Brag#705 by The Brag Magazine

MADE IN SYDNEY MARCH 22, 2017

FREE Now picked up at over 1,600 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com

MUSIC, FILM, COMEDY + MORE

INSIDE This Week

T ICK E T S C A L PING

How can we stop this scourge on the music industry?

T HE T E A PA R T Y

Giving their classic songs the orchestral treatment.

HOPPER K A DÃ&#x2030;

Th is could be the new trend in street food.

S T EEL PA N T HER

The bad boys of rock return with a new album.

H A NS Z IMMER

An audience with the legendary fi lm composer.

Plus

BONNIE R A I T T DORS A L F INS HE AT H CULLEN PA R R A M A S A L A A ND MUCH MOR E

KINGSWOOD R&B'S NEXT SUPERSTAR

PRO MI NE NT E NT E R TA I N M E N T presents

g n a Y g Yin Twins

Bubba Sparxxx

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TICKETS ON SALE NOW! ALL BLUESFEST TOURING ARTISTS

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THE WED METRO APR thebrag.com

BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 3

in this issue

free stuff

what you’ll find inside…

8-9

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

The Frontline

Back To Business

8-9

Gallant has written songs everywhere from the toilet to fancy restaurants, but he’ll never force a song when it’s not ready for the world.

Bonnie Raitt

The Tea Party bring a symphony orchestra with them to their Sydney show.

12-13 Heath Cullen, Dorsal Fins 14

Steel Panther

Liz Stringer, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Simon Shaw

16-19 Ticket Scalping: How Do We Stop The Scourge?

24-25

Hans Zimmer

Game On, arts review

“The hardest thing is going to be playing these songs as they were actually recorded, which we really never do.” (11) 22

Inside Jokes, Laugh Hard

Out & About

24-25 Parramasala and Hopper Kadé reviewed, bar of the week 26

Album reviews, First Drafts

Off The Record

28-29 Live reviews 30

Gig guide

“It’s not that fans miss out on tickets due to laziness or being slow off the mark – it’s that they simply cannot buy up seats as quickly as robots can.”(16-19)

HONEYBLOOD

Glasgow alt-rockers Honeyblood are bringing their distinctly Scottish sounds to Australian shores this month. The twopiece powerhouse of Stina Tweeddale on guitar/vocals and Cat Myers on drums have recently released their second album, Babes Never Die, and this is their debut tour Down Under. Expect a combination of influences from PJ Harvey and Sonic Youth to Best Coast and Haim, all driven by Tweeddale’s captivating voice and Myers’ insistent rhythms. Guitar and drums: name a more iconic duo, we’ll wait. Honeyblood play Oxford Art Factory on Thursday March 30, and we’ve got a double pass to give away. Enter at thebrag. com/freeshit.

the frontline with Chris Martin and Ben Rochlin ISSUE 705: Wednesday March 22, 2017 PRINT & DIGITAL EDITOR: Chris Martin chris.martin@seventhstreet.media SUB-EDITOR: Joseph Earp STAFF WRITERS: Nathan Jolly, Adam Norris, Augustus Welby NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Tyler Jenke, Ben Rochlin

SAVE THE SYDNEY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MARKET

Dappled Cities

ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Tony Pecotic - 0425 237 974 tony.pecotic@seventhstreet.media PUBLISHER: Seventh Street Media CEO, SEVENTH STREET MEDIA: Luke Girgis - luke.girgis@seventhstreet.media MANAGING EDITOR: Poppy Reid poppy.reid@seventhstreet.media THE GODFATHER: BnJ GIG GUIDE: gigguide@thebrag.com AWESOME INTERNS: Anna Rose, Ben Rochlin, Abbey Lenton REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Arca Bayburt, Chelsea Deeley, Christie Eliezer, Matthew Galea, Emily Gibb, Jennifer Hoddinett, Emily Meller, David Molloy, Annie Murney, Adam Norris, George Nott, Daniel Prior, Natalie Rogers, Erin Rooney, Anna Rose, Spencer Scott, Natalie Salvo, Leonardo Silvestrini, Jade Smith, Aaron Streatfeild, Jessica Westcott, Stephanie Yip, David James Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address Level 2, 9-13 Bibby St, Chiswick NSW 2046 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Carrie Huang - accounts@seventhstreet.vc (02) 9713 9269 Level 2, 9-13 Bibby St, Chiswick NSW 2046 DEADLINES: Editorial: Friday 12pm (no extensions) Ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Fishished art: No later than 2pm Monday Ad cancellations: Friday 4pm Deadlines are strictly adhered to. Published by Seventh Street Media Pty Ltd All content copyrighted to Seventh Street Media 2017 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email george.sleiman@ seventhstreet.media PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 follow us:

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4 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

Sydney’s forward-looking rockers Dappled Cities are back. The indie heroes will release their fifth album ||||| (Five) on Friday May 5, following up the first tasters in the form of ‘That Sound’ and ‘Stone Men’. Now, they’ve locked in a special hometown launch show as part of the Vivid Sydney lineup, taking place at the City Recital Hall in Angel Place on Sunday June 4. The City Recital Hall is known as one of the best-sounding venues in Sydney, so if you want to hear Dappled Cities’ new tunes in high fidelity, be there.

The Avalanches

HIROSHIMA HEARTS YOU

I Heart Hiroshima are back for another Sydney show next week. The reunited Brisbane indie rockers released their comeback EP Spillin’ The Light in December, and it’s like they never went away, such is the momentum they’ve built across a string of live shows since. They’ve teased the release of more new material over the next 12 months, but in the meantime you can catch them with Astral Skulls at Newtown Social Club on Saturday April 1.

VIVID LIVE LINEUP LANDS

AN AWESOME RISE

Melbourne experimentalists Orsome Welles have announced the release of a new EP, Rise, and a national tour in support. ‘Build A World’ and ‘Maestro’ emerged late last year as the first tastes of the new set, and boasted incredible videos produced by filmmaker Adrian Goleby. Rise will be revealed on Friday May 26. After that, Orsome Welles embark on seven tour dates around the country, taking in The Factory Floor on Friday June 30.

LOCKOUTS EXEMPTION FOR OAF AND MORE

A total of seven Sydney venues are now exempt from the 1:30am lockouts and 3am last drinks, according to an announcement by Minister for Racing Paul Toole. Oxford Art Factory on Oxford Street and Mr B’s Hotel on Pitt Street are now eligible to admit patrons until 2am, with last drinks served at 3:30am. The announcement came as part of the New South Wales Government’s two-year trial of later lockout times and drinks service. Liquor & Gaming NSW is currently considering applications from a further 19 venues to extend their hours, on the basis of offering live entertainment after midnight.

Big Pineapple

NOW THAT’S A BIG PINEAPPLE

The Big Pineapple film competition is returning for another year, with the goal of facing up to gender disparity within the Australian film industry. Women in Film & Television and For Film’s Sake are teaming up for the competition, enacting a “four tick test”, in which four of a film’s creative team of five (writer, producer, director, cinematographer, lead protagonist) must be women. Teams are invited to submit an initial one-page synopsis for a film, and the winner will receive a prize of $50,000 to produce their feature film. The closing date for submissions is Friday March 31, with finalists announced Thursday April 13 and the winner announced Sunday April 30. Visit forfilmssake.org to find out more.

The full program for the Sydney Opera House’s Vivid LIVE festival is here. Following the announcement that Fleet Foxes are reforming and will headline Vivid LIVE with a series of Opera House shows, the festival programmers have now revealed a bumper full lineup. The stars include Australian act Nick Murphy (formerly Chet Faker), plus internationals including UK songwriter Laura Marling and French downtempo duo Air. Also on the bill are Camp Cope, The Avalanches with DJ Shadow at an ultimate block party, Richie Hawtin, Beth Orton, Total Control, Severed Heads, Sampha, Bill Callahan, Japanese pioneer Kenji Takimi, long-standing Londoner DJ Harvey, The Netherlands’ Steffi, The Necks, Nai Palm, Karizma, Ben Fester, Magda Bytnerowicz, Irish songwriter Lisa Hannigan and more. Meanwhile, the Vivid Sydney portion of the program, taking over venues around the city including City Recital Hall and Carriageworks, includes performances from UK electronic duo Goldfrapp, Sydney’s Dappled Cities, Paul Mac and more. Vivid LIVE 2017 runs at the Sydney Opera House from Friday May 26 – Saturday June 17. Xxx xxx

@TheBrag

DAPPLED CITIES’ FIVE

The beloved Sydney Rock ‘N’ Roll & Alternative Market, held every other month at Manning Bar, needs your help. The markets have been running for the past six-and-a-half years, but after some difficult weather conditions over the last few months, organisers have turned to Sydney music lovers for help. Instead of the regular April market, the Factory Theatre will host a minifestival across multiple stages. There’s a huge lineup including market faves The Allniters and The Detonators, Pat Capocci, The Drey Rollan Band, Black Heart Breakers, Flipped Out Kicks and more. Apart from the bands, a bunch of great DJs will be on hand too. The Sydney Rock ‘N’ Roll & Alternative Market Support Concert takes over the Factory Theatre on Sunday April 2.

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 5

Back To Business Music Industry News with Lars Brandle

LIVE NATION MANAGEMENT RESHUFFLE

There’s been a reshuffling at the top of the local affiliate for Live Nation, the world’s biggest concert promoter. Michael Coppel has been promoted and is now chairman of Live Nation Australasia, while Roger Field has risen into the vacant leadership position as chief executive officer. Field, who was chief operating officer, will be responsible for the day-to-day running of LN’s concerts activities in Australia and New Zealand, including Adele’s current stadium tour. The two promotions come five years after LN bought Michael Coppel Presents and Coppel took the reins as president and chief executive officer of its company Down Under.

PANDORA EXPANDS WITH PREMIUM SERVICE

Internet radio giant Pandora is plunging into the crowded on demand streaming space. More than a year in the making, Pandora Premium represents the California company’s first crack at an on demand streaming service, and sets up a tantalising competition with Spotify and Apple Music. At this stage, it’s only available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. According to reps, new users will get a chance to try it out in the coming weeks. Pandora Premium will cost about US$10 a month, with access to 40 million songs on demand plus offline listening and curated playlists.

BUENOS AIRES CONCERT TRAGEDY

Two people died and a dozen more were injured in a crush at an Indio Solari concert in Buenos Aires on Saturday March 11. Organisers were expecting up to 170,000 fans at the open-air concert but the venue was well over capacity, with Argentine officials speculating up to 300,000 showed up.

SONY PROMOTES VETERAN PLAYER GUY MOOT

British music publishing veteran Guy Moot has added duties as president, worldwide creative at Sony/ATV Music Publishing to his varied repertoire. The position will extend his creative responsibilities into the States, the world’s biggest music market. Moot will continue in

his role as UK managing director at the major publisher and will report to Sony/ATV chairman and CEO Martin Bandier.

042 370.You can donate to assist Spice on her road to recovery at gofundme.com/ Fundraiser4Spice.

WARNER MUSIC, TUNEIN AND ESCAPEX EXPAND

ED SHEERAN SCORES MORE CHART SUCCESS

Warner Music has hired an exec from the ranks of the movie biz to lead its China company. Jackson Wong, formerly general manager of strategy and investment, business development and digital business with Oriental DreamWorks – the film production and distribution company – is set to become managing director of Warner Music China. Wong will oversee the day-to-day running of WMG’s Beijing office and will be tasked with expanding the company’s business in Mainland China. He’ll report to Sam Chen, WMG’s CEO of greater China. Meanwhile, Anthony ‘DJ Reflex’ Jaramillo, a radio veteran, producer and artist, is the new head of music at TuneIn, the US-based audio network that boasts more than 60 million monthly active listeners tuning into 100,000plus live radio stations. Jaramillo, who is managed by Roc Nation, joins from Tidal where he was head of radio. And finally, Joe Cuello, chief creative officer at digital distributor Tunecore, has jumped ship to join mobile app company EscapeX as general manager. According to EscapeX, more than 13 million consumers download its apps, with average user “stickiness” clocking in at 18 minutes in-app each day.

SHARLINE BEZZINA’S FRIENDS AND FAMILY CALL FOR HELP

Friends and family of Aussie hip hop pioneer Sharline Bezzina (AKA Spice) want your help. The community activist, youth worker and mother of two has been troubled with spiralling health problems in recent years, and is in need of medical assistance. A fundraising event is in the works for Sunday May 21 in Sydney, and organisers are appealing for donations of time or goods, including items to auction, campaign crew and performers. “We are asking that you please find it in your heart to contribute to the cause. No amount is too small or too large,” says Randy Glazer of Joint Adventure, who is coordinating the efforts. Glazer can be reached at randee.be@gmail.com or 0423

It’s a similar story in the US and Down Under, where Sheeran is claiming a chart double win. Divide is logging a second week at number one on the US albums chart, and ‘Shape Of You’ is spending a seventh week at the top of the national singles chart (outselling the secondbest performer by two to one). In Australia, he has 14 songs in the top 50, and all three of his albums are inside the top ten, led of course by Divide for a second week.

GUNS N’ ROSES DO THEIR THING

Late arrivals, fan riots, mud baths and spontaneously combusting drummers (well, not exactly): Guns N’ Roses fans never quite know what to expect when the rock monsters hit the road. GNR’s recent show in Singapore was typically chaotic, with ticketholders complaining about ridiculous queues and a dodgy payments system for food and drink which swallowed up credit and didn’t spit it back out. After a public back-andforth between RFID supplier Sandpiper and promoter LAMC Productions, a website has been set up for refunding unspent wristband credits. Better late than never.

DRAKE THE STREAMING GIANT

We’ve all heard the income generated from streaming services is peanuts. The music of Canadian hip hop megastar Drake has now been streamed more than ten billion times on Spotify, a milestone no other artist has reached. Crunch those numbers and the reigning IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year has banked more than US$50 million from the market-leading streamer. That’s a whole lot of peanuts.

NEW SIGNINGS #1

Jonti is back with new music, and he’s hooked up with some fine company. The multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, vocalist and Avalanches touring member has signed with Future Classic, the award-winning label home of Flume and Nick Murphy (FKA Chet Faker), Flight Facilities and Jagwar Ma. To celebrate the new deal, Jonti dropped his first solo track in five years, the dreamy ‘Scrood’ featuring Steve Lacy of The Internet fame.

NEW SIGNINGS #2

Play It Again Sam has signed British musical duo Public Service Broadcasting to a worldwide licensing deal. The Londoners’ third, as-yetuntitled third album will arrive through PIAS in the northern summer. Their second album, the Race For Space, reached number 11 on the Official UK Albums Chart in 2015. PIAS recently acquired the treasured Aussie indie Inertia.

Chuck Berry

Like it or not, Ed Sheeran is still powering through sales charts around the globe. The British singer has nailed down nine of the top ten singles in the UK, including the number one with ‘Shape Of You’ for a tenth week. Divide is at number one for a second week in his homeland, clocking up almost one million combined sales since its release.

Jonti

Public Service Broadcasting

FAREWELL TO LEGENDS

Chuck Berry, a towering figure in the history of rock’n’roll, and a musician whose works were covered by The Rolling Stones and The Beatles and influenced pretty much anyone who slung a guitar, died on Saturday March 18 at the age of 90. The St. Louis-born showman may well have ignited the rock genre with the song ‘Maybellene’ in 1955. A cascade of timeless hits followed, from ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ to ‘Memphis’, ‘My Ding-A-Ling’, ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’, which was included on the golden record launched into space on the Voyager 1 mission in 1977. Berry’s music was introduced to new generations of fans through the classic movies Back To The Future and Pulp Fiction and he was among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s first group of inductees in 1986. Don Warden, the long-time manager of Dolly Parton, died on Saturday March 11 at the age of 87. A highly regarded steel guitar player (he was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2008), Warden first met Parton when she appeared on TV’s Porter Wagoner Show in 1967. It was a relationship that lasted almost five decades. Tommy LiPuma, the former Verve Music Group chairman and multiple Grammy-winning record producer, died Monday March 13 in New York City after a brief illness. LiPuma’s productions resulted in more than 75 million albums sold (with 35 of these certified gold or platinum) and 33 Grammy nominations for five wins. LiPuma produced for a who’s who of music stars, including Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson and Diana Krall. As an exec, he served in senior positions with Warner Bros and Elektra into the 1990s, and became president of the jazz labels GRP and Impulse. Joni Sledge, founding member of Sister Sledge, died on Friday March 10 at the age of 60. A family statement confirmed the singer died from natural causes relating to complications from a pre-existing condition. Sister Sledge were one of the defining bands of the disco era, with a string of hits including ‘The Greatest Dancer’, ‘We Are Family’, ‘Thinking Of You’, ‘Lost In Music’ and ‘Frankie’, which reached number one in the UK in 1985. All told, the group collected 12 Top 40 singles in the UK and three in the States. Joey Alves, founding rhythm guitarist for ’70s and ’80s American hard rockers Y&T, died Sunday March 12 after a battling ulcerative colitis and other complications. He was 63. In their heyday, Y&T toured with the likes of AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne and Aerosmith and scored three albums on the Billboard 200 chart. Frontman Dave Meniketti is the only surviving member of the original fourmember-strong band, which is the focus of a forthcoming documentary, On With The Show. Xxx

6 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

thebrag.com

HAVE YOUR SAY ON BUSKING IN THE CITY OF SYDNEY AREA The City of Sydney invites your feedback on how busking is managed and supported in the city. Our new discussion paper ‘Busking in the City of Sydney area’ reviews our past approach and explores new ways of supporting and regulating busking. Sydney has a strong tradition of buskers who help make Sydney unique and entertaining. We encourage you to have your say.

You can see the paper at sydneyyoursay.com.au/ busking-in-city The document is open for feedback until 30 April 2017.

Stage 1 THE ALLNITERS

Sydney based singer songwriter Simon Shaw has just released a new album titled Free & Easy. The album consisting of 8 tracks is an acoustic journey with some fabulous songs to listen to. You can hear the album on Simon’s website:

simonshawmusic.com or on bandcamp:

simonshaw.bandcamp.com Or you can catch Simon live every Monday night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Darling Harbour.

thebrag.com

• THE DETONATORS

PPat Pa a Ca Capocci • W Wes PPudsey ds y & tthe Sonic o c AAces c s • The Drey D DJs Rockin Marc Rondeau • Limpin’ L in’ Jimmy Jim y & the Deuces

lack Heart Breakers Breakkerss • Flipped FFlip ipp d Out Out Kicks Kiccks • Stage 2 Black The OzSkas • The Soul Movers plus DJs The Crimplenes and Solid Gold Hell DJs • Sunday Dub Club DJs

d SUNFactory2 nTheatre APRIL BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 7

COVER STORY

“I’VE WRITTEN SONGS ON THE TOILET,

WORTH HIS WEIGHT IN GOLD BY ADAM NORRIS sk anyone – your nanna, a firefighter, that shop window over there – if they’re keen for Bluesfest this year, and you’ll find uniform expressions of terrified excitement. It’s a lineup that strikes fear in the hearts of your enemies, that seduces you oceanside beneath a full moon (even if Neil Young has regretfully pulled out), and high on the list of debut performers is the 25-year-old Gallant. Have you seen him perform ‘Weight In Gold’ yet? No? Well, you go do that now – don’t worry, I’ll wait – and then read on about this R&B wunderkind taking the world’s stages by storm. “I’m in Los Angeles. I just got back and I’m so happy to be home,” Gallant tells me. Frankly, I’m surprised. It hardly seems like an inspiring place – or, as Nick Cave put it, ‘Even the pale sky-stars were smart enough to keep well away from LA’. “I was born in the suburbs in Maryland,” Gallant explains. “So it was a town of politicians around the D.C. area, and I went to school in New York. After being in New York for so long, I wanted to get back to a sense of semi-isolation in some way. So I thought LA was the perfect combination of big city, but you can also tuck yourself into the suburban lifestyle if you want. So it just made sense to me, but obviously it’s not for everyone. I know what it’s like to want excitement, to want to move to the big city, and I felt like I’d already done that, and it wasn’t exciting as you’d think. So LA was just right.” It makes you wonder just how far into isolation Gallant might venture – if he sees a version of Henry David Thoreau in his future, camped out in a cabin deep in the woods. He laughs. “No, I don’t think so. Even where I live now, it’s in the valley, but I can walk out my door, drive down the road and I’m at a major street. It’s very much a suburban vibe. Some people out here live all the way up these really long drives with these narrow roadways, and it’s hard to get in and out. I’m not looking for inaccessibility, I’m looking for a sense of earthliness. And that doesn’t have to be an extreme. I’m a suburban guy, sure, but I’m not a woodsy guy. I’m a kitschy American lover, but I’m not a loner.” If you’ve taken my advice and watched one of Gallant’s performances (his appearance on Jimmy Fallon is a strong example), these words ring especially true; no one can witness such engagement and theatricality and think the man a loner. At school he studied music and drama side by side, one feeding the other, though as Gallant puts it, each sprung from the same outlet. Embracing an audience has never been an issue, and yet, when the time came to finally begin sharing music with the world, Gallant was hesitant. “When I eventually shared it, I was embarrassed. Not in the sense that I didn’t like the music I was making, because I really did. But it said a lot of things that…” He trails off, collecting his thoughts. “I just didn’t see the point in posting a lot of it online. The EP [2014’s Zebra], for example, I made it for myself just to get through a couple of things, and was music that I really enjoyed listening to. So putting it out illustrated this need for attention that didn’t really match the music I was making. So that was a hurdle to jump over early. And I think I just got used to it. “So with the album process, there’s no real endpoint. Like, ‘Yes, this is it, this is where the album is now done.’ The reel was cut, that’s the best way I can describe it.

8 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

Whatever I was working on just had to end, and it didn’t feel like this massive undertaking that I was doing. There was no cabin in the woods I went into and grew a beard and had some bullshit spiritual experience. It was just … me, working through a set of issues, and stopping when I felt like it was time to stop.” Curiously, Gallant’s songwriting style is similarly unfettered. Just as his debut album, 2016’s Ology, dictated its own endpoint, so too do his lyrics arrive at their own pace and with their own agenda. “I think forcing lyrics is bullshit. If I was an athlete I wouldn’t have any lucky socks or anything. I just accept that you can’t control everything. It’s just crazy to think that you can. Every time I make something, it’s totally random. It could be any kind of environment. I’ve written songs on the toilet, I’ve written songs in the studio, at my parents’ house, in fancy restaurants. It completely doesn’t matter. It has its own timeline that’s separate from whatever I would try to sit down and schedule. And I totally accept that.” Gallant isn’t the only artist to talk about writing on the toilet; in fact, having spoken to hundreds of musicians, it’s weirdly common. “Ha, well, when you’re in the studio, people are sitting there trying to judge you. When you’re on the toilet, you know what you look like. You’re in the most vulnerable position you could possibly be in, so you’re really not worried about someone looking over your shoulder and reading your lyrics.” As you do in the lead-up to any interview, researching past interviews and reviews provides an often surprising time capsule of how an artist has progressed from project to project. While Ology is Gallant’s debut album, he’s been on a lot of folks’ radars for a while now; people keen to share this searing new voice, to find the insights of the man behind the music. It’s understandable, but it does make you ponder the distinction between art and artist; if evolving as a musician is the same as evolving as a person. “In terms of artistry, the evolution can’t be forced,” he says. “When I was evolving musically, it was very much congruent with the way I was evolving on a personal level. I was opening up to people, slowly. I was going from an environment of post-college bliss to adulthood and self-discovery. A lot of real things that everyone goes through, it’s not that special. But everyone deals with it in their own way. “When I talk about music, it might suggest that was the only field that could make this creativity happen, but that’s not the case. It was circumstantial. So I don’t think any evolution can be forced. I suspect there will be another evolution, if only because I’ve been travelling so much and have had so many great experiences. I can’t say what that evolution will be, if it will be progress or regression. I have no idea. But I just hope that it’s a real thing, that it isn’t something I think about too much. “Even now, going back into the creative process, I want to think as less as possible. As long as I do that, I feel like everything will be alright.” What: Ology out now through Mind Of A Genius/Warner With: Ruel Where: Metro Theatre When: Tuesday April 18 And: Also appearing at Bluesfest 2017, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17

“I THINK FORCING LYRICS IS BULLSHIT. IF I WAS thebrag.com

I’VE WRITTEN SONGS IN THE STUDIO, AT MY PARENTS’ HOUSE, IN FANCY RESTAURANTS. IT COMPLETELY DOESN’T MATTER.”

AN ATHLETE I WOULDN’T HAVE ANY LUCKY SOCKS OR ANYTHING. I JUST ACCEPT THAT YOU CAN’T CONTROL EVERYTHING.” thebrag.com

BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 9

FEATURE

“I have a lot of respect for great music and performing – I’d get really bored just sticking to any one of those genres.”

Bonnie Raitt Digging Deeper By Anna Rose

rying to track both the recording and touring history of Bonnie Raitt is like trying to chart the family tree of the British monarchy – it’s an extensive process, but the results are impressive. The American blues singer has toured extensively for nearly ten months out of each year she’s been active, won ten Grammy Awards and released an arsenal of material. Last year’s Dig In Deep was her 20th album release, adding to a discography that includes several original, live and ‘best of’ records. On top of her music, Raitt is a well-known activist and spokesperso n for several sociopolitical causes. And all this spans a nearly 50-year career. “It’s great to still be at it after all this time because I love what I do,” Raitt says from her Los Angeles home. “I love fi nding great new songs. It’s harder to fi nd something new to say after that many records – you’ve either played your favourite grooves a bunch of times and reinvented them with drum parts and different guitar parts, and sung about all types of love and things that piss you off, so when you get as many records as this it’s hard not to

duplicate something you’ve done in the past, and that does get a little daunting with time.” After such a long time in the spotlight, even Raitt can be forgiven for losing track of when she last visited Australia. “Let me see what I’ve got here,” she says, checking her emails. “Yeah, so last time we were in Australia was 2013 – you’re right, that was our last cycle – and coming out this year is part of our second. Math was clearly not my topic!” Raitt’s latest trip Down Under coincides with Bluesfest at Byron Bay as well as a string of solo shows in selected cities, Sydney included. Touring gets more and more taxing for Raitt and her band of 30 years, but the beauty of being successful, she says, is that she can pick and choose her appearances. “Thank God for the internet! If you click on it and bring up all the different shows I’ve done, that’s when I realise how many months we’ve ever spent on the road. The good thing about having more success is you can actually get everyone home to see their families, which is really helpful to

“I love finding great new songs. It’s harder to find something new to say after that many records.” 10 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

maintain your relationships. Once you get the buses running with the sound and light and stuff, once you’re out, five shows a week is how you keep it going. I like playing multiple nights but I wouldn’t wanna play six on, six off. “The last time I was at Byron [for Bluesfest 2013], I managed to trek through the mud and get to some other stages and see some other bands. There were some incredible sets, some amazing musicians. The thing about playing a festival is that you get to see other artists you wouldn’t see on your own tour, because you’re working at night and fi nd out you just missed out on some other band or a dear friend of yours.” Keeping her touring life varied with festivals and solo shows, Raitt says she enjoys the best of both worlds, with opportunities to explore different styles of live performance. “You can play more ballads and an acoustic section in a theatre, and you can have that beautiful quiet mood. Whereas if you’re gonna play a long set and everyone’s been standing in the rain or sweating in the sun for five hours, it’s gonna be more rock’n’roll! I enjoy both, they’re just different sides of the same coin.” As with her live shows, Raitt’s recording career has been of an eclectic persuasion, effortlessly mixing up genres without restricting herself to any one genre. “My tastes are all over the map. I don’t do speed

metal or progressive rock,” she laughs. “I mean, I guess it’s called global music – I love Brazilian, Celtic, Gypsy, Indian, it all seeps in. I love the blues and rock’n’roll. I love a great song by a great balladeer, but singer-songwriter is where I live. “I came out of folk music and blues. I have a lot of respect for great music and performing – I’d get really bored just sticking to any one of those genres.” And Raitt is not likely to run short of ideas yet. “There’s some music from West Africa I’d love to collaborate on, and indigenous music in South Africa. I think to go out there and do some of that would be amazing. “The world situation being so much more hairy in terms of safety and visas makes it difficult for international musicians like us to travel easily. If I want to record that kind of music, I’ll have to go there, and who knows what the world will be like by then?” What: Bluesfest 2017 With: Patti Smith, Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett, Santana, Nas and many more Where: Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm When: Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17 And: Also appearing at the State Theatre on Friday April 7 More: Dig In Deep out now through Redwing

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FEATURE

“We’re quite grateful that our audience has been so accepting and appreciative of our tangents.”

The Tea Party A Symphony Of Emotions By Adam Norris

he Tea Party have long been the dark horses of alt-rock. Between 1993 and 2014 their eight albums have studiously refused to be pinned to one style or sound, and even after enjoying mainstream success – like their Canadian number one hit on the rock charts, ‘Heaven Coming Down’ – the trio maintain a mercurial personality. Australia has been a second home (literally, in the case of lead singer Jeff Martin) for years now, and so it seems fi tting that their latest guise will see the band perform in Sydney and Melbourne with a full symphony orchestra. Drummer Jeff Burrows tells us more.

“When we did our first album, we wore our influences on our sleeve,” Burrows admits. “We were being called a band that ‘Sounds like Led Zeppelin being fronted by Jim Morrison,’ and at first, we reacted angrily. But the more we thought about it, you know, there are way worse bands to be compared to! Jesus Christ, Led Zeppelin? OK! “With [third album] Edges Of Twilight, we’d pepper songs with all the exotic string instruments and percussion and keys. We’ve realised as we were touring that our fan base – and I’m not kissing ass – but they seemed so much more open to us doing different kinds of things. “The first album, it was very acoustic and heavy and bluesy. It seemed more of the most streamlined of albums that we have, but in actuality it’s all over the map as well. Come third album, we did essentially the same thing, steeped in rock but peppered with electronica and

noises, things that are cold and metallic. I’m surprised by how commercially accepted it was, because it’s out there. It’s a rock record, but it’s weird! It’s dark and angry, and very progressive, which I never really considered us to be. So I suppose we’re quite grateful that our audience has been so accepting and appreciative of our tangents.” As tangents go, reinterpreting your catalogue with a symphony orchestra sure is an expansive effort. Melbourne and Sydney will be using their own respective orchestras, under the guidance of conductor Marc Ouellette, and the show has prompted the band to dig deep into the trenches to find tracks that don’t often see the light of day, but are particularly suited to this epic environment. Not that this is The Tea Party’s first symphony rodeo; 14 years ago they led a similar cavalcade back home. “The way it worked in Canada, we did six or seven different cities using their respective symphony orchestras, and the one main component was Marc,” says Burrows. “He scored 15 or 16 songs that aren’t necessarily the big hits, but lend themselves righteously to that particular setting. He pretty much had it centred around a 42-piece orchestra, and he would write parts for every single instrument. We went out and did it, and it was fantastic. So when the opportunity

came to potentially do it in Melbourne and Sydney, we immediately jumped. It’s going to be a lot of rehearsals, a bit of mental strain, but I know once we’re rehearsed it’s going to be fantastic.” A further challenge is not simply learning to play under these new conditions, but determining the shape of the setlist itself. The band is having to re-examine the songs in a very different light, and the arrangement of material – the shaping of the story, so to speak – is key. “It’s important, how the set should fl ow, whether or not [you consider] the different changes in tuning and so forth,” says Burrows. “But the biggest thing we’re going to fi nd difficult – which we also found touring initially, back at the start – is that we’re a jam band. We don’t play to clicks, we don’t play to tracks. Choose any of the songs that were moderately successful, we’ll play it, but it won’t be verbatim. We’ll go off on tangents, we’ll add a 30-second solo, we’ll turn a soft bridge into a heavy bridge. So the hardest thing is going to be playing these songs as they were actually recorded, which we really never do. “So that falls on me a little bit, since my back is directly to the back of our conductor, and that’s why I’m taking a lot of extra time. I’m getting to Australia early, I’m heading up to Jeff Martin’s

place and rehearsing there on his beautiful plantation.” Having happened to chat with Martin last time he was doing the touring rounds, I was curious to learn of his interests in esoterica and the occult, and how that informed his music. I wonder if Burrows, too, is a spiritual man, and whether such interests leave an impression on his creativity. “I believe I’m a spiritual man. Mostly I try to live by the motto of ‘don’t be a dick’,” he laughs. “But does the spiritual comes across in the music? I think it does – that goodwill, and the desire to share something communal. I’m having a hell of a time onstage, and I think that gives the audience a sense of well-being, too. “It’s a bit of a juxtaposition onstage with Tea Party. Jeff can be the angry man, he can be the romantic, and the soul singer, the spiritualist. I can be the romantic and the heavy-hitter, and Stuart [Chatwood] is the one always contemplating. I think between the three of us, that’s the beautiful ugly that is The Tea Party. And live, it manifests itself there more than anywhere else.” With: Sydney Youth Orchestras Where: The Star Event Centre When: Friday April 21

“The hardest thing is going to be playing these songs as they were actually recorded, which we really never do.” xxx

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Heath Cullen The Songs In His Blood By Adam Norris

s it happens, I’ve known Heath Cullen for over 20 years now. We became friends at school, bonding over Pearl Jam and Neil Young (though I don’t think he ever forgave my affection for ‘A Man Needs A Maid’), drinking cheap liquor and chasing rogue cows through the valley underbrush. I recall brewing tea while he sat at the piano trying to learn The Whitlams’ ‘Buy Now Pay Later (Charlie No. 2)’, and years later, watching again as he played alongside Tim Freedman as part of his touring band. The point is, as long as I have known Cullen, he has been treading a musical path, with a singular purpose that has led to performances around the world. In all that time, he has never doubted the unlikely shape of his days.

doubt in what they’re doing in any particular time. But doubt as to what I do in general, no. Not really. I don’t know what else to do. I would go completely nuts if I didn’t do what I do. I taught guitar lessons for ten years, and that was great as a side job, as close as you can get to making music. And that kind of work is good because it’s flexible, you get to be your own boss. But really, the whole time I was sitting there strumming Van Morrison songs, I really just wanted to be out there making my own music.”

“I think any artist always has moments of

“I tried to be regimented. I don’t know how that works. I just try to be ready to catch it when it floats downstream. And it’s not always there. But I do find that if I put myself in a place of pressure, I get better results. As a writer I do well with a deadline. The last record, Outsiders, I booked the session for that record and didn’t actually have any songs,” he laughs.

“The whole time I was sitting there strumming Van Morrison songs, I really just wanted to be out there making my own music.”

Three celebrated albums later, it’s clear Cullen’s jump to music of his own was a success. To this day, however, the actual art of songwriting remains something of a mystery.

While those artists who occupied so much of our teenage years still have their place in Cullen’s affections, as the tall, softly spoken man hiding behind his fringe drifted back and forth from Candelo to Los Angeles, his musical tastes inevitably began to expand. North America is still a strong influence – the words of Cormac McCarthy in particular – but his musical sensibilities stretch far and wide.

“American music, in its scope or influence, goes really deep. But I listen to all sorts. I love Australian music, music from the British Isles. Musically I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t been listening to people like Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy. And songwriters like Don Walker, who is one of my all-time favourites. But there’s just so much music that comes out of America. “The thing that I really like listening to most of the time is early blues and country music. I love Hank Williams as a songwriter, I love Skip James as a guitarist and singer. I think a lot of Australian musicians and songwriters try to pretend that they aren’t influenced by anything American, because of some kind of cultural pride. But it’s there, and you can’t pretend it’s not. Ironically, a lot of those same people probably have a discomfort with their Australianness as well. We’re an interesting creature, I think, us Australians. But I really don’t see the boundaries so much. I try to ignore them. “To me, it’s all folk music. It’s all jazz music, blues music, your traditional Irish music. To me that’s all folk music. Even rock’n’roll. Chuck Berry fits in there for me. It’s real music by and for real people, and that kind of music is just going to go on forever.” What: National Folk Festival 2017 With: Martha Tilston, Fanny Lumsden, Jack Harris, Aofie Scott and many more Where: Exhibition Park, Canberra When: Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17

Dorsal Fins Nine Lives By Anna Rose

“It’s a digital world and it’s hard to find meaning in it – that’s the basic premise.”

hen Dorsal Fins burst onto the scene back in 2015 with Mind Renovation, their debut album, they made an immediate impression. Their music seemed to function effortlessly, making all nine of their voices sound as one. Helmed by Liam McGorry of Melbourne’s Eagle and The Worm and Saskwatch, what started out as an exchange of demos between him and

12 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

songwriters Ella Thompson and Jarrad Brown evolved to become a well-oiled machine. Now, Dorsal Fins are comfortable drawing on the eclecticism in their individual musical backgrounds and characters, and it’s no surprise they’ve evolved considerably from the ideas McGorry started out with.

“When we started it was just to create something new,” says McGorry. “[It was] a whole heap of friends, people I looked up to musically. We kept it going, became a band – it’s pretty involved, like you say. It’s definitely not how we expected [it to turn out]. It’s turned into this snowball thing that’s really fun and has been more and more fun as we’ve gone on – more shows, more recording.”

The momentum behind Dorsal Fins carried them through to the release of their second album, Digital Zodiac, late last year. The new record is a more laid-back affair than its predecessor, and McGorry explains why. “I guess the only real difference is that we came into it being a band as opposed to not having any provisions. We tried to keep [the songwriting process] the same as the first one – Jarrad and Ella would write

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D H E N RY F E N TO N & T H E ELIZABETHANS Australian Launch of the new album

TWICE I FELL DOWN ONCE FEATURE

Friday March 31st @ Beaches, Thirroul NSW Saturday April 1st @ Marrickville Bowling Club, Sydney NSW with special guests Jason Walker (solo) and Ruby King Sunday April 2nd @ The Great Northern Trading Post, Central Coast NSW Friday April 7th @ The Retreat Hotel, Melbourne VIC Saturday April 8th @ Jive, Adelaide SA

DHENRYFENTON & THEELIZABETHANS TWICE I FELL DOWN ONCE

New album, Twice I Fell Down Once available April 7th and at all shows on Dark Eyed Junco Records through MGM dhenryfenton.com

FEATURE

“I guess the album is pretty much this: we try to write songs about being,” McGorry adds. “Obviously it’s a digital world and it’s hard to find meaning in it – that’s the basic premise. The way we work is really more in collaboration, and we have a lot of starting points with instrumentals which spring into ideas that can go anywhere. That’s the beauty of this project.” Dorsal Fins’ collaborative and free approach to creation has reaped them great rewards. Their single ‘High Low’, in particular, works in some terrific harmonies with very distinct and different textures, and the result is a strange and captivating kind of gospel. It’s as if the music is constantly pulling in different directions, yet Dorsal Fins have a not-so-secret ingredient to bring it all together. “I think it’s Ella’s singing,” says McGorry. “It’s largely down to her performance that marries the two sections in the song.” Meanwhile, a song like ‘Sedated’ places more weight on rhythm and structure, resulting in an equally catchy yet contrasting number to ‘High Low’. “It’s about having different options and voices,” explains McGorry. “Jarrad helms that one – we didn’t expect to put the phone call in the middle! There’s a lot of percussion as well with Lachlan [O’Kane] and it’s great to get a lot of new sounds out of him as well. “It’s hard. To play that sort of music in a big ensemble, you automatically have that [big] sound. It’s a pretty organic thing though, and it is beautiful to have so many people contribute, putting ideas out there.”

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“No one in the band hates each other, so that’s important too.” wed At times, Dorsal Fins must find it difficult to direct their individual energies into a common goal, but McGorry believes it almost happens subconsciously. “I wish I knew the answer,” he says. “We’re all just friends who have naturally worked in these environments over a long period of time. It’s an organic sort of thing. No one in the band hates each other, so that’s important too – everyone is willing to contribute together.” The Melburnians have set out on tour this month with music from both their full-length releases, and they arrive in Sydney this week. Being such a vast ensemble, it’ll be interesting to see how the band manages to translate the newer studio material to the live stage without losing any of the eclectic magic of the recordings.

22 Mar

What: Digital Zodiac out now through Dot Dash/Remote Control Where: Newtown Social Club When: Friday March 24

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

23 Mar

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

fri

24 Mar

(5:00PM - 8:00PM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

5:00PM  8:00PM

sat

25 Mar

“I guess in terms of the relaying from the record, most of the songs on this album were recorded pretty much live,” McGorry says. “But you’re right, sometimes there is a degree of difficulty in putting it across live. “When there’s nine people onstage, it’s just a bizarre energy, but it’s really just so much fun.”

THURSDAY FROM 6PM

thu

(10:00PM - 1:45AM)

TRIVIA in the Atrium

in the Atrium

vocals over the instrumentals and we kinda threw everything against the wall and to see what sticks in the studio. It’s a bit more considered than the first album in terms of trying to make it more cohesive rather than just throwing ten songs together.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

3:30PM  7:30PM

sun

26 Mar (7:30PM - 10:30PM)

(10:00PM - 1:45AM)

EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT

Party DJs sat

25 Mar

in the Atrium

DJ Podgee

9:30PM  1:00AM

mon

(8:30PM - 11:30PM)

27 Mar

tue

28 Mar (8:30PM - 11:30PM)

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FEATURE

Steel Panther Get Low By David James Young

ormally, it’s pretty easy to find Steel Panther – they’re almost always out on the road, taking their OTT glam metal style to their legion of adoring fans. Failing that, they’ll be found in the back corner of some VIP bar, drinking anyone and everyone under the table as the clock ticks over into the early hours. In a rare moment of downtime, however, drummer Stix Zadinia answers from an unexpected location. “I’m a little bit stoned, just workin’ on some songs on my computer,” he hazily reports. “It’s just stuff I’m doin’ on my own – I find myself writing just to stay sharp, y’know? We’ve got a new album coming out, so I’ve been in the mindset of just writing a lot of songs at the moment. The ones I’m coming up with on my own aren’t even really heavy metal songs – they’re more along the lines of Cheap Trick, The Cars, power-pop sort of stuff. They’re still rockin’, though. They’re still heavy. I don’t do R&B, and I don’t do usual pop. I don’t know if anything I’m just doing by myself will ever see the light of day, but we’ll see.” It’s interesting and a little coincidental that Zadinia brings up Cheap Trick – the veteran rockers,

after all, have just been covered by Steel Panther and included on their upcoming fifth album, Lower The Bar. For Zadinia, it seemed like a no-brainer, and ended up being a complete honour for all involved on account of a very special guest. “We were talking about doing a cover song, because we used to do a lot of them and we wanted to try and bring it back for this record,” he says. “We’re all massive Cheap Trick fans, so it hit me: I was like, ‘Dude, we should do ‘She’s Tight’, because the lyrics are so Steel Panther. It’s a sexy song, y’know – Steel Panther do sexy. As it turned out, our manager actually knew [Cheap Trick singer] Robin Zander. That set me off again – ‘Let’s ask if he’s interested!’ When he said yes, that was the tipping point for us. “Cheap Trick are a great band – they’re one of those bands that has just written countless hits, and all of them are so fucking good. ‘She’s Tight’ is a great song, and we had so much fun playing it. Plus, just on a personal note, getting to rock with Robin Zander is always fucking cool! If I’m that good when I’m at his age, I’ll be stoked.” Although it’s been three years since

“It’s a sexy song, y’know – Steel Panther do sexy.” 14 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

the last Steel Panther record – the entendre-laden All You Can Eat – it must be emphasised that the ensuing time has not been spent twiddling thumbs. Instead, the band has toured extensively all over the world, even trying its hand at unplugged versions with the DVD Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage for good measure. As a result, Lower The Bar is a worldly endeavour of sorts. “Because of the nature of our touring schedule, there’s really no in-between,” Zadinia explains. “Song ideas come about anywhere, any time, any country. These are songs that have been worked on over the last two years, all over the world. [Guitarist] Satchel generally comes in with the ideas. Maybe one of us will show him a riff or an idea for a song title, but he’ll generally tend to lead the charge. Sometimes it’s just a chorus, sometimes it’s a verse and a chorus, sometimes it’s a full song. After that, it becomes this full-band thing where we come together to talk about changes that need to be made – if any. One of us might suggest a chord change, another might tighten up a part or something like that. By the time that a song is done, it sounds like a true collaboration to me. It sounds like Steel Panther, and that’s definitely what this record is to me.” With the release of Lower The Bar imminent, it’s high time for Zadinia and his bandmates to once again hit the road for an extensive world

tour. With a particular excitement pertaining to premiering new songs live, the highly entertaing hair metal troupe have a long list of places to go and people to see – and, yes, Australia is on there. “We’re gonna be touring a lot this year – we have a lot of major European festivals lined up, like Download and Hellfest,” says Zadinia. “I think there’s some US touring coming up as well. I honestly don’t know when we’re gonna see you guys next. I’m sure it will be soon, though – you guys have been very supportive, and having Lower The Bar out is gonna light that fire again. “We always have so much fun over there – I remember one time, we were playing in Sydney and Insane Clown Posse were playing next door. That was crazy! Those Juggalos are nuts!” It’s casually mentioned to Zadinia that the Juggalos – the collective name for Insane Clown Posse’s fan base – are planning to march on Congress in an attempt to clear their name and to be officially removed from the group of recognised gangs. “Are you kidding me?” Zadinia laughs. “Man, maybe if they didn’t put on all that stupid clown make-up, they might not be seen as a gang! That’s pretty simple, right?” What: Lower The Bar out Friday March 24 through Kobalt

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speed date WITH

LIZ STRINGER dance (externally or internally) and allow themselves to be taken off into the many diverse corners of the country through the stories we’re telling. While day drinking.

Liz Stringer photo by Tajette O’Halloran

Keeping Busy I have been overseas for a couple of months, touring in Canada and the States. And I’ll be heading back there in early July for a summer run in Canada and, all going to plan, some recording over there too. Best Gig Ever The best gig I reckon I ever 3. played was a house concert on the

last album tour. It was a new band, new record and we did this house concert to a small, full room of punters. The lighting was awesome – it was claustrophobic and hot in there, but in the best possible way. It felt like we were really gelling as a band for the first time and it was the perfect setting to have had that feeling. Your Profile We’ll probably remind you, 1. simultaneously, of the ’80s (without

the hair) and early Tom Petty, with an Australian heart beating at the centre of every song. We love to

play festivals outside in the gums, among some of our best people, and all we ask is that the punters

Current Playlist The new Radiohead album, A 4. Moon Shaped Pool, and I’ve been

smashing The War On Drugs after years of people telling me to get into them. Everyone was right, I love that band! Your Ultimate Rider Our ultimate rider would 5. be an Olympic-sized pool, a

sauna and a team of professional massage therapists. And a shitload of cocaine. Our usual rider is the same thing. Usually, though, we tend to end up with a six pack of craft beer and a bottle of whisky. Half the band doesn’t drink, so that’s about it! What: The Gum Ball Festival 2017 With: Regurgitator, Tripod, Kim Churchill, The Funk Hunters and more Where: Dashville, Belford When: Friday April 21 – Sunday April 23 And: Also appearing at Django Bar on Thursday April 20 More: All The Bridges out now independently

five things WITH

TOM RUSSO FROM ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER to do with music. They always come to shows, which is cool – they have been to a lot of sweaty dive bars.

Inspirations I love a lot of different kinds of music, including a bunch that doesn’t sound like our band at all. My alltime number one would have to be Neil Young. I originally got into him through my dad. He’s so versatile and fearless and I love his ragged guitar style, no chops and all feel. Our music has been very influenced by classic Oz guitar pop like The Go-Betweens and The Triffids; I think both were so far ahead of their time. I also love hip hop – I try to keep up with current stuff and keep going back to the visionaries like Outkast and Wu-Tang. I also love heartbreak country music, from Gillian Welch, through Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, back to Hank Williams. Your Band Our band is two brothers, two 3. cousins and an ex-housemate. We Growing Up I grew up in a pretty musical 1. household. My dad played folk

music. My mum was a great singer

and they used to do duets at weddings, parties, et cetera. We had a piano and some nice guitars lying around, including the ’50s Gretsch

hollow body that I play now. My dad bought it from his barber in the ’70s for 100 bucks. My parents were stupidly encouraging with anything

were all friends before starting the band. We have produced both of our EPs so far at our practice space with Matt Chow, who has his fingers in many Melbourne music pies. He is our rock’n’roll spirit guide.

The Music You Make Tough pop or soft punk are 4. descriptors we have used for our

style. I guess our contemporaries are other bands in Melbourne who play vaguely poppy guitar music. There are too many great ones to list, but some bands we have played with include Loose Tooth, Wet Lips, Suss Cunts, Doona Waves, Crepes, Cable Ties, et cetera.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. The music scene in Melbourne at

the moment is incredible. There is energy in the air and good music coming out of the woodwork. I think this is due to a supportive scene, and a web of great venues, punters, community radio stations and record stores. We also beat the lockout laws, which forced the government to be supportive of live music. Good venues to drop in on any given night include The Old Bar, The Tote, and Gasometer. What: The French Press out now through Ivy League With: Body Type, Sunscreen Where: Newtown Social Club When: Saturday April 22

on the record WITH

SIMON SHAW

The Last Thing I Recorded The First Record I Bought My latest recording would be 4. l started playing the cello when 1. my new album Free & Easy. All the l was five and took up the guitar when l was 14. At the time l was into punk and the first album l bought was Dookie by Green Day. That record changed my life – with songs like ‘Basket Case’, ‘She’ and ‘When I Come Around’ it was all l needed to start rocking!

Simon Shaw photo by Israel Joshua

The Last Record I Bought The last album I bought was 2. New York by Lou Reed. ln my eyes

this record holds Lou’s best work. The writing and music is so real and direct, it flows straight off the New York subway and into my ears. An underrated masterpiece and l love it.

The First Thing I Recorded The song ‘Sunday Morning’ 3. is featured on my debut album; as

far as l recall this was the first time l cut a song in a pro recording studio. l was 18 and l recorded it with my band at the time, Tequila Sunrise.

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songs on the album were written in Centennial Park. l went to Melbourne for Christmas and ended up staying and recording the album. It was a one-man production so l played and sang everything on it. lt has been received very well and l am very proud of it!

The Record That Changed My Life 5. l started listening to Blood On The

Tracks by Bob Dylan when l was 20, while staying at a friend’s place in San Francisco. Many years have passed and many songs have flowed under and over the bridge, but it will always hold a dear place in my heart. What: Free & Easy out now independently

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FEATURE

Ticket Scalping

How Can We Stop The Scourge? BY JOSEPH E ARP

“We’re sick and tired of the public being what we believe to be deceived.” – MARK ROWE OF HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE, MELBOURNE

Bots And Bastards:

punk rock’s answer to The Onion – but behind the barb lurked an eerie, problematic truth. Though At The Drive-In’s acclaimed run of shows was eventually attended by humans rather than the sentient bots The Hard Times promised, many of those punters had purchased their tickets from scalpers, sometimes paying four times the price for the privilege.

“You can’t legislate the internet.”

In Australia, the band was even encouraged to add extra shows to its tour, after desperate fans struggled to fork out $339 for tickets that were initially being sold for a mere $90. “There is a serious problem with ticket scalping for these shows,” wrote Kate Nichols, a fan, on At The Drive-In’s Facebook page. “I waited online for three hours and had no bloody chance.”

The Contemporary Scalping Scene

– DEAN, A SCALPER, TO THE ABC

t was February 2016, and seminal post-punk band At The Drive-In had just announced a hugely anticipated reunion tour. Given that the announcement broke years of coordinated musical and media silence from the band, it was perhaps to be expected that the excitement online was at fever pitch, further stirred up by months of hints and a mysterious countdown that had appeared on the band’s website. The hype was real.

But the long-awaited tour came with its own distinct set of problems, and before long, fans hit a wall. Or, perhaps more accurately, a paywall. “As ticket sales began last week, it quickly became evident that every show would be attended almost exclusively by ticket-scalping robots,” wrote the punk news site The Hard Times. “‘I couldn’t be more excited to see At The Drive-In,’ said BXSYSS, a ticket-purchasing computer program going to the show. ‘I was initially going to throw these on [ticket resale site] StubHub with my 200 Brand New/Modest Mouse tickets to make a couple thousand extra dollars, but I think I may actually use all 900 of these!’” It was a joke, of course – The Hard Times is a satirical site,

Some were less eloquent in their rage. “Why bother even advertising [the show]?” wrote Emily Minikem. “It was futile and heartbreaking.” But before long, the impotent anger of the fans began to find a more suitable target: Ticketmaster, an American institution responsible for organising the ticketing behind most major shows in this country. “Ticketmaster Australia is an absolute disgrace,” wrote Heather Currie on Facebook. “A business that has forgotten about the music and the fans … The band[s] don’t benefit: the money is going into the pockets of scalpers who turn a huge profit exploiting the passion of the real fans who can’t bear to miss out.” After all, there was a reason Ticketmaster copped so much flack, and its transformation into a broad, garishly painted bullseye was as much a result of its perceived indifference towards scalping as it was a result of irate fans looking to vent. Many of the company’s past statements on the matter have

At The Drive-In live in Sydney 2016

“The mechanisms ava

“Ticketmaster has never really addressed scalping in any concrete way.”

At The Drive-In photo by Ashley Mar

16 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

Midnight Oil photo by Oliver Eclipse

Midnight Oil

thebrag.com

FEATURE

ilable to us as promoters of shows to limit scalping are pretty limited.” seemed to imply that it regards scalping as a natural state of affairs, an expected byproduct of the market’s needs not much more complicated than demand simply filling itself, as demand is wont to do. Certainly it’s true that Ticketmaster has never really addressed scalping in any concrete way, commenting on the matter only when forced to respond to an outcry or some kind of organised outrage. And even then, its rebuttals have always had the note of feigned curiosity, coming across thick with a kind of barely formulated boredom. “For high-demand events, it is inevitable that a resale market will exist,” a representative for Ticketmaster told the ABC last year. “Ticket holders … control the inventory and the price of the tickets, which can be listed above or below the original face value.” That attempt to shift the blame seems a little less believable when one realises that Ticketmaster has its own resale site, a tool that scalpers frequently use to shift huge numbers of tickets at extraordinary prices. It is hard for the company to claim some kind of institutional bipartisanship when it is evidently supportive enough of resale to indulge in it itself, and Ticketmaster Resale has been seen by many as the company’s way of legitimising the practice, intentionally or not. Such a move was even subtly criticised by Secret Sounds, the promoter behind the At The Drive-In tour of Australia. “We strongly suggest patrons do not purchase tickets via thebrag.com

any unauthorised sellers,” Secret Sounds told triple j, tarring Ticketmaster Resale with the same brush as sites like Viagogo and Gumtree – outlets that have long been used by scalpers as a way of making a tidy sum of cash with no real expenditure of effort. “Doing so only feeds the demand for ticket price inflation, which is something we do not support.”

nd yet even though Ticketmaster has done very little to alleviate the problem of scalping, it is not the villain of this piece. Indeed, there isn’t a grand antagonist here; no one brand or band that it would be possible to tar with this particular brush.

Many involved in the ticket selling industry – from promoters to consumers – feel a generalised kind of helplessness. Just as no one company can be saddled with the entirety of the blame, so too is it true that the actions of individuals to fight scalping – no matter how well-meaning – often have little practical impact. Everyone’s hands are tied, and there is a keen sense throughout the music industry of being forced up against a wall. “There is a responsibility on us to try to [stop scalping] as the artist’s representative,” explains Dion Brant, chief operating officer at Frontier Touring, in an interview with the BRAG. And he would know. Brant was the engineer behind the comprehensive restrictions and structures

recently put in place to stop the scalping of Midnight Oil tickets, and his work in ensuring that the band’s fans could still afford seats at those shows was important – if, as he readily admits, not wholly successful. “We find that whatever we do, it’s such a complex space, and the laws are not really supporting us at the moment. For Midnight Oil, we put a range of measures in place, and we’d like to think perhaps that that has impacted scalping – but has it stopped it? Not even close. There’s only limited things we can try and we can do. I think the mechanisms available to us as promoters of shows to limit scalping are pretty limited, and in every case are inconvenient for the fans.” That deep sense of outrage is even felt by the one party that finds itself most commonly overlooked: the artists themselves. Driven by a desire to make their shows as affordable as possible – to look out for all their fans, not only those with a bit of extra dosh lying around – it is often the musicians who dictate pricing, and in many ways, people like Brant argue that the market should be beholden to the performer. But it’s one thing to believe the gig economy should be driven by artists – it’s another thing entirely to make that happen. “Our philosophy from the start is that the only person who should be able to decide how much you pay to come to a show is the artist,” Brant says. “They know where

– DION BRANT OF FRONTIER TOURING

this show fits into the grander scheme of their career. They have a relationship with their fans. If an artist decides to price their tickets below what the market could maybe bear – Midnight Oil being a case in point, Ed Sheeran when he comes to an Australia being a case in point – because an artist wants that show to be accessible to their fans, the idea that a third party can rub their hands together about the possibility of making money off that is just abhorrent to us.” Of course, there’s also the inherently complicated nature of the system itself. Ticket sales are a business, and like any business that makes real money, a range of interim agents and organisations are involved. It’s not always the case that every single player in the organisation is entirely aware of what the other is doing, and each individual cog in the greater machine often feels as though they are grinding away in the dark, aware only of their colleagues’ decisions when they have already become real world results. “When it comes to the ticket transaction, we’re much further removed from that than we’d like to be,” says Brant. “The artist is much further removed from that than we’d like them to be too. But the primary ticketing market works through ticketing contracts held by the major ticketing companies and the venues, so we then deal with the venues. So we’re two steps removed from the customer. That makes it very difficult for us to analyse or understand how these scalpers are getting these tickets.” BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 17

FEATURE

Nick Xenophon

Evidently, scalping is systemic, and fighting it requires total cooperation between the talent, the ticket sellers, the venues, and, perhaps most importantly, the audiences. No stopgap solution will ever fix it. What is needed is nothing less than a total overhaul of the existing system; a rethink to a problem so ingrained as to be almost subconscious.

Does Legislation Work?

The Impact Of Illegality On Sales

OF LIVE PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIA

s it has with everything else in our world, the internet has revolutionised ticket scalping. In the ’80s and ’90s, the practice of scalping required hard work and patience, and those attempting to resell sought-after tickets at inflated prices had to actively seek out potential buyers, hanging around the front of venues in the hope they might bump into someone willing to fork out the cash. These days, no such effort is necessary. Much of the actual initial ticket buying is conducted by bots, simple programs that are less the futuristic AI cyborgs lampooned by The Hard Times and more basic bits of coding software. The only real hurdle such systems have to overcome is the captchas utilised by sites like Ticketmaster – but, as The Guardian explained last year, such obstacles are minor. “Captcha is a way of testing whether someone trying to buy a ticket is a human or a bot, for example by showing the user a gallery of pictures and asking them to place a tick next to all of those that depict, say, trees,” read the article. “But an employee of [scalping bot site] ticketbots. net said its bots were able to defeat this security protocol by enlisting real people to tick the right boxes. ‘Our software already bypasses these picture captchas using 3rd party captcha bypassing companies, who type the captchas for you,’ ticketbots.net wrote in an email.”

Ultimately, the only reason someone would refuse the aid of such software to assist in ticket buying comes down to a sense of personal moral duty. Though it’s admirable to spurn bots and the unfair advantage they provide, who cares about being admirable when it means you miss out on seeing the band you’ve been committed to seeing live for your whole life? Who cares about some specific sense of moral honour when it does nothing except deny opportunities? That, ultimately, is the defence most frequently given by scalpers. They are simply providing a service that people would be dumb not to use, they say; a service designed to give ordinary people an edge over an ungainly system. And anyway, if scalpers didn’t sell on tickets, someone else would. “7-Eleven aren’t known as milk scalpers; people who sell shares at profit, they’re not known as scalpers,” a scalper known only as Dean told triple j’s Hack program last year. And that was the tone he struck throughout: as though he were a quietly accomplished, self-made hero, a man of the people driven by nothing less than a desire to get fellow music lovers the best possible seats. When pushed on the immorality of his line of work, Dean just pointed fingers at the system. “If tickets were really easy to come by then my industry wouldn’t exist,” he said. And therein lies the real issue with scalping. In so many ways, the entire ticket resale system is like one giant Mexican standoff, a game in which the first to back down is the first to miss out. As a scalper, you only lose money when you stop playing. And no amount of stern words doled out by companies under pressure from fans is going to change that.

eedless to say, ticket scalping is not simply an Australian problem: the issue is so widespread in America that according to The New York Times an estimated 60 per cent of tickets are bought up by scalpers, with the resale business raking in US$8 billion a year. It’s not just a case of scammers huddling around in their basement either, or setting up dodgy sites – scalping is an institution, one with significant economic heft. As a result, key public figures like LinManuel Miranda, the creator of the acclaimed Hamilton stage show, have publicly decried the practice. “Many wouldbe customers complain that tickets to their

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard

“Who cares about being admirable when it means you miss out on seeing the band you’ve been committed to seeing live for your whole life?” favorite shows, concerts and sporting events are sold out within minutes – if not seconds – after they are posted for sale,” Miranda wrote for The New York Times in 2016. “The issue is the widespread use of special automated software called ‘ticket bots’ by third-party brokers … You and I do not have a chance. Tickets are taken out of circulation, punishing people who can’t afford to pay more than face value.” Following this much publicised outcry, the reaction from American lawmakers has been understandably – and perhaps even impressively – harsh. In early December 2016, the US Congress passed a bill known as the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, making bypassing the security measures put in place by ticketing sites illegal, and therefore rendering much of what bots do against the law. Sensibly, bots themselves are not strictly banned in the States – that would be a murky grey area indeed, and one that could easily have a knock-on effect down the line as automated systems become increasingly widespread. But nonetheless, the ability for scalpers to bulk buy tickets in the States has been greatly hampered.

in particular pushing hard for legislation to combat ticket bots. “I want to replicate the US laws to protect people from ticket scalpers,” Xenophon told News Corp late last year. And there are many who support Xenophon’s position. Brant, for example, believes that such a ground-level obstruction designed to hamper the work of scalpers would be hugely effective. “If we can stop the scalpers buying tickets, there’s a whole lot more tickets in the primary market, and then that problem of, ‘The only way I can get a ticket is buying off a scalper,’ becomes lessened.” And yet, it is too early in the day to properly assess whether the move made by American lawmakers has had any real impact. Again, illegality doesn’t mean that a practice will be stomped out, or that genuine change will be achieved, and there are some who feel as though banning bots

This, argued many leading Democrats, was a real win. “With this soon-to-be-new law that will eliminate ‘bots’ and slap hackers with a hefty fine, we can now ensure those who want to attend shows in the future will not have to pay outrageous, unfair prices,” said Democratic congressman Chuck Schumer in a statement to The New York Times. Schumer wasn’t alone either, and the sense of jubilation was widespread. “There is only one way to stop the scalping industry, and that’s to make it illegal,” a club owner named Seth Hurwitz also told the Times. “Anything else is just Whac-A-Mole, and grandstanding by politicians.” That approval from both lawmakers and those on the ground level of ticket sales might explain why so many Australian politicians have attempted to follow suit, with independent Senator Nick Xenophon

“There are some who feel as though banning bots will merely force hackers to search for other means of purchase.” 18 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

thebrag.com

Nick Xenophon photo courtesy Zhent/Flickr

“The important thing is consumer awareness. People need to know where they’re buying their ticket from, and if they’re buying from the secondary market that they’re aware of the risks associated.” – EVELYN RICHARDSON

The practice is so simple that ‘how-to’ ticket scalping guides are regularly posted on YouTube, with some of the more popular tutorials racking up thousands of views. Utilising bots to bulk buy tickets doesn’t require a huge amount of money, or any particular technological know-how, or really any kind of specific intelligence. The apparatus is just there, begging to be utilised, and its basic functions remain remarkably user-friendly.

“The practicalities of putting names on every ticket and then FEATURE checking that at the gate, it’s not nigh on impossible – it’s genuinely impossible to do.” Kingdom. But again, this kind of one-size– DION BRANT

Gimmicks, Guesses And Gadgets: The Way Forward

“The music industry brings in millions, even billions, in overseas and local earnings. The live music industry employs thousands of people. We need to be more respected.” – MICHAEL CHUGG OF

CHUGG ENTERTAINMENT

Dodie Clark

s with any widespread issue thrust into the public eye, an army of armchair speculators have begun to mull over their own solutions to the problem of scalping. One need take only the briefest of dips into just about any Facebook comment section linked to an article about ticket sales to encounter a whole range of apparent solutions, ranging from the ludicrous to the carefully considered.

Spendour In The Grass photo by Katrina Clarke

One of the most commonly suggested antiscalping defences is that artists should simply play more shows. After all, if demand is properly exhausted simply through a staggering number of gigs, surely that will be enough to quash the fluctuations in resale price? It’s certainly an interesting ethos, one that some bands have taken to heart. Melbourne’s King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, for example, recently announced they would play as many shows as they need to in order to dry up demand. The result is a planned eight consecutive hometown shows, a marathon run of gigs that will see the group play its new album in full to its adoring, committed fan base.

will merely force hackers to search for other means of purchase – or to push on regardless, uncaring in regards to the law. There is enough money motivating them, that’s for sure. Brant himself agrees that any legislation would ultimately need to be measured in practical effects; in their outcomes, rather than what is said or promised.

“I think [legal action] would raise the profile of the issue – it would increase the risks for those sophisticated organisations that are scooping up tickets. Would it be enforceable? I think that would be the great test of any legislation. If the bot’s based in Sweden in a bunker somewhere, how do you detect it? Then, how do you force shutting it down? It’s a very, very difficult thing to enforce.”

But there is a difference in scale between a band like King Gizzard and say, Justin Bieber, or even a group situated somewhere between the two – Australian legends Midnight Oil, for example. One can imagine that if Peter Garrett and his crew promised to completely deplete the market, they would be playing a lot more than eight shows in each city, and before long, any kind of full-scale touring assault would become practically untenable. Most musicians already tour for the overwhelming majority of the year – anything in addition to what they already do would become nearly impossible. The other solution frequently suggested would require tickets to be branded with the holder’s name and date of birth, again ruling out unauthorised reselling. Certainly, that’s a move that has already been adopted by a number of mainstream festivals – particularly Australia’s own Splendour In The Grass and Glastonbury in the United

Spendour In The Grass thebrag.com

“It’s not that fans miss out on tickets due to laziness or being slow off the mark – it’s that they simply cannot buy up seats as quickly as robots can.”

fits-all approach to a nuanced and difficult issue is far from comprehensive, and those in the know argue that it’s simply not a feasible way of cracking down on scalping. “We can take it to an extreme, but the extremes are unpractical anyway,” says Brant. “The example bandied around a lot in Australia is Splendour In The Grass, where what you do is you put the name and date of birth on the ticket. “And that’s incredibly effective and I’d love to be able to do that for, say, Justin Bieber, but Splendour In The Grass is 30,000 people who are going to show up over 36 hours. For Justin Bieber, 55,000 people are going to turn up over 35 minutes. So the practicalities of putting names on every ticket and then checking that at the gate, it’s not nigh on impossible – it’s genuinely impossible to do.” Brant, for his part, has another solution altogether – one that is fast emerging as a sensible way forward. Rather than trying to force scalping into the realm of illegality, Brant instead believes it can be capped and reshaped, particularly with the help of a new range of resale companies that aim to ensure prices never become too extreme or unwieldy. “We’re partnering with a new company called Twickets that are coming to Australia,” Brant says. “The reason we’re partnering with them is they are very wellregarded in the UK, and as part of their solution to deal with scalping, they limit the price at which people are able to lift tickets at their site. With that in mind, we’re happy to authorise and promote them.” And then there are other answers too – as many answers as there are people to formulate them. Dodie Clark, a YouTuber and musician based in the UK, has come up with the idea of creating meet-andgreet competitions that can only be won by those who buy tickets directly from her site, adding an extra imperative for fans to beat the early wave of bot-buying. But of course, in many cases, it’s not that fans miss out on tickets due to laziness or being slow off the mark – it’s that they simply cannot buy up seats as quickly as robots can. Scalping is an inherently superior, faster system. And again, these are all temporary solutions. As enticing and as compelling as gimmicks and gadgets might seem, they will never take hold in any comprehensive way when scalping is so easy, and so widespread. Not to mention the fact many of the very best tickets aren’t even available to the punters who hang on the telephone for hours, or wake up early to sit on their laptops hitting the ‘refresh’ button. A range of front row seats often go to the venue’s brand partners, or those who have won competitions, or people who have signed up for premium services. The system is already angled in opposition to real fans looking to get the most for their buck; it’s already unfair and ill-advised without the additional issue of scalping. There is no loyalty, then; no honesty and no commitment offered in any real way by large-scale companies that act with generalised indifference to their consumers. And honesty is exactly the key. This is what the problem of scalping requires: not pleasantly worded sentiments distributed to the press, nor attentiongrabbing gimmicks that in no way deal with the real issues that drive the practice. What the industry needs is transparency and truth. Real solutions will come from real action; from mechanisms spearheaded by companies and individuals truly committed to altering an unfair and unproductive system in which the scalper always wins. ■ BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 19

arts in focus FEATURE

Hans Zimmer [FILM/MUSIC] Unleashed By David Molloy

“F

or those who are interested and cruel enough to take a good look, when I walk onstage, you’re basically watching a guy at the edge of a nervous breakdown.” These are practically the last words anyone expects to hear from one of the most acclaimed and prolific composers in the history of cinema – the great Hans Zimmer, who boasts an astonishing 179 composer credits on iMDB, including the Academy Awardwinning score for The Lion King. But in Zimmer’s eyes, these feelings are quite natural, given that he never expected to grace a stage in front of a live audience to perform his work. In fact, he’s insistent that he had nothing to do with the idea. “I’m innocent in this tour,” he says, currently on the road for the US leg of the Hans Zimmer

“On the first night, I look out and where am I? I’m in another dark, windowless room – it’s just with a lot of people in it!” 20 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

Revealed circuit, which sees the German composer lead a 76-strong orchestra and band through some of his most popular compositions. “I was just gonna carry on being a film composer and it was Johnny Marr and Pharrell [Williams] that sort of ganged up on me and said, ‘Hans, you’ve gotta get out of this dark, windowless room – there comes a point in your life where you have to look your audience in the eye.’ And I’m going, ‘But I’ve got stage fright!’ and they said, ‘Well, you can’t let that stop you, you can’t let fear stop your life.’ “And by the way, they completely lied to me, because on the first night, I look out and where am I? I’m in another dark, windowless room – it’s just with a lot of people in it! So I’m destined and doomed to an existence of dark, windowless rooms.” The show’s title promises, at least, to get us inside that room and watch the composer in his element. But the title, too, was out of Zimmer’s hands: it was pitched to him by promoter and long-time friend Harvey Goldsmith, whom Zimmer has no problem allowing free rein. “Forget about me for a moment,” Zimmer says. “I’m revealing all those amazing musicians that have played on these scores, that people have heard but never seen. What is amazing about them is they rock out! They are a pretty exciting bunch of players.

“I have this friend, Marc Brickman, who is a lighting designer for Dave Gilmour in Pink Floyd and I just said to him, ‘How about we reinterpret these movies visually, just with light, and really show the audiences the musicians?’ Because there’s something that happens – everybody around the world can go and see The Lion King either as a film or as a musical, and that first chant that happens, for instance, every kid knows this, everybody else knows this. But it’s always an actor doing it, as opposed to the guy that really did it. So there is something that happens when you have the real authentic man playing it or singing it.” Certainly, it helps to have the friends that Zimmer has collected along the way – conversations with Adele and Paul McCartney have helped to ease the stage fright somewhat, he says – but the composer’s general approach to performance mirrors his behaviour in the studio. His way in is always through storytelling. “A director phones up and he goes, ‘Hans, I wanna tell you a story,’ and suddenly, Inception unfolds in front of you, or Interstellar, or Thelma & Louise, or Gladiator,” he says. “And as I’m listening, I start feeling things – no, I don’t hear the notes, but music is some weird, autonomous language to me, and I sort of find, what’s the subtext, what’s the thing that they can’t elegantly tell in pictures and in words, what’s

the bit left for me, what’s the underlying thing? “And the underlying thing is to invite the audience in to have emotion, to have an experience, and I’m very careful not to be manipulative and not to be sentimental in the music, but just to, in a funny way, do something which creates an opening, a doorway, which you can walk through and give you permission to feel something.” Over the 33 years he has composed for film, the nature of Zimmer’s invitation to his audience has changed dramatically, crossing the full spectrum of his eclectic musical tastes. With “one foot in classical, one foot in rock’n’roll and one foot in electronica”, Zimmer has utilised every tool available, much like his heroes Ennio Morricone and John Williams. His works have employed everything from orchestral instruments to electronics and the human voice; even to razor blades scraped across cello strings in the soundtrack for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. “It got a little bloody,” says Zimmer of said razor. “It was rusty, as well! There was a good chance of tetanus and people dying. But here’s the thing: somebody at a studio has just okayed for us to spend $100 mil or something, and you do feel the weight of that on your shoulders, but you’re supposed to be a bit reckless. You’re supposed to experiment, you’re supposed to go and come

up with something new, and if it means a razor blade on a cello string… “And yeah, we are actually gonna play that piece when we get over there [to Australia], but I’m not gonna make Tina get out the old razor blade,” he laughs. Aussie audiences can expect to hear a sizable sample of Zimmer’s compositions from the Batman trilogy, as The Dark Knight’s soundtrack in particular lays bare the composer’s true aspirations: despite the stage fright, some part of him just wants to be a rock star. “OK, I’m gonna be pretentious – [The Dark Knight is] a punk symphony!” he says. “It’s basically completely and utterly influenced by my punk history. I did a question/answer thing with Moby and Jean-Michel Jarre and Gary Numan the other day and it turned out we all started out playing punk guitar, and the interviewer was saying, ‘Oh, you just say punk guitar for the credibility factor.’ “And I said, ‘No, it wasn’t the credibility factor, it was the inability factor!’ It was the inability to be a great guitarist – we just liked making a loud noise. Just because I’m a below average guitarist doesn’t mean I don’t want to go and unleash that stuff occasionally.” What: Hans Zimmer Revealed Where: Qudos Bank Arena When: Tuesday May 2

thebrag.com

Hans Zimmer photo by Ed Robinson

“I’m revealing all those amazing musicians that have played on these scores, that people have heard but never seen.”

arts in focus

game on Gaming news and reviews with Adam Guetti

APR

New Releases

Review: Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)

After an intense couple of months, the video game world takes a well-earned break and slows down on the premium releases in April. Though while you won’t find a heap of blockbusters inbound, there is still plenty to enjoy.

2017

First up on Tuesday April 4 is Persona 5 (PS4). It’s a relatively niche title, but fans can expect to run around in modern-day Tokyo with a high school student who also doubles as a phantom thief. On the same day, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 blasts itself onto PS4, XBO and PC, placing you right in the middle of an Eastern European conflict. Should you be after something more light-hearted, hold out for Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (PS4, XBO) on Friday April 7. This downloadable title breathes new life into the action-heavy 2011 cult classic with a welcomed visual upgrade. Much attention, however, will be placed on Yooka Laylee (PS4, XBO, PC), crafted by many of the key developers behind the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie. Can the old-school game design live up to the hype? See for yourself from Tuesday April 11. Jumping ahead to Friday April 21, rev heads also get a little bit of attention for the month when ATV Renegades races onto shelves following a slight delay. And wrapping things up on Friday April 28, Nintendo Switch users finally have a new game to get stuck into… kind of. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes the core racer originally released for Wii U, but adds every previously released racer and track, as well as an upgraded battle mode.

Switch Fever

NEWS

Sales numbers for the Nintendo Switch have arrived, and early signs point to an overwhelming success for the company. In America, the system enjoyed the best first 48 hours of sales in the Americas in the company’s history, while in Europe, it managed to sell more in its launch weekend than any other Nintendo hardware.

Further to that, The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild has also become the biggest-selling Nintendo launch title ever in Europe, even outselling the insanely popular Wii Sports in first weekend sales. Details on local numbers have yet to be released, but it’s a promising start for fans of the big N.

PAX Returns

Tickets for this year’s PAX Australia, the fifth anniversary of the event, are now available to purchase. The annual event will once again be held at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre, taking place from Friday October 27 – Sunday October 29. “Melbourne has made every PAX Australia feel like our true home away from home; seeing the passion resonate from attendees as they check out upcoming games and connect over personal favourites throughout the convention centre is exhilarating,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder of PAX and Penny Arcade. Earlybird tickets will save you $5 on the full ticket price. Friday only, Saturday only and Sunday only tickets are $65, while three-day passes cost $165. To discover more ticket options, visit aus.paxsite.com.

rom the moment you start Horizon Zero Dawn you’ll be awestruck at how positively pretty it is. Environments are bright, lush and dripping with detail. It’s certainly the first thing that captures your attention, but definitely not the last, as Guerrilla Games’ departure from the Killzone series has allowed it to craft a fascinating world and surely an early game of the year contender. Much of protagonist Aloy’s journey is filled with answering questions: uncovering the mystery of her birth (which leaves her as an outcast amongst her tribe), learning more about your robotic foes, and finding out what happened to the world that introduced them in the first place. Thankfully the gameplay that permeates the journey is consistently deep, both as you take on robotic dinosaurs and get lost in the RPG elements on offer. It’s a treat to dive into, but not everything lands perfectly. The distance between objectives and constant travelling, for example, can grate, especially in a world of this magnitude. Meanwhile, the story doesn’t entirely live up to the promise its world offers up. But it’s exactly that world that holds so much potential. And it’s potential we can’t wait to experience in Horizon’s inevitable sequels.

Review: Halo Wars 2 (XBO)

he first Halo Wars was a surprise hit that cultivated a dedicated following, which has campaigned for a sequel since its release. More than that, though, it proved that console real-time strategy weren’t just possible, but fun as well. Thankfully, while Halo Wars 2 is the handiwork of a brand new studio, the foundations laid by the now closed Ensemble Studios remain. As a result, the rock-paper-scissors design lives on, meaning that air units can decimate vehicles, while ground troops are able to shoot those units right out of the air. It makes for interesting games of cat and mouse as you attempt to outplay and outwit your opponent, especially when against a like-minded friend. Long-time Halo fans, on the other hand, are likely to get the most out of the game’s beautiful cinematics, which follow the Spirit of Fire’s crew, who – after waking up from a cryogenic sleep – discover the war against the Covenant has ended before encountering a new deadly faction. Add in Creative Assembly’s new Blitz mode and Halo Wars 2 is a worthy package that only strengthens Microsoft’s biggest franchise.

■ Film

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OTTO BLOOM In cinemas now

tto Bloom is an enigma. Found by a policeman with no ID, no memory and no history of his existence, Otto is studied by neuroscientist Ada without much success, until Otto tells her that he comes from the future. But The Death And Life Of Otto Bloom isn’t a time travel story. Otto hasn’t merely travelled back in time and arrived in our present; he’s continually travelling backwards through time. His consciousness moves in the opposite direction to the rest of us. Presented as faux-documentary, the film allows us to hear from Ada (played in her present version by the excellent Rachel Ward) as well as a philosopher (Jacek Koman), a physicist (John Gaden) and the aforementioned detective (Terry Camilleri), each with their own ideas and theories on Otto’s experience and condition, and follow Ada’s experiences living with and falling in love with him. But it all gets a little too Forrest Gump in parts – Otto becomes a thebrag.com

arts review

famous artist, then a more famous inspirational speaker, and dates the world’s biggest pop star. The documentary format has the characters telegraph the story and subtextual themes rather than allowing us to experience their nuances, and the stellar cast is criminally underutilised in this format. Otto is presented as an enigmatic, insightful, mysterious character, but we only know this because we’re told as much. Unfortunately, on screen – even with an effortful performance by Xavier Samuel – he fails to reach these heights. At its heart, however, this film is a love story, with Ada at the centre. Director Cris Jones presents some new ideas on consciousness and experience in a quirky and often insightful way, but while The Death And Life Of Otto Bloom is an enjoyable watch, it never fully grabs you.

Julian Ramundi BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17 :: 21

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I, DANIEL BLAKE

Comedy, Life and Bullshit with Cameron James

was in Brisbane recently for the Brisbane Comedy Festival, and one thing I noticed is Queenslanders love to shit on Sydney. They tell us we have no nightlife, it’s too expensive, and we’re all up ourselves. But those people are all forgetting one thing: the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Ever heard of that, Brisbane? Ring any bells, Gold Coast?

Ken Loach’s film I, Daniel Blake, which won the coveted award for Outstanding British Film at this year’s BAFTAs, is set for release on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download in Australia. The film follows the titular character as he struggles to make ends meet in the British welfare state, encountering the single mother Katie and her two children along the way. It’s a gritty examination of class issues in the 21st century, but more than that, it’s a touching story about the everyday battle for survival. I, Daniel Blake is out now, and we’ve got ten DVD copies to give away. Enter the draw at thebrag.com/freeshit.

five minutes WITH

Next time someone says Sydney sucks, just take a long slurp of beer from your plastic schooner and say, “Three words: Nikki Webster, bitch.” Then watch as a fl ood of memories wash over this snarky, probable cane toad. Their eyes will well with tears as the 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony replays in their head. Nikki on the high wires. Tina Arena belting out the memorable hit ‘The Flame’ (c’mon, we all remember that song…). The passion. The glory. The monorail!

“WHEN THE DOUGHNUT TIME ON GLEBE POINT ROAD IS CLOSING DOWN DUE TO THE LOCKOUT LAWS, YOU KNOW YOUR CITY IS FUCKED.”

When confronted with the majesty of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, anyone from another city will be forced to concede that yes, Sydney is the best. And in the 17 years since, things have only gotten better. Nikki Webster’s career has skyrocketed with memorable hits such as ‘Strawberry Kisses’ and being in FHM once. The CBD is a bustling hub every Friday and Saturday night with long queues of people lining up for… Ubers to the Inner West. OK, fine. I’ll admit it. We peaked too soon. The 2000 Sydney Olympics were nearly 20 years

what’s funny this week?

Wednesday March 22

Treehouse Comedy at The Forresters. I’m MCing this cool night in Surry Hills. It’s a great lineup of Sydney comedians, with a playful vibe and awesome food.

ago, and we let it get to our heads. Look at us! When the Doughnut Time on Glebe Point Road is closing down due to the lockout laws, you know your city is fucked.

Benny Davis

And I think I have a solution: we need to abandon the city and start over. The 30-somethings had the right idea five or six years ago. We’ll follow them out to Parramatta and start a new Sydney. There’s no time to waste. We need to act quick! Before natural gentrification beats us! Pack only what you can carry: sleeping bags, Macbooks, Nespresso machines and if someone can torrent the latest Walking Dead episode that’d be great.

And yes, I can hear your concerns already: Cameron, what about Newtown? Don’t worry, I have a solution. We get some of those big, wide trucks that you sometimes see carrying demountable buildings around, and we load up Young Henrys, Mary’s and Cream on King and take these buildings with us. We set up a brand new Inner West inside an industrial warehouse that’s part dog park, part cafe, part gallery space. Because Newtown isn’t just a location, man. It’s a state of mind. “But Cameron, what’s going to happen to the old Sydney?” Relax, I’ve thought of that too. We leave it for the ibises to inhabit. They’ve been slowly taking it over anyway – let’s just give it to them as a peace offering and hope they won’t follow us west. It’s time for a new Sydney. A better Sydney. A Sydney with fewer Pie Face locations, no lockout laws, and where it’s always the 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Sunday March 26

Comedy Fix at the Lord Wolseley. This is a relatively new room in Ultimo in an intimate space, and so far it’s been really fun. The lineup is really good, and yeah, I’m MCing this one too.

Cameron James is a stand-up comedian. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcameronjames, or in the streets. 22 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

ALASTAIR TAYLOR FROM THE OFFICIAL TOP TEN NIGHT

Monday March 27

Dirty Thunder at Coogee Bay Hotel. This is a very me-heavy plug section. I’m MCing this one too. I’m sorry.

hat’s the idea behind Laugh Hard and The Official Top Ten Night? The Official Top Ten Night exists to put on events that bring communities together, born from a love of top ten lists. It started with me and a mate sharing our Top Ten Songs lists and telling the stories behind the songs. We realised in that short time that we’d learned so much about each other. All our events support Suicide Prevention Australia due to my own lived experience of suicide, and Laugh Hard aims to enable people to enjoy an evening of a laughter while raising vital awareness. How does the top ten theme fit in with the upcoming Manning Bar event? Each event has a top ten element to it and, on the night, the performers will be ‘playing’ the Top Ten Theatresports Games, according to popularity. Think Whose Line Is It Anyway? and you’re not far away. We run an annual nationwide songwriters’ festival, an international filmmakers’ festival and other movies, games and sports events, and felt the time was right to introduce a comedy event. Who’ll be performing on the night? We’re very fortunate to have some incredible people involved including Danielle Cormack and Socratis Otto (TOTTN Ambassador) from TV’s Wentworth, TV’s Darren Gilshenan, blogger extraordinaire Lisa Clark, Cranston Cup winner Rob Boddington, Benny Davis from Axis Of Awesome and music from DJ Jesabel! How will the event support this important cause? Not only will funds be raised, through ticket sales, for Suicide Prevention Australia but awareness will be high on the agenda as we aim to show that laughter is the best medicine. Mental health issues are prevalent in the comedy sector, in particular with travelling comedians, and the event will go some way to raising awareness for this too. If you could only choose one thing to make a top ten list about next, what would it be? Well I think it would have to be Top Ten Comedians, given how close we are to Laugh What: Laugh Hard Hard. I’ve been watching a lot of comedy Where: Manning Bar recently and discovering old favourites and up-and-coming stars of the future, some of When: Friday March 31 which will be on the stage on March 31! thebrag.com

out & about

“Who cares about being PC? Who cares about being careful? I might as well just have fun, right?”

Queer(ish) matters with Arca Bayburt

The Coopers Marriage Equality Snafu, And Why The Boycott Missed The Point

wo Liberal MPs, Andrew Hastie and Tim Wilson, featured in the now-infamous video last week, having a beer and a chat about marriage equality, with both of them agreeing to disagree. The purpose of the video was to point out that the debate could happen civilly. It was a piece that meant well, but ultimately fell on its face due to its pointlessness and banality. Bless their hearts for trying to have a conversation rather than enter a shit-slinging fest, which is so often how we communicate with each other politically nowadays. Predictably, there was backlash, but not for the reason I expected. I figured the negative reaction would have more to do with the asinine nature of the “Hey, guess what kids? People can disagree without killing or insulting each other, who knew?!” video, and less to do with the insane interpretation of it as a homophobic endorsement of the lynching and oppression of all homosexuals. Coopers has attempted to distance itself from the furore, but pubs have already stymied the flow of their beers with boycotts galore. On the surface, the boycotts seem a noble move. Coopers has long benefited from Bible Society donations, and this video lends validity to the anti-marriage equality argument simply by allowing it to air. But this raises further questions. If the point of the video is to

this week… On Wednesday March 22, get on down to Slyfox in Enmore to celebrate the pop atrocities of the ’00s with Birdcage: So Fresh. What better way to pay respects to Janet’s wardrobe malfunction than to dance the night away with your fellow queers? DJs include Nic Kelly, Astrix Little, Maple Behaviour and Tammy. Entry is free.

THE BIBLE SOCIETY’S MARRIAGE EQUALITY CAMPAIGN HAS RECEIVED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION. JUST NOT THE KIND IT WAS PREPARED FOR. encourage debate while demonstrating that one can indeed debate this issue with respect to both sides – why the disproportionate anger? They were just talking. Coopers, cowed by the immediate and rabid outrage, issued an apology. Not only that, it also said it would cancel its limited-edition Bible Society beer and join the Australian Marriage Equality lobby group. However, the Liberal MPs in the video have come to its defence. Hastie said of the outrage surrounding the video, “It demonstrated that the left demand your surrender if you disagree with them, they shut down dissent and at their heart they are totally illiberal.” And you know what? I’m inclined to agree.

On Friday March 24, the Sydney Hellfire Club celebrates its 24th birthday at The Shift Club on Oxford Street. This event is a must for fetish fans: since its inception, Hellfire has welcomed and nurtured a collective of queers and created a place to learn and play. RSVP online to receive more details about the night as they’re unveiled. On Saturday March 25 head over to the PACT

Many argue that hate speech has no place in our society; that there are no laws that protect or support a right to say whatever we want with impunity. But I don’t see any evidence of hateful or violence-inciting speech in this video. I think the level of outrage lobbed at this entire thing has emerged from a deep, fathomless guilt. Think about it: so many young, progressive people down Coopers beers without a second thought. When faced with the realisation that the company might have aligned itself with a group or ‘side’ that is perhaps socially not in vogue, they scramble to assuage their guilt by hurling as much righteous abuse as they can muster against the company. Then after the company apologises and surrenders its spine, everyone can go back to getting happily pissed, conscience clear.

The outrageous new Australian farce

THE S H T A G

Q HOMOSEXUALS

GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY IN ASSOCIATION WITH MALTHOUSE THEATRE PRESENTS

griffintheatre.com.au 02 9361 3817

THE HOMOSEXUALS OR ‘FAGGOTS ’

SBW Stables Theatre 10 Nimrod Street Kings Cross

BY DECLAN GREENE 17 MARCH - 29 APRIL

I mean, if these outraged masses really cared, they could join and help marriage equality campaigns across the country, but I suppose it’s easier to have a readymade vehicle that you can use to ease your guilt and simultaneously excuse yourself from having to do anything more. Neato. The rest of us homos can continue being secondclass citizens while this is all happening. It’s clear that Australian society values its foul obsession with alcohol much more than its duty to human rights. So what else is new?

Centre for Emerging Artists in Erskineville to join a merry band of queer artists to drink, dance and check out the shows. There’ll be performances by Stephen Cummins residency artist KoCo Carey along with DJs Hip Hop Hoe and Stereogamous. All funds go towards the continuation of the Queer Development Program in 2018, supporting queer art.

T 02 9331 0666 bookings@damiengerard.net www.damiengerard.net Facebook damien-gerard-studios

SINGLE DEAL 2 days recording/mixing/mastering at reduced rates

EP DEAL 5 days recording/mixing/ mastering plus 500 pro manufacture CDs

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ALBUM DEAL 15 days recording/mixing/mastering and manufacturing

MCI JH 24 Track 2” Tape/Pro Tools v10.0/Classic Analog thebrag.com

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FOOD + DRINK

JOHNNY FONTANE’S OF

bar TH

ADDRESS: 77 STANLEY ST, DARLINGHURST PHONE NUMBER: 0450 701 485 WEBSITE: JOHNNYFONTANESBAR.COM OPENING HOURS: TUE – THU 4PM-MIDNIGHT; FRI – SAT NOON-MIDNIGHT

E E W

Parramasala BY JADE SMITH

Bhat dal momos from O!Momo

It’s no wonder Parramatta is being heralded as Australia’s next major city. From vast proposals for urban renewal, to new initiatives for live music, and the opening of trendy cafes and restaurants en masse throughout Western Sydney, the attraction to this new cultural capital is plain to see.

Tell us about your bar: The best way to describe this brand new bar is, imagine if the King of Swing and a mafia kingpin opened a bar together. It features four distinct spaces: a Rat Pack/swing-themed bar, a Sicilianstyle courtyard with a large citrus tree and vines on the staircase (sourced from the film set of The Great Gatsby), a ‘gangster lounge’ for drinking and dining on the first floor, and the Cuban-style cigar deck where you can enjoy some cocktails while smoking on a cigar. What’s on the menu? Johnny Fontane’s is the first venue in Sydney where you can get Chicago deep dish. We recommend The Capone, which is the original Chicago deep dish flavour with pork and veal meatballs. We offer other Italian light bites such as arancini balls, bruschetta with wild mushrooms and sage, or tomato and basil. Care for a drink? We have a range of signature cocktails such as Nonna’s Lemon Pie (Absolut Citron vodka, Crème de Cacao White, vanilla and lemon syrups shaken hard with fresh lemon juice and egg whites) and The Flamingo (a mix of Amaretto, Mozart white chocolate liqueur, Massenez Fraise, strawberry puree and a dollop of crème fraiche). Sounds: On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we play classic Italian swing music, and on Thursdays through Saturdays, there’s a mix of Italian swing and old-

With Sydney’s most culturally diverse population residing in the area, the annual Parramasala Asian arts festival is a further testament to this growing CBD, promoting the flavour and flair of Western Sydney by celebrating what makes the area so unique and vibrant: its people.

school hip hop. A true hangout for the classic gangsters! Highlights: When you step inside Johnny Fontane’s, you’re entering the Rat Pack era. Smoke a cigar on the cigar deck (Cuban cigars available to purchase) while enjoying our signature cocktails or feast on some delicious Chicago deep dish upstairs at the gangster lounge or outside in the Sicilian courtyard. The Sicilian courtyard also has a romantic feel to it – the perfect spot for a romantic date.

Viewed from afar, Parramasala 2017 was deceptively large in its scope. It had your obligatory Ferris wheel and amusements, even camel rides. But there were so many extra activities and events tucked away in every corner that made the festival so much more than your usual family affair. For the first time, Parramasala stretched beyond Prince Alfred Square around to the foreshore, and across roads and down lanes through to the Information and Cultural Exchange. The festival also inhabited the Riverside Theatres, which hosted the informative and engaging live cooking demonstrations of Parramasala Pantry, featuring celebrated chefs whipping up wonderful treats. In particular, Tiffany Jones from The Pastry Project elevated dessert-making with her chocolate and black sesame tart. Proficient in desserts with an Asian twist, her cooking had the room salivating at the perfume of bubbling caramel, rum and black sesame oil.

The bill comes to: Deep dish + cocktail = $46.

Lightbulb soda from Korean BBQ

The food stalls were equally as enticing, with the representation of numerous nationalities and cultures providing an inclusive environment in which to try some exciting dishes and learn more about Western Sydney’s cultural landscape. Korean BBQ and Soda Bulbs served up exactly that, a combination of

Tiffany Jones’ chocolate and black sesame tart

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thebrag.com

FOOD + DRINK

REVIEW

“

Parramasala served as an enriching and multifaceted celebration of the area’s creativity and community spirit. Pork dumplings from Korean BBQ

Chicken katsu curry from Fujiyama

Hopper Kadé at Tramsheds H A RO L D PA R K

BY JESSICA WESTCOTT

KEY:

$: $0-10 $$: $10-20 $$$: $20-35 $$$$: $35-50 $$$$$: $50+

he hopper, a traditional Sri Lankan street food, is a serious contender for being considered a national treasure in its home country.

T barbecue fare and the latest food trend in South Korea: home-made lemonade in a lightbulb-shaped container complete with a crazy straw and attached flashing light. The pork dumplings were fresh off the grill and made for delicate yet hardy street food, while the bright light bulb elixirs sustained us during lemonade weather. Offering Japanese curry for $5 a bowl, the delicious and affordable Fujiyama was not to be passed up on. Fujiyama’s take on the sweet curry and rice included the traditional winter vegetables of carrots and potatoes and was served with both pickled and fresh radishes, the latter topped with a good dollop of Japanese mayonnaise. Finished with golden-fried chicken cutlets, this light and refreshing version of a hearty winter stew was best eaten in the shade. Burger Singh brought an Indian flair to the average burger with the likes of The Sultan and accompanying masala fries. It was a grand name made for a grand burger, with a kofte-style aromatic lamb patty and large slabs of fresh cucumber and lettuce, all seared with spicy special sauce and doused with cooling raita. The fries proved quite mild in comparison, but despite the simple curried seasoning, they were deep-fried to a fine crisp worthy of a king. The day ended with daal: bhat dal momos, to be exact. This dish from Nepali vendors O!Momo was a wholesome mixture of pureed lentil curry, fresh shallots, fragrant rice and tender dumplings in a mild tomato chutney. Colourful, lightly spiced, flavourful and fun, the dish was a delightful conclusion to a festival that encompassed all of those things. Parramatta is clearly a growing creative hub, and Parramasala served as an enriching and multifaceted celebration of the area’s creativity and community spirit: the driving force behind this major city to be. Parramasala 2017 was reviewed at Prince Alfred Square, Parramatta on Saturday March 11

Predominately served as a breakfast food, this gluten-free, ‘almost-paleo’ snack has largely evaded the Western palate, until now. Ruvane, who runs Hopper Kadé, is so passionate about hoppers, you’ll start to feel excited before you’ve even seen one. Growing up in New Zealand with Sri Lankan parents, ‘Ruvi’ had hoppers on the daily, and when she met her partner, they discovered a shared love for this Sri Lankan snack that far surpassed a casual enjoyment. The Sri Lankan community in Sydney is strong, a real family that shares food and history. For Ruvi and her partner, well, they were so obsessed they decided to build a business around this delicious carb. In Sri Lanka you’ll fi nd locals eating hoppers every morning. These gluten-free creations are made from rice fl our, coconut milk and water, with a bit of yeast to help them ferment. They’re then made into a batter and shaped into a pancake. Hopper Kadé (pronounced kah-day) saw Ruvi and her partner team up with Kumar Pereira from the third season of MasterChef. The trio wanted to bring hoppers into the mainstream and steer Sri Lankan cuisine away from just curries and thick, spicy foods. “There’s so many ingredients [we use] now; we are living in Western culture and not in a secluded island paradise,” says Ruvi. “We all love ingredients like Nutella. We want people to swap out their normal carbs for hoppers. The fact that they are gluten-free opens up a whole new world of carbs to coeliacs.” The hard work has paid off for Hopper Kadé, and word is starting to spread. Its owners are bringing to Sydney some of the traditions of Ayurvedic practice; essentially a whole foods mantra that Sri Lankans try to live and prepare their food by. Many of the ingredients used in Hopper Kadé’s hoppers are whole foods, like tuna, coconut sambol and fresh coriander. Pereira contributed to the menu by creating a fantastically crispy chicken hopper, which is worth trying just for the sweet and tangy tamarind sauce. The menu at Hopper Kadé features three

The Sultan burger and masala fries from Burger Singh

thebrag.com

Ozzie hopper

“

These protein-filled delights may well be Sydney’s next big thing in food.

12-hour marinated beef hopper

different types of hoppers: a white hopper made with white rice and coconut milk, a red hopper made with fermented red rice and coconut milk, and a string hopper made with steamed white rice noodles. For savoury options to eat with your hoppers, you can choose from the crispy chicken, the Unawa-Tuna (spiced tuna with coconut sambol), or 12-hour marinated beef with Ceylonese curry sauce. For dessert you’ve got a clear winner in the Naana-tella (Nutella and banana), but the fruit and yoghurt dish is also fresh and inviting. It seems like there’s nothing a hopper can’t do. Keep an eye out for a special new range of bespoke dessert hoppers created by Kumar, which should be debuting later this year. If you’ve never had a hopper, now is the time to try one, as they might soon be taking off into franchises like banh mi have done before them. These protein-fi lled delights may well be Sydney’s next big thing in food. Where: Tramsheds Harold Park (1 Dalgal Way, Forest Lodge) More: hopperkade.com.au

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Album Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...

ALBUM OF THE WEEK LAURA MARLING Semper Femina Kobalt

Laura Marling’s latest beautiful collection of folk musings is perfect for rainy day listening, but don’t be fooled by the floaty nature of her tunes – the songs are layered with meaning. The release’s title, Semper Femina, means ‘always a woman’, and thus Marling’s songs explore feminine identity through relationships, youth, failure and seeking freedom.

‘Always This Way’ feels like home with its warm melodies, and ‘Never, Not Nearly’ is a gorgeous ode to the importance of love, especially noticeable once it’s gone. Semper Femina is a gentle exploration of feminine identity through storytelling, and Marling’s talent lies in softly but surely getting her message across.

xxx

The album opens with ‘Soothing’, a sultry and sensual track with a bassline akin to The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’. There is certainly a jazz element that crops up in some tracks on Semper Femina, but for the most part, listeners will be familiar with the stripped-back, delicate vocals that Marling is known for.

We get an insight into how Marling approaches relationships in ‘Next Time’, which focuses on failure and ending a relationship, promising to be “better next time”. Meanwhile, ‘Wild Fire’ beautifully examines things from the other side, advising a partner to be kinder.

Erin Rooney

“Marling’s latest beautiful collection of folk musings is perfect for rainy day listening.”

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER The French Press Ivy League

The French Press is a little bit more of a slow burn than some of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s previous work.

The title track features some bouncy guitar riffs to kick the EP off, while ‘Julie’s Place’ is a little more subdued and the vocals fail to fire. ‘Sick Bug’ combines an infectious riff and abrasive vocals that have a very raw feel – the kind that sound like they’ve never been touched by any kind of vocal repair software – and it’s refreshing.

Musically, ‘Colours Run’ is a great track but again the lack of vocal prominence lets it down. Oftentimes on this release the vocals feel like the bass; just another instrument that isn’t as obvious as it should be, or that you have to make an effort to listen out for. However, ‘Dig Up’ addresses that problem and puts the vocals at the forefront, stripping back the track. In many ways, this is where Rolling Blackouts sound their best. Closer ‘Fountain Of Good Fortune’ is one of the best songs on the EP, again feeling very raw. Rolling Blackouts CF have dished up a pretty solid release, however they haven’t taken it to the next level or reinvented the wheel. This set is worth checking out, but not lifechanging. Alexander Crowden

“‘Sick Bug’ combines an infectious riff and abrasive vocals that have a very raw feel – the kind that sound like they’ve never been touched by any kind of vocal repair software.”

FIRST DRAFTS Unearthed demos and unfinished hits, as heard by Nathan Jolly FLEETWOOD MAC – ‘DREAMS’

leetwood Mac’s Rumours sessions were among the most emotionally fraught in history, and you can hear it in every note on the demo for ‘Dreams’. The group was comprised of two couples – John and Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham – both of whom were going through breakups at the time, writing kiss-off anthems, coded barbs and tales of heartbreak about each other. In addition, Mick Fleetwood was going through his own divorce, which meant the studio setting in 1976 wasn’t the most calm place. In 1989, Buckingham described to Blender the “elaborate exercise of denial” that being in the studio entailed. “[It was about] keeping our personal feelings in one corner of the room while trying to be professional in the other,” he said. While Buckingham wrote the seething ‘Go Your Own Way’ about Nicks – he refused her request to remove the line, “Packing up, shacking up is all you wanna do”

26 :: BRAG :: 705 :: 22:03:17

about her – her response to the dissolution of their relationship was more tender and diplomatic. She ducked off during a session at the Record Plant studio in early ’76, taking a portable Fender Rhodes keyboard into another studio, which was adorned with a black velvet bed that belonged to Sly Stone, of all people. She sat on the bed with the keyboard and the song poured out of her. “I found a drum pattern, switched my little cassette player on and wrote ‘Dreams’ in about ten minutes,” she recalled years later. “Right away I liked the fact that I was doing something with a dance beat, because that made it a little unusual for me.” The demo is sparse, with just Nicks singing over the organ, but it showcases what a strong song it is from the get-go. Surprisingly, despite the almost-inevitable hit quality about it, the other members of the band weren’t blown away. “They weren’t nuts about it,” she told Blender. “But I said, ‘Please! Please record this song, at least try it.’ Because the way I play things

sometimes… you really have to listen.” The band recorded it, and soon changed their tune. Although the demo seems fully formed, it would appear Nicks was correct about really having to listen. Christine McVie dismissed ‘Dreams’ as “boring”, being comprised of “just three chords and one note in the left hand”. Boring or not, the song became Fleetwood Mac’s only number one single – a positive beacon on an album filled with snarky goodbyes. Listen to the original ‘Dreams’ demo at thebrag.com.

“Surprisingly, despite the almost-inevitable hit quality about it, the other members of the band weren’t blown away.” thebrag.com

brag beats

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Alex Chetverikov

Why The Politics Of

The Dancefloor Are More Important Than Ever

n an industry that’s changed dramatically over the last couple of decades, has electronic music lost its political momentum? Has it ever really had any in Australia? Music has, is, and always will be intrinsically linked with politics. Joan Baez, Nina Simone and Phil Ochs rallied for basic human and civil rights and for the anti-war movements in the 1960s. Similarly, the history of house and techno music is heavily rooted in the double exclusion of race and sex in the US. By its universal nature, music transcends geographical boundaries. I can be touched by the inimitable words of Pete Seeger half a century after their composition, or the sheer, unassuming joy of a latter-period lo-fi Frankie Knuckles Warehouse recording in my lounge room.

set of distinct beliefs, contexts and circumstances, to be then experienced and consumed by any variety of other cultures and belief systems. While the expression of its politics might be less overt or radical than the written manifesto, it is unique in the way that it activates us physically and cerebrally. Whether or not you’re actively aware, or whether or not you actively care (because we’re not always theoretically analysing ourselves and others while wiping sweat off our brows), the dancefloor is a fluid, shared political space, and dancing is a political act. In listening to music, we are engaging in a political exchange – in economic terms we might even see this as a labour exchange, although at this point I might hesitate to deromanticise the sheer, organic thrill of dancing. Among the primal jits and heaving nucleus, there are ideas being exchanged and identities being affirmed.

“The dancefloor is a fluid, shared political space, and dancing is a political act.”

The equation of music and politics might sound a little dirty to an Australian society steeped in an exhausting and largely ineffectual two-party system. To overcome that notion, we need to reposition our definition of politics in more humanising terms, reconsider our roles in society, and remind ourselves of the music’s power as a progressive vehicle for change. Music animates our societies. It is produced by people with their own

DJs/performers, promoters, clubs and dancing spaces are all especially important in establishing an enabling context and set of circumstances. It’s so important to not only have this space, but recognise how valuable it can be in the future. These are powerful environments for social change and for awareness.

Frankie Knuckles

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST It’s all about no-wave this week. Check out ESG, Liquid Liquid, Bush Tetras, Material, and of course two of the best V.A. compilations around: the 1978 Brian Eno-curated compilation of lore, No New York, and Soul Jazz’s New York Noise series. Super stuff. Sounds like an abject dance.

RECOMMENDED FRIDAY MARCH 24

Front Left 0.5 Minimalism Special Inner West warehouse location

FRIDAY MARCH 31

Berlin Underground Special – Feat. De La

thebrag.com

Swing, Andy Bird, Ben Nott Civic Underground

SATURDAY APRIL 1

Mantra Collective FunRaiser Civic Underground

Bondi Beach Radio 4th Birthday The World Bar

SUNDAY MAY 28

Soul Of Sydney Feat. The Strides, Cumbiamuffin TBA

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snap sn ap

up all night out all week . . .

VIEW FULL GALLERIES AT

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live reviews What we’ve been out to see...

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

HOLLY THROSBY, BODY TYPE

JORDAN RAKEI, SAMPOLOGY

Sydney jangle-pop merchants Body Type are not exactly the loudest or most raucous band on the scene. Still, juxtaposed with tonight’s headliner it’s essentially an equal level of disparity as a two-act bill comprised of Nick Drake and… well, Drake. But hey, more life to Body Type – after all, they’re quickly becoming one of the most exciting bands to see in the city. Although taking to the stage shortly after 6:30pm, the quartet still carry themselves with the swagger of playing just after 10. They’re lively, uncompromising and thoroughly entertaining to watch.

The Friday night atmosphere at Oxford Art Factory felt a world away from its premidnight, dull and rain-soaked Sydney setting. It started with a mellow and bubbly crowd filling out while Sampology live-sampled and built a groove for the headliner to launch from. The room was eager, best represented by a sole crowd member sashaying with flair, translating exactly how solid Sampology’s beats were with every bold and sublime pop of his hips and arms. Spontaneous moments like these would continue across the evening.

Newtown Social Club Sunday March 19

Whether they’re rattling and rolling through a big build-up or intricately blending their multiple vocals, the music of Body Type is compelling. It’s as indebted to a band like The Go-Betweens as it is an artist like Patti Smith, flexing its versatility with routinely impressive results. Having spent the weekend just gone in the studio with Philadelphia Grand Jury’s Simon Berckelman, their performance tonight also comes with a spring in the step – they dance as if no-one’s watching and refuse to compromise for a very different audience to their own. As Dennis Denuto so articulately put it all those years ago, it’s the vibe. It’s bittersweet, really: as wonderful as it is to see people still supporting Holly Throsby after all these years, it’s heartbreaking to think this will be the last time she ever gets to have that feeling within the walls of the departing Newtown Social Club. Still, if anything, that context adds further sentiment to what is already one of the year’s most genuinely beautiful shows. Throsby is touring on the back of one of her best LPs to date, After A Time, and getting to hear many of its key tracks live is a true delight when accentuated by her marvellous backing band. Marcus Whale cameos to accentuate ‘Be You Lost’ and ‘Being Born’ on the saxophone, while the baritone-voiced giant known as Jack Ladder comfortably subs for Mark Kozelek on ‘What Do You Say?’. They’re complemented by early favourites such as ‘Up With The Birds’ and ‘Making A Fire’, which bring a gentle sway and collectively warmed hearts for good measure. “Every day feels the same,” Throsby sighs on her closer, On Night’s ‘Things Between People’. Au contraire – not today. Not tonight. Tonight feels truly special. The kind of pure, unadulterated joy one continually strives for in life. David James Young

TAKING BACK SUNDAY, ACCEPTANCE, ENDLESS HEIGHTS Enmore Theatre Friday March 17

In 2012, Endless Heights fi rst played the Enmore supporting Refused. Back then, the youthful hardcore outfit were visibly terrified of playing such a room – a far cry from the PCYCs and halls they were used to. Smash cut to this evening and it’s as if they’re a completely different band. Now as forthright and confident as they’ve ever been, the Sydney quintet take to the opening slot with bite and vitriol. Endless Heights are now a post-hardcore band in the most literal sense, effortlessly showcasing how far they have come and giving great hope for what’s next. They’re followed by Seattle’s Acceptance, here performing for the very first time on Australian soil. For a handful of devotees scattered across the audience, it’s been a long time coming. Their excitement is both palpable and infectious – as you observe the faithful

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singing back to frontman Jason Vena, it’s easy to place yourself in a time and place where this music would have meant the absolute world. Besides everything else, Acceptance genuinely just seem like the kind of people you’d want to be friends with – they’re endearing, positive and capable of writing some great songs. Taking Back Sunday have served as the soundtrack to countless salad days and restless years, whether they’re being relived in real time tonight or continued on in that very moment. There’s something entirely fascinating about seeing a band a fair few would consider a nostalgia act still living, breathing and having the exact same impact on people twice as young. It’s part and parcel of nearly 20 years together and seven

Oxford Art Factory Friday March 17

Dressed nonchalantly in a button-down and flat peak cap, the huge talent that is Jordan Rakei took to his keys. Cloak, Rakei’s soulful debut album, was ostensibly the reason we’d gathered, but the artist chose a mix of his more energetic cuts from the album and past EPs to elevate on the audience’s vigour. Joined by his band, Rakei kept his eyes closed almost throughout the first two tracks, while the audience fervently echoed the lyrics “Shout it like a stereo” from early single ‘A Tribe Called Government’ prompt-free. Rakei opened his eyes as we looked over at the conspicuously positioned microphone stand to his right, teasing the arrival of MC Remi on Cloak cut ‘Snitch’. Were the collaborators going to be reunited to perform their two tracks (Rakei features on Remi’s ‘Lose Sleep’) together? Would Ngaiire, Rakei’s other notable Australian cameo on Cloak, also take to OAF to manifest their song IRL? As it turned out, the night was to be all about Rakei alone, but we neither suffered nor lamented over the lack of musical guests. Not only was his voice – oh, that voice – as soothing and impressive as ever, Rakei’s band of James Rudolph on bass, Sheldon Agwu on guitar and Jim Macrae on drums were an agile and strong backbone for a set that wove through a range of textures and volumes. An atmospheric live take on ‘Still (Interlude)’ didn’t garner complete silence as requested, but the work of all onstage consumed those who paid attention, creating sunshine among the shadows. With its lyrics “I can see the darkness of the night / I can feel the rain fall down”, ‘Lost Myself’ felt like the most apt ending to Rakei’s biggest headline show thus far. But an encore with Latin-infused single ‘Talk To Me’ coming to a close via Rakei’s final words, “Better than I was before / Oh, I’m riding high,” said it all. Emily Gibb

LPs, but in the live environment it’s a different beast. Classics from the arsenal like ‘A Decade Under The Influence’ and ‘Timberwolves At New Jersey’ weave in between songs from last year’s Tidal Wave like the biting title track and the bright ‘Call Come Running’. They’re all performed with the same degree of precision and excitement by the band, which definitely makes a difference considering how many other acts will only perform new material out of some sense of obligation. Adam Lazzara swings his mic hard, while the guitars swing harder. ‘Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team)’ is recited word for word like it was top of the charts right now and not 15 (!) years ago. Boys like you might be a dime a dozen, but bands like Taking Back Sunday aren’t. David James Young

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SPIDERBAIT, THE MEANIES, SCREAMFEEDER Enmore Theatre Saturday March 18

Amid a sea of nostalgia-baiting anniversary tours, there are a few notable standouts. The best of them show that the passing of time has taken none of the fire out of the music, nor the band itself. For tonight’s openers Screamfeeder, a stalwart of Australia’s grunge/garage scene, nostalgia was far from the priority. Instead, Tim Steward was keen to promote new material from the trio, their first in over a decade, to be released later this year. Screamfeeder were as musically cohesive as ever, but the stage space felt oddly tense, cramping what may otherwise have been a straightforward and fun set. Not so for The Meanies, who proved themselves to be a long way from a legacy act. This is the band Jay from Frenzal Rhomb says he wishes they could be, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Despite Link Meanie’s unverifiable claims of suffering “jet lag” from their Melbourne flight, he powered through a brutal set by our nation’s true punk champs. If you’ve never seen Link onstage before, try to picture the exact midpoint between Iggy Pop and your dad. This band is legendary. Applying the same term to Spiderbait seems a moot point – they’ve long been one of our finest exports, and the

up all night out all week . . .

announcement that their seven-year hiatus had ended need not have been cause for concern. Even if they’re cashing in on the legacy train and performing a tour of Ivy And The Big Apples from top to bottom. It’s not simply because Ivy is a killer album – again, it hardly needs to be said – but because Kram is some kind of mythical beast. If Australia has produced a finer drummer, I’m yet to see them. Kram did as Kram does, smashing through track after track and jam after jam, eyes locked on guitarist Damien Whitty as Janet English laid down her unstoppable bass grooves. The only indicator of the 20 years since Ivy’s release was English’s motherly concern for the fans. “Just be careful, alright?” she asked of the front row, cautious of crowd-surfing blows to the head, before the trio crashed straight back into ‘Calypso’. English and Kram need not have sung a word – the Enmore had them covered, bonus tracks and all. The band took a break after wrapping Ivy and still had 20 minutes to fill before the noise restrictions set in, and so they smashed out the hits, wrapping the night with a double-time ‘Black Betty’ that shook the room. Two decades on, they’re still fucking awesome. David Molloy

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PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@seventhstreet.media

pick of the week Sleepmakeswaves

FRIDAY M A RC H 2 4

For our full gig and club listings, head to thebrag.com/gig-guide. Kate Miller-Heidke

Kate Miller-Heidke + Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point. Thursday March 23 – Saturday March 25. $69.

Metro Theatre

Sleepmakeswaves

The classically trained star of Australian songwriting brings her astounding voice to the Concert Hall in collaboration with the SSO for what’s sure to be a stunning three shows.

+ Caligula’s Horse

Dune Rats

Spoon

7:30pm. $34.80. Caligula’s Horse

Dune Rats + Skegss + The Gooch Palms

Spoon + Mike Noga

Metro Theatre, Sydney. Saturday March 25 and Sunday March 26. $30.

Metro Theatre, Sydney. Thursday March 23. 7:30pm. $80. The Austin rockers Spoon are returning to Australia for the first time since 2015, and their longevity says it all: they’ve been pioneers on the scene since forming back in 1993.

A massive triple bill is taking over the Metro Theatre, with headliners Dune Rats celebrating the release of their second album, The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit.

THURSDAY MARCH 23

Ezekiel Ox Factory Floor, Marrickville. 8pm. $20.

Bec Sandridge Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 7pm. $18.

Fatback Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

Hunch + Nick Nuisance and The Delinquents + Okin Osan Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $10.

Tiger Stripes Chinese Laundry, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $28.

SUNDAY MARCH 26 Koray Avci Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $110.

Things Of Stone And Wood + Club Hoy Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 2:30pm. $41.

Things Of Stone And Wood

Wednesday 13 Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $49.99.

SATURDAY MARCH 25

FRIDAY MARCH 24 Diesel The Bunker, Coogee. 7pm. $43.

Bec Sandridge

Star Factory The Hideaway Bar, Enmore. 9pm. Free. xxx

the BRAG presents

TURIN BRAKES

Newtown Social Club Monday April 10

TREVOR HALL Newtown Social Club Wednesday April 12

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MILES ELECTRIC BAND

Enmore Theatre Thursday April 13

NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL 2017 Exhibition Park, Canberra Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17

CORINNE BAILEY RAE Metro Theatre Sunday April 16

NIKKI HILL

Newtown Social Club Monday April 17

THE STRUMBELLAS Oxford Art Factory Monday April 17

ST PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES Metro Theatre Wednesday April 19

DAPPLED CITIES

City Recital Hall Sunday June 4

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