Reverb Magazine : Issue 26 by Reverb Magazine

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No. 26

34 Fashion: Wanderlust index

letter from ed Dear Reader, Let’s make September ‘One Band A Week Month’. It seems that the live music scene is ﬁnally gathering momentum again, and it’s up to us to get out there and support live music, local or otherwise. We’re spoiled for choice at the moment, so there’s no reason why each of us can’t get out there and see some gigs! With Birds Of Tokyo already sold out at The Cambridge and Gyroscope and British India both selling out in the last month, it’s clear that punters are sick of souless dance sets. There’s an energy in live performance that you

just can’t replace. Do yourself a favour and go along to see the likes of We Are Scientists, Bliss n Eso, End Of Fashion/The Seabellies and The Butterﬂy Effect (coming to Newie Panthers). I also encourage you to read our feature on The Drones, who are gearing up to release their ﬁfth studio album, Havilah. It’s an absolute masterpiece - possibly one of the greatest Australian albums ever. Add it to your collection asap. That’s an order. Until next month, Nick Milligan xx

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Editor Nick Milligan

Milligan

Krud beekay und krudmn

Bull Kevvie circa 1988

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

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Local News Goodnight Kids Hoodoo Gurus Trivium/Warped Tour Cigars For The Man The Drones Muph & Plutonic/Tad Poedee The Whitlams Ziggy Marley Something With Numbers CD Reviews Gig Guide

29 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 40 42 43 44

Peter Douglas Stan Sykes

Photographers Daniel Culley Kevin Bull

Writers

Jim Graham

Amanda Bevan

Kevin Bull Noah Cross Kieran Ferguson Rebecca Gallegos Miles Thomas Jason Nahrung Alex Holt

R+V Photographers

Kieran Ferguson

Senior Writers Hugh Milligan

giveaways

This month you can win a double pass to Coasfest at Gosford on September 5, Lake Macquarie. We also have 5 autographed copies of Muph & Plutonic’s latest album, ...And Then Tomorrow Came. Just email editorial@ reverbstreetpress.com.au with your name and postal details. Too easy...!

Sub-Editor Production Manager

Sister Bliss Joan As Police Woman/ Gin Wigmore Van She Equinox Festival Def Leppard Mike McCarthy Fashion: Wanderlust Motoring: Renault Clio This Is Not Art Live Reviews Splendour In The Grass Games News/The Village Vinyl Reviews Socials

Dan Boud Joel Courtney Sean Roche Justin Edwards Tim Boehm Mark Snelson Kieran Ferguson

Kelly Toth Graphic Designers Kieran Ferguson Lee Green Nick Milligan Kevin Bull

Sales Kevin Bull Tommy Lueng Any comments can be sent to editorial@reverbstreetpress. com.au or give us a call on 4929 4739.

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OUT NOW THROUGH WARNER MUSIC

news

08 End Of Fashion

UNCHARTED WIN TAKES LOCAL LADS TO SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS

In case you haven’t heard, local ﬁve-piece band Here Come The Birds, won the 2008 UncharTED Competition, a project started by Tooheys Extra Dry and SonyBMG. The win gave the group the opportunity to perform on the main stage at Byron Bay’s Splendour In The Grass festival on August 3, and gave them a prize pack worth $20,000. For more information on the group, head to www.myspace.com/herecomethebirds

Here Come The Birds

COASTER

JUST GOT BETTER!

A NEW BEGINNING FOR

END OF FASHION

End of Fashion are pleased to announce they are doing what they love best and heading back out on the road on a national headline tour in September/October to support the release of their new album Book Of Lies, which is released on September 27. Book Of Lies was recorded at home in Perth, with producer Magoo (Regurgitator, Midnight Oil, Powderfinger) and Andy Lawson (The Avenues), and finished off by Tim Palmer (U2, The Cure, Robert Plant) who mixed the album in Los Angeles. A new spirit and energy are reflected in the songs and while the pop nous and melodic attentiveness the band displayed on their debut LP makes a signature return, End Of Fashion have crafted an album that is more brutal and angular than the last. Catch End Of Fashion at The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Saturday September 20, 2008, with The Seabellies. Tickets available from www.bigtix. com.au, The Rock Shop, Beaumont St Beat and the venue.

Bliss n Eso

Gin Wigmore

The folks from Coaster are giving you more reasons to grab a ticket to this new Central Coast festival that’s taking place on Saturday September 20 at Gosford Showgrounds, Gosford - and it’s all ages! Joining the bill is The E.L.F. (Darren Cross from Gerling), Gin Wigmore, The Tongue, The Seabellies, Children Collide, Snob Scrilla, Angelas Dish, We Are Grace, The Inheritors and The Steel. They join a line-up that also features The Living End, Kisschasy, Something With Numbers, Cog, The Potbelleez, Blue King Brown, Bluejuice, The Lazys and from the US, The Matches! For all information, head to www.coasterfestival.com.au - early bird tickets now sold out. More general admission tickets available for just $69 + BF.

RESONATE CONTINUES TO... RESONATE The annual Resonate band comp is cranking and heating up. A part of Newcastle Music Week, the Resonate competition is as much a showcase for the cream of local, original bands, as it is an actual competition. Take advantage of the line-ups (and the free entry) and head to The Queen’s Wharf Brewery each Thursday night. A winner will be decided at the Grand Finale on October 31, 2008, at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre. For full heat details, head to www. myspace.com/resonatethemusicindustryshowcase.

around the stage. They even adjust their repertoire according to the SMS suggestions sent by the audience during the show! The performance is fun, movingly powerful and exciting and is an enjoyable experience for the entire family.

BRINGING THE BLISS

It’s been two years since the group’s notorious, nationwide sellout tour, and Bliss N Eso have decided their starved fans have been waiting long enough, as they hit the road this September, October and November for the ofﬁcial Flying Colours Tour! Since Bliss N Eso were last on the road, they have released the biggest album of their career, Flying Colours (out now on Illusive) which has propelled the group into uncharted territory. The album debuted in the top 10 on the ARIA chart and the anticipation for this tour has reached boiling point. Catch them at The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Friday October 10, and The Woodport Inn, Erina, October 11.

R.I.P Tas Meanie Tasman Blizzard, known to many as Tas Meanie (of seminal punk band The Meanies), died in a car accident on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong on Friday Aug 1. Tas was a member of The Meanies since 1993. In the 1990s the band was popular in

the Melbourne pub scene and toured in Australia, Japan, Spain, Germany, and France with acts including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Superchunk, Fugazi, and The Beastie Boys. Though many people knew Tas as a guitarist and surfer, he was also a psychologist who worked with families in crisis and as a tireless campaigner for local surf clubs in need of a hand.

DEEP BLUE AT LAYCOCK

Deep Blue are the mavericks of orchestral music. Their cheekiness is infectious. There’s no conductor, no music stands and no stuffy outdated rules. They truly engage with their audience, smiling, dancing, and moving

“I’m so crushed about Tasman’s death. He has always been one of the funniest guys I’ve had the privilege to know and it breaks my heart to think that I’ll never again have him next to me on stage playing his heart out. I hope there’s an afterlife with a big ocean and perfect waves for our Wompy Stompy Surfer Boy. I’ll miss you mate.” - Link Meanie Tas was 37.

The repertoire ranges from the depths of Mahler, to evocative ﬁlm music, to rock and pop classics such as The Beatles, the Stones and Muse. Composers from all around the world are also writing speciﬁcally for Deep Blue. The group has sold out Theatres in capitals cities and is about to embark on a national tour of Australia. Catch them at the Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford, on October 4, 2008. Tickets: Adults $38, Conc $34, Child $25. For more information head to www. laycockstreettheatre.com

PNAU MIX TAPE

With rumours of a return trip to Newcastle before the end of 2008, there’s a lot of reasons to be excited about Nick Littlemore and his group Pnau. Here’s some tunes that are close to the songwriter’s heart.

BRIAN ENO - BY THIS RIVER “Such an evocative track holds true to Eno’s ideals whilst delivering a precise vocal - years before computer technology was avaliable.” LEONARD COHEN - FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT “A wonderful artist and a special tune - one that has continued to teach me about songwriting and storytelling. From a production perspective it’s sublime - check the backing vocals.” MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO MINDSTREAM “A revolution in every way - check your bass bins I’m telling you! A crossﬁre hurricane between techno and industrial.” THE BEATLES - ELEANOR RIGBY “When rock goes high brow lovely lyrics and good pumps.” MOONDOG - BIRD’S LAMENT “The father of music returns to nail the conspirators and jazz heads hopped up on weed and blue note reissues” JOHN CAGE - 4:33 “Silence is golden, we simply don’t put enough time into listening to it.”

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Pnau

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LOCAL NEWS FORESHADOWED SPLIT UP

The Dandy Warhols Shaggy

RAGGAMUFFIN 2009 WILL BE BOMBASTIC If you want to put a massive night of partying in your schedule, then look no further than 2009’s Raggamufﬁn tour. 2008’s festival was a massive success, with thousands of people ﬂocking to the Hunter Valley Vineyards to throw down a rug, grab a bottle of wine, and dance the night away with some of the world’s greatest reggae bands. The 2009 line-up features Ziggy Marley, Eddy Grant, Stephen Marley, Inner CIrcle (“Bad boys, bad boys...”), Arrested Development, and Shaggy! Tickets are on sale now through Ticketek. The show happens at Lindeman’s Estate on January 31, 2009. “Shaggy!”

FAT AS BUTTER JUST DANDY! On Sunday November 2, 2008, The Dandy Warhols will return to Newcastle as the headliners for the Fat As Butter festival, a new event that’s been organised by the crazy crew at The King Street Hotel. Taking place at Camp Shortland, opposite Nobby’s Beach, the line-up will also feature Faker, The Seabellies, Butterﬁngers, Grafton Primary, Regurgitator, The Herd, Ajax, Bag Raiders, Gameboy/Gamegirl, Beats Working, Timmy Trumpet & Tenzin and The Potbelleez. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.com.au and check out www.fatasbutter.com.au for more details! Get behind the debut of Newcastle’s newest annual event!

One of Newcastle’s ﬁnest hard rock bands, Foreshadowed, have decided to call it a day. The boys have had a strong presence on the local music scene for a long time and will be greatly missed. In a media statement, Grant from the band has said: “After nearly 5 years together we have decided to bring Foreshadowed to an end. Although we have had a blast playing shows and meeting new people, lately we have found ourselves drifting apart musically. We are all still friends and will be moving onto new musical projects. We’d like to thank everyone that has supported us from the venues to everyone who has come to a show or bought our merch. Over the next month we will also be recording our unreleased songs to put up on the myspace.” Your last chance to see the group is on Saturday September 6 at The Beach Hotel, Merewether. Free entry, doors open all day.

MORE MUSIC AT PRINCE OF WALES

We Are Scientists

WE ARE SCIENTISTS AT NEWCASTLE UNI We Are Scientists began in spirit, at Pomona College, in Claremont, California, in the Fall of 1997, when Keith Murray (lead vocals) and Chris Cain (guitar and backing vocals) met at a viewing of Dawson’s Creek held in the latter’s dorm room. Though at the time they couldn’t suspect any of the details of the coming decade, it was apparent to both of them that they would spend many long years riding buses together. Mercifully, thanks to the cancellation of a major festival, Newcastle is lucky enough to have been included on the tour itinerary for a just announced show. We Are Scientists will play Newcastle’s Bar On The Hill on Sunday October 5. Tickets are on sale from The Rock Shop, the venue or www.bigtix.com.au. This show will sell out, so don’t delay!

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Simple Plan

SIMPLE PLAN ANNOUNCE NEWCASTLE PERFORMANCE Due to overwhelming demand, American band Simple Plan are heading back to Australia - and they’re coming to Newcastle! With support from The Getaway Plan and local boys Short Stack, this is a show that you shouldn’t miss. Head to the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Thursday October 16. Tickets go on sale Thursday September 11. This will be one hell of a party.

The Prince Of Wales pub in Merewether, Newcastle, is continuing its support of original music with three big dates in September. Firstly, there’s Grant Walmsley & The Agents Of Peace on Sunday September 7, Benjalu on Friday September 12 and Ghost Road on Sunday September 21, 2008. For more information, head to www. princeofwales.com.au

FEAR OF MONSTERS

GET LUCKY Newcastle band Fear Of Monsters will perform their ﬁrst ever headline show on September 19 at the Lucky Country Hotel. They’ll be supported by Canberra’s favourite band The Guests and Like... Alaska. Don’t miss this show!

edition 026 - Sept 08 - 9

10 Goodnight Kids were formed in 2007 after lead singer and front man Joshua, together with bass player Daniel and proficient guitarist Ryan, decided they wanted to be a part of a group that was dedicated to making original music. Completing the picture also that year was reliable and versatile drummer Adriano Sly Junior. Playing their first show in December last year, singer and songwriter Joshua says that being “thrown in the deep end” worked for them. “I think with gigging it get’s you a lot tighter, you’ve got no choice though when you’re playing in front of people,” he says. Their focused attitude has seen the band improve from that first gig by ten fold with their good reputation at local venues leading to the opportunity to support British India.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT GOODNIGHT KIDS have only been together for a short time but are already making waves in the local music scenes of Newcastle and Sydney. After only eight months and 13 shows together, they’re deﬁnitely on the right path, writes Rebecca Gallegos.

For Goodnight Kids, performing is what they live for. “When you play a really good show there’s nothing that can compare to it,” says bassist, Daniel. “But if you do a bad show or make a mistake then there’s nothing worse.” On stage they have a natural chemistry and ability to remain in sync with each other that has come from a close working relationship. “A simple look at someone and we know where we’re going,” Daniel says. Playing successful shows has given the band the conﬁdence to continue making original sounds and they are not about to slow down. “We do work hard, we very rarely in our spare time do anything that’s not to do with the band,” explains front man Joshua. The Goodnight Kids all work full time in addition to their commitment to the band. Both Josh and Ryan are teachers while guitarist Ryan has also started a music business course, furthering his commitment to the industry.

Their first song, ‘Jimmy Upper’, tells the story of a friend who lost his life to substance abuse. Joshua wrote the lyrics in just twenty minutes and the music was completed as a joint collaboration by the band. “We came up with that song together, it evolved really quickly. It’s the most organic song we’ve made together,” Josh says. Positive about the current local music scene in Newcastle, the Goodnight Kids plan to take their style of indie pop-rock to more venues in Sydney. Their first gig in Sydney last month was received well and, as a result, their calendar is quickly filling up with gigs. Admitting that music can sometimes be a tough business, the success of Newcastle bands such as The Seabellies has provided hope and inspiration to the Goodnight Kids. As well as entering the Resonate band competition and running for a nomination in the ABC music awards, they also plan to eventually make an album. “We just plan on making a heap of songs so if we do get that opportunity (to make an album) we can pick from a big catalogue of songs,” says Joshua. Local venues have embraced the Goodnight Kids’ eclectic mix of music and sounds, which has exposed the band’s music to a wide audience. Musically their style is hybrid mix of genres and something they have become proud of. “We want to play the songs we’ve worked so hard to make,” Josh explains. “We don’t want to be pigeonholed, we just want to exist, and do so vigorously.” For gig dates, head to www.myspace.com/goodnightkids

Tour SUPPORTED BY DOWNSYDE* (WA), MOTLEY# (UK), PHRASE + DJ FLAGRANT* (VIC), MIND OVER MATTER (NSW), CHOOSE MICS^ (QLD) *SYDNEY SHOW ONLY | #NOT PLAYING COFFS + YAMBA SHOWS | ^COFFS, YAMBA + BYRON SHOWS ONLY

FRI 19 SEPT | COFFS HARBOUR | HOEY MOEY

TIX: VENUE - 02 6652 3833, COFFS MUSIC PALMS CENTER, PARK BEACH MUSIC PLAZA & WWW.OFFBEATOPERATION.COM.AU

SAT 20 SEPT | YAMBA | YAMBA BOWLING CLUB TIX: VENUE - 02 6646 2305 OR WWW.OFFBEATOPERATION.COM.AU

THU 2 OCT | BYRON BAY | GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL TIX: VENUE - 02 6685 6454, WWW.BYRONBAYENTERTAINMENT.COM, WWW.THENORTHERN.COM.AU

FRI 10 OCT | NEWCASTLE | CAMBRIDGE HOTEL TIX: VENUE - 02 4962 2459, THE ROCK SHOP - 02 4929 1856, WWW.BIGTIX.COM.AU & TICKETEK

SAT 11 OCT | ERINA | WOODPORT INN TIX: OZTIX.COM.AU, WWW.WOODPORTINN.COM.AU & THE VENUE

FRI 17 OCT | SYDNEY | ENMORE THEATRE

(LIC.ALLAGES)

TIX: TICKETEK (LIMITED CAPACITY-DOWNSTAIRS ONLY)

TICKETS ON SALE NOW THE NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE IN STORES & DIGITALLY NOW! For tickets & more info: www.illusive.com.au

www.blissneso.com

www.myspace.com/blissneso

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THE GOOD TIMES AHEAD... AS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST EVERGREEN ROCK BANDS, THE HOODOO GURUS ARE, AS LEAD SINGER DAVE FAULKNER DESCRIBES, “IN A GENRE OF THEIR OWN”. WITH A RECENT PERFORMANCE AT THE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL, A NATIONAL TOUR AND A NEW ALBUM ON THE WAY, THERE’S MORE GOOD TIMES AROUND THE CORNER FOR THIS ENDURING GROUP. BY NICK MILLIGAN. There’s no doubt that Dave Faulkner is a humble man – and he’s not one to boast – but he knows that he’s the singer in a very special band. Emerging from the Sydney pub scene of the early 80s – an era when The Stems were growing in popularity and Radio Birdman had left an indelible imprint - the Hoodoo Gurus appeared as a group with a distinct punk ethos, mild doses of tongue-in-cheek humour, and an ability to create a sound that married danger with commercial viability. They were serious musicians, but they didn’t take themselves too seriously. “I came out of punk rock.” explains Faulkner. “I became very hardcore and fanatical about the purity of rock ‘n’ roll. That was an easy template to live your life by. It opened up other music that I hadn’t known about like the Flamin’ Groovies and [The New York] Dolls. It wasn’t till after punk that I started unlearning those lessons and the Hoodoo Gurus came out of that.” Starting out with a distinct punk ethos, Faulkner identifies one track as a turning point in the Gurus’ sound. “Definitely ‘Bittersweet’. On our first album I felt I had been a little dishonest by being so tongue-in-cheek all the time, lyrically. On the next album I wanted to be more forthright and express actual feelings!” says Faulkner.

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After a 17 year career, which was loaded with radio hits like ‘My Girl’, ‘I Want You Back’, ‘Like, Wow – Wipeout’, ‘What’s My Scene?’ and ‘Waking Up Tired’, the original Hoodoo Gurus line-up, with Faulkner on vocals/guitar, Brad Shepherd on guitar, Rick Grossman on bass, and Mark Kingsmill on drums, called it a day. The 1998 ‘Spit The Dummy’ tour was seemingly their swan-song, but it was no secret that the Gurus had a lot more to give. The group continued to work together under the moniker of the Persian Rugs, which explored the distinct psychedelic 60s inﬂuences of the band, but when an offer came to headline Sydney’s Homebake festival in 2003, the Gurus agreed to reform. When a re-recorded version of ‘What’s My Scene?’ (called ‘That’s My Team!’) was used as the anthem for the NRL seasons between 2003 and 2007, Australia quickly fell in love with the Hoodoo Gurus all over again. It was as if they never left. In 2003, the group recorded a new record called Mach Schau, a buzz-saw, punk-rock record. Now nearly six years late, the Gurus are shaping up to record studio album number nine. “We keep talking about it, and I’m the one that’s supposed to be knuckling down and writing stuff,” admits Faulkner. “I’ve got songs waiting, but I haven’t ﬁnished them off. It’s only now that I’m getting a picture

of what we should do, because we don’t want to repeat ourselves.” The shifting sounds of each Hoodoo Gurus release has not only kept their music fresh, but has ensured that they are continually discovered by legions of younger fans - are the Gurus still ahead of their time? “I don’t know about ahead of our time, but we’ve always been outside of our time. We don’t ever try to be a part of the mainstream. I read in a Mental As Anything interview many years ago, something that made me laugh. They said that they were in their own genre of music, kind of like Elvis movies, which were a sub-genre of ﬁlms. We’re kind of a sub-set called ‘Gurus Music’,” chuckles Faulkner. When asked to deﬁne the Gurus sound, Faulkner has a simple answer. “Melodies with a beat, and lyrics that don’t suck. That’s what I’ve always strived for,” says the songwriter. “Some people have said that our success came too easily, because our songs were too catchy. But that didn’t happen by accident - they were meant to be that way.” The Hoodoo Gurus play Wyong Leagues Club on Saturday September 6, 2008. For tickets call 02 4392 2799.

edition 026 - Sept 08 - 11

MASTERS IN WAITING It was only 10 months ago that Trivium were here as part of the Black Crusade tour with Machine Head and Arch Enemy. Since then they have been in the studio ﬁnishing off their fourth album, Shogun, and have just played a single hit-and-run gig at the Enmore Theatre. Reverb chatted with their bassist, Paolo Gregoletto, about the new album, and which songs drove him to metal. The new album will be released September 27. What can we expect? Is it going to be much of a departure? No, I think actually this album really has a lot to do with the other albums. I don’t think Ascendency and The Crusade had as much in common but, Shogun has a lot in common with not only those two albums but also Ember To Inferno. I think we set out to make an album that deﬁnes what the Trivium sound is. People can expect a very cohesive album. We took our time on each song. Demoing, rehearsing and it really shows when you listen back. Did you approach the album differently to the other three to make sure you got exactly what you were looking for? For Ascendency (their second album) we were signed to Roadrunner so we didn’t know what to expect, and we were just rehearsing and writing and doing some smaller tours. Then with the Crusade album (the band’s third), we had just come off

tour and Ascendency had done a lot better than anyone was expecting and all of a sudden we had to follow up that album. We didn’t do as much rehearsing, as much demoing (with The Crusade) as we had done with Ascendency. With this album, Shogun, we wanted to take our time again. We spent a good six or seven months after coming off the Black Crusade tour just rehearsing and focusing solely on the songwriting and just getting it as tight as we could as a band before we hit the studio. Even before that we started demoing while we were still touring The Crusade. I’m interested to know what got you into metal in the first place. This is the one that got me into heavier music to begin with. It’s definitely not one of their heaviest songs ever, but ‘King Nothing’ by Metallica. I heard it on a radio show back home in Florida. I can’t remember when, it was just a long, long time ago. At the time I was just listening to what my friends were listening to, just your typical music that 3rd or 4th graders were listening to, and I heard that and it was like wow, this is amazing. I had just started playing music and it was like well, I can stick with playing this easy music or try and do this. This sounds interesting and it just went from there. That then leads to ‘Master of Puppets’ by Metallica. I just think that is their defining song. Really, that sold me on heavy music. From there I was to go on and find out about bands like Megadeth, Pantera and Iron Maiden. The next song that really means a lot to me is ‘Aces High’ by Iron Maiden. I wasn’t totally sold on Iron Maiden when I first

Cassie with Ryan Dunn (Jackass)

heard them, but when I heard that song and the entire Powerslave album, I was like ‘This band is fucking incredible.’ Since then I’ve become a diehard fan. I think everything they make is amazing. In 2006 we did a full European and UK tour with them. It was amazing. Every night, sold out arenas, multiple nights in many cities. It was our ﬁrst taste of really touring on that level. It was incredible. We went down really well with their audience. We had heard horror stories about other bands supporting them cause when you are playing with Iron Maiden, you’re playing to pretty much 99.9% Maiden fans so you’ve got to bring you’re A-game and just go out and kick arse. We had a great time. I think to this day it is still one of the best tours we’ve done.

Our intrepid Vans Warped 2008 tour reporter Cassie Walker has survived a month of tour managing LA band The Randies, and is ready to tell her story. As we go to print, she is in the air on her way home, getting a well earned sleep. Let’s open the pages of her tour diary and dig for dirt... “So right now I am where I have called home the past three weeks. I am laying on my bed in the RV. My bed, when not on tour, is a lovely set of table and chairs.

a day of driving today and then tomorrow the kind-hearted members of the Warped Tour family are going to Monterey to clean up the bay as it is highly polluted.

We are almost at the Californian border and have been driving since late last night when we left Portland, Oregon. We have

The Randies and I are paired up with the all girl Japanese Ska band, Oreska Band (myspace.com/oreskabandus), to replant

Did you get his autograph? Last time we supported them in New Jersy and I got his autograph for my Aunt. That was the only time I did. For more updates on the release of Shogun, head to www.trivium.org

trees in the bay. This band are so talented, energetic and entertaining - I am very excited to spend some time with them and I’m hoping to learn some Japanese.

In Buffalo the venue was next to a theme park so I took the drummer of The Randies, who is afraid of heights, on the pirate ship and scariest rollercoaster in the park.

We have five days left of Warped Tour and it makes me wonder where the past three weeks have gone. It seems like only yesterday I was checking in with production organising our passes, press, merch, meals and gear. Now, I can see the finish line with a broken suitcase and band tote bag filled with stories.

In Milwaukee, AP magazine threw a party where the limbo contest was won by a boy in no pants and there were way to many bearded and tattooed men pole dancing. Better than any under-the-mattress ﬁlm.

The days generally consist of the same routine - wake up the band, get ready, load in merchandise, breakfast, load in gear to stage, ﬁnd out playing time, organise press, organise acoustic performances, poster and ﬂyer the venue, sell merch, lunch, load out gear, load out merch, shower, pack down, dinner, bbq, party.

THE WARPED DIARIES

Do you ﬁnd that you still get a little bit star struck when you walk up to Bruce Dickinson and there he is? I don’t normally get star struck but when you meet bands like that you just think about all the stuff you’ve seen. Their DVDs and them playing in front of thousands of people. It’s deﬁnitely trippy to be talking to them but I don’t ever get to the point where I can’t speak to people.

The ﬁrst day we had storms in Boston, strong enough to put the whole festival on hold. In Darien, New York, I had drinks made by bartender Ryan Dunn of Jackass, whilst hanging out with punk greats Against Me!, The Bronx, Every Time I Die, Street Dogs and the Agrolites. I had an Aussie invasion from friends back home in New York where we drank mystery cocktails made and served by Le Bronx (The Bronx’s spanish alter egos), moshed to the Jackson 5 with Kevin Lynman, been tattooed by tattoo legend Oliver Peck and had meals served to me by From First To Last, Set Your Goals and Motion City Soundtrack.

At the Minneapolis party we all got rained on and then once it cleared were amused by fire eaters and sword jugglers. I had a few days off that were much needed but I definitely missed life on the road after the first day. I went river rapid rafting down the Boise River in Idaho, which was bloody scary but fun and gave me a much needed shower! Back on tour we re-styled our best friends, Ludo, whom were guilty of having two members of the same band wearing the same shirt. We smashed bottles with Reel Big Fish, mused at the beautiful Gorge Ampitheatre and watched The Agrolites, Motion City Soundtrack and Cobra Starship as the sun set. I’m out for now to wash with baby wipes and try to entertain myself for the next eight hours of driving. But, check in next issue to read the remainder of my tales from the road - the last five dates takes us from San Fransisco to San Diego and California, where there is always a party! Peace, love, rock and roll. Cassie.”

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

Cigars are the choice of smoking aficionados - do you guys have a taste for the finer things in life? An aficionado is someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking. As for the finer things in life, I think we are all far too poor to enjoy things that are too expensive. I struggle to make the pub some weeks…

You cats have collectively a lot of band and gig experience, don’t you? Both Ryan and Matt have played for ten years together in Bunson. Steve spent time in Canberra heavy weights Henry’s Anger for about a year and during that time, he was able to play the 2000 BDO and headline Metal for © Mathewthe Packer Photography Brain. During all this and for a long time before, Steve was also in local Maitland band Mischling. I have played in a stack of local bands including numerous incarnations of bands with Trent Grenell (The Seabellies), The Grand Champions, Equinibrium and The Porkers. The bands I’ve been in have served up some excellent memories and plenty of gigs, including a tour of Japan and heaps of support shows and tours in Australia. Is it true that you jammed together for up to a year

before making your stage debut? We started jamming and writing before we even began looking for a singer. Due to the complexity of the music, we decided to write at least four songs before we began looking. The task took way longer than expected. During the search, we had enough time to almost complete our entire set. When we finally found Steve we wrote a few more songs and got ready to play live. The only reason behind the length of time was that we wanted our music to be intense, tight and excellent before we came out and displayed it to anyone. We felt at the time, that spending more time fine tuning would help us to present something a little bit different and out of the ordinary for local heavy music fans. Your first show in Newcastle was one of the most intense gigs i’ve ever seen. i was not the only one picking my jaw up off the ground... did you get some good feedback from that first run of shows? Haha, shucks. The first lot of shows we played were excellent. We got a great response - enough to encourage us to feel we had something a bit special and might have the opportunity to be something more. Unfortunately, once we had started to build up momentum doing shows, Matt had a pretty serious accident that stopped him playing drums for six months. We were unsure if he would play drums again at all. But fortunately, he recovered and we could be a band again. We’ve taken close to 12 months out, but it seems to be worth it. Matt is better, the CD is finally being released and the support

we picked up with COG is going to be a huge highlight for us all. It is starting to feel like we are on a good foot to get down to the business of playing music. You guys are about to release you debut album. Did it take a similarly long amount of time to prepare? It took ages. We tracked it before the band had ever played live. Once we had played some shows, we had some money to do a little more with it and took it to Sean Brown to clean up what we had created. Then Matt had his accident and production stalled again. But we were able to secure a distribution deal with Reign Records and they helped us to ﬁnalise the mastering and get the album printed. It has been a marathon (over a couple of years), but totally worth it. We created the album ourselves and are proud as punch with what we made.

form something, we use the original conceptual structure to build up complete songs. Then, Steve has a bed to begin working on his vocals and as he works we make slight changes.

“We got a great response enough to encourage us to feel like we had something a bit special...”

Heavy music does a lot for anger release - how does it affect you?

Releasing negative energy leaves you feeling better, whilst using it for uplifting purposes is much the same. I’d say we experience a bit of both. Cigars For The Man’s new CD The Adventures of Repus Polnud is out now on Reign Records.

Your music is at times chaotic and frantic, with numerous time changes - how do your songs come together? We call Ryan the riff bank. He is good at saving, so he is always stocked up. Ryan and I will piece together his initial ideas with larger conceptual structures. These pieces are then assembled and jammed out in the band room between Ryan, Matt and myself. As the pieces start to

Photo: Matt Packer

ewcastle tech-metal wizards Cigars For The Man, are about to drop their long-awaited debut release. Reverb’s intrepid, heavy-music stalwart Krudboy is on the case, with Justin Lipscome, their fat string handler.

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edition 026 - Sept 08 - 13

All That

Glitters Is Gold

he Drones have been promising us greatness since releasing their debut album in 2002 - and it would be unfair to say that this Perth band havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t delivered. But their epic ďŹ fth studio album, Havilah Havilah,, will lay waste to the disbelievers. By Nick Milligan

Newcastle, Hunter and Coastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest music, entertainment and lifestyle magazine

GOLD NUGGETS

Gareth Liddiard talks about some of the tracks off The Drones’ latest album, Havilah. ‘NAIL IT DOWN’ “This is about seven songs rolled into one. Don’t ask me what it’s about. IPods have fucked up the concept of the album so here is an album in one song.”

Top Left: Gareth Liddiard breaks a sweat at The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, March 22, 2007 (image Mark Snelvis). Top Middle: A graveyard in the Victorian mining town of Havilah - the namesake of The Drones’ ﬁfth studio album. Above: The Drones in their Gala Mill era (2006). Right: Liddiard on stage at Splendour In The Grass, Byron Bay, 2008 (image Justin Edwards). Bottom Right: The Drones in 2008.

he themes on The Drones’ latest album, Havilah, are as vast and varied as their sound. Since gaining international attention with their award-winning second album Wait Long By The River and The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By, the Perth four-piece seem close to perfecting the sprawling rock epic. For inspiration, singer/songwriter Gareth Liddiard immersed himself in literature, and this result highlights his continued interest in mythology - he’s even written a track about a strange cult that dwells in the Pacific islands. “I just trawled through books, poems, reference books – anything I could get my hands on. Certain things just stick in my mind. It’s about reading information, gauging your reaction to it, and then vomiting it all out into a song,” says Liddiard, who is on the phone from Seattle, where the group have just arrived on their American tour. Liddiard has gained recognition as a dynamic front man. His vocals are tortured – he often misses notes – yet his delivery invariably enters your soul. The result is spell-binding. On Havilah’s brilliant seven-minute opener, he cries like a dying warrior. Along with the band’s new guitarist, Dan Luscombe, Liddiard strangles his guitar and it pleads for rescue. Through the pursuit of imperfection, Liddiard is striking gold in every musical vein. It’s the kind of musicianship that would bring a smile to Neil Young’s dial. The album’s crowning glory is ‘I Am The Supercargo’, a monolithic opus that opens with Liddiard’s sinister slurs, as he draws you into an unsettling ethos. He sounds like the Mr Hyde to Bob Dylan’s Dr Jekyll. “The skeleton of the song is about John Frum cults in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea. There’s these weird little islands like Tanna, where they have these strange cults,” explains Liddiard. “A stone-age bunch of people. They saw a cargo plane or ship [brought by Westeners], had their minds blown and then formed a cult around it. The song is about the way people react… and the spiritual side of things – and religion.” Havilah was mostly written in the home that Liddiard shares with Drones bassist, Fiona Kitschin, in the Alpine region of Victoria. Its isolation is conducive to Liddiard’s intense writing style. The nearby mining town of Havilah provided the group’s fifth studio album with a namesake. “Havilah, a Hebrew word and

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the town, is up near Mount Buffalo. We didn’t choose [‘Havilah’] because of its biblical meaning (it references the Garden Of Eden). It used to be a gold-mining town and that’s what the miners called it back in 1860, or whatever. It means ‘Place Of Gold,’” explains Liddiard. The Drones took more time to make Havilah than their previous record, Gala Mill, which was recorded almost without any previous rehearsal. Liddiard makes sure that the group’s approach to each new album is different. His approach to writing follows a similar whim. “It’s a case by case thing. Some songs can be harder to bring out than others. Sometimes I go for something that has a hazy meaning, which is open to interpretation. I went through a bit of that on [Havilah]. An album like Gala Mill was more narrative - I tried to get away from that on Havilah. I wanted every listener to have their own meaning,” says Liddiard.

‘OH MY’ “Humans think they are different from anything else with two feet and a heartbeat. They think they are pretty hot. But the only real difference is illustrated in this conversation below. Man Speaking To Bumble Bee: MAN: What do you think of Bumble Bees? BUMBLE BEE : They’re ok I guess. What do you think of people? MAN: They are the most amazing, incredible, wondrous, precious and all knowing beings in the whole universe, ever.” ‘THE DRIFTING HOUSEWIFE’ “This is a divorce song. This is our small contribution to this oft neglected song form.” ‘LUCK IN ODD NUMBERS’ “This is an old theory that makes about as much sense as luck itself. It also touches on the whole Kelly Gang myth. I don’t know how being a bunch of smack heads, in overweight armor with helmets, that impede riﬂe usage while trying to take on the entire police force in a shoot-out is going to be of any use to anyone. But, I do know that

sometimes just looking super fucking cool is enough. The Drones will pay that one, hats off.” ‘PENUMBRA’ “‘Moon River’, ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Moon Shadow’, ‘Moonlight Drive’, the Moon Walk... every reference in popular song and dance about our nearest neighbour (Walking on the Moon excepted) fails to touch on ACTUALLY GOING THERE. I find this odd considering IT’S PRETTY FUCKING STUPENDOUSLY INCREDIBLY AMAZING that we managed to do it. What else have we done that’s as impressive? Love each other? Be serious: One billion years ago fish crawls from sea, changes a bit, builds spaceship and flies to the Moon. What’s not to love?” ‘CAREFUL AS YOU GO’ “If you thought PTSD went the way of the dodo after the Vietnam war then you are right. Mike makes a few nods to ‘Suicide Is Painless’ and there is also a nod to nodding off in here and a nod to the Hydra, which must have nodded more than any other animal ever, period.” ‘COLD AND SOBER’ “This might look and sound like something else but it’s really just a song about bad habits. We’ve tried to record this three times over about eight years but I think we got it, finally.”

The singer’s raw vocals have a polarizing effect, yet you couldn’t imagine a delivery more suited to the chaos of The Drones’ rolling sound. In his quieter moments, Liddiard is practically talking. When he unwinds and raises the volume, his authenticity as a performer is apparent. Frustration and impatience made Liddiard want to sing. Playing in a number of High School bands around the age of 15, he didn’t like the voices of the front men around him. His discovery of punk highlighted his options. “There’s a high level of competency in bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, but once I started hearing acts like Black Flag, a little light bulb went off. I thought, ‘Maybe I could do this,’” explains the singer. The ﬁrst radio single to be lifted from Havilah, ‘The Minotaur’, fuses a famous Greek myth with the lethargy of teenage Australians. It’s an explosive coil that would have made Joe Strummer proud. “The Minotaur myth is all based around dysfunction,” explains Liddiard. “He’s the offspring of a bull that came out of the foetus as a gift from [Poseidon] to [King Minos]. Then the king’s wife fell in love with it and they got it on. Then they had a dysfunctional kid that ended up walking around a labyrinth and killing anyone that came in. It’s a metaphor for your classic fuck-up,” says Liddiard. ‘The Minotaur’ then, is the opposite of its subject. Havilah is released September 20 in all decent record stores.

edition 026 - Sept 08 - 15

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017

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

Muph & Plutonic have their focus firmly on the future - as their new album ...And Then Tomorrow Came testifies. The duo spoke to Noah Cross. record. We touch on the ideas of redemption and change. The title reflects where my head space is at right now. I’d been putting off certain changes I wanted to make in my life, but finally it feels like the urgency is there. Tomorrow has come and, hence, it is the day to make those moves. How does this collaboration extend yourselves creatively? M: Plutonic exposes a lot of great music to my ears, which previously I would never have heard of. Some of the music he’s given me has really inspired a lot of my writing. Often some of these other genres he schools me on, give me a lot of ideas with my writing too.

id the chart success of ...And Then Tomorrow Came take you by surprise? Muph : Deﬁnitely. We try to approach each release date with a minimal amount of expectation. That way you don’t feel disappointed if the album is not received as well as you’d hoped. We weren’t really sure how it would chart, and to be honest it was not really something we’d given a whole lot of thought. So it was great to chart at all!

Is there a signiﬁcance to the album title ...And Then Tomorrow Came? M :It sums up the overall themes that run throughout the

Did you approach the production of ...And Then Tomorrow Came differently when compared to Hunger Pains and Silence the Sirens? Plutonic: It’s hard to even remember what I was thinking during the making of the record, but I do recall wanting to make it a little more upbeat without it being super cheesy. I had previously just ﬁnished Ivens Sounds To Expire To (which he produced) which was a record I put alot of work into, but I found the negativity of the content on the record somewhat draining and something I wanted to avoid on ATTC. With hip-hop now appearing on the Australian charts more often, is there a danger of it becoming sanitised to ensure commercial success? M : Yes and no. There will be artists who surface with an obvious intent to create music for the goal of reaching the mainstream. On the other hand, there will always be the underground heads, who make music for themselves. Sometimes they will cross over, sometimes they won’t. At the end of the day, there is always going to be good hiphop and garbage. Even still, tastes are so varied that what

I consider garbage may actually be something that you think is great. It’s all opinions anyway. P: There has been many attempts by record companies to glean a chart success from some cheesy artist. But what makes something successful, I think, is it’s uniqueness. You can’t treat your audience like a bunch of dumb f*#ks... Can you hear a distinct difference between the hip-hop being produced in each of the different capital cities? What impact does the location have on the sound? M: Maybe I could tell the difference about ﬁve years ago. However, nowadays there is so much diversity in each state, it’s hard to tell. Generally an artist is affected by his or her surroundings - so things like weather, lifestyle, community, public transport, population and so on - are going to have some form of input into the music they are making. If someone was just getting into Aussie hip-hop, what ﬁve albums would be the best introduction? M: 01. Prowla – Money Walks, 02. Lazy Grey – Off Tap, 03. Urthboy – The Signal, 04. Funkoars – Greatest Hits, 05. Mnemonic Ascent – The Book’s Full You’re right in the middle of an Australian tour in support of the new release. What has been the crowd’s reaction when hearing the new songs live? M : So far so good, as the tour continues it seems the audience are becoming increasingly familiar with the new tracks. Which is good. ...And Then Tomorrow Came is out now through Obese Records. Word.

Tad Poedee

A man of the people ell known to the city dwellers and late night party people, Wayne W Macgregor aka, Tad Poedee has a long

and distinguished career in the local music scene, from giving Silverchair/The Innocent Criminals their first gigs, to his tireless work for the environment. Krudboy caught up with Macgregor from Tassie, to discuss his new roots/folk recording. “We recorded at a studio in Maryville - I tracked out the guitars and vocals with the help of CC Thornleigh, a banjo player from Melbourne. The producer grabbed him while he was in Newcastle for 14 hours,” says Macgregor. Sounds like good timing. Between his recording and organising benefits with partner Alana, Macgregor spends a lot of time busking on the streets of Newcastle - quite a lucrative line of work for the hardworking ssinger/songwriter. I ask about the decline of society and the introduction of the liquor accord and curfews. “Newy’s got trouble going on, and it always has. It’s got nothing to do with the pubs. If you ask people 30 years ago, its the steel town, work hard play hard and just fight. It’s about gangs of people

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stalking, like predators. Thats 10 years of looking at it. People get drunk for sure, but everyone should be able to have a beer till 6am if they want to,” Macgregor explains. You’ve done a lot of work over the years for organisations like Surfrider and Wilderness. People struggle to make money when they put on gigs, but you have always been able to donate money to the cause, haven’t you? “Over the years we’ve raised thousands, everybody is donating their time and doing it grass roots. All those gigs (lately) have been at the Lass O’Gowrie, Ian (the owner) supports us, and you get a percentage of the bar. We’ve been very lucky to have such a place,” says Macgregor. Are you looking forward to releasing your album and gigging? “This is the ﬁrst recording of mine that will be available in shops. So its a bit more accessible at reasonable hours,” he reveals. Catch Tad Poedee’s CD launch at the Lass O’Gowrie, September 19, with The Bits, Danny Sullivan and Barry March. For more information www.myspace.com/tadpoedee

edition 026 - Sept 08 - 17

news

018

Leader Of The

BAND

From the joyous triumph of ‘No Aphrodisiac’ to the sobering loss of two thirds of the group’s original line-up, THE WHITLAMS’ tale is full of towering highs and devastating lows. However, The Whitlams’ name has lived on in the continued songwriting success of Tim Freedman. The singer spoke to Nick Milligan about the release of the new Whitlams ‘Best Of’ and what it took to lead the way after losing two of his closest allies. How difficult was it to choose which songs would make it on to The Whitlams’ Best Of? I wish you could fit 25 songs on a CD, but you can only fit 20. Once I was brave enough to drop some singles, it all fell into place quite easily. Were you, Stevie and Andy performing for very long as The Whitlams before you came to the attention of Gough Whitlam? No, because we released a song called ‘Gough’ on the very first album and some of his staff came down and had a look at the band, to see if we were using the name with respect. Once they realised that we were, there were never any problems. Someone showed him the film clip [for ‘Gough’] back in 1993, so he knew what was going on. Do you stay in touch with Gough? We had lunch a couple of times last year, which is always a thrill. It’s one of those times when it’s good to meet your heroes – it usually isn’t. He’s always very noble and funny. What’s your opinion of our current

Prime Minister? I think [Kevin Rudd] has achieved a lot in a year, actually. I know he has been working very hard and I still have hope that they’ll be a good Government. You did a solo tour in 2004 where you spoke a lot about the band’s history – what impact did doing that tour have on you? I really enjoyed it. It gave me a taste of doing more of the same thing in the future – maybe with a different theme. I might do a tour where I just do songs about women, for example, and tell some stories about them. I might also add some audio/visual content and make it more of a theatre piece. Does travelling inspire you to write? I wrote Little Cloud in New York, but the most important thing is getting away from my life. I usually put songwriting off until everything else is done, so I need to get away and change those priorities. I usually write in blocks and only when there’s a deadline approaching. I don’t have a lot of fragments [of songs] around after six albums, so I have to start every album from scratch, unfortunately.

In the booklet for the ‘Best Of’ release, there’s a moment where you talk about sitting in the sun, thinking about the future of the band without Stevie (who passed away). What did you see as your options for the future of The Whitlams without him? There was only one option, and that was me taking charge. I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested in [The Whitlams] without Stevie, because his songs were probably stronger than mine - even though I wrote the single [‘No Aphrodisiac’]. That was certainly daunting. When I started singing all the songs, it felt very strange. You’re spoiled when you’ve got two singers, because you’re constantly having a rest. It took me a little while to get used to that. It was also hard because there was no one on stage to bounce off, in terms of patter – but I got used to do it. Did you put pressure on yourself to become a better songwriter? I went through quite a productive stage, I think. I knew that I had to write all the songs, so I just came up with a lot of songs for Eternal Nightcap. It shifted me into a faster gear - just the shock of it all. It was a rollercoaster two years.

Has your approach to songwriting changed a lot over the years? I still write songs the same way – I’ll sit at a piano and doodle. But now I’m harder on myself. Less songs make it through to the public, because I don’t want to start releasing songs that don’t say anything, just to ﬁll time. So I don’t. After your upcoming tour, what are you planning next? I’m writing songs – I don’t know what they’ll be for, whether it will be for The Whitlams or a solo thing. My record deal is ﬁnished – I had a three album deal with Warner, so I now I have complete freedom as to where I go. So, I won’t decide until I have to! The great thing about having your own label (Black Yak) is that you always have somewhere to retreat to and be productive. We’ve made sure that there’s money left over from Eternal Nightcap to make album number seven, so business won’t hold me back. The Whitlams perform at Belmont Sailing Club on October 4 and Tim Freedman is playing Lizotte’s, Kincumber, October 17. Truth Beauty and a Picture of You is out now through Warner.

Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You...

The release of The Whitlams’ Best Of not only sees Tim Freedman end his recording contract with Warner, but also reﬂect with his fans on the group’s history. Here’s what he has to say about some gems in the group’s discography.

‘BLOW UP THE POKIES’ “It is a strange fact that our only commercial hit is essentially a protest song. After watching the local live scene contract in the mid 90s due to poker machines, and then seeing our founding member Andy succumb to their allure, I penned this story of a musician playing pokies where a few years before at the same spot he was playing his instrument.”

‘NO APHRODISIAC’ “After Stevie died I was moving away from the roots sound of the first two albums. Here you can hear that change in one song, as Andy plays his double bass in the first half, and the electric in the second. The song took off on radio and suddenly in October 1997 we had a Gold album before we’d even got around to shooting any film clips.

‘BUY NOW PAY LATER (CHARLIE NO. 2)’ “Though not released until ten years later, I started ﬁddling with this song in 1987 when I lived in a basement on Crown St in Surry Hills. I had noticed how hard a friend was taking her boyfriend’s self-destruction.”

Two old friends Pinky and Chit Chat had just played me a demo of a song they wrote off their chops at the place I was renting in Thirroul and I thought their “classiﬁed section” (ie the “forty shaved sexy...”) would take the tune into a different dimension. So they lent it to me.”

‘THANK YOU (FOR LOVING ME AT MY WORST)’ “I was having too much fun and sailing close to the wind. And happy songs come out of happy times. And there aren’t enough of them, so I stopped just long enough to write one.” ‘GOUGH’ “After I named the band Stevie told me that he had gone to the same school as Gough Whitlam - Narrabundah College - so I set about using that fact in a theme song for us. When we got a good deal to record some stuff up in Newcastle I dragged along my housemate Louis Burdett to play some drums. Then we did a live session one afternoon and that was enough for our ﬁrst album Introducing...”

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

AT THE STATIO THIS MONTH....

S E C I O V E H T N E R D L I H C OF

iggy Marley might share his legendary father’s last name and also have a gift for writing truly spiritual reggae music, but he is a man of the modern era. Nick Milligan spoke to Bob Marley’s oldest son about his inclusion on the upcoming Raggamuffin tour and his new children’s album. You’re coming back to Australia for the Raggamuffin tour – have you enjoyed your previous trips to Australia? Yeah, very much. We have a good time. The people are very open to what we have to offer. Are you looking forward to playing alongside your brother Stephen Marley? Yeah, we play together whenever we can, so being on a tour is not a bad thing. Have you ever met Shaggy or Eddy Grant (who are also on the Raggamuffin tour)? I know Shaggy, but Eddy... no. Have you been working on a new album? I’ve been working on a family record. I’ve been calling it a ‘kid’s record’, but it’s really for families. I came out of the studio a couple of weeks ago. So that’s my next project – to make music for children. How did you approach this album compared to your others? Once I decided to do it, it was very easy to write the songs. It was a revelation for me – I didn’t have to think too much about it. It has opened my mind. What messages do you want to send to children in the music? We use the same concepts that we put in

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other music – love, unity, strength. But we want to redefine children’s music. ‘A’ is for ‘Africa’, instead of ‘A’ is for ‘Apple’. Writing it happened very quickly – I’ve never written from a children’s mind before. It was a great freedom. I don’t care what critics say or what anyone will say – it’s just for children. How do your own children respond to the album? They helped me write it. My little daughter is three years old and she’s very musical, and she gave me a lot of inspiration to write the songs and she sings along with me when I’m at home writing. [My children] love it. Are there similarities between yourself and your father Robert, in terms of how you relate to your children? I’m much closer to my kids than my father was to us, in terms of the everyday. He was pretty busy during his time and had a lot going on. I don’t want to be like that. I don’t think it was the best way to be, so I try to be better than that with my kids. Is it sometimes difficult to find a balance between work and spending time with your children? No, because these days we can make music at home! I have a studio in my house. It’s much different to having to go to a studio somewhere else. My father didn’t have a mobile phone – now it is much easier to communicate no matter where I am. I can get on the internet and use Skype, where they can see me and I can see them. It’s so much easier than 1979. Ziggy Marley will perform at the Raggamuffin festival at Lindeman’s Winery, Hunter Valley, on January 31, 2008. Don’t miss out!

Wednesday 3rd M.O.T.O (USA), Crashing Planes Friday 5th Limbo Land, the General Managers, Sidetracked Fiasco Sunday 7th Nick Saxon, Emily and Sophie, Dave Wooden Wednesday 10th The Muddy Turds (TAS), The Decades, Corporate Smack Sunday 14th Jen Buxton, Olly and Sophie, Amy Newton-Banks Wednesday 17th The Zillers, Watch the Left Sunday 21st Danny Byrne, Nick Saxon, Olly and Sophie Wednesday 24th Corporate Smack, Great Toad and Chamelion Circus, Red Tape Enthusiast Sunday 28th Jaron Holmes, Jen Buxton, Olly and Sophie Wednesday Oct 1st Hot Girls, Crashing Planes.

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edition 026 - Sept 08 - 19

safety in numbers Having recently returned from the US with album number three, Engineering The Soul, under their arms, Central Coast flag bearers Something With Numbers feel and sound like a new band. Seven years have passed since their formation, an EP and two albums have been delivered, and the band have found that the world is their oyster. Enigmatic front man Jake Grigg has also returned a new man. The curls have been removed, new tattoos have been added... and only one arrest while in America. Kevin Bull spoke to Grigg as he waited at Sydney Airport for his flight to Brisbane, and the word on his lips regarding Engineering The Soul is “pop”.

chasing it. I don’t think you ever stop,” admits Grigg. This dream has led to the recording of the band’s third album, Engineering The Soul, in one of the biggest, baddest studios in the US, Mission Sounds Studios, Brooklyn. “It was basically a music shop in a studio”, Grigg explains. “There were like five different pianos, a million different organs and keyboards, guitars, amps, percussion. All we did was try out new instruments and getting new sounds. It wasn’t like we were just there recording, we learnt a lot there too.”

I was surprised at how open Grigg was in calling the album pop. Having followed the band’s progress over the years, it is a direction I was not expecting to see. How wrong I was. “We’ll always maintain our punk roots,” Grigg said. “That’s something we’ve always got. That’s something we love, but I can’t put out the same record twice. We get bored. Next one’s going to be hip hop, you never know.”

A NEW DIRECTION Keeping an eye on proceedings was prominent indie producer Tim O’Heir (Dinosaur Jr, All American Rejects, Sebadoh, Morphine), in a role where he pushed the band’s expectations of what they were capable of. What was initially considered complete became a rethink. “He really pushed the limits for us,” Grigg said. “We had all our songs together and we went over there to do a couple of weeks pre-production. We got to the studio and started reworking the songs, and he would just say, ‘This is not as good as you can do, you guys can do something better, get rid of it and try something else.’ And we were like, ‘What? What are you talking about? As if, mate.’ But when we took his advice, nine times out of ten we would get something better. It was great that he pushed us that way.”

or a band whose roots began with punk, to even be associated with this three letter word could be a concern. As Grigg tells me, this is exactly the way he wanted it to be. “We set out to write a pop album. It’s an album where we’ve all musically pushed ourselves to take a step away from what we’re comfortable in. We grew up on punk rock. The first album (Etiquette) was pretty heavy, the second one (Perfect Distraction) was rock and roll. We thought, ‘We’ve done all that, so let’s try and do something out of our comfort zone. Let’s try and make a pop record.’ It’s hard to take that risk to make this sort of music but we thought it was something we wanted to try out and I think we succeeded. And now I really love the record. I can’t ask for more than that.”

Following a blistering main stage appearance at this year’s Big Day Out, Lachlan Scott (guitar), Dave McBeath (drums), Tim Crocker (guitar), Scott Chapman (bass) and Jake Grigg (vocals) jetted over to the US to begin preproduction on their highly anticipated third album. Things changed quickly for the band following the release of the single ‘Apple of the Eye (Lay Me Down)’ in 2006. Insanely catchy, it found the band major radio and TV appearances, as well as a 2007 ARIA Award nomination for “Breakthrough Artist”. People of power are watching their next step, and expectations are high. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS I first met Jake and the band in a back room of the Palais Royale in Newcastle six years ago. The Palais has since been demolished, but the fortunes of Something With Numbers have gone from strength to strength. Airplanes around the world, fashion shoots at the racecourse, a third album recorded in the US, and playing the biggest festival ever to be held on the Central Coast (Coaster) - is this what Grigg was hoping for all those years ago? “Yeah, I guess. All I was really hoping for was to be able to keep doing it for as long as I can. I’m still doing it and we are about to release the best album we’ve ever made.” So is this the dream? “I’m definitely still

With a producer not accepting mediocrity and a studio filled with exotic instruments, Something With Numbers recorded with a new and unique brush. Unexpected sounds and textures have been included on Engineering The Soul, so the initial surprise in hearing them is surpassed by the uplifting quality of the songwriting. I wanted to pin Grigg down on a number of songs, and in particular the instrumentation used. Brass has been added to three of the tracks, ‘Don’t Spend Forever’, ‘Yesterday’ and the upcoming second single ‘We’ll Fight’. Was this at the suggestion of the producer? “It was a mutual thing,” explains Grigg. “It was partly because we wanted to have something different. We weren’t going to put on strings, we had it on the last record. We felt it was getting clichéd now, a punk band does a third record with heaps of strings on it. We didn’t want to do that, plus we had been listening to lots of Bowie, stuff like that. We thought let’s get some horns on there, and Tim was like, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking.’”

“He just happened to be friends with the Dap-Kings (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse),” continues Grigg. “So we sent them the songs, they liked them and they came in and played. We can’t really ask for better musicians. It adds a different element to the songs, maybe even a little bit of maturity. It’s just something a little bit different, something we’ve never sort of experimented with so, why not?” The final two tracks on the album are totally unexpected. ‘Don’t Spend Forever’ is a bouncy, acoustic ballad while ‘I’ll Be there’ is a tender song of piano and vocals. When asked what the Jake Grigg of six years ago would have thought if told he would be recording something like this, he honestly says that he would have thought it crazy. Is it that far away from what he was thinking back then? “Yeah, back in the day all I wanted to do was make music that was really fast and heavy, and make people run around and head bang. That’s really all I was thinking about. Now that I have done all that and have developed the art, I want to spark other emotions in people, especially with those two tracks there. They’re basically all mine, completely my two songs. I really wanted to show what we’re capable of, even though it doesn’t necessarily fit in what we’re doing right now. What it really does show is our diversity,” says Grigg. The final song I wanted to question the singer on was ‘Seventeen Places’, a song that sounds like a natural single but carries with it a rather nasty message regarding a dysfunctional relationship. With Grigg having gone through a personal crisis not so long ago, I asked him how being a musician and songwriter has helped him through his own tough times. The tone in Grigg’s voice changes and drops. An air of seriousness follows, and it’s clear that he understands how lucky he has been. “If I didn’t have it then I don’t know how I would exist.” There’s a pause, and with this simple statement I can tell Grigg is soul searching. “It’s like medicine to me. That’s another reason why this record and the music is so poppy lyrically. The way I was feeling during the writing process was really negative so the only way I could deal with that was to counteract it with upbeat, catchy tunes. I was using the music as my scapegoat,” explains Grigg. TEXAS AND HANDCUFFS While over in the US recording, Something With Numbers found time to head down to Austin, Texas, for quite possibly the world’s biggest music conference, South By South West. The highlight for Jake was to find himself on the same bill as one of his heroes, Hanson. At first he denies the adulation. “Bullshit,” is his reply. When pushed on the subject and questioned about whether he had posters of them in his bedroom when he was young, he cracked. “No, I’m more of a fan now I think,” he confides, saying that he would prefer people not to know. “It was one of those things where it was a big festival so you don’t really have a choice where you play. There were hundreds of blonde little girls in the crowd, and we were like, ‘Maybe we got on the wrong bill.’ So it wasn’t our decision.” And did Jake meet his idols? “Yeah, I met the drummer (Zac Hanson). He was a complete f*#kwit.” I’m sure he speaks quite highly of you as well, Jake. Though having your idols not meet up to your expectations may have been a disappointment for Grigg, running foul of the NYPD is rather concerning. Having spent a long 15 hours in the studio, the boys decided to head out for a few drinks before taking the subway home. As boys will be boys, Grigg and Crocker

“

...I can’t put out the same record twice...Next one’s going to be hip hop, you never know.

decided to relive their youth by making a human wheelbarrow. So, with Crocker on the ground, Grigg grabbed his legs and made their way through the subway, running straight into a policewoman. There were no apologies to be had and it was straight down to the station. With a $60 fine in hand, this is where things became dangerous. “We had to pay our fine in downtown Brooklyn, in this really dodgy part of town,” says Grigg. “That was the scarier part of it. We felt really out of place, it was like in the movies. But it was pretty cool, a good learning experience, don’t do human wheelbarrows in the subway.” LOCAL LOVE Now safely back on Australian soil and Engineering The Soul about to be released, Something With Numbers are preparing themselves for the biggest festival the Central Coast has ever seen - Coaster. When asked how he is feeling about being a part of it, it turns out that we can thank Something With Numbers for the festival. “What a lot of people don’t know is that we’re the main reason why the festival exists,” said Grigg. “For years now we have been saying to our manager Steve Wade (organiser of Coaster) that there’s nothing on the Coast, that we need something big on the Coast. That’s where it really started from, and we get to play on it and we get to help other young Central Coast and Newcastle bands. It is long overdue. It’s something that’s needed to happen. If it all goes to plan, it will eventually turn into a Splendour In The Grass and become one of the big events of the year.” One of the pleasing aspects of Coaster is that there is a second stage where many local bands get to perform. Grigg agreed. “All those (local) bands that are playing, they are so excited. I imagine when my band started and you’re going to play with The Living End, it would be so great for your career, and it is so good to see how the professionals do it. We learnt a lot of stuff from One Dollar Short taking us out on the road when we first started, and we kind of want to be an influence on other young Central Coast bands. Without the help of [One Dollar Short], things would have been alot different,” admits Grigg. As evidenced by these comments, the community spirit within the Central Coast music scene runs deep. There is much love between the musicians, a feeling that is now permanently embossed on the arse of Grigg with a fresh tattoo. As Grigg explains, alcohol had nothing to do with it. “No, I wasn’t drunk. Ant is the guitarist from The Lazys. My mate made this tattoo needle and I was going to get a cartoon picture of Ant’s face on my bum. I thought that would be funny. He started doing it and it hurt way too much, so it just became Ant Sux!” A spur of the moment decision that will now tie these two musicians together indefinitely. It has been a patient journey over the past seven years. There has been no overnight success, just a steady growth through the pubs and clubs and onto our radios and television sets. With Engineering The Soul highlighting true songwriting talent, Something With Numbers are no longer a punk band from the Central Coast, they are a rock band from Australia. Pop is no longer a dirty word. Something With Numbers’ third album Engineering The Soul will be released September 6. They will be playing the Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland September 12, and the Coaster Festivial September 20.

cd reviews

022

FEATURE ALBUMS

ALBERT HAMMOND JR ¿Cómo Te Llama? Remote Control

THE VANDAS Slow Burn Liberation 4/5

All hail Neil Young! His inﬂuence has had a glorious effect on this Melbourne based group’s debut full length, Slow Burn. The vibe of this group and the energy they put out has been captured incredibly well in this recording, which took place during a single day! The standouts being the rockin’ ‘Know It All’ and the awesome title track, ‘Slow Burn’. Dirty, bluesy, rock, call it what you want, this album is a winner. Miles Thomas

4/5

As the indie-pop, piano jangle of ‘Bargain Of The Century’ prances forth, it’s clear that Albert Hammond Jr’s second solo album bares only a moderate resemblance to his uber-famous band, The Strokes. Both projects share a similar aesthetic, like the distinctivly stabbed, guitar chords that derive from Hammond Jr’s love of The Velvet Underground (or maybe just ‘Vicious’ from Transformer). As a vocalist, there’s certainly parallels between the guitarist and Julian Casablancas of The Strokes - both using a powerful, yet dulcit delivery. A collection of ambling pop-rock tunes, ¿Cómo Te Llama? grows with each listen, as songs like ‘In My Room’ and the brilliant ‘GFC’ step forth as remarkable tracks. Nick Milligan

ONE DAY AS A LION Self-Titled EP Shock 3.5/5

Rage Against The Machine’s 2008 tour of Australia reignited our passion for not only their powerful and political music, but their dynamic front man Zach de la Rocha too. One Day As A Lion is de la Rocha’s new project, which he shares with drumming monster Jon Theodore, who cut his teeth in The Mars Volta. RATM groupies won’t ﬁnd One Day As A Lion to be a foreign concept it’s crashing, dynamic music, and de la Rocha is sticking to what he’s good at - sinister rap. While the guitar on this EP lacks Tom Morello’s undeniable innovation, Theodore’s drumming is simply terrifying. Noah Cross

SOMETHING WITH NUMBERS Engineering The Soul

Below Par/Virgin

3.5/5

END OF FASHION Book Of Lies Virgin/EMI 4/5 It’s no secret that Justin Burford loves power-pop. Leaving The Sleepy Jackson to form End Of Fashion with guitarist Rod Aravena, the Perth songwriter has a clear vision. This longawaited sophomore record sees the band shift away from the garage-orientated pop of their debut and take it into spacey, glamourous territory. Burford’s voice is so glassy and powerful, it sounds like it could shatter at any second. Particularly when he’s singing a song like power ballad ‘Force Of Habit’ (a nostalgic breakup song). Tracks like ‘Fussy’, ‘Dying For You’ and ‘Down Or Down’ are so catchy that Book Of Lies should come with a warning sticker. Working with Aussie producer Magoo, End Of Fashion have created a polished, world-class record. Nick Milligan

Engineering The Soul is a well crafted pop/ rock album - full of cuts that should easily ﬁnd themselves on and radio and TV. More restrained than 2006’s Perfect Distraction, Engineering is controlled, calculated, and ultimately lacks the frenetic energy that makes their live performances such a joy. That said, there are some delightful moments. The horns on ‘We’ll Fight’ lifts the song and is a nice touch, and when they do let loose on ‘Twisted’, ‘This Will Be The Last Time’ and ‘Seventeen Places’, it is classic SWN - youthful power for the masses. It’s a solid album and should be a success for these Central Coast guys. I was just hoping to smell more sweat. Kevin Bull

SLIPKNOT

All Hope Is Gone Roadrunner 4/5 When you get past the masks and the band member numbering, Slipknot are a hard rock/metal band. Opening with a distorted, electronic whine, the Iowa band’s fourth album rolls into the epic anti-American monster ‘Gematria (The Killing Name)’, with its tirade of thumping guitar riffs and pounding drums. Musically the group are in ﬁne form - there’s tempo changes, squealing guitar and of course, Corey Taylor’s ferocious growl (which ﬁnally soars midway into second track ‘Sulphur’). For the uninitiated, All Hope Is Gone is consistently powerful and a good entry point into the catalogue of one of the world’s most popular metal bands. Nick Milligan

VAN SHE V Modular 4/5

As opening track ‘Memory Man’ buzzes from the speakers with its swirling clouds of keyboards and distortion, you’ll question whether you’re listening to the same Sydney synth-pop band that penned luciously stylish tracks like ‘Kelly’ and ‘Sex City’. V has a distinctly 70s vibe, fusing everything from acid-trip, prog atmospherics to synth-laden psychedelia and 80s pop. Did the boys ask Kevin Shields to produce the record for them? Perhaps not, but it’s a bold release, which revels in its own grandiose over-production. It will take most listeners completely by surprise, but it’s instantly impressive. First single ‘Cat & The Eye’ will encourage the curious to dive head ﬁrst into this record - and it deserves complete absorption. Noah Cross

SISTER BLISS

Nightmoves Godlike & Electric 3.5/5 Nightmoves is your latest insight into the modern influences and inspirations of the world’s #1 female DJ, Sister Bliss. For some this will be an eye-opener, while house music afficianados will be smugly satisfied with Miss Bliss’ tastes. As one third of the multi-million selling stadium dance act Faithless, Bliss knows how to get bodies moving. The two-disc compilation features everything from Splittr, to Underworld, and Pryda. There’s a remix by Bliss and Rollo Armstrong of The Enemy’s ‘This Song Is About You’, a remix of Faithless’ very own ‘Kind Of Peace, and even tracks by Nick Littlemore’s two groups, Pnau and Teenager. A very potent mix. Noah Cross.

CONOR OBERST Self-titled

Spunk/EMI

4/5 Shedding his Bright Eyes moniker, Conor Oberst may also be dropping his guard. While this album has moments of beautifully dark, dusty folk (which we’ve come to expect from the Omaha-born, indie-entrepreneur) there’s more light than shade. Oberst evokes many of his inﬂuences - there’s Mark Knophler’s guitar on ‘Sausalito’, and Jeff Tweedy’s crooked folk on ‘Get-Well Cards’. The upbeat, country numbers give Oberst more room as a vocalist, but he still maintains his vulnerable, frayed texture. The eclectic nature of the record is conﬁrmed with ‘I Don’t Want To Die (In The Hospital)’, a jaunty ditty with honky-tonk piano. The album’s single ‘Souled Out!!!’ is pure Americana pop - and clear evidence that in 2007/08, Conor Oberst is a happy chap. Noah Cross

MERCY ARMS

Self-Titled MGM 4/5

Rather than be crushed under the weight of overwhelming industry hype and attention, Sydney’s Mercy Arms have finally appeared as an independent band and are, seemingly, much stronger for it. This debut album doesn’t just continue on from their Kept Low EP, but expands upon it, filling the darkest corners of their sound, with gentle and lulling melodies. The echos and shimmers are there, but there’s more hope and joy. Tracks like ‘Speed’ are closer to The Triffids and The GoBetweens than previous comparisons to British shoegaze groups. An unexpectedly ecclectic and inventive release. Nick Milligan

THE SWORD Gods Of The Earth Impedance 3.5/5

The instrumental opener ‘The Sundering’ stands as a declaration, The Sword are here and they mean business. Old school 70s metal with a solid dash of stoner rock thrown in, Gods Of The Earth should be well received by those who respect the sound of the masters of the genre. Though John D Cronise’s vocals are buried in the mix, the sound is still huge and epic and, with repeated listens, very memorable. Though clearly retro in sound, The Sword are reaching all the right ears having been hand-picked by Metallica as the openers for their European tour. If you like your metal, listen to The Sword. They may just be you next favourite band. Kevin Bull

THE FLAIRZ

Black Fox Lefroy/MGM 2.5/5 Hailing from Perth, these four young musicians’ brand of rock’n’roll has gained them several fans throughout the industry. Whether it’s for their musical skills or their age is another question. Black Fox, their debut long player is a hit and miss affair. Some of their songs sound straight out of School Of Rock, while others grab you by the seat of your pants, leaving you gagging for more! They say they are “eager” and “ready to keep on rockin’”. So, support them and see what they do next. Miles Thomas

PIVOT

O Soundtrack My Heart Inertia 3/5

Aptly titled, this instrumental album seems almost designed to accompany a 80s sci-ﬁ or thriller ﬂick. There’s an eerie otherworldliness to it, especially present in the title track, which sounds like something out of Blade Runner. Otherwise, it’s simply a rock album patched together from riffs and strange electronic ambience. Points for being unusual, but the songs ultimately seem incomplete and lacking in purpose. Still, the atmospheric quality provides a blank canvas for the interpretation of the listener. Hugh Milligan

DRAGONFORCE Ultra Beatdown Roadrunner

3.5/5

Taking the powerful harmonies and overproduction of Kansas, infusing them with dashes of Europe and Queen, Dragonforce then throw the recipe into a blender and hit puree. It’s a mistake not to not take these guys seriously. This is Power Metal, folks, and the British ﬁve-piece are creating a euphoric wall of sound that lacks variation, but is overwhelmingly energetic. Known to most Guitar Hero players as ‘the hardest band to complete’, Dragonforce’s music is so fast it’s almost a blur, with a vocalist, two guitarists, a keyboardist and a drummer going hammer and tongs. Jaw-dropping stuff. Noah Cross

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

023

cd reviews ALBUM OF THE MONTH

THE DRONES Havilah

ATP Recordings 5/5 Having carved a cult following across Australia and beyond, The Drones, led by enigmatic front man Gareth Liddiard, fuse dark poetry with sprawling layers of tortured instrumentation. Their ﬁfth studio album, Havilah, consolidates what we have all expected from them - an undeniable masterpiece.

and Nick Cave largely included - clouds of dusty production burst from every verse and are only allowed to lightly settle before being kicked into the cosmos once again. Liddiard’s vocals move accordingly, shifting from almost spoken word, to demonic howling - both creating sufﬁcient chills upon the listener.

Never an easily accessible band - due in part to Liddiard’s often dischordant voice, The Drones open flood gates of melody into their latest release, without losing their distinctive brand of chaos. By the finale of opening track ‘Nail It Down’, the Perth four-piece have your firmly by the throat.

One of the album’s highlights is ‘I Am The Supercargo’, a murky epic that intertwines the guitar methodology of both Liddiard and newest member Dan Luscombe. There are folk nuances, but they’re left in a trail of smoke as the song unwinds into crashing distortion.

Havilah is emotionally taught and gripping. Drawing on the masters - Neil Young

‘Oh My’ contains one of the album’s golden lyrical moments - “When it’s time to get your gun licence/I see

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH Shallow Graves Spunk/EMI 4.5/5

If you haven’t noticed yet, Swedish musicians are invading the Earth and we’re doing nothing to stop them. But why would we? Particuarly when they’re sending The Tallest Man On Earth. Kristian Matsson’s voice takes a few moments of adjustment, but once his beautiful, ﬁnger-picking folk guitar and genius lyrics wash over you, there is no turning back. Sure, his vocals border on yodelling, but the inﬂections in his voice ooze vulnerability and drip with sincerity. Melodically, Matsson never steers far from the timelessly sublime. Do yourself a favour and gaze up at this towering songwriter. Noah Cross

DEATH VESSEL

four horsemen ride through a cold and windless night.” The aptly titled ‘Cold and Sober’ paints a vivid picture of a man wrought with heartache, while ﬁrst single ‘The Minotaur’ draws on Greek mythology to pay homage to all the majorly f**ked-up people wandering through our labyrinthian society. There are few acts that come close to sounding like The Drones, though Liddiard may be a fan of Peter Fenton and Crow. But not since the songwriting of the late Rob McComb, has Australian music encountered such a powerful ﬁgure as Gareth Liddiard. Here’s to The Drones for creating one of the best f**king albums in recent history. By Nick Milligan

LATE OF THE PIER Fantasy Black Channel Parlophone 4/5

What starts as a scintillating fusion of 80s newrave and 70s space-rock, ultimately relies too much on the former. There are moments when the guitar work takes your breath away, but they’re frustratingly fleeting. ‘Whitesnake’ is a rapid-fire track, and the instrumental ‘VW’ and ‘Focker’ continue to move the album down the synth-rock path, never straying from layers of synth and glam - which often works. Hailing from Castle Donington, England, these four lads have the potential to make something truly glorious. A second, more cohesive record could take these guys from the pier to the rest of the planet. Hopefully the final track, ‘Bathroom Gurgle’, is a sign of things to come. Nick Milligan

TYLER RAMSEY

Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us

A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea

Sub Pop/Stomp 3.5/5

4.5/5

Death Vessel is the neo-folk project of New York-based writer John Thibodeau. What strikes you about his latest album, for those that are only just discovering him, is his incredibly unique voice - it has a highpitched, feminine tone. It embibes his harmonies and acoustic ballads with an oldworld texture, as if Thibodeau is a wandering minstrel from medieval England. Yet Nothing Is Precious is full of surprises - ‘Exploded View’ is electriﬁed with rock guitar, lifting the album into Southern-rock. As indie-folk continues to sky rocket in popularity, Death Vessel offers up a distinct and refreshing sound. Nick Milligan

info@reverbstreetpress.com - 02 4929 4739

Shock When Band Of Horses lead singer Ben Bridwell ﬁrst saw folk-singer Tyler Ramsey perform, he not only asked him to support the group on an upcoming tour, but invited him to join the band. Bringing sturdy electric guitar and a warm vocal harmony to Band Of Horses, Ramsey has his moment in the spotlight on A Long Dream - and it’s highly warranted. Vocally, Ramsey falls somewhere between Sam Beam and Nick Drake. Songs like ‘These Days’ move with a gentle lull, soft drums and acoustic guitar strolling together, while an electric guitar dances in sweet interludes between them. A joyous record. Noah Cross

THE FELICE BROTHERS Self-Titled

CLASSIC REISSUES

New York Pro/ Shock

3.5/5 The Felice Brothers are Bob Dylan fans. If you like Bob Dylan, then you’ll be a Felice Brothers fan. Unashamedly evoking 60s Americana folk, with drums and piano lifted directly from The Band, this second release from the Upstate New York group (which does comprise of three Felice brothers and their friend Christmas) has an authentic, laconic quality. Some of the melodies and harmonies are sublime, particularly ‘Goddamn You, Jim’ and ‘Wonderful Life’. The record sounds like it was recorded in one take, somewhere in the dusty corner of a dimly-lit bar. Just add scotch and ice. Nick Milligan

RATATAT LP3

XL Recordings 2.5/5 Despite some eccentric electronic beats peppered with acoustic instruments, this third release from New York duo Ratatat, quickly becomes an exercise in monotony. It’s almost excessively artificial, and you’ll find yourself tuning out to many of the songs as they rely upon needless repetition of the same musical phrases. There are exceptions to this, and some of the dance beats and harmonies are definitely appealing, but the music is generally far too static and feels uninspired as a result. Hugh Milligan

BLACK KIDS

LIZ PHAIR

Exile In Guyville Matador 4.5/5 Exile In Guyville was the debut album of American indie-rock singer Liz Phair and after 15 years, it still holds up. Released in 1993, the album launched Phair as not just a provocateur (“I want to be your blow job queen” etc), but a leading female guitarist and songwriter. Phair claims that the album is a track-by-track response to The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Sreet record, which is not immediately obvious. The album has now been re-issued as a two-disc edtion, which includes a bonus DVD documentary where Phair interviews the men that were in her life when the album was released. There’s a warm, fuzzy tone to the production, echoing groups like Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey and Dinosaur Jr - but there’s no denying that Phair is a class-act. Noah Cross

Partie Traumatic Universal 3.5/5

The latest group to send the music press into a ﬂurry -“next big thing” - Black Kids show indie boys and girls how to get down with their debut LP offering, Partie Traumatic. The record invokes obvious Cure-like comparisons – with singer Reggie Youngblood’s Robert Smith-like mewls and producer Bernard Butler’s (Suede, The Tears) Brit-pop stamp of approval all over the place. The Kids bounce giddy and starryeyed through 10 synth-laden tracks about dancing, bed-hopping and heartache. Fans of indie-anthem ‘I’m not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance with you’, won’t be disappointed as the rest of the album proves just as catchy. Amanda Bevan

THE RASCALS Rascalize Shock

4/5 A lot of us have discovered the work of British musician Miles Kane, though his involvement in The Last Shadow Puppets - a project he shares with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. The Rascals are not vastly different from his Puppets gig - the songs are derivative of the smokey Brit-rock of the late 60s. Songs like ‘I’d Be Lying To You’ are catchy and pure in sound - smooth harmonies over slinky, angular guitar and drums. It’s easy to understand why Kane is mates with Turner - The Rascals will appeal to Arctic fans - but Kane is every bit as talented. Their exposure may be more organic, but The Rascals will explode. Noah Cross

TAMAM SHUD Goolutionites and the Real People Aztec 4.5/5

In terms of the history of Australian Rock, the reissue of Tamam Shud’s Goolutionites and the Real People is possibly the most important release of the year. Originally released in 1970, the Shud’s second album is a psychedelic concept opus that stands tall alongside The Masters Apprentices Choice Cuts. ‘I Love You All’ begins with a riff to die for, everything progressive rock should be. The nine minute ‘Heaven is Closed’ is trippy, swirling and ambitious, while new guitarist, 16 yearold Tim Gaze, adds a biting, razored-edge to the sound. Included on this reissue are some great bonuses, best of all being the Shud’s contribution to the 1972 soundtrack Morning of the Earth. Kevin Bull

edition 026 - Sept 08 - 23

gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Tuesday 2 September Metro Theatre Thrice

Wednesday 3 September Cambridge Hotel Audiac + Kettles + RealHorrorShow Djs Chilli Lounge, Wyong Van She + Van She Tech + Lost Valentinos + Modern Joy Hamilton Station Hotel M.O.T.O. + Crashing Planes Lizottes, Kincumber Ash Grunwald + Last Town Chorus Newcastle Uni Bonjah

Thursday 4 September Belmore Hotel, Maitland Dean Kyrwood Duo Chilli Lounge, Wyong Coaster Band Comp ﬁnal Newcastle Entertainment Centre Disturbed + POD + Alterbridge + Behind Crimson Eyes Newcastle Uni Bluejuice + Botanics Wickham Park Hotel Pete Cornelius and the Devilles

Sunday 7 September Hamilton Station Hotel Nick Saxon + Emily and Sophie + Dave Wooden Kincumber Hotel Nick and Liesl Lizottes, Kincumber Chain Oasis Youth Cente, Wyong Deez Nuts + Confession + Dropsaw Point Wolstoncroft, Gwandalan CoastFest Prince Of Wales Hotel Grant Walmsley Agents of Peace Queens Wharf Brewery Ash Grunwald + Last Town Chorus The Loft My Dying Ember + John McClane + Sienna Skies + Beneath Summer Skies + Addison + Enolas Secret Wickham Park Hotel Mal Eastick + Annie O’Dee and the Hotshots

Monday 8 September Enmore Theatre Newton Faulkner Lizottes, Kincumber Pei-Jee + Charmian Gadd

Wednesday 10 September Cambridge Hotel The Mounzers + The Tunstalls + Realhorrorshow Djs Hamilton Station Hotel The Muddy Turds + The Decades + Corperate Smack Lizottes, Kincumber Angela Murphy + Kyle McKinnon + Ronnie Magher

Thursday 11 September Fictions

Beachcomber Hotel Waltz n Black Belmore Hotel, Maitland The Levymen Chilli Lounge, Wyong The Ivory Line + Six and Sevens + A Nighttime Skyway Lizottes, Kincumber The Brendon Burlach Quartet

Friday 5 September

Musos Wanted!

Belmont Sailing Club The Detonators Cambridge Hotel The Mess Hall + Bear At The Door + Violent Soho Chilli Lounge, Wyong The Scissor File + The Mounzers + Fictions + Vetna Diggers @ the Entrance Illusion of Dispair + Abrie Erina Leagues Club Rhythm Method Hamilton Station Hotel Limboland + The General Managers + The Sidetracked Fiasco Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Boom Crash Opera + Sketching Cato Lizottes, Kincumber The Four Queens of Jazz Lucky Country Hotel Memorial Drive + Kindred Point Wolstoncroft, Gwandalan CoastFest Prince Of Wales Hotel Iguana Sirens, Terrigal The Remnants + Batfoot + Storm + The Hannigans The Loft Thy Art Is Murder + Gallows For Grace + Dropsaw

Saturday 6 September

Smartee Marquee & da funk down five fours

Musos wanted for new project, looking for Drummers, Strummers, Shouters, Singers, Turntables, Keys. Ok, anything!

Call Mark Shaw 0432 113 731 gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

Beach Hotel Foreshadowed Farewell Show + Jerome O’Connor Bimbadgen Estate, Pokolbin Bimbadgen Blues Cambridge Hotel Ar-Bee + Delete + G-Luv + Junx + Krip + Liquid Chilli Lounge, Wyong The Sidetracked Fiasco Lizottes, Kincumber Becky Cole + Ami Williamson Luna Park Big Top Opeth Newcastle Entertainment Centre Beyond The Darkness - the ultimate Pink Floyd Spectacular Newcastle Uni Cog + MM9 + Cigars For The Man Northern Star Hotel Light Noise + Shaded Glass Point Wolstoncroft, Gwandalan CoastFest Prince Of Wales Hotel Cosy Velour Woodport Inn, Erina Amber Savage Wyong Leagues Club Hoodoo Gurus

Head Of State

Friday 12 September Acer Arena Judas Priest + Cavalera Conspiracy Belmore Hotel, Maitland Valhalla + DJ Sonic Cambridge Hotel Birds of Tokyo Chilli Lounge, Wyong Forgiven Rival + New Sedition + Jest Erina Leagues Club Nick and Liesl Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Something With Numbers + Mere Theory + LimboLand + Head Of State Lass O’Gowrie Hotel The Muddy Turds Laycock Street Theatre Whole Lotta Love - Celebrating the music of Led Zeppelin Lizottes, Kincumber Lonnie Lee Lucky Country Hotel Memorial Drive + Rook + Evening Son Prince Of Wales Hotel Benjalu + Troy Kemp The Bank Hotel, Maitland Grayson The Entrance Leagues Club The Village w/ The Crooked Fiddle Band + Juke Baritone and the Swamp Dogs + On The Stoop + Dangerboy The Loft Lame Excuse + Same Old Story + Local Resident Failure Wickham Park Hotel Johnny Greens Blues Cowboys

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Saturday 13 September Belmore Hotel, Maitland Phonic + DJ Sonic Cambridge Hotel Spit Cyndicate Chilli Lounge, Wyong X-Fire + Shouts The Motorcade + Saturday Morning Davistown RSL Radiators Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Transmission DJs Lizottes, Kincumber Bob Brozman Mark Hotel Grayson Prince Of Wales Hotel Aaron and Dave Woodport Inn, Erina Bonjah + One Jonathan

Wednesday 24 September Cambridge Hotel Only The Sea Slugs + Save The Cheerleader + Realhorrorshow Djs Hamilton Station Hotel Corperate Smack + Great Toad and Chamelion Circus + Red Tape Enthusiast Lass O’Gowrie Hotel Mike McCarthy + Isaac Deheer Lizottes, Kincumber Mark Wilkinson + Liam Burrows + Lucy Darnley Newcastle Panthers The Living End

Thursday 25 September Sunday 14 September Belmore Hotel Husky Cambridge Hotel Dropsaw + Hot Damn Chilli Lounge, Wyong The Red Shore + The Bright Star Alliance + Pergamum + Strenghthreat Hamilton Station Hotel Jen Buxton + Olly and Sophie + Amy Newton-Banks Lizottes, Kincumber Catherine Britt Prince Of Wales Hotel Benjalu Wickham Park Hotel Chase The Sun + Ace

Belmore Hotel, Maitland Dream Tambourine Cambridge Hotel Cam James and the Ninjas + Grandvue + Vaudeville + Using Three Words Lizottes, Kincumber Mike McCarthy CD launch Metro Theatre The Faint

Bikini Wait Staff Wanted for tray service in Hotels and Private Functions. Min $40 per hour. Great money, Great tips. Call 0433 830 001

Wednesday 17 September Cambridge Hotel Rubix Cuba + The Heartbreak Club + Realhorrorshow Djs Hamilton Station Hotel The Zillers + Watch The Left Lizottes, Kincumber Gina Jeffreys + Adam Harvey + Sara Storer Newcastle Uni Rocwater

Thurday 18 September Belmore Hotel, Maitland Grant Walmsley’s Agents of Peace Cambridge Hotel Van She + The Lost Valentinos Lizottes, Kincumber The Hands Woodport Inn, Erina Dead Letter Circus + MM9 + Zumanity

Head Of State

Friday 26 September Belmore Hotel, Maitland Spread + DJ Sonic Cambridge Hotel Dirty Beats + Bass Kleph + Frew Chilli Lounge, Wyong Ethereal + My Name for your Name + 3 Days Ago + Maux Faux Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland The Great Dividing Range Lizottes, Kincumber The Simon Heffernan Quartet Prince Of Wales Hotel Ally-B Queens Wharf Brewery Tijuana Cartel

Saturday 27 September The Butcher

Friday 19 September Belmore Hotel, Maitland Moonlight Drive + DJ Sonic Cambridge Hotel The Butcher + Bear At The Door + Zombies On Broadway Chilli Lounge, Wyong Violet Diggers @ The Entrance Bonic + Paul Eagle Doyalson RSL Richard Clapton + Mark Cashin Lizottes, Kincumber Mental As Anything + Dexter Moore Lucky Country Hotel Fear Of Monsters + The Guests + Like...Alaska Prince Of Wales Hotel Kim and Mik The Loft Saving Grace + Bloodsport + Jack Napier Warmup Lounge, Erina Leagues Club Sarah Humphreys Woodport Inn, Erina Nick Skitz

Belmore Hotel, Maitland DV8 + DJ Sonic Cambridge Hotel Zumanity + G Fresh + DJ Scoob Chilli Lounge, Wyong Provoke + Watch Your Step Chilli Lounge, Wyong Crash Arcadia + Eclectic Dreams + Town Hall Steps + Memorial Drive Metro Theatre Testament Prince Of Wales Hotel Zane Penn Duo Woodport Inn, Erina The Galvatrons

Sunday 28 September Belmont Hotel Grayson Hamilton Station Hotel Jaron Holmes + Jen Buxton + Olly and Sophie Lizottes, Kincumber Gang Gajang Prince Of Wales Hotel Bluezone Youth Arts Warehouse, Gosford Falling Of One + Silver Reasons + No Pressure + 3 Stripe Avenue + Bad Obsession

Monday 29 September Saturday 20 September Beach Hotel Zombies On Broadway + Empire Burlesque Belmore Hotel, Maitland The Minpins + DJ Sonic Cambridge Hotel End Of Fashion + The Seabellies + Harlequin League Gosford Showground Coaster Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland The Potbelleez Lucky Country Hotel Sleep Parade + Level 8 Morrow Park Bowling Club Uncle Colin’s Gold Livin’ Springtime Jamboree Prince Of Wales Hotel Wicked Wickham Park Hotel The Reels + Mojo Juju Woodport Inn, Erina Horsell Common + After The Fall + Ethereal

Sunday 21 September Chilli Lounge, Wyong Snakes Amongst Us Hamilton Station Hotel Danny Byrne + Nick Saxon + Olly and Sophie Hunter Valley Brewery, Maitland Van She + Van She tech + Lost Valentinos + Clever Kids Lizottes, Kincumber Carl Riseley + Mark Wilkinson Northern Star Hotel Nick and Liesl Prince Of Wales Hotel Ghost Road

Metro Theatre Ladytron

Tuesday 30 September UNSW Roundhouse Underoath

Wednesday 1 October Cambridge Hotel I Am Spartacus + Six and Sevens Hamilton Station Hotel Hot Girls + Crashing Planes Lizottes, Kincumber Bob Corbett EP launch + Kim Dewar + Sam Buckingham + Sarah Humphreys

Thursday 2 October Lizottes, Kincumber Mick Hart

Sept 10 Angela Murphy

+ Kyle McKinnon + Ronnie Magher

Sept 17 Todays Country 94 One FM Fundraiser w/ Gina Jeffreys + Adam Harvey + Sara Storer

Sept 24 Liam Burrows

+ Lucy Darnley + Mark Wilkinson

Oct 1

Sarah Humphreys + Sam Buckingham + Kim Dewer + Bob Corbett

Mick Hart www.reverbstreetpress.com.au

gigguide@reverbstreetpress.com.au

on. I was quite drunk when I met them – I hope I didn’t disgrace myself (laughs). I wanted to name check some Aussie talent on [Nightmoves], because you’ve got these bands that are straddling dance and indie brilliantly, and playing live too. You’ve got Pnau on the record too! Yeah, I really like them! They’ve got a real vibe going on and they’re getting a little bit of recognition over here [in England]. To me [‘With You Forever’] has a real ‘endof-the-night’ vibe going on. It’s a loving vibe and to me - house music is about love. I feel like an old hippie (laughs), but there’s nothing like people coming together and forgetting their troubles. a nice listening experience for people, but something you can dance to as well. The main difﬁculty was getting the licence for each track from their record labels, but generally I got most of the tracks that I really wanted to be on there. I want to show people that dance music can be beautiful and emotional, and have this ﬂavour that’s not just cerebral. If you listen to this album in six months time, it shouldn’t sound dated. House music has a unique emotional power. I also put some Faithless on there, to remind people that we haven’t disappeared!

THE LONG BLISS

GOODNIGHT As house music’s First Lady, Sister Bliss needs little introduction. As one third of multi-million selling UK dance act Faithless, the world’s leading female DJ knows how to get a stadium of bodies moving. As she explains to Nick Milligan, her new compilation, Nightmoves, is an insight into her world-famous DJ set. Was it difﬁcult to choose which songs would make it on to this compilation? Not too difﬁcult, actually. I just wanted a true representation of what I play as a DJ. I’ve done a few compilations and the last one I did was all over the place. But for Nightmoves I just sat down with my record box and decided what would be

Did you enjoy your trip to Australia for NYE? Absolutely, I saw lots of DJs and other bands and that was part of the joy of doing it. There’s some really exciting Australian bands around at the moment. It was nice to meet Cut Copy – I love their album a lot. It’s got this melancholy, retro vibe going

Has the ‘house music’ genre changed a lot since you started making it? Yes, of course it has. It’s become rampantly commercial and very ‘over-ground’ in lots of ways, but if you seek the underground stuff it’s still out there. It’s harder to make a living from it now, because everyone is file-sharing, so they’re not paying for stuff. Technology is getting cheaper and cheaper, so that means that everybody could make a record. You used to have to steal some studio time. [House music] is generally still some beats, synthesizers and a vocal, but the whole world around it has changed. But the essence of it – people coming together as one – hasn’t changed. Is there a new Faithless album on its way? Not yet – it will be a long time coming. I’ve done a lot of writing this year, but none of it’s finished. I don’t want to put anything out until it’s really strong. I’m hoping to have some things to play in the Autumn, just to test to see if we still have it going on. I don’t want to do anything that’s average and boring. I know that I definitely want to make a real dance-floor album.

What do you see as being the biggest technological breakthrough to change dance music? The human brain? I think people’s brains are pretty important. But to go back a little way, the sampler. You can have sampling equipment in laptops now, but the sampler is what changed everything. I haven’t switched my samplers on for three years (walks into studio), I’ve got an S3000 – which is basically a newer version of the S1000. Fatboy Slim still uses them because they’ve got a chunky sound to them. But those samplers changed everything in hiphop and dance music. Is it true that when Dido performed on one of Faithless’ very ﬁrst big hits ‘Salva Mea’, she was paid with a curry? Yes, we got her a curry. We didn’t have any money at the time. She said, “Please let me sing on it, please let me sing on it.” So we said, “Alright.” Then we all went out for a curry – mindless trivia, but actually true. When the next Faithless album comes out, do you promise to return to Australia? Oh yeah, absolutely. We’ve left it too long. I’d be really excited to come back. I personally would love to do the festivals, because you’re not just playing to your fans, but having done Summerdayze it was just so much fun. It really restored my faith in dance music and how positive and vibrant it was. But of course we really want to see the fans. In the UK there’s quite a lot of people that want to bring you down, but there’s something joyous about coming to Australia – you guys really know your stuff. Nightmoves is out now through Inertia.

fine food with a musical mood

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Wednesday, 3 September 2008 Ash Grunwald w/ Last Town Chorus - $75 Thursday, 4 September 2008

Erina High Music and Drama Showcase - $12

Friday, 5 September 2008

The Four Queens of Jazz - $50

Saturday, 6 September 2008 Becky Cole - $90 Sunday, 7 September 2008 Chain - $75 Wednesday 10 September 2008

REVERB presents Live & Local - $12.50

Thursday, 11 September 2008

The Brendon Burlach Quartet - $10

Friday, 12 September 2008 Lonnie Lee - $75 Saturday, 13 September 2008 Bob Brozman - $86.50 Sunday, 14 September 2008 Catherine Britt- $36 Wednesday, 17 September 2008

Gina Jeﬀrerys, Adam Harvey and Sara Storer - $120

Thursday, 18 September 2008 The Hands - $20 Friday, 19 September 2008

Mental As Anything w/ Dexter Moore - $99.50 Sunday, 21 September 2008 Carl Riseley w/ Mark Wilkinson - $70 Wednesday, 24 September 2008 REVERB presents Live & Local - $12.50 Thursday, 25 September 2008 Mike McCarthy CD launch - $15 Friday, 26 September 2008 Simon Heﬀernan Quartet - $55 Sunday, 28 September 2008 Gang Gajang - $85 Wednesday, 1 October 2008 REVERB presents Live & Local - $12.50

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

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

028

Survival Of The Fittest

American singer Joan Wasser, under the guise of Joan As Police Woman, creates music that is timeless and elegant. Her laconic jazz sound is near perfected on her second album, To Survive. She spoke to Noah Cross.

You’ve mentioned that working with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons was a healing experience during a darker time in your life. How so? [Antony] is a healing person. I am not the only person that feels that way. When I hear his voice it makes a profound impact on me. When I joined the Johnsons I was in a rough part of my life, and I’d just starting doing solo shows. My music was quiet, vulnerable and very sensual, and I wasn’t totally comfortable with that part of me, even though it was coming out in my music. Antony was singing about the same things I was - but from his perspective. But that helped me find confidence in my music. He’s a very supportive friend. You were a violinist before becoming a singer - did it take you long to adjust? Yeah, it sure did. Studying violin puts you in a perfectionist frame of mind. So it’s hard to imagine doing anything else, because you want to be incredible immediately. But because I had studied violin, I knew about discipline and I knew what practice can do. Although it felt unnatural and very scary, I kept doing it because I felt there was something there for me to find.

What was your ﬁrst public performance as a vocalist like? Terrifying. Horrifying. Especially because I’d spent so much time on stage feeling totally comfortable with a violinist. You switch it up and all of a sudden you’re sick to your stomach, [your voice] isn’t coming out the way you want and you’re going to die (laughs). It’s a crazy feeling, and I’m glad it doesn’t feel like that anymore. Why did you call your album To Survive? I wrote this record while I was on tour for Real Life. Touring is incredible, but it is also a test of survival. All of your support systems are gone, including any assemblance of decent sleep. I’m grateful, but it’s difﬁcult to tour continuously and not lose your mind. I was also experiencing a number of challenging aspects of my personal life. When I was writing this record, I was really looking for some place of sanity, peace and solace. Joan As Police Woman’s second album, To Survive, is out now through Liberation. She performs at The Metro Theatre on Tuesday October 7, 2008.

Drinking In Success

eet Gin Wigmore, one of New Zealand’s most exciting new talents. She won the International Songwriting Competition in 2005 and has been compared to the likes of Macy Gray and Amy Winehouse - but Its taken the 22 year-old some time to catch up with the attention around her. In true Australian tradition, we’ve claimed the singer/songwriter as our own. Nick Milligan sat down with Wigmore for a quick chat inside Newcastle’s Civic Theatre. You grew up in New Zealand, but you’re now based in Sydney – have you been there long? I’ve been in Sydney just over a year and before that I lived on the Gold Coast. I’m really stoked to be in Sydney. It’s a good spot to branch out. Have you been writing for a long time? I have. I’ve been writing since I was about 14. [My songs] were pretty dodgy back then, but I think I really only started to write proper songs when I was 18. The life experience just isn’t there before then. For me, a great song comes from personal experiences. Did winning the

International Songwriting Competition happen very quickly? It happened really quickly and the doors that opened from that competition were really amazing. It made people in New Zealand take notice of me. It got me my management and now I’ve signed with Universal, which is really great. Was it your idea to enter the competition? No, my sister heard about the competition and encouraged me to enter. I was only 17 and I never win anything. It was $30 per song you enter, so she shouted me the money so I could enter the only two songs I had. One of them won my category and then ‘Hallejulah’ won the whole thing. The next thing I knew I was on a plane with heaps of cash.

Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted your debut EP, Extended Play, to sound like? No, I didn’t. It was a hard thing, because people ask you what’s your sound and I really had no idea. I needed a producer to ﬁgure out what sound I could have on my ﬁrst release. Tony Buchen was the guy that made the call and had visions that I’d never even thought about – including horns, piano etc. He brought to life what was valuable and thought about where we could take it. I’d never even played with a band.

When do you feel the most comfortable to write songs? I like dark rooms – anywhere dark. I love to close the blinds in my bedroom, put the heater on and then get into a zone. That’s the key. Have you been performing for long? No, only since I moved to Sydney – about the last six months. I’ve kind of gone back-to-front with the whole music thing. I got my big break really early on, so I’m putting in the hard work now. I did a few gigs when I was 14 at open-mic nights – then me and my mates would go out the back and have a few sneaky shots of vodka. But I’m so stoked to be on this Pete Murray tour. I get very nervous, but I love it. I’m learning how to channel [the nerves] into doing a good show. But there’s no pressure, because no one has come to see me play. We could go out there, play the ﬂute and do a little jig, and no one would blink an eye. I could be a support act for life. ‘Hallejulah’ is a very personal song about your father passing away – were you immediately comfortable with having that song in the public realm? It will be hard if I hear bad reviews about it. I’m not sure how I would feel, because it is so personal. I like having my songs out there for people to relate to their own life.

I like getting emails from people who have [parents] that are sick and listening to ‘Hallejulah’ has helped them – it’s really touching. I only hope that I can bring love with my songs.

takes on a whole new meaning. Now it’s more of a celebration and I need to get my head around that when I’m playing it live. I need to channel the right energy.

Is it a hard song to perform? I’ve been having a bit of trouble with it lately. For me, ‘Hallejulah’

Gin WIgmore plays at the Coaster Festival, Gosford, on September 20.

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

029 an open mind about working with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Massive Attack), but I had no idea what to expect of him. We were forging the sound of the record the whole time. We had a vision – we were listening to a lot of Radiohead and we wanted it to sound like that. There’s a big wall-of-sound in the production that echoes of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine – was that also an intention? Deﬁnitely, I’m a huge fan of the wall-ofsound. I can listen to CDs that are just noise, but not everybody loves that. But it can be such a nice experience when you listen to it.

In The Mind’s Eye V is a glorious wall-of-sound that wraps its loving arms around the synth and shoegaze production of My Bloody Valentine and the spaceprog of Pink Floyd and Mew. Oh, and it’s the long-awaited debut album by Sydney four-piece Van She. Noah Cross speaks to singer Nicky Routledge about how the hell they made it.

It’s been three years since you released your debut EP – did you deliberately wait this long to release your ﬁrst album or was it circumstantial? It was circumstantial, deﬁnitely. We did the EP after only being together for four months. Then we got slapped on a bunch of tours. We ended up doing loads of remixes and DJ sets. Before we knew it, our record label said, “Um... we signed you to do an album – could you do an album?” Ah, shit, that’s right!

Are there any thematic threads in the lyrics of V? They’re all pretty much about movies. We watch a lot of movies when we’re writing – even on our ﬁrst record. ‘Changes’ deliberately doesn’t make sense, because it’s about Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, so it’s a bit confusing. There’s also a reference to the Virgin Suicides. When you travelled to London to record this new album, did you have a clear idea of what you wanted it to sound like? No, we were thrown into it. We went with

Did you enjoy working with Abbiss? He’s an old school producer which is kind of good, there was a lot of sparks flying in the studio and he pushed us to do things we wouldn’t normally do and we pushed him to do things he wouldn’t normally do, which he didn’t like too much. By the end of it though, we were all kind of quite happy with the record we produced. After this album tour, what are the band’s plans? We’ve already started work on our next record. We’ve been working with a director and we’ve written a short film. So the album will be more about the film than anything. Van She are performing at The Cambridge Hotel on Thursday September 18, The Chilli Lounge, Wyong, on September 3, and The Hunter Valley Brewery on September 21. V is out now through Modular.

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edition 026 - Sept 08 - 29

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Is Gone

Beatdow Dragonforce : Ultra

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ho Killed A.P. Amanda Palmer : W

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PLUS YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE:# A double pass to see Galvatrons at The Woodport Inn, Erina, on Saturday September 27 # A double pass to any gig at Newcastle Panthers or The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle (every 2nd subscriber only) # A double pass to a show of your choice at the Chilli Lounge, Wyong Email subscriptions@reverbstreetpress.com, tell us which CD you need, and we will forward you the payment details.

“The thing i’m looking forward to the most is the invocation of springtime spirits and the effects this will have on the boys and girls present. Spring is potent enough to bring the playful out in most of us. With the help of good old fashioned witchcraft, nymph bathing, sweet and sour wrestling and pants pissing, I reckon we’ll see some nubile ﬂesh bounding about all free and easy... just the way this pervy old man likes it!

A GOOD MORROW TO ALL It’s not very often that the old fellas in white put aside their lawn bowls to make way for a jamboree. Such is the power of Uncle Colin. He has managed to convince the Morrow Park locals to hand over the greens for his Gold Livin’ Springtime Jamboree on Saturday September 20. With so much happening on the day, Reverb asked those involved what part of the day they are looking forward to. Mad Mat McFarlane, performer (Mojo Juju & the Snake Oil Merchants), festival spruiker/MC, weirdo.

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Cat Scobes, Parade Director, generally super awesome chick. “I’ve organised an angry mob with some pitchforks and torches as part of a Lantern Parade and Efﬁgy burning. We’ll have a bit of a parade and some beautiful lanterns light up and there’ll also be pitchforks and torches and a giant burning horse. I really like burning things and that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.” Rebecca Bunden, generally involved festival creation participant, also generally super awesome chick. “I am very excited about the awesome array of acts booked in for the event. It is not every day you get so many of your favourite local bands and performance artists playing together at such a sweet site. With these performances set in a crazy jumble of pagan traditions and Aussie larrikin humour… wowzeez it’s going to blow my mind!” Kira Pura, performer (Kira Puru & the very Geordie Malone), multi-talented artist and artistic director, long standing member of Lovelorn Living Party, divine diva.

“When I first met Uncle Colin I was singin’ in a seedy bar in New Orleans. He bought me my first Sazerac and we spent a night on a small balcony in the French quarter. Though I’ve heard uncouth antics such as trouser urinating competitions and a sport known as ‘sweet and sour wrestling’ will be at the festival, I’m sure it shall retain the elegance and class I’ve known of Colin, since that very first night.” Mojo Juju, performer (Mojo Juju & the Snake Oil Merchants). This festival is (among many other things) also their Sellin’ You Salvation tour launch. “Well, I was looking forward to that real pagan element. The celebration of the Vernal Equinox... but I just realised that the equinox is actually on the Tuesday (Sept 23rd). So that was a little disappointing. But I’m sure there’ll be a lot of Pagans there. A lot of ceremony and festivity too. Oh yeah, and getting those Snake Oil Merchants back on the stage. It’s the first date on our Sellin’ You Salvation Tour.” Zackari Watt, Creator/Director of the Lovelorn Living Party & this festival, performer (Goldie Feather), festival spruiker/MC. “Apart from the Solid Gold Awesome Vibe of hundreds of humans dancin’ and leapin’ and gettin’ freaky and all, I would have to nominate the $100 bucks cash in hand Pants Pissing Competition as my pick. The idea of 10 humans boldly, freely, courageously pissing their pants for a prize is something that just hits the spot for me.“ Chris Baird, performer (Carnivale D’Light [Fire Troupe] & The Bengali Brothers (Mexican Comedy Duo), also a long standing member of the Lovelorn Living Party. “I think I am most looking forward to the atmosphere. People coming together to share some sweet golden times, soul touching moments of human interaction and the exploration of life, love and transcendental beauty. Living in that world if only for an evening touches you in unimagined ways.” Get to Morrow Park Bowling Club, Wickham, on September 20 - bring a nappy.

edition 026 - Sept 08 - 31

“We’ve been putting records out and no one’s paid any attention for whatever reason - this time they are.”

Leppards In The Mist

After nearly 20 years in the music industry, glam-metal legends Def Leppard have seen the highs and lows of super stardom. Their 11th studio album sees them reclaim the throne, writes Jason Nahrung.

It has been more than 20 years since Def Leppard’s Hysteria album rocked the charts, concreting the English band’s place as rock legends.

that the internet and computer games such as Guitar Hero have afforded classic bands a new lease of life by exposing their music to a new generation.

Since 1992’s Adrenalize, and despite a number of albums since, the outﬁt has largely untroubled the charts, left behind by changing musical tastes. Now though, there’s a new glimmer in the group’s career, with their latest album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, reaching Number Five on the US Billboard charts.

‘Nine Lives’, the lead single from Sparkle Lounge, was released as a download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock ahead of the song release. Also made available for the game were Pyromania hits ‘Photograph’ and ‘Rock of Ages’.

The reason for the resurgence in interest is, according to guitarist Phil Collen, due to a little bit of the old and a lot of the new. “There’s a reason that bands like us and Bon Jovi did well in the ﬁrst place and got replaced by the alternative thing - there were so many shitty bands that had no substance - all this hair metal, it was all about ﬂash and missing the point. I think there’s room for that and there’s room for the real stuff. That’s what we’re seeing now. And there’s the whole retro thing, the t-shirt thing and the Guitar Hero thing, that all adds up and it all helps really,” says Collen.

While the collaboration with country singer Tim McGraw on ‘Nine Lives’ also gave the single a boost, Collen says the band’s integrity was also a factor in its success. “I think it’s down to the timing. If we’d have done a standard Def Leppard album that was based on ballads and stuff like that, it wouldn’t have had the same attention. It’s a rock album that some people deem as being a bit of a brave move. But we didn’t think of it like that, this is what we wanted to do. By being very natural and not trying to please other people, anyone really, even fans or record company executives, I think there’s a certain amount of integrity that shines through,” says Collen.

Collen joined the band, formed in Shefﬁeld in 1977, in time for 1992’s Adrenalize, following on from the 1980s chart-toppers Pyromania and Hysteria. He acknowledges

“We’ve been putting records out and no one’s paid any attention for whatever reason,” continues the guitarist. “This time they are. We’ve been slogging away at

it. We don’t feel any bitterness, it’s how it is really. If one doesn’t stick you give it another shot.” Perseverance is a Leppard trademark, having overcome the overdose death of guitarist Steve Clark and the setback of having drummer Rick Allen lose an arm in a car accident – an injury he overcame to continue playing. Collen joined the band after founding guitarist Pete Willis was booted out for alcoholism.

“Hair metal... it was all about ﬂash and missing the point. I think there’s room for that and there’s room for the real stuff.” “You’ve got be ambitious and inspired and enthused,” Collen says. “We’ve always been trying. It’s been a struggle, a lot bands can’t deal with that. We’ve experienced life in general together, births, deaths and marriages, divorces, all of that stuff, we’ve been through that together.” The collaboration with McGraw came about through Allen, whose brother is McGraw’s tour manager. “(McGraw) said ‘I’d love to work with you guys,’ and I had that in the back of my head. I ran into him at one of our shows at the Hollywood Bowl

and I sang him a bit of it. Before you knew it we had the basis of it, and then it was doing bits and pieces. It was a year before he’d done his vocal on it. It took a bit of time but it was pretty cool, it wasn’t a hack song-writing thing, it was born out of fun and a bit of real inspiration really. It was the right reasons for doing it.” Collen says a key to the album’s vitality was writing it on tour, as opposed to sequestering themselves away in a studio. “We’ve been touring consistently for the past four years and I think we’ve done so much better as a band. Before, we’d tour an album and it would be three years before the next one came out and there’d be this huge gap, you’d pretty much have to learn how to do it again,” says Collen. “By starting it on tour, you’re singing every night, playing guitars every night, you’re in that live rock band mode as opposed to sitting around in the stuidio three months after you’ve come off tour and you’re in domestic land and you forget what you do for a living. The great thing is when you do it like this, you keep your ﬁnger on the pulse and reminds you why you’re there.” Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is out through Mercury/Universal. Def Leppard with special guests Cheap Trick play Newcastle Entertainment Centre on November 6. Tickets are available now through Ticketek.

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

The Harrowing Account of Mike McCarthy, golfer Putting aside all of his distractions, Mike McCarthy has spent the past six months concentrating on his own music and is about to release his fourth album, The Harrowing Account Of John William Tate. Tate. On a day off during a short East Coast tour, we head to the Mangrove Mountain Golf Club for an afternoon on the greens and beers in the club. By Kevin Bull.

oining Mike and I on the links were Mike Avery (Sons Of Korah) and Tim Woods (bass, Mike McCarthy band), and as golfers we are all brilliant musicians. As McCarthy tells me, there’s a deeper connection between the wayward drives and his music career. “There’s the frustrations and so many misses, and then finally you hit something so sweet. It’s a nice feeling.” Our first divot was made before we even made it to the tee. We really should have brought more balls. This was clear after my first drive sailed right, and straight into the bushes. Lost ball number one. While scratching around in the undergrowth, I ask McCarthy how he has enjoyed taking on the producer’s role. “Doing it from the other side of the glass has been a real learning process for me,” he explains. “I’m still just learning the ropes but it is kind of nice to experiment with sounds that I have always wanted to hear on my record.” Producing was not the only change he has made for this record. McCarthy has had a rethink on how it was to be recorded. “The last album we did, Calm Wind, we rehearsed for months in advance,” he said. “We really got ourselves tight and put it down in two days, all live. It was great and a really interesting way to do it. At the time I had always wanted to do that. It’s a real test of a band’s ability. So after doing that I thought, now I want to do an album where I can be a bit more meticulous and really develop the songs. The songs that I had written for this album were ideas that just slowly grew so I needed time to sit down with them.” Back to the golf, and things are not looking good. I have already given up after losing four balls in three holes, and the remaining hacks are faced with a green that has a rather large water hazard right in front of it. McCarthy manages to chip over the water, and Woods amazingly skips his ball across the water surface. Avery’s day is not going well and the chance of him clearing the obstacle is near impossible. Standing on the water’s edge, we suggest that he throws the ball over to the green. “Really?” Woods asks. He takes aim, and throws it straight into the water. As I said earlier, he is a great musician. Having hung up the clubs, I went about photographing the humiliation. It also gave me a chance to ask McCarthy about the recording process. “It’s been recorded at a friend’s farm up the North Coast,” says McCarthy. “The rest of the album is being done at my house. My housemate and I have set up a little studio, The Bunker,

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and ﬁnally we got stuck into John William Tate.” Though McCarthy has taken over production, he has left the mixing to a local legend, Jeff McCormack. With only weeks away from release, I realise that this is yet to be done. Is he feeling the pressure? “I guess so, now that you have said that,” he honestly answers. “It’s not far off. It’s exciting though and I know it can be done in the time I have given it.”

“...and then ﬁnally you hit something so sweet. It’s a nice feeling.” Standing on the ninth tee we can see the clubhouse behind the green where the cool beers await. McCarthy tees up and drives long down the par four. He has really stepped forward today as the Tiger Woods of this motley crew. From the fairway he takes the ﬁve-iron and places his ball on the edge of the green. The rest of us just hang our head in submission. With his putter in hand, the mobile rings. He answers, and with one hand takes the putt, sending the ball to the other side of the green. Some things in life are just not that important.

really well. It’s a really different sounding album.” As it turns out, incorporating these new textures into his music is an idea that McCarthy had thought about but had never put into practice. All he needed was the right encouragement. “David Rowson (Co-producer) has come in handy. He comes from a real non-musical hands-on approach but he is an avid music lover. He’s got a huge record collection and a really good ear for music. I’ve had him there to come in and go, ‘why don’t you try that song with a banjo?’ Ideas that I have thought were just too wacky. We’ve given them a go and some of it has really come off.” As we go to print, mixing has been completed and the launch of The Harrowing Account Of John William Tate is being prepared. Being one of the Coast’s most respected singer songwriters, the anticipation behind this new release is being felt. Our visit to the Mangrove Mountain Golf Club may not have produced much in terms of quality golf, but that is not why Mike McCarthy was here. It was all about patience. Eventually that tiny ball will hit its mark and when it does, it will be oh so sweet. Mike McCarthy’s fourth album The Harrowing Account of John William Tate will be launched at The Basement, September 22, Lass O’Gowrie Hotel September 24, and at Lizottes, September 25.

Settling back in the clubhouse with some beers in front of us, I asked McCarthy about the sounds on the new record. “There’s about three elements to the album,” he said. “There’s acoustic folk, real storytelling stuff. Then there are songs more along the lines of the blues roots area. I’ve been listening to a lot of Freddie King, Albert King, all the Kings, and wanted to get into that kind of sound. And then there’s this other element of soft ballads utilising some instruments that I have never used before like banjo and mandolin. I really like the sound and it complements the songs

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This Page: Josie wears ‘Corset Dress’ silk with lining $169 and painted wooden bangles (worn throughout) large $39 and small $39. Opposite Page, clockwise from top: Paloma wears ‘Hooded Maxi Kaftan’ silk with lining $219 and painted wooden bangles (worn throughout) large $39 and small $39, Josie wears ‘Singlet Dress’ rayon and spandex $69, ‘Leather Tassle Vest’ $249 and ‘Feathered Earrings’ $29. Josie wears ‘Loose Fit Cut-out Tie-Dye Dress’ rayon and spandex $89. Paloma wears, ‘Rufﬂe Dress’ silk with lining and leather tassles $229. All items available in-store from September at Gunabana Designs, 1/115 Darby St, Cooks Hill.

Photography by Daniel Culley Hair & Makeup by Wade Ambler Styling by Amanda Bevan

WANDERLUST

general motoring

036

It will certainly make you utter God’s name more often than usual.

Clio RenaultSport 197 Renault has produced some pug-ugly cars in the past few years - the big-arsed Megane hatch springs instantly to mind, and one we’ve been spared, VelSatis - possibly the ugliest car of the past decade. But Renault has been to counselling and got their styling heads in a different place to produce some good lookers, starting with the new Clio RenaultSport 197 (or Clio RS for short). Now, now, no sniggering, RS doesn’t stand for RatShit in French and it is definitely not the case with the hi-po Clio. Now in its third generation, Renault’s pocket rocket is bigger, more powerful, better equipped, better looking and safer than ever. It also costs more at $36,490. Getting horribly close to a WRX isn’t it? And there ain’t no turbo, nor all-wheel-drive. But what it misses out on in grunt and grip it more than makes up in finesse, ride and handling and besides, 145kW is nothing to sneeze at in a car this size. There is a is a reasonable 215Nm to push the beast along. The two earlier Clio Sports went and handled well but were fairly raw - noisy, harsh, jiggly and you needed to take them by the scruff of the neck and drive them hard to get their best. The newie is more refined, smoother, quieter, better balanced and more comfortable. Renault has also upped the luxury level by including features you find in cars made for toss-pots. Plenty of poke comes from the 2.0-litre, naturally aspirated, four banger - a revised version of the previous Clio Sport donk. Changes made to the intake, valves, cams and

combustion chamber help pump up the volume as does variable cam timing and a high 11.5:1 compression ratio. That means 98 octane only, thank you.

The sexy-looking front guard vents are just to dump hot air from the brakes and engine bay. We liked the look and function of the interior that features sports seats, cruise, aircon and a really cool gear change warning light when the tacho

Drive goes to the front wheels via a close ratio sixspeed manual but Renault has avoided torque steer under full throttle by using a clever double axis strut system that places the steering links away from the dampers. The Clio RS is fairly quick at 6.9 seconds for the 0-100kmh split but forget about winning any trafﬁc light drags against any of the Jap turbo cars.

By Peter Douglas approaches the 7250 redline. There’s a straight ahead pointer on the steering wheel too - just like a race car.

Put it around a race track as we did the other day and it’s a different story. That’s where the large Brembo brakes, stable handling, sharp steering and close ratio ‘box come into their own. Renault foolishly let us loose on Wakeﬁeld Park race track near Goulburn for some hot laps and we really scrubbed the rubber and burned the benzine.

But the wheel has rake adjust only, no reach. Clio RS scores a ﬁve star European NCAP crash rating thanks in part to the eight air bags. It also has “Sports” tuned ESP. The Clio RS has always been a favourite with us because it was a little rip-snorter that handled like a kart and nipped at the heels of much more powerful cars in tight going.

But we didn’t bend the model, it is too well mannered even for our heavy handed attention.

The new model is a much slicker offering in every respect and should be looked at if you are considering something like a VW Golf GTi, Honda Civic TypeR, Mini Cooper S or even the Peugeot 207 GTi.

We got good after a few laps as the Clio RS began to settle into a groove and we calmed down, focusing on the task at hand - beating everyone else’s lap times. Which we didn’t. Came close though.

Makes a great track-day toy and who wouldn’t like a car with this much French ﬂair..?

After all the high speed fun, we trundled back out onto the open road and trouble is, you have to be careful to lose the race-face. Driven “normally” the Clio RS is impressive, offering plenty of sporty feel and great performance accompanied by a pleasing exhaust bark. It’s only a three door so access into the rear seats is a bit of an issue and the boot is not too bad, expandable when the seats are folded. But Renault hasn’t included a spare at all opting instead for a re-inflation kit (pump and goo) for when you get a flat - boo hiss. It rolls on 17-inch alloys with premium low profile rubber and the body kit is super aero efficient particularly the rear diffuser that sucks down the body with 70kg force at speed.

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037

eye on the world - this is not art

Super Massive

The Festival launch activities begin on Thursday October 2 at 4.30pm in Civic park, moving to the Wheelshop, Honeysuckle Railway Shed behind Civic Station at 6pm. At the launch, audiences will get a sneak peek at the different performance styles from across the festival program with special guest artists showcased from 8 - 10pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a ghost poetry haunting, a supercharged spoken word performance, the delicate sounds of the 20-piece Splinter Orchestra, and as an extra special treat the lightning raucous noise of My Disco. The event is free entry. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s line up promises a bundle of eclectic events over four impressive days. Highlights for This Is Not Art 2008 include Lucky Dragons (US), Maruosa (Japan), COH (SW), Curse ov Dialect (VIC), Zeal (SA), and The Last Kinection (Newcastle). Stand out artists and presenters on this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program include The League of Imaginary Scientists (GER), Pig and Machine (Japan), Tape Projects (MEL), Michael Farrell (NSW) and Peter Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mara (WA). Friday October 3 and Saturday October 4 - Music Experiment-Aganza at the Cambridge Hotel This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s This Is Not Art Festival brings together a formidable line up of music acts to the Cambridge Hotel over two nights of awe inspiring live music, as Sound Summit and Electrofringe showcase performers from their program. The Cambridge Hotel plays host to an eclectic mix of performances on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 October, at the OfďŹ cial This Is Not Art Festival Gigs Showcase. Newcastle audiences are encouraged to buy their tickets early as the shows will sell out, with limited tickets available at the door. Tickets are an incredibly low price of $12 per night (presale), $15 at the door. For the ďŹ rst time ever This Is Not Art is offering a two-night show pass for $20, which is available presale only â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more reason to get in early and secure entry to this amazing rollercoaster of a festival line-up.

This Is Not Art is a ďŹ ve day celebration of new and innovative art and media, showcasing the collective talent of over 400 Australian and international emerging artists, writers, musicians and media makers in over 200 events. It is estimated that the festival will attract over 4000 visitors to Newcastle over the October long weekend.

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Sunday October 5 - Sunday Fair in Civic Park This years Sunday Fair on October 5 promises a jam-packed day of fun and frivolities! As part of the This Is Not Art festival the Sunday Fair brings together old favourites including the Zine Fair and Makers Markets, and new extravaganzas including the SUPER picnic, all intertwined with an eclectic showcase of performance art and music. With a range of events guaranteed to enthral and excite art-lovers and families alike This Sunday Fair is a day of adventure not to be missed. Music Makes The People Come Together - Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery Not essentially part of TINA but aligning itself quite closely is Lake Macquarie Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music video exhibition Music Makes The People Come Together running between September 26 and October 26. The exhibition brings together contemporary Australian artists whose work is informed by contemporary music and music video. The selected artists have grown up in a world whereby music video has played an important role in shaping their idea of themselves. As such, they see the imagery of music as an important vehicle to in which to examine such varied themes from nostalgia to race politics. Artists in the exhibition include, Kathy Temin, Darren Sylvester, Michael Zavros, Tony Albert, Minaxi May, Guy BenďŹ eld, Christopher Bennie, Dane Lovett, Kate Murphy, Soda_Jerk and Ms & Mr. Also showing featured will be music videos produced by University of Newcastle students as part of their communications degree. These videos were made for local bands and singers such as Mark Wellsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; project, 57 Foot Aquabike, Michelle Webb, Mart Brennan, Robotek, DJ John and the recently disbanded Big City Exile. On Saturday 4th October, at 2pm, the gallery will be hosting a free special performance by another Newcastle band, A Disappointing Fireworks Display.

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live reviews

038

TRIAL KENNEDY Days Like Stars Ethereal 3 Days Ago One Jonathan

Woodport Inn, Erina Saturday July 26, 2008 Now this is a big lineup. No bloody mucking around here at the Woody. Five bands, very little space for the review, lets get into it. One thing guaranteed with One Jonathan is an ejoyable performance and, tonight is no exception. Early start did not stop the crowd

getting here. The grooves these guys deliver are infectious, you can’t help but move. Finishing with a new song only builds the anticipation for a new release. Bring it on.

pop than the bands that preceeded, they were virtual unknowns to the crowd, and it showed. I Didn’t really connect, have heard it done before and better. Sorry about that.

This is the second time I have caught 3 Days Ago within a couple of months, and again the performance was solid. Powerful R+R delivered with the enthusiasm of youth.

Trial Kennedy arrived onstage with a roar from the crowd. Their debut New Manic Art has touched a nerve, it’s youthful brash rock that makes an easy transition to the stage. ‘Sunday Warning’ and ‘Neighbours’ receive a thunderous response and deservedly so. Even though the crowd is still not solid, up front it is packed and sweaty. Vocalist Tim Morrison leaves nothing behind, it is just great to see.

I admit that I do have a soft spot for Ethereal. Their energy levels have deﬁnitely increased, their vocals are sung with passion, and the bassist is manic. This is a band that when they get on stage you know they mean it. If you get the chance, see these guys live. Sydneysiders Days Like Stars were an unusual decision for the main support. More melodic

THE ANGELS

Wyong Leagues Club Thursday July 31, 2008 Am I Ever Gonna See You Face Again… ABSOLUTELY !!! After 30 years as one of Australia’s classic bands, The Angels have reformed with their original lineup from when they ﬁrst hit the Australian pub circuit. To those who claim age will be a detriment, think again. Sure the years have changed looks somewhat, but in terms of energy and performance, we’d challenge bands half

THE BREEDERS Metro Theatre Saturday August 2, 2008 There’s nary an article written about The Breeders that doesn’t at least mention frontwoman Kim Deal’s more-heralded other band, and it’s a damn shame. I’ve felt this way ever since ﬁrst hearing the exceptional 1993 release Last Splash. The Sydney stop on the band’s tour in support of new album, Mountain Battles, served as another reminder of why they are a much, much better group than their humble beginnings as a Pixies sideproject.

American tweenie idols Cobra Starship and The Academy Is... got a strong audience warmed up at Acer Arena. The latter had a tight sound, a Sydney ex-pat on guitar and an all-round dynamic stage show. Music wise, their tunes are hit and miss, but when

We, like the rest of the audience, were left at the end of the night without a voice, sweating profusely, grinning from ear to ear. That’s what you get from experiencing The Angels live. Let’s hope we see their faces again. Review and Photography By R+V Photographers

This warmth was notable especially in the band’s good-natured, self-deprecating stage patter, which covered tried-and-true subject

Review by Alex Holt Photography by Joel Courtney

Despite having a new album to plug, Death Cab For Cutie’s performance at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre would not have disappointed older fans. The show opened in the same way as their new album Narrow Stairs, with the tune ‘Bixby Canyon Bridge’ slowly spiralling out of the speakers. New tracks like ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’, ‘No Sunlight’, ‘Cath...’, and the amazing ‘Long Division’ were interspersed with older crowd faves like ‘Soul

Acer Arena, Sydney Monday August 18, 2008

Buzz Bidstrup in the engine room on drums drove the songs along with Chris Bailey laying down killer bass. John Brewster set the rhythm guitar tracks to precision, Rick Brewster exploded with amazing lead guitar licks and of course Doc Neeson lit the fuse to blow the crowd away.

Days Like Stars

The Angels are without a doubt one of the best acts we’ve seen in many years. When they played their classic ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’ every person present chanted the legendary reply and lifted the roof off the Wyong Leagues Club.

matter (e.g anecdotes about on-stage “f**k ups”), but was nonetheless absorbing and amusing. Though it’s a question posed by a lot of American performers, when the exuberant Kim Deal asks, “Do you guys like Sydney?” it’s nearly impossible to restrain yourself from answering with a resounding “Yes!”

Enmore Theatre, Sydney Monday August 18, 2008

The Academy Is... Cobra Starship

their age to keep up. From the moment they hit the stage, The Angels grabbed the crowd’s enthusiasm, taking them on a journey of the many hits that made The Angels a household name. From classic Angels anthems ‘After The Rain’ and ‘Marseilles’ to ‘Shadow Boxer’, the crowd responded ecstatically throughout the whole performance.

The Breeders charmed the capacity crowd with a brisk 50-minute set (plus two substantial encores) that included tracks from all periods of the band’s 19-year lifespan. The show reached peak excitement levels with performances of fan-favourites ‘Divine Hammer’, ‘Cannonball’ and the band’s aggressive yet somber cover of ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’. Though The Breeders stand almost completely still while playing each number, Kim and her twin sister Kelly have a friendly stage presence and obvious rapport that imbues each number with great energy.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

PANIC AT THE DISCO

Can’t wait for The Butterﬂy Effect / Trial Kennedy double header October 22 at Newcastle Panthers. Review and Photography by Kevin Bull

It’s very easy to understand why the Dandy Warhols were inspired to write ‘Cool as Kim Deal’.

Meets Body’, ‘Crooked Teeth’, ‘New Year’, ‘Sound Of Settling’, and ‘Marching Bands Of Manhattan’. There were clearly tingles in the audience when lead singer Ben Gibbard picked up his acoustic guitar to perform ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’, which would have received a standing ovation, had the majority of the punters in the room not already been on their feet. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Walla brought with him a calming presence, while bassist Nicholas Harmer would often turn to precision drummer Jason McGerr, to focus on locking into their always complicated grooves.

‘Company Calls’, from the group’s second record, which ﬂies along with wild, Sonic Youth-esque abandon, and the gig’s closer - the epic ‘Transatlanticism’, the title-track from their third record. Like it’s content, ‘Transatlanticism’ is a slow-burning build-up, evoking the emotion of a man who is coming to grips with a long-distance relationship (although of course there are metaphorical layers of emotional distance). It’s a tearjerker, and the audience was left in absolute raptures. If you’re looking for greatness in a live gig, then Death Cab are up there. Review by Nicholas Milligan Photography by Sean Roche

The highlights were a crashing rendition of

the melodies cut through, there was a lot to like about The Academy Is...

The young Las Vegas band stepped on to the stage to fanatical screaming. Groups of 11 year-old girls looked like they were going to blow a gasket.

Starving’ and ‘Nine In The Afternoon’, it was clear that the band have shed more than their exclamation mark. The punkpop aesthetic is dead and buried, with a more retro, Brit-pop vibe put in its place. This means that every track off A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out was reworked to shoot their new power-pop kitsch. For the most part it worked a treat, but some fans would have been disappointed. Their encore opened with singer Brendan Urie stepping out solo with an acoustic guitar and performing ‘Time To Dance’ - a brilliant rendition of their best song.

The set opened the same way as their latest album, Pretty. Odd., with tracks ‘We’re So

Review by Nicholas Milligan Photography by Kevin Bull

Panic At The Disco’s stage was straight out of 60s psychedelia. The microphones were adorned with fake ﬂowers and lights, while a large screen with a faux, golden picture frame, played cartoon collages of cute animals and generic nature graphics.

Cobra Starship

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Pnau

live reviews

3 Days Ago

One Jonathan

039

Super Massive

Ethereal

Trial Kennedy

Ben Gibbard

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Panic At The Disco edition 026 - Sept 08 - 39

Splendour... Bringing together a dynamic and diverse array of acts from around the globe, Splendour In The Grass remains a highlight on the Australian festival-goers calendar. Here’s what happened in 2008.

The Sideshows

unnoticed. But two successful radio singles, ‘Is There A Ghost’ and ‘No One’s Gonna Love You’, guaranteed that Australian punters would be jumping in the saddle on this return.

TRICKY

The Metro Theatre, Sydney July 30, 2008 Though known as an innovater and experimenter, Tricky’s Sydney performance was essentially a rock show. This may have disappointed some hardcore fans. Only bringing one female vocalist with him narrowed what material he could perform. However, few of the lads in the audience would have been complaining about stunning Danish chanteuse Kira, who was not only jaw-droppingly sexy, but a mesmerising performer. Her voice was powerful and dripping with sensuality - the perfect accompaniment for the band’s trip-hop explosions and slow-burning grooves. Tricky is an electric performer and his presence on stage is magnetic. When he growls and yells from the shadows, his head shakes back and forth, and it’s quite hypnotic. A world-class maestro, Tricky creates an aural tapestry that you should experience at least once in your lifetime. Review by Nick Milligan Photography by Tim Boehm

The Metro Theatre, Sydney August 5, 2008 There was a lot of anticipation for Band Of Horses’ return to Australia. Their last visit, which saw the Seattle-based Southern folk-rock band perform at Meredith music festival, plus some small club shows, went largely

The set list included the best material from both of Band Of Horses’ albums, and the live renditions of tracks like ‘Cigarettes, Wedding Bands’, ‘The Great Salt Lake’, and ‘The Funeral’. Each song lifted the group beyond common comparisons to groups like My Morning Jacket. There was also a brilliant cover of JJ Cale’s ‘Thirteen Days’ and Them Two’s ‘Am I A Good Man’. A perfect show and a must-see act. Review by Nick Milligan Photography by Justin Edwards

The Metro Theatre, Sydney July 31, 2008

The Metro Theatre, Sydney August 4, 2008

BAND OF HORSES

Despite the afformentioned expectation, few could have anticipated that this would be one of the greatest gigs in recent memory - it was masterful in every aspect. Singer Ben Bridwell exudes both boyish charm and the unbridled sincerity of a true rock star. His voice sounded incredible, as did his band (with the notable inclusion of lanky guitarist/backing vocalist and solo folk performer Tyler Ramsey).

THE MUSIC

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

There was something a little too wholesome about Vampire Weekend’s Sydney performance. But their jaunty, angular pop has clearly struck a chord with Australian music lovers, as a sold out crowd welcomed the New York four-piece to the Metro’s stage. The crowd knew every word, as Vampire Weekend performed every track - plus one new one - from their debut album. There was too much polish in their inoffensive delivery and the set time lasted under an hour, due to their lack of material. While other indie-pop groups these days also have an edge

Patience - The Grates

In All Its

to their songwriting, Vampire Weekend ultimately come off as a little saccharine, which will attract immediate attention, but not necessarily enduring attention. An otherwise enjoyable show. Review by Nick Milligan Photography by Jim Graham

It was a special treat to see one of the world’s greatest live acts in an intimate venue like The Metro. The crowd were whipped into a frenzy with opener ‘Take The Long Road and Walk It’. The set covered tracks from the Leeds four-piece’s ﬁrst two albums, as well as a ﬁne selection from their powerful, eletronictinged new album, Strength In Numbers - and the crowd seemed to know every word.

Musically, each member is an absolute master. Drummer Phil Jordan is an unassuming individual, but he’s an absolute monster behind the kit. Guitarist Adam Nutter stood in front of four quad-boxes and his riffs nearly took the roof off. A very welcome return from The Music. Review by Nick Milligan Photography by Kevin Bull

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The Festival

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS

Belongil Fields, Byron Bay. August 2 & 3, 2008 The fashionable gumboots worn by sensible girls need not have made an appearance this year as, thankfully, the rains failed to fall again. Saturday saw some splendid performances by the internationals and locals alike. Sydney’s Bluejuice whipping the mid afternoon frenzy up, with hits like ‘Unemployed’ and ‘Vitriol’, while Newcastle lad Kato looked after the DJ duties in the dance tent all afternoon with his renowned head nodders. The Music had the crowd rapt, while Bliss n Eso represented Sydney hiphop. The Cold War Kids had the crowd rocking, and singing along to singer Nathan Willet’s unique vocal stylings. At one point, he seemed to get a bit emotional, and appeared to be escorted off stage mid-way through their last number. Never one to miss an opportunity to impress, The Living End opened with ‘Roll On’, which brought the crowd’s mood back up instantly. The solid set included new tunes like

‘White Noise’ and Cheney’s crowd pleasing impromptu, ‘Waltzing Matilda’. MSTRKRFT brought the bangin’ beats, Pnau impressed with their ﬂavours, and Tricky put in a smashing show, with his many instrumentalists and an amazing vocalist. Headliners DEVO pleased their many lego hat wearing fans, but did seem a little weary. Sunday, recovery day, saw the Aussies again put in solid shows. Katalyst and The Presets being dance highlights, while over on the big stage, Newy Lads Here Come The Birds shared some excellent company with The Grates, The Wombats and The Vines. Sigur Ros presented their audio visual shock and awe, setting the stage for the end of the Wolfmother era - also the ﬁnal hurrah for Belongil Fields. See you at the bigger and, hopefully, grassier new home next year.

Devo

Review by Kieran Krud Photography by Justin Edwards

Lightspeed Champion

Wolfmother

Laura Marling

Cold War Kids

Here Come The Birds

The Fratellis

Upon taking out the 2008 Tooheys Extra Dry Uncharted Competition, Newcastle indie-rock band Here Come The Birds, got the opportunity to travel to Byron Bay and perform on the mainstage of Splendour In The Grass 2008. Bassist Shaun McKay gave Reverb his ‘Bird’s-eye’ view of their trip...

Friday - August 1, 2008

“We still can’t believe we are here! We’re still buzzing from winning UncharTED Comp Two and can’t believe what an amazing prize it is! A spot on the main stage of Splendour In The Grass – we’re pumped! We picked up the van early Friday morning and headed to Sydney airport. We were pushing it for time and were lucky that the ﬂight had been delayed when we got there. We checked a mammoth 16 items (guitars, drums and all sorts of things we needed) and then ﬂew out for the Gold Coast. When we got to our hotel we decided to head in to Byron Bay and have a look around and the vibe was amazing. We knew the festival was going to be just as big as last year. After a few quiet drinks at the Beach Hotel we went home and got an early night in preparation for the big days that were coming.”

Saturday - August 2, 2008

“Woke up early and headed into the Splendour site for a site tour and brieﬁng of our schedule for the next few days. The backstage area was amazing. It made it much easier to move from stage to stage and the backstage viewing platform was a real experience. We caught most of the bands we wanted to see and were pleasantly surprised by some bands we hadn’t heard much from before hand. Some stand-outs for the Saturday for us were Gyroscope, Art vs Science, Band of Horses, Cold War Kids and Devo. It’s not until you see what goes on back stage that you can really appreciate how much work actually goes in to a

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festival like Splendour and we want to say a BIG thanks to Tooheys Extra Dry UncharTED for giving us the opportunity to see it ﬁrst hand!”

Sunday - August 3, 2008

“The camera crew arrived at our hotel at 8am to get some footage and everyone was struggling after being so tired after Saturday. After shooting for around an hour, we headed off to the Splendour site to set up and have our sound check. The nerves were kicking in at around 11.30 when we were backstage getting photos with the Splendour In The Grass photographer which was pretty cool. We have never been photographed or videoed as much in our lives! We went on stage at 12pm to a fairly strong crowd, who were keen to kick off a second day, despite the fact that most of them were so tired after a busy day before. They still managed to dance it up! Playing the main stage was amazing, so much room to move and the sound was incredible. We were absolutely buzzing after the show, it was damn fun and it was a great feeling watching the crowd surge in over the length of our set and getting into our music!

costume) and Sigor Ros. We went out to the front of stage for a few bands and the energy coming from the crowd was intense, very exciting! Of course one of the best things is that you get to mingle with all the people who have made the the music that we all love. It was crazy going to the afterparty and talking the the guys from Hadouken!, Sigour Ros and Art vs Science - all really good people and very friendly. The party went long into the night and the dance ﬂoor was pumping with so many 80s classics. We were all in a world of pain on Monday morning from such a massive weekend. Winning the Tooheys Extra Dry UncharTED Competition Two was the best experience ever! And it was deﬁnately two days we will never forget!”

After the set we did a few interviews for TV and streetpress, before getting warmed up for another big day of music! Some of the highlights for the second day were The Wombats, The Grates (Patience had an awesome Batman

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Brawlers Beware: Super Smash Bros Brawl

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gamer’s corner a handful of less-than-stellar ports of old House of the Dead titles to the console, the team is developing a new Wii-exclusive instalment in the series from the ground up. The House of the Dead: Overkill draws its inspiration from cheesy (and messy) grindhouse films, and it shows – film grain effects, degraded colours, cringe-inducing dialogue, tacky music and, of course, extreme zombie-maiming gore are all par for the course. The team are using the Wiimote to great effect, combining simple and accurate point-and-shoot mechanics with gestures for pistol whipping and rifle

Kind of bloody, kind of sad: MadWorld

GAME NEWS By Hugh Milligan Graphic Novel Makes For Graphic Game Those who still believe that the Wii will only ever be a “kiddie console” are in for a shock when they get a look at SEGA subsidiary Platinum Games’ latest Wiiexclusive title, MadWorld. Based in the style of a black-and-white comic book or graphic novel, the game features some exceptionally over-the-top moments of comic violence. The only colour you’ll see onscreen is red – and lots of it – as you use any objects on hand to bludgeon, impale, eviscerate or crush your enemies in gruesomely creative ways. Early gameplay footage already indicates that the protagonist, Jack, has a particular afﬁnity for dismemberment with a chainsaw. It’s all presented with irreverent wit and is no more shocking than other games such as Gears of War, but several publications

HOUSE OF LOVE Within the conﬁnes of The Entrance Leagues Club, a new village has been born. Presenting not just music, it has become a visual and aural experience. Reverb caught up with one of the organisers of The Village, Aaron Bowditch, to get the details. Who is behind the organisation of The Village? We are a couple from the Central Coast who both play in bands. I play the drums in The Porchlight Fiasco and Cindy Doolan sings for Shiver.

have already mounted their hobby horses and condemned the apparently corrupting influence MadWorld will have on impressionable children. Nintendo has replied to such concerns, stating that the Wii appeals to all age groups with a range of content designed to suit all tastes, and that the game will be suitably age rated once it is released. One has to wonder if they would make such a fuss if the title was being released on any other console. No specific release date has yet been given for the game. Adult rating for video games is still a murky area compared to that of film (as the Manhunt 2 debacle in the UK demonstrated), but hopefully there won’t be any real complications in releasing MadWorld. Given that the average console gamer nowadays is pushing thirty, it’s great to see more adult titles being released for the Wii. There’s already more than enough saccharine, brightly coloured party games on store shelves at the moment.

(Grind)House of the Dead Another of SEGA’s development teams, Headstrong Games, recently presented their own new stylised Wii title. Following

What were your initial thoughts when planning The Village? There aren’t many venues on the Coast for our bands to play and none that are central to punters. So we decided to approach The Entrance Leagues Club with a proposition to put live local bands on once a month. At ﬁrst the club thought it was a good idea and they would consider it. We thought hard about it and decided to not just have bands, but why not have a massive variety night, not just like every other band night where there is nothing happening between . Why not put burlesque dancers and jugglers and circus freaks alongside the bands and turn it into a mini festival? A ‘Village’ if you will... Describe a typical night at The Village? A typical night at ‘The Village’ will involve three live bands on the main stage. We have a crazy MC who introduces every act of the evening and each show he is a different character, that ties in with the theme of the night. The variety segments consist of two burlesque dancers, a juggler, a magician, a circus freak and maybe a hoola hoop girl. These segments go for roughly half an hour and are broken up from the bands with ten minute breaks. The night is ﬁnished off with our inhouse funk DJ, DJ Boogaloo, who also plays during the breaks.Outside in the beergarden we also have things going on so there is action everywhere you turn. There are market stalls, merchandise,

The House Of The Dead: Overkill

butting. This will all come in handy when you’re blowing off arms, snapping off jaws and generally mutilating the walking dead. Headstrong are conﬁdent that they are getting the most out of the console graphically, and promise an atmosphere that will really make you feel like you’re in a pulp movie. They aren’t yet willing to comment on other details, such as online modes or leaderboards. No foreseeable release date, but this one looks like good clean arcade fun for small children and the elderly. According to Headstrong Games producer Neil McEwan, “It’ll beat the shit out of grooming a horse.” carnival games, a sick bay area where people can chill out and have crazy mock surgeons make chai tea for them, and of course our in-house bluesy lapsteel guitarist, Dan Shepherd, playing tunes all night for the people to listen to. What was the reaction of The Entrance Leagues Club when you pitched the idea to them? Once we came back at them with the whole ‘variety’ idea they loved it and thought it would be a hit. We are going to be running the shows once every six weeks or so, just enough time for the punters to look forward to the next show and not often enough that the idea might die out.

In space, no one can hear you kill things with a laser beam: Dead Space

Extraterrestrial Terror One of the highlights of the recent Games Convention in Leipzig was the latest demo of EA’s chilling sci-ﬁ survival-horror game, Dead Space. Set aboard the deep space mining ship Ishimura, the game puts players in the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer who ﬁnds the crew decimated by alien abominations. EA are newcomers to the survival-horror genre, a fact they’re obviously not taking lightly. They have attempted to create a tense and unsettling atmosphere that will mess with your head, as well as a highly streamlined menu and HUD system that won’t remove you from the action. Health and ammo are displayed on the back of Isaac’s suit and his inventory is displayed simply as a holographic image in front of him, so players cannot let their guard down when browsing menus. Most of his weapons are adapted from mining equipment, and feature lasers capable of severing any limb from the alien nasties that he encounters. This becomes a crucial combat mechanic, as enemies alter their attack style depending on what body parts they have left. Dead Space, which already shows a lot of promise, will hit Australian shelves in late October for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

hidden suprises which I’m unable to reveal, but there will be a prize for best dressed. Tickets are $20 at the door, doors open 7:30pm. Chapter IV of The Village is on September 12 at The Entrance Leagues Club. Head to www. myspace.com/villageshow for more details.

And what has been the reaction of the punters? Amazing. Everyone is on a high because nobody has ever seen this much going on in one night and there is so much to take in and get involved in - and the drinks are bloody cheap because it’s a Leagues club. We have set up a myspace site www.myspace.com/thevillageshow so that everybody can see who’s on at the next show and clips from the past shows. It is also a place where punters can offer feedback and suggestions, after all we are new at this and encourage any suggestions or criticism. What will be happening for Chapter IV on September 12? Chapter IV will be an all gypsy night with three gypsy bands from sydney - The Crooked Fiddle Band, Juke Baritone and the Swamp Dogs and On The Stoop (members from Waiting For Guiness). In the vaudeville segment we have a belly dancing duo from Canberra called Gypsy Noir and the ever-so-daring Miss Vesper White and all throughout the night our resident DJ, Boogaloo. Around the room we have our normal market stalls, tarot reader and a tattooist this time. The night also has a few

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

043

vinyl world

In The Groove

Resident record afﬁcianado Stan Sykes talks about the latest in the world of vinyl records. but my favourite is the cover of ‘Speed Demon‘ on the b-side - it rocks !

7” SINGLES REM – Man Sized Wreath (Warner) Welcome again to more good news on the vinyl front as articles from around the world, including here in Oz, are again singing the praise of vinyl. Its sound, packaging, increasing sales etc. Sales at Beaumont Street Beat have really been on the increase and more stock should be appearing in the shop once some decent racks are found. It seems even the hi-ﬁ manufacturers are trying to get production up to speed, to cater for the new generation of vinyl lovers that are hitting the market. A recent article, in an upmarket tabloid, had an interesting feature with a leading hi-ﬁ maker who was astounded at the level of sales on new record players in the UK. Record Fair season is also about to hit so put these in your dairy: SUNDAY AUGUST 31: PARRAMATTA SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27: GLEBE SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2: NEWCASTLE SUNDAY NOVEMBER 30: PARRAMATTA Anyone with any ideas to make the Newcastle fair bigger and better, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Now on with the listening - happy playing out there! -Stan Sykes

A hearty welcome back to the good old days of rem.This track has a nice big sound, with a great in-yer-face riff full of feedback and spite. Clocking in at an angry 2 1/2 minutes - a perfect length for a perfect pop song and in nice clear vinyl too! Quick - let’s get another record on the turntable.

JELLO BIAFRA – JEZEBEL (Alternative Tentacles) Defo sleeve of the month! Hand-picked by Mr Biafra himself, This little beauty is limited to 2000 world wide (I’m still waiting on mine!) The ex-Dead Kennedys frontman covers two songs by Sub Pop psychobilly’s, The Reverend Horton Heat, in his own distinctive vocal style. The a side is a classic rockabilly tune

intriguing ‘42’ - listen and enjoy.

12” CLASSIC ALBUM

12” ALBUM COLDPLAY – VIVA LA VIDA (Parlophone) Nice US pressed heavyweight 180 gram vinyl with great looking gatefold sleeve. Hey, the package even comes with a copy of the cd! Now, in the preceding years since the band’s Parachutes debut release, I admit to falling out of love a little with this band. So, I was more than surprised by how much I’ve come to like this release and feel it’s their most complete work to date. Maybe it’s the Brian Eno production or the extra warmth of the vinyl? Every listen seems to bring a little bit something extra to the ears. In reality, Coldplay are just a melodic indie band, but they have a knack of making uplifting and thoughtful songs. Both ‘Violet Hill’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ are hook-laden and rightfully chosen for single release. Though the rest of the album is not quite so catchy, the tracks ‘Lovers In Japan’ and ‘Strawberry Swing’ are beautiful songs. The centrepiece of the album is the musically and lyrically

THE DAMNED - MACHINE GUN ETIQUETTE (Chiswick) Here we have the band who released the first punk single (‘New Rose’) in the UK and along with The Pistols and The Clash, were the forerunners of the UK punk scene. This, their third release, is arguably their finest and one of the best punk albums ever made. It includes three great singles. First up, the pogotastic single ‘Lovesong‘ (with surely one of the greatest song openings ever), the melancholy angst of ‘Just Can’t Be Happy Today‘ and ‘Smash It Up - Pts 1 & 2 ‘ - Part 1 with its calm acoustic strum fading into the loud and punky Part 2 - you’ve got to love it ! Other stand-outs include the epic ‘Plan 9 Channel 7‘ with Vanian at his vocal best and a great cover of the MC5 track, ‘Looking At You‘. Rumours of a tour here early in the new year abound - so fingers crossed.

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COASTAL MUSICFEST

SUNDAY OCTOBER 19

Y O U R L O C A L A LT E R N AT I V E

Abrie, Lounge Act, Chontia and the New Colours, Chris Taylor, Sarah Humphreys, Brett O’Malley, Nick and Liesl, Ocea’s Meld, Dale Willis, Joshua Koutoulas, Lianna Rose KANTARA HOUSE, GREEN POINT $15

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