Brag#718 by The Brag Magazine

THE GENDER BIAS AGAINST WOMEN IN AUSSIE ELECTRONIC MUSIC

LANY RETURN TO AUSTRALIA FOR SPLENDOUR 2017

GRINSPOON THE GLORY DAYS OF '90S OZ ROCK

ALSO INSIDE: THE UNDERTONES, BIG THIEF, STEVE HACKETT, 16 FAMOUS SONGS THAT WERE WRITTEN IN UNDER 30 MINUTES AND MORE!

in this issue

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The Frontline

Back To Business

6-7

Phil Jamieson looks back on the glory days of Grinspoon in the ’90s

8-9

Lany are coming Down Under for Splendour In The Grass 2017

10-12 16 Famous Songs That Were Written In Under 30 Minutes

10-12

Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy

Jimeoin

22-23 Out & About, arts reviews 24

Relive Your Childhood With The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book, Part Two

The Undertones

Big Thief

Steve Hackett

16-19

The Gender Bias Against Women In Australian Electronic Music, And What We Must Do To Fix It

Test your knowledge: how many artists can you name?

Album reviews, First Drafts

“I don’t know how anyone who doesn’t write their own songs performs night in and night out.”

16-19

“I was definitely not dressed like a metal singer – I was wearing lipstick and nail polish … They didn’t know what to do with me.” (6-7)

27-30 Live reviews, Smoke Rings, Off The Record 31

Gig guide

(10-11)

RADIO BIRDMAN – DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM From 1974 to 1978, Radio Birdman were a defining feature of the Sydney rock scene. They inspired the likes of Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel to mainstream success, but likewise set the platform for the DIY explosion in our city. Now, the Radio Birdman story is being told in the documentary Descent Into The Maelstrom, which has already garnered an enthusiastic reception from preview and premiere screenings. On the back of the band’s Australian tour dates, Descent Into The Maelstrom is in cinemas from Thursday July 20, and we’re giving away three in-season double passes valid at Event Cinemas. Enter the draw at thebrag.com/freeshit.

the frontline with Chris Martin, Brandon John and Nathan Jolly ISSUE 718: Wednesday June 21, 2017 PRINT & DIGITAL EDITOR: Chris Martin chris.martin@seventhstreet.media SUB-EDITOR: David Molloy STAFF WRITERS: Joseph Earp, Nathan Jolly, Adam Norris NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Tyler Jenke, Brandon John

hitmakers. You Am I, Killing Heidi and Kevin Mitchell of Jebediah will all be in on the act, with Gerling’s Darren Cross playing a best of the ’90s DJ set, while triple j presenters Myf Warhurst and Zan Rowe will also be spinning some tunes and taking care of hosting duties. It’s a great way to reintroduce live music to Sydney’s recently reopened Lansdowne Hotel, and all kicks off from 7pm to midnight on Saturday June 24.

Queen

ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHER: Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Josh Burrows - 0411 025 674 josh.burrows@seventhstreet.media

SYDNEY’S UP LATE WITH THE SOCCEROOS

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 COORDINATOR: Anna Wilson gigguide@seventhstreet.media REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Arca Bayburt, Lars Brandle, Tanja Brinks Toubro, Chelsea Deeley, 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, Augustus Welby, Jessica Westcott, Zanda Wilson, 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@seventhstreet.vc PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204

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IT’S A RIGHT ROYAL TIME Queen and Adam Lambert are heading to Australia and New Zealand in early 2018. For those who saw the UK legends when they were last out in 2014, they assure fans a new setlist, some surprises, and a wild set design. Roger Taylor (drummer and the highest vocal on the very high “FOR MEEE” part in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’) says things “will look entirely different to the show we took around before. Production has really changed a lot, the things you can do now, you have a much broader palette, the technology has really come along.” Queen and their new vocalist Lambert play Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday February 21.

THE WINTER GYPSY GET ON THEIR BOJKE

MEET ME IN THE CROSS FESTIVAL LINEUP

Indie dreamsters The Winter Gypsy are coming to Kings Cross this week in celebration of their new single, ‘Bojke’. The song is a follow-up to the band’s debut EP, Page I, and was written as an ode to a beloved family dog. Rumours that ‘Bojke’ includes a high-pitched sound that only dogs can hear, Beatles-style, are yet to be confirmed. See The Winter Gypsy at The World Bar this Friday June 23.

Keep Sydney Open has stepped up its anti-lockout campaign another notch, with the announcement of its own Meet Me In The Cross music festival to take place on Saturday July 1. The pro-nightlife organisation has revealed a killer lineup of Sydney musicians to perform, led by DJ sets from Hermitude, Thundamentals and Nina Las Vegas, plus live performances from Dappled Cities, Mezko and many more. Tickets are $30 and available now. The one-night festival will take over the Kings Cross Hotel, The World Bar, Candys Apartment, Potts Point Hotel (formerly Kit & Kaboodle), Crane Bar, Jangling Jack’s, Sweethearts Rooftop and The Old Growler.

A NEAR DEATH GRIPS EXPERIENCE Californian hip hop collective Death Grips are returning to Australian shores. Zach Hill, Ride and Flatlander will be in Sydney this August for the first time since 2013 and the release of their fi fth full-length LP Bottomless Pit. The ‘Guillotine’ hitmakers have enjoyed international success with the likes of ‘Get Got’, ‘No Love’ and ‘Steroids’ over the years, but you can see them in intimate surrounds at the Metro Theatre on Wednesday August 2.

DOUBLE J DOES THE ’90S LIVE Double J is in the middle of a full-on celebration of Aussie music in the ’90s right now with Top 50 playlists and throwback specials galore, but now it’s announced a massive party with four of the country’s finest

Liquor & Gaming NSW clearly forgot we were on the other side of the globe when unleashing its draconian lockout laws, and neglected the fact that many adult football fans would quite enjoy the chance to sit in a pub with others and watch the match live on the big screen, yelling at players, talking about Harry Kewell still, all that fun stuff. Now the authorities have temporarily amended this madness, announcing that New South Wales hotels and clubs screening the Socceroos games at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia will be able to trade beyond standard times. The tournament is under way now.

Mi-Kaisha Masella

KLUB KOORI COMES TO CARRIAGEWORKS Klub Koori is happening again in Sydney this year in celebration of NAIDOC Week and Aboriginal live music. Former Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan leads a lineup of indigenous talent, alongside Jess Beck, Mi-Kaisha Masella and Thaylia. Klub Koori is run by Sydney’s only Aboriginal community radio station, Koori Radio 93.7FM, and with this year’s NAIDOC Week theme of ‘Our Languages Matter’, it’s the perfect time to engage with some emerging artists. The event takes over Carriageworks on Thursday July 6.

BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17 :: 3

Back To Business Music Industry News powered by The Industry Observer

breaking biz

Airling

Yoko Ono and John Lennon

Spotify has become many people’s go-to platform for music streaming, but as more and more listeners jump on board, the losses continue to pile up. The company recently declared a net loss in 2016 of US$581m, despite revenues climbing more than a billion dollars in the same period, from $2.01b to a new total of $3.06b. Those losses are up significantly from the 2015 figure of $257m, with the increase in revenue nowhere near enough to cover the increased licensing costs from servicing so many new consumers. The figures somewhat overshadow the announcement that Spotify has now hit 140 million users globally, up 40 per cent from the same time last year, though only 50 million of those users have paid subscriptions. Those subscribers make up the vast majority of revenue, contributing $2.76b, while ad revenue trails behind at $308.1m. While the company announced that it has raised a further $1b from investors, it also noted that it will be paying out a minimum of $2.2b in royalty payments to rights owners throughout the course of the next two years. Renegotiating royalty rates in an effort to bring sustainability to the business model must certainly be a priority.

SHOULD STREAMING ACKNOWLEDGE SONGWRITERS? Songwriters, for so long the unsung heroes of the music industry, should get the money and the glory. And that’s exactly what will happen if the world’s most powerful music publisher Martin Bandier gets his way. Bandier, the colourful chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV, used the platform of the National Music Publishers’ Association Centennial Annual Meeting in New York to demand streaming services give a fair share of the credit to songwriters. “When I look today at the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, I ask: where are the names of the songwriters?” Bandier said from the podium, according to Billboard. “It is as if the songwriters do not exist and the only people who matter are the recording artists.” Bandier usually gets his way. Just last year, the New Yorker engineered the US$750m buyout of Michael Jackson’s estate share to gain 100 per cent ownership of Sony/ATV.

DANDY WARHOLS RAISE UNIVERSAL’S IRE The Dandy Warhols have taken to Twitter to call out their label Dine Alone Records and its distributor Universal Music Group for issuing a takedown notice for their own music

ALL EYEZ ON TUPAC Released on what would have been Tupac Shakur’s 46th birthday on June 16, the Benny Boom-directed All Eyez On Me biopic grossed an estimated US$27.1m on its debut weekend in North America. Smashing analyst expectations of between $17m and $20m, the film landed third place on its launch weekend behind Wonder Woman ($40.8m) and Cars 3 ($53.5m). Named after Shakur’s fourth studio album, All Eyez On Me follows the rise of the Harlem-born hip hop artist who defined an epoch with his music before he was killed in a 1996 drive-by shooting.

Tupac Shakur

IMAGINE ALL THE ROYALTIES LITTLE BIGSOUND LANDS AGAIN Electro soul act Airling and producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Danny Harley AKA The Kite String Tangle are headlining QMusic and Brisbane City Council’s oneday program for 15-to-25-year-olds, Little BIGSOUND. Taking place in the lead-up to Brisbane music industry conference BIGSOUND on Saturday July 29, the summit will also see industry heavyweights like Leanne De Souza (Association of Artist Managers), John Mullen (Dew Process) and Konstantin Kersting (Airlock Studios) descend on Brisbane for a variety of sessions. Visit littlebigsound.org.au to book. video. It took Dine Alone over a week to make things right, finally making the fix after the band’s Twitter campaign. Naturally, UMG has remained quiet about pulling the ‘You Are Killing Me’ clip, but you’d be forgiven for thinking the band had tagged in the wrong music company: the Dandys aren’t actually signed to UMG. As revealed by the band on Twitter, it seems the rights to the clip were licensed to Vevo after the Dandys posted the video. Vevo is a joint venure between UMG, Sony, Abu Dhabi Media, Google and Warner.

ANTI-PIRACY COALITION SETS SAIL The creative sector has a new ‘ace’ up its sleeve in the fight against online piracy. Some of the world’s largest digital media and entertainment corporations have united under the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE, a coalition with a mission to finally stamp out online piracy. The RIAA, BBC, Amazon, Netflix, CBS, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Foxtel and Australia’s Village Roadshow are among the 30 studios, networks and digital companies who’ve signed up for ACE, which promises to get tough on copyright theft with a “strength in numbers” approach. ACE plans to complete its mission through a combination of research, liaising with law enforcement and content protection organisations, civil litigation and by pursuing “voluntary initiatives with participants across the internet ecosystem to reduce theft,” which would cover search engines and lSPs.

UNEARTHED’S NEW EP Triple j had a shake-up recently with the news that it had a new music director in Nick Findlay, following the long-serving Richard Kingsmill’s move to group music director. Now, triple j Unearthed is making a change of its own, with Mushroom Music Publishing creative manager Tommy Faith stepping into the role of Unearthed executive producer. The creator of one of the country’s foremost tastemaker blogs in Sound Doctrine (named Pedestrian’s Music Blog of the Year in 2012), Faith followed a 2011 internship at Sony Music Entertainment with a job at Warner Music Australia as a customer service rep, before moving into his initial role in A&R. After four years at Warner, he left his role as A&R manager in 2016 and has spent the last year at Mushroom.

NOIRE JOIN SPUNK “I find the artists that I get attracted to these days come from regional centres or small towns,” said Aaron Curnow, Spunk Records founder and label head. “They are in their own bubble growing up or something.” There must be something in the small town water. Curnow has just signed Sydney-formed Gympie natives Noire to his label, The Industry Observer revealed. Jessica Mincher (vocals) and Billy James (guitar) unveiled

departures Nigel Grainge, the British music industry veteran who signed the likes of Sinead O’Connor, The Boomtown Rats, Thin Lizzy, Steve Miller Band, 10cc and The Waterboys, and was recognised as one of the top A&R men of his generation, died Sunday June 11 in Santa Monica, California following complications from a recent surgery. He was 70. Music was in Grainge’s DNA. His dad Cecil owned a record store in North London in the early 1950s and gave him a 78 RPM record every weekend from the age of three. And his younger brother Sir Lucian Grainge is chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group, and is widely considered one of the most powerful executives in the world. The pair remained close through the years. their new single ‘Real Cool’ recently, the first taste of their forthcoming debut album Some Kind Of Blue.

It’s common knowledge to many Beatles fans that Yoko Ono co-wrote a number of songs with John Lennon that were either credited to him and Paul McCartney, or simply Lennon. There’s ‘Give Peace A Chance’, ‘Because’, and perhaps Lennon’s most iconic solo song, ‘Imagine’. It’s a common occurrence for songwriting credits to become blurred – often it’s a contractual thing, sometimes it’s simply because art and ideas are transitory and often hard to pin authors to (Courtney Love co-wrote ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ with Kurt Cobain, yet receives zero official credit; Brian Jones wrote the main sections of ‘Paint It Black’ and ‘She’s A Rainbow’, songs credited to Jagger/Richards, and so it goes on). Happily, as Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was awarded the National Music Publishers Association Centennial Song Award in a ceremony in New York last week, Ono was surprised by being officially credited as the song’s co-author. NMPA president David Israelite said of the correction, “While things may have been different in 1971, today I am glad to say things have changed. So tonight, it is my distinct honor to correct the record some 48 years later, and recognise Yoko Ono as a co-writer of the NMPA Centennial Song ‘Imagine’ and to present Yoko Ono with this well-deserved credit.”

ROCKIN’ THE PUBURBS

Digital rights agency Merlin revealed it paid a total of US$353m (AU$468.3m) over 12 months to independent labels. The organisation scoops up and distributes digital earnings to over 700 indie labels around the world, claiming these companies constitute over 12% of the global market. The earnings above are for the April 2016-March 2017 period, and are up 52% ($121m) on the same time period the previous year. It’s a pleasing trend, and news that maybe indie musicians have found a way to use the digital platforms to earn a decent living. Or, you know, any kinda living at all.

Rockin’ The Puburbs, aside from being an excellently named competition, is giving one band a mighty leg-up, with a run of gigs across some of the leading pubs in New South Wales on offer. The winning band will also have the skills of a dedicated tour publicist, plus mentorship from APRA AMCOS ambassador Mark Lizotte, and the entire team from the Live Music Office. The first gig on their tour will be a good one too – at the AHA NSW Awards for Excellence in November, in front of more than 1,000 people. Did we mention you’ll be paid for this tour, too? Visit apraamcos.com.au for details.

YOU DON’T MAKE FRIENDS WITH PLASTIC

THE INDUSTRY OBSERVER LAUNCHES AIRPLAY CHARTS

MERLIN WORKS ITS MAGIC

Green Music Australia is an initiative hoping to rid Aussie music events of unnecessary plastic water bottles and cups, and it has been pushing festivals like Groovin The Moo to do away with plastic this year. Now, names like Bernard Fanning, Killing Heidi, Ball Park Music, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Missy Higgins and Paul Kelly have signed up to push the next campaign, Plastic Free July. All of the acts will now be committing to not only doing away with plastic water bottles onstage, but also knocking plastic out of their backstage riders – whether that means we’ll just see Kelly necking whisky straight from the bottle instead, they don’t say. “Killing Heidi and I are stoked to make a move towards more sustainable touring,” frontwoman Ella Hooper said, pointing out that a move towards more sustainable options is “the way of the future”.

As part of its overall objective to service the Australasian music industry, The Industry Observer has launched a freeto-access airplay charts portal. TIO’s charts portal consists of five weekly Australian radio broadcaster charts (Hit, KIIS, Nova, Triple M and triple j), as well as one overall weekly Australian Radio Chart (filtered by impacts). The six charts are updated every Friday morning and include label market share. TIO’s airplay charts are compiled by Radiomonitor, the industry standard airplay monitoring service, which monitors music airplay across 150 locations in Europe, Canada, South Africa, Australasia and the Middle East. The launch of TIO’s charts portal follows requests from record labels, managers and the wider industry for free localised airplay data. Visit theindustryobserver.com.au for more. xxx

4 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

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BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17 :: 5

“The problem w that we were be as marketed as a ing metal band.”

r e t f a s e. u o ud t n t, d w i o h h s s y l n o o h .” i t c … ay e f f gh t d a t ou ha a h , th s t t e e eel v a tim f h o his the T “ l t all al elt If

“I was like, ‘What ? 6 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

I don’t even know

where thebrag.com

COVER STORY

Grinspoon Getting Better All The Time t’s edging closer to midday on BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG Jamieson laughs, before catching a Monday morning, and Phil himself: “I mean, I was either Jamieson’s life has just begun – or so the old saying angry or I was stoned. It was one or the other. It’s goes. The Grinspoon frontman celebrated his 40th going to be a lot of fun to play this album every night – birthday over the weekend with a party attended some of [the songs] have never even been played live by close friends and family. Rather than nursing a before.” hangover, however, he’s manning the phones for his first proper run of press interviews in years. Released in September 1997, Guide To Better Living saw the Lismore band riding several musical waves “I went for a run this morning,” Jamieson reports. A at the same time, all the while never quite fitting a pause, before a humble correction: “Well, let’s not get particular mould. The hooks were big and catchy, but too excited – I went for a walk, at least. I’m doing my the guitars were crunchy and tough in demeanour. best to make sure that I’m in good condition for the The album held a degree of accessibility, but it was tour. I’m singing Guide To Better Living every night – handled poorly outside of the band’s immediate and that’s a fast, furious record that’s 16 tracks long. It’s Australian market. going to be pretty intense.” “I remember that we were signed to Universal in Indeed, the return of Grinspoon is imminent – after America around the time of the birth of this record,” amicably parting ways in the middle of 2013, their says Jamieson. “When I think back to [1996 EP] Licker upcoming national tour will see them celebrate 20 years Bottle Cosy and Better Living, I think of touring in the since the release of their debut album, Guide To Better States. While this record was going gangbusters back Living. A genre-hybrid beast described by Jamieson as home, we were on the road in America. It’s all a little “rock-and-roll-pop-metal-whatever”, the album spawned hazy now – Pat would probably have a better memory five singles and achieved platinum sales in Australia. than me – but that definitely took up most of 1997 for us.” Although the band may have had bigger mainstream hits later on in the form of ‘Chemical Heart’ and ‘Hard Despite claiming a somewhat vague recollection of Act To Follow’, Better Living held a special place in the Grinspoon’s attempts to break the American market, hearts of those who originally obsessed over it in their some aspects ring loud and clear in Jamieson’s head. coming-of-age years – a place it holds to this day. For his money, Grinspoon were misunderstood – to the point of ultimately falling short of international “We knew that people liked the record, so originally the recognition. plan was just to reissue the album on vinyl,” Jamieson says. “That was something that we’d never done before, “I think the problem was that we were being marketed so it made sense. Touring didn’t even come up in the as a metal band,” he says. “We were touring with discussion at the time – we’d done the tour with [Cold] bands like Anthrax, Life Of Agony and Vision Of Chisel, and that very much appeared to be a one-time Disorder. Over there at the time, you had to be in thing. We just focused our effort on the deluxe editions very specific little boxes so you could get serviced to of the album, and they turned out really well – it’s a the right radio. This was a time when nu-metal was really nice package that took forever to get right, and kicking off, too – bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit were I’m really proud of it. everywhere. It was pretty difficult for us.

“Eventually, once we’d gone through all of the material – all the old songs, the live material, the demos, all of it – the idea of the tour was floated. I was like, ‘What? I don’t even know where my guitar is!’” Despite Jamieson’s initial reticence to get the band back together, he has obviously since seen the light – and fans didn’t need a second invitation. Shortly after the tour went on sale, shows began selling out across the country. The full itinerary now runs from the end of June until the end of September, with extra shows added to meet the demand. “Gregg [Donovan], our manager, has been amazing,” says Jamieson. “He was the one that convinced us that it was going to work. We went on sale, and the response was genuinely overwhelming. I know that rock’n’roll is very much alive in this country – Violent Soho, Dune Rats and Tired Lion all immediately come to mind. To have that affection shown to us after all this time, though… holy shit, dude. I felt all the feels that day.”

thebrag.com

Grinspoon photo by Hugo Sharp

my guitar is!’”

You may have done the maths in your head regarding the trajectory of Grinspoon in comparison to how old Jamieson is now, and it comes as a surprise to figure out just how young he was when the band first properly took off. “I was 19 years old when we recorded it, and I was 20 by the time that it came out,” Jamieson says of Guide To Better Living. “Pat [Davern, guitarist] had turned 25 during the recording. When people say, ‘It feels like a lifetime ago,’ I’m like, ‘It literally is!’ I hadn’t listened back to the record in years, so it was kind of a shock when I did. I was like, ‘Woah, I’m yelling a lot! I’m angry about heaps of stuff!’”

“I was definitely not dressed like a metal singer – I was wearing lipstick and nail polish. I wore hair clips. They didn’t know what to do with me, and they didn’t know what to do with the music. We definitely weren’t a metal band, either. I developed a real animosity towards the whole thing, and that really came through on [second album, 1999’s] Easy.” It may not have worked out in their favour, but there are certainly some fans – potentially including the person writing this very sentence – who commend Jamieson for sticking to his guns and not compromising the music or his image. In particular, Jamieson served as a first experience for some – again, not naming names – of the concept of androgyny, particularly through videos such as the aforementioned ‘Repeat’ and ‘Just Ace’. This is met with a cackle from Jamieson. “Really? You’d never seen that before?” Truly – it was those videos and Powderfinger’s ‘Don’t Wanna Be Left Out’. Jamieson laughs again: “I don’t remember that one! What was he [Bernard Fanning] wearing?” Within seconds, he’s looked up the video on his phone, watching it while the interview continues. “Oh, look at that! He’s doing the whole Bowie thing… he looks good! Wait, when did this come out?” 1998. “That’s the same year we did the ‘Just Ace’ video! They were copying us! Always behind, Bernard!” What: Guide To Better Living 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition out Friday June 23 through Universal With: Hockey Dad Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday July 6 and Friday July 7 BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17 :: 7

Lany A World Of Their Own By Brii Jamieson

aul Klein, Les Priest and Jake Goss – better known as Lany – are bringing the hype all the way to Australia for Splendour In The Grass 2017 and a couple of headline shows. Already they boast millions of monthly listeners on streaming services, but the Californians have a hard-earned live reputation as well. We caught up with frontman Klein ahead of their visit Down Under. BRAG: You were only here a couple of months ago, but you’re playing bigger venues this time – what should people be expecting from your live show this time round? PK: Well, I’m trying to figure it out right now if we can bring lighting. Like, stage design and production. I think that adds these additional elements to the show, but I’m not sure if they’re economically viable or not. But I am trying to figure that out. But I mean, other than that, we’ll be playing more songs off the album. I don’t know – I just feel like Lany shows are really unique. And you’ve been to one, you know what it feels like in the room, and to just kind of sing along with everyone, the whole vibe – it’ll be really energetic, and it’ll be really good to be back in Australia. You’re also playing at Splendour In The Grass. Do you feel there is a big difference between your performance at festivals and your headlining shows? Yeah, a little bit. Because, like, when you do your own headline shows you obviously have access to the venue and can kind of vibe out the place. And you have soundcheck, and time to get things kind of dialled in. And then also, everyone who’s in the room is there for you. Whereas at festivals, you get thrown up onstage and you’ve got 30 minutes to set your stuff up and figure it all out. And you’re playing to a lot of people who probably don’t even know that you’re a band, or that you even exist. So you try to only play the ones that most people know maybe, and don’t play too many slow songs so that people don’t walk away and go get a beer. Last time we talked, you hadn’t performed for an Australian crowd yet. What did you find the Aussie audience like compared to America? It’s really the same. It’s interesting now that we’re starting to play more around the world – people always ask us if the crowds are different. But for the most part, it’s really the same. Everyone is really intuitive, everyone seems to know every word. Obviously there are some places that are more flat-footed than others. But those are few and far between. And Australia’s not one of those places? Oh no. Wait, you know what? Melbourne was a bit – wait, I’m gonna be really detailed and try to recall perfectly, but Sydney was more hyped than Melbourne. Maybe I’m putting out the challenge to Melbourne. Show up! One of your merch pieces has “female fanbase” written across the front. What was the thought process behind that – what inspired it? Well we just get interviewed all the time, and people ask us how we feel about our demographic being primarily younger girls. Which, I felt like the motivation behind that… or that that was a negative connotation. Like, “Yeah, so how do you guys feel about all these young girls being your fans?” So to me that was like, if you have all the most perfect intentions in the world, that would be like you asking, “So how do you feel about getting gifts for Christmas?” Like, what do you mean how do we feel about getting gifts for Christmas? It’s the fucking best thing in the entire world. And so I was just so sick of getting asked that. And I thought it was so disrespectful. I thought it was pretty ignorant, to be honest with you. And so we’ve always just been really thankful for anyone who comes to our shows. Like, the fact that anyone is there, we’re pumped. And to just put an end to that question, I just wanted to make a statement: Lany has a female fan base, and we love it, and we’re here for it. And we’re here because of it. And

8 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

body of work, so the only song that’s on the debut album that’s been previously released is ‘I Love You So Bad’ [‘ILYSB’].

Your self-titled debut album is out Friday June 30. What are the biggest differences between recording and releasing an album, and releasing your previous EPs?

We love that song, and obviously a lot of people love that song, so that was even done more strategically for radio purposes. You know, taking that song to radio and giving that song a shot at radio, that’s why that song is on the debut album.

There’s not going to be a massive difference sonically, because it is our debut album, and it would be pretty counter-intuitive to release something that’s completely different on a debut album. The difference is that it’s going to be longer, you know, there’s 16 tracks. It was really important to us that our debut album wasn’t just a culmination of the most popular songs from our previous EPs, surrounded by a couple of new songs. We just did not want to do that. We wanted to put out an entirely new

In writing the new songs for the album, what inspirations were you pulling from? I mean, I write a lot of love songs. We’re known for that. And I just feel like those are the best kinds of songs in the world, the ones that stand the test of time, and they’re usually about love. So I guess I’m either really sensitive, or really dialled into the details, and the… I don’t know, the

xxx

“Lany has a female fan base, and we love it, and we’re here for it. And we’re here because of it.”

I just wanted the girls to know that I love them, and we appreciate them, and we respect them, and that we value them.

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FEATURE

subtleties of relationships and the things that you go through emotionally, and think and feel. And so I write from very personal experience. And you know, when you’re Lany and you play 130 shows a year – like, I don’t know how anyone who doesn’t write their own songs performs night in and night out. How do

“I don’t know how anyone who doesn’t write their own songs performs.” thebrag.com

you stand up onstage and do that? For me, that would be impossible. The only thing that saves me and keeps me sane is that for the 75 minutes that I’m onstage singing these songs, I know exactly what I’m saying and exactly what I’m feeling. And I know what I know, and I know what I’ve experienced, and this is my account of that experience. And then I share that, and people find peace, and they find hope in that, and they can draw the parallels between what happened in my life and what happened in their lives. And I think sometimes the similarities are just uncanny. They’re almost identical for some people. And that’s kind of what I do as a songwriter. You touched on it briefly before, how you construct a setlist for a festival, but I’m interested in how you collate a setlist for a headline show given that some Lany songs have cult status among fans. How do you

balance what the fans want to hear with what you want to perform? Well, fans always come first. So everything that we do is with them in mind. And there’s times when we might have a setlist and then halfway through a tour we might change it. Because for me it’s all about ebb and flow, peaks and valleys … but knowing that ultimately as you peak and valley, you want to hit the crescendo at the end. What: Splendour In The Grass 2017 With: The xx, Queens of the Stone Age, LCD Soundsystem, Royal Blood, Haim and many more Where: North Byron Parklands When: Friday July 21 – Sunday July 23 And: Also appearing at the Metro Theatre on Saturday July 22 More: Lany out Friday June 30 through Universal

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FEATURE

BLACK SABBATH – ‘PARANOID’ ‘Paranoid’. Not only the title to what is arguably Black Sabbath’s finest achievement as a recording act, but also one of the most famous songs in all metal. Bassist Geezer Butler said the title track to Sabbath’s 1970 album was intended to be a “three-minute filler”, but Tony Iommi formulated a menacing riff that resulted in one modern music’s most adored masterpieces.

Famous Songs That Were Written In Under 30 Minutes

There’s something really special about sudden moments of intense inspiration. It’s crazy to think that for many artists, magic happens when it’s written swiftly in a drunken stupor or a half-awake daze. From The Rolling Stones scribbling down a song from an inspired dream, to Adele knocking out some lung-busting ballads in half an hour, take a tour of The Fast And The Furious, musician-style: the best and most iconic songs of all time that were written in 30 minutes or less.

JENNIFER LOPEZ FEAT. JA RULE – ‘I’M REAL (REMIX)’ No one can doubt the genius of Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule in this four minutes of pure glory. But the track itself took no more than triple the song’s actual length to write. According to Ja Rule, the hit was written in “literally ten, 15 minutes. Done deal.” However, ‘I’m Real’ teaches us a lesson to take care when writing quickly – the use of the N-word in the song sparked backlash amongst the African-American community (due to Lopez’s Latino background). On the matter, J-Lo had the following to say: “The use of the word in the song – it was actually written by Ja Rule – it was not meant to be hurtful to anybody.”

ADELE – ‘SKYFALL’ What hasn’t Adele achieved in her short career? The 29-year-old has shattered just about every record before her with just three albums. So it’s only natural that she drafted the opening theme track to one of the world’s greatest and most lucrative film franchises, the James Bond series, in a scant ten minutes. According to co-writer and producer Paul Epworth, the golden girl from Tottenham, recovering from serious vocal chord crises, managed to put down the majority of the lyrics to ‘Skyfall’ “within ten minutes”. These mere ten minutes earned Adele a casual Golden Globe for Best Original Song – oh, and an Academy Award in the same field. She must have an awfully full pool room.

BLINK-182 – ‘DAMMIT’ Setting the path for their world-beating third album Enema Of The State, ‘Dammit’ was Californian punks Blink182’s first song to grace the charts, debuting at number 11 on the US Modern Rock Tracks list and 34 in Australia. Written in the aftermath of bassist Mark Hoppus breaking up with his girlfriend, ‘Dammit’ is characterised by its strong, repetitive punk riff. It’s no surprise it was written in five minutes flat – it’s a very basic song. But in this case, basic is best, with the results being one hell of a punk rock anthem.

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“TAYLOR CERTAINLY ACTED SWIFT UPON HEARING THIS.”

KANYE WEST – ‘ALL FALLS DOWN’ The College Dropout was the landmark debut record from Kanye West. Production of the record was said to stretch painfully over four years, yet Yeezy has been quoted saying that the second single from the record, ‘All Falls Down’, took him all of 15 minutes to throw down.

RAY CHARLES – ‘WHAT’D I SAY’

TAYLOR SWIFT – ‘WE ARE NEVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER’ Let’s face it – Taylor Swift is a hit-making machine. Swift’s fourth record Red was yet another annexation of charts across the globe, championed by leading single release ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’. Swift’s inspiration came from seeing a friend of her ex-boyfriend, who asked if she was getting back together with that former flame. Well, Taylor certainly acted Swift upon hearing this. Guitar in hand, and 25 minutes later, Rolling Stone’s second best song of 2012 was written.

THE ROLLING STONES – ‘(I CAN’T GET NO) SATISFACTION’ Keith Richards has stated this quintessential Stones riff gained its origin in two minutes of the guitarist fooling about on an acoustic six-string before passing out in a hotel room in Florida. What a stroke of fateful genius those two minutes turned out to be. The track was the first Stones single to be released in the States, reaching number one, and was their fourth single to chart at the top in the UK. Too easy, Keef!

A defining moment in the history of music: the day Ray Charles gave birth to soul. But this groundbreaking track was no calculated move. ‘What’d I Say’ was a mere improvisation to fill some time at the end of a set that sparked a crowd reaction too raucous for Charles to ignore. The tune earned Charles his first gold record and is heralded as one of the most influential tracks ever written. All from a 1am time-filling improvisation in a smoky bar in 1958.

THE JAM – ‘THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT’ It’s interesting to hear that one of a band’s most popular tracks was written in ten minutes flat. It’s even more interesting when you find out that same track was written while the composer was drunk. That’s what guitarist and vocalist Paul Weller is said to have done, penning ‘That’s Entertainment’ after coming home from a night out at the pub. The song went on to become The Jam’s most recognised track, and was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest songs of all time.

BEYONCÉ – ‘SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)’ The song with that dance was written in 20 minutes, according to hip hop producer The-Dream. “When Bey came in, she had that smirk that I see when I know a record is happening,” Dream said. Taking that into consideration, Beyoncé might well have predicted she’d be walking away with an armful of Grammy Awards, over 580 million views on YouTube and a track that would become one of the most instantly recognisable of all time. ▲

LED ZEPPELIN – ‘ROCK AND ROLL’ While recording Led Zeppelin IV, the album that featured the epic ‘Stairway To Heaven’, rock gods Led Zeppelin struggled to complete the track ‘Four Sticks’. According to singer Robert Plant, John Bonham “did the [Little Richard’s ‘Keep A-Knockin’’] drum intro and we just followed on. I started doing pretty much that half of that riff you hear on ‘Rock And Roll’ and it was just that exciting so we thought, ‘Let’s work on this.’” Within 15 minutes the entire song was completed and became the second track on the album.

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“BUCK LEAVES US WITH SOME MORE INSPIRING WORDS FOR ANY ASPIRING SONGWRITERS OUT THERE: ‘IF A SONG TAKES MORE THAN 20 MINUTES TO WRITE, IT PROBABLY WASN’T WORTH WRITING.’”

GUNS N’ ROSES – ‘SWEET CHILD O’ MINE’ Axl Rose was upstairs and overheard his fellow members of Guns N’ Roses jamming down below. He took the opportunity to write some lyrics, not knowing the band was just messing around. It was at that moment, as a joke, that Slash improvised the worldfamous riff that almost anyone can recognise. In a mere five minutes, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ was born. Not much has to be said about the aftermath of the track’s release. It was the third single released from their 1987 debut Appetite For Destruction, which went on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide – providing Guns N’ Roses with the platform that would see them become one of the world’s best-selling bands.

U2 – ‘40’ Having overrun their time in the studio, U2 were on the verge of being thrown out by the studio manager. According to Bono, in the little time they had, the band wrote the track ‘40’ in ten minutes, based on specific Psalms found in The Bible. Featuring as the last track on their 1983 album War, ‘40’ still gets a warm reception whenever it’s played live. The song has apparently been performed over 400 times – a regular fixture as the closing song of U2 concerts worldwide.

BEASTIE BOYS – ‘(YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY!)’ In 1986, the Beastie Boys sent a message out into the world – a message encouraging every person to fight for their right to party. From their debut album Licensed To Ill, this message – having taken form as a rap/rock delight – climbed to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, and into history. It’s the song that many people associate with the band today – so it’s hard to fathom that it was written in only five minutes on napkins.

R.E.M. – ‘LOSING MY RELIGION’ If you only know one R.E.M. song, it’s probably this one. This Grammy Award-winning tune was apparently written in ten minutes by guitarist Peter Buck while he was watching television. Having just bought a mandolin, Buck had been recording himself practise. He later recalled, “There was a bunch of stuff that was really just me learning how to play mandolin, and then there’s what became ‘Losing My Religion’, and then a whole bunch more of me learning to play the mandolin.” Yep. Happens to us all the time. Buck leaves us with some more inspiring words for any aspiring songwriters out there: “If a song takes more than 20 minutes to write, it probably wasn’t worth writing.” Ah well.

THE GUESS WHO – ‘AMERICAN WOMAN’ One of Canada’s greatest triumphs, The Guess Who, crafted ‘American Woman’ from a simple transition jam to vibe up the crowd between tracks. This instrumental intermission gained momentum to which Burton Cummings began improvising lyrics to fit the beat. Legend goes that a young gig-goer was making a bootleg cassette tape recording of the show, and the rest is history. With almost no changes made to the original song, a number one hit was born for the Winnipeg winners. 12 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

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The Undertones Still Kicking On By Natalie Rogers

FEATURE

“We rented a place together around 1975 and that’s when we first came up with the idea to form a band.”

hey were dubbed “the most improbable popstars, from the most unexpected place”. 40 years after performing their debut single, ‘Teenage Kicks’, on Britain’s Top Of The Pops, The Undertones – Northern Ireland’s answer to punk and new wave – are winging their way to us for the very first time. “We are finally bringing our Irish rock’n’roll to Australia!” says guitarist and primary songwriter John O’Neill. Despite his band being touted as Derry’s most successful export, O’Neill laughs, they sometimes struggle to make a living from touring. “We are asked all the time, ‘When are you coming to Australia?’, but you have to remember, we don’t do this full-time, we all have day jobs, so touring has to fit around everyone’s schedules. This year we’re able to make it work, and it’s excellent to have an opportunity to come and play some shows.” Coming together amid the growing unrest and uncertainty of Northern Ireland in the mid-’70s, The Undertones single-handedly introduced the new wave and punk DIY ethos to their peers, playing covers of their favourite bands at scout halls, schools and other local venues. “There were a few local bands playing around at the time, but they weren’t what we were into. The bands played either pop-type music, stuff that they had heard on the charts, or they were playing Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, which we detested at the

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time,” says O’Neill. “And because of the war there were not a lot of bands coming over [to Northern Ireland]. People were afraid to be here. “We loved the early Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Animals. So we rented a place together around 1975 and that’s when we first came up with the idea to form a band. We started playing together just in the living room sorta thing. We knew that nobody was playing anything like that in Derry and we weren’t even thinking about anything outside of that.” At the time, The Undertones’ lineup comprised O’Neill, his brother Damian, Michael Bradley, Billy Doherty and lead singer Feargal Sharkey (since replaced by Paul McLoone in 1999). “Lucky for us the punk thing was really taking hold in New York and we’d read about it in NME. We read about groups like Television, the Ramones and Blondie. Obviously that had a knockon effect in England with bands like The Clash … We loved the indie rock thing. It was like, if you could play a chord and then play two chords, you could form a band,” O’Neill laughs. “We loved the ethos and we believed in it. “Covering those bands helped to give us some momentum and then we started reading about bands like The Stooges, New York Dolls

and The Velvet Underground. You couldn’t buy those records in Derry because they were so obscure, but we had a friend of a friend in Dublin who would lend them to us. So we were able to pick songs from those records to bulk up our repertoire.” Soon The Undertones had perfected their short, sharp songs of adolescent angst and they found themselves with a residency at one of Derry’s most iconic clubs of the day, The Casbah. Around this time, the legendary BBC DJ John Peel got a hold of their debut single ‘Teenage Kicks’, and after declaring, “It doesn’t get much better than this,” he played it twice in a row. Suddenly everyone wanted a slice of The Undertones. “We never took the band that seriously before that. We thought, ‘[We’ll] make a record and then we will break up, but at least we will prove that a punk band came from Derry in 1977,’” O’Neill says. “But as soon as John played our record, the phone started to ring from various record companies wanting to come over to see us, so we thought, ‘Well, we’d better not break up!’” he laughs. “‘There might be something happening here.’” While the five friends remain as unpretentious as ever, they’re well aware of the fact that after nearly half a century their music

“If you could play a chord and then play two chords, you could form a band.” is still loved the world over, and to celebrate their 40th anniversary they released vinyl remasters of their first two LPs, The Undertones and Hypnotised. “Even though we’re all in our 50s now, the music still seems relevant,” says O’Neill. “People still want to see stripped-back, basic rock’n’roll. “And we still feed off the energy of our audience and we meet people of all ages at our shows. Kids in their teens and 20s, all the way up to those who were there in the early days are coming to see us, which is lovely, and we love playing small clubs, keeping the gigs intimate. “There’s nothing better than being onstage with the audience right in of you, with no gap between us and the crowd. That to me is what rock’n’roll and punk is all about anyway.” With: Feedtime, Nick Nuisance and The Delinquents Where: Metro Theatre When: Saturday July 8

“There’s nothing better than being onstage with the audience right in of you, with no gap between us and the crowd.” BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17 :: 13

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“Having real interactions with people is just… it’s just so beautiful.”

Big Thief To Be Honest By Joseph Earp

uck Meek is trying to tell the truth. There’s a pause, the line crackles, and then he tries again. “I’m trying to put this into the right words, because I’ve never really talked about this before,” he says, brightly. The guitarist for Brooklynbased indie act Big Thief is trying to explain what makes his friend and writing partner Adrianne Lenker special, but it’s not easy: her talents, he says, are too ephemeral to easily disseminate into words. “When she observes something, she has such a deep honesty that she sees it, she processes it, and then she writes about it – and all completely without ego. She doesn’t try to hold anything back, or veil it or decorate it. She almost doesn’t even interpret it beyond her honest first reaction. So because she’s so honest, and because emotions are abstract, she has this gift for interpreting things immediately, without filter, and that means sometimes they come out in this way that isn’t necessarily literal… it’s hard to explain sometimes.”

But that rawness is what defines not just Lenker but the band as a whole, from Meek’s weaving, warbling guitar work to the precision of the group’s rhythm section – Max Oleartchik’s bass work and James Krivchenia’s drumming. Big Thief are a unified front, and their cohesion is what makes a record like Capacity so sleek and accomplished. “We’ve learned from experience that if you withhold anything – any kind of emotion – when you’re in such close quarters with someone, it will eventually rear its head, and most likely in an unhealthy way. So we try to express what we’re feeling to each other as soon as we can. Sometimes that can almost feel forced or overkill, but because we spend so much time with each other, that honesty has led to a really deep trust.” Anyone who caught Big Thief’s debut

Australian tour will know exactly what Meek means. Their concert at the sadly departed Newtown Social Club was an exhibition of old, raw wounds defined by brittle guitar solos and Lenker’s wide, flashing eyes. By the time it was done, people stumbled out as though struck. But isn’t it difficult to keep up that level of emotional vulnerability? Doesn’t it start to drain? “I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily difficult, but it doesn’t lead to consistency,” Meek says. “If we’re feeling sick or we’re feeling introverted or upset or insecure or even really happy, because we’ve built our whole creative process around honesty, it really shows. There’s no veil of calculated performance tactics to cover our true feelings up. So that means when things are going well within, it shows, and whenever we’re in turmoil, that shows as well. But it’s worth it. “Over the course of an entire tour – or even over the course of a night given you’re having so many different emotions when you’re playing – being honest to what you’re feeling empowers a real relationship with whoever you’re in the room with. I feel like it opens the potential for real communication. Over the course of a career, I feel like that becomes the more sustainable path.” Happily for Big Thief fans, that honesty is extremely inclusionary, and Meek

“There’s no veil of calculated performance tactics to cover our true feelings up.” 14 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

welcomes the two-way nature of his relationship with crowds. He is not one to disappear into the tour van at the end of a show, or to awkwardly deflect the open admissions of adoration from his fans. “Because we really work to maintain honesty and vulnerability in our music and in the band, I think that empowers our audiences to be open and vulnerable as well, in their own experiences and in their connection with us after the show – so even if it’s brief, it feels real. “I mean, playing a show really opens everyone up, so at the end of the night you get to have real connections with people, even if it’s only for 30 seconds. I try to be as open as I can in those situations. After we’re done playing, I try to spend as much time as I can at the merch table talking to people.” This, Meek explains, is how he fights off the slog of life on the road; how he makes sure that travelling the world and playing his music never becomes a chore. “On one hand you may only see one block of a city you’re playing in – you might spend a night in Paris and never see more than the venue – but at the same time you have really deep interactions with the people there, which in a way is even more of a direct connection than your general tourism and just checking out the architecture.” There is a warm pause, while Meek once again searches for the words. “Having real interactions with people is just… it’s just so beautiful.” What: Capacity out now through Spunk

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BigThief photo by Shervin Lainez

Maybe, but maybe not – at least not for anyone who has heard Big Thief’s exceptional new record, Capacity. After all, abstract honesty is the point on which the album pivots: Lenker builds metaphors that go like Buicks, and never once seeks shelter

from the sometimes ugly things one digs up when truth-telling. From the copper wire choruses of ‘Shark Smile’ to the heartrending, piano-led ‘Mary’, Lenker never says anything that she doesn’t mean; never buries herself in cliché, or seeks refuge in stereotype. They say a good poem lines you up with a feeling and then nails you to it. They might as well have been talking about Lenker’s lyrics.

Steve Hackett Passion Over Eloquence By Anna Rose

“People didn’t get Genesis at first but then we heard one day that [John] Lennon liked us.” FEATURE

typical English gentleman, Steve Hackett arms himself with a nice cup of tea as he prepares to speak to the BRAG. Nestled comfortably in his London home, the guitarist has spent his morning participating in a slew of interviews regarding his first-ever Australian tour and the release of his new album The Night Siren – a sip of that golden amber provides momentary calm. Famed as the guitarist of legendary rock band Genesis, recent years have seen Hackett churn out a colossal amount of material, with arguably one of the most important progressive rock bands in music history and as a solo guitarist. Hackett’s Australian tour, titled Genesis Revisited, will be a chance for fans to experience both Genesis’ classic tracks and Hackett’s own discography.

Steve Hackett photo by Cathy Poulton

“Music has done extraordinary things to me, and for me, over the years,” says Hackett. “Ever since I was a child my father played musical instruments – since I was two I tried to play harmonica. I could have had 20 different professions from what my dad laid on the table from the time I was knee-high to a grasshopper.” In essence, Hackett’s trademark variation in style stems from approaching music with an innocent perspective, and looking at it all without prejudice. “[In England] we only had two radio stations,” Hackett recalls. “All music was under one banner and 1950s radio made no distinction … so I got up thinking that all music, I don’t see the difference. That carried on in everything into the 1960s, everything from Jimmy Young to Bach.” Interestingly, that indifference to genre is one of the ways Hackett’s material has remained so pivotally diverse over the years. “For me, the idea [is

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that] music has no prejudice,” says Hackett. “What if we lived in a culture of end-of-the-pier music and we were forced into the drink? Forced to do R&B, forced to do dance music … at the end of the day, we have to fight our own prejudices.” In the new album, The Night Siren, Hackett’s love of Bach is evident; songs like ‘In The Skeleton Gallery’ ring with the traditional elements of classical music while still retaining that rock‘n’roll air. Hackett is stoic about how all music shows no differentiation and that his own is open to interpretation. “I thought I’d probably hidden the Bach,” he laughs. “It depends on your take on music – if you said to a person that rock and blues music [were the same], which sound nothing like each other, they might think they’re similar indeed. Perhaps to an alien it’s the same, with fast notes in one and in the other. “Maybe the similarities are greater than the differences – again this great word ‘prejudice’, you might say well yeah, it’s shot full of emotion, what about Bach? He’s supposed to be a great mathematician – the concert for two violins, the largo section, it sounds romantic to me, the two melody lines working and intertwined like two lovers. And if that isn’t romantic, I don’t know what is, but he will always be referred to as the quintessential classical composer.

“I think he and Handel knew how to rock out, and in spirit they were jazz musicians!” Like Bach’s Inventions, Hackett has spent his lifetime reinventing himself on a theme of rock‘n’roll, first with Genesis and then as a solo artist. “Music was something I thoroughly researched and, like Michelangelo, I learned to sketch in a number of styles and at times to go more purist and record in unfamiliar styles. I’d jump in with both feet and reinvent myself and start with the really difficult stuff – I thought if I could do this, I could do the simple stuff. Tribute is one of the most important records I’m proud of – six pieces, Bach, Scarlatti, Byrd; the livelier stuff I’ve recorded is from that time. It’s a lot like archaeology, like you’re interpreting hieroglyphics, but these guys, they’re looking for someone outside of the box. Today we’re trying to operate outside of the box and try and create something new. “It’s funny, people mention that track [‘In The Skeleton Gallery’] – there’ve been times I’ve done things for me [but] people had responded with their cut to that and their response is a great mystery to me. All music is a shot in the dark, people might not get it at first. People didn’t get Genesis at first but then we heard one day that [John] Lennon liked us. I think the reality was they asked him in 1973 on radio who he was listening to and he said he was listening to us. We’ll never know what he was listening to; maybe he

“What if we lived in a culture of end-of-thepier music and we were forced into the drink? Forced to do R&B, forced to do dance music … at the end of the day, we have to fight our own prejudices.” was trying to be hip, but it was a feather in the cap.” Hackett has made a stellar career out of a passion for music history. This is a man who, despite having had no formal training in classical music, looks back to the composers of old as an endless source of inspiration and technical theory, and discusses their work with unique eloquence. “I prefer not to think that I speak with eloquence, that I talk about it with passion – I don’t know enough about it to be eloquent!” What: Genesis Revisited Where: Enmore Theatre When: Friday August 4 And: The Night Siren out now through InsideOut Records

“I’d jump in with both feet and reinvent myself and start with the really difficult stuff – I thought if I could do this, I could do the simple stuff.” BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17 :: 15

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BY ALEX CHETVERIKOV

Against Women In Australian Electronic Music [AND WHAT WE MUST DO TO FIX IT] hroughout the history of electronic music, women have been grossly under-represented in performance, production and management. Whether it’s in music studios, media and PR agencies, A&R and record labels, right through to their practice as performers, participants or spectators, women’s opinions continue to be held in contempt or treated with suspicion. This stigma is perpetuated in two ways. Overtly, it’s a matter of direct and deliberate discrimination – from the off-hand ignorance and petty drivel that populates the thin veil of social media, to the music industry’s habit of sexualising its female stars. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, opportunities are withheld: the imbalance is selfevident in the poor rates of representation of women in festival lineups, and in the antagonism that simmers in music studios.

WOMEN ON AUSTRALIAN ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL LINEUPS

16%

In 2017, history and gender politics continue to inform the under-representation of women in the electronic music industry. But certain local communities are helping to recognise and overcome these issues. There is great work being done in Australia; real change being enacted through the power of community and awareness. Electronic music and its now well-documented history has long been tied in with adversity and politics. The genre was born from excluded and marginalised minorities seeking an inclusive and welcoming environment, free of prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identities.

84%

But if the celebratory notion of inclusion is fundamentally ingrained in electronic music, why have we left women behind?

THE RECENT HISTORY OF WOMEN IN MUSIC: What the statistics say he last couple of years have seen a dramatic (and refreshing) increase in the attention afforded to the under-representation of women in electronic music, both in Australia and internationally. Several popular music media outlets have contributed to an ongoing narrative that, for the most part, has relied on statistics to communicate the gravity of the issue. In 2015, international women’s collective female:pressure published a widely circulated report on the alarmingly low ratio of women to men on major festival lineups and record label rosters. A number of other publications, including Vice’s Thump, lent their voices to the debate, with a steady stream of articles that for the most part addressed these statistical imbalances without delving much below the surface. Elsewhere, mainstream electronic music outlets like DJ Mag were rightly pulled up on their lists of “Top 100 DJs” that featured few to no women at all.

“If the celebratory notion of inclusion is fundamentally ingrained in electronic music, why have we left women behind?” 16 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

KEY:

Acts including one or more male members only Acts including at least one female member Measured from 300+ acts on the most recent festival lineups for Pitch Music Festival, Field Day, Electric Gardens, Strawberry Fields, Sugar Mountain, Babylon and Listen Out.

On a local level, triple j’s Hack and the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) published a crucial analysis of the disparity in gender representation at various levels of performance and participation in Australia’s music industry. In preparations for this article, the BRAG conducted its own statistical study of seven of Australia’s most visible and popular electronic music festivals – those with at least ten artists on the lineup, and at least 50 per cent of their artists performing some form of electronic music.

“There appears to be a totally unreasonable expectation that women walk into the music industry as fully formed, fully fledged professionals.” thebrag.com

FEATURE

ABSENCE AND (IN)VISIBILITY: The gaping hole in Australian music “The institutionalized practices of excluding women from the ideological work of society are the reason we have a history constructed largely from the perspective of men, and largely about men.” – DOROTHY E. SMITH, THE EVERYDAY WORLD AS PROBLEMATIC: A FEMINIST SOCIOLOGY “Everything is political. All of our social relations are based on economic and therefore political power. It amuses me when people say it’s inappropriate to combine politics and music … Everything about this industry is based on politics.” – JIM POE, BONDI BEACH RADIO hen we consider the visibility of an individual – be it a musician, manager, promoter, label employee, or any of the countless roles within the broad umbrella of the music industry – what exactly are we referring to? Visibility is the opportunity that we afford to an individual – whether that’s the opportunity to succeed or the opportunity to fail. It’s in validation of opinion and character; it demands the establishment of an inclusive, mutual history. Visibility is in leadership; in exposure and recognition, respectful of orientation and identity. Visibility is in education and encouragement, and in the breaking down of gender- and identityprescribed expectations. The history of popular music, let alone electronic music, has been largely established through an exclusionary patriarchal lens. It’s telling, then, that the conversation surrounding women in the music industry often revolves around absence or invisibility. Ours is a history in which women have traditionally struggled to be recognised for their work in a male-dominated industry, remaining codified in representations of gender that have been traditionally ascribed by male privilege. This history has been passed down and perpetuated through generations. It is germinated through language and through the spaces that we inhabit and occupy. It permeates through our daily dialogue and rhetoric. If we remain apathetic or resistant to acknowledging this history, we are ultimately reinforcing the traditional tropes and constructs of gender identity that constitute it. All too easily we encounter entrenched attitudes, systems and expectations that impact directly on the visibility of women in the music industry. From the BRAG’s discussions with individuals and groups involved at various levels of music performance and management, there appears to be a totally unreasonable expectation that women walk into the music industry as fully formed, fully fledged professionals, or that their very interest or participation in the music industry carries its own sense of privilege or tokenism (an especially disgusting thought).

“The results are far from positive when it comes to these festivals’ representation of women.”

The effects of exclusion are both insidious and conspicuous. Exclusion directly affects the individual – in the conception, realisation and production of their music – and the community, in enabling and incorporating said music. Consigning women to a sense of ‘otherness’ in all aspects of the music industry undermines their visibility and dilutes their history. Limited opportunity limits not only individual and collective expression; it is felt in the relative lack of role models and mentors for others to aspire to and be inspired by.

Those festivals chosen included Pitch Music Festival, Field Day, Electric Gardens, Strawberry Fields, Sugar Mountain, Babylon and Listen Out, and only their most recent incarnations were considered.

Kristen Marconi, the founder of Australian music community Let The People Dance, says: “With most industries being male at the top, for girls to start being that role model or take that chance, they often need to be willing to be the first or only girl in the room.”

The results are far from positive when it comes to these festivals’ representation of women. Of the 300+ acts featured across these lineups, only 51 included a female performer. A number of the festivals fared very poorly indeed. Women were represented in a meagre 16 per cent of the total acts, echoing the trends identified in the female:pressure and Thump studies, among others conducted in recent years.

Visibility is effected in projection, image and branding. We’re all familiar enough with the narrative now to appreciate that, historically, the marketability of men and women has often stood in stark opposition. It’s not often a press release or Facebook page describes someone as a “male DJ”, nor does image seem to figure in negative terms when we consider male performers.

What does collating these statistics actually achieve? Ultimately, we use these numbers to open a dialogue, increase awareness, and seek accountability for an imbalanced status quo.

“Female musicians are always ‘female’ guitarists, ‘female’ drummers… you would never say that is a wicked ‘male’ bass player,” says Jen Finnley from Pink Noise. “Our gender always seems to precede. It’s one of those little things that undermines female artists”.

Statistics, of course, only tell one part of the story – and for that reason, the festival-specifi c results are not published here (though all the lineup details are freely available online). Resolving the inequality of representation on festival lineups would require a 50/50 balance of men and women. But while such a goal might indicate numerical equality, it’s not the be-all and end-all. What women in music really need is equality of opportunity.

Vested commercial interests are most obviously present in the damaging extremes of the vast and bloated EDM market, which often centres on the marketability of a DJ or performer: a sexualised commodity redacted of meaningful political significance and, ultimately, a regressive influence on our progress towards equity and equality.

It’s very easy to point fi ngers at promoters, but we must also recognise the tremendous amount of work involved in selecting and approaching artists, who may themselves have scheduling conflicts or are not interested in travelling to the other side of the world. What’s more problematic is how the gender disparity is continuously seen and felt at multiple levels: artist representation at festivals is but one very visible tier of a complex issue.

– JEN FINNLEY, PINK NOISE

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Pink Noise

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“Female musicians are always ‘female’ guitarists, ‘female’ drummers … It’s one of those little things that undermines female artists.”

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“Established spaces such as the recording studio, its instruments and its technologies, have long been dominated by the masculine presence.” THE POLITICS OF SPACE: The physical oppression of women “Everything that a guy says once, you have to say fi ve times.” – BJÖRK, PITCHFORK

“Feminist and cultural studies scholars alike agree that technology is not inherently masculine, but has been labeled as such … such infl uences have narrowed the defi nition of what constitutes technology and systematically written women out of technology’s collective memory.” – REBEKAH FARRUGIA, BEYOND THE DANCE FLOOR: FEMALE DJS, TECHNOLOGY, AND ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC CULTURE

he discussion of women in electronic music cannot be separated from its politics. Whether or not we actively identify ourselves as political, our actions are inherently political. We are, over the course of our everyday lives, privy to a plethora of language and behaviour that is situated in a political discourse. We experience it in the spaces we occupy, in the concerts we attend, the music we listen to in transit, and the language we use.

“Creating art or using your voice in a public space is inherently political,” says Pink Noise’s Mari Stuart. “It’s up to each person to decide what they want to do with that voice, and obviously every situation is different, but for me it’s important to speak against and not perpetuate systems of oppression when I’m given the opportunity.” The politics of language and of space play an important role in the disempowerment and invisibility of women. Established spaces such as the recording studio, its instruments and its technologies, have long been dominated by the masculine presence. As sites of male-pioneered leadership and power, they often reinforce traditional gendered divisions of labour. This is a space in which women have been kept largely absent, or their pioneering role obscured from history.

One of the most commonly cited examples is that of musician and composer Delia Derbyshire, who exerted a tremendous and, until recently, largely invisible influence on popular culture through her work on the theme to Doctor Who (with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop). But overemphasis and fetishisation of such iconic fi gures and “presenting them as oddities and exceptions to the rules of their times” generates its own problems, argued Abi Bliss in The Wire. Such a practice “risks banishing them to their own special glass cases, away from the main exhibits in the museum of musical history”. Our oppressive history is also present in the sharing of information. Behaviours intrinsic to DJing and community-building, such as crate-digging in record stores, are characterised by the author Rebekah Farrugia as “male-dominated spaces [that] became central hubs where knowledge was shared and social networks developed”.

THE POLITICS OF LANGUAGE: How we talk about women in music Let’s consider a few everyday examples of the pervasive ignorance that language can carry:

“If people like your music, you’ll become successful no matter your gender.” “If women really want it, they should work for recognition like the rest of us.” “Why should I pay more attention to her work because she’s a woman?”

tatements such as these are reductive in any number of ways. They presuppose a non-existent universal judgement of merit that reinforces the insidious nature of oppression. They deliberately obscure the underlying principles of power in place and invalidate the struggles many women experience. Read the comments on any major news piece on women in music and you’ll come across this sort of passiveaggressive discourse. Just because it isn’t happening to you, or you haven’t noticed it – or would prefer not to – doesn’t mean it’s not there. Bondi Beach Radio’s Jim Poe is well aware of the political power of language. “When I interview female DJs or musicians on my show or for an article, I never bring up their gender,” he says. “I think you can recognise that, you can celebrate their achievements and give them a platform, but you have to let them decide how and when to discuss it.” During discussions with women involved in the electronic music industry, the BRAG raised the topic of feminism as a legitimate point of empowerment. Some interview subjects met the issue with reluctance. “Personally I don’t like the word ‘feminist’ as I feel it can have aggressive or misunderstood connotations,” says DJ and producer Cassette. “We can all help

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Cassettei

“Australia is very fortunate to have such a strong and burgeoning local network of passionate young people who are working towards dismantling traditional systems of power.” each other if we work together. The market wants diversity more than ever right now, so of course it would be foolish for anyone in the business of entertainment to ignore that.” Among these negative connotations of feminism is the impression or perception of being victimised by “the oppressive, patriarchal gender politics that continue to impact everyday life for women in a Western context, despite the progress that has been made and rhetoric that argues otherwise,” according to Farrugia. Given the fact that club spaces, studios, A&R, and just about every other facet of the music industry remains dominated by the masculine presence, identifying with feminism might serve to alienate or distance women further. Of the BRAG’s interviewees, however, the vast majority saw identifying with feminism as a positive and empowering vehicle that actively works against perpetuating systems of oppression. And of course, we must consider our own use of language. This article is couched in gendered phrases like ‘woman’, ‘women’, ‘men’ and so on; not strictly in oppositional terms, but in referring to the underlying and inherent gender dynamics endemic in much Western cultural discourse. Ultimately we need to consider this as a universal series of issues rather than constantly locating it in a gender identity.

“It’s also important for us as a unive thebrag.com

A d G Andy Garveyii i

FEATURE

FINDING VOICE AND VISIBILITY: The way forward for women in music ow do we address the under-representation of women in electronic music in a meaningful way? First, let’s talk about it. Let’s make these issues tangible and present in our everyday consciousness. The more these issues are identified and discussed, the more they enter our popular lexicon and gain social capital and exposure. Visibility and participation increases social awareness and influence. Simple conversation will make a great difference in dismantling an oppressive history and forging a diverse, inclusive and respectful future. In the words of WA artist Ku ka,“The more that people think and talk about these issues, the more progress we can make.” Music has a resonance unlike any other creative pursuit, and musicians have the extraordinary potential to be drivers and promoters of change and awareness. Many of popular music’s most successful examples of this are women: think of Björk, Grimes, Rihanna, Lorde and Beyoncé. They’re among the more obvious examples of role models who young women and men can aspire to, many of them having publicly acknowledged the inherent misogyny and sexism that undermines a meaningful and inclusive creative society. And the way in which our means of communication has changed cannot be understated here, either. The internet, for all its vitriol, is a fundamental, accessible avenue in generating dialogue and bringing women – and people in general – together. The importance of community-building is absolutely paramount in promoting awareness and generating a positive, inclusive and empowering environment. From there follows the equality of opportunity in our creative spaces. “Giving opportunities to young artists to perform and grow in their art is super important as we try and balance the disparity in the industry at the moment,” says radio show host and DJ Andy Garvey. Poe agrees. “That immediate experience of enjoying music and having fun together starts to do away with people’s prejudices. I’m not saying it smashes patriarchy in and of itself, but a banging Claire Morgan set, for example, might create a space for a young guy, for example, to start to get over his prejudices.”

“Just because it isn’t happening to you, or you haven’t noticed it – or would prefer not to – doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

Australia is very fortunate to have such a strong and burgeoning local network of passionate young people who are working towards dismantling traditional systems of power and gendered expectations and establishing connections. Already, we have real grassroots role models who are generating change and disrupting the conservative disease that plagues progression. Local communities such as Pink Noise’s radio show and mixtape series, Gail Priest’s Audible Women directory, Melbourne-based Synth Babe Records, the ListenListenListen community, Marconi’s Let The People Dance and The Ladies Network k are invaluable examples of such group initiatives, among many others. FBi Radio’s Dance Class program is an essential initiative to foster, train, mentor, promote and educate female dance music lovers, with input and mentoring from some fantastic, highly experienced women in the industry including Garvey, Adi Toohey and Kali Picnic. To its credit, Smirnoff has also initiated an awareness campaign, Equalizing Music, in tandem with DJ The Black Madonna and DJ Rachael. It Kučkaii seeks to actively address the low numbers of women visibly involved in the music industry, and aims to double female headliners at major music festivals in the next three years. Another forthright approach is the organisation of femaleonly lineups and events; something Pink Noise has been particularly involved with. “For now, it is really empowering to have all-female lineups because we all need to reach a point where we are supporting each other where we have not been supported in the past,” says Marisa Marsionis. But it’s also important for us as a universal community to call out sexism and discrimination when it comes up. Pitchfork’s Philip Sherburne recently focused his ire in a direct comment on EDM’s inherent reduction of women to a consumable product. And in one local example, a FasterLouder article from last year addressed the disgustingly-titled ‘Tits Out For The Boys’ by none other than days-of-yonder Australian producer Nick Skitz. This baseless and primitive appeal to back-slapping hypermasculine larrikinism should be discouraged and criticised so that a social precedent is set. And what about those music festival lineups? “I think Australian media recognises the demand for diversity in the industry, but it may take longer for promoters to reflect this in their lineups,” says Cassette. “I guess for this to happen, local promoters would need to look outside their immediate friend circles and get a bit more creative with their lineups, taking chances on suitable female talent where they can. Ultimately it will only benefit them, as there is market demand for it.” In Marconi’s view, it’s a matter of “people coming together and supporting and nurturing women to try and put themselves forward. We need to be extra welcoming and encouraging … If we want more diversity, togetherness and unity in this industry, we all need to do more to help women feel safe in trying.” ■

rsal community to call out sexism and discrimination when it comes up.” thebrag.com

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arts in focus

“The first time I met him, he knew everything about me, knew my complete background.”

FEAUTRE

Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds [GAMING/MUSIC] The Best Of All Worlds By David Molloy

017 is an auspicious year for Square Enix, marking the 30th anniversary of the video game developer’s sci-fi /fantasy saga Final Fantasy in its many iterations. Across its 15 titles and countless spin-offs, remakes and reboots, it has shipped over 100 million units worldwide and become the quintessential Japanese roleplaying game and manga hair simulator. And on the world anniversary tour, Sydney is the first stop.

On the stage of ICC, a huge symphonic orchestra and chorus will be led through a selection of the game series’ finest musical moments, led by Grammy-winning conductor and composer Arnie Roth. As the musical director of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony since 2006, Roth has been instrumental in bringing game soundtracks to life, and Final Fantasy will be his constant companion until January 2018. “We wanna represent as much of the entire series as possible, but we also need to make sure we have some of the beloved classics on there and also new arrangements of things, surprises for the fans,” he says. “The two big classics that have to be in every Final Fantasy program – we’ll certainly have Final Fantasy X’s ‘Zanarkand’ and Final Fantasy VII’s ‘One Winged Angel’. There should be no Final Fantasy concert without those two.” Roth’s attachment to the series, fascinatingly, is predominantly through his collaboration and relationship with the series’ composer Nobuo Uematsu, one of the gaming world’s most iconic musicians. Roth sees him as a unique artist in his field, and a man ahead of his time. “The wonderful part of this is, many video game composers – and this goes for film composers as well – do sketches of the compositions that they’re using as they’re working, and they rely on a whole team of

“In Final Fantasy VI, [Nobuo Uematsu] has 40, 45 minutes of opera in this video game where he could not record the human voice, or any instruments!” 20 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

other people to flesh out these sketches into full-fledged compositions, whether it’s just orchestrating or further arranging the material,” says Roth. “Nobuo is actually one of the anomalies, in a way – if you go back and listen to his original soundtracks, so much of the orchestration and the arranging is already done in these things, he was thinking along those lines years before we were performing Final Fantasy scores live with orchestra and chorus. So the man really has been a visionary for many, many years. “The most remarkable thing for me as an arranger, orchestrator, composer and conductor is to go back to his original soundtracks and see what his mind was up to on those soundtracks, many of which were done with 8-bit capabilities so you could only have two or three voices on this computer chip. We go back to these things and we can hear essentially full operas and full orchestra arrangements, done in this summary style that he had to deal with, and to me it’s completely eye-opening to look at that and then translate it to full orchestra scores.” While much of Roth’s work lies in arranging for the stage – and coaxing composers out into the live space – he often finds his work done for him in regard to Uematsu, whose complex melodies and structures are already highly developed. “It translates so easily because [Uematsu] gave you everything in these little 8-bit sketches. In [1994’s] Final Fantasy VI, he has 40, 45 minutes of opera in this video game where he could not record the human voice, or any instruments! … No one was doing this stuff back then. “All this translates to the concert hall stage perfectly. So, for me, as a conductor and a musician, working with Nobuo Uematsu is the best of all worlds because his music comes to the table fully fleshed out.” The average modern day composer, by Roth’s estimation, is “more about studio technology and keyboards”, and he acknowledges that their talent for writing does not come bundled with the confidence to conduct a full symphonic orchestra. In that respect, he’s worked alongside brilliant composers such as Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi to get them comfortable bringing their respective compositions to the live space.

“As a musician, as a conductor, you can’t really aspire to a better position than working with the world’s greatest orchestra in many of the world’s most fantastic venues.” introverted Uematsu onstage with the whole ensemble. The composer will be there – but not on the stage. “It’s the funniest thing,” says Roth. “All of his writing reflects a good deep understanding of orchestration, except he really doesn’t like coming up onstage and actually performing them with an orchestra and chorus. “Unless he’s doing it with his rock band, and then he’s more comfortable,” he laughs. “You would think that’d be an easy thing for him, but it’s not, he’s not comfortable with that, and yet you can question him about almost any classical composer, any rock, any Celtic music, any jazz groups or composers. He’s very well versed. The first time I met him, he knew everything about me, knew my complete background.” Roth is quick to assure that there’s no opportunism in the tour’s timing – it’s not intrinsically linked to any new releases from Square Enix, save a remastered version of Final Fantasy XII. (“I don’t think they’re ready to release [the remake of] Final Fantasy VII yet, but believe me when I say I may be the last person to find that out,” he quips.) The anniversary exists to bring the series’ beloved compositions to life, and Roth lives for the opportunity to do so. “I have grown quite a bit working with Nobuo Uematsu’s music. As a musician, as a conductor, you can’t really aspire to a better position than working with the world’s greatest orchestra in many of the world’s most fantastic venues … I couldn’t hope for anything better.” What: Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy Where: ICC Sydney Theatre When: Saturday July 1

And yet, he has never managed to persuade the thebrag.com

arts in focus FEAUTRE

Jimeoin [COMEDY] Renonsense Man By Natalie Rogers

hese days it seems that YouTube is fraught with thousands of wannabe comics, all looking to be the next big thing – willing to say anything to shock or offend just to get noticed, and maybe land a Netflix special. But a true comedy allstar knows how to charm an audience, not alienate them; how to find the funny in everyday life, the delightful in the dull, and magic in monotony. Enter the international man of comedy, Jimeoin. The British-born entertainer is a modern-day Renaissance man (although he prefers the term ‘renonsense man’). During his prolific career, he has mastered both the stage and screen, and become known as a one of our best comedy writers and most popular TV presenters. And, for those who remember his deadpan cover of Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ – which featured a 27-year-old Jimeoin casually doing his weekly shop – a bit of a rock star in his own right.

“I just love to be silly and try new things all the time – comedy should be constantly evolving, otherwise it just gets boring.”

“That song is on my first CD [Goin’ Off, 1993] and I didn’t really think it was anything special, but everyone said, ‘You have got to do a film clip, that could be so funny’, so I did,” he says in characteristically unassuming style. “Growing up I may have thought about being in a band, but I think all rock stars secretly want to be comedians anyway,” Jimeoin adds. “I like being a comedian better these days. The hours are better – they tend to get off work earlier then rock stars,” he grins. His tongue-in-cheek manner has made him a perennial favourite on the festival circuit. Last year, Jimeoin took audiences on a rollicking ride while sporting double-denim and a cowboy hat, with the boot scootin’, thigh slappin’ fun of his show Yeehaa!, which celebrated all thing countrified (out now on DVD through Front Row Comedy). “I just love to be silly and try new things all the time – comedy should be constantly evolving, otherwise it just gets boring.”

“Growing up I may have thought about being in a band, but I think all rock stars secretly want to be comedians anyway.” Jimeoin has always enjoyed a new challenge, whether it’s for TV, fi lm, or even an outback adventure. He spent his early days writing and performing on the cult hit comedy Full Frontal and later went on to host The Full Brazilian for SBS during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He wrote and starred in The Extra (which was released in cinemas before Ricky Gervais’s Extras aired in the UK), and he starred alongside Akmal, Kitty Flanagan and his longtime collaborator Bob Franklin in You Can’t Stop The Murders, a spoof on crime-solving released well before Netfl ix hits Mindhorn and Handsome. He also became the first ever comedian to tour totally “over the top” of Australia, playing anywhere and everywhere – hotels, theatres, swimming pools, and even the odd cattle ranch. “A lot has changed since I first came to Australia – almost everything,” he says. “You have to move with the times if you want to keep people laughing.” As a proud father of four, Jimeoin says his favourite joke is his newest joke, and often relies on his kids for inspiration. Currently Jimeoin is touring the east coast with his Melbourne Comedy Festival smash, Renonsense Man, before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August with his new show, Ridiculous, which he also plans to tour in his childhood home of Derry, Northern Ireland – birthplace of ‘the craic’.

xxx

What: Renonsense Man When: Friday June 23 – Saturday July 22 Where: Souths Juniors (Friday July 14), North Sydney Leagues Club (Saturday July 22) and more – visit jimeoin.com for more details And: Yeehaa! out now through Front Row Comedy

thebrag.com

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out & about

arts in focus ■ Film

Queer(ish) matters with Arca Bayburt

The Sims Turned My Aunt Gay With Its PG-Rated Lesbian Porn

s a kid, I was preoccupied with escapes. Whether this was in the literal or fantastical sense, I was always thinking about how to be anywhere but where I was. This didn’t come from any dangerous urgency – I just had a relentlessly absorbing imagination and tended to be obsessive. Also, I knew I was a gigantic homosexual, and so would often imagine alternate realities where this was a totally normal and acceptable way to be and feel. Sometime in early high school, I got my hands on a copy of The Sims. I’d played simulators before and enjoyed them – they let me project a gay fantastica onto a small digital world of my own design. I wasn’t prepared for the sheer level of minutiae I’d be allowed to manage in The Sims, though, so my constantlypumped-for-anything brain was set alight with absolute pleasure at the prospect of making my Sims, gasp, homosexuals.

my directorial debut in lesbian porn. I wanted them to woohoo so bad. I felt a bit pervy making them shower more than they needed to, but hey, puberty had me in a death roll – I was powerless. Then my aunt saw my Sims making out and shat so many bricks we could have built another house. She immediately screeched at my poor mother, who was minding her own business at the kitchen table, doing a crossword. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DAUGHTER IS DOING?!” My mother lifted her head and asked what was going on. Cue my aunt’s insane rambling: “She’s making poofters kiss each other! And lesbians!”

I started small – after all, I didn’t have my own computer. It was The Family Computer and so it lived in the den, in full view of everyone’s roving eyeballs.

My mother, bless her heart, stared at my aunt long enough to make us think that she hadn’t heard her. Then she said, “OK?”

My aunt was living with us at the time. She never used the computer but would often peek over my shoulder, asking questions. No matter how banal my activity, this shoulder-perching inquisition always left me in a cold sweat. I felt that somehow a pop-up with all my gay sins would suddenly appear and I wouldn’t be able to clear it off until it was too late, and the horror of my perversion would be on display for all to see.

My aunt: “It’s a game called The Sims!” She grabbed the CD case off the desk and held it threateningly in the air. “SHOULD SHE REALLY BE PLAYING THIS?” Then she turned to me. “Arca, are they having sex in this game? Gay sex? Ew, gross, I don’t want to know… are they having sex?”

Anyway, of course that never happened, and I went on my merry way, making gay families in a town I’d innovatively called… Mount Gay.

Exasperated with my defiance, she turned to my mother (who’d gone back to her crossword). “Don’t you care about what she’s looking at? What are we going to do about this?”

“No.” I said, “They were just dancing. Obviously.”

A Quiet Passion Is A Headache-Inducing Stain On Emily Dickinson’s Legacy By Julian Ramundi

art biopic and part visual poem to Emily Dickinson, A Quiet Passion attempts to showcase the American poet’s life against the backdrop of patriarchy and the harsh Christianity of mid-1800s New England. Instead, it delivers an excruciatingly slow and portentous essay that looks like it’s been presented by the local drama club. With its subject known for being a complete recluse in her family home, the entire two-hour film is set in the confines of the Dickinson property. Its barely existent plot is based around visits from a revolving cast of inconsequential characters and Dickinson’s bachelorette status. Wooden actors loudly pontificate to each other with Monty Python levels of hamminess and a complete lack of connection to the story or each other. The editing is jarring and almost headache-inducing, with the vast majority of shots in close-up, stifling the story and performers of any chance to breathe. Scenes are thrown together in completely random fashion with no forward momentum, let alone establishment in time

or place, leaving the viewer feeling tired and unrewarded. With such extreme levels of theatrics, A Quiet Passion’s only redeeming feature is the stellar work of Cynthia Nixon as Dickinson and Jennifer Ehle as her sister Lavinia, who both work their guts out to push through a cumbersome script in an attempt to find some real connection. While the script paints Dickinson as selfabsorbed and prickly, Nixon manages to bring a warm yet defiant approach to the role, and even pushes through some very long on-screen fits to bring some humanity to the character. The film sadly skips any of the legitimately interesting things about Dickinson’s life, instead offering up everyone’s definition of a period nightmare. Ironically, the bookshop next to the cinema sold editions of her poetry for less than the ticket price, and that would be a far better investment. A Quiet Passion opens in cinemas on Thursday June 22.

“The film sadly skips any of the legitimately interesting things about Dickinson’s life, instead offering up everyone’s definition of a period nightmare.” ■ Film

The Armenian Genocide Gets The Hollywood Treatment In The Promise By Julian Ramundi

I quickly got bored of my first couple, two handsome men who were both lawyers and spent a lot of time cooking and fighting and eventually, thanks to my neglect and a restriction of their free will, ceaselessly pissing themselves.

My mother then sagely offered to take her to the next dyke night. At this, my aunt just about passed out, sputtering out a succession of how dare yous and fucking hells and what do you mean by thats.

So I made a couple of gay women and was now front row in what I felt was

A few months later, my aunt introduced us all to her new girlfriend.

“MY AUNT SAW MY SIMS MAKING OUT AND SHAT SO MANY BRICKS WE COULD HAVE BUILT ANOTHER HOUSE.”

he Armenian genocide that took place during WWI shattered a small race of people at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. A century later, the wounds of this atrocity are still felt around the world, as Turkey refuses to acknowledge what took place. The Promise – a Hollywood budget film with an English director and international cast – aims in some part to bring light to the issue. Oscar Isaac plays Mikael, a small-town Armenian who moves to Constantinople to attend medical school. While living with his wealthy uncle, he begins to fall for the family nanny Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), who is dating American journalist Chris (Christian Bale). Once the war breaks out, and the Turks begin to use force, Armenians start to fear for their safety amid rising tensions. As Chris attempts to get news of the atrocities out in the press, Mikael ends up on the run, witnessing first-hand as Armenians are initially interned before being killed en masse. The Promise uses a love triangle as a device to present the story of war,

this week… On Friday June 23, head over to The Shift Club on Oxford Street for Hellfire: The United Colours Of Bent. It’s billed as a cavalcade of decadence, debauchery and diversity. Be literal, be lateral, be part of creating a space where all the colours come together – whether it’s shiny black latex and leather or the most fantastic fluorescent fetish fashion creations. More details to be announced.

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On Saturday June 24, get down to the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville for Girlthing x Girlie Circuit Festival, bringing a special piece of Barcelona to Sydney. Tunes and entertainment from Elise Tali, Beth Yen, NatNoiz, DJ Sveta, Cunningpants, Andea Darling, Porcelain Alice, Honey Riders and more to be announced. Pre-sale tickets are available now.

Also on Saturday June 24, Max Watt’s is hosting Dragfest 2017. International sensations from the megahit TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race are bringing you the Dragfest Eleganza Tour 2017, now in its second consecutive year. There’ll be meet and greets, chances to get photos with all the queens, and of course, the queens are gonna bring out the claws and the glamour live onstage.

but unfortunately it’s predicable. Le Bon’s Ana has a kind of Euro manicpixie-dream-girl vibe, simply there to buoy the two male characters along. While Bale could play the villain as the token American boyfriend, he brings an understanding to the role that helps keep the romantic plot just outside melodrama territory. But ultimately it’s a tired trope, which waters down the real story underneath. The film was famously funded by American-Armenian casino billionaire Kirk Kerkorian right before his death, and has attracted some controversy on its release. A slew of negative IMDb reviews have been put down to pro-Turkish politics. Ultimately, though, we’re dealing with big-budget script and production, and with none of the lead cast or director being even remotely Armenian, this one unfortunately comes off more as a midday soap opera than an historical epic. The Promise is in cinemas now.

“The wounds of this atrocity are still felt around the world, as Turkey refuses to acknowledge what took place.”

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arts reviews ■ Film

The Disturbing Una Challenges Our Notions Of Love, Commitment And Fidelity

■ Film

Self-Indulgent Baby Boomers Are Under The Spotlight In Happy End By Joseph Earp

“The real target of Happy End is not millennials but boomers; the self-indulgent fuckers eating up the planet, hopping into each other’s beds and beating their chests in useless displays of their everdwindling power.”

By Joseph Earp

avid Harrower’s Blackbird is a selfsustaining, perfect little machine: a twohanded, single location play that sees a woman named Una track down Ray, the middle-aged man who lured her into a sexual relationship back when she was a child. So precise and taboo-shattering is the work that one could be forgiven for approaching Una, a new cinematic adaptation directed by first-time fi lmmaker Benedict Andrews, with caution. What’s the point of transferring a play that works precisely because of its subtlety into a medium that requires everything to be seen and actualised? At first, Una seems to confirm these worries. Rather than convey the bulk of the plot through monologues as in the play, the fi lm is packed with fl ashbacks, allowing us to watch the ‘relationship’ between the young Una (Rooney Mara) and Ray (Ben Mendelsohn) unfold. Indeed, large chunks of dialogue have been completely excised in the process of adaptation (Harrower himself wrote the script for the fi lm), shifting the focus away from the central characters’ struggles with memory and directly onto the connection between them. But quite quickly this alteration reveals itself to be a strength rather than a weakness. Una is not Blackbird, but nor does it want to be, and it exhibits none of the staginess that lets down some theatreto-cinema adaptations. Instead, Una is a vicious, beautiful masterwork – a delicately controlled assemblage of alternately disturbing and stunning set pieces that aims to challenge our notions of love, commitment and fi delity. Una was always going to live or die on the strength of its performances, and Mara and Mendelsohn are exceptional. Although the former’s stiff, affected English accent is occasionally a little off-putting, she is nonetheless an electric screen presence, and allows her wide, staring eyes to do much of the work for her. For his part, Mendelsohn is dependably brilliant, and he does a lot with a character that could have become nothing but a creepy old pervert in the hands of a lesser actor. Yet picking apart individual strengths seems counterproductive. Una is not a fi lm of specifi c moments – there is no scene where one element works to overpower all others. Instead, the fi lm is a fugue. It does things to you the longer that you watch it, gradually turning your critical faculties inwards until you are challenging things that you may well have preferred not to challenge. It is not an easy fi lm. But the well-prepared and the willing will fi nd it truly remarkable – a tragedy, troublingly fi lmed as though it were a love story.

Una was reviewed as part of Sydney Film Festival 2017. It opens in cinemas on Thursday June 22.

old Fantine Harduin, who plays the potentially psychopathic Eve Laurent with steely reserve.

ichael Haneke has spent the better part of his career saying very bad things with all the cadence we usually afford to jokes. From Funny Games to Amour, his films have the structure of dark gags, all of them closed with brutal punchlines as likely to inspire whimpers as laughs. Happy End, his newest, follows this trend, but with a slight difference: for the first time in Haneke’s career, he’s made a film that’s actually funny. Or, at least, as funny as a film about murder, infidelity and malaise can be. Although Happy End is ostensibly an ensemble family drama – it boasts a stuffed cast of cinematic titans, chiefly Jean-Louis Trintignant as an elderly patriarch losing his mind and the always exceptional Isabelle Huppert as his put-upon daughter – it neatly subverts what one might expect from such a film. This isn’t a movie

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Instead, it is a film that actively ducks away from easy categorisation, lurching about the place like the film’s drunken, disorderly black sheep Pierre (Franz Rogowski). Happy End’s ‘heroes’ never address what makes them unhappy, or even their connections with one another – they natter away at cross purposes, ignoring and undercutting each other on a whim. As a result, the dialogue has a deliciously stilted quality to it: everyone speaks as though hypnotised, or as though they are being fed their lines via a hidden earpiece. Huppert, who has done the icy manipulator thing for Haneke before in The Piano Teacher, excels, but the real MVP is the 12-year-

It’s awkward, and it’s unpleasant, and audiences will feel guilty every single time they laugh, but Happy End also happens to be a work of vicious intelligence from an all-time great filmmaker whose long-sustained smirk has finally surrendered to peals of cruel laughter. Happy End was reviewed as part of Sydney Film Festival 2017.

■ Film

Tentacle Sex And Partner-Swapping Run Rife In The Thrilling New Film The Untamed By Joseph Earp

he most surprising thing about Amat Escalante’s The Untamed is not that it revolves around the discovery of a multi-tentacled alien monster with a voracious sexual appetite, but that the film is so damn serious.

“Escalante deserves plaudits for taking a sick idea and making it even sicker.”

Despite the schlocky, sensationalist direction the writer/director could have gone in, with his fourth feature Escalante chooses to keep his outlandish pink ball of horny feelers in the background, focusing instead on the trials and tribulations of a young family. So, although the film opens with the one-two punch of a meteor hurling through space followed shortly by a scene in which a naked woman pleasures herself with an extraterrestrial, for the most part The Untamed focuses on Alejandra (Ruth Ramos), her brother Fabian (Eden Villavicencio), her husband Angel (Jesus Meza) and the tabooshattering partner-swapping that goes on between them.

“Una was always going to live or die on the strength of its performances, and Mara and Mendelsohn are exceptional.”

about people coming together, even though it’s made up of many plot strands that all eventually intertwine. Nor is it about familial secrets, or the acknowledgement of prior evils.

Despite the film’s subtle incorporation of modern technology (phones, Facebook and YouTube vloggers all make an appearance), the real target of Happy End is not millennials but boomers; the self-indulgent fuckers eating up the planet, hopping into each other’s beds and beating their chests in useless displays of their ever-dwindling power. For this reason, Haneke’s sympathy is reserved for the very old and the very young, with the film’s extraordinary final shot an entire world view compressed into a single, potent image.

Although the trio of quarrelling characters do eventually find themselves (literally) intertwined with the quivering ball of space flesh, for the most part Escalante keeps these narratives at arm’s length from each other – an attitude that will be familiar to any viewers who have seen Andrzej uławski’s masterpiece Possession, a film The Untamed directly references.

Ultimately, this approach has its upsides and downsides. On the one hand, Escalante’s carefully controlled cross-cutting enhances both facets of his narrative: the love story becomes more surreal in proximity to the gooey, sex-stuffed sci-fi elements, and the gooey, sex-stuffed sci-fi elements become enjoyably mundane in proximity to the love story. There’s something so satisfying about jumping from a scene in which a young couple argue over a potential betrayal of trust to a shot of a creature that looks like a combination of Alien’s xenomorph and a cluster of dildos, and the film is full of a giddy tonal inertia that some viewers will revel in. But it’s not all good. There are moments the film drags, and Escalante’s Carlos Reygadas-inspired

spiritual explicitness does eventually grate just a little. Ultimately, despite the madness of the film, viewers may well find it receding ever so slightly in their memory, and there is little that will warrant a second viewing. Yet when The Untamed works, it really works, and Escalante deserves plaudits for taking a sick idea and making it even sicker, capping off the film with a grim punchline of an ending that will surely inspire wry, appreciative laughter – at least from those audiences who didn’t evacuate at the first sight of tentacle sex. At its best, The Untamed is thrillingly insane: a kind of cosmic sick joke played unimaginably straight. The Untamed was reviewed as part of Sydney Film Festival 2017.

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FOOD + DRINK

FEATURE

The Best And Worst Of

[Part Two]

The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book

BY JESSICA WESTCOT T

elcome back to our breakdown of the greatest and most confusing cookbook ever published – the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book. It’s the most Australian creation since Vegemite on a barbie; more Aussie than a sitting prime minister throwing back a schooner at the cricket.

5. Humpty Dumpty

Look at this dapper gentleman. Look at him. The only thing better than this egg’s bow tie is the seemingly out-of-context tartan print that leads to his dangly cardboard legs. Ten points if your mum went the extra mile and put a dash of moss or lichen on this baby. Creativity unbound. In 2017, feel free to remake this cake with a road sign to Mexico and a sombreroed Señor Dumpty.

4. The Choo-Choo Train

Ah, the cover girl herself. According to the AWW, this st locomotion was the most popular cake in the book, which honestly just d means that Australian readers are incredibly lazy and didn’t really read past the first page. Nevertheless, the sugary popcorn smoke tower is a veritable accomplishment, meant only to be a giant middle finger to other mums at a birthday party: “Does your child get smoke that floats? Didn’t think so.”

Last week I dealt with some of the worst cakes the AWWCBCB has to offer. The Duck was a disgrace, The Piano was pathetic, and The Jack-In-The-Box just downright terrifying. But this time, I think we all deserve a dose of sugar-laden positivity. Because there are some absolute bangers in this book – cakes to bring a tear of jealousy to the eye of a 2002 primary schooler.

Now, other publications have dubbed this cake the “most-loved” out of the array in this book. I don’t disagree, per se, but personally I feel that the overall look of this cake is a bit cheap, and I would have had none of this cake were it wheeled out at a party during my childhood. Again, we see the engineering mayhem that is the upside-down ice cream cone; honestly a marvel of culinary prowess that we’ve yet to see in modern cooking.

Who among us hasn’t gone to a birthday party and given a sharp gasp when the cake was wheeled out? No amount of cheap lolly bags could hide your disappointment when you found out Amy got The Swimming Pool and all you got for your eighth birthday was a cream sponge. It stings.

I never got this cake as a kid. I was a bit of a tomboy, but I had never been more likely to relinquish my ‘boyish’ ways than when my best friend Sarah got this doll cake. Ugh. Sarah. Anyway, yes. Well done.

This list will let you revel in memories of cakes gone by, or bring back bitter rivalries. I’m happy for both, honestly. So, counting down…

3. The Castle 2. The Doll

Holy marshmallow. This tower of pink takes second place purely for the sacrifice of a toy, the intricate balance of marshmallow/ doll/sponge cake, and the overall wow factor. Well done, AWW, for coming up with a genuinely impressive style of cake that’s still relevant, largely edible, and brings tears to the eyes of six-year-olds.

1. The Swimming Pool

Well OBVIOUSLY. There was no way that the pool cake wasn’t going to top this list with flying, jelly-dampened colours. Tiny figurines lazing in jelly rings. A ladder made of liquorice and musk sticks. A fence made of those chocolate finger things. To whomever conceived this cake, I hope later in life you entered and won MasterChef. And if you didn’t, I implore you to consider it. There should be a national day dedicated to The Swimming Pool Cake. Just have a think about it, Malcolm.

“No amount of cheap lolly bags could hide your disappointment when you found out Amy got The Pool Cake.” 24 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

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name the artists How many musical legends can you identify from these fashion clues?

Share your answers at facebook.com/thebragsydney.

ART BY KEIREN JOLLY

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK LORDE

Lorde’s maturity is beyond evident in this new collection. These days, the romance of her lyrics is undercut by her youthful cynicism.

Melodrama Universal Lorde’s innovative sound and lovable humility saw her become one of the world’s bestknown musicians at only 16 years old. Now 20 and with a legion of fans behind her, she has returned with her second album, Melodrama. Clearly just as excited about the album’s release as her fans, Lorde has slyly been dropping both singles and album tracks steadily over the last few months. Hit singles ‘Green Light’ and ‘Perfect Places’ are woven among gentler tracks like ‘Writer In The Dark’, and other

sure-to-be-successes like ‘The Louvre’. Melodrama answers many of the questions that Lorde first posed in her debut, Pure Heroine. Her writing was once obsessed with adolescence, but it was never going to stick. No longer bright-eyed and dazzled,

Initially, Lorde wrote about making her own fun out of the dullness of her reality – until suddenly life offered her the abundance she once fantasised about. But as a harsh reality check to her former self, she concludes Melodrama with the words, “What the fuck are perfect places, anyway?” Melodrama is an intoxicating album from an artist who has never shied away from originality and honesty. Abbey Lenton

“Lorde’s maturity is beyond evident in this new collection.”

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK TIRED MINDS Loom Art As Catharsis

Left-of-centre Australian punk and hardcore is often a victim of identity crisis – clutching the ‘experimental’ tag so close it teeters on imitation. Few bands refute this, and even fewer are still in operation. Tired Minds are among those toying with traditional formulas and producing a fresh take on an at-times stagnant subgenre. Loom’s opener and first single ‘Low’ sprints and rests back and forth from punk fury to lax apathy, culminating in an ending whose weight is as emotionally – as it is sonically – crushing. It’s the starting gun to a race that seldom abates.

Scattered through the course of this record lie sullen rest stops – an old woman’s recount of her youth on ‘Mona’ is mortality, bare and unforgiving. Loom spends most of its time in the gloom of reality. Comparisons to bands like La Dispute, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge are warranted. While the record’s inspirational sources are easily referenced in a passing riff, drum fi ll or vocal phrase, these references are purely conversational. Loom feels less like it’s paying homage and more like it’s cutting its own line, leaning only on its influences for guidance. It’s safe to say: the future of Australia’s more experimental acts in the punk and hardcore scenes looks promising. Aaron Streatfeild

“Loom spends most of its time in the gloom of reality.”

FIRST DRAFTS Unearthed demos and unfinished hits, as heard by Nathan Jolly Pearl Jam – ‘Alive’

ddie Vedder moved at lightning speed during the early months of Pearl Jam’s existence. The band had formed from the ashes of Seattle glam/ grunge group Mother Love Bone, who were reeling from the heroin overdose death of singer Andrew Wood mere days before the planned release of their debut album. Guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament reconnected a few months later, recording a number of instrumental songs Gossard had written in the wake of Wood’s death. They teamed with Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron and local guitarist Mike McCready, and quickly bashed out the heavier-sounding songs.

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As the story goes, he bolted from the surf to his girlfriend’s house, and out poured lyrics and melodies for three of the songs, captured on Post-it pads swiped from his work. A trilogy of dark, interlocked songs – beginning with ‘Alive’, continuing with ‘Once’ (also on the band’s debut album Ten) and ending with future B-side ‘Footsteps’ – was quickly recorded, assembled onto a tape that Vedder titled Mamasan (the story details a sexually warped relationship between mother and son, and the consequences of this) and sent to Ament. Ament was blown away, and rushed to the phone: “Stone, you’d better get over here.” Gossard was similarly stoked, and arranged to fl y Vedder out to Seattle. Vedder only had one request: he didn’t wanna fuck

around, wishing to go straight from the airport to the rehearsal room and start working. ‘Alive’ was fully formed within hours; the band was gigging in a week. Five months later, Pearl Jam were signed to a major and in the studio recording Ten. You know how the rest of the tale goes. The Mamasan demo tape simultaneously shows how seasoned the musicians were even at this early stage, and how raw Vedder’s talent was. There’s less of a bite in his vocals than in the fi nished version of ‘Alive’, but the intensity remains at boiling point. Whereas Wood was a fl amboyant frontman with a voice somewhere between Axl Rose and Marc Bolan, Vedder was his own original beast, which appealed to Ament and Gossard, who had auditioned countless Andy Wood impersonators. It’s funny to think of Vedder’s voice as being original,

considering how much its appeal has been watered down over the years by countless, terrible imitators: Three Doors Down, Creed, The Calling, Nickelback, and every terrible diet rock tune in between. To Stone and Jeff in 1990, Vedder sounded fresh

and original – on that tape they heard the embryonic growls of what would grow to become a behemoth in a little over a year. Listen to the original ‘Alive’ demo at thebrag.com. xxx

The tape, inventively labelled Stone Gossard Demos ’91 (despite being recorded in later 1990), made its way via Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons (who would later join Pearl Jam) to a San Diego musician named Eddie Vedder. Vedder

was taken with the dense songs, and came up with lyrics for ‘Alive’ as he went surfi ng the next morning.

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horrorshow

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What we’ve been out to see...

sheppard

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17:06:17 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

radio birdman

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11:06:17 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

16:06:17 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

Sydney Tower Hosted An Aerial Show From The Rising Star Of Soul, Thandi Phoenix By Benjamin Potter Hosting a gig atop Sydney Tower for Vivid Sydney was no gimmick. The panoramic views on offer at the Eye Live Project were more than breathtaking, and while the

Vivid festival was coming to a close beneath us, if you never got around to exploring the city’s light displays in full, this was the best spot to see everything all at once. The night kicked off with the sensual and danceable – though admittedly repetitive – sounds of DJ Samrai, adding a pop sensibility that kept the party going all the way around. But soon the crowd grew impatient for Thandi Phoenix, after what felt like a lifetime of soundchecks and mic tests.

“This Aussie talent can roll with the best of them when it comes to diva showmanship.” When Phoenix eventually arrived onstage to a warm reception from the buzzing audience, it was clear that the best part about this show was its extreme intimacy. Phoenix – performing on a stage that had no barrier between her and the crowd – transformed into a pop machine dream, her soulful voice bouncing off the glass panels and into the hearts of the faithful.

Her most well-known and successful cut ‘Tell Me Where The Lovers Have Gone’ was recited so beautifully by Phoenix and her live band, it showed this Aussie talent can roll with the best of them when it comes to diva showmanship.

there’s no one better right now than this electrifying performer. After a showcase set of little mistake but much mystique, it won’t be long before this young act is a Sydney seat-fi ller.

Phoenix is one to watch, a rising star in this city’s bustling soul scene. What it’s been missing lately is a leader, and

Thandi Phoenix played the Vivid Eye Live Project at Sydney Tower on Friday June 16.

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS :: GARETH HAYMAN :: ASHLEY MAR

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

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

Laura Marling’s Emotionally Intense Sydney Opera House Show Was A Vivid Highlight By Iain McKelvey Semper Femina, Laura Marling’s sixth studio offering, is named after a phrase from a line of Latin poetry that translates, roughly, to “woman is ever a fickle and changeable thing”. Marling may have appeared a

The Lights Go Out At Vivid With An Impeccable Beth Orton Performance By David James Young Another year, another Vivid drawing to a close. As always, it’s been a series of world-class performances from an array of incredibly diverse artists – which makes it a no-brainer, then, for the final one to come from perhaps the most diverse and chameleonic of the lot. Across nearly a quarter-century, Beth Orton has weaved in and

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changeable thing at her Sydney Opera House show, but she was far from fickle. From the opening notes of ‘Soothing’, the audience was stunned into obedient silence as the power of her voice filled the Concert Hall. The control displayed as she shifted registers showed an artist buoyed by confidence as she took command of her craft. Marling’s presence initially seemed slightly disconnected, but she loosened up mid-set as the band left the stage. Her impressively dexterous guitar work was the only thing left to back her resonant vocals. Marling’s dry humour broke through as

out of folk, electronica, indie, pop and rock – not only staying relatively consistent, but making every creative leap from one musical environment to another work perfectly to suit her. The last few times Orton has visited Australia, it’s been under a solo acoustic guise, performing primarily on acoustic guitar and piano. While that’s a perfectly serene and wonderful way to experience Orton’s music – particularly in the context of the recital halls and churches she’s played in the past – it’s great to see her in a trio tonight, making full use of the impeccable sound one has at their disposal within the surrounds of the Concert Hall.

she introduced ‘Mary Stuart’ as “a song I wrote for a play about two queens trying to kill each other. That’s it.” It was beautifully juxtaposed with the emotionally intense ‘Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)’. A high point came when Marling brought backing singers Emma and Tamsin Topolski back on stage to perform ‘Daisy’, a B-side from 2015’s Short Movie, the voices of the three singers blending together in delightful harmony to create a warming intimacy. With a setlist that leaned heavily on the stellar Semper Femina,

Even better are the duo accompanying her: Grey McMurray moves masterfully between guitar and bass, while partner Alex Thomas weaves in both acoustic and electric drums. The former allows for grand builds of sound through ‘Petals’ and the slide-favouring ‘Stolen Car’, while the latter rolls through the upbeat ‘Shopping Trolley’ and subtly swishes brushes around on the understated ‘Call Me The Breeze’. The fact that all of these songs are so stylistically different, yet are brought together under the banner of the same artist, is a reflection on Orton herself – who, it should be noted, is in fine form throughout. Although

the band wound its way through the intricate tapestries of ‘The Valley’ and ‘Don’t Pass Me By’, even letting rough edges shine through on the rockier cuts ‘Wild Fire’ and ‘Nothing, Not Nearly’. The band had clearly ironed out any touring kinks and was in top form, bouncing off each other and clearly revelling in the acoustics of the venue. Being the last show of the tour, Marling’s initial disconnect could be excused. The band made up for it with an enjoyable long-form banter piece that revealed how close they all were. With no encore, closer ‘Rambling

her nerves shine through in her banter – she teases that all of the shouted-out song requests are “shit ideas” at one point – she delivers where it matters most: her creaking, vulnerable voice, emoting through her simultaneously autobiographical and secretive lyricism. ‘She Cries Your Name’ is as devastating as the first time you heard it all those years ago; ‘Falling’ serves as a timely reminder of her later output’s finest moments. No matter what direction the show takes, it’s inherently compelling and masterfully arranged. Orton remains ever the intriguing figure – wholly intimate and yet never quite giving everything away.

“‘Rambling Man’ made sure the crowd left satisfied yet hungry for the next encounter.” Man’ made sure the crowd left satisfied yet hungry for the next encounter. It’s clear that next time we meet, it will be on Marling’s terms. And if tonight was anything to go by, we’re perfectly happy with that. Laura Marling played the Sydney Opera House on Monday June 12.

“Orton remains ever the intriguing figure – wholly intimate and yet never quite giving everything away.” As the lights go out on Vivid 2017, Orton ensures that we walk out of the Opera House for the final time this season unafraid of the dark. Beth Orton played the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday June 13.

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Kirin J Callinan’s Hometown Show Encapsulated Everything We Love About This Bizarre, Brilliant Musician

Up first, opening support Hviske played what must be the earliest set of their career. Pounding, moody techno lurched forth from the pair, and though the steady flow of burrowing synths and careful atmospheric vocals did well to entrance the early-comers in the audience, those 1am warehouse vibes did feel a bit out of place in the overall lineup.

By Lachlan Wyllie

You’d have to think that Callinan sees a little of himself in Spike Fuck: her low-flung, growling vocal performance, her nostalgic reinterpretation of ’80s new wave sounds, her charismatic dress sense. Occasionally shrieking and howling, frequently dropping low to the floor, Spike maintained a confident swagger that held the

It was just a day after release, and word got out that, much like the scene depicted on its album cover, Kirin J Callinan’s longawaited second album Bravado was indeed taking the piss. Still, his hometown album launch was anything but.

audience’s attention throughout the performance, backed by a sonic palette of bedroom pop that ranged from post-punk to country. Sure, she wore her influences on her sleeve, but damn, if that wasn’t a great performance. Stood within his recognisable semi-circle of guitar pedals, Callinan opened with a nod to long-time fans: early guitar works ‘Mary’ and ‘Thighs’. With the full band then joining him onstage, the performance took its inevitable hard left turn into EDM; loud, in-your-face and unapologetic. Anyone who had put their ear to the new album saw this coming, but the fact that the audience was into it? Well, no one could have predicted that.

From there, the setlist continued to oscillate between fan favourites like ‘Come On USA’ and ‘Embracism’ to newer, more ostentatious songs such as ‘S.A.D.’ and ‘Living Each Day’. Of the newer songs, ‘Family Home’ was a shining moment of sincerity, Callinan earnest in his plea for his fans to appreciate their family, before launching into the least ironic, most heartfelt track of the evening. “I know the sign says we’re playing 10:30 till 11:30… but I’m going to keep playing until the police tell us to stop.” Divisive? Sure. Complex? Certainly. But Sydney is and always will be Callinan’s hometown, and amongst the gaudy EDM, flamboyant ballads

The Women In Electronic Music Showcase Featured The Best Of Australia’s Female Talent In An Inclusive Environment By Lee Coleman On Saturday the fabulous Oxford Art Factory played host to the second instalment of the Women In Electronic Music Showcase. MusicNSW and FBi Radio hosted a stellar bill of a dozen pioneering artists, bringing together some of the best female talent from Sydney and beyond. From hip hop and African bass to electro and techno – and a vast spectrum of subgenres in between – the event showcased the best of women under the electronic umbrella. Following a raucous early set from Brisbane’s Miss Blanks

and a wonderfully absorbing performance by local girl Mookhi – during which ‘Lacunae’ was a particular highlight – it was Melbourne-based duo Alta who set things off in the main room, pivoting between footwork, techno and R&B. Vocalist Hannah Lesser’s Super Mario grunge get-up embodies Alta’s playful yet edgy songtronica style, no more so than with ‘Fix It’, a tropical burst of ghetto melancholy that gets most of the ladies in the venue moving and shaking. Representing Western Australia was Perth’s Kučka. The critically acclaimed soloist – real name Laura Jane Lowther – was

thoroughly in her element, delivering a combination of dubstep beats and atmospherics. Her pop sensibilities alongside some beautiful synthlines and clever arrangements won over the crowd with ease. Her single ‘Divinity’ really takes on a pronounced physicality during a live show – it’s emblematic of an impressive setlist that was as bewitching and thoughtful as it was down and dirty. Behind the decks there was plenty of action too. Sports delivered a high-energy party set while FBi’s doyenne of all things dance music, Andy Garvey, guided the late-night revellers into

deep and dark territory. Showing the way with stomping selections such as Silent Servant’s ‘Self Hypnosis’, Garvey kept the night train chugging into the wee hours. The highlight behind the wheels, though, came courtesy of Linda Marigliano. The ABC and triple j presenter has DJed alongside some of the best and most diverse artists around, and her credentials were on show for

“I know the sign says we’re playing 10:30 till 11:30… but I’m going to keep playing until the police tell us to stop.” and yes, the bravado, Callinan offered glimpses of thankfulness and humility, acknowledging the fans that have been supporting him since day one. Kirin J Callinan played Oxford Art Factory on Saturday June 10.

all to see. Selecting an array of cuts old and new, Marigliano laid down a golden hour of discerning techno, with a route one approach that still managed to feel fresh throughout. Dude Energy’s ‘Renee Running’ and Customer’s ‘Thirteen’ were inspired selections – off-kilter euphoria perfect for the peak time. Roll on Showcase 3. The 2017 Women In Electronic Music Showcase took over Oxford Art Factory on Saturday June 17.

“From hip hop and African bass to electro and techno, the event showcased the best of women under the electronic umbrella.”

five things WITH

LAUREN HERON FROM SMOKE RINGS

Growing Up My early music memories include Pink Floyd and Guns N’ Roses from Dad and Fleetwood Mac and Paul Simon from Mum. Besides my dad’s blistering rendition of ‘Blue Moon’, I was the only one in our family of six who took an interest in playing music. Actually, Mum was learning piano on the side but gave up her lessons so I could have them instead. Top parenting.

2. Inspirations I asked the guys their

favourite bands and garnered immediate responses of Iggy and The Stooges, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Strokes and Nels Cline. I’m stalling because this question is hard and my answer tends to change. I guess if I filter all the more recent obsessions away, a band that’s been there since childhood and still lives in my record player is Crowded House. Songwriting doesn’t really get much better. I finally got the chance to see Neil Finn at Golden Plains this year but was obstructed by an arrogant giant with no shirt, a cowboy hat, and a flailing VB. He’d crawled out of this tent to hear “that

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weather song”. I’ll never forgive him. Band 3. Your Shane and I met in 2007 and

got married last year so our musical brains have basically melted into one by now. We’ve been playing music together in various projects the whole time. Add Liam on drums (when we can steal him away from The Teskey Brothers), Elliot, our pop darling, on bass, plus Jon with his moody, vibey, enigmatic guitar and that’s us. We have a lot of fun with our combined influences in various moods.

Music You Make 4. The We get ’90s Britpop quite a

bit, which we aren’t consciously doing. It certainly doesn’t bother us. We’re also pretty influenced by Brian Jonestown Massacre, which helps chip off the polish. Malcolm Besley of Northeast Party House has recently recorded our split seven-inch and it sounds gritty and big, which reflects our live show. Rougharound-the-edges pop.

5. The current Australian music

Music, Right Here, Right Now

scene is both inspiring and

disheartening. Having spent some time making music and touring in Canada, where grants are readily available, there’s a multitude of venues and a much bigger support network, Australia can seem a little… closed off. It’s a shame as we have so many talented bands that really struggle to make it over the line. Having said that, the

camaraderie between local musos is defiant and resilient. We are actually playing Sydney for the first time on June 30 and we are so excited! It’s at Waywards with some top folks. There are so many incredible Sydney bands we’ve had the pleasure of playing with

already – in particular, Australia, Big White and Borneo. We’re also pretty obsessed with Flowertruck. With: Shearin, Aegean Sun, Christo Where: Waywards When: Friday June 30

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live reviews & snaps

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What we’ve been out to see...

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Alex Chetverikov

Why Nothing’s Better Than A Physical Record Collection

Ron Trent

usic is a fundamentally different language to any other. It’s used by music therapy practitioners to assist in managing health issues. Playing it activates regions of the brain simultaneously like nothing else. We can move to it, sit and appreciate it, engage with it in any number of ways, and cross-pollinate it across any number of faculties and disciplines. It is an inherent and intrinsic part of our daily lives. There is as much in the physicality of music; that is, the nature of physically owning a record, for example, a CD or a MiniDisc (I know there are still a few of you purists out there!). Many of us are drawn to the idea of collecting. An object, after all, has a more tangible sense. Investing memories and emotions into a digital file is a very different sensation altogether.

Take the recent release of Ron Trent and Chez Damier’s Prescription Records collection Prescription: Word, Sound & Power. This is a stunning six-LP package that lives up to the sense of duty, care and attention to detail you might expect of such a product and label. It’s as close to a collector’s item as you’re likely to get: resplendent embossed packaging, poster, download code. So much so that you might forgive the numerous flaws inherent in the overall package: compressed, soft audio across a number of tracks, largely in part to easily exceeding the universal benchmark for minutes per LP side, and thus affecting the sound quality quite dramatically. It’s disappointing to say the least, especially for two artisans of sound who so cleverly build and articulate moods through their compositions.

The warmth and complexity of their craft is best appreciated loud on a good system (like just about any music, I imagine), whereupon layers of drum programming are realised. While Trent’s remarkable ear for syncopation, for example, might be clear to just about anyone conscious at the time, we lose out on really appreciating the synthesis of elements that gently push and pull us through these compositions. And yet, to own a slice of history (and some bloody good music regardless), we’re still happy to fork out well over $100! It’s one of those beautiful ironies.

“MANY OF US ARE DRAWN TO THE IDEA OF COLLECTING.”

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST After peeping Danny Krivit’s excellent edit of ‘Flight Formation’, I sought out Soccer96’s debut LP As Above So Below, with its ethereal drum interludes and druggy blend of jazz and pop, at times recalling the finer moments of Gorillaz’s earlier instrumentals. In the vein of funk contemporaries The Budos Band and Menahan Street Band, with a hint of Antibalas, are Orgone, who resist the conventions of new funk by blending their hip hop and soul sensibility into live loops and a versatile pastiche of their influences. Lastly, lock into XLR8R’s latest XLR8R 494 from industry legend Marques Wyatt, an exercise in consistently building on a deep groove.

RECOMMENDED

i love the 90’s

PICS :: AM

THURSDAY JUNE 22

Freda’s

Decolonising Club Culture & Emancipating The Dance Floor Golden Age Cinema & Bar

SATURDAY JUNE 24

FRIDAY JUNE 23

Robert Babicz The Bunk3r

Pickle Takeover

Freda’s Record Fair Freda’s

SATURDAY JULY 1

FRIDAY JULY 7

DJ Normal 4 w/ Ben Fester & Kato Freda’s

WEDNESDAY JULY 19

Cut Copy, Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda Metro Theatre

09:06:17 :: Qudos Bank Arena :: Sydney Olympic Park

30 :: BRAG :: 718 :: 21:06:17

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

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

pick of the week The Amity Affliction

THURSDAY JUNE 22

Holy Holy

Holy Holy + Machine Age + Money War Factory Theatre, Marrickville. Friday June 23. 8pm. $30

Hordern Pavilion

The east coast locals bring the ’80s-inflected indie-pop of their second album Paint to the Factory. Get your slidin’est shoes on.

The Amity Affliction

Oh Wonder

Icehouse

+ Beartooth + Make Them Suffer + Pvris 6:30pm. $80. WEDNESDAY JUNE 21 Ella & The Scatterbrains Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. $5 The Outside-In Trio Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. FREE

THURSDAY JUNE 22 Brendan Clarke Quartet Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $16.50 Carus Thompson Leadbelly, Newtown. 6pm. $23.50 Chris Cain Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $35 The Delta Riggs + Tyne James Organ Hotel Steyne, Manly. 8pm. FREE Djangologists + When Hawk Met Sparrow Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7 The Dorks + Legal Aliens + Viral Eyes

Marlborough Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. FREE Hanson Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 7:30pm. $76 Mark N’ The Blues The Temperance Society, Summer Hill. 7pm. FREE Night Of Indie Rock feat. Just Breathe + As We Fall + Damsel In Dismay Valve Bar, Ultimo. 8pm. $10 Queer As FVck feat. The Last Exposure + Fingermae + Huckleberry Hastings Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $15 Sampson + Slow Culture + Wesley John Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. $10

FRIDAY JUNE 23 Ayla + High Violet + Polarhearts Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $10

Chris Cain Leadbelly, Newtown. 6pm. $35 Cope Street Parade Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 7pm. $7 Crooked Frames + The Grouches + Thunderfox Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $20 Dead River Runs Dry + Graveir + Greytomb + Host + Norse Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 8pm. $15 GLOVE presents: Nicola Morton + Whitney Houston’s Crypt + Knitted Abyss + Krill + Matthew Brown The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills. 8pm. $10 Hardcore Division feat. Barbz + Convict + Mistortin B2B Lilith + more Valve Bar, Ultimo. 10pm. FREE Hard & Heavy feat. Acrolysis + Vodvile + Noisetank + Reaver Valve Bar, Ultimo. 9pm. $10

Icehouse Enmore Theatre, Newtown. Friday June 23 and Saturday June 24. 8pm. $85

Oh Wonder

Speaking of the ’80s, one of the Great Southern Land’s finest exports takes over the Enmore for two wild nights of pure pop escapism.

Sydney’s darkest venue fills with the warmth and light of Oh Wonder’s dual vocal harmonies and minimalist synth breaks.

Keyim Ba The Basement, Circular Quay. 7:30pm. $20 Larissa Tandy + Brooke Russell & The Mean Reds + Sam Newton Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 7pm. $15 Vivian Sessoms Foundry616, Ultimo. Winston Surfshirt Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $20

SATURDAY JUNE 24 Brouhaha Pogo Party feat. Thee Evil Twin + Witch Fight + Operation Ibis + White Knuckle Fever The Hideaway Bar, Enmore. 7pm. FREE Dragonforce Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $62.70 East Coast Swag + Love Buzz + The Attention Seekers + The Knowgoods

Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 9pm. $10 The Fossicks + Hot Cop + In Motion Town Hall Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. FREE J. Cole vs Chance The Rapper (Party) Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. $10 La Bastard + Okin Osan + Wifey Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10 Pure Bass + Arcane Echo Metro Theatre, Sydney. 9pm. $30 Trash Metal feat. Hand Held Human + Metanoia + Acrolysis + Panik + Thrash Bandicoot Valve Bar, Ultimo. 8pm. $15 The Spirit Of Jazz + Just Breathe + Megan and the Vegans The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills. 8pm. $10 Stormzy vs Skepta Hudson Ballroom, Sydney. 9pm. $10

Metro Theatre, Sydney. Saturday June 24. 8pm. $59.90

Velvet Addiction + Interim + Wildbloods Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 7pm. FREE Zan Batist The Basement, Circular Quay. 9:30pm. $59

SUNDAY JUNE 25 Alpaca My Shades Tour feat. Elm Tree Circle + My Official Failure + more Valve Bar, Ultimo. 5pm. $10 Daniel Champagne Leadbelly, Newtown. 6pm. $17.85 David Braid & The Penderecki String Quartet Foundry616, Ultimo. 7:30pm. $16.50 Hip Hop Knect Showcase feat. Big Red Cap + Matt Coburn + Nutkaze + more The Louis Hotel, Lewisham. 7pm. FREE Joe & Harmony’s Trippy Hippy Band

Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. 4pm. $7 The Moods Magpies, Waitara. 2pm. FREE Queer as FVck feat. Bandintexas + Stellar Addiction + RK Ally + The Last Exposures Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 8pm. FREE Trent Bell Bald Faced Stag, Leichardt. 6pm. $25

MONDAY JUNE 26 Rick Robertson Trio Foundry616, Ultimo. 7pm. $10 The Monday Jam The Basement, Circular Quay. 8:30pm. $6

TUESDAY JUNE 27 Acoustique Lounge feat. Charcoal + NATi + Monica and The Explosion + The Black Horse Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 7pm. $15 xxx

triple j, LIVE NATION & UNIFY PRESENTS

PVRIS AUSTRALIAN TOUR JUNE 2017

BEARTOOTH MAKE THEM SUFFER

THURSDAY 22 JUNE HORDERN PAVILION SYDNEY LIC AA

FOR ALL INFORMATION HEAD TO WWW.LIVENATION.COM.AU WWW.THEAMITYAFFLICTION.NET | WWW.UNIFYPRESENTS.COM