Reverb Magazine : Issue 28 by Reverb Magazine

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KATO DAN DE CAIRES

SOL WELLFARE NED KELLY VITAL STATISTICS

16.11.08, 2-9PM $20 PRE $25 DOOR LIMITED PRESALES FROM RAMJET OR THE CLARO – THIS EVENT WILL SELL OUT

W E S E R V E A L C O H O L R E S P O N S I B LY . M A N A G E M E N T R E S E R V E S A L L R I G H T S .

No. 28

33 Amanda Palmer index 08 12 15 16 18 19 20 22 24 26 27 28 29 31 32 33 34 36 37 41 42 43

letter from ed Dear Reader, This month Newcastle says goodbye to one of the stalwarts of our live music scene - The Lucky Country Hotel. Most of us have some great stories about the place and have had lots of awesome nights there. It will be missed.

ReverbMagazineislocallyowned&publishedbyThe Lockup Garage. Printed by Spotpress Pty Ltd: sales@spotpress.com. au

Gentlemen, November is the time to grow the biggest moustache you can - for Movember. As much as it is an excuse to look like a dirty pornstar, it’s also

Editor Nick Milligan

Vintage Milligan

Krud beekay und krudmn

Terry and1988 Kevie Kevvie circa

Sub-Editor

a time to raise money. So get your mates and lady friends to reach into their pockets for prostate cancer and men’s depression. www.movember.com. au There were some big shows announced this month - The Black Keys, Gomez, Public Enemy, Pub Fest (Hunter Valley Brewery). Grab a ticket before they’re all gone! Until next month, Nick Milligan xx

Hugh Milligan Peter Douglas Stan Sykes Ashleigh Gray

Amanda Bevan

Editorial - nick@reverbstreetpress.com.au - 4929 4739 Entertainment Guide - gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au Sales Enquiries - sales@reverbstreetpress.com.au Sales Manager - kevin@reverbstreetpress.com.au - 0410 295 360 Production Manager.- kieran.ferguson@reverbstreetpress.com.au - 0414 672 095 6

Production Manager Kieran Ferguson

Senior Writers

Writers Kevin Bull Nathaniel Try Noah Cross Kieran Ferguson

Miles Thomas Alex Holt Jason M Henson David Long Marija Zeko Sami Thurtell

Photographers

giveaways As Ben Folds points out in his interview this issue, you have to love free stuff, and here at Reverb, we are overloaded with goodies. The lovely people at Social Summer Festival have thrown in 2 double passes to their massive event being held at the Beachcomber, Toukley on December 14. To celebrate to return of The Satellite Nation back to our shores, we have 4 double passes to see to their the Chilli Lounge, Wyong gigs Saturday 29 November., plus copies of their latest EP to all winners. And to help you all make the New Year go off with a bang, we have a double festival pass, and a double day pass (December 30) to the Peats Ridge Festival. Just email editorial@reverbstreetpress.com! Sean Roche Mark Snelson Mel Woodward Michelle Ho Joel Courtney Linda Wales Sarah-Kate Harris Kieran Ferguson

Kevin Bull

Jim Graham

Local News Warped Diary You Am I Lagwagon The Satellite Nation Cut Copy Empire Of The Sun CD Reviews Gig Guide A Nighttime Sky No Pressure The Futureheads Ben Folds The Mounzers Irrelevant Rosie Burgess Children Collide The Walkmen Amanda Palmer The Screaming Jets Fashion: Filtered Motoring: Mini Cooper S JCW Live Photography Film Reviews Gamer’s Corner Vinyl Reviews Trial Kennedy Socials

Graphic

Designers Kieran Ferguson Nick Milligan Kevin Bull

Sales Kevin Bull Tommy Lueng Any comments can be sent to editorial@ reverbstreetpress.com.au or

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

news UPON FURTHER IN-SPECK-TION

It’s back! The Spicks and Specktacular has played to more than 85,000 fans across this wide and broadly speaking brown land over the last year. As an early Christmas treat, Adam Hills, Alan Brough and Myf Warhurst will be hitting the road one more time! Now’s your chance to see them live on stage! Catch them at The Newcastle Civic Theatre on Sunday December 14, 2008. Tickets on sale now through Ticketek. com.au

Alan, Adam, Myf: Spicks and Specks

MANAGING A BAND?

Public Enemy

PUBLIC ENEMY

TO PLAY IN NEWCASTLE

Reverb is thrilled to announce that hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy will be returning to Australia for a nationwide tour. Public Enemy have left an indelible impression on the hip-hop landscape, with their politically conscious lyrics, powerful grooves and earthshattering live performances. Widely revered as the world’s most important contributors to the growth and evolution of hip hop’s sound and substance, PE bring their electrifying live show

down under for a series of live dates over the December/January period. The live show features original members’ Chuck D’s commanding orations and Flava Flav’s show-stopping antics, along with their tight, relentless live show including bass, drums, guitar, DJ Lord and S1Ws James Bomb and Pop Diesel, and longtime PE sideman Professor Griff. Set lists are expected to include

many of their classic hits that helped to define the genre. Their last visit to Australia was the Revolverlution Tour five years ago, which yielded a live DVD and left audiences speechless. Catch Public Enemy at Newcastle Panthers on Saturday January 3, 2009, with support from The Tongue. Tickets are $45.00 and available from the venue, The Cambridge, Civic Theatre Ticketek Box Office, The Rock Shop and Beaumont Street Beat.

MAKE MAIDEN VOYAGE

Stereolab

LANEWAY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ACTS Australia’s favourite boutique festival is back for another year! Again taking place at The Basement, Macquarie

The Red Shoes

THREE-WAY BALLET

Love triangles are not for the faint-hearted, but they are for the light-footed. The Red Shoes is the work of internationally acclaimed choreographer Simon Dow, featuring the talented dancers of West Australian Ballet. Based on the 1948 movie, The Red Shoes is one of the greatest dance stories of our time. The Director of a famous dance company hires a brilliant composer and a gifted young dancer to work on new masterpiece The Red Shoes. The ballet director becomes infatuated with the dancer and is fanatical in his ambition for her to succeed – ambition she shares. When she falls in love with the charismatic composer, a jealous triangle unfolds The Red Shoes plays at The Civic Theatre on Friday November 14 and Saturday November 15, 2008. Head to Ticketek.com.au.

GORILLA BISCUITS

Perhaps the most quintessential band of the New York hardcore punk scene of the late 80s, Gorilla Biscuits became highly influential in the space of just one album (1989’s Start Today) and EP (1988’s Gorilla Biscuits). With the group disbanding in 1992, Gorilla Biscuits briefly reunited in 1997 for a benefit at CBGB’s. To coincide with the re issue of Start Today, the band held a month-long reunion tour during the US summer of 2006, and in September 2007 performed a month long tour across Europe. December 2008 will see the band heading down under for the very first time. Catch them at the Cambridge Hotel on Tuesday December 9, 2008. Tickets on sale at moshtix.com.au

The Music Managers Forum (MMF) will begin to hold forums in the city of Newcastle every three months starting in November. On November 26, 2008, the MMF will host a forum titled ‘How To Get A Gig And Promote It’. The panel will include Anita Beaumont, leading music journalist with the Newcastle Herald; Me-Shell Crocker, Eastern Acoustic Organisation’s (EAO) Booking Agent and Kathi Curran, EAO Agency Manager. An Artist Manager is yet to be conﬁrmed. The forum is designed for artist managers and self-managed artists. The forum will be moderated by MMF Vice Chairman, Nathan Brenner, former Manager of Split Enz, Australian Crawl and Men At Work. If you would like more information on the MMF visit www.mmfaustralia. com.au. The entry fee is $10.00 or $5 conc. Opens 7.30pm.

The Black Keys

THE BLACK KEYS & GOMEZ? CAN IT REALLY BE?

Oh indeed it can! It seems the rumours are all true. The Black Keys and Gomez will be performing in a double-headliner at Newcastle Panthers on Thursday January 8, 2009. Tickets are available from www.moshtix.com.au and are $55 + booking fee. These two amazing bands will also be joined by Dr. Dog. This show will sell out, so don’t hesitate.

Park and Reiby Place, Circular Quay, St Jeromes Laneway Festival is a beautiful showcase of indie talent from right around the world. This year’s line-up features, Girl Talk, Stereolab, The Hold Steady, Architecture In Helsinki, The Drones, Cut Off Your Hands, Four Tet, Tame Impala, El Guincho, Jay Reatard, Buraka Som Sistema, The Temper Trap, No Age, The John Steel Singers, Canyons, Pivot, Port O’Brien, Holly Throsby,

Born Rufﬁans, Mountains In The Sky, Tim Fite, Still Flyin’, and Daedelus. Where’s The Seabellies and Firekites?! Tickets are $100 and available from www.moshtix.com.au. The festival takes place on Sunday February 8, 2009. See you there!

Born Rufﬁans

September

HERE COMES SEPTEMBER

Swedish sensation September will perform her electric stage show at Fannys Nightclub on Saturday November 8, 2008. With worldwide hits like ‘Satellites’ and ‘Cry For You’, September is ensuring her global superstar status, starting with a much-anticipated appearance at Fannys. Real name Petra Marklund, September has enjoyed Top Ten singles releases in 18 countries, with ‘Cry For You’ reaching #1 on the US Billboard Dance Airplay Chart. ‘Cry For You’, September’s ﬁrst Australian release, broke into the ARIA Top 20 as the highest new entry and has stayed there since July 2008. Don’t miss this dynamic performer’s Newcastle show!

news

ADAM MILLER ALBUM LAUNCH

SANBAH SWIMMERS

November 2008 will see Newcastle’s premier boutique surf shop, Sanbah, stock Insight’s hot new swimwear collection. The garment pictured to the left is called Summer Splice Bikini and retails for $69.95. It’s part of Insight’s summer swimwear range called ‘Cosmic Lights’. Sanbah will be stocking Insight clothing for both men and women. Their in-store collection will include over six ladies swim styles in sizes from 6 to 14. Along with summer’s hottest clothing items, Sanbah are now offering Surfboard and Bodyboard hire, as well as surﬁng lessons. Wetsuits and ﬂippers are also available. Surfboard hire starts at $25 for 2 hours or $120 for a full week. Call (02)49 622 420 to inquire.

Insight Swimwear @ Sanbah, The Junction

SANCHEZ GETS ROGER(ED)

It’s not often you receive a publicist’s press release that’s quite as scathing as the one sent out by Field Day organisers, Fuzzy. But hey, you’d be pretty annoyed too if one of your headline artists decided to roll over on you. Check this. “Despite Field Day getting 100% booking conﬁrmation in writing, approval of billing, artwork and playing time from Roger Sanchez’s agent way back in September (before we began advertising), his agent has informed us that Roger is also booked to play New Year’s Eve in Germany and cannot come to Australia. We are incredulous that this massive a mistake could have been made by an agent and act at this level. However every cloud has a silver, or in this case perhaps platinum lining: Eric Prydz will now be playing at Field Day... in our opinion improving the already stunning line up.” Field Day indeed has a stunning line-up (Santogold, Digitalism etc) and tickets are still available through www.fuzzy.com.au. The event takes place at The Domain, Sydney on January 1, 2009.

GROOVIN’ THE GREYHOUNDS You can imagine Reverb’s surprise during a punting stint at The Delaney, (we don’t gamble very much, we swear...) when a greyhound appeared at Birmingham Gardens called ‘Groovin’ The Moo’ (That’s the TAB screen to the left). The dog, named after one of the Hunter Valley’s premier music events, came in third.

Behind Crimson Eyes

ALL EYES ON HUNTER VALLEY BREWERY

Two favourites of the punk scene, Behind Crimson Eyes and Angelas Dish, will perform at the Hunter Valley Brewery on Friday November 14, 2008. This will be a sell-out show with tickets at just $12.00, so don’t hesitate to grab your tickets from either the venue of www.bigtix. com.au. Behind Crimson Eyes also play the Chilli Lounge, Wyong, on November 13, 2008.

PUB FEST LINEUP ANNOUNCED

Dukes Of Windsor

PUT UP YOUR DUKES On Thursday November 27, 2008, the party is surely going to be at The Cambridge. Dukes Of Windsor will be performing the Newcastle leg of their Minus Tour. It’s namesake is Dukes Of Windsor’s debut album, Minus. If you want to kick up your heels and get loose, then let Dukes Of Windsor help out where they can. Tickets are only $12.00 pre-sale or $15.00 on the door. Available through moshtix.com.au

On Saturday November 29, 2008, the Hunter Valley Brewery will play host to the biggest Maitland festival since Groovin’ The Moo! Pub Fest 08 will feature Urthboy, The Tongue, Custom Kings, Avalon Drive, Missing Hours, The Nation Blue, Horror Show, Black Market Rhythm Company, Mojos Lab, Xrsize, Urban Freeﬂow, Blades and Tycotic. Tickets available at the venue or at www.bigtix.com.

Mei Lai Swan

MEI LAI MAGIC

She’s been compared with artists like Bjork, Tori Amos, Lou Rhodes and Fiona Apple… So what is it about cellist and singer/songwriter, Mei Lai Swan that’s been capturing everyone’s attention? Her latest offering is a brand new single ‘Calling The Sky’, a gorgeous tune with a few twists and quirks that celebrates the expansiveness of ﬁnding one’s little heart of joy and setting it free. Mei Lai is headling at Newcastle’s Lass O’Gowrie on Friday 14th November, 2008.

MEMORIAL DRIVE

Memorial Drive will launch their new EP, The Morning After, on November 22nd @ Rileys Bar, East Maitland Bowling Club and December 5th @ The Chilli Lounge.

CROWN & ANCHOR

If you’re a Nintendo Wii fanatic, then you should get to the Crown & Anchor each Wednesday night. You can win $70.00 or a $30.00 bar voucher. $10 steaks too! Good value night.

Guitarist Adam Miller will launch his new album, Out Of My Hands at The View Factory on Thursday 20 November 2008. The night will also feature his trio that played on the album, Peter Gray on electric bass and Nic Cecire on drums. Adam Miller has performed with guitar innovator and inventor Les Paul in New York City and guitar guru Tommy Emmanuel across Australia and the USA. “The feel of the album is very raw and gritty, with plenty of honesty (mistakes)! I really do believe it will appeal to a range of music lovers and not just guitar heads,” says Miller.

SUNDAY FUNDAZE

Missing Hours

Yes kids, it’s on again. Reverb will see you at The Clarendon Hotel, Newcastle on November 16, 2008. Oh, how we love our Sundays. Good times...

coast link Mercy Arms

SOCIAL SUMMER FESTIVAL FULL LINEUP Last issue we gave you the ﬁrst lineup announcement for the Social Summer Festival to be held at the Beachcomber Hotel, Sunday December 14. Now we get the full deal, all bands, all DJs, and it is massive. We warned you. This is who you get, Mercy Arms, Amy Meredith, Grafton Primary, Art vs Science, The Mouunzers, The Inheritors, Slow Down Honey, Smacktown, Daz the Dominant, CSK OK, Ghetto Ruckus, Tommy Trash, Josh Flanagan, Why Not, Mindgutter, T.Bird, Deegee, Slappinplastic, Thirsty Dedd, Teen Heat and Northie. All this, plus those from the initial lineup announcement, Houratron, Pomomofo, Mark Dynamix, One Glove, Redial and the Trashbags Posse DJs. Don’t miss out on the biggest summer party this year. Tickets are on sale at oztix.com.au, moshtix.com.au and at the Beachcomber.

10 DISCOVERING GLEN TERRY One of Australia’s best undiscovered bluesman, Glen Terry has just released his new CD Soul Searching, and gives us all a couple of chances to catch him live during November. Terry has travelled the world with his music; ﬁve star hotels in Cairo, blues music festivals in Tokyo, and the full length of Europe in 2007. The new album was recorded right here on the Central Coast at Cloud Studios under the guidance of Parris Macleod and features Doug Williams on bass, Calvin Welch on drums, Parris Macleod on

HAYDEN FRENCH With a smooth blend of blues, soul and pop music, Hayden French delivers music you can feel. French has been playing guitar for seven years, and has just released his debut EP Goodbye to Yesterday. The EP launch is being held at the historical and picturesque Avoca Beach Theatre on November 17 which is quite a suitable venue for French, having grown up in Avoca Beach. The venue has a classic and cool feel that closely reﬂects French’s sound. Support for the night will be Sarah Humphreys. myspace.com/haydenfrenchmusic

PEATS RIDGE FESTIVAL LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT #2

Chase The Sun

keyboards and the amazing Andy Thompson on sax. During November you can catch Terry at the Bank Hotel, Newcastle on November 9, and on Saturday November 22 he is part of the stellar blues lineup that will be at Railway Blues, Richmond Vale Railway Museum. The full lineup for Railway Blues is Mojo Juju, Chase The Sun, Ghost Road, Gail Page and Parris Macleod, Glen Terry and Paul Robert Burton, Dan Granero, Dave Anderson and Bluetongue Blues Band. myspace.com/glenianterry

LIANNA ROSE Signing to Mushroom Music Publishing in 2007, Lianna Rose’s long term goal as a songwriter was achieved. Now her debut album, Soak Up The World, is upon us and it displays Rose’s powerful and emotive vocals, great stories, and heartfelt lyrics. Bill Page, Creative Manager of Mushroom Music Publishing commented, “an artist of tremendous potential…Lianna Rose writes from the heart with raw honesty yet can make you smile as well”. Lianna performs next at the Kincumber Hotel Saturday November 15 with Redbird Band

Peats Ridge Festival 2008 is growing bigger by the minute. The second lineup announcement has just been dropped, and added to the bill is Mamadou Diabate (MALI), Hermitude, Mista Savona, Matthew Barber (CAN), Pivot, Bluejuice, The Fumes, The Temper Trap, King Tide, Kara Grainger, Snob Scrilla, Tina Harrod, Andy Bull, Tijuana Cartel, Elana Stone Papa Lips, Deep Sea Arcade, Pez & 360, Lowrider, Chase The Sun, Cloud Control, The Maladies, Paul Greene, Deep Street Soul, The Hands, The Dolly Rocker Movement, Songs, Sui Zhen, The Ray Mann Three, Declan Kelly and The Rising Sun, Brian Campeau, King Farook, Jumbledat,

Glen Terry

SATELLITE NATION The boys are ﬁnally coming home. After spending the past year over in Canada and the US, The Satellite Nation are heading to Australia to give their latest self-titled EP the big push. Check out the full story later in this issue, where the local lads talk about their adventures. The Satellite Nation are performing November 27 at the Queens Wharf Brewery. Then on Saturday November 29 there will be an all-ages afternoon show plus a later over 18s gig at the Chilli Lounge, Wyong. Supports for both shows are Six and Sevens, Bright Yellow and The Waiting. thesatellitenation.com

Superheavyweights, Audio Shaman, Tommee, Tracy Redhead, The Sins, Scarlett Affection, The Green Mohair Suits, Sailmaker, Mitch Grainger and Jason Walker. This second announcement will sit alongside the likes of Salmonella Dub, Jon Cleary and Frightened Rabbit across some of the 10 stages. Both the ﬁrst and second ticket releases sold-out in a matter of hours. With a third and ﬁnal ticket release having just gone on sale, it’s going to be the quick that spend the NYE in Glenworth Valley. peatsridgefestival.com.au

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

Cassie with Pro BMXer Rick Thorne

The trek down to Chula Vista always brings back pleasant memories. It was where I had my ﬁrst Warped Tour and fell in love with this crazy lifestyle. I met up with my fellow Central Coastian Bec, who stayed on the tour to help us out until the end. Today we got to watch a lot of bands including The Academy Is..., Oreskaband, Motion City Soundtrack, Reel Big Fish and Sky Eats Airplane and got the pleasure of competing with the uninvited female “fans” to get a view. After a pleasant dinner with Motion City Soundtrack we packed up early for the big drive back north to San Francisco. At San Francisco we were all preparing for the ofﬁcial last party for the tour. The venue

The last week of Warped Tour is like your last week of high school. You all know the end is near and as excited as you are to get back to the “real world”, you don’t want this dream to end. Words by Cassie Walker There is a feeling of excitement in the air that we have all accomplished so much in the past few months, although the feeling of sadness is deﬁantly present. Friendships that are made on the road come to an end for another year, band and crew part ways and return to their hometowns and the fact that we won’t have days like these for another year is a sad realisation. Warped Tour is like no other music festival.

The Californian dates see us visit Fresno, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and then to L.A. to farewell the tour. Welcoming a herd of new bands like Rise Against, The Vandals, The Germs, M.I.A and The Dolly Rots, as well as a lot more press appointments and the Californian groupies, it makes for a very busy week. We also ﬁnd the sun shines hotter in California and the sun cream gets a work out.

was beautiful. There was a lot of trees and grass which is always a pleasant change from the concrete and asphalt. Today was very busy with postering and press. The day was hot and exhausting. Our merch tent was set up next to the Hurley stage so I had the pleasure (and terror) of seeing The Color Fred, We The Kings, Automatic Love Letter, Family Force 5, All Time Low and other same

From the creators of the martini club now PRESENTS

dressed, same sounding bands. We finished the day with again watching Motion City Soundtrack and Against Me! Tonight Kevin Lynman was cooking the BBQ and afterwards held a hot dog eating competition where the biggest and the fittest competed. I stood on an empty stall to get the best view and then I saw it. The biggest security guard I have EVER seen threw up his pride and glory to be beaten by a skinny, red headed stage hand. The competition ended with The Aggrolites (check them out) playing an acoustic set with guest appearance by the Fear Nuttin’ Band, Oreskaband and Reel Big Fish with DJ Shane taking the night out. The Party Of The Year, Story Of The Year’s nightly dance party, was in full swing as always seeing members from Bring Me The Horizon, Every Time I Die and Reel Big Fish giving their best attempt at being Michael Jackson on the dance floor. The next morning there were a lot of sunglasses on at breakfast and many heads throbbing.

the year. A concrete jungle with unorganised parking and fans everywhere. I have to admit I slacked off on work today. I tried to see all the bands I hadn’t seen yet and say my goodbyes, happy snaps and myspace url exchanges before everyone packed up and drove off for the last time. The tour ended with pre-show cocktails with Reel Big Fish and then competing with myspace celebrities to get a view of the last band for the tour, Bring Me The Horizon. Bands I highly recommend checking out are The Randies (of course), Sarah Green, Ludo, Fear Nuttin’ Band, Oreskaband, Panima, Evergreen Terrace, Against Me! and Every Time I Die. Look out for tours from The Bronx, From First To Last, Evergreen Terrace, Every Time I Die and Bring Me The Horizon. Highlights of the tour would be the amazing view of The Gorge Amphitheatre in Seattle, our wall of shame (a wall a photos of boys with shameful hair), The Aggrolites’ last BBQ set and The Randies restyling Ludo.

The second last day and it’s very bitter sweet. I saw my good friends Ludo play for the last time. Tonight will be my last night sleeping in the RV, the last time I get rocked to sleep by the gravel and road grates.

It has deﬁnitely been a lot more work than ever before, but seeing all these passionate and energetic bands makes me think the new world of technology will never kill the music industry. As long as there is this strong passion then the beat will go on.

The Home Depot Centre in L.A was the last Warped Tour for

Peace, love, rock and roll. Cassie.

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“The ‘dilettante aesthetic’ is if you have a passion and enthusiasm, you slyly and intelligently put it out there. And there’s the idea that art’s not a frivolous thing. It’s an inspiring thing. The appreciation of beauty is not an indulgence. It’s a privilege.” - Tim Rogers

The Dilettante Aesthetic You Am I’s eighth studio release, Dilettantes, finds the band in fine form and is possibly their best release in over a decade. Kevin Bull spoke with guitarist Davey Lane about the new record, the upcoming tour and life on the road in the US. If Convicts was the angry scream, then Dilettantes is the feeling you have once the temper subsides. Is this a fair comment? Yeah. I can’t speak for Tim (Rogers) in a lyrical sense, but at the time Convicts came out we were all going through some stuff, personal stuff. I guess it was the by-product of how we were feeling at the time. I think as a band this time around we were a lot more confident, a lot more relaxed. As a band we were more comfortable with going into the studio together, playing off each other and seeing what comes instead of just going in and thinking that we have to play as fast and as loud as we possibly can. I still love Convicts to death, but I think the songs on this record are a little more considered, the structures are a bit more sprawling and we let these songs map themselves out. Did you have an idea that the album was going to sound different to Convicts before you went into the studio? Yeah, I think it was kind of obvious from the first cassette that Tim sent around to everybody. Even though we keep in regular contact with each other while we’re doing other stuff, we hadn’t seen each other for a couple of months. I think it was pretty obvious from the first little acoustic guitar and voice demo that Tim sent that this was going to be something a little different. I would imagine that the new songs would fit in quite comfortably in the live set. Are you finding this is the case? Yeah, we won’t really know until next week when we start playing them, but these songs are a lot more challenging, there’s a bit more to them. I’m dividing keyboard parts with guitar parts, but I’m up for the challenge.

editorial@reverbstreetpress.com - 02 4929 4739

What does playing with You Am I give you that The Wrights, The Pictures or Crowded House doesn’t. Well, You Am I was the first real band that I was in. I’ve been playing with those guys for nearly 10 years now, they’re kind of like my big brothers. The recording of You Am I albums appear to be quick and spontaneous. Is this out of necessity or is this the way to get the best out of the band? A lot of the time it is necessity because we are paying for the record ourselves and we are under the pump to come up with stuff pretty quickly, but I think it is in our individual nature as well. We all seem to have pretty short attention spans. We like to work pretty quickly. I like to be a little under prepared, I enjoy working under pressure. If Tim brings in a song and we bash it out in the rehearsal room, it’s pretty obvious by the first or second run through if it is working or not. We don’t labour on things. That’s the way Convicts and Dilettantes were both recorded. Even though in terms of instrumentation there is a bit more going on this time around, we did tend to play the song through a couple of times in the rehearsal room. What you hear on the record is usually the first or second take.

“...standing on the same spot that John (Lennon) himself stood on, that was a deﬁnite ‘Fuck me, I’m standing here...’ moment.” That’s great. I am sure that a lot of bands would hope to be able to do that themselves. That’s a great way of putting an album together if you can do it. Yeah, it was just a matter of getting the right take. Usually the ﬁrst take would be wildly different from the second one, and we would have a few to choose from. When ordering Dilettantes through itunes, you get the ‘Live at the Budokan’ video as a bonus. Any chances of this video becoming available in the stores? I think it will be just an online kind of thing. It was just shot

on handycam. Even though as a document it is You Am I playing the f*#king Budokan - it’s a pretty cool thing to have but I don’t think it will be released on DVD. Whenever I hear of this venue, I think about Cheap Trick’s Live at Budokan, and the history of the venue. Have you have played a venue where its history has given you a special moment? Yeah, it wasn’t a You Am I show but I got to play with The Pictures at Festival Hall in Melbourne, that was a definite moment. Growing up with video of the Beatles playing there, standing on the same spot that John (Lennon) himself stood on, that was a definite “fuck me, I’m standing here” moment. And also with Festival Hall it’s not just the Beatles, it’s Dylan in ‘66, The Who and The Small Faces in ‘68, Pink Floyd and Neil Young. You spent most of 2007 over in the US touring, something the band has done a number of times. Are these extended trips away from home still enjoyable adventures? Yeah, most definitely. Maybe when I am a little older I probably won’t have the stamina for it but as long as I can do it I will always jump at the opportunity. It’s always an amazing experience. Even though we love touring around Australia and doing the drive up from Sydney to Coffs Harbour, there’s always something new to be garnered from driving around the States. It’s really an exciting thing to do. On a side note, what the future plans are for The Pictures? We’ve had a record finished for about a year and we’ve found someone to put it out, but it was a little frustrating. We had a finished recording and we were going around to everybody saying, “We’ve done all the hard work, we’ve got the record done, please can someone put it out?” But we’ve found someone to release it. It was meant to be late October but with You Am I touring it got a little bit difficult so I think it will be sometime in January. Straight after the You Am I tour we will probably be doing a couple of weeks of shows. You Am I will be playing the Cambridge Hotel November 15. DIlettantes is available through EMI.

edition 028 - Nov 08 - 15

“I grew up on the beach, so going to Australia for me was always a dream.”

AT THE STATIO THIS MONTH....

Mov 5 wed front bar free 9pm

Captain Cleanoff, Grannyfist, Shitfight Mov 9 sun font bar free 8pm

Olly and Sophie, Adam (Anahata) Mov 12 Wed front bar 9.30 pm free

Jet Set Ready, Judged by You Mov 14 Fri Backroom $$$$ 10pm

Strugglerz, Judged By You, Cleanbreak, Exite Bike Mov 16 Sun Front Bar Free 8pm

Organik, Great Toad & the Chameleon Circus Mov 19 Wed Front Bar free 9.30pm

Birmingham Rollers, Hot Girls, Corporate Smack

LAGGING

Mov 21 Fri Backroom $$$$$$ 9pm

Like Alaska Album Launch Mov 23 Sun Front Bar free 8pm

Nick Saxon, Danny Byrne, Daniel Hughes

THE CHA IN!

Mov 26 Wed Front Bar free 9.30 pm

Against, No Love Lost, Onslaught Mov 30 Sun front bar free

Olly and Sophie

Coming Soon

December : Dragstrippers

and Big Deal (Gernany) Newcastle’s Best Karaoke thur & sat 9.30

Coopers rock trivia Sunday from 7.30 Guitar hero Every Monday

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The first attempt at interviewing Joey Cape, vocalist for Lagwagon lasted less than two minutes. Cape was stuck in traffic with a flat battery, waiting for a tow truck. The second time around proved more successful, when Cape’s battery was replaced. Nathaniel Try talks to Cape about Australia the Santa Barbaran punk band’s 20th Anniversary next year. Tell me about the meaning behind the EP title, I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon. It’s a direct quote, just something that we’ve heard a lot of times from people at shows. I guess because we’ve been around for quite a while now, not many people have been fans since the beginning. Lagwagon come to Australia fairly regularly. What memories do you have of your past trips here? It’s a really positive scene and a beautiful place to go. I grew up on the beach, so going to Australia for me was always a dream. It’s an amazing place for someone like myself to travel to. We have great friends there and it’s always a good time.

I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon is the ﬁrst EP you guys have ever released. Was the decision not to release a full length a result of the decrease in album sales world wide? Yes, I guess so. I didn’t want to record a full length at all. I was set on releasing a couple of songs more frequently and giving them away. The rest of the band wanted to do another full length, so an EP was a

compromise. It seems almost pointless to do records these days because music is so readily available over the internet. You also play in Me First & The Gimme Gimmes. How do you divide your time between the bands and your home life? I actually play in five bands! It’s pretty difficult, but I do my best to juggle the time between whatever is happening at the time. It’s not as hard as it would seem. I actually finished a solo release about a year ago. It served as a demo for the Lagwagon record. It’s already been released in USA and Europe. But, unfortunately I don’t have a label for it in Australia yet. What differences do you notice today when touring the world, compared to when Lagwagon first started out? It’s one of the only constants. I feel like touring hasn’t really changed much. We’ve always had a similar draw everywhere we go. The shows are the one thing that you can always count on feeling familiar. Next year is Lagwagon’s 20th Anniversary, so we’ve got to work out a good way to celebrate it! Who in the band has the most annoying habit to deal with whilst on tour? Most of it, you get used to and things don’t bother you much anymore. We’ve been a family for so long, you just put up with it all. Dirty socks and snoring are the only real annoying things, which don’t bother me that much anyway. I guess we’ve got a good bunch of guys to tour with! We all love each other, so it’s all good. Catch Lagwagon at Newcastle Uni’s Bar On The Hill, Saturday November 22, 2008. The show is 18+. For more information: www. myspace.com/lagwagon

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

www.handsometours.com “Pure Genius” ROLLING STONE

Adam Green’s ‘Sixes & Sevens’ out now on Rough Trade/ Remote Control

MON 5 JAN OXFORD ART FACTORY

ADAM GREEN

TICKETS ON SALE OCT 17 FROM WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU, 1300 GET TIX (438 849), ON YOUR MOBILE VIA WWW.MOSHTIX. MOBI & ALL MOSHTIX OUTLETS

AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2008

Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX (438 849), www.mostix.mobi, and all moshtix outlets. Man Man’s “Rabbit Habbits” out now on Anti / Shock

TUE 16 DEC OXFORD ART FACTORY Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX (438 849), on your mobile via www.mostix.mobi, and all moshtix outlets

FLEET FLEETFOXES FOXESALBUM ALBUMOUT OUTNOW NOW ON SUB POP / STOMP ON SUB POP / STOMP

‘YOUTH NOVELS’ OUT NOW THROUGH LL/WARNER MUSIC

S E FA LL S IN T! G

SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER OXFORD ART FACTORY

“...ONE OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED POP ALBUMS OF 2008. 4 STARS” ZAN ROWE / JMAG

the

MountaiN goats ST

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FRI DEC 5 MANNING BAR SYDNEY TICKETS FROM WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU, 1300 GET TIX (438 849), WWW.MOSHTIX.MOBI & ALL MOSHTIX OUTLETS

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the mountain goats ‘heretic pride’ out now on remote control records www.mountain-goats.com

“I’ll Kill Her” (as featured on triple j)

SOKO

THE DATSUNS NEW ALBUM HEADSTUNTS OUT OCT 18 ON SPEAK ‘N SPELL

MON 29 DEC OXFORD ART FACTORY

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Emi liana Torrini Australian Tour / November 2008

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Monday November 17 Metro Theatre

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Tickets from Metro theatre (02) 9550 3666, www.metrotheatre.com.au or at the venue / 624 George Street, Sydney

SATU R DAY

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THE DATSUNS BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES

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USA

DEAD FARMERS

AUSTRALIA 2008

10 JAN UAR Y - TH E AN NAN DALE

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Emiliana Torrini ‘Me & Armini’ album out now through Remote Control

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY SOLD OUT

FRIDAY 12TH DECEMBER MANNING BAR Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 Get Tix (438 849), www.moshtix.mobi & all Moshtix outlets.

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SATELLITES BEAMING HOME The Satellite Nation are coming home. Having relocated to Canada from the Central Coast over a year ago, the boys have travelled the wide spaces of the US and won the hearts of the Canadians. Now they’re returning to Australia to celebrate the release of their new selftitled EP. Kevin Bull chatted to Adam Byrne and Grant Matzen while they sat overlooking Venice Beach. You must be looking forward to coming home? Grant : Yeah, pretty excited. It’s been a while since we’ve been there. It’s a good time to get back [to Australia] and enjoy some warm weather and rock out a little bit. Well I will make you all envious. I’m sitting on my verandah, there’s crystal blue skies and it must be 29 degrees. So that’s what you’re coming home to. Grant : Yeah, sounds nice but then again I am here in Venice Beach with leather pants on and no t-shirt. So the move back to Australia, is this a permanent move for the time being? Grant : Quite unsure. It’s one of those things where we’re going to head back and see how it goes. We’ve got tentative plans to go everywhere and keep the ball rolling. After being away from home it’s going to be good to get back there and lock in for a little while, and really push the release and do as much as we can, but at the same time we do want to keep pushing it internationally and do what we can in other counties. It is possible to really do that from Australia? To push something really hard internationally? Grant : I think it’s possible, you’ve just got to have the resources outside the country to help with it. Our manager is based out of LA, and with us being in Australia, you have two continents covered at the same time so you can push in two different places at once. It gives us a chance to bounce between two places and play to totally different audiences. Having lived in Canada for the past 12 months, did you notice much difference working within the Canadian and US industry when you compared it to Australia? Grant : I don’t think there is a huge difference. The crowds over here [in the States and Canada]. They’ll go with you the whole way and they will come to every show.

For an Australian band contemplating doing what you have just done, what advice would you give them? Adam : Just to prepare themselves for some big changes in their lives. There are lots of sacrifices, friends and family, money. It’s made us, as five people, better musicians and better people - stronger as a collective. What you can do in a year overseas, it would take you years to do from Australia. You’ve thrown yourself in the deep end really, it’s an unknown territory, not just in music but in life. When people go travelling, they learn about themselves. I would encourage any band to go out and do it. What are some of the highlights from your trip away? Adam : Just to see us going to Canada, being no ones and playing to five people, and then last week, the last bunch of shows we play were sold out shows, like full rooms. To see that is pretty overwhelming. To see what is coming out of us as musicians, to see how much the four guys around me have progressed as songwriters and musicians.

“I’ll give you a carton of beer if you hand me over the recordings.” Also to play shows in New York, LA and Toronto. It’s just a pretty incredible experience. It’s just cool to actually do it and get over to another country and play shows. It’s something that not a lot of other bands get to do. I remember the ﬁrst time I met you guys. It was probably in the radio station about six years ago here on the Central Coast. I’ve still got a drum skin that you signed for me that day, and I still have the recordings too. Adam : I must have been 16 when we did that. I know. It’s such a long time ago and here we are talking to each other from the other side of the world, and you’ve just spent a year playing New York and LA. I suppose as young kids you would have never dreamed that this could have happened, so congratulations. And when you come home, I’ll bring the recordings from seven years ago and you can have a listen. Adam : Can you actually bury them? I’ll give you a carton of beer if you hand me over the recordings.

Do you feel that you have achieved everything you had planed from the overseas move? Grant : I guess we had goals. We went over there not expecting anything, and what we have achieved over the last year and a half is pretty overwhelming. We did it as it came, the five of us, our manager and the friends that we have met over here, the support has just been incredible. The answer to your question is yes, we’ve achieved that and more. Have you been able to keep in touch with the Australian music scene while overseas? Grant : I guess it’s just been friend’s bands, keeping in touch and them telling us what they’re been doing and how they’re going. We kind of got away from the scene and concentrated on where we were and where we’ve been for the past year and a half. It’s a good thing. Sometimes bands get too involved in the place they’re in, and that’s why we went overseas. It was time for us as a band to go to a different place. I haven’t really kept up with the Australian music scene. It’s definitely helped us in a way. I don’t know if we’re going to get back there and all these bands in Australia have gotten immensely awesome live and I do not know what the standard is going to be like. Especially the up and coming bands. It felt like a couple of years ago when we were back there that the up and coming bands were really talented. I think the talent in Australia is a lot stranger than what it is in Northern America. There is definitely a big movement in Canada, like Montreal and Toronto. You’ve got your Arcade Fires and the whole Broken Social Scene and Feist. It’s just crazy the talent coming out of that side of Canada. When we went to NXNE in Toronto, there were unknown bands that we were in awe of. I just found out today that a band that I really like from Newcastle are going to be in New York when we’re there, The Seabellies. And another band from Newcastle called the Firekites. Newcastle is definitely breaking with music. It’s so great to see The Seabellies are going to be over there. I saw them a couple of years ago and as soon as I saw them I knew that they were a band that will do things. Catch The Satellite Nation at the Queens Wharf Brewery Thursday 27 November, Candy’s Apartment, Sydney Friday 28, and at the Chilli Lounge Wyong Saturday 29 for an AA arvo show and an 18+ in the evening. The new self-titled EP is available through FireWire Music Company / MGM.

Photo by Christopher Lynch (Instilled Images)

Y P O C CUT ! P U G N I N A E L are C

bite our tongues a little bit. Cut Copy are a part of the Modular stable, and that record label has had such a huge influence on Australian culture. What’s it like being a part of that? Definitely. It’s interesting. We signed with Modular before things really took off. Initially, there were a lot of bands on the label that didn’t necessarily relate to each other. The Presets signed a little bit after and they started to emerge both nationally and internationally with their electronic music. It’s interesting to be a part of it, but when we first signed it wasn’t that way at all. You guys are touring the USA at the moment with The Presets – do Cut Copy have many fans in America? Yeah, totally. We’ve toured over here a bunch of times. We’ve had our biggest crowds in New York and LA. Three quarters of the shows on this tour are sold out, so there’s been a good response. We have The Presets with us too.

Cut Copy singer Dan Whitford spoke to Reverb about their upcoming time2rock show and why he’s excited about playing the Big Day Out! You guys are performing in Newcastle as a part of the time2rock initiative, where people can see you perform if they help to clean up the planet for two hours. Can this approach to environmentalism work? I’m not sure – I guess we’ll ﬁnd out. I think it’s deﬁnitely a great idea. If it works, that would be amazing. You can clean up the

planet and see some live music. You’ve also been announced as a part of the Big Day Out – is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to touring with? Deﬁnitely TV On The Radio – we toured with them back when we ﬁrst supported Franz Ferdinand in the States. They’ve recorded a couple of records since then, so it

will be interesting to see how that all sounds live. Will be great to hang out with them again. Did you have to keep your inclusion on the Big Day Out roster a secret for a long while? It’s been on the cards for a long time, but was only conﬁrmed about a month before the announcement. Yeah, we had to

Is Cut Copy keen to record another album? Deﬁnitely. We’ve been thinking about it since we brought out our most recent record, In Ghost Colours. I think we’ll do some touring throughout Europe, then head back to Australia, then head back over to the States in early 2009 and then look at recording a new album. Have you thought much about what your new album might sound like? A little bit. We’re very inspired by 70s pop stuff and psychedelia. But we still like disco and dance music. We have some themes

and ideas in our heads that will become the starting point for the next record. Bands like Cut Copy have really led the way for the popularity of Australian electro-pop. But do you focus a lot on having your own, recognisable sound? We don’t really write thinking about whether we sound like other bands. Our writing is much more of a personal thing and we look at what we’re inspired by and interested in. I don’t think we could engineer something that stands out. When recording an album do you give a lot of thought to how the songs will translate to the stage? We don’t give too much thought to how we will perform the songs, because I think you can start pulling back your ideas a little bit. You might not use an instrument in the studio because you won’t be able to use it on stage. We don’t mind layering things and keeping an open mind. Usually in the live show you’ll look to push things in a different direction. Cut Copy’s music is very euphoric. Where does that come from? I think it’s just something we appreciate in other people’s music and it inspires us. We deﬁnitely aim for the music to have an overwhelming euphoric feeling. Don’t miss Cut Copy when they perform at Newcastle Panthers on November 21 as a part of the time2rock initiative. Read below for all details on how you can get tickets! They will also be performing at the Big Day Out, Sydney, on January 23, 2009.

REVERB THINKS IT’S... ...TIME2ROCK! Want to receive FREE tickets to the biggest party of the year? CUT COPY will be performing at Newcastle Panthers on November 21, 2008, and will be joined by END OF FASHION, KATO, CASSETTE KIDS, MODERN JOY and MODULAR DJs.

The ONLY WAY to get tickets is to donate TWO HOURS of your time to cleaning up the planet. Reverb is holding a cleanup event (in conjunction with the Time2rock initiative) at Speers Point Park, Speers Point, on Saturday November 8, 2008, from 10am-2pm. See you there, kids! WANT TO WIN A SONY ERICSSON MOBILE PHONE...? Time2rock is a partnership between Clean Up Australia and Sony Ericsson. Those lovely people at Sony have given us six Walkman W200i mobile phones to giveaway (pictured right). To win, all you have to do is mail us a story about some satisfying volunteer work you’ve done, with proof of the volunteer work (ie photocopy of certiﬁcate). Send it to Reverb Magazine, PO Box 707, Newcastle, NSW, 2300. Good luck! info@reverbstreetpress.com - 02 4929 4739

edition 028 - Nov 08 - 19

Entering A Dream-like State Empire Of The Sun is the collaborative project of Pnau’s Nick Littlemore and The Sleepy Jackson’s Luke Steele. Steele. A hybrid of Steele’s melodic pop sensibilities and Littlemore’s adoration for euphoric and organic electronica, their album Walking On A Dream is truly moving experience. The duo spoke to Nick Milligan.

’m standing in the corridor of a ﬁve star hotel that looks over Sydney’s Circular Quay. Across from me is the room where Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore are conducting interviews. When I’m led into their temporary quarters by a publicist, Steele and Littlemore are already very comfortable. I’m their last journalist for the day. To my left is a rather empty looking mini-bar, which explains the empty spirit bottles that lie sporadically across the carpet. Steele, dressed in black, sits in a high-back chair. Next to him is a small glass coffee table, with a well used ashtray. Littlemore sits by the broad hotel room windows as Sydney harbour stretches out beyond him. When it comes to using words in interviews, few artists are as intensely economic as Luke Steele, the mastermind behind Perth’s The Sleepy Jackson. Littlemore on the other hand, whose work as one half of electro-duo Pnau has re-exploded in the past 18 months, is far more talkative. In the ensuing interview, Steele and Littlemore practically ﬁnish each other’s sentences. Two minds thinking as one. Ying and yang. Kindred spirits. Their excitement regarding their collaboration Empire Of The Sun is tangible, and I realise that it’s time to turn on my tape recorder. NM: What do you look for in someone that you want to work with?

NL: Anything we don’t see in ourselves. LS: Good answer... [We look for] something fresh as well. NL: It’s great to work with someone that scares the fucking shit out of you. It’s great to be in a room where you’re really scared of the other person and to test yourself. A lot of bands keep churning out the same records because they get so comfortable. LS: And they’re all polite to each other – art will suffer for politeness. NL: It’s a real injustice. At the end of the day, the listener wants to hear something that’s brave and on the edge. NM: Have you actively seeked people to work with or do you stumble across people? LS: Each of us only have a handful – maybe two or three other dudes that we like to work with. It’s pretty hard to ﬁnd that chemistry, where it’s not about ego or how famous you are. A collaboration is working together. NL: [Luke and I] met in 2000 and we knew instantly that we loved what the other one did. So much in life is about timing, and [this project] just worked out brilliantly. It was so right. Each shoulder was ready for the other person to lean on and really propel forward. Like Luke said, there wasn’t any

ego. We really wanted the best out of each other. We didn’t want to ‘look better’ than the other person, or any of that shit. Luke is clearly the star— LS: Takes one to know one... NL: To be able to collaborate with someone on a daily basis is a dream come true. NM: Did you have a discussion about how you wanted Empire Of The Sun to sound? LS: We had this big talk where we decided there was a deficiency in the scene and we thought we could fill that – big songs and a lot bigger message. That’s when we decided to make the greatest record ever. We wanted to make something magical and we set the bar so high – we started out how we were meant to finish off. That’s always the best motto for any artist. NL: It actually came true. We believed in the dream together, so it became so much more real than it could have been. LS: We didn’t have much time, because I live in Perth and Nick lives in London. Sometimes we were only in the same town for a day, so it wasn’t about catching up and getting drunk, it was about catching up and finishing a whole song. It was a very serious project.

NL: We put our feelings aside – fuck friendship and all the other stuff. We’re here to change things for the better – for the world. We don’t worry about all that other shit. We might not see each other for a really long time, so when we did come together it was everything or nothing.

is. His family is so important in propelling him forward, and my family are the same – they remind us that we’ll be doing this the rest of our lives and that we are never going to have a (normal) job. NM: What is the process like? LS: Electric.

“We had this big talk where we decided there was a deficiency in the scene... that’s when we decided to make the greatest record ever.” - Luke Steele I think we’ve always had that understanding of art - in every sense. Everything else can come and go and pass you by, but if you make something great it will be around forever. You can hopefully touch people thousands and thousands of years from now, who can still find [your music] relevant and connect with it – it can bring them out of a bad or sad place to somewhere hopeful. NM: How many meetings did it take to finish the record? NL: There was probably about 14 meetings. There was a stage where I came over to Western Australia to stay with Luke’s family. That was a huge moment for me – meeting Luke’s family. So much more made sense about him and why he’s the artist he

NL: So fast – faster than with anyone else. So fast that your hand hurts from writing. Everything’s gotta be concise and make sense. It’s delivered like a sermon, but in two minutes. You’ve got to connect with someone in four seconds – in one line, in one breath you have to say everything. It’s like meeting someone, making love and having children – having ten generations in a single look or a glimpse. NM: How did you two meet? LS: I was just about to sign to the company (EMI) and I heard Nick’s production – Pnau stuff. I felt that I needed to collaborate with guys that were better than me. They say that if you want to get better than you have to work with people that challenge you.

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

021 “In one breath you have to say everything. It’s like meeting someone, making love and having children – having ten generations in a single look or a glimpse.” - Nick Littlemore NL: Not that I was ever better than Luke. The moment I saw him – at that time he was carrying around a suitcase – that was his thing in those days— LS: A briefcase. NL: He was just instantly a fucking artist. The next day we made a tune. I don’t think we’ve ever really looked back. Our careers have gone to other places, but there’s always an understanding – I think it’s the same when you fall in love. You know whether or not you’re going to be with them then or whether it’s going to happen through time. We were lucky that some eight years later, the timing was good to us and we could really make it happen. NM: What will you take away from working with each other on this record? LS: Keep setting the standard higher and higher. NL: Try harder. Don’t rest until [your music] is better than you could ever do. What’s the point of doing something if it’s been done before?

NM: Did anything about the album take you by surprise? LS: It wasn’t one of those records, really. It was so pure. NL: And clear. We will make 100 records and these are ten great songs, but with Luke, there is a well that’s never ending. It’s almost like it goes to China. Luke hears melody unlike anyone else. It’s inﬁnite. That’s so inspirational. To be able to work with him, let alone continue to work with him – and not only on the musical side, but also the artistic and visual side – you will never get something better than that, and a lot of people won’t. I think The Beatles had that from the beginning, but it’s so rare. NM: Was writing together a very different headspace compared to writing on your own? LS: It was surrendering and relaxing for me, because Nick wrote a lot of the lyrics – Shakespeare over here. It was just a case of me composing the melodies, which is probably my strongest trait in music. For me,

it was a lot less work than what I have to do on my own records, which is great. You can put the trust in someone to come up with something that spoke to the melody and vice versa. NL: It’s like a brotherhood. LS: Yeah, it really is – and you respect the fact that they’ve written it. NL: Normally when you work with someone there’s all this competitive bullshit. But with us we’re actually one person trying to make something better. We’re only ever trying to compliment the other person and move forward. We’re always trying to better ourselves because the most important thing is that we come out with a great product. It’s just like any pairing of artists – like Gilbert & George would, or Basquiat and Warhol. They’d work together and forget all the bullshit. They’d come naked to a project and make something. ‘Surrender’ is a great word. LS: Yeah, it’s been a big word for this whole record. NL: We surrendered to each other – and more than that, this project is ‘bigger’ than us. It’s bigger than the sum of the parts. NM: What’s it like writing lyrics for another vocalist? NL: Luke will say a lot of prophetic things anyway. He is like a prophet. My note books are ﬁlled with things he’s said.

fine food with a musical mood

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Saturday, 1 November 2008 Daryl Braithwaite - $112.50 Sunday, 2 November 2008 Daryl Braithwaite - $112.50 Wednesday 5 November 2008

REVERB presents Live & Local - $12.50

Thursday, 6 November 2008 Paul Greene w/ Mike McCarthy - $20 Friday, 7 November 2008 Dragon - $99.50 Sunday, 9 November 2008 Bec Willis- $12.50 Wednesday, 12 November 2008

REVERB presents Live & Local - $12.50

Thursday, 13 November 2008

Slava + Leonard Grigiryan, Joseph + James Tawadros - $42.50

Friday, 14 November 2008 Austin Tayshus - $67 Saturday, 15 November 2008 Black Sorrows - $99.50 Sunday, 16 November 2008 Black Sorrows - $99.50 Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Mikaela Marmalade Prout and her Jazz Quartet - $12.50

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Laura Jean + Jen Cloher - $20

Friday, 21 November 2008 Rocwater - $57 Sunday, 23 November 2008

Izzy (Israel Cannon) - $16 Wednesday, 26 November 2008

REVERB presents Live & Local - $12.50

Thursday, 27 November 2008 Damien Leith - $99.50 Friday, 28 November 2008 Vince Jones - $90 Sunday, 30 November 2008

Gina Jeﬀreys + Amber Lawrence - $80

Phone: 02 4368 2017

Lot 3 Avoca Drive Kincumber NSW 2251

www.lizottes.com.au

Even the other day when we were in Shanghai and he would sprout these words of wisdom... (rummages through his bag to ﬁnd his note book) I’ll read a couple of them. ‘The tongue is an enlightening or devouring sword.’ ‘Always be kind to a stranger because you may be entertaining an angel.’ ‘The word is colossal.’ It was a matter of taking these quite prophetic, biblical ideas and transcending that, and making something that is both humanist and worldly. It can be intensely personal about relationships and friendships, but you can also make it global. We want it to connect with anyone, not just people our age, or in similar situations or the Western world. NM: Are there any thematic threads? NL: I think ‘hope’ and ‘faith’. ‘Majesty’ and ‘tragedy’. I think

‘surrender’ is the word of the project. But you just give yourself over and something from beyond will just channel through us. A lot of the lyrics are really improvised. They just shoot out of you and you don’t know where they’re coming from. LS: Yeah, something supernatural and otherworldly was happening. A rhythm or a chord progression would be made, and you’d be speaking in tongues, singing the melody. The lyrics would just climb out of the melody and on to the page. Empire Of The Sun is available now through EMI. Pnau play the Queen’s Wharf Brewery on NYE.

cd reviews

022 CHARGE GROUP

FEATURE ALBUMS

SECRET MACHINES

Secret Machines

Escaping Mankind Remote Control 3.5/5

The music of Sydney’s Charge Group is in some ways quite minimalist, yet is rich in sound and production. Using violin, guitars and soft drum effects, Escaping Mankind is a melting pot of shifting dynamics. Songs like ‘Partial Glowing’ are gentle and lulling folk instrumentals, while ‘Speakeasy Death Song’ drifts in a dreamlike state, keeping its lofty pace for over eight minutes, ﬂoating along with guitar effects that mimic bird noises. This album is an often beautiful opus, but be warned full concentration is required. Noah Cross

Co-Op/Shock

4/5 For a three-piece from Dallas, Texas (via New York), The Secret Machines pack an almight punch. This third full length album is what we’ve come to expect from singer Brandon Curtis and his two band mates - explosions of psychedelia, droning progrock, spacey production and collossal arrangements. There are Brit-pop inﬂuences, from the resounding 90s sound of ‘Now You’re Gone’ to sporadic echoes of Ian Brown’s early solo work. ‘The Walls Are Starting To Crack’ falls somewhere between Radiohead and Interpol (the band tours with Interpol’s live keyboardist). Despite the inﬂuences, this album is too gripping to deny repeated plays. Nick Milligan

OKKERVIL RIVER The Stand-Ins Spunk/EMI 4/5

This is the second half of the planned double album, which started with the previous record The Stage Names. Okkervil River create engaging indie-pop and Will Sheff’s voice is hugely versatile. He belts out alt-country on ‘Singer Songwriter’ and then uses a warmer approach on tracks like ‘Starry Stairs’. Fans of anyone from Elvis Costello, Conor Oberst or even Jonathan Richman will ﬁnd something to love in the music of this Texan six-piece. It’s a beautifully crafted album. Noah Cross

OASIS

Dig Out Your Soul SonyBMG 3.5/5

CALEXICO Carried To Dust Spunk/EMI 4/5

For many of us, Calexico were a discovery via their collaborations with Iron & Wine. Indeed, there are similarities with Sam Beam’s music, though Calexico explore even more rustic traditions. Carried To Dust is hugely accessible Southern folk, and will no doubt appeal to fans of everyone from Conor Oberst to Gomez, Gram Parsons, Ryan Adams and Bob Dylan. ‘Man Made Lake’ creates dark atmospherics through sparse acoustics that roll beneath wailing guitar distortion. It’s brooding and captivating. There are also distinct Spanish ﬂourishes on this sixth studio album from the Arizona-based group. Brass and Spanish lyrics on ‘Inspiración’ as well as the opening track. Never before has dust settled so beautifully. Nick Milligan

New Oasis album that sounds exactly as you would expect. May as well just listen to Morning Glory and get them at their peak. Right? Well, sort of. The ﬁrst half of Dig Your Own Soul is possibly the best music they have produced for the past decade. First single ‘Shock of the Lightning’ drives along with urgency, ‘Bag It Up’ is a classy bluesy swagger, and ‘Waiting for the Rapture’ thunders with a relentless thump. It’s just a shame it all turns pear-shaped about half way through. We just need the Gallagher brothers to write a whole album themselves rather than give Gem Archer and Andy Bell some royalties. Kevin Bull

Watch Me Disappear SonyBMG 3.5/5

Augie March open their album with the decidedly rocky title track, which uses thumping drums and jangling guitar to take the audience by surprise. Glenn Richards’ distinctively slick voice is used to wonderful effect. The rest of the album returns to far more familiar territory, with ‘Pennywhistle’ using sunny, uplifting melodies to engage the listener. Watch Me Disappear follows on the relatively large success of its predecessor, and seems far more direct than earlier Augie March albums. Richards has written some quality pop songs, but they don’t seem to reach into your soul as much as lauded tracks like ‘There Is No Such Place’. Solid, but not astonishing. Noah Cross

METALLICA Death Magnetic Universal 4/5

Metallica could produce the worst rock album in living memory and still manage to shift a million units. So there’s no real pressure, yeah? Luckily these four old blokes are still taking themselves very seriously. Death Magnetic feels like a band that are sincerely looking for fresh approaches and arrangements. There’s a lot of slick self-indulgence too - Ulrich and Hammett show-off throughout - but this only goes to conﬁrm that Metallica aren’t resting on their laurels. Tracks like ‘Cyanide’ revisit the sublime monstrosity of their earliest work, but update it for a modern audience. It really works... what a relief! Noah Cross.

RISE AGAINST Appeal To Reason

Spunk/EMI

4/5 Coping with the pressure that followed their 2006 The Sufferer and the Witness chart breakthough appears to have weighed heavy on Rise Against. Though the issue gets mentioned numerous times during Appeal To Reason, they better get used to it ‘cause the new release is going to do big business. Massive crunching songs with hooks all over the place, and choruses that will get the ﬁsts punching into the air. It’s the perfect mix of punk attitude and mainstream polish. It’s not that they are pop in sound, they are just well crafted songs. Take the noise away and they would still stand tall. Kevin Bull

THE FAUVES

RODNEY CROWELL

Shock 3.5/5

Shock 4/5

When Good Times Go Good

The Fauves began in 1988, and marking their 20th anniversary they have released an album of beautiful, cruisy pop-rock tunes. Album number nine, produced by Jim Moginie from Midnight Oil and expertly recorded by Wayne Connolly, contains all the pop hooks one will ever need. The standouts include the incredibly catchy ‘Underwhelmed’ and the powerful ballad ‘Out On Your Own’. Check it out. Support Australian music.

Miles Thomas

AUGIE MARCH

Sex and Gasoline

If your parents are into country music, then it’s likely you’ve heard of Rodney Crowell. He’s a legend in the American country music scene and was married to Roseanne Cash. In a career spanning 30 years and 14 albums, he has always walked the line between the alternative and mainstream scenes. Sex and Gasoline is a dark, acoustic-based work, that draws on folk nuances rather than country. Often writing from a female perspective, Crowell is engagingly introspective. Lyrically poetic, sometimes political and always beautiful, this release is indicative of a man whose pausing to reﬂect and reaccess. Nick Milligan

AC/DC Black Ice SonyBMG 4.5/5

Oh AC/DC, where have you been for the past eight years? I am so pleased to say that Black Ice is a great release. Sure, it sounds exactly like you would expect. All the AC/DC signatures are there and it sounds as fresh as a daisy. For me, the lead single ‘Rock N Roll Train’ is one of the weaker tracks - it’s a bit too generic - but when they push themselves on songs like ‘War Machine’, ‘Decibel’ and the biting slide guitar of ‘Stormy May Day’, you can tell that this is no throwaway record. The greatest hard rock band in the world are back to stake their claim. Now all we need is the tour. Kevin Bull

TAME IMPALA

Antares, Mira, Sun Modular 3/5 Tame Impala have emerged from the suburbs of Perth with a sunny, psychedelic sound. It echoes of Cream’s most eccentric moments, with splashes of everyone from Russell Morris, Tamam Shud and Wolf & Cub. While there’s no doubt that Tame Impala are psychedelia devotees and have turned the glorious nuances of the style into ﬁve sweeping songs, the melodies don’t engage the listener nearly as much as they should. Opener ‘Desire Be Desire Go’ certainly wets the appetite, but the four tracks to follow feel a little undercooked. An impressive debut EP, nonetheless. Noah Cross

RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS Cardinology Universal 4/5

Though he won’t admit it, Ryan Adams is quite a proliﬁc songwriter. Cardinology is his tenth LP, and it’s a dreamy, acoustic-based record. It’s rife with Adams’ trademark harmonies and jagged guitar hooks. The overarching sound of the album is a little generic by Adams’ monumentally high standards, but his penchant for unwavering self-indulgence is what makes him one of true geniues of the modern era. ‘Go Easy’ and ‘Fix It’ are instant Cardinals classics. ‘Magick’ provides a moment of slick, gasoline rock. Cardinology feels like it was written and recorded in a single night, and the moments of beauty feel like the longing that surfaces in a half awake state. Another timeless album. Nick Milligan

SALMONELLA DUB

Feel The Seasons Change Virgin 4/5 This live recording featuring the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is something to whack on one sunny morning and kick back. A winning combination that blends the chilled sounds of Salmonella Dub with the lush sound of the NZSO. These collaborations with orchestras are fraught with danger of the uh… ‘cheese’ factor, I am happy to say that Feel The Seasons Change is free of this. It is great to see musicians pushing their music into new areas. Miles Thomas

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

023

cd reviews ALBUM OF THE MONTH

BLITZEN TRAPPER Furr

Stomp/Sub Pop 4.5/5 in the woods to convey the recklessness of youth. The protagonist ventures into the forest as a seventeen year-old, finds brotherhood amongst wild dogs and indeed grows ‘Furr’. After roaming the wilderness, he returns to human form. It’s a classic song, that touches on the effects of organised religion. “So from the cliffs and highest hill/we would gladly get our fill/howling endlessly and shrilly at the dawn/And I lost the taste for judging right from wrong/ For my flesh had turned to fur/And my thoughts, they surely were turned to instinct and obedience to God.”

This fourth album from the Portland-based six-piece Blitzen Trapper, is further conﬁrmation that Sub Pop have released the most stunning albums of the past ten years. With a roster that includes The Shins, Band Of Horses, Iron and Wine, and Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper are in appropriate company. Furr is a much more cohesive effort compared to the previous Wild Mountain Nation, but that’s not really saying a whole lot. There are still shifts between Britpop, folk and Americana. The common threads are irresistable melodies and joyous harmonies.

Furr is an album that keeps giving after repeated listens. The songs that don’t hit you the ﬁrst time, quickly sneak up behind you. Most of the instrumentation revolves

The title track feels like singer Eric Earley’s subtle tribute to Bob Dylan (mostly his vocal delivery) and uses the metaphor of a wolf pack

around jaunty piano, fuzzy electric or acoustic guitars - even electronic nuances occasionally jump from the mix. While the upbeat, pop ditties will get stuck in your head, it’s ultimately the darker folk that lingers the longest. ‘Black River Killer’ is a murder ballad in the vein of Nick Cave. ‘Not Your Lover’ is a longing piano lament that’s straight from Neil Young’s scrapbook. ‘Love U’ is a crashing wall of noise, that rises and fades in swirls of echoes and Crosby, Nash harmonies. From other bands it would seem out of place, but ultimately this is what Blitzen Trapper are all about - they’re a pop band and they’re going to do whatever they want. Nick Milligan

DR. DOG Fate

Dew-Process

3/5

This Philadelphia ﬁve-piece gained widespread attention when My Morning Jacket chose them as a national American tour support. Their music is sunny, off-kilter pop, and is commonly compared to that of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. ‘Hang On’ has a soul vibe, with honky-tonk piano and slide guitar. Each song sounds like a modern take on the music that emerged from America in the 60s, particuarly folk groups like The Band, but ultimately a lot of these tunes wash over you with very little impact. Dr. Dog are about to arrive in Australia to play alongside Gomez and The Black Keys, but maybe they should pair up with Little Red instead. Noah Cross

NICOLE ATKINS

Neptune City Sony BMG 4.5/5

Neptune City was released last year, but those of you who haven’t heard it yet really need to hunt it down. This is one of those exquisitely crafted albums in which every song is a gem. The lavish orchestration and climactic choruses of songs like ‘The Way It Is’ and ‘War Torn’ recall the splendour of 60s pop arrangements (and Nicole’s fearless vocals are more than up to the task), while tracks like ‘Love Surreal’ have a campy energy reminiscent of the B-52’s. Yet her sound is its own entity, gloriously unique. Hugh Milligan

SIA

DUKES OF WINDSOR

KATE MILLERHEIDKE

Some People Have Real Problems

Universal

Sony BMG

Inertia/Monkey Puzzle

Minus

3.5/5 If it wasn’t for the distinctive and piercing vocals of Jack Weaving, then Dukes Of Windsor might have been lost in the technicolour cloud of indie-electro groups that’s enveloping Australian music. But Minus is an instantly arresting batch of songs. Falling somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Gyroscope, Electric Six or The Presets, Dukes Of Windsor’s sound marries euphoric electronica with stomping space-disco and off-kilter post-pop. ‘Land Of Strangers’ is a drifting ballad - the sort of thing that Moby might dream up. But it’s the call-to-arms anthems like ‘It’s A War’ that typiﬁes the potency of Dukes Of Windsor. Noah Cross

CHILDREN COLLIDE The Long Now Universal 4/5 I have had this on high rotation for the past couple of weeks, and deservedly so. This is an accomplished debut release that is only going to push the band onto bigger stages. It’s brisk, brashy rock and roll with an edginess stemming from English punk. The opening track ‘Across The Earth’ is an electric driver that grabs the listener and takes them along for the ride. Single ‘Social Currency’ is full of hooks. The galloping rhythm, the screaming force of the chorus and the shrill guitar work make it memorable. The punkish simplicity of ‘Seasons Change’ gives it directness that means business. Well worth a listen. Kevin Bull

info@reverbstreetpress.com - 02 4929 4739

Curiouser

4/5 Kate Miller-Heidke’s second album is noticeably stronger than her ﬁrst, as she has dispensed with much of the acoustic folk vibe found in Little Eve (which, despite its emotional honesty, was at times rather stagnant) in favour of a bolder pop sound. Her voice seems far more at home here, as do her eccentric lyrics, which are as heartfelt, silly and relatable as ever. There’s an absurd, frivolous quality to the album, but that is surely what we love about Kate’s music – from start to ﬁnish, it’s catchy and fun. Hugh Milligan

IDA MARIA

Fortress Round My Heart Sony BMG

3.5/5 This album might not have been half so catchy with anyone else fronting it - Ida Maria’s exhuberant energy is the crucial ingredient in her bright and breakneck pop-rock formula. The tracks, while uncomplicated, ﬁre joyously on all cylinders, with the exception of the melancholy ‘Keep Me Warm’ and ‘See Me Through’, which provide a startling change of pace and some much needed balance. Ida shouts and raves with hilarious candour in songs like ‘I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked’, and every racous and repetitive chorus will make you want to shout along as well. This is one that’s bound to get you moving. Hugh Milligan

FEATURE ALBUMS

EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Walking On A Dream EMI 4/5 Aptly titled, this collaboration between Pnau’s Nick Littlemore and The Sleepy Jackson’s Luke Steele drifts in its own cocktail of surreal synthesised harmonies and trippy disco beats. It’s a smooth sound awash with electronic colours, anchored in enormous bass lines and crowned with Luke Steele’s velvety falsetto. Songs like ‘The World’ in particular are blurred and curiously psychedelic, as if you’re hearing the music only half-consciously, while ‘We Are The People’ offers moments of acoustic clarity. Amongst so many distinctly musical tracks, ‘Swordﬁsh Hotkiss Night’ is a curious addition – it plays almost facetiously upon every hip-hop cliché, like a private joke between the duo. Hugh Milligan

4/5 Sia’s voice and her album are both compelling in their multiplicity. She’s amazing when she wails through choruses, raw, soulful, and unashamedly gutsy, but equally so when she sings in cracked whispers through phrases that are almost exhalations. The album is much the same, as beautifully intimate songs like ‘You Have Been Loved’ are balanced against others far quirkier (such as ‘Academia’, where dysfunctional relationships are expressed in mathematical algorithms). Keep listening at the end – the hidden bonus track is one of the best on the album. Hugh Milligan

LENKA Lenka Epic 3.5/5

Lenka’s solo debut is astonishingly innocent. The melodies are pretty and sweet, and in shy powdery tones she sings about life being confusing, people being negative and depressing, her lack of self-conﬁdence and her desire to be rescued. Each track is accompanied by plunkity piano chords and drum beats that often sound like a nursery rhyme or music box. The result is strangely enjoyable, as if Lenka has regressed to a state of childhood whimsy and pulled us along with her. Those with edgier tastes (like fans of her work with Decoder Ring), on the other hand, might ﬁnd the whole package a little too...adorable. Hugh Milligan

BUFFALO

Volcanic Rock Aztec Musics 4.5/5

Sure this was reissued back is 2005 but for any lover of heavy rock, this is an essential listen. Personally my favourite of the ﬁve Buffalo releases, the 1970 Volcanic Rock established the band for dispensing uncompromising heavy psych rock of monumental proportions. It is essentially the ﬁrst stoner rock album ever issued in Australia. The nine minute ‘Freedom’ is the cornerstone. With its slow tempo hypnotic bass riffage and Dave Tice’s demanding voice on top, it is the ultimate heavy rock jam. ‘Til My Death’ has a Pete Well’s riff that is under the skin before you know it. ‘Shylock’ echoes Black Sabbath with its mighty riff that drives it along for six minutes. Love heavy rock, love Buffalo. Kevin Bull

edition 028 - Nov 08 - 23

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Saturday 1 November Cambridge Hotel Euphoric w/ Matrix + Luke Spellbound + Weaver + Matt Russell + Rossco + Krip + Juzzy Chilli Lounge, Wyong Chase The Sun + Bluezone Clarendon Hotel Suburban Electronic Cowboys East Maitland Bowling Club Fictions Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Richard Clapton + Driver8 Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Lois Lane + Tome Fromme + Dirt Track Demon Liberty Youth Centre, Gosford A Nighttime Skyway Lizottes, Kincumber Daryl Braithwaite Maitland Gaol Bitter and Twisted festival Northern Star Hotel Jeff Lang + Motley + Mind Over Matter Prince of Wales Hotel Mark Wells Pulse Nightclub, Gosford Six and Sevens + The Inheritors + Bright Yellow + Omnishow + The Statics

Sunday 2 November Belmore Hotel, Maitland Benjalu Cambridge Hotel Smoke or Fire + Judged By You + Excitebike + Wiseheimer Camp Shortland Fat As Butter w/ Dandy Warhols + Faker + Regurgitator + The Potbelleez + Butterﬁngers + Bag Raiders + Grafton Primary + Ajax + The Seabellies + Beats Working + Tenzin + Gameboy/Gamegirl + Timmy Trumpet Grand Junction Hotel The Rubber Bullet Blues Explosion Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Hermit Love Song Lizottes, Kincumber Daryl Braithwaite + Dexter Moore Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal Peter Healy and the Hurricanes Toukley Golf Club Little Blues Festival w/ Denise de la Force + Julia Starr + Summerland Kings

Tuesday 4 November Prince of Wales Hotel Brooke Harvey + Dean Kyrwood + Cosy Velour

Wednesday 5 November Cambridge Hotel The Havelocks + The Glass Ceiling Hamilton Station Hotel Captain Cleanoff + Grannyﬁst + Shitﬁght Lizottes, Kincumber Paul Eagle and Cody Dillan + Michael Peter and friends + Amy Newton-Banks Northern Star Hotel Pat Capocci

Thursday 6 November Cambridge Hotel The Lost Valentinos Civic Theatre 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards 2008 Lizottes, Kincumber Paul Greene + Mike McCarthy Newcastle Entertainment Centre Def Leppard + Cheap Trick + The Galvatrons Northern Star Hotel Raoul Graf

Friday 7 November Cambridge Hotel Skura + Memorial Drive + Friar Rush Chilli Lounge, Wyong Roger That + Casual Projects + One Jonathan Diggers @ the Entrance Tonks/Green + Sarah Humphreys Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Milestones Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Nick Saxon CD launch Lizottes, Kincumber Dragon Northern Star Hotel Brett O’Malley Prince of Wales Hotel Tyrone Penshorn The Loft A Nighttime Skyway

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Saturday 8 November Cambridge Hotel Dropsaw + Onslaught + Mark My Words + Crosscheck Clarendon Hotel Suburban Electronic Cowboys Enmore Theatre Steve Earle + Alison Moorer Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Sam La More Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Organik + Great Toad and the Chameleon Circus + F.K. Sampler Oasis Youth Centre Confession + Pergamum + A Silent Fiction + Swallow Your Bride Prince of Wales Hotel Ally-B Woodport Inn, Erina Drapht

Sunday 9 November Bank Hotel Glen Terry + Paul Robert Burton Bataeu Bay Hotel Benjalu Civic Theatre Xavier Rudd Grand Junction Hotel, Mailtand Zoe K & the Money Shot Band Hamilton Station Hotel Olly and Sophie + Adam (Anahata) Lizottes, Kincumber Bec Willis Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal Peter Healy and the Hurricanes Wyong RSL Jamie Pearson

Tuesday 11 November Grand Junction Hotel, Mailtand High Horse Northern Star Hotel Mick and Josh

Wednesday 12 November Cambridge Hotel Modern Joy + My Name For Your Name + Realhorrowshow DJs Hamilton Station Hotel Jet Set Ready + Judged by You Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Juke Baritone + Mojo Ju Ju Lizottes, Kincumber Brett O’Malley + Mei Lai Swan + Mike McCarthy Sirens Nightclub, Terrigal The Mounzers

Thursday 13 November Cambridge Hotel Irrelevant + A Silent Fiction + One Vital Word Chilli Lounge, Wyong Behind Crimson Eyes Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Sam Buckingham Lizottes, Kincumber Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, Joseph and James Tawadros Northern Star Hotel Mark Woods

Friday 14 November Cambridge Hotel Veto + Happenstance + Vaudaville + Fictions Hamilton Station Hotel Strugglerz + Judged By You + Cleanbreak + Exite Bike Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Heartbreak Club + Rubix Cuba Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Behind Chrimson Eyes + Angelas Dish + Save The Cheerleader Lass O’Gowrie Hotel The Sunny Mechanics + Mei Lai Swan + Sui Zhen + Kia Puru and the Verg Gordie Malones Lizottes, Kincumber Austin Tayshus Prince of Wales Hotel Adam and Joel Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal A Nighttime Skyway Woodport Inn, Erina Dirty Laundry

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Saturday 15 November Cambridge Hotel You Am I + Leadﬁnger + Tame Impala Chilli Lounge, Wyong Illusion of Despair + Cayce + Mish + Fixation + Outsane Clarendon Hotel Suburban Electronic Cowboys Club Tuggerah No Pressure Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Re-mains Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Tydi + Scott Beker Kincumber Hotel Lianna Rose + Redbird band Lass O’Gowrie Hotel The Belle Curve + Centre Selection + Jack Colwell Lizottes, Kincumber The Black Sorrows + Strum Maitland PCYC A Nighttime Skyway Northern Star Hotel Charge Group + The Understudy Prince of Wales Hotel Peta Evans-Taylor Woodport Inn, Erina British India

Sunday 16 November Cambridge Hotel The Abandonment + A Fallen Theory + Before The Throne + Mary Jane Kelly Chilli Lounge, Wyong Irrelevant + A Silent Fiction Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Slowdowns Hamilton Station Hotel Organik + Great Toad & the Chameleon Circus Lizottes, Kincumber The Black Sorrows + Alanna Cherote Prince of Wales Hotel Blues Bombers Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal Peter Healy and the Hurricanes

Monday 17 November Avoca Beach Theatre Hayden French CD launch + Sarah Humphreys

Wednesday 19 November

Richmond Vale Railway Museum Railway Blues w/ Mojo Juju & The Snake Oil Merchants + Chase The Sun + Ghost Road + Gail Page & Parris Macleod + Glen Terry & Paul Robert Burton + Dan Granero + Dave Anderson + Bluetongue Blues Band

Sunday 23 November Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Pinky Beecroft & the White Russians Hamilton Station Hotel Nick Saxon + Danny Byrne + Daniel Hughes Lizottes, Kincumber Izzy (Israel Cannon) Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal Peter Healy and the Hurricanes

Tuesday 25 November Hordern Pavillion Bloc Party Northern Star Hotel Mick and Josh

Wednesday 26 November Cambridge Hotel The Nighttime Skyway + Adelle Hamilton Station Hotel Against, No Love Lost, Onslaught Lizottes, Kincumber Loren Kate + Jason Lowe Northern Star Hotel Mick Hart Sirens Nightclub, Terrigal The Mounzers

Thursday 27 November Cambridge Hotel Dukes Of Windsor Chilli Lounge, Wyong Muph and Plutonic + The Funkours + DJ Bonez + Tycotic + Defstar Lizottes, Kincumber Damien Leith Newcastle Panthers Shannon Noll Northern Star Hotel Brooke Harvey Queens Wharf Brewery The Satellite Nation + Six and Sevens

Cambridge Hotel Goodnight Nurse + Stealing O’Neal Hamilton Station Hotel Birmingham Rollers + Hot Girls + Corporate Smack Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Daryl Aberheart, Adam Miller and Crimmo Lizottes, Kincumber Mikaela Marmalade Prout Northern Star Hotel Mark Wells

Thursday 20 November Cambridge Hotel War All The Time + Crosscheck + Shitﬁght Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Diesel Lizottes, Kincumber Laura Jean + Jen Cloher

Mammal

Friday 28 November

Dhopec

Friday 21 November Cambridge Hotel The Protectors Croation Club, Wickham Dhopec CD launch + Soul Purpose + Nikkita + Urban Freeﬂow Diggers @ the Entrance Maureen O’Brien Ensemble + Ocea’s Meld Grand Junction Hotel Juke Baritone and the Swamp Dogs Hamilton Station Hotel Like Alaska Album Launch Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Sunpilots + The Pictures Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Sheep Station + Pornskas Lizottes, Kincumber Rocwater Newcastle Panthers Time2Rock w/ Cut Copy + End Of Fashion + Cassette Kids + Modern Joy + Kato + Modular DJ’s Northern Star Hotel Ngariki Electric Band Prince of Wales Hotel Brooke Harvey + Cosy Velour Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal The Porchlight Fiasco Woodport Inn, Erina Nino Brown

Saturday 22 November Belford Sculpture In The Woods Cambridge Hotel Art Is Murder Clarendon Hotel Suburban Electronic Cowboys East Maitland Bowling Club Illusion of Despair Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Steve Hill + Matrix Joe’s Garage, Gosford A Nighttime Skyway Lass O’Gowrie Hotel The Brute Squad + Aleesha Dibb Newcastle Uni Lagwagon + Lungs + Wiseheimer Prince of Wales Hotel Kim and Mik

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Cambridge Hotel Mammal Chilli Lounge, Wyong Dead Letter Circus + Melodyssey + Miramar + Rook Grand Hunction Hotel, Maitland The Pat Capocci Combo Hunter Valley Brewery Boom Crash Opera + Move Trees + Sketching Cato Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Deposits + Limerick + Tom Hudson Lizottes, Kincumber Vince Jones Northern Star Hotel The Basics + The Bawdies Prince of Wales Hotel Troy Kemp Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal The Tenants + The Hannigans + The Penetrators + Batfoot Woodport Inn, Erina Dirty Laundry

Saturday 29 November Cambridge Hotel Antagonist + Wolves + Hollow + The Broderick Chilli Lounge, Wyong The Satellite Nation + Six and Sevens + Bright Yellow + The Waiting Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Custom Kings Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Pub Fest w/ Urthboy + The Tongue + Custom Kings + Avalon Drive + Missing Hours + The Nation Blue + Horror Show + Black Market Rhythm Company + Mojos Lab + Xrsize + Urban Freeﬂow + Blades of Hades + Tycotic Newcastle Uni Uni Beach Party w/ The Beautiful Girls + The Getaway Plan + Little Red + Funkoars + Roger That + Here Come The Birds + Muph and Plutonic + Vinyl Slingers + Art Vs Science + The E.L.F. + Head Of State + Benjalu + Grant Walmsley’s AOP + Black Market Rhythm Prince of Wales Hotel Dean Kyrwood Duo Pulse Nightclub, Gosford Rather Be Dead + The Hannigans + Stab Twist Remove + Burial Chamber Woodport Inn, Erina Angelas Dish

Sunday 30 November Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland Chuck’s Wagon Hamilton Station Hotel Olly and Sophie Lizottes, Kincumber Gina Jeffreys + Amber Lawrence Siren’s Nightclub, Terrigal Peter Healy and the Hurricanes Sydney Opera House Sting with Edin Karamazov

Nov 5

Paul Eagle and Cody Dillan + Michael Peter and friends + Amy Newton-Banks

Nov 12 Ben O’Malley + Mei Lai Swan + Mike McCarthy Nov 19 Mikaela Marmalade and her Jazz Quartet Nov 26 Loren Kate + Jason Lowe

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Photography Sarah-Kate Harris

As the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. So it has been for A Nighttime Skyway. Since the band’s birth a mere six months ago, it has been constant gigging and recording, culminating in their debut full length CD, First Day On A Brand New Planet. Reverb caught up with drummer Cooper Jitts to ﬁnd out want it has been like within the band’s whirlpool.

Do you guys have a history in other bands before A Nighttime Skyway? Yeah, we all played together in My Afterthought, with the exception of John (McAleer, bass), he was in a band down in Sydney. He moved to the Coast to play with us. Jake (Forrest, guitar) and I have been friends since birth, and I’ve known Matt (Bones, vocals) for a long time, so we are a fairly family-orientated band. The album is called First Day On A Brand New Planet. Where did the title come from? To be really honest, we ripped it straight out of a TV show. (laughs). But I guess we all just felt it really reﬂected where we are at with this band. This release is the ﬁrst batch of songs we ever wrote together in this format. And it really is like being on a new planet - that is the band lifestyle I guess. Between touring, recording and writing there is a lot of new places and emotions almost every day of the year. Almost like being on a brand new planet every day? Where were the recordings done, and did you get some help in the studio?

A Light in the Night Sky We had a guy from Sydney by the name of Shaun Pretorius work with us. He is a songwriter with his band, so he helped us with a lot of the production. We had a fairly minimal budget so we did the drums in our practice space, and most of the guitars down in Shaun’s apartment. Vocals were at our bass player, John’s house. We initially went in with the impression of a bunch of high quality demos coming out for us to work with, but we were stoked on the sounds Shaun was getting, so we decided to churn out a full length. What was the experience like, recording the debut CD? It was really cool, actually. We were really blessed in the sense that we had put a fair amount of time into pre–production. The last six months basically. So it went fairly smoothly. We all took a couple of days off from our day jobs here and there and just chilled with Shaun. It was quite a relaxing time really. What was the biggest lesson you learnt from the recording process that will help you next time? Don’t be afraid to be picky. We smashed it all out pretty quickly. Particularly in relation to the drums and bass, and we are stoked on the result, but I guess there is always room for improvements.

THE PRESSURES OF YOUTH

Does school work get in the way of band work, or does the band get in the way of school? The band is more likely in the way of school. But if school wasn’t compulsory to attend, then there would be other things that the band would push aside. Sometimes we have to take days off to record, or do a gig or a radio interview. We juggle them both well, although we do have more days off school than we used to as the bands popularity and commitments increase.

The band has only been together for 12 months, The Music industry is a hard business, but throw a bunch and in this time a lot has happened. TV appearances, of 14 year olds into the mix, and the pressure is on. Reverb steady gigging, video and an spoke to the lead vocalist of No Pressure, Josh Keane, to EP just released. You must be thinking that this music ask what it takes to be in a working band while still in Year 8. business is an easy game? Maybe you should ask us again in A lot has been made of your ages. If I am right, all a year or so. Anyone would be a fool to consider the music members are 13 and 14 years old. Are you sick of industry or business as an “easy game”. You never stop this being brought up all the time? working in this business. If we’re not playing every week, Not so much sick of it, as it’s a real eye opener for people we’re writing or rehearsing, we never slow down. You when they see how young we actually are. We are pretty watch interviews of world famous bands and you can see lucky as not many young people get to do what we do at how tired and how much it takes out of you, but it’s still this age. So we are stoked we have been accepted for who the lifestyle we wanna live. we are and what we do. Being the age you are, what are some of the problems you have faced as a working band? Well its mainly just “immatureness” to do with any problems with the band, but we do cop a lot at school as well. At a lot of venues due to our age and alcohol regulations we have to play and leave straight away and there is the odd gig we miss out on because we’re not over 18. There is a perception at times because we are young that people don’t expect us to be very good. It’s a bit like we have to prove ourselves because of our age.

Not long after forming, you appeared on the Channel 9 Today program. What’s it like playing to the TV crew? Everybody there was really nice which made it easier. It’s not really that different to playing a gig except for the cameras, which you don’t really notice anyhow. You recently played at the Wyong racecourse and the heavens opened up. To your credit, you continued to play through the downpour. Why not just pack up and head home?

When will the CD be available and how can we get our hands on it? The artwork and pressing are being wrapped up right now. We should have it available at shows from mid November. We are also gonna be getting it into an online store, of sorts, real soon. For a young band, you are also one of the hardest working. What do you love about getting up on stage and playing live? Thanks dude! For me, getting to hang out with new people all the time is always a lot of fun. There is nothing in the world like the feeling of smashing out a solid set to an appreciative crowd. We’re looking forward to these shows that are starting to creep up on us, so we can really get a chance to test the songs out live. I guess at the end of the day I am just stoked Jesus lets me do this. There’s nothing in the world any of us would rather be doing.

Catch A Nighttime Skyway during November. Saturday 1 - Liberty Youth Center, Gosford Friday 14 - Sirens Nightclub, Terrigal Saturday 15 - Mautland PCYC Wednesday 26 - Cambridge Hotel Saturday 29 - Woordport Inn, Erina

Like any professional band would say: “THE SHOW MUST GO ON”. We’re working towards being a professional band, and to pack up and go home would be a total let-down for anyone who’s made the time to come and watch - the organisers, and mostly our parents. They pay money for petrol to cart us around all over the Coast, and it would make us look like we are not dedicated to our passions. There were plenty of punters that stuck around and we were already set up, so there was no reason not to play. We’re committed to doing what we love and it was definitely worth it. The debut self-titled EP has just been released. What was the experience like to record for the first time? One good thing about recording is you get something concrete for your hard work. We had a great time recording the EP - lots of late nights and hanging out with the band. For about three days we really lived in each other’s pockets. It was great, seeing the whole production process first hand. You did the recording at Cloud Studios with Parris Macleod. With such an experienced crew around you, were you able to stand up and get your opinions across? Well pretty much, but even if we didn’t, the recording sounds bloody awesome. We worked with Parris a bit during rehearsals so we got to know each other and knew what he expected. Those guys are really great and want your work and sound to really be your own. Parris listened to all our ideas and gave us a lot of great advice. What have you planned for the rest of the year? Writing, composing, creating new songs, building up experience and technique, passing year 8, and hangin’ round with mates and chicks. We just got a really good gig for New Years Eve at The Entrance waterfront. Terrigal Bowlo, Red Kite at Doyalson, Lewisham Hotel, Club Tuggerah and a couple of charity gigs. Catch No Pressure next at Club Tuggerah November 15, and at Railway Blues November 22 @ the Richmond Vale Railway Museum.

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Photography : R + V Photography

You have only been together for 6 months, and you now have your debut CD available. What’s the big rush? We really are in no rush, we’re ready to pay our dues at local venues and clubs. It’s just that with things like writing and recording and stuff there wasn’t really any need for us to take like two years to produce our ﬁrst album. The right opportunity came up, so we took it. Now we’re ready to move onto the next phase.

Talk Of The Future

During their whirlwind trip of Australia, The Futureheads’ vocalist Barry Hyde (above right) and bassist David ‘Jaff’ Craig (above left) sat down with Nick Milligan to listen to some new Australian songs and give, as Hyde put it, “their completely irrelevant opinion.”

PNAU Feat. LUKE STEELE – WITH YOU FOREVER Jaff: We played with The Sleepy Jackson years ago at the Hystoria in London. Barry: I think one of the things about that type of music is that it’s obviously synthesised sounds that go straight into a (mixing) desk. That changes the aspect of recording, because there’s no microphones. You get far clearer and better production values. That’s why the frequencies in dance music are pushed right to the top – there’s no air. There’s no warmth. I really like [this song]. A lot of dance music can come across as being quite mechanical – sometimes that’s a good thing, like Kraftwerk. It’s meant to be robotic. But it’s quite difﬁcult to make dance music have soul. I think very few people can do that. I think it’s a beautiful song, and it’s quite pretty. That’s obviously their intention. It would sound excellent in a nightclub. Jaff: Indie music can’t compete with that type of music in a nightclub. Barry: No, not really. Dance music in a nightclub is like ballet. Rock in a nightclub is like a rugby scrum. JOSH PYKE – THE SUMMER Barry: I quite like it, but it’s not the type of music I would normally listen to. Personally, from the perspective of what I like, I prefer music that’s a little bit more challenging. But there were some nice chords. Jaff: The recording had a lot of warmth to it, especially in the double-tracked vocals. This type of music relies very heavily on lyrics. It’s hard to say whether they’re good or bad until you listen to what [the artist] is about. Barry: The chorus is about concentrating on the past and wanting to recreate that. That certainly isn’t how I live my life and it isn’t a wise way to live your life. The past doesn’t exist, so even if you didn’t want to return to how you felt one summer, why not create a new feeling? I can’t criticise him as a musician, but my irrelevant opinion

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is that I wouldn’t listen to it again. I don’t want to be negative though.... BRITISH INDIA – NIC THE POET Jaff: From a sonic perspective, I think the poor drum sound makes it sound quite weak in comparison to the type of energy they’re trying to have. This kind of music can be big and passionate, but it sounds like the drummer was over-playing, because of how high he is in the mix. Barry: I think that song is all about the guitars – it sounds like Black Sabbath on a lot of speed. You can imagine that song would be amazing live, because you can feel the energy. You can spot their inﬂuences, but that can be said for anything. It’s almost slightly demonic punk rock. It’s really good. It’s almost psychotic. THE DRONES – THE MINOTAUR Barry: I really enjoyed that – really good guitar playing. It reminded us of Mark Ribot who played with Tom Waits on a lot of his great stuff. It’s disjointed and bluesy, but also modern. It’s not trying in any way to be soulful. It’s nasty and nice guitar playing. They’re playing these disjointed riffs, but they’re the same every time – they’re not just mucking about. The drummer’s really good. I would like to see that song performed live. It’s very dramatic. Jaff: That sounds like the kind of album you’d put on at parties to show to your friends. Nick: They’ve got a female bass player too. Barry: That’s always good. My wife’s a female bass player. Jaff: Yeah, I’ve got to be on my shit or I’ll get the sack! VAN SHE – CHANGES Barry: I like the synth sounds – it reminds me of the old analogue synth sounds used by bands like Genesis, Yes or Robert Wyatt. It’s a nice pop song, although I’m not really sure what it’s about. That didn’t really come across. But musically it’s very smart and it has an almost ‘krautrock’ feel to it,

like Can. When it first started I thought it was going to be a Can rip-off. I didn’t expect it to be so pretty. Jaff: I didn’t really like it as much as Barry. I think everything he’s said is right, but I found it a little flaccid. CHILDREN COLLIDE – SOCIAL CURRENCY Barry: That’s a song where the chorus doesn’t deliver what the verse promises. There was great notes that you don’t normally hear – in a harmonic minor. The guitar part almost gives it an Arabic quality and the vocals in the verse really lead you along to the chorus. But the chorus felt a bit generic. Again, they would be a band I’d try to see live. Jaff: On our most recent record, [This Is Not The World], the chorus is always the most central idea of the song. You need the chorus to deliver. I loved the guitar and when the bass came in it was challenging and good. LITTLE RED – WITCHDOCTOR Barry: I really liked it – even the different sections. I think the arrangement and the harmonies are done very well. Very good backing vocals, obviously harking back to 1960s music. It sounds like it was almost recorded in that era, and it reminded us of modern bands like The Coral or The Zutons. There’s some modulations in the chords and lyrically it’s a simple love song. It’s got a modern twist, but I don’t know if that helps it or hinders it. Jaff: I was very sceptical when it started, but that’s down to my prejudice of modern people who play blues music. I hear a typical blues lick and think, ‘Oh God...’ But I just can’t play the blues. I hear other people try to do it and I think, ‘Well no, you’re not Jimmy Page.’ (laughs). Barry: There’s nothing wrong with being a revivalist rock band. [The Futureheads] are a revivalist band – we’re new-wave punk rock. We’re just lucky that when our first album came out, that type of music was popular. In every era there are revivalist bands. Like The Jam – they were reviving

mod, even though [Ray Davies] gets called ‘The Modfather’. Mods used to dance to northern soul, you know. He wasn’t even born! (laughs). This Is Not The World is available now through Liberator.

edition 028 - Nov 08 - 27

In Touch With Normality... After years of turmoil, Ben Folds has his life back on track with a new album called Way To Normal. During a brisk 20 minutes, Folds instills his passion for receiving freebies, his deliberately leaked album, and working with Miley Cyrus... maybe. By Kevin Bull. Do you get to come back to Australia very often these days? Well, I have a once a year trip that I do for sure and usually another working trip so I’m usually here for two pretty sizable stints. What part of Australia do you miss when you’re not here? Specifically, I just really like Adelaide. The people that I know and the places I’m accustomed to. I’m a pretty habitual creature so I’ve got my list of things that I have to do. I have to go to the Vic Hotel, I have to go to Lucia’s - you know I have my list. Why was Way To Normal, the most appropriate name for this set of songs? ‘Cause it feels appropriate, and I can’t easily intellectualise why. I think on some obvious levels that I do feel more myself than I have been in quite some time. It literally comes from a song on the record called ‘Effington’. Effington is this little town in Illinois, and you have to pass that as you are heading to a town called Normal. So on your way to Normal you go through Effington, and that’s true. I began to take lyrics out of context. I was finding a lot of hidden poetry through the lyrics, things that I wasn’t aware of that I just thought was kind of cool, and that was one of them. We had an x-ray of my skull which I got after falling off a stage in Hiroshima. We turned it into a map of my brain and it has a little red pathway that says ‘Way To Normal’, and I said, “That’s the album title - Way To Normal!” Was it an easy album to put together? Yes, the performances I think did. There were often a lot of reworking of things where we wanted to have more simplicity and impact. The way I would hear it, if I were someone else, is that it sounds energetic and awake, and yet something tells me that this wasn’t done in two minutes. It’s just too consistently large for that to have happened by accident. There are some interesting lyrics in the song ‘Free Coffee’. Do you get offered free stuff often? I started to get offered free stuff as soon as I became successful in music, and I have no problem with that. I think it’s really sweet, and it’s really nice especially for all the hard work I feel like I’ve put in. It is warming when someone goes, “Hey, do you want a coffee?” Wow, now I get free coffee, there’s something cool about that. At the same time there is something obviously ironic about it, ‘cause as I say in the song, when I needed it more it certainly wasn’t free. The song, ‘Bitch Went Nuts’, how much fact is in

this song? The ﬁrst line was the kickoff for the song. The ﬁrst thing that I had was “The bitch went nuts, she stabbed my basketball.” I fucked with it a little bit, it was a volleyball, and it was my roommate in college. His girlfriend stabbed his volleyball. She was pretty irate and that just came to me, (sings) “The bitch went nuts, she stabbed my basketball.” The comedic value goes downhill after that line, ‘cause there’s no way to keep up with that. It’d turn into a hyperactive Weird Al song. From what I am hearing, there was a leaking

“It is warming when someone goes, ‘Hey, do you want a coffee?’ Wow, now I get free coffee...” controversy with the new album. Are you able to shed some light on this? Why, what have you heard? I heard that there ia a fake version of the album. Well, we went into a studio in Dublin at about 10 o’clock at night on our only night off, it was July 11th. We wrote (new) lyrics, and they were all titles of the songs from the album, but they were all the bone-headed points of view that you would think that would be the dumbest way to explain each title. We wrote and recorded six songs in about eight hours. The music was written in the studio to the lyrics really quickly, then I gave it to a friend of mine back in the States who then went about the business of giving it away. Ok, so you’re responsible for it... Yeah, and you’ll be happy to know that you’re pretty much the ﬁrst journalist to ask about it. With the changes in your life over the past couple of years, did that affect the writing of the new album? I have to give you a stock answer to that and say that everything in life affects my writing. The aforementioned changes in my life were already old news by the time I recorded the record. The main thing that I would say about the effect on this record is that I was just really, really super happy to be free of a really nasty process. Maybe it was more extreme in my case, just because of being in

America and being a quasi celebrity, (and) money makes things a lot tougher. Children make it even more difficult ‘cause you want to protect them from everything. So I came through that and I was like, “Holy fuckin’ shit, I feel like I’ve been through a car wash with no car.” But then when I was done with it, I walked into the studio. I was just really, really elated to make music and to do what I wanted to do and that to me is what kind of sticks out about the record. Do you have a special place that you go in order to get the juices flowing for your songwriting? Is there a spot that you need to be? No, in fact I’m finding that I need to be off-balance. The same as when we went in to make the fake songs, that was just so off-balance, I was so fucking tired. Like we were on a Guinness diet for two days, and just did it. Didn’t sleep much either. We just fucking went for it, and that’s the way you do it. Right now it’s the way to do it. You’ve recently co-produced Amanda Palmer’s album. How was that experience for you? Oh, it was great. I really wanted to have more time because it was always limited. We were always coming in and working for short stints of time and I was always having to sandwich her schedule in. Aside from that, I think it is a great record. I think it is a serious offering and I am really proud of her songwriting and performances. She’s just on immediately and such a joy to produce ‘cause she’s a total pro. I’d just go, “Let’s do that one again,” and she’s like, “Yeah!”, and fucking kills it. She doesn’t fuck around that girl. She’s a good egg too - I really like Amanda. You have worked with a lot of people over the years, is there someone you would really love to work with? I don’t know, Miley Cyrus? Something that is strong and valid and not at all what you would expect out of me. I love producing. Like the same way as I loved working on William Shatner’s record. I’m fascinated with where someone can go with their music with a little bit of rope and some guidance. Are there any chances of seeing The Three Bens back together? Ohh, I’d love to. We’ve got to do it before the other young Bens are too fucking old, ‘cause we’d all be like the Old Bens - Ye Old Bens. I can’t believe that was like five years ago. We kept on saying that we were going to get back together. Kweller, he reproduced, and Ben Lee is getting married, we’re all busy. There’s another one of those things that just came together, and it just happened spontaneously. I think everyone would be in to putting it together, we’ve just got to find the time. Touring Australia, and there any plans? Yeah, February, maybe late January, early February. Way To Normal is out now through Sony BMG.

MOUNTAIN ZERS N U O M G N I B M I L C

With a self-titled EP fresh out of the studio, and numerous summer festivals and gigs lined up in the coming months, The Mounzers are all systems go. David Long chats to vocalist and guitarist Luke Costelloe about badminton and the importance of paper, scissors, rock. Firstly, where did the name The Mounzers come from? It was the name of Fletcher’s (Charlton, drums) first pet lizard. You’ve been in the studio recording your new self-titled EP with Roni Francois. How has the process been? The process has been pretty exciting, a little tedious at times, but Roni definitely keeps it interesting with his elaborate stories, English profanities and good cups of tea. He’s definitely got the best out of us, and were all stoked with the result. What are some things you like about recording as opposed to playing live? You get to experiment more, and tweak the sound a lot more which is always good fun. Also the fact that Roni’s cat “Quavos” was present for each take was awesome. We always talk about taking a cat to a gig. We’re now one step closer. When in the studio, do you use the same setup as you would live? Yeah pretty much, except we experimented with a few other amps and pedals that we normally wouldn’t use. There’s two guitarists in The Mounzers, how do you work out who plays what? We usually play the parts we made up, or decide which part sounds best on which guitar. But if all that fails we just use ‘rock, paper, scissors’. What’s the song writing process like for The Mounzers? Usually someone comes in with a riff or some music, and a general theme or idea for what they want the song to be about. Then we just add water, mix it all up and it comes out with a bit of Mounzer quirk. How would you describe your new single being released in November? It’s the latest song we’ve written so it’s definitely got a different vibe about it compared to our other songs. However it still sounds like us because it sits well with the other track on the EP, which was the first song we wrote 10 months ago. We really think people will find it fresh, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. What do you think of the new breed of working bands who are giving away their music for free and promoting on the web? I think its brilliant that bands have a new and effective method of getting their music out there. It has definitely helped us a lot

and it’s the main reason we’ve gotten to this point now. For a band with no money like us, its a valuable promotional tool, but if a band wishes to sustain itself off its music, there has to be other methods along the line also. You’ve got quite a list of gigs in the next few months, how long has your schedule been so full? And do you like being so busy? Yeah there are a few in the next few months, however to us that’s not enough. We ideally would like to be playing three days a week, but I guess were a while away from that. The schedule hasn’t always been so full, but it’s getting fuller, so we’re happy about that. We love being busy - playing beats practising, which beats working. We don’t really have lives so they’re the only three things that ﬁll in our time. That and badminton actually, though Nick argues that he has a life ‘cause he has a Wii. The Mounzers are playing the Social Summer Fest in December, what are you looking forward to about the festival? We’re looking forward to playing with a lot of the bands we love, especially our good friends The Inheritors and Slow Down Honey. Grafton Primary and Art vs. Science are also fantastic live and we’re looking forward to getting drunk to them again. I guess the spot by the water is going to be lovely too, I hope we’re allowed in the pool... or the lake. How would you rate playing festivals compared to the regular gig? Yeah Glastonbury was alright, but not as good as The Chilli Lounge ha-ha... we actually haven’t played a festival yet. We’re still babies. You’re all from the Central Coast, do you try to get out and support fellow musicians from the area as much as you can, or are you usually too busy? Yeah, we’re all from the Central Coast and yeah, we get out as much as we can to see local bands. We love - as we already said - The Inheritors and Slow Down Honey, as well as Bright Yellow, Jess Locke, Cabins and The Protectors. Catch The Mounzers at Social Summer Fest, 14 December, Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley. They will also be playing a residency @ Sirens, Terrigal, 12 and 26 November, 10 and 17 December. On December 13 they will be at the Chilli Lounge, Wyong with The Protectors, and December 19 at Diggers @ the Entrance with The Inheritors.

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031 031 musical inﬂuences when you were growing up? Personally for me I was heavily inﬂuenced by bands such as Helmet, Soundgarden, The Cure, Fugazi etc.

remaining relevant With a monstrous new album, New Guilt, under their belt, Irrelevant are back. Ashleigh Gray spoke to drummer Michael Anderson.

album. The whole writing process was way different from any other, being that the whole album was written as a collective by the band as opposed to previous albums where we had one principal songwriter. Having ﬁve different ideas deﬁnitely shaped this album.

Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted your new album New Guilt to sound like? Not at all, we really didn’t have any set direction of where we wanted to take the sound of this

How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard you before? Melodic hardcore punk with rock elements. Who were your biggest

What have been the highest and lowest points of the band’s career so far? As for highest point in the bands career for me id say it isn’t a typical biggest crowd we have played to type thing but more of an accumulation of my happiest moments in this band and they have usually come playing to some of the smallest crowds we have played to with an awesome vibe and great atmosphere. Also this band seems to have nine lives and we seem to use one up after each album and the way we have been able to resurrect the band each time is usually a high point for me haha. As for lowest point in the bands career it would be taking too much time off between the Reflecting EP and the Ascension album. That definitely hurt us! Do you remember what your very first gig as a band was like? It was early 1999 and we played to about 30 people at an outdoor show at sector 7G skate shop at Campbelltown with Not for you.

Daiman was getting pretty crazy and slipped over and double dislocated his knee. His leg was bent at 90 degrees out to the side of his body from his knee and his toes were pointing at his head. The ambulance turned up and pumped him full of morphine and then it was off to hospital and he had a knee reconstruction not long after. There is some footage of it floating around on an old Australian hardcore Video called hardcore pride Australia wide in the closing credits. We might save it for a DVD. How has your sound has progressed over the years? Fairly naturally, I think. To me our sound these days is more refined and deliberate as opposed to some of our earlier stuff which was fairly thrown together. Do you guys try to set an example for younger fans? Not consciously. We have never claimed any moral high ground through the band. It’s just not what we are about. But if people take influence of something we have done than that is cool too. But if there is any example that we could set id like to think it is one of promoting the band the old fashioned way. Getting out there and touring! What message are you trying

Combining roots, blues and folk, Rosie Burgess is a star that’s on a rapid rise. Noah Cross spoke to the singer and guitarist about her new album, Wait For The World. The new album, Wait For The World, has just been released. What you were aiming for when you approached the recording? I wanted to make an album that was nice and organic, keeping lots of the impromptu stuff and still creating a polished product. So, I recorded almost all the instruments at home in my little bedroom studio and then took it to a professional studio to mix it. I was aiming to get the best sounds I could, but also to keep the personal touch. Can you hear a difference between the new album and your previous releases? Yeah for sure – taking it to the best studio in Melbourne for mixing meant I had access to loads of lush audio equipment and Robin Mai to engineer it – he’s done artists like John Butler Trio and Augie

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to send through your songs? Lyrically it is all left to Daiman so you might have to ask him that one. I’m still trying to ﬁgure out the meaning to our songs haha. Seriously though I know he puts a lot of effort into the lyrical content of the songs and it means a lot to him and he likes the fact that different people will each have a different take on the meaning of his lyrics and be something unique to each of them. What’s the secret to Irrelevant’s continued longevity? I guess it comes down to our motivations to be in this band. If our motivations were purely external and based on other peoples perceived worth of the band we would have run out of steam a long time ago. But seeing as our only motivations since starting the band have been to write music and play music we still have a ball doing what we do. If the band broke up tomorrow I know for a fact that everyone in the band would start other bands straight away. It’s just what we love doing. Irrelevant play The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on November 13, 2008, and the Chilli Lounge, Grand Hotel, Wyong, on November 16, 2008.

ROSIE BY ANY OTHER NAME March so he knows what he’s doing in that little room! I think the music has progressed a bit from the last few things I’ve done too. This album kind of combines the last few years of musical and life experiences I’ve had and I think balances the deep, the dark and the fun. Where is the worst place you have broken down while on tour? On the side of the highway in the desert 50kms outside of Arizona in America. Nothing but us and the prairie dogs, and the quiet clicking of an engine that wont start… Is there a place that you call home? Yeah, for sure. I’ve got a tiny 1970s unit in Melbourne with my girlfriend and our cat. It’s taken a while to realize how much I love the place, because I’m such a traveler I didn’t realize how

important home could be. There have been a lot of ways people have described your music. How would you describe it? I call it folk-roots. With a hint of blues. Did you get caught up in the wet weather at the recent Coastfest? I did indeed. My hat goes off to the organizers and people who came to coastfest. The vibe was so positive and lovely, especially considering the crazy weather conditions. My tent blew down, we got bogged, my gumboots split, we spent most of the weekend covered in weird plastic ponchos, the umbrella blew inside out… yeah we got caught up in it! Wait For The World is out now.

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W O N E S P Y L A APOC On the surface, it might appear that Children Collide’s debut album, The Long Now, is a brilliantly dark and apocalyptic vision of the future. But as the Melbourne rock band’s singer Johnny Mackay explains to Noah Cross, things aren’t as bad as they seem. In what ways has the sound of Children Collide evolved since the beginning? We’ve experimented a little bit more with sounds and tones. It changes from song to song, because we don’t ever want to write the same song twice and we get bored. It can go in so many directions – there’s really no linear thing to it. With this (new) record, some of the songs are really old, some are really new. But we tried to make it an introduction to us and put twelve starting points for different directions, that we’ve already branched out on.

How many of these songs were written for the album? There’s six songs that have appeared on our EPs, which we re-worked, and six that are really new ones. We selﬁshly would have preferred to not have the older ones on there, but we really wanted this to be an introduction to the band, rather than 12 songs that we like. Not that we don’t like the older ones. But we went through a rigorous demoing process and ended up having over 60 songs to choose from. With so many rock bands in the charts at the moment, do you focus a

Sardy, was there an overall tone that you wanted the record to have? Not really. The reason that we wanted to work with Dave is that he brings out the essence of a band. It’s not really something that you can pin down. We wanted each song to have its own sound, so there would be 12 different sounding songs. Even with the guitar, from song to song, we would change our equipment drastically until we got the right tone. Each song was its own little entity. We tried to incorporate all the elements that come through, from the punk to the post-punk, to psychedelic and the 90s stuff.

lot of energy on sounding unique? No, we spend a lot of energy just being ourselves. Actually, that doesn’t even take that much energy. I think if you just be yourself and do what you like and be honest, then you’ll sound different. There’s no two people the same on this planet. We don’t go out of our way to be weird, but at the same time, if [an idea] comes through that sounds very cliché, then we’ll probably reject it. It’s not a conscious effort to be different, but it’s a conscious effort to not be the same.

There are apocalyptic themes in your debut album – where does this pessimism come from? I think it’s more about being curious, but there’s a couple of apocalyptic songs. ‘Brave Robot’ and ‘Farewell Rocketship’ – but ‘Farewell Rocketship’ still has a feeling of hope, because I’m escaping with my girl at the end (laughs). But I’m curious about the future of the world. It seems like it’s going to shit, but we manage to hold it together.

When making the album with Dave

The Long Now is available through Universal.

K L A W E H T G IN K L A W New York’s ﬁnest, The Walkmen, have returned with another timeless piece of folk-rock called You & Me. Noah Cross spoke to their vocalist Hamilton Leithauser.

Did you and the band have strong ideas about how you wanted You & Me to sound? I don’t think we had any plan. We just started jamming and about a year later we ﬁnally liked a few things we’d come up with. How did you want to approach this album from a vocal perspective? Did you want to push yourself? I actually wanted to do some lower singing... I can really get up high in the register. But then the ‘In the New Year’ just sounded so much better high up... now I still have to worry about my voice every night. Are The Walkmen still based in New York? If so, what is the music scene like there at the moment? I live in Manhattan, and Walt and Pete live in Brooklyn. I don’t know the music scene very well at all because when I get home from touring, going to a concert is just about the last thing in the world I’d want to do.

Do you think aspects of New York creep into your music? Would you sound very different if you were based in LA? That’s hard to say. We’ve been [in New York] since the beginning of the band, so I don’t know how it would be different if we were somewhere else. Are there recurring themes on You & Me? There’s a lot of romantic love songs. ‘The Red Moon’ and ‘I Lost You’ were the ﬁrst lyrics written, so I think they set the tone for everything else. ‘In The New Year’ is a very beautiful and seemingly hopeful song – what mood were you in when you wrote it? It pumped me up. The riff Paul wrote was just banging and the melody and lyrics came really quickly. Did any of these songs change between being written and recorded? Yeah, the song called ‘The Long Time

Ahead of Us.’ That one was a rock song for about eight months. It was a huge rock song that we couldn’t ﬁnish, but we loved it. We played it live a bunch of times but it didn’t have an ending. We kept trying and then ﬁnally we all got sick of it and we stopped playing it, and then a few months later we were like, ‘Oh, that’s a pretty good song.’ So we all loved it as a big rock song, but then once we decided to do it as a slow rock song—slow jam—it was right. But it took eight months to get there. It’s weird how that happens.

Oh yeah. We’ve gotten a lot looser, which is really a big step. If you listen to our older records, everything is right in line, hardhitting, and direct. As we’ve gotten better playing together, we’ve gotten groovier and the playing is a lot more fun.

Has the sound of The Walkmen evolved a lot since the days you ﬁrst started jamming with them?

You & Me is available through Speak n Spell.

How did you ﬁnd your previous trip to Australia for the Laneway festival? I really enjoyed getting to see all the Australian cities. We drove the Great Ocean Road, which was a real highlight. We also drank a lot of great Shiraz.

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

Who Killed Amanda Palmer is not a huge departure from your work with The Dresden Dolls, but are there aspects of your solo album that will seem new to your fans? I hope so! I think the production on some of the songs like ‘Guitar Hero’, ‘Leeds United’, and ‘Astronaut’ is territory I’ve never stepped on before. ‘Have To Drive’ has a full string section and orchestra. The songwriting is still my songwriting – it’s different, but it’s not. The songwriting with my voice is totally recognisable to anyone. But the package is really different.

Death From

Above Known to most as the sultry dame from twisted cabaret-pop duo The Dresden Dolls, American songwriter Amanda Palmer is stepping out with a solo record. She spoke to Nick Milligan about working with Ben Folds and being in love with Melbourne. Ben Folds produced your album – what appealed to you about working with him on your solo record Who Killed Amanda Palmer? Ben appealed to me. He’s an awesome guy. I wasn’t producer shopping. I was going to do this very simple piano and voice record. Ben sent a fan mail to

the Dolls’ website and then we met up in Australia. When I told him I was doing this record, he asked if he could produce it. I said yes, because I assumed it would be great – I trusted him. It’s not like I narrowed down millions of producers to Ben Folds – the opportunity magically came my way and I grabbed it.

Would you say that you learned a lot from working with Ben Folds? Oh, yeah. Heaps of stuff. I feel like [Ben] is four steps ahead of me in his career. He’s gone through a lot of similar trials and tribulations [as me]. I love listening to his stories and anecdotes and his advice about how to deal with all this. Ben’s a very smart guy and he’s gone through massive shifts in his career. He’s really generous with his time and sharing his wisdom with me. We spent a lot of time talking about things that had nothing to do with records. I picked up a lot from Ben and I’m grateful for that. Do you enjoy the cathartic nature of writing lyrics from personal experiences? Yeah, I think I must, or I probably wouldn’t be doing it. It can be very therapeutic, but one of the dangers is that when you write very emotional stuff – especially if you’re frustrated or angry – people assume that in person you’re going to be crazy. I think the opposite is true. The fact that I write those songs, prevents me from being a crazy person.

Somewhere in Adelaide on a ten acre estate Dave Gleeson is taking time out to discuss The Screaming Jets’ latest album Do Ya. Gleeson has achieved a balanced life dividing it between family, the great outdoors and doing that thing he’s been doing for over two decades, being a Rock ‘N Roller. By Marija Zeko

a fantastic breeding ground. You’d get lots of people who’d go out most nights so it gave us an audience. I guess in a way crowds are pretty discerning in Newcastle and they love their rock. It’s still good for growing young bands.”

Three years have passed since Gleeson moved to Adelaide. His wife is from there, his two children love it and he likes the pastoral life. Ask him about his latest album, Do Ya, and the intonation in his voice heightens as he mentions, “I’m really stoked about it. I was at a friend’s place the other day, played it loud and as far as I’m concerned the louder you play it, the better!”

Having spent the bulk of his youth in the spotlight, Gleeson was known for his mouthy outbursts during concerts. The time is best summed up as “I said something I probably wish I hadn’t said but I was a 22 year old from Newcastle getting out there and mouthing off. It seems the more I got out there, the more people wanted me to mouth off.”

It’s been eight years since their last album. Time off between 2001 to 2004, a change of management and the departure of a foundation member has made up the years. Matter of factly, the reasoning is summed up as “It’s just one of those things, Rock ‘N Roll is like that!” Forming in Newcastle in 1989, The Screaming Jets were inspired by the likes of AC/DC and Kiss, epitomising the hard working pub rock band. Their debut album All For One spawned a bevy of chart topping hits with ‘Better’, ‘Shine On’ and ‘Stop The World’. “For us, [Newcastle] was

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Do you need to be in a dark place to write a dark song? No, I don’t need to be in a dark place. I need to be in a clear place. If you’re dealing with too many other things, it’s hard to get enough time, energy and focus to write a good song. I just picked up a book that David Lynch has put out and he talks a lot about the creative process. He talks about how in order to do an hour of painting, you need four hours of free time. It’s the same with songwriting. You can’t sit down and do it in 15 minutes – you need a lot of space to clear your mind and catch ideas. Most of the songs on my record I wrote when I was at home and on a break from touring. I’m just getting to a place where I can focus on writing songs when I’m out on the road. Mostly it just requires privacy and not being interrupted. The title of your album is obviously a David Lynch reference (to Laura Palmer of Twin Peaks) – is Who Killed Amanda Palmer a significant title? I definitely don’t want people to read too much into it. It was just a terrific title (laughs). It really did end up becoming much bigger than just the title of the record though. It’s also the title of a book I’m putting out with Neil Gaiman (The Sandman). The theme of the book is ‘Who Killed Amanda Palmer?’ and there’s sightings of Amanda Palmer’s corpse all over the globe. The book is a bunch of different photographs, with text written by Neil. What’s your partner in the Dresden Dolls, Brian Viglione, doing while you release your solo record? He’s touring with some old friends of ours called The WORLD/ INFERNO Friendship Society.

He’s having a ball with them and they’ve got lots of touring plans for the next year or so. You have a background in street theatre. Do you find it hard to choose priorities? Some days I find it harder than others. I’m a real workaholic, and sometimes I wonder if my priorities aren’t just completely whack. The hardest thing about this job is that it has no boundaries – you can do it all day and all night. If you want to keep doing it, it just keeps coming at you. What are your plans after promotion for your solo album has finished? I’m going to take an indefinite vacation in Melbourne, Australia (laughs). I’m totally in love with it. I just love Australia, so I want to spend some time there. How old were you when you started writing songs? About ten or eleven. They were really bad. I’d try to write pop songs on the piano. My mum taught me to play the piano – she knew basic classical. She showed me how to play a couple of songs and I just took off from there. I have a love-hate relationship with the piano, because I’ve never been a passionate player. I’ve never really been into practising and technique. I’ve always looked at it as a big songwriting tool. There are times when I think, ‘Fuck, I should take a year off and go to a Conservatory to learn how to be a real piano player.’ But I never have the time to do that. But I’ve gotten more comfortable with my relationship with the piano, which has made things easier. Who Killed Amanda Palmer is out now through Roadrunner.

A good night watching a band and having a beer isn’t as common as it used to be. The change in scene really irks Gleeson who believes “nowadays it’s all about playing the pokies. It has really drawn the heart out of it.”

Though there may have been a few embarrassing moments, there deﬁnitely are no regrets. “I don’t regret anything but I would like to savour the moment a bit more than taking it on the run. I regret that I grew up in the public a bit, that’s life, that’s rock!” Despite the mistakes of yesteryear, “the great part is that back then there weren’t recording devices like now. No YouTube! You said something and it would go out into the air, whereas now you have to be very careful!” Speaking from the heart was never an issue as the socially conscious Gleeson makes clear his views on war and politics. “I’m a socialist at heart. I’ve always believed that

JET FIGHTERS everyone should get a fair go. The decisions of governments... it’s unacceptable to be spending hundreds of billions on a war, that was illegal in the ﬁrst place, and then to say we’re having a global money crisis - yeah we know! We could have told you that before we went to war!” Gleeson kept busy in The Jets’ wilderness years with a stint on The Footy Show that was an initial plug for his solo album, lasting for a number of years. “I had nothing else to do, was plumbing at the time, it was a nice change from sticking my hand down people’s toilets. I got on

The Footy Show hanging out with all my heroes... it was some of the best years of life”. The move to Adelaide made it difﬁcult to continue the role yet life is quite good nevertheless. “It’s great I have two kids now! People say it changes you having kids and I say there’s something wrong if it doesn’t. I couldn’t be in a better place”. Oh don’t forget he still upholds his love for Rock n Roll, “I can’t wait to get back onstage and explode!” Do Ya is out now on Sony BMG.

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Filtered PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Culley HAIR & MAKE-UP Danielle Hampton STYLING Metisse Dailly

This page: Anna wears Piperlane Blouse - $70.00, Levis Highwaist Shorts - $80.00. Right: Dee Jay wears BamBam Americana Tee - $70.00, BamBam Acid Rain Shorts - $70.00, Brixton Castor Hat - $75.00 Right Page, top Left: Anna wears Tigerlily Aztec Skirt - $119.95, This Is Genevieve One-Piece Swimmers - $99.00, Brixton Gain Fedora - $89.00, This Is Genevieve Necklace - $129.00. Top Right: Cheap Monday Jeans - $90.00, Cheap Monday Striped Tee - $45.00, Chronicles of Never necklace - $195.00, Brixton Fiddler cap - $75.00. Bottom Right: This Is Genevieve Count Dracula Dress - $209.00. Bottom Left: Dr Denim Snap Jeans - $125.00, Modern Amusement Shirt w/ Tie - $159.00. Models Courtesy of Platform. All clothes available at Abicus Fashion + Music, 124 Darby Street, Cooks Hill. 0249 297278.

general motoring

036

MINI M MI I NNI W WI WITH I TTHH TH THE HE W HE WO WORKS OORKS ORK OR RKS RRKKKSS

By Peter Douglas

alf way through the last century, there was a bloke name John Cooper who had a knack for tweaking Minis. That’s where the name Mini Cooper came from. They were fairly shitty little cars back then but Cooper made ‘em hold together and really honk to the point of actually putting out enough poke to win many rallies and other races. His memory is honoured in the new Mini Cooper S JCW - for John Cooper Works. And like old Coopers, the new JCW owes plenty to racing. It’s essentially a road registered race car based on the vehicles used in the international Mini Challenge Series. Never heard of it? Well neither have we (yes we have) but the point is, the JCW is a cute power pack that will put a smile on your dial every time you get in and drive it. Your mates might think you’re a sis’ but that’s until you hose ‘em off in a straight line or around corners in your hotrod ``brick.’’ They’ll be screaming for mercy when you rip right on up to a tight corner at warp speed, snick it back a cog, stab the brakes and hook around like it’s on rails. Then line up the next one... Not cheap at $48,800, you get a quality product with proper components designed to take a ﬂogging and last a long time. The engine is a BMW design with a twin scroll turbo, common rail direct injection and variable valve timing on the intake side. Boost pressure is a fairly high 1.3 bar which explains to some extent the JCW’s healthy 155kW/280Nm output. And in a car weighing 1205kg, this translates into giant killer capabilities. The engine is only a 1.6-litre, DOHC, four banger but you wouldn’t know when you sink the slipper. It growls, squats in the bum, lifts the front end and charges forward like a mad bull. Capable of putting away a 0-100kmh sprint in around 6.0 seconds, the real story here is roll-on response. On the move, this mean little box will stay with anything that has sporty intent, all to the accompaniment of the burbling and popping dual outlet exhaust. The engine is based on the standard Cooper S improved with better pistons, higher pressure turbo, revised ECU and altered intake and exhaust systems. The four piston brakes are new and the suspension, gearbox, suspension and exhaust all modiﬁed for optimum performance. Inside is a funky place to be dominated by the biggest speedo in the business and piano black fascia. The well bolstered seats (4) feature soft leather as do other trim areas in the car. It has an olde-worlde centre console with toggle switches and an array of other goodies that are fun to play with. Mini offers probably too many options with the JCW that hikes the price alarmingly but it scores decent audio with AUX input, a/c, a leather multi-function wheel with phone (bluetooth) audio and cruise buttons and alloy pedals.

If you’re good you’ll get 6.9-litres/100km fuel economy which gives a reasonable range from the 50 litre tank. Naturally, you’re up for 98 octane fuel with this baby. We really liked the auto wipers and bixenon headlights, particularly on a rapid blast up the Old Paciﬁc Highway last Wednesday night. It says 60kmh all the way but hey, nobody was around except koalas up the trees and all they wanted to do was piss on us.

We could easily live with this car because of the way it looks and drives. It has bad attitude emblazoned across the bonnet and backs that up with performance and handling that rates right up there. Who needs all wheel drive, 225kW and 1600kg when all you need is one of these. And it won’t punch a hole in the ozone layer with one drive.

Bigger inside than it looks, four passengers can travel comfortably inside the JCW in individual seats. It’s easy to park and ﬁts nicely in the garage.

Access to the rear seats is a challenge but worth it if those getting in are good looking. The boot is pretty much useless. One bag, a soft one with a change of undies and socks will ﬁll it. There’s a ``sport’’ button on the dash that changes the JCW’s steering and throttle response to more aggressive. We left it on all the time - of course.

Newcastle, Hunter and Coast’s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

eye on the world - live music photography part 1 Super Massive

Lenses

o you love going to gigs, and you have just been given a point and shoot for Christmas. Time to take it along to the next gig and get some shots of your favourite band. Right? Hundreds of others have the same thought, but what if you want to take it to the next level? Imagine being ushered through the backstage area of Acer Arena only to end up at the foot of the stage. Welcome to the photo pit. Over the course of the next six issues, we will have a look at what it takes to get there. Gaining access to the pit, technique and composition, camera settings, preparation and post editing will all be discussed, but to start with we will look into the equipment needed to make the grade. The first thing to do is accept that the point and shoot will not cut it. Sure it takes quite adequate images, but when you are in a low light situation and not permitted to use flash, you will come up short. So we will have a look at dSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex), and Canon specifically even though Nikon and Pentax all produce suitable cameras. One of the most important things to remember is to spend on the lenses before the camera body. An entry level body using quality lenses will produce beautiful images. A top of the line body using cheap lenses will produce average shots. Also, a camera body has a lifespan determined by the amount of use, and when you wish to upgrade. If you buy quality lenses, these will last you a lifetime and will be perfect for your next body upgrade. LENSES BEFORE BODY. By Kevin Bull, Jim Graham, Mathew Packer and David Campbell

Before getting onto lenses, I need to explain the term crop factor. Most dSLR have an image sensor smaller then the standard 35mm film frame. Because of this, the focal length of the lens Canon 50mm 1.8 II being used is affect. For example, the 450d has a crop factor of 1.6 so when a 50mm lens is attached, it is the equivalent of putting an 80mm lens onto an older film SLR (50 x 1.6 = 80). This can be great when shooting an artist from distance, but not so good when you are at the front of the stage. The lenses needed for low light gig photography are the important part. I will recommend that you do not buy the lenses that come standard with the camera body. These are basic lenses and are really not suitable for concert photography. The aim is to let as much light as possible into that camera body, and this is determined by the aperture of the lens. The lower the aperture number, the wider the aperture opening within the lens. Look for a lens with an aperture of f/2.8 or lower. That said, f/2.8 might be fine for Newcastle Panthers or the Entertainment Centre, but at the Cambridge and Lucky Country you might struggle due to the lack of light. The first lens you should look at is a fast 50mm, and when I say fast I am referring to how wide the aperture of the lens will go. Canon produce three fast 50mm lenses, f/1.8, f/1.4 and f/1.2L and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The f/1.8 is plastic, light, prone to fall apart and costs just over $100. The f/1.4 is metal, weighs twice as much as the f/1.8, solid as a rock and costs around $450. The f/1.2L is a beautiful lens but costs over $1000. There is no excuse for not having a fast 50 in your bag. At the very least, get the f/1.8. Your choice of lenses beyond the standard 50mm fall into

037

2 categories, the fixed focal length (primes), and the fast zooms. Some photographers swear by prime lenses stating that they produce crisper images. This is true. Looking in their camera bag you could find the 35mm f1.4L, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 135mm f/2.0L and 200mm f/2.8L lenses. The downside to this is frequent lens changes, and being caught too close or too far away from the subject. The way around this problem is to carry 2 camera bodies with different focal length lenses fitted. Looking into the camera bag of a photographer who prefers zoom lenses, you might find a 24-70mm f/2.8L, 70-200mm f/2.8L and a 50mm f/1.4. The two zoom lenses would be used regularly, with the 50mm coming out when lighting gets too low. When looking at zoom lenses, it is important that they have a constant aperture throughout the focal range. For example, with the 2470mm f/2.8L you will be able to use the f/2.8 aperture all the way through the 24 to 70 mm focal range. The 2485mm f/3.5-4.5 is different. At 24mm you could use the f/3.5 but at 85mm, the widest aperture will be f/4.5. That said, you would not want to use the 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 for low light gig photography as it is not fast enough. Companies such as Sigma and Tamron produce lenses that can be used on your Canon body. Be careful though as all lenses are not created equally. Research any potential purchase. The internet is a powerful tool.

Bags Has to be solid, easy for you to access but not easy for other people. Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home is awesome, so are Lowepro Slingshots.

Batteries Always have at least one spare set, and try to stick to the original manufacturer.

Memory Cards Bigger is not better. There may be a convenience to owning an 8gb card, but you will feel the pain when you either physically lose the card, or have the card fail with ALL of your photos on there.

Earplugs Don’t forget them. You will be standing right next to the speakers and there is no badge of honour for having ringing ears the next morning.

Camera Body The quality and functionality of entry level dSLR cameras are quite adequate for gig photography. The Canon 400d and 450d are suitable cameras, but if you can stretch the $ a bit further, the 40d is perfect. The features you are looking for in a camera body are high ISO, low noise capabilities, frames per second (fps), spot metering, focus points and megapixels. ISO : This is a throwback to the ASA rating of camera ﬁlm. Essentially it refers to the light sensitivity of the image sensor of the camera. The higher the ISO, the light sensitivity of the sensor is increased. Look for ISO 1600 or higher. Noise : Similar to grain in camera ﬁlm, it presents itself as small ‘speckles’ in the image, especially in dark areas. One of the results of using high ISO is an increase in noise.

when the camera calculates the exposure. With extremes of lighting at gigs, limiting the exposure metering to a small portion of the frame is essential. If you cannot get spot metering, partial metering is the next best. Focus Points : This refers to small points on the frame which can be selected and focused on. For example, you are shooting an artist singing at the microphone and his head is to the left of the frame. You can move the focus point within the camera to the left, enabling you to keep the singer in focus. Megapixels : This is how much detail is contained in the image. This is probably the least important feature to consider. Do not spend extra just for more megapixels. Use this money on your lenses. Look for 8 megapixels and over. Canon 450d

Frames per Second : This is exactly what it sounds like, the number of frames per second the camera is capable of. Three fps is adequate. Spot Metering : This refers to how much of the frame is taken into account

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edition 028 - Nov 08 - 37

live reviews

038

UNDEROATH

version of Limp Bizkit’s, ‘Rollin’’. Not one body could escape the excitable energy of the crowd.

Wednesday October 1, 2008

As promised the audience was confronted with Underoaths “give it all you got” attitude. As drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie made his way onto the stage the crowd erupted into a sea of cheers. The opening chords of ‘In Regards to Self’ exploded from the speaker system, the crowd’s anticipation and waiting was over, and the sea of people burst into movement. With the rising temperature it was easy to disguise the chaos of the moment. The tempo quickened and you soon found yourself ﬂooded with the lyrical words that Underoath have based their success on.

A Silent Fiction UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney Underoath has become reputed as one of the greatest live acts, earning respect and worldwide admiration. Fans from throughout Sydney banded together at UNSW’s Roundhouse to farewell Underoath and show their appreciation for the bands efforts and mentality. The night opened with coastal heroes, A Silent Fiction, slowly warming the crowd, wrapping up their set with their notorious

Review By Jason Michael Henson Photography By Sarah-Kate Harris

guitar duties). Gaz Coombes was branded an insidious handle bar moustache - he looked like the mutant child of Nick Cave and Neil Young.

SUPERGRASS JAE LAFFER (The Panics) The Forum, Sydney Friday October 3, 2008 Supergrass hold pride of place in my top three favourite live shows of all time - so high expectations were placed on their very longawaited return to Sydney. But unless the four British lads had been drugging themselves into irrepairable mental obliviion, then there was very little chance that they wouldn’t blow The Forum into smithereens. The band strode on to the stage as a ﬁvepiece (Charly Coombes now helps out on

Gaz led the way with the opening riffs of ‘Diamond Hoo Ha Man’. It was huge. With oppressive, forty-degree heat inside the venue, Supergrass spent no time ripping into songs, old and new. ‘She’s So Loose’, ‘Bad Blood’, ‘Mary’, ‘Ghost Of A Friend’, ‘345’ and ‘Rebel In You’. There were some extraordinary moments. A surprise performance of their single from the dark, acoustic record Road To Rouen - ‘St. Petersburg’. There was no doubting what

WE ARE SCIENTISTS

stage, there was a raptuous response. Opening with the super-charged rocker ‘Inaction’ (from their second album With Love and Squalor), everybody was up and dancing - hands in the air, ﬁsts pumping.

A small but loud crowd made their way to The Bar On The Hill for Californian indie-rock band We Are Scientists. Some of the fans were fanatical, arriving with placards. While local bands Zombies On Broadway and Veto warmed up the adoring crowd, the Scientists (vocalist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain) stood near the stage, greeting and chatting to fans. It was refreshing to see and they seemed genuinely approachable and sincere.

The set covered the best material from both of their recent albums - the tracks from Brain Thrust Mastery (their over-produced record) and With Love and Squalor (their under-produced record) were married beautifully onstage with added live keyboard parts.

The Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Sunday October 5, 2008

When the American four-piece ﬁnally took the

Another highlight of We Are Scientists’ live show is their penchant for witty stage banter. Cain and Murray are funny guys - it’s like watching two smart-arse frat-boys compare vocabularys - but they pull it off.

ROCTOBERFEST Chilli Lounge, Wyong Saturday October 11, 2008 The sun was out, and the drive to Wyong from Sydney was panoramic. As I reached The Grand Hotel, Central Coast outﬁt Spread the Ashes were hurling themselves into their set, howling out numbers ‘Blinded by Obscurity’ and ‘Kill Your Friends’.

Blind The Iris

Blind the Iris expelled their Grunge/Metal funk that was quite pleasant on the ear. One of my preferred Metal acts for the evening, ‘Dirty Blood’ carried on the metal bonding.

REVERB COASTAL MUSIC FESTIVAL Kantara House, Kincumber Sunday October 19, 2008

To review 11 artists individually in 250 words is impossible, so I won’t even try. Alternatively, how did the inaugural Reverb Coastal Music Festival go down as an event? In a word, SUCCESS. Kantara House is a beautiful place to hold something like this. Lovely grassed grounds,

Lead singer Spencer Chamberlain then brought the crowd back to ground level, reminding us all why it is that we are here. Showing his appreciation for his fellow stage mates, A Silent Fiction, the band’s long-term fans and lastly, but for him most importantly, God. Underoath ended the night with one of their more sentimental songs ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black And White’ allowing the crowd a profound connection with the band and in fact more so with one another. As “Returning Empty Handed” fazed out, Underoath put down their instruments and left its Sydney fans craving more.

Review by Nick Milligan Photography by Sean Roche

Reset the Thought expelled lots of energy. In keeping with the theme, voices were distorted with the frontman immersing himself in his contorted act. North of the Border are local boys intent on wreaking havoc as they exerted their mix of alternative/punk/rock sound with angelic-meets angry vocals from frontman Brendan Horn. Kindred had a lot to live up to and let me

Highlights for myself were hearing the vocal interweaving of Nick and Liesl. Superior songwriting, and it was lovely to ﬁnally meet them after month’s of emails and interviews. Brett O’Malley surprised me with full ahead rock set. Last time I saw him it was with an acoustic is hand. Now there is a Fender and it is loud. It was great to see. The voice of Chontia (Chontia and the

Review by Nick Milligan Photography by Kevin Bull

‘Chick Lit’, ‘Lethal Enforcer’ and ‘After Hours’ delivered with slow-burning impact, as did dancier numbers like ‘Let’s See It’, ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt’ and ‘Impatience’. Their massive encore contained the equally monstrous rock song ‘Cashcow’. When they played ‘The Scene Is Dead’ and the crowd sang every note, it was evident that this was the best live show that The Bar On The Hill had seen some years. Although the show was competing with Parklife (a competition in MDMA consumption), We Are Scientists in Newcastle should have sold out. It was disappointing that so many locals missed out on one of the Newcastle gigs of the year.

From what my sensitive ears heard from the beer garden, Miramar were very good, expelling some normalcy in an otherwise tirading Death Metal afternoon.

undercover stage, and food and drinks on tap. It was simply a lazy Sunday afternoon listening to the best of local music, and catching up with friends.

was about to come when Gaz casually said into the microphone, “This song’s about a little run-in with the law.” The crowd screamed as ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ blasted over the speakers. ‘Pumping On Your Stereo’ was quick to follow, as was ‘Moving’ and the ball-busting ‘Richard III’. The mammoth encore included ‘Sun Hits The Sky’ from their In It For The Money record. England’s favourite sons finished with a very old song - ‘Lenny’. Despite the absence of any material from their awesome fifth album Life On Other Planets, this was an incredible gig from start to finish.

Veto

assure you, they did deliver. The sound was slithery, yet polished and the ambience went from a day at the pub to a great night out. Missing Deltora are known for hurling instruments and sometimes shouting obscenities. They would have been in their element, but the Hornsby outﬁt were relatively subdued by their standards. The ﬁnale had come as Genedefect took the reins on stage. The audience were in full force knowing that this was the end to an exciting day in a sleepy town. Review by Marija Zeko Photography by Linda Wales

New Colours) was very special. Powerful and soulful, it held me for the entire set. And Sarah Humphreys, always a delight to see live even when the late afternoon lighting spooked her. We should have spoken more. The biggest highlight for me was the power of Joshua Koutoulas. Here is a man that I associated with steel and acoustic guitar, but today he ripped up the stage with vocals too - and even a busted hand. A dynamic frontman and a joy to watch and photograph. Review and Photography by Kevin Bull

Abrie

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live reviews

Zombies On Broadway

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Super Massive

We Are Scientists

Miramar

Joshua Koutoulas

North of the Border

Nick and Liesl

Missing Deltora

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live reviews

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CONOR OBERST & THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND

right places, but without Oberst leading the way, they would have come across as just a poor man’s Wilco.

The Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Every song off Conor Oberst was performed, along with some covers (one of which was Paul Simon’s ‘Kodachrome’). The most powerful moments however, were the songs performed by just Oberst and his guitar (‘Milk Thistle’ was particularly captivating). Although some die-hard Bright Eyes fans would have been disappointed to only hear Mystic Valley material, this was a very memorable performance.

Saturday October 4, 2008 Did he play any Bright Eyes material? No. But it was evident that few people in the crowd expecting him to. To everybody’s credit, a very engaged crowd didn’t once heckle Mr. Oberst, instead letting him play the material from his brand new solo album. The Mystic Valley Band are essentially an oldcountry outﬁt, with dashes of blues throw in for good measure. They’re tight and loose in all the

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN The Metro Theatre, Sydney Tuesday October 7, 2008

Joan Wasser (aka Joan As Policewoman) is one strong woman. Her latest offering aptly titled, To Survive, is a journey of love and loss (Wasser was Jeff Buckley’s girlfriend at the time of his death) but, ultimately, a glimmering beacon of hope. Wasser’s humble and relaxed stage presence bemused Sydney punters as she enquired about

HOLLY THROSBY The Firekites

The Tallest Man On Earth

Gallipoli Legions Club, Newcastle Thursday October 2, 2008 A small but intimate crowd trickled in to see Holly Throsby and her Spunk label-mates, Novocastrians Firekites. Though most were there in support of Throsby, many were surprised (as I was) by support, The Tallest Man On Earth. Swedish crooner TTMOE(who really isn’t very tall at all) left the crowd breathless with his Dylan-esque twangs and Cash-like swagger.

MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD

The Winnie Coopers Civic Theatre, Newcastle Sunday October 12, 2008 I went into the Civic Theatre not knowing what to expect out of the night. When The Winnie Coopers started I was hooked onto their every song, singing the words under my breath as I danced in my seat to music that was the best combination of soul, reggae and hip

PATTI SMITH The Drones

Sydney Opera House Wednesday October 15, 2008 Oh, how I wanted dearly to see Patti Smith. I have vivid memories of seeing Patti at the 1997 BDO and a few years later supporting Bob Dylan. Both are up there as the best live shows I have seen. For her to be in Sydney at the Opera House for a one-off gig is heaven. Having The Drones support was a masterful decision. These guys (and gal)

are such a powerful band live without the need for extreme volume. It takes a clever band to pull this off and The Drones do it effortlessly. ‘The Minotaur’ soared, as did ‘Nail It Down’. The crowd tonight were so in love with Patti Smith. As she casually walked on stage, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause. Opening the the night with ‘Redondo Beach’ (from her debut Horses) we were transported back to the late 70s. ‘Birdland’ (also from Horses) followed and we experienced her famed mix of punk poetry. With large exercise book in hand, she built the tension from a

Review By Nick Milligan Photography By Joel Courtney

the existence of “koala bears” and told stories of a lonely childhood. However, it was her music which transcended beautifully on stage as the laconic jazz of ‘I Defy’, ‘The Ride’ and ‘Christobel’ shimmered and soared across the crowd. The highlights of the evening were a goosebump-inducing performance of her single ‘Eternal Flame’ and a sensual whispered cover of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Fire’, which seemed to woo just about everyone in the room (myself included). Review by Amanda Bevan Photography by Michelle Ho

Comparisons aside TTMOE is an accomplished folk-singer whose acoustic musings on love and nature are nothing short of poetic genius. Welcoming their new female vocalist, Pegs Adams, Firekites lulled the crowd with tunes off their debut, The Bowery. But fans of the local quintet were left disappointed at the length of their set and hankering to see them in a headline offering. Throsby, though marred by extreme sound difﬁculties, delivered an engaging set. With old favourites ‘Things Between People’ and ‘Making A Fire’ as well as a spine-tingling cover of You Am I’s ‘Berlin Chair’. Review By Amanda Bevan Photography By Sean Roche

hop. They are proof that some things are Worth the Weight, an album I went out and bought the next day. The energy they created in the room was static, and a perfect way to lead in for Michael Franti and Spearhead. There aren’t enough words to convey just how amazing this experience was, and any description will fall short for those who were there. Franti is one of those people who are able to inspire you to feel more, live more, and believe more.

seeing everyone around you abandoning their seats and dancing for a united cause. I can’t explain how deeply I was touched by the stories he told us. But I can describe the hope; it ﬁlls every song, and I have a sneaking feeling that everyone else in the Civic felt that too. Do yourself a favour and listen to his music, his message. It’s meant for all of us. Review by Sami Thurtell Photography by Mel Woodward

Every song has its own unique voice, its own compelling message to give us. It touched us, connected every one of us in that room. I can’t explain the power of

quiet whisper to a banshee-like scream, dropping to her knees and slamming the book onto the stage. When ‘Free Money’ exploded midway through, with Smith lost on stage racked with emotion, screaming with painful lyrics, foot on the front monitors snarling at the Opera House crowd...it was simply the best thing I have seen live. Once the song has been expelled, the crowd stood and gave her a ﬁve minute standing ovation. There was a tear in my eye it was so emotional. I had clearly been touched. Review and Photography by Kevin Bull

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ﬁlm reviews Computer game adaptations for the big screen have never really been a good idea and unfortunately Max Payne does little to change this theory. Sure it has a stylish look, some nice gunplay and impressive sets but the storyline is a bit of mess and the acting is rather bland.

FILM REVIEWS By Mark Snelson

BURN AFTER READING Director: Joel & Ethan Coen Starring: George Clooney, John Malcovich, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, Tilda Swinton and Frances MacDormand. After the blisteringly dark turn the Coen’s took in their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men, they are back in the offbeat comedy zone they do so well. I mean, who else could get away with a movie about one woman’s determination to obtain funds for cosmetic surgery that leads into a CIA espionage farce – which is the basic plot that they

DVD REVIEW By Noah Cross

ARCTIC MONKEYS AT THE APOLLO Director Richard Ayoade’s approach to this live concert ﬁlm is incredibly distinctive. Where other directors use dozens of cameras to enable the editors to cut and paste at a mile a minute, Ayodade uses slow, cinematic tracking shots that put you right there on stage with singer Alex Turner and his three band mates. The ﬁlm quality has very subtle noise, which gives At The Apollo a 70s feel.

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tackle in Burn After Reading. Whilst the Coen Brothers have a talent for tackling very different genres there is a common theme that runs throughout their movies and that is they usually revolve around folks being in way over their heads. John Malkovich plays Osborne Cox, a CIA agent who has unwittingly just being demoted and decides to write a scathing memoir as his revenge tool. Parts of this memoir are found on a CD by gym employees Chad (Brad Pitt) who is totally clueless but jumps at the chance of getting involved in some ‘spy games’ and Linda Litzke, a 40-something woman who sees the discovery as a fast ticket to fund her dreams of cosmetic surgery via blackmail. Then there is Harry (George Clooney) a federal marshal whose marriage is on the rocks. He spends his time serial dating and happens to be sleeping with both Osborne Cox’s wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) and Linda, who has fallen head over heels for him. Harry is charming, funny

but also incredibly paranoid that he is the subject of a large covert operation. As always with any Coen brothers ﬁlm the casting is perfect. Everyone looks to be enjoying their roles. Pitt hams it up in the most dim-witted male-bimbo role of his career and Clooney is suitably goofy, coming across like some sort of cartoon character with his bizarre mannerisms and bug-eyed stares.

Mark Wahlberg plays Max Payne, a depressed and angry detective resigned to a desk job. A few years back his wife and baby were murdered by a killer who was never found. Payne cannot rest until he ﬁnds the one responsible for their deaths and he has vengeance rather than justice on his mind. He manages to ﬁnd a promising lead in Natasha (played by new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko), who ends up dead in an alleyway. He then teams up with Natasha’s sister Mona (Mila Kunis) when they come to realise that they seek the same killer. There is also a big drug company conspiracy involving a drug called Valkyr which gives some users almost superhuman strength and endurance whilst for others it causes nightmarish hallucinations involving winged beasts. To its credit Max Payne is

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wonderfully shot in a noir-style and some of the action sequences have been well executed, but it is not enough to save the sub-par action venture. Max Payne is a mish-mash of the Matrix, Sin City, anything by John Woo and a whole lot of Constantine with not one bone of originality on offer. I was really surprised that Wahlberg signed up for this shocker and it is clear that he is sleepwalking through the role – maybe this is because there are numerous similarities to the character he played in last year’s Shooter or perhaps he just had his eyes on the pay-cheque at the end of proceedings. I am at a loss to think of one good video game adaptation for the big screen. Max Payne was a good game that had some great cinematic influences in its gameplay, but the story was never Nobel prize-winning material and instead of improving on it here, I think the film makers have dumbed it down even more. Had it not been for Wahlberg’s involvement, this would have definitely been a straight to DVD release and would have wasted no time in heading for the weekly section.

Burn After Reading does not quite rank up there with Fargo or Barton Fink, but it is still a very enjoyable and often hilarious romp for those who like their comedies a little left of centre.

MAX PAYNE Director: John Moore Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Chris O’Donnell, Ludacris, Mila Kunis, Donal Logue.

Ayoade focuses intently on the stage dynamics of the group, never once including shots of the audience - no crying, screaming girls in the front row. The crowd are visible, but only as a silhouetted mosh-pit leaping in the distance. Ayoade, who some might know from his role as Saboo in The Mighty Boosh and Moss in The I.T. Crowd, magically captures the moments of serenity that happen between a band, despite the mayhem in the crowd before them. The last night of an extensive tour, Arctic Monkeys At The Apollo is a document of one of the world’s youngest and most popular rock bands. The set list packs a punch, with 20 songs performed in just over 70s minutes. Crowd favourites are covered, with ‘Brianstorm’, ‘Teddy Picker’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Danceﬂoor’ all making early appearances. In the last third of the concert, Turner’s Last Shadow Puppets collaborator and Rascals front man Miles Kane, joins the group on guitar for ‘Plastic Tramp’ and ‘505’ (the latter proving to be a set highlight).

Calm, panning shots also highlight the immense ability of drummer Matt Helders, whose backing vocals and off-kilter beats are as crucial to the Arctic Monkeys’ sound as Turner’s nasal delivery. Disappointingly, there are no special features on this DVD release, which is a shame because there would have been some further insight into Ayoade’s approach to the ﬁlm (by way of an interview) would have been a worthy addition, as would some reﬂections by the group. But I suppose that wouldn’t be very mysterious of them, would it?

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gamer’s corner presented by Wednesday Wii Games @ Crown & Anchor matter how small, earns points that contribute to the war effort. Keeps, cities and siege weapons all play a major role in epic battles.

World Of err... Warhammer

GAME REVIEW By Hugh Milligan

WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING World of Warcraft sunk its claws into MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) fans four years ago, and in that time several competitors have tried and failed to wrest control of the market from its clutches. And rightly so – the game is packed with Blizzard’s trademark polish

and charm, and it introduced a level of accessibility that brought literally millions of new players to the genre. On the cusp of WoW’s second expansion, however, a new MMO has been released that may well challenge its supremacy. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is an adaptation of the fantasy setting created by Games Workshop that until now has spent its life as a complex tabletop wargame. As in most MMOs, players will be asked to choose one of two warring factions – Order and Destruction – with various races and careers available within each. In Warhammer Online, however, this is a far more signiﬁcant choice, as Realm vs Realm (RvR) combat is the very core of the gameplay. Be it in scenarios (battleﬁelds

with equal teams competing for a single objective) or spontaneous skirmishes, defeating other players grants you experience and other material rewards. Gone are the days where the right to participate in fierce battles was earned with copious hours of grinding – from the moment your newly created character is dropped into the game world, you can join a queue to enter the fray and duke it out with those greenskin freaks (or disgusting humies, if you’re an aspiring orc or goblin). The world of Warhammer is in a constant state of war-torn flux, and every zone you fight and quest in is frequently captured by either side as they struggle to push the lines of battle closer to their enemy’s capital city. The game is a tug-of-war on a grand scale, as your every victory, no

While you’re queuing to enter a scenario (and the wait will become shorter and shorter as more players sign up) you’ll be questing, and it’s here that you’ll notice several improvements to WoW’s Player vs Environment mechanics. Quests are now far more streamlined – the location of each objective will appear on your map for easy reference, and frequent trackers will appear on the screen to remind you of your progress. Public Quests littered across every zone will also give you a chance to group with other players to earn further experience and loot. Your every achievement will be recorded in the Tome of Knowledge, a massive compendium of the monsters you’ve killed and the bizarre feats

you’ve accomplished. The Tome will award you with additional experience, trophies and titles as you unlock them, and it contains a ton of background information and lore for those who want to learn more about the Warhammer world. It’s early days and there are still a few rough spots, and aspects such as the game’s trade and crafting system need definite fleshing out, but like any MMO Warhammer Online is a living entity that is constantly evolving. Already several issues have been addressed as the game’s developers gather feedback from players, and the gameplay will only improve as time goes by. The first major content patch (due sometime in December) is set to introduce two new careers and a host of new and improved features. Warhammer Online is shaping up to be a formidable MMO experience – WoW had better watch its back.

A few punters chose to stand at the back of the pit for H.I.M’s set...

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043

vinyl world

In The Groove

Resident record afﬁcianado Stan Sykes talks about the latest in the world of vinyl records.

7” SINGLES MATT HELDERS/ ALEX TURNER (ARCTIC MONKEYS) – DREAMER (Azuli)

BIG BUCKS VINYL A question I often get asked is how much a certain record is worth. Well, below are three of the highest selling vinyls on eBay in the last few weeks. #1 - The Beatles - ‘Please Please Me’ with black and gold stereo labels. $7,500.00 #2 - U2 - Three hand numbered 12” (Only 1000 made). $3,400.00 #3 - Nirvana - ‘Lovebuzz’ original numbered version. $2,600.00 So if you have any of the above you can start to book a holiday! Also good news for vinyl lovers is that BEAUMONT STREET BEAT will soon have its vinyl racks installed in the new look shop, so don’t forget to come in for a browse when you next pass by. Lastly, a big thank you to everyone who came to the record and CD fair - your continued support will make sure the fair goes from strength to strength and I hope you all went away with a good collectable item or a bargain buy. That’s about it - be kind to animals and hug yerself a bit of vinyl today. -Stan Sykes

12” ALBUM

Limited to 1500 copies, this is taken from the Late Night Tales series. Matt Helders’ choice of Livin’ Joys’ ‘Dreamer’ seems a strange one, but an interesting version nonetheless. The B-Side features vocalist Alex Turner with a spoken word track ‘Choice Of Three’.

IT HUGS BACK – WORK DAY/ TAKE A PART (4AD) This is the ﬁrst track to be taken from the band’s soon to be released ﬁrst album on the excellent 4AD label. A little bit My Bloody Valentine and a touch of Sonic Youth. ‘Work Day’ is a melodic, shimmering beauty that makes the sunshine, whilst the B-Side comes over all sinister and anguished. Good show fellows!

12” CLASSIC ALBUM BLACK CAB – ALTAMONT DIARY (Vinyl Factory Australia)

An interesting release that’s available only through Vinyl Factory Australia (www.vinylfactory.com.au). This Melbourne band originally released in 2004 and it’s now available on vinyl for the ﬁrst time. This is an album inspired by The Rolling Stones’ free concert and the dreadful events that followed. Think Krautrock, Spaceman 3, Primal Scream and the Dead. A psychedelic trip full of dirty, layered guitars, big sounding drums and a touch of industrial electronica. The album is in most part instrumental, and it opens with the dreamy ‘Summer Of Love’ and the catchy ‘It’s Ok’. From then on in though it gets heavier and darker. Side 2 starts with a cover of The Grateful Dead’s ‘New Speedway Boogie’ before building up to the epic ﬁnal track, ‘1970’. This was a much acclaimed release (especially overseas) and you can now hear the album how it should be , on lovely black vinyl - the concept is complete!

AFGHAN WHIGS GENTLEMAN (Blast First) This is a classic Whigs album. A mixture of angst and soul - a release that burns with lust, shame and deﬁance. Simply put, this is an album about love, but a love full of pain and intense passion - its honesty could scare you. The subtle opening of ‘If I Were Going’ explodes into the title track, all snarling guitars and vocals, before the gentle ‘Be Sweet’ and the soulful ‘Debonair’. It’s all so beautifully dark as the tracks work into each other perfectly. By the time you listen to the last track, ‘Closing Prayer’, you’re on your knees - if anyone indeed had a heart! Publisher’s note: Deﬁnitely one of the greatest albums from the early 90s, and I am so glad that Stan has brought this album to everybody’s attention. Personally, my favourite of the Whig releases. The word is that they have reformed. Fingers crossed they will make it to our shores.

E F I L S E T A T I M I T R A One of Australia’s hardest working rock bands, Trial Kennedy, are winning hearts right around the country. Ashleigh Gray spoke to singer Tim Morrison. How did Trial Kennedy form? Basically we met at High School, we were all very good High School buddies. Stacey, myself and Aaron all did music together and we learnt guitar from the same guitar teacher, Mark Kennedy. Hence the name Trial Kennedy (laughs). Shaun went to a different High School but we met through mutual friends. So yeah. (laughs) I actually read somewhere that the profits of one of your CDs went towards fighting bear bile farming. Tell us a bit about that. Well it wasn’t just our CD, it was a collaboration of bands, like a compilation CD. Our manager put two of those CDs together for her record label. Yeah, we did some benefit shows as well for it, and all the profits and everything from the show went to help that. It was great, I mean Shaun’s a vegan! (laughs) But it really was just a great concept to do something good for the world. Would you guys consider doing something like that again? Oh, absolutely! Definitely! We’re more than happy to do anything that creates the better for a

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situation. If we can use our useless talents for the better good of humanity, then why not! (laughs) So what do you think it is about your music that attracts people to it? I guess it’s just a different sound then everything else that’s out there. Well I’m hoping that it is. I hope that doesn’t come off as me being egotistical, but I’m hoping that Trial Kennedy initially, for people [who are] ﬁrst hearing it, just sounds different to everything else that’s out on the radio or you can buy on disc. And hopefully it’s hooky enough to suck people in and walk away being able to sing a tune. That hooks meaning to a song I think. What’s been the best gig? We love festivals because most of the festivals we get to play, we get to play with our mates like Cog and Gyroscope and Kisschasy. We love those environments. Like, not only the festival vibe but everyone’s just hammered and in party mode anyway. But playing beside your best mates is awesome! Who would be your dream band to play a show with? I tell you what, I would love to do

a show with AC/DC but with Bon Scott [otherwise] it just wouldn’t be the same. And I would’ve loved to have had a show with The Doors. I just love them! Oh and Radiohead! I’d just love to sing beside Thom Yorke. So does anyone take on the ‘mother’ role when you guys are on tour? Ah yes definitely that’s Stacey. For sure, without a doubt, 100%! (laughs). He drives everywhere, he organises everything, he’s definitely the mother and father rolled into one. It’s quite sick really isn’t it? (laughs). Hey, I don’t mind taking the reins of being the lazy one! (laughs) So what keeps you guys motivated? Well I can tell you it’s not the money that’s for sure! (laughs) It’s definitely the love of the music. I mean, how many people get to do what we do, you know? It does get frustrating when you’re not, you know, earning a massive amount of money or anything and we’re not buying houses or anything yet, but at the same time we see all our mates [who are] plumbers and carpenters who do own their homes and have families and such, and every

time we’re on the road they’re the ones ringing us saying “Man I wish I was out with you guys!”. That makes us feel good at the end of the day I suppose, because we’re doing something that not many people in the world get to do. Describe a Trial Kennedy live

show. Electrifying! (laughs) We love combining energy with all of our shows, we thrive on it! I mean Shaun will go through about ten pairs of sticks a show! Trial Kennedy’s album New Manic Art is out now through Sony BMG.

edition 028 - Nov 08 - 43

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