central coast|hunter|north coast #061 Aug ’11
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music, arts & culture monthly
Ash Grunwald Shades of blue We The Kings Bathed in sunshine Dennis Coffey Strong as funk Mat McHugh Without the girls
speaking up on missing out
Also inside: catherine traicos + Felix riebl + bonjah + steve kilbey + jeff martin
New Single ‘Tear the Roof OFF’ Out now!
MORE INFORMATION AT ASHGRUNWALD.cOM
Jul 28 The Sandbar, Mildura Jul 29 The Governor hindMarSh, adelaide Jul 30 echuca & MoaMa WinTer blueS, MoaMa auG 3 Torquay hoTel, Torquay auG 4 Pier live, FrankSTon auG 5 The corner hoTel, Melbourne auG 6 WeSTernPorT hoTel, San reMo auG 8 SWindlerS bar, MounT hoThaM
auG 10 The SMiGGinS hoTel, PeriSher auG 11 anu bar, canberra auG 12 oxFord arTS FacTory, Sydney auG 13 WaveS, ToWradGi auG 14 caMbridGe hoTel, neWcaSTle auG 17 beachcoMber hoTel, Toukley auG 18 SouTh WeST rockS counTry club, SouTh WeST rockS auG 19 hoey Moey, coFFS harbour
auG 20 PaciFic hoTel, yaMba auG 21 cooluM civic cenTre, cooluM auG 25 beach hoTel, byron bay auG 26 coolanGaTTa hoTel, coolanGaTTa auG 27 The hi Fi, briSbane auG 28 The GyMPie MuSTer, GyMPie SeP 1 MainSTreeT niGhTclub, Mackay SeP 2 a.J hackeTTS, cairnS SeP 3 uni club ToWnSville, ToWnSville
JOHN WATSON MANAGEMENT, VILLAGE SOUNDS & CHANNEL [V] PRESENTS
CLOSER TOUR 2011 FRI 9 SEPT GOLD COAST COOLANGATTA HOTEL with THE MEDICS
SUN 11 SEPT BANGALOW A & I HALL with THE MEDICS
MON 12 SEPT SAWTELL RSL with THE MEDICS
WED 14 SEPT NEWCASTLE PANTHERS with BOY IN A BOX
THUR 15 SEPT SYDNEY THE METRO with BOY IN A BOX
TICKETS ON SALE NOW. DETAILS AT WWW.BIRDSOFTOKYO.COM
SELF-TITLED ALBUM INCLUDES PLANS, WILD AT HEART, CIRCLES & THE GAP OUT NOW
No. 61
Reverb Magazine is locally owned & published by The Lockup Garage. Printed by Spotpress, Marrickville: sales@spotpress.com.au
index
contents
News Felix Riebl Mat McHugh Steve Kilbey Angela’s Dish Ash Grunwald Young Guns Justin Derrico Bonjah Liam Finn The Wonder Stuff Catherine Traicos We The Kings Dennis Coffey The Get Up Kids Synthetic Breed Talking Shop Cartoon Horoscopes Jeff Martin Motoring – Porsche GTS Fashion Album reviews Live reviews Film reviews DVD reviews Gig guide
8-15 16 17 18 18 20 22 23 23 24-25 26 28 29 30 31 31 31 32 32 33 34 35 36-37 38-39 40 41 42-44
The Living End
editor’s letter
Credits
Does it feel like there is no such thing at ‘festival season’ any more? There’s not a week that goes by where we don’t get a new festival announcement. With the mid-year Splendour odyssey over with, we have Coaster, Fat As Butter, Global Carnival, Homebake, Peats Ridge Festival, Festival of the Sun, Wollombi, Sydney Blues and Roots, and the newly announced Harvest festival all before the year is out. Unfortunately, with an abundance of choice and only a limited amount of funds to spare, we get casualties in the form of the Funk & Grooves cancellation. Sure, there is money to be made, but there’s bound to be some sacrifices along the way.
Editor
DVD Reviewer
Josh Clements
Caroline Russo
Editorial
Kevin Bull
Sallie Maree Pritchard
Emily Cones-Browne
Luke Saunders
kevin@reverbstreetpress.com or 0410 295 360
Cameron Edney
Rod Whitfield
Much love guys, Kevin.
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magazine issue #061 — August 2011
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Giveaways just email editorial@reverbstreetpress.com.au First come, first served
2 double passes
Win one of two double passes to Coaster festival on Saturday September 17.
6 double passes
Win one of six double passes to Dead Letter Circus at SCU Unibar, Lismore, on Friday August 12, or Bar on the Hill, Newcastle Uni, on Thursday August 18.
1 double pass
Win one double pass and meet & greet to Birds of Tokyo at Newcastle Panthers, on Wednesday September 14.
5 copies
5 copies
2 copies
6 copies
3 pass PACKS
3 double passes
Five copies of Playtapes’ Kids in the Jungle on CD.
Two copies of John Butler Trio Live At Red Rocks on CD/DVD.
Win one of three passes packs to Ministry of Paintball, each containing 8 VIP Entry Passes (excludes paintballs).
Five copies of Rage — Let’s Dance on CD.
NeaCombo Diffuzion
REGGAEFEST 2011 Line-up
Reggae is set to challenge blues as the north coast’s genre of choice. Following a resoundingly successful debut year, Reggaefest 2011 has moved to a larger venue to accommodate the increase in the talent on offer. Artists already announced are Jah Mason, Nkulee Dube, NeaCombo DiffuZion, King Tide, Mista Savona Soundsystem, Darky Roots, Kingfisha, Paua, Blackbirds, Cheap Fakes, Lubdub, Raz Bin Sam and the Lion I Band, Newtown Sound, The Hayden Hack INfusion, Silva Emcee, One Dread, The Grains, Simon Wright, King Krazy and Blaze Sound Mash-up, CBD Dub Trio, Ghettafunkt, Ras George, Comrade Dubs, Dollamix, Beatdusta, and Basmati. Reggaefest 2011 happens at Missingham Park, Ballina between Saturday September 17 and Sunday September 18.
Six copies of Wendy Matthews She on CD.
Win one of three double passes to Queen- It’s A Kinda Magic at Newcastle Civic Theatre, on Sunday October 2. cold chisel
line-up — Grinderman, Ladyhawke, Pnau, Gotye, Gurrumul, Rockwiz, Cut Copy, Icehouse, Daniel Merriweather, Eskimo Joe, Drapft, The Triffids, Architecture in Helsinki, The Vines, The Church, The Jezabels, Kimbra, CW Stoneking, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Illy, Avalanche City, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Papa Vs Pretty, Killaqueenz, Kids of 88, Passenger, Noah Taylor and the Sloppy Boys, Vents. Homebake happens at The Domain, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney on Saturday December 3.
COLD CHISEL to RETURN TO THE ROAD
Iconic rock band Cold Chisel have announced their biggest tour in nearly 30 years. The Light The Nitro Tour will kick off in October with 24 concerts in total, being performed around Australia and New Zealand. Shows will be staged under specially constructed all-weather big top tents in many towns, plus a club gig in Newcastle. And for the first time ever the band will play a handful of very special winery concerts. “We can’t wait to get back on the road together,” says front man, Jimmy Barnes. “Every day for years I’ve had at least one person come up and ask me when Cold Chisel are going to do a proper tour. I’m bloody glad to finally have something good to tell ’em!” Tickets for these gigs will go on sale everywhere at 9am on Thursday August 4. Cold Chisel performs at Newcastle Panthers on Thursday October 13; Stadium Drive Hockey Fields, Coffs Harbour, on Friday November 4; Bimbadgen Winery, Hunter Valley, on Saturday November 5.
‘CLASSIC’ HOMEBAKE Lineup ANNOUNCED FAT AS BUTTER Line-up ANNOUNCED
Over the past four years, the Fat As Butter Festival has grown into one of the … well… fattest musical and cultural events in Newcastle, and indeed the country. But this year, we’re set to exceed all expectations with a line up of local and international acts that is sure to send your musical taste buds into a fat frenzy. Following the announcement last week of the first two acts, The Living End and Naughty By Nature, the second round of artists have been announced. The line-up so far is Empire Of The Sun, The Living End, Flo Rida, Naughty By Nature, Sparkadia, Cloud Control, The Jezabels, The Herd, Sinden, British India, Aston Shuffle, Illy, Funkours, Jonathan Boulet, Calling All Cars, Evil Eddie, Katalyst, Flight Facilities, Lowrider, Zowie, Redcoats, Owl Eyes, Tenzin, Bombs Away. Fat As Butter 2011 happens at Camp Shortland on Saturday October 22.
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mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
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Yes folks, Sydney’s historic Domain will once again come alive with the sound of music, film, laughter and more with the much anticipated return of Homebake, after a hiatus in 2010. Despite the ‘classic’ moniker, and similar to other recent major festival events worldwide, Homebake pays respect to the music genres of the past, and this year sees us welcome some of the most honoured musicians in Australian music history alongside the biggest contemporary names. So, for the young, the old, and the fun at heart, here is the Homebake 2011
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akoostik
RICHARD CLAPTON to HEADLINE AKOOSTIK
The Essential Energy Akoostik Festival in Wingham is now in its fifth year, and has announced Richard Clapton as this year’s headliner. The full line-up includes Floyd Vincent, Slickville Pickers, Sara Tindley, Blake Noble, Outside Diners, James Johnston, the Workshop, Hydrafonics, Purple Sheep, Peggy Van Zalm, The Last Train, Jeffros Blues Band and The Eireheads. The Biggest Band in the Land challenge is on Sunday, so bring along any musical ‘thing with strings’ to take part in the world record attempt to get the most people in the one place at the one time playing the same song. Early bird tickets are on sale through Moshtix and local sellers for just $25 per adult per day. There are discounts for students and kids under 12 are free. Children have their own entertainment too, with puppets, circus skills tents and musical instrument exploration. The Essential Energy Akoostik Festival happens in Central Park, Wingham on Saturday October 15 and Sunday October 16.
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LIVE MUSIC L I V E S P O R T, G R E AT F O O D AUG 5
FRI AUG 10
how to survive a bullfight to kill a sunrise + MORE
troy cassar-daley
CASSAR-DALEY HEADLINES BALLINA COASTAL COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
FREE ENTRY!
AV E R N S WED C mom dad & the kids AUG 12
FRI
def leppard
Project XIX
album launch
AUG 13
SAT
OSMIUM GRID new blood k u n v u k
AUG 19
FRI
sending artax
dropbear thE pArAdOx UnsEEn
AUG 20
SYNTHETIC BREED elysian SAT the SEER enviktas AUG 27
SAT
engage the fall Alice vs Everything
LEFTACENTA
Live It Up Karaoke
FRI SAT 9.30PM–2.30AM FRONT BAR
Monday Night Poker Tuesdays
THURS SUN 4-6PM $3.50 SCHOONERS
2-6 BEAUMONT ST OPEN 9.30AM-3AM DAILY 10 reverb
$20 BUY IN CASH PRIZES
7.30PM BEAUMONT STREET’S ONLY POOL COMPETITION
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mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
With more than 65 million albums sold worldwide, Def Leppard continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums (including Pyromania and Hysteria) that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows, filled with powerful rock anthems, continue to sell out venues worldwide. Heart will be joining Def Leppard on their first ever tour of Australia. Their debut album Dreamboat Annie sailed into the Australian Top 10 in 1976. Heart showed the world that women can rock! “We are enormously excited to be bringing our show down under,” says lead singer Ann Wilson. “This is the fulfilment of a long-time dream.” Def Leppard, Heart and The Choirboys perform at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Saturday October 29.
FALLS FESTIVAL Line-up
ROCK NIGHT
AUG 28
SUN
DEF LEPPARD to RETURN TO NEWCASTLE
The Falls Festival have been delivering line-up announcements throughout the month of July, building up to what is going to be a spectacular festival. Confirmed lineup so far includes Aloe Blacc, Arctic Monkeys, Arj Barker, Crystal Castles, Dan Deacon, Easy Star All Stars, Emma Louise, Fleet Foxes, J Mascis, Josh Pyke, Josh Thomas, Lanie Lane, Metronomy, Missy Higgins, Nouvelle Vague, Papa Vs Pretty, Pnau, The Jezabels, The Jim Jones Revue, The Kooks, DJ Yoda, Tim Finn, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Young MC. The Falls Festival occurs in Lorne, Victoria, from Wednesday December 28, and Marion Bay, Tasmania, from Thursday December 29.
ANIMAL HOUSE AT THE LASS
Prepare for the Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Newcastle to be transformed into an ‘Animal House’ this August as the inaugural Animal House festival kicks off with a full afternoon of local and interstate artists. The line-up includes The Owls, I Am the Agent, Boat Friends, Run Squirrel, Ranger Spacey, Rainy Day Women, Post Paint, Howling Nancies, Thom Biefield, Lachlan Collins, Richmond. Entry is free (always the right price) and runs from 1pm to midnight on Saturday August 20.
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Fawcett Park in Ballina will be the focal point for the Ballina Coastal Country Music Festival with over 35 artists confirmed for the weekend event. Headliner Troy CassarDaley will be playing the new Lennox Head Cultural and Community Centre. Other artists who have been announced include The Bostocks, Round Mountain Girls, Graham Rodger, Kathryn Jones, Vanessa Lea and Road Train, Chris Cook, Jabiru, Margie May, Rob Imeson, Ray Essery, The O’Donnells, Ali Smith, The Re-Mains, Lonesome Train, Baker Vale Brothers and Sharon Smith. Entry to the festival is free with the exception of the Cassar-Daley show. The Ballina Coastal Country Music Festival happens in Ballina, October 1-3. Troy Cassar-Daley performs at the Lennox Head Cultural and Community Centre on Sunday October 2.
ESKIMO JOE TO TOUR NEW ALBUM
After a sold out run of acoustic shows in May, Eskimo Joe will be hitting the road again this September and October for a national tour to celebrate the launch of their eagerly awaited fifth studio album Ghosts of the Past. After recording the album on the NSW Central Coast, the boys from Freo can’t wait to get back on the road to give their legion of fans a taste of new music and deliver a show in true Esky style, which has made them one of Australia’s most-loved live bands. “We’re really looking forward to taking the intimate moments from our shows in May and presenting them on a larger stage,” said vocalist and bassist Kavyen Temperley. Eskimo Joe perform at the Bar on the Hill, Newcastle Uni, on Friday September 23; Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour, on Wednesday October 5; Scu Unibar, Lismore, on Thursday October 6.
BEGGING FOR SECONDS
Hailing from Perth, A Beggar’s Second brings a vibrant, honest perspective from the city’s grass roots acoustic scene. Having just released their debut album, Needs and Wants, at Fremantle’s iconic Mojo’s Bar, the sell-out event is just the beginning of this duo’s journey. Ben Bowden’s melody-driven lyrics and guitar, backed by Mark Degebrodt’s percussive rhythms, bring to light a different development with each track. Tales of love, growth, loss and greed sit themselves in catchy melodies that draw the listener in with each passing note. A Beggar’s Second perform at the Patch Lounge, Coolangatta, on Friday August 5; The Treehouse, Byron Bay, on Sunday August 7; Rails, Byron Bay, on Thursday August 11; Nimbin Hotel on Saturday August 20; Valla Beach Tavern on Friday August 26; Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga, on Saturday August 27; Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, on Sunday August 28. Follow us on Twitter
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BELLINGEN JAZZ FESTIVAL FULL Line-up
the new tattersalls hotel
august line up fri 5 Ange Saul
from 8 - 10pm | FREE
Stellar Green
with Gust of Gravity & Forever the Optimist
doors 8.30pm | TBA
sat 6 Great Scott
from 7 - 9pm | FREE
Nigel McTrustry Cigar Box Blues from 9 - 11pm | FREE
fri 12 Chris Fisher
with Monkey & the Fish
8 - 10pm | FREE
sat 13 Joel & Tobi
from 7 - 9pm | FREE
Blind Willy Wag Tail from 9 - 11pm | FREE
The Owls
with Clay Blyth doors 8.30pm | $8
fri 19 CBD Dub Trio
from 8.30pm | FREE
sat 20 Inside Outlaw Unplugged
from 7 - 9pm | TBA
Skillet Rovers Jug Band
from 9 - 11pm | FREE
fri 26 Rich Latimer
from 8 - 10pm | FREE
Blake Saban Three with special guests doors 8.30pm | $5
sat 27 Katie Brooke
from 7 - 9pm | FREE
Dee Lavell
from 9 - 11pm | FREE
Pink Bullet
with special guests doors 8.30pm | $5
weekly jazz night
live jazz every thursday front bar from 6.30pm | FREE
blues night
live blues every saturday front bar from 9pm | FREE
open mic comedy
1st wednesday of the month back bar from 8pm | FREE 6621 4729 108 keen street lismore 2480
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mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
Jace Everett
JACE EVERETT IN TRUE BLOOD
Google Jace Everett’s name and you’ll find yourself knee-deep in the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ of media that can’t discuss the second season debut of Showtime’s Golden Globe-honoured drama True Blood without mentioning the brilliant opening title montage, devised around the swampy rockabilly come-on of Everett’s ‘Bad Things’. Australian audiences will get to experience Everett in concert for the very first time, in August, on his ‘Bad Things, Good Times’ tour. Showcasing material from his acclaimed Red Revelations album, and soon-to be-released follow-up Mr Good Times, Everett’s Australian tour will dish up a complete helping of the sly wit, mystery, sensuality, drop-dead charisma and musical substance they’ve enjoyed so much in their weekly cable-cast sample of him. Jace Everett performs at Lizotte’s, Lambton, on Wednesday August 24, and Lizotte’s, Kincumber, on Thursday August 25.
In its 22nd year, the Bellingen Jazz and Manouche Festival has pulled out all stops to present a line-up that pushes the limits of a three-day festival. The line-up includes Lucky Oceans Band with Dave Brewer, Crooked Fiddle Band, Flap!!, Eddie Bronson, Doug de Vries, Carol Ralph with Ray Aldridge, Virus, Cope St Parade, Unity Hall Jazz Band with Brad Child, Dan Barnett, George Washingmachine, Sam Lemann, John Braben’s Brisbane Nighthawks, Date Maddox Band, The Satin Bower Birds and the Blue Pegs, Paris Dreaming with Kay Sullivan, Django 101, Gadjo Guitars, Cameron de La Vega, Shottleboppers, Ewan Mackenzie’s All Stars, Zoobop, Bulanyi Brothers, Trunk Road, Freo Reunion, Akabella, Swingfonia, Jeff’s Gone All Exotic on Us, Cheap Frock Serenaders Jazz Party Band, Banjo and Sousaphone Madness, Bellingen High School Band, Duvall High School Soul Band, ‘Time Out’ Big Band, St Agnes Parish Schools, Port Macquarie. The Bellingen Jazz and Manouche Festival runs from Friday August 19 to Sunday August 21.
MAN OVERBOARD DEFENDS POP PUNK
It’s not often a band comes along that creates, defines and inspires a legion of diehard fans, Man Overboard have done just that. Their ‘Defend Pop Punk’ motto may have started out as a simple t-shirt design but has now snowballed into a movement for honesty and integrity. This attitude has catapulted the band to the forefront of the pop punk world that in many ways has lost its DIY spirit. Man Overboard are proving to be one of the most exciting acts in the scene today. With the release of their criticallyacclaimed debut album Real Talk, Absolutepunk proclaimed “they have not only defended the genre, but have exceeded all expectations in the process.” While others have heralded it as a classic alongside Save’s The Day Through Being Cool and Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends. Man Overboard performs at Blush Nightclub, Gosford on Thursday September 1.
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GURRUMUL ON THE ROAD
In only the second time he has taken his talents to the national stage, Gurrumul Yunupingu will be performing music from his ARIA charttopping 2011 release Rrakala and ARIA award-winning debut Gurrumul for the first time in Brisbane. Gurrumul and his collaborator/producer Michael Hohnen have created a different show for this tour, extending an open invitation to prominent musicians from each state to play, so that the full instrumentation of Rrakala is reflected in these live performances. Gurrumul Yunupingu performs at the Sydney Opera House on August 29-30, and Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday September 1.
PANDAS WITH A WEAPON
Fresh off the back of the WAMIs festival and a brief east coast run, Perth’s The Panda Band brace themselves for their national ‘Charisma Weapon’ album tour. Since the success of their debut single, ‘Sleepy Little Deathtoll Town’, and subsequent album release of This Vital Chapter (We’re Almost Not Even Here), The Panda Band have been busy touring America, writing and building their own home studio to record their heavily-anticipated sophomore album, Charisma Weapon. The new release is more of a collective effort than ever before, with the band members sharing the writing process equally as well as taking on production endeavours. The Panda Band perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, on Friday August 5, and Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton, on Friday August 12.
gurrumul yunupingu
‘Something Dead for the Living’ - Joshua White
TAXIDERMY, PAINT, BIRDS AND ART
Tarred and Feathered Again is the title of the exhibition by nationally renowned artists Joshua White and David Kurzydlo. These two artists have shown all around Australia and are about to hit their home town Newcastle for another exhibition. White is only 24-years old but has contributed to over 15 solo and group exhibitions in Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney. His works have been acquired by a number of collectors and exhibited in many contemporary galleries. His new works are paintings which involve taxidermy sculptures. Kurzydlo has been a local artist and natural illustrator for over 10 years. He has exhibited all over Australia and continues to prolifically produce work. His technical and conceptual ability has landed him at the forefront of the contemporary Australian art scene. Tarred and Feathered Again runs until Monday, August 15 at Forsight Gallery, Cooks Hill.
LAURA IMBRUGLIA TO SUPPORT ADALITA
After living in Melbourne for little more than six months, Sydney expat Laura Imbruglia has already received the Melbourne stamp of approval. Adalita (of Magic Dirt) has granted Imbruglia the main support slot for her upcoming tour. Imbruglia will be playing these shows in intimate solo mode and road-testing a new song which will see release later this year. As Imbruglia is living further south these days, it’ll be a
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rare opportunity for fans in NSW to catch her. Adalita and Laura Imbruglia perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday August 5.
ASH TEARS THE ROOF OFF
‘Tear The Roof Off’ is the third single off Ash Grunwald’s APRA award-nominated fifth studio LP, Hot Mama Vibes. A rockin’ party tune, its release perfectly compliments Grunwald’s imminent national tour - a mammoth two-month travelling odyssey of music, photography, film, surf, skate and snow. One of Australia’s most dedicated road dogs, Ash is making a documentary about his life driving along the white line delivering packages of aural delight to towns and cities around the world. If he is not at the end of his guitar bashing out a tune, you will most likely find him out the back of the closest surf break. Ash Grunwald performs at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Sunday August 14; Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley, on Wednesday August 17; South West Country Club on Thursday August 18; Hoey Moey Hotel, Coffs Harbour, on Friday August 19; Pacific Hotel, Yamba, on Saturday August 20; Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, on Thursday August 25; Coolangatta Hotel on Friday August 26; Funk and Grooves Festival, Pokolbin, on Saturday September 10; Sydney Blues and Roots Festival, Windsor, October 28-30.
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BATRIDER TELL THE TRUTH
Batrider have just released their new album Piles of Lies via Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control, and are dropping into Newcastle this August to give us a taste. Piles of Lies consists of 16 songs, written during and about terse and joyous times. Recorded with Kynan Lawlor in Adelaide after the band returned to Australia broke and manic, Piles of Lies is unmistakably Batrider; vaguely New Zealand sounding, indelibly by people who remember the 90s, irritated and amused, depressed and fantastic. The band’s first release as a three-piece showcases their finest song-writing to date and somehow gains power and immediacy with the more stripped back line-up. Batrider performs at Emma Soup, Newcastle, on Friday August 19.
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS ON THEIR FRACKING WAY
In line with the massive response to the band in the UK and US, scoring a spot in Triple J’s Hottest 100 Australian albums of all time, and huge radio, press and video support internationally, Dead Letter Circus have released a brand new video for ‘Reaction’, which depicts the band’s live journey from packed, sweaty clubs to main festival stages. The video also accompanies the No Fracking Way tour, which sees the band returning to Australian shores to hit capital cities and many regional centres in order to raise awareness of the coal seam gas issue. Dead Letter Circus, with Closure In Moscow and Wolves supporting, perform at the SCU Unibar, Lismore, on Friday August 12, and Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni, on Thursday August 18.
BURLESQUE ON THE WATER
Port Macquarie has scored itself an amazing new floating venue, the MV Jerry Bailey. Yep, that’s right, the venue is a ship/boat/ motor vessel thingy. Whatever it is, it’s two stories tall, it has two licensed bars, it holds 180 party people, it floats, and it’s going to rock. This massive piece of celebration perfection has seen some of the worlds’ best known party people grace its decks, including Madonna, and well-known party animals Billy Clinton and Johnny Howard. Well okay, Little Johnny probably didn’t throw back the slammers with the dancers but he might have had a wild cup of Bergamot tea and an Iced Vovo. According to the Jerry Baileys’ booker, Adam Barbuto, the vessel will now work out of Port Macquarie throwing a variety of top notch events like DJs, bands, male and female reviews, comedy shows, clay pigeon shooting and anything else they or you can dream up. The first planned party off the docks will be a huge naughty nautical/pirate-themed burlesque show on Saturday September 24. So get your best Captain Jack Sparrow gear together and watch this space for more info. If you’d like to take a closer look at your new favourite place to party, the mighty MV Jerry Bailey will be open to the public on Saturday August 6 between 10-2pm. Just head down to the water in town, you can’t miss it.
For a better Australia, shed some light on Census night. Tuesday August 9
DROPKICK MURPHYS BRING CORNELIUS LARKIN TO LIFE
On their seventh full-length studio album, Going Out In Style, Dropkick Murphys throw a new kind of party. It’s a raucous and rollicking romp overflowing with punk rock energy, folk soul, and Irish spirit. Fuelled by fiery riffs and unforgettable choruses, Going Out In Style traces the journey of Cornelius Larkin, whether it’s the Irish immigrant’s first-person account of his own wake or the band’s in-depth interpretation of his life and lineage throughout the album’s lyrics, it’s the party to end all parties. The story of Cornelius Larkin is the heart of Going Out In Style. Bassist and vocalist Ken Casey reveals, “Cornelius has passed on to the other side, and the album becomes a retrospective of his life. He’s one of those guys who emigrated to America at 16, got drafted into the Korean War, married young, had nine kids, worked hard, and lived a full life rife with different characters, ups and downs, and trials and tribulations. Some of the stories are fictional, but most are odes to our grandparents, friends, and loved ones.” Dropkick Murphys, supported by Lucero, perform at Newcastle Panthers on Friday October 21.
What is Census? Think of it as a snapshot of Australia at one given moment, used by government and industry to determine where improvements should be made in Australian communities. What you say is private and confidential and lights the way forward for health, education, transport, industry and the environment, making a brighter future for all of us. So how will you shed some light on Tuesday August 9? You can either fill out the form delivered to your home, or complete the eCensus online. For more information visit abs.gov.au/census or call 1300 338 776.
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reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 13
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FRENZAL RHOMB: SO CHUMPY, YOU COULD CARVE THEM
Frenzal Rhomb have finally finished their new album, Smoko at the Pet Food Factory, in Fort Collins Colorado, with Descendents’ Bill Stevenson standing watch as producer. Stevenson’s famous punk rock studio operates within the grounds of his large pet food factory, processing gristle, fillers and connective tissue into extruded, rolled and pressed pet chunks. The process of living, recording and especially sleeping within such an environment was confronting for the four vegetarian members of Frenzal Rhomb, but the resulting music is so chumpy, you could carve it. Frenzal’s album launch tour happens this September with US punk band Teenage Bottlerocket supporting. Punters are invited to bring their own meat recipes to share, and make stem cell donations at shows. Frenzal Rhomb perform at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Thursday September 1.
KING TIDE floods INTO NEWCASTLE
King Tide have just assembled their selftitled 19-track summer-time vibration pack that will cement the band as the barbecue kings and the sound du jour for that road trip up the coast this summer. Out on Vitamin Records ahead of the crowded 2011/2012 summer line-up, it won’t be a summer without dropping into a big slab of King Tide rock steady jam-down reggae. King Tide launch their new release at The Basement, Sydney, on Saturday August 6; the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday August 19; Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, on Friday September 16; Reggaefest 2011, Missingham Park, Ballina, between Saturday September 17 and Sunday September 18.
GOLDFISH DRAG RACING
Forget the V8 super cars. Forget the Tour de France. Here’s something you’ve got to see. The Australian Hotel in Ballina this month will be holding the first ever goldfish drag racing tournament. Yep, those bubbly little fellows that usually sit quietly in the corner fish tank will finally be let loose to show their true colours, and that colour is gold, gold, gold. Apparently the little champions are placed in adjoining tracks and then a lucky punter gets to blow bubbles behind their racer to encourage it to the finish line. Anyone can be a goldfish jockey/pilot and everyone that races wins a prize. The Australian Hotel’s head fish wrangler, Gavin Fensom, has assured us that the happiness of the fish will be paramount and that there will be no “fish touching” by untrained punters on the day. Phew, what a relief. So, on Sunday August 21, get down to the Aussie Hotel in Ballina and strap yourself in for all the thrills and spills with gills that is Australia’s newest favourite sport, goldfish drag racing. It’s also an all-ages event.
thirsty merc
THIRSTY MERC INTRODUCE TOMMY & KRISTA
Following their latest album’s first two hits ‘Mousetrap Heart’ and ‘All My Life’, Thirsty Merc return with ‘Tommy & Krista’, arguably their strongest single to date. In celebration of the release, Thirsty Merc are extending their current ‘Rock Ya Socks Off’ tour to a national run, adding an extra 29 dates across the country, this August/September. The homegrown four-piece are gradually revealing more and more of their freakish musicianship. Now with 250,000 albums sold, more than 300 live shows under their belt, four ARIA Award nominations, and a nomination for APRA’s Song of The Year award, Thirsty Merc have earned their stripes, with plenty more in the tank. Thirsty Merc perform at Wyong Leagues Club on Saturday September 3; Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, on Thursday September 8; Port Macquarie Panthers on Friday September 9; Club Forster on Saturday September 10; Caves Beach, Belmont, on Sunday September 11; Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday October 1.
THE VASCO ERA DELIVER new album, new TOUR
The Vasco Era announce their return to the studio and stage with a cracking new single from their forthcoming third album. The song, ‘Child Bearing Hips’, is a blistering slab of the raw, distorted, rock ‘n’ roll fans have come to expect from their live shows. The boys have been hard at work recording and perfecting album number three, their first totally independent long player, at Sound Park studios in Melbourne with the help of Steven Schram (The Devastations, Little Red). Now, with the album due out in October this year, the threesome are ready to hit the road, performing at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday August 18.
LOON LAKE LOVES YOU
Hot on the heels of their lauded debut single, ‘In The Summer’, Melbourne five-piece Loon Lake are back with a brand new single, ‘I Loved You Then’, taken from their acclaimed EP, Not Just Friends. ‘I Loved You Then’ is a sunny garage-inspired pop track that demonstrates indie music can still have soul, grit and spunk whilst retaining an inherent pop sensibility. To celebrate the release, Loon Lake will be hitting the road in August on their first ever headlining tour, performing at CBD Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday August 19.
QUEEN: IT’S A KINDA MAGIC
Get more info from the Alcohol and Drug Information Service. Call 9361 8000 or 1800 422 599 (outside Sydney).
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Queen fans across Australia will be able to celebrate the music, the magic and the memories of Freddie Mercury and Queen, when the stunning theatrical production ‘Queen — It’s A Kinda Magic’ tours Australia from late September. Originally created in Australia in 2001, the production has since been internationally-acclaimed as the premiere Queen theatre show, delivering the ultimate Queen live concert experience and is as close as you’ll ever get to the real thing. Queen — It’s A Kinda Magic performs at Civic Theatre, Newcastle, on Sunday October 2.
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birds of tokyo
BIRDS GET CLOSER
JOELISTICS announces FIRST SOLO TOUR
Joelistics has been on a roll since his debut solo release, Voyager, and is set to hit the road for his first solo tour. The uplifting single ‘Glorious Feeling’ was met with high fives nationwide as radio embraced it and critics praised his gifted songwriting. Not only can the lad craft a punchy song and coin a sticky phrase, but he’s also one of the most charismatic showmen in Australian music. Joelistics, with Ishu and Sietta in support, performs at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday August 4.
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It’s been a monster year for Birds of Tokyo — an album that’s nearly certified double platinum, multiple APRA award nominations, a huge showing in triple j’s Hottest 100 and an ARIA award for Australia’s Best Rock Album. Now the Birds are bringing it all to a close with the announcement of their last run of local gigs before heading into the studio for the summer. ‘Birds of Tokyo: Closer’ will take the band full circle. In an unusual move, rather than playing enormo-domes, they will instead return to the rock clubs in which they cut their teeth, over the years prior to the release of their current hit album. Birds of Tokyo perform at the Coolangatta Hotel on Friday September 9; A&I Hall, Bangalow, on Sunday September 11; Sawtell RSL on Monday September 12; Newcastle Panthers on Wednesday September 14.
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regurgitator
OUR SUPER HAPPY FUN TIME FRIENDS
As ‘One Day’ surfs up the radio and net waves, further new tracks have surfaced with the rising tide of Regurgitator’s new album, Superhappyfuntimefriends, the latest being ‘All Fake Everything’ which has provoked some great feedback. Out of the great wide blue, the guys have dropped an album’s worth of dynamic new material all forthcoming on digital, vinyl, cassette, CD and even Playbutton. Shacked up in their Melbourne dwellings and put together in the midst of a enforced creative blizzard, it seems the concept of the album was not without value as it afforded the more focused structure and disciplined approach they seem to require. Ah... the frenzy of an artistic tempest whipped up by the wild seas of a deadline now comes pieced together under the moniker Superhappyfuntimefriends. Regurgitator performs at the CBD Hotel, Newcastle, on Thursday August 11; Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, on Thursday August 18; Coolangatta Hotel on Friday August 19.
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felix riebl
TIX
TIX
Cat In The Rain You wouldn’t pick the boisterous front man of one of Australia’s most bombastic live bands to be a sucker for matters of the heart. But that’s exactly what Felix Riebl of The Cat Empire says inspired his upcoming first solo album, Into The Rain. Riebl spoke with MAX QUINN about life in New York and what happens when the world falls in. With the band doing so well at the moment both here and, finally, overseas, why is now the time for a solo project? I’m not sure when the right time for a solo project is. I’m releasing this album because I love writing songs and this was a finished piece of work that I made. It wrote itself in many ways, so rather than sitting on it I’m releasing it as a personal piece of work. The band does well enough for itself. This year in particular has been a celebration of a wonderful decade of making music. But for me, I have to write songs that make me feel like an artist on my own terms.
TIX
I can imagine it’s going to feel a little different without the rest of them backing you up. It’s very different. That was the first thing I had to come to grips with. There are guitars in this project, whereas there are none in the Cat Empire, and I’m on the piano a lot of the time. The songs are also intimate and based on a much more versatile style of songwriting. This is a band that invites people to listen to music that is more personal and more dynamic in terms of its moodiness - it moves from quite grand rock songs to smaller, quieter ones. It’s the first time that people will get to see my own personal style of songwriting.
TIX
Does that make you nervous? You can hear my voice speeding up! It does make me nervous in terms of having been in such a theatrical band for so long, it’s really quite different. But songwriting has been the centre of my life since I was old enough to be involved in music. This is just the first completely solo album that I’ve finished, so I thought that I should release it rather than question it.
0 0 . ttle 4 o B $
You said earlier that the songs were writing themselves for this album. How so?
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mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
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Well, I was living in Willingsburg in New York in 2009, and it was a fantastic year over there. But the end of it was pretty dark — the last month was a very dark month for me — and quite a strange, changing time in my life. I came home and within a fortnight I had finished all of the songs that I had started over in New York, so I went into the studio with all of these musicians from Melbourne who I grew up with and I love very much. We had no rehearsal time, so the album, from beginning to end, really played itself. I’ve never had an experience like that before where it’s been so natural. I suppose when things like that happen there’s a real directness, so you have to just stay out of its way and let it get done. Tell me about that last month in New York. What happened? The album is more or less a break-up album. It’s very personal - it’s about questioning identity and things like that. I was pretty much alone in a strange place where the rain was pouring… it sounds really over the top to talk about it like that, but the experience is always very personal for anyone who’s ever felt like that. It was like the world falling in for a couple of months. And out of it all comes this album. Songwriters are funny like that, because they go through these things and then they make an album out of it. It’s like a release. Certainly I don’t want every album to involve an experience like that; if I can get another one or two done in my lifetime I’d like to write about other things. This one’s about identity and heartbreak, but at the same time I don’t think it’s soppy. There’s something dark and honest in it. Felix Riebl performs at Lizotte’s Lambton on Wednesday August 3, and the Byron Bay Theatre on Wednesday August 24.
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photo courtesy Claire Gorman
m at m c h u g h
Keeping it Simple Taking a page from the Bob Dylan book of simplicity, Mat McHugh came to realise that, armed with only an acoustic guitar and a harmonica (or even just the guitar), one could quite effortlessly destroy performances (in a good way, of course). Setting off on a stripped-down solo tour with John Butler last year, McHugh explains to Birdy how he finally turned his dream into a reality. “In my whole career I’d hardly done any solo shows. The John Butler tour in America was the first. I look back on that as doing my apprenticeship and figuring out what works on the stage as a solo artist. I just got back from the US a couple of days ago after doing solo shows — we’ve been going there with The Beautiful Girls for about eight years — and it was definitely the biggest American tour I’ve ever done, the biggest numbers I’ve played to.” It’s also been a much cheaper tour for the vocalist and creative force of The Beautiful Girls, not having to pay for three extra plane tickets to the other side of the world. “The guys are my friends but I have to pay them to take them on tours and it’s gnarly because the return flights to America are like $3,000 per head. My agenda for this EP (Go Don’t Stop) has been to keep it as simple as possible in every way. To put the record together was super-quick — two days, as opposed to other albums I’ve worked on which have gone up to 14 months and just driven me mad. There’s so much music out there that’s so overproduced, everything you hear on the radio is jumping up and down and waving its hands in their air like, ‘please listen to me!’ I’m going for the opposite.” Sonically, McHugh describes his solo effort as similar to the early work of The Beautiful Girls. “There is a large difference sonically, for sure. The Beautiful Girls have ended up with a specific sound. But this record takes you back to the starting point of The Beautiful Girls, or aesthetically close to it anyway. It’s simple music with lots of space. This is the thing I would have done if nothing else had ever happened with The Beautiful Girls or any other musical project. I’m proud of what I achieved with the band because we’ve Find us on Facebook
done it all completely independently and we never had to screw anyone over to get there. But my solo work is how I have always wanted to express myself.” Even if it’s meant McHugh has had to deal with comparisons to Jack Johnson and Ben Harper from time-to-time. Bring it on, he says, unfazed. “Our first record came out before Jack Johnson and then all of a sudden he got massive,” explains the singer. “It’s kind of like what happened with Nirvana. They got huge but there were all these bands that Nirvana were influenced by and it all just got flipped on its head. You’ve got to understand it, though, because not everyone knows the history of music.“ For McHugh, the most important thing is writing the kind of music he’s always wanted to make and preserving the memories of his exotic globetrotting adventures, in the form of web docos, known as The Blacktop Diaries. “I’m not a rich man in the monetary sense, but I’m one of the richest on earth as far as the stuff I see goes; the amount of travel I get to do; and the amount of friends that I get to make all around the world. Sometimes I look around and I can’t believe this is my life and I wish that everyone else could see the stuff that I get to see. So I decided to make videos of it and turn it into mini web episodes as docos. The one thing I like about it is that it’s showing just how similar people really are all over the world, no matter what country you go to and how far away it is, the similarities are astounding. At their essence, people are basically the same everywhere you go. It’s so rewarding to be able to show other people how we’re not different at all, really.” Mat McHugh performs at the Byron Bay Community Centre on Thursday August 11, and Lizotte’s Lambton on Friday August 19.
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reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 17
pic courtesy Scott Davidson
ste ve kilbe y — ang E l a’s dish
Rebirthing a Legend
been coming and talking to you at these shows about David Neil? Has he been picking up some fans along the way? Yeah for sure, I think he has been picking up some new fans as the tour goes on. Is there much footage of him available? Not really, but you never know what you’re going to find. We’re hoping to dig up some more. But you still like to retain a bit of a legend about him? Yeah, yeah definitely. I think he’d be proud of what’s happening and the way it’s all being presented. How did you come to work with Ricky Maymi? I met him when I was a teenager and we’ve been in contact ever since and about ten years ago he started to become a closer friend and we were hanging out a lot more.
The music of David Neil, an enigmatic and (possibly fictional) 70s rock star, remained in the imagination of The Church’s Steve Kilbey until a few years ago when Kilbey teamed up with guitarist Ricky Maymi, of Brian Jonestown Massacre, to record Neil’s back-catalogue of songs, released on limited-edition blood-red vinyl as The Wilderness Years. Kilbey and Maymi are currently touring the new album with former members of iconic Australian rock bands The Triffids and The Stems. CHELSEA REED caught up with Kilbey to talk about his ambitious new project and to find out more about the mysterious David Neil. For those who don’t know much about David Neil, what would you say about him? He was a man who died before his time, under tragic circumstances. He was in a plane crash, while he was also overdosing on drugs. He made some tapes, which through the years have come down to me. I vaguely knew him while he was alive, back in the 70s. Ricky and I have worked on this album, trying to bring David back to life.
It’s a very interesting project, and I’m intrigued to know if David’s music was an influence on you at the time you were forming The Church? Oh yeah absolutely! Everybody I know loves David Neil. He’s out there influencing people. Would you say he’s always been a bit of a cult figure? Only to people in the know.
When did the initial idea for the project come about? I was writing some stories about David on my blog and quoting some of his lyrics and Ricky got interested and we started working on it. It just came together. We finished it about two years ago and we only had the finances to mix it all this year. But now it’s finally completed. Have you found that a lot of people have
What can you tell me about the time you guys spent writing and recording Walk Into The Sky? It was definitely one of the most extensive things that I have ever been a part of. I joined the band in 2009 and almost straight away we began work on this record, writing songs. I was thrown into the deep end right away. We spent a solid year just writing songs in Josh (Harris, guitar) and Michael’s (Harris, vocals) mum and dad’s garage. We had about 30-35 songs written and then had the task of picking which ones would be right for the album. When you have written so many songs that you’re happy with, it must be difficult deciding which ones will be on the cutting block and which ones make the best 13. It is tough when you have written double the amount of songs needed for a record. So we all sit down in our own time and listen to each track and pick our favourite 15 or 20 songs. After we’ve picked our favourites, we discuss the ones we want on the album. If there are disagreements within the band, we talk about the positives and negatives of the tracks to decipher if they are worthy of making the cut. Our producer had his role as well; he put his two cents in after our discussions and helped us decide. How has the reception been for Walk Into The Sky? The response has been fantastic so far. The online reviews that we have been reading have been amazing. It’s still early days, so not as many people as we would like have heard it. We are really proud of the record
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What has the audience reception been like so far at the shows? They love it! They’ve really been going nuts over it. Any other projects in the works after this one? Yes, probably The Church. A reunion? A new album actually! Great! What’s happening so far? A little bit. We’ve got some very raw bits and pieces ready to go. Steve Kilbey and Ricky Maymi will play at Lizotte’s Kincumber on Friday August 5, and Lizotte’s Lambton on Sunday August 7.
August. I think we’re hitting Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and a few other places.
Reaching Skywards The central coast has been the birthing ground of many great Australian artists and, over the past eight years, Angela’s Dish have been frontrunners in the rock scene, alongside the likes of Something with Numbers and After the Fall. SEAN FRAZER caught up with Angela’s Dish drummer Chris Allison, to discuss the new record, its national reception and an intriguing insight into some of the album’s darker tracks. and hopefully as word circulates more and more people will get a listen and enjoy it just as much as we enjoy playing the songs. Angela’s Dish have a few NSW shows
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lined up, which is great for us, but is there a national tour expected to take place soon? A national tour is currently in the pipeline. We’re looking at heading interstate in
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The band has made quite a name on the central coast. When you guys head down to Melbourne or up to Queensland how are you guys received up there? It’s definitely a different kind of scene. I mean the boys have been playing music on the central coast for about eight years now and we feel pretty accomplished with where our name is at on the coast. Our manager and record label is based down in Melbourne so, in a way, it’s like our second home. We have a fairly decent following down there that almost religiously come and see us. From my experiences travelling up north, there are a fair few hardcore fans that always come and see us play some shows. It’s definitely still building but we are quite happy with the reception we receive when we head to these types of places so far from home. I’m intrigued to know about the song ‘Have You Around’. It seems to be quite a dark way to end the record. Yeah, Josh wrote that song about an old neighbour of his whose daughter committed suicide. The song is about the feelings Josh felt every time he saw his neighbour’s face — the hurt and the pain. We sat down with two psychologists for a few hours and recorded their [thoughts] on the subject of suicide. These are the voices that you hear at the end of ‘Where did you go?’ and leading into ‘Have You Around’. Angela’s Dish perform at the Bateau Bay Hotel on Sunday August 14.
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reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 19
a sh gru nwald
A
sh Grunwald’s early days gigging at local clubs in Melbourne, both solo and with his blues band, combined original songs with covers of his favourite artists. “I was really into the blues thing,” Grunwald says. “BB King, Albert King, Robert Johnson, Buddy Waters… people like Tony Joe White, James Brown, just anything soulful. I listen to it all.” In 2002, Grunwald recorded his debut album Introducing Ash Grunwald with the help of a record label. “On that first album I was doing something that I think is good for folk and blues music, which is just making a very stripped-back flavour... a delta blues sound. Every album after that I just explored more and modernised a bit.” The modernisation continued on over four more albums, including Grunwald’s latest release, the 2010 Hot Mama Vibes. However the most notable shift happened between his second and third albums, I Don’t Believe and Give Signs. “As you go on in your career you can look forward to experimenting more,” says Grunwald. “Coming into my third album I was… filling the music up more and putting a lot of different beats in. It was on the album Give Signs that I started experimenting with putting a few hip-hop beats in, to give it a blend between a little bit electronic, a little bit... earthy industrial.” “Time went on and I came to Fish Out Of Water. I got a really good beat-maker to produce the whole album. ‘Rage Out’ went really well for me, and ‘Devil Called Me A
Experimenting with the Blues
Next year marks the tenth anniversary of Ash Grunwald’s popular debut album, Introducing Ash Grunwald. A leading Aussie blues/roots artist, whose fusion of technology and rap with classic blues and roots has created a unique style entirely his own, Grunwald has redefined this musical genre for a new generation. By STEVEN CALDWELL. Liar’ went really well and ‘Mojo’.” “On Hot Mama Vibes I was very free to experiment… People like it when I do mix it up and go for different sounds, so I just kept experimenting and that’s what I’m doing with it still.” Infusing blues/roots music with hip-hop beats may seem an odd move to his contemporaries but Grunwald is not afraid to dabble in different styles and technologies. “It’s weird, I don’t know of anyone else in the roots or the blues genre who mucks around with technology in that way, so I guess that might be strange for people. It is indicative of the person that I 20 reverb
magazine issue #061 — August 2011
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am. I am very excited by change and I love new technologies and the things they facilitate. I like the idea of creating original, new ways of doing things. If you’re into soulful, blues kind of stuff, why [can’t you] be into technology?” Although style and creating a unique sound is important to Grunwald, the storytelling and soulfulness of his work is more important to him. The singer/ songwriter elaborated on the funky comic book-inspired album cover for Hot Mama Vibes to explain. “The ‘Hot Mama Vibes’ song has this 70s vibe. The album was a very playful album, a very light-hearted
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album. When it came time to think about the artwork I had the idea to go for that comic book motif, like the album is a story.” “[My next album] is more of the same, but different. I actually wrote a few traditional blues songs, for the first time since Introducing..., about life on the road, political issues, all sorts of different things. It’s a bit more of an honest album.” The future looks bright for Grunwald having recently had one of his songs, ‘Walking’, on the movie Limitless, starring Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, and with plans for a duo, Crash, with Spiderbait’s Kram. However, Grunwald will continue working in, and modernising for a new audience, the soulful genre he loves blues and roots. Ash Grunwald performs at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Sunday August 14; Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley, on Wednesday August 17; South West Rocks Country Club on Thursday August 18; Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, on Friday August 19; Pacific Hotel, Yamba, on Saturday August 20; Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, on Thursday August 25; Coolangatta Hotel on Friday August 26; Sydney Blues and Roots Festival, Windsor, October 27-30. Follow us on Twitter
young guns
You must be over the moon to finally perform in Australia, and be a part of the Soundwave Revolution tour? We’re all over the moon, it has to be said. It’s certainly the coolest thing that we’ve been able to do as a band, so far. It’s quite mad - it really hasn’t sunk in yet.
night writing, then went straight into the studio and recorded the album. It was really rushed; we didn’t have a lot of time or money. I am really proud of the record and it’s definitely done a lot for us but I know we can do better. Now the aim is learning from our mistakes and learning from things we wish we’d done differently - whether it’s more time or more money.
Are you a fan of doing the large festival shows or do you find yourself gravitating to playing smaller club shows? That’s the thing… they have their own set of experiences. Fundamentally we’ve always said that if anything ever progressed with our band, and if we were playing the massive stages every day, we would never want to lose the feeling of playing those small club shows! Its incredible playing a sweaty club show to a couple of hundred people - it’s in your face and I never ever want to lose that! Will you be putting much time aside to check out some of the other artists at Soundwave Revolution? Oh man, we’re going to try and soak up every moment of it! We’re going to try and meet as many people as we can. It’s great ‘cause we already know a lot of the bands on the bill and it will be great to reconnect with them. We’re really excited to watch so many of the bands that will be playing. For the punters that are attending the Soundwave Revolution festivals and considering checking out Young Guns live, how would you best describe the band’s on-stage presence? We all grew up going to metal shows, hardcore shows — shows that were based around energy and atmosphere and we
All Guns Blazing With more than 60 bands confirmed for Australia’s Soundwave Revolution, rock music enthusiasts are pumped with the excitement and energy that surrounds a Young Guns live performance. CAMERON EDNEY caught up with the band’s vocalist and main lyricist, Gustav Wood, to discuss their first Australian tour, their most recent album and the vulnerability of writing honest material for the world to hear. try to create that vital energy. The goal with these shows, and every show we play, is to try and make it memorable. We want to create that vital feeling… live music, that’s what it’s all about!
All Our Kings Are Dead has been out almost 12 months now. Looking back, is there anything you would change? Yeah, of course! We wiped six weeks out of our calendar and spent that time day and
I read an interview where you said that you only write from your experiences otherwise it would be a bunch of “fake” songs. Ironically, I think the more personal you are the more universal your songs become. Everybody goes through the same experiences, and various things that were a part of me growing up seem to have really connected with people. It was a bit painful writing very personal things. But at the same time, I meet people now that have my lyrics tattooed on them, and tell me that the things I said really meant something to them, and that’s pretty magical. I wouldn’t change that for anything. Do you have any last words for our readers? I’d like to say to anybody out there that knows who we are, or that listens to our music, thank you. It’s quite a trip to know that on the other side of the world there are people that give a shit about this little band. We’re very humbled by the whole experience. Young Guns perform Soundwave Revolution at RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, on Saturday September 24; Old Kings Oval, Parramatta Park, in western Sydney, on Sunday September 25.
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justin derrico — bonjah
In Control of the Chaos
Out of the Funhouse Classed as one of the world’s finest and most sought-after guitarists, Australian audiences fell in love with Justin Derrico during Pink’s ‘I’m Not Dead’ tour, followed by the more recent ‘Funhouse’ tour, spanning more than three months and smashing attendance records. During August, Derrico’s Aussie fans will once again get to embrace his phenomenal guitar work as he hits Australia for a bunch of guitar clinics, as well as live performances which are sure to get tongues wagging. CAMERON EDNEY spoke with Derrico recently to discuss his brand new solo album, and his upcoming Australian tour. How are the rehearsals going for your Australian tour? Things have been great, man. We’re five days into rehearsals and we’ve been kicking arse, it’s really coming together nicely. We’ve been rehearsing, getting the show tight and ready for the tour.
of the way the album turned out! Oh yeah, I am very happy with it! I had no real expectation of how I wanted it to be, it was just how it came out. In the end… I just couldn’t believe that I finished it [laughs]. I was really pleased that it came out sounding as good as it did.
Your last Australian visit with Pink seemed to last forever. You must be really excited to be heading back here to showcase your own work? Oh yeah man, I can’t wait to get down there and have a bit of fun! Australia is one of my favourite places in the world. We spent so much time there last tour and while I was there I really got a good feel for the place. I almost felt like a resident. I even started speaking Australian at one point [laughs].
Going into the studio did you know exactly what you wanted to capture for the album? A lot of it was spontaneous. I’ve always loved that real ripping stuff. It’s just fun to play and a lot of the riffs are just what naturally happened. It wasn’t like I was really aiming for that but when you have your rig hooked up loud and distorted you can’t help but play those riffs. The whole process, from cutting the drums, the bass and the guitars, to finishing the writing, was two months. It was pretty quick. What ended up taking the longest was having Bill Appleberry, who is playing keyboards on this tour, mix the album. He was so busy , but when he finally got around to it, he did a great job.
What can the fans expect when you hit the stage? Well, there is going to be a lot of different arrangements than what’s on the record. We’ve opened things up. A couple of things have been changed a little bit: some songs have been extended; we’ve created a couple of intros; we have some really cool covers that we’ll be doing; there’s going to be some acoustic stuff and we’re going to have some people coming up and singing, as well. For the most part, it’s instrumental stuff but there will be some people coming up to sing a few covers and keep it a good, fun, party vibe. It’s going to be a musical rollercoaster and some finger gymnastics. Who’s given you the best advice and what was it? Man that’s a good question... Pink has given me some of the best advice and not even necessarily saying it, but just as an example - just being yourself. I think that’s what people love about her so much - what you see is what you get. I’m not here to fool anybody, I just want to get out there and have fun and be myself. Congratulations on your debut solo album Boldly Going Nowhere. You must be proud Find us on Facebook
Rocker’s Puddle of Mudd is set to release a new album very soon, too, and I believe you handle guitar duties on that. Tell us how that came about? Funnily enough, again going back to Bill, he produced that record and it was a covers record: all classic rock, like The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Eric Clapton. A lot of people have a weird perception of that band - they think they’re a Nirvana rip off. It was such a great vibe; we were knocking songs out so fast it was ridiculous. What other immediate plans are in place? Do you see yourself heading back out with Pink next year? Maybe more solo shows? After I get back from Australia, I’m going to take a 10-day vacation. And I’m sure, at some point next year, we’ll be back on the road with Pink. As soon as she’s ready to go, I’m right there. Justin Derrico performs at the Newcastle Leagues Club on Wednesday August 10.
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With the release of their second album, interest in Bonjah is on the rise. Rolling Stone has pointed a finger at them, The Who had them as support, and Go Go Chaos is raising more than a few eyebrows for delivering the unexpected. Kevin Bull spoke with percussionist James Majernik about Bonjah, circa 2011. The new album, Go Go Chaos, has only been out for a week. Having your hard work suddenly out in the public must bring its own unique emotions. There definitely is a unique feeling that accompanies putting an album out. I guess it’s the same feeling you would experience releasing any kind of personal creative form: a combination of relief, excitement and nerves. So much work went into the actual release of Go Go Chaos, aside from the creation. For an independent band, [releasing an album] involves a great deal of hard work, patience and time. So there’s an incredible feeling of accomplishment and triumph in just getting the record finished, paid for and out on the shelf.
band progress musically and want to be a part of that progression, but maybe not. I’m not sure if I would like my favourite bands or artists to pump out the same record year after year. Mind you, Chuck Berry did a darn good job of it!
The Bonjah of Until Dawn appears to be a very different proposition to the Bonjah of Go Go Chaos. How do you see these differences at the band level? When we went to record Until Dawn, we were younger and primarily a touring live band. We hadn’t really ventured into the studio to experiment and create as much as we probably should have. Those songs mainly came from Glenn and Regan (Lethbridge, guitarist). They were their songs that we would structure and add our instruments to. We really wanted to make Go Go Chaos a collaboration between the five of us, so almost all the songs were either written in the rehearsal room, the studio or on writing trips, with all five of us in the one room, throwing ideas around.
Touring Japan has been on the Bonjah calender a number of times. If Australia is the logical step for NZ bands to have a crack at, is Asia the next step from Australia? Yes I would say it is. It’s just such an exciting place to be. Having said that though, if an airline was running cheap flights to Johannesburg, we’d probably try our luck there too.
At the recording level, the blues/roots tag has definitely been left behind with the release of Go Go Chaos. Has the band ever felt restricted by labels, or an obligation to deliver a certain style? Yes, I have felt that restriction, particularly having a band name like Bonjah. But I’ve never felt it musically. I sense that the immediate response to the blues/roots tag in the Australian indie street press… is that they automatically want to hate it. However it’s nice reading that when they’ve actually listened to the album, they’ve really enjoyed it. Our music is purely what came out of the rehearsal room. When we do it again, we’ll probably end up with something completely different. Are you concerned about alienating your current fan-base? I’d like to think they would enjoy hearing a
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It can be said that a band’s focus and delivery is only as good as the team around them. All the people who help us, or who are a part of the Bonjah bus, are incredible - they are the most endearing and hard working folk around and there is no doubt we’d be nowhere without them. They enable us to continue to live off our music, which is truly a beautiful thing.
How is the Japanese market going for the band? Fantastic. I think we sold more hard copies of Until Dawn in Japan than we did in Australia. We received an amazing response when we were there and I believe we’re heading back over with G.Love to open up for his next tour in October. So that will give us a chance to slowly build on our fan base and put out Go Go Chaos through P-Vine Records. Six months on from being nominated by Rolling Stone for the ‘Artist to Watch’ award, has there been any noticeable impact on the band and its fortunes? It turned people towards our music, which was really great to see. People seem to be extremely interested in the band at the moment. Maybe it’s because Go Go Chaos is different to what they expected or because we’ve been having steady radio play, but people just seem really curious. We’ll just keep doing what we do and continue to take the stairs. Bonjah perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday September 2, and Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, on Thursday September 8. reverb magazine issue #061 — august 2011 23
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It’s been four years since Liam Finn released his stellar debut album, I’ll Be Lightning. This month, he returns with FOMO, a sophomore LP that sees Finn return to the classic pop sound that has defined his career, albeit with a maturity and sense of direction unlike anything else in his expansive catalogue. With a national tour on the horizon, Finn spoke to MAX QUINN about what he’s afraid of missing out on.
Hey, Liam. I read somewhere that you wanted to make FOMO a record that had an immediate effect on people who aren’t into the same kind of music you are. Let’s start by defining terms: What kind of music are you into? I’ve had that statement read back to me a few times, and every time I hear it, it’s like: ‘did I say that!?’ I guess what I meant was that I wanted to create an atmosphere. You don’t hear all of a song when you first hear it. But there is an atmosphere that you can cultivate when you write a song, that’s the first thing that will either appeal to or repel people. But, shit, what kind of music am I into? Anything that makes me feel something, I guess. I wanted to make the record appeal to people who don’t feel anything in music… I think! Did you get what you wanted? We’ll see, I guess. It’s not even out yet, but I’ve had a few people hear it and say nice things. So, the record is called FOMO, which I assume stands for ‘fear of missing out’, yes? Yes! What were you afraid of missing out on? The original thing that made me aware of the term was just its general use amongst my friends and family. So, when you’re
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busy by yourself and your best friends are out doing something that you wish you were doing as well, you start to get those pangs of anxiety and you start to think: ‘oh! I wish I was doing that!’. That’s a terrible thing to think, as well, because you have to live in the moment. We would use the term just amongst friends — for example — ‘don’t be such a FOMO’ or ‘FOMO, I’m missing out on that!’. For me, it represented the time I’d spent touring and building an audience in the northern hemisphere and putting in a lot of effort to feel like a part of the international music world. I didn’t know whether I was making a mistake retreating back to New Zealand to write. Do you like being in the midst of it all? I do. I mean, all I wanted at the time was to go back to New Zealand to write — I hadn’t lived there in six or seven years, so it was about time that I went home for a while. [But] you do feel isolated in New Zealand. It’s inevitable that you get sucked into the smalltown mentality of the place where everybody knows each other’s business. So it does feel a bit claustrophobic at times, but I love it over there and it’s still definitely my home. Something else that was really interesting is that you’ve signed to Yep Roc records in the US to release FOMO. They’re one
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of my favourite independent labels. What was it that drew you to sign with them? Yep Roc released I’ll Be Lightning. I met those guys when I was about ready to release my first album. I got an e-mail from a guy at Yep Roc who had been really into [Finn’s first band] Betchadupa, and he was writing to see what we were up to. I sent them the record, and they were really excited by it. They’re a true independent label – there aren’t many record labels out there who can claim that they do it all themselves. The guys that started the label haven’t sold shares to bigger distributors to keep it afloat, and they don’t have major label subsidiaries. It’s not one of those indie labels that releases through a major label with a cooler name behind them. Finally, let’s solve one of the greatest philosophical problems known to man. If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I would like to think this happens in the fourth dimension. Not only would it make a sound, it would make [a] colour as well. I’m kind of an expert on the fourth dimension. Liam Finn performs at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Wednesday August 24. FOMO is out now through Liberation Music.
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If my calculations are correct, this year marks 25 years since The Wonder Stuff formed. But you haven’t really taken a break from the music industry at all, have you? Well the band formed in ’86 and we kept that going till mid ’94, when we couldn’t stand the sight of each other for much longer, and took six years off in which I had a band called Vent 414. Then The Wonder Stuff got back together in 2000, with a different bass player. We talked about doing new material… it didn’t really lead anywhere and then by the end of 2003, we couldn’t stand to be in the same room as each other again… well everybody but me and Malcolm. We’ve always found it pretty easy to agree on things. So we carried on, found a drummer, a bassist and a violin player and have gigged ever since. If we take a step back in time here, what was happening in the music scene when you formed The Wonder Stuff, and who were some of your influences? I think we drew our influences from things that we didn’t like. This was, of course, the
photo courtesy David Dawson
the wonder stuff
Sound Evolution Most of us would remember The Wonder Stuff as the band with ‘that song about a cow’, fronted by the scathingly witty, self-confident Miles Hunt. The band’s cult following has kept them on the road since their re-formation in 2000 and they are heading to Australia in August, along with Jesus Jones and The Clouds. CHELSEA REED caught up with Hunt to catch up on the past quarter-century.
time when Stock, Aitken & Waterman pretty much had control of the airwaves… I won’t mention Kylie and Jason, that didn’t happen (laughs), so the pop music at the time was appalling. U2 were enormous — well, I think they’ve been enormous since forever — and they were, you know, pompous and boring and then there was the indie scene which I suppose was okay, looking back now, but it all looked like it was made by guys who were still being dressed by their mums and you know, we didn’t really like any of that. So we sort of formed The Wonder Stuff to make music for ourselves. Then we got bored of that sound after one album and added a Celtic flavour. Our contemporaries were getting into the electronic thing and dance music didn’t appeal to me, so we went completely in the opposite direction, adding things like violin, mandolin and squeeze-box… a more organic sound. Would you say you were part of the indie scene? Yeah I suppose at the time. But we weren’t going to be one of those bands that made a demo tape and sent it round to all the record companies. We were supremely selfconfident that we were great and that’s all we needed to know! We liked what we were doing. Our second single was a number one indie single in the UK which was amazing because the bands that were getting that at the time were The Smiths, The Sugarcubes, New Order and The Pet Shop Boys and suddenly we were there. How did the dynamics in the band change after your chart success in 1991? How was it dealing with all that media attention? None of us were in a band to be motivated by commercial or financial success. We did everything by feel, rather than listening to people say “if you do this and that you’ll have this much money in your bank account”. We didn’t care about that. I suppose we were a little frustrating to deal with. But the dynamics changed because after eight years of seeing the same mates every day you want a change, and the more successful we got, the more we saw of each other and we just got tired of it. It’s an incubated world we were living in and things get blown out of proportion. You forget what you are there for, which is essentially to make noise and give people a good time. I have to ask, just out of personal interest, what was the inspiration behind your (hit) song ‘Size of a Cow’? Aha! Well, there used to be a kids TV show called Banana Splits and there were these characters called The Arabian Knights and they had this ability to say something like “the size of an elephant!” and they would become the size of an elephant and smash down a door. And I thought if I could somehow describe the amount of problems that were on my plate at the time… they’d be about the size of a cow. What can fans expect from your upcoming east coast tour of Australia? I think my brother found a set-list for the set we should have been doing way back in 94, when we were first invited to tour Australia, so we’ll just come down and do that! Jesus Jones, The Wonder Stuff and Clouds perform at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney on Saturday August 20, 2011.
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PLUS: THU 4 ZOE K AND THE SHADOW KATZ FRI 5 GREAT DIVIDING RANGE, GLORY MEAT SUN 7 BLUES BOMBERS FRI 12 MONIQUE BRUMBY BAND SAT 13 BOWEN AND THE LUCK Y DUTCHMEN SUN 14 THE LAIRS THU 18 NICK AND LIESL SUN 21 METHOD FRI 26 GLENY RAE VIRUS AND HER JUNKYARD PLAYBOYS TUE 30 P O L I T I C S I N T H E P U B : I S T H E M E D I A T O O P O W E R FU L? Find us on Facebook
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c at h e r i n e t r a i co s
Why did you name the album Gloriosa? We were in Brisbane after the floods and the rivers were all brown and murky, lots of plants destroyed by mud. But everywhere we went there were these completely beautiful, fully-grown flowers. They were quite amazing and I started taking photos of them and one day I found a flame lily, which is the national flower of my home country, Zimbabwe. It was a very personal moment for me. I really did not expect to see (it there) and there was so many of them. Gloriosa is very symbolic to me — like finding that beautiful flower in that chaotic environment, when you make an album, you build this beautiful sonic thing out of something that begins really terribly. Gloriosa marks your first recording process collaborating with a band, The Starry Night. How did the presence of The Starry Night shape the album? There was one song that capped off the process, in particular. I didn’t think it should go on the album — it wasn’t developed enough. I showed it to the band half-heartedly as a B-side, but they were throwing positive feedback around like, “I’m hearing a guitar riff here” and then they just took over! It became a really upbeat pop song and, ultimately, the first single. That’s a great example of trusting your collaborators... It’s kind of about trusting people. But in the end, it’s about trusting yourself to do what’s best for your songs. You don’t own your songs, they end up owning you. ‘Magic Water’ is my favourite track. How did you go about writing it? Thank you! It’s my favourite track, too!
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inward and thinking with a clear mind. You secured a touring grant for the album tour. How important do you feel arts funding is for musicians such as yourself? It’s so fundamental. A society that encourages artists is definitely a more enjoyable society to live in. In Australia, there’s a real negative perception towards artists, who are seen as dole bludgers and it’s not fair. The amount of work that goes into making an album is crazy. There’s long hours of rehearsal, practising, mastering the craft of your instruments, [your] voice, [your] songwriting and you have to be constantly on the ball once you get into the studio. But I still believe art is the most rewarding career that anyone can have.
Looking for Lilies Zimbabwean-born, Sydney singer-songwriter Catherine Traicos has crafted an impressive third album in Gloriosa. Traicos speaks with Matt Petherbridge about Tibetan heart meditations, moving country and finding a piece of her homeland in the most unexpected place. There’s a particular Tibetan heart meditation that I learnt in my yoga class when I was writing the album. You concentrate on five different people and you send love out to them. Firstly, someone you love unconditionally. Secondly, somebody you are having difficulties
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with. Thirdly, someone you’ve only met once and don’t know very well. Then you concentrate on yourself. Is that five? (laughs). I think the last one is concentrating on the environment around you. It can really change things just by distancing yourself, going
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You’ve lived a rich life of travelling, especially emigrating from Zimbabwe at 18 years of age. Do you feel these experiences have influenced your approach to music and life in noticeable ways? Absolutely. Particularly moving country, it definitely affects you as a person. It’s a huge jump and your whole past is suddenly behind you. There’s a sense that you have to move forward and you have to abandon what’s gone. Otherwise, you’ll never adjust to your new surroundings, and you can’t expect everyone in your new surroundings to understand that. It’s a strange thing, but it’s also nice if you want to change things about yourself. I had led a sheltered life to that point. I was quite a timid lady. Catherine Traicos performs at Rails, Byron Bay, on Thursday August 4; The Lodge, Bellingen, on Friday August 5; Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland, on Saturday August 6.
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We the Kings
How are things in the US at the moment? How’s the current tour? We’re currently doing a tour of a few Six Flags theme parks over here in the States. It’s been really different and cool. The new record, Sunshine State of Mind, has just been released in Australia. What can you tell me about it? This has been our most focused record to date. We have put a lot of time and new ideas into this one. The record is already out here in the States and has been received really well with some great reviews. It’s going to be interesting to see the reaction from the rest of the globe once it has hit everywhere. I’m really looking forward to it. After listening to just the first two songs on the record, it’s quite clear that the album is a lot more pop-oriented than previous records. Was this a decision or did you just flow into the poppier style? I’ve always been someone who has a real need to write contagious tunes. We love writing catchy songs and most catchy songs revolve around that poppy influence. The sound of the record is just our development as musicians and our love for melodic hooks.
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Sunshiney Days Florida pop-punkers, We The Kings, have finally broadcast their melodic tunes through our speakers and into the Top 40 with their smash hit ‘Check Yes, Juliet’. SEAN FRAZER caught up with vocalist Travis Clark to discuss the Kings’ recent success in Australia and their upcoming August tour to these shores. Would you say much has changed for you since the release of Smile Kid? Our schedule has gotten a lot busier since then; touring, recording, writing, etc. We are at such a busy and growing part of our lives right now, and I can tell you that we love every minute of it. I wake up each day and tell myself I’ve got the best job in the world! We’re really happy with where we are now and where we plan to go. We don’t take anything for granted. Something I find amazing is the fact that ‘Check Yes, Juliet’ was released on your self-titled record in 2007 but has only just received mainstream airplay over here this year. Was it the band’s decision to release this song as your first Australian single? That song really kicked things off for us…
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which was why the band decided to have it as our first single release in Australia. It was written quite a few years ago and I still believe it is one of the best songs I’ve ever written. It’s quite funny, a friend of mine moved to Sydney and got in contact with me to say that she’s hearing it daily on the radio stations over there and she’s getting sick of hearing it! [laughs] We’re really pleased with the success it’s had in Oz. The last time you were here, ‘Check Yes, Juliet’ hadn’t peaked on the charts in Australia. There must be quite an amount of anticipation returning to a successful first single. Yeah, it’s going to be interesting to actually get to see how well it has been doing over there in Australia for us. We are really looking
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forward to this tour Down Under. Not only is it going to be great playing in Australia, but we get to play with some good friends of ours, You Me At Six. It’s not the first time you have toured with You Me At Six: both bands must be well acquainted with each other by now. Those guys are really good friends of ours and are an awesome bunch of musicians as well. We have toured with them before and have always had an awesome time. They’re just like us, which is why we get along so well — we all just love to party and have fun! How do you guys like playing in Australia? Dude, we love it out there! The girls are beautiful and the people are really nice. But, seriously… the girls are really beautiful over there! [laughs] When we were out there last for our Soundwave run, it was really surreal, people knew us and would greet us wherever we went. Although I have to admit, we were a little shy with our surfing skills. We found a secluded beach to do our surfing, away from the skilled and ripped dudes! We The Kings perform at UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney, on Sunday August 28.
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dennis coffey
Riding the Rough Patches “A
part from Mayer Hawthorne, a lot of the guest artists on my album weren’t working in the studio with me for the most part,” says Coffey. “For someone like myself, it’s very surreal to work this way! The whole record business is like night and day from what it used to be. Things change at the speed of light. Like Youtube – you’ll be playing a club one night and a couple of hours later you can watch the whole show on Youtube. The bottom line is that the only thing that’s a given is that everything changes; nothing stays the same. The key is to look at change as the expected outcome of what’s going on. That way you can deal with it when it comes — because it does come.” Coffey knows it firsthand, too — after going through a “rough patch” in the mid-80s, the Motown legend, and creator of massive hits like ‘Scorpio’ and ‘Cloud Nine’, found himself out of work. As music increasingly began to go down the electronic route, guitarists like Coffey fell out of popularity. “I was in New York with [producer] Mike Theodore trying to stay in the record business, but no-one was taking our calls
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The only thing that’s certain is uncertainty. The only thing that’s constant is change… After five decades in music, the original Funk Brother, Dennis Coffey, knows the business and its players inside out, claiming the only thing that’s stayed the same is the fickle nature of the industry. Birdy spoke to Coffey about his new self-titled album.
and it’s like we became invisible,” recalls Coffey. “It was like going from the top, having a deal with Motown, having a salary and everything, to nobody returning my phone calls. I couldn’t make enough money and I had five kids to feed! I ended up applying for a regular job to support my family. The funny part of the story is that I applied at General Motors to work on the assembly lines, and I had to go through the job test they give you. It was pretty interesting for everyone because I was sitting there with
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these people and they were giving us a dexterity test — but they didn’t know I was a guitar player! In the end they couldn’t believe it, they were saying, ‘who the hell is this guy and how the hell did he get it so fast?!’.” As it happened, Coffey enjoyed the daily grind of a nine-to-five job — managing to move up the ranks in the company and, at the same time, revert back to his old ways of touring with his new career. “I got my Bachelor degree and was teaching at the plant, but then I got my Master’s degree which made me a consultant at Ford. I was travelling so much it was almost like touring! Then Ford hit a rough patch, too. It just happens — even Frank Sinatra went through a rough patch in his career. In some ways, I thought since I’d been a session musician since I was 15-years old, it was bound to happen at some point.” Today, Coffey is working with a whole new generation of musicians who never cease to amaze him. Soul hero Mayer Hawthorne, in particular, struck a chord with Coffey, as did Fanny Franklin of Orgone, Lisa Kekaula from The Bellrays, and Mick
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Collins from The Dirtbombs, just to name a few who appear on Coffey’s new album (not to mention his high-calibre management team, whose taste in music has pleasantly surprised him). “This is the first time I haven’t produced an album myself. I turned it over to the younger generation and let them do it!” he explains. “My management team put the whole idea of the album together. They selected the artists and I was happy with them. We knew we’d never get someone as funky as Wilson Pickett to do ‘Don’t Knock My Love’, so we went the opposite way and got a girl to give it a whole different approach. That’s where Fanny Franklin walked in and blew me away. For someone like me who’s been in this business for a long time, it’s great to see the younger generation taking hold of this thing and singing great music. For a while there, with the computer-based music, people of my generation had large doubts about the future of music.” Dennis Coffey’s new self-titled release is available now through Strut/K7/Fuse.
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the get up kids — synthetic breed
TALKING SHOP Profiling music industry professionals
Swimming with Sharks Having called it a day in 2005, Kansas City alt-rockers The Get Up Kids announced, in 2008, that they had unfinished business. Reunion tours followed, culminating in the release of their Simple Science EP in 2010 and the band’s fifth full-length studio album, There Are Rules, earlier this year. As the Kids prepare to return to Australia this August, CAROLINE RUSSO caught up with bassist Rob Pope. Tell us bit about the title and what the album cover represents? The title came from a saying we used while on tour in Europe a couple years ago. It seemed like a very appropriate album title for the batch of songs we had written. I love the album cover… it’s meant to be mysterious and strange. What is it like to be reunited and touring? Is there a bigger future now for the band? It’s been great to be playing as The Get Up Kids again. All of us have been doing other music projects at the same time, so being able to come together and write songs as a group again felt great. I have no idea what the future holds for the band… It has been seven years since you visited Australia. What memories do you have and what are you looking forward to on returning? A few of us nearly drowned in Byron Bay. That was a bit dodgy… and we were told there are a lot of sharks in that area. I’m looking forward to the coffee… and staying out of shark-infested waters. How long did it take to get the new album together? We worked on it for over a year. It was difficult to schedule since we don’t all live in the same city anymore. What is the main focus for this tour? We are looking forward to playing a handful of songs from our new record and a bunch of really old ones, too. We go on tour to have a great time… hopefully, everyone at the show will, too. As a band that has been through a lot of changes what advice do you give up-andcoming bands? Turn off the internet and pick up an instrument! The Get Up Kids perform at the Metro Theatre, Sydney, on Saturday August 6.
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Name? Matthew Watters For whom do you work? North Coast Institute of TAFE, NSW
Machine In Motion Synthetic Breed is a ridiculously talented (but just as under-appreciated) Melbourne tech-industrial metal band. Their music is intense, complex, brutal and melodic all at once. It’s also of a world class standard but line-up and management difficulties have impeded the band’s progress over the years. However, after a lengthy break, the band recently released the follow up to their debut album, Catatonic, with the scorching Perpetual Motion Machine, a highly appropriate name for an album chock-full of intricate but powerhouse grooves, demonic vocals and epic song structures. Adding juice to their comeback is the return of renowned drummer Daniel Luttick, who, along with guitarist and main songwriter Vincent Zylstra, spoke to ROD WHITFIELD.
“Man, it’s something I’ve been trying to get together for over 10 years,” Zylstra starts. “It started coming together, and we got close to playing live I think in ’99. But it was actually very difficult to find a bass player and a drummer, and a vocalist as well. Getting musicians to play this sort of music was very difficult. We started off using a drum machine… but it was really around 2004 that we started to get going. We found Daniel (Luttick, drums) and once Cal (Hughes, former vocalist) came on board, it pretty much started taking off. We released an EP and blah blah blah.” Since those early days, the band has seen the best and the worst that the unforgiving music industry has to offer, from playing in front of 15,000 people at the prestigious German rock and metal festival With Full Force, in 2006, to the extreme difficulties with management which almost split the band asunder, to seemingly endless line-up changes (including Luttick taking an extended hiatus from the band), to releasing their debut album in 2007 to widespread critical acclaim. But the band have put those ups and downs behind them and are ready to move forward with a new album and a (hopefully) rock solid new line-up. “In a way you could almost argue that the break has not only done us, as people and musicians, the world of good,” Luttick muses. “But that now we’re back, hanging out and playing together again, it’s really done the band a lot of good too, and the band name. It’s almost like it’s
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there, and people take it for granted, but then you take it away from them, and people are getting hungry for it. “So, since we rekindled the relationship and word got out there that we were… rehearsing and stuff, things have been going really well for us. We’ve got some good people behind us, willing to support our music and get our name out there. We’ve got a very diligent booking agent, and we’re starting a national tour in July that’s basically taking us all over the country, except Perth.” The band really feel they have something to prove when they hit the road again, especially to the fans who’ve stuck with them through the highs, lows and hiatuses. And they have a very destructive set planned for the punters who come to check them out on the current tour. “Our aim on this tour is to give people the opportunity to just lose it and have a good time,” Luttick enthuses. “And to not have that up and down element to the show. It’s going to be allout, here we are! And I think on this tour we’re doing a 50-minute headline set… we’re going to give people value for money.” “This tour is just about getting the name out there, obviously,” Zylstra adds. “But also backing up what we’re about. A lot of people haven’t seen us live, they’ve just heard about us, so it’s about bringing us to that audience.”
Current position title? IT teacher/ video producer How long have you been in this position? 11 years What are your main responsibilities? Teaching multimedia/ computers, specialising in students with disabilities; producing short documentaries for NCI TAFE; project work with NCI Library Hub. How did you get involved in the video production industry? I studied acting at James Cook uni, and drifted into the production side after making TV commercials for my business. Proudest moment? Birth of my son, Zar. Best live show you’ve been to? U2 or Leonard Cohen Favourite venue? The Basement, Sydney Favourite musical instrument? Electric cello To whom should we be listening? Rargo, a Port Macquarie band unearthed on Triple J What would be on your ultimate rider? Grolsch beer, camembert, pepperoni, Greek olives and rice crackers Anyone you’d really like to meet (alive or dead)? Orson Welles Best way to spend a Sunday morning? Making special scrambled eggs and relaxing on my deck in the rainforest watching the wallabies and brush turkeys. Any advice for people trying to break into the industry? Get an education first, the rest will follow…
Synthetic Breed performs at the Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle, on Saturday, August 20.
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reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 31
toenail clippings — crunchy fortunes
fortunes
Steve Burrito’s crunchy fortunes
LEO — A tall mysterious stranger will know your full name. Yep, you’ve been arrested again. Avoid eating confectionery this month as it contains a surprising amount of rabbit. Your lucky sensation this month is prickly.
SCORPIO — This month you will feel an unnatural desire to go to Dubbo zoo to see 30 types of goat. Your lucky sensation this month will be hairy, and your lucky foodstuff will be tongue. Avoid looking directly into the eyes of budgies.
AQUARIUS — Don’t look behind you. It’s that horrid little monkey again. Your unlucky thing to say to a police officer this month will be a combination of the two seemingly innocent words “you” and “constable”. Be careful with this knowledge, it’s important.
TAURUS — The saying “you are what you eat” apparently doesn’t apply if you eat fat children. Your lucky category of mammal this month will be the bat. That doesn’t include the wombat. The largest of all the bats.
VIRGO — Due to an unfortunate spelling error, you were circus-sized at birth. Your lucky flavour this month is glue and your lucky word will be ‘platitude’. Avoid putting your fingers in your face and try not to breathe in.
SAGITTARIUS — For some reason David Bowie thinks you’ve stolen his lawn mower. Your lucky flavour this month will be hamburger and your lucky sensation will be bouncing. Congratulations, you’re 12-years-old again.
PISCES — Did you know that “dammit, I’m mad” is “dammit, I’m mad” spelt backwards? However “I’m a useless twat that believes in horoscopes” spelt backwards is “sepocsoroh ni seveileb taht tawt sselesu a m’I”. Spooky hey?
GEMINI — That’s naughty – Do it again. This month you will find love. It’s been behind the television for months. It must have fallen down there during that yoga sloth fight and now it’s all covered in dust and mysterious little footprints. You should take better care of your emotions.
LIBRA — Medical authorities warn that you may cause drowsiness, and should not be operated in a crowded room. Your lucky food this month will be pickled herring. Yep, you’re lucky alright. Avoid work, become a musician.
CAPRICORN — You’re not the only one that finds it embarrassing watching guitarists do solos. It does look a lot like masturbation doesn’t it? Your lucky dance move this month will be ‘leaning against the bar’ and your lucky pick up line will be “oh, hi”.
ARIES — The universe is insisting that you send $20 and a bottle of Jack Daniels to Steve Burrito care of Reverb. I’ve asked the universe to reconsider, but it seems to have its heart set on it. And you don’t want to disappoint the universe do you?
CANCER — A close friend will be in a bad mood this month. Really piss them off and party at their place. Your lucky camel this month is the Bactrian camel. Two humps are always better than one. Avoid eating turkey this month as they’re big ugly bastards that bite.
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magazine issue #061 — August 2011
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jeff martin
LIVE AT THE STAG FRIDAYS
Back In The Party Canadian musician Jeff Martin is a true legend in the world of rock music. His former (although soon to be resurrected) band The Tea Party were around for 15 years, during which they released seven incredible and acclaimed albums and, most importantly, broke new ground with their dynamic, Led Zeppelin and world music-inspired rock. Since the official demise of The Tea Party in 2005, Martin has released several high-quality solo albums and made a major name for himself in production. Uprooted from the frozen north and transplanted, with his family, into the relatively balmy climes of Perth, Martin will be making his first ever appearance at the Sydney Blues and Roots Festival in late October. He spoke with ROD WHITFIELD.
“T
he only other blues festival I’ve ever done is the Byron Bay one, so I’m very much looking forward to it. It kind of came out of left field for me, because it was just a case of coincidence. I was playing a solo gig at The Vault in Windsor and it turned out that the owner of The Vault was very good mates with the promoters for the Blues Festival. It just happened to be one of those things where there was a bit of magic in the air. So much so that they asked me to do this, and I considered it an honour. I’m certainly going to do my part when I get on that stage, that’s for sure.” With such a varied line-up at the Sydney Blues and Roots, Martin is sure to face up to a few audiences unfamiliar with his long and illustrious career. He decribes his live show, for the uninitiated, as “very very intense”. “I know that Ash (Grunwald) is playing and Jeff Lang is playing and I have all the respect in the world for those two musicians. I guess what would make me very different from the rest of them is that there’s a palpable darkness to some of the music, so that when the light comes through, it shines really, really bright. It’s an emotional rollercoaster I think, in the way that my sets are structured. It’s enjoyable, that’s for sure, but it does take you on a journey.” Beyond the festival, Martin has an extremely busy few months playing a list of dates across the eastern states, with
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acclaimed Australian drummer Terapai Richmond, as well as a tour celebrating the music of Led Zeppelin across Australia in September, and, in news sure to warm the hearts of his long time fans, a re-union tour of North America with The Tea Party. With a little luck, we may get to see the legendary three-piece Down Under again. “The three of us have just collectively decided that we’re just going to see how this one goes,” he says. “If it feels right at the end of it all, and we’ve enjoyed ourselves, and the people have gotten out of it what they wanted, can the band still be that great band? If we can do that, then by all means I would love to bring the band to my home here, sometime in the early new year. And I’m sure they would be up for it as well. We basically cut our teeth in the Australian music scene, and so I’m sure they would be itching to get back. I’ve been spoilt, because I live here.” In the meantime, check out Martin’s set at the Sydney Blues and Roots Festival, any one of the myriad dates he is doing across the country between now and the end of the year, and also his recentlyreleased album, The Ground Cries Out, a dark, Zeppelin-esque rock masterpiece. Jeff Martin performs at Lizotte’s Lambton, on Thursday August 25 and the Sydney Blues and Roots Festival, Windsor, between October 27-30.
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5/8 12/8 19/8 26/8
FROM 8.30PM
DR. ZOOM DUO NICK KINGSWELL DUO MOONLIGHT DRIVE DUO HAZE
SATURDAYS
6/8 13/8 20/8 27/8
GREG BRYCE LOONATIC FRINGE BOBBY C WELLSY
187 MAITLAND ROAD, MAYFIELD PH 02 4968 1205 WWW.THESTAG.COM.AU Download Issue
reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 33
general motoring
“ The engine has Porsche’s characteristic metallic exhaust wail but this one has a ‘loud’ button for even more aural pleasure. It will frighten animals and small children from 100 paces but WTF, it’s a Porsche.”
Purest Porsche You can hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ when talk gets around to turbo Porsches — they are held in high regard and rightly so. But truth be known, their non-turbo stable-mates are just as good and damn near as quick. Take the latest and possibly last iteration of the current model Porsche 911 — the non-turbo, rear wheel drive Carrera GTS. It’s the essence of what Porsche stands for, without forced induction or all wheel drive. GTS sits between the Carrera S and GT3 in the pecking order, but is arguably one of the best day-to-day drives in the 911 line-up. The engine is a 3.8-litre flat six with 300kW neat, some 17 more than the S, but 20 less than the GT3. It makes a bee’s dick of difference in how they all go, really, with the GTS manual we drove capable of putting away a 0-100kph sprint in the 4.5 second range. The GT3 is a few tenths quicker and the S a few slower. Bee’s dick — yes. Those 300 kilowatts are balanced by a healthy torque output of 420Nm from 4,200rpm, with 320Nm available from just 1,500rpm. The direct injection six-cylinder
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mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
has a red-line of 7,500rpm, with maximum power coming in at 7,300rpm. At these engine speeds, the GTS is fearsome-quick. It gets the extra neddies from a revised variable length intake that simply speeds up airflow into the engine according to the demands placed upon it — simple. Not so simple is the Variocam system operating on the intake camshaft that varies valve timing and valve lift. The exhaust side is conventional. It runs a high 12.5:1 compression ratio, so nothing short of 98 octane fuel is acceptable. But emissions are low enough for this powerful engine to pass the stringent Euro 5 emissions regulations. The gorgeous white test vehicle was for the purists, with a six-speed manual transmission. If it was my money (around $270,000) it would be the double clutch PDK manumatic system which makes the GTS quicker and faster again, and more economical to boot. Add ‘Sports Chrono’ and you get launch control bringing down the 0-100kph sprint to around 4.0 seconds — whoosh. Not bad for a ‘natmo’ six pot.
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The engine has Porsche’s characteristic metallic exhaust wail but this one has a ‘loud’ button for even more aural pleasure. It will frighten animals and small children from 100 paces but WTF, it’s a Porsche. Naturally, the first thing we did once inside the white weapon was push the loud button and make sure the audio system was off. The car comes with Porsche Active Suspension Management, PASM, which is basically adaptive suspension. You can dial up normal or sport on the centre stack. But the sport setting is pretty hard for everyday driving and we were happy to hook into corners on the normal setting. It still blows just about everything else into the weeds but has a comfortable yet controlled suppleness to the suspension. Then we went mad and put the GTS on full noise — maxxed out everything and holy crap, what a beast. The engine loves to hit red-line and the metal four-pot brakes love to wipe off speed time after time. The massive tyres — 305x30x19s at the rear — offer unbelievable grip, to the point where we chickened out on our favourite stretch of winding road, preferring to run at about 80 per cent of the car’s capability. It’s that quick and intimidating.
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r e vi e wed
Porsche Carrera GTS r e vi e wed by
Peter Douglas The rear-drive GTS gains a wider body and track from the all-wheel drive Carrera 4. It’s 44mm wider than the Carrera S and also scores mild body aero add-ons including a front apron and small, pop-up rear spoiler. The underbody is flat and there’s a diffuser between the quad exhaust tips. The wheels are centre-mount forged alloy but you can change this to five-stud fixing with different wheels. Inside is fairly business-like, as you’d expect, amid a sea of black suede, well, Alcantara to be precise — including the wheel. The front seats have tight side bolsters, but you need them, and the rear pews, if you can call them that, are a no-cost option. It has a decent audio system and all the goodies you’d expect in this price range. Love this car. It’s on the bucket list if Lotto comes in tonight. Everything is geared towards one thing — going fast safely and with total reliability. They sure make ’em right at Porsche (pronounced Por-sha).
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fa shion — photogr aphy by linda wale s
[top] The Nurse It was put together over two sittings,
[top] Mermaid sitting on skull, sleeve 25 hrs at $150ph.
a 3hr and a 2 hr. at $165ph. [right] Queen 5hrs total,
This was done in 3hr sessions. [right] Snake and
5 sittings at $165ph. [above] The timepiece This
Coffin 7 hrs at $150ph. 2 sittings of 3hrs and then an
piece is a fix-up piece. It was re-lined and filled in. it
add-on sitting of one hour. [above] Swallows on feet
took 4 hours to reline, shape and colour at $165ph.
Each foot was 3 hrs each at $150ph.
Photography by Linda Wales Modelling by Bonnie Hanson, Sam Kane Make-up by Brittany Jade
Artist: Theo Royal Aka Skull McMurphy. Voodoo Tattoo, Gosford. Ph (02) 4324 9779.
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reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 35
album Reviews album of the month
aRbouretum The Gathering
cut off your hands
Dennis Coffey
Jordie Lane
Dennis Coffey
Blood Thinner
Fuse
Hollow
Fuse
Vitamin Records
3.5/5
Frenchkiss Records
4.5/5
3.5/5
The fourth album of Baltimore psychgrunge quintet, Arbouretum, boasts sonic consistency, with a fuzzy futuristic guitar effect, as well as several solos by bass player Corey Allender which broaden the already booming sound. During the extended instrumental sections in ‘The White Bird’ and ‘Destroying To Save,’ the bass wittingly links-up with Dave Heumann’s elaborate guitar solos, suggesting these guys rehearse more than initially meets the ear. The bass and guitar do stumble out of time on occasion but it gives Arbouretum a genuinely rebellious aftertaste. As Heumann’s self-assured voice soars and drummer JV Brian Carey smashes the ride cymbal, The Gathering rises up into a psychedelic storm. It’s refreshing to hear Arbouretum so confidently avoid traditional song structures and maintain listener interest. ~Paul Appelkamp
3.5/5
broadway mile
With the 80s postpunk revival gaining strength, many bands have attempted to replicate the sound of Joy Division, The Cure and Gang of Four, but for New Zealand youngsters, Cut Off Your Hands, it’s the mellow sound of The Smiths, with lead singer Nick Johnston channelling Morrissey with great aplomb. Hollow is the second LP release from our trans-Tasman friends, showcasing their refreshingly mature sound, packed full of clean, reverberated guitar riffs and crooning vocals. Opening track ‘You Should Do Better,’ epitomises the retro style and creates a dance-worthy atmosphere, further highlighted by later tracks ‘Hollowed Out’ and ‘All It Takes’. Cut Off Your Hands are by far the best new kids on the block in the indie world and they can expect a promising career if Hollow is anything to go by. For Fans Of: The Smiths, The Drums, Vampire Weekend. ~Josh Clements
Independent
Felix riebl
Now You Know 3/5
I came to Broadway Mile via their association with the excellent Foreshadowed (RIP). Where Foreshadowed was glorious, melodic yet gritty riff rock, Broadway Mile polishes every element free of grit, leaving pure shine. It’s unfair to judge a band by the previous projects of its members however, and Now You Know stands on its own two feet. There’s melodic riff rock, there’s soaring vocals and there are sugary choruses with hooks big enough to land sharks. Despite the overly sanitised sound, it’s got plenty of strengths. Singer Timmy Broadway has an impressive set of pipes, showcased on the title track and the band can certainly put a pop song together; ‘Til The End’, replete with hand claps, is hard to argue with. But whether it’s different enough to stand out in the sea of pop/rock is another proposition altogether. ~roger killjoy
Into The Rain MGM
3.5/5
Digitalism
Frontman of Melbourne jazz-roots crew, The Cat Empire, Felix Riebl sticks his neck out on his first solo album. Aside from some familiar vocal melodies and a 70s sounding organ, Into The Rain’s sombre country tunes sound completely independent of his other projects. The folky ‘Wide Open Rivers’ boasts a prominent lap-steel slide guitar which would disguise itself seamlessly in a Paul Kelly compilation. Riebl has assembled members from The Cat Empire and The Bamboos as his backing band, and his voice freely paints over their solid collaboration. While exploring a bigger vocal range than before, Riebl also delves into darker emotions, making this a very revealing release. The tearjerking spray of atmospheric guitar notes in ‘I Won’t Know You Anymore’ exemplifies the album’s sad but refreshing tone. ~Paul Appelkamp
V2/Universal
garrett Kato
I Love You, Dude 2/5
This German electro duo changed the dance music scene back in 2007 with their acclaimed release, Idealism, and their track ‘Pogo’ came to define the band and win over dance devotees. Following on from their early success, sophomore album I Love You, Dude seems out of character and an all-out mess. ILYD has the elements of a good album: ‘Blitz’ and ‘2 Hearts’ are stand-out tracks with their infectious dance vibes and heavy electro bass. But sadly, the rest of the album feels like more of a self-indulgent experiment than a cohesive whole, and falls into the trap of receptiveness. Even guest vocals, from The Strokes’ front man Julian Casablancas, on the track ‘Forrest Gump’, can’t pull this album together. More miss than hit. ~Shelby Houghton
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magazine issue #061 — August 2011
The latest offering from renowned and respected session guitarist Dennis Coffey is everything you would expect from a musician of this calibre: a well-chosen collection of lesser-known funk and soul tracks, as well as some new compositions by Coffey. There’s plenty of heavy riffage (‘Miss Millie’, ‘Knockabout’), surprising guest vocalists (Paolo Nutini’s take on Rodriguez’s ‘Only Good for Conversation’) and psychedelic jams (‘Space Traveller’). With a wealth of experience behind him, playing with artists such as The Temptations, Parliament and Edwin Starr, Coffey has earned his place as a band leader. There’s plenty here for music nerds, but still enough fun grooves to make this album accessible to anyone. Totally irresistible. For fans of: ParliamentFunkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, Cream. ~Chelsea Reed
Greenthief
MGM
3.5/5
3/5
Brisbane three-piece Greenthief return two years after releasing their debut EP with another short set of songs, Retribution, having abstained from releasing a full-length album in favour of the short format, which inevitably leaves the listener wanting more. The title track is a manic journey that most encapsulates the band’s early 90s influences. The mark of Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins can be heard throughout, particularly in the vocal delivery. This EP flows, despite containing songs up to eight minutes long; testament to the interesting way the songs are crafted. From the intense sound captured in the recording, I would recommend catching Greenthief if you can. For fans of: Smashing Pumpkins, Mars Volta, Muse. ~Nick Bielby Design Desire
2.5/5
Source Music/MGM
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Charisma Weapon
Independent
Independent
An album littered with pragmatic soulsearching and a cute diversity of instruments, The Wilderness explores the musings of a wandering mind. Kato’s sound is built around simple stories and soothing music, reminiscent of David Gray and Pete Murray’s slower songs — the kind that new lovers choose for their first dances, particularly the title track, which ends in Kato and a female backup singing “No one’s gonna love you like I do, I do, I do”. Despite its beautiful guitar progressions and husky vocals, the album is let down by a lack of imagination — it follows such a tried and true formula it’s difficult to find a unique spark in the music. A good record, but no better than the last acoustic collection of love songs. ~Jamie Nelson
The Panda Bear
Retribution
ABBY MAY
The Wilderness
We live in contradictory times — the more reliant on technology we become, the stronger our yearning for simpler ways. As we see further innovation into electronic music, many artists are taking their sound back to the bare essentials — a guitar or piano and voice. This neo-folk sound has been creeping up the charts in recent years, and Jordie Lane could easily slide into this market. However there is something unique about Lane. His subtle melodic sensibility shines, on songs such as ‘Not From Round Here’ and ‘Annabelle Marie’, and his simple, effective lyrics stay clear of the tired clichés associated with this style of music. The production is deceptively simple — Lane is a remarkable guitarist with creative ideas, but he lets the songs speak for themselves. Jordie Lane may not be the most innovative artist you’ll come across this year but lovers of well-crafted acoustic songs will find something to love here. For fans of: Ryan Adams, Gram Parsons, Laura Marling. ~Chelsea Reed
4/5
Western Australian rockstress Abbe May doesn’t mess around on her third album, Design Desire. The title-track bursts out of the gates with May’s seductive voice soaring over a barrage of distorted guitars and booming bass riffs that jump around like rabbits on steroids. The closest thing to a pop song on this album is ‘Mammalian Locomotion’, which still sports a screeching rock guitar solo to raise the dead. The high-energy onslaught simmers in later tunes and the weary, slide guitar-savvy, ‘No Sleep Tonight’, and intimate piano ballad, ‘Blood River’, prove volume isn’t always necessary for impact. May is an alluring and explorative artist who shows no bounds on Design Desire. ~Paul Appelkamp
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Perth candy pop/ rockers The Panda Band have finally released their long-awaited sophomore album five years after their debut and it was worth the wait. With each tune the listener is whisked away in fleeting bliss with swanky hooks, beginning with ‘We’re Almost Not Even Here’, fronted by Damian Crosbie’s voice of grandiose delight. ‘The Fix’ is overrun by a choir of whispery harmonies with an impressive down-tempo at the end. The Panda Band’s quirky tendencies are revealed with odd lyrics like “alligators in the candy bars” (‘Alligator’). Empathy and a fondness for the strange required. For fans of: The Sleepy Jackson and Maniac. ~Jamie Nelson
PNAU
Soft Universe Universal
4/5
The duo of Peter Mayes and Nick Littlemore has fashioned a powerful collaboration as Pnau. While staying true to their style of epic techno pop, their latest album Soft Universe delivers much more than expected, branching out into traditional song-craft and dramatically orchestrated narrative ballads. This is a highly emotive and expressive album that transforms raw and, at times, dark experiences into an aural experience that says something about life and the human condition. As far as the fist-pumping sounds go, this album does not disappoint, with Pnau staying true to their sound with ‘The Truth’ and ‘Glimpse’. But it’s the unexpected swing tempo orchestration of ‘Waiting For You’ that epitomises the way in which this album has used personal experience and made it universal. ~Emily Cones-Browne
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album Reviews Feature albums
City and Colour
Limp Bizkit
The Vines
memory tapes
Interscope/Universal
Sony
POD/Inertia
Little Hell
2/5
2.5/5
3/5
shock
Gold Cobra
Despite the lengthy break, Limp Bizkit has stuck to their game plan. Big choruses and chunky grooves collide with surprisingly heavy riffs, while Fred Durst’s boastful rhymes and toughguy posturing remains intact. The vocals of Durst remain a sore point for many listeners and those not on board are unlikely to change their opinion with Gold Cobra. He does offer some variety in his delivery, particularly on the hard-edged, catchy title track and the aggressive ‘Get a Life’. Unfortunately many of his most promising choruses and vocal patterns are undone by awkward lyricism and frequently immature rhymes. One of Limp Bizkit’s strengths is the creative guitar work of Wes Borland and his ability to manipulate his instrument in unique ways, without straying too far from the band’s signature rap-rock formula. Sadly, the solid rhythm section and strong riffs of Borland are overshadowed by several misfires in the songwriting department, particularly the disastrous ‘Douche Bag’. Gold Cobra is very well produced and energetic, but packed with too much filler, and loses steam well before its conclusion. Long-time fans may enjoy Gold Cobra, despite its pitfalls, however its lack of consistency and glaring flaws make it a tough sell. ~Luke Saunders
REDcoats Redcoats
island/universal
3/5
The Redcoats EP is a mixed bag. Things start fairly well with ‘Kay Trucker’, which has a stoner-rock feel to it, and brings bands like Kyuss to mind. But the EP starts to limp from there, with ‘Giants’ and ‘Rainbow Lips’ wandering, and feeling a bit like filler. ‘Lions, Tigers and Bears’ has a sinister groove and menacing solo that is pleasing to the ear, but the best song on the EP by far is the closing track. ‘Dreamshaker’ starts with a quiet intro before going balls-to-the-wall with an awesome chord progression that carries the song along nicely. A solid effort, but I will be more interested in what comes next from Redcoats. ~Matt Glen
The playtapes Kids in the Jungle Independent
3.5/5
Newcastle indie group The Playtapes wooed the crowds at this year’s Groovin The Moo festival, proving themselves the cream of our local crop. Versatile debut album Kids in the Jungle reinforces this claim with fun catchy tracks that tick all the right boxes: from the memorable guitar riffs of opener ‘Lyla,’ accompanied by soft sing-along vocals, to the beautiful cross-gender duet that is ‘Standing There’, and the much rougher ‘Journey Home,’ complete with reverberated riffs and grungy male harmonies for musical depth and diversity. The Playtapes are a group to look out for. ~Josh Clements
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Future Primitive
Player Piano
Future Primitive is unimpressive and uninspiring — the Vines worst album to date. It seems the Sydney boys have lost their youthful gusto and irreverence. The album opens well, with the explosive ‘Gimme Love’, featuring frontman Craig Nicholls’ trademark scream-croon, hooking the listener in. The gently melodic ‘Leave Me In The Dark’ is one of the highlights of the album, which, with the exception of ‘Riverview Avenue’ and ‘Black Dragon’, consists almost wholly of unimaginative platitudes. Many of the tracks, such as ‘Candy Flippin’ Girl’, ‘Weird Animals’ and ‘Cry’ are enjoyable enough but formulaic and lacking flare. ‘Outro’ – an attempt at psychedelia, via the mess-up of intergalactic sound effects, and ‘Goodbye’, a heavily clichéd and dull acoustic track, are low points. Fortunately Future Primitive is saved by the final track, ‘S.T.W.’, which is classic Vines — energetic, thrashing pop, finishing just before you’d like it to (somehow!) and making you want to listen to the album all over again. ~Simon Nicholas
The living end
The Ending Is The Beginning Repeating Dew Process
2.5/5
The Living End have long been one of Australia’s most loved bands, but they have one undeniable failing – all of their records sound very similar. That’s not to say The End is just the Beginning Repeating is not a quality release. It is: Chris Cheney’s frantic guitar work is technically brilliant and the songs run the gamut from pile-driving ballads (‘United’) to pile-driving rockers (‘Machine Gun’). Even a promising collaboration with The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn (resulting in title-track ‘The Ending is just the Beginning Repeating’) couldn’t get TLE to stray from the radio-ready punk rock they are known and loved for. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess. ~Nick Mackay
Uriah Heep Into The Wild Frontiers Records
4/5
If you like your rock extravagant, then Into The Wild is the album for you. Uriah Heep rebirths the magic of the 70s with their elaborate organ-driven rock, and this solid album, at under an hour long, displays the decadence of strong melodies and soaring vocals, complimented by majestic guitar solos and delicate harmonies. Opener ‘Nail On The Head’ introduces an indulgent and detailed sound, which hollows out towards the middle of the album as it takes a break from catchy hooks, climaxes and key changes, peeling back the layers to reveal a softer side in ‘Trail Of Diamonds’. The Heep utilise instruments to their full potential, demonstrating the passion with which they have carved a 40-year career. ~Charli Hutchison
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Memory Tapes’ Player Piano is a curious beast. Songs like ‘Wait in the Dark’, ‘Fell Through the Ice I’ and ‘Sunhits’ come laced with rich, shimmering guitar hooks, tambourine taps and the occasional sugary-sweet xylophone run, that made me want to love this record — but I don’t. This is chilled-out, Californian electro-pop of the highest order, but despite the best efforts of songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist Dayve Hawk, the album is forever stuck in neutral. Put it down to an over-saturated genre, a sophomore slump or simply good ideas executed poorly; Player Piano dips its toes in the pool of brilliance but is too scared to dive in. ~Nick Mackay
Thievery Corperation Culture of Fear Shock
3/5
Veteran electronic outfit Thievery Corporation are back with their sixth fulllength album of original material. A nice antidote to the winter chill, Culture of Fear is dripping with good-time summer vibes, breezy grooves, spacey instrumentals and an upbeat vibe that offsets the mostly down-tempo material. Thievery Corporation are a duo with experience and it shows, with well-chosen collaborators and skilled production, forming ambient soundscapes that fuse elements of trip hop, dub, reggae, soul and down-tempo electronica. Guest vocalists feature prominently, from the edgy flow of MC Mr. Lif on the title track, to contributions from Lou Lou and Sleepy Wonder and the sultry vocals of Shana Halligan (Bitter:Sweet) and Koto. Ras Puma adds reggae touches to the vibrant, tropicalflavoured ‘False Flag Dub’ and ‘Overstand’. Halligan’s vocals are a highlight on the airy and seductive ‘Is it Over?’ Koto caps off the album with her soulful, whispery delivery on ‘Free’. Though some of the tracks have a tendency to blend together or fade into the background, overall, Culture of Fear is a pleasantly laid-back journey and a perfect soundtrack to a lazy Sunday afternoon. This is a no-brainer for long-time TC followers. ~Luke Saunders
ThE panics
Rain on the Humming Wire Dew Process
4/5
In all honesty, it’s a great shame this album was released in the depths of winter. Rain on the Humming Wire is a summer strummer through and through — breezy without being overblown and sweet without being a sugar rush. Sure, Jae Laffer pinches a chord progression from Bobby Fuller (‘I Fought The Law’), on lead single ‘Majesty’, but he gets away with it because the cut sounds so damn majestic. It’s true of the entire album: simple songs with complex arrangements, choruses that sound like choruses, and clever, glossy production. A slow-burning, low-GI pop record, and an overall winner. ~Max Quinn
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4/5
Until recently, I would never have called myself a fan of City and Colour or Dallas Green — just another hardcore rock artist trying his hand at an acoustic side project, or so I thought. However, upon hearing Little Hell, the third album Green has released as City and Colour, my opinion has officially changed. The album opens with the incredibly romantic, ‘We Found Each Other in the Dark’. The haunting country-influenced pedal steel guitar throughout this track is worlds away from Green’s work as a member of Alexisonfire and perfectly showcases his flexibility as a performer. The country twang continues throughout the album, on tracks like ‘Natural Disaster’ and ‘The Grand Optimist’, giving it an overall feel similar to that of Bright Eyes’ later releases. However, what finally brought me around to City and Colour is Green’s voice. In stripped-back tracks like ‘Northern Wind’ and ‘Silver and Gold’, Green’s voice is soft, captivating and, on the high notes, cuts through you in all the right ways. If you’re a fan of the country-inspired sounds of Conor O’Berst or the stripped-back vocals of Elliott Smith and somehow, like me, you’ve managed to miss the City and Colour bandwagon, now is the time to get on board. ~Amelia Parrott
WIM WIM
modular
4/5
Modular Records have a knack for filtering out the best little groups around and signing them up for contracts. This was the case with local poster-boys WIM, an electronic glam-folk group from inner Sydney. WIM’s debut self-titled album is an excellent inauguration, creating beautiful, ambient atmospheres with every track. ‘See You Hurry’ is an insight into the band’s potential, with soft, tranquil vocals accompanied perfectly by smooth guitar reverberation and an almost haunting choir section, in contrast to the next track, ‘Something For You,’ which sounds like an early Beatles song. Versatility is a skill which makes great bands stand out from the crowd, and WIM are most certainly among the greats. This debut album is one of the freshest and most enjoyable to be released this year. For Fans of: Beach House, Belles Will Ring, The Middle East ~Josh Clements
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live Reviews Clare Bowditch
Saltimbanco
The Havelocks + Fun MacHine
Seeker Lover keeper
Lizotte’s, Lambton Wednesday, June 29
Newcastle Entertainment Centre Wednesday, July 20
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Wickham Saturday, July 9
Civic Memorial Hall, Mullumbimby Friday, July 15
Clare Bowditch ©Jim Graham
Fun MacHine ©Ashlee kellehear Seeker Lover Keeper ©Linda Wales
It’s not often you get to know someone famous. But after Clare Bowditch’s engaging and revealing show at Lizotte’s, I felt as though I’d spent an intimate evening with a friend. In a raw and acoustic two-hour set, Bowditch took the unconventional step of ditching the band, the support act and the backing singers and instead walked on stage with just one guitar and one aim — to engage with her audience. Sitting in silence was not an option. Encouraging the crowd to sing backing vocals to many of her songs, Bowditch seemed intent on breaking down the barriers between audience and artist, inviting one lucky Novocastrian on stage to perform hit song ‘The Start of War’ with her. A cover of Cloud Control’s ‘Gold Canary’, with infectious tour guest Lanie Lane, was a memorable note to the night, while Bowditch’s humorous anecdotes between songs made for an intimate atmosphere. Her surprise appearance on stage, dressed as alter ego Lady Bobo, took the piss out of celebrity culture, revealing her to be one down-to-earth chick! If you were there for the music, the conversational style and stripped-back acoustic versions might have been something of a let-down. Instead, Bowditch offered the sold-out crowd a rare insight into the heart (and soul) of a singer. ~Shelby Houghton
Canberra three- piece, The Fun Machine, may be the only band in the world able to get a group of suspiciously young-looking girls chanting “toxic shock syndrome” with only a hint of irony. Their unpretentious stage manner and genre-defying songs (funky, but not quite funk, aggressive, but not quite punk) proved a winning combination. After a punchy final number the audience was calling for more. Their musical style may not be to everyone’s taste but they radiated fun and they looked great. This was one tight unit, full of surprises and energy. The Havelocks, on the other hand were disappointing. I saw this band a year ago and was impressed by their catchy, melodic tunes and vocal harmonies. But tonight the sound quality did them no favours and the mix didn’t improve, even after the first few songs. Consequently, the singer was drowned out under layers of guitars. These guys are mature songwriters, drawing influence from all the right places, and their arrangements are well thought-out. There aren’t many bands around town that play so tastefully either. It’s a shame this wasn’t their night. ~Chelsea Reed
Mortal Sin Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Friday, July 22
Helmet Newcastle Leagues Club Saturday, July 2
On a cold and rainy winter evening I shuffled into the Mullumbimby Civic Hall with a polite but excited crowd to see Sally Seltmann, Holly Throsby and Sarah Blasko perform their collaboration Seeker Lover Keeper. As a punter with a taste for the wilder end of the music spectrum, it was with some trepidation that I settled into my plastic chair with a cup of coffee and a slice of banana cake. But my fears were soon allayed as a spell was cast upon the room. From the moment the trio stepped on stage, the room was electric with anticipation and adoration. Joined by Jim White on drums and David Symes on bass, Throsby, Seltman and Blasko took a meandering journey through their newly released Seeker Lover Keeper album while effortlessly stringing their performance together with playful and light hearted-banter. Sound and lighting hiccups only seemed to highlight the skill of these performers. You could turn the lights off and take the PA home and these three could still hold an audience spellbound with their dulcet, demure tones and effervescent talents. Ending the show by singing something from each others’ rich back catalogue, I can only reiterate what members of the crowd kept spontaneously yelling all night. We love you, Sally. We love you, Holly. We love you, Sarah. What a great show. ~Stephen Bocking
The paper Scissors Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Friday, July 15 Saltimbanco Mortal Sin ©Jim Graham
Helmet ©kevin Bull
The final date of a tour can do funny things to a band — all the build-up, hype and adrenaline is over and it’s time to head home. For Helmet, on their final Australian tour date, the industrial precision was still present, in fact the band played with their ability to stop/start on a knife’s edge. But the crowd got a very chatty Page Hamilton — man, you couldn’t shut the guy up! Still, at least his banter between songs distracted from the bad sound mix — the twin guitars had no definition, and you really could not hear the vocals. Helmet’s most recent album, Seeing Eye Dog, featured prominently. But it was ‘Wilma’s Rainbow’, ‘I Know’, ‘Tic’ and ‘In The Meantime’ that most punters were there to (try and) hear. Familiarity with the songs was essential in the face of a wall of noise, unlikely to win the band any new fans. The crowd was noticeably smaller than Helmet’s show at the Cambridge Hotel three years ago, if my memory is right. With all this negativity, I still found myself enjoying the night. The primal quality of Helmet’s music shone through. The disappointment came from knowing it could have been so much more. ~Kevin Bull 38 reve rb
magazine issue #061 — August 2011
We have the juggler, the contortionist, the trapeze, the mime, the strong men, the swing and the guy on a bike. Nothing special you may think; seen it all before you may say - bollocks. Beginning with what could be traditional circus fare, Saltimbanco is circus on steroids, with tons of ‘you’re kidding me’ moments – a chinbalance on a metre-high plinth, an eightball juggling act and the spiral ascent of a pole at arm’s length, to name a few. But the highlight of the night came from someone totally unexpected. With the aid of superb lighting, sound effects and his own voice, it was the mime that mesmerised the crowd. Whether it was throwing imaginary balls to the crowd, a mock gunfight with a member of the audience, or dealing with a blocked and overflowing toilet, the art of implied imagery was king tonight and had the crowd in stitches. But it wasn’t all about the skill displayed on stage. The staging, lighting, character development and live band (who were quite amazing to be honest) enabled those at the opening night at the NEC to personally connect with the performers. Saltimbanco is a contemporary circus of the highest order, full of skill, colour, humour and audience participation. To hear my six-year-old nephew laugh uncontrollably was worth the price of admission alone. ~Kevin Bull
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Metal fans may be the most devoted of any genre, or so it seemed at the Friday night performance of Australia’s first thrash band, Mortal Sin, when Newcastle’s diverse metal community converged at the Cambridge Hotel. Having been banned from Newcastle in the early 90s (due to overcrowding at a Cambridge gig), the organisers were hoping for a more manageable turnout and landed just enough for a pumping show. After a long eerie intro of howling wolves, the calm evolved into an erratic bludgeoning of distorted guitars and double-kick drumming, with metalheads running rampant in a circle pit, and one very drunk punter letting loose on the stage. Duelling guitar solos, windswept hair and terrorising vocals gave the band an epic stage presence, with members meshed together, displaying skill and precision in their musicianship. A sea of black t-shirts and devil horns head-banged in unison to the band’s early hits ‘Into The Fire’ and ‘Blood Of My Enemies’, followed by a few new songs from their forthcoming album Psychology of Death. The sound was surprisingly low in volume and for the first time I left a metal gig without hearing damage, and a newfound appreciation for Australian metal. ~Charli Hutchison
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The Paper Scissors ©Jim Graham
The Paper Scissors pay attention to detail, with finely tuned songs that make all the difference to their live show. On stage, they are captivating. Drummer Ivan Lisyak driving the band with tight, punchy dance beats, locked in with bassist Xavier Naughton. The idiosyncratic vocals of Jai Pyne really give this band a unique sound. His shy stage banter giving way to assured, confident vocals and a natural stage presence, without looking contrived. Songs ranged from the anthemic single ‘Lung Sum’, to the moody, slow burner ‘Disco Connect’ and catchy dance tunes a-plenty, all delivered with the conviction that comes with experience. Their influences are not entirely hidden away; there’s a little Morrissey in Jai’s vocal delivery and many songs hark back to the new wave sound of the 80s, but they still have a certain something to call their own. The Paper Scissors will surely make an impact this year with their latest album and quality live shows. ~Chelsea Reed Follow us on Twitter
live Reviews
gig of the month
Sea Legs
The Living End
Lady Gaga
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Saturday, July 16
National Art School, Sydney Tuesday, July 19
Sydney Town Hall Wednesday, July 13
Sea Legs ©Timmy Johnston
Sydney four-piece Sea Legs took to the Cambridge stage before an excitable and somewhat inebriated audience, ready for a good time. The indie pop/rock band played a short 30-minute set, with dynamicallystructured songs of soft verses creeping into heavy choruses, riddled with crescendo. Singer Byron Knight’s unique falsetto added a nice touch to the band’s laid-back, summery rock. An interesting spin on The Dandy Warhol’s ‘We Used To Be Friends’ got a pleasing reaction from the crowd, but Sea Legs’ single ‘Boyfriend’ was the catchiest tune by far, with playful synthesised melodies flowing almost operatically and blending well into the set’s dramatic highs and lows. The pulse of the rhythm section pumped energy into the closing numbers, climaxing with exploding vocals on their final song, and left me wanting more. Alas their set was cut short. Although tight and reeking of potential, Sea Legs’ sound was a little generic. They haven’t quite broken the mold, but the cracks are certainly visible. ~Charli Hutchison
Lady Gaga ©jakob dezwart
The Lady Gaga Monster Hall concert was never going to be your average tour date. With only 1,000 of her most ardent fans, as well as hand-picked celebrities and media, there was a definite sense that we were in for something extraordinary. Walking into Sydney’s Town Hall (okay, so I was running like all the other fans), we were greeted by an imposing red interior casting incredible shadows over a gothic floorto-ceiling organ, which was an incredible backdrop for the show. Buzzing in a cloud of glitter and wigs while the announcers got their television bits wrapped up, you could feel the crowd’s anticipation after the hours-long wait outside. Then the lights dimmed and the hall began pounding to the beginning of ‘Born This Way’ as Gaga and her bevy of dancers came on stage. With the
The Potbelleez Lalaland, Byron Bay Friday, July 22
crowd dancing and singing along, she launched into the best of her first three albums, The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way. Hits ‘Just Dance’, ‘Poker Face’, ‘Telephone’ and ‘Alejandro’ came in quick succession, broken only by solo guitar performances, while Gaga did a quick change into yet another Versace outfit. Gaga chose to perform two slightly lesser-known songs from Born This Way, ‘Hair’ and ‘You and I’, the latter wearing the now controversial mermaid outfit, while in a wheelchair, which has since been claimed as Bette Midler’s. Finishing with the massive ‘Edge of Glory’ and ‘Judas’, Gaga achieved what she set out to do, bringing a sense of intimacy to the performance, which despite its massive hype, lived up to all expectations and then some. ~Lauren O’Hara
The Potbelleez ©Sarah Chuck The Living End ©Kevin Bull
Irish expat tykes David Greene (aka Dave Goode) and Jonny Murphy (aka Jonny Sonic) burst on to the Australian scene with their sweaty beats, back in 2006. The brain-children of urban dance act The Potbelleez (currently based in Sydney), Greene and Murphy caught the ears and violently moved the limbs of both indie and mainstream audiences with their self-titled debut. Now, the urban house duo is back on tour with this year’s follow-up, their sophomore project Destination Now. Unmistakably clever at shaking up the dancefloor, the Potbelleez are not so good at originality. IIan Kidron, a talented multiinstrumentalist and classically-trained lead vocalist, knows how to belt it out on stage and get a crowded, sticky dance floor to cut capers. But most of the music featured on this leg of the tour was made in the 80s and the remainder just versions of the five or so Potbelleez hits. If you really do love this act you might have a better experience in your bedroom. Allocate your glow-in-thedark stickers, get a dodgy light bulb and crank up the bass. At least that way you get to hit repeat on track five (‘From The Music’) as often as you please… and, depending on your sensibilities, you won’t get stuck to the floor. ~Jessica Lawson
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On a miserable, wet, midweek evening, The Living End gave their fanclub and a few select media types a preview of The End Is Just The Beginning Repeating, three days before its release. Within the confines of a small sandstone building, a crowd of no more than 150 lucky people witnessed what was essentially a club gig, by a band that outgrew this size stage many years ago. The night was being filmed for a Youtube session, which added a sense of exclusivity, counting in the start of the gig when the stream went live. As expected, the set list was dominated by the new release, featuring eight of its 11 tracks and beginning with the album’s first three songs ‘In The Morning’, ‘Heatwave’ and ‘Machine Gun’. This new material is classic Living End, with a number of songs destined to become live staples. A unique chance to see The Living End back on a small stage, heralding great things for their performance at Fat As Butter in October. ~Kevin Bull
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Sarah McLeod Lizotte’s, Lambton Thursday, July 7
From The Superjesus to solo, Sarah McLeod has long been a firm figure in the Aussie rock ‘n’ roll scene. Not many artists manage to hold their own with only an acoustic guitar and a bashful bassist with them on-stage. McLeod is the exception, launching right into ‘Gutter Queen’, a song from her solo career and holding the crowd’s attention right through her downright dirty rock ‘n’ roll set. Some songs from the secret Screaming Bikini project didn’t quite take off; a few of them sounding a little too poprock. But she made up for it with fantastic arrangements of the old Superjesus repertoire, and some punchy tunes from her first solo album Beauty was a Tiger. McLeod has developed into a charismatic performer. Her vocal delivery was raw and aggressive, with some beautiful soft tones on the ballads, winning over my hair metalloving friend (who’s not keen on chicks with acoustic guitars at the best of times?). Not even she could deny this show was oldfashioned, foot-stomping fun. Sarah McLeod is a genuine rock chick. ~Chelsea Reed
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Sarah McLeod ©Ashlee kellehear
reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 39
Film Reviews
Teachers Behaving Badly
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3.5/5
Bad Teacher is the latest offering from director Jake Kasdan (Orange County) - a black comedy that is entertaining enough despite a few missed opportunities. Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a lazy, pot-smoking school teacher, with a taste for booze, who could not care less about her chosen profession, let alone her innocent charges. Her idea of education is sitting them in front of a movie while she dozes off a hangover. Nasty to both students and fellow staff, Elizabeth nonetheless needs her job after she is dumped by her wealthy fiancé, who was shaping up to be her ticket out of teaching. So she sets out to find another sugar daddy, setting her sights on new teacher
Scott (Justin Timberlake), who has inherited a fortune from his family’s business. However Scott is a boring nerd, entirely unimpressed by Elizabeth’s antics. Her solution? Breast implants. Although financially this plan is out of her league, she devises cunning ways to raise the cash, including pilfering money from the car wash fundraiser. Meanwhile the school’s gym teacher Russell (Jason Segel) continually hits on Elizabeth only to be rejected at every turn. While his personality is a better match, Russell’s bank account does not size up. Things get more complicated when Scott falls for the zany Amy Squirrel and a hilarious rivalry ensues. Bad Teacher is penned by Gene Stupnitsky
and Lee Eisenberg who are best known for their work on the US version of The Office. The humour is black and often subtle but always funny. Cameron Diaz shines in this role, completely hamming it up as the teacher who cares for no one but herself. The other standout is British actress Lucy Punch who is excellent as the upbeat and quirky Mrs Squirrel, who slowly unravels at the hand of Halsey. Unfortunately, Timberlake is the weak link in an otherwise strong cast and Segel is under-utilised. It is a shame they did not switch their roles to give Segel the screen time he deserves Despite its panning by the critics, there have been far worse comedies reeling in box office dollars this year.
Evil Twist
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4/5
Horror comedies are a genre I tend to steer clear of, with the exception of the Evil Dead series and more recently Shaun of the Dead. As a result my expectations for Tucker & Dale vs Evil were minimal. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a film that manages to be consistently funny, all the while dishing up buckets of blood and gore. The film opens with a group of college kids taking a camping trip in the woods, with the only nearby inhabitants, a couple of hillbillies (Tucker and Dale), staying in a log cabin near the campsite. Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Taylor Labine) are simple but friendly folk who are taking the weekend off to renovate a vacation cabin they have recently purchased, as well as fitting in a bit of drinking and fishing. But to the college kids, they come across as a couple of psycho killers. Things get worse after Tucker and Dale startle one of camping party, Allison (Katrina Bowden), as she is stripping off for a skinny dip, causing her to fall into the water and bump her head. 40 reverb
magazine issue #061 — August 2011
They paddle their tinny over to where she fell and pull her into the boat to save her. This is when the rest of her friends spot them and interpret the scene as two murderous hillbillies kidnapping her. Dale yells out ‘WE HAVE YOUR FRIEND!’ in the hope they will come and assist, but instead they flee in terror. The rest of the film involves Allison’s friends attempting some kind of rescue and, in the process, coming to grief in a series of horrible and gruesome accidents in which Tucker and Dale have no part. The baffled pair come to the conclusion that they’ve stumbled on some kind of suicide pact and decide to protect Alison from the madness by keeping her captive. The screenwriting here is superb. It takes the age-old story of a bunch of college students heading into the woods to be terrorised by something sinister, and turns it on its head. Tudyk and Labine make a magnificent comedy duo, coming across like redneck versions of Abbott and Costello. It is also well shot, with the style of the cinematography paying homage to classics like Evil Dead and Friday the 13th. It is sad that this film has struggled to find distribution as it is definitely one of the better examples of the horror comedy genre. It is quite graphic on the gore front so it won’t be for everyone but fans of 70s and 80s horror will be well rewarded.
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DVD Reviews
WEB Marathon Broadcast of Our Lives
J.B.T. peaks at red rocks Unable to keep the grin off his face during this two-hour, 20-song set, Butler’s smile is infectious. Performing at Red Rocks, Colorado, for the first time as a headliner — a show that became the band’s biggest headline show, this release captures JBT at their peak. Previously streamed live to fans, the production quality, visuals and sound are of the highest quality, with the natural Red Rocks amphitheatre looking spectacular. Just a few of the highlights include the percussive guitar work of ‘Oceans’, and the ‘Losing You’ duet with wife Danielle Karuana (aka Mama Kin), that took this gorgeous love song to the next level. Extras include backstage interviews, Native American dancing, and the ‘Revolution’ video. For anyone who has a passing interest in JBT, this is a mustsee release.
life of the party Shying away from simply presenting the live performances of artists who have performed at ATP over the past decade, this behindthe-scenes insight into what is a truly unique festival, is how music docos should be made. It’s a psychedelic trip into the underbelly of the DIY music philosophy, where musicians become fans and your favourite artist joins you at summer camp. Backstage interviews and antics dominate, and what live performances we see are incomplete or used as soundtrack to commentary, focusing on the festival, rather than the artist. Extras include 10 full song live performances, and access to online material.
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All Tomorrow’s Parties r e vi e wed by
Kevin Bull r ated
4.5/5
If the hallmark of an amazing concert film is that the audience feels like they were there, then Youtube now provides gems worth more than Let It Be, Woodstock and Shine a Light combined.
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John Butler Trio: Live at Red Rocks r e vi e wed by
Kevin Bull r ated
4/5
The Rolling Stones, Marquee Club, London — March 26, 1971 There’s something amazing about Mick Jagger’s perfect Southern drawl on tracks like ‘Dead Flowers’, particularly as he’s topless save for a cropped sequinned jacket I would gladly invite into my wardrobe. The Stones as a unit are a welloiled musical machine even in 1971. It’s little surprise they’re still touring today when you see how much fun they’re having. PLAY VIDEO
The Smiths, Derby Assembly Rooms — December 6, 1983 That this early filmed performance only hints at the brilliance to come is incredible. Whether twirling flowers round his head, disappearing for most of ‘Miserable Lie’ or even letting the crowd hug him – all eyes are on Morrissey. But let your eyes stray to Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce. Morrissey composed the soundtrack to our lives but they brought it to life. PLAY VIDEO
boot & scoot
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Scenes From The Suburbs r e vi e wed by
Sallie Pritchard
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CMC Rocks The Hunter
4.5/5
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Kevin Bull r ated
0.5/5 The DVD release of CMC Rocks The Hunter 2011 is a disappointing picture of what was billed as the biggest country music festival in the southern hemisphere. This is basically a 23-song compilation that could have been recorded on any open air stage, and gives the viewer not one ounce of the CMC festival experience. Performances bounce between day and evening and back again, and the camera work is poor (who wants to see the back of Alan Jackson’s head?). Perhaps the only positive is the inclusion of local Mark Wells, but if you were to ask Mark, he may prefer to have been left out of such a dismal production. Extras are crowd interviews (pass) and artist interviews ( just talking heads saying very little). Country music is worse off when this is the offering for the premier event in Australia. Find us on Facebook
Suburbs Under Seige Maybe when you’re older you will understand why you don’t feel right, why you can’t sleep at night now. (Modern Man, 2006) Set for release this month with the deluxe edition of The Suburbs (last year’s barnstorming album by Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire), Scenes from the Suburbs is a short film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Arcade Fire members Will and Win Butler. The film, which stars Sam Dillon, Zoe Graham, Zeke Jarmon, Paul Pluymen, and Ashlin Williamson, is the story of a group of teens whose idyllic suburban life is shattered by authorities who turn their suburbs into a war zone. Film maker Sergei Eisenstein argued that an idea should be derived from the juxtaposition
of two independent shots. The protagonist Kyle (Sam Dillon) laments his poor memory, leaving the audience with the feeling that the real story lies in the gaps between his remembered moments — in the collision of those independent shots. This approach — this play with time and memory, creates a sense of nostalgia in a futuristic setting. The Suburbs is the source material for the film and as a consequence it becomes more than a soundtrack. It evokes the feelings of teen angst, isolation and nostalgia perfectly, while also reflecting the shifting moods and dynamics between the characters. Every shot in the film becomes the visual manifestation of every track, every melody and every lyric. But it’s not just Arcade Fire’s voice loud and clear between
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the frames; director Spike Jonze ensures his particular take on childhood isolation from adults, seen in films like Where The Wild Things Are, is present throughout the film. This isn’t just an antiauthoritarian film, it’s a story about growing up. The authorities represent a metaphor for the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Woven in are the kind of themes that seem central to this transition: lust, love, friendship, and even mental illness. The wartime backdrop is almost secondary to the story of two young boys becoming men and growing apart. The Suburbs is the album that revealed the full extent of Arcade Fire’s brilliance. Scenes From The Suburbs will make you truly love them.
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Nirvana, Big Day Out 1992 – January 25, 1992 For Australians who caught Nirvana’s set that day, bragging rights are afforded at a level reserved for those who saw the Beatles in Hamburg. The view isn’t ideal and you can’t hear everything, but you’ll still get goosebumps hearing your favourites from Incesticide, Bleach and Nevermind 19 years later. PLAY VIDEO
Tool, JC Dobbs – May 2, 1992 This performance, filmed by a punter (complete with opening titles), feels as much like opening a time capsule as a live gig — more of an intimate gathering than the headlining gigs Tool went on to do. Maynard James Keenan is intense and a little scary even on home video. The guy who filmed this must be pretty impressed with himself, and rightly so. PLAY VIDEO
Gorillaz, Apollo Theatre, Harlem – April 6, 2006 A glorious precursor to the band’s epic Escape to Plastic Beach tour and performance of Demon Days with a full band, this concert reveals Damon Albarn and company’s visual artistry along with their musical talent. While ‘Dirty Harry’ is missing from the performance, ‘Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey’s Head’ makes up for it. Who needs ‘Dirty Harry’ anyway when you have Dennis Hopper? PLAY VIDEO
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NEWCASTLE Don’t forget — Live & Local every Wednesday night 3 Aug
Felix Riebel (The Cat Empire)
5 Aug
Pete Hawkes & Phil Emmanuel
gig Guide Newcastle Wed, August 3
Avoca Beach Hotel
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni
The Storm Picturesque, Pledge This, From Death To Rebirth
Enmore Theatre, Sydney Factory Theatre, Sydney Gomez, Leader Cheetah
Fannys, Newcastle MC Sam Dough, Jaytee, Jace Cordell, D*Steady, Ules
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Merewether Fats
Metro Theatre, Sydney
7 Aug
Steve Kilbey (The Church)
Newcastle Leagues Club
& Ricky Maymi (Brian
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Jonestown Massacre)
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
(The Beautiful Girls) 20 Aug 21 Aug 25 Aug
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Mary Duff, Straalen McCallum Grouplove!, Young The Giant Rosie s School of Rock Jam
Thur, August 4 Enmore Theatre, Sydney Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Zoe K and the Shadow Katz
Wendy Matthews
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Dragon
2 Sep
Ilythians
Joelistics, Ishu, Sietta Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Eye On You, Austin Busch
11 Sep
Darryl Braithwaite
14 Sep
Don Walker
17 Sep
The Beatnix
I Am Villain, Ladies and Gentlemen, Crystal Cove, Second Opinion,
Otis Redding 70th birthday
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Chris Byrne
Doyalson RSL Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Monique Brumby
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Call The Shots, The Takedown,
The Sins
Second Opinion, We Built Atlantis,
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
City Falls, Allay The Sea [midday]
Solid Light, Bronson, Nick Lynar,
Dawn Heist, To Kill A Sunrise,
Jun Wan
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Drop Bear [7pm]
Metro Theatre, Sydney
Project XIX CD launch
Kincumber Hotel
Between the Devil and the Deep
Ross Ward
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Alice Williams
Tom Piper
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Ian Moss, Jordan Millar
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Greg Bryce Bob Corbett & The Roo Grass Band
Monique Brumby
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton The Panda Band
Royal Exchange Hotel, Newc
Sun, August 7 Dan Granero Dylan Moran
Hornet
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Nick Kingswell
Blues Bombers
Great Dividing Range, Glory Meat Adalita, Laura Imbruglia
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Benny P, The Gig Whores
Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley
To Kill A Sunrise
Troy Henderson, Duncan Woods
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
The Business
Annie O Dee, The Hotshots
Legends of New Orleans,
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
w/ Jon Cleary &
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Ruby Rose Steve Kilbey, Ricky Maymi
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Mark Cashin Richard Clapton
Belmore Hotel, Maitland Grand Theft Audio
Cessnock Supporters Club
Terrigal Hotel
Kincumber Hotel
Zane Penn
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Bowen and the Lucky Dutchmen
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Stealing O’Neal
Tues, August 9
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Hexham Bowling Club
Jewells Tavern, Jewellstown
Osmium Grid, New Blood, Kunvuk
Kevin Bloody Wilson
Pete Hawkes, Phil Emmanuel
Loft, Newcastle The Shivering Indies, Crystal Cove, Los Carbinales, Asteroids, Lasue
information,
Metro Theatre, Sydney
phone (02) 4956 2066
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton
Funeral Party, Boy In A Box I Am The Agent, The Chestnuts, Sky Squadron
Wed, August 10
Rubicon
How To Survive A Bull Fight
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Sat, August 6
Shane Nicholson
Lizotte’s, Lambton Ian Moss, Jordan Millar
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton The Cairos, The Belligerents
Royal Exchange Hotel, Newc Moonlight Drive
Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington
Chris Byrne
Driver8
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Adam Harvey, Catherine Britt, The Apprentices
Milestones
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Dr Zoom
Vandalism
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc
Roasting Chestnuts, Chloe Tully,
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Caverns, Mom Dad & the Kids
Royal Exchange Hotel, Newc
Chris Byrne
Cardiff Panthers Kevin Bloody Wilson, Jenny Talia
Loonatic Fringe
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Newcastle Leagues Club
Tues, August 16 Metro Theatre, Sydney Owl City, New Empire, Breanne Duren
West Leagues Club, Newcastle Graeme Connors, Gina Jeffreys
Wed, August 17 Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley Ash Grunwald, Beau Young, The Grains
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Ross McGregor CD Launch
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton Fox Control
Thur, August 18 Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni Dead Letter Circus, Closure In Moscow, Wolves
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Vasco Era, Fearless Vampire Killers
CBD Hotel, Newcastle Bob Log III
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Nick and Liesl
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Nick Kingswell, Gerard Masters
Pat Capocci Combo
Broderick Smith, Matt Walker Torpedo Vegas
Fri, August 19 Belmore Hotel, Maitland Kotadama
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Lasue, Fictions
CBD Hotel, Newcastle Loon Lake, The Owls
Dockyard, Honeysuckle Duncan Woods
Emma Soup, Newcastle Bat Rider
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Lloyd Spiegel
Great Northern Hotel, Newc King Tide
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc Dropbear, The Paradox Unseen, Sending Artax
Kincumber Hotel Matt Purcell
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Broderick Smith, Matt Walker
Lizotte’s, Lambton Mat McHugh
Loft, Newcastle The Dynamics, The Guppies
Mattara Hotel, Charlestown Beth Robertson
Mingara, Tumbi Umbi Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers, Ashleigh Dallas
Justin Derrico
Download Page
Montezuma
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Lizotte’s, Lambton Steve Kilbey, Ricky Maymi
Duncan Woods, Mark Cashin
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni
Lizotte’s, Lambton Pete Hawkes, Phil Emmanuel
Shane Nicholson
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Belmont 16ft Sailing Club
Steve Tonge
Monique Brumby
Sat, August 13
Kincumber Hotel
Wu-Tang Clan
How To Survive A Bullfight,
mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
Dockyard, Honeysuckle
Grand Junction Hotel, Maitl
Crimson Tide
24 Sep
42 reverb
Cessnock Supporters Club
Tim Freedman
Loft, Newcastle
Civic Theatre, Newcastle
LGT
Cessnock Supporters Club
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait
or visit lizottes.com.au
Mixtape Memoirs
Richard Clapton
Catherine Hill Bay Hotel
Swallow Your Pride
CBD Hotel, Newcastle
Renée Geyer
For bookings and
Nova and the Experience, Holland,
Tenzin
The Torpedos
23 Sep
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
CBD Hotel, Newcastle
Grandmaster Monk, Iron Bar Hotel
Lizotte’s, Lambton
The Lairs
Lizotte’s, Kincumber
Terrigal Hotel
The Big Bang
King Street Hotel, Newcastle
The Grains, Cornstalk
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait
Belmore Hotel, Maitland
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Ash Grunwald, Beau Young,
Lizotte’s, Lambton
The Zillers
Catherine Traicos, Dennis Boys Band,
Angela’s Dish
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Fri, August 12
Stonefield
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Mahalia Barnes
The Philthy Few,
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Belmore Hotel, Maitland
18 Sep
30 Sep
Diggers, The Entrance
Wesley Centre, Hamilton
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
celebration
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Half Nelson
Fri, August 5 Spice
Beccy Cole
Cessnock Supporters Club
Kevin Bloody Wilson
The Get Up Kids, City Riots,
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
3 Sep
Troy Henderson
Loft, Newcastle
Wu-Tang Clan
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
26 Aug
Regurgitator, Disasteradio, Alps
Cessnock Supporters Club
Dave Wells
Kele, Strange Talk
w/ Paul Greene Jeff Martin
CBD Hotel, Newcastle
Jorgie Jay, Fuel, Jaytee, Kagz
Tim Freedman
Mat McHugh
Bateau Bay Hotel
Streets of Omah
Fannys, Newcastle
6 Aug
19 Aug
Belmore Hotel, Maitland
Kaiser Chiefs, Papa vs Pretty,
Felix Riebl, Ben Salter
Shane Nicholson
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni Holland [midday]
Chris Byrne
Lizotte’s, Lambton
14 Aug
Sun, August 14
Iguana
Single Twin
Ian Moss
Thur, August 11
Austin Busch
Catherine Hill Bay Hotel
The Mars Volta
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Islington
13 Aug
Dan Granero
Download Issue
Follow us on Twitter
gig Guide North Royal Exchange Hotel, Newc Incognito
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Moonlight Drive
Sydney Entertainment Centre Winterbeats w/ 50 Cent, G Unit, Fabulous, Lil Kim, Mario
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Milestones
Sat, August 20 Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley Duncan Woods
Belmont 16ft Sailing Club Altiyan Childs
Belmore Hotel, Maitland 24 Hours
Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle The Beards
Cessnock Performing Arts Cent Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers, Ashleigh Dallas
Cessnock Supporters Club Moonlight Drive
Doyalson RSL Kevin Bloody Wilson
Enmore Theatre, Sydney Jesus Jones, The Wonder Stuff, Clouds
Great Northern Hotel, Newc Fantine. Little Dottie
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc Synthetic Breed, Elysian, The Seer, Enviktas
King Street Hotel, Newcastle Nina Las Vegas
Lass O’Gowrie Hotel, Islington Animal House w/ The Owls, I Am the Agent, Boat Friends, Run Squirrel, Ranger Spacey, Rainy Day Women, Post Paint, Howling Nancies, Thom Biefield, Lachlan Collins, Richmond
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Wendy Matthews, Dave Wilkins
Lizotte’s, Lambton Alvin Youngblood Hart, Paul Greene
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton Paulie Bignell
Ocean View Hotel, Dudley Method
Royal Exchange Hotel, Newc Grand Theft Audio
Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Nick Raschke
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Bobby C
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Leeroy and the Rats, Angie
Sun, August 21 Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Method
Kincumber Hotel Phil McKnight
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Alvin Youngblood Hart, Paul Greene
Lizotte’s, Lambton Wendy Matthews, Dave Wilkins
Nelson Bay Diggers Kasey Chambers, Bill Chambers, Ashleigh Dallas
Terrigal Hotel Chris Byrne, Duncan Woods
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Mighty Kingsnakes, Dave and the Demons
Wed, August 24 Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle Liam Finn, Big Scary, Evil J & St. Cecilia
Lizotte’s, Lambton Jace Everett, Kirsty Akers
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Thur, August 25
Thur, August 4
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Brewery, Byron Bay
Pear and the Awkward Orchestra
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Jace Everett, Kirsty Akers
Lizotte’s, Lambton Jeff Martin, Terepai Richmond
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Navigators, L.A2
Fri, August 26 Entrance Leagues Club You Am I
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait Gleny Rae Virus & her Junkyard Playboys
Great Northern Hotel, Newc The White Band
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Kevin Borich, Holly and Chloe Borich
Lizotte’s, Lambton Dragon
Loft, Newcastle Free For All, Hopes, The Little Ghost, Josh Ballico, DJ Dynamic
Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton Pshyco Pucko, Funk Party
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington Dave and the Demons, Electric
Method
The Carios, The Belligerents
Brewery, Byron Bay Stellar Green James Cruikshank, La Resonance
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Wayne Evans
Brothers Grim, Toot Toot Toots
Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc Engage The Fall, Alice vs Everything
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Dragon, Jacob Peason
Lizotte’s, Lambton Vika and Linda Bull
Newcastle Leagues Club You Am I
Seven Seas Hotel, Carrington Cassie Wilson
Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Wellsy
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington The Smarts
Sun, August 28 Hamilton Station Hotel, Newc Lefta Centa
Lizotte’s, Kincumber Vika and Linda Bull
Lizotte’s, Lambton Kevin Borich, Holly and Chloe Borich
UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney You Me At Six, We The Kings, The Mission In Motion
Wickham Park Hotel, Islington
Clay Blyth
Henry Rous, Ballina
The Upskirts, Call The Shots
Richie Williams Band
Rails, Byron Bay SCU Unibar, Lismore Respect Sunday, DJ Maxim, Jo Rigby
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Mal and the Longboarders
Mullumbimby Civic Hall
Matt Buggy
Treehouse, Byron Bay
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Salt Bar, Kingscliff
Sarah and the King Bees
Nathan Kaye Kollective
Stellar Green
Ballina RSL
Sawtell Hotel
Cath Simes
Matt Devitt
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Sawtell RSL
The Ninth Chapter
Sarah McLeod
Alderman Brothers
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore Great Scott, Nigel McTrusty,
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour The Weekenders
Cigar Box Blues
Thora Zoo
Flynns Beach Surf Club, Port Call The Shots The Panda Band
21 Aug
Alvin Youngblood Hart w/ Paul Greene
27 Aug
Dragon
28 Aug
Lazy Sunday Lunch w/ Vika & Linda Bull
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Vanessa Lea and Roadtrain
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Mark Brown, Ryan Rushton, And Oh!
Lennox Point Hotel
Discrow, Daniel Webber
3 Sep
Jon English
4 Sep
Sunday lunch
Lennox Point Hotel
DJ Dave Hall
w/ Beccy Cole
Jack Thorncraft Trio
Lismore City Hall
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Dick and Christa Hughes
Sarah and the King Bees
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Sawtell RSL
Round Mountain Girls
8-9 Sep Darryl Braithwaite 10 Sep
Adam Scicluna, Rowland Stones
Patch Lounge, Coolangatta A Beggers Second
Otis Redding 70th birthday celebration
Treehouse, Byron Bay A Beggers Second
Port Macquarie Hotel
Wed, August 10
Bone Idle
Sawtell Hotel
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Slipstream
SCU Unibar, Lismore
Garrett Kato
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Sista Ray
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga Quick Fix
Matt Buggy
Thur, August 11
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Scott Daley
Tacking Point Hotel
Armidale Club
Psycho Magnet
Blake Saban Three
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
15 Sep
Don Walker
16 Sep
Mahalia Barnes
23 Sep
The Beatnix
24 Sep
Renée Geyer
30 Sep
Celebrity Chef feat. Aaron Harvie
Hayden Hack Infusion
Byron Bay Community Centre
The Lodge, Bellingen
Mat McHugh
Gollan Hotel, Lismore
Catherine Traicos
Treehouse, Byron Bay
Mother and Son, Raygunn Mortlock
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Ryan Murphy
Valla Beach Tavern
The Beards
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
The Rooftops
Roo
Rails, Byron Bay
Melody Pool
Wendy Matthews
Clay Blyth
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Gerri Loong
20 Aug
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Jacob Pearson EP launch, Amy Vee,
Monique Brumby
Sun, August 7
Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Robert Keith
14 Aug
Neil Anderson
Mary Duff, Straalen McCallum
Ballina RSL Bowling Club
Shane Nicholson
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Uni
Rosie’s School of Rock
13 Aug
Punks Jump Up
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Port Macquarie Hotel
Lizotte’s, Lambton
Ian Moss
Never Land Bar, Coolangatta
Fri, August 5
Bevan Spiers
12 Aug
Jordie Lane, Mike Noga
The Firetree
Ballina RSL
Phil Emmanuel
Rhys Bynon
Sat, August 6
Charlie Mayfair [midday]
Pete Hawkes &
Lennox Point Hotel
Wed, August 31 Great Northern Hotel, Newc
7 Aug
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Jungle Megaphone, The H Gang,
The Optimist
Powerful?
Jonestown Massacre)
The Edge
Stellar Green, Gust of Gravity, Forever
Politics at the Pub: Is The Media Too
Steve Kilbey (The Church) & Ricky Maymi (Brian
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Catherine Traicos
Steve Edmonds
Grand Junction Hotel, Mait
5 Aug
Paul Kelly and the Festival Friends
Port Macquarie Hotel
Quarry Mountain Dead Rats,
Tues, August 30
Hekyl and Jive
Federal Hotel, Bellingen Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Club Forster
Great Northern Hotel, Newc
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Slim Jim and the Boney Hard Men
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Cessnock Supporters Club
Quarry Mountain Dead Rats
every Wednesday night
Clelia Adams & River Valley Express
Byron Bay Community Centre
Sat, August 27 Grand Junction Hotel, Mait
Don’t forget — Live & Local
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
Good Company
CENTRAL COAST
The Lion I band
For bookings and information, phone (02) 4368 2017 or visit lizottes.com.au
The B`s, Lissa, Ben Martin, Jamie Boyd A Beggers Second
SCU Unibar, Lismore Deegs n Webber. Andrea Roper, Leave House
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Bo Jenkins
Download Page
Download Issue
reverb magazine issue #061 — August 2011 43
gig Guide North (cont.) AUGUST AT THE AUSSIE
It ’s nice & warm in atrhe fr o n t b FRIDAY 05 NATHAN KAYE KOLLECTIVE 8PM SATURDAY 06 BEVAN SPIERS 7:30PM FRIDAY 12 THE HENCHMEN 8PM SATURDAY 13 WANDERING EYES 7:30PM FRIDAY 19 DEI DIVINE BAND 8PM SATURDAY 20 MARSHALL O’KELL DUO 7:30PM
Fri, August 12
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
The Henchmen
Calling All Cars, Boy In A Box,
Ballina RSL
Richie Williams Blake Saban Three
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Tim Stokes
Lennox Point Hotel
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Port Macquarie Hotel Andrew and Jackson
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
A Beggars Second
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Ash Grunwald, Beau Young, The Grains, Haldanes Daughters
Sawtell RSL Errol Gray
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Glenn Massey
Sawtell Hotel
T Bone Jones
South West Rocks Country Club
Ninemile
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore
Ash Grunwald, Beau Young,
SCU Unibar, Lismore Dead Letter Circus, Closure In Moscow, Wolves
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
The Grains, Haldanes Daughters
Fri, August 19
Inside Outlaw, Skillet Rovers Jug Band
Chris Fisher, Monkey and the Fish
Treehouse, Byron Bay
Direct Influence
Goldfish Drag Racing Bellingen Jazz Festival
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Marshall
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Brewery, Byron Bay
Benny D Williams
Valla Beach Tavern Slim Jim and the Boney Hardmen
Richie Williams Band
Sat, August 13
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Coolangatta Hotel
Wandering Eyes
Vanessa Lea and Roadtrain Regurgitator, Disasteradio
Ballina RSL
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
The Troubadours
Bungalows
Ballina RSL Bowling Club
Geoff Turnbull
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina Lockie and Denny
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
John Course, Daniel Webber, Discrow
Lennox Point Hotel Clay Blyth
Sawtell RSL Monique Montez, Rowland Stones
Dan Hannaford
SCU Unibar, Lismore National Campus Band Competition Heat 2 w/ The H Gang, Trace,
Kamakazi Thunderkats, Bats vs Snakes
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Stocking Society, The Deff Dogs, Geoff Turnbull, Respect Sunday
Jon J Bradley Run Dos Run
Port Macquarie Hotel Johnnie Selfish and the Worried Men
Wed, August 24 Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Sawtell Hotel
Tim Stokes
Sawtell RSL
Down Hoochie Brown
Greg Kew
Byron Bay Community Centre
SCU Unibar, Lismore
Ziggy by Request
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Sarah and Harry (Pink Zinc)
Felix Riebl, Ben Salter
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Blake Saban Three
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
The Weekenders
Tacking Point Hotel
Borgs and Reidy
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore
Mumford Disden
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore
The Owls, Clay Blyth
Thur, August 25 Ballina RSL The Big Gig w/ Harley Breen,
Treehouse, Byron Bay
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Valla Beach Tavern
Floyd Vincent
Scott Davy
CBD Dub Trio
Sun, August 14
Nikki Thorburn, Thom Crawford
Ellen Briggs
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Ash Grunwald, Beau Young, The Grains, Haldanes Daughters
Crooked Fiddle Band
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Blake Saban Three
Lennox Point Hotel
Sat, August 20
Brewery, Byron Bay Owl Eyes
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Asa Broomhall
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Sawtell RSL
The Vines, Papa vs Pretty, Bleeding Knees Club
Marshall O’Kell
Ballina RSL
Tim Stokes
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Jacaranda Trio
Tommy Memphis, Rowland Stones
Treehouse, Byron Bay M. Jack Bee, Taylor, Tori Lee
Bangalow Hotel
Mick Daley
Port Macquarie Hotel
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
SCU Unibar, Lismore
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Heat 1 w/ Jungle Megaphone,
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Bellingen Jazz Festival
Mon, August 15 National Campus Band Competition
Shockone
Richie Williams
Bellingen
Pigeon, The Incredible Kicks
Rails, Byron Bay
Fossil Rock
Blake Saban Three
SCU Unibar, Lismore
Zebyah
Ruby Blue, DJ Maxim
Coolangatta Hotel
Big and the Bangs, Glam Warriors,
Calling All Cars, Boy In A Box,
Sub Station, Soul for Sail
Redcoats
Download Page
Empire The Amazing Rhythm Aces Josh Matheson
Slipway Hotel, Ballina Bill Jacobi
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore Blake Saban Three
Valla Beach Tavern A Beggars Second
Sat, August 27 Australian Hotel, Ballina Josh Boots
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Polar Nation
Brewery, Byron Bay
Oh Snap!, Ryan Rushton, And Oh!
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Richard Perso
Sawtell Hotel
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Lennox Point Hotel
Quick Fix
Blind Lemon
Port Macquarie Hotel
Brewery, Byron Bay
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Lennox Point Hotel
Altowave
Pacific Hotel, Yamba
Mon, August 22
Ash Grunwald, Beau Young, The Grains, Haldanes Daughters
Rob Pix, Ryan Rushton, And Oh!
Lennox Point Hotel
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga
Bellingen Bellingen Jazz Festival
Fat Albert
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Richard Purso
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore
Ash Grunwald, Beau Young,
Sawtell RSL
Bellingen
Dei Divine
Lucie Thorne, Hamish Stuart
Coolangatta Hotel
Sun, August 21
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Geoff Turnbull
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
The Re-Mains
Brewery, Byron Bay
The Grains, Haldanes Daughters
Hamish White Bass Heavy w/ Layered Beats, Harii,
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Australian Hotel, Ballina
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
M-Phonik, Balance
Chris Cook
A & I Hall, Bangalow
Nimbin Hotel
SCU Unibar, Lismore
Late For Woodstock
Fri, August 26
Broadfoot
Port Macquarie Hotel Quarry Mountain Dead Rats,
Lennox Point Hotel
Minx, Rhys Bynon
Pacific Hotel, Yamba Richie Williams
Rochelle Lees
mag azine issue #061 — August 2011
Little Fish
Lalaland, Byron Bay
Regurgitator, Disasteradio
Finnians Irish Pub, Port Macq
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
44 reverb
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Jefrey Siler
103 River Street, Ballina Ph 02 6686 2015 www.theaussiehotel.com
Cope Street Parade
Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Johnnie Selfish and the Worried Men, Dave Ramsey
Tijuana Cartel
Brunswick Hotel
Cherry St Sports Club, Ballina
SATURDAY 27 JOSH BOOTS 7:30PM
Crooked Fiddle Band, Flap!,
Dead Beat Band
Gollan Hotel, Lismore
Rochelle Lees
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Al Alderman
FRIDAY 26 THE RE-MAINS 8PM
Digger’s Tavern, Bellingen
Redcoats
Brewery, Byron Bay
SUNDAY 21 GOLD FISH DRAG RACING 1PM
Thur, August 18
Slipway Hotel, Ballina
Download Issue
Mark Daley
Charlie Mayfair Fantine
Coast Hotel, Coffs Harbour Mambo Slammers
Digger’s Tavern, Bellingen Deya Dova
Federal Hotel, Bellingen Slim Jim and the Boney Hard Men
Great Northern Hotel, Byron Trip Kicks w/ Anna Lunoe, Tou Kats, Terraforma Feat Ali Penny Drops, Trip Kicks Djs
Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour Beats Working, D’opus, Roshambo
Lennox Heads Bowling Club Richie Williams
Lennox Point Hotel Black Mustang, Black Stars
Lismore City Hall George Smilovici
Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga A Beggars Second
Tattersalls Hotel, Lismore Pink Bullet
Treehouse, Byron Bay Kindling
Sun, August 28 Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour A Beggars Second
Lennox Point Hotel Austin Busch
Mon, August 29 SCU Unibar, Lismore National Campus Band Competition Heat 3 w/ Headphone Symphony, Soul Reference, The Argonauts, Zara Meow, Guts & Fire Trucks, Inside Outlaw, Blood
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THU 4
Jungle Megaphone JO RIGBY, THE H GANG, RESPECT SUNDAY, DJ MAXIM
FRI 5
Sista Ray - on the deck CHILLING BEATS TO START THE WEEKEND. 8PM
THU 11
ANDREA ROPER, LEAVE HOUSE FOLLOWED BY
DEEGS & WEBBER (TRIP KICKS DJS) ELECTRO HOUSE PARTY. 8:30PM
FRI 12
THE BORGS AND REIDY DUO BEFORE THE MAIN EVENT,
DEADLETTERCIRCUS MON 15 Battle of the bands
HEAT 1 – JUNGLE MEGAPHONE, BIG AND THE BANGS, GLAM WARRIORS, SUB STATION, SOUL FOR SAIL
WED 17 Talent Night W/ CLOCKWORK ORANGE THU 18 Bass Heavy FRI 19 Chill out WITH THE SOUNDS OF SARAH AND HARRY (PINK ZINC)
MON 22 Battle of the bands
HEAT 2 – THE H GANG, STOCKING SOCIETY, THE DEFF DOGS, GEOFF TURNBULL, RESPECT SUNDAY, TRACE
THU 25 Ruby Blue DUB/JAZZ/REGGAE DJ Maxim MON 29 Battle of the bands
HEAT 3 – SOUL REFERENCE, ZARA MEOW, HEADPHONE SYMPHONY, THE ARGONAUTS, BLOOD, GUTS & FIRE TRUCKS, INSIDE OUTLAW
SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY MILITARY ROAD, LISMORE
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OR CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS. HTTP://UNIBARANDCAFE.SCU.EDU.AU PHONE 6626 9602 EMAIL UNIBAR@SCU.EDU.AU
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