charts as a teenager and is labelled as The African James Brown. Later, he was taken to Denmark and had the Danes lapping up his infectious music. From there, he started touring the world and has stunned audiences right across the globe. Afro Moses will be at the Twin Towns Club and Resort, Tweed Heads, Friday August 20, HUB Music, Sawtell, Saturday August 21, and the Seaview Tavern, Woogoolga.

THE SHAKE UP IN LISMORE

Fusing the immediacy of British punk with the melodies of indie rock, Sydney trio The Shake Up deliver tight and energetic music that positively buzzes. With previous singles play-listed on Triple J and tour supports across the nation with The Fratellis (UK), Birds of Tokyo and Rocket Science, The Shake Up are set to embark on a national tour to launch their new single, ‘Everybody Loves It’. The Shake Up will be at the Gollan Hotel, Lismore, Thursday August 19.

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children collide

PORT MACQUARIE, NSW 14-28 AUGUST 2010

WhAT’S ON AT ThE GlASShOUSE dURING ThE COUNTRy ENERGy AUSTRAlIAN SURf fESTIvAl: Surf Art / reg MoMbASSA: Selected WorkS thurSdAy 29 – SundAy 26 SepteMber 2010 10AM – 5pM tueS – fri & 10AM – 4pM SAt & Sun

From Beginning To Endoscopy

Surf filM #1 / going VerticAl – the ShortboArd reVolution / WedneSdAy 18th Aug 2010 7:30pM* / ticketS $17.50* Surf MuSic #1 / hAldAneS dAughterS + the grAinS fridAy 20th AuguSt 2010 / 7:45pM* / ticketS $12.50* Surf filM #2 / tiM bonython’S SeSSionS 2 - SlAb hunter And MAydAyz - 2 MASSiVe dAyS At teAhupo’o / thurSdAy 26th AuguSt 2010 7:30pM** / ticketS $12.50* Surf MuSic #2 / king tide + Mojo blueSMen fridAy 27th AuguSt 2010 / 7:45pM* / ticketS $17.50* All tickets available online at www.glasshouse.org.au, by phone on 02 6581 8888 or at the glasshouse box office – cnr clarence and hay Streets, port Macquarie. *All ticket prices include booking fee / **glasshouse doors and bar open each night 1 hour prior to scheduled start time

www.australiansurffestival.com

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Johnny MacKay from Children Collide speaks to Kirsty Visman about endoscopies, touring and the ‘sonic diary’ that is their new record, Theory of Everything.

two people can share where it becomes almost like a secret club. The idea behind the title and tarot artwork is really just to show that you can form your own opinion and that meaning is really open for interpretation.

When going in to record Theory of Everything, did you feel any pressure of expectation considering the success of The Long Now? I think other people might have, but I really don’t buy into that sort of thing. We wrote over 50 songs for this album so the only real difficulty was choosing which ones to have on the album.

I’m always surprised when we get a heap of radio coverage, so it’s not something we just expect.

The film clip for the first single, ‘Jellylegs’, was shot from inside your throat! Where did that idea come from and how was it to film?

Our ex-manager, Dan, is Doc Neeson from The Angels’ son. He was telling us about these videos he’d seen of his dad’s endoscopies and it sounded really gross and cool. We were in London and we got together with him and they basically put this optical fibre robot worm down my throat and filmed while I sang two takes of the song. It was really gross and I almost passed out, but I was pretty relieved they didn’t find any nodules or cancer or anything in my throat!

What was the inspiration for the themes in this new release, as it seems to have quite cosmic concepts?

I don’t really think there is an overarching theme.

Songs like ‘Jellylegs’ and ‘Loveless’ are really very personal, as I was writing them during my relationship breakdown. I find those really confronting because they are sort of a sonic diary of a really fucked up time for me.

‘Future Monks’ is a song I’m particularly proud of; it’s definitely my favourite song off the album. It’s about that metaphoric connection

Is the band looking forward to getting back on the road for the national tour in September?

Well, we haven’t really had much of a break yet.

We had the most hellish past four to five months of touring overseas and trying to get the recording done, which was really rough and stressful so I’m actually more looking

forward to relaxing for a month or so. The tour will be great though and we’re definitely keen to start playing the new songs.

Are there any highlights of the tour circuit for you or anywhere that you’re really looking forward to playing?

We love getting down to Hobart and playing at the Republic, so that’s exciting. Also, we’ve got a few days between our Byron gig and the next show down in Coffs, so it’ll be good to bum around there for a bit to break up the schedule.

You’re touring with Triple J Unearthed High winners, Howl. Do you think there is anything you can teach a new band about touring and the road?

It’s interesting watching new bands tour just because of how much partying they do. We started out that way as well, but we are a bit more selective now… I don’t think we can really teach a new band anything except maybe what not to do (laughs).

Children Collide play the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, Saturday September 11, and Club Coffs, Wednesday September 15. Theory of Everything is released August 27.

scissor sisters

Night moves Battling to find a creative direction after the monster success of their retro hit ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’’, the Scissor Sisters have gone back to what they do best — raw sexuality and dirty electroclash. Nick Milligan speaks with guitarist Del Marquis.

What are your most vivid memories of your tours to Australia?

Any time we play in a city there’s always a beach to go to, so I always pack my Speedo. I remember playing Splendour In The Grass at Byron Bay. It’s just really good vibes. Every time we play there, any audience is a really good energy.

Whose buttocks are those on the cover of your new record?

It’s actually a dancer, Peter Reid, who was the subject of that photo by Robert Mapplethorpe.

I think it’s from 1982. It’s not a band member.

Did the band have clear ideas on how you wanted Night Work to sound?

No, which is why it took so long. In the making of Night Work, yes. But that took a while to come together. We were just writing for the first couple of years without a very sure concept of what we wanted it to sound like. Which is why we started over again.

Which song was the turning point?

We were writing these songs that were a little proto-Talking Heads. There were themes of science fiction — things you wouldn’t associate, rightfully so, with Scissor Sisters. We did two shows just to work out some of the material to a home town crowd and I just remember looking over at Jake and thinking, ‘This is like us putting on a hat. It doesn’t seem like he’s singing from the heart or the mind. This is some sort of guise.’ And [Jake] didn’t feel like it was truthful, so we started over and decided to make a dirty, sleazy record — which makes a lot more sense.

How is the new material fitting alongside the older material on stage?

We’re really lucky because at this point, with three albums, we can put together a really great set. Because we love the (new) album so much, we’ve been playing the entire album some nights. It was a great validation, because even with people not hearing the album, they were really intently listening to the new material — looking for the hook or waiting for the second chorus to come around to come in on the lyric. Now that it’s out, you see a really

great rolling effect. I don’t think a lot of bands do that. If they have an album out they usually play it a bit safer and maybe play five new songs, out of fear of losing an audience.

But we’re just so confident that we play the whole album.

Is there a particular song on the record that you find the most fun to perform?

I would probably say ‘Skin Tight’, which came together the easiest in rehearsals. It took one run through and it sounded really effortless.

When that happens it makes you really happy — there’s nothing worse than labouring to make a song come to the live version. Some of what we do is studio production, we don’t try to recreate it essentially. Sometimes our live versions of songs are different from the studio recording.

Does making albums get easier or more difficult the further you get into your career?

They’re equally difficult, but usually none are as easy as the first album. I think its been said by many different people that you have your whole life to write the first album — and it is in this beautiful vacuum. Then every album after that you start thinking if it’s a reaction to the first album. If its been a success or a critical failure. You’re never in the beautiful vacuum anymore. There’s all these sorts of weird influences. This album was a difficult process to get started, but once it got started it was really easy.

What would you have thought of Night Work had someone played it to you when Scissor Sisters were first forming and said, ‘This is what your third record will sound like’?

I think it would have made sense. I’ve heard a couple of people say that this is the album that they wanted us to make — what they thought our second album would be. It seems like a very natural evolution for us. It’s not too far off the mark. It’s just a quantum leap toward perfecting where we originally started from.

Do you think this album has a more futuristic sound than your previous two records?

I think the songwriting is always very classic.

“ … We started over and decided to make a dirty, sleazy record — which makes a lot more sense.”

The format, the arrangement, the melody. It could be produced in a number of styles. What sets it apart is some of the choices we make in production, and obviously with Stuart Price (producer) on board it has a thoroughly modern sound.

Sir Ian McKellan performs a monologue on the record’s closing track — how did that happen?

He’s been a fan of a band and we’ve met him on different occasions. When that track was being written, [that part of the song] was just a breakdown. It called for some grand oration.

There are only a few voices alive that could fill that spot — like Patrick Stewart, Ben Kingsley or Ian McKellan. We had access to Ian McKellan’s number — he is the wizard. That’s a highlight of this set — that breakdown. Depending on what stage we’re on, we have different production, but there’s a really great moment where we all have our backs to the audience. If we have our video screens, there’s this amazing visual that goes along with that oration and it’s kind of hypnotic.

It’s one of my favourite moments in the set.

Were the songs on the album written closely together?

Yeah, for Night Work. I think the concept started with Jake saying, ‘I want to make a dirty sleazy, electro record.’ Then everything fell into place. With Stuart (Price) on board, it was like the engine that could. Him saying, ‘I believe in you, you’re going to make a great record. We’re going to finish this within the year.’ Sometimes it just takes someone outside looking in saying that we can do this and it’s going to be amazing — their belief in you. I don’t think we’d seen anyone around us stepping in and pushing us in the same way. His enthusiasm was contagious.

Night Work is out now through Universal. r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

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gig guide

Sunday, August 1

Sunday, August 8

Wednesday, August 18

Monday, August 23

Coolangatta Hotel Fat Freddy’s Drop Lennox Point Hotel Sujitoko YAC, Byron Bay Samsara + Dropsaw

A + I Hall, Bangalow Darren Hanlon + Shelley Short Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Fyah Walk + DJ Captain Kaine LaLaLand, Byron Bay Graz + Captain Kaine + Disco Hookers Lennox Point Hotel Adrian Keys

YAC, Byron Bay Extortion + Iexist + Sxwzd

Southern Cross Uni The Deachlers + Roberto + Jenova Birth + A Little Province + Cupid’s Bullet

Monday, August 2 Southern Cross Uni Panther Attack Force + We Are Box + Zephyr + The Charlotte Marshall Band + East Of Anabor

Wednesday, August 4

Wednesday, August 11 Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Art Vs Science Neverland Bar, Coolangatta The Rocketsmiths

Thursday, August 12

Port Macquarie Panthers The McClymonts The Rails, Byron Bay Adrian Keys

Coolangatta Hotel Art Vs Science Port Macquarie Hotel Emergency Cheese + Funky Farmer + Jamie Boyd Tattersals Hotel, Lismore Helm + Electric Horse + Gust of Gravity

Friday, August 13 zennith

Thursday, August 5 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Celadore + Glass Towers Gollan Hotel, Lismore Birdbrain + Billy + The Arcane New Year Neverland Bar, Coolangatta Bloc Party DJ set Port Macquarie Hotel Dave Barrie + One Eyed King + Larimar Unibar, Lismore Zennith

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Krakatoa Bonny Hills Beach Hotel Martini Bros LaLaLand, Byron Bay Minx + Ryan Rushton + Daniel Webber Lennox Point Hotel Adam Hole and Marji Curran Band Neverland Bar, Coolangatta Tin Can Radio Nimbin Hotel Blind Lemon

Australian Hotel, Ballina T-Bone and Jones Bonny Hills Beach Hotel Ghost Road Coolangatta Hotel Dallas Frasca Lennox Point Hotel Mark Anthony The Brewery, Byron Bay Dog Trumpet

Saturday, August 7

Sunday, August 15

Australian Hotel, Ballina Adrian Keys Coolangatta Hotel Hungry Kids of Hungury + The Holidays + Artisan Guns Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina Painted Crows LaLaLand, Byron Bay Easy P + Ryan Rushton Laurieton Hotel Moonlight Drive Lennox Point Hotel Mal and the Longboarders Neverland Bar, Coolangatta The City Shake Up + Surecut Kids The Brewery, Byron Bay Paua The Rails, Byron Bay Zennith

Bayldon Community Centre, Coffs House Vs Hurricane + Heroes For Hire Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Blue Pearl +DJ Nowak + DJ Longtime LaLaLand, Byron Bay Captain Kaine + Disco Hookers Lennox Point Hotel Mama Lala The Brewery, Byron Bay Victoria Gaye

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Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Last + Moons Of Jupiter Gollan Hotel, Lismore The Shake Up Panthers, Port Macquarie Grinspoon + Snowdroppers + Electric Horse Port Macquarie Hotel Franklin Montague and Dr Sweetlove + Ya Aha + Seven Steady

Friday, August 20 A + I Hall, Bangalow Tinpan Orange Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Tijuana Cartel LaLaLand, Byron Bay Brat Pack w/- Beni Lennox Point Hotel Mick Hart Neverland Bar, Coolangatta Ballpark Music + Buick Six + The Medics Port Macquarie Panthers The Justice Crew SCU Lismore Diffuse - seminar and performance Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Paul Greene The Brewery, Byron Bay Lucky Wonders + Amy Vee Twin Towns Resort, Tweed Heads Afro Moses

Monday, August 16 Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Dead Letter Circus + Black Devil Yard Boss Southern Cross Uni The Matterhorns + Arcane New Year + Gang Of Five + Hybridize + This Time Only

Tuesday, August 24 Coolangatta Hotel Grinspoon + Snowdroppers + Electric Horse

Thursday, August 26 Ballina RSL The Big Gig w/- Jackie Leob + Sandi Gandhi Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Cat Empire Gollan Hotel, Lismore Mick Daley and the Thoughtful Hussars + Damien O’Dwyer + Captain Freedom Port Macquarie Hotel Josh Rawiri + Sam Buckingham + Chris Tejcek

Friday, August 27 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Sujitoko Coolangatta Hotel The Cat Empire LaLaLand, Byron Bay John Coarse + Ralvero + Ryan Rushton + Daniel Webber Lennox Point Hotel Ebb n Flo Neverland Bar, Coolangatta The Demon Parade Port Macquarie Hotel Josh Rawiri The Salt Bar, Kingscliff Bellhouse

Saturday, August 28

Saturday, August 14 Australian Hotel, Ballina The Kelly Gang Bangalow Hotel Bill Jacobi Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Dubmarine + The Upsteppers Lennox Point Hotel Fat Albert Neverland Bar, Coolangatta Kid Kenobi Port Macquarie Panthers Tommy Memphis The Brewery, Byron Bay Raz Bin Sam and Lion I + BeatDusta

Friday, August 6

Thursday, August 19

paul greene

Saturday, August 21 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The My Ty’s CEX, Coffs Harbour Creedence Clearwater Recycled HUB Music, Sawtell Afro Moses LaLaLand, Byron Bay Miles Junior + Daniel Webber Lennox Point Hotel Blind Lemon Neverland Bar, Coolangatta Malfunke + Wongo Yamba Bowling Club Yamba Comedy, Music and Arts Festival

Sunday, August 22 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Floyd Vincent + DJ Slinky Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Grinspoon + Snowdroppers + Electric Horse LaLaLand, Byron Bay Captain Kaine + Disco Hookers Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Afro Moses

Bangalow Hotel Dan Hannaford Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Percussion Junction Coolangatta Hotel Scary Kids Scaring Kids + Mission in Motion + We Are The Emergency LaLaLand, Byron Bay Miles Junior + Easy P Lennox Point Hotel Justin Carter Quality Resort Sails, Port Macquarie Vintage Amour The Brewery, Byron Bay Ebb n Flo

Sunday, August 29 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Tom Richardson Band + DJ Bentley Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay The Bedroom Philosopher + The Boat People Greenhouse Tavern, Coffs Harbour Rubix Cuba Lennox Point Hotel Josh Rawiri The Rails, Byron Bay Justin Carter

Monday, August 30 Southern Cross Uni Rose & Boys + Bats vs Snakes + The Blind Watchmakers + Headphone Symphony + The Kamikaze Thunderkats + Kathryn & the Hardie Boys

Mon 2

Heat 1 NatioNal Campus BaNd CompetitioN 5 Bands

wed 4

Comedy with Mandy Nolan in the Auditorium The Soap Box in the bar Both Start 7pm Free entry

nd

Panther Attack Force Zephyr The Charlotte Marshall Band We Are Box East of Anabor StartS 7pm Free entry

th

thu 5 fri 6th

Zennith + DJ Sammond DoorS open 8pm Free entry

Mon 16

Heat 2 NatioNal Campus BaNd CompetitioN 5 Bands

th

wed thu fri Mon

th

live musiC oN tHe deCk

Cheynne Murphey 5pm Free

The Matterhorns Gang of Five Hybridize Arcane New Year This Time Only StartS 7pm Free entry

18 19th 20th 23rd th

Cult Flicks and Cocktails Broadfoot plus DJ DoorS open 8pm Free entry Ned & the Poet’s Bed 5-7pm Free on the Deck Heat 3 NatioNal Campus BaNd CompetitioN 5 Bands

The Deachlers Roberto Jenova Birth A Little Province

Cupid’s Bullet StartS 7pm Free entry

wed 25 thu 26th fri 27th th

Pool, Ping Pong & Pizza StartS 7pm Free entry

Cath Simes Band $10

ticket entry only

oN tHe deCk

Melania Jack From 5pm

Free

Southern CroSS univerSity military road, lismore pHoNe 6626 9602 email uNiBar@sCu.edu.au WeB sCu.edu.au/uNiBaraNdCafe SCu unibar promotes responsible service of alcohol. Photo iD required.

r e v e rb maga z in e iss u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u st 2 0 1 0

33

f a s h i o n — p h o t o g r a p h y b y TIM BOEHM

Wanda two-piece nautical pin up swimsuit, $99.

Green Diamond Gidget vintage fabric swimmers, $85.

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f a s h i o n — p h o t o g r a p h y b y TIM BOEHM

Estelle one-piece, $159.

Red Gidget vintage fabric swimmers, $85.

Clothing by Miss Fancy Pants. Visit missfancypants.com.au.

Photography by Tim Boehm. Modelling by Maxine Stokes. Hair by Larissa Filewood.

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35

general motoring

“It’s right in the thick of

FuJi Fever

it with that bulgin’ bonnet hiding a large set of hairy cojones.”

It must have been difficult for archconservative car maker Lexus to even conceive of something like the IS-F let alone build it, but deep in the bowels of Lexus-land existed a “skunk works” of car-mad enthusiasts who drove the project that eventually became the IS-F hotrod. A bloke named Yukihiko Yaguchi led the team and thankfully, he steered them the right way using quality contacts throughout the auto industry to put the right stuff into his sport sedan with near super-car performance.

The IS-F is up against some real heavy hitters in the Benz C63 AMG and also the BMW M3 — both naturally aspirated V8s with more arse kickin’ potential that a small luxury sedan should have. Lexus needed to at least match them for grunt and handling as well as price their car sharpish. And the good news is they did it with the IS-F coming in at $129,000 — thousands under the Benz and Bimmer.

As well as beating them on price, the Lexus has more power and torque than the M3, and isn’t too far off the pace in power compared to the hairy-chested C63 Benz which has a bigger 6.2 litre engine. Better still is the fact that the IS-F can put away a 0 –100kph sprint in 4.8s or better.

We got hold of a gorgeous blue car for a few

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weeks and absolutely loved it. Everyone thinks M3 or C63 when they are talking about hi-po compact luxury sports sedans but they should add the IS-F especially since it scores a mechanical limited slip diff’ in the latest updated version.

The new diff’ has transformed the car, giving it more drive out of corners as well as allowing drivers to dial up fairly lurid tail-out oversteer if they want.

Other changes were made inside including an improved satnav with 3D screen and full iPod connectivity that hooks up to the car’s trip computer and displays song titles on-screen.

There are other changes, too, relating to luxury goodies and other stuff you’d love to have in your car.

As it stands, IS-F runs a 5.0-litre petrol V8 engine derived from the Lexus LS460 barge but with greater capacity and cylinder heads from Yamaha that include direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. The latter features electric adjustment on the intake and mechanical adjustment on the exhaust to optimise efficiency especially fuel economy. Drinking 95 or better, the IS-F can consume as little as 11.4 litres/100km but if you boot it up, that rises rapidly towards the 20 mark.

reviewed Lexus IS-F reviewed by Peter Douglas The engine is good for 311kW/505Nm output and is hooked up to an eight speed automatic transmission with what Lexus calls Direct Sports Shift. Essentially, this is a quick change auto with a lock-up torque converter on second through eighth cog. It has multi modes, including Sport, which will even blip the throttle on down changes.

Drive is to the rear wheels alone — as it should be. We were a bit worried about an eight-speed auto being too much, but in operation it’s a cracker, especially when you use the paddle shift. You can’t even tell it’s changing in normal driving conditions and when you hit it up, there is never a point when the wrong cog is engaged. Love it but wouldn’t like to fix it if the unthinkable happened. But given the quality components that have gone into the IS-F and the fact that it’s virtually hand built, that ain’t likely to happen.

Yaguchi-san went all out with the brakes

specifying large, six-piston Brembos up front and dual piston units down the back. He went for gas filled monotube dampers and Pirelli rubber on 19-inch BBS wheels. Go through the whole car and it’s the same… quality, quality, quality. Guess that’s what you expect when you pay $130K for a car.

Drive the IS-F and you can’t get enough, though some wussy types complained a bit about the firm ride, which can be jiggly on rough roads — that gets tiresome after a while.

But the upside is you can select Normal drive mode that backs off the steering, transmission, engine and suspension and it’s more comfy.

But hell, what do you have a car like this for?

To drive fast that’s what and we had a bit of that before the state government reintroduced stealth speed cameras operated by bounty hunters along some of our favourite roads.

The thing absolutely honks, ripping into corners and blasting out the other side with a chorus bellowing from the dual wide spaced exhausts. Those quad stacked tips are bullshit — aren’t even connected to a pipe but they look pretty cool eh?Acceleration between corners is so quick as to be frightening in some cases when you arrive way too hot. That’s where the

Brembos come into play, wiping off speed super fast despite having to contend with the car’s 1,700kg weight.

That firm suspension comes into its own in this type of driving as do the grippy Pirellis and the rock solid chassis. You can steer the IS-F on throttle if you’re good enough or game enough. It’s a hoot coming out of corners with the rears smokin’ up and the steering dialled in the opposite lock. But there’ll be none of that thank you very much, not in our nanny state of NSW where the ‘fun police’ rule. Drive the IS-F with horns retracted and it’s nearly as good but a smooth groove rather than a manic rush.

Love the sports seats, the silver “carbon fibre’’ fascia, the 14-speaker Mark Levinson audio, the keyless button start, the adaptive bi-xenons.

Is it as good as the M3 and C63?

In most areas, yes. Not quite as finely honed as the M3 for handling, not quite as bolshy as the Benz in performance terms — but the Sexy Lexy [what else can you call it] is right in the thick of it, with that bulgin’ bonnet hiding a large set of hairy cojones.

We love the styling and the soundtrack and you don’t have to fork out quite as much to join the super sports sedan clan. Bargain.

akmal saleh

The Class Clown’s Assistant Some say it’s one of the hardest jobs on earth, to stand before an audience who have paid top dollar to leave satisfied and in hysterics. Sean Frazer chats to Akmal Saleh about the highs and lows, the do’s and don’ts, and the life of one of Australia’s most respected comedians.

In the beginning what was it that made you decide to be a comedian?

Probably the fact that I failed at everything else.

When I left school I tried a lot of different jobs and I wasn’t good at any of them. Sometimes I would stay in a job for only a few hours. I was always obsessive about comedy, I loved going to comedy nights that were on and eventually I think it found me. After watching shows like Monty Python, The Comedy Store and The Goons I thought to myself, “I could have a go at that!”

When were you first discovered for your ability to make people laugh?

Probably from a young age. I always appreciated watching other people make crowds of people laugh, I was always aware of it. I was a quiet kid at school. People ask me, “Were you the class clown?” and I always say, “No, I was actually fairly quiet at school. I was the class clown’s assistant.” I grew up with a lot of laughter, my family are quite funny. Most of my family are funnier than me!

go touring with a group of male strippers from Canada. Night after night I would perform to a room full of women that weren’t interested in me what-so-ever. A short guy with curly hair, telling jokes, no one knew who I was. I was the exact opposite of what they wanted to see.

How frightened were you during your first few performances?

It’s terrifying. At first you have no idea if you can actually do it or not. When I first began I would get up in the morning on the day of the show and be nervous all day, I always had this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. When I look back on it I wonder why I was ever like that because in reality if you have a bad night, it’s not the end of the world.

Do you ever try your routine out on friends or family before you take it to a packed audience?

I’ve learnt not to try it on friends because if it doesn’t work you lose faith in it, as well as confidence. You’ve always got to remind yourself that it is a different setting and environment when you’re performing in front of people who have come to see comedy.

At first you decided you would perform under a different name, ‘Peter Saleh’. What was the reason behind this?

When I first started at The Comedy Store in Sydney it was quite a rough place — you had to be loud and you had to be aggressive. Rodney Rude would do shows there and on the poster for his shows it would say, “Come and heckle your favourite comedian”. I thought that if I was going to go on with an ethnic name it’s going to make it harder for me so I thought I’d just have a stage name, Peter Saleh. I soon realised that there were more comedians named Peter at the time than any other name, so I kept my original name for shows.

Who were the comedians that you idolised when you were younger?

I loved Richard Pryor, I love guys that just let everything hang out. Richard Prior had a lot of soul and was very transparent, it almost felt like it wasn’t an act because there was so much truth to his performances. I also love Steven Wright, who is at the other end of the spectrum, there is no spontaneity, it’s all rehearsed and very well written — it comes from a surreal place — he is equally as brilliant.

Every comedian has their own disaster story.

Would you care to share yours?

I’ve had so many in my career that I was considering writing a book about it called ‘Live… after Death’ [laughs]. Those moments are only funny in retrospect. I think one of the worst times for me was when I was 22, I had just started as a comedian and I got offered to

Has there been incidents where someone has taken a joke the wrong way?

Yeah, it is inevitable. The nature of what you do [as a comedian] is belittling, trivialising and making fun of things. I actually upset the president of Egypt once, so I’m very proud about that. I was working for my uncle who was the vice president of the Australian Arabic Doctors Association, a lot of wealthy people would show up each year to this show they had on the 6th of October which is Egypt’s independence day. I thought it would be really funny if I started saying things about the President… little did I know the ambassador of Egypt was there and everyone began booing me and telling me to get off the stage.

In the end, 50 per cent of the people left the venue in protest.

Akmal will be performing at the following venues. Wests Leagues Club, Wednesday August 11; Gosford RSL, Thursday August 12; Doyalson RSL, Newcastle, Wednesday August 25; Belmont 16 Footers, Saturday August 28; Maitland RSL, Wednesday September 1; Cessnock Supporter’s RSL, Thursday September 2.

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ta l k i n g s h o p — t h e t ri ffi ds

Profiling music industry professionals

Talking shop

Simply Red. Which was great, but I’ve been doing it for twenty-odd years and its time for me to move in another direction. Some people might think it’s mad, and it’s crazy of me to do it, and it is quite brave, in a way, to do it, but I don’t expect it to be as commercially successful. But I can set it up in a way where the costs are so low and the team is so tight and lean that we can actually make money to go on to make another record; and that’s what I plan to do.

Does this collection of Greatest Hits songs and this farewell tour give you a sense of achievement?

I wanna try and leave a legacy of strong melody and lyrics that mean something to somebody.

They can hear it and it actually affects them in their lives or makes them think about what they’re doing in their lives and strikes a chord with them in that way. I just hope that that will be the case and people will come back to these songs in years to come, and it will still get somebody in the right way and go ‘That’s how I feel about my kids’ or ‘That’s how I feel about my relationship right now’. That’s what I really try and achieve.

With large international record labels dominating the charts, it is refreshing when a smaller interloper crashes the party. Reverb puts the tough questions to Resist Records boss, Graham Nixon.

Name Graham Nixon Who do you work for?

Resist Records Current position title?

Manager, owner How long have you been in this position?

12 years.

What are the main responsibilities of your position?

General running of the business.

How did you get involved in the music industry?

I was a friend and fan of Sydney band Toe To Toe and Scott [McFadyen, singer] originally opened Resist in 1996, which was then a music and skate store. Toe To Toe was getting busier and required him to tour a lot, so he needed a store manager. A few years later we introduced the label, and, before I knew it, I was involved in the music industry!

Proudest moment?

2010 saw Resist release its 100th release with Parkway Drive’s new album, Deep Blue. This charted at #2, so that’s pretty cool.

Is there anyone you would really like to meet (living or dead)?

Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi singer) is one person who I am yet to meet. It would be pretty cool to sit down and chat with him.

Best live show you’ve been to?

Any show on the Gorilla Biscuits’ Australian tour or Avail at The Knitting Factory in New York.

Favourite venue?

Annandale Hotel — great room and staff.

Free plug — who should we be listening to?

Any band on the Resist label!

What would be on your ultimate rider?

An icy cold can of coke, Snakes Alive lollies, dairy milk chocolate, salt & vinegar pringles.

Best way to spend a Sunday morning?

Reading the papers then watching some rugby league that afternoon — preferably watching South Sydney beat who ever it is they play.

Any advice for people trying to break into the industry?

If you have the right attitude and are good at what you’re doing, people will notice and you will be able to move up to the next level.

38 r e v e r b m a g a z i n e i s s u e # 0 4 9 — a u g u s t 2 0 1 0

The Simple Life With the release of their Greatest Hits records and a farewell tour, it seems that British soul group Simply Red are at an end. In their 25-year career the band, led by singer Mick Hucknall, have sold over 50 million records and have been the soundtrack to many romantic moments. But as Hucknall tells Reverb, the band aren’t going anywhere — they’re just learning a few new tricks.

So, why are you bringing Simply Red to an end with this tour?

It’s actually a stylistic change that I’m going for, because I can’t make new music under the auspices of Simply Red because of our back catalogue. You know, I can only really sing for an hour and fifty minutes, just under two hours, before my voice starts getting raw. And if I go out under the name Simply Red, I have to play all the hits. So it’s very hard for me, if I want to continue being creative, to put the new material in, because people just go — ‘We want the hits’. And so, they all bugger off to the bar when there’s new songs, like they do and I still think that I have a lot to give creatively and I don’t want to just sit back on my laurels and I’m restricted, ironically, by the success of Simply Red. And that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to work with the same musicians. But if I go out

under my name, I’m not obliged to play the Simply Red songs. That’s what it’s about. I’m ceasing to perform the Simply Red catalogue of songs in their entirety, in that way. Whether I decide to do of them within a whole set in 2012 is my business; but it just won’t be the same in that way. Those boys are going nowhere, but we’re just gonna start working on new material ‘cause the Tribute to Bobby album [Hucknall’s solo record], I think gives people a rough idea of where the direction of music’s going. I wanna a rawer sound. I’m looking for that great rock ‘n roll backbeat there used to be in the late 50s.

This thing where I want people to get up and get drunk, or to listen to music with a bottle of beer in their hand with a big smile on their face and lose the soft soul romantic smoochy smooth thing that I’ve done for so long with

Let’s look back at almost a quarter of a century of Simply Red hits — where would you like to start?

I’ve always likened the music to diaries. So let me begin the beguine because starting out with ‘Money’s Too Tight [To Mention]’ at the beginning of my career, no one really knew or even I knew what kind of impact I would have as a songwriter. It was a cover, and the Valentine Brothers that I used to DJ their version, never had a major hit with it. I think it just scraped the Top 40. And we thought this was a great song, and it had particular relevance to the era because it was very much like the Regan–Thatcher -era and the same political and financial ideas; drip-down economics — that whole thing they shared together. So it was as relevant to a Brit as it was to an American really, those lyrics.

Especially as I had just come from living in Moss Side in Manchester for four years, I’d been unemployed for four years, and I was at the bottom of the pack really. And then all of a sudden we had this hit record, and it happened very, very quickly. And I blinked and I was standing on stage in Los Angeles at the Grammy awards.

It all just seemed so quick and it was really hard for a northern, working class boy to come to terms with such a dramatic change in one’s life.

I think it took me about ten years to get used to it.

What did it mean to you to top the American chart?

You’d think, well, if you’re number one in America, you’re on top of the world. And that’s it, you know. I don’t feel that way now but I did then.

It’s like, I feel like Jimmy Cagney — ‘I’m on top of the world, Ma’, you know, it just was magnificent, you know. I’d say at that stage if I was gonna be asked it was probably the biggest thrill of my career that, to achieve that.

Especially because we have done it twice, I’ve joined a very small club of British artists that have had that level of success in America. America meant a lot to me, especially afro-America.

People like Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Barry White and a whole host of jazz musicians. It means a huge amount to me to have success in black America than it does anywhere else; because that’s my predominant musical influence. To work with people like Lemont Dosia, and meet Al Green, and Stevie Wonder and all these people was an incredible thrill you know, really.

Simply Red play Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley, on October 2.

gamer’s corner

DON’T FORGET YOUR TOWEL You’d be hard pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about Super Mario Galaxy. With its stunning visuals, inspired puzzle mechanics and full orchestral score, it was, quite simply, the game that Nintendo had waited its entire career to produce. If Super Mario 64 was 3D platforming’s courageous overture, Galaxy was surely its thundering climax — the culmination of Mario’s twenty-five year history and the evolutionary pinnacle of the genre. On its release, Nintendo fans across the world fell to their knees and wept in ecstatic agony.

Once they had recovered from such an inappropriate display, however, they posed the inevitable question: what next? In terms of gameplay and presentation, Mario’s epic journey across the cosmos had ticked every box — what concept could possibly surpass it? For Nintendo, the answer lay in the question.

FLY ME TO THE MOON [AGAIN]

The Mushroom Kingdom is celebrating its centennial Star Festival, during which a comet passes across the sky and sends Star Bits and cuddly Lumas raining down on the populace.

Peach has invited Mario to her castle with the promise of cake [a euphemism she’s clearly growing fond of], but by the time he arrives, Bowser’s already on the scene for another routine kidnapping. He crashes to earth, gloats about the fact he’s now sixty feet tall, puts the princess in a bubble and flies away using his magic dinosaur powers.

Sound familiar? That’s because, with a few minor variations, it’s pretty much the same plot as the original Galaxy. This could so easily have been a matter of laziness, but it’s not;

reviewed Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) reviewed by Hugh Milligan rated 10/10

everything from the picture-book visual style to Bowser’s frivolous boasting is crafted with a deliberate sense of whimsy that satirises previous Mario games. Granted, there’s less grandeur this time around [we’ve been here before, after all] but it’s still beautifully presented. The developers aren’t fools — they know their fans don’t really give a damn about plot continuity, and the introduction is simply a necessary contrivance to send Mario back into orbit. That’s where the sequel really lays its cards on the table.

THE PLANETS ALIGNED

Once Mario has collected his first Power Star, he’s welcomed aboard the Starship Mario — a spacecraft moulded, oddly enough, into the shape of his own head. It’s a far humbler means of transport than the enormously elaborate Comet Observatory, and brings with it a simpler and more streamlined level structure.

The game’s galaxies are no longer dispersed erratically across a collection of “domes”, but are instead mapped out in a linear fashion across a series of Worlds, as in previous titles such as Super Mario Bros. 3. This system not only offers a quaint nostalgic touch, but avoids a lot of needless confusion and back-and-forth travel — it’s far easier to see which galaxies are available to you, and to jump quickly from one to the next. The hub, like the storyline, is now as straightforward as possible so that the gameplay can maintain a more consistent pace.

While Nintendo has trimmed the fat in some areas, this is still a far meatier title than its predecessor. Galaxy 2 includes 49 new galaxies [as opposed to the original’s 42], with

an unprecedented 242 stars in total to collect.

None of the original game’s power-ups have been lost — the Bee, Boo and Spring Suits all make their return, for example — while several more have been added. The Cloud Suit allows Mario to create aerial platforms, the Rock Suit transforms him into a boulder to ram enemies, and there’s even a hand-held drill with which he can bore through entire planetoids. None of these ever feel gimmicky or tacked-on, as each galaxy has been moulded specifically to showcase a particular aspect of their use. The most significant addition is Yoshi, who makes his first 3D platforming appearance since Super Mario Sunshine. He’s brilliantly implemented; the Wiimote’s IR sensor is used to direct his tongue independently from his body, making him fluid and fun to control as he swings from platforms and swallows enemies.

The galaxies themselves run the gamut from fancifully nostalgic to certifiably insane; the outer space setting provides a limitless canvas for creative puzzle design, and Nintendo is clearly becoming a much bolder artist. One of my particular favourites is Beat Block Galaxy, in which coloured platforms flip and change in time to the music — your Wiimote will actually tick like a metronome, allowing you to time your jumps accordingly. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mario game if it didn’t contain references to every other Mario game before it, and a number of galaxies are designed to recreate memorable moments from past titles.

The Throwback Galaxy, for example, is a perfect replica of Whomp’s Fortress from Super Mario 64, while the Boss Blitz Galaxy pits you against a gauntlet of five bosses from the original Galaxy.

“ This is, without a doubt, Nintendo’s magnum opus.”

A DIAMOND IN THE SKY

In terms of presentation, Nintendo has adorned Galaxy 2 with all the trappings of the original.

The amount of visual polish that the game manages to squeeze out of the Wii’s hardware is nothing short of miraculous; every level is infused with colour and charm, and the water and lighting effects are among the most advanced ever produced on the console. Even more impressive is the framerate, which runs at a constant 60FPS — Mario dashes and leaps from planet to planet with flawless movements that are a joy to watch. Mahito Yokota returns as composer, and the game is once again accompanied by a captivating orchestral score.

Even the camera is noticeably more intuitive, which is a godsend when you’re constantly moving from floor to wall to ceiling.

It’s unusual for me to gush so unabashedly in a review, and even more unusual for me to give a perfect score — I certainly don’t do it lightly.

The truth is, even the most critical eye will find no real fault in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Nintendo set itself an Everest to climb three years ago; perhaps it’s a little too soon to expect another quantum leap in platforming, and that’s not at all what the sequel sets out to do. Instead, it galvanises all the best elements of its predecessor and builds upon them with a wealth of new content. It refines, polishes, tweaks and tightens every little detail to sheer perfection, with improved play mechanics, nostalgic touches, old-school puzzle mechanics and mind-bending level design. This is, without a doubt, Nintendo’s magnum opus, the ultimate incarnation of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises, and an absolute must-own for the Wii.

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Live reviews Tijuana

cartel

Grizzly Bear

Thirsty Merc

28 Days

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Friday, July 9

Enmore Theatre, Sydney Saturday, July 24

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Friday, July 2

Coolangatta Hotel Saturday, June 26

Grizzly Bear ©Sean Roche

Tijuana Cartel ©Linda Wales

Decked out in his customary chequered shirt and golfing flat cap, the ever fashionable Nick Saxon entertained the crowd at the Cambridge with his easy-going acoustic folk, funk and roots.

Back on home ground and despite technical difficulties, charismatic Saxon was in his element performing songs off the new album, Hide and Seek. The sheer number of people that turned up to witness his set on a cold winter night proves that Newcastle has missed him and that he is an artist to watch out for.

The evening turned out to be a family affair with DJ Matt Saxon mixing alongside DJ Surian to increase the tempo and set the scene for a fiery Latin experience.

As the mercury outside continued to fall, the atmosphere inside heated and Gold Coast artists Tijuana Cartel took the stage and whipped the crowd into a salsa storm. With piercing blue eyes lead singer Paul George had the female audience members enthralled, whilst the males were more impressed with the blur of his fingers upon the guitar strings. Solid riffs, strong percussion and blasting trumpet had the audience mesmerised as the rhythm took over and hips began to move and bodies started to shake. Displaying a blend of styles from all corners of the globe, their set combined flamenco guitar with distinct electronic beats, Afro Cuban influences and Middle Eastern undertones, ensuring that the diverse crowd demographic was catered to.

Overall a fantastic night which showcased some incredible musicians. ~Mel Woodward

Two visits to our fair country in such a short time, New York based band Grizzly Bear brought the harmonies back to Sydney this time as a Splendour sideshow. Having missed their first visit, your humble reviewer was rather stoked to get a ticket last minute.

Support acts, Melbourne’s Kid Sam played a short but sweet set, followed by a lack lustre performance by folksy US band Here We Go Magic who seemed ill suited for the support.

What a fragrant and aesthetically pleasing crowd Grizzly Bear drew, the band themselves certainly no victims of the ugly stick, as some fellow patrons standing nearby voiced loudly.

The Enmore Theatre was the ideal setting for Grizzly Bear, their four-part harmonies complimented by the intimate auditorium.

The headliners did not disappoint. Hitting the mark every time on a number of songs from their latest release Veckatimest, they opened with the epic ‘Southern Point’ and launched into a rousing rendition of ‘Cheerleader’ before jet lag seemed to catch up with them.

In particular bassist Chris Taylor, whose voice failed during backing vocals in ‘Two Weeks’.

Their showmanship shone through with Taylor instead encouraging the audience to participate.

Like a fine wine I wanted to sip and savour the music on the night, but I ended up quaffing and drunk on the harmonies as they punctuated the set with ‘While You Wait For The Others’. There are many terms used to describe Grizzly Bear’s music. Psyche-folk, Neo-psychedelia, Lo-fi, Freak-folk, but I think Grizzly Bear is a vintage best experienced live. ~Amy Barnwell

Bill Bailey

Thirsty Merc ©Timmy Johnston

Thirsty Merc have been absent from our stages for the last couple of years, but from the moment that they set foot inside the Cambridge Hotel, you could be forgiven for thinking that little time has passed at all. They are greeted like old friends and the band welcome their fans in kind, launching into ‘In The Summertime’ with the invigorating and infectious energy that has become their trademark.

They have matured as songwriters, but the cheeky spirit is still firmly in place. Every song they performed tonight is familiar, if not instantly likeable. Some older tracks are updated but others like ‘Undivided Love’ and ‘Someday Someday’ are played faithfully. The title track from their new album, ‘Mousetrap Heart’, would sound just as home on Bourbon Street as it did in the back bar of the Cambridge — their time spent in the US has given their music a much bolder flavour. For a band that used to describe their sound as ‘rock Sinatra’, it could now be fair to update that to ‘rock Connick Jr’.

The men are in fine form and clearly enjoying themselves – front man Rai, in particular, is so animated that he breaks his mic in a rousing chorus of ‘She’s My Brother’ and throws himself at his keyboard with almost maniacal zeal. The inarguable highlight of the show is ‘DNA’, a track from the new album which they hadn’t performed before but that they wanted to try tonight as the energy in the room was so high.

They invited fans to join them on stage and dance, but although none of them did, support act The Okamotos, from Japan, leap up with shakers and tambourines. Not one single body stands still in the room for the next seven minutes. They end the show with a question: “What we want to know is, have you had a good night?” We have, and it is clear that the feeling was more than mutual. ~Kirri Liepins

28 days ©Madeline Smith

Where were you on Saturday, June 26? Well, if you weren’t at The Coolangatta Hotel for 28 Days, you missed out on one hell of a show!

After releasing a demo song on their MySpace page, the first new song in years, and supporting Bodyjar on their farewell tour of Australia, 28 Days were back in full force headlining their own shows and shocking audiences with their no-holding-back attitude.

28 Days kicked off with a few obscene words and gestures before Adrian Griffin struck the bass drum to start the show, causing the crowd to throw themselves into the barrier, much to the dismay of the security guards. After many promises of a new album in progress, 28 Days gave us a sneak peak of an unnamed song, as well as spanning the popular releases from their back catalogue like ‘What’s The Deal’ and ‘Say What’ which have remained forever favourite songs of the veteran fans who sang along to every word.

The night went on in full swing which exhibited Jay Dunne’s [vocals] amusing drunken behaviour, proving that the band had not lost their on-stage larrikinism and antics. But the real treat was saved for the mighty encore which had the audience and band alike in fits of laughter. Josh Stuart and Aaron Schultz of Behind Crimson Eyes invited themselves on stage dressed in a Marilyn Monroe outfit and a ‘sexy’ bunny suit. The entire crew and band members danced on stage and joined in with the vocals for two full songs before retiring for the night, leaving fans still screaming for more.

During the show, Dunne repeatedly announced that 28 Days would return with a new album and a new line-up of shows that are not to be missed. I will certainly be there! ~Madeline Smith

Civic Theatre, Newcastle Thursday, July 1

The Boat People While he had skipped Newcastle on his previous tours, demand for one of the world’s best comedians was too great for Bill Bailey to not come to town in 2010. But while this was a highly anticipated performance, few could anticipate how it would begin.

With a microphone backstage, Bailey’s recognisable voice introduced himself. Then, leaping out from behind banks of amplifiers and lighting, the British comic had a sudden asthma attack. Pausing with embarrassment, he ran back off stage, leaving the audience to not only wonder where he went, but why he went. After a few minutes, the relieved comedian returned with his puffer and apologised for the bizarre start to the show.

But the audience didn’t mind — it was just a treat to spend an evening with an entertainer who fills Wembley Arena when he performs

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in England.

As one expects from Bailey, his patter and routine shifted from intellectual to the absurd — and there wasn’t a dull moment.

One routine about barnacles, which resulted in an ad-libbed joke involving the interro­ gation of a barnacle, brought the house down.

Bailey, with the help of a projector slideshow, also took the crowd through artistic depictions of Thomas the Apostle touching Jesus’ wound. It’s a biblical moment that has been painted throughout history by dozens of artists and Bailey found the humour in it.

With musical tributes to Gary Numan and a performance of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallejulah’ in the style of Kraftwerk, this was an unfor­ gettable night delivered by one of the towering talents of the world’s comic stage. ~Nick Milligan

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Sunday, July 25 Adorning the stage with white sneakers; the mic, the keyboard, the drum kit, you name it, there were white sneakers hanging from it at The Northern, on Sunday night. The Boat People have a new gimmick, if nothing else, the sneakers feature on the cover of their latest album, Dear Darkly, and why not highlight the album on the night of its launch.

The Brisbane four-piece, tight from start to finish, opened with their latest indie-groove, ‘Under The Ocean’. Lead vocals were shared

by James O’Brien [bass] and Robin Waters [guitar, keys and anything else he could get his hands on], while Charles Dugan led on guitar and Tony Garrett tapped it out on drums.

For a quiet night in Byron, the guys didn’t let it effect the show, with the poppy beats of

The Boat People ©Celia Galpin

‘Echo Stick Guitars’ bringing the crowd to the floor. The cheerful atmosphere shone as members of support bands The Medics and Skinny Jean, jumped on stage, grabbing tambourines and cow-bells to join the spontaneous, and somewhat out-of-time, clap-a-long from the crowd for the hit, ‘Born In The 80s’. ~Cassandra Tobin

live reviews

reverb’s fourth birthday party Featuring Alberta Cross Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Sunday, July 25

This publication is celebrating its fourth birthday in style on a cold night in Newcastle. It’s an evening of reflection and high emotion, to be crowned with an appearance by one of the world’s most impressive new bands, Alberta Cross.

The party is launched with inimitable style by anthemic rock band The Nickson Wing. With barn-storming choruses and undeniable flair, the four-piece show-off their swag of radio-friendly numbers — an even blend of rock edge and Brit-pop inspired hooks. An undeniably talented outfit. Singer Drew Daniels often busts out some face-melting guitar work, with his fellow members not allowing him to hog the spotlight for too long.

An all-round class act.

Cabins have a ghostly, swampy sound that is best experienced live. Playing songs from their debut record, Bright Victory, the four-piece create a brooding energy with singer Leroy Bressington’s deep, husky voice aiding the atmosphere of tracks like ‘Catcher

In The Rye’. Their rhythmic dirges are charged with creepy, impending doom.

The Vasco Era rarely give a bad performance — the looser they get, the better they sound.

Singer Sid O’Neil wanders on stage by himself, warming up the crowd with a quiet ballad, before his two band mates appear and the

frivolity begins. Vasco Era are raw and shambolic, whipping up a whirlwind of unbridled blues swagger. They even throw in a little of ‘Jack The Ripper’ [The White Stripes’ version of the often-covered 1963 song by Screaming Lord Sutch], before blasting into ‘Honey Bee’ and the very awesome ‘When You Went’, complete with percussion jam.

After Vasco Era depart and the dust settles, it’s time for the headline act — Alberta Cross.

To put it simply, the ensuing performance is one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen in my entire life. Words don’t do it a great deal of justice, but it is musical ecstasy. Opening with the slow-burning rock of ‘Song Three Blues’, the Brooklyn-based five-piece deliver a show that will go down as one of the most epic ever staged at the Cambridge Hotel. Powerful, enveloping and soulful, Alberta Cross’ live sound immediately tells you that you’re in the presence of a world-class band that are on the

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brink of very big things. They play the majority of their debut record Broken Side Of Time — the title track, ‘Leave Of Forgive Us’, ‘Taking Control’, and ‘The Ghost Of City Life’ are all given the full-blooded live treatment. ‘Thief & The Heartbreaker’ has the audience singing at the top of their lungs. There’s older songs like ‘Lucy Rider’, and for ‘Rise From The Shadows’, singer Petter Ericson Stakee puts down his guitar and dances around the stage, tambourine in hand. Live, his voice is no less piercing of chillinducing. The crowd screams for an encore and they oblige, returning for a haunting version of John Lennon’s ‘Steel & Grass’. Wow. As a unit, Alberta Cross have the sound of a stadium band. Seeing them at a venue as intimate as the Cambridge is certainly a oncein-a-lifetime experience, and one that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. But hey, maybe they’ll come back and play Reverb’s fifth birthday ~Nick Milligan

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film & DVD reviews

Dream movie With Inception, Christopher Nolan takes time out from the Batman franchise to deliver a wildly imaginative sci-fi thriller that is epic in scale and gets deep inside the heads of its audience.

Cobb [Leonardo DiCaprio] is a corporate spy of sorts who, along with his team, enters the dreams of their targets as a way of extracting valuable information. However, their latest employer Mr Saito [Ken Watanabe] wants them to do more than this on the next assignment.

He sets them the challenge to plant an idea into the head of Fischer [Cillian Murphy], the heir of a rival corporation, so that he changes the way that he does business. So, a team of the very best is assembled, including newcomer to the trade Ariadne [Ellen Page] as the architect who designs the mindscapes in which the target will inhabit.

Dealing in the subconscious is not without its pitfalls though, especially when your target

reviewed Inception reviewed by Mark Snelson rated 5/5 has had subconscious defence training. Plus, for Cobb there are dark secrets being unravelled involving his dead wife that threaten the success of the mission.

Inception is stunning to look at both in the cinematography from Wally Pfister and the mind blowing special effects. It is also superbly acted, with DiCaprio utterly convincing in his role, allowing the audience to suspend any disbelief and go along with him for the ride. There are also strong supports from the rest of the cast, especially from Ellen Page and Joseph Gorden Levitt. Nolan has come up with a dazzling piece of sci-fi with Inception, the likes of which have not been seen before. This is the first must see movie of 2010.

In their clutches Over the course of nine studio albums, Clutch have trawled musical styles ranging from heavy metal, hardcore punk to stoner rock, while consistently releasing albums with a distinct and cohesive sound. The legion of fans that have built over their 20 year history will warmly welcome this double DVD release, and rightly so. The 19 song live set was recorded in December 2009 where they performed their 1995 self-titled release in its entirety, plus some juicy nuggets from their just released, Strange Cousins From the West.

Audio is top class, and visuals are perfect for the band - simple and unobtrusive, letting these four guys deliver gut-busting midtempo rock. It’s a joy to watch, and it only gets better when you slip the Fortune Tellers Make A Killing Nowadays doco in. It’s a near two hour trip as you travel with the band across the US during 2009, unloading vans, setting up and pulling down, meeting fans, 42

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reviewed Clutch: Live At The 9.30 reviewed by Kevin Bull rated 4.5/5 discussing their equipment - hearing Jean-Paul Gaster discuss his collection of drums - his explanation of why he has used his ‘68 Gretsch snare on the record as opposed to the stage 2007 Grestch, is muso heaven. Over the course of Fortune Tellers… , this band’s band appear to be absorbed by the music they make and spending time with their fans. It is real, unpretentious, and refreshing. To see a band that has been together for 20 years, still with their original members, and who are totally unaffected by the industry - it restores your faith in music.

Knight to forget reviewed Knight and Day reviewed by Mark Snelson rated 1/5 Knight and Day has all the ingredients for a top notch action flick, including A-grade Hollywood stars, exotic locations and a whopping big budget — but someone forgot to inject any substance into the screenplay.

Tom Cruise plays Roy Miller, a secret agent who has supposedly gone rogue whilst caretaking an item that is wanted by both the government and a Spanish arms dealer. After bumping into and subsequently flirting with June Havens [Cameron Diaz] at an airport,

they find themselves on the same flight.

Whilst June is visiting the bathroom Miller finds all on board are agents wgi set out to kill him. He takes them out and crash lands the plane in a field. Oddly, Haven is barely fazed by this and enters his dangerous world of international espionage.

This style of spy comedy was nailed in Mrs & Mrs Smith, but director James Mangold does not even come close with this offering. Pitt and Jolie smouldered in that movie whereas the chemistry between Cruise and Diaz in this is wooden. On the plus side, it is nicely shot and does have some impressive action sequences, but these aspects do not save it from the B-grade plot and the ‘comedy’, which is not very funny. Overall, Knight and Day does not know whether to be an all out action flick or a kooky comedy.

Empty space reviewed Pandorum reviewed by Hugh Milligan rated 2.5/5 Corporal Bower [Ben Foster] and Lieutenant Payton [Dennis Quaid] wake from suspended animation aboard the sleeper ship Elysium, with no memory of who they are or what their mission is. The ship’s electrical systems have been badly compromised, and there’s a horde of cannibalistic mutants on board killing whatever human survivors remain. To make matters worse, Bower and Payton both begin to present

symptoms of pandorum, a hyper-sleep induced psychological condition that causes paranoia, hallucinations and homicidal tendencies.

If this all sounds absolutely ridiculous, that’s because it is. Pandorum is the first Hollywood release from German filmmaker Christian Alvart, and it’s a decidedly prosaic and fright-less affair; there are far too many plot devices in play, all of them derivative and convoluted.

The mutant hunters look like uninspired orcish knock-offs, and the so-called pandorum is hilariously depicted as a sort of ‘instant madness’ that accompanies every shocking plot twist.

Though it’s crowned by a mildly unexpected ending, the storyline is ultimately a poorlyexecuted mess that no amount of deleted scenes can explain or redeem.

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abicus 10th birthday — darby st newcastle

Enchanted Eve, Port Macquarie

tonic — Beach House, Port Macquarie

Thirsty Merc — Cambridge Hotel, newcastle 44

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