Reverb Magazine - Issue 50

central coast|hunter|north coast #050 Sep ‘10

music, arts & culture monthly

ISSUES

3 OWNERS · 2 EDITORS · 112 PHOTOGRAPHERS · 213 WRITERS · 954 ALBUM REVIEWS 18 DESKTOP COMPUTERS · 5 SMARTPHONES · 2 TERRITORIAL EXPANSIONS · 1 EVICTION AND ALL FOR JUST 1 READER… YOU Also Inside: Tomorrow When The War Began + Soulfly + Cypress Hill + Bliss N Eso + John Butler Trio

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SATURDAY 18.09

KITCHEN SPECIALS – LUNCH & DINNER MON $8 PASTA TUES $8 BANGERS & MASH WED $8 CHICKEN SCHNITZEL THUR $8 300GM STEAK FRI $8 FISH & CHIPS

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No. 50

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

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

index

08.06

free monthly >> last thursday of the month #001 august ‘06 >> arts & entertainment news >> priceless

contents

News Bliss N Eso Fear Factory Soulfly Gig guide CD reviews Reverb 50 th issue feature Cypress Hill

11-12 16 18 18 20-21 22 23-26 28

North Coast Section John Butler Trio News The Bamboos Blue King Brown Gig guide

29 30 31 31 32

The HERD

Fashion 34-35 Motoring 36 Josh Thomas 37 Whole Lotta Love 37 Talking shop 38 Indent 38 Gaming 39 Stuart Beattie 40 Film review 40 Live reviews 41 Splendour & sideshow reviews 42-43

Tr am pl ed by th e S ta m pe de

editor’s letter Dear Reader, After being in the position of Reverb Magazine editor for over three years, the time has come for me to move on to other projects. It’s impossible to sum up this time in a brief editor’s letter, but I do need to stress how much I appreciate the overwhelming support that all of you have shown both me personally and this glorious publication.

I took over the role of Reverb editor with the confidence that I could turn it into a magazine that Newcastle, Maitland and the Central Coast was worthy of. I feel I have done this and Reverb’s ever-expanding readership certainly confirms this goal has been achieved.

I started a career in music journalism because it fed my insatiable love of music.

Eight years of interviews has garnered many amazing memories and anecdotes, many of which include meeting and chatting with some of my creative heroes. But I’d trade all of those memories just to keep all of the good times shared with my friends, who always support me — whether it be during a messy evening at the Cambridge or watching the sun come up from a roof in Darby Street.

I will continue on as a freelance music journalist, but it won’t be my main focus.

You’re likely to still see my work in Reverb from time to time. But, if everything goes according to plan, the next time you see my name will be in your local bookstore.

All the best, Nick Milligan

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Hilltop Hoods beer brawl

newcastle . maitland . cessno

frock up

Butterfly Effect

show stoppin’

alberta cross

ck . kurri kurri . port stephens

Sleight of Hand

+ arts + gig guide + fre e stuff + . lake macquarie . wyong . go

Credits

sford >> www.reverbsp.com

Contacts

Editor

Senior Writers

Writers

Photographers

Editorial

Nick Milligan

Peter Douglas Hugh Milligan Mark Snelson

Nick Bielby Stephen Bocking Kevin Bull Melissah Comber Scott Gilbert Rebecca Gallegos Ben Hosking Terrease McComb Harry Nichols Madeline Smith Cassandra Tobin Lee Tobin Marija Zeko

Nick Brightman Kevin Bull Troy Constable Mark McIntosh Madeline Smith Lilen Pautasso

kevin@reverbstreetpress.com.au or 0420 295 360

Sub-Editor Amanda Bevan

IT Manager Kieran Ferguson

North Coast Manager Stephen Bocking

Sales Stephen Bocking Kevin Bull Nick Milligan

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

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

Graphic Design Kevin Bull

Gig guide gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Production cam@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Postal address PO Box 843, Woy Woy NSW 2256

Proudly supported by triple j, The Drum Media and Faster Louder

NEW NEW YEARS YEARS 29TH 29TH DEC DEC -- 1ST 1ST JAN JAN

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Tickets are available through Oztix www.oztix.com.au Peats Ridge is an Over 18 event. Children and Youth are permitted only if accompanied by a guardian aged 25 years or over.

www.peatsridgefestival.com.au

news

Come to the Island!

Live Entertainment – Sept Sat 4th – Mark Henderson Sat 11th – Rockwells Sat 18th – Bunch of Funkers Sat 25th – The Wagon All from 8.30pm

Every Week Monday Night NRL Footy - $3.60 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 $3.60 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 10

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weD 29th sep 7pM -10pM

Josephine

March

Declare

chris rose

ciarn GallaGher

news

Giveaways

5 copies of the new Birds of Tokyo CD 5 copies of Washington’s new CD,

I Believe You, Liar.

2 double passes to the

Bohemian Masquerade Ball, Gallipoli Legions Club, Hamilton, September 24.

built to spill

PEATS RIDGE LINE-UP

iron maiden

SOUNDWAVE LINE-UP

Soundwave 2011 boasts another massive line-up. It features the legendary Iron Maiden, Queens Of The Stone Age, Slayer, Primus, Slash, 30 Seconds To Mars, Stone Sour, Avenged Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, Social Distortion, Gang Of Four, New Found Glory, Pennywise, Sum 41, Anberlin, The Gaslight Anthem, Third Eye Blind, Devildriver, Sevendust, Less Than Jake, The Bronx, Monster Magnet, Terror, MXPX, Protest The Hero, Melvins, 36 Crazyfists, Ill Nino, The Ataris, Bayside, The Starting Line, Mad Caddies, The Maine, Trash Talk, Mayday Parade, Foxy Shazam, Never Shout Never, The Blackout, Alesana, Asking Alexandria, All That Remains, High On Fire, Dommin, The Sword, Kylesa, A Skylit Drive, There For Tomorrow, Breathe Carolina, Taking Dawn, I See Stars, Rise To Remain, Veara, Nonpoint and Every Avenue. It takes place in Sydney on Sunday February 27, 2011. For all information head to soundwavefestival.com. Tickets on sale now.

Peats Ridge Festival is back for 2010 and its announced its biggest international line-up yet. You’ll be able to see Angus & Julia Stone, Trentemøller [Live - Denmark], Built to Spill, Freestylers [UK], Kate Miller-Heidke, Shout Out Louds [Sweden], The Dynamites Featuring Charles Walker [USA], Born Ruffians [Canada], Lightspeed Champion [UK], PVT, Decoder Ring, The Audreys, The Break, Washington, Cloud Control, Jonathan Boulet, Freq Nasty [UK], Space Invadas, The Jezabels, Dan Mangan [Canada], Thundamentals, Steve Poltz [USA], Joel Plaskett [Canada], King Tide, Horrorshow, Watussi, Parades, Big Scary, Spit Syndicate, Belles Will Ring, Kim Churchill, The Chemist, The Gin Club, Tom Fun Orchestra, [Canada], Carmen Townsend [Canada], Matt Barber [Canada], Chase the Sun, The Lovetones, THE E.L.F, The Seabellies, McCartney, The Delta Riggs, Holly Martin, Spooky Land, Alter Ego Mania, Dereb the Ambassador [Ethiopia], The Strides, plus loads more artists to be announced. It takes place at Peats Ridge in the Glenworth Valley over New Year’s Eve. For full information head to www. peatsridgefestival.com.au

interpol

FALLS FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Arguably the best festival in Australia, Falls is returning in 2010 with another wondrous collection of bands. It looks like this: Interpol, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, The National, The Living End, Public Enemy [performing Fear Of A Black Planet], The Living End, The Rapture, Beardyman, Cold War Kids, Angus and Julia Stone, Klaxons, Tame Impala, Paul Kelly, Peaches [DJ Show], Sleigh Bells, Hot Hot Heat, Ash Grunwald, Ladyhawke, Children Collide, The Soft Pack, Dan Sultan, The Morning Benders, The Beautiful Girls, Washington, Junip [featuring Jose Gonzalez], Last Dinosaurs, Big Scary, Sampology, Eagle & The Worm, The Jezabels, Jonathon Boulet, Jinja Safari, Tim & Jean, Daara J Family, Jamaica, Charlie Parr, Public Opinion Afro Orchestra, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Cloud Control, Marina and The Diamonds, Boy & Bear, Sally Seltmann, The Bamboos, The Cuban Brothers, Casiokids, World’s End Press, Baio [Vampire Weekend DJ set]. Edan The Dee-Jay, A-Trak and Tijuana Cartel. The festival takes place at Lorne, Vic, and Marion Bay, Tas, from December 28-January 1. For more info head to www.fallsfestival.com.au

2 double passes to Coaster,

Gosford Showground, on September 25.

2 double passes to Fat As

Butter, Newcastle Foreshore, October 23.

2 double passes to Funk and

Grooves, Hunter Valley, September 11.

3 saturday passes

to Bellingen Global Festival on October 2.

2 double passes to Katchafire, Newcastle Panthers, on September 18.

2 double passes to Nea Combo Diffuzion at The Brewery in Byron Bay, September 17.

2 double passes to Wollombi Music Festival, September 11.

1 double full pass

to the Peats Ridge Festival, Dec 29 –Jan 1.

Just email editorial@reverbstreetpress. com.au. First come, first served.

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11

news

The Fall’s mark e smith

stage, she panics. But Agent Sleazy McDougall has a young and good looking entertainer on his books - a crooner with Ultra Swing Lounge and drama school director, Daniel Stoddart.

Denise concedes to let him come along to ‘audition’ and if he cuts the mustard, or is very attractive, she’ll take him on board.

Denise & Daniel: Together At Last plays at the Civic Theatre, Playhouse on Tuesday, September 28 and Wednesday September 29. Head to Ticketek for full information. klaxons

MEREDITH LINE-UP

The 20th Meredith Music Festival is shaping up to be a big one. The line-up so far is: City Of Ballarat Brass Band, Cloud Control, Rat Vs Possum, Hoss, Comba La Revelacion, The Field, Broadcast, Jeff The Brotherhood, The Heatwave, Those Darlins, The Dead Salesman [duo], Sally Seltmann, DJ Harvey and DJ Garth, El Guincho, CW Stoneking, Pantha Du Prince, Reverend Horton Heat, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Custard, The Clipse, Neil Finn, Girls, Little Red, Washed Out, Dirty Three and The Fall. It takes place at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre on Nolan Farm, Meredith, Victoria, Australia, on December 10, 11 and 12, 2010. Head to www. mmf.com.au for more info.

DENISE GOLD AND DANIEL STODDART

From the Coalfields of the Hunter Valley to Miss Newcastle Showgirl 1985 [Runner Up], there is no one on this planet quite like our Ms Denise Gold. Denise was first seen in the back of the Aeroplane Jelly ad all those years ago and in more recent times she once performed with Big Dog at the Newcastle Mattara Festival.

It’s not till Denise’s agent calls during the first song at her Civic Playhouse gig to say that Daryl Somers can’t make it to share the

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U2 ANNOUCE 360 DEGREE TOUR

Live Nation Global Touring and Michael Coppel have today confirmed that U2 will end the year with live dates in New Zealand and Australia. The U2 360-degree tour will visit Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and the tour also includes U2’s first Perth date since Popmart in 1998.

“U2 has always been at their best when surrounded by their audience, and this extraordinary production makes that happen in stadiums, says U2’s manager Paul McGuinness “It was important to the band that we were able to bring the whole 360-degree production to Australia and New Zealand so fans could experience the latest of U2’s legendary productions.”

With a cylindrical video system of interlocking LED panels, and a steel structure rising 150 feet from the floor over a massive stage with rotating bridges, the band has truly created an intimate 360-degree experience for concert goers. Long-time U2 show director Willie Williams has worked again with architect Mark Fisher [ZooTV, PopMart, Elevation and Vertigo], to create an innovative 360-degree design, which affords an unobstructed view for the audience.

U2 play ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on December 13, 2010.

FIELD DAY LINE-UP

Celebrate the first day of 2011 in style with Field Day. DJs sets include Justice, Duck Sauce, Armand Van Helden, A-Trak, Yuksek, Peaches, Plump DJs, Aeroplane, Baio of Vampire Weekend, Zombie Disco Squad, and So Me vs Duno. Live acts include Klaxons, Sleigh Bells, The Rapture, Tame Impala, Public Enemy, Art Vs Science, Chromeo, The Cool Kids, Trentemoller, Tensnake, Mystery Jets, Marina and The Diamonds, Neon Indian, Casiokids, Jamaica and the best beatboxer in the world, Beardyman. It takes place in the Domain, Sydney on on New Year’s Day. For tickets, head to fuzzy.com.au.

GET THE PARTY STARTED

Following a winter nanna nap, the dance party institution that is known as Sundae Fundaze is preparing itself, and Newcastle for its biggest Summer so far. Now well into its fifth year, Sundae Fundaze has outgrown the inflatable pools, beach balls and water pistols that highlighted the initial parties, relying on the bright afternoon sun, outrageous fashion and throbbing beats from the cream of underground DJs to keep the bodies moving.

As the Clarendon Hotel manager Shaun Raymond remember’s, “there was a definite

gap in the Newcastle market just begging for a daytime Sunday party.”

Newcastle has embraced the idea of partying in the Sunday afternoon sun with both hands, as have the world’s best DJ’s who have requested to play at Sundae Fundaze. “ It seems that the DJs are passing on the word as much as the punters,” explains Raymond. “On more than one occasion, an international DJ has requested to play at Sundae Fundaze because their DJ mate has has had such a great experience when he played here.”

The Summer season of Sundae Fundaze begins on Sunday September 12 when Germany’s D.I.M. mans the decks. Following his smash single ‘Is You’ and several profile remixes for Depeche Mode, Chromeo, The Presets, Midnight Juggernauts and Fisherspooner, the mysterious producer from Germany sat together with his friend TAI to deliver the big time bassline tech-banger ‘Lyposuct’, a track that has been destroying dancefloors worldwide. Sundae Fundaze, you’re next.

Supports on the night come from Menna, Loods, Boogie Hayden and Donna Brasco.

LIVE AND LOCAL AT LIZOTTE’S : PRESENTED BY REVERB

Plenty of local music to be had at Lizotte’s this month for their weekly Live & local nights.

Lambton Lizotte’s: Wednesday September 1, Kirsty Larkin, Sam Buckingham, Rhys Zacher, The Chestnuts; Wednesday September 8, Thomas Lawson, Bronnie Ware, Melody Poole, Rein Room; Wednesday September 22, Emily-Rose Sorensen, Grayson; Wednesday September 29, Meags Hill, Kieran Wicks.

Kincumber Lizotte’s: Wednesday September 8, The Luke Gallen Trio, Peter Healy, Rhys Zacher, Ben Woodham; Wednesday September 15, Melody Poole, Dear Monday, Kim Cheshire, Jesse Morris and the 3 Beans.

LIVE MUSIC

NEWCASTLE PANTHERS

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

SEP 3

GOLD COIN ENTRY

FRI

Local bands

SEP 4

SAT

Had It HurtxUnit!

The Hollow VIGILANTE

SEP 8

Head Platoon WED Tortoise The Hatty Fatners BOSSY BOOTS SEP 10

FRI

DENY AND DEFY Feskit Excitebike + TBA

SEP 11

SAT Red Dawn

HeLM

THE TILLEGRA DAMNED

SEP 15

WED CHRoMe BiSoN + guests SEP 17

FRI

The Lost Cause

ThE sCaM The Clap

SEP 24

FRI

Soultremor

Fishkicker SEA

OF

ANSWERS

SEP 25

SAT

Dawn Heist

CANNONS MOUTH

Live It Up Karaoke

FRI SAT 9.30PM–2.30AM FRONT BAR

Monday Night Poker Tuesdays

Typhos

$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-MIDNIGHT

bliss n eso

On The Airwaves

Bliss N Eso’s breakthrough record, Flying Colours, saw them win an ARIA award, gain a following overseas and play to 82,000 screaming people at Sound Relief. Venturing out to rural Victoria, Max MacKinnon [MC Esoterik], Jonathan Notley [MC Bliss] and DJ Izm [Tarik Ejjamai] have returned with a stellar follow-up, Running On Air. Nick Milligan speaks with Max MacKinnon ahead of their appearance at Fat As Butter.

Where are you at the moment, Max? I’m in C-Town, which is short for Campbelltown, Sydney.

Nice, how’s it going out there?

It’s a tad bit westie out here mate, but I reckon I’m the sexiest Westie out. Just chillin’ in a beer garden, enjoying myself.

Did you have a clear idea about how you wanted Running On Air to sound?

Not at all, my friend. I’d like to say it was all one big worked out thing, with a blueprint, but we went out to the middle of the Victorian bush to write this one, so we really had to be inspired off each other. In one way or another we’re all nutbags, so there was music writing going on and producing, but amongst that there was motorbike riding and water bomb fights. If we’re having fun writing an album, then the listener will have fun listening to it.

There was a lot of different ways to write this album. We used the freestyling side of things where we’d let the beat play, record for two hours and then go back through it and see if there was some good stuff. Then there were tracks where we had a topic and we’d really go inside and write it topic-wise and not let it flow off into a freestyle-form. There’s a beautiful mix of that on the album.

I was too scared to think about the album all at once. I said to Bliss, ‘Jesus Christ, mate, what’s going on? The crowds are getting huge at the shows — I know people are fuckin’ listening now. When we started it was just us rapping in a bedroom to a bloody wall.’ Bliss took me back to ground and said, ‘Man, if you think about it one track at a time, then we’ve got no problems.’ Thinking about [the record] as a whole is too much for the brain.

What would be on the ultimate Bliss N Eso rider?

Jesus Christ… I don’t know where to go with this. I can be R-rated or PG… Be as R-rated as you like.

Well, alright, sweet. I want a fuckin’ magic pipe sponsorship or something. I’d like a nice chunky bong — about one or two an hour 16

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before sound check, just to ease me in. We need VB for me, we need Pure Blonde for Johnny [MC Bliss] and a Playstation 3 for DJ Izm with as many games as possible. We need some nutrient water and morale — but they can’t put that in a fuckin’ esky, so I have to bring that.

That sounds like the perfect warm up for a gig.

There’s no other way around it.

There’s some legendary artists on your new record, like RZA, Xzibit, and even the UK’s Jehst. How did you get all of these guys on Running On Air? I think the world’s an amazing place. The magic in it that’s working constantly is invisible and people don’t really take hold of how powerful it is. I would never have thought in a million years that RZA or Xzibit would be on the same track as us, let alone Jehst.

There’s been certain times where all of those artists have been all we’ve listened to for two years. Jehst was over here in Australia and we just happened to hook up at M-Phazes’ place.

We chilled out, had a session, talked about the track — it wasn’t this distant relationship. He was a great bloke.

With Xzibit, we’ve kind of got a history — we’ve done a couple of tours around the country with him. Our label, Illusive, are really close with him and he happened to be in Australia. The label called him up and said the boys are in the studio down in Melbourne, do you want to pop on in before you go back and he was like, “For sure.” No fuckin’ worries.

RZA was another magical thing that happened in the universe where one of our management was in the States and had a track called ‘Smoke Like A Fire’ on him — it only had one verse and a chorus, it was really rough. It got to RZA’s management and RZA got back to us and said, ‘That’s the kind of shit I want to fuck with.’ It wasn’t pushed on him, he really liked the vibe of the track. Mate, you can’t go past the official Wu-Tang stamp of approval.

Bliss N Eso play Fat As Butter on Saturday October 23, 2010. Running On Air is out now through Illusive.

f e a r fac to ry — s o u l f ly

Factory Built With the first wave of the Metallica juggernaut hitting Australia in September, Marija Zeko catches up with support act, Fear Factory.

Guitarist Dino Cazares shares his thoughts on the upcoming visit.

Fear Factory’s upcoming tour coincides with Burton C Bell [vocalist] and Byron Stroud’s [bassist] side project, City of Fire — who are supporting Soulfly in early September. “The boys are here, so it kinda made sense to tie it in,” says Fear Factory guitarist, Dani Cazares.

“I mean it’s going to be a great show and we love coming to Australia, so yeah I’m really looking forward to it…in fact we’ll be back next year, after Soundwave, so you’ll be getting a whole lot more of Fear Factory.”

In between September and February the boys are confirmed to play 70,000 Tons of Metal, a metal festival on a cruise ship, which departs Miami, Florida and makes its way to Cozumal, Mexico over four days. The unique event incorporates 40 acts, such as Death Angel, Sodom, Testament and Exodus. “It’s going to be great, I can’t wait should be great fun,” says Cazares.

Cazares is enjoying the Los Angeles sunshine from the comfort of his home. “It’s nice to be home, relaxing with the wife… she enjoyed herself last time she was in Australia but this time she’ll be staying home. It’s good to have this time out to get your head together and

freshen up for the upcoming shows. The Metallica tour is massive and it’s fantastic to be doing the support slot for them. It will open us up to a whole new audience and keep our existing ones happy. Really, any excuse will do to come back to Australia!”

Fear Factory, also featuring Gene Hoglan on drums, formed in 1989 and have seven albums under their belt, the most recent being Mechanize.

The band has had its share of line-up changes over the years and there is a dispute between

past members — guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera — as to the legitimacy of the current line-up calling themselves Fear Factory. Both former members are playing in Arkaea, and Cazares also has a few side projects: Asesino, Brujeria, and Divine Heresy. Other projects include Nailbomb and a contribution towards Roadrunner United.

“I like doing stuff with the other bands. I don’t let it affect Fear Factory and it’s an outlet to try different things… I mean the other guys are

doing City of Fire and then when that’s done we do Fear Factory. It works, everyone’s happy, cool!” says Cazares.

The Mexican-American has come a long way since his modest upbringing in Baja, California. “Yeah, I’m Mexican-American, or as you call me, “Chicano”. Man, it’s been ages since I heard that,” laughs Cazares.

Movies can be a good source for ideas for lyrics. I’ve gotten a lot of stuff from movies in the past, and then just everyday life. You keep your eyes open on everything that’s going on.

impressive. It’s better than the first one. It’s better played, better thought out and better organised. I liked the first one. I thought it was a cool first album. But I spent more time with Igor on the second record.

Fear Factory support Metallica at Acer Arena, Homebush, on September 18.

Music for the soul Max Cavalera’s work with bands such as Sepultura, Soulfly and the Cavalera Conspiracy have left an indelible influence on the metal world. Now the Brazilian songwriter is returning to Australia with Soulfly and their new record, Omen. Nick Milligan spoke to Cavalera from his home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Do you feel a lot of love from Australian fans when you tour here?

It’s always been great, from back in the Sepultura days to Soulfly. [Soulfly] did the Big Day Out and last time we were there we were opening for Megadeth for the Gigantour. Great crowd — I love the Australian fans. I’m very excited for this [upcoming] tour, it’s got great bands on it. It’s got City Of Fire, which is Burton’s [of Fear Factory] side project. My son Richie’s band, Incite, are opening so it should be a great night of metal for everybody.

Are you proud that your son is following in your footsteps?

I’m very proud of him and he works very hard on it. He’s been trying to do that for a long time since he was little and now he’s finally getting recognised, so I’m very proud of him.

Do you offer him any advice?

I just let him figure it out on his own. Most of the advice I give him is about his throat and how to save his voice and sing better, but that’s about it. The rest of it I let him find out for himself.

There’s a song on your new record, Omen, about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. What made you want to write a song about him?

I thought he was the most strange serial killer of the 20th century because he ate his victims.

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He was a cannibal on top of [everything else he did]. But the most interesting thing was that he never blamed his parents or his family.

He said that he just liked to [kill] since he was little. He had an impulse to do that — it was inside of him. So it raised for me the question that maybe you can be born evil. You can’t get rid of it. It’s like a sickness, like cancer or asthma.

He didn’t blame his family — they didn’t abuse him. Serial killers often have a family problem that leads them to turn out the way they did.

I found [Dahmer] to be very interesting, so I decided to write a song about him.

Does the music always come before the lyrics when you write songs?

To me the rhythm is the most important. The lyrics are second nature, but to me the riff is what leads the song to be a great song. It starts with a riff. I’m a riff person, I just write riffs all day long. That’s what I love to do. I’m addicted to writing riffs. I grab my guitar and riffs come out flying — I like to record them and use them later. But I found later on that I needed more subjects. That’s why I started looking for other things, like ‘Jeffrey Dahmer’ or ‘Lethal Objection’. The subject of how they kill people in America on death row was very hardcore and wicked, and it went well with the music which was very aggressive and heavy. [The subject] needed to be something as brutal as the music.

What would you have thought of Omen if someone played it to you back in 1998 when Soulfly started releasing music?

I would have said to myself, ‘Max has gone back to metal.’ Omen is a trip back to my metal and punk roots. The album is the least tribal — less Brazilian stuff. It’s more about the energy and aggression of metal. I would have probably found that it is Max’s return to metal.

Will we hear more music from the Cavalera Conspiracy, your band with brother Igor?

Yeah, we actually finished [an album] last month.

It’s being mixed now and we’re finishing the artwork. It will be out at the beginning of next year. It’s the second album. I think it’s very

Is there a strong musical chemistry between you and your brother?

Yeah, from little kids — when we were 13, 14 — we played together. There’s a bond there.

A lot of times I don’t need to look at him or explain to him what I want. He knows what kind of beat to put in the song and he just goes with the right beat I had in mind. It’s subconscious shit. It’s really amazing. I love playing with him and having the Cavalera Conspiracy — we don’t tour as much as Soulfly so we keep it special.

Soulfly play Newcastle Panthers on Friday September 10. Omen is out now through Roadrunner.

NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night 3 Sep 4 Sep 5 Sep 10 Sep 11 Sep 12 Sep 15 Sep 16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep 23 Sep

Vika and Linda Bull Janet Seidel Father’s Day special feat.

Chasin’ the Train The Brewester Brothers Spy Vs Spy Chris Wilson Ali Mills Harry Manx Bodacious Cowboys Lulo Reinhardt Shannon Noll

25 Sep 30 Sep 1 Oct 2 Oct 4 Oct 6 Oct 7 Oct

Tim Freedman Mr Percival 1927 Old Man River Lil’ Band O’ Gold Jon Cleary Shannon Noll

8 Oct 9 Oct 13 Oct 14 Oct 15 Oct

Peek-a-boo Burlesque The Robertson Brothers Short Back and Sides Wendy Matthews The Reels

16 Oct 17 Oct

James Blundell Movie night: The Blues Brothers Michael Winslow (Police Academy) The Break Mark Seymour Eugene Hideaway Bridges

23 Oct 24 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct

31 Oct 2 Nov

Renee Geyer Melb Cup lunch

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

Wednesday, Sept 1 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Buried In Verona + Safe Hands Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Merewether Fats Lizotte’s, Lambton Kirsty Larkin + Sam Buckingham + Rhys Zacher + The Chestnuts Newcastle Entertainment Centre Powderfinger + The Vines + The Ghost Hotel View Factory, Newcastle Jess Chalker + Ben Fletcher

Thursday, Sept 2 Beach Hotel, Merewether Jessica Cain Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Death Before Dishonour + Against + Relentless + The Follow + Taken By Force Cessnock Supporter’s RSL Akmal Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Rhys Zacher Newcastle Leagues Club Dead Letter Circus + Black Devil Yard Boss + The Evening Son

Friday, Sept 3 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Bacardi Band Search Grand Final w/Little Blak Dress + I Am The Agent + Allay The Sea + The Owls Fannys, Newcastle Chris Frazer Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The New Christs Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Mama Jane’s Blues band King Street Hotel, Newcastle Housexy w/- Prok and Fitsh Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle Karma Cops + The Owls + Danny Sullivan Lizotte’s, Kincumber Mark Wilkinson + Nicole Walkinshaw Lizotte’s, Lambton Vika and Linda Bull + The Baker Suite Newcastle District Tennis Club Club Led w/- Recoil + Roadside Burial + Grannyfist + Fuckusaurus Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton Jo Meares and the Honey Riders + Jason Walker Woodport Inn, Erina Mobin Master + DJs Jake Mexon + Mattigecs Winston + Yoddy

Saturday, Sept 4 Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley Eddie Williams + Slightly Off + Blues Angels + Dan Ford and the Goods 20

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Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Sleight Of Hand + Paper Prophets + Caleb Skips Chemistry + Sendfire CBD Hotel, Newcastle Levins Fannys, Newcastle Stefko and Candice Rose Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Nat Col and the Kings + Ngariki + Berkley Hill Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle The Hollow + Had It + Vigilante + HurtxUnit!

King Street Hotel, Newcastle The Only Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle Heart Attack and Vine + I Am The Agent Lizotte’s, Kincumber Vika and Linda Bull + The Baker Suite Lizotte’s, Lambton Janet Seidel MJ Finnegans, Newcastle Chris Byrne Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton The Flying Hippies Stockton RSL, Newcastle Stormcellar View Factory, Newcastle Equinox + Chantal Rawson Wyong Memorial Hall Violence + Last Chance + Whole Hearted Woodport Inn, Erina The Rumjacks

Tuesday, Sept 7 Newcastle Entertainment Centre John Butler Trio + Blue King Brown

Wednesday, Sept 8 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Lions At Your Door Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Tortoise Head Platoon + Bossy Boots + The Hatty Fatners Lizotte’s, Kincumber Peter Healy + The Luke Gallen trio + Rhys Zacher + Ben Woodham Lizotte’s, Lambton Thomas Lawson + Bronnie Ware + Melody Poole + Rein Room View Factory, Newcastle Matt Purcell

Thursday, Sept 9 Beach Hotel, Merewether Matt Purcell Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Light Noise Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Claude Hay Lizotte’s, Kincumber The Brewster Brothers Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Nick Saxon

Friday, Sept 10

afro moses

Sunday, Sept 5 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Anarchist Duck Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Morpeth Jugbusters King Street Hotel, Newcastle Any Given Sunday Lizotte’s, Lambton Chasin The Train Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Afro Moses Sails Stage, Terrigal Alli Skarratt + Gilbert Whyte + Hit and Miss + Annabelle Kay Toukley Golf Club Acoustic Grooves + Romney Watts + Under The Rails + The Rollercoasters View Factory, Newcastle Soul Shakedown w/- Kid Mince + The Scorcher

Beach Hotel, Merewether Grayson Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Antagonist AD + Coma Lies + The Hollow + Caverns CBD Hotel, Newcastle Resin Dogs + Abstract Rude + DJ Wasteland Fannys, Newcastle Spin Easy Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland A French Butler Called Smith Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Elephant Funk Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Deny and Defy + Feskit + Excitebike Laycock Street Theatre Whole Lotta Love Lizotte’s, Kincumber Spy Vs Spy Lizotte’s, Lambton The Brewster Brothers Newcastle Panthers Soulfly + City Of Fire + Incite Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Chase The Sun Rhythm Hut, Gosford Niksta + Michael Peter

The Loft, Newcastle Lily Ray + Lachlan Collins + Falling For Beloved View Factory, Newcastle Loose Lucy + Grace Turner + Jessica Cain Woodport Inn, Erina Zannon + Snob Scrilla Sound System + DJ Cheap Lettuce

Saturday, Sept 11 Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley Funk n Grooves w/ Gyroscope + Spiderbait + Bertie Blackman + British India + Urthboy + Washington + Resin Dogs + Calling all Cars + The Bamboos + Skipping Girl Vinegar + Red Ink + Samba Frog + Boston Shaker CBD Hotel, Newcastle Johnny Love Civic Theatre, Newcastle Whole Lotta Love Fannys, Newcastle Stellar MC + Sax On Legs Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Manny’s Arrival Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Dead Letter Circus Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Red Dawn + Helm + The Tillegra Damned Lizotte’s, Kincumber Chris Wilson Lizotte’s, Lambton Spy Vs Spy View Factory, Newcastle Van Walker + Liz Stringer Wollombi Wollombi Music Festival w/- King Tide + Tijuana Cartel + The Rhythm Hunters + Street Warriors + Chase The Sun + A French Butler Called Smith + Deep Street Soul + The Dennis Boys Band + Grandmaster Monk + Wollombi Radio Woodport Inn, Erina Transients

Sunday, Sept 12 Clarendon Hotel, Newcastle Sundae Fundaze w/- DIM + Menna + Loods + Boogie Hayden + Donna Frasco Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Van Walker and Liz Stringer + Mojo Juju Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Equinox Lizotte’s, Lambton Chris Wilson Speers Point Park, Newcastle Living Smart Festival w/- Watussi + Dead Letter Circus + King Tide + Black Bird Hum + One World DJs Wickham Park Hotel, Newcastle The Red Eyes

Wednesday, Sept 15 Blush Night Club, Gosford Oh Sleeper + Nazarite Vow Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Initiation + The Bastilles Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Crystal Cove Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jesse Morris and the 3 Beans + Melody Poole + Dear Monday + Kim Cheshire View Factory, Newcastle Evan and the Brave

Thursday, Sept 16 Lizotte’s, Kincumber Mr Percival Lizotte’s, Lambton Harry Manx Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong Attack Attack! + Pierce The Veil + Dream On, Dreamer + Revival Ashore Wickham Park Hotel, Newcastle Den Henrahan and the Roadsides

Friday, Sept 17

Friday, Sept 24

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Thousand Needles In Red + The Truth Is + Illusion Of Dispair + Memorial Drive CBD Hotel, Newcastle SVU + Lost Valentinos DJs Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen + Heart Attack and Vine Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle The Lost Cause + The Scam + The Clap + Driverside Airbag + Lost Croutons Lizotte’s, Lambton Bodacious Cowboys The Loft, Newcastle The Storm Picturesque + In Hearts Wake + Jack The Giant Killer + Allay The Sea + For All Eternity View Factory, Newcastle Funkwit + Joram Nathan + Rhys Zacher Woodport Inn, Erina Ministry Of Sound w/- Anna Lunoe + DJ Wax + The Wolfpack

Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Evening Son Gallipoli Legions Club, Hamilton Bohemian Masquerade Ball w/The Barons of Tang + Kira Puru & The Bruise + Jephthah Francis & the Forbidden Zone Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Firemen + The Kickouts Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Great Dividing Range Lizotte’s, Kincumber Tim Freedman + Perry Keyes Newcastle Panthers Indent Ten Year Tour w/- Urthboy + Jane and El Gusto + Urban Freeflow Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle Dan Webb View Factory, Newcastle The Deckchairs + Gilbert Whyte

dallas frasca

Saturday, Sept 18 CBD Hotel, Newcastle Hoops + Cassi + Donna Brasco Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Backwood Creatures Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Dallas Frasca + The Moderns + BeatNik DJs Lizotte’s, Lambton Lulo Reinhardt Newcastle Panthers Katchafire + Benjalu + DJ Suri K + DJ Matt Saxon Wickham Park Hotel, Newcastle Ebb N Flo Woodport Inn, Erina Defcon! w/- DJ Ember + Elmo Is Dead

Sunday, Sept 19 City Hall, Newcastle Justine Clarke Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Mighty King Snakes Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Yuki Kumagai + John Mackie King Street Hotel, Newcastle Any Given Sunday w/- Sampology + Yogi + DSteady Lizotte’s, Kincumber Harry Manx Lizotte’s, Lambton Lowrider Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong Oh Sleeper + Buried In Verona View Factory, Newcastle Samba Frog

Wednesday, Sept 22 Lizotte’s, Lambton Emily-Rose Sorensen + Grayson

Thursday, Sept 23 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Hayward Williams Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jim Conway’s Big Wheel Lizotte’s, Lambton Shannon Noll + Mark Wilkinson

CENTRAL COAST Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night 4 Sep 9 Sep 10 Sep

Vika and Linda Bull The Brewster Brothers Spy Vs Spy

11 Sep 16 Sep 18 Sep

Chris Wilson Mr Percival Anne Kirkpatrick

19 Sep 23 Sep 24 Sep 29 Sep 30 Sep

Harry Manx Jim Conway’s Big Wheel Tim Freedman Lulo Reinhardt Angie Hart & Matt Barber Old Man River 1927 Jon Cleary The Robertson Brothers Stevie Ray Vaughan & Aretha Franklin music night

Saturday, Sept 25 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Existence w/- Scott Beker + Biscut + Luke Fitz + Perko + Asas N + G-Luv CBD Hotel, Newcastle Cassian Cessnock High School Indent Ten Year Tour w/- Urthboy + Jane and El Gusto + Urban Freeflow Civic Theatre, Newcastle Josh Thomas Gosford Showground Coaster w/- Cypress Hill + Birds Of Tokyo + Art V Science + Bluejuice + Basement Birds + Silversun Pickups + Cloud Control + Hungary Kids of Hungary + Boy and Bear + The Holidays + Slow Down Honey + The Chemist + City Riots + Maniac + Jinja Safari + Old Music for Old People + The Foreign Objects Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle Dawn Heist + Soultremor + Typhos + Sea Of Answers Lizotte’s, Lambton Tim Freedman + Perry Keyes View Factory, Newcastle Issac Graham + Jack Carty

Sunday, Sept 26 Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Collard Greens and Gravy Lizotte’s, Kincumber Shannon Noll + Mark Wilkinson

1 Oct 2 Oct 7 Oct 8 Oct 9 Oct

10 Oct 14 Oct

Shannon Noll The Reels

15 Oct 17 Oct 21 Oct 24 Oct

Wendy Matthews James Blundell Wolf Mail Quest for Life Foundation Rainbow Lunch

27 Oct 30 Oct

Mark Seymour Renee Geyer

31 Oct

Eugene Hideaway Bridges

Monday, Sept 27 Newcastle Panthers Parkway Drive + The Devil Wears Prada + The Ghost Inside + 50 Lions

Wednesday, Sept 29 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Barrelhouse Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Issac De Heer + Mike McCarthy Lizotte’s, Kincumber Lulo Reinhardt Lizotte’s, Lambton Meags Hill + Kieran Wicks View Factory, Newcastle Phil Edgeley

Thursday, Sept 30

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

Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Chelsea Reed Lizotte’s, Kincumber Angie Hart + Matt Barber + Gabrielle and Cameron Lizotte’s, Lambton Mr Percival Oasis Youth Centre, Wyong Miles Away r e v e r b m a g a z i n e i s s u e # 0 5 0 — s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 0

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album reviews Feature albums

Parkway Drive Deep Blue Resist Records

4.5/5 Deep Blue is Parkway Drive’s fourth studio album and it showcases just how much Parkway Drive have grown and progressed within the hardcore /metalcore genre. The production on the album is flawless and definitely gives a more polished sound in comparison to their previous albums which posses a rawer quality. The guitar work on ‘Wreckage’ is amazing. To read the lyrics of ‘Alone’ is purely poetic while the sound of the track is heavy in contrast. Deep Blue is a beautiful and intense album. ~Scarlett O’Horror

Sun Kil Moon

The Boat people Dear Darkly MGM

3/5 The third LP for the Brisbane four piece chimes with the sounds of indie-pop keys, guitar and smooth Josh Pyke-esque vocals. The Boat People create tracks that build like the psychedelic sounds of Tame Impala or with the jangling guitars of the self-confessed ‘60s influence of The Beatles.

‘Echo Stick Guitars’ released in October last year has a bouncy quirky quality, while ‘Antidote’ brings the lyrics to the fore, simple and clever — everyone needs an “antidote to an ugly world” at some point and this album could just be that. ‘Dance To My Pain’ will be the live crowd pleaser of the lot. ~Cassandra Tobin

Admiral Fell Promises

The Coral

Red Eye

Deltasonic/Shock

4.5/5 Singer/songwriter Mark Kozelek’s latest offering differs greatly from the previous releases of the band, opting to ditch the backing band and the electric guitar folk-rock epics that have led to so many Neil Young/Crazy Horse comparisons. In this release, Kozelek strips back to basics, taking inspiration from his live shows by writing, recording and producing the album himself.

Kozelek embraces this simplicity of a singer and his guitar, highlighting the strength of his fingerpicking and haunting vocals, to give a surprisingly dense soundtrack befit to the intimate and pastoral places for which tracks such as ‘Half Moon Bay’, ‘Australian Winter’ and ‘Church of the Pines’ are named.

Admiral Fell Promises marks an interesting turn for Sun Kil Moon, with Mark Kozelek once again stamping his individual stylings across a new brand of music. ~Jordan Watton

3.5/5 After the minor disasters that were the last two The Coral albums (the subdued and jaded The Invisible Invasion; the toothless, 60’s pop bore of Roots & Echoes), guitarist and frontman James Skelly notes a change in direction and attitude on Butterfly House, characterised by the band members all “pulling in the same direction”.

The album — the alt-rock group’s fifth full-length — is the first without superfluous third guitarist Bill Ryder Jones, and it sounds as though the young Brits are actually having fun for the first time since their early millennium heyday.

Nature’s influence is all over Butterfly House, with The Coral retreating to the English countryside to write the album — the typically idiosyncratic ‘Roving Jewel’ drips with country signifiers, from the wailing harmonica buried low in the mix, to lead guitarist Paul Duffy’s twangy lead tone. All in all, Butterfly House is an invigorating listen — the sound of a band getting back on track after a few years of mediocrity. ~Scott Gilbert

Butterfly House

Clare Bowditch and the new Slang

Seabellies

Modern Day Addiction

4.5/5 You don’t need to tell The Seabellies that we’ve been waiting around for their debut record for a long time — they’ve been waiting By Limbo Lake, too.

But our patience has been rewarded.

The six-piece group have delivered a truly beautiful and stirring musical journey.

Floating, luscious layers of sound are soldered together with soaring harmonies. From the rolling symphonic opener ‘Ices (Death & Love)’ to the chill-inducing single ‘Orange X’, By Limbo Lake feels like a joyous release of pent-up creativity. Galloping anthem ‘Young Cubs’ and the chanted and enchanted ‘Sparks’ are charged with youthful dream-like exuberance. The breezy tranquillity of (obvious next single) ‘Board The Apartment Up’, breathes with restless radiance.

It might be too much to suggest that never before has a Newcastle band crafted a release with such depth, layered nuances and sweet, spacious melodies, because you would be disregarding the likes of Firekites and Book Of Ships. But after the 10th time you’ve listened to By Limbo Lake, you will start to wonder when it will release its grip on you. Stand by Limbo Lake, then dive in and watch the ripples. For fans of: Mew, Animal Collective, Local Natives. ~Nick Milligan

Island Records

3.5/5 After traipsing to Berlin for a few years on a creative voyage, Clare Bowditch has returned with a slightly new band and a fresh, smooth and elegant collection of pop songs.

Modern Day Addiction is a more layered and ambitious production that her past work, bopping along with multiple backing vocals and doo-wop flair. Bowditch and band have focused on new ideas and instrumentation, employing subtle electronic touches and rhythms.

Some of the quieter ballads like ‘Prinz Willy’ and ‘Your Own Kind Of Girl’ are a little bland, but the record’s poppy, upbeat tracks are instantly catchy and full of charm. Single ‘Bigger Than The Money’ and opener ‘The Start Of War’ justify Bowditch’s change in musical direction. ~Nick MilLIgan

Kele The Boxer Shock

Fear Not The Footsteps of the Departed

Devo

3.5/5 Bloc Party singer and principal songwriter Kele Okereke departs his 80s new wave, Gang Of Four-inspired mayhem to deliver a diverse record of pop songs and club anthems.

While Bloc Party’s music has always leant itself to electronic reinvention, with practically every song the British four-piece have released being remixed by someone, Kele has completely embraced electronica and other stylings on The Boxer.

It’s mostly a dark record of droning bass and tribal rhythms, with lead single ‘Tenderoni’ appearing as the catchiest and most emotive electro song of the year. ‘Everything You Wanted’ is a complex and uplifting moment on the record.

Kele’s vocals and approach to melodic hooks are unmistakable — it makes The Boxer feel like an explosive, self-indulgent and cathartic release of his techno tendencies and sonic visions. Some tracks certainly work better than others, but this level of invention is undeniably refreshing. ~Nick MilLIgan

Something For Everybody

Mama Kin

Bonefinger Records

Warner

Beat and Holler

4/5 Brisbane trio Drawn From Bees really got the memo that sometimes less is more.

With that in mind, they have attacked this album with a minimalistic attitude resulting in a refined sound in which they can experiment freely with melody and harmony. The album sets off with ‘Run Away’, a song filled to the brim with sizzling beats and buoyant vocal harmonies. Psychedelic and arty, with metaphorical lyrics that seem senseless, but they’re rolled together so perfectly that you just might believe it. ‘The Eastwood Fox’ is hands down my favourite song of the album, the multi -layered melodies harmonise through instruments and vocals, infusing to a kaleidoscopic mix of sound. Towards the album’s end, the mood leans towards a sobriety that slowly and gently returns you to the real world, of sensible sounds and sentence structure. ~Jess Saxton

3.5/5 You only need to dip your toe in the seemingly endless wave of 80s-inspired synth-pop that’s being churned out by record labels at the moment to hear the influence of legendary Ohio group Devo.

Something For Everybody is the band’s first record in 20 years and when listening to the tongue-in-cheek opener ‘Fresh’, you’re instantly reminded of how ahead of their time Devo really were. With lyrics like “What we do is what we do, it’s all the same, it’s nothing new”, you know that Devo haven’t lost any of their personality.

This ninth studio record is driving electro pop-rock, constantly twisted, off-kilter and demented. It’s perhaps a little harder hitting and even more futuristic than their original work — it’s a mighty, smile-inducing and welcome return to the recording arena. ~Nick Milligan

Drawn From Bees

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album of the month

Independent

4/5 So, turns out John Butler has a wife and she’s musically more interesting and more unique than him. Although, while I was surprised to find out Butler snagged himself a missus, I was mostly wondering why it’s taken her so damn long to put out a record.

Beat and Holler has an interesting blend of sounds, but it’s Mama Kin’s warm, soulful melodies that stands out. The piano-driven songs drift somewhere between gypsy jazz, soulful blues and intimate, heartbreaking ballads. I couldn’t stop hitting repeat on the title track and I’m not sure if it’s the obvious connection, but the vocal melody in the almost-acapella has a distinct John Butler flavour to it. In all honesty though, it’s the only comparison worth making. ~Matthew O’Donnell

By Limbo Lake Alberts/Sony

Basement Birds Basement Birds Inertia

4/5 What was originally intended as a low-key collaboration before going back to their “day bands”, the self-titled debut album of Basement Birds is quite easily the surprise packet of 2010. Written and recorded in the “jam room” by Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley, his frequent collaborator Steve Parkin, Kevin Mitchell (of Jebediah and Bob Evans fame) and folk troubadour Josh Pyke, Basement Birds have crafted an inspired album full of wistful four-part harmonies of heartbreaking ruminations and excitable ditties of life, love and relationships at large.

Basement Birds is intimate and evocative, as showcased in the opening track. ‘Waiting for You’ is a laid-back nostalgic reflection, as a joyful Josh Pyke crows, “We think of yesterdays like they were holidays, bathed in the warmth of a sun we don’t feel”.

Highlights include the hauntingly beautiful ‘Ghosts’, the potty and endearing ‘Bus Stop’ hops with handclaps and singsong backing vocals by Julia Stone. ‘Skin of the Sky’ will be whistled on the way to work for the next year, coming also with a head-bopping, toe-tapping guarantee.

Meanwhile, it is important to consider that the Basement Birds album should not be judged against the works of countercultural heroes Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young or the royalty-laden Travelling Wilberys, nor should the superfluous tag of “supergroup” be uttered.

It is not an album wrapped in pastiche or reverence and fans of these four songwriters will love this album. ~Matt Petherbridge

ISSUES

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ISSUES

reverb

ISSUES

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FESTIVAL PROGRAM Fri 24- Wed 29 and Friday 1st Gala Premiere Dinner Show Ce.x COFFS (Ticketed event) Saturday September 25 10am City Centre 9am Woolgoolga “Bollywood” Markets 3pm Coramba Hotel Sunday September 26 8am Harbourside Markets Coffs Jetty 9.30am City Centre 4.30pm Sawtell RSL – adults show Monday September 27 10am City Centre 3pm Park Beach Holiday Park Tuesday September 28 10am KIDS DAY-Coffs Harbour Racing Club (tx) 10am City Centre 8pm PIER HOTEL – Adult Comedy Wednesday September 29 9am City Centre All Day Spectacular 7pm Ce.x COFFS 8pm PIER HOTEL – Adult Comedy Thursday September 30 10am City Centre – with growers market HOEY MOEY – from 7.30PM 8pm PIER HOTEL – Adult Comedy Show Friday October 1 10am City Centre 6.30pm Botanic Gardens family show- (donation) 8pm Ce.x WOOLGOOLGA – family show HOEY MOEY – from 7.30pm 7 for 7.30pm PACIFIC BAY RESORT Saturday October 2 1pm Sawtell First Ave HOEY MOEY – from 8pm 6.30pm Botanic Gardens family show – (donation) Sunday October 3 8am Harbourside MARKETS Jetty All times are approx. & may vary on the day.

See official program for full details.

If wet, listen to Starfm105.5 or 2CS 106.3fm SUPPORTING SPONSORS

Coramba Hotel

Friday, September 24 - Sunday, October 3, 2010 VISIT US AT WWW.COFFSHARBOURBUSKERS.COM

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cypress hill

RISE OF THE HILL

Did you know how you wanted your new record, Rise Up, to sound before jumping into the studio?

We knew we wanted a big sound, and to return to our rock sound, too. When we went into the studio our main goal was not to have a direction to go in. All I wanted to do was go in and record songs. If we like them we’ll keep them. With that mindset the record starting taking its own identity and personality as we went along. I think that’s the best approach that we’ve used in a long time.

Fusing their latino heritage with dynamic west coast rap, Cypress Hill are true legends and pioneers of the genre. Now the legendary group are back with a new album, Rise Up, and a headline spot on the Coaster festival. Nick Milligan speaks with Sen Dog. Have Cypress Hill always felt a lot of love from Australians?

Yeah, man. From our very first time back in 1987 we’ve always had a good time going down to Australia and performing. We feel very proud to have an Australian fanbase.

Are there any particular memories that stand out?

Our first time down there, we were there with Ice Cube. I think the tour was called Teenage Rampage. The parents were going crazy over the name. The outlaws of hip hop, Ice Cube and Cypress Hill were going down there. The raw energy from a Cypress Hill crowd back then was pure TNT, like dynamite. It could explode at any minute. I like the shows where it goes boom and it’s crazy, there’s a big ol’ moshpit going on. I’ve always enjoyed that energy about Australia.

Cypress Hill just brought out a new album - how does making an album in 2009/2010 compare to making a record in the early ninties?

When we made our first recordings, that was right around the last era of recording to two-inch tape. Now with the whole ProTools things, the recording process is a shorter thing to deal with time-wise. It was harder to make music back then and more time-consuming than it is now. And we didn’t have that whole ‘buy one song for 99c’ thing, and downloading

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and Napster that would eventually come down the line. There’s a lot of politics involved, too — more than there was before.

Financially, it’s not geared up for the artist to make money right away, unless you come out of the box slammin’, with some serious muscle behind you. Most of the time you’ve still gotta get out there and claw and fight and scratch your way up — get yourself to that level. For the little people that do that and still persevere, I give them even more props. There is that artist that will not be denied and still become something, then there’s the other artist that’s coming up with the record label and the production company behind them. There’s more of [the latter] happening now. You have to look really hard to find the raw talent, as opposed to what they want you to like.

Did it feel like Cypress Hill’s career took off very quickly in the beginning?

No, it didn’t, man. We put out our first album (in 1991) and a single called ‘The Phunky Feel One’. On the B-side was a song called ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man’, but [the label] were not trying to get very political. It was right behind N.W.A’s ‘Fuck Tha Police’ and Ice T’s ‘Cop Killer’. When you listen to that first (Cypress) album, there’s a lot of things we want to say on there. The label being a label, but at the same time not really wanting the Government to be up their ass about their music, ran with a safer song with ‘The Phunky Feel One’. We

And Tom Morello appears on the title track?

I was out on tour with him in early 2009, doing his Nightwatchmen gig. He asked me one day what Cypress Hill were up to and I said making an album. He said, ‘Hey, I think I’ve got something for you guys if you want it.’ I was like, ‘Hell yeah, we want it - what you talkin’ about!’ So he sent [the riff] over and that would be the song that eventually became ‘Rise Up’. I thought it was the perfect representation of a Tom Morello track without it sounding too much like Rage Against The Machine.

toured it for about eight months - me, Muggs and B Real - in a little caravan with my fat-ass cousin Ivan driving us around. We did a lot of shows with 3rd Bass and Naughty By Nature.

But it never really took off until Dr Dre in New York flipped over ‘The Phunky Feel One’ and started playing the ‘Kill A Man’ song. Then we got popular in New York, but we were constantly out doing shows during that time.

By the time something happened for us, we got a good dose of the ‘low-budget tour’, you understand what I’m sayin’? We never forgot about that.

Cypress Hill had a great cameo on The Simpsons. Do you know you’ve made it when you get asked to be on the show?

When we went down there and did it, I didn’t realise the power that TV show had until after [the episode] came out, and little kids actually recognising me from the show. I had a lady want me to tell her son that it wasn’t me he saw on The Simpsons - we were in a supermarket - and I couldn’t, because he had seen me on The Simpsons! That just opened it up to a whole younger demographic.

Cypress Hill play the Coaster Festival on Saturday September 25 at Gosford Showground. Rise Up is out now.

John Butler trio

“ … I’m able to have the energy and optimism to keep being part of this eternal, unstoppable revolution.”

You were born in April, and you announced a change of line-up in the month of April. The title of your new album is April Uprising.

What is the significance of April for you?

Yeah, I guess it’s something of a birth or re-birthing point for me. The fact of starting a new trio, starting an album and basically releasing all in the month of April definitely played a big part in using April Uprising as a title of the album. That along with what I learnt in the last year about my great grandfather taking part in the actual 1875 uprising in Koprivstitsa, Bulgaria, and a lot of the revolutionary sentiment of the album, both musically and lyrically, made the title an obvious choice. I guess the best way to convey it is that I’ve been going through a bit of a personal, spiritual, and musical revolution of late.

What impact did the experience of filming your episode for SBS TV genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are have on you?

Where do I start? Yes, it had a huge impact on me.

We’ve all heard the saying, “if you don’t know where you’re from, you don’t know where you’re going” and for me it just gave a great perspective of what has come before me as far as lineage and heritage goes. It reaffirmed my beliefs and convictions, that now, I see aren’t completely all my own, but have been passed down to me.

As well as the hard working tenacity of other ancestors in my line, I see I’m not just a product of just my generation or my parents, but a culmination of everything that’s come before me up to the present day. In short, it gave me a more powerful sense of who I am today.

The John Butler Trio are on the brink of very big things. Having sold out the 8,500 capacity Red Rocks in Colorado and playing to 5,500 fans in New York City, John Butler and his new gang are returning for a massive tour of Australia. Reverb speaks with John Butler about his recent journeys.

‘Revolution’ the opening track to the album.

Can you tell us the inspiration behind that song?

Revolution is such an overused, impotent word nowadays. I just wanted to explore the subject and find out what it meant to me. We live in some pretty extreme times. I think a lot of people are considering living in a drastically different way on this planet and with each other. They have to. But the old ideas of reform and revolution are not applicable nor have many “revolutions” really ever brought about meaningful change before they turn into what they were fighting.

My idea of revolution is basically taking the ‘r’ off the word. It’s evolution. It’s not gonna be some fanciful day that comes where everything is going honky dory utopia. That’s bullshit and a practise in futility. You can’t

stop evolution. It’s sometimes painfully slow and other times brutally quick, but never the less it is on-going. You can rev it up however; accelerate it from time to time by being engaged in your community, by being compassionate.

I see that around me. That’s what I concentrate on when I’m being bombarded by the intense images and news of these times. Stay engaged but not inundated. By knowing that the revolution is underway and not some fantasy about to come, I’m able to have the energy and optimism to keep being part of this eternal, unstoppable revolution.

The decision to form a new line-up must have been a big one. How did the new trio come together?

The decision is one that took me by surprise

really. I wanted to have a jam with my brother-in-law Nicky Bomba who drummed on the Sunrise Over Sea album. Nicky and I have always had a great musical connection and during some time off I wanted to explore that a bit more. What came of it was the surprising realisation that I had to make another album with Nicky and this time tour it together. I wanted to find the right flavour that would complement this new combination and we decided to audition bass players. Byron [Luiters] stood out amongst a great group of bassists and really gelled with and added to what Nicky and I were creating sonically. I was just being guided by my gut and looking for an ‘x’ factor, but not the TV version! By any means it wasn’t an easy decision and it was one that took a lot of soul searching and listening to gut intuition. I’ve always followed my heart when creating my band and music and if I didn’t keep doing that I wouldn’t be serving the art. I have had a realisation of late; the artist serves the art, not the other way around. I would like my band to stay the same forever but sometime members want to leave and other times it’s just time for us to go on separate journeys. It’s hard to accept but sometimes things don’t last forever and I’ve been extremely blessed with so many soulful brothers over the years to make this music and Nicky and Byron are no exception.

John Butler Trio perform at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Tuesday September 7 and Coffs Harbour on Wednesday September 8.

April Uprising is out now. Their Live From Sydney EP is currently available on iTunes. r e v e r b m a g a z i n e i s s u e # 0 5 0 — s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 0

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news

the gargoyle

COFFS HARBOUR BUSKERS FESTIVAL

With the onset of warmer weather in September each year, the heartbeats of Coffs Coast residents start to beat just that little bit faster. They know and have known for the past nine years that warmer weather in September, means the Buskers Festival is just around the corner. From Friday September 24 every day and night until Sunday October 3, the city comes alive with the sound of laughter as streets ring out with all manner of silliness in the day and the pubs and clubs at night. So who’s coming this year — The Gargoyle from NZ, The Blackstreet Boyz from the USA, Clown Loto from Japan, Mr Spin from Adelaide, The Crack Up Sisters from Brisbane, Jeremy Ellwood from NZ, and The Flash from Boston USA are just a few of the acts already confirmed. Shows take place in the City Centre during the day and at various locations during the nights and on the weekends. Night shows are held at CEX Coffs, the beautiful Botanic Gardens, the Pier Hotel, CEX Woolgoolga and CEX Urunga . Weekend shows are held at Woolgoolga, Sawtell and the Jetty foreshores. There are 10 days and nights, 29 different shows and over 120 performances.

xavier rudd

festival of the sun Line-up ANNOUNCED

Greater Taree City Council

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Festival of the Sun 2010 is set to blow Port Macquarie half way to Auckland. Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park will this year host platinum selling artists, multiple Aria award winners and nominees, internationally acclaimed funk/soul revivalists and the absolute cream of national and local talent.

So be your penchant roots, indie, rock, blues, acoustic or everything in between, you’re going to have to be quick to snap up tickets for this year’s killer line-up. The FOTSun 2010 line-up is Xavier Rudd, Regurgitator, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, British India, Calling All Cars, That One Guy, Dallas Frasca, The Gin Club, The Seabellies, The Chemist, Barrel House, Slow Down Honey, Sierra Fin, Mojada, Ebb n Flo, Lee Rosser, The McMenamins, Bob Corbett, Lissa, Mojo Bluesman, Minnie Marks, Fans DJ’s plus one lucky Triple j Unearthed Winner to be announced. Festival of the Sun lights up on December 11 and 12.

regurgitator baaba maal

BAABA MAAL TO PLAY BELLINGEN GLOBAL CARNIVAL

Famous for his fiery performances fusing funk, rock and blues with the beats and melodies of West Africa, Baaba Maal has earned critical acclaim, continually reinforcing his role as a seminal artist in the world music arena.

Renowned for his phenomenal voice and stage show, a Baaba Maal performance is an explosion of sound, singing and dancing. Touring nearly every continent, the overwhelmingly universal response to his energetic live performances has been utter awe. Now Baaba will perform on Australian shores for the first time in 11 years in two exclusive concerts for Bellingen Global Carnival. Carnival director Bryony Taylor says “the carnival is both thrilled and honoured to host the dynamic Baaba Maal with his glorious vocals and superb Senegalese rhythms.

Bellingen, get ready to rock the showgrounds!”

The 2010 Bellingen Global Carnival line up delivers a global feast of music and arts with over 30 acts presenting 80-plus performances across five stages on the Labor day long weekend of October 1 to October 3. For the full line-up, head to globalcarnival.com.

YADA YADA YADA

Blah Blah Blah… just give us some music and a cheap feed! That’s what’s on the cards at Yada Yada. Local music company Cross Section and Port Macquarie Panthers have teamed up to host a new, midweek, monthly night of local music held at Pier One, Port Panthers. But this night comes with a nice addition. Not only has the evening been put together to give local artists an avenue to play gigs… Yada Yada is also all ages! Port Macquarie music lovers will also be happy to know that Yada Yada will be friendly to the hip pocket with free entry and $10 pizzas. Performing at Yada Yada on Wednesday September 29 will be Josephine March, Declare, Chris Rose and Ciarn Gallagher. People under 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult.

OPEN ARMS ANNOUNCEMENT

Returning to the sunny mid-north NSW coast town of Coffs Harbour, The Open Arms Festival is back for 2010 hitting the Coffs Harbour Showgrounds, Saturday November 20. Spread across two stages, Open Arms showcases Australia’s biggest artists together with a blend of our best young bands. The calendar highlight of November for East Coast NSW music fans, The Open Arms Festival is also an arts, lifestyle and youth culture celebration. An all-ages licensed event with strong environmental policies and recognised Indigenous ties, Open Arms brings together all cultural aspects of Coffs Harbour and its surrounding communities. The Open Arms line-up is The Living End, Birds Of Tokyo, Grafton Primary, Hungary Kids Of Hungary, Horrorshow, Behind Crimson Eyes, City Riots and Metals.

NIMBIN MUSIC FESTIVAL LInEUP ANNOUNCEMENT

It’s just over 37 years since the Aquarius festival of ‘73 — a counter-culture arts and music festival, “a celebration of the dawning of the ‘consciousness’ and ‘protest’ movements in the heady days of the Vietnam war, free love and marijuana — a festival of discovery ....” nestled in the serene rainforests of Nimbin. Nearly four decades later, on the first weekend in October, El Greco Productions is bringing you the Nimbin Music Festival, a celebration of music (and perhaps camping).

The Nimbin Music Festival features a mix of over 60 local and international artists, all headlined by the amazing Regurgitator, bizarre yet extremely talented Bob Log III from the US, Nimbin-born and bred Diana Anaid, and the legendary Grant Walmsley (former founding member of The Screaming Jets) and the Agents of Peace. For the full line-up head to nimbinmusicfestival.com.au. The Nimbin Music Festival runs over the October long weekend (October 2 to October 3) at the Nimbin Showgrounds. Tickets available through Moshtix for only $99 for a weekend pass that includes camping, plus there are shuttle buses running from Byron and Lismore. Get in quick before they sell out.

Volunteers are also required. You receive free admission in exchange of two hours work per day. Call Tanya on 0429 792 875. Stalls with power are available at $100. Call Kristie on 0420 904 774.

REGGAETOWN MAKES A SPLASH IN BYRON BAY

Visiting us from the Reggaetown Festival in Cairns, Reggaetown Splash brings you an awesome line-up of french reggae, ragga and dancehall with Nea Combo Diffuzion, Ykson, and DJ Tuff Tumas. Nea Combo Diffuzion, born in New Caledonia, have different styles and sounds that complement each other perfectly. Ykson plays an astonishing mix of rap, blues and reggae combined with traditional Kanak rhythms. He began to sing at the age of 12 and play the guitar at 15, started performing in public for the first time when he was 16. As a writer, composer and performer, his music is fed by many influences: blues, rap, jazz and also funk, reggae and hip-hop and traditional songs.

He sees music as a means of communication and a way to break down barriers. Nea Combo Diffuzion, Ykson and DJ Tuff Tumas perform at the Brewery, Byron Bay, Friday Sept 17.

LITTLE WONDERS COME HOME

With a trail of rave reviews for their debut album, Thirteen O’Clock, The Lucky Wonders have returned to their home of Byron Bay after an epic Australian tour. Thirteen O’Clock has been hailed as “…a stunning album which takes music back to its roots” [Sound of Oz], “…outstanding… a breath of fresh air” [Hobart Mercury], The folk/indie pop four-piece bring their warm, catchy songs to Lennox Point Hotel on Sunday September 19 from 4pm.

BALLINA

BALLINA BALLINA

Here’s why you’ll

The Aussie t h e b a m b o o s — b l u e k i n g b r o w n

For the love of funk

difference to the band?

Completely. We’ve been signed to Tru Thoughts Records for five years now, so even though The Bamboos did exist before then, the line-up that is together now is the strongest incarnation of the band. Once we got Kylie on board and once the horn section became a three piece, with the same guys doing it all the time, it really solidified the unit.

Starting out as a four-piece ten years ago, The Bamboos have doubled in size and even more in popularity.

With the release of their latest album, 4, the funk and soul masters from Melbourne have cemented their place in the global funk scene.

Band founder, guitarist and allround leader, Lance Ferguson, chats to Cassandra Tobin about the changes, collaborations and pasttimes of The Bamboos.

Originally an instrumental act, do you think having vocalist Kylie Auldist as an official member of the band has increased your popularity?

Definitely. People always respond to a vocalist and lyrics. Also in the live performance, it’s a real human connection, and Kylie happens to be an amazing singer, so it’s cool. We use a lot of guests on the album as well, but I think the next album we’re not gonna do that. We’re just gonna use Kylie, because when people come to see The Bamboos, Kylie is the one they see. I decided with the next record we’d just use Kylie and that makes her more comfortable as well. We’ve had Alice Russell, Helen Williams, Lyrics Born — some of these tracks are our most successful tunes, so you have to play those songs out and Kylie’s the one who does them.

What’s next for The Bamboos?

We’re going to start working on a new record, even though it feels like we just did the last one. You have to give it to the record label six months before it comes out. They want the time to do all the promo for it. So we’ll be working on the new record and next year we’re going to tour America and Japan and we’re going to tour Europe as well.

The Bamboos collaborated with Lyrics Born on ‘Turn It Up’ — were you happy with what he did?

Yeah, I was. A weird thing always happens to me with my productions where I get MCs in to do verses on a track and instead of rapping they always want to sing. Lyrics Born sent me back his vocal for that track where he was singing and at first I wasn’t quite ready for that, but once I got my head around it, it was cool. Eventually I’ll find an MC who will actually MC on a track.

Has the line-up changes made a lot of

Worldly wizdom Blue King Brown’s latest studio release, Worldwize Part 1: North and South, hit stores in late August — a double album bursting with dancehall and reggae energy inspired by change, awareness, love and respect. Lead singer and songwriter Natalie Pa’apa’a takes some time out with Harry Nichols to talk about making new music.

What is Worldwize all about?

Worldwize is about being conscious of people, their beliefs and rights. It’s about having an open heart and being able to learn to connect with all people. We are all connected on the planet. It’s about not forgetting that we are all part of a global family.

There are many amazing performers featured throughout the album, some of which have been very influential in the traditions of dance hall and reggae. What was it like to work with people that are obviously a great influence?

We recorded part of the album in Kingston, Jamaica, and we were given the opportunity to collaborate with the likes of Sly and Robbie, Queen Ifrika, Voodoo Fred. It was incredible just to see how these guys work and how they do things. They approached it very differently to us and were so creative.

Blue King Brown is very well known for having a strong voice on social and political issues.

What is important to you and how does this manifest in your music?

The album is a collaboration of many different voices speaking out about worldwide issues.

Blue King Brown is proud to voice opinions on human rights and climate, as well as equality.

I believe music has and always will have a connection with social awareness and this is what we are passionate about.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the people and the organisations on the front line that are always present, always there, relentless. That is what motivates me.

What is your work with Childwize all about?

Childwize is an Australian-based organisation dedicated to raising awareness about sex slave trafficking. It is a massive shame on our generation and all countries have some form of contact with it. Childwize are working to help train people to identify sex traffickers and support international bodies to police and prevent it.

Blue King Brown are supporting the John Butler Trio, playing Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Tuesday September 7, and the CEX Club, Coffs Harbour, Wednesday September 8.

Having eight people on tour must get a little crowded at times — what do you do to amuse yourselves?

We were just on tour for a month in Europe.

We were on a tour bus and it was quite comfortable, but it seemed like everyone was hooked on this game called Plants Vs Zombies on their iPhone. It seemed like every person in the band was playing that game, non-stop, every day. That was one of the things - I don’t have an iPhone ‘cause I always trash my phones and lose them, so I was pretty much the only one who didn’t have their head buried in an iPhone.

The Bamboos play the Funk and Grooves Festival, Hunter Valley, Saturday September 11, and the Bellingen Global Carnival Festival, Friday October 1 to Sunday October 4.

SEPTEMBER

Thurs 2nd Jam Nite Fri 3rd Cath Simes Trio Sat 4th Glen Massey Duo

 Thurs 9th DJ Jaysin Fri 10th Brian Watt Sat 11th Push

 Thurs 16th Jam Nite Fri 17th Rochelle Lees Sat 18th Double Vision

 Thurs 23rd Jam Nite Fri 24th Beauty & The Beast Sat 25th Mark Easton

 Thurs 30th Jam Nite

Friday & Saturday Entertainment from 6pm From $10 per song professionlly recorded

The Australian Hotel

103 River Street 02 6686 2015

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gig guide

Thursday, Sept 2

Thursday, Sept 9

Friday, Sept 17

Friday, Sept 24

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Mick McHugh Byron Bay High School The Amity Affliction Macquarie Hotel, Port Macquarie The Never Ever Southern Cross Uni, Lismore SCU Final - National Campus Band Comp The Brewery, Byron Bay Josh Rawiri

Australian Hotel, Ballina DJ Jaysin Byron Bay Community Centre Lulo Reinhardt Currumbin RSL Comedy w/- Fred Parks + Paul McMahon Southern Cross Uni, Lismore Red Bantoo + Midday Kicks DJ

Friday, Sept 3

Australian Hotel, Ballina Brian Watt Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Phil Emmanuel Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour Lulo Reinhardt Greenmount Surf Club, Cooli Mason Rack Band Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Lucy McDaniel Lennox Point Hotel Harry Swagger Southern Cross Uni, Lismore Luc Bernard The Brewery, Byron Bay Kooii Yamba Bowling Club Grant Walmsley and the Agents Of Peace

Australian Hotel, Ballina Rochelle Lees Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Vaudeville Smash Cabarita Beach Bar Mason Rack Band Coolangatta Hotel Illy + 360 + Skryptcha Federal Hotel, Bellingen Rubix Cuba Lennox Point Hotel Princess Rodeo Northbank Comm. Garden, Bello Liz Stringer + Van Walker + The Stetson Family Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Weekenders Southern Cross Uni, Lismore Brad Haling The Brewery, Byron Bay Nea Combo Diffuzion + Ykson

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Polaroid Fame Bellingen Memorial Hall Ran MC + Xplicit Aktz + Rockers of Zion + Heart Tribe + Never One Day Bonny Hills Beach Hotel Martini Bros Coast Hotel, Coffs harbour Mahalia Fox Trio Coolangatta Hotel Grinspoon + Snowdroppers + Electric Horse Federal Hotel, Bellingen Jimmy Watts Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Port Macq Mason Rack Band Lennox Point Hotel Pacha Mamma Neverland, Coolangatta Calling All Cars Pacific Hotel, Yamba The Ninth Chapter Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Ben Francis The Brewery, Byron Bay Pink Zinc

Australian Hotel, Ballina Cath Simes Band Bonny Hills Beach Hotel Glenn Heath and the Deep Blue Sea Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Ben Francis Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina Josh Pollard Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Marc Daley Lennox Point Hotel Sean and his Merry Men Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga The Ford Brothers Southern Cross Uni, Lismore Harry and Sarah The Brewery, Byron Bay Shika Massie YAC, Byron Bay The Never Ever

The Ninth Chapter

Saturday, Sept 4 Australian Hotel, Ballina Glen Massey Duo Bangalow Hotel Fire Tree Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour The Justice Crew Federal Hotel, Bellingen The Ninth Chapter Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina Painted Crows Neverland, Coolangatta Killaqueenz The Brewery, Byron Bay Jamie T and the Tomahawks Thirty Three on Hickory, Dorrigo The Vampires Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Rochelle Lees

Sunday, Sept 5 Ivory Tavern, Tweed Heads Mason Rack Band Lennox Point Hotel The Vampires

Wednesday, Sept 8 C.Ex Services Club, Coffs Harbour John Butler Trio + Blue King Brown Westport Club, Port macquarie The Vampires 32

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Friday, Sept 10

Saturday, Sept 11 Australian Hotel, Ballina Push Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Dirty Laundry Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Mary Jane’s Leopard Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Children Collide + Howl + Teen Archer Lennox Point Hotel Anarchrist Duck Neverland, Coolangatta Kid Kenobi The Brewery, Byron Bay Grant Walmsley and the Agents of Peace Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Fat Albert

Saturday, Sept 18 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Wild Marmalade Finnian’s Irish Tavern, Port Macq Barrel House Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay The New Christs Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina Glenn Massey Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Vanessa Lea + Road Train Lennox Point Hotel One Step Closer The Brewery, Byron Bay The Ninth Chapter Thirty Three on Hickory, Dorrigo Liz Stringer + Van Walker Tommy’s Tavern, Lismore Pink Zinc

Tuesday, Sept 14 Lismore Bowling Club The Downstairs Mixup

Wednesday, Sept 15 Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour Children Collide + Howl + Teen Archer

Thursday, Sept 16 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Leigh James Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour Hoodoo Gurus Lennox Point Hotel Liz Stringer + Van Walker The Brewery, Byron Bay Jesse Morris and the Three Beans

Australian Hotel, Ballina Mark Easton Beach Hotel, Byron Bay The Bird Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour The Bostocks + Jesse Emmanuel Federal Hotel, Bellingen Pacha Mamma Henry Rous Hotel, Ballina Matherson Trio Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Open Arms Battle of the Bands Heat 1 Lennox Point Hotel Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen Pacific Hotel, Yamba Mason Rack Band The Brewery, Byron Bay The Arachnids

Sunday, Sept 26

Sunday, Sept 12 Lennox Point Hotel The Crew Shaws Bay Hotel, East Ballina Mason Rack Band The Brewery, Byron Bay Brian Watt

Saturday, Sept 25

The Lucky Wonders

Sunday, Sept 19 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Lisa Hunt Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Regurgitator + Rat vs Possum + Laneous and the Family Yah Lennox Point Hotel The Lucky Wonders The Brewery, Byron Bay Leigh James

Wednesday, Sept 22 Club Coffs, Coffs Harbour MM9

Thursday, Sept 23 Byron Bay High School Parkway Drive + The Devil Wears Prada + The Ghost Inside + 50 Lions Lennox Point Hotel Marshall Okell

Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Calling All Cars + Radio + Young Revelry Lennox Point Hotel Kathryn Harnett Yamba Bowling Club Sharon Smith

Tuesday, Sept 28 Byron Services Club Punchline Comedy Club w/- Curtis Walker + Sean Meo

Wednesday, Sept 29 Byron Bay High School Indent Ten Year Tour w/- Urthboy + Jane and El Gusto + Urban Freeflow Port Macquarie Panthers Yada Yada w/- Josephine March + Declare + Chris Rose + Ciarn Gallagher

Thursday, Sept 30 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Method Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Boy and Bear + Passenger + The Chemist Lennox Point Hotel Hussy Hicks + Rosie Burgess

THUR 2ND

National Band Comp Grand Final 8PM - FREE ENTRY

FRI 3RD

Harry & Sarah on the deck 5PM - FREE ENTRY

WED 8TH

Cult Flicks and Cocktails $10 INCLUDES MOVIE, COCKTAIL & BAR SNACKS

THU 9TH

Red Bantoo plus Midday Kicks DJ FREE ENTRY FROM 8PM

FRI 10TH

Luc Bernard on the deck 5PM

WED 15TH

FREE ENTRY

Pool Ping Pong & Pizza FROM 6PM

THU 16TH

Band Competition Winners + Invisible Friend 8PM FREE ENTRY

FRI 17TH

Brad Haling on the deck 5PM FREE ENTRY

WED 22ND

THE SOAP BOX

Open mic spots available STARTS 7PM - FREE ENTRY

THU 23THRD FRI 24

CLOSED: LISMORE CUP

D Block music students perform on the deck 5PM FREE ENTRY

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.

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fa s h i o n — ph otog r a ph y by m at t b ri ggs

this page, clockwise from above eyeAM Stockist: Before It Began. Dress $200, jacket $200, pants $150, shirt $100. Katherine Hampton Stockist: appointment only. Swimmers both $120. Jzhonnie Bechet Stockist: Before It Began. Shorts both $60, top $45. Medusa Lingerie Stockist: Before It Began. Bodysuit $60, lingerie set $70.

Melanie Ritchie Stockist: Before It Began. Black skirt $80, dress as singlet $110, multi-coloured dress $110.

Photography by Matt Briggs.

Modelling by Josephine Englefield, Margaret Welna and Aaron Mison.

Styling by Louise Mackay & Kathleen Mackay.

Make-up by Vic Anderson.

Hair by Christie Howe.

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fa s h i o n — ph otog r a ph y by m at t b ri ggs

this page, clockwise from left Marg & Jean Stockist: appointment only. Bow necklace $15, black dress $119, black & green dress $149. Anthea Jane Stockist: appointment only . Black dress $320, white dress $170. Sheena Murray Stockists: Before It Began, Olive Tree Market. Necklace $50, top $55, pants $150. Sophie Blayden Stockist: Before It Began Dress $300. Sarah Plooy Stockist: Betty Mim. Skirt $189, top $89, accessories stylist’s own.

All featured designers will be on show at Newcastle Fashion Week — September 12-18, 2010.

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35

general motoring

reviewed Ferrari California reviewed by Peter Douglas

Californication Some people call it a “girlie” Ferrari, but what do they know? The new California roadster is every millimetre an Italian thoroughbred — in a slightly different format. It marks a number of firsts for Ferrari — first mid-front engine, first with a folding metal roof, first with direct fuel

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injection and first with multi-link rear suspension. These developments point the way forward for the company that sets the pace in supercar-land.

Technology used in the California is pretty much a necessity if Ferrari is to continue being

able to sell its vehicles internationally, due to new safety and emissions laws. Taken individually, the changes offer positives across the board. The mid-front engine layout is just like a mid-rear engine — just the other way around.

The folding metal roof is safer, quieter and more secure. Direct fuel injection is more efficient saving fuel, generating fewer emissions and providing more power, and the multi-link suspension offers a greater degree of control without denting sporty performance or comfort. Add to that California’s stunning appearance, and you have all the elements of a true Ferrari supercar.

California acknowledges Ferrari’s 1957 250GT was built only for the US market. They didn’t make many back then and if you are lucky enough to own one, you’re a multi-millionaire.

Getting into the new California will “only” cost you $472,000 but a tempting options list will bump that up pronto.

Ferrari allowed us to take the new California for a spin and luckily it was a clear winter day that allowed the roof to be retracted so we could revel in that arse-kicking exhaust note. It sounds primal, like some enraged animal — which all Ferraris are when you come to think about it.

The temp’ might have been down to 15 degrees but inside the cockpit, it was toasty warm, especially with the seat heaters on — ideal for drop top driving. Roof retraction takes a scant 14 seconds and about the same the other way around.

Power comes from a 4.3-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine, a new design and not revamped version of what is under the F430’s bonnet. It scores variable valve timing on inlet and exhaust sides and generates 338kW/ 485Nm, consuming premium at a rate of 13.1 litres/100km. All this while complying with ultra-stringent Euro 5 emissions regulations.

California tips the scales at 1630kg (dry) which is more than we expected but can still clock a 4.0-second 0-100kph sprint. The weight is all the more surprising given California is made almost entirely of aluminium and steel with the light metal used on chassis, body, engine, transmission, suspension and other bits and pieces. The folding roof is also aluminium where many other folding hard tops use resin (plastic).

Brilliant handling is delivered by the chassis and suspension that features a double wishbone front and multi link rear. The transmission, mounted trans-axle style between the rear wheels, is a seven-speed double clutch with sequential change via steering wheel mounted paddles. Weight distribution is 47/53 front to

rear — about the same as a mid rear engine Ferrari.

California offers a level of dynamics you’d expect in a car costing this much with its pedigree and Ferrari’s F1 experience. It is the last word in fine control and challenges you to find its limits, which we didn’t. We chickened out at something near warp speed thinking of the barbecue that night and how we really wanted to be there. The car had plenty left when we signed off — there is only so much g-force that you can take without feeling ill. This was another car we have driven with carbon ceramic brakes and in this case, we weren’t that impressed — they felt dull and needed a big shove to stop but that was probably because we didn’t get them hot enough.

When you drive a car like this, the temptation is there to seek out mountain roads to revel in its talents and we did quite a bit of that in the time allotted. But it’s way too easy to overstep the mark and find you are exceeding the speed limit by a factor of two. It’s serious lock-up territory and the vision of a grinning Ivan Milat tends to snap you out of your reverie.

We settled for short shifting the transmission, with a pop, pop, pop through the mid-range ratios, blasting out of one corner and into the next… it really is addictive. The transmission offers an auto mode that’s nearly as good, better in traffic.

Being specifically designed for seppos, the California offers plenty of kit — leather sports seats, touch screen controller, sat nav, Bluetooth, premium audio and full USB connectivity. In addition to the F1-style gear change, California has a system that integrates the gearbox, stability control, traction and suspension functions and a choice of three driving modes — Comfort, Sport and CST off — the latter for when you take it to the racetrack for some play time.

Safety kit is well covered with pop-up roll bars, four air bags, bi-xenon adaptive headlights and LED tail lights. There’s a 2+2 seat option which we wouldn’t bother with — you couldn’t even get a small kid in. Ferrari offers all buyers the opportunity to customise their car with numerous choices for colours and materials inside and out, wheels, brakes and so on. It’s just a matter of how big your cheque book is.

When you get behind the wheel of any Ferrari you feel like somebody important and the drive experience underlines that feeling.

It’s fantastic — stimulating, challenging, rewarding and all on multi levels. That’s what you get from a company that has finely honed its products in the toughest racing arena there is — F1. It shows.

j os h t h o m a s — w h o l e lot ta lov e

Element of Surprise Between his prolific twittering and acting as Gen Y’s principal specimen on Channel Ten’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, Josh Thomas gives up some time to bandy with Terrease McComb about his prospective stand-up show, Surprise.

Considering your Channel 10 commitments, has it been demanding with preparation of the new show?

No, yeah, something happened and then I started coming in to work a couple of weeks ago, but before that I wasn’t [working], it was like an accidental holiday.

Accidental?

Well, sometimes nothing happens for a while.

It’s great! I love having those times, but then you get to the point where you have to do stuff.

Did you have time to work on your endeavour to become Cleo’s Most Eligible Bachelor?

No, well I can’t get it anymore, as I have a boyfriend. It’s my life long dream… smashed!

Perhaps it’s an opportunity to pioneer a more diverse award?

I could be Cleo’s Most Eligible Best Friend?

The new show, Surprise, it’s with reference to ‘coming out’ and your relationship with Triple J host, Tom Ballard. Tell me more.

It’s a comedy show about a serious relationship… with funny jokes and that. I really like it, I have to change it now you know, because Tom and I broke up.

The combination of rewriting the show, and

Being a gay celebrity do you feel as though you have indirectly become a gay role model?

No, I don’t think. I never understood the whole role model thing. Like sportsmen being role models [for example]. I don’t think kids look at sportsmen and think that’s the way

they are meant to behave. I just do what I do you know, I’m not representing the people… lately I’ve started getting political because of

Zkye, vocalist

Simon Meli, The Widowbirds & Ooh La La

‘Immigrant Song’: It has such a great high energy from the opening riff then the vocals come in to slap you in the face - in a good way, of course.

‘In My Time Of Dying’: I love the religious madness involved in it, also the history in the song first performed around 1927 as a traditional gospel song. I love the take Led Zeppelin have on it.

my parents in Kashmir and if not for Robert Plant and a really wrinkly old guy I would have surely died.

‘Stairway to Heaven’: If you can write a six-minute song that some people will adore forever and others can’t stand, you know you got something special.

John Swan, vocalist ‘Stairway To Heaven’: It’s tough but I remember the first time I heard ‘Stairway to Heaven’. I was loving the way the song grows from acoustic guitar to the bloody outrageous solo — the syncopation with bass drums while the solo is howling away. it’s a classic...

Surprise will be showing one night only at the Civic Theatre on September 25 and also at the Sydney Opera House between September 13 – 19 and September 27 – October 2.

‘Houses of the Holy’: The production on ‘Houses of the Holy’ will stack up for all time… it’s a bit like Hendrix and Cream or Sgt Pepper’s… crank it up and let it play through...

Danny Marx Young, Whistleblower

‘Black Dog’: It rocks; the guitar riff has to be one of the fattest ever. The playing on the recording is just phenomenal — it blows me away.

‘Kashmir’: This song means the world to me because when I was five I was abandoned by

You have had a multitude of success at the ripe age of 23, what’s next — world domination?

No, I don’t actually know. I just hang out and tell jokes. World domination seems like a lot of pressure… you’d have to worry about Ethiopia, that’s the last thing I’d want on my plate, you know what I mean? Because [world domination implies] that’d suddenly be my responsibility.

‘The Ocean’ and ‘The Immigrant Song’: They have a brutality in their riffage and again stellar vocal attack. Sure, there’s something in the words that Robert Plant uses, whether we understand them or not, but references to vikings or the like seems to work with the barbaric tone of the song. Two words come to mind for ‘The Ocean’ and ‘The Immigrant Song’: Power and might!

Dave Gleeson, Screaming Jets

Steve Balbi, Noiseworks

Will you be focusing on vegetarian cooking, given you’re going two weeks without meat?

Oh yeah, I’m on a vegetarian thing for two weeks.

I started two days ago. I need to go to the shops and get some real food; I have had a lot of mac’ and cheese… Will I still be vegetarian in Newcastle? Gosh, why do I do this?

I hear your dog Jonathon will be joining you in the show; do you have to provide special considerations for John?

He’s totally coming with me which is crazy, it’s actually crazy! We get to stay in holiday houses instead of hotels, so that’s really nice… I get a kitchen and a proper house instead of a room.

You know what’s going to be great about this.

Mostly I just bring him in, do my show and he’s around and it’s nice.

Australia’s most successful homage to the mighty Led Zeppelin, Whole Lotta Love, will rock Newcastle and the Central Coast for the first time ever. Reverb put a simple question to the musos involved — which Zeppelin songs get them hot?

‘Misty Mountain Hop’: When I was young and first listened to the words of this song, I was amazed how he made them flow and weave in and out of the guitars. It still blows my mind to this day, the feel and meter that Robert Plant sings with.

Beyond Surprise have you got any other projects in the works?

There’s not really anything else, Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation… is that a project on the side?

Oh! There is the six weeks of cooking school.

Did you expect more of a public reaction when your relationship with Ballard initially came in to the light?

We were pretty sure it wasn’t interesting. People were more interested in the fact I was dating Tom Ballard because he’s on the radio, so that was more interesting to people… but we didn’t really know [what to expect].

Whole Lotta Zeppelin

‘Ramble On’: I love the hippy feel of it. The opening jangling guitar with Robert Plant singing in his sweet mournful tones, only to explode into the chorus with more rifferama.

The dynamics take you on the journey that the lyrics lead you along.

the election as it’s pissing me off.

the motive behind it, must be difficult for you to deal with?

Yeah, talking to a camera lens about your personal life is a bad idea. That’s what I learned this year.

‘Bron-Y-Aur Stomp’: I love the hoedown rhythm, the spoons and castanets plus the love story of a man and his trusty blue eyed dog.

‘The Battle Of Evermore’: The pairing of Sandy Denny and Robert Plant is fantastic, plus the haunting mandolin at the start, speaking about Scottish folklore also with a couple of references to JRR Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings.

When I hear that song I can feel the candles burning.

‘Whole Lotta Love’: I think this song might sum up Led Zeppelin for me as a punter, just ball breaking energy, big everything. Hard to beat.

‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’: One of my all time faves and I’m just lucky enough that I get to sing it. It’s a classic blues tune.

‘Whole Lotta Love’: Yet another well written riff and melody plus it’s bloody fun to perform.

Gordon Rymeister (drummer) ‘Good Times, Bad Times’: This song takes me back to my initial discovery of the mighty Led Zeppelin. It had the most groovy drumming with the amazing Bonham triplets on the bass drum.

‘Celebration Day’: Great song, great hook and the most incredibly melodic and succinct guitar solo.

‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’: This song is so powerful. The band chemistry is peaking and Robert Plant’s vocal is like another instrument. The Presence album is unfortunately so underrated.

‘Night Flight’: I have to pick something from Physical Graffiti. This track is so fresh and funky. I always loved the way Plant would sit his vocal inside Bonham’s pocket and this is a great example of that. Another example is ‘Black Country Woman’ but that would be like choosing five favourites.

Whole Lotta Love heads to the Laycock Street Theatre on Friday September 10 and Newcastle Civic Theatre on Saturday September 11, 2010.

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ta l k i n g s h o p — i n d en t

Profiling music industry professionals

Talking shop

Name?

Nick Milligan Current position title?

Freelance entertainment journalist.

How long have you been in this position?

I’ve been a freelancer since 2002, which was my first year of university.

What are your main responsibilities?

Maintaining a sound knowledge of modern music, film and culture. Occasionally writing an article.

How did you get involved in the music industry?

Began writing for Opus Magazine in 2002, then started submitting articles to Frankie, Yen, Rolling Stone, Smash Hits, Hotpress, Riot, Uturn. Went on to be the Music and Film Editor of Yen for two years and the Editor of Reverb Magazine for three years.

Proudest moment?

Definitely interviewing my hero, Bret Easton Ellis. I’m also very proud of interviewing Ian Gillan, because I’ve listened to Deep Purple since I was old enough to reach my dad’s turntable.

Is there anyone you would really like to meet [living or dead]?

James Dean Bradfield from Manic Street Preachers.

Gaz Coombes. Neil Young. Stanley Kubrick.

Best live show you’ve been to?

Leonard Cohen in the Hunter Valley. I was in the second row, dead centre. It was as close to a spiritual experience as one can have at a concert.

Who should we be listening to?

Definitely the new records by Book Of Ships and The Seabellies. You should also own a copy of The Tallest Man On Earth’s The Wild Hunt and Local Natives’ Gorilla Manor.

What would be on your ultimate rider?

An incredibly expensive French cheese plate, red wine by Brokenwood and assorted hot canapés (including deep fried seafood).

Best way to spend a Sunday morning?

Dosed up on painkillers to combat a mean hangover, Xbox360, a dressing gown and really strong black coffee (not the best way, but certainly the most common).

Any advice for people trying to break into the industry?

Firstly, don’t enter the music industry out of a desire to make money. It’s unlikely that you will. Do it because you love music, not because you want to party with bands and socialise. There’s too many people in the industry that are doing it for all the wrong reasons. If you’re passionate, then just put yourself out there, glean as much advice as you can and pour your heart into it.

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ten years of indent After a decade of working with dedicated young people across NSW to create all-age music scenes, Indent is to celebrate its anniversary in style. The Indent Ten Year Tour will extend across regional and metropolitan NSW in September and October. Matt Petherbridge spoke to tour headliner Urthboy to find out the finer details.

You’ve been touring your new album Spitshine for over a year now. How are your preparations for the Indent Ten Year Tour?

I just got out of surgery — the timing of that was so I’d be fit and ready to roll in September.

We’ve got some new things in the works — there’s a lot of writing going on at the moment so the Indent tour will be a great outlet.

What interested you most about headlining?

Doing all-age shows and getting to places that it’s not easy to get to on normal tours. It feels fresh and it’ll be great doing our thing for people who don’t get to see heaps of live show — I love that!

The tour stops will include industry workshops during the day before the concert. What will you be discussing in these workshops?

We’ll be talking about how we write songs, some technical aspects of this as well as some history and insights into the business side of [my label] Elefant Traks and being an artist.

Last year, Elefant Traks celebrated its tenth.

Could you give a brief history of the label?

We started from nothing in 1998, made our own CDs, put them in stores on consignment, organised our own gigs, developed a following and just kept investing the money back into the label and signed new artists, et cetera. We’ve now put out over 55 releases, we’ve never had any private or government funding — we’ve grown organically and have made mistakes along the way.

Do you believe that the DIY, grassroots model that started Elefant Traks can be adopted by Indent crews across NSW? I can’t see one single reason why a grassroots model similar to ours can’t be adopted and evolved by Indent crews.

What effect do you think the tour will have on the music scenes of these regional areas?

Sometimes it takes only one or two people to be active and energetic in order for a bigger movement to take place. In other words, never underestimate how much one or two people can achieve. Hopefully we can inspire some young folks to be that person or that team that creates something out of nothing.

The support acts for the Indent Ten Year Tour will be playing in front of their biggest crowds yet. Can you recall a gig that got the ball rolling on your career?

All gigs, no matter how big or small, provide you with experience — I can’t recall any one gig getting the ball rolling, but they all reinforced to me that this was something I wanted to do.

Catch Urthboy, along with local support acts, at Newcastle Panthers on Friday, September 24; Cessnock High School on Saturday, September 25; Byron Bay High School on Wednesday, September 29; and Club Forster on Friday, October 1. See indent.oztix.com.au for tickets.

Kevin Bull speaks with Indent’s Cessnock-base Production Coordinator, Sophie Hedges.

way publicity works in a tour as big as this and how important communication is between members of the team.

How long have you been involved with Indent?

I have been involved with Indent for about three years now through the Cessnock Youth Entertainment Committee [CYEC].

What was it that convinced you to become involved with Indent?

Cessnock does not have many opportunities for young people wanting to break into the music industry. In many of the pubs, you must be over 18 to play in them and many of the Cessnock bands are only 15-18. The CYEC, through Indent, gives these bands a chance to play to audiences of 500-plus at an all-ages show and gain some knowledge of the music industry. Also, every year the CYEC releases a Nockrock CD, which has a selection of our local talent recorded by Rob Long. It is opportunities like this that bands need while they are young so they are able to gain the skills and knowledge and to fully evolve as a band so when they turn 18 and they are able to play at venues like The Cambridge, they have a greater chance of making it big. It is also extremely rewarding to see the bands evolve year by year.

Prior to the Ten Year Tour, what has been your involvement with Indent?

Each year the CYEC puts in grant applications to Indent which helps to fund all-ages shows in the Cessnock area such as Nockrock — the release of our local compilation CDs each year, and Nockstock — a festival we held in December last year. Indent’s funding also helps us to do workshops such as production and band management workshops along with camps to Stroud to hone our skills in recording, band photography and media skills.

This year the CYEC attended the Indent Ten Year birthday and awards ceremony where we won the award for best team and that has allowed us to be a part of this amazing tour.

Outside of Indent, what other involvement in the music industry have you had?

High school music student, studied piano, cello, bass, violin. I have been a part of The Cessnock Youth Entertainment committee for three years. I do amateur band photography and merchandise sales for The Shivering Indies.

I am starting a music promotions company in partnership with Jack Waterson called “Fifteen Step Productions”. Our first gig is coming up in October at The Loft in Newcastle, and, through this gig, I am working towards a certificate three in Music Business.

How has Indent helped you within the music industry?

Indent has helped me gain the knowledge required to be a part of the music industry.

Especially in the areas of contracts, and the initial booking of the bands. This tour has helped me gain an understanding of the

Why is Indent so important?

Indent is important to the music industry as it is training the next generation of publicists, booking agents, production managers, stage managers, sponsorship co-ordinators.

Through the myriad of different workshops Indent offers, it is training the youth of NSW in these areas to keep the music alive.

After all, there is no shortage of young bands who will need publicity or a gig to go to in the future.

How do people get involved with Indent, and what skills do they need?

If your town doesn’t have a music scene and it would like one, Indent are probably the ones to help. Indent funds groups between the ages of 12 and 25 to be trained in areas such as production, band management, et cetera. It also funds gigs for local bands. All the information you’ll need is on indent.net. au. Funding opens soon, so check it out.

gamer’s corner

O.M.F.G. – ZERGLING RUSH! reviewed StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC) reviewed by Hugh Milligan rated 9.5/10 There’s not a single self-respecting gamer on earth who hasn’t known the joy of StarCraft — no other real-time strategy game has had such an enduring influence on the genre. In developing a sequel, Blizzard Entertainment has been anxious to meet the expectations of its fans, and has encouraged community feedback through forum discussions and a five-month beta period. Now, finally, the developer has made its longawaited return to the embattled Koprulu sector, and it is most assuredly a warm reunion.

The first thing you’ll notice about StarCraft II is its streamlined interface. You’re required to connect to Battle.net each time you start the game, and all your records, preferences and unlockables are centralised under a single profile. There are some drawbacks to this — the game’s achievement system is verified through Battle.net, for example, so you can’t earn any awards for your efforts whenever you’re disconnected. There is, however, a real sense of convenience; your profile is basically an online vanity plate that displays the sum total of your skill and achievements, and which is given a persistent rank on the leaderboards based on your performance in online matches. It all contributes to an intoxicating sense of oneupmanship that fuels endless replayability.

Maintaining a single profile also allows you to use Blizzard’s Real ID system, which has much the same in-game functionality as MSN; you’re able to add friends to your list, chat with them via text or voice while playing, and form parties at any time to play together. These features are blended intuitively into every area of the game — even when you’re just playing through the campaign alone, it feels like a social experience.

The campaign itself is much improved from previous Blizzard RTS titles. It’s not just a series of levels with some dialogue interspersed throughout, but a fully-fledged single-player experience. The storyline follows the events of StarCraft: Brood War, as embittered freedom fighter Jim Raynor struggles to bring down both the corrupt Terran Dominion and the insidious Zerg swarm. Raynor’s ship, the Hyperion, serves as a central hub between levels, from which you can converse with other characters, upgrade various units, research new technologies or hire mercenary teams to complement your strategy of choice. Each level features an unusual gameplay mechanic or environmental hazard that makes it fresh and exciting to play.

The real nuts and bolts of the game, however, lie in StarCraft II’s competitive multiplayer modes.

While Blizzard has added many new units and buildings, it has worked hard to preserve the flavour of the three races and to maintain the balance between them — though each race has obvious advantages, there’s enough flexibility to encourage enormously diverse strategies.

You’ll encounter all manner of unusual tactics while online, and the game automatically saves match replays that you can study to improve your play style. For new players, Blizzard has included a series of stylised Challenges that help introduce skills such as unit micro-management, early expansion and army composition. These

skills can then be put into practice against AI opponents of adjustable difficulty.

Curiously, the game does not feature LAN support, so you can only play with other people through Blizzard’s servers. These are restricted by region to minimise lag, so you’ll unfortunately be unable to challenge players outside the Asia Pacific region. Regardless, the game’s visuals, art direction, voice acting and soundtrack are all presented with Blizzard’s trademark polish.

StarCraft II walks the line between fresh and familiar so perfectly that you often feel as if you’re playing the original StarCraft, and yet every aspect has been revised and enhanced with the benefit of ten years’ design experience.

Refining your play style is an on-going and joyous endeavour, and the improved social element opens the game up further, though it’s sad to see the absence of public chat channels from the previous Battle.net — it would have been a nice touch. In any case, StarCraft II is an indisputable mark of Blizzard’s excellence as a developer. If you’re an RTS fan, you’ll find none finer than this.

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film reviews

“ I wanted to protect the book and make it a really faithful adaptation, because I felt it deserved it.”

Wait ‘til Tomorrow A Sydney native, Stuart Beattie has penned some of Hollywood’s most recognised blockbusters. After turning a Disneyland ride into Pirates Of The Carribean and writing GI Joe: Rise Of The Cobra, Derailed, Bra Boys, Collateral and 30 Days Of Night, Beattie has made his directorial debut with one of Australia’s most beloved pieces of teen literature.

Ahead of the Newcastle premiere of Tomorrow When The War Began, Nick Milligan sits down with writer and director, Beattie, as well as actress Phoebe Tonkin, who plays the polite and conservative Fiona Maxwell.

This is such a cinematic book. Why has it taken so long to be made?

Stuart Beattie It needs a lot of money and it’s hard to find that money. You’d have to ask John [Marsden, author] what the other proposals were and maybe it was always a question of money or he didn’t like what they were going to do. As far as this [version] getting made, it was a combination of us having the money and John liked the adaptation of the book and trusted us as film makers.

Do you both have a sense that the Tomorrow series has been embraced by the next generation of young teenagers or is it being overshadowed by Twilight and Harry Potter?

Phoebe Tonkin Even last night we did a signing at a Borders in Brisbane and the majority of the people that came to see us were under the age of 18. So many school kids. The story’s relevant, no matter how old you are or what generation you’re from. It’s still about eight teenagers who are put in an extreme situation.

SB The Twilights and Harry Potters are out there, but the Tomorrow series remains as strong as ever.

PT I think in NSW schools it’s compulsory to read.

Stuart, you’re a very established screenplay writer, having penned the likes of Pirates Of The Carribean and Australia. Tomorrow is your directorial debut — were there any unforseen challenges?

SB I’d been on a lot of film sets and there’s always challenges with every film. The bigger challenges were on location and dealing with night shoots and your body being all out of

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whack. I wrote the films Collateral and 30 Days Of Night, which are both set at night, so I think this was karma. Forcing actors and directors to shoot at night, I think it bit me in the arse.

You hear stories about a director coming in and making a lot of changes to a script. Then the actors come in and have their own interpretation. The finished product can be quite different to what the writer envisioned.

Was part of your motivation to direct the opportunity for more creative control?

SB Yeah, absolutely. I always wanted to be a film director — you get kicked around enough [as a screenlay writer]... actually, they asked me to write this initially, not direct it. One of the reasons why I agreed to adapt it was that I wanted to control its journey to the screen.

I was afraid it would get messed up. It was such a good book. I didn’t want to see it get messed up by someone who didn’t love it as much as I did. That’s why I said I’d adapt it if you let me direct it. I wanted to protect the book and make it a really faithful adaptation, because I felt it deserved it.

Have you had many bad experiences as a screenplay writer where the final product was very different to what you wrote?

SB Yeah, and also I’ve written entire films and not gotten credit. All sorts of crazy shit. It’s an unforgiving industry and writers are at the bottom of the totem pole. So you get treated pretty poorly. Some people are fine with that.

It’s just the way it is. I put my blood, sweat and tears into everything I do, so it rips me apart when that stuff happens. On a film like this, it would be hard to take my credit off [laughs].

Phoebe, how did you find Stuart to work with as a director compared to other directors you’ve worked with?

PT Amazing!

SB No, no, be honest (laughs).

PT No, there was never a moment where we didn’t feel like it was a collaborative effort.

Obviously, Stuart’s such an amazing screenwriter, but we also had the freedom to change lines and add things that we wanted to.

SB I’d say, ‘It’s okay, the writer’s not on set today.

What do you want to do?’

PT There was never a question that Stuart couldn’t answer. He knew the story and these characters inside and out, from both writing

[the script] and also being a prepared director.

There was never a stupid question for Stuart and you could ask him anything.

As an actress, were you able to feed off the atmosphere of filming in these small rural locations around the Hunter Valley?

PT Definitely. We’re obviously playing characters that are going through a pretty big physical and emotional journey — not that we were fighting a war in real life — but we were all pretty exhausted. Doing night shoots where your body clock is out of whack, by the end playing exhausted got a bit easier because we all really were quite exhausted. All the elements — insects and snakes — helped us become our characters.

SB There’s nothing like for actors to actually be out there. To be under that bridge. To be in the barn when there’s an explosion. You can’t imagine doing any of that on a sound stage.

The movie has a $20 million budget, which was the biggest of any Australian film this year. But by action movie standards, that’s very small. Was the relatively small budget a challenge?

SB Yeah, absolutely. But that’s not a bad thing.

I sometimes think that today film makers get too much opportunity, in a sense. If you’ve got all the money in the world, and all the visual effects and CGI in the world, you’re sometimes not forced to make good story decisions. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do something. With this film, there were lots of things I wanted to do that I couldn’t do. But it forced us all to go, ‘Right, well how are we going to do this part of the story?’

It forces you to be more creative and sometimes you can come up with something better. The classic example is Jaws. If the damn shark had worked, you would have seen the shark throughout the whole film. It would be a completely different film. You’d normally get a budget five times the size of this to make this kind of film in Hollywood, and twice the time. And two more units of crews. There were enormous challenges, but like I say, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. We came in on time and budget. I’m very proud of the way the film looks and feels and plays.

Tomorrow When The War Began opens in cinemas on September 2. Its success just might dictate if there’s a sequel…

Worth its salt reviewed Salt reviewed by Mark Snelson rated 3.5/5 With Russian spy rings recently uncovered in the US, Salt could not be more perfectly timed given its CIA and Cold War themes. It is a fast paced and suspenseful espionage thriller from Australian director, Phillip Noyce.

Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a secret agent for the CIA, who is planning a special wedding anniversary date with her arachnidspecialist husband. As she is leaving work to celebrate, a Russian defector turns up at her office to announce he has some vital information and she is asked to interview him.

She has 25 minutes up her sleeve and figures she can do it before heading home for her special night. Unfortunately for her, the defector drops a bombshell that the Russian president will shortly be assassinated on American soil and an accusation that Salt herself is a CIA mole aiding in this plot. This sends her office into a spin and Salt makes a dramatic escape on a mission to find her husband and clear her name. From here it is a frantic cat-and-mouse chase where it is impossible to know who to trust.

Noyce directs Salt in a classic spy movie style with superbly choreographed action sequences that are not lost in hectic handheld camerawork, which was popular in the similarl-themed Bourne series. Jolie plays Salt with a fierce conviction and is a joy to watch, as she shows the boys that she can match them on the action star stakes. Originally a male was to play the lead here, but when Tom Cruise turned it down, Jolie stepped in and the movie is all the better for it. She is backed by a solid cast, with the likes of Liev Shcreiber [who plays espionage roles so well] and Chiwetel Ejiofor is also very good. Whilst Salt is not the most original entry into the spy caper genre, it is saved by its strong cast, thrilling action and stylish delivery. It’s definitely a movie to suspend disbelief for a while and just go along for the ride.

live reviews Art Vs Science

Slash

Basement Birds

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Coolangatta Hotel Thursday, August 12

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Monday, August 16

Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni Wednesday, August 18

Port Macquarie Panthers Thursday, August 19

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Art Vs Science ©Madeline Smith

Grinspoon ©Kevin Bull

Sydney three-piece Art Vs Science have become familiar with selling out headlining shows across the country. Tonight, at The Coolangatta Hotel it was no different. The crowd began to pack out every inch of the dance floor 20 minutes before the band took their place on stage, screaming hysterically anytime they got a glimpse of the electro-pop trio. The young and energetic threesome belted out new songs as well as the incredibly infectious crowd- favourites ‘Flippers’ and ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’. We were pulled into the band’s dramatics from the first shout of “We are Art Versus Science!” — the group showcasing their impressive talent with a cover of The Fresh Prince hit ‘Boom! Shake the Room’ followed by heart-stopping guitar solos on ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’ and ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ by guitarist/vocalist, Dan McNamee. Art Vs Science are a band with intelligence, constantly relying on their creativity to perform an excellent show. The nonstop hour of dancing and screaming along to every lyric however, left the crowd completely exhausted but satisfied as they stumbled through the exit doors. ~Madeline Smith

Taking to the stage in his trademark top hat and muscle tee, Slash and co. ripped straight into the opening number, ‘Ghost’, from his new album. Originally sung by Ian Astbury from The Cult, Alter Bridge front man Myles Kennedy handled the vocal duties admirably.

Indeed, he handled the entire two hour set’s worth of tracks — that included Guns N’ Roses hits like ‘Nightrain’, ‘Civil War’, ‘Rocket Queen’ and ‘Sweet Child ‘O Mine’ — incredibly well.

It’s a diverse set that runs the gamut of Slash’s career to date and keeps the huge audience entertained from start to finish. A number of tracks from his new album are covered including ‘Back from Cali’, ‘By the Sword’ and ‘Starlight’. It’s hard to imagine any other solo guitarist filling a venue the size of the Hordern as Slash does tonight. As the sweet scent of marijuana wafts through the capacity crowd and a million mobile phones are thrust into the air to record the occasion, Slash delivers a memorable set that even includes a rousing rendition of the Godfather theme. It’s doubtful any Slash fan left the Hordern disappointed. ~Ben Hosking

Basement Birds ©Lilen Pautasso

With a combination of acoustic and electric, chilling harmonies and a unique sense of humour, not only was I won over by the Basement Birds, but my mind was blown. A testament to the years of experience between them, the constant change of tempo between songs not only kept the crowd excited but showcased the vast musical talent on display with each member playing at least two instruments. Aside from the usual guitar, bass and keys, a harmonica, banjo and double bass all made an appearance. There could easily have been a lull between songs as instruments were swapped, instead the crowd were treated to back stories of the songs — most being about girlfriends leaving them for such people as Sylvester Stallone, Peter Russell Clarke and Billy Corgan. The overall standout was a cover of Sarah Blasko’s ‘All I Want.’

Performed acoustically, it was approached with such sensitivity, it would have made Blasko herself proud. ~Melissah Comber

When Grinspoon hit the stage at Port Macquarie Panthers on their Six Minutes to Midnight tour, Port went off. Phil Jamieson was at his eclectic best, with his ever unusual stage presence that changes, in an instant, from almost gentile into a spitting, snarling beast.

Jamieson has always been a phenomenal front man, but the Grinners’ new album seems to have delivered him the perfect vehicle to express his talents. A consummate performance that showcased both their old and new material, the Grinners seem to have taken things up a notch, and that’s saying a lot for a band that is already standing close to the top rung of Australian music hierarchy. The delivery by bassist, Joe Hansen and drummer, Kristian Hopes is mind boggling. The power and tension that these two musicians bring to the stage is something that has to be experienced to be believed.

Meanwhile, Pat Davern on guitar seems to have found yet another dozen ways to make his instrument sing. There’s a reason why Grinspoon pull huge crowds wherever they go — they rock. ~Stephen Bocking

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splendour reviews

florence ©Nick Brightman

Florence and the Machine

midlake ©Kevin Bull

Midlake Metro Theatre, Sydney.

Saturday, July 31.

band of horses ©Kevin Bull

BAND OF HORSES Enmore Theatre, Sydney Thursday, July 29 Two days before their Splendour set, Seattle’s hairiest group blew into the Enmore Theatre to bring their quiet-is-the-new-loud songs to life in front of a keen audience.

The cutting voice of front man Ben Bridwell sliced right through the tight and driving rhythms of favourites including ‘The Great Salt Lake’, ‘Laredo’ and ‘Factory’. The most pleasing thing about seeing this band live was the fact that the lush harmonies that are so much a part of their sound were tight and, at times, goose bump inducing.

During one of the more hushed moments in the set, in the first half of ‘Is There A Ghost’, a security guard’s torch pierced the darkness. A single punter had decided it fitting to hold his lighter proudly skyward. This instantly spread through the theatre as tiny flames lit the room in a sort of old school salute to the band. Bridwell, grinning around the cigarette between his lips, couldn’t help but clap.

If there was any moment to take home it would be the first song of the encore, ‘No-one’s Gonna Love You’, which was clearly a favourite of the singing crowd. In all, the show was far better than solid. While part of me was tempted to be disappointed at not heading north to Splendour, seeing these lads play their own headlining show was far more consolation than I expected. Well and truly a top night. ~Nick Bielby 42

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Midlake aren’t the most name-dropped band on the planet and I was unsure of the reception this Texan seven-piece would receive in Australia. The band had similar concerns — making frequent reference to their old age and greying beards. Oh, how silly we’d both been!

An eclectic mix of young and old, trendy and not-so, packed out the venue. A Midlake show is all about the music — and this is something evidently enjoyed by all.

The epic set, which lasted almost two hours, began with ‘Winter Dies’ — a more sombre track from this year’s The Courage of Others.

Tim Smith’s velvety vocals instantly stunned the crowd, as did the old-worldly inclusion of flute and tambourine. Interestingly, Smith didn’t stand in the centre as if to recognise just how collaborative the band’s flawless folk sound is. This also enabled each member to exhibit their instrumental prowess in the set’s many jams.

The latter half of the performance showcased songs from 2006’s much-loved The Trials of Van Occupanther, including the bittersweet ‘Young Bride’ and indie anthem ‘Roscoe’ — which remained the subject of crowd requests long after it was played. The best, however, was reserved for the encore. A passionate rendition of ‘Bandits’ was both energetic and subdued — leaving the audience absolutely enthralled. Closing track ‘Branches’ was just as gorgeous. The crowd’s roar even forced the band to stop mid-song — making the last few verses all the more powerful. Although, I must admit, as Smith sung the poignant lyrics: “We won’t get married ‘cause she won’t have me”, I found it pretty hard to digest. Every female [and male for that matter] hung from his every breath.

That is the magic of Midlake. They perform with such intensity that, for those few hours, nothing but the music exists. ~Lee Tobin

As Florence Welch raised her drumstick in the air and pounded out the opening beats of ‘The Drumming Song’, my heart stopped and I knew we were in for an amazing set. Such an indulgent opening does not always work but in this case, Florence And The Machine were able to carry this intensity from beginning to end. Welch herself is mesmerising, captivating the entire room with her dance as if the music is flowing directly through her veins leaving her no choice. The star of the show however, is her voice. Pitch perfect, needing no layered backing, making you feel at times like the venue would not hold up to its power, and resonating larger and louder than any recording. As the show progressed Florence and her machine walked us through their debut album Lungs and showcased their epic range as a live act. From the haunting ‘Girl With One Eye’ and ‘My Boy Builds Coffins’ to the beautiful ‘I’m Not Calling You a Liar’ and ‘Cosmic Love’. They also debuted two new tracks, ‘Heavy in Your Arms’ and ‘Strangeness and Charm’, before ‘Rabbit Heart’ and a cover of The Source’s ‘You’ve Got The Love’ had the adoring crowd begging for what would be an amazing finale, belting out ‘Howl’ and ‘Dog Days Are Over’, to which the crowd response was so intense it felt as if the Enmore Theatre would be shaken to its foundation. Welch has certainly raised the bar for female performers and I’m sure it will be a while before we are blessed again with such a unique and inspiring performance. ~Chrissy Kavalieros

Mumford and Sons Enmore Theatre 3 August 2010 Following a string of tours, Mumford and Sons grace the stage of the Enmore Theatre, Sydney to play a heart rendering performance to a sold out crowd. Opening with ‘Sigh No More’, the provocative buzz of the crowd is answered in turn by the band’s fluid harmonies. Drums beat along with the feet and hearts of tenacious fans. Watching Mumford and Sons I consider I have been given a gift of sorts. Both their presence and ambience would render an angry mob into submission. I bask in the filling accompaniment of a mini brass section and cellist as Marcus Mumford’s crisp acoustic shapes beckon the lighting to trickle and change. Concert-goers sing along to the heartfelt lyrics, in particular those of ‘I Gave You All’. Melodious sentiment spills from the stage and fills the room along with the people in it.

Despite a previous drumstick related injury at the band’s Melbourne show, Marcus decides to play ‘Timshel’, followed by a currently unnamed song, which judging by its reception may make its way on to a forthcoming album.

Concluding this delicate and enthusiastic performance, we are left with ‘The Cave’ providing soothing comfort for fans and tag-a-longs alike, in recognition of their impending departure. ~Terrease McComb

goldfrapp ©Mark McIntosh

Goldfrapp The Big Top, Luna Park Sydney English starlet Alison Goldfrapp brought some 70s glam electro-pop back to the stage when she played to an intimate crowd at Luna Park’s Big Top. Accompanied by her intriguing four-piece band [who were truly talented in both their playing and costume design], Goldfrapp’s disco-inspired retro performance was a show-stopper from the start.

Adorned in an amazing sparkling black jacket that moved against the wind, Goldfrapp opened the show with ‘Voice Works’ from their fifth and latest album, Head First. The simple backdrop of multi-coloured lighting against Golfrapp’s silhouette, together with the wind blowing against her trademark golden hair, gave for an amazing effect that the crowd literally went crazy over.

‘Believer’ and the popular single ‘Rocket’ were met with plenty of loud cheers from the audience, encouraging plenty of movement and singing [don’t we all know someone we’d like to send to space on a rocket?!].

Her voice, somewhat reminiscent of Kylie with a touch of opera, proved that not only does this diverse songstress look good, she can sing, too. More engagement with the audience was needed though and Goldfrapp also failed to introduce her band who really brought a lot of energy to the stage. I was expecting to hear ‘Happiness’ but it seemed this set list was more focused on their recent album.

Overall, the show was a dazzling and refreshing performance but I did leave wanting more after it finished just 75 minutes later.

Despite this, it was an incredible performance

by Goldfrapp and her band for which most people were happy to have ventured out in the rain. ~Rebecca Gallegos

splendour reviews Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS

Metro Theatre, Sydney Sunday, August 1 Before beginning this review, I think it’s worthwhile to note that I do not — and have never — liked Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.So, it’s testament to BRMC that I found myself enjoying their throwback rock ‘n’ roll bluster, much to my surprise. Some of this appreciation can be attributed to new band member Leah Shapiro — formerly the touring drummer for Danish group The Raveonettes — who added some personality and ‘tude to the performance. Shapiro’s straight-backed, stern-faced demeanour behind the kit added urgency to songs like ‘Beat the Devil’s Tattoo’. The band seemed far more excited at the prospect of jamming on new songs — both the waifish Robert Levon Been and an extremely sweaty Peter Hayes tore into ‘Conscience Killer’ with wild abandon, with their jubilated ‘whoa-oh’s’ and Been’s stage strutting making for an authentic live experience. The show was most engaging when Shapiro departed the stage, leaving the band’s core duo to conduct a mini-acoustic set — of note was the harmonica-drenched ‘The Toll’, with Been and Hayes harmonising surprisingly well on the rock lifestyle ballad.

By contrast, when they jammed on Howl banger ‘Ain’t No Easy Way Out’, both men looked vacant and distracted — suggesting that the band may have grown tired of its old style, and are opting for a new direction. ~Scott Gilbert

Woodford, Queensland Friday, July 30 – Sunday, August 1 Having relocated from its home in Byron Bay, Splendour In The Grass delivered its most amazing festival yet. Having heard that 34,000 tickets were sold this year, rather than only 17,500, I was understandably concerned that this event may have the intimacy of a Big Day Out. But the Woodfordia location was perfect. In the heart of bushland, the main part of the festival was a rabbit warren of weaving corridors, bridges and narrow tracks. There was something mystic about it when the sun went down. The extra capacity came from a gigantic natural amphitheatre, which was a five minute walk away from the main section of Splendour.

The Strokes had a live presence that no other band on the bill could compete with.

They were five guys playing with palpable

confidence and brooding charisma.

With the amphitheatre creating a 20,000 strong wall of people in front of him, even stone-faced Julian Casablancas seemed a little taken aback. “What is this… cauldron of humanity?” he asked after a few songs, allowing a wry smile. Opening with ‘New York City Cops’, The Strokes did a set of fan set containing lots of early material, finishing with ‘Take It Or Leave It’.

James Murphy led LCD Soundsystem through an epic show in the Mix Up Tent, showing why he’s such an enigmatic and revered songwriter in the modern era.

The response for Foals in the Mix Up tent was massive — the entire crowd couldn’t squeeze into the rather enormous tent.

But of all the bands that played the Mix Up in 2010, the surprise was Delphic. There’s a darkness in their electro-synth anthems and a sizzling energy.

Laura Marling was absolutely captivating,

her live vocals were pure and arresting.

Midlake held their crowd in a trance with their lush, pastoral folk songs. Grizzly Bear’s set was far superior to their previous Australian festival appearance at Falls Festival. Inside a tent, rather than playing an outdoor arena, suited the group a lot more — Grizzly Bear manage to sound far superior to their record — no small feat.

The main highlight of the three days was the Magic Numbers. Their latest batch of material trades their near-perfect doo-woop melodies for darker, southern rock.

The festival was closed by the legendary Pixies. In 90 minutes they played most of their massive songs and sounded as incredible, and musically, relevant as ever. A singalong encore of ‘Where Is My Mind?’ and ‘Here Comes Your Man’ were a magically way to end this generation’s closest event to our very own Woodstock. ~The Reverb Team

Jónsi Enmore Theatre, Sydney Monday, August 2 After seeing his band Sigur Rós give an incon­c­ eivably good performance in August of 2008 — I still have flashbacks of ‘Svefn-g-Englar’ floating across a totally silent Hordern Pavilion — I may have had my hopes held a little too high for Jónsi’s Splendour sideshow. The Icelandic singer’s renowned falsetto was preceded by Kiwi’s Seth Frightening, whose mixture of ambient drones and jangly psych-folk seemed indebted to Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox.

Their dual yelps and ambling, folksy guitars reminded me — probably too much — of Panda Bear’s cathartic Young Prayer, something that both perturbed and pleased me. These mixed feelings were dispelled as soon as Jónsi appeared onstage, wearing an elaborately feathered and tasselled outfit. Opening with quieter, more acoustic-based pieces, the Sigur Rós front man had the Enmore crowd in the palm of his hand — the several moments of sustained silence on the beautiful ‘Hengilas’ were most likely the quietest few seconds I’ve ever experienced. Gradually increasing the tempo of the set list, the crowd’s quiet awe gave way to joyful movement, as Jónsi trotted out singles ‘Go Do’ and ‘Animal Arithmetic’, managing to tear himself away from his glueddown position in the centre of the stage. And, despite being a ‘solo’ show, the backing band nicely filled in the spaces around the singer’s airy wail — Jónsi’s boyfriend Alex Somers flitted expertly between bass, keys and glockenspiel, while the touring drummer was able to deliver a hyperactive performance. The highlight of the show was the haunting, ethereal ‘Around Us’ — at the song’s climax, the band members walked off stage one by one as Jónsi continued to writhe on the floor, contorting and manipulating his voice in a delay-pedal freak out. Despite a piano malfunction and the absence of the much-lauded, elaborately created 59 Productions stage design, the show exceeded my expectations; even coming close to that night at the Hordern back in 2008. ~Scott Gilbert

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