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GROOVE ARMADA THE DANDY WARHOLS CUT COPY THE WOMBATS DARWIN DEEZ OU EST LE SWIMMING POOL WOLF GANG WASHINGTON
MISSY ELLIOTT KELE MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS DAN BLACK CHIDDY BANG MIX MASTER MIKE SINDEN BAG RAIDERS
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YOLANDA BE COOL VS. DCUP . GYPSY & THE CAT . AJAX & MANY MORE
SOULWAX BUSY P UFFIE JACK BEATS THE GLITCH MOB BRODINSKI DJ MEHDI AC SLATER
HOLY GHOST! MEMORY TAPES CLASSIXX DELOREAN NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB THE SWISS JESSE ROSE GRUM BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 3
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You’ve seen the shows, now meet the stars!*
s Sci-fi s Movies s Sci-fi s Mo ovies ss Anime s Games s Comics s Wrestling s Comps s Fun! s A Anime s Games s Comics ss W Wrestling s Comps s Fun! s
Featuring LOU FERRIGNO Incredible Hulk
ELIZA DUSHKU Dollhouse
CHASKE SPENCER Twilight: Eclipse
Also featuring
VIc Mignogna Fullmetal Alchemist
Summer Glau Sara Connor Chronicles
Dichen Lachman Dollhouse
Charisma Carpenter Angel/Buffy
Daniel Logan Attack of the Clones
Michael Winslow Police Academy
Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, June 19-20 Claremont Showgrounds, Perth, June 26-27
www.supanova.com.au *All guests confirmed commitments pending. †Must be accompanied by a paying adult. BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 5
JUNE 19
SYDNEY THE METRO THEATRE (02) 9550 3666 www.metrotheatre.com.au General Admission, Cabaret Seating and Standing available
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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on, down and around town with Nathan Jolly
he said she said WITH
MICHAEL FROM HOWL (VIC) feel and expressive freedom. When I moved here in 2001 it was pretty much the first time I’d ever heard rock and roll music, and I immediately loved it. To be honest, my biggest inspiration right now is Lachlan Caskey of Last Dinosaurs. I just got off a tour supporting them with my other band (Neon Love) and I’ve never learnt so much about music in my entire life. Spending time with the band basically restructured my whole way of thinking. And Lachy is hands down one of the best guitarists in the country; you’ve gotta see it to believe it I suppose.
I
spent the first ten years of my life in a small village in South Africa just near Tanzania. My parents ran an orphanage
there so I kind of grew up speaking a fractured version of English. The music there was totally different to the music here - all based on
THE MINOR FALL, THE MAJOR LIFT PUBLISHERS: Adam Zammit & Rob Furst EDITOR IN CHIEF: Adam Zammit 9552 6333 adam@peergroupmedia.com EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 9552 6333 ARTS EDITOR & ASSOCIATE: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 9552 6333 STAFF WRITER: Jake Stone jake@thebrag.com NEWS CO-ORDINATORS: Chris Murray, Chris Honnery ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Irina Belova SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ashley Mar, Sofii McKenzie, Rosette Rouhana, Daniel Munns, Patrick Stevenson, Jeremy Bowring, Julian De Lorenzo, Renee Rushbrook Jacquie Manning SALES/MARKETING MANAGER: Mark Brownie 0411 547 356 / (02) 9552 6672 brownie@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9552 6618 les@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Sara Golchin - (02) 9552 6747 sara@thebrag.com GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Christian Moraga - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance) INTERN: Rach Seneviratne REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Joshua Blackman, Mikey Carr, Bridie Connell, Oliver Downes, Tony Edwards, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Chris Familton, Lucy Fokkema, Mike Gee, Alice Hart, Kate Hennessy, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Amelia Schmidt, Xanthe Seacret, Jonno Seidler, RK, Luke Telford, Beth Wilson, Alex Young Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this address 153 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW 2037 ph - (02) 9552 6333 fax - (02) 9552 6866 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Editor or Staff of The Brag. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial Wednesday 12pm (no extentions) Art Work, Ad Bookings Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Ad Cancellations Tuesday 4pm Published by Cartrage P/L ACN 104026388 All content copyrighted to Cartrage 2003 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? email distribution@furstmedia.com.au or ph 03 9428 3600. PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204
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Howl are a six piece, which I suppose is pretty unusual for our kind of music. None of us really knew each other for a long time until our school had this foreign exchange program, where they sent seven guys and seven girls from our year over to Sweden. We all bonded over the fact that the seventh guy that came overseas with us was a douche bag, and shortly after we realised we’re all into the same music. When we got back we started a band and it just worked. I think the seventh guy plays in a band called ‘Short Stack’ now.
The music we make is mostly described as garage/punk. We released our debut EP in February this year and are currently working on a follow up before the release of an album. Right now we’re pretty much focused on writing as much as we possibly can for the next release, then narrowing the ten or fifteen songs we’ve written down to four or five to suit the EP. Our first EP was kind of rushed, we didn’t really have our shit together and got thrown into the deep end a little with the whole Unearthed High comp - so I’m hoping this next release is a lot better… But we’ll wait and see. 5. Music, Right Here, Right Now The Australian music scene is really pretty amazing. I could go on for ages about the talent, so instead I’ll just list bands that are pioneering Australian music right now. Last Dinosaurs, Tame Impala, DZ, Comic Sans, Parades, The Scare, Lost Valentinos & the Vasco Era. Go see them all or get fucked. Who: Howl With: Cassette Kids, Kids Of 88 When: June 18 Where: Oxford Arts Factory
Nouvelle Vague
Leonard Cohen has amassed enough of a hype to justify a second Acer Arena show. It will take place on November 9, with tickets on sale now. Also, thanks for the numerous letters last week pointing out that Cohen didn’t write ‘Hallelujah’ specifically for ‘The OC’; in fact it was written as a pop-crossover vehicle for ‘One Tree Hill’ star Kate Voegele. Easy mistake to make. As Cohen himself once wrote for his third album In Utero, ‘All Apologies’.
GONE TOO SOON – MJ TRIBUTE
Michael Jackson has the highest selling album in the world ever, but the major flaw of Thriller is that it doesn’t even showcase any of his dancing. We haven’t quite discovered how to imprint the moonwalker on vinyl yet, but to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Jackson’s death (yes, we know it doesn’t seem like a whole year has passed - that’s how life works), Who’s Bad entertainment are hosting ‘Gone Too Soon’. It’s a Jackson tribute show that not only features Sydney’s best dance ensembles busting moves to MJ’s greatest hits, but ariel and trapeze artists too - AND you will be helping raise money for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. The night happens on June 25, and tickets are available from factorytheatre.com.au.
APRA AWARDS
Tuesday morning, June 22 at the Sydney Convention Centre, a team of poor cleaners will be tidying up after the likes of Kav Temperley and Katie Noonan - following the APRA Music Awards the night before. Hosted by Jonathan Biggins and the frustratingly likable Julia Zemiro, live performance will be unleashed by Basement Birds, the cutefaced Washington, Art vs Science, Operator Please, Urthboy, Katie Noonan, and most interestingly, The Church. Also, there is a special guest performance, to be revealed on the night. We predict Johnny Diesel will get The Injectors back together.
NOUVELLE VAGUE THIS WEEK
So Frenchy So Chic pretty much have a monopoly on the ‘bringing out amazingly chic French artists to Australia’ market. They’re furthering their standing in this competitive field when they bring ‘80s reinvention supergroup Nouvelle Vague and chanson Berry to the Factory Theatre this Wednesday June 16. Come along, if only see Nouvelle Vague do Talking Heads and Sex Pistols covers with a baguette twist. Tickets available from The Factory.
SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR
Popboomerang are one of the best labels in Australia, and Skipping Girl Vinegar are one of the best bands that release records through them. So it stands to reason that their one-off show at Raval on June 19 might be cause for celebration - especially seeing they aren’t playing again ‘til Splendour. The band are recording an album at the moment with Nick Huggins, who’s the great producer behind Seagull, Whitley and Kid Sam, and Greg Arnold, who wrote ‘Happy Birthday Helen’ for a girl who ended up marrying him. Now THAT’s wooing!
At a recent Sounds Like Sunset Lansdowne gig, I overheard somebody ask if ‘Before It Blows’ was a cover of an old song (old in the ‘Cinammon Lip’, Slightly Odway sense of the word, mind). That’s when I realised that this band had been kicking around for quite a while, and still seriously destroy in a live setting. Considering their fuzzy, scuzzy, noisepop sound, it’s fitting that they’re playing Fuzzbox at The Loft, UTS this Friday June 18. What isn’t fitting is that it is free entry - but shhh, we won’t tell if you don’t.
LIVE ROBOT DOG ELECTRONICA WHAT?
CIGARETTES AND CHOCOLATE MILK
These are just a few of Rufus Wainwright’s cravings. He will tell you all about it, alongside various other of his cravings, when he plays an amazingly intimate show at the Concert Hall at Sydney Opera House. Yes, we know that ‘intimate’ doesn’t really go with the cavernous Concert Hall, but it will just be Rufus, a piano, and whichever songs he decides to play on that very day, taking into consideration a number of varying factors that we will never truly know about. The show isn’t until October 14, but tickets are already on sale if you are the plan-four-months-ahead type.
SOUNDS LIKE SUNSET AT FUZZBOX
Rufus Wainwright
Ok, we don’t have any idea what this press release means, other than what we once thought was happiness now seems like mindcrushing depressing in comparison. Japan’s Ningen Dog Orchestra will be playing at the Sandringham Hotel. Or doing something at the Sando, which doesn’t yet have a word, involving “light-controlled, battery-powered dogs, creating electronic tunes.” Have I read that right? Robotic dogs, controlled by light sources, playing music!? Apparently these robots, or performers, or canines are in Sydney for the New Interfaces for Musical Expression conference, which I imagine to be the starting point for the inevitable coup of A.I. Jump on the bandwagon early. The show is on Thursday June 17, and only costs $10 (and your sanity).
GIG OF THE WEEK SNATCH&GRAB PRES
GiRLTHING LESBIAN MARFIA Snatch and Grab Presents: GiRLTHING ”Lesbian Mafia”. It’s got a certain ring to it doesn’t it? We all know it exists, and Natasha Grab is the godfather. As usual we’ve got some nasty surprises for you on the night that will leave you gobsmacked. You know it’s true! Mafia theme equals dress up in anything gangsta like. Tommy Angelo, Don Salieri, Frank Colleti. You know the drill. DJ Lineup
Snatch&Grab DJ’s (BenLucid & Cunningpants) SMS
WED 16 JUNE UPSTARTS:
MARILLIAN AVENUE YELL YELL REBELLION + THE AFFAIRS THE SHIVERING INDIES
8PM-$8
THUR 17 JUNE
HOT DAMN:
FLATLINE DRAMA
ANOTHER DAYS REMAINS DREAM ON DREAMER VILLA RISE (EP LAUNCH) 8PM-$10/$12
FRI 18 JUNE
SIDEWAYS
WED 16 JUNE JUST ONE FIX
CAUSE 4 CONCERN
HOT DAMN SARAH SPANDEX
FIRE & WHITEY QUOTIENT + MAZZA
THUR 17 JUNE HEARTATTACK MARK C NAT NOIZE
9PM-$10/$12
FRI 18 JUNE
SOSUEME LIVE:
VILLAINARES + NEW NAVY IF WE HAD A BOAT CANOPY CHOIRS
AFTER 11.30
SAMPOLOGY
SILENT ALARM $5
DJS:
SUPER VISUAL SMACKDOWN
Lonewolf Wizzbomb
AFTER 11.30
GiRLTHING
WITH DJ'S
CUNNINGPANTS + SMS BENLUCID + ASTRIX
Doors Open @ 9pm. $10 for the appropriately attired – $15 for the uninspired.
P*A*S*H
KNIFE & GOLDFOOT $10 8PM - $10
SNATCH&GRAB PRESENTS
LESBIAN MARFIA + LOTS MORE....
9PM-$10attired $15uninspired
27TH JUNE
APRES - SKI THAI BURLESQUE PARTY
A WINTER BURLESQUE TO KEEP YOU WARM AT NIGHT...
10PM-$15
8PM-$10
THE TAKE IKARII + CITY LIGHTS FADE HERE GOES NOTHING
SAT 19 JUNE
DJS JOHAN KHOURY DAN MURPHY + CHIP,
SAT 19 JUNE
SAT 19 JUNE
10PM-$20
SAT/SUN DAYCLUB
LEONID TECHNOLOGIC + PETER RABBIT KAT – CASSETTE KIDS DJ SET MONKEY
Astrix
(UK)
EVERY FRIDAY MEMBERS ONLY EVERY SATURDAY MEMBERS ONLY
DAUNTLESS
JOYRIDE + ALISON WONDERLAND
8PM - $10
Shalyn Grey
NO FRILLS DRUM 'N BASS:
INDUSTRIAL, TRASH & ALTERNATIVE METAL 9PM-free
HITCHHIKER THE UPSKIRTS STEP PANTHER
FRI 18 JUNE
RISING DAYCLUB
HIGH ENERGY VOCAL, UPLIFTING HOUSE
5:30AM $10/$15
SUN 20 JUNE
LOOSE ENDS MATT VAUGHAN +GUESTS
& & * 4 " 8 & 4 0 . &
MON-FRI
10am TIL LATE
SAT-SUN
9am TIL 6am
SUN RECOVERY 9am TIL LATE
HAPPY HOUR 5pm-7pm DAILY
10PM - free
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BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 9
rock music news
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on, down and around town with Nathan Jolly
FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM
five things WITH
STEVE FROM STEP-PANTHER together. I asked Julio to play drums for me at a show I was playing by myself, and almost the only person who came was Jose - so it seemed natural to ask him to play bass. He sucked and continues to suck. Fortunately, it turned out we all had a lot of similar musical taste and bad-ass attitudes. So now we work together, we play together and sometimes we mind link, and dream together. The Music You Make We get called a surf band a lot. I guess 4. because our recent debut EP is called Surf, and consists of a bunch of surf songs. But that’s about as surf-ish as we get. We went through a phase of being influenced by a lot of surf and 60s music, but our general sound I’d say is much broader. We tend to make songs in different styles - although really they probably sound more similar than we realise. Think Gloria Estefan crossed with Santana.
5.
Growing Up My older brothers listened to a lot of 1. metal and glam rock so I was really into
Inspirations When I started playing guitar, I really 2. got into songwriters like Paul Kelly and
it when I was a kid. I just really liked the sound of shredding guitar solos, I guess. One of my favourite songs is ‘Symphony of Destruction’ by Megadeth. I think I liked Megadeth so much because every album had a picture of that skeleton guy with metal stuff on his face, and I thought he was cool. My mum and dad just listened to opera and John Denver all the time.
Billy Bragg because I was really interested in lyrics. Later I discovered Weezer and Pavement, who are definitely a big influence on how I like to play - both in terms of the way they sound, and also their attitude. Your Band There are three of us in the band, 3. and we all basically met through working
Music, Right Here, Right Now The Sydney music scene is fairly vibrant at the moment I think, despite a distinct and increasing lack of venues; if there is one thing Sydney could use, it’s definitely some more venues. We recently played a show with Melbourne band Crayon Fields which was really cool. They have a really cool sound with sweet harmonies. Great guys, great guys… Who: Step-Panther With: Bridezilla and Demeyko/Gonzalez Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Wednesday June 16
WRONG PROM BLUES
Billed as an event “where good music and daggy dancing collide”, Carriageworks’ Wrong Prom parties are taking the snobbery out of dance classes, and putting the boogie (and a couple of cocktails) back in. The June 23 night is a Blues Brothers theme, inviting everyone and anyone to don their Wayfarers and come down to ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ while you ‘Shake Your Money Maker’ like ‘The Girl From Impanema’. Ooh yeah, three song titles in one sentence. Adults-only opportunities for mid-week debauchery are hard to come by unless you’re part of a slightly immoral swingers’ club, so don’t miss out! We have a double pass to give away, just name the two comedians behind this classic cult film.
RICHARD IN YOUR MIND
As Richard In Your Mind so aptly declared on their MySpace, there is more to being a psychedelic band than ‘a wah pedal and a couple of beards’. They do actually have beards and wah pedals themselves, but they also have ‘more’. Fresh from earning a swarm of new groupies on their national tour with Cloud Control, they are doing a couple of shows to coincide with their kaleidoscopic new album My Volcano. We have a special prerelease RIYM pack to giveaway, containing the album as well as a double pass to the July 3 gig at Spectrum. The album does not drop ‘til June 26, so one lucky ducky will get a head start on memorising the lyrics! To be that lucky ducky, tell us the name of their EP.
read maps and get annoyed at traffic. They will be bringing their tour to the Annandale Hotel on Friday June 18 off the back of their new record, the hopefully non-prophetically titled Deathwish. Tickets available from the venue.
OUT OF THE BASEMENT
Little Red
LITTLE RED ROCK IT
Little Red came out of Melbourne with the kind of harmony-driven doo-woppy sound that can be successfully maintained for exactly one album. Luckily, these savvy musicians realised that, and changed their sound up somewhat for their forthcoming second album. The first single, ‘Rock It’ recasts the band in a more dancy, hi-fidelity glow - aided by Scott Horscroft’s Scott Horscroft-esque production. triple j have been smashing it all week, but to hear their new sound in a live and cube-like environment, be at Oxford Art Factory on July 17.
THE GOOD SHIP
If you live in Brisbane, aside from 90% of our mag being largely irrelevant to you, chances are you have seen The Good Ship – they’ve built up quite a following in your fair city! They’re launching their debut album Avast, Wretched Sea at Bald Faced Stag on Saturday June 19, with supporting by Charles Jenkins, who wrote one of the best Australian albums of the ‘90s, Sweeter Than The Radio with the brilliant Icecream Hands. Doors open at 8, and it will cost you $12.
GRIZZLY MAGIC
Not an ill-conceived murder-mystery spin-off from ‘Charmed’, but a confusing way to herald the return of Grizzly Bear, while cleverly weaving in the fact that Brooklyn paint-splattering psych-pop gems Here We Go Magic are supporting them for their Sydney shows. Having had to postpone their shows this week due to unforeseen circumstances (I hope they were unforeseen, otherwise that’s some poor life-planning), the band will now play to way more people on July 24 and 25 at the Enmore. Tickets are still available for July 24… GO!
JAGER CALLING
Wanna be the next Boy Crazy Stacey? We thought so! Well, luckily The Annandale Hotel are doing what they call in acting circles a “cattle-call” for bands for the 2010-2011 Jager Uprising competition. The comp runs every Wednesday night from July 7, and there are the usual cash prizes and guest judges. Over 150 bands competed in the last round, so don’t feel despondent if you don’t make it past the first heatyou are just ahead of your time, much like Big Star or The Velvet Underground. In fact, exactly, like those bands. Contact Kristie@annandalehotel. com for further details.
THE GIN CLUB EXPRESS
When The Gin Club tour, we imagine it will be very much like the Festival Express tour mixed with the Stillwater tour; a whole heap of guys and girls sitting around jamming and singing and sleeping and basically touring in the ‘70s sense of the term. Under no circumstances do we imagine two Toyotas crammed with gear and people trying not to lose each other as they painstakingly
In the spirit of the Travelling Wilburys - and to a lesser extent that collaboration between Farnesy, Barnesy and Diesel - Kav Temperley, Josh Pyke, Kevin Mitchell (or Bob Evans if you were born post 1990) and Steve Parkin (the Jeff Lynne) have teamed up to form the Voltron-esque music machine Basement Birds. And not content with just recording a damn fine folk-tinged album, the awesome foursome are taking to the road to play live. August 18, they play and drink out of plastic cups at Newcastle University, the next day they head to Wollongong Uni to pull a major prank on that meddling dean, and August 20 they give up the college lifestyle and hit Enmore Theatre. Tickets available now from basementbirds.com.au, among other outlets, websites and ticket booths.
PAN MAGAZINE LAUNCHES
After a lot of online pre-launching and Facebookfriending, Sydney’s newest cultural biannual, PAN magazine is set to release its inaugural issue - on real paper. In order to celebrate, and to raise printing funds, they’re holding a fundraiser/ launch party at the Red Rattler, the reddest, lounge-iest warehouse venue in the inner West, that sometimes even sells soup. Psychonanny and the Babyshakers, The Holy Soul and The Model School are among the bands performing at the show, which happens Saturday June 26. Seems like a no-brainer, really.
SEABELLIES ALBUM
Newcastle’s Seabellies have been cramming multiple instruments and humans onto stages for years now, and after a string of well received singles and EPs, they are finally set to release their debut album, By Limbo Lake. August 20 is the date to mark on that Leunig calendar you got free from the newspaper – the band will be announcing a string of national dates any moment.
GEORGIA FAIR & THE FALLS RESIDENCY
Hollywood is the kind of insidious city that will steal your soul - or so we are led to believe. In an extremely tenuous link, every Wednesday night throughout the mighty month of June, The Hollywood Hotel will see The Falls and Georgia Fair playing free sets as part of a residency that laughs in the face of Thursday morning productivity. Music starts at 7:30pm.
Song Summit LIVE Showcases Sydney’s Song Summit music expo kicks off this weekend – as does Song Summit LIVE, a series of public music showcases. Running over the weekend (June 19 & 20) at Home the Venue, the showcases kick off once the conference program has closed for the evening. Here are some more highlights! Saturday June 19 will feature the APRAenabled Hilltop Hoods Initiative, which provides one emerging Australian Hip Hop artist a career-starting opportunity - $10,000 to release and promote an album, plus legal advice and this chance to perform at Song Summit LIVE. Emerging hip hop artist Aaron Stephanus (aka 1/6) is the 2010 winner. Born in Australia but raised in Namibia, 1/6 is an AfricanAustralian who is emerging as one of Aussie hip hop’s freshest talents. Schooled in Africa until 18, he recently returned to Australia to experience a new life. Sunday June 20 sees the Play the Music sessions kick-off, giving Song Summit delegates an exclusive opportunity to perform live! All 3-day delegate pass holders were invited to submit to win one of seven live gigs as part of the Song Summit LIVE program – the final selections will be decided by APRA. Rounding out Sundays program, 23-year-old triple j Unearthed winner Megan Washington (aka Washington) will take to the stage, this time as the winner of the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition for her song, ‘How to Tame Lions’. Tickets for Song Summit LIVE are available for Sydneysiders and visitors via Ticketek through the Song Summit website. See you there!
“I’m sleeping to develop my dreaming skills”- SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS 10 :: BRAG :: 365 : 07:06:10
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 11
dance music news
free stuff
welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... With Chris Honnery onthefly.com.au
FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM
he said she said WITH
CASSETTE KIDS
DAVE NADA AND MATT NORDSTROM OF NADASTROM (USA) lab technician, and a manager for a prostate cancer research center. None of them were shitty jobs - they got me where I am today. One cool story; I DJed for Barack Obama once. Matt: I started Djing with my boys Will and Jon from high school - we were all huge drum n bass fans at the time. I was pretty fortunate to work for the music attorney Kurosh Nasseri, through whom I met the Deep Dish guys (Dubfire + Sharam). I started engineering their records back in 2003. The Music You Make Dave + Matt: Moombahton is the style, 4. house and techno is the vibe, bass music/
Growing Up Dave: My parents were cool as shit. 1. Inspirations When I was a kid my parents didn’t even mind Dave + Matt: Blaqstarr, Scottie b, Fela, 2. that the first two tapes I ever bought were Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Masters Easy-E’s Eazy Duz It and Ice-T’s Power. I grew up with five brothers who all listened to DC go-go, Baltimore club, rave, punk, hardcore, salsa, reggaeton, merengue, and cumbia. So yeah I lucked the fuck out - and that’s what got me into playing music and Djing. Matt: Mine were a little different - I also got Eazy Duz It, but that tape was taken from me by my parents as well as numerous others. Eventually I learned I had to hide any of that stuff from them! But they have always been very supportive of all of my musical endeavors.
at Work, Bad Brains, Switch, Armand van Helden, J Dilla, Nirvana, Erykah Badu, Miles Davis, Fugazi, Munchi, Sunny Day Real Estate, Deep Dish and Cannibal Corpse. All these artists blew our minds the first time we heard them. We’re inspired by all kinds of music, but comedy/comedians are a huge inspiration too… Your Crew Dave: DJs Hip-Hop Dan and Tem got me 3. into Djing. Tittsworth got me into producing. I work with Matt Nordstrom now, who’s insane. Before doing music full time I was a janitor, a
Sony BMG darlings Cassette Kids have patiently bided their time and are finally releasing their new album, Nothing On TV. The new release has seen the band relinquish their creative shackles to the universe of synthesisers and dance aficionados such as Van She’s Mikey DiFrancesco and Paul Mac. This has eventuated in dancey floor fillers, catchy hooks and overall a punchier groove. New ditties like ‘Spin’, ‘Lying Around’ and ‘Freaky Sweetie’ showcase this fusion of 80s synth, squelching guitars and a prevailing pop sensibility. We have 5 fresh copies to dish out, to win one just tell us the lead singer’s (awesome) surname! Cassette Kids
club is the swag, punk rock is the attitude. Shoutout to Dubsided, Mad Decent, Fools Gold, Trouble & Bass, Brick Bandits, Unruly Records, Plant Music and the U Street Music Hall Family. Our live sets = 100% effort from us and the crowd, nothing but a crazy time. Our releases are ready for dancefloors all over the world at any time of the night. Nadastrom album is in the works. You’ve been warned. Music, Right Here, Right Now Dave + Matt: Music is amazing right 5. now. Get inspired, do it yourself, and work. The best thing in D.C. right now is U St Music Hall. Blaqstarr continues to blow our minds and Munchi from the Netherlands is doing incredible things. Who: Nadastrom When: June 19 / June 20 Where: Oxford Art Factory / CBD Hotel, Newcastle
Groove Armada
Simon Caldwell
BOUNDARY BONDS WITH...
SHAAN NICOL, CHILLYBIN WEB DESIGN
ADULT DISCO
PARKLIFE
The announcement of the Parklife lineup is normally bona fide dance news, but this year it has a decidedly more diverse flavour, and stretches well beyond the traditional template of 4/4 beats. Oregon-based rock outfit The Dandy Warhols, UK stalwarts Groove Armada, lascivious French tart Uffie and Missy Elliott (accompanied by her 27-strong all dancing entourage) will all be representing. Other notables on the bill include Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys, Kele from Bloc Party, New Young Pony Club, Soulwax, Holy Ghost!, Busy P, Memory Tapes, Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts, Brodinski, DJ Mehdi, Jesse Rose and Bag Raiders, along with a host of others. Parklife Sydney is scheduled for Sunday October 3 at Moore Park, with tickets on sale July 1. Missy Elliot
Future Classic’s Adult Disco sub-brand continues this Saturday at The Civic Underground with a quality local lineup of Simon Caldwell, Spruce Lee, Graz and Softwar. Regular readers of this section, along with just about anyone who has set foot in a nightclub over the past few years, will be very familiar with those names, so I’m going to skip the whole background spiel and cut this news item short with a prediction that someone drops a Moodymann cut at some point during the night; I think Calders is my man in that regard. Curtain up at 10pm.
MATHEW JONSON
Wagon Repair main man and a favourite with Aussie clubbers, Canada’s Mathew Jonson has just released his debut solo LP, Agents of Time. It’s been a busy year so far for Jonson, who’s also completed a new album as part of the experimental acid techno/jazz troupe Cobblestone Jazz, and polished off a remix for Tiga. Agents of Time finds Jonson exploring “slower, more expansive, more contemplative territory”, and includes an early version of one of his breakthrough tracks, ‘Marionette (The Beginning)’ along with the album opener ‘Love In The Future’, and ‘Sunday Disco Romance’, which purportedly boasts a bass/vocoder line that “winks in the direction of Michael Jackson”. Described by RA as “a rough gem, but a gem nonetheless,” this is well worth a listen for more discerning readers.
“It’s safe to say, saving you, saved me”- SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS 12 :: BRAG :: 365 : 07:06:10
What does your job involve? My typical workload changes drastically, as I’m a web designer, online consultant and part-time developer/code-tinkerer. I can be creating website mockups or coding HTML & CSS one day, migrating domains and IT infrastructure to more reliable platforms the next or assisting my clients with adding new features, broadcasting html email campaigns or setting up an online store on another day. Or all in the same day - it just depends on the day. I do at least have some constants like iTunes smart playlists, clients from hell, twitter, things, design blogs, and my Google reader feeds. Main challenge with building websites for the music industry? I would have to say it’s getting a definite answer or timeline for a piece of web design work. Album release dates may get pushed forward or back, new artwork may come through at the last minute - you really have to keep on your toes. Having worked for EMI Music previously I completely understand how it happens, so it’s something I’ve become accustomed to over the years. When can you call a job completed? Generally when the client is happy and satisfied. I’m also trying to keep as up-to-date as I can with trends; it’s one of the joys of working in web design. Things are changing so quickly so you never really do the same project twice you’re always improving.
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free stuff
dance music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... With Chris Honnery onthefly.com.au
five things WITH
Inspirations Chuck D has always been a huge 2. inspiration. What he did with Public Enemy was worldwide, and off-stage he is a man who practices what he preaches and is an activist for what he believes in. Jorge Ben Jor is an icon in Brazil. His career has spanned 40 years and a multitude of styles - he’s loved by Brazilians young and old. I love how he’s constantly fused genres and blended traditional and new music. Locally, Paul Kelly is one of the greatest musical storytellers I’ve heard - and I feel privileged to have worked with him.
1.
Growing Up Sydney in the 80s was a cool place, a really easy place to live. My dad was a big music fan - Steely Dan, JJ Cale, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Bob Dylan, The
CHEMICAL BROTHERS
OZI BATLA
Stones… I spent hours going through his crates of records, getting lost in the music. My first introduction to hip hop was ‘(Hey you) The Rock Steady Crew’ in ‘83, and I immediately went out and found a bit of lino and signed up for (short-lived) breakdancing classes - along with the rest of the world. When I was about 12 I lived in flats in Bondi, and Steve B and Rainman moved in upstairs. They introduced me to a lot more hip hop, and we started buying records and tapes together. LL Cool J, Digital Underground, EPMD, Too $hort, Ice T it was an exciting time for rap music.
Your Crew I’ve just released my first solo record 3. through Elefant Traks with Sandro on production. Live, it’s me on the mic and Sandro on the decks and sampler - taking it back to the roots. It’s a real classic rap show. We both work day jobs, I run hip hop song-writing
workshops - I just got back from a fortnight at a desert Aboriginal community in WA. The Music You Make Wild Colonial is a diverse album built 4. on a golden era aesthetic and atmospheric sampling. Sandro’s a real beat digger, there’s a surprising array of sounds laid down using true hip hop methods. We were lucky enough to get the world famous DJ Bonez on the cuts for this record as well – he murdered it. My rhymes are personal, introspective, humorous and complex. It’s my first solo record so I’ve tried to cover as much ground as I could.
SHWAYZE
The LA hip hop pairing of Shwayze (a.k.a Aaron Smith) and Cisco Adler were scheduled to play a show at Home Nightclub this Friday June 18. Apparently the guys have done a ‘Robert Hood’ and the show has now been cancelled. While we could get into the elaborate reasons behind this, it’s perhaps better to avoid discussion of their freak encounter with a giant squid and just say that Shwayze will be rescheduling their performance in the near future.
Of all the brothers in the world, the Chemical Brothers are probably the best we know, perhaps only second to Mario and Luigi. Their new album Further pushes the listener further and further into a dizzying, foreign hyperspace. A sparse, glitchy intro with blips and flashes moves around in a sonic galaxy inside your freakin’ head, as the album progresses through smooth basslines and dancefloor juggernauts. This album sees the Chem Bros let their synthesisers run wild and free in a lush dancey wonderland and unlike previous efforts, this album features no guest collaborators – just the brothers and their chemistry. To win one of five copies of Further, name one of their previous albums. The Chemical Brothers
Music, Right Here, Right Now The Sydney hip hop scene is 5. really flourishing right now. Daily Meds, Thundamentals, Loose Change, True Vibenation, That’s Them - the list goes on. With events by Look Up, Sketch the Rhyme, Dust Tones - there’s a lot of support from within the scene for each other. There’s a really good vibe at the moment, and it’s all built on respect and mutual admiration rather than ego or competition. It kind of reminds me of when Elefant Traks were starting out - a good grassroots movement. Who: Ozi Battla What: Wild Colonial is out now on Elefant Traks When: Saturday June 26 Where: The Annandale Hotel
AVALANCHES UPDATE Robert Hood
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Do you remember The Avalanches? That Melbourne-based group who released a megasuccessful debut album Since I Left You around a decade ago which boasted a ridiculous amount of samples – something like 3,500! – and attracted remixes from Ernest St. Laurent and Carl Craig under his ‘Paperclip People’ moniker… does that ring a vague bell? Well, according to various online rags, and triple j’s ‘Home and Hosed’ program, The Avalanches are finally set to release their sophomore album later in the year. While Modular have teased and tantalised about if and when the album will be ready, one can speculate that the delay can at least partially be attributed to the fastidious process of clearing samples. Not that it’s all sample-based; sources close to the band have
confirmed that Ariel Pink has started recording vocals for the record. Watch this space….
NADASTROM
US pair Nadastrom headline the second installment of Dance Club at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday June 19. The collective brainchild of Washington, D.C. natives Matt Nordstrom and Dave Nada - first introduced to Australia in a coup d’état from the original ideas factory, on the fly – Nadastrom hit the ground running with their chart-topping Pussy EP, and have continued the momentum with a frenetic gigging schedule. Nadastrom’s sound traverses electro, retro, Baltimore club, ghetto house and techno, and for better or worse encapsulates the club sounds of the next generation.
Schwayze A Tribe Called Quest
ROBERT HOOD COMING TO OZ
Diehard minimal fans remember that painful day last year, a mild spring afternoon when Detroit luminary Robert Hood announced he was canceling his planned visit to Australia due to an illness in his family. While it was reported that he would reschedule his tour for the near future, many dismissed this as ‘promotional spin’. Many now have egg on their face though, as Hood is set to play ‘the new Bunker’, Plantation, on Saturday June 26. Hood was a member of Underground Resistance and recorded alongside Jeff Mills under the moniker H&M way back when, while his landmark 1994 album Minimal Nation was a prototype seized upon by Richie Hawtin et al. For younger listeners, Minimal Nation was re-released early last year in an expanded edition that was greeted with rave reviews in The Wire magazine and is readily available online. Hood is currently preparing to release a new LP, Omega, which was written and produced as a soundtrack to the 1971 sci-fi film The Omega Man (a cult classic that was remade/ butchered in the recent Will Smith vehicle I Am Legend). “I just imagined myself, if I were commissioned to do this soundtrack, ‘What would it be like?’” Hood said of the release. “And so, this is what it is”. Dopamine, Defined By Rhythm and Ben Dunlop are the lucky locals supporting Hood, with tickets $30 on the door.
SAMPOLOGY
Bris-vegas based DJ Sampology is bringing his self-coined “Super Visual Smackdown” to the Sosueme denizens this Friday at Q Bar and 34B. Since bursting onto the scene in ’03 as a brat-ish underage upstart, Sampology has established himself as one of the country’s more versatile DJ/producers, crafting cuts that have been respected by the likes of Peaches and DJ Craze. Support comes from a plethora of locals, including live acts New Navy, Canopy Choirs and The Villainares and DJs such as Kat (from Cassette Kids), Joyride, CB’s fave Alison Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, Monkey Genius and Robbie Erectro. Doors 8pm, with $10 entry all night.
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
It takes a fair bit to get the Fizz excited these days, but the news that hip-hop luminaries A Tribe Called Quest will be heading down under in August for their first tour of Australia was enough to set him off in a fit of blubbering excitement that we’d normally expect from CB. A Tribe Called Quest are one of the most respected and charismatic acts in the hip-hop world, offering a counterpoint to the typically macho posturing that rap music is often constructed upon, by presenting abstract philosophy and message raps over blunted jazz instrumentals. The US troupe will be debuting down under to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Special guest support comes from Maseo of De La Soul from 8pm on Wednesday August 8 at the Hordern Pavilion.
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Industrial Strength Industry Music News with Christie Eliezer
THINGS WE HEAR * Visitors King Khan and BBQ Show may have split up, after two deranged shows at Sydney’s Vivid Live festival. These included throwing rubber snakes, wine, food and a guitar into the audience, with one show finishing off with the audience invading the stage. At the end of the second show, the pair admit they had a screaming row and decided to call it quits. * It looks as though Cold Chisel are going on the road next year — with some club shows thrown in. The Sydney club is
SHOCK CLOSES THREE DIVISIONS WHILE MUSIC, DVD, GROW
Hit by the world recession, Shock Entertainment has closed down three of its divisions — Shock Music Publishing, Shock Exports.com and One Stop Entertainment. The three were placed into voluntary liquidation last week. Petr Vrsecky and Stirling Horne of Lawler Draper Dillon are handling the administration of these three companies and any inquiries should be directed to their office on 03 9679 2202 or pvrsecky@ lawlerdd.com.au. The 50 staffers in these divisions will be paid their entitlements. Some are expected to move into other parts of the company. Shock directors David Williams and Frank Falvo emphasise that their core business — label, home video and distributor — are growing. The label had recent Top 10 debuts from The Black Keys and British India, with releases upcoming from The Drums, Kele, Parkway Drive, Ash Grunwald, Amity Affliction, Katie Melua and the Rolling Stones’ DVD. According to Shock, its digital content distribution is growing 50% year on year.
ELEFANT TRAKS SIGNS LAST KINECTION
Sydney label Elefant Traks signed Newcastle hip hop trio The Last Kinection. Their second album The Next Of Kin is out later
rumoured to be the Annandale. * Ozzy Osbourne, the bat biter who’s battled drug and alcohol addiction, is the new health advice columnist for England’s Sunday Times. (Hey we just report this stuff, we don’t make it up). * Coldplay’s Guy Berryman and his brother Mark have set up an antiques company. They find and restore Scandinavian furniture and ship it back to the UK for a healthy profit. * In the first three months of 2010, AMRAP sent 6,000 sample CDs to 257 stations over half of which were played.
this year. Weno, Nay and DJ Jaytee draw on their indigenous Kabi Kabi heritage. Elefant Traks label manager Urthboy said, “The Last Kinection’s live show is a mustsee; their melodic production is contagious and their songs are powerful. TLK are one of the most important groups in the country. I cannot wait to work with them on the release of their next record.”
ANGUS AND JULIA GO PLATINUM
Angus and Julia Stone’s sophomore album Down The Way has gone platinum for sales of 70,000, reports EMI Music Australia. The set is also the highest selling Australian album so far this year. The band returns shortly from global touring, while new single ‘Big Jet Plane’ (which includes a cover of the Grease toe-tapper ‘You’re The One That I Want’) has national airplay on Nova.
Caruana passed on to the artistic community (http://www.theseedfund. org). In 2010 they also opened the Management Workshop and Art For The Public categories to the public, and created a partnership with Darwin record label Skinnyfish Music to set up the Indigenous Community Music Initiative to help indigenous acts. Already 190 have applied for the Management workshop, which have to be whittled down to 25. The Seed has long been financially supported by a group of music execs, and it’s about time other music executives, associations and companies also think of donating to.
THIS IS MY CITY
CityLoveMusic (www.citylovemusic.com) is a competition launched by Sydneybased Hilton Rosenthal, who operates music label and publishing company Rhythm Safari, with Los Angelesbased composer and producer Bobby Summerfield. The idea is to write a song about an Australian city, good or bad, for the winner’s prize of US$10,000. An additional prize, for a video made for any of the songs already on the site, gets a further US$5,000. “Ultimately we want the site to become a library music supervisors can go to find songs about different cities,” Rosenthal tells us. Competition closes on September 30.
GLOBAL INTEREST IN FANTINE Fantine
DONATE TO THE SEED FUND
This column is a great admirer of the Seed Fund, which has given $500,000 to emerging and radical artists. It also funds 25 young managers to attend workshops, which they ‘fess up to being life-changing experiences, and which sees them do business with each other after. This year Seed founders John Butler and Daniella
Life lines Split: R&B singer Brandy ended her romance with rapper Flo Rida to focus on her career. Married: Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies and girlfriend Jackie Ivancevic, over the weekend. Married: Alanis Morissette, 36, revealed she and rapper Mario “MC Souleye” Treadway, 30, married quietly in LA in late May. Hospitalised: Steve Bedwell, producer at Melbourne talk radio MTR1377, is in for tests after blacking out on the way to work and crashing his car. In Court: Leanne Herbert, 41, for obtaining $120,000 for sponsorship deals and prime seats from people and associations around NSW, claiming to be the promoter of a non-existent AC/DC concert in Sydney in 2005.
The last six months has been awesome for Aussie soul singer Fantine Pritoula aka Fantine. In the beginning of the year, she caught the eye of hip hop producer Katalyst, and they went on to collaborate with Space Invadas’ triple j played single ‘Super Sweet’, and played festivals. This week, after hearing some of her home demos, Fantine heads to LA, NY and London to write with a number of producers there, and record with Britain’s cutting edge Plan B.
ONSTAGE AT THE APRAS
Basement Birds, Washington, Art vs Science, Operator Please, Urthboy and Katie Noonan are performing at the APRA awards. Also on is a collaboration between Church members and a “special guest”. The APRAs are held on Monday June 21st at the Sydney Convention Centre, and broadcast on pay TV MAX on Sunday July 4th at 8:30pm. They’re hosted by Julia Zemiro and Jonathan Biggins. (Biggins has long been the hilarious face of the awards, but he seemed a mite unprepared last time).
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
While New FM breakfast host Steve St John speculated on air that he’d heard Austereo pays Kyle Sandilands $2.9 million, Sandilands and Jackie O were on air themselves musing about who they’d give their stuff to in their wills. Sandilands said he’d give his Rolls Royce to 2DAY FM program director Derek Bargwanna. “Who’d you give your job to?” Jackie asked. Sandilands replied, “Merrick from Nova, so I know the show will never be as good as when we did it.”
CHARTFIXER GOES PFFUUTTT
Chartfixer, the site which boasted it would get artists into the ARIA and iTunes charts, shrivelled under the heat of criticism from music media. It folded a week later. For $30,000, it would get a team of downloaders to buy enough copies to chart. Was it some elaborate hoax as part of some reality TV show, we wonder, or just a scam start-up business?
Sued: US funk legend George Clinton, by his former accountants, who received only $25,000 for putting together a royalty review which saw Clinton get an extra US$1.2 million. They say he was supposed to give them 25%. Died: Reports say that former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable, who was found dead at his home in Wales last week, choked on his vomit. Died: Adam D Mills, 30, who ran Sydney’s Sound Fury label and store, its black metal imprint Foul Is Fair, and wrote for sites like Mess & Noise.
DJS SET NEW WORLD RECORD The Guinness World Record for The World’s Longest Club Session DJ Relay has been broken by Britain’s Radio 1Xtra DJs Rampage. The pair, also known as Treble T and Mike Anthony, created a continuous DJ club mix of 82 tracks, with each tune being mixed in by a different DJ all perfectly beat matched and without any goofs. They were assisted by DJ friends including Seany B and Mark Ronson.
GAMERS DIG 90S MUSIC
Australian gamers — or at least those who play Guitar Hero — prefer music of the ‘90s than any other decade. Independent research commissioned by the video game franchise found that 31% deemed that decade their favourites. Metallica is the most popular band with both Gen Y and Gen X males and females, with Guns N Roses, Foo Fighters and Muse also high on the list. The research also found that nearly one in two Australians who play “Guitar Hero” also play a musical instrument, 63% of them play with friends, nearly half play with their family and one in four say that Guitar Hero has helped them make new friends. 81% reckon “Guitar Hero” makes parties go better and 95% say it is great social fun. “Guitar Hero” has sold a million units in Australia, according to the company, with over $200 million in sales and a claimed 70% market share.
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By Nell Greco hen last Summer rolled around, all my radio was playing was that ‘O-bama, I wanna go surfin!’ song, by some dudes from Brooklyn. Surf rock out of New York? ‘Obama’ or ‘Oh Mamma’? Apparently the song was written on Obama’s inauguration day, but the jury’s still out on the lyrics. What I did find out was that the band wrote and recorded in Florida - near the beach. At least that makes some sense. Singer Jonathan Pierce was high spirited when he called from Amsterdam, if a little exhausted - The Drums were touring around Europe and had only just finished a 14 hour trip across the continent. But metaphorically speaking, it’s been a short trip for these guys. They only played their first gig a little over a year ago, at The Cake Shop in New York’s upper east side (where Love of Diagrams and Danimals have all recently played) - to about 30 people. And already they’re touring Europe. Pierce’s boredom was the catalyst for The Drums formation. “I was kind of depressed and hadn’t made music in a few years - Jake [Jacob Graham] and I had always talked about starting a band together,” he tells me. “Our rule was, let’s just start writing music that we want to write, and forget about everything else.” And it’s a rule that has seemed to pay off. After starting a MySpace page and, one month later, uploading the third song they’d ever written, UK label Moshi Moshi (who represents Bloc Party, Hot Chip and Florence And The Machine) contacted them offering to release ‘Let’s Go Surfing,’ as a vinyl single. “We had no idea of the scope of the thing. We certainly didn’t know the relevance of Moshi Moshi. We just thought it was great that some guy in the UK wanted to put out our song on vinyl!”
Since the release of ‘Let’s Go Surfing,’ and what seems like their ‘stumble’ onto the music scene, The Drums have been heralded and acclaimed as an indie surf-rock band - but it’s a title that doesn’t sit quite right with Pierce. “I personally don’t consider us a surf band. We’ve got that one song, but listen to any of our other thirty songs - or even our first single - and no one would consider us that.” Their list of musical influences (as well as their other thirty songs…) lends weight to that statement, too. Instead of the clichéd surf-rock bands you might expect The Drums to name, Pierce tells me that unlikely sweethearts The Ronnettes and The Shangri-Las were a sound they were trying to emulate. “[Their songs] were simple and direct; short and sweet and lovely. They sounded very sincere, and that’s certainly what we try to do,” he says. “I think that era, the 1950s, is kinda when the modern pop song as we know it was sort of birthed.”
They decided they were going to make music. If the music from that era is referenced as an influence on The Drums’ new record, so to is the technology and production quality. Listen back to The Ronnettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ or the Shangri-Las ‘Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand)’ and you’ll hear it for yourself. The sound is heavy with reverb from the room, the levels are all over the shop and compression – well, what was that? Although DIY postproduction has come a long way, The Drums were still faced with limitations in the studio. “We had one guitar and one keyboard, a thirty dollar microphone and some drums and there was this old reverb machine that my friend let me borrow,” Pierce tells me. “That’s what developed our sound.”
“There’s something to be said for consistency. I don’t see a lot of consistency in bands anymore. We aren’t interested in trends and I don’t want to grow up. I want to keep doing The bedroom that Jonathan, Jake and what we’re Jake’s brother shared in Florida was their recording doing.” studio, and with no cash and
Sincerity and simplicity are two recurring topics that come up in our conversation, and they’re themes that seem to hark back to a time when Pierce was more cynical about the world. “At least in America, I can really speak for America, things have been really shitty for a long time – economically and just on every level, people are really down in the dumps. It’s the very thing our songs were born out of, that hopeless feeling like, ‘What the fuck are were going to do?’”
limited space they pieced together an EP, Summertime, with as much heart and soul as they could muster. With enough tracks recorded and left-over from these sessions, their self-titled debut album was recorded and produced before the band was even signed. “I’d so much rather hear music by someone who might not quite know what they’re doing, or might not quite have all the means to do what they want to do, but tries their best - the sincerity kind of bleeds through.” The first track on The Drums, ‘Best Friend’, is actually the first song they wrote together.
It was recorded in one take only. “We’d never produced a song before, so that was it; and that’s the same exact version that opens the album.” With lyrics like “You’re my best friend but then you died/ When I was 23 and you were 25,” ‘Best Friend’ is clearly a song about loss; but much like Joy Division on ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and Unknown Pleasures, it’s a sadness belied by catchy riffs and upbeat tempos. With the post-punk energy of tracks like ‘Forever and Ever Amen’ and ‘Book of Stories’, the Drums also share another common seam with bands like Joy Division and New Order: that their limitations - like their lack of cash and equipment or technology seem to be their strength. After being touted by NME as “New York’s official coolest new band”, The Drums are already thinking about their next album and where the band may (or may not) venture musically. “There’s something to be said for consistency,” Pierce says. “I don’t see a lot of consistency in bands [anymore]. We aren’t interested in trends, and I don’t want to grow up – I want to keep doing what we’re doing.” They’ll soon be doing what they’re doing in Australia too, when they head out here for Splendour in the Grass. “We’re just really grateful and really excited to head over. On stage we really go for it, and we’ll act peculiar and we’ll act undignified, because we just feel like it’s important.” They recently played their first real ‘festival’ to a crowd of 10 000 at Barcelona’s Primavera; and it seems like The Drums are just warming up. Who: The Drums What: The Drums is out now through Popfrenzy When: August 1 Where: Oxford Art Factory More: Splendour In The Grass 2010
“Take from me this white elephant coat”- SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS 18 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
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Sia Feeling Good By Romi Scodellaro
S
ia Furler is in bed with her two dogs, Pantera Marvelous and Lick Lick Science, recovering from a Tim Tam overload. “Tim Tam Slams are one of the best oral experiences you’ll ever have. I’m recovering by watching Say Yes to the Wedding Dress,” she tells me, before explaining the show in earnest detail. “I love reality TV and it’s getting worse and worse, the kind of TV I’m watching. There are times where I get scared, and I think I’m running out of TV, and I ask around, and I try again. My Ipod - I don’t even have any music on it, it’s just got television shows. That’s what I’m into. TV.” TV and, apparently, talking. “I’m a chatterbox,” Sia confesses, somewhat unnecessarily. She has a show tonight, and loses her voice if she talks too much – so her girlfriend, Le Tigre’s JD Samson, made her agree that they wouldn’t speak to each other for an hour before my call. “When I was trying to talk to her just before this she was like, ‘I THOUGHT WE WEREN’T GOING TO TALK!’” Words must have been building up in that hour, as Sia proceeds to natter excitedly throughout the rest of the interview.
MINNOW & CO PRESENTS
LiTTLE RED “ROCK IT” SINGLE TOUR
“Christina Aguilera and I played a lot of Taboo. Taboo was what we were about. She was a devout follower of the buzzer; it was important to her that everyone follow the rules.” The Adelaide-born songstress is on the cusp of releasing her latest album, We Are Born - an album on as much of a sugar-high as she is. It starts with a chorus of kids chanting: “We are born… yeah!!!”, and maintains itself at this level throughout. The Strokes’ Nick Valensi adds a catchy, distinctive flavour to the guitars and, after dipping in the middle with a couple of slower tracks, the record builds back up to the energy it began with – extremely joyful, danceable pop. “If you listen to the lyrics, it’s the same album I write every time, about the same issues and stuff - just wrapped in different clothing. I think what this one is wearing is bright and sparkly, a bit more ‘look at me’. I think Colour the Small One was wearing black, and Some People Have Real Problems was wearing beige and red.” I offer that perhaps We Are Born is donned in a really sparkly wedding dress? “Yeah, like a really multicoloured sparkly wedding dress, and it’s got flashing lights on it.” While she’s excited about the spangly dress she’s made, she doesn’t want to talk about the troublesome process of getting it out there. “If you’ve already read that I wrote those songs five years ago and tried to put them out, but Universal dropped me, then that’s what I’m going to tell you again… But if you want, you can just use that, and ask me something else!” It’s like Sia’s handed me a Tim Tam and a cup of coffee down the phone line, like I’m just talking to a friend. And she’s right, too. I already know that this is the album she’s wanted to make for a long time. I already know that her label prevented her from releasing these upbeat songs, in case they alienated the fans of the more haunting, subdued tunes from the bleaker black and redand-beige albums, and her work with Zero 7. (A concern that seems, at least so far, unfounded: the album’s first single, ‘You’ve Changed’, is Sia’s highest charting Australian single to date.) If I know all that already, wouldn’t it be more fun to ask about Sia’s stint with Christina Aguilera, writing and recording four songs for Christina’s upcoming album? “We played a lot of Taboo. Taboo was what we were about. She was a devout follower of the buzzer; it was important to her that everyone follow the rules. I don’t care so much, I’m one of those people that helps the other team, and gives hints; I annoy people who are competitive. We’re still friends though,” Sia says. “Once I got into an argument with someone because we were playing lawn bowls and I thought I was being really funny by running up and throwing it really close, and they didn’t talk to me for two weeks. Apparently that was cheating.”
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“ROCK IT” OUT NOW ON ITUNES www.myspace.com/littleredmusic 20 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
There’s a lot of giggling on the other side of the phone, particularly when JD and Sia begin teasing each other. JD was a big influence on the sound of Sia’s album, despite many of the songs being written before they even knew each other. “I don’t really listen to dance music or enjoy it, but because I liked her I was going to clubs and she was playing a lot of uptempo pop music - so that influenced me,” says Sia. “Oh wait – you want the credit?”, she says to JD, and then to me: “She’s like, gesticulating and waving... Do you want the credit? Shall I say it was you, baby? I don’t know if the producer will agree...” Surprisingly, what’s next for Sia really is an album with JD - although she’s not sure it’ll get off the ground. “We tried to work together once but she tried to tell me how to sing, and then I threw the headphones down and walked out of the room,” she confesses, as she and JD crack up together again, being undeniably adorable. “And she was like, that’s terrible, it reflects badly on our relationship! And I’m like, I don’t think it does, I love you!” Sia is currently as uptempo as her music, regardless of when the songs were written - and her latest offering is a winner. The last words on the spangled, sparkly album are from her cover of Madonna’s ‘Oh Father’: “I’ve never felt so good about myself.” Sia certainly sounds it. Who: Sia What: We Are Born is out now on Monkey Puzzle, through Inertia
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 21
Alberta Cross A Lethal Cocktail By Kilian David
W
hen critics need to describe New York-based Alberta Cross, the easiest adjective to reach for is ‘Americana’. As fitting as it may have been in the band’s nascent phase, it’s a label they have recently attempted to shake off. But at the time of our interview, their situation isn’t doing them any favours: they’re driving across America’s Midwest at 2am after a gig, thick in tornado country. “There’s loads of tornados around”, says singer and guitarist Petter Ericson Stakee, in a soft London accent. “It’s pretty mad.” Sensing the entire band could be scooped up by a passing twister at any second, I hastily ask about their upcoming visit to our shores. “We’ve been really looking forward to going to Australia for a while,” Petter says. “I’ve got loads of friends
from Australia in London and they’ve been telling me good things, y’know? It’s going to be exciting I think. And also we’ve been touring America and Europe for so long - a change is going to be healthy.” Alberta Cross are scheduled for a sunset performance at Splendour in the Grass. No strangers to the festival circuit, they’ve delivered acclaimed performances at some of the world’s finest: Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza among them. Still, Petter is enthusiastic about Splendour – even despite fear of ‘crocs and snakes’ at its new Woodford location. “That’s going to be crazy eh? We’ve got loads of friends playing down there who we’ve been touring with, so it’s going to be a crazy party, man.” One group of friends include
the UK’s Mumford & Sons. Alberta Cross will be supporting their sideshows in Melbourne and Adelaide, as well as playing their own headline gigs. Petter recalls the two bands hit it off when they first played together in London’s Hyde Park, a few years ago. “They’re really good guys and I appreciate their music… It’s going to be a really good four-night thing – a lot of beer consumption.”
Heartbreaker, sparking admirable if derivative parallels to Neil Young, The Band and the like. Their scope expanded with the release of their debut album, 2009’s Broken Side of Time. Growing from three members to five and uprooting from London to New York all played a part in shaping the band’s sound and dynamic. “Adding another guitar player changed it quite a lot y’know; thickening it up and making it heavier.”
Despite their constant touring, Alberta Cross are as fervent about playing live as ever; Petter likens performances to “a religious experience”. One story from a gig in Santa Barbara tells how the audience was so overcrowded the police had to be called in. Afterwards, the band played a second time that night, for those who missed out - the cops stuck around to enjoy the show too. Meaning you can relax if a riot squad drops by any of their forthcoming shows.
As for the Americana label? “Someone said that we have a heavier modern sound, with Americana melodies,” Petter says. “I’d definitely agree with that. But I think we’re beyond the whole Americana thing - if anyone else wants to comment on it?” As he chuckles, I picture him offering around the phone to his exhausted bandmates to add their two cents on the matter, each praying for a tornado to meet them head-on so they don’t have to comment on the dreaded ‘A’ word again...
Petter grew up in a musical family, ‘brainwashed’ by his father and brother, both musicians. “From my dad I got the rootsier songs and bluesy songs, and from my brother was the PJ Harvey sound, the Nick Cave sound; the darker, darker sounds – the Cure and all that stuff,” he tells me. “I think I’m somewhere in between the two: a lethal cocktail.” This cocktail first got served up on their 2007 mini album The Thief and the
Who: Alberta Cross What: Broken Side Of Time is out now through Dew Process When: Saturday July 24 Where: The Annandale Hotel More: Splendour In The Grass 2010
We Are Scientists …On Being Nice Guys By Caitlin Welsh
Sleepy Sun So It Goes By Mikey Carr
B
ursting forth from Santa Cruz by way of San Francisco with their 2009 LP Embrace, psychedelic sextet Sleepy Sun are a band seemingly possessed by a work ethic that would rival the inmates of Japanese internment camps. Less than a year after the release of Embrace, the band are back again with follow-up Fever - a more restrained and polished counterpart to the freewheeling tumult of their debut. Shifting their sound from Black Sabbath-esque stoner riffs to delicate acoustic folk, the band’s restlessness apparently extends well beyond their relentless touring and whirlwind recording sessions. There’s a feeling on both of their albums that anything could happen at any time - you just don’t know. And this resistance to careful structure and planning is something the band try to hold on to. “There has never been a pointed approach to writing songs,” guitarist Matt Holliman explains. “When we go into the studio we never go in with completely finished tracks, like, ‘this is Embrace’ or ‘this is Fever’.” He tells me it’s more just a case of the band entering the studio with maybe a few songs, and just going for it. “Sometimes we end up ripping out entire guitar parts, adding various percussion, changing vocals, coming up with harmonies on the spot - it’s very much an organic experience within the studio, as is the writing process. We don’t have some structure card we whip out and go over to help us write the songs or anything.” Not concerned with slaving away to try and record the perfect record, the band prefers to try and capture the energy and passion of the music, embracing their own sonic idiosyncrasies. “As a band, I don’t think we could do a click track. I think we certainly possess the musicianship, but I think it would just sound crap. We’re trying to capture the raw feel in those takes, as raw as
possible. I think a click track would take away some of the swing - I mean, we’re not perfect musicians, so why try to fake that,” Matt remarks amidst self-deprecating laughter. This honesty and dedication to harnessing the band’s raw live power, as opposed to trying to clone it in the studio, does mean that the recordings are flawed. But whereas another band might stew on a guitar being slightly offkey here or a kick drum being out of time there, Sleepy Sun take a more ambivalent perspective. “I mean on either of those two records, there are mistakes in there. Maybe other people aren’t hearing them, but I do, and it’s not something that bugs me or keeps me up at night. That was just the take at the time, and that was what the feeling was. I mean, any of the songs on either album have progressed so far from when they were recorded, but that’s just our process. Those are snap shots of the songs at that specific time; they’re never going to be exactly the same as they are on the album.”
While Burrows will apparently return for the next studio album, the current concern is touring the one about to drop. Youth Group’s Danny Allen will be joining Murray and bassist Chris Cain for their 2010 tour schedule – a packed few months involving an extensive US and UK tour, as well as the Splendour In The Grass festival and a pair of double-header sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne with Irish veterans Ash. (I tell Murray how much more enormous Splendour will be in comparison to previous years, and he offers: ”Do you think that’s because we’re on the bill this year? Whether or not they’ve said it that explicitly, that’s probably the reason.”) Cain and Murray have been the steady core of the band since the late nineties, and their partnership has meant that outside of the studio, We Are Scientists aren’t consumed with personnelrelated soap operas or tortured artistic musings in interviews. Instead, they star in mini-sitcoms for MTV, run self-improvement seminars before shows, and fill their liner notes with highly dubious love advice. The latter includes “No birds as pets” and a selection of pick-up lines of which far too many contain bad-fruit puns. I resist the urge to
test them out on the roguishly handsome Murray, and instead ask who has the raisin fetish. “You know I think, I think, to call it a fetish is going a little bit too far. It’s a fascination, some would say a fixation. But it’s all Chris... All Chris.” Liner notes aside, the songs in Barbara seem more concerned with those pesky feelings than their previous albums. Second single ‘Nice Guys’ is, in its own way, as cynical a track as any they’ve ever recorded. “I mean, I would say I am technically one of those nice guys,” says Murray, in all seriousness. “The song was actually written about this friend of mine who was dating a guy. She said, well she didn’t like him very much because she said he’s ‘too nice a guy’. And I thought he was pretty much like a perfect dude - and I realised that was because he was pretty much like me. Really very milquetoast and not challenging at all. So the song is specifically written by a third party who’s not a nice guy.” This is about as serious as the conversation gets. Unlike Cain, Murray often seems less than comfortable expounding at length in interviews about the music he makes. When I tentatively suggest Barbara is their Because of the Times – the poppier, more radio-friendly album that will bring WAS to the masses - he seems to deflect the question. “I certainly do not consider the words ‘radio-friendly’ or ‘poppy’ to be an insult. But I don’t know if this is a pop record. I think the next one will be the big sell-out pop record.” Will they have Lil Wayne guest on it, then? Murray deadpans: “If at all possible.” Who: We Are Scientists What: Barbara is out June 18 through Liberator When: Tuesday August 3 Where: The Metro Theatre More: Splendour In The Grass 2010
Having just finished touring North America and Mexico with The Arctic Monkeys, Sleepy Sun are currently working on their third album - and heaping their plate with musical nourishment almost to the point of creative obesity. In spite of this gluttony, Matt assures me the impact of the highly charged atmosphere around the band hasn’t changed their approach to writing and recording. “It’s definitely going to change the writing process to a degree but I mean, we’re not exactly in any mad rush to get our next record out,” says Matt, with an air of nonchalance. “We’re just taking it as it goes.” Who: Sleepy Sun What: Fever is out now on ATP, through Inertia
“The sky began to fall, ripping opening a path up to heaven”-TESTAMENT 22 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
Sleepy Sun photo by Hadas
“Y
ou make it sound so dirty!” Keith Murray squeals down the phone. His band, California’s We Are Scientists, have had two studio and at least four tour drummers to date, and when I ask if there’s some sinister, Spinal Tap-esque curse responsible for the revolving door next to their drum stool, he’s keen to set the record straight. “We’ve only actually had two drummers, but one of them [Michael Tapper] left, you know, before we actually embarked on a tour.” Their new album, Barbara, features Andy Burrows, formerly of Razorlight, on the skins. That worked wonderfully well, says Murray: “…and then he stupidly decided to put out a solo record. And his record company don’t want him to not support his solo record that comes out a month after ours - if you can believe anything that ludicrous.”
Ernest Ellis The Bearded Bard By Amelia Schmidt
F
or such a chilled out guy, Ernest Ellis is really pretty busy. With his debut album Hunting about to be released, he’s on tour with The Holidays, getting ready to play Come Together and Splendour in the Grass festivals, and also supporting Florence and the Machine on her tour - not to mention working his day job, writing a short film, working on a side project and writing songs for his next album, too. “I don’t really get it when people aren’t busy,” he says to me, handsomely dishevelled at the Dew Process HQ, in Surry Hills. “It’s kind of like, well, what are you doing then?” So I can understand why he moved from the sleepy coastal town of Lake Cathie to the big smoke of Sydney to study at University. He seems full of so much creative energy that a city of opportunity was needed to make the most of it. The opposition of the city and country is a big part of Ellis’ life, and also had an effect on the ideas in Hunting. “Moving from the coast to the big city is always going to have an effect, because you’re going from a certain environment to being surrounded by millions of new people,” he says. But it’s not as simple as that; Ernest explains that he prefers the process of writing to be uncontrived. “I do feel that [writing about the country] is kind of inadvertent, and not a conscious affect,” he says. “All my lyrics, when I read them back, they’re all so self-loathing. I don’t consciously sit there thinking about how much I hate myself, crying into my book – it just comes out that way. Any form of worthwhile writing is from a subconscious level.”
It’s a real joy listening to Ernest tell these stories, which he does at every opportunity - segueing and recapitulating like a true bard. That storytelling drive is clear in his lyrics too, but like everything else, his attitude towards them is laid-back and unselfconscious. “I just kind of feel that when people get really literal with lyrics, or start trying to explain them, it’s just boring to me - there’s no more mystery to it.” Instead, he likes leaving them open to interpretation. “I just think that my lyrics mean something to me, but they might mean something different to someone else - and I don’t want to be the guy that spoils that for them.” It’s a perfect example of how Ernest Ellis works: he’s full of stories but only if you’d like to hear them, and writes only what feels right. He’s calm, relaxed and a pleasure to listen to – much like his album, really. Who: Ernest Ellis What: Hunting is out June 18 When: Thursday July 1 Where: Oxford Art Factory
It’s a philosophy and process that Ernest has been working on for a while. “I turn 25 this year, so I guess I’ve been writing music for maybe ten years or something,” he says. “I’ve been in a bunch of bands. I’ve been writing for a long time.” The process behind his debut album involved yet another year of writing, wandering and experimenting; although without as much structure as you’d think. “I don’t think it’s right to say to yourself, ‘I’m going to write now,’ or ‘I’m going to record now,’” he says. “I don’t ever stop writing; that’s all I really love doing. It’s just an ongoing thing.” And although he’s really happy with how Hunting turned out – “it sounds how I wanted it to sound” – he’s already eager to move on. “It’s difficult to think that I’m not going to be making another record for a year, because I’ve already got another record mostly written.”
“ Studios can be really sterile environments; not much really happens in them at all... So I thought it would be a good idea to record some vocals in the bathtub.” As for what he wanted out of Hunting, Ellis seems to be very clear. “I always wanted to make a record that represented continuity, like all the records I really like,” he says, “where you could listen from cover to cover, and that’s the point of it.” And aside from the conceptual, technical side of things, Hunting has a beautiful, laid-back, organic sound and feel to it - evident in the recent video for ‘Loveless’, which Ellis agrees was consciously referencing films like The Assassination of Jesse James and No Country for Old Men in its epic country visuals. “We recorded at a house out near Orange, and at a farm up in the Blue Mountains,” Ernest says, when we talk about the influence of the countryside. “That kind of sparse landscape really contributed to the overall feel of all the songs together.” With the country/city divide already a big part of Ellis’ life, I’m not surprised that he took this album out of the soundproof room. “Studios can be really sterile environments; not much really happens in them at all,” he explains. “We got out of the city because we thought that we could record in interesting places. For one of the tunes we went out and recorded a bunch of birds out in Blackheath, and kind of put them through loop pedals and delay and used that.” With Neil Young and Beck’s Seachange as sound references, Ellis’s aesthetic led to some innovative ways of recording, too. “We did some recording of drums outside and recorded some vocals in the bathtub,” he says, and laughs. “I can’t get enough of reverb; it’s the key to life! I thought it would be a good idea to record some vocals in the bathtub, so I just lay back – there was no water in the bath, that would be stupid – and the vocal mic hung down, and I recorded a few songs in there, too.” BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 23
Miike Snow L
ike a cool comet from a distant galaxy, Miike Snow came from nowhere and hit pretty much everywhere in 2009. Rather unfairly tagged as ‘The Next Big Thing’, the band - consisting of American multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wyatt and two Swedish men with megahard-to-pronounce names - had actually been huge forces in the music industry for over a decade. “I wrote a bunch of songs [recently] for Daniel Merriweather,” Wyatt says offhand, while walking through a shopping mall in downtown L.A. “We had this mutual friend, Mark Ronson...” Wyatt has lots of friends like this; as a producer, bass player, vocalist and all-round work-a-holic, he’s been in bands with Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen and Ke$ha’s key producer/songwriter) and remnants of Jeff Buckley’s studio outfit. Miike Snow (which Wyatt definitively confirms is actually pronounced ‘Mike’) are not a flash in the pan. Rather, they represent a long history of solid pop writing, now manifest in a run of hit singles including ‘Animal’, ‘Burial’ and ‘Silvia’. The band write songs in steps and, as Wyatt tells me, the the tracks that made it onto their selftitled debut record “are the ones that actually got
past step one.” That’s a goal in itself, especially for Wyatt, who concedes that the band “never really thought of this album as being our ‘main thing.’” For a record that sounds surprisingly confident and developed, its members were, apparently, quite the opposite. “We weren’t working with too much time on our hands. We were doing it without much expectation about what would happen with it. We really didn’t think we’d be touring and stuff!” Miike Snow are about to head to Australia for the first time, to play Splendour in the Grass - their side-project dalliance is apparently becoming more of a ‘main thing’ than they’d imagined. Unlike his Swedish Miike Snow bros (more on them later), it seems that fame and fortune has never really been a part of Wyatt’s dedication to music. “I don’t want to be on the cover of Success magazine,” he tells me. “You know, there’s no way to argue with that! You see it on a newsstand and say ‘Wow, that dude is Successful!” Take the band’s lead single, ‘Animal’: “I can’t say I wrote it expecting to become an anthem,” Wyatt laughs, “but it definitely had that kind of a vibe to it. It’s like…European, tribal music!” Wyatt’s big dream is to have ‘Animal’ turn into a pagan chant; “The kind of thing people scream out at soccer games. You know, like they do with that White Stripes song now. Do, do do-do-do duhhh, duhhh.”
“It’s really pointless to try and stop people getting your music for free, but by the same token, you should really give people new ways that they can buy your music. Our record appears to be well known, despite not selling many units at all.” For about two minutes here, Wyatt drops off the line and argues with about three different people. “I’m sorry, they’re trying to find my car,” he apologises, “This is a Los Angeles conundrum. You don’t have this in Australia, do you?” While he’s searching, let’s take a look at the other two members of Miike Snow; Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg. These Swedes are superproducers, and trading as Bloodshy & Avant they’re pretty much the hottest pop writers on the planet. They wrote Britney Spears’ chart-slaying ‘Toxic’. They made Rob Thomas a solo star with ‘This Is How A Heart Breaks’. So if you find it impossible to get Miike Snow’s tunes out of your head, there’s a damn good reason why. These guys specialise in earworms. Wyatt now spends a lot more of his time in Sweden, not just for the band but also to be with his Swedish girlfriend; a coincidental pairing, as the two actually met in New York. But since their rapid ascension as a musical force on the charts (and blogs), Miike Snow have spent most of their days on the road. They’re still releasing, too they recently cut a new track with DJ to the stars, Stuart Price. They debuted ‘The Rabbit’ last week. “It’s on the new version of our album. The deluxe version. It was actually one of the first songs we wrote, but then Stuart took it and did his thing… The powers that be heard it, and thought it would be a Really Big Radio Song.” Miike Snow and these powers that be have had a pretty interesting relationship. They’re one of the most popular bands on RCRDLBL - an alternative, legitimate source of online music for fans, which often includes free downloads. “It’s really pointless to try and stop people getting your music for free,” Wyatt says, “But by the same token, you should really give people new ways that they can buy your music. We’re a band who’s done a lot of touring, and our record appears to be well-known despite not selling many units at alll!” Miike Snow has no problem consolidating their online influence, in any case. The band’s remixes of acts like Passion Pit and Vampire Weekend ensures they’ll be on high rotation for a long while yet, even if it’s not in CD form. And as their popularity continues to soar, hopefully Wyatt will find a way to keep track of his car. “Man,” he laughs, signing off, “I really should have stayed in Sweden.” Who: Miike Snow What: Miike Snow is out now When: Wednesday August 4 Where: The Forum More: Splendour In The Grass 2010 24 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
Miike Snow photo by Magnus Magnusson
Two Swedes, One American, All Good By Jonno Seidler
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The Chemical Brothers The Ultimate Expression By Genevieve Parley
T
he Chemical Brothers want to love you up. No, really, they do. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simon have little interest in gloomy predictions of economic doom, they don’t want to spend their free time contemplating peak oil, and while they would like it a lot if governments everywhere clamped down on greenhouse gasses, they figure it’s not going to hurt if we got out and dance a bit while we wait. So they’re offering up their new album Further - in some ways their hardestsounding, most roof-raising, pure dance record since the 1995 debut album, Exit Planet Dust.
“Our music is hedonistic, and that’s just one of the responses to life,” says Simon, the curly-haired partner to the straight blonde locks of Rowlands. “Not necessarily taking drugs, but being together and finding some enjoyment in life… When people are so entertained at home there is less communion. Beyond politics, that’s the thing I feel really strongly about - getting people to connect and be with each other. Putting on a show and getting people out of the house still gives meaning to what we do.” Looking for meaning was probably not a high priority when Simon and Rowlands began mixing
house, hip-hop and techno in Manchester and London clubs in 1992. If it moved you it worked, and if it worked then they were happy. But after six albums, children, domesticity and the rise and fall and rise again of electronic music, the two 40-year-olds could be excused for lacking motivation. It’s not like they’re still in need of people shouting out for them, and money hasn’t been a problem since 1997’s Dig Your Own Hole went ballistic. So they didn’t need to make album number seven, did they? “I think we enjoy it. We really enjoy the collaboration between the two of us,” Simon says. “The music is a celebration of a pretty long-standing friendship.” The pair have known each other since school, shared a house as well as a DJ booth for three years, and for a long while rarely spent more than a week or two apart. Marriages have had less face-to-face time than those two managed. It seems a bit excessive... “But on another level, you have to have meaning in your life, don’t you? You have to have a reason. There were other things going on for both of us, but the Chemical Brothers is part of our meaning, of who we are.” Questioning the raison-d’êtres of the Chemical Brothers seems to rouse the emotions more than any other question I ask the mild-mannered Englishman. “You say we don’t need people to love us, but we don’t feel we’ve made the ultimate expression of our band, or what we want to say musically. We still feel some kind of dissatisfaction that needs to be got out - so we go into the studio and write more music,” he continues. “We’ve done all the travelling we probably need to, we’ve had a lot of adulation and criticism, but maybe there is a sense that we have never made the ultimate expression. As I said, the Chemical Brothers give us meaning in life, and that’s pretty vital to anyone.” Fair enough. We don’t ask lawyers and doctors who are 10 or 15 years into a career why they’re still practising. The Chemical Brothers make music: this is what they do.
“We used to argue a lot when we were younger and fierier. You’ve got to keep some conflict - but now the conflicts no longer involve things being thrown...” Rowland explained a few years ago: “We’re still keen on the idea of making an album, even though it’s getting a bit of an outmoded idea in the world of downloads, and people buying single tracks. We love the idea of making an hour of music that is an experience.” According to Simon, that obsession hasn’t gone away - even if, rather than worldwide touring, this album’s offshoot is the films they’ve created to accompany each of the eight tracks on the record. “This time, moving away from all the guest vocalists and working on the visual show gave another dimension to what we are doing. We haven’t committed to a huge worldwide tour. So you take those things away and you concentrate on just one thing. For me, we have a long-standing friendship and the friendship is built around being in the studio together and making music together, and I don’t think either of us want to give that up right now.” Their lives have changed, with fewer drugs and more children. The nature of their work has changed too, as technology and contributors change and evolve. But has the way they work together as people changed? “It’s less intense. We used to live together and then we’d be in the studio all day and then off on tour. It was crazy. Probably we need to say less to each other now because we have an understanding,” he tells me. “We used to argue a lot when we were younger and fierier, and now you don’t want to argue about the nuances of how a particular track is arranged, and say harsh words to someone who you’ve spent pretty much your whole adult life with. Having said that, I think it’s important that we disagree and have conflict - otherwise the collaboration would be pointless.” If there wasn’t disagreement and friction they may as well be doing it on their own. After all, if you are thinking the same, why do you need two people? “You’ve got to keep some conflict - but now the conflicts no longer involve things being thrown,” he chuckles. So no need to bring in a therapist in a chunky knit sweater to do some Metallica-like group counselling yet? “Not yet, not yet,” he laughs. “Maybe. We’ll see how the touring goes.” Who: The Chemical Brothers What: Further is out now through Virgin Music 26 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 27
Villagers Narcissus and Hermann Hesse By Luke Telford
W
hen I speak to Conor O’Brien of Villagers, he’s in a strange headspace. It’s about 10 in the morning in Manchester. He and his band have just played the first gig of their first UK tour to a packed room. His debut as Villagers was released just days before, to shoot straight to number one in Ireland, and - as he tells me - a solid third of the Mancunian audience already had it, and knew most of the words. “Usually the best gigs are the ones where you feel the audience and the band are all in it together; it’s a little experiment, and they’re all in it together. Last night was like that.”
The album, Becoming a Jackal, is a fine piece of eerily evocative indie rock, penned entirely by O’Brien at his home in Dublin. Given the range of superb ideas presented on the record, this is no mean feat. One thing that’s especially striking about it—once you get over how exciting it is to listen to— is how direct and passionate O’Brien’s delivery is, almost cathartic at points; some of the lyrics sound as though they needed to be wrung from him. O’Brien puts it more humbly. “You do have moments where you’re like ‘Wow, that’s amazing, I’m so happy that worked’, but a lot of it’s just keeping your head down. It’s more of a discipline I think; it’s more about putting aside time, and making sacrifices.”
“Becoming A Jackal was initially a drawing I did, [which] became the album cover. I think I was drawing my own version of Narcissus but in my version, the reflection was more of a jackal-like creature.” Which raises the question: how did such an evocative slew of indie rock come from such an unassuming Irish muso? “Becoming A Jackal was initially a drawing I did, it was a sketch,” explains O’Brien. “The sketch became the album cover, but there wasn’t any songs when I drew it.” The image looks like a cave drawing, showing a human figure peering into a pool of water, mirrored by a blackeyed, jackal-like figure. “I think I was drawing my own version of Narcissus,” he continues, “a Greek story of a guy who looked at himself for too long, his own reflection - it’s been done by Caravaggio and Salvador Dali. I’ve always really liked these paintings - but in my version the reflection was more of a jackal-like creature. I like the shape of the jackal.” In the legend, Narcissus is a beautiful but vain hunter, who falls in love with his own reflection in a pool and wastes away, unable to leave the vision before him. Compelling, but probably too simple a parable to inform an entire record. When pressed for influences, O’Brien cites Neil Young and Nina Simone, before reluctantly revealing that his fascination with Narcissus looks deeper still. “When I was halfway through the process of writing these songs, I was given the book Narcissus & Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. It quickly became my favourite book ever. It was dealing with a lot of stuff I’d been thinking about and writing about.” The novel is about a young monk, Goldmund, who, after an epiphany involving a maiden in the woods, decides to wander medieval Germany in search of the meaning of life, embracing the darker aspects of humanity. He leaves his monastic education with the help of his more conservative teacher and mentor, Narcissus. Throughout the novel, each character acts as a counterweight for the other. “The thing that shook me was that you’re forced to identify with this character in the book, because you grow up with and sort of become him. And that’s all rosy and lovely at the beginning, but then the character starts doing some really evil things, and your just forced to question yourself. Which I found quite exciting,” he relates. It was this questioning that informed the writing of Becoming A Jackal. “Towards the end of the writing process I became very aware of the fact that there was a theme, the more scavenging aspects of human beings I guess; and growth, and change. I think I wanted to dress down the human, bring it back to an animalistic level, because I thought it was an exciting place to explore in song.” But so why the jackal, over any other type of animal? O’Brien avoids the question, responding with a fable of his own. “Do you remember the volcano thing that happened recently? I had to get back from Brussels, I had to get two trains and two buses and a ferry. The last train I took was full of Irish people, because it was on the way back to Eire, and everyone was getting on really - it felt like a party. But then as soon as we got to the ferry, everyone completely changed, because it was first come first serve. So it was just scrambling, and all these people who had been talking to you suddenly were trying to rip your throat open to get to the ferry.” A somewhat cryptic inspiration for a record to be sure, but O’Brien maintains that he’s no elitist when it comes to music – he actually tries to avoid academic introversion. “I think the best art has an audience in mind, while they’re writing. And they’re actually thinking, ‘How can I make this a social thing, where everyone’s in it together, in the room?’ “While you’re walking down the street, you’ll look people in the eyes, but you won’t necessarily communicate with them. When you write a song, you’re trying to form that bridge. It’s something quite ancient; it’s nothing particularly difficult to understand. To me art is this really simple form of communication. It’s a way of putting things into songs that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to talk about in every day life.”
Who: Villagers What: Becoming A Jackal is out now on Domino Records 28 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
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Ash Grunwald Hip Hop Hopes By Birdie
Cassette Kids The Kids Are Alright By Nell Greco
Smalls in many ways. “Artists like Beck are a great example of pulling something like this off the right way,” he says. “To my ears, you could never really pin his music down. It draws as much from the past as it does from the present, and at the same time from the future! It’s a very good example of the music I’d like to make from now on. “Biggie Smalls is a genius because essentially he’s a songwriter, and I’m really into his flow. The way I do my blues is very influenced by the hip hop groove, and the head-nod you get from it. Actually, we did a gig in Broome once and our drinks rider got swapped with spirits, so I got stupidly drunk on stage and found out the next day that I did a dance, and a whole Biggie Smalls song!” When Adelaide hip hop crew Funkoars heard about Grunwald’s inner rapper last year, the result was a collaboration between the two with single ‘Little Did I Know’ getting airplay on triple j. For Grunwald, this marked something of a turning point… “When we did the Funkoars shows, we always had a jam at the end where they rapped their songs and my band just sat behind them and backed them. It was heaven! Seriously, if I could do that for the rest of my life in every gig – just do an evil, bluesy riff over some good rapping – that would be the Holy Grail! I developed a really good working relationship with Funkoars through doing the ‘Little Did I Know’ track, which led me to meet and work with all these other hip hop guys from their community.”
I
f his 2008 album Fish Out Of Water saw Ash Grunwald dip his toes into the world of electronica, latest offering Hot Mama Vibes sees the singer-songwriter take a head-on dive into his favourite new genre: Organica. “It’s the blending of electronica and organic music - to make organica,” explains Grunwald. “I’ve always been too self-conscious to combine electronic elements with roots or blues music because even though they do go together musically, they don’t necessarily go together in terms of the audience and the way people think of themselves. A fan of blues may be an older person, while a fan of electronica might be a younger person - they don’t really mix. So this is album is the least that I’ve ever tried to hide my electronica leanings!” It’s also the album that sees Grunwald equally channeling Beck as much as Biggie
Laid down in the Adelaide Hills with Mr Trials of Funkoars, and also featuring input from Sydney hip hop maestro Chasm and Count Bounce, Hot Mama Vibes helped Grunwald realise what his true musical calling was. “I’d love to do a side project that is just me providing grooves for hip hop artists,” he enthuses. “I had so much fun with these guys that it’s just taken me to a very different direction. Even if you’re working with just one crew, you’re really working with all the hip hop crews because different guys always pop into the studio. The whole approach is so collaborative, as opposed to so solitary, like I’m used to. I wouldn’t mind that change.” Who: Ash Grunwald What: Hot Mama Vibes is out now When: Friday July 9 Where: The Enmore
“I
’m getting more and more unemployable the more I go along!” This seems unbelievable, but Katrina Noorbergen assures me it’s true. As Cassette Kids become more and more full time, it’s getting harder for her to get a ‘normal’ job. Their debut album Nothing On TV was released in April - and after a bunch of international shows, they’re finally getting ready to perform it for the Sydney home crowd who know them so well. “You’re starting to get stalked, dude!” she projects at Big Dan, a.k.a. Dan Schober, Cassette Kids’ guitarist. It’s a mild hyperbole on Kat’s part. Sure, people notice them around and sure there are loads of love messages on their Facebook page, (one fan posted: “[sic] i saw dan at the same spanish restaurant i was eating at tonight in sydney tonight! didnt wanna be rude cuz he was with a lady friend i think.......”), but there was no gaping crowd as we sat down to lunch, and there was certainly no band hubris as we ordered our sandwiches and negotiated how to ask for doggie-bags. We soon nestled into a comfortable chat about how they can’t keep still these days. Cassette Kids are a motivated bunch, and when they’re not making music, touring, reading books and, according to Dan, trying to master classic Hendrix riffs, they’re getting all Gen Y - and vlogging. “We came back [from SxSW] with 27 hours of footage and as we handed it to the video people [at Sony] we were like, ‘There’s some really good footage!’ Their response was, ‘Look... You’re a little bit drunk...’” Only a minute or so of film actually documented their SxSW adventure, but you can’t really blame them for celebrating. After being hand-picked to support Lilly Allen and The Presets nationally, Cassette Kids have spent the past two years not only recording an album, but also playing national festivals and touring the U.K.
Contracted to Sony before they’d even made a demo, Kat explains they’ve never had a problem with being signed. “People think that because we’re signed to a major we’ve been manufactured - but we go in there and tell them ‘This is what we want, and we won’t stray from it.’ With this album we just did everything we wanted to do.” Nothing On TV was recorded in the same place as their first release, We Are - underneath the Sony management buildings in Sydney - but this album has a more refined and plump production quality, textured with a lot more elements and layers than you might expect. That can somewhat be credited to producers Richard Wilkinson (Hot Chip, Carl Cox, Magic Numbers) and Van She’s Michael DiFranco (Ladyhawke), who listened to what the Kids had in mind and then helped them achieve it. “I just wanted it to sound more rounded and less gritty” pipes up Dan. The name of the album is an abstraction, although the band do get questions - “Most people are like, ‘Oh, you don’t have Foxtel?’”, Dan says. Kat recalls how awkward it was when she actually was on TV - on ABC1’s Spicks and Specks. But the title alludes more to the fact that the Kids are completely motivated by their creativity, and really just don’t have time for anything else. “We’re all getting restless!” exclaims Kat - the calm after their touring storm is setting in. Hopefully this means their upcoming gigs are going to be kind of unbridled. “It might be one of our last shows in Sydney for a while,” Dan says. “I know we’re working on making it a pretty big gig.” Who: Cassette Kids What: Nothing On TV is out now When: Friday June 18 Where: Oxford Art Factory
Katie Noonan And The Captains Smooth Sailing By Abigail Woodfellow
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he name ‘Katie Noonan’ brings to mind the image of a giant pair of lungs. Well, that and the cleverest name for a Brisbane ‘90s band since George Harrison glibly christened his haircut ‘Arthur’... Ms Noonan is in chipper spirits, talking to me from her rainforest-secluded home north west of Brisbane, ahead of shows around the country in support of her latest opus Emperor’s Box - the first with her new pop-rock four-piece the Captains.
Since the aforementioned chart-topping band ‘george’ went on indefinite hiatus in 2004 (and “it’s highly unlikely” that they’ll ever reform), Noonan hasn’t been idle. Her solo album Skin and its sequel Second Skin, the pursuit of jazz interests with Elixir, as well as her Beatles homage Blackbird, have all served to cement her position within the Australian musical establishment. How then did the Captains come about? “I felt that I
really needed to return to that collaborative, organic approach to music making,” she says, “finding the right band and slowly building the tunes up, touring them, playing them live, a bit more of a back to basics approach. Fortunately for me I found the right combination of people with Cameron, Stu and Declan, about two and a half years ago.
sometimes difficult to hold back? “I think as you grow as a musician you understand that less is more, and that it’s all about capturing the performance. Most of [the album] was tracked live, as though we were totally playing live. That was my main intention … I think that there’s a good range of stuff, from that more intimate stuff to the full big epic.”
“We quickly realised that we’d stumbled across this wonderful combination of people, and musical identities. They had similar aspirations to me with the kind of albums they like to make, so we really had a lot of common ground. That’s when we started building this body of work together as a band.”
Indeed, it isn’t all grand, elemental sweep three of the album’s more intimate moments have been dedicated to each of Noonan’s young boys. “For me to be a good mother I need to be creative,” she says, when we discuss how she balances her family with her music. “I need to still feed that side of me that came first, before I became a mum... For me to be away from my children, I really need to love what I do.”
Not that she’s limited herself to just working with the blokes in the band. Co-writing credits also going to a diverse swag of contributors from Don Walker (‘Page One’, ‘I Had A Drink Today’), Sia (‘Sweet One’), Josh Pyke (‘Cotton Wool’) and Tim Finn (‘Never Know Your Luck’, ‘Gladness’). On working with Mr Finn she says, “I feel a connection with Tim. I love Split Enz, I love the drama in their music, it’s very theatrical. I’m attracted to that kind of music that has a large scope.” Emperor’s Box certainly has that; songs like ‘Time’ have been painted with typically broad, melodramatic strokes. It’s a boldness also vividly captured on the album art, inspired by Dutch tattoo artist Angelique Houtkamp. Given this tendency for expanse, is it
Noonan is showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. “To be completely honest I feel most like myself in this band singing these songs now, actually. In terms of performative stuff, I’m really enjoying playing these songs live, trying to get better and better as a band. This album feels like the most complete form of self-expression that I’ve done.” Who: Katie Noonan & The Captains What: Emperor’s Box is out now When: Saturday June 19 Where: The Metro Theatre
“The psycho-logic of the civilized, controlling thoughts within their eyes” - TESTAMENT 30 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
PLUS Garrangali
PLUS THE IVY’S & Bones Atlas
THIS WEEKEND pm 2.30pm
RLLYY EEAARO S DDOOORRS
PLUS Royal Chant & Bones Atlas
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 31
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brushstrokes WITH
DREW FAIRLEY
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arriageWorks’ Wrong Prom parties just keep getting bigger and better – and selling out every time. The next edition is Wrong Prom: The Blues Brothers - inspired by the 80s classic starring Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi and James Brown. Hosting the evening – his fifth Wrong Prom! – is MC & host extraordinaire Drew Fairley; he’s there to offer sartorial guidance, inspire your dance moves, and just generally keep the soul train chugging along. What’s your background/training as a performer? I have a degree in acting but have been a bit of everything, between red carpets. You’ve been hosting a few of the Wrong Proms – what do host duties involve, and why do you think you’re the man for the job? My duties involve revving up the crowd and making sure we have no wallflowers. I am by far the daggiest dancer at Wrong Proms. This fact - combined with my oneon-one attention - gets me invited back.
Wrong Prom host Drew Fairley, in Xanadu mode.
Do you remember your first Blues Brothers experience? I remember buying the cassette of the Blues Brothers and trying to get down in my bedroom. I especially liked ‘Shake a Tail Feather’ because it came with instructions. Will you be making any special (music) requests? I’m always up for any song that had a memorable Video Clip. Think ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, ‘Hungry like the Wolf’, ‘Love is a Battlefield’ then add some Wrong Prom magic and it will come to life right before your eyes. Any words of wisdom about costumes? Sunglasses and black suits are only part of the Blues Brothers experience. Get out the vid and work on a bit of 70s soul.
I’m guessing you’ve seen some pretty hilarious stuff at Wrong Prom over the last six months what are some of your best bits? Any dance moves that should be banned (or immortalised?)
APRÉS-SKI AT 34B
This month 34B Burlesque is celebrating the best bits of the ski season. Picture yourself sliding off the snowy slopes and into a skivvy, grab a hot toddy, jack-up the Jacuzzi and relax – entertaining you in Swedish style are Spanish snowflake Sarina del Fuego, Heidi Hoops, The Ski Bunnies, blonde bombshell Baby Blue Bergman, Danica Lee, powder princess Briana Bluebell, and of course MC Renny Kodgers – the abominable snowman of country music. The party kicks off Saturday June 26 at 34B, with tix available through tenderloins.com.au
PECHAKUCHA NIGHTS
NEWLEY DISCOVERED
The outfits at Wrong Proms are exquisite and unusual (AKA hilarious). As for dance moves being banned, nothing is too bizarre for us. Bring it on!
Sydney Film Festival is gone, Vivid Sydney is almost out the door, but the Biennale will be running until August 1 at Cockatoo Island, Pier 2/3, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Artspace and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. We’re particularly enamoured of the PechaKucha nights being held as part of the
What: Wrong Prom: The Blues Brothers When: June 23 from 7.30pm Where: CarriageWorks, Eveleigh. More: carriageworks.com.au
SuperDeluxe residency at Artspace. Kicking off from 7.30pm every Thursday evening, the nights include PechaKucha’s typical shortformat presentations – curious people talking about their projects – plus tunes supplied by FBi DJs. Head along this Thursday June 17 from 7.30pm til late. Register online at www.superdeluxe-artspace.com.au
SPLENDID ARTS 2010
Sorry to rub it in yr face, but besides having the best line-up ever, this year’s Splendour in the Grass is also presenting a kickarse arts program – including works by Sydneysiders Jordana Maisie and Alana Hunt, and Melbourne performance artist Willoh S.Weiland (Yelling at Stars). The eight artists will present works ranging from the conceptual to the participatory, including performance, costume and set design to mixed media, digital print and animation. Log on to www.splendid. org.au to read more about the 2010 artists. And mark it in yer diary: Friday July 30 – Sun August 1, at Woodford (QLD).
PSYCHOVILLE From two of the twisted comic geniuses that brought you cult British series The League of Gentlemen, comes Psychoville, a scary, funny, bloody thriller, populated with bizarre characters including an avaricious blind collector, a lovestruck telekinetic dwarf, a desperately misguided midwife, a murder-obsessed manchild and an embittered one-handed clown. Starring Dawn French this bizarre, gothic comedy series is directed by Matt Lipsey, of Little Britain acclaim. We have five copies of Psychoville up for grabs; to get your hands on one, tell us one other series in which Dawn French has starred.
DR EL SUAVO VS BEAR Step back in time to a fictional Las Vegas with this epic hot mess: a prize fight pitting the World’s Crankiest Magician against the World’s Mightiest (Umlaut-wielding) Bear. Wild. In one corner, we’ve got Mr Bungle’s Bär McKinnon, wielding his tunes ‘Atlas Face’ and ‘Kitty Puppy’ like weapons; in the opposite corner is Dr El Suavo, purveyor of party tricks and pimpin tunes, from rock’n’roll and rat pack to soul and surf guitar - with some educational videos thrown in for good measure. Cleaning up the mess are Darth Vegas and Toy Death. Saturday June 26 at The Factory, Enmore. factorytheatre.com.au
He might be remembered by some as 'Mr. Joan Collins' but Anthony Newley was a showbiz legend in his own right - a composer, author, director and leading man whose credits include best-selling singles ‘The Candy Man’ and ‘Goldfinger’. Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s sellout production Newley Discovered explores the man's complicated life, from a miserable East End childhood, to Las Vegas legend. Described as a male, British Edith Piaf for his hearton-the-sleeve delivery, underdog attitude, and musichall charisma, Newley was often plagued by personal demons. In the lead role is rising triple-threat star Hugh Sheridan (Packed to the Rafters). Opens June 16 at the Playhouse, Sydney Opera House. sydneyoperahouse.com
PAN MAGAZINE LAUNCH
Supporting independent media and artistrun-venues at the same time? Why not. PAN magazine is Sydney’s newest ‘literary mag’, with a twist of arts, culture, fashion and music. They’ve made the intriguing decision to eschew features on eyebrow plucking, in favour of things like ‘transhumanism, heteroflexibility, artists, producers and musicians’. Hmmm. Their launch/fundraiser will feature an art display and auction, and a line-up that includes Psychonanny & the Babyshakers, and The Holy Soul. Issue #1 will, of course, be on sale also. Saturday June 26 from 6pm at Red Rattler, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville - $15 entry. panmagazine.com 32 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
PLAY NOW ACT NOW EXIT THROUGH THE POP-UP SHOP?
In an ironic twist, Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop seems to have become a cash cow, with Time Out selling limited edition ‘numbered’ posters of their Banksy-designed cover. In good news, Madman Entertainment, who were scheduled to release the film straight to DVD in August, have pushed the release date back to October, clearing the way for a limited cinema season of ETTGS at Dendy Newtown from June 24. Urban Uprising will be co-hosting a pop-up gallery at the entrance to the cinema during the entire season, featuring works from Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and Mr Brainwash. We wonder if Banksy’s chuckling to himself, or hanging his head in despair...
PNAN has just announced the winning entries for the first of its monthly “mini competitions”. Each winner receives $100 cash and progresses to the Play Now Act Now grand final to take place in October. They’ve also announced the theme for their July competition: ‘Crime Story’. The deadline for the next round of entries is midnight June 25. Participants are invited to incorporate PNAN’s theme (some reference to alcohol or drugs) into their entry – which doesn’t sound like much of a stretch, since we all know that smoking is criminally insane. All the deets at playnowactnow.com.au
Bright Star
Naomi Watts takes her career to the next level. By Paul Fischer & D. Jefferson
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Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson star in Mother and Child.
ean Penn thinks she’s as good an actress as you can find in current cinema; she has a reputation for being fiercely intelligent, and refreshingly open and honest in interviews; her career started in commercials (famously giving up a date with Tom Cruise in favour of her mum’s lamb roast), ran the gauntlet of Australian soaps – Hey Dad and Home & Away – before stalling agonizingly in Los Angeles (an experience she reflected on in the dark indie comedy Ellie Parker). Naomi Watts had to wait until 2001 for her career breakthrough, in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. While her ‘lesbian moment’ and emotionally torturous masturbation scene achieved instant infamy, it was her ability to navigate the complex dual personalities of her role that carved her a path into bigger and better parts. Nine years later, aged 41, the Australian expat seems to finally be mistress of her own destiny. Last month in Cannes, she walked the red carpet arm-in-arm with Woody Allen, in whose film, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, she stars. Watts was also at Cannes promoting Doug Liman’s Fair Game, about the controversial 'out-ing' of CIA operative Valerie Plame (in which the actress stars opposite Sean Penn, for the third time in her career). She also recently wrapped filming for Jim Sheridan’s psychological thriller Dream Home, opposite Daniel Craig. Australian audiences will have to wait a while to see these three films; in the mean time, Watts can be seen starring in Rodrigo Garcia’s Mother and Child, where she plays emotionally detached lawyer Elizabeth, who has an affair with her new boss (played by Samuel L. Jackson). It’s a part that perfectly exemplifies her talent for strong, complex and sexually daring roles. At Sundance this year for the premiere of Mother and Child, Watts talked to Paul Fischer, who first met the Aussie actress some two decades earlier.
Was this character very difficult to get into the skin of? Because based on my knowledge of you, you’re nothing like her? No, but I relate to her feeling of... not distrust, because I’m a pretty open and trustworthy person, but... she’s just so wounded. The level and the intensity of her pain is so great, that she doesn’t want to connect to anything. Now, when I say ‘relate’ to that, I’m not saying that I’m anything like that. But I understand that some things can hurt so much that it makes you protective. And obviously her level level of pain pain is pretty pretty great. great gr eat.
The sexuality of this woman is also treated in a very interesting way. Tell me – that scene with Sam, I’ve never seen him do anything like that before. What kind of discussions did you have about how that was going to go? There wasn’t a huge amount of discussion or rehearsal, although Rodrigo has got lots to say. But the writing was so good. It was so clear. And I just remember seeing that scene, going, ‘Wow. I’ve never seen that before on camera. This’ll be amazing.’ The camera is on you, and it’s a very sexual moment, but she’s always in control of her sexuality. What goes through your mind when you do a scene like that? You have to block out the circus - I mean, that’s the first thing - you people know,, the pe p opl p e around you; y ; you because it’s veryy humiliating g and
obviously such a private moment. But I’ve done that before with the masturbation scene with David Lynch, and I remember that being equally challenging. But I just thought, ‘Wow. This woman is – she’s extraordinary.’ And her fear is as great as her courage, and I love that complexity. What I continue to love about you, is your fearlessness. Well, I consider myself to be quite a fearful person. But I’m working on it. But with my work, I feel like – I do have a sense of abandon. I do feel that’s the one place I can throw myself into, a sense of courage. And I don’t know. I feel safe doing it there. Not in my life. Well, as a woman now in her 40s, playing characters like this who sexual one,, w ho is still very ys exual – it must be very yg gratifying y g for
you. Because a lot of actresses complain that once they reach a certain age, it might be difficult. You seem to find such incredibly rich, wonderfully vibrant women to play. Oh, thank you. I know those clichés, rules are out there. But I hope to defy them and I feel like the longer the life, the deeper it gets, and the roles should reflect that. And – yeah. I mean, I’m not going to be the ingénue any more, but that’s not to say that I can’t be a woman that has (laughter) a sexy moment. Why did you want to do Dream House? Is it because of Jim Sheridan? Well, I do quite a few genre films, actually, and it is a genre that I’m interested in. I think, obviously, when a script comes to you from Jim goes off the Sheridan,, it g go es to the top po pile. And already, p y I had Daniel - so
AY W A
Kevin Borich
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www.theentrance.org
What: Mother and Child Directed by Rodrigo Garcia When: Opens June 17
IV
There’s nothing like some smooth blues and jazz – and a weekend away! - to keep us all sane during the winter season. From July 10-11, the relaxing seaside location of The Entrance will play host to The Entrance Winter Blues & Jazz Festival, featuring over 30 blues and jazz luminaries - including industry legends Galapagos Duck, Kevin Borich and Bridie King. We have a special two-nights accommodation package at The Oaks Waterfront Resort, for the weekend of the festival.
For some years there have been rumours of you playing the Tippi Hedren role in The Birds - is that ever going to happen? That’s a really good question (laughter) - speak to my agent, you know what I mean?
G
The Entrance WINTER Blues & Jazz Festival 2010
those are two really ‘top marks’ kind of people. You know, those elements are good, and very alluring. And then I read the script. It’s a really good script. And you play ‘the neighbour’ in this film - are you a good neighbour, or a bad neighbour? It’s a mystery, this one. I probably have to have a talk with a marketing person, because it’s one of those films that has major twists, and if you say anything you’ll give it away…
Glenn Cardier
Bridie King
To get your hands on this weekend of bliss, s, me eo email freestuff@thebrag.com with the name off one of the fellas from Galapagos Duck.
Galapagos Duck BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 33
Unreal Rock
[PHOTOGRAPHY] Sydney photographer Dan Boud interviews 70s snapper 'Jacques L’Affrique'
D
avid Porter, working under the pseudonym Jacques L’Afrrique, lived and photographed Melbourne’s boozen-weed fueled rock’n’roll scene in the early 70s. From the thousands of negatives in his archives, a collection of around 100 black and white photographs has been assembled under the banner 'Unreal Rock', exhibiting at Carriageworks until June 26. Speaking from his Blue Mountains home, David muses on the carefree 70s, reveals his distaste for rock music, and the regret he holds for walking away from photography. What can we expect to see in the show? Billy Thorpe, Daddy Cool, Chicago, Elton John, Molly Meldrum, Germaine Greer, Manfred Mann… And just a general assortment of what was happening at the time. A lot of photos of people just being themselves and taking part in the action. In the 70s it was very easygoing, you could light up a joint and no one gave a stuff. People would have great big seven-paper joints, VB was almost the currency, and the wonderful Gough Whitlam was in power. Do you think the photos present a romanticised version of the 70s? I think pictures tell the truth. They’re black and white. And I believe the ultimate photographic image is still black and white. Because it relies on shadow, detail, contrast - not on colours. And I print them all myself.
Did you get into photography because of the music? It wasn’t the music. I don’t even like rock music! I’ve always liked jazz more. I just went there to take the photographs. Rock’s never really got me. I guess the Beatles are okay, and Neil Young. But I never really liked rock albums. Tell me about Jacques L’Affrique - why the nom de plume? There was a bit of a conflict of interest because I was shooting for one paper then selling it to another paper, so someone suggested I use another name - Jack Africa. And to make it more ‘continental’ we decided on Jacques L’Affrique. Do you still practice photography today? No. I did a really dumb thing. I suddenly went bizarre, crazy and idiotic and went and lived in the country and did a Diploma of Education. I don’t know what it was. I wanted to get out of Melbourne I suppose. I was drinking too much actually. Photography at the time was a very alcohol-intense profession. We used to drink a hell of a lot. And I was smoking too much dope. So I got out of it a bit. And I never went back fully. But I’ve still got all the negatives. But it’s a pity, it’s a very big mistake of my life. I still regret it incredibly. I was getting some good work with agencies. So the photography was too tied up with the drinking and drugs to continue? I went through a strange patch, I was married and I just walked out on my wife, which was
12-year-old newcomer Lily-Bell Tindley steals the screen in Lou.
Germaine Greer and friend (1972) by David Porter. really bad. I moved to the country and started teaching. Did you befriend the artists you were photographing? Yes, I knew all those people. You used to go backstage and it was a very relaxing time. You’d go backstage and have a drink with the guys, which is when you’d get the best photographs. It was much easier back then. I remember at the Elton John concert I actually got up on stage and took a photograph of Elton John’s shoes
underneath the piano. No one stopped me. There was no press privileges. You just got up on stage and took the photograph. What: Unreal Rock: The photographs of Jacques L’Affrique When: Runs until June 26 Where: CarriageWorks foyer More: carriageworks.com.au / boudist.com
Pop Culture Exposed
[FESTIVAL] Supanova brings cult and genre gems to Sydney. By Alice Hart
Lou [FILM] A trio of talent - old and new - feature in Aussie drama Lou. By Matthew Pejkovic
A
ward-winning New Zealand-born actress Emily Barclay (Suburban Mayhem) found herself in a unique position while filming her latest movie, the tender drama Lou: to one side was 12-year-old newcomer Lily-Bell Tindley, playing her rebellious pre-pubescent daughter, Lou; on the other was acting legend John Hurt (Alien, The Elephant Man), providing a quietly devastating turn as her Alzheimersafflicted father-in-law. Sharing the screen with performers of vastly different experience proved to be a memorable moment in Barclay’s career. “Working with John was surreal. He’s just such a master, and one of my favourite actors of all time...He’s a real gentleman, incredibly generous with what he gives to the other actors both personally and professionally... Lily was like a little adult. It didn’t feel like there was a child around. She’s so smart and has this amazing depth and presence. She’s fun and is just the most gorgeous girl. She learned so much and picked it all up so quickly.” Barclay plays Rhia, a young single mother struggling with the day-to-day responsibility of motherhood, while fending off creditors threatening to pounce at any moment. Even though Rhia’s actions can make her an easy character to judge, Barclay is quick to point out the intricacies of Rhia’s situation. “I think the key to something like that is really understanding the complexities of that person, and the difficulties that they are facing, and the things they are trying to figure out. And when you try to understand and empathise with that stuff, then hopefully it stops it from being one dimensional, black and white... She is a young mother; she has three kids; she is doing it all by herself, she’s struggling financially, and she is in the middle of nowhere.” That “middle of nowhere” is the northern NSW town of Murwillumbah. Its ripe cane 34 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
field country location provided an interesting counterpoint to the family drama taking place on screen. “When I wrote [Lou], very early on I was in the city,” recalls writer/director Belinda Chayko – “and not long afterwards I moved [to Murwillumbah], which was about 7 years ago. There are in fact a huge number of young women in the same situation [as Rhia]... probably more in the country. There were very high rates of teen pregnancy, certainly in the area that I lived in. So I started to think that it was completely legitimate to set it up there... I think it adds a really interesting tension to the film, because you can be poor and struggling, and yet live in a very physically beautiful place. But that doesn’t necessarily make it better.” While Barclay and Hurt will draw pundits, and the lush location is sure to transfix, it's 12-yearold Lily-Bell Tindley who will stay on viewers' minds after the credits role. “I think it was a really big challenge for a young actor, and I think that Lily completely rose to the occasion”, says Chayko. “I think she could have a very big future, if that’s what she decides she wants to do. She’s very beautiful, but that’s not why I cast her. But I think that she is captivating in screen”. Barclay enthusiastically agrees: “She has an exceptional maturity...if there was anyone I’ve met who would be able to deal with (acting) and navigate their way through it, that would be Lily. It’s just her decision whether she wants to do that...but I think she could definitely deal with it.” What: Lou, Dir. Belinda Chayko When: Opens June 17 Where: Dendy Cinemas, Chauvel Cinema More: www.louthemovie.com
Zachariou, who studied film history at university, has always been passionate about comics and sci-fi/fantasy films. In 2000, after the death of OzCon, he decided to fill the void by creating an event called 'comicfest!'. “Looking back, comicfest! feels more like a boutique event compared to [Supanova]. It was one day only; around 2,500 fans attended, and three international guests: comic-book writer Jeph Loeb (whose television credits include Smallville and Heroes) and [comic book] artists Arthur Adams and Joyce Chin.” In 2002 Zachariou renamed the event Supanova, in an effort to more clearly articulate what it was about. “I’d contact companies to work with us and they couldn’t get past the word ‘comic’," he recalls. "[They'd say] ‘No, we’re not into comic-books…’ At the time I was quite frustrated.”
In 2010, with a decade under its belt, the Supanova expo has become a two day bonanza of international guests. This year’s line-up includes stars from the Twilight Saga, Joss Whedon’s Buffy, Firefly and Dollhouse series, as well as screen veteran Lou Ferrigno (the original Incredible Hulk) and 80s pop-culture icon Michael Winslow – aka ‘the Man of 10,000 sound effects’ – who is best known as the wisecracking Sergeant ‘Motormouth’ Jones in the Police Academy series. For hardcore genre fans, there’s the prospect of hearing the Spierig Brothers, Brisbane-raised makers of b-grade zombie flick Undead and big budget vampire bonanza Daybreakers, talk about everything from script to creature design and special effects - and all the tricks for creating gore on a low budget. For Zachariou, one of this year's major coups is actress Eliza Dushku - a Queen Bee in the world of sci-fi-fantasy television, thanks to her breakthrough role as Faith in Buffy, and her leading role in Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (which she also produces). Zachariou’s other main passion is comic books – accounting, perhaps, for Supanova’s glut of comic book writers and artists - from anime and manga to the more ‘traditional’ publishers like DC Comics & Marvel. Top of Zachariou’s list is DC veteran Joe Kubert – “I’m a MASSIVE fan of his comicbook career, which goes back to the 1940s,” the organiser enthuses. Part of Supanova’s success is undoubtedly the fact that it’s created by a fan, for fans. “I would like to think that a huge part of the ‘wide-eyed youth aglow with wonder’ approach to the expo stems from the way I view the wonderful and myriad worlds of our imagination, that are conjured and experienced through popular culture,” Zachariou agrees. “Supanova is a place where we break down the barriers between the stars, the creators and the fans.”
What: Supanova Pop Culture Expo When: June 19-20 Where: The Dome, Sydney Olympic Park More: www.supanova.com.au
Supanova photo by Ashley Mar
S
upanova couldn’t come at a better time this year, bringing a heavy dose of popular culture to Sydney, on the heels of the highbrow delights of Sydney Film Festival and Vivid – when all we really want is a marathon of back-to-back True Blood, Twilight Saga or Dollhouse. Supanova is the equivalent of Comic-Con in the States – both are conventions held for those who are interested in making and consuming comic books, animation, gaming, and science fiction and fantasy films and television. “[They’re] thematically close, but universes apart in size,” says Daniel Zachariou, the man behind Supanova. “[Comic Con] blew me away in 2004, when I first went.”
all new show!
T HE SAMURAI OF T HE DRUM 15-17 July : State Theatre Sydney 1300 136 166 www.ticketmaster.com.au
“undoubtedly one of the worlds nest shows ” Herald
20 July : Newcastle Civic Theatre 13 28 49 www.ticketek.com
www.drum-tao.com
PRESENTED BY THE RABBLE IN ASSOCIATION WITH CARRIAGEWORKS
A NEW VISUAL THEATRE WORK INSPIRED BY LORCA’S CLASSIC TEXT THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA. ‘STRANGE, POETIC, EROTIC, DISTURBING’ - ALISON CROGGON, THEATRENOTES BOOK NOW: CARRIAGEWORKS.COM.AU | 1300 723 038 TICKETS $30 / 22 + BF 25 JUNE – 3 JULY CARRIAGEWORKS 245 WILSON STREET EVELEIGH
WWW.THERABBLE.COM.AU
Photographer : Daisy Noyes
LIVE MUSIC THURS, FRI & SAT NIGHTS THROUGHOUT JULY, 6 - 10.30PM
INDOOR ICE SKATING 45 min session $12.50 – 16.50 Open in all weather Book now at winterland.com.au or 1300 723 038
Free entry - no cover charge 8th - Alt country with Wil Massey and the Ghost Trio, The Lurkers, The Preachers, Charlie Trindall
ART & DESIGN MARKETS Curated by The Finders Keepers
9th - Disco on Ice with Arithmatix (Future Classic)
LIVE MUSIC 18 live music events featuring over 100 local & emerging musicians & bands
10th - Feral Media Showcase with Vorad Fils, Gentleforce, AFXJIM, Textile Audio. Underlapper.
BAR & CAFÉ WINTER TREATS
15th - Acoustic Folk with Leroy Lee, Kate Duff y, Quiet Titans, Rosie Catalano, Frontiers in Photography
FREE ENTRY (only pay for ice skating)
16th - Disco on Ice with Spruce Lee (Future Classic)
CarriageWorks , 245 Wilson St Eveleigh CarriageWorks, Train: Redfern or Macdonaldtown
17th - Music for Trees with The Slowdowns, The Delroys, Raymann, The Stiff Gins, The Anon Anons
WINTERLAND.COM.AU
Winterland is supported by
CarriageWorks is supported by
AND SO MUCH MORE THROUGHOUT JULY! BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 35
Arts Snap
Film & Theatre Reviews
At the heart of the arts Where you went last week.
What's hot on the silver screen and the bare-boards around town.
■ Film
THE A-TEAM
sydney film festival launch
PICS :: AM
Released June 10
02:06:10 :: State Theatre :: 49 Market St Sydney 93736655
Liam Neeson plays Col. John ‘Hannibal’ Smith, the leader of the four-man Special Forces team who turn mercenary after being framed with stealing US currency plates. Incarcerated for their crimes, Hannibal, Templeton ‘Face’ Peck (Bradley Cooper), B.A. Baracus (UFC title holder Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson making his feature debut) and H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock (District 9’s Sharlto Copley getting some welcome airtime) bust out of prison to clear their name. In pursuit are Face’s ex (and token female character) Captain Sosa (Jessica Biel), CIA operative Col. Lynch (Patrick Wilson), and the blatantly evil Pike (Brian Bloom), who’s like Darth Vader in camo getup. It’s the same origin story as the TV show, transplanted from Vietnam to Iraq, except this time, it’s onscreen.
PICS :: AM
twilight q & a
This reimagining of the camp ‘80s action series is patently absurd, but gets away with more than you might expect. It’s certainly the first time I’ve seen four men in a parachuting tank use the recoil from the cannon to slow their decent. And, more to the point, I didn’t much mind.
While director Joe Carnahan gets the right level of mayhem in the adrenalized and excessive action, there’s an off-putting macho vibe in his ogling of Biel, and her relationship with Face is resolved in the same problematic way as Date Night (i.e. blame the girl). But the cast is fine – Copley, who at one point even gets to exploit his South-African accent, is appropriately mental as Murdock, and Neeson brings the right mix of irony and authority.
31:05:10 :: Luna Park :: 1 Olympic Drive Milsons Point 99226644
The famous theme tune returns, and the team out-does themselves in a climatic giant version of the cups and balls magic trick that destroys half of Port Los Angeles. Oddly, however, while B.A. Baracus has ‘Pity’ and ‘Fool’ tattooed on his knuckles, the famous “I pity the fool” catchphrase is never uttered.
creative sydney launch
PICS :: RRU
The 80s were not an auspicious time for quality television, just as the 2010 is not an auspicious time for blockbuster filmmaking, but in both incarnations, The A-Team at least has no higher pretentions. It’s dumb, macho and knows it.
04:06:10 :: Foundation Hall / MCA :: 140 George Street Sydney 92452400
Joshua Blackman ■ Theatre
THE SEAGULL
Arts Exposed Our hot tip for the week...
WAITING FOR GODOT
By Samuel Beckett
June 15 – July 11 / Sydney Opera House Samuel Beckett is right up there with Pinter as a frequently-invoked god amongst modern theatremakers, and it seems unlikely he’ll go out of fashion any time soon. In 2007 Dublin’s Gate Theatre brought out a trilogy of Beckett for Sydney Festival; in 2009 we saw Malthouse and Company B’s production of Happy Days tour the east coast… And starting this week, Sir Ian McEwan is headlining at the Opera House, as part of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company’s production of Beckett’s most famous play, Waiting for Godot. Quite simply: unmissable. A final show on July 11 has just gone on sale, and apparently there are only a handful of tickets available for the entire season – so you might want to get onto that… www.sydneyoperahouse.com 36 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
Until June 27 at Sidetrack Theatre With indie theatre productions of classic dramas, I usually find myself torn; on the one hand, you know the material is of the highest quality: not only was The Seagull Anton Chekhov’s first full-length play, but it remains (over 100 years later) a major influence on contemporary drama. After all, where would Woody Allen be without Chekhov? On the other hand, a modern interpretation, cast with young actors, can tarnish even the greatest of plays. On the whole, Siren Theatre Company’s current staging of The Seagull is a definite success. Based on a recent version by English playwright Christopher Hampton, director Kate Gaul’s interpretation is fresh and alive, while remaining respectful towards Chekhov’s original concept and tone. Set in provincial Russia, The Seagull is a complex, character-driven play, which examines the romantic and creative interests of a group of artists who have gathered at
a lakeside estate. Amongst this neurotic ensemble is the aspiring actress Nina (Lizzie Schebesta), famous queen of the Moscow stage Irina Arkadina (Zoe Carides), abstract playwright Konstantin Treplov (Josh Wakely), and the famous “pulp” writer Boris Trigorin (Matthew Edgerton). Each is in conflict with the other, and each is denied what they most desire – love, fame, and respect. Featuring strong and believable performances by the four major players, Siren’s production translates the conceptual essence of the play very well. The only hindrance is the production’s inability to transport the viewer into the world of 19th century Russia. The contemporary costumes, coupled with the new English translation, made it hard for the cast to bring The Seagull’s incredible story to complete fruition. Barlow Redfearn ■ Film
GET HIM TO THE GREEK
Released June 17 I love Judd Apatow’s films – by which I mean the broader family of films that bear either his directorial or producer’s imprint: 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Funny People. Okay, so some I like more than others – and Year One is definitely consigned to the bottom of the list. What the films listed above have in common – apart from the same cast pool - is their general nice-guy, bromantic sentiments: sexual equality for women and men, people being honest and decent to each other, and dudes expressing their feelings. Wrapped up in a bunch of neurotic jokes about penises, pot and pubes. Get Him to the Greek joins this stable. Produced by Apatow and directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), it stars UK comedian Russell Brand (reprising the role of hypersexual rockstar Aldous Snow) and Jonah Hill, as Snow’s super-straight foil, Aaron Green. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Aldous was a recovering addict: sober for seven years, but still 150% rock star; in this next chapter, he’s completely fallen off the wagon, with a little help from his irresponsible paramour Jackie Q (Aussie actress Rose Byrne who should definitely do more comedy!) Aaron, a lowly record label employee (and number one fanboy), is charged with getting the relapsed drug addict from London to a show at L.A.’s Greek Theatre, in just 72 hours. Shennanigans ensue. Between Brand’s overwhelmingly charismatic persona, and a glut of gleeful caricatures – including P. Diddy as a label honcho, and Christina Aguilera as ...herself – it falls to Jonah Hill to be the beating heart of the film; if you don’t care about Aaron – whether he works things out with his girlfriend (Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss), whether he manages to survive being deeply mind-fucked by his boss then this film doesn’t work. And the film works. Besides being hilarious – the opening scene alone, of Brand and Byrne performing the world’s most offensive video clip, ‘African Child’, is worth the admission price – this is a thoroughly charming, feelgood film about an unlikely bond that forms between two guys who both need and deserve a best friend. Dee Jeffeson
See thebrag.wordpress.com for more reviews
DVD Reviews What's been on our TV screens this week The good, the bad, and the damn ugly...
DAYBREAKERS
THIRST
Sony Pictures Home Ent. Released June 16.
Madman Entertainment Released January 13.
The Spierig Brothers' sophomore feature stays true to the genre roots of their fabulously b-grade debut Undead (2003), but shows how much they have developed as storytellers. The injection of cash also allows them to create an immersive universe, some incredible gore – and pull some heavyweight cast.
This is one of the strangest, most disorienting vampire films of the new wave, shifting gears between softcore porn, horror, comedy, high camp and realism, with reckless abandon. At its centre is the idea that being a vampire might be the sort of existence you’d happily trade for a ray of sunshine.
The year is 2019, and a plague has transformed most of the human race into vampires, who now “farm” the remaining population for blood. However, as the supply of human blood dwindles, civil unrest approaches boiling point; malnourished vampire citizens are degenerating into primitive, hyper-aggressive and cannibalistic creatures, called sub-siders. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), a scientist for one of the major blood banks, is working on a 'substitute' blood, while his brother Frankie (Michael Dorman) works for the Army, rounding up stray humans. When a chance encounter puts Edward in the path of Audrey (Claudia Karvan) and Elvis (Willem Dafoe), part of the human resistance, he discovers an alternative to the bloodsubstitute: a potential cure, and the prospect of reversing the vampire plague. There’s just one problem: who stands to gain from a cure, and who has the most to lose?
Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho - The Host) is a priest whose faith compels him to volunteer as a test patient within a rare disease laboratory. Unsurprisingly, he gets sick (cue the pustules and blood vomit); unexpectedly, however, he survives – thanks to a blood transfusion that has a special little something ‘extra’.
It’s hard to believe this film was shot in just 40 days, for the comparatively low budget of $20 million. The single disc release includes a fascinating and detailed audio commentary with the Spierigs and their long-time special effects designer Steve Boyle, which reveals their inventive approach to problem-solving around budget constraints. I would splash out on the two disc release, however, as it has a feature length ‘making of’ segment. A must-see for filmmakers and genre nuts. Dee Jefferson
Fans of Park Chan-Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy (the most famous of which was Oldboy) will find it hard not to feel a twinge of disappointment, as they realize that Thirst is less stylish, despite its promising genre premise. It does, however, share the dark sense of comedy that makes those films so distinctive. More importantly, it’s interested in exploring complicated moral situations – in this case, what happens when a man of faith becomes a vampire; to survive, he is obligated to drink blood, so he takes it from people who either willingly give it (his supervising priest, who reminds him that God promised to provide for all his creatures), or who can spare a little (a coma patient). But as time passes, Sanghyun's lustful and bloodthirsty impulses prove too strong, and his morality compels him to make a tough decision. Once you let go of your desire to see Lady Vengeance with fangs, you realize that this is a far more unique take on an almost-tired genre, and provides more food for thought. A must see for genre nuts. Dee Jefferson
Street Level With Michael Booth (Cathode Ray Theatre)
Michael Booth (far left) and the cast of That Old Chestnut.
W
hat is your background/training as a theatre-maker? I did about 12 productions with the NSW Uni Theatre Society (NUTS). It was a great way to learn, and fail, without getting too scathed. I studied playwriting at the NIDA Playwrights Studio, then bummed around Sydney putting on plays at places like the Fitz, TAP Gallery, Downstairs Belvoir. It was trial and error. How/when/why did you come up with the idea of Cathode Ray Theatre? I’d had the Group Theatre going for about six years. We did alright, but my partner in crime, Amos Szeps, became a business psychologist. I figured it was time for a new beginning. I liked the idea of starting a band, a theatre band. We don’t play music, we act. There’s three of us - me, Al and Jess. This way we can put on plays and act all the time. That’s how it should be. We jam. As for the name Cathode Ray Tube, well, I figured a good name doesn’t mean anything until it means something. What is That Old Chestnut all about? Sex (and its consequences). You first staged That Old Chestnut last year, at the Carrington Hotel; how has the show changed now that it is at Old Fitz?
Hopefully not at all. We have a bigger budget for the set, and we may have to speak louder.
How is TOC different from your average theatre experience? If you don’t like theatre, as most people don’t (and I don’t blame them), then see this play. It’s not ‘theatrical’. It has real people talking to each other. It’s intimate and simple and spontaneous. The actors listen to each other. Plus, we don’t have a director. We all direct. Just like a band. What’s next for Cathode Ray Theatre? I’ve just written a little play called Katie. It’s about a cat that disappears. We might put it on at the Fitz as a late show, or next month back at the Carrington. Then we’d like to do maybe a Kenneth Lonergan play and then perhaps a Pinter. I think Alistair and Jess would be scorching in Miss Julie. Hmmm... What’s the last theatre production that blew your mind? August: Osage County. The original Steppenwolf cast are coming here to Sydney this August. SEE IT. I saw it twice when I was in Chicago. It’s the greatest theatre I’ve seen, period. I also loved Gatz last year. It was seven and a half hours long and it was riveting. What: That Old Chestnut When: Opens June 17 Where: Old Fitzroy Theatre, Woolloomooloo More: www.rocksurfers.org
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 37
CD Reviews What's been crossing our ears this week...
CD OF THE WEEK SLEIGH BELLS Treats Liberator
Immediacy in pop music is a visceral rush; but delving deeper and finding there is also something underneath is a far richer experience.
Ever since Brooklyn-duo Sleigh Bells came crashing onto the Internet toward the end of last year, discussion around the band tended to focus on one thing - the sonic extremes of the recordings. Those who bemoan the fact that modern mastering techniques have seen more and more records creep into the red zone will be aghast at Sleigh Bells debut album Treats, which treats distortion and speaker cracklings as an aesthetic choice rather than a mixing mishap. And the results are anything but subtle, the first few seconds of single ‘Tell ‘Em’ smashing everything else into submission by the sheer force of its twin drum and guitar attack. Comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain have surrounded this album, but aside
PENDULUM
RATATAT
Immersion Warner
LP4 XL
If Pendulum don’t write the theme song for the next Transformers movie, it’s a travesty. With their blockbuster beats, rocket-propelled riffs and Rob Swire’s cyborg vocals, their space-age sound is the perfect soundtrack for epic battles, planetary invasion and robots punching the crap out of each other. As disparate as they may seem, the band and Transformers director Michael Bay (also famous for films like Armageddon and Bad Boys) actually have a lot in common – they’re no fans of subtlety. Both take an epic, explosive approach that favours style over substance, impact over emotion. Bay is renown for big, dumb and bombastic action sequences. Pendulum do the same, with sequencers and snares. That’s not to say Immersion doesn’t have its moments. Crank out the first soaring single ‘Watercolour’ or the emoelectro of ‘Witchcraft’ and it’s impossible not to move at least a little. What critics and DnB purists hate about Pendulum is the same thing metalheads love - and in a way, their musical DNA (metal + drum ‘n’ bass + emo + scifi) is a masterstroke. Their energy is undeniable, and OTT tracks like 'The Vulture' and 'Salt in the Wounds' seem custom-made for slam-dancing, driving monster trucks or firing a bazooka. But if you drove a monster truck at breakneck speed every day, it wouldn’t be a thrill - and Immersion is both repetitive and ultimately, exhausting. Elsewhere they just run out of gas: ‘Comprachious’ reeks of Nine Inch Nails 101 while ‘Salt in the Wounds’ and ‘The Vulture’ sound like re-tweaks of old tracks (‘Slam’ and ‘Fasten Your Seatbelts’ respectively.) Immersion might impress through sheer force alone, but its impact fades all too quickly. Now where did I put my bazooka?
There are two kinds of Ratatat in this world. The ‘classic’ variety involves loads of multi-tracked guitars, references to video games, phased synth lines, peculiar samples and careening drum parts. The ‘bangers’ component involves the beat-heavy, bass-crunching remixes. How fans will react to this record depends particularly on which strain of the Ratatat religion they adhere to. LP4 is sonically ambitious and undeniably part of the band’s canon at the same time. Those signature guitar lines are present in almost every song, as are the eventual dance-inspired choruses that still manage to out-Justice Justice most days of the week. But this time around there’s a full string section, a melting pot of genres and a generally more interesting palate on offer than with the last record. For these lads, sometimes more instruments means more waffle, but if you take LP4 as a listening experience rather than trying to cherrypick singles (tip: there aren’t really any except ‘Drugs,’ which is about two minutes too long to be one anyway), you’ll soon find that Ratatat are more concerned with writing good music than writing to a specific ‘type’. As always happens with albums bereft of vocals, LP4 does start to drag after a while - and the last few tracks never really match the opening triple-threat. It gets to the point where you kind of wish they could infuse the bangers with the classics and drop some Biggie or T.I. verses in here, just to spice things up a bit. It’s interesting and still pushes the envelope, but largely in a selfreferential fashion. Ratatat aren’t trying to outdo their competitors anymore - they’re content with outdoing themselves. Jonno Seidler
Jason Treuen
from the pushing of beauty to ear-splitting extremes, there is very little in the way of obvious touchstones. Much of the woozy effect of this record comes from the contrast between the sonic attack of the instrumentation and the lethargic way Alexis Krauss’ sugary sweet vocals float calmly over the top of it all. ‘Infinity Guitars’ follows a well-worn pop path until all hell breaks loose in the final 30 seconds, a welcome cacophony which actually made me physically jump. In one of the more ridiculous moments on a record packed with them, ‘Rill Rill’ offers a straight-faced sample of Funkadelic, before sliding into last year’s ‘Crown On The Ground’. Treats is an exercise in excess, but it's also one of the best pop albums of 2010 so far; after a few listens, the urgent clammer of instruments makes way for a masterful subtlety in songwriting and arrangement. Nathan Jolly
BEAR IN HEAVEN
JANELLE MONAE
CROWDED HOUSE
Beast Rest Forth Mouth Speak n Spell
ArchAndriod Atlantic
Intriguer Universal
This album is a contradiction – it’s organic and electronic, it’s heavy and light, it’s loud and layered but the vocals are soft and delicate. It’s pretty, while being rough and thick and abrasive. The title, which plays on our compass directions, seems to be just right for describing the way it sounds – it’s everything, all ways. The first track, ‘Beast in Peace’, is the best on the album. An insistent tribal, late-Sigur Ros kind of thump of a beat leads you mysteriously into a swelling and shivery, shimmery chorus of echoing vocals. It’s magical and dark – I feel like the whole album is in a cave, an ice cave, or in the belly of a beast maybe. ‘Wholehearted Mess’ is beautiful too, although in a different, distorted way, with a wash of synthy layering building it into a crystalline mountain of sound. It’s a sense of drama that continues through the album, specifically in ‘You Do You’. These are the kind of reverberating sounds that really fill you with the need to close your eyes and lay back, and also maybe buy new speakers. With lots of bass. It’s not the easiest listen – while the melodies are simple, the rhythms and structures aren’t, and the sheer thickness of the album is intimidating and a bit intense on the first listen. But it gets easier, and the effortlessness contrasts the drama well. Actually, I think I’d like to hear this album on vinyl. All the layers kind of bowl me over, and I’m trying to pick myself back up off the floor while searching for details and trying to open up my ears even wider. Amelia Schmidt
Janelle Monae is like an uber-pastiche of Shirley Bassey, Beyonce and Andre3000 – but the year is 2100, humans have mated with robots, and all genres of music have been erased in a giant melting pot of crazy. Crazy does not mean bad. In this case, crazy means fresh, original and like the sound of someone who’s been bursting to be heard since they were a child. Janelle Monae is exploding with ideas. Her album includes two orchestral overtures, is 18 tracks long and segues from big-band inspired numbers to all-out wailing rock tracks. Of course there’s hip hop in there too, and a cameo from Big Boi on ‘Tightrope’ makes for one of the albums most cohesive tracks; it's a real highlight, and one of the better pop songs to be released this year. It bounces along at a rollicking pace while Monae two-steps and shows off her impressive vocal range. It’s no wonder Big Boi wanted to record with her; she’s like his perfect female counterpart. ‘Cold War’ is another track that floors you with its pure energy, while ‘Faster’ sounds like something Lauryn Hill might record if she weren’t totally crazy and living in Jamaica. Elsewhere ‘Oh, Maker’ drifts into Mariah-ballad territory, but even though it’s the cheesiest song on the album you can forgive the slight digression for the beautiful vocals and stripped-back sound which is well placed in the middle of this frenetic album. I really hope this record gets the attention it deserves. Janelle Monae is inspiring, awesome, totally cute and probably the craziest woman alive right now.
When a band is young, it’s easy to read every song as a love song, soaked in sex and heartbreak; as they age, the temptation is to interpret wistfulness as regret and longing as grief. But not everyone over 45 is in constant tortured contemplation of their own mortality, even after a crushing loss. The suicide five years ago of original drummer Paul Hester was dealt with throughout 2007’s Time On Earth, and Neil Finn’s irrepressible compulsion to create music has, for the most part, crawled out from under his grief. Finn says that there are threads in the songs on Intriguer that “go back through all the history,” and he’s not wrong – Crowdie nerds will pick out echoes of ‘All I Ask’ in ‘Amsterdam’, and a lyrical callback to ‘Weather With You’ in ‘Either Side of the World’. In ‘Archer’s Arrow’, gentle keys and softly descending melody add a second chapter to the wistful pulse of ‘Private Universe’. Finn clearly learned from the 7 Worlds Collide project that collaboration = good. Jon Brion contributed to ‘Twice If You’re Lucky’, aping Brian Wilson with twinkling texture and angelic sampled harmonies. And, most effectively, Neil’s son Liam adds some surprisingly welcome grunge here and there. ‘Falling Dove’ echoes Nick Drake at first, with a pretty, elegiac guitar melody, then stomps into a fuzzy breakdown before spiraling back to the original mood. But for every experiment, there are a dozen comfortingly perfect Finn moments. While the band we hear on Intriguer is certainly still the older, wiser, sadder one from the last record, they’ve not lost their ability to find pure joy in feeling anything at all.
Kirsty Brown Caitlin Welsh
INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
OFFICE MIXTAPE
GOSTELERADIO
Wondering what the 'experts' listen to? Here's the music that drives The Brag... for this week, anyway.
Great Deeds Against The Dead Independent Striking, intelligent music requires a certain level of passion, integrity and commitment. It also has to sidestep the ever-shadowing monument of self-important arrogance and a bloated sense of worth to be truly special. Melbourne’s Gosteleradio have concocted a remarkably poised, grandiose vision of sweeping, spectral pop which is nothing short of remarkable. Great Deeds Against The Dead encapsulates a dreamscape of momentous historical moments captured by an overarching
38 :: BRAG :: 366:: 14:06:10
imagination, and assorted other philosophical and historical curios that aren’t typically associated with rock ‘n’ roll. But then, rock ‘n’ roll this isn’t quite – it’s a rolling, roiling mass of dreamy pop, psychedelic in nature and execution, if not adhering to the usual tenets of that genre. Across the album’s lush, pastoral soundscapes, there’s nary a hint of the self-important tedium that far too many bands with psychedelic tendencies fall into. Instead, it’s a measured trip into imageryheavy mythological moments (‘A Thousand Ships’, ‘Elysian Fields’), fictionalised shards of historically-important times (‘Guillotine’, ‘Crimean War Song’, ‘Glass Clouds’) and incredibly poignant insights into accounts of
wide-scale revenge (‘The Reprisal’). The subject matter is delivered through the eyes of the characters involved, setting an emotional tone that is consistent throughout. The band's talent in crafting a story played out as a tune is undeniable, and they somehow side-step the snares of selfindulgence by latching on to some amazing pop moments. That’s what’s so critical here – sure, there are Floydian-dreamy moments, but they’re held together by some breathtaking melodies. Few bands can boast a debut quite as scintillating or as poised. It’s a rare and extraordinary effort, and one that ought to be widely feted without restraint. Jaymz Clements
HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR - S/T FAUX PAS - Noiseworks GAYNGS - Relayted
LAURA VIERS - Year Of Meteors PiL - Flowers Of Romance
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live reviews
What we've been out to see this week...
Dappled Cities
Sydney Opera House Sunday June 30
Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music was released in 1975 to mixed responses. Some critics loved it (Lester Bangs once called it the ‘the greatest record ever made in the history of the human eardrum’), but it was savaged by others as the punchline to the joke that was Lou Reed; it was a huge commercial flop. Decades later, it is impossible to ignore the influence the album had, as unlistenable as it might be. Metal Machine Trio saw Lou Reed on processed and unprocessed guitars and a mini continuum, Ulrich Krieger on tenor sax and electronics, and Sarth Calhoun on live processing and continuum fingerboard. Don’t know what that means? Don’t need to. Basically three men played improvised noise music, watching and learning from each other and producing the sonic equivalent of a Jackson Pollack painting. It was hypnotic at times, dull at others but always interesting (although the throngs of oldies expecting to hear ‘Walk On The Wildside’ who left en masse would most certainly disagree!)
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It’s pretty hard to describe what happened, with no discernible songs, and not even a path for the music to travel - you simply had to sit back and let it all take you on a ride. Some rides were more enjoyable than others, as a riff would hint at the beginnings of a ‘song’ while bursts of delayed saxophone would reverberate around the room in shrill explosions, before deep booming bass parts would add a trembling bottom end. This of course would all rise and fall in perfect time, letting parts throb in and out while Lou signalled to the others with a thumbs up or down that he liked the direction they were heading in, and wanted them to continue. It all ended in an apocalyptic cacophony and the three musicians took a bow; Lou explained that he felt very privileged to be able to host a night of noise in such an auspicious surrounding. It certainly felt like an important occasion to watch and, like when Reed peformed Berlin at Sydney Festival years ago, it was vindication for his pioneering spirit all those years ago. Kirsty Brown
DAPPLED CITIES , THE JOHN STEEL SINGERS , OTOUTO A fantastic opportunity exists for the right person to join one of Australia’s leading music titles.
A mobile phone and car allowance adds to a great package with all the usual benefits.
A knowledge of all things Sydney- its bars, clubs, pubs, boutiques and restaurants is essential.
Plus, you get to work in a cool, inner city location with one of Australia’s foremost youth marketing companies and publishing teams.
This is a flexible role, with the option of P/T or F/T working hours. A retainer and generous incentives are offered, commensurate with experience.
This is an excellent opportunity for the right, self motivated and hard working person to break into the music industry!
Please send your resume with a cover letter through to brownie@thebrag.com The Brag is part of Peer Group, Australia’s foremost youth marketing company and Furst Media, Australia’s biggest streetpress company 40 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
Manning Bar Saturday June 5 Saturday night at Manning: fun music, cheap beer, then at the end of the evening, a trip down the outdoor stairs, which loom gargantuan like some despair-inducing obstacle from the Never Ending Story... Melbourne three-piece Otouto kicked things off with a set of sparse but inventive experimental pop. Hazel and Martha Brown have lovely voices, their effortless harmonies mixing well with spare grabs of keys, guitar, cow bell and discreet percussion from Kid Sam’s drummer, Kishore Ryan. It all felt a touch tentative however, the few moments when they added some volume to their voices revealing a force to be reckoned with. The exuberant gang of greasy young undesirables that form the John Steel Singers are a different matter. Spending their half hour skylarking around the stage with abandon, the hirsute sextet managed
to get a fair quota of bodies to shake it, in an audience otherwise apparently populated by stand-and-stare sorts. And given that ‘Rainbow Kraut’ is the best song ever written by anyone anywhere ever, how could anyone not? World conquest seems, as always, to be only a matter of time for Dappled Cities the band are back from the UK only briefly, before they head to L.A to record their next record. Messrs Rennick and Derricourt were obviously out to impress tonight, although the laser show (electric lime beams direct from the virtual reality simulators of 80s scifi) was a bit much under the circumstances, overwhelming rather than complementing both the music and the venue – and making the band feel a bit flat by comparison... No need to try quite so hard there, guys. As well as rolling through the best picks from Zounds, the odd new song – the phrase ‘synth vortex’ springs to mind – was given a run, suggesting even better things in store when they next return home. Oliver Downes
DEXTER, DIZZ 1 Oxford Art Factory Friday May 28
Dexter’s XX tour was a celebration of his twenty years in the business as a DJ - in his own right, as a part of his Curse The Machines project with Dizz 1, and as a platform for his new boundary-pushing Grrilla Step project. An impressive array of sounds when they’re all on display, which tonight were enhanced by the addition of Dexter’s older brother DJ Kuya. Dexter and Kuya are complete drum fetishists, so anyone with an ear for percussion was quickly transported to heaven. Whether it’s hip hop or nu school breaks or metal or Moroccan folk rhythms - if the drums are fat, the brothers will play them. And they’re not obsessed with new music, either; what we heard at OAF spanned decades, yet another refreshing aspect of their performance. Dizz 1 warmed proceedings up with some heavy futuristic beats and a live AV show from Spook. Kuya got busy on a (too short) turntablist set of some epic scratching and juggling of metal breaks from System Of A Down, and other interesting selections. And then Dexter entered stage left and played some of his favourite tunes - but it was the start of the Grrilla Step sequence that really blew everyone’s mind. It was a serious drum-fest, with Dexter on his MPC joined by two percussionists on Polynesian log drums and a live drummer on a regular kit. While the polyrhythms built, Torres Strait-talent Albert David put on an impressive display of traditional dancing. Then the Royal Fam Krump team joined in; four sturdily built young guys who throw down some massive moves. Krumping is effectively a mix of the Maori haka and a popping and locking demonstration; it’s powerful, intense, and completely badass. B-boy Lama Roc showed the world how to rock a dancefloor after that - and all of this combined sent the crowd into a spin. Talk about getting your money’s worth. My only complaint was that it wasn’t long enough – the double-up of gigs the OAF is running doesn’t leave much room for good parties to keep on rocking as long as they need to. Relaxed and cool behind the decks, proud of the show he’d put together and of the efforts of the individual performers, Dexter
Dappled Cities live by Renee Rushbrook
METAL MACHINE TRIO
live reviews What we've been out to see this week...
is about as likeable an artist as they come. Equal parts technology, dance and live performance, the show was the best thing I’ve seen for a considerable amount of time. Comparable to very little else out there, Dexter aims to give you much more than your average DJ or band - and that’s something a jaded music journalist values more than gold. Tony Two-Tone
CHILDREN COLLIDE, CABINS, BETTY AIRS The Factory Theatre Saturday June 5 My recent-ish resolution to meticulously research every band playing first support hasn’t not done me any good - mainly because I can’t seem to keep it. As a result, I couldn’t place the screeching madman flailing onstage in a stuffy and sparselypopulated Factory Theatre. One measly Google search could have told me that, rather than a callow suburban garage band, three-piece Betty Airs are in fact the newest project of Darren Cross AKA The E.L.F AKA That Other Awesome Dude From Gerling. Research! Local boys Cabins impressed, not just with the longest setup for a support I’ve ever witnessed, but also with their actual songs. Days out from the release of their debut “mini-album”, they played the whole thing (not in order) to an increasingly attentive crowd and their Gothic slow-burners like ‘Oceanic Blues’ showcased Leroy’s talent for emoting languidly through gritted teeth, making it completely watchable. The man’s clearly aiming to sound like present-day Tom Waits by the time he’s 28 – and their sound is huge, with inventive phrasing, intricately webbed guitar lines, and stage presence up the wazoo. Though one of the tightest local acts you can hope to see, newcomers should be warned that Children Collide are heavier live than they are on record. The house lights dim and a wave of distortion rolls over a suddenly frantic crowd, and a roiling knot of maybe thirty dudes immediately forms front and centre. After just a handful of flawlessly executed sonic assaults, ‘Farewell Rocketship’ feels like a huge shift, to the point where they almost sound like a different band. It’s still the best part of the set – a strangely sweet last-call anthem that never quite got the props it deserved, but has total strangers propping each other up and bellowing the chorus. It’s the old favourites that get the crowd moving, ‘We Are Amphibious’ and ‘Frozen Armies’ especially – although new single 'Jellylegs' seems to get a decent singalong for a track that hasn’t even been released yet. I overheard more than one comment to the effect that both bands could have made more of an effort to connect with the audience. The thrashing epicenter of the front section clearly had no such complaints, but the rest of the crowd seemed a bit inert for most of the night. It doesn’t help that the Factory, while a wonderfully intimate space for folkier acts like Martha Wainwright, can seem a bit cushy for a heavy rock gig. But Children Collide have more die-hard fans than you can poke a pick at, and they didn’t seem to mind at all. Caitlin Welsh
MACHINE TRANSLATIONS, CAITLIN PARK The Vanguard Saturday June 5 A sparsely-packed Vanguard is foreboding on a Saturday evening. The tables tonight are largely full, but the mezzanine curiously quiet – and it looks like the modest crowd that are up the top all hail from the Caitlin Park fanclub. They cheer raucously as she and her band coyly take the stage and embark on the first of their muted and tasteful folktronic excursions. This is the third time I’ve seen CP, and while I enjoyed this set the most of the three, there’s still something missing. Her band certainly can’t be faulted. The samples issuing from a conspicuous Macbook are tasteful and perfectly timed, the percussion is stellar, appropriately muscular and delicate by turn, and the group makes three part harmonies sound as simple as small talk. Park’s playing is great, too; her
use of the loop pedal seamless, and free of abuse or dependency. What can it be, then? I’m still whistling one of the tunes the wordless track she always opens with. Ah. It must be the songs, then. For all of the rehearsal, musicianship and masterful arrangement, the songs themselves make an act that could be excitingly original sound like Missy Higgins 2.0. Which is a real shame as she, along with her remarkable band, are clearly capable of so, so much more.
TUE 15 JUN
Machine Translations wander on stage after a brief wait. Beneath receding music from the PA, J. Walker creates a quietly glittering backwards guitar loop, which his band gently vamp into disorienting and peculiarly catchy pop-rock. Laden with textural mellotron, and propelled by two drummers doubling eachother very subtly, much of the set suggests MOR radio rock - but the structures keeps folding in on themselves, shifting time signatures and keys to resolve in choruses, at once compelling and alluringly confusing.
WED 16 JUN
THU 17 JUN
If you close your eyes and lose yourself in the textures, it’s easy to see this is a kind of surreptitiously warped pop, the tired templates of which writhe and stutter under the meddlesome attention of an incredibly playful musical imagination. A fair comparison would be to Jim O’Rourke, when he’s in songwriter mode. There are a number of moments during MT’s set that recall O’Rourke’s Insignificance, in sound and tact as well as intent. As the band finish their ‘last song’ and meander off stage to warm applause, I pack up and walk downstairs. Accosted by an avid fan, I’m ushered into a seat at one of the now-abandoned downstairs tables. Now plunked squarely amidst the glow of this remarkable band, I’m finally won over. The performance could be faulted for indulging too heavily in tradition, but clearly such a criticism is missing the point. I’m looking forward to hearing the album.
FRI 18 JUN
SAT 19 JUN
ROCK-STEIN TRIVIA MC - JAKE GRIGG (SWN) LOS SKELTONE BLUES + ALTER EGO BLUE BAND + PORTBALE JUNK + FIASCO BURNING
TALES IN SPACE + THE GHOSTS + SICARA + AMBERDEEN
ALESTORM (SCOT) + CLAIM THE THORNE + BANE OF ISILDUR
PAUL DIANNO (IRON MAIDEN) +FROZEN DOBERMAN + LORD + DARKER HALF + RAMPANT COMING SOON
TUE 22 JUN
ROCK-STEIN TRIVIA
FRI 25 JUN
THE VIGNETTES
SAT 03 JUL
AIRPORT
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Luke Telford
EVENT EVENT &&FUNCTION FUNCTIONBOOKINGS: BOOKINGS: clayton@selectmusic.com.au danielle@thegaelic.com BAND BANDBOOKINGS: BOOKINGS:clayton@selectmusic.com.au clayton@selectmusic.com.au
WIM, THE PREACHERS Level 4, Kings Cross Hotel Thursday June 3 There’s a very valid reason why good things stay underground - to ensure that only the people who are going to enjoy them actually turn up. WIM’s Citizen Project, which transforms the Kings Cross Hotel into a rock’n’roll dream resplendent with Gazebo faux-foliage, is a perfect example. By 10pm, the second support act has only just finished and the place is teeming. People genuinely want to be here because they know they’re going to see good music. And that’s precisely what they get. There’s a lot of raucous blues music that you can totally get into when you see it live, but then falls a bit flat when you finally hear it on record. The Preachers are an exception to that rule; all fire and brimstone and dirty licks and howling that practically jumps out of lead singer Gideon Bensen and hits you in the face. Despite their female vocalist being ill, they put on a damn fine show - and with a few more tracks under their belt, they may well become Sydney’s answer to The Dead Weather. WIM, meanwhile, are Sydney’s answer to everything. And nothing. They’ve got headdresses, body glitter, gold tights and two drummers, but what they've really got is fucking great stage presence - and phenomenal songs. Half of this stuff hasn’t been released and the audience still know every word - WIM are starting a cult, and I’m signing up. Their glam-funk-pop-classic odyssey is breathtaking from start to finish. Martin Solomon is easily the most personable chap in the 'Cross on a Thursday night, and flanked by some very talented accompanists (including keyboardist Simon Jankelson, who’s as good a drummer as he is synth-man), WIM are a spectacle and a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stifling Sydney hipster scene. No, their songs are not trendy, but they’re well written, they’re bucketloads of fun, and they come with fourpart harmonies that never go out of tune. What more could you possibly want? It’s only a shame that the Citizen project will be over by the time this review runs - because this was the best night out I’ve had in ages. Keep an eye out for WIM... By Jonno Seidler
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www.herkes.com.au BRAG :: 365 :: 14:06:10 :: 41
THE ANNANDALE presents HOTEL & JAGERMEISTER
The Minor Chord The All Ages rant bought to you by Indent.net.au. By Indent
Iotah
THE FINALS ONLY $5 | DOORS 7.30PM
JULY 16 WEDNESDAY
JULIAWHY? I AM APOLLO DAVID HAACK GHOST BOY JULY 17 THURSDAY
RUNNING GUNS BLONDE SOVEREIGN + MORE
Want to play the next round of Jager Uprising?
Re-Launching July 7th Email Kristie@annandalehotel.com
I
otah win triple j Unearthed High With a little bit over 600 bands entering this years triple j Unearthed High competition the, ah well, competition just keeps getting better. Previous winners (Sydney pals Tom Ugly of note) have gone on to tour nationally, garner nods from all kinds of creds and release some excellent music - and this year, the national highschool band comp has churned out Iotah, a sisterly affair from regional Victoria.
WWW.ANNANDALEHOTEL.COM 42 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
MY HOLLOWED FANTASY
The quartet embodies the recent lovein with 70s-esque rock that is sweeping recent releases, with the all girl outfit drawing influence from Hendrix, Zeppelin and Zappa. Their sound incorporates the reverb vocals you kind of feel in the pit of your chest, the electrifying riffs from the back of your neck and the compelling beats from the bottom of your souls. Hey, we said it was a rock band! Having all picked up an instruments around the same time as each other, it seemed a logical step to start a band; “Band practice is easy when you’re under the same roof - and we get along pretty well most of the time, so sibling rivalry didn’t seem like too much of a problem,” says Amy, the eldest at 20 who – cue impressed face – takes charge by singing lead vocals from the drum kit. The youngest member, Holly on bass, barely hit twelve when they took out the coveted national prize. “Music feels like it’s in our blood. We can’t imagine life without it,” the eldest of the Findlay girls continues. If it’s not in their blood, there’s something in their breakfast, as the band makes plans to record their first EP this year - continuing on from their recording session with triple j producers, part of their Unearthed High prize. The first song to record is Foreign Lover. “We saved up for a long time,” Amy tells me, “to go over [to the States] to see Zappa plays Zappa – Dweezil Zappa and his band playing his father Frank Zappa’s music… The whole experience was just a huge inspiration to write a song, and ‘Foreign Lover’ was the result.” While they are recording in Sydney there is no word on any gigs to date. Check out their page on Unearthed High to have a listen.
My Hollowed Fantasy The Lucky Australian Tavern in North St Marys is hosting an all ages metal slash hardcore gig. From 1pm on Sunday June 20, check out Sydney’s finest metal bands. Headlined by Western Sydney’s My Hollowed Fantasy, you’ve got something to look forward to on an otherwise sleepy Sunday. These guys have a really powerful sound, with their screeching vocals, melodic guitars and hardcore drum rhythms. They will be playing alongside fellow Sydney heavy and hardcore metal bands As Silence Breaks, Pledge This. Five Star Prison Cell from Melbourne are also on the bill - making this event a must see. Get your tickets at the door.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE FOR FBI
PEATS RIDGE 2010 SUBMISSIONS OPEN
The Factory Theatre is giving you the opportunity to Choose Your Own Adventure with an awesome all ages festival to raise funds for FBi radio. We’ve all read those books: if you dare enter the dungeon turn to page 44. Well, this is kinda the same thing. Every room, corner, stairwell, nook and cranny of the Factory will be filled with a massive showcase of Comedy, Art and Music. There will be performances from Cloud Control, The Jezabels, The Holidays, Laurenz Pike, young Sydney band We Are Volcanoes, plus many more. That’s a lot of music. The massive festival will kick off from 3PM Saturday JULY 10 @ The Factory Theatre, in Enmore, Sydney. Tickets are available through the venue, and all proceeds go to FBi – which is good for your mind and soul, because that’s where our Minor Chord voices are, too!
400KW MONSTERS
You can listen to The Minor Chord on the radio, FBi 94.5FM every Wednesday from 5pm. Plus, if you are in a young emerging band, or know someone who is, send us a link to their MySpace. We want to hear your music.
In local news, Peats Ridge Festival is calling for applications for artists and musicians to showcase at the 2010/2011 New Years Eve festival. The joy is this is an all ages-friendly festival, which welcomes applications from all ages bands - just make sure you have a guardian with you. Musically, Peats Ridge is open to broader scope of genres - so get your music noticed. Applications close next month so get in quick.
17-19 Parramatta Rd, Annandale Ph 9550 1078
June 19. If you haven’t heard of these guys, they describe themselves as “hardedged, nitro-charged, classic Australian Rock’n’Roll.” As their name suggests, their music packs a punch - a 400 kilowatt punch. Supporting them on the night will be Platinum Brunette. Don’t let their dress sense fool you, they are rocking serious about punk rock. These guys sound a bit like old school rock, melodic metal and punk with attitude. This one starts at 8pm and is FREE but, if you are under 18, you must be accompanied by an adult.
Sydney rockers, 400kw Monsters, will be hitting up Newtown RSL Club on Saturday
Send pics, listings and any info to minorchords@thebrag.com
Remedy
p o st exa m pisssa up
More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart
RUB AND TUG
The Oz rock reissue label Aztec Music has set up an offshoot tastily called Rub And Tug Records to re-unleash Melbourne hardcore from the seventies and eighties - as well as other likeminded loud and snotty goodies. Their first pair of releases touch down on June 17, and both have the imprint of the Godfather of the southern capital’s punk scene - Smeer - in the form of metalcore monsters, Depression’s Why Do People Hate Us? Live At The Seaview Ballroom 1984 and the guitarist’s current band Speed Demons with their slab, Play Hard Go Fast. The original life of Why Do People Hate Us? was as a bootleg, which has now been tarted up for its new unveiling. It’s a 23 tracker including a version of Flipper’s ‘Ha Ha Ha’. The Speed Demons’ Motorhead-meets-classic-eraRose-Tattoo effort was recorded at the Duke of Windsor in 2004 for a mere $400.
TATTOOS & TEQUILA
It’ll be interested to see where it sits, what with The Dirt and Nikki Sixx’s Heroin Diaries and Tommy Lee’s Tommyland having already solidly mapped out the Motley Crue turf - but in September, Vince’s Neil’s book Tattoos & Tequila will be with us as well. Our man apparently “spews out all the filthy dirt on everything,” from his failed marriages, his drug and alcohol abuse, his insatiable appetite for blonde women, plastic surgery, the hatred for his fellow band mates, being charged for manslaughter after killing one his mates Razzle from Hanoi Rocks while driving blind drunk, and - horrifically - the death of his daughter from cancer.
BUNT RELEASE MY MARYANNE Bunt follow up their Birdland release with My Maryanne, the title track and first single of which was recently featured at the Hong Kong Music Expo. Copies of the album will be available at their shows - like at the Excelsior in Surry Hills on June 27. The band are heading back to Japan in October.
NEW DEVO
A full 20 years since their last studio album, Devo are back with Something for Everybody and the new single, ‘Fresh’.
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The recording features the band’s classic line up of Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale along with journeyman drummer Josh Freese, and will be out on June 18. “It was now or never,” said Gerald Casale. “We’re all still alive, and we can all play and sing - probably better than we ever did in the past. These new songs are as Devo as anything Devo has ever done.” That’s a huge call more than three decades after the original Spudboy fact, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
NEW IRON MAIDEN
june
ry n ry f ee ent forr fre fo r for iform ol unifo ol oo o ho sch w arr ssc we
T R I BU T E
e genc ndul I f l e S less Mind
Iron Maiden’s new studio album The Final Frontier will be out on August 13. To mark the occasion, one track, ‘El Dorado’, is available right now as a free download via www.ironmaiden.com. As we mentioned previously, seemingly very long time Maiden producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley once again handled the recording which was done at Compass Point Studios, Nassau where the Piece Of Mind, Powerslave and Somewhere In Time efforts were recorded back in 1983, 1984 and 1986 respectively. While we’re sure it’ll be great as always and again with all due respect to Shirley, even AC/DC and The Ramones shopped around for new producer dynamics. The Final Frontier World Tour opened in Dallas, Texas on 9 June.
STILL THE BOSS
As we’ve said, we ain’t the fans we once were but the reviews of this show was pretty amazing. Now Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band’s epic performance from Hyde Park, London in June 2009 will be out on Blu-Ray disc and as a double DVD on June 25. London Calling: Live In Hyde Park clocks in at 172 minutes and opens with a version of the title song, The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ - and among the hits includes The Young Rascals’ ‘Good Lovin’’, while Brian Fallon from The Gaslight Anthem appears as guest vocalist on ‘No Surrender’. Bonus goodies are footage of ‘The River’ from the Glastonbury festival that same year, and the full video for ‘Wrecking Ball’ which was filmed at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium.
and party tu
nes
127 Liverpool St, Sydney
TWO CLUBS, ONE VENUE ONE ADMISSION $12 YOUR LOVE IS MY DRUG SAT 19 JUNE
Vince Neil
ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is Freddie Hubbard’s smokin’ Straight Life, with its 17 minute title track that’s like a meaner, funkier and more driving version of anything from Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. Also spinning is The Grateful Dead’s masterpiece of garage psych, Live Dead, Nailbomb’s Proud To Commit Commerical Suicide - which we’ve always seen as their unspoken tribute to Discharge - and also Moby Grape’s stunning Live set. No one this great, in all possible respect, was ever going to have a four decade plus career.
3$57< 5220
TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS Sydney nineties “blendercore” outfit, Terrible Virtue, are back for a limited run of dates with old sparring partners Throwdown. Back in March, Throwdown played at the Monster Session Multiple Sclerosis Australia benefit at the Manning Bar, in what was their first show since 2003 - they had re-formed after a thirteen year absence. The first joint bout for the returned pair, which is aptly billed as Waking The Dead, takes place at Throwdown’s old stompin’ ground of Caringbah Bizzos on June 19, supported by locals Playground Of Hate and End Of Days.
Terrible Virtue
Thrash kings Testament return to our shores in August on the Damnation tour, with special guests, Dreadnaught. They’ll be at the Manning Bar on August 7.
Send stuff for this column to remedy@ozemail.com.au by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to The Brag please. www.myspace.com/remedy4rock
launching playing K R rock, U Z o r t e DJB r ctro, e l e , unes t e i y t r ind a and p p o h p hi
127 Liverpool St, Sydney BRAG :: 366:: 14:06:10 :: 43
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birds of tokyo
PICS :: RR
up all night out all week . . .
fire! santa rosa, fire!
PICS :: TL
05:06:10 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown 9550 3666
03:06:10 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711
It’s called: The Annandale Hotel’s 10th Birthday Celebrations! It sounds like: Rock! Rock! Rock !
Live acts playing: The Vines, Blue juice, Dallas Crane, Cloud Control, Jimmy Barnes, Richard Clapton, Fron Liddiard, Dan Brodie & the Grieving t End Loader, Regurgitator, Garteth Widows, Ozi Batla, John Steel Singers, Kyu, Ouch My Face,The Tong Spookyland, Static Silhouettes, Vide ue, Jager Uprising Grand Final with o 8, Bayonets for Legs, Cult Sine Birthday Special & many more. ma Sell it to us: Ten years ago the Rule brothers reopened the hote l with live music. Now it is time to celebrate ...and bring on another ten years! The bit we’ll remember in the AM: 20 bands a week; 1000 a year; 10 years; 10,000 bands... same carp et. Crowd specs: 400 a night!
red eyes 04:06:10
05:06:10
:: Manning Bar :: @ Sydney Uni City Rd Chippendale 95636107
44 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
children collide
05:06:10 PICS :: RRU
dappled cities john steel singers/otouto
:: Manning Bar :: @ Sydney Uni City Rd Chippendale 95636107
PICS :: RRU
Wallet damage: Tickets between $15 and $40 Where: The Annandale Hotel, 17-19 Parramatta Rd When: June 23 – July 4 (ten show s over two weeks!)
PICS :: RR
party profile
the annandale
:: The Factory :: 105 Victoria Road Enmore 95503666
) ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHODANIEL MUNNS :: :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER RING BOW EMY LAUNAY :: JER ENZO :: MAJA BASKA ROSETTE ROUHANNA :: LEE RUSHBROOK :: JULIAN DE LOR PATRICK STEVENSON :: RENEE
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05:06:10 :: Agincourt Hotel :: 871 George St City 92814566
club blink
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trash
PICS :: RR
up all night out all week . . .
04:06:10 :: Agincourt Hotel :: 871 George St City 92814566
It’s called: Sampology’s Super Visu al Smackdown @ Sosueme It sounds like: You have been rickro lled across the face with awesome ness and Mr T visuals.
Who’s Spinning: Sampology (Visu al Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, Monkey Set), Kat (Cassette Kids), Joyride, Alison Genius, Robbie Erectro and live sets Villainares and Canopy Choirs. from Three records you will hear on the night: Arnold Schwarzenegger Acca Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’, and pellas, a fair few TV theme songs. And one you definitely wont: I think to categorically say that something played would be a mistake. won’t be Sell it to us: We are stringing up a 136* most amazing visual crazy town show foot screen in Q bar that will feature the ever. (*exaggeration) The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Sampology in visual scratch glory - his DJ sets are like your dreams, weird and whac ky clips, Michael J Fox and the best tune combinations of BMX bandits, old hip hop s ever. Hang on, was that my drea Sampology show? You may never m or the know. (Rhyme) Crowd Specs: You know Sosueme ; there are the hot ones with the phot the gay ones, the straight ones and ographer, the sweaty ones after Joyride. Wallet Damage: $10 Where: Sosueme @ Q bar and 34B, 44 Oxford Street When: Friday June 18 from 8pm
loaded
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04:06:10 :: Home The Venue:: Tenancy 101 Cockle Bay Whf Darling Harbour 92660600
party profile
oh my!
PICS :: LL
sosueme
ghettoblaster
PICS :: AM
03:06:10 :: Favela :: 1 Kellet Way Kings Cross 93807950
02:06:10 :: Q-Bar :: 34-44 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93601375
) ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHODANIEL MUNNS :: :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER RING BOW EMY LAUNAY :: JER ENZO :: MAJA BASKA ROSETTE ROUHANNA :: LEE RUSHBROOK :: JULIAN DE LOR PATRICK STEVENSON :: RENEE
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 45
g g guide gig g
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com
pick of the week THURSDAY JUNE 17
Georgia Fair
Songsalive!: Kirsty Bolton, Daniel Coates, Hugo Yap, Russell Neal and guests Kellys On King, Newtown free 7pm Songwriter Sessions Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills free 7.30pm
COUNTRY
Blue Water Country Music Festival: Mark Wells Band d’Albora Marinas Nelson Bay free 12pm Blue Water Country Music Festival Salamander Bay Shopping Centre free 10am Blue Water Country Music Festival: Brothers 3 Apex Park, Nelson Bay free 9.30am Camden Valley Country Music Club Hope Christian School, Narellan free 7pm
TUESDAY JUNE 15 ROCK & POP
Chris Turners Blues Pirates Royal Hotel Leichhardt 8pm Manly Marvels: Tribal, Escend, Heartless, The Fatals Manly Fishos $10 7pm Mick & Josh Front Bar, Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton free 8pm Mick Vawdon The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 9.30pm Steve Tonge O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm
JAZZ Wolf & Cub
TV Party:
Wolf & Cub, Kids of 88, 2nd Pencil Candy’s Apartment, Kings Cross $10 / 8pm MONDAY JUNE 14 ROCK & POP
Bernie The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 7.30pm Carribean Soul Paddy Maguires, Haymarket free 8.30pm Cash & Co Catherine Hill Bay Hotel free 1.30pm Dan Conway Opera Bar, Sydney free 8.30pm Hip Not Hop The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 7pm Matt Price The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm Now Now Series: Ronnu Panda Serial Space, Chippendale $8–$10 7pm Singer Songwriter Night Vic on the Park Hotel, Marrickville $5 8pm Songwriter Sessions@Excelsior Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills free
7.30pm The Donovans The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 2pm The Loved Ones, The Optionals, Easy Company Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $12 7pm Wildcatz, DJ Peej The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction free 4pm
JAZZ
Open Mic & Jazz/Latin Jam Session: Daniel Falero, Pierre Della Putta, Phil Taig, Rinske Geerlings, Ed Rapo Bar Me, Potts Point free 7pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Tom O’Halloran Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 7.30pm
ACOUSTIC/FOLK
John Spillane (Ireland) The Harp, Tempe $20 (conc)–$25 7pm
James Valentine Quartet Golden Sheaf Hotel, Double Bay free 7pm Matt Baker Trio, Alisa Fedele, Galapagos Duck The Basement, Circular Quay $15 (+ bf)–$18 (at door) 8.30pm Organ Donors (UK), Hunter Keegan Mannell Organ Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $8–$10 8.30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm
ACOUSTIC/FOLK
The Ukastle Ukestra Croatian Wickham Sports Club $10 7.30pm Tuesday Night Live: Camazotz Sword, New Strange Horizon, Seven Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free
COUNTRY
Blacktown Country Music Club The Lucky Australian, North St Marys free 7pm Steel City Country Music Club Club Macquarie, Argenton free (member) 7.30pm
WEDNESDAY JUNE 16 Andy Mammers The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9.30pm Bluehouse, Catherine Britt Brass Monkey, Cronulla $20.40 (presale) 7pm Bridezilla, Domeyko/Gonzalez, Step-Panther Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $5 8pm Chasing Bailey, Karl Cashwell Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Dean Martin & Me: Grant Galea Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra $13–$18.50 2pm Deborah Conway, Willy Zygier Lizotte’s Restaurant, Kincumber $40 7pm Georgia Fair, The Falls Hotel Hollywood, Surry Hills free 7.30pm
House Cabaret: Newley Discovered: Hugh Sheridan Playhouse, Sydney Opera House $39 (conc)–$59 8pm JP O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm Los Skeletone Blues, Alter Ego Blues Band, Portable Junk, Fiasco Burning Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 7pm Mike Bennett The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 9.30pm Open Mic Night Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm Open Mic Fubah on Copa, Copacabana free 7pm Ophelia of the Spirits Notes Live, Enmore 8pm Pat Capocci Front Bar, Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton free 8pm Pugsley Buzzard Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8pm Sideshow Wednesday: Wolf & Cub, Kids Of 88 (NZ) Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm So Frenchy, So Chic: Berry, Nouvelle Vague (France) The Factory Theatre, Enmore 8pm Strung Out (USA), The Loved Ones, The Strugglers Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West $36 (+ bf) 8pm The Beautiful Girls, Washington Baroque Bar, Katoomba $25 (+ bf) 8pm Upstarts: Marillian Avenue, Yell Yell Rebellion, The Affairs, Shivering Indies Spectrum, Darlinghurst $8 8pm
JAZZ
Darryl Beaton Band Civic Underground, Sydney free 10pm Dereb the Ambassador Raval, Surry Hills $17 (+ bf) 7pm James Morrison, The Idea of North The Basement, Circular Quay $39 (+ bf)–$87.80 (dinner & show) 9pm John Redmond Trio The Manhattan Lounge, Sydney free 6.45pm Julien Wilson Quartet 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 7.30pm Maria Venuti Slide, Darlinghurst $30 (show only)– $70 (dinner & show) 7pm Paul Sun Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Robyn Pinson Trio Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL free 9.30am
ACOUSTIC/FOLK
Illawarra Folk Club Bush Dance: Wongawilli Band Wongawilli Community Hall free (member) 8pm John Spillane (Ireland) Clarendon Guest House, Katoomba $25 (+ bf)–$63 (dinner & show) 8pm Songsalive!: Daniel Coates,
Rebecca Fielding, Pave Leclair, Russell Neal and guests Harbourview Hotel, the Rocks free 7pm Songsalive!: Pedro’s Epiphany, Massimo Presti, TAOS and guests Newtown RSL free 7pm
COUNTRY
Corrina Steel, Michael Pye, Sime Nugent Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $12 8pm South Coast Country Music Club Mount Kembla Heights Hall free 7pm
THURSDAY JUNE 17 ROCK & POP
Crushed Ice Camden Valley Golf Resort, Catherine Field free 6.30pm DC Dapto Hotel free 8pm Dead Letter Chorus, Two Hours Traffic, Sunday Waits Harp Hotel, Wollongong $15.30 (presale) 7pm Hot Damn!: Flatline Drama, Another Days Remains, Dream On Dreamer, Villa Rise, Hot Damn DJs Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10–$12 8pm House Cabaret: Newley Discovered: Hugh Sheridan Playhouse, Sydney Opera House $39 (conc)–$59 8pm Ian McCrae Big Band, Donnie Sutherland Smithfield RSL free 8pm Jefferson Groove The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction free 6pm Jesse Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Keith Armitage Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Mal’s Open Mic Night The Harp, Tempe free 7.30pm Mark Wood Front Bar, Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton free 8pm NIME 2010 with Andrew Sorensen, Andrew Brown, Thor Magnusson, Josh Dubrau & Mark Havryliv, P(r) o(pri)et(a)ry In(ternet) (Ad)mo(ni) tion(s), Anthony Park Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills free 8pm Open Mic Jamberoo Pub free 8pm Paki & Kelly & Marsh Illawarra Yacht Club, Warrawong free 8.30pm Paul Dianno (England) Bar on the Hill, University of Newcastle, Callaghan $28.10 (+ bf)–$104.50 (premium) 8pm Red Zephyr Live at the Wall, Leichhardt $10 7pm Residents: Mojada Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Ricky Lynch Windang Bowling Club free 8pm
“Foul plays of passion at twilight’s dim in joy of woe, of good and sin” - TESTAMENT 46 :: BRAG :: 366: 14:06:10
gig guide
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Rumpunch Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8pm Tales In Space, The Ghosts, Sicaria, Amberdeen Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 7pm Tash Parker, Edward Deer, Cogel Raval, Surry Hills $10 (+ bf) 7.30pm The Break Old Manly Boatshed 8pm The Solomons, Baba O’Riley Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm The Suspects Marble Bar, Sydney free 8.30pm The Vibrators (England), Psychotic Numbskulls, Oxygen Thief, Topnovil, Rukus CBD Sports Bar, Wollongong 8pm TV Party: Wolf & Cub, Kids of 88, 2nd Pencil Candy’s Apartment, Kings Cross $10 8pm White Bros New Brighton Hotel, Manly free 10pm - late White Brothers The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free–$5 9.15pm Wolf & Cub, Kids of 88 Upstairs Bar, Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle free 9.30pm Zoltan The Mill, Milperra free 8pm
JAZZ
Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm
ACOUSTIC & FOLK
Bacon & Cabbage, TeeJay Cock ‘n’ Bull Tavern, Bondi Junction free 9pm Bluehouse Notes Live, Enmore $23.50 (presale) 7pm Dennis Aubrey’s Songwriters Night @Newtown RSL free 7pm John Spillane (Ireland) Lambton Park Hotel 8pm Liz Stringer, Elana Stone The Basement, Circular Quay $18 (+ bf) 9.30pm Songsalive!: Andrew Denniston and guests Royal Albert Hotel, Surry Hills free 7pm Songsalive!: Pave Leclair, TAOS and guests Camelia Grove Hotel, Alexandria free 6pm Songsalive!: Snez, April Sky, Helmut Uhlmann + guests Henry Lawson Club, Werrington County free 7.30pm
COUNTRY
Colbourne Ave: Gavin Ahearn Cafe Church, Glebe $10 (conc)–$20 8pm House Cabaret: Dead Men Tell A Thousand Tales - Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentlemen The Studio, Sydney Opera House $19 (conc)–$49 8pm Mal Eastick, Richard Madden The Vanguard, Newtown $20 (+ bf)–$25 (at door) 6.30pm Merenia & The Way, Carlos Velesquez 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 7.30pm
Kelly Hope Rooty Hill RSL Club free 8pm
FRIDAY JUNE 18 ROCK & POP
2 Shot Kincumber Hotel free 7pm Acoustic Mayhem Front Bar, Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton free 8pm Alestorm (Scotland), Claim the
Throne, Bane of Isildur Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $43 (+ bf) 8pm Brown Sugar Marble Bar, Sydney free 9.30pm Buried in Verona, Bermuda, Azlock, Aftermarth Caringbah Bizzos 8pm Cassette Kids, Howl, Kids of 88 Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf)–$15 (at door) 8pm Chris Byrne Duo Mattara Hotel, Newcastle free 8pm Chris Drummond Smithfield RSL free 7pm Crash Fire Station Hotel, Wallsend free 8.30pm David McMaster Duo Windang Bowling Club free 8.30pm Dead Letter Chorus, Two Hours Traffic Clarendon Guest House, Katoomba $15 (+ bf)–$53 (dinner & show) 8pm Deborah Conway, Willy Zygier The Basement, Circular Quay $32 (+ bf) 9.30pm DJ Danc Belmont Hotel free 9pm Free For All, I Escape, Medicine For Robots (Syd), Revived, Coldchamber & The Paradox Unseen Loft Youth Venue, Newcastle 6pm Fun2mental Iron Horse Inn, Cardiff free 6.30pm Fuzzbox: Sounds Like Sunset, Sleep Debt, Guerre, We Say Bamboulee DJs The Loft, UTS free 8.30pm Gyroscope, The Vasco Era, After The Fall Metro Theatre, Sydney $35 (+ bf) 8pm Harry Sea Ingleburn RSL Club free 9pm Highway To Hell Engadine Tavern free 9.30pm House Cabaret: Newley Discovered - Hugh Sheridan Playhouse, Sydney Opera House
$39 (conc)–$59 8pm INXS Tribute: Need You Tonight The INXS Tribute The Vanguard, Newtown $22 (+ bf) 6.30pm James Pamino Celebrity Room, Blacktown RSL Club free 8pm Jeff Martin (Canada), Carmen Townsend Brass Monkey, Cronulla $36.80 (presale) 7pm Jonesez, The Retreat, Kempsey Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 (+ bf) 8pm Kim Docks Hotel, Darling Harbour free 7.30pm Lone Wolf Trio Mingara Recreation Club, Tumbi Umbi free 7.30pm Matanza Persian Basement, Lane Cove 8pm Matt Purcell Tall Timbers Hotel, Ourimbah free 6pm Memory Loss Dundas Sports & Recreation Club free 8.30pm Misbehave Warners Bay Hotel free 9pm Mission Jones After Dark Bar, Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL free 10pm MUM: Warhorse, Shakin’ Howls, Artisan Guns, Little Lovers, The Shake Up, Sooners, The Preachers, The Bennisons, Anna Chase, Animal Chin, Gatsby, Walkie Talkie, 10th Avenue, Jack Shit, Nude DJs, DJ Meowcat & Bobby Six, Swim Team, Banshee, Throw Shapes, Kapow, La Discoteca, 16 Tacos, James Taylor (Wham), 16 Tacos The World Bar, Kings Cross $10– $15 8pm Open Fire Long Jetty Hotel free 7.30pm Paul Dianno (England) Waves Nightclub, Towradgi $28.90
(presale) 8pm Pax Koan, Elk Bell, The Aldrins, The Fatals @Newtown free 7pm Peter Powers Campbelltown RSL $35 8pm Phil Tweed Level One, Kent Hotel, Hamilton free 10pm Purple Sneakers: Voltaire Twins DJs, Nick Findlay, Kill The Landlord, Monkey Genius, BoyCrazyStacey Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale free–$12 7pm RoadHouse Rockers Belmont 16 Foot Sailing Club free 8.30pm Ron Ashton Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Sam & Jamie Show Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel free 7pm Service 30 The Shaft Tavern, Elermore Vale free 8.30pm Sosueme Q Bar, Darlinghurst $10 8pm The Australian Red Hot Chili Peppers Show Gwandalan Bowling Club free 8pm The Domestics, Junk Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 7pm The Gin Club, The Aerial Maps, Eagle & the Worm!, The Shipwrecked Annandale Hotel $18 (+ bf) 8pm The Kamis Fred Chubb Lounge, Rooty Hill RSL Club free 8pm The Rebel Rousers Doyalson-Wyee RSL Club $15 7.30pm The Urge Kent Hotel, Hamilton free 10.30pm The V Dubs Blackbutt Hotel, New Lambton free 8.45pm The Vibrators (England), Rust, Bladder Spasms, The Corps Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $25 8pm
wed
16 June
(9:15PM - 12:15AM)
thu
17 June
(9:15PM - 12:15AM)
fri
18 June
(9:15PM - 1:00AM)
(5:00PM - 8:00PM)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
sat
19 June
sun
SATURDAY NIGHT
(9:00PM - 12:00AM)
20 June
SUNDAY NIGHT
(8:30PM - 12:00AM)
JUNE
18 FRIDAY
VOLTAIRE TWINS DJ SET
THE DEAD WEATHER
KILL THE LANDLORD
GIVEAWAYS COURTESY OF WARNER
NICK FINDLAY . KID N BIRD CHRISTOPHER ROBINS
SEA OF COWARDS
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 47
gig guide send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com The Waves Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm The Wharf Sessions: Fergus Brown The Wharf, Sydney Theatre Company free 10.30pm Think Big Mosman RSL Club free 7pm Tim Pringle Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool free 4pm Tim Pringle Great Southern Hotel, Sydney free 10pm To The Next Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8pm Underlights, Radio National, Sound Casino, Stickyfingers Melt Bar, Kings Cross free–$10 9pm White Brothers Sydney Rowing Club, Abbotsford free 7.30pm Zac Gervaise and the Maze, The Harvest, Mung, Lauras Tomato, The Vanirs, Mineral Turpentine (AA) Penshurst RSL $10 7pm Zoltan Town Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9pm
JAZZ
Bridge City Jazz Band Club Ashfield free 7.30pm Fuji Collective Live at the Wall, Leichhardt $12 8pm Full Swing Quartet Lane Cove Golf & Country Club, Northwood free 7.30pm Glen Cardier & the Sideshow Notes Live, Enmore 7pm House Cabaret: Dead Men Tell A Thousand Tales: Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentlemen The Studio, Sydney Opera House $19 (conc)–$49 8pm Mark Isaacs 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8.30pm Pianoman Cruise Restaurant, The Rocks free 10pm SIMA: austraLYSIS, 3ofmillions The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $12 (member)–$18 8.30pm Susan Gai Dowling Duo Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7.30pm
ACOUSTIC & FOLK
Adam Roycroft, DJ Black Jade Tavern, Haymarket free 7pm Beoga (Ireland) The Harp, Tempe $20 (conc)–$25 8pm Cafe Carnivale: Gervais Koffi & the African Diaspora Eastside Arts, Paddington $10 (child)–$28 8pm John Spillane (Ireland) Penrith Gaels Club $25 (presale)–$30 (at door) 8pm
Deep Sea Arcade
COUNTRY
Macarthur Country Music Club Wests Campbelltown Tennis Club, Leumeah free 7pm
HIP-HOP
Dust Tones: Lookup Vs Dust Tones Hosted By Scott Burns - True Vibenation, That’s Them, Kademc, Sandstorm Dynasty, Mathmatics Vs DJ Ability, Mike Who Vs Psykeone Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm
SATURDAY JUNE 19 ROCK & POP
400 KW Monsters, Platinum Brunette @Newtown free 8pm 50 Lions, Blkout, Persist The Loft Youth Venue, Newcastle 8pm Adrenelin, Neon Heart, The Cursing Stone, Damage Inc (Metallica Tribute), Jimi Hendrix (Tribute) Show (AA) The Lucky Oz Tavern, St Marys $10 6pm After Party Band Fred Chubb Lounge, Rooty Hill RSL Club free 8.30pm Alphamama Club: Alphamama Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 8pm Andy Baylor & the Cajun Combo Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club $15 8pm Australian Played Celebrity Room, Blacktown RSL Club free 10pm Back 2 Rock Belmont Hotel free 9pm Betty Airs, Halal, How Are You? Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Cherrylane, Lovers Jump reek, Adelaide Hornsby Inn free 9pm Chontia Mingara Recreation Club, Tumbi Umbi free 7.30pm Civic Disability Annual Fundraising Concert: Mental As Anything Sutherland Entertainment Centre $40 7pm Dead Letter Chorus, Two Hours Traffic Brass Monkey, Cronulla $19.40 (presale) 8pm Deborah Conway, Willy Zygier Lizotte’s Restaurant, Lambton $40 (show only)–$80 (dinner & show) 7pm Deez Nuts Masonic Hall, Blacktown 5pm Funkstar Marble Bar, Sydney free 10.30pm House Cabaret: Newley
Discovered: Hugh Sheridan Playhouse, Sydney Opera House $39 (conc)–$59 8pm Jeff Martin (Canada), Carmen Townsend Notes Live, Enmore $36.80 (presale) 7pm Jo Meares & the Honey Riders Live at the Wall, Leichhardt $10 8pm Jon English Cosmopolitan Cafe, Double Bay $42 9pm Just Jammin’ Ingleburn RSL Club free 9pm Katie Noonan & The Captains, The Jezabels Metro Theatre, Sydney $35 (+ bf) 8pm Kirsty Larkin Front Bar, Northern Star Hotel, Hamilton free 8pm Lawrence Baker Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Luke Dickens Clarendon Guest House, Katoomba $20 (+ bf) 8.30pm Luke Dixon Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel free 4pm Mario Bros Smithfield RSL free 8pm Mick Buckley After Dark Bar, CanterburyHurlstone Park RSL free 10pm Nitro Burlesque: Nitro Rockers The Vanguard, Newtown $20 (+ bf)–$25 (at door) 6.30pm Pat Capocci, Grizzly Adams Ashfield RSL Club free 8.30pm Paul Dianno (England) Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $40 (+ bf) 8pm Peter Healy Fubah on Copa, Copacabana $6.50 8pm Phil Tweed Level One, Kent Hotel, Hamilton free 10pm Phonik Kent Hotel, Hamilton free 10.30pm Resist Records presents 50 Lions, Blkout, Persist and supports Loft Youth Venue, Newcastle 6pm Resist the Thought Campbelltown PCYC, Minto 5pm Roc-A-Tac, Tim Kendall Guildford Leagues Club free 8.30pm Skipping Girl Vinegar Raval, Surry Hills $18 7.30pm Smooth As Duo Kareela Golf & Social Club free 8pm Solid Gold Shenanigans, Maitland free 8pm Song Summit Live: Amber Lawrence, Dan Sultan, Finabah, Luke Webb, Amy Meredith, Parades, Tenielle Neda, 1/6 Home, Sydney $27.50 (day ticket)–$53.50 (weekend) 6pm Song Summit: Audius, Basement Birds, Brendan Gallagher, Byron Jones, Catherine Britt, Charles Jenkins, Clare Bowditch, Dave Faulkner, Feargal Sharkey, Jenny Morris, John Foreman, Josh Pyke, Julian Hamilton, Kav Temperley, Kevin Mitchell, Lior, Peter Northcote, Rai Thistlethwayte, Robert Forster, Snob Scrilla, Urthboy, Wally De Backer Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre $180 (day ticket)–$420 (whole event) 12pm Speedster Oatley Hotel Free 8pm Stickyfingers Coogee Diggers 8pm Stormcellar Pendle Hill Inn 8pm The Break Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm The Rebel Rousers Ettalong Bowling Club, Ettalong Beach free 7.30pm The Supreme Motown Show Huskisson RSL Club 8pm The V Dubs Catherine Hill Bay Hotel free 1.30pm The Voltaire Twins Mona Vale Hotel 8pm Throwdown (USA), Terrible Virtue Caringbah Bizzo’s Thundabox, Day of the Meerkat,
Betty Airs Surprise Wasp, Buzzkiller Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $12 8pm Tone Defeat: Deep Sea Arcade, Fergus Brown, Made in Japan, Underlights Annandale Hotel $15 8pm Tuggerah Lakes Show Band Memorial Park Stage, The Entrance free 10am Twinsanity, Chris Read Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle free 3pm Will Henderson Sir John Young, Sydney free 9.30pm
JAZZ
Eclipse Alley Five Strawberry Hills Hotel, Surry Hills free 4pm House Cabaret: Dead Men Tell A Thousand Tales: Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentlemen The Studio, Sydney Opera House $19 (conc)–$49 8pm Michael McGlynn Sydney Rowing Club, Abbotsford free 3pm SIMA: The Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $12 (member)–$20 8.30pm Sydney Blues Society 18th Birthday Bash: Bondi Cigars, King Bros, Hip Sister The Harp, Tempe $15 8pm Virna Sanzone 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8.30pm
ACOUSTIC & FOLK
Ali Towers Roxbury Room, The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe 8pm Balkansky Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale free 9pm Illawarra Folk Club: John Spillane (Ireland) City Diggers, Wollongong 7.30pm Songsalive!: Karl-Christoph, Rachel Elden, Ben Osmo, Tommy Pickett, David Sattout, Phil Cole, Andrew Denniston Grumpy’s Inn, Hurlstone Park free 8pm
COUNTRY
Craig Morrison Royal Cricketers Arms, Prospect free 7.30pm From Tamworth to Tennessee Bankstown Sports Club $7 (member)–$10 7.30pm Lee Kernaghan Civic Theatre, Civic Precinct Newcastle $34.90 (child)–$59.90 (adult) 8pm Wanita Hexham Bowling Club $10 7pm
HIP-HOP
Thundamentals Clarendon Guest House, Katoomba $10 (+ bf) 12.30pm
SUNDAY JUNE 20 ROCK & POP
2days Hits Harbord Beach Hotel free 6pm 50 Lions, Blkout, Persist Nowra Community Centre 8pm Annie & Betty Dargle, Jace Pearson, Graeme Fisher’s Allstar Band Smithfield RSL free 2.30pm Blues Bombers Premier Hotel, Broadmeadow free 4.30pm Blues Sunday Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly 7.30pm Brian Gillette Smithfield RSL free 6.30pm Colene Crawford Fubah on Copa, Copacabana 2pm Colin O’Donnell, Paddy, Anthony K, Gary Honor The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction free 5pm Crash Avenue, DJ Fooey, DJ D-Steady Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle free 2pm Deborah Conway, Willy Zygier Clarendon Guest House, Katoomba $35 (+ bf)–$70 (dinner & show) 7pm Deborah Sinclair Gateshead Tavern free 2pm Drive: Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $10 3.30pm Fat Man Tall Timbers Hotel, Ourimbah free 4.30pm Finn Catherine Hill Bay Hotel free 1.30pm Funpuppet Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 8pm House Cabaret: Newley Discovered: Hugh Sheridan The Studio, Sydney Opera House $39 (conc)–$59 8pm Janita Klein, David Sattout Forest Lodge Hotel free 4pm Jason Hicks Docks Hotel, Darling Harbour free 5pm Jefferson Groove Circa Lounge Bar, Bondi Junction free 2pm Kirsty Larkin Belmont Hotel free 3pm Klassic Blak Belmont 16 Foot Sailing Club free 3pm Lj Oatley Hotel Free 1pm Lonnie Lee, The Leemen Cat & Fiddle Hotel, Balmain $15 1pm Mick Buckley Five Dock RSL free 4pm My Hollowed Fantasy, Dawnheist, Faith or Fatality, Burnt at the Stake, Ashes to December, Pledge This, Five Star PrisonCell (VIC), As Silence Breaks (AA) The Lucky Oz Tavern St Marys $10 1pm
“Foul plays of passion at twilight’s dim in joy of woe, of good and sin” - TESTAMENT 48 :: BRAG :: 366: 14:06:10
gig guide
send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com No Breaks Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club free 4.30pm Phil McKnight Long Jetty Hotel free 2pm Radio Social: The Voltaire Twins The World Bar, Kings Cross free 5pm Raoul Graf Mount Annan Hotel free 8pm Reptiles, Virgo Rising Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst 8pm Something Else Royal Exchange Hotel, Windsor free 3pm Song Summit Live: Washington, Artisan Guns (New Zealand), Warren Echoe, Lawrence Martin, dAdiiGii, Cornerstone, Computers Want Me Dead, Carmen Townsend, The Early Birds, Dead Letter Chorus, Dan Kelly, Fergus Brown Home, Sydney $27.50 (day ticket)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$53.50 (weekend) 7.30pm Song Summit: Audius, Basement Birds, Brendan Gallagher, Byron Jones, Catherine Britt, Charles Jenkins, Clare Bowditch, Dave Faulkner, Feargal Sharkey, Jeff Martin (Canada), Jenny Morris, John Foreman, Josh Pyke, Julian Hamilton, Kav Temperley, Kevin Mitchell, Lior, Peter Northcote, Rai Thistlethwayte, Robert Forster, Snob Scrilla, Urthboy, Wally De Backer Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre $180 (day ticket)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$420 (whole event) 12pm Stormcellar Time and Tide Hotel, Dee Why 8pm
Sun Sets: Junk, The OMGs, Green Mohair Suits Fringe Bar, Paddington $8 5pm The Break Annandale Hotel $25 (+ bf) 2.30pm The Rat Pack: David De Costa, Nicholas Brooks, Johnny Edwards Dural Country Club $30 4pm The Three Nevilles Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel free 3pm Thread Kent Hotel, Hamilton free 8pm Tim Pringle Belmont Sportsmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club free 1pm Vindan and The Zion Band Hive Bar, Erskineville free 3pm Zoltan Penrith Panthers free 4pm
JAZZ
Bill Dudleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Orleanians Strawberry Hills Hotel, Surry Hills free 5pm Blues Extravaganza: Mississippi Shakedown, Christina Crofts, Alter Ego Blues, Anni Piper Band The Harp, Tempe $10 1.45pm Feral Swing Katz Rocksalt, Menai free 8pm Jazz Susan Gai Dowling & Carl Dewhurst, Lane Cove Youth Orchestra Lane Cove Plaza free 9am Jive Bombers Rhythmboat (departs Pyrmont Bay Wharf) $45 11.45am Red Hot & Blue Sydney Rowing Club, Abbotsford free 3pm Shiraz Duo The Entrance Sails Stage free 11am The House of Blues: The Subterraneans
Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 6pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie, Tony Burkys, Paul Furniss, Alan Gilbert Cronulla RSL Club 12pm free
ACOUSTIC & FOLK
Doc Jones & the Lechery Orchestra, Mr Fibby, Sian Evans The Vanguard, Newtown $12 (+ bf)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$15 (at door) 6.30pm From Europe to Broadway: Blacktie Auditorium, South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford $5 (member)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$9 4pm Green Jam The Hero of Waterloo Hotel, Millers Point free 7pm Irish Music Session Bennett Hotel, Hamilton free 4pm Kellyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heroes P.J. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Sydney free Matt Jackson Pontoon, Darling Harbour free 2pm NSW Greens Fundraiser: Penelope Swales The Harp, Tempe $15 (conc)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$20 7pm
UTOPIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 30TH
BIRTHDAY METALFEST FEAT. MORTAL SIN + THE AMENTA + DAYSEND + SWITCHBLADE + KILLRAZER + DARKER HALF + ANNO DOMINI + NORSE + HELLBRINGER & MORE
COUNTRY
Aleyce Simmonds Royal Cricketers Arms, Prospect free 12.30pm Bacon & Cabbage, Mark Oats, Dan Lising Cock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bull Tavern, Bondi Junction free 5pm Central Coast Country Music Association Wyong RSL Club free (member) 1pm Lonesome Train The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm
gig picks
up all night out all week...
WEDNESDAY JUNE 16
Bridezilla, Domeyko/Gonzalez, StepPanther Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $5 8pm Georgia Fair, The Falls Hotel Hollywood, Surry Hills free 7.30pm So Frenchy, So Chic: Berry, Nouvelle Vague (France) The Factory Theatre, Enmore 8pm
(USA)
THURSDAY JUNE 17
Liz Stringer, Elana Stone The Basement, Circular Quay $18 (+ bf) 9.30pm
FRIDAY JUNE 18
Cassette Kids
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SUNDAY JUNE 20
Song Summit Live: Washington, Artisan Guns (New Zealand), Warren Echoe, Lawrence Martin, dAdiiGii, Cornerstone, Computers Want Me Dead, Carmen Townsend, The Early Birds, Dead Letter Chorus, Dan Kelly, Fergus Brown Home, Sydney $27.50 (day ticket)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$53.50 (weekend) 7.30pm
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Betty Airs, Halal, How Are You? Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Skipping Girl Vinegar Raval, Surry Hills $18 7.30pm Tone Defeat: Deep Sea Arcade, Fergus Brown, Made in Japan, Underlights Annandale Hotel $15 8pm
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Cassette Kids, Howl, Kids of 88 Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$15 (at door) 8pm Gyroscope, The Vasco Era, After The Fall Metro Theatre, Sydney $35 (+ bf) 8pm The Gin Club, The Aerial Maps, Eagle & the Worm!, The Shipwrecked Annandale Hotel $18 (+ bf) 8pm
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 49
club guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com
club pick of the week Nadastrom
Coyote Tuesday Kid Finley, Pee Wee Pete free–$5 World Bar, Kings Cross Pop Panic Karaoke, Daigo, Shipwreck, M.I.T free
WEDNESDAY JUNE 16 Bank Hotel, Newtown Girl’s Night DJ Beth Yen free Cruise Bar, Circular Quay Rockstar free Establishment, Sydney Mid Week Hurdle Nic Phillips, Craig Patterson free Fringe Bar, Paddington F.R.I.E.N.D/s $5 VIP/$10 door Gasworks Nightclub, Albion Hotel, Parramatta DJ Fresh free Goldfish, Kings Cross The Salsa Lounge Latin Mafia Sound System free Sly Fox, Enmore Queer Central Sveta, DJ Beth, DJ Bel free The Eastern, Bondi Junction John Glover, Tenzin, Here’s Trouble, Cassian, U-Go-B, Steve Frank, Mistah Cee, Naiki, Kavi-R free The Gaff, Darlinghurst New Generation Franny, Alex, Triky, Electroholics, Con-x-ion, Psygnosis, Calico, Kermy, Deceptikon free The Lincoln, Kings Cross Kareem the DJ free (guestlist) The Sugarmill, Kings Cross Battery Operated DJ Matt Hoare free World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall/SUGD free
SATURDAY JUNE 19
Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
THURSDAY JUNE 17
Nadastrom (USA), Kato, The Awkward Boys, Three Fingers, Matt Rad, Roof, Detnum $10 (early bird) – $20 (at door) Kato
MONDAY JUNE 14 202 Broadway, Chippendale Hospitality Crew free Empire Hotel, Potts Point Bazaar HBK, I Low free One World Sport, Parramatta Ricky Ro free Soho, Kings Cross Comedown free The Sugarmill, Kings Cross Mondays James Rawson (live), Kavi-R free V Bar, Sydney Monday Mambo Mambo G $5–$10
50 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
TUESDAY JUNE 15 Xxx Cruise Bar, Circular Quay DCE Salsa Lessons $20 Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel DJs Willie Sabor and Guests free Martin Place Bar, Sydney Louis M, Sammy free Oatley Hotel Suburban Alternative DJ Mini Mullet free Opera Bar, Circular Quay DJ Jack Shit free The Gaff, Darlinghurst
202 Broadway, Chippendale Basic Foreign Dub, Headroom, Space is the Place, Void free Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool After School Detention DJ Rangi, Mac, K-Note MC Buddy Love free Cruise Bar, Circular Quay DJ Dwight ‘Chocolate’ Escobar free Dug Out Bar, Burdekin Hotel Speakeasy Magda, Dave Fernandes Empire Hotel, Potts Point Episodes DJ Schoder, Wanted, Zahra, Jason K, Johar free Gasworks Nightclub, Albion Hotel, Parramatta Da Bomb with DJ Fresh free Goldfish, Kings Cross The Funk Quarter Phil Hudson, Phil Toke, Dave 54, Michael Wheatley free Home Terrace, Darling Harbour Unipackers Rnb, Top 40, Electro $5 Hotel Chambers, Sydney Timewarp Retro DJs free Judgement Bar, Taylor Square Judgement Night. Sex Worker & Ymerej, weekly guests free Kinselas Hotel, Darlinghurst Simon Alexander free Lady Lux, Kings Cross Notorious Thursdays Die Pritti, Jimmy 2 Sox, Stick Man free Mansions, Kings Cross Van Sereno and Cavan Te live on rotation free Martin Place Bar, Martin Place Thursday’s at MPB Louis M free Q Bar, Darlinghurst Hot Damn! DJ Sarah Spandex, Mark C, Heart Attack $10–$12 Sapphire Suite, Kings Cross Flaunt Nacho Pop, Diaz, Eko, Tom Piper, R-Son, Zero Cool free Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney The Social Club Beth Yen free The Eastern Hotel, Bondi Junction Sneaker Husky, Ant Best Shy, Travis Hale, Dave Rizzle, Yogi free The Rouge, Darlinghurst Surprise Surprise Astrix, Sms, Ember, Lights Out, Tom Piper World Bar, Kings Cross Teenage Kicks Mick Jones, Nik V, Johnny Segment, Tom Libertine, M.I.T free
Hookie and Disorder
FRIDAY JUNE 18 Bank Hotel, Newtown D*Funk, Mike McGrath, Frenzie free Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Dustones Scott Burns, True Vibe Nation, That’s Them, Kade MC, Sand Storm Dynasty, Mathmatics, Ability, Mike Who, Psykone free Candy’s Apartment Blow The Mane Thing, Knocked Up Noise, Slippery When Wet, Kyro, Willet $15 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Trashbag Posse DJs Symmetry, Trashbags Posse DJs $20 after 1am Collector Hotel, Parramatta Corner Shop Tikelz, DJ Browski, J Lyrikz, Naughty, Gunz free Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool Fuego DJ Mac, Don Juan, K-Note, Asado, Dennis Tha Menace, The Empress MC, MC Seba Cruise Bar, Circular Quay Johnny Vinyl, Strike free Establishment Hotel Carnival La Fiesta Sound System and Special Guest DJs all night free Fraser Studios, Chippendale Mad As Art Busty Beats free Goldfish, Kings Cross Sugar & Soul Phil Hudson, Paul Hatz, Agey, Danny De Sousa, Matt Cahill, Tom Kelly free Kinselas, Taylor Square Toby Wilson free Kit & Kaboodle, Darlinghurst Gameboy Fridays The Gameboys, Calling In Sick, Isbjorn $10 after 10pm Mansions, Kings Cross Nick Polly, Little Rich, Nick T, Stevie S, Adrian Allen free Middle Bar, Kinselas, Darlinghurst Flavours on Friday MC Q-Bizzi, C-Bu, Trey, Mike Champion, Naiki, Tekkaman $20 Mini Bar, Burdekin Hotel, Sydney
The Gameboys
Progression64 Mods Vs Rockers DJ Key-Star free Mr B’s Hotel, Sydney Husky, Yogi, DJ Marc Us, Dan Copping, DJ Agey, Frankie Romano, Phil Toke free Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Friday’s DJ Tone Free Omega Lounge, Sydney Unwind Greg Summerfield, Matt Brunton free Opera Bar, Circular Quay Gian Arpino free Phoenix Bar, Darlinghurst No Frills & Locus Cause 4 Concern (UK), Dauntless, Quotient, Mazza, Fire & Whitey $10 Raval, Surry Hills Listen Hear Huwston, Micah, James De La Cruz, Chris Coucouvinis free Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Fridays Miss Match, Rob Morrish, Dave 54, Kate Monroe, Chiller $10 guestlist Soda Bar, Golden Sheaf, Double Bay Mike Who, Mr Glass, Brynstar free SoHo, Potts Point Vandalis, Matt Nukewood, Kristiano, E Cats , Zannon , DJ Samarai, DJ Pia free Spectrum, Darlinghurst Silent Alarm Silent DJs $5 St James Hotel, Sydney One Night in Cuba Mani, Yemaya, Nandez, Av El Cubano $15 Tank Nightclub, Sydney RnB Superclub Def Rok, Eko, G Wizard, Lilo, Troy T, MC Jayson Tao, Sydney Open House Phil Hudson, Damion Pell, Nick Vidal, Dave 54, Frankie Romano, Dante Rivera, Phil Toke, Agey free The Gaff, Darlinghurst The Hellfire Club DJ Tokoloshe, Hookie, DJ Disorder, Mark Murphy $25 The Lincoln, Kings Cross The Scene Charlie Brown, Samari
club guide
Balansky photo by Yanne Golev
send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com The Loft, King Street Wharf Late at The Loft Somatik, Noel Boogie, Noodles, DJ Huwston, Meem, The Swat DJs, Lippo free The Rouge, Kings Cross Hollywood Gossip Denzal Park free on guestlist before 11pm The Roxy Hotel, Parramatta Roxy Fridays $10, free for members The Sugarmill, Kings Cross The Gameboys, Calling In Sick, Joyride $10 after 10pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross PGOTW Adrian M, Matt Nukewood, Victor Lopez, Jackson, Electric Rain free (guestlist)–$10 World Bar, Kings Cross MUM Walkie Talkie, Animal Chin, Gatsby, 10th Avenue, Jack Shit, Nude DJs, DJ Meowcat & Bobby Six, Swim Team, Banshee, Throw Shapes, Kapow, La Discoteca, 16 Tacos, James Taylor (Wham) $10
SATURDAY JUNE 19 202 Broadway, Chippendale Jamrock Nick Toth, Joe (USA), Lukie D, Shotta Paul, Admiral Kilosh $15 Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo Trash DJ M!Veg, DJ Absynth $12 Arthouse Hotel, Sydney Kink Reunion Ben Morris, Shamus vs. John Glover, Brenden Fing vs. Matt Nukewood, Trix vs. Goodfella, Reno vs. Foundation, Telefunken, Miss Gabby, The Jackal vs. D-Tech MC, James Taylor, Tom Piper, Frenzie, Mean Jean, Robotek $25 Bank Hotel, Newtown Alex Almeida, Paul Master, Abel free BB’s, Bondi Beach Wildlife DJs Mesan, James Roberts, Adriano Giorgi, Dinseh Sundar, Matt Singmin, Chris Kyle free Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Rex Bar The Break (Midnight Oils & Violent Femmes) $35 Candy’s Apartment Big Guns Ember, Elmo is Dead, Dorkatronique, Keli Heart, Slappin Plastic, Toddy Trix, Count Effectz, Sex Wax, Scratch ‘n’ Sniff $15 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Tom Neville $20 Civic Underground, Sydney Adult Disco Future Classic DJs $10–$20 Clarence Hotel, Petersham Caesars Sandy Bottom, Justin Scott, DJ Chip free Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool Pop Fiction, Zoltan free Cricketer’s Arms, Surry Hills Pod War free Cruise Bar, Circular Quay DJ Simon Neal, Ben Vickers free Docks Hotel, Darling Harbour Fabulous Nino Brown, Don Juan, Samrai, Tikelz, Solz, Lil B, Robbie Knotts, Broski, Shruggz, MC Q-Bizzi, MC Mike Celekt, Aga, Akay, Dimi K, Yanni-B $20 Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown Kaki $20 Eastern Hotel, Bondi Junction I Love Saturdays Zannon, Tony Shock, Matt Ferreira, Tass, Akay, Don Juan, Dante Rivera, Dennis Agee, Willie Sabor, Oscar Cadena free Gasworks Nightclub,
Balansky Albion Hotel, Parramatta DJs Matt Hoare and Andy Marc $10 Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale Low Society Dubstep Balkansky (Bulgaria), Boot, Victim, James Daak, Distemper, Chris Blynd, ATP, DJ Missle, Ritual, Sam The Chemist, Sariss, Finesse $10 Goldfish, Kings Cross Abel, Tom Kelly, Phil Hudson, Ross Middleton on Sax free Home The Venue, Sydney Homemade Saturdays The 808s, Aladdin Royaal, James ‘Saxman’ Spy, Matt ferreria, Hannah Gibbs, Tony Venuto, Dave Austin, Flite, LKO, Seiz, Uncle Abe $20 VIP/$25 door Ivy, Sydney Pure Ivy Robbie Santiago, Mobin Master, Tass, Karina Chavez live Jacksons On George, Sydney Leno, Aladdin Royaal free Kinselas, Taylor Square Brynstar, Shaun Keble, Yin Yang, Beth Yen and Matt Hoare free Mansions, Kings Cross Reckless, Little Rich, Shaun Keeble, Nick Polly free Martin Place Bar, Sydney Bamboo Eko, Nude-E, Mirage, Shorty, Ace, Moto, Qrius, IllDJ $5 Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill Fiddler Bar DJ Bobby Dazzler free Mr B’s Hotel, Sydney Husky, Yogi, DJ Marc Us, Dan Copping, DJ Agey, Frankie Romano, Phil Toke free Opera Bar, Circular Quay Krishna Jones free Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Nadastrom (USA), Kato, The Awkward Boys, Three Fingers, Matt Rad, Roof, Detnum $10 (early bird)–$20 (at door) Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney Shipwreck, Daniel Nall, Leon Pirello $10 after 10pm Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, Nowra Euphoria IKO, DJ Seiz, Nuendo, Nick Stylz, Veeo $27 Sly Fox, Enmore TECHnique Dopamine, Nick McMartin, Mark Craven, Kate Doherty, Ryzer, G-Banga, Josh Verdi, Bleep, Duck, SubPixel free
Space Nightclub, Sydney SFX DJs Bzurk, Absynth, Snowflake $10 Spectrum, Darlinghurst P*A*S*H Goldfoot, DJ Knife $7 Stonewall Hotel, Darlinghurst Greg Boladian, Nick J free The Bank Nightclub, Kings Cross Sin City Don Juan, DJ Willie, Mista Kay, MC Q-Bizzi The Basement, Circular Quay You Only Live Once Black Angus, Dangerous Dan, Gus Da Hoodrat, Canyons, Gay Bash DJs $20 (+ bf) The Dolphin Hotel, Surry Hills DJ Chris Skinner, DJ Carl O’Brien free The Gaff, Darlinghurst Perfect Day Resident house DJs Mark Alsop, DJ Chip, DJ Murray Hood, DJ Miss Match, DJ Brett Austin, DJ Scotty Tanner, DJ James Tobin, DJ Man and DJ Dirty Dan free The Lewisham Livehouse Triky, Stereo Thieves, Pom Pom $10 The Loft, King Street Wharf Late at the Loft Somatik, Noel Boogie, Noodles, DJ Huwston, Meem, The Swat DJs, Lippo free The Manhattan Lounge, Martin Place Hushhh... DJs Stunna, Sonny, Special K $10 after 9pm The Rouge, Kings Cross Le Rouge Keli Hart, Bass Kleph $10 before 11pm Tonic Lounge, Kings Cross Tonic Saturdays Tan Cracker’s Soul Club $15 Underground Bar, Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst Progression Project Pato De Gomah, Taras Huntley, Cryptic & Sonus, nic side $10 before 12am, $15 after Verandah Bar, Sydney The Booty Bar George B, Nasser T, Lenno, K Sera Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Paul Moussa free World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! James Taylor, Levins, Klaus Hill + MC Losty, Matttt, Discopunx, Rob Marshall, Pete Nouveau, Adam Bozzetto, Crane, Harry Cotton, Mehow, Saez, Chok Dee $15 before 10pm, $20 after
BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 51
club guide
Deep Impressions
clubguide@thebrag.com
SUNDAY JUNE 20 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Bondi Cultura Samba Groove free Clarendon Hotel, Newcastle Nadastrom (USA) Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool Michael Peter Cruise Bar, Circular Quay Sassy Sundays free Docks Hotel, Darling Harbour Salsa Caliente Sabroson, DJ Vico free Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown DJ Metal Matt, Louis Tillett free Gasworks Nightclub, Albion Hotel, Parramatta Sundayze Goldfish, Kings Cross Martini Club Live DJs Illya, Johnny Gleeson, Miss Match, Jack McCord and Tom Kelly free Home Terrace, Sydney Spice After Hour Goshva (Diynamic/Ukraine), Telefunken, Matt Aubusson,
Underground Dance and Electronica with Chris Honnery Matt Weir, Mitch Crosher $20/$10 Hotel Chambers, Sydney La Chambre Rouge X-Tof, DJ XL, Trey, Twinz $20 Ice Bar, Sydney The Kitsch Sound System, Phil Hudson, Chloe West, Mark Matthews free Kings Cross Hotel Jammin Sundays free Kinselas Hotel, Darlinghurst The Fifth Dimension free Madam De Biers, Kings Cross Soul on Sunday Nino Brown, Don Juan free Melt Bar, Kings Cross Kontrast Illya, Joey Kaz, Mitch Crosher, Joey Tupaea, Shamus, Sam Roberts, DJ Rome, Daniel Vibes $15-$20 Oatley Hotel Sunday Sessions DJ Tone & Friends Free Phoenix Bar, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst Loose Ends Resident DJ Matt Vaughan & Regular Guests Including Seymour Butz, Mark Murphy, Stephen Allkins, AvraCybele, Ben Drayton, Sveta, The Loin Brothers Free 10pm
Sapphire Suite, Kings Cross Random Sundays Mike Rukus, Tom Piper, James Taylor, Matt Nukewood, Goodfella, Adam Lance, RobKAY free (guestlist)–$15 The Bank Nightclub, Kings Cross Soul On Sunday Nino Brown, Don Juan free The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills B Side free The Bunker Bar, Kings Cross Marco Resmann free The Rouge, Kings Cross Cartel Barfly, Tom Piper, Tenzin, Matt Nukewood free The Roxy, Parramatta Sunday Social $10, free for members The Sugarmill, Kings Cross Neighbourhood Kate Munroe free Trademark Hotel, Darlinghurst Soul on Sunday Nino Brown, Don Juan Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Miss Gabby free
SATURDAY JULY 2 Stephan Bodzin The Arthouse
SATURDAY JULY 17 Alexkid & Martin Landsky Plantation
SATURDAY JULY 24 James Holden Chinese Laundry
SATURDAY OCT 23 Circo Loco Sydney The Greenwood Hotel
Karl Hyde (left)
This Week’s Episode: Brothers and Covers
I
had the privilege of joining Underworld’s Karl Hyde for afternoon tea last week and came away with even more respect for the iconic frontman. Far from being a poster boy for the ecstasy generation, or even ‘just a musician’, Hyde is an artist and a poet - someone who is genuinely passionate about his art. While there should be an interview surfacing closer to the release date of Underworld’s forthcoming LP Barking, I have had a listen to an album sampler and highly recommend the opening track, ‘Bird 1’. At first it struck me as vintage Underworld, an epic techno pop song featuring some of Hyde’s distinct offbeat lyrics – “a chainsaw of time” is a particularly great line – so it came as a surprise when Hyde told me Dubfire had played an integral part in crafting the version of the song that was used on the album. Re-listening to ‘Bird 1’ I could hear Dubfire’s touches, and thankfully he has forgone the naff techno ‘hiss’ which he had overdone on some of his other recent productions to help create a hugely enjoyable club cut. Aside from Dubfire, Barking features a slew of different guests, with trance superstar Paul Van Dyk, dubstep stalwarts Appleblim and Al Tourettes and UK DnB producer High Contrast all contributing. In fact, only the album’s final track ‘Louisiana’ doesn’t feature a guest producer. It is perhaps this willingness to adapt and incorporate fresh perspectives that ensures Underworld remain relevant over 15 years on from releasing classic tracks like ‘Rez’. Barking is slotted to hit shelves in September, and is worth grabbing for the album opener alone.
club picks up all night out all week...
THURSDAY JUNE 17 202 Broadway, Chippendale Basic ForeignDub, Headroom, Space is the Place, Void free World Bar, Kings Cross Teenage Kicks Mick Jones, Nik V, Johnny Segment, Tom Libertine, M.I.T free
FRIDAY JUNE 18 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Trashbag Posse DJs Symmetry, Trashbags Posse DJs $20 after 1am World Bar, Kings Cross MUM Walkie Talkie, Animal Chin, Gatsby, 10th Avenue, Jack Shit, Nude DJs, DJ Meowcat & Bobby Six, Swim Team, Banshee, Throw Shapes, Kapow, La Discoteca, 16 Tacos, James Taylor (Wham) $10 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Dustones Scott Burns, True Vibenation, That’s Them, Kade MC, Sand Storm Dynasty, Mathmatics, Ability, Mike Who, Psykone free Gus Da Hoodrat
Black Angus
SATURDAY JUNE 19 Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale Low Society Dubstep Balkansky (Bulgaria), Boot, Victim, James Daak, Distemper, Chris Blynd, ATP, DJ Missle, Ritual, Sam The Chemist, Sariss, Finesse $10 The Basement, Circular Quay You Only Live Once Black Angus, Dangerous Dan, Gus Da Hoodrat, Canyons, Gay Bash DJs $20 (+ bf)
52 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
LOOKING DEEPER
guest spots from Seth Troxler, Dave Aju, Daniel Wilde and Cassy, and I highly recommend the Jamie Jones remix to the Troxler collaboration ‘Trust’, which has worked wonders on the dancefloor all year. Another album cut ‘Home’ is a surprise – and dare I say anomaly; it’s a song that projects patent pop pretensions built upon Daniel Wilde’s crooning vocals, and it certainly takes some getting used to. I must confess the first time I heard ‘Home’ I had a ‘what the fuck is this tripe?’ moment, but now I’m not so sure. It certainly has something about it… Whether the brothers intend to experiment further with midtempo synthetic house sounds will be unveiled when they release the follow up record More Chocolate, later this month. (So soon I know, but when it rains it pours, right?) Kompakt is launching a new online release platform for limited edition CDs and 12"s, Kompakt.fm Exklusiv. A press release from the Cologne-based label, shop and distributor describes the launch of Kompakt.FM Exklusiv as “a rebirth of the origins of Kompakt’s intention - being an independent record store and label that is able to offer our fans directly a wealth of exciting new releases and lost tunes that folks aren’t able to get anywhere else”. To celebrate this new outlet, there are three exclusive releases on the way, the first of which sounds particularly alluring. It’s a two-sided 12" featuring a Mugwump version of Jurgen Paape’s classic production ‘Come Into My Life’ and a version of Gus Gus’s ‘Hateful’ by Ada and Mayburg (Michael Mayer and Jorg Burger). Digital downloads of the 12" will be available from June 25, and I for one will be sweating all over this!
The forgotten brother Matthew Hawtin, who lives in the shadow of older brother Richie, has mixed a selection of 29 ambient tracks for a compilation on Plus 8 entitled Once Again, Again. The release provides a snapshot into the electronic scene of the 90s, when Matthew was a regular at Detroit parties like Hardest, Spastik and Heaven and Hell, often spinning more leftfield electronica in the back-room to compliment his older brother out in the main arena. The vast majority of the tracks featured on this compilation are taken from the period of 93 – 96, which covers material from artists such as Sun Electric, Irresistible Force, Peter Namlook and MLO. Until now most of these tracks had only been released on vinyl, but thanks to Tim Xavier’s mastering skills they have never sounded richer. Whack it on under your pair of noise-cancelling headphones for an authentic listening experience of sparse, atmospheric soundscapes. The brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz, collectively known as Tiefschwarz, recently released their third LP Chocolate, their first in five years. The album included
Tiefschwarz
Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com.
Soul Sedation Soul, Dub, Hip Hop & Bottom Heavy Beats with Tony Edwards
Soul Sedation goes live every Wednesday night on Bondi FM (88.0 or bondifm.com.au). Tune in 10pm 'til midnight to hear a deep and soulful selection of the tunes covered here, and plenty more that I don't have room for.
T
o the delight of many, A Tribe Called Quest are touring Australia for the first time - Niche Productions, in conjunction with Peace Music and TrentSlingshot, have pulled off a massive coup here. A lot of the big hip hop tours that come through town have started to look slightly stale, but the Tribe gig is sure to be packed with genuine fans getting down proper. It’s been 20 years since they started spitting rhymes and dropping beats, and Soul Sedation hopes they throw us everything they’ve got. What’s next, Rock The Bells Downunder? Native Tongues Posse Extravaganza? We can only hope. It goes down Wednesday August 11 at the Hordern. De La’s Maceo joins seminaries Q-Tip, Phife and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad on the tour. Big news! In the Soul Sedation player this week is the self-titled debut album from Loose Change. They’re a new Sydney based hip hop outfit featuring Ellesquire and Rapaport on the mic, P Major on the beats, all backed by DJ Sam Z. It’s an impressive debut, boasting a nice range of styles from party to downtempo. The emcees tackle some sensitive and personal topics, especially love, loss and the choices surrounding growing up. I really feel this record, and can’t fault the production from P Major - he’s taken his cues from all the right producers. ‘Look Around’ is one of the Soul Sedation favs at this stage, and ‘Fucked Up (Feat. P Smurf)’ is straight worthy as well. Fans of Horrorshow will feel the intelligent vibe. Hats off to a good record on its own tip! Heads up DJs: BBE records are running a mixtape competition. To win, all you’ve got to do is create a better mixtape – using the BBE catalogue – than everybody else who enters, and upload it to mixcloud.com. The label will put the winner’s mix out. DJ Vadim and Ritchy Pitch are judging the finalists. Adrian Gibson, curator of long running London jazz night Messin’ Around has released the compilation Music For Jazz Dancers. The selection spans his long career, and it’s a full of quality breakneck dancefloor tempo jazz cuts, released on Freestyle Records. Speaking of Freestyle Records comps, Fresh Out The Box is just out, and it’s all about the funk. The release is one of those leftovers comps of bits and bobs that didn’t make it onto any formal releases, and features names like Aroop Roy, Lack Of Afro, Sleeve, Big Pimp Jones and DJ Graeme B, Dr Lonnie Smith, our very own Bennson and German old schoolers Mo Horizons. Burning Seed, Australia’s first “regional” Burning Man Festival took place on the mid-north coast of NSW over the long weekend. The event was a capped at 500 heads, and the plan is to take it to the
ON THE ROAD
Urthboy
SATURDAY JUNE 19 Urthboy The Sandringham Hotel
SATURDAY JUNE 26 Ozi Batla The Annandale Hotel Tan Crackers Soul Club Tonic Friday July 23 Scuba Civic Underground
SATURDAY JULY 24 Funkdafied Warehouse Party TBC
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 11 A Tribe Called Quest The Hordern Pavilion
A Tribe Called Quest
Australian desert once sufficient growth has occurred. Soul Sedation didn’t make it this year, but will be very keen to check it out in the future. Maybe the pilgrimage to the Nevada Desert won’t be necessary after all… For those of you who rated Cali based DJ Zeph’s Batidas Latinas mixtape, you can now pick up the unmixed DJ edits of his selection. It’s full of Latin beats and hip hop from the likes of Quantic, KRS One, Sergio Mendes and Color Climax. You should also check out Zeph’s own work as half of Zeph & Azeem, on Om Hip Hop. Elefant Traks welcome the Last Kinection onto their artist roster. Well done lads, you’re now in the best hands in the land! Stay tuned for their second album Next Of Kin, dropping in the next few months. Supporting Shapeshifter at the Metro this Sunday just gone, the Electric Wire Hustle will drop their self-tiled album on BBE next month. They make some killer electronic future soul. Also keep your eyes peeled for a copy of their EP Waters. Staying on that Kiwi tip, sometime EWH collaborator Julien Dyne has remixed DJ Vadim’s ‘I Want To Shout Out’ feat Sabira Jade. Keep your ears peeled for all the goods!
Last Kinection
Send stuff for this column to tonyedwards001@gmail.com by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to The Brag (art@thebrag.com). BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 53
snap sn ap
candy’s apartment
PICS :: AV
up all night out all week . . .
04:06:10 :: Candy’s Apartment :: 22 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93805600
girlthing It sounds like: Dr Dre hanging out at Laden mixes up some tunes on (inse Bugsy Malone’s place, while Osama Bin rt ye olde gangster voice) “the ol’ twos ya see... meeeh”. ones and DJs/live acts playing: Snatch&G rab ‘Gang’ DJ’s (Ben ‘The Kid’ Luci d & Cunning ‘Collar Bone’ Pants), SMS, Shalyn Grey, Astrix, Lonewolf, Wizzbomb, and more! Total Mind Fuck Sell it to us: We don’t need to sell it legs if you don’t pay up! P.S…Ther to you, but we will come round and break ya e’s gonna be a body piercer at the peoples’ bodies with holes! club riddling
mum
PICS :: JD
party profile
It’s called: GiRLTHING ‘Lesbian Mafia’
04:06:10 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700
The bit we’ll remember in the AM: posse. You’d heard about the Gay Being held up by Sydney’s toughest Lesbian Illuminati, but last night your inno cence was jacked by the Lesbian Mafia! Crowd specs: Queer mobsters, gay gangsters, homo hitmen... you get the drift. Wallet damage: $10 for the appr opriately attired, $15 for the uninspire d. Where: Qbar, 44 Oxford St, Darl inghurst When: Saturday June 19 from 9pm
bitch
PICS :: RRU
3
party pants
PICS :: AM
04:06:10 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711
ghettodisco
PICS :: PS
05:06:10 :: Melt :: 12 Kellett St, Kings Cross 93806060
05:06:10 :: Q-Bar :: 34-44 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93601375 54 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
) ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER BOWRING :: DANIEL MUNNS :: PATRICK STEVENSON EMY JER :: MANNING ROSETTE ROUHANNA IAN DE LORENZO :: JACQUIE :: RENEE RUSHBROOK :: JUL
snap
f.r.i.e.n.d.s.
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
hot damn
PICS :: TL
02:06:10 :: Fringe Bar :: 106 Oxford Street Paddington 93605443
03:06:10 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93316245
Crowd specs: our regular stunning crowd of amazing, refined, up for it people! Wallet damage: $15 before 10pm , $25 after. Where: Chinese Laundry, 111 Suss ex St Sydney (Cnr of Sussex St & King St) When: Saturday June 19 from 9pm
bass drop
05:06:10 :: Arthouse :: 275 Pitt St Sydney 92841200
tuff em up records
PICS :: AM
It’s called: Chinese Laundry Satu rday feat. Tom Neville (UK) It sounds like: Not many other club s in Sydney! DJs: Tom Neville (UK), Doom from Bang Gang DJs, Hey Now!, and all of our regular stellar residents. Three records you’ll hear on the night: ‘Goodbye Horses’ – Q Laza This Be Real’ - Sub Focus; ‘Run rus; ‘Could In Reverse’ - Tom Neville. And one you definitely won’t: ‘Tik Tok’ – Ke$ha (as much as we’d all hear it). like to Sell it to us: Quality music, good -looking fun-loving crowd, and alco holic slurpies for sale in the Laundry… what else do you need to know?! We consistently showcasing the fresh est internationals week in week out, are hand picked all-star local cast, throu on top of a gh an epic sound system! The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The quality music, and the good-look fun-loving crowd… but if you take ing my advice and sample the spectacu slurpies… probably not much! lar
PICS :: AM
party profile
chinese laundry
the wall
PICS :: AM
05:06:10 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711 ) ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER BOWRING :: DANIEL MUNNS :: PATRICK STEVENSON MANNING ROSETTE ROUHANNA :: JEREMY IAN DE LORENZO :: JACQUIE :: RENEE RUSHBROOK :: JUL
02:06:10 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700 BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10 :: 55
snap sn ap
05:06:10 :: Club 77 :: 77 William St Kings Cross 93613387
purple sneakers
PICS :: JM
starfuckers
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
04:06:10 :: The Gladstone Hotel :: 115 Regent St Chippendale 96993522
dj lord
PICS :: RRU
dj profile
mr. belvedere
Yr moniker – what’s the deal? I got the name at Uni Games and that’s much all I remember of Uni Games. pretty What’s yr sound? I’m not sure how to define my style, I guess ‘party’. I play a bit of everything except Guetta.... after ‘Love Don’t Let Me Go’ he is dead to me. When/why did you decide to take on the decks and start DJing? I’ve been obsessed with music of all genr alwa es. When I was in high school my favou ys albums were Daft Punk’s Discover rite y and Fatboy Slim’s You’ve Come A Long Way Baby. Ever since then I was dying to learn how to mix, so when I was 19 I finally bought decks and hibernated in my room for a long time. Five records that define you: ‘Dow n In LA’ – Munk; anything Diplo; ‘50 Ways’ – XXXchange; ‘Ooh La La’ – Wiseguys ; ‘Paris, Tokyo’ – Pharrell. Best gig you’ve ever played? Supp orting Ozomatli and Mr. Percival at Metro earlier this year. Mr. Percival The played out our last track – then beat -boxed the baseline and copied the whole track and started his set! Then me and King last track before Ozomatli was Hot Lee’s 8 Bras track out and hearing 700 people singi s Band’s ‘Sexual Healing’ - cutting the ng ‘Sex ual Heal ing’ woul d put a smile on anyone’s dial :) And the worst? Playing at a fashi on show, having to run sound for the catwalk as well from a back room, getting phon e calls every minute yelling at me to play... a nightmare! press Outside of DJing, what pushes your the moment) and South Park - when buttons? I love film (watching Clerks at I’m not out and hanging with friends make up for lost time. I’m addicted to coffee and I eat way too much choc trying to What was the last thing you wrot olate. e on your hand: Pat Ward – I’m still trying to sum up the courage to ask him out :) Last time you were really, really, reall laughed so much in my life, all I can y happy: Wednesday night – I’ve never say is Karl Pilkington *wink* And we can see you: The Pants Party at Melt - July 2 - supporting Cassian plus more TBA. Also, I play regularly at the Passage in Darlinghurst, it’s a wicked new bar so come check it out.
teenage kicks
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PICS :: TL
04:06:10 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex Street Sydney 82959958
fuck yeah
PICS :: TL
03:06:10 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700
05:06:10 :: The Empire Hotel :: 32 Darlinghurst Rd Kings Cross 93607531 56 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
) ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER BOWRING :: DANIEL MUNNS :: PATRICK STEVENSON MANNING ROSETTE ROUHANNA :: JEREMY IAN DE LORENZO :: JACQUIE :: RENEE RUSHBROOK :: JUL
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club club
PICS :: AM
up all night out all week . . .
ghettoblaster
wham
party profile
It’s called: GhettoBlaster! It sounds like: Ooodles and oooo dles of stuff you’ll probably shake your hips to. DJs: Hot babes behind the DJ boot h all night is always a win! Three records you’ll hear on the night: ‘Manners’ – Passion Pit, ‘This The Strokes; ‘Big Willie Style’ – Will Is It’ – Smith.
PICS :: DM
05:06:10 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex Street Sydney 82959999
05:06:10 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700
Sell it to us: $4.50 Drinks all nigh t! Art Exhibit of a secret Artist (to be released closer to the date). Four bands with talent (more surprises of course!) What you will say: “I have vivid reco “Blue, oh my god the blue!”… “Hol llections of random bears around a room”… y shit! I have an assignment due! ”…“Do you think Mr (insert name) will mind if I call in sick?” Crowd specs: Kids who are just finished class for the Wednesday/o ver work for the week so far/feel ‘weekend parti es’ are old fashioned/don’t wanna school tomorrow. go to art Wallet damage: $5 Where: QBar – 34B Oxford St
sosueme
PICS :: PS
When: Wednesday July 7
candy’s apartment
PICS :: JB
04:06:10 :: Q-Bar :: 34-44 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93601375
06:06:10 :: Candy’s Apartment :: 22 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93805600 58 :: BRAG :: 366 :: 14:06:10
) ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER BOWRING :: DANIEL MUNNS :: PATRICK STEVENSON MANNING ROSETTE ROUHANNA :: JEREMY IAN DE LORENZO :: JACQUIE :: RENEE RUSHBROOK :: JUL
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