The Brag #403

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FREE FESTIVAL IN SURRY HILLS PRINCE ALFRED PARK

SUNDAY 20TH MARCH 5.30PM –10PM

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ANDFREAKIN’

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BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 3

rock music news

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on, down and around town. With Nathan Jolly and Cool Thomas

he said she said WITH

MAXINE KAUTER

but I’m always really inspired by literate music; I’ve been led to some of my favourite art and myths by studying the lyrics of pop musicians.

The Maxine Kauter Band is Shannon Haritos on double bass, Stephen Beverley on drums and me on guitar and vocals.

We’re sometimes joined by Paul Fraser on electric guitar. We are all very good friends, and I think our shared love of olives and Kim Chee binds us beyond the music. By day we are admin monkeys, curatorial assistants, librarians and retail managers and, the best job ever, puppet makers.

think I really got turned onto music when I was about thirteen, and the kids at my school were swapping tapes they’d made of bands I’d never heard of.

The Cure, The Clouds, Sonic Youth, Kristen Hersh, The Sugarcubes, Cowboy Junkies, Lemonheads. Strangely, the local library had

I

heaps of these tapes and I’d borrow them, copy them and then return them. I just got so turned on to the idea of alternative music it’s never really gone away for me.

I’m inspired by books. I love the writing aspect to songs. I like a lot of different music,

We’re putting out a little record called Alibech The Hermit. We recorded it at Damien Gerard Studio in Balmain really late at night, mostly. Dave Learn produced it and Pete Holtz was the engineer. Our music is somewhere between my personal major triad: Cat Power, Mazzy Star and Neko Case. They should form a constellation. Our record will be launched this month, and we’re throwing a hell of a party with Manger (Zoe Vaughan and Brian Campeau) and James Edgar Francis supporting. We’ve also invited Ms Burlesque Sydney, Danica Lee, to perform during the evening - and she’s agreed, which we’re really

KYLIE AND THE CAT

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Regular John were in the garage talking about their need to play a huge gig that would really showcase them as the rock giants they are - and luckily, Lemmy was in the adjacent garage, fixing his bike. He overheard the boys’ plight and offered to help. “Dunno if this is the kind of thing you guys are after, but my band Motorhead are playing March 28 at the Big Top in Sydney.

You guys wanna support?” he said sheepishly.

“Depends,” asked the band. “Is there an umlaut above the second ‘o’ in Motorhead?”

“You better believe it!” growled Lemmy. “Also, tickets are selling fast!”

4 :: BRAG :: 403 : 14:03:11

What: Alibech The Hermit is out now With: Manger, James Edgar Francis and Ms Burlesque Sydney, Danica Lee Where: Chicks with Picks @ Raval, The Macquarie Hotel When: Thursday March 17

LAST NIGHT, SHE SAID

Purple Sneakers are doing their very best to expose the very best in Australian independent talent at this week’s Last Night shindig. Get off ya blog and get to the club for Perth’s grunge mob, Young Revelry, Melbourne’s indie outfit, Radio Star, and A/V turntablist Mr Nice. You can also expect DJ sets from Benlucid, Kill The Landlord and Minou. The Gaelic, Friday March 18, 8pm, $10.

TOUR! TOUR! TOUR!

Last time Die! Die! Die! toured Australia I was so excited that I stood outside Ticketek, yelling the band’s name at the lady in the ticketing office until a police officer tasered me.

I won’t be making that mistake again this time around, when the band play March 30 at Filth, Beach Road Hotel and April 1 at the Gaelic Club (a Purple Sneakers joint, y’all). ...Anyways, I’m off to try and order a Fuck Buttons album from Spotlight.

INNER WESTSIDE

Drawing up battle lines the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Death Row/Bad Boy feud in the early ‘90s, the Inner West Festival returns to the Sandringham this Easter Long Weekend - and Jesus has requested you celebrate his incredible conjuring trick by being there [citation

needed]. Hailer will be launching their single ‘Let It Ride’ and Massema, Benjamin Sea and Andy Golledge will also be playing, along with many, many other acts that RSI prevents me from typing here. $12 entry, and don’t sneak in with a smudged stamp from the night before - they ain’t having any of that.

BLACK CHERRY MOVES TO METRO

If you’ve already printed out your Google Map to work out how to get to the Factory Theatre for Black Cherry, you’ve wasted ink and paper and Mother Nature is crying salty tears – because the party’s moved to the Metro. King Cannons are launching an EP, The ReChords and Devin Electric are playing hillbilly rockabilly, billy-tea and damper style rock, and The Scarlets just supported Bon Jovi and are likely to be arrogant upstarts by now. There’s also Punk Rock Karaoke and Burlesque delights – with the usual DJ stuff and alcohol stuff. Yay! $16 pre-buying, $20 lateon-the-door-buying.

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Who: The Maxine Kauter Band

MOTÖRHEAD

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The music scene in Sydney is very diverse. I particularly love the songwriters working here, but I also love indie promoters who organise shows, like Neonhearts, Hayley Thorncraft and Chris Arnott - and also the bloggers, photograpers and indie journalists. They really keep everything fresh and working. I think the biggest obstacle that indie musos have to face is staying independent and trusting that ethos in the face of so much strangeness around music as an industry. The best thing about the scene is meeting with, playing with and working with people who are holding onto that and quietly working away, late at night, in little studios. It’s pretty cool and truly alternative… It gives me hope.

Die! Die ! Die!

In what must go down in the Guinness Book of World Records as “most awesome support slot score of the year” (I’ll contact Ross McWhirter), Gypsy and the Cat will be supporting Our Kylie (Minogue, that is) as she brings her legs and songs back to Australia for the ‘Aphrodite-Les Folies’ tour. The whole gang stops into the Sydney Entertainment Centre on June 7 and 8, and you can go ahead and purchase tickets from 9am on Tuesday March 15.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Editor or Staff of The Brag.

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excited about. Our shows are purely about entertainment and music.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER Tim and Jean

TIM AND JEAN

Much like Morecombe and Wise and Fry and Laurie before them, Tim and Jean make a good team. Unlike Morecombe and Wise, they don’t sleep in the same bed, nor do they rely on wackiness in order to appeal to a large audience - but this doesn’t mean the other similarities aren’t startling. See for yourself when they bring their best to Oxford Art Factory on April 30, in support of their incredible debut album, Like What?, which comes out April 1.

If there’s one day to remember it’s May 14, because that’s when A Day To Remember play their second and final Sydney show at Luna Park (the one with the big, nightmarish clown face that seems to be an acceptable part on Sydney’s landscape, while people in Newtown can’t tear down a crappy fence without a mountain of paperwork… but I digress). The first show sold out and this one will too, so you’d better rush to get tickets - Underoath are supporting.

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 5

rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on, down and around town. With Nathan Jolly and Cool Thomas

five things WITH

HERE’S JOHHNY

JACOB FROM BELL WEATHER DEPARTMENT You Julien (drums), Tom (bass/keys) & myself 3. all went to the same school, and Rad Wilson (our keyboardist) is Tom’s cousin. We try to make music which is interesting yet accessible, in the way that you can access something different with each listen. It’s the underlying truth in words and music that counts.

The Music You Make We mainly use home recording equipment, 4. which gives us more time to change things up on the fly for our shows. We like to change things up regularly to keep the element of surprise, and to make the audience part of the show.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Artists nowadays have so many more ways 5. to show something interesting to the world,

Growing Up No-one in my family is musical, in 1. the sense of playing instruments, but I’ve always been drawn to creating noises which fit to my imagination. I recall the first time I saw Kate Bush’s clip for ‘Babooshka’ as a six-year-old, and asking if she was a witch.

Mum explained the song was made at a

time when music got weird... I was hooked!

with the internet connecting everybody and everything, but it’s a challenge to keep things interesting and fresh without flooding the scene.

I believe it wont be long ‘til the mystery of music comes back, where people will have something to look forward to rather than having things ready to go like its Christmas morning everyday, and none of the surprises are wrapped up.

Inspirations Music comes from more than just hearing 2. a good or bad song. Inspiration can come

With: Pear Shape

from paintings, movies, sun-showers, a friend, a stranger or just simply walking around and watching the world go by.

When: Friday March 18

Where: P*A*S*H Summer Series @ Spectrum

COLLARBONES + FISHING

Usually when someone tells me to come to a show on April 1, I say “get off it, mate.”

But this time, the internet’s favourite Aussie electronica duo, Collarbones, are releasing their debut album with the help of their mates at Two Bright Lakes and Remote Control - and launching it in Sydney at the Red Rattler on that very night. I’m assuming there will be gags-a-plenty with the jovial short vs. tall stylings of Sydney fellow electronica duo Fishing in support. Cleptopeon and Dro Carey will also be banging out sets. Nice.

GAME BOY DUBSTEP?

Jinja Safari

SURRY HILLS FEST LINEUP

Initial lineup details for Surry Hills Festival have been unleashed - and you’re going to want to mark down Saturday April 9 right about now. Jinja Safari, Fishing, Domeyko/Gonzalez, Lanie Lane, Tin Sparrow, Pluto Jonze, Jack Carty, Anna Chase, Step Panther, The Dirty Secrets, The Retreat, Kira Puru & The Bruise, Bhanglassi and many more are heading to stages at Ward Park & Shannon Reserve, Trinity Bar and Oasis on Crown.

BOOTLEG SYDNEY

In a savvy bit of marketing, Jim Beam realised that rock music and drinking copious sensible amounts of alcohol mix better than a smooth blend of cola and bourbon - so they’ve plucked five of the country’s finest bands and asked them to perform at OAF on March 19 for Jim Beam Bootleg Sydney. Cabins, Belles Will Ring, Lanie Lane, Magnetic Heads and The Cairos are the bands, and they will be spraying their riders all over each other like Formula One racers. Tickets through Moshtix, or at the door.

KIDS SMASHING INTO EACH OTHER

If your idea of a fun Easter Long Weekend is sitting in a cold, damp, dank church reading psalms, singing hymns and studying the book of David, then we have just the thing for your pre-party (church services still have banging pre-parties, don’t they?). Children Collide, Red Riders and Young Revelry are playing on the dubiously titled Good Friday Eve (April 21) at the Metro Theatre. We’ll be the ones right up the front shoving you in the stomach with our elbows.

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

Do you like dubstep? ...For those that weren’t instantly turned off, I will pose another question: Do you like retro videogames? For the five of you still reading, I’ll pose a third and final question. Would you be interested to hear what an international heavyweight 8bit dubstep artist can do with little more than a Nintendo Game Boy? Well, my dear friend, you should plod along to Tone on Wentworth Avenue in Surry Hills on Tuesday March 15 and witness what could well be Sydney’s only ever chance to watch Cheapsh0t from Japan do just this. Support will come from Aussie 8bit wobblestep guru, Dot.AY (BNE) and Sydney’s chip-punkers godinpants, 10kfreemen (aka our very own Cool Thomas) and Abortifacient. It will cost you $10 - doors at 8pm.

DIY fiend Jonathan Boulet and triple j favvies The John Steel Singers have decided to join forces for an Australia-wide musical expedition. Aptly named the ‘Here’s Johnny’ tour, you can experience it for yourself Saturday March 19 at the Metro. If you miss out on our freebie tickets, make sure you head to metrotheatre.com.au - not only do you get a ticket to see the show, but you get two exclusive free tracks as well (Boulet remixing JSS, and the former covering the latter). We have three double passes to give away – all you need to do is tell us what movie the ‘Here’s Johnny’ tour is named after. Fingers crossed the show will be sans axes, knives or mentally unstable Jack Nicholsons peering through gaping holes in the wall... (We can’t promise anything.)

LEMMY!

British heavy metal baddy-boys Motörhead are on their way to Australia this month, on the back of the release of Lemmy. 49% Mother Fucker. 51% Son of a Bitch, an unbarred documentary which provides rare glimpses into the life and times of Motörhead’s lead singer, Lemmy Kilmister.

Four sex-, drugs- and booze-filled decades of hedonism in the musical spotlight have revealed Lemmy to be the true embodiment of everything rock ‘n roll, and the doco features interviews with the rock elite – from Dave Grohl to Nikki Six, and from Lars Ulrich to Joan Jett. We’ve got three Motörhead prize-packs to give away, each with a copy of the DVD as well as a bigass poster of the man himself. To win, describe to us Lemmy’s trademark facial hair as best you can.

DESTROY MUSIC

Alright mofrokka, time to whip out your basketball shorts, flat cap and tall singlet!

The Destroy Music Tour is gonna hit Sydney, and you’ve got everything you need; The Amity Affliction, a newly reformed I Killed The motherfucking Prom Queen, Deeeeez Nutz and US metalcore act, Of Mice And Men. Tickets on sale 9am Friday March 18, but if you get in early (noon, on March 16) you’ll score a free Amity Affliction tee.

AMY MEREDITH, SHE’S GREAT.

I know a young lady who was once an intern working on an Amy Meredith project for a particular company. Have I laid that out vaguely enough? She was chatting to a young man who was trying to impress her very much with his ins with the recording industry. “Oh, Amy Meredith! I recorded with her a while back!” ...He didn’t. “She” is a band of dudes – and the moral of that story is if you wanna pick up, do your research.

Catch Amy Meredith at the Metro Theatre, Friday May 27. Tickets: $20 pre-sale, $25 on the night. Dating advice pearls o’ wisdom from BRAG: Priceless.

CAKE IS PEOPLE TOO

I watched a documentary last week about people that humanise inanimate objects like bikes and clotheslines, to the point where they develop a romantic attachment to them. What legendary Australian band My Friend The Chocolate Cake have, however, is a healthy, sane friendship with an edible object. This is perfectly excusable once you hear their latest single ‘25 Stations’ - possibly written about the number of superfluous stops the Sydney to Newcastle train makes (Awaba, Fassifern, anybody.... nobody...ever? …OK then). They’re launching this track on Friday March 18 at The Factory Theatre, with special guest Frank Yamma in support.

KORA

DEAD KENNEDYS + RUST

The Dead Kennedys (named after the Ramsay Street massacre of 1998...) have announced the local support for their April 9 Manning Bar show: Rust. They’re a Sydney band featuring members of prominent punk rock bands Crucified Venus, Crankcase, Rule 303, World War 24 and Black Rose - all of whom you can namecheck at the gig before drawling, “What, you don’t own any of their limited-edition vinyl? You don’t belong here, man…”

GUM BALL FESTIVAL

Envisaging a candy-filled world of wonderland with a sinister, psychopathic and certifiable Wonka at the helm, I planned to travel 2.5 hours north from Sydney to the forests of Belford for the Gum Ball Festival (which runs April 29 - 30 this year). Instead, all it seems I get is two days of fantastic music from KORA, CW Stoneking, The Vasco Era, The Bamboos and many more. ...Hang on, that actually sounds way better than the first option. Tickets are $130 and limited to 1500, so get in quick! Oh and also, for those of you who have them (?) - kids undser 12 are free.

“Todays forecast, a slight chance of flurries / A slightly slim chance they might dance to worries” - DOOM 6 :: BRAG :: 403 : 14:03:11

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 7

dance music news

free stuff

The Coffee Boy Chronicles: A New Beginning. Dance Music News... With Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

DENNIS FROM ELECTRIC EMPIRE

Growing Up I grew up in a household full of music.

1.

My uncles and aunties in bands would gather at my grandfather’s home every Sunday, and guitars would always be out. I guess I’ve been influenced by the sounds my parents were listening to - I remember hearing a lot of music from The Eagles, Elvis, Jim Reeves, Stevie Wonder, I guess they were fans of great melody.

Inspirations I’m fascinated with artists that create 2. and produce their own music. There are few

RAHZEL

artists out there that take complete control of the songwriting, recording, production and performance. I think it takes incredible vision – examples: Prince, Stevie Wonder and the Beatles.

You The other two members of Electric 3.

Empire are Jason Heerah (drums, vocals) and Aaron Mendoza (keys, vocals). We are very happy to be able to play music, and kinda make a living off it. I would rather be doing what I love more than anything. I think the worst job I ever had was fire-proofing buildings for spare cash years ago. Not fun!

Music You Make We recorded the album in our drummer’s 4.The

studio in Melbourne. Between Jason and myself, we pooled our recording gear together and began tracking, engineering and mixing our debut album. We’ve recently been selected for the 2011 Glastonbury Festival, so we’re putting together an explosive live show!

Music, Right Here, Right Now I think the music scene is looking 5. very healthy at the moment, with the live scene, and the constant emerging of great bands which are beginning to fuse live and

electronic sounds. And when I say bands I mean people with instruments, singing on stage. I think one of the obstacles musos face is just the ignorance of the general public sometimes; they buy into what the radio dictates as commercial and popular music, which is clearly just catchy ring tones.

Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday March 18

PK GARDEN PARTY

The man they call ‘PK’, Paul Kalkbrenner, makes his Sydney debut at Chinese Laundry this Saturday. True to form, the German ‘stadium DJ’ has sparked such interest from local clubbers that the event has been upgraded to a Garden Party. This means that proceedings commence at the earlier time of 3pm in the afternoon, with all tickets already purchased valid for entry to the Chinese Laundry club from 10pm, too. The Berlin Calling star has a distinct style, fusing guitary, almost ‘poppy’ interludes with a rolling, banging tech sound that ought to hit the spot ‘al fresco’ this weekend. With an accomplished remix CV comprising reworks of Moby, Michel Cleis and his brother Fritz to compliment his soundtrack to Berlin Calling – which collected ‘big’ Kalkbrenner singles like ‘Sky and Sand’ – and an accomplished production catalogue (check out the Reworks LP if you fancy the sound of Agoria, Joris

Self-appointed ‘Godfather of Noyze’ Rahzel has assembled an all-star line-up of hip hop heavyweights to accompany him at CarriageWorks’ Platform Hip Hop Festival on April 2. The roll call includes the man himself, as well as freestyle extraordinaire MC Supernatural, New York turntablist JS-1, The Narcicyst and Koolism. Rahzel is somewhat of a veteran beatbox champion, first coming to prominence as a member of legendary band The Roots. His trademark talent is singing and beatboxing at the same time, taking requests from the audience and instantaneously turning them into beatbox masterpieces. To be a part of it all, tell us what Ben Harper song Rahzel featured on – we have one double pass. Who knows, maybe your ABBA request may get beatboxified, if you’re lucky.

Voorn and Sascha Funke remixing Special K), PK arrives in Australia with plenty of hype attached. My advice? Believe it.

LEFTFIELD

Tickets are still available to see UK electronic luminaries Leftfield play a Future Music Festival sideshow at The Enmore this Thursday March 17. With a couple of bona fide classic LPs in Leftism and Rhythm & Stealth on their sonic CV, Leftfield boast a discography littered with classic tracks like ‘Phat Planet’, ‘Open Up’, ‘Release The Pressure’ and ‘Afrika Shox’.

Having reformed last year, core member Neil Barnes will be joined by original vocalists Djum Djum, Earl 16 and Cheshire Cat for this tour - though Barnes’ former partner in Leftfield, Paul Daley, will not be taking part in the shows.

Support comes courtesy of the vivacious local act Infusion and Casey Taylor.

Bag Raiders

FIRST DEGREE LANDS AT UNSW

Aussie party-starters Muscles and Bag Raiders are the dual headliners for The First Degree Tour, a series of shows aimed squarely at Coffee Boy’s target market: university fresh(wo)men. After a lengthy absence from producing, Muscles has returned to the fray with his Young and Immature EP, which spawned the single ‘Girl Crazy Go!’ - an instant favourite at Fitness First. Sydney duo Bag Raiders meanwhile finally released their selftitled debut LP at the backend of last year, which debuted at #7 on the ARIA Album Chart.

The First Degree Tour hits the University of New South Wales this Wednesday March 16 – which gives you only a few days to clear Thursday and rewatch Animal House, in order to ensure your best Belushi-esque form. Toga! Toga! Toga! Tickets are available through firstdegreetour.com.au.

CHEMICAL BROTHERS SCORE

Fresh from reminding everyone they’re still one of the best live dance acts in the biz, the Chemical Brothers have revealed details of their latest project: scoring the adventure thriller Hanna. The movie stars Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones), Eric ‘Poida’ Bana and the talisman of the Sydney arts milieu, Cate Blanchett. The soundtrack will be released via iTunes on March 15, and features 20 tracks that reflect “the ever-changing moods and environments that Hanna (played by Ronan) experiences during her journey across Europe.” This soundtrack is the Chemical Brothers’ first release since 2010’s Further, and will be released on Universal Studio’s in-house label Back Lot Music.

WOLF + LAMB BOAT PARTY

All aboooooaaaaarrrrrrrd! This Saturday marks the last of the three AGWA Cruises of the summer - the ‘Return of the Jedi’ if you will.

Headlining the event is UK duo Audiofly and American pair Wolf + Lamb, comprised of Zev Eisenberg and Gadi Mizrahi, who will be making their eagerly anticipated Aussie debut on the top deck in the open air. Wolf + Lamb’s tour ties in with the forthcoming release of the DJ Kicks mix that they’ve compiled with Soul Clap; recommended listening for any of you chomping at the bit for this. A strong local support cast will support Wolf + Lamb and Audiofly, headed by a couple of lads celebrating their respective returns from abroad: Jimmy Posters, who thankfully won’t have to clean up after Luke Bowditch this week, and Emerson Todd. Tickets are still available, with the boat departing at 11am from outside Cargo Bar, King St Wharf.

Horace Andy

HORACE ANDY

One of Jamaica’s most distinguished reggae icons, Horace Andy, plays the Metro Theatre this Wednesday March 16. Since his first recordings as a teenager on Coxsone Dodd’s groundbreaking label Studio One, Horace Andy has established himself as one of reggae’s most enduring statesmen, over a career which has spanned almost four decades. Constantly pushing the boundaries of reggae music, Andy relocated to the US and released Pure Ranking in 1978, an album that foreshadowed the rise of raggamuffin and laid the groundwork for the modern dancehall sound.

A move to the UK in the 90s lead to him laying down some experimental vocals for music pioneers Massive Attack on their first release Blue Lines, beginning a popular partnership that peaked with his guest spot on the brooding stonker ‘Angel’, the opener on Massive Attack’s third album and pièce de résistance, Mezzanine.

“To all rappers shut up with ya shuttin up / And keep your shirt on, at least a button up / Yuck, is they rhymers or strippin males?” - DOOM 8 :: BRAG :: 403 : 14:03:11

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 9

free stuff

dance music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... With Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

NINA LAS VEGAS

Growing Up I grew up in Wagga Wagga. My parents 1. were (and still are) creative people. Both artists and musicians (and at one point puppeteers!), there was a pretty strict household rule to learn an instrument. I spent almost ten years learning and playing classical piano, and in my later teens I played jazz piano. Funky, right? Being in Wagga, commercial music was the norm, unless you listened to triple j. My Dad loved buying music, so if I mentioned a CD and/or song, he’d go out and get it immediately. I rarely had to buy any records (if at all!), because Dad preferred his collection to grow. Win/Win!

2.

Inspirations So many! And many different times! I eventually moved to Sydney to study Visual Communications at UTS, so I have always been impressed by artists who also care about their visual aesthetic. I started DJing around 2006/07, so at that time artists like Diplo and M.I.A were huge, impressive forces. I’m also the kind of girl that can listen to someone like Kanye West talk about art as music (and vice versa), and happily buy into it. I have absolutely no problem with the 20-minute-plus self-indulgent ‘Runaway’ film clip.

Your Crew My crew is Hoops (alongside Anna 3.

Lunoe and Bad Ezzy), and my extended

DANIEL STEINBERG

As summer nears its end, the Bump DJs and the highly directional Steamworks are throwing a daytime party at Hotel Sweeney’s on Saturday April 2, headlined by highlytouted Berliner Daniel Steinberg. Anyone who attended his set at The Likes Of You last Easter will avow that the man is a formidable party rocker, pushing a punchy, tongue-in-cheek tech house sound that’s encapsulated on his album Shut Up. But in addition to its international drawcard, this affair is noteworthy because of its lavish support cast. A veritable who’s-who of Sydney’s electronic music elite will also be spinning, from the Racketeers Ken Cloud and Simon Caldwell and Melbourne’s Bump DJs throwing down on the rooftop alongside Steinberg, to the likes of Dave Slade, Diatribe and Claire Morgan representing inside the second room, the ‘Rave Cave’. Tickets are going to be twenty bucks, with first beats at 3pm and the last track at 10pm. Throw in the lush sound systems being brought in, the cheap drink prices and the intimacy that comes with a limited-capacity party, and this is an alluring warm-up option before you continue on to see Kenny Larkin across town at Marrickville Bowling Club later in the night.

Radio Star

crew are the boys in Ro Sham Bo (Levins, Moriarty, Jimmy Sing and Toni Toni Lee). I also love my Heaps Decent family to death.

The Music You Make At the moment I mix three 40-minute 4.

House Party sets every week. (Note, I can ‘warp’ in Abelton like no other.) Anything I make at the moment happens within a Heaps Decent workshop, with a bunch of super talented emerging artists. It’s a lot of hip hop-inspired productions, but we’re also making some cool jerk, and other club styles too.

Music, Right Here, Right Now I’m super lucky to be employed to 5. program and present Mix Up Exclusives on Saturday night on triple j. I’ve had some great internationals put together mixes recently, including Canblaster and Sam Tiba, Roska, Nile Delta and Das Moth.

With: Ajax and Alison Wonderland Where: Carlton Dry presents Thank God It’s Monday industry nights Where: Hugo’s, Kings Cross When: Monday March 21 More: Head to facebook.com/tgim to get on the guestlist!

RADIO STAR

Radio Star are like The Cure’s happier younger brother, full of energy and exuberance while still channelling the greatness of Robert Smith and co. With summer having just left us, these guys will take you back to picnics and beaches and barbecues and pool parties and grassyassies and everything else that you can’t do in winter… Man, winter really sucks.

They’re launching their new release at Purple Sneakers phenomenal new party ‘Last Night’ on March 18. To win one of two double passes we’re giving away, tell us on a scale of 1 to Charlie Sheen how bi-winning their new single ‘A Common Tale’ is.

MITZI

Four-piece QLD outfit Mitzi had the distinct honour of being the 50th record put out by Sydney’s renowned Future Classic imprint; and, having played festivals such as Parklife and Stereosonic and been added to high rotation on triple j, Mitzi continue to build momentum, with their burgeoning juggernaut scything through Sydney shortly. They’ll be stopping by to play two shows this week - one at UNSW this Wednesday March 16 as part of the First Degree bash, and the other for Adult Disco at The Civic Underground on Saturday March 19.

DUSTED FT SHITMAT

It has been well over a year since the last Dusted showcase featuring one of the UK’s leaders of the oldschool, Bizzy B. The period of hibernation is over and now it’s time to showcase one of the leaders of new school, Shitmat. [CB nods approvingly.]

On Friday March 25, Dusted descends on Club 77 at William St with one of the UK’s most innovative producer/performers of the last decade, the aforementioned Shitmat - the performing name of Henry Collins, a plunderphonic/rave recording artist & DJ from Brighton, UK. His sound takes influence from 90s UK rave, Spike Jones, heavy

Resin Dogs

PLATFORM HIP HOP FESTIVAL (RESIN DOGS)

The Platform Hip Hop Festival has embarked on its month-long celebration of all things hip hop at CarriageWorks. This Friday, Flexing Skillz All Stars - a twenty strong assortment of MCs, DJs, vocalists and the “freshest international B*Boys” - lock horns, while special guests Sketch the Rhyme will, uh, sketch the rhymes. It’s all backed by the legendary Resin Dogs, and tickets will set you back only 15 crabs. Meantime, on the Saturday, Freak The Technique is offering a whole day and night of free hip hop entertainment from 12pm, featuring breakers, graf artists, beatboxers, battles and activities. Huge. For the full program details, and to register for workshops, battles and comps, head to www.platformhiphop.com.au.

Aston Shuffle

ASTON SHUFFLE ALBUM TOUR

The ACT duo comprised of Vance Musgrove and Mikah Freeman, collectively known as The Aston Shuffle, are preparing to ‘drop’ [that’s music industry speak for ‘release,’ for all you squares out there] their debut album, Seventeen Past Midnight. Now to cherry-pick superlatives from the accompanying press release: the first single, ‘Your Love’, fuses the group’s love of “razor-edged electro breakdowns” with an “enslaving vocoder refrain” and apparently “caused sparks across national airwaves and brought many a blog to the limits of its bandwidth.” Copyspeak aside, there’s no doubt of the lads’ lofty status in the Aussie club milieu – a slot at Shore Thing alongside Armand Van Helden and David Guetta is testament to this. In preparation for Seventeen Past Midnight‘s release in April, The Aston Shuffle are embarking on a national tour, and play Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory on Saturday March 26, with support from Kato and Wax Motif.

metal, punk and drum and bass, and is sometimes referred to as “Mashcore”. Aside from challenging sonic taxonomy, Shitmat is responsible for eight acclaimed EPs and six studio albums over the past seven years, released on the Planet Mu and Wrong Music labels. Support comes from Passenger of Shit, b.i.n.t, Paul Blackout, Victim and James Daak, with doors open at 10pm for what promises to be a ‘shit storm’ - in the most enjoyable sense possible!

MOSCA

Tom Reid, AKA Mosca, will be playing his maiden Sydney set this Friday March 18 at the Generic Collective’s first party at Phoenix Bar. Phoenix is a club that has a long association with new wave bass music, having hosted some of Sydney’s first dubstep parties in those acid-washed weekends of the mid-noughties, so Generic’s debut event will be the latest edition in a long line of bassoriented nights in the deliciously dingy space.

Sound-wise, Resident Advisor elucidates that Reid tends to “blend dubstep, techno and funky, as heard on his Square One EP, which came out last year through onetime Label of the Month Night Slugs.” Support comes courtesy of Preacha – purportedly a proponent of sounds on the ‘future-garage tip’ – Generic DJs and the inimitable Kato; discount $10 presale tickets are being sold through the abovementioned RA website.

DUST TONES

Dust Tones is hosting an Obese Records showcase on Saturday March 26 at Tone.

Sydney duo Spit Syndicate headline the bash on the back of their refined 2010 sophomore album Exile, and will be flanked by Obese labelmate Skryptcha, a nascent MC who has recently taken his first steps into the recording world with his debut EP, Left to Write. Dutch, Gabriel Clouston, Mike Who, Bentley and DJ Ability will all be joining the fray, with presales selling online for $18.

“I only play the games that I win at / And stay the same with more rhymes than there’s ways to skin cats” - DOOM 10 :: BRAG :: 403 : 14:03:11

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sydneydancecompany.com.au BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 11

The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Industry Music News with Christie Eliezer

GLOBAL DIGITAL MUSIC TO HIT $20B IN 2015?

Global digital music revenue will grow 20% per year and total US$20 billion in 2015, 20% of which will come from the Asia-Pacific region - or at least, so says market research firm Ovum. The prediction has been greeted with skepticism in some quarters. After all, IFPI data shows that global digital revenue only grew 9% in 2009, after 37% in 2008 and 34% the year before. So how can we expect more than double growth? The answer, according to Ovum, is subscription services.

Apple and Google will change the landscape, they say, and consumers will increasingly shift to streaming millions of tracks when they want to, as opposed to buying them.

The music industry too will clamp down on giving music away for the sake of promotion, and really learn to exploit digital music

Lifelines Born: Son Samuel Elliot Kenneth Treuen, to The Music Network’s Deputy Editor Jason Treuen, and his wife Helen.

Born: Son Kashmir Mahendra, to singer songwriter Jason Singh and wife Leah. The former Taxiride singer’s first son, 3, is named Zeppelin.

Born: Daughter Lyra, to jazz performer Jamie Cullum and model-turned-TV presenter Sophie Dahl.

Expecting: Singer/songwriter Damien Leith and wife Eileen, their third child.

Split: Singer George Michael and Texan businessman Kenny Goss after 15 years, after Goss gave him “many second chances”.

The singer denies the split.

Died: US singer Johnny Preston (‘Running Bear’, ‘Cradle Of Love’), 71, from health problems following bypass surgery last year.

Died: Herman Ernest III aka Roscoe, New Orleans drummer and music director for Dr. John, of cancer.

Elefant Traks has signed up freestyler ace Joelistics, and will release his debut solo album Voyager in early May. The former TZU member wrote the record in France, Mongolia, China and Australia, and produced it himself. “He’s a natural fit for Elefant Traks and the album is sick,” reckons Ozi Batla, of The Herd.

WATERFALL EXITS THE FORUM Waterfall Entertainment will no longer be managing The Forum at Moore Park, its managing director Damien Comerford has confirmed. This comes after the landlord negotiated a new lease with an unnamed national operator. Comerford said that Waterfall will announce “an exciting new venture”. The Forum has reportedly closed its doors until further notice.

FIVE SERIOUS BIDDERS FOR WARNER Warner Music Group’s board of directors has shortlisted the bids for the company to five serious ones. These include Sony Music, industrialist Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies (whose many investments include P Diddy’s Sean Jean clothing line), Platinum Equity, Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries (which already owns 2% of Warner) and BMG Rights Management, who put in the lowest bid and were told to come back with a higher figure.

Bids were also made for publishing arm Warner Chappell, ranging from US$1.4 billion to $2 billion. Bidding should be finalised by early April.

David Sefton, founder of England’s Meltdown Festival, is moving to Australia after being announced as the new artistic director of the Adelaide Festival. When he set up Meltdown in 1993, the 48-year old changed the rules by allowing the likes of Elvis Costello, Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave, John Cale and Phillip Glass to program its events.

Married: Black Eyed Peas producer Keith Harris and their dancer, Brandee Stephens. He proposed during a Peas show in Las Vegas two years ago.

Died: Former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, 44. His body was found in a house in Utah.

ELEFANT TRAKS SIGNS JOELISTICS

MELTDOWN FEST FOUNDER HEADS FOR OZ

Marrying: Natalie Bassingthwaighte and drummer partner Cam McGlinchey, in October. They have a six-month old daughter, Harper.

Died: Bob “Big Bobber” Dengate of Bathurst radio 2MCE, after a battle with bowel cancer.

financially through ads and sponsorship. But the skeptics still believe that a 20% annual growth is doubtful.

AGUILERA EMBROILED IN SONG LAWSUIT… Christina Aguilera is embroiled in a lawsuit through no fault of her own. It involves her 2006 song ‘Ain’t No Other Man’, which was produced by hip hop guru DJ Premier and reached #8 in America. The track includes a beat sample from R&B organist Dave Cortez and the Moon People’s 1968 soul song ‘Hippy Skippy Moon Strut’. Her record company Sony did a deal with Codigo Music and the Clyde Otis Music Group to use the sample, but Cortez’s publisher TufAmerica claim they bought the rights in 2004, and want money for it.

…WHILE KANYE SUIT THROWN OUT An American judge has thrown out a lawsuit whereby Virginia rapper Vince P claimed that Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ stole from his 2006 song, also called ‘Stronger’. He claimed he sent the song to West’s business manager. Seven months later, West recorded his ‘Stronger’ for his Graduation album, in which he used his chorus and used phrases

THINGS WE HEAR * The Newcastle Herald says a row has broken out over the new liquor accord that the state government has established in Newcastle. Local council says that the clubs should pay for greater security measures and not sock it to ratepayers.

Some venues argue that better solutions to violence would be education and better public transport, and refuse to bear costs that include having an “alcohol marshall” on site on weekends, public holidays and some weekdays to ensure the responsible sale of alcohol in these venues. * Peter Frampton is heading here as part of a world tour where he’ll perform a three-hour version of his mega-selling album, Frampton Comes Alive!. * Adele has sold one million copies of like “that which don’t kill me only makes me stronger,” “can’t wait much longer” and the word “wronger”. But the judge found no similarities in the two songs, and threw the case out.

MUSICOPPS LAUNCHES ONLINE DIRECTORY MusicOpps (Music Opportunities Australia) has launched a free-to-view music industry directory at www.musicopps.com. It includes info on job opportunities, work experience, tertiary information and grants, and tutorials from industry professionals on aspects of the business.

her 21 album in the UK, after it stayed at the top for six weeks. Her single ‘Someone Like You’ was at the top for three weeks. * Roger Waters is calling for musicians to boycott Israel as long as it operates on what he is calling a “two-tiered racist system” similar to that of the old South Africa. * After 10,000 attended the CMC Rocks The Hunter country music festival, the event looks like it will be staying there for quite some time. * The folks behind No Sleep Til have announced another festival, Destroy Music. Between May 20 to 26, it does four shows in three cities on a bill headed

by The Amity Affliction and I Killed The Prom Queen.

AUSSIES PACK OUT ISC FINALS Australians packed out the finalist list of the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition, with Kasey Chambers leading the global list with no less than seven songs in various categories. Among other names spotted were Basement Birds, Sparkadia, Megan Washington, Glenn Richards, Paul Dempsey, Marc Collis, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Jonah’s Road, Oh Mercry, Ohai, Sierra Fin, Paris Wells, Inland Sea, Guineafowl, Kimbra, Gyroscope, Dutch Tilders, My Fiction, Children Collide, The Chemist, Stone Parade, Dappled Cities, Calling All Cars, and Tripod. For the full list, see www.songwritingcompetition.com

SOUND EMISSIONS ADDS NEW CONTENT

QTRAX LAUNCHES IN OZ

Sound Emissions is a not-for-profit interactive website aimed at providing the Australian music community and fans with info, tips and resources required to minimise their carbon footprint. The site - soundemissions. com.au - has updated its content, including case studies of Homebake, Splendour In The Grass, Shore Thing, Austep Music, Missy Higgins’ One Night Only tour and Powderfinger & Silverchair’s Across The Great Divide tour. “These downloadable case studies provide information about how various carbon initiatives were developed and implemented, and the results and outcomes of these innovative programs,” said Mat Morris, the website’s Director.

PEZ, JUPITER, THE LINE

NEW FESTIVAL FOR BALLINA Ballina will host the inaugural Coastal Country Music Festival in October, with Troy Cassar-Daley confirmed as the headliner.

Ballina Shire Council allocated $20,000 for the festival, which is part of a three-day community and family event. The festival is looking for a naming rights sponsor. See www.ballinacountrymusic.com

HESKETT: ART EXHIBIT, BOOK One time Wolfmother member turned The Slew co-founder Myles Heskett is bringing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to the fore.

His second art exhibition, The Valleys of Ash, runs at the MART Gallery in Surry Hills from April 8 to 30. With it comes Wolf Trails, a book of drawings he did while on tour with Wolfmother between 2005 and 2008. The son of an artist, Heskett works mainly in oils on canvas and ink/mixed media on paper.

After some false starts, ad-supported music download service Qtrax launched in Australia last week. It was part of an initial roll-out that included NZ, Canada, Hong Kong and Fiji. It’s a triumph for its New York-based founder, President and CEO Allan Klepfisz - he grew up in Melbourne.

Hip hop artists Pez and Maya Jupiter will take to the road on their ‘Change It For The Better’ tour, to spread a message of respect for others. The tour is part of the Federal Government’s four-year, $17 million ‘The Line’ campaign, launched last June to reduce violence in relationships. Using social media, youth media and music, it’s expected to reach 3.2 million Australians, including more than two million teenagers. It has 47,000 Facebook friends.

25% OF AUSTRALIANS DOWNLOAD ILLEGALLY An estimated 25% of Aussies (that’s 4.7 million, folks) illegally downloaded content last year, spanning music, films, TV shows and software - to the tune of $900 million.

That figure could rise to $5.2 billion by 2016, because of the National Broadband Network. The research by Sphere Analysis was commissioned by the Australian Content Industry Group. How the data was reached, or the impact of anti-illegal downloading initiatives, is not explained.

Some media observers have dismissed the report as a scare tactic to goad the Government into getting tougher on pirates.

Come work with us!

The Brag is seeking a new Advertising Sales Junior to add to our energetic and youthful team!

A fantastic opportunity exists for the right person to join one of Australia’s leading music titles.

car allowance adds to a great package with all the usual benefits.

A knowledge of and passion for of all things Sydney bars, clubs, pubs, music, entertainment is essential.

Applicants with sales experience and/ or existing contact base who can hit the ground running are preferred.

Plus, you get to work in a cool, inner city location with one of Australia’s foremost youth marketing companies and publishing teams.

A retainer and generous incentives are offered, commensurate with experience. A mobile phone and

This is an excellent opportunity for the right, self motivated and hard working person to break into the music industry!

Got what it takes?

Email resume and cover letter to jobs@furstmedia.com.au The Brag is part of Peer Group, Australia’s foremost youth marketing company and Furst Media, Australia’s biggest streetpress company

12 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 13

The Hip Hop Heavyweight By Hugh Robertson

I

n about Year 7 or Year 8, my music class at high school was asked to pick a piece of music and give a speech about it, using pros and cons to explain what made particular tracks significant. I’d just been given a CD by my older brother, and it included ‘If Your Mother Only Knew’, by Rahzel. I will never forget the moment when the man who calls himself ‘The Undisputed Beatbox Champion Of The World’ breaks into his version of Aaliyah’s ‘If Your Girl Only Knew’, simultaneously singing the lyrics while playing the beat and the high-hat, with his mouth. It’s a live recording, and as the crowd erupted I turned around and saw the looks of wonder on the faces of my classmates; the crusty old dean still made me explain why it was awesome, but no one needed convincing. After that we all spent weeks passing contraband white earbuds around at lunchtime, trying to replicate the wizardry ourselves.

It might strike you as a bit odd that the master of the technique doesn’t really like introducing himself as a ‘beatboxer’ anymore.

As it turns out it’s not a semantic distinction but a tactical decision, after spending years trying to explain what he did for a living... “To the average person, or someone who isn’t into urban music, ‘Human Beatbox’ throws them a bit, and they don’t really understand what you do,” Rahzel tells me over the phone, on the eve of his upcoming trip to Australia. “So to get over that I coined the phrase ‘Vocal Percussionist’ - and people totally get it… Plus, if you meet the wife’s parents and they ask what you do for a living, you need something a little more professional”.

It makes sense that Rahzel wouldn’t want to be defined by a label that someone else came up with. Throughout his career his creative output has been extraordinarily varied, working, performing and touring with artists including The Roots, The Who, Jay-Z, George Clinton, Booty Collins and BB King.

He brought beatboxing to acoustic chillout mixes the world over on Ben Harper’s ‘Steal My Kisses’, and features prominently on Björk’s weird and wonderful a capella album Medulla. (“When I realised the album was becoming a vocal record, the musical fascist in me decided using any MCs or vocal percussionists would be too cheesy,” Björk said in a Popmatters interview at the time. “I changed my mind when I saw Rahzel freestyle a whole Kraftwerk track without pausing for breath.” He’s been known to have that effect on people.)

His approach is similar in many ways to that of Mike Patton. The Faith No More frontman always had eclectic influences, and his countless projects – including Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk, his bizarre hip hop lounge album Lovage, and his album of orchestral Italian pop songs from the 50s and 60s – serve as an inspiration for Rahzel, who collaborated with him on the Peeping Tom project. “Yeah, Mike Patton’s a very good friend of mine,” Rahzel says. “I love the guy. That’s a really strong bond, built over the years, and he’s been a big supporter of the beatbox. And he puts his own spin on the beatbox – so for me, hats off to Mike Patton.”

Rahzel explains his affinity with Patton as a philosophical connection; both keep moving forward like a shark, constantly seeking out new ideas and new things to try. It doesn’t always work, but it’s always interesting. “What he does with his label, and the different artists that he works with, and the different bands that he’s involved with, and the different collaborations and genres that he participates in – for me, we think the same. I think that’s why our bond is so tight, because we think the same way,” he says.

“We don’t want to be stuck in one situation, we want to be able to move around and feel free.” This isn’t just true of Rahzel’s music – he also has ambitions to become the first beatboxer in the world who owns his own label. And it sounds like a pretty interesting

“To the average person, ‘Human Beatbox’ throws them a bit… Plus, if you meet the wife’s parents, you need something a little more professional”.

setup. “I want to focus on people with incredible talent,” he explains. “At the end of the day it’s their vocal ability, whether that’s speaking, singing or imitating instruments… I want to focus on the vocals, but it’s going to be a wide range.”

Rahzel is coming to Australia for the third annual Platform Hip Hop Festival – this year expanded to a month-long celebration of all things hip hop, running at Carriageworks from March 12. He’ll be performing as The Magnificents, with two titans of underground hip hop - DJ JS-1 and Supernatural. The latter is widely recognised as one of the best freestyle MCs around, and also happens to be the Guinness World Record holder for continuous freestyling. His time? About nine hours. And no, that’s not a typo. Even Rahzel doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into.

“It’s always a surprise,” he says, of working with Supernatural. “Most of the show is improv - I’m looking forward to it because I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

For all his relentless forward impetus, Rahzel is always quick to recognise those who paved the way for him when he was starting out. For him, a large part of his role as the chronicler of hip hop involves continuing the legacies of Biz Markie and Jam Master Jay. “I want to be that beatbox encyclopaedia,” he says. “When you see me on stage, that’s what you’re getting - not just Rahzel beatboxing in to a mic; you’re getting history.

I’m like a time capsule - I was there! You were a little baby, or you weren’t even born, but I was there!”

“It’s like, y’know, Back To The Future,” he continues. “I’m like a time machine. I was there in the beginning, and I’m here now, so that you know what was happening even though you weren’t around.” For a trip through the past, the present and the future of hip hop, head down to Platform Hip Hop Festival.

Who: The Magnificents – Rahzel, Supernatural and JS-1 Where: Platform Hip Hop Festival @ Carriage Works, Eveleigh When: Saturday April 2, at 6:30pm More: Platform runs from March 12 – April 2

Here are just some of our picks from the huge program at Platform Hip Hop Festival.

To find out more, and to book your tickets, hit up their website: platformhiphop.com.au

From popping to locking, from breaking to beatboxing, these free all-ages workshops are available for even the most left-footed and tongue-tied.

When: March 19, 26 & April 2, 11am Coin: FREE Our city is a canvas, but you can blink and miss it unless you know what you’re looking for. Join some local graffiti writers on these tours of the Inner West, mapped by Mistery - a local graff legend. These events sold out last year – so get in early to book your spot!

When: March 26 & April 2 Coin: $10 Germany’s B*Boy Storm will be hosting hip hop dance masterclasses - one in popping, one in breaking and a class in choreography. One for the pros...

When: March 16 – 17 Coin: $20 per session Chicago Shakespeare’s Theatre’s modern hip hop take on Much Ado About Nothing - complete with a live DJ, B*Boys, B*Girls and MC’s. It was only a matter of time…

When: March 16 – 26 Coin: $19.50 - $25

A huge, multi-disciplinary improv battle backed by Resin Dogs, featuring Sketch the Rhyme, and over 20 artists rocking the mic, turntables and floor, including POE 1 (USA), B*Boy Blond (Korea), B*Boy Storm (Ger) and local talent Rappaport, P-Smurf, DJ Mathmatics, Bravo Child and JayTee. When: March 18, 7:30pm Coin: $15

“Wilder than The Nile / Old power like the great Pyramids of Giza / And stay leanin’ like the Tower of Pisa” - DOOM 14 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

THE CITY OF SYDNEY IS ABOUT CREATING A VIBRANT AND SAFE NIGHT OUT IN THE CITY. A GOOD NIGHT OUT FOR YOU, YOUR FRIENDS AND THE CITY. We need your views to help inform our Late Night Economy Policy.

For more information visit: cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/latenighttrading

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 15

Elbow Moving Forward, Looking Back By Mike Gee

“We’ve always had critical acclaim, but never the sales to match. Now we go on the road with four lorries and catering...”

Potter says that, with this record, the writing process was mostly a case of ‘lets just see what happens’. “When Guy came up with ‘Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl’, he realised that that could be a story theme for the album – looking back over teenage years,” Potter explains. “That’s when it began to change.” ‘Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl’ is based on a poem Garvey wrote about his first love; a lovely, pared-back acoustic fling that forms the heart of Build A Rocket. The band have previously said that their recent success made it harder to write the melancholia for which they were known, so it makes sense that Garvey would look to the past for inspiration.

E

lbow are a serious band. Not that that’s a bad thing, it just needs to be stated up front. We aren’t dealing with some frivolous wannabe post-teen here, or an oversexed dance act that utter six words a song; Elbow are a band for people who want to listen to music. On their fifth and latest album, Build A Rocket Boys!, they cite Radiohead and Gabrielera Genesis as heavy influences – and in fact, the record holds more than just a semblance of Peter Gabriel’s solo work in its shade, its rhythmic complexities and its twists and turns.

It’s not a heavy album, but one about space, timing, feeling and atmosphere. Very clever, but not overtly pretentious – and the same can be said of the band.

Produced by keyboardist Craig Potter, Build A Rocket Boys! was also the most difficult record Elbow have ever made – mainly because it’s the first since the band finally won recognition on the international stage. After spending years as critic favourites, slogging it out in small and medium-sized rooms, Elbow went arena-sized in the past three years, after they suddenly deservedly winning just about every award

more year and we’ll look to something else’. But when that next year came, we’d realise that we couldn’t do anything else.

out there. The shiniest of all was the Mercury Prize for their excellent fourth album, 2008’s The Seldom Seen Kid, but there was also a Brit Award, the Ivor Novello Award, the South Bank Pop award, an NME award and Mojo Magazine’s Song Of The Year 2009. “It’s crazy,” keyboardist Potter says from his home where, in the background, his three- and five-year-old children can be heard creating a sound of their own. “We’ve always had critical acclaim, but never the sales to match. Now we go on the road with four lorries and catering, and we’re asked what food we want. It’s the little things…”

“When you get a record deal, you realise you’re pretty lucky,” he continues, “[although] of course, you don’t need a deal to make a record these days. Then we won the Mercury Music Prize - that was a bit of a moment. Things changed again.” But rather than getting carried away with all the gongs, Elbow just kept on doing what they do: making a better album than the one that came before it.

Fourteen years after forming the band in Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, the lineup of Elbow hasn’t changed a bit. Garvey, Potter, his brother Mark on guitar, bassist Pete Turner and drummer, Richard Jupp, have stayed true to one Garvey’s more famous quotes: ‘We are still an album band before anything else.’ And they’ve taken their time to get where they are.

“The first few years - like, the first five years we weren’t getting anywhere,” Potter tells me.

“Musically we were slowly coming together, but every New Year’s Eve we used to say, ‘One

Build A Rocket Boys! was mostly made on the road, during the tour for Seldom Seen Kid. The band took a portable studio along, which was erected at each venue - and some of those early ideas made it onto the album. “We ended up with 50 or 60 ideas,” Potter says. “And then when we finished, we worked on them - had these big phone calls every four weeks or so.

We pretty much wrote to the end, because you never know what’s going to come out… That works for us because we do it all ourselves. It’s a building process with these songs.”

Garvey says the album is based on the “view of an older person looking back at the ups and downs of being young, through the eyes of someone who hated and loved it all.” Musically, it wraps its arms around that notion with a reflective, melancholic keening. The biggest track, ‘The Birds’, opens the record with an eight-minute journey that the rest of the songs musically return to - but the longer Build A Rocket goes, the gentler, poppier and more English it becomes. For Craig, it’s simple: “It feels like the record we’ve always wanted to make, especially the extreme sparseness of ‘The River’,” he says. “On ‘The River,’ we’ve captured something we’ve never really been able to get before. To me, [the album] rounds off the other four. It sums up our work so far.

“I’m very proud of this one,” he continues. “It’s our strongest set of songs to date, especially lyrically. Guy has excelled himself.” And with it, Elbow are ready to take off.

What: Build A Rocket, Boys! is out now through Universal

Bliss N Eso Blissed Out By Birdie

I

f last year they were Running On Air, this year they’re walking on sunshine. With an upcoming stint at the career-making South By Southwest music conference in Texas, followed by a national tour of grand proportions in April, Bliss N Eso are about to cement themselves as Australia’s biggest hip hop exports.

“From what I hear, it’s just really crazy!” says Jonathan ‘Bliss’ Notley, of the infamous SxSW. “Apparently what happens is the whole town [Austin] just literally shuts down and every single venue in the place is just filled with bands all the time. Everywhere you look, there’s artists all around you. It’ll be fun, at the very least!”

It’s by no means the trio’s first visit to the States - Notley himself is a USA native - but this trip is guaranteed to expand Bliss N Eso’s American fanbase ten-fold, while winning over the industry types. Although Notley claims the latter is not really a big deal. “We’re mostly going for ourselves, just to have fun, just to check it out,” he insists. “I love taking the guys to the States especially the last time when we got to visit the East Coast, which is where I’m originally from.

I loved being able to show them around, take them to places that I was familiar with… Man, you should have seen their jaws drop when they saw Times’ Square. The boys were just running amok!”

Unlike most other Australian artists who tour internationally, Bliss N Eso don’t get many Aussie ex-pats attending their shows; Notley claims that the majority of their audiences are, in fact, American. It speaks volumes about Bliss N Eso’s overseas popularity. “In America, you’ll spot an Aussie here or there - usually it’s because they’re there wrapped up in their Australian flags, so they stick out like sore thumbs!” he laughs. “But to tell you the truth, overall there have been barely any Aussies on the tours that we’ve done overseas. In America, it’s been mainly Americans.

“K-os was like, ‘Fellas, seriously appreciate this shit right here right now. The moment is fucking gone in the blink of an eye...’”

“For me personally, because Australia is definitely my home, it’s just an enjoyable holiday, to visit family or friends - it’s not like a home-coming by any means,” he says. “You still have some memories here and there, but I’m Australian hands-down. What’s really interesting is that, judging from what our Facebook tells us, we’ve actually got a pretty decent fanbase in Europe.

We were stoked to have a lot of fans in the U.K., but we were also really surprised to have a fanbase in Germany and Switzerland – which is fantastic!”

group could possibly hope for. The proof lies in the sheer scale of the lads’ upcoming national tour. “The places we get to do this time is just amazing,” says Notley, of the stadium-sized venues Bliss N Eso are about to take on. “From what I’ve heard, there aren’t that many venues on this scale that Australian bands get to tour - especially Australian hip hop groups. It’s definitely the biggest tour that we’ve ever done, that’s for sure. I’m excited the most about the fact that we’re really stepping up the production value of the show, too. I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Still, it’s back here in Australia that Bliss N Eso have been receiving critical acclaim, breaking all sorts of records for Aussie hip hop and garnering one of the biggest fanbases an Australian

There’s a new mentality among the Bliss N Eso guys these days, as well – largely thanks to some words of wisdom from Canadian rapper K-os which, according to Notley, served as

something of an epiphany. “‘Savour the moment, boys – seize the day!’ That’s what K-os told us when we hung out with him in Sydney,” Notley fondly recalls. “At that time, I think the record [Running On Air] had only just gone gold – it hadn’t even hit platinum yet – and he was like, ‘Fellas, I know you might be thinking this is great but trust me, seriously appreciate this shit right here right now, as it’s happening, because the moment is fucking gone in the blink of an eye’. And we just thought, ‘Fuck yeah. This is so cool, to hear an artist of that caliber say that to us’. Ever since then, we’ve taken nothing for granted - it’s been important for us to appreciate the rewards as much as the hard work… It was a wakeup call - and let’s just say that we definitely went out and celebrated when the album made it to platinum.”

Because more or less, as Notley explains, the life of a successful artist tends to resemble something of a bizarre bubble - the trick is to keep your feet firmly on the ground rather than float off into the clouds. Bliss N Eso are lucky to be from Australia then, where staying grounded is especially possible. “In America it would be a whole different kettle of fish; I think hip hop artists there live a very different lifestyle and are over-sensationalised, whereas in Australia it’s the opposite. I think it’s a good thing,” he says. “We’ve had a lot of success but we still do feel like we’re living very normal lives. We have fans, we do tours, we’ve won awards – but we’re just like everyone else. We still have the same feelings and thoughts and we socialise with the same friends that we’ve known forever. I think being an Australian artist in particular allows you that balance,” he continues. “It’s what makes Australia unique to the rest of the world.”

What: Running On Air is out now, through Illusive Where: Hordern Pavilion, all ages When: Saturday May 28

“Who’s prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise? Love for sale.” - BILLIE HOLIDAY 16 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

LY E R Y O *B B a k a R E W O P K C I N R O T C E R I D C I T S I T R A

FEATURING RAHZEL (USA) / SUPERNATURAL (USA) / DJ JS-1 (USA) / B*BOY BLOND (KOREA) / B*BOY STORM (GERMANY) / POE1 (USA) / THE NARCICYST (USA) / KOOLISM (AUS) / RESIN DOGS (AUS) / Q BROTHERS (USA) / AND MORE… BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 17

Stone Temple Pilots Between The Lines By Tom Hersey

T

he legacy of Stone Temple Pilots will always be interwoven with the lunacy that followed them in the 90s, during their ascent of the rock & roll world. Their lifespan as a band has been punctuated, perhaps even hamstrung, by controversies, arrests and volatile band tensions - to the point where the band seemed like some of the last of the archetypal rock stars (before the music industry could no longer afford the indulgence). But since cementing their latest run with a 65 date American tour in 2008, STP have been trying to stay out of trouble, keeping busy out on the road promoting last year’s Grammy-nominated eponymous album, and proving to fans that they’ve still got it.

When we sit down with guitarist Dean DeLeo, on the eve of the band’s first ever trip down under, we ask him if anything’s changed for the four piece when they tour these days. And in fact, as it turns out, a lot has. No longer the ‘elegant bachelors’ that Pavement famously referred to, Stone Temple Pilots in 2011 have become very much a family affair. “There have been major changes between now and then,”

DeLeo says. “Major, major, major, major changes, because there are children involved now. And it’s the best thing about touring, because we get to bring our kids out on the road with us. So now we get to travel with our kids, go to some of the greatest museums the planet has to offer - we get to fulfil our kids’ reptile fantasies, taking them on airboat rides through the Florida Everglades, or taking them to see the Grand Canyon.

“One of the greatest things about travelling around is exploring each and every city, and finding out what it has to offer,” he continues.

“Even in the cities you’ve kind of seen 20 times over - when you’re there with your child you kind of get to see everything again, through their fresh eyes.” In spite of DeLeo’s positivity, there were a few moments on the recent tour that bore resemblance to a band of decades prior. Last September, STP had to reschedule 12 dates of an American tour after vocalist Scott Weiland took the stage in El Paso, Texas an hour late. He reportedly appeared ‘disorientated’, and told the crowd he had started drinking again.

Perhaps it’s his instinctual sense of paternal responsibility, but when asked whether his band’s new found maturity is mutually exclusive from their legacy of ‘rock & roller’ shenanigans, the otherwise affable DeLeo responds thornily. “I never claimed to be a rock & roller, so if you want to call me that it’s your own business,” he says. “I’m just Dean DeLeo and I have the fortune of playing guitar in a great band… I really don’t even know what that means - what is a rock & roller? Is that somebody who’s throwing televisions out hotel windows, crashing Ferraris and shooting heroin? Is that what you mean?”

“I’ve never crashed a Ferrari, I’ve never thrown a TV set out of a window - and then there’s the heroin, right? ... That’s where the thing is misconstrued because first and foremost, I’m a dad.”

Yes, that’s exactly what it means, because we the public want the sordid details of debaucherous excess - but unfortunately, Dean cannot oblige.

“Ok. Well I’ve never crashed a Ferrari - I’ve never even driven a Ferrari - and I’ve never thrown a TV set out a window. And then there’s heroin, right? … See, that’s where the thing is misconstrued, because first and foremost, I’m a dad. I have the luxury to play music with these guys, and I mean it man - I have such a gratitude for the luxury that I have, to go out and to play music with these guys and share it with so many people around the planet. That’s something that’s really beautiful. And I don’t consider myself, nor have I ever done this to be, a ‘rock & roller’ - nor a celebrity.”

DeLeo is much more eager to focus on what’s ahead for the band than the shit that went down in the past - and at this point in time, the outlook is positive for Stone Temple Pilots. There’s talk of starting a new record late this year or early 2012 and, of course, there’s the world tour that will see them play to Australian crowds for the first time ever in their career. When asked what fans seeing the band live for the first time might expect, DeLeo offers, “A lot of noise coming from four cats up on a stage … Also, we’re very sensitive to the fact that we’re coming down to your beautiful country for the first time,” he says.

“There’s at least 8 or 9 songs we absolutely have to play, because they’re set list staples - then we’ll just kind of work our way around that. We’ll be trying to grab stuff off of every album.”

Talking about being onstage with his Stone Temple Pilots brethren, Dean stumbles across the impetus that always seems to draw the band members back together. It seems that for everything this band has been through, they’ve been through it as a team. “There’s something about the chemistry of STP; when the four of us get in a room, it just feels like the cream rises. I don’t know why… I can’t put my finger on it. So I just try not to think about it, and just enjoy it.”

What: Stone Temple Pilots is out now through Atlantic Records/Warner Where: Hordern Pavilion / Metro Theatre When: Sunday March 20 (all ages, sold out) / Monday March 21 (18+, tickets still available!)

18 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

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Pinsilver Label night launch w/ Michelle Owen

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- Sun 20th -

Arabian Prince

Howl LIVE soul and funk

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King Cannons Wear The Crown By Jess Martin

A

t EMI’s annual trivia night, held for the music media in the city a couple of weeks back, the label’s A&R scout Mark Holland was brought onto the stage before a showcase from one of the label’s latest signees - the Melbourne-based King Cannons. “This is how much we believe in our artists,” the host proclaimed, before Mark showed off his new tattoo: King Cannons’ signature crown. “One of his bribing points to get us to sign to EMI was that if we signed, he was going to get a King Cannons tattoo,” King Cannons’ frontman Luke Yeowald laughs.

He and the other five members of the band all share the same ink. “So we held him to that – and [after we signed], our guitarist Rob tattooed the crown on his arm.” That a major label would leap on a relatively unknown band is noteworthy enough; that they’d get a tattoo about it really says something.

But then, King Cannons haven’t exactly come out of nowhere. The band formed in Auckland back in 2007, and have been gigging around New Zealand with ferocity since then. With high-energy and ever-evolving music that sits somewhere between The Clash and The Living End, the band was born with grand intentions: to one day leave their hometown for the UK. “New Zealand is a beautiful country, and we’ve all got a lot of friends and family there – but it’s quite small,” Yeowald says.

“Working average jobs, playing the same

venues in the same couple of towns… it gets a bit tiring. We decided that if we were going to try and make a life out of this, we couldn’t do it in New Zealand.”

Yeowald was the first to head to the UK, in mid-2008. He moved into a North London warehouse, bought gear, lined up gigs, and was soon followed over by drummer Josh and bass player Jonno - but for the rest of the group, things didn’t go so smoothly. “Through no fault of their own just, I don’t know – the beaurocracy got up on the wrong side of the bed or something,” Yeowald says. “It kind of put a spanner in the works; we’d invested a shitload of time and money and hard work, setting up basecamp over there.” The band spent the next eleven months split between New Zealand and the UK - “Long enough to be well and truly sick and tired of the place,” he says with a laugh. “It was almost a year of being apart until we managed to get our finances and lives together – and [after that], we decided to relocate to Melbourne.”

he says with a sigh. “Luckily, King Cannons are all a pretty hardened bunch of people. None of us are strangers to the gypsy kind of life, and what it takes to sleep on floors for months and work your asses off to get somewhere. That’s pretty much what we do.”

Cut to May 2009, and the band were sharing a house in Brunswick – the second time in as many years that Yeowald had set up in a new city. “Thousands and thousands of dollars and a lot of time, and you don’t know anybody – you’ve gotta find work and you’ve gotta find shows and you’ve gotta start networking, and then you’ve gotta practice – it’s fucking hard,”

All that hard work paid off, of course; this year, the band signed a new management deal and a new label deal, pretty much in the same breath. “It’s very flattering, I guess. We always wanted to make a career and a life out of making music … so to have the opportunity to potentially do that is amazing.” But Leowald maintains there’s still a hard road ahead.

“[Signing to EMI] doesn’t mean that everything gets handed to us on a plate now. If anything, it means that the workload has increased, and that the demands are higher,” he says. “We love doing what we’re doing – we love playing and we love music – and we’d be doing it regardless. It’s just an added bonus, really.”

What: King Cannons EP is out through EMI With: The ReChords, Devine Electric, The Scarlets and burlesque performances Where: Black Cherry @ The Metro Theatre When: Saturday March 19

Illy The Chaser By RK

I

n a world of commercial hip-hop mediocrity, where a new album seems to get released online every day, it’s impressive to see an emcee receive accolades from the actual punters, and not from a powerful marketing machine. That’s been the case with Melbourne emcee Illy - he took out the 29th spot in the triple j Hottest 100 and is hot on the heels of his second album, The Chase. Illy is all fired up when we talk, not only about the performances he’s got coming up, but about sharing a tour with his good mate M-Phazes – himself no stranger to the odd accolade or two.

“I’ve just put out the second album, at the end of October last year, and it’s gone from strength to strength,” Illy explains. “Since then I guess I’ve been riding the wave of that and putting the finishing touches on a University degree, and then getting back into the studio.

So all in all, I gotta say it’s happy times.” The new album is keeping him busy enough on the promotional tip, but he’s already thinking about what comes next. I’m not surprised to learn that Illy isn’t one to slow down. “The idea behind the title [The Chase] was basically summing up where I was in the writing process,” he explains. “It took about 16 months to get the album done and I finished a fair chunk of a uni degree during that time, as well as doing 70-80 shows. To get an album done in there was pretty cool.

“For me, it was about chasing the bigger picture, the goals that I’d had in mind for a long time,” he continues. “So I was chasing but not really getting there, if that makes sense. The album for me is definitely stronger in every aspect; it’s got that long-story short-flow delivery in the lyrics, and then the beats and even down

to the mastering - it’s all a lot more solid. I was able to streamline things, and where it ended was a step up in every respect.”

It’s important for Illy to keep moving forward; as he explains, the local hip hop community is in many ways it’s own staunchest critic. “I definitely think, from my own tight circle of mates, we’re a competitive circle - in a friendly way though. And the critics and the media, well, they’re the ones who help push my music and that, at the end of the day, really helps. [They] don’t matter though, because the fans are the people who come to the shows - that’s what matters. I care [about them and what I do], so I don’t make music just to see what happens; I wasn’t going to make something for the sake of it. I want it to be the best it possibly can be, as much for myself as for the fans. And I think that’s the only way to approach it,” he continues. “If you’re not making music for the people who are supporting you, then you can’t claim to be that serious about it.”

Finally, Illy talks up the tour he’s embarked on, and getting the chance to spit with his partner in crime, M-Phazes. “I’m hyped to be back out there,” he says. “As far as the show itself, my drummer is accompanying us for the whole tour which is important for the whole dynamics - it’s a big set, a long set. We’ll perform the majority of The Chase and a bunch of my other stuff.

We’ve worked on the show for a long time now, and I think it’s ready to present to the fans.”

With: The Chase is out now With: M Phazes Where: Manning Bar, Sydney Uni When: Thursday April 7

Lykke Li Climbing Up And Letting Go By Krissi Weiss

L

ykke Li’s blog is quite candid about where the Swedish singer was emotionally, prior to the writing and recording of her second album, Wounded Rhymes. Yes, she thought her debut, 2008’s Youth Novels, may have been her one and only record; yes, she was healing a broken heart; and yes, she had to escape the world for a while. But none of this apparent openness means that she is ready to talk about the specifics of her life over the past few years.

“I’m open about my emotions and myself,” Li tells me. “But not about facts and specific situations.”

After two years of promoting Youth Novels with relentless touring, Li (whose actual birth name is a mouthful: Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson) decided it was time to take a break from it all - a break that threatened to be permanent. “After my last record, I tried to tell myself this may be my last record, that this may be it - and I wanted to sleep,” she says wearily. “Then I got the urge again to write - I do believe that, out of necessity, I had to write again. All of a sudden I had these songs; I thought it would be a missed opportunity if I didn’t go back into the studio.”

Having come from such a bad place, I ask Li whether she has to be in a good frame of mind to write - or whether the darkness of her situation helped these songs grow. “I think you have to be on the way up,” she answers.

“You can’t be rock bottom because then you’re basically - well, you know, you’re gasping for air, and that doesn’t leave you much time to write.

But then at the same time if you’re super happy,

you’re super happy, and you’re either asleep or drunk or you’ve had a great meal, you know?

You don’t wanna stop and write about that - so you kind of have to be climbing up from rock bottom.”

Due to her constant travelling, a piano was out of the question for composing her new songs and so for this album, Li enlisted the assistance of an autoharp. “I did some songs on the autoharp and then I played them on piano, and then I would play drums over them. It’s all very old-school, acoustically written … [so] all of the songs sound great even with just a guitar,” she says. “That’s the way that it should be, that’s what great songwriting is all about, you know?

The perfect core.”

With a strong vision and a strong collection of songs in tow, Li went back to Stockholm to record with Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn & John – a notable producer in his own right, having worked on Robyn’s self-titled release in 2007, Li’s Youth Novels, and Shout Out Louds’ Our Ill Wills. I ask Li whether the new album truly represents her vision for it. “It’s more or less like I wanted it to be,” she explains, “but at the same time, I had to let go of the [perfect] vision in order to let the vision live. You can’t hold on to things too strongly, because then you don’t allow things to happen in the moment. I kind of had to let go a lot more than I thought I would.”

What: Wounded Rhymes is out now, through Warner Music.

“Grab your coat and get your hat Leave your worry on the doorstep Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street”- BILLIE HOLIDAY 20 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

Last Dinosaurs Dinomite By Alasdair Duncan

I

t‘s been a very big year for Last Dinosaurs. The Brisbane four-piece have brought their bright, danceable indie pop to festivals like Splendour and Laneway; they’ve worked with Two Door Cinema Club producer Eliot James on their brand new single, ‘Time & Place’; and they’re midway through writing their debut album, with a view to work with James once again. From there, as is the case with many young Aussie bands, they have their sights set on the UK - but singer Sean Caskey is determined not to get too far ahead of himself.

“Julian from The Strokes is one of my idols, and there’s a quote of his that I’m reflecting on a lot right now,” Caskey tells me. “The quote is that as soon as you start thinking you’re good, that’s when you start turning shit.” So although Last Dinosaurs are getting played regularly on national radio and attracting the interest of international producers, he and his bandmates are still working day jobs and keeping as realistic a perspective as possible. “Some people talk about us like we’re famous already, but I just see us as normal people who have jobs and occasionally play shows for a few people. It would be great to be successful, but I honestly can’t get my head around it just now.”

For all that Last Dinosaurs have done in the last year, the highlight, as far as Caskey is concerned, would have to be the series of shows they played with UK band Foals, when they toured here recently. “Having the opportunity to meet and play with them and chill with them backstage was just devastatingly good,” he says. Foals always sound a little serious on record; are they like that in real life, I wonder? “They’re really nice!” Caskey insists.

“I thought they were going to be all arrogant and, y’know, British - but they were really great.

They took the time to chat to us; they came and watched our set, too, which was really cool. It was awesome to know that one of our favourite bands are also really cool people.”

I ask Caskey if Foals, an accomplished touring band, had any wisdom to pass on to Last Dinosaurs - and that’s when things start to get a little weird... “I don’t know why this popped into my head, because it has nothing to do with wisdom,” Caskey begins, “but okay. Foals always come off stage and then go back to do an encore - but in Sydney, just after they came off, Jimmy, the guitar player, ran to the back and just started vomiting like crazy. The entire time they were offstage, he was vomiting into a bin. It was an indication of

how hard he’d been pushing himself, to make him vomit. Same with Yannis – Yannis did that in Byron. How much would you have to have pushed yourself to do that? It’s beyond me.”

I’m a little speechless after that anecdote, and Caskey laughs nervously. “You asked about advice and wisdom, didn’t you? That was way offtopic... Advice-wise, I don’t know. On the night of the last show, I did spend quite a bit of time talking to Yannis on the subject of songwriting.” During the conversation, Yannis stressed the importance of inter-band cohesion for Last Dinosaurs’ debut record. “Foals’ last album is so cohesive,” Caskey says, “it’s just one unit. Yannis said that he and the other guys always work for the song, that they don’t ever make the song work for them. He listened to our songs and gave some advice - and we’ll be taking that, and trying to make music as best as possible for our album.”

The aforementioned album is the subject foremost on Last Dinosaurs’ minds right now. The original plan was to record it last year in London but, as Caskey tells it, “I didn’t have my shit together yet.”

Instead, they decamped to Sydney to make the ‘Time & Place’ single. They intend to make the rest of the album here, too. “We recorded the single at BJB Studios in Surry Hills with an engineer called J.P. Fung, then sent it off to Eliot James to mix, as a test to see if he was the one we wanted to record the album with. We’ve since decided we want to stay in Australia, in preference to going away to another country for a month just to record.”

The plan is to record the rest with J.P before sending the tracks over for James to touch up.

The first time I heard the Eliot James-produced Two Door Cinema Club, it was on a Kitsuné Maison compilation – and I tell Caskey that I can imagine Last Dinosaurs’ sound being a good fit with Kitsuné’s indie dance aesthetic. “I think about that sometimes,” he says. “I can’t imagine anything like that happening for us yet, but that’s one of the reasons why we want to work with Eliot. He has a lot of leverage in the UK, and everyone who’s Australian who wants to make it has to go there first, it seems. Everything’s been set up to be successful, but I can’t really conceive it in my head just yet. It would be so cool, though.”

With: Papa Vs Pretty Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday April 1 BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 21

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brushstrokes WITH NICK

BASSETT the train lines. Then after a few too many incidents with the law I transferred that creative energy to photography and design. It was a great training ground and it taught me a lot about colour and composition, but also it taught me the value of staying true to what you believe in.

Y

ou might have seen Nick Bassett’s work in Acclaim, Big Issue, the Weekend Australian magazine, or even Australian Art Review… Commissioned to create a new series for Platform Hip Hop Festival, he took to the studio to create a series of highly stylized portraits of Sydney’s b-boy heroes – mid-flight, as it were.

What is your process, once you have been commissioned to do a portrait?

I find that the best work always comes from having a well-developed concept before you pick up the camera. For example, about five years ago I took an image for Acclaim, of Lupe Fiasco, during his first trip to Australia. I got to the hotel with the editor and we were told that Lupe had cancelled all of his interviews because of a sore throat.

While the editor and Lupe’s manager tried to sort it out, I ran around the lobby looking for a good place to shoot. He came down, we fired through some photos and I came away with this image. It’s remarkably like the one I had in my mind all along. I wanted to capture an image of him as a person, not of him as a fashion model like every other photo. The editor hated it, but somehow decided to run it anyway. It got a lot of people talking and paved the way for a lot of my work that came after it.

Which photographers past or present inspire you most?

Any photographer who approaches photography from an intellectual point of view, telling a story through their work or using the

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE

Meir Zarchi’s controversial 1978 splatterfest I Spit On Your Grave is a sadistic account of one rape victim's revenge rampage. Ostensibly based on a real incident, the film was generally condemned by critics for its graphic violence… And then remade in 2010, in HD. We’re not sure we want to see it, but when Roger Ebert describes a film as “so sick, reprehensible and contemptible that I can hardly believe it’s playing in respectable theatres,” our interest is piqued. A Night Of Horror Film Festival and Popcorn Taxi are hosting a screening of the 1978 original, followed by a Q&A with writer-director Meir Zarchi, this Wednesday March 16, 9pm, Dendy Newtown. A Night Of Horror Festival runs March 31 – April 8.

FRASERS OPEN DAY

With the news that FraserStudios is coming to an close with 2011, comes the opportunity to celebrate this hub of multi-disciplinary, artsy awesome: Open Day! Held this Saturday March 19, Open Day is a chance for punters to take peek inside the Queen Street Studios, and see what the residents artists (Mitch Cairns, Jo Daniel, Todd Fuller, Sebastian Goldspink, Jonathan James, Cara Macleod, Jai McKenzie, Nerine Martini, Johannes Muljana, JD Reforma, Kyla Ring, Todd Robinson, Jelena Telecki, Phil Williams and Emma Wise) have been up to. Also opening on Saturday is Welcome, an exhibition by the four winners of the QSS Residency Award: Madeleine Cruise, Daniel Hollier, Anna John and Jacqueline Larcombe – expect anything from from hard-edge abstract painting, to soft sculpture, and whimsical objects. queenstreetstudio.com

YOUR WEEKLY PANDA:#2

The Imperial Panda Festival draws to a close this week (sad face) but don’t say we didn’t give you a sporting chance: Tuesday March 15 is a special Panda edition of Campfire Collective’s Storytelling night (interesting people telling unusual stories, LIVE!) at the Helen Rose Schausberger in Surry Hills; Wednesday is Man Up: a night of male impersonations, featuring Zoe Coombs Marr, Annaliese Constable, Nick Coyle, Kelly Doley, Brian Fuata and Nat Randall; Thursday is Ampersand Magazine’s ‘True Friendship’ Informative Slideshow, featuring presentations by Alice Gage, Nick Coyle (again!) and Glen Walton (Suitcase Royale) – followed at 8pm by Claudia O’Doherty's What Is Soil Erosion? Friday is a Testflight of The Suitcase Royale’s new show, a western/horror/comedy/ drive-in affair; Saturday is the start of your Weekend at Firstdraft; Sunday you need to get along to DJ Smallcock’s (aka Lucas Abela) Vinyl Arcade, followed by the massive CAB SAV ‘Closing Night Edition’, just $10 at Goodgod.

Good God. theimperialpanda.com 22 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

medium of photography to communicate a particular idea. Photography for me has never been about simple documentation. Early on I was inspired by the conceptual nature of David LaChapelle’s work and Annie Leibovitz’s magazine work.

What’s the trick to bringing out the best in your subject?

Nearly everyone hates being photographed so a photo shoot is always a process of building up that energy and building a rapport with the subject. I just talk to them person to person.

I love meeting people and I moved around a lot growing up so I got plenty of practice at it. I learnt early on too that if you shoot really fast you can make people forget they’re being photographed.

What is your own connection to hip hop culture?

I started out a long time ago as a kid painting

What inspired you to photograph breaking?

I wanted to create a brand new series that was different to anything I’d done before. I started researching for ideas and saw some photos of breakers, but I realised that there was no real focus on the magic of the dancers and what they were doing, so in this series I wanted to isolate these really interesting moves and bring the attention back to how incredible these dancers are.

What’s your favourite photo from the series?

This shot (pictured above), of a dancer called Hideboo, really represents what interested me in doing this series in the first place, and it’s an interesting study in form, balance and in many ways identity. What he’s wearing is well coordinated (something that I asked all of the dancers to consider) and says a lot about him, but at the same time he’s covering his face so the image becomes more like a human sculpture.

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES There’s a lot of anticipation around this upcoming disaster epic, which pits a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon (including Michelle Rodriguez) against aliens intent on wiping humanity off the face of the Earth. It’s a battle on the streets of L.A., and the stakes are Life As We Know It. What more can we say?

Battle: Los Angeles opens in cinemas on March 17. Thanks to Sony Pictures Australia, we have 20 in-season double passes up for grabs; to get your hands on one, tell us one other actor who stars.

What: Power Moves When: March 17 – April 9 Where: CarriageWorks’ Foyer, Eveleigh More: platformhiphop.com.au

CABINET @RATTLER

Rinse Out Inc. (the kids behind Underbelly Arts Festival) are holding another instalment of CABINET, their semi-regular pseudo-cabaret night. On the menu is Dancing in the Dark (aka ‘Earth Hour Tribute’), featuring the wheelie-bin sound system, board games by candlelight, and other power-lite exercises in group bonding; Claudia O’Doherty (Pig Island) being funny, with a new show; surf-rock/spaghetti-western/60s-pop from La Tarantula; and a lei-making workshop.

All this for $7, on the door. Saturday March 26, 8pm til 1am at the Red Rattler, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville. Support arts! underbellyarts.com.au

Troy Emery: wild thing (2011)

NATIONAL PLAY FESTIVAL

Strap on your skates and head to Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre for the fourth annual National Play Festival, from Tuesday March 15 – March 19. This one’s a veritable who’s-who of the next wave of Australian playwrights – from Reg Cribb, Van Badham, and Caleb Lewis, to up-and-comer Zoe Hogan, who is currently part of ATYP’s Fresh Ink program. The festival consists of four full-length (but bare-bones) performances of new works by established writers, eight excerpts from plays by new Australian writers, two days of forums, where Australia’s established theatre companies come together to discuss the issues facing Australian playwrights, and a showcase of emerging voices from Western Sydney. For the full program and tickets: nationalplayfestival.org.au

DONE GONE DUNGOG

Tickets are now on sale for Dungog Film Festival – along with some tempting ticket packages (15 to be precise) worth taking annual leave for.

Held annually over four days in May, the DFF is devoted to presenting new and classic Australian film, in all its permutations. There’s also premieres, filmmaking masterclasses, parties… We’re particularly intrigued by the 24 Hour Party Packs for the Friday and Saturday nights, which cover transport, a day of films, a night of After Partying, and pop you back on the train to Sydney at 3.23am the next morning… And if you’re a filmmaker, there’s still time to enter your short film, music video or indie feature, with deadline on March 21. dungogfilmfestival.org

THE PEEL @ SLIDE

Housewarming Part-ay! Troublemaking partnersin-crime Lauren LaRouge and Holly J’aDoll are moving their popular burlesque soiree The Peel to a glamorous new home at Slide, on Oxford St – so help them warm up the space on Wednesday March 23, with a massive lineup of emerging and virgin burlesquers, including rising star Antoinette La’Noir, and Peel regular Hedy Bell Nova.

There’s even a bit ‘o boylesque… Tickets a cheeky $19 at ticketek.com.au

FIRSTDRAFT: PANDAS, WILD THINGS, PAINTINGS, OH MY

Four shows open this Wednesday March 16 at Firstdraft: Heath Franco’s video installation Fun House (“a paranoid journey of chance meeting and alienation”); Troy Emery’s Menagerie of tiny, colourful sculptural wild things; Rachel Freeman’s painty response to the Icelandic volcano incident of 2010; and Malcolm Whittaker’s (Team Mess) mixed-media installation Me:Mine. In other news Firstdraft Depot are holding Weekend at Firstdraft (March 19-20) as part of Imperial Panda Festival. We're intrigued by In Periscope's city tours which involve wearing a 'periscope helmet' that allows you to see the city from the upwards-looking angle...

We're also checking out Firstdraft resident Katthy Cavaliere's massive Camera Obscura on Sunday, AFTER Firstdraft's Pancake Extravaganza brekkie at 11am. firstdraftgallery.com

PENGUIN PLAYS READER

While the rest of you wasted your summer away at the pub/beach/insert-slacker-trope, the kids at Penguin Plays Rough have been industriously working on their first ever anthology of short stories by your favourite PPR readers. PPR runs once a month in a St Peters living room, presenting an evening of short stories read aloud – from playwrights like Tommy Murphy and Nick Coyle to zinester Vanessa Berry, comediennes Deanne Smith, Claudia O’Doherty and Zoe Coombs Marr, and even the odd award-winning ‘Writer’. The book is available for pre-order now, and makes its physical debut at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May. Prepare yourself for a thing of beauty, with a cover by typographic temptress Gemma O’Brien, and a consort of exquisite illustrations to keep the words company.

If you pre-order NOWZ, your book comes with

one of only 300 limited-edition, hand screenprinted dustjackets, which fold out to be an A2 map of the whole collection. At $25 (and throw in an iPhone app, a CD of live PPR recordings, and 13 live scores for 13 of the stories) this is a small price to pay for glory. penguinplaysrough.com

POEMS & PILLOWS

In a cute partnership between Australian Poetry and the Sydney Writers' Festival, the Poems on Pillows competition is calling for short poems on the theme of ‘Sweet Dreams’ (10 lines max); seven will be chosen from all the entries, and these will be randomly popped under the pillows of SWF guest writers staying at the Sebel Pier One hotel. The only catch is that entry costs you $20 (and $10 per additional poem)…

Submissions are due by March 31, 5pm, and can be emailed to leah@australianpoetry.org Zzzzzz

FORCE OF NATURE: DAVID SUZUKI The iconic Canadian scientist, academic, writer, broadcaster and environmental activist takes centre stage in an awardwinning new documentary.

By Kit O’Connor

WATCH FORCE OF NATURE

While Force of Nature had its Australian premiere in Melbourne, followed by screenings in Sydney and Perth, don’t expect to see it at a multiplex near you. With the information that one film print can travel up to 1000 miles during its theatrical lifespan, distributor Curious Films (recently certified as a Carbon Neutral company) have come up with an unorthodox, environmentally friendly distribution model, whereby anyone with $100 can digitally download Force Of Nature for public screenings.

Making the film available digitally, for as little as $100, encourages environmental agencies, schools, community leaders or concerned individuals to hold their own DIY screenings of the movie.

“This whole new strategy that Michael Wrenn from Curious Films came up with is fantastic.

It’s completely different from what we have in Canada and I wish the hell we’d done it in Canada,” Suzuki enthuses.

The next screening is up to you – DIY screenings can be arranged by contacting michaelwrenn@curiousfilm.com introducing him to the first love of his introd life: nature. na

H

David T. Suzuki was born rn to Setsu and Kaoru Kaoru Carr Suzuki in 1936, Vancouver, ver, B.C., along with his twin sister Marcia. Worried that his son would be a small man surrounded byy Caucasian goliaths, Suzuki’s father ather named him David. 75 years on, n, he is generally considered the leading ading global environmental crusader. r.

In Australia recently to speak at Melbourne’s Sustainable Living g Festival and promote Force of

Nature: Nature the David Suzuki Movie, ie, the 74-year-old environmentalists iss – as 74-yea always – focused on sharing his knowledge and ideas about the knowl e state of our global environment.

When I finally reach Suzuki on n the phone, from his hotel room ph m in Melbourne, his exhaustion iss Me immediately palpable. He speaks immed aks fluently uentl and passionately, but it’s t’s several severa days into his Australian n visit, and he h sounds almost talked out.

Nevertheless, by the time I gett off Never

SUZUKI FOR PRIME MINISTER!

When asked what three laws he would implement as urgent priorities, if he were miraculously to become Australia’s Prime Minister, Suzuki barely hesitates: 1. "First of all I would implement a carbon tax – a very hefty carbon tax, because we have to start paying for putting carbon into the atmosphere.

2. I would then pass regulations that would get the country committed immediately to a path of zero carbon emissions by 2020. There are already groups that have shown that it can be done, and they’ve got the whole blueprint in how to achieve it.

3. And then I would mandate that every bit of wilderness be protected.

We have got to just stop tearing away at the web of living things – especially in a country like Australia, where you have little pockets of real diversity.

4. If I could pass a fourth law – I would put huge amounts of money into the development of solar energy. It doesn’t make any sense to me that China is manufacturing 9/10 of the solar panels sold around the world.

Why isn’t it Australia, for gods sake!? You’ve got this resource – in Canada we’d kill to have the sunlight you have! And yet Australia isn’t at the forefront of [solar energy]. You’ve got to become a global leader!”

the phone, a mere 20 minutes later, ph I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face, by b the urgency of Suzuki’s ’s environmental message. enviro Dauntingly billed as his final legacy, Daunt egacy, Force of Nature outlines Suzuki's ki's plan for fo sustainability, and surviving viving what he h describes as our dire environmental situation. More than enviro a call to arms, however, the film m also documents Suzuki’s incredible d edible personal history, career and perso philosophy. philos Directed Direct by one of Canada’s most prolific and accomplished d filmmakers, Sturla Gunnarsson, lmma n, Force of Nature takes as its backbone a lecture given by Suzuki backb in December 2009. Not just any Dec ny lecture, lecture but his legacy lecture, given upon his retirement from m the University of British Columbia, after Unive 39 years yea of service – or as Suzuki zuki himself himse describes it, “what I want ant to say before I die.” Interwoven n with footage footag of the lecture are a number mber of candid interviews that reveal can al the more personal, rarely seen side de of the public figure. pu Force of Nature’s trip through Suzuki’s Suzuk personal history begins ins with his h painful recollection of Japan’s Japan attack on Pearl Harbor, or, which h led to the forced relocation relocattion

of his Canadian-born family to oa British Columbia detention camp mp for Japanese Canadians. We Ja then follow Suzuki to Leamington, f gton, Ontario Ontar – a town proud of its racist heritage. “When I got to Leamington,” Suzuki recalls in Leam n the film, “the “t boast of that town was as that no coloured person had stayed co ed in Leamington beyond sunset.” This is Leam where the Suzuki family settled. ed.

Growing Growi up the only non-white e kid in a small sma town, Suzuki experienced ced a sense of alienation that, while painful at the time, indirectly set him on his career caree path.

“I would wou never dare ask a white e girl out. But B of course, as I got older er my dad da realized that I was thinking nking about girls a lot, and he said, ‘Listen: Listen: the only on acceptable mate for you ou is a Japanese girl.’ And of course Ja rse I was going through puberty, and g nd was walking walkin around horny all the time me – but terrifi te ed to ask a white girl out.

[And] there weren’t any Asian girls to ask out ou – so what do you do when you’re walking around, wishing g you were out o with some girl, and no o one to ask? ask Well – you go to a swamp.” amp.”

From these ignominious beginnings, nings, Suzuki Suzuk developed a passion for or fishing and exploring the local swampland swampland that he still credits with

Now almost 75 years old, Suzuki a holds a BA in Biology and a PhD in Zoology, together with 25 honorary Zoolo degrees degre in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

He has written 52 books, Austra including 19 for children. His 1976 includ textbook textbo An Introduction to Genetic Analysis Analys (with A.J.F. Griffiths), remains remai the most widely used genetics textbook in the U.S., and genet has been be translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Indonesian, Arabic, Spani French Frenc and German.

Most of o us, however, discovered Suzuki Suzuk through his hugely popular, award-winning television series award – from A Planet for the Taking, to The Secret of Life, and The Nature S of Things, a landmark Canadian Thin science scienc show that Suzuki has hosted since 1979.

Suffice to say, Suzuki knows what he’s talking about. “I’m enough of ta a scientist to know where we are scie going,” going, Suzuki demurs – “and we’re going right over a cliff. I just say it the way it is, [and] I can now speak and nobody nobod can accuse me of wanting to become famous or wanting to bec make more money. I can speak with freedom freedo that comes with being an elder.”

What: Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Story When: Available NOW for local screenings www.curiousfilm.com

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Tank: photographed by Jo Duck

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lack Cherry is back this Saturday, with its trademark mix of burlesque bombshells, bands, and beats, serving up everything from punk to rockabilly, garage, soul, ska, alt-country, blues, swamp, glam & alternative: Melbourne’s King Cannons bringing a dose of ska-infused punk rock; alt-rockabilly stars The ReChords; glam rockers Devine Electric; and rock’n’roll juggernauts The Scarlets - fresh from supporting Bon Jovi, and ready to teach you a thing or three. We’re also super intrigued by the promise of punk karaoke, with a live back-up band…

Behind the decks, you’ll find the Black Cherry DJs (still glowing from their Joan Jett support slot), Twist & Shout’s Dylabolical, Club 77’s La Simonje, plus DJs Fraser and Kasdeja. On the performance front, Melbourne’s Tank will be bringing her trademark dish of fire-eating burlesque, Kelly Ann Doll will be doing a little Josephine Baker-inspired routine, and then the two will be teaming up for an aerial trapeze duet! Sydney sass-pot Lauren LaRouge is, of course, taking MC duties for the evening, and keeping this motley crew in line.

Black Cherry goes down this Saturday March 19 at the Metro Theatre!

We have FIVE TICKETS to the party up for grabs: to get your hands on one, tell us Tank’s full name... (Hint: read our interview on p.27)

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The Reef

Mark Haslam writes, directs and stars in CONCRETE heartbeat

[FILM] Something in the Water By Matthew Pejkovic

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irector Andrew Traucki is no stranger to things that go “Chomp!” in the water.

His 2007 feature debut Black Water, an intimate horror/thriller about a group of friends stalked by a killer croc, was well received by critics and audiences alike.

Now Traucki returns with The Reef, an intimate horror/thriller about a group of friends (Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Adrienne Pickering and Gyton Grantley) stalked by a great white shark.

CONCRETE heartbeat [THEATRE] A love letter to the city By Andrew Geeves

“I’ve never been a subscriber to the idea that city living is a grind,” says Haslam. “There’s that saying that if you get tired of London, you get tired of life. I find that about a lot of cities. If you actually genuinely dislike the city, you’re just not living it the way that the city should be lived.

A University of Wollongong performance graduate, Haslam is a member of kdmindustries, a collective dedicated to combining non-traditional forms of theatre to create innovative works. Their last production, Project: ALICE (CarriageWorks, 2010) fused the talents of slam poets Jess Cook and Bravo Child with Haslam’s expertise as a director, production manager and lighting designer, and visuals by AFTRS graduate Melvin Montalban, to create a interdisciplinary, gen-Y mash-up of Lewis Carroll’s beloved story.

In CONCRETE heartbeat Haslam puts himself in the spotlight, narrating and performing a one-man ode to life in the city. Incorporating projections designed by Montalban and cinematographer Tania Lambert, and an 8-bit, gameboy-esque soundtrack composed by Amsterdam-based musician Toby Paramore, Haslam portrays 24 hours in the life of a city, via three-hour slices of life for eight diverse characters – from a nurse, to a busker, to an office worker, and even a cockroach.

The show’s energetic visual style incorporates both live camera feeds and pre-recorded visuals – “to give that sense of the individual who both controls technology whilst being surrounded by it,” Haslam explains. “The boxes get rearranged

throughout the show to create a three dimensional world in which the storyteller operates.”

Within each character snapshot a pivotal moment of change is revealed, adding a personal dimension to Haslam's exploration of why highdensity urban living can be so alluring.

“Cities are ecosystems,” the performer suggests.

“They operate in ways that are similar to nature.

They draw in and expel energy, and grow and decay. Life comes out of the decay. I thought there was a story in that, so I wrote the piece about these people and their battles. There are millions of little discoveries and disappointments and opportunities that are lived every day all over the world.”

At the heart of CONCRETE heartbeat is the curious paradox implied by the title: that the inevitable battles that humanity faces, squashed within barren, man-made landscapes on the verge of decay, are also responsible for the vibrancy, community and vitality with which these inhabitants live.

The Reef is even more chilling once you know that it’s based on a true story, where a group of friends stranded off the coast of Townsville were picked apart by a shark.

“I heard about the story 10 years ago, and it stayed with me,” Traucki recalls, “So I thought it would be a good idea to make it. It’s quite similar to the real story, but changed enough so it’s my take, so while the film says ‘loosely based’, it is not that loosely based.”

A large part of The Reef’s success is that it taps into a very common, primal fear.

“I surf a once a week, so I’m in the water a lot!” laughs Traucki. “There is always that fear in the back of my mind... I think it’s a morbid fascination many, many people have.

I think it’s genetically within us. A long time ago we got eaten by big things, so that’s still there in the back of our conscious. I’m totally fascinated by sharks, but I use the rational

What sets The Reef apart from other animal attack thrillers is Traucki’s insistence on realism. “My whole shtick is to be as real and down to earth as possible”, stated Traucki. “I did actually have more shark action, but in the end I cut it out for that reason, that I didn’t want to sensationalise it and make it as down the line as I could.”

As with Black Water, Traucki opted to superimpose real life shark footage as opposed to using CGI or animatronics to depict his monster. The effect, as with the earlier film, is seamless.

“There was pressure on Black Water to use CGI,” Traucki admits, “but I think because I pulled that off so successfully, there wasn’t any pressure on this one. People kind of said, ‘Well, he’s done it. Let him do what he does, because it works.’”

In the end, however, even a ‘monster flick’ needs human characters the audience can relate to – something that Traucki was well aware of. “What the audience goes to see is humans and how they react with their emotions, and certainly when you have a two or three – or in this case four-hander – if you can’t have empathy for the characters two minutes in, you’re gonna walk away.”

What: The Reef, Dir. Andrew Traucki When: Opens March 17 at Hoyts EQ, Warringah, Avalon, & Collaroy ALSO screening at A Night Of Horror Film Festival on April 1, 9pm at Dendy Newtown reefmovie.com / anightofhorror.com

Damien Walshe-Howling leads Gyton Grantley astray in The Reef

“You go down to the CBD on midday at a Sunday and it’s just dead. Without the people and the communities, your cities don’t exist,” Haslam argues. “But there must be something that draws us together. There is something in the pulse of the city that is really obviously attractive to us.”

CONCRETE heartbeat: photo by Lauren Farmer

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remiering at the 2010 Sydney Fringe Festival and fresh off the back of rave reviews at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, CONCRETE heartbeat is an unexpected love note to cities, straight from the heart of theatremaker Mark Haslam; unexpected, because it goes against the rhetoric of stress, dirt, grime and alienation that often characterises portrayals of city living.

With the obvious similarities between both films, the question had to be asked: was there any hesitation to direct The Reef so soon after Black Water? “No, not at all,” says Traucki. “I believe there are similarities, but also differences. The film was already released in the UK, and the reviews say how wonderfully scary and thrilling the film is, so I don’t think it’s really a problem”.

side of my brain to make sure it doesn’t stop me from enjoying the water.”

While he may not know exactly what that ‘something’ is, Haslam hopes that, if nothing else, his show “makes you walk outside the theatre, look around at the space you’re inhabiting and see how much potential it holds – and how wonderful it can be.”

What: CONCRETE heartbeat, Wr/Dir Mark Haslam When: March 15 – April 3 Where: Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo More: www.rocksurfers.org

Griff the Invisible

[FILM] Imagining an Aussie Superhero By Beth Wilson

A

ustralian actor Leon Ford (Beneath Hill 60) makes his writing and directing feature debut with Griff the Invisible, the story of a timid office-worker (played by Ryan Kwanten), who takes on a secret superhero identity at night, and Melody (Maeve Dermody), the amateur scientist who falls in love with him. It's a charming tale of two slightly offbeat characters who view the world a little differently.

Ford started out with the idea of a twentysomething man with an overactive imagination. “At some point when all of us are about 10 or 11 we get told by society or friends or peers that we can’t keep playing, but [Griff] wasn’t there that day. I was really interested in what that would do to you in our society. Would it ostracise you? Why do we have to give up our imaginations and conform all the time?”

Ford initially had problems casting the title role.

“People came in with a comic simpleton way of playing [Griff], and that was a different film to the one I wanted to make.” But when True Blood actor Ryan Kwanten sent a 30-second audition tape from LA, Ford knew he’d found the right person. “He had no judgement on his character and left it up to the audience if they wanted to judge him or go with him.”

“Ryan is quite intriguing as a person," says co-star Maeve Dermody. "He doesn’t

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immediately present what is going on for him.

I spent the first month going, ‘Why aren’t you responding to me in a normal way’… He is that kind of actor, you can’t really tell where he is beginning and ending and where the character is

coming in, and that is a huge talent.”

“One of the most wonderful things about casting Ryan is that he could actually be a bloody superhero!” Dermody half-jokingly claims. “He’s Ryan Kwanten is Griff, the Invisible

a yoga instructor, runs two marathons a week, used to be a boxing champion and a surfing instructor. You hug him and you just feel this ripple - muscles and no fat whatsoever.” Ford cuts in, explaining that some of Kwanten’s superhuman qualities impeded filming of the action scenes: “We had to say ‘Can you slow down so the camera can actually pick you up!’”

While Kwanten makes a great superhero, it is the romance between Griff and Melody that propels the film. As the story unfolds, in many ways it is Melody who emerges as the hero. Dermody speaks with a lot of warmth about her role. “I had never read a character in a screenplay like her… I just like how unusual she is and how she spends her time, what she says; and I think she’s got an integrity and honesty that comes from her owning her true nature and not saying yes to another road.”

With its up-beat outlook on being different and its feel-good factor, Griff the Invisible has been entertaining audiences at the Toronto and Berlin International film festivals, but Ford is eager to see how the film plays in Australia. “I am understandably hoping with all my heart that people will respond to it, because it has been in my head for so long.”

What: Griff the Invisible When: Opens March 17

FINAL DAYS 15 Tu 16 We 17 Th 18 Fr 19 Sa 20 Su

*

Burlesque M Black Swan MA15+ Sanctum 3D* M Top Gun* PG True Grit* M CLOSING NIGHT: PREVIEW The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest MA15+

No free list

AVAILABLE MARCH 17

Centennial Park Tickets at moonlight.com.au or at the gate.

Gates open at 7pm, screenings at approx. 8pm

ON

&

EXCLUSIVE TO

Recruitment has started again for the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS)

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or the past few years, we have been fortunate enough to have the support of many BRAG readers as we monitor trends in the use of Ecstasy and related drugs (including speed, base, ice, ketamine, GHB, LSD etc.). Many thanks to those of you who participated last year. The information we gather informs drug policy; guides health workers as they plan and implement care plans; and helps direct education campaigns to prevent drug-related harms.

We investigate many areas of interest each year like injecting drug use, driving under the influence and sexual health practices to help identify risky behaviours. The aim then is to pass this information on to groups who work with regular ecstasy users (REU) so they can spread messages about safe partying. A few of these are highlighted below:

➞ 7 out of every 10 REU DID NOT complete a sexual health check up in 2011.

REU (especially young men) are at high risk of contracting blood borne viruses and other STIs because they often have multiple sexual partners, infrequently use barriers during intercourse and have very low rates of sexual health testing.

MESSAGE No. 1 – Get tested for STIs regularly to improve your health and that of your sexual partners.

contact health services more quickly than your friends can.

➞ 59% of REU drove soon after taking an

None of this information would be available were it not for the hundreds of REU from around Australia who step forward every year to get involved with the EDRS. If you are interested in participating, feel free to contact me on the details below. Interviews are ANONYMOUS, CONFIDENTIAL and non-judgemental. You will be reimbursed $40 for your time. We look forward to chatting with you.

illicit drug

The drugs most commonly used prior to driving included cannabis (68%), ecstasy (40%) and cocaine (13%). Each of these drugs can potentially impact on your driving ability. The penalties for driving under the influence of a drug are the same as for a mid-range drink driving offence.

MESSAGE No. 2 – If you plan to take drugs, plan not to drive. Other options include a designated driver, nightrider buses or taxis.

➞ 1 in every 3 REU had overdosed on a stimulant drug throughout their lifetime.

Ecstasy, crystal methamphetamine, cocaine and LSD were most commonly associated with stimulant overdoses. In most cases, participants had used at least one other drug before they had overdosed, often a depressant drug such as cannabis, alcohol or GHB. Few REU sought immediate help.

MESSAGE No. 3 – If you are no longer having a good time when taking drugs, reach out.

Venue staff are here to help and can often

Laura Scott NSW Coordinator EDRS NDARC

CONTACT US ON:

Phone: (02) 9385 0407 Mobile: 0404 786 677 Email: nswedrs@unsw. edu.au

http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au ‘DRUG TRENDS - EDRS’ BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 25

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 bareboards around town.

Rango

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RANGO Released March 10 It looks like a kids movie, but isn’t. After all, it opens with a half-severed armadillo (voiced by Alfred Molina), lying belly up on a roadside giving advice to a skittish, clumsy chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp). If that isn’t enough to scare – or at least befuddle – the kiddies, I’m not sure what is. That kind of crazy, off-the wall episode is characteristic of the film as a whole, a raucous, hugely inventive animated Western that pillages everything from Chinatown and Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

03:03:11 :: Oh Really Gallery :: 55 Enmore Rd Newtown 0401919624

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the one love love in

Rango charts a pet lizard’s journey from the back of his owner’s pickup to the desert town of Dirt, a ramshackle dive full of reptiles, rodents, and a slitherytongued snake (voiced by Bill Nighy).

Unsure of his own identity and purpose, Depp’s chameleon (we’re never actually told his name) takes the name of Rango, and claims to be a feared outlaw gunslinger. The town embraces him after he emerges triumphant from one of the film’s impressive action sequences. He’s made sheriff, and becomes the go-to man when the town’s water supply begins to dwindle.

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imperial panda festival

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This gangly lizard-hero is one of Depp’s enjoyably loopy creations, and he has an appealing energy here, in contrast to his exhausting work in Alice in Wonderland.

The impressive voice cast, which includes Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty and Ray Winstone, have a great spark – due, in part, to the unconventional filming method: instead of recording their dialogue separately, the actors performed their scenes together as they would a live-action film.

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Arts Exposed What's on our calendar...

CAB SAV (AKA: IMPERIAL PANDA CLOSING NIGHT)

Rango defies the rule that animated films filled with pop-culture references (e.g. the Shrek franchise) are inferior to ‘original stories’ (read: anything Pixar). Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Carribbean) gets away with it by playing it straight. These loving nods end up enriching the film, which is presented in glorious, vibrant 2D, and also features a Hans Zimmer score, in wailing homage to Ennio Morricone.

That’s not to say it isn’t sometimes a bit of a mess – there are more villains than the screenplay knows what to do with, and Rango is kind of an anonymous cipher for much of the film. But Verbinski has infused the film with so much trippy energy, it’s easy to get lost in the

character design, the astounding visuals and the doey-eyed mariachi owls who amusingly narrate Rango’s slide towards his apparent doom.

Joshua Blackman ■ Film

HOWL Released March 10, Dendy Newtown James Franco may not be the most obvious choice to play poet Allen Ginsberg, given his filmography – but he’s an inspired one. Sporting enough of a resemblance thanks to his dark hair and glasses, Franco is captivating, especially when reading excerpts from Ginsberg’s collection of poems, Howl.

These sequences are shot in black and white, and have an improvised, jazzy feel to them – not, one feels, by accident.

Ginsberg’s poetry has a frank lyricism to it, and its stream of consciousness creativity is like the improv of a sensitive musician or dancer. “Paradise Alley, death, or purgatoried their torsos night after night with dreams, with drugs, with waking nightmares, alcohol and cock and endless balls...” And so it goes.

The overt sexuality of his writing was the subject of a 1957 “obscenity” trial brought against the poem’s domestic publisher (and the manager of the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco) Lawrence Ferlinghetti. That farcical court-room drama is the throughline of the film, with the always-great David Strathairn as the prosecutor, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm as the more articulate leader of the defence, and Jeff Daniels as one of the many academic witnesses called to testify.

These scenes - drawn, unbelievably, from the court transcripts - revolve around the issue of Ginsberg’s (implicit) homosexuality, censorship and the role of art.

Otherwise, co-directors/writers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have us flipping between the aforementioned readings (accompanied by some quite brilliant and surreal animation), Franco’s take on Ginsberg’s interviews regarding his life and his art, and dramatised sequences of his love affairs – the major one being his life-long partner, Peter Orlovsky (Aaron Tveit). Like the book for which it is named, this film is a poem.

Joshua Blackman Aaron Tveit & James Franco in Howl

Sunday March 20, 8pm / GoodGod Danceteria (55 Liverpool St, Chinatown) / $10 CAB SAV started back in 2006, when a rag-tag collective of performers and troublemakers held the first in a semi-regular series of chaotic cabaret nights at Lanfranchis in Chippendale. It became a place where collectives like Pig Island, The Suitcase Royale, post, Brown Council, Rhubarb Rhubarb, My Darling Patricia and Team Mess could experiment, collaborate, drink wine and make each other laugh.

With many of the same founders and collaborators, CAB SAV and Imperial Panda also share the same spirit of experimentation, of creativity run amok! This special edition of CAB SAV will feature: Matt Kelly (of Melbourne comedy duo The List Operators), Jess Olivieri (Parachutes For Ladies) & Sarah Rodigari, post, Brown Council, Kenzie Larson, The Suitcase Royale, Brown Council, Pig Island, and Claudia O’Doherty. theimperialpanda.com 26 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Team Mess at CAB SAV (Imperial Panda 2009): photo by Cybele Malinowski

■ Film

DVD Reviews Extras, extras...

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

The Social Network Sony Pictures Home Ent. Released March 2 Rather than re-hash the plot, I’m devoting this review to the unusually awesome set of Special Features that comes with the doubledisc edition. Besides your usual director's commentary, there’s an extra commentary track with Aaron Sorkin (who won the Oscar for his script) and the key cast, and a superlative second disc of featurettes, including the featurelength doco How Did They Ever Make a Movie of Facebook? and a set of shorter interviews that cover technical aspects - from the visuals to the editing, and the Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross soundtrack.

What immediately strikes you is the unusual level of access the filmmakers give to all facets of the filmmaking process – from rehearsals and script meetings to shooting, off-camera conversations between the creative team and the actors, and even the finer details of how an actor chooses his props…

The other thing that immediately strikes you is how pedantic David Fincher is as a director.

In the How Did They Ever Make featurette in particular, you see how truly involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process Fincher is.

The two most interesting examples of this are the footage of script meetings, in which Fincher, Sorkin and the cast debunk the words and meaning of every scene, sentence by sentence; and footage from the rehearsals for the film’s opening scene, in which Fincher directs Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara’s performances to a pedantic level of detail.

The other major draw card for fans of the film is the chance to see Sorkin talk. While he really deserved a featurette all his own, there’s still little gems in there, including a nice little segue into ‘dialogue-intense’ style, and its childhood origins.

I’M STILL HERE Reel DVD Released March 3

“Mid-2008 Joaquin and I decided we’d make this movie together; Joaquin had the idea to play an actor who wanted to be a musician. That’s the simplest explanation.”

From the position of hindsight I’m Still Here looks less and less like a fascinating character study, and more and more like an incredibly self-indulgent piece of performance art. Nevertheless: the recent Sheen-gate affair makes the release of this DVD, with a director’s commentary, timely.

I'm Still Here is definitely in part about the celebrity culture, and the insatiable appetite for voyeurism fuels it. But you really get a sense from the commentary that this wasn't the first or the driving force. In fact it’s hard to know what the driving purpose was; you get the sense that Phoenix and Affleck are seeking very different things.

There are a couple of key questions not answered here: why, if they wanted to make a film about character who leaves acting to become a musician, didn’t they just make a fictional film? If it was because they wanted realism, that’s sort of exploiting the people who become part of the film’s narrative, unknowingly. It also doesn’t tally with Affleck’s repeated comments that they weren’t trying to fool anyone, and that there were clues in the credits. Secondly, it never explains how they justified screwing with the publicity cycle for Two Lovers – most notably via Phoenix’s Letterman debacle. For a more thorough response to these ethical quandaries, check out Ebert’s Q&A with Affleck, published at blogs.suntimes.com/ebert Ethics and context aside, I’m Still Here is (for my money) a fascinating media experiment with some very compelling performances and ideas.

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Dee Jefferson

Dee Jefferson

Street Level

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE AND THE GOETHE-INSTITUT AUSTRALIA PRESENT

A film for PINA BAUSCH by WIM WENDERS

With Tank (Melb/USA) & Kelly Ann Doll (Melb)

PREMIERE SCREENING IN

3D

T

ana Karo – aka Tank– bids Australia farewell this Saturday with a grand finale at Black Cherry, Sydney’s home for rock’n’roll, retro beats and redhot burlesque. Specialising in fire-eating burlesque and aerial trapeze, you’d never guess this firecracker got her start in classical ballet… Joining her on stage is fellow femme fatale Kelly Ann Doll – a long-time colleague and collaborator.

They’re in good company, with MC Lauren LaRouge hosting a hothouse of bands, DJs – and even punk rock karaoke!

Followed by an exclusive Q&A with Director, Wim Wenders

Tank & Kelly Ann Doll photographed by Angela McConnell

Tank: it’s your final Australian show – what are you bringing to Black Cherry this weekend?

TK: I’m doing a few new routines... two solos and a duet with Kelly. Some aerials, some fire, and some burlesque. I can’t give it all away, you just have to come see it!

What attracts you to Kelly Ann Doll, as a collaborator?

TK: Kelly is absolutely a powerhouse of energy and creativity... she is such fun to work with because we can be serious and silly all in the same session, while creating a piece we both connect to onstage.

a champion in competition swing and rock’n’roll for 10 years, so my background is a lot of corporate work, and I travelled with jazz artists for years. When I crossed over into burlesque, all those influences are in there – and thanks to years of competition, I’m a sucker for making things over the top!

Kelly: how did you and Tank come to work together?

KAD: We performed alot together in Melbourne, and we were both so in awe of each other but never spoke much; then we decided to just have a play during training - and we loved it! It just felt natural… We had our first show only weeks later – and it was magic!

What routines are you bringing to Black Cherry this weekend?

KAD: I’ll be performing a favourite, inspired

by Josephine Baker’s banana dance: fast and energetic, with a duo in the middle (watch out for a cameo by my younger brother Ryan). And I’m tickled silly to be performing the duet trapeze act with Tank – there will be flips, dives, drops, slides, spins and smiles… Wild and full throttle – that’s just how we roll. Enjoy!

How would you describe her, as a performer?

KAD: She’s incredible. And I don’t have enough space here to say why! We really connected as friends and as artists; she respects her art, and that’s inspiring to be around. I’m really sad this will be our final performance together.

What is your own background in performance?

KAD: I’ve danced all my life, but I was

What: Black Cherry feat. King Cannons, The ReChords, The Scarletts, Black Cherry DJs, Dylabolical (Twist & Shout), MC Lauren La Rouge, Tank, Kelly Ann Doll, and heaps more!

When: Saturday March 19, 8pm Where: Metro Theatre More: Tickets $16+bf from metrotheatre.com.au

APRIL 17 TICKETS FROM $35*

02 9250 7777 SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM

*Transaction fee of $5-$8.50 applies to all bookings, except for Insiders

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 27

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK ANNA CALVI

operatic highs, which rise graciously toward the heavens.

Thanks to Florence Welch, it almost seems that brooding, gothic pop has become more contemporary than the futuristic sounds that are dominating other genres. Anna Calvi’s stunning debut takes the unoriginality out of an overworked genre, glossing the best theatrical parts with pure, unadulterated class.

When Calvi raises the tempo, her pop leanings become most apparent. While nothing leaps out with the force of Welch’s ‘Kiss With A Fist’, there is a greater sense of composure and a stunning instrumental depth, ranging from the wistful accordion on 'Desire' to the slinky slide guitar on 'Love Won’t Be Leaving'. But it's the ballads which are the best bed for Calvi’s breathtaking contralto; there is no doubt that tunes like the soaring ‘The Devil’ would produce tears in a live environment.

Anna Calvi EMI/Domino

Time to be seduced by yet another emerging female talent from the UK.

‘Rider To The Sea’ is a wonderful, ethereal introduction into Calvi’s dark world. It fires the record up with a lush arrangement of bluesy licks that fall sporadically among a blur of eastern instrumentation. Calvi’s voice is smooth, husky and devastatingly sexy, creeping up eerily like a spectre through a shadowy backdrop of jangly guitars and chilling gusts of brush drumming. On ‘No More Words’, the young Brit’s moans leap from whispers to

R.E.M

SPARKADIA

Collapse Into Now Warner Music From the opening, majestic-yet-jangly chords of 'Discoverer', Collapse Into Now reveals itself as an organic, melodic and colourful exploration of the sounds that R.E.M. excelled at in the 80s and 90s, but which were in short supply in the noughties.

‘Discoverer’ is not too far removed from the fuzzy roar of the Monster album, and ‘All The Best’ features a punky rave-up that recalls the garage sounds of Bowie’s Tin Machine, except with more optimism and less nicotine.

By track three we find ourselves in the same general area as the band’s megahit Automatic For The People, with acoustic guitars riding up front as distant beds of ambience fill out the background. The spacey, moody vibe continues for a few tracks before the faster-paced, dirty-toned ‘Mine Smell Like Honey' - after which it heads back to the shadows again with ‘Walk It Back’, which mixes piano and acoustic guitar with a vintage R&B sensibility.

The most striking thing about Collapse Into Now is the juxtaposition of Stipe’s restrained vocals with the colourful instrumentation. Perhaps this was driven by the choice not to tour on the album - it’s certainly more layered than its predecessor Accelerate, and would require a rather vast extended army to replicate on stage. Guests include Peaches on the catchy ‘Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter’, the inimitable Patti Smith on ‘Blue’ and ‘Discoverer’, and Eddie Vedder on ‘It Happened Today’. But for the most part the focus is on R.E.M, either in extreme close-up and with saturated colours on the brasher numbers, or in a deep panorama on the more introspective tracks.

Collapse Into Now is a return to R.E.M.’s more Technicolor moments.

It’s a shame these songs won’t get a live airing, because they’d make for a hell of a concert.

Peter Hodgson

Handling preliminary production, instrumentation and vocals all on his own, Burnett manages to retain that Sparkadia sound beloved by so many on 2008’s Postcards - but by penning too many songs which sound the same, he falls a little short of writing an album as engaging.

That’s a shame because there’s tracks on The Great Impression that really dominate, like the pounding, classic-Coldplay-sounding ‘China’ - and there’s some excellent songwriting here, particularly in lead single ‘Talking Like I’m Falling Down Stairs’ (one of the more interesting things to hit radio this year), and the sublime opener and title track. But unfortunately, the highlights are few and far between.

Burnett knows his strengths and plays to them accordingly but, with not enough variation in the instruments behind him, it’s often left to the vocals to carry the material. As it stands, many people would probably love to listen to him sing all day; he has that kind of instantly-warming tone that ushers in even the most sceptical.

The problem is that it’s just not enough to engage with across twelve largely-unchanging tracks, no matter how much I wanted it to be.

The Great Impression sounds very much like a product of where it was recorded; cold and introspective England. So if you like it now, you’ll love it come June/July.

Jonno Seidler

Nolan Giles

THE DUM DUM GIRLS

The Great Impression Ivy League Last time I saw Sparkadia play, there were at least four of them - but that was so pre-2K11. If Oh Mercy are anything to go by, this is the year of the one-man band and Alex Burnett, he of the perfect choirboy voice, has taken that even further - because there’s literally nobody else on this record.

It’s her otherworldly voice, hinting as much at a fiery Shirley Bassey as it does modern pop artists like Welch and Natasha Khan, that stands out as the driving force here. Then there's the subtleties of the instrumentation and the swirling, ominous moodiness, all of which combine to make for a deliciously spectral album.

DROPKICK MURPHYS

He Gets Me High EP Sub Pop/Inertia He Gets Me High, the second EP from Californian quartet The Dum Dum Girls, confirms that they are as underrated as they are lo-fi and as talented as they are multifaceted.

As on last year’s debut album I Will Be, the sound here is pleasurably difficult to classify. Imagine Best Coast, The Ronnettes, Camera Obscura, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Mazzy Starr, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Bikini Kill, Sleigh Bells, Joan Jett and Hole decided to have a hoedown… in the middle of the night… in the 60s.

Super catchy melodies, nifty hooks and doo-wop-esque harmonies are shaken thoroughly before being mixed with a heavy distortion filter, choppy guitar, no-nonsense drumming and ample reverb. The result is riot grrrl meets rock chick meets nostalgic soul meets angsty murk meets the hopeful sounds of now - and it works.

He Gets Me High charters a uniquely ambiguous journey through an experience of love. Over four tracks, we jump from obsession (“Tell me what you dream / Could it be of me?” - ‘Wrong Feels Right’) to the exhilaration of the title track (“I do not care when, how, or why / He gets me high he gets me high”) to mournful reminiscence (‘Take Care Of My Baby’) to carelessly blind devotion (“If a double decker bus / Crashes into us / To die by your side / Is such a heavenly way to die” – ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’). Does this journey occur across a night, or a lifetime? In reality, or in the protagonist’s fantasies? The listener is left to decide.

Intensely pleasurable from start to finish, The Dum Dum Girls nail their unique sound across four tracks that leave the listener curious and hungry for more.

Andrew Geeves

Going Out In Style Born & Bred Fear not, fellow Celtpunkers; rather than a farewell album, the title refers to the main character.

Main character, you say? To be sure, I says. In the Irish tradition, most DKM songs tell a story of hope, courage, regret or rebellion and this time, a story is told across the entire album - the story of the fictional Cornelius Larkin. The title track is the one most fans will want played at their funeral; a first person account of Cornelius’ wake. Like the best drinking songs, it makes you want to throw your arms around good friends, and stomp around the room.

Everything you love about the Murphys is still here, but they’ve grown considerably since 2007’s The Meanest Of Times. Lyrically, they’ve never been stronger, and the folkier-than-usual sounds and slower tempo of ‘Broken Hymns’ and ‘1953’ sit comfortably alongside the battleready drums of ‘Hang ‘em High’ and mob chorus of ‘Deeds Not Words’. By incorporating these more traditional Irish sounds and textures, Dropkick Murphys deliver a fully-realised story that demands to be played through a very rare beast these days.

If you’re not a fan, this won’t change your mind. If, however, you like DKM but prefer Flogging Molly, this may convert you. The steel-toed menace belies a sentimental heart, nowhere more so than on their version of ‘Peg O’ My Heart’, which includes guest vocals by the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. The one flat spot is the near-redundant cover of traditional standard ‘The Irish Rover’ that rounds off the album. While always a great tune, here it adds nothing that The Pogues didn’t already.

Alibech The Hermit Self-released

The annual meetings of the Bluesy-Folky-Pop Singers Collective have always been well-attended affairs.

Particularly the Australian chapter, where currently our cup runneth over.

Blasko, Bowditch, Throsby, and Julia Stone dominate the national scene, while splendid Sydney up-and-comers like Emma Davis and Girl Most Likely jostle with Mia Dyson and Adalita Srsen for the limited airspace leftover.

28 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:02:11

Sydney’s Maxine Kauter joins the ranks with her debut album, a modest seven-track affair that manages to pack some blissful moments into its brisk 28 minutes.

More badass and bluesy than girlish whimsy, Kauter is backed by a damn fine band that fleshes out the very fine bones of her songwriting.

Kauter proves herself a versatile performer, by turns breathy troubadour and badass guitar hero. But the release is credited to the Maxine Kauter Band, which tells you a little about the interplay here - because while the softer tracks are lovely, and both Kauter’s lyrics and voice are full of character

The digitalised, hieroglyph-y font and hipster-triangle cosmos artwork belies how spookily good DIOY,Y?’s second studio release is. With definite nods to their quirky dance forefathers The Prodigy, and a deliberate intention to do something different with this album, each track takes you down another quirky avenue in the world of James Rushent et al.

Frontman Rushent has said that making the album was “like trying to put a jigsaw together, where you don’t know what the picture is at the end.”

When he puts it like that, you can see how Don't Say We Didn't Warn You is a bit of a mismatched musical tapestry - but ultimately, DIOY,Y? will always have those prevailing undertones that are innately theirs.

Some songs are old skin in new clothes, where the new clothes are experimental, fashionable and groovy – like ‘The Monkeys Are Coming’, which is redolent of the dirty, grinding buzz of ‘We Are Rockstars’, but with more of a pop sensibility.

On the other hand, there are tracks which are a complete departure from the garage-synth aesthetic that they crafted so ingeniously – ‘Broken Arms’ starts as an eerily sombre acoustic tune before growing in stature and grandeur into a symphonic monster that even Coldplay would be proud of; and ‘Wondering’ would be the outcome of a live collab between The Prodigy and Dead Prez, with regimented synth squelches and rhythmic musings from English rapper Trip.

Warning: this album WILL make you want a beer - likely with green dye in it. Bloody good stuff.

Robbie Miles

Rach Seneviratne

and depth, it is the rockier, full band numbers that really grab your attention.

‘My Maria’ is a slow burner that manages to subtly accumulate tension before letting it all go in a sublime blaze of guitar and organ; ‘Inside Down’ manages a similar feat with a more conspicuous crescendo, but it is no less exhilarating once it finally takes off - but it's gone much too soon. I can imagine that these songs could really soar live, if given a little room to breathe and to expand.

Kauter & Co. put a very promising foot forward; this debut is worth far more than the $0 that they're charging.

Hugh Robertson

Don't Say We Didn’t Warn You POD/Inertia

Does It Offend You, Yeah? have managed to not only dodge Sophomore Album Fever, but to trounce it with Sophomore Album Kickassery.

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK MAXINE KAUTER BAND

DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH?

OFFICE MIXTAPE And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

BURIAL - Burial JEBEDIAH - Slightly Odway SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE - There's A Riot Goin' On

SÉBASTIEN TELLIER - Sexuality WHISKEYTOWN - Pneumonia

live reviews What we've been to see...

The Entertainment Centre Friday February 27 Forget the fact that it’s been more than 30 years since Roxy Music released their final LP, Avalon; when Bryan Ferry and co strode out onto the Entertainment Centre stage to rapturous applause, they still looked great. And though it may appear superficial to approach Roxy Music via aesthetics, that’s really what they were always about – but more importantly, two hours later the pioneering British group had affirmed they still sound great too, with a dazzling display of musicianship that bristled with plenty of energy and bite. Stunning dancers and gorgeous backup singers ensured the glamorous Roxy mystique was preserved, but the night wasn’t some tawdry exercise in nostalgia and self-parody, either. From Andy Mackay’s blistering sax to Phil Manzanera’s driving guitar and Ferry’s trademark crooning – not to mention his memorable harmonica solo on ‘Let’s Stick Together’ – Roxy Music engrossed the almost-full venue (including the likes of Elle Macpherson) with a deftly constructed set that comprised a spread of both their earlier and later material.

Opening with ‘The Main Thing’, the art rock band delivered an extremely polished mixture of classics, even including a rare live version of Ferry’s own ‘Let’s Stick Together’ – purportedly never previously performed live by Roxy Music prior to this tour – but avoiding the pitfall of playing a Greatest Hits set, by throwing in a fair share of esoteric cuts as well. The Roxy aficionado were treated to live renditions of rarities like ‘Pyjamarama’ and ‘2HB’, the latter of which was a clear evening highlight, with Ferry’s crooning from behind the keyboard drawing people up from their chairs and prompting as much of a stage rush as one could expect from an audience that have been on the circuit since it all began back in 1970.

Closing with an extended version of ‘Flesh and Blood’, Roxy Music rounded off what will surely be their last performance in Sydney in serene fashion, and you’d be hard pressed to find an audience member who didn’t agree they went out the way they deserved to: in style.

Chris Honnery

RIHANNA

Acer Arena, Sydney Olympic Park Friday March 4 “C’mon rude boy boy / something something what? / Oh na na what’s my name? BOOM BOOM BOOM” Days after the night-of-nights that was Rihanna’s Last Girl on Earth show, this Ri-Ri mega-mix is still in my head. I really, really love her music - girl’s got some catchy tunes, okay? - but after watching her crazy around Acer Arena for nearly two hours, that’s basically all that she has. Catchy tunes, three mediocre costumes and 15 seconds of video on a loop. Um, hello? Yawn! Sure, everything was shiny and things were exploding and Ri-Ri rode the barrel of a pink tank while wearing Mickie Mouse ears, but at the end of the day you were just like, “That’s not a real tank, Ri-Ri. WTF?” While Rihanna did do some dancing, it wasn’t really enough to justify the severe lack of singing. She didn’t even pretend most of the time - and I wouldn’t have been surprised if the Good Girl Gone Bad curled up for a nap while the backing track just did its thing. And that fake guitar-playing during Rockstar? Not only did she contradict her own lyric by having a black guitar in the first place, but then to not even learn a lick or two? She might be the Last Girl on Earth, but that’s no excuse to get lazy.

Points must be awarded for caring about the nosebleed section. The moving podium Rihanna might have stolen from a school debating team brought her that precious metre closer to the poor folks up in Row Z. Golf claps for the podium. Golf claps also for finishing with ‘Umbrella’ - although I didn’t understand the red confetti dropped from the roof at the end. Is it raining blood? Has it been raining blood the whole time Rihanna’s been singing that song?

Talk about a revelation.

While Acer Arena is usually full of basketballs, that night the place was full of children.

Literally preteen children, which was surprising considering some of the lyrics: “Sex in the air, I don’t care, I love the smell of it.” Sex in the air? I don’t care? What? That doesn’t happen.

I think you mean “Sex in a dark room under a blanket with a glass of water nearby for when I get a stitch - and please don’t get semen on my sheets”… Although, I guess young people shouldn’t be faced with the harsh reality quite so soon.

So let the children think that one day they will be just like Ri-Ri, having aromatic sex in the air with not a care in the world. Bless.

Irina Belova

rihanna

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ROXY MUSIC

04:03:11 :: Acer Arena :: Olympic Blvd Sydney Olympic Park Homebush 87654321

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE The Enmore Theatre Wednesday March 2

I’ve seen this band any number of times over the years, ranging from electric to downright dull. This show at the Enmore fell somewhere in between, with moments of dazzling groove and Satanic hard rock tempered by self-indulgence and the comparative weakness of their early material.

south of the border

PICS :: TL

Playing their self-titled debut LP, they opened with ‘Regular John’, a grinding stoner rock number that summarised the band’s simplicity and aggression. It was thrilling to watch towering Mexican drummer Joey Castillo mercilessly down-shift into ‘Avon’ - one of his many standout moments throughout the evening. Unfortunately, this early one-two combination was probably the most genuinely exciting moment of the self-titled material. …Well, that’s not entirely true - ‘How To Handle A Rope’ was also destructively sexy.

Despite stagey banter, singer/guitarist Josh Homme was in great voice and dazzling guitar form. In fact, it was pretty fucking satisfying watching the mountainous ginger singer/guitarist and his multi-instrumentalist offsider Troy Van Leeuwen wring complex scales and paint-blackening solos from under Castillo’s apocalyptic groove.

Until they started noodling.

Sometime between getting nudged by shrieking bogans and splashed with bourbon and coke, I remembered the downsides of hard rock. Everyone looks like porridge, and everyone else is a smelly rockabilly goth from the Townie. On the upside, there’s no shortage of enthusiasm.

The show flagged halfway, and I was half wishing that Nick Olivieri would walk out and break a bottle on Josh’s head. Their debut album doesn’t always translate to a theatre the size of the Enmore; nor does it totally work for a crowd who can’t admit that they really want the hits. Josh got a whiff, saying “seems a little perverted, the fun you’re having with our first record”.

The encore is a chance to see Queens at their best. ‘Turning On The Screw’ was blinding and warped - heavy, heavy, heavy - and ‘Little Sister’ was reliably good. Surprisingly, ‘Make It Wit Chu’ fell a little flat for the venue size and relative lack of volume, but ‘Go With The Flow’ rounded things out nicely, and the band left long before the audience did. Despite claiming to be having the best time ever, Josh and co. didn’t not return to stage, despite more encore requests. We missed some of their biggest tunes, but overall it was a fine show.

Jake Stone

06:02:11 :: 34B Burlesque :: Q Bar 34b Oxford st Darlinghurst 93312956 BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 29

snap sn ap

amp awards

PICS :: TL

up all night out all week . . .

justin townes earle

PICS :: NB

03:03:11 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 95501078

amp alive

PICS :: NB

06:03:11 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 95501078

queens of the stone age

PICS :: AM

02:03:11 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 95501078

02:03:11 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown 9550 3666

Orient St Patrick's Day It sounds like: A huge party!

Who’s playing? Live music from The Killarney Trio, Stringy Bark, U2 Elevation, The Blarney Boys, The Moonshiners, Dublin Up, and Lonesome Train. PLUS party tunes and Top 40 cuts till late.

Sell it to us: From 7am, it’s live bands for 10 hours – so start with the Orient’s $35 legendary Irish breakfast (coz you’ll need it!), which includes: eggs, bacon, irish pudding, mushrooms, black and white pudding, tomatoes, soda bread PLUS bottomless Irish coffee and Guiness.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: We START in the morning – this is a non-stop party in the grand Irish tradition….

Crowd specs: Up for it!

Wallet damage: Minimal!

Where: Cnr Argyle St & George St, The Rocks.

When: Thursday March 17, from 7am.

30 :: BRAG :: 403: 14:03:11

horrorshow

PICS :: LF

party profile

It’s called: The Orient’s St Patrick's Day Festival

06:03:11 :: The Basement :: 29 Relby Place Circul;ar Quay 92512797 LEY MAR :: PATRICK STEVENSON : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: ASH A FARMER :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS LAUR :: NEL LEY WES :: :: INNERSTYLE :: NIKI BODLE :: THOMAS PEACHY

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teenage kicks

03:03:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

Inner West Festival

PICS :: AM

03:03:11 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93316245

mum

04:03:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

It’s called: Inner West Festival Launch Party.

It sounds like: The sounds of the Inner West.

Who’s playing: Hailer (single launch), Milan (formerly Massema), Benjamin Sea, Andy Golledge, Dirty SurDin Bastards, The Gilbert Gantry Union, Red Zora, Raprager.

Sell it to us: The Inner West Festival is taking place at the Sando over the Easter Long Weekend (April 23 - 24). To celebrate this event, the festival team is throwing a launch party, featuring a mix of bands performing the festival along with some contestants taken from the Inner West Festival Band Comp.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Not much, hopefully - not if the awesome Sando bar staff have anything to do with it…

Crowd specs: Good tunes for good people.

Wallet damage: $12, for 8 bands.

Where: The Sandringham Hotel, Newtown.

When: Saturday March 19 / doors open 7.30pm.

LEY MAR :: PATRICK STEVENSON : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: ASH A FARMER :: OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS LAUR :: NEL LEY :: INNERSTYLE :: WES :: NIKI BODLE :: THOMAS PEACHY

last night

PICS :: IS

party profile

hot damn

PICS :: AM

04:03:11 :: Exchange Hotel :: 34 Oxford Street Darlinghurst 93312956

PICS ::TP

teen spirt

PICS :: TL

up all night out all week . . .

04:03:11 :: The Gaelic Theatre :: 64 Devonshire St Surry Hills 92111687 BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 31

The Minor Chord The All-Ages rant bought to you by Indent.net.au and Kate Dean

ALL-AGES GIG PICKS ROCK THE SCHOOLS

Rock the Schools has announced their line up for this year’s national tour. Stopping in at around 90 high schools around the country, Rock the Schools is an education and entertainment initiative that partners with the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) to hold workshops with interested students, before turning their school halls into wild rock gigs. This year, they're taking Delamare from Adelaide, Red Ink from Melbourne and Sydney-ites Feeding Edgar along for the ride. And YOU can get involved by hosting a show. If you want the tour to stop in at your high school, they are booking in dates now – so get in touch with them (or your school) to find out how.

The tour is also searching for a fourth band to bring to the Perth leg of the tour. The final addition to the tour will be winners of Nova’s “I Am With The Band” competition, which closed over the weekend. So stay tuned!

HERE’S JOHNNY

You may have heard about the aptly named ‘Here’s Johnny’ tour that kicked off last week, featuring co-headliners The John Steel Singers and Jonathan Boulet; but we wanted to bring special attention to the fact that the Sydney show on Saturday March 19 is now an all-ages affair. Moved to the Factory Theatre due to high demand from young fans, this is an unequivocal victory for the under-18s crowd. Supporting the Johns are recent SMAC award-winners Guineafowl – but wait! It gets better! With every ticket sold (best to get in before they sell out), the Johns are giving away two exclusive and very rare tracks: Jonathan Boulet remixing The John Steel Singers’ new single, ‘You’ve Got Nothing To Be Proud Of’; and a JSS cover of Boulet’s recently-released single, ‘You’re A Animal’.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS

What do you get when you mush together glam, grungey punk and psychedelic rock?

You get a band that went eight-times platinum with their debut album, Core. Yep: Californian grunge heroes Stone Temple Pilots have resurfaced after their recent hiatus, and are bringing the badness to the Hordern Pavilion this Sunday March 20.

Our very own grunge heroes Grinspoon will be taking support-slot honours, for what should be an unmissable night.

More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

John “Rotten” Lydon

SATURDAY MARCH 19

‘Here’s Johnny’ tour feat. The John Steel Singers and Jonathan Boulet with Guineafowl Factory Theatre, Marrickville

SUNDAY MARCH 20

Stone Temple Pilots, Grinspoon Hordern Pavilion

THURSDAY MARCH 24

'My Fear' tour feat. Cloud Control with Jinja Safari, Fishing Metro Theatre

FRIDAY MARCH 25

House vs. Hurricane, Your Demise, Nazarite Vow Metro Theatre

SATURDAY MARCH 26

House vs. Hurricane, Your Demise, Nazarite Vow 5pm / Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle longs thrown in for good measure. Sounds like something that'll be worth staying out on a school night for, right?

HOUSE VS HURRICANE

Also at the Metro, House Vs Hurricane (Melbourne) will be playing with locals Your Demise and Adelaide’s Nazarite Vow on Friday March 25, in what is sure to be an insane night of hardcore, to kick you into the weekend. For those a little further up north the guys will be doing a repeat show the next afternoon – Saturday March 26 – at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle.

WE HAZ RADIOZ!

Finally, to hear The Minor Chord with a real voice, and some more live delights, tune in to FBi 94.5 every Wednesday with Kate and Eva for The Minor Chord Radio!

THE DIRT

It’s taken way too long for Mötley Crüe’s book, The Dirt, to make the transition from the printed page onto a theatre screen near youse. It’s still years away, but at least the wheels seem to be turning. Sorta. The latest and most surprising word is that Rob Zombie is to direct the film. Zombie is much better known for his work in his beloved horror genre and so it seems a curious choice – and we’re not the only ones who think so. A puzzled Zom himself has since denied the talk. And with all due respect to Mr Z – who we really do respect – maybe that’s for the best for all concerned.

ROTTEN DEAL

John “Rotten” Lydon is at it again, this time in Birmingham’s Sunday Mercury newspaper, in which he launches a scathing (and more reasoned than usual) attack, this time on Ozzy Osbourne. “Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ was one of the world’s greatest ever singles but since then, the rumours of biting pigeon heads really, really haven’t impressed me. Ozzy now acting like a senile delinquent is equally unimpressive.

The sly innuendo of promoting drug abuse and catatonic stupidity offends me…

Ozzy is clearly a victim, and selling that loser lifestyle shit to other people equally victimises them… By acting like he does all the time, he implies that we’re all stupid, the working classes. But we’re not, you know… We’re the proper Britain, us lot.”

STOOGES TRIBUTE

Radio Birdman’s Deniz Tek, who’ll be touring here in April, is taking part in a tribute to late Stooge Ron Asheton at a special sold-out show in Ann Arbour, Michigan, late next month. The event will historically see Tek expand the current lineup of The Stooges to a five piece.

Yep, he’ll be geetar jousting on stage with James Williamson, the man he was going to step in for on the current Raw

CLOUD CONTROL

Next week is your chance to say a teary farewell to Cloud Control, who have packed up and are moving to the UK to bring their blissful, award-winning debut album, Bliss Release, to our European counterparts. The band just won the Australian Music Prize (a revered nod from the music industry, and some sweet cash from PPCA) and is putting on some final shows for fans with this ‘My Fear’ tour.

Sydneysiders can catch them at the Metro Theatre on Thursday March 24, joined by jungle rockers Jinja Safari and new kids on the block (and very amazing/interesting beat-makers) Fishing. Another night out dancing, with probably a few tears and so

Remedy

Power tour, should Williamson have been unavailable.

BED WETTIN’ BAD BOYS

There’s been a few great bands with a two-guitar lineup: Thin Lizzy, The Stones, Kiss, Iron Maiden, AC/DC… And now Sydney’s own Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, who last week ended their hiatus and returned in four-piece mode, to support San Francisco’s Sonny & The Sunsets.

BAD SEEDS RE-SOWN

That reissue series by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds continues on May 13 with Let Love In (1994), Murder Ballads (1996), The Boatman’s Call (1997) and No More Shall We Part (2001). Each is a deluxe doubledisc set with the re-mastered album, the new surround mix (does anyone ever play that stuff?), a specially commissioned short film made by UK artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, plus B sides from the various singles and videos.

CONVERSE X 100 CLUB

They’ve done hip soles for everyone from AC/DC to Nirvana – and now Converse have stepped in to save London’s legendary and one-time punk hole, the 100 Club. It's been running as a venue since 1942 and hosted the likes of The Sex Pistols and The Clash.

COMPLETE EUROPE

That massive and totally sold-out Grateful Dead boxed set of The Complete Europe ’72 Recordings (which isn’t even due until September) has blown out from more than 60 discs to a whopping 72. Why? They didn’t want to break up any segued jam sequences that took place, which means that several shows had to be bumped up to four CDs, just to get everything captured as the Gods intended. Just thought you might like to know.

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is Electric Wizard’s Black Masses, which hasn’t got the same hypnotic power of old (i.e. Dopethrone) but does have a certain evil rock wallop that’s hard to ignore. Also spinning is Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert King, who of all the blues Kings we always thought kicked B.B King’s butt clear outta the park - and here, said butt-kicking is a virtual artform. The Allman Brothers’ Eat A Peach - a blend of studio and blazing live stuff, including the near-34-minute ‘Mountain Jam’ (which has long stood in the huge shadow cast by the landmark, Fillmore East set) has also been copping it.

Jonathan Boulet

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, The Church’s ‘Psychedelic Symphony’ is coming up, on April 10 at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. These guys have always been something of an orchestra in their own right anyways, but this is a greatest hits-type deal, with a 60-member backing. Can’t help but be a special night. The last remaining tickets are now available.

John Steel Singers

Send pics, listings and any info to minorchords@thebrag.com 32 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

Mod’s Mayday 2011 is on May 7 at the Sando in Newtown, with Sydney vets Division 4 and Geelong’s excellent Frowning Clouds. Joining them will be Sydney’s Eager 13, playing a collection of ‘80s ska and mod classics, with a few of their Northern Soul favourites thrown in.

M.O.T.O (USA), Young Docteurs, Eager 13 and The Escapes are at the Sando on March 24.

Lee Leffingwell, Mayor of Austin, Texas, officially proclaimed March 8 as Motörhead Day - and meanwhile, the legendary everything-louder-than-everything-else trio are about to return to our shores. On March 28 they’ll be at Luna Park’s Big Top, with Regular John and Tabarah.

On March 19, Daysend are at the Gaelic Theatre along with Darker Half, Anno Domini and IlContent, for a huge night of metal. Come June, Daysend will be supporting Nevermore on their national tour of Oz, before heading off on their own grand jaunt.

Send stuff to remedy@ozemail.com.au by 6pm Wednesdays.

All pics to art@thebrag www.myspace.com/remedy4rock

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 33

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week The Laurels

Bno Rockshow Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Matt Jones The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Mike Hudson, Sam Jones, Kids Of Yesterday Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Songsalive Dee Why Hotel free 6.30pm Songwriter Sessions: Silver Cinder, Nick Wrights, Sharlene Rainford, Burning Violet Bridges The Basement, Circular Quay $17 (+ bf) 9.30pm Steve Tonge O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm

JAZZ

Matt Keegan Trio, LIE 505 Club, Surry Hills 8pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Songalive!: Nikki Thorburn, Tanya O’Gorman, Phoebe Eve, Russell Neal Dee Why RSL Club Limited free 6.30pm

COUNTRY

Blacktown Country Music Club The Lucky Australian, North St Marys free 7pm Whip Crackin’ Country Music Club Penrith Gaels Club free 7pm

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16 ROCK & POP

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

The Laurels,

Fix, Young Revelry free 8pm MONDAY FEBRUARY 14 ROCK & POP

Unherd Open Mic: Derkajam Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm

Afro Celt Sound System Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49–$89 (+ bf) 8pm Andy Mammers Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Bernie The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Open Mic Night Macquarie Arms Hotel, Windsor free 7pm Two Minds Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10pm

JAZZ

Alison Penney Dee Why Hotel free 6.30pm Jazz @ The Wall Live at the Wall, Leichhardt free 6pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Songsalive!: Hugo Yap, Chris Brookes, Jenny Murphy, Helmut Uhlmann Kelly On King, Newtown free Songsalive!: Kate Gogarty, Drover Mad, Snez, Selftort, Taylor Hogan, Russell Neal

The Basement, Circular Quay $15 7.30pm Songwriter Sessions Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills free 7.30pm

TUESDAY MARCH 15 ROCK & POP

Adam Pringle Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Andy Mammers Novotel Homebush, Homebush Bay free 4pm

Andy Mammers Duo Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 6.30pm Bears With Guns, Peter Sot, Open Skies, Side Effect, Dreamers Crime Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $8-$10 7.45pm Ben Finn’s Reels On Fire Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Embrace Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 7pm Gemma The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Goodnight Dynamite O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm Helpful Kitchen Gods, The Peter Farrah Varlets Experience, Fabels, Renetica Valve Bar, Tempe free 7pm Horace Andy (Jamaica), Dub Asante Metro Theatre, Sydney $54.70 (+ bf) 8pm Inner West Fest Band Comp: BackDrop, Thom Crawford, Berkley, Mad Charlie Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $5 8pm Jager Uprising: Oz Patriarchs, Moth, Siara Stone, Taylor & The Makers Annandale Hotel $8 7.30pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 7.30pm Lacey Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills 8pm The Laurels, Fix, Young Revelry Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Leroy Lee, The Ann Vriend Duo, Shanna Watson

Afro Celt Sound System Raval, Surry Hills $15 (+ bf) 7.30pm Live and Cookin’: Fire Tree, Gus Harris, Zoe Elliot, Flowers From The Band Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $13.50 7pm all ages Nag Champa Marble Bar, Sydney free 9.30pm Outlier Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Rosie Flores Trio (USA) The Basement, Circular Quay 8pm Stripped: Emma Dean, Cookie Baker, Jacob Diefenbach El Rocco Jazz Cellar, Woolloomooloo $10 (at door) 8pm The Study: Thylacine, Iron Bark, Tortured Willows, Lacey Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 7pm YourSpace Muso Showcase Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 7pm

JAZZ

Alicia Crossley St James’ Church, Sydney free 1.15pm The Drip Hards, Adam Miller 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm Jo Elms Dee Why Hotel free 6.30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Sunset Jazz: Sydney Uni Jazz Society Hermann’s, Darlington free 6pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Arparla, Nadia Piave Humph Hall, Allambie Heights $15–$25 (donation) 7pm Songsallve!: Carolyn Woodworth Blaxland Tavern free 6.30pm Songsalive!: Rebecca Fielding, Gav Fitzgerald & Peter Thompson, Hugo Yap, TAOS Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm

THURSDAY MARCH 17 ROCK & POP

Andy Mammers Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm

Barb Wire Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 7pm Big Bozza Band, Ray Ray Ray & The Jetsons, Great Awake, Underground Architects Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm Bryan Estepa, David McCormack & the Polaroids, Bernie Hayes Quartet, Matt Purcell & the Blessed Curse Annandale Hotel $12 (+ bf) 7.30pm Cambo, Achtung Baby The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm Claire O’Meara Trio Dee Why Hotel free 7pm G4 Marble Bar, Sydney free 8.30pm Griff The Invisible Opening Night Event: Kids At Risk Dendy, Newtown $11.50 (member)-$16.50 7pm Hot Damn!: In Hearts Awake, To Our Forefathers, Far West Battlefront Spectrum, Darlinghurst $12 (with pass)–$15 8pm Indie Warhol: Thieves Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Jazz and Chilli Crab, The Soul Predators Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $23 8pm Jenny Marie Lang Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Maxine Kauter, James Edgar Francis, Manger Raval, Surry Hills $15 (+ bf) 7.30p Pianoman The Loft, Darling Harbour free 6pm Rose of York, Chasing Bailey, Sierra Montana Melt Bar, Kings Cross 8pm Rosie Flores (USA), 49 Goodbyes Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm The Rumjacks, Handsome Winter Jack Trash Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $9-$12 8pm Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel, The Yearlings, Hayward Williams (USA) The Vanguard, Newtown $16 (at door)–$41 (dinner & show) 6.30pm Sam Joole Notes Live, Enmore $15 (show only)–$37.45 (dinner & show) 7pm Seabellies, The Cairos Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10 (+ bf) 8pm Six 60 The Factory Theatre, Enmore $20 (+ bf) 8pm

“Why people tear the seam of anyone’s dream is over my head” - Billie Holiday 34 :: BRAG :: 403 : 14:03:11

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Sunset Riot, The Perfect Revolution, Le Venge Bull and Bush Hotel free 9pm

JAZZ

Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm The Soul Predators Lizotte’s, Dee Why $23 6pm Urban Gypsies Quartet 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

An Evening With Frank Yamma Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $15 8pm Kieran Halpin (Ireland) Petersham Bowling Club $10 (at door) 8pm Mary Black (Ireland) State Theatre, Sydney $95 (B Res)–$125 (A Res) 7.30pm

FRIDAY MARCH 18 ROCK & POP

2 Steves Engadine Bowling Club free 8pm April Sky Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Bad Moon Rising - A Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival: Danny Marx, Eric Eranda, Shane Flew, Nick Meredith, Lloyd G Drums, Dario Bortolin The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 9pm Bell Weather Department, Pear Shape 34b, Q Bar, Darlinghurst 8pm

Bob Sledge, Cutwing, The Truth Is Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $12 8pm Brown Sugar Marble Bar, Sydney free 9.30pm Counterfeit - Ween Keen 3: Handsome Sons, Luna Bugs, Eddie Dingle & the Kaiser Buns, HaBa gaziliO, Dead Man’s Chunder, The Red Room, Don Macleod, Nothing Rhymes With David, The Corridor Of Uncertainty Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Dave Cooke RG McGees Hotel, Richmond free 9pm Dennis Demello Workers Blacktown free 8pm Donavon Frankenreiter (USA) Metro Theatre, Sydney $45 8pm Double Whammy Camden RSL Club free 8.30pm Eddie Vedder (USA), Evil J & Saint Cecilia State Theatre, Sydney $109 (+ bf) 8pm Electric Empire Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm Grace Night Nonette Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Imogen Harper, Boy Outside Raval, Surry Hills $10 (+ bf) 7.30pm Jason Webley (USA), Juke Baritone Camelot, Marrickville $15 (child)-$20 9pm Katie Noonan & The Captains, Emma Dean Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $48 (show only)–$90 (dinner & show) 8pm

Keith Armitage Harbord Beach Hotel free Last Night: Young Revelry, Radio Star, Mr Nice, Ben Lucid, Kill The Landlord, Minou Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10 (at door) 8pm Laura Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $14 (+ bf) 8pm Lawrence Baker Hawkesbury Hotel, Windsor free 7.45pm Looking Through A Glass Onion: John Waters South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford $45 8pm Mission Jones Club Rivers, Riverwood free 9pm Mucho Mambo Notes Live, Enmore $28.60 (show only)–$51 (dinner & show) 7pm MUM: Royal Chant, Post Paint, Lacey, Doc Holliday Take The Shotgun, The Archerbolds, Sweetie, Meowcat, 16 Tacos, FifiDoesDidi, Shag, Jaggernauts, Sammy K, My Melody The World Bar, Kings Cross $10–$15 8pm My Friend The Chocolate Cake, Frank Yamma The Factory Theatre, Enmore $26 (+ bf) 8pm Nine Sons Of Dan, Indelirium, Gods Of Rapture, Danny John Trio, Lions & Kings Valbe Bar, Tempe $5 7pm Reno Nevada Rose of Australia Hotel, Erskineville 9pm The Road Crew Coogee Bay Hotel free 10pm Seabellies The Attic, Mona Vale Hotel $10 (+ bf) 8pm

Singled Out Trio Commercial Hotel, Parramatta free 8pm Tin Sparrow, Chasing Bailey Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Tony Williams Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Twilight at Taronga: Marty Rhone Taronga Zoo, Mosman $56.50 (child)–$68.50 (adult) 7pm all ages Wade Jackson & The Champions League, Iron Bar Hotel, Nic Dalton & The Gloomchasers, Yae! Tiger, Thieves Annandale Hotel $10 7.30pm Weird Al Yankovic (USA) Enmore Theatre $99.90 (presale) 7pm The Wharf Sessions: Andy Bull, Miss Little Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company, Walsh Bay free 10pm

Donavon Frankenreiter

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Qiu Lin Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, West Ryde $43 8.30pm

COUNTRY

Jasmine Rae & Peter McWhirter The Cube, Campbelltown $20 7.15pm

JAZZ

Jazz at 77: Rebekka Neville Trio Grace Hotel, Sydney free 6pm Jeremy Harrison Bar Me 8pm Mucho Mambo, Cumbia Muffin Notes Live, Enmore 8pm SIMA: Paul Williamson’s Inside Out The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (member)–$20 8.30pm Sirens Big Band 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8.30pm Soul Nights Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 9pm

SATURDAY MARCH 19 ROCK & POP

Alphamama Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 8pm Anton Korytnyj Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Barnstorming Blacktown RSL Club free 9.30pm Black Cherry: King Cannons, The Re-Chords, The Scarlets, La Simonje, Kasdeja, Ruby Riot,

CeeCee, Nathan Dee The Metro Theatre, The Lair $20 8pm Bootleg: Cabins, Belles Will Ring, Lanie Lane, Magnetic Heads, The Cairos Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm Boys vs Girls: Ghostwood, Laura Imbruglia, Young Revelry, Betty Airs, Creepers, Bonney Read Annandale Hotel $15 (+ bf) 7pm Brad Johns Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Domino, Foundry Road, Meza, Gaslight Sentinals Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills $10 8pm Donavon Frankenreiter (USA) Mona Vale Hotel $45 (presale) 8pm Double Whammy Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 8pm Dux Guts, Pretty Young Things, Pash n Hop, The Hooligans, Detektives, NRG Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm

WWW.THEGAELIC.COM

wed

16

Mark Da Costa & Dan Spillane

Mar

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

St Patrick’s Day Festival thu

17 Mar

Upstairs from 7am Stringy Bark .................... 7:00AM - 10:30AM Traditional U2 Elevation .................... 11:00AM -1:00PM Irish Breakfast

Bottomless Irish coffee & Guinness $35 from 7am - Book Early!

Plus

The Killarney Trio Live

From 7am- til 11am!

The Blarney Boys .......... 1:30PM - 4:00PM The Moonshiners .......... 4:30PM - 6:30PM Dublin Up.......................... 7:00PM - 10:30PM Lonesome Train............. 11:00PM -1:00AM

OPEN 10AM- 4AM

$10 STEAK & 12-3PM TUES TO ALE - FRIDAY

DRINK SPECIALS

SUNDAY NPL POKER

JELLY WRESTLING THURSDAY

TUESDAY ROCKSTEIN

2PM - FREE ENTRY - CASH PRIZES

24TH MARCH

7PM - MUSIC & MOVIE TRIVIA

THE STUDY PRESENT WED 16 MAR

ENTRY

THE THYLACINES

Feat:

FREE

IRON BAR, TORTURED WILLOWS, LACY GAELIC PRESENT

fri

18 Mar sat

19 Mar

sun

20 Mar

THU 17

Jonathon Jones Reckless (5:00PM - 8:00PM)

MAR

THE SEABELLIES THE CAIROS, GLASS TOWERS

(9:15PM - 1:00AM)

PURPLE SNEAKERS present

Eric Lewis (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

U2 Elevation (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

FRI 18

Singled Out

MAR

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

Outlier Trio

LIVE: YOUNG REVELRY(Perth) RADIO STAR, DJ’S MIKE WHO(FBI) & THE PURPLE SNEAKERS DJ’S GAELIC PRESENT

SAT 19

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

MAR

DAYSEND DARKER HALF, ANNO DOMINI, ILL CONTENT #/-).' 3//.

WED 23 MAR

4(% $)249 '2/44/

FRI 25 MAR

0520,% 3.%!+%23

SAT 26 MAR

SUPER &,/2%.#% JAM

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 35

gig picks

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

Cabins

Eddie Vedder (USA), Evil J & Saint Cecilia State Theatre, Sydney $109 (+ bf) 8pm Fortune Fails, Earth Mechanics, Chainsaw Massacre Valve Bar, Tempe 12pm Funkstar Marble Bar, Sydney free 10.30pm The John Steel Singers, Jonathan Boulet Metro Theatre, Sydney $17 (+ bf)–$20 (at door) 8pm The Kylie Show Cronulla Sharks free 9pm The Last Waltz Revival Coogee Diggers $30 (+ bf) 8.30pm Looking Through a Glass Onion: John Waters North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray $45 8pm Matchbox 20 Show Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 8pm Meow Kapow The Vanguard, Newtown $10 (+ bf)–$39 (dinner & show) 6.30pm Monster Session Multiple Sclerosis Benefit: Cosmic Psychos, Lime Spiders, Asteroid B612, Screamfeeder, The Kelpies, Nancy Vandal, The Onyas, Asylum, Further, Nunchukka Superfly Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $45 (+ bf) 5pm Only The Sea Slugs, Bang Bang Rock N Roll, Thieves Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Power of Two Workers Blacktown free 9pm Richard Clapton Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $48–$105 (dinner & show) 8pm The Supreme Motown Show Penrith Panthers 8pm Syndicate, Delorean Tide, Luke Lukess Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $10 (at door) 8pm Tim Kendell Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, West Ryde free 8.30pm Trial Kennedy Spectrum, Darlinghurst $14 (+ bf)–$17 (at door) 8pm A Tribute To Johnny Cash Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm The Trip Raval, Surry Hills $10 (+ bf) 7.30pm Twilight at Taronga: Marty Rhone Taronga Zoo, Mosman $56.50 (child)–$68.50 (adult) 7pm all ages The Ultimate Bee Gees Campbelltown RSL $20 8.30pm Weird Al Yankovic (USA) Enmore Theatre $99.90 (presale) 7pm YouTube Symphony Orchestra The Basement, Circular Quay $20 (+ bf) 9.30pm

JAZZ

Cafe of the Gate of Salvation Notes Live, Enmore $28.60 (show only)–$51 (dinner &

36 :: BRAG :: 403 : 14:03:11

show) 7pm Doig Collective w Jess Pollard 505 Club, Surry Hills $10– $15 8.30pm Jive Bombers Penrith RSL free 2pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm SIMA: Wanderlust The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (member)–$20 8.30pm Soul Deep Workers Blacktown free 6pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Balmain Bush Dance: Wallaby Stew Sydney Secondary College Rozelle Campus $8 (student)–$17 8pm Cool Room Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill free 9pm

COUNTRY

The McClymonts Auditorium, Workers Blacktown $32 (member)–$35 7.30pm

SUNDAY MARCH 20 ROCK & POP

2days Hits Harbord Beach Hotel free 6pm BJ Thomas Campbelltown RSL $45 2pm Broken Hands, The Cruel Kind Valve Bar, Tempe 2pm Eddie Vedder (USA), Evil J & Saint Cecilia State Theatre, Sydney $109 (+ bf) sold out 8pm Helpful Kitchen Gods, Fabels, The Ruby Wilde, King Fallen Gladstone Hotell, Chippendale free 5pm Louis London, Tripulacion, Edens March, Sophie Hanlon, Kathryn Hartnett, Running Guns, Calvin Chilchick Seabellies

up all night out all week...

Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills Main Street Kro Bar, Bondi Junction free 6.30pm Matt Jones Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 5pm Matt Price Novotel Homebush, Homebush Bay free 4pm Mike Bennett The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Nicky Kurta Crows Nest Hotel free 4pm Patrick & The Deepend, Pink Ribbons, Chloe Harrison Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 7pm Seabellies Brass Monkey, Cronulla $12.25 (presale) 7pm Screaming Sunday Annandale Hotel $15 12pm Stone Temple Pilots (USA), Grinspoon Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park $89.60 (+ bf) Tickets sold out 7pm Stormcellar Downstairs, The Sandringham Hotel, Newtown 4pm

JAZZ

Blues Sunday: Mark Hooper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 6pm Jaded Vanities: Kira Puru & The Bruise, Drew Fairly The Vanguard, Newtown $20 6.30pm Jimmy Shaw Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, West Ryde $10 (member)–$15 (adult) 3pm The Subterraneans Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 6pm Unity Hall Jazz Band Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 4pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Cafe Carnivale: Performing Brazil Riverside Theatres, Parramatta $22 (member)–$28 3.30pm Nano Stern (Chile) The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (conc)–$30 (+ bf) 8pm Shenanigans Irish Festival: The Wolf Tones, Mundy (Ireland) Enmore Theatre $84.90 (1st release) 6pm

COUNTRY

Hunter & Suzy Owens Band Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club free 4.30pm The McClymonts, Dianna Corcoran The Woolshed, Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill $20 (child)–$35 2pm

MONDAY MARCH 14

Horace Andy

Afro Celt Sound System Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $49–$89 (+ bf) 8pm

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16 Horace Andy (Jamaica), Dub Asante Metro Theatre, Sydney $54.70 (+ bf) 8pm

THURSDAY MARCH 17 Maxine Kauter, James Edgar Francis, Manger Raval, Surry Hills $15 (+ bf) 7.30pm Seabellies, The Cairos Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10 (+ bf) 8pm

FRIDAY MARCH 18 Bell Weather Department, Pear Shape 34b, Q Bar, Darlinghurst 8pm Electric Empire Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $20 (+ bf) 8pm Katie Noonan & The Captains, Emma Dean Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $48 (show only)–$90 (dinner & show) 8pm Laura Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $14 (+ bf) 8pm

SATURDAY MARCH 19 Black Cherry: King Cannons, The Re-Chords, The Scarlets, La Simonje, Kasdeja, Ruby Riot, CeeCee, Nathan Dee The Metro Theatre $20 8pm Bootleg: Cabins, Belles Will Ring, Lanie Lane, Magnetic Heads, The Cairos Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm

Weird Al Yankovic Donavon Frankenreiter (USA) Mona Vale Hotel $45 (presale) 8pm The John Steel Singers, Jonathan Boulet,

Guineafowl Factory Theatre $19 (+ bf)–$20 (at door) 8pm Weird Al Yankovic (USA) Enmore Theatre $99.90 (presale) 7pm The John Steel Singers

STRINGY BARK

THE BLARNEY BOYS

MOONSHINERS

DUBLIN UP

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BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 37

club guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

club pick of the week

THURSDAY MARCH 17

Leftfield

Enmore Theatre

Leftfield (UK) Infusion Kasey Taylor (Portugal) $69 8pm MONDAY MARCH 14 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Afro Celt Sound System $49$89 (+ bf) 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Mondays Mista Killa free

TUESDAY MARCH 15 The Australian Museum, Sydney Jurassic Lounge The Cosmic Explorer $15 Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel Willie Sabor free 7.30pm Metro Theatre, Sydney Sidestepper (Columbia), The Cumbia Muffins, Tropicante Sound Systema $28.90 (conc)–$33.90 8pm

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Dead Prez (USA) $43.30 (+ bf) 8pm The Valve, Tempe Underground Tables DJ Ato, Myme free 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Pop Panic The Rehearsals (live), Cris Angel, Pablo Calamari Power Ballads Room free

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16 Bank Hotel, Newtown Girls’ Night DJ Playmate free 9pm The Hive Bar, Erskineville Vinyl Club free 7pm Marlborough Hotel, Newtown DJ Moussa free 11pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Secret Wars Sydney – Round 2 Mistery vs Sprinkles $10 (+ Glovecats

bf) 6.30pm Sirens Nightclub, Terrigal Medusa HypnotixX $5 9pm St Pauls College, Sydney Surreal Sounds Flight Facilities, Van She Tech, The Swiss $50 ( +bf) 5pm UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington The First Degree Tour Bag Raiders, Muscles, Mitzi $23.40 (+ bf) 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Filth Colins vs Supreme (USA), Glovecats, Autoclaws, Boonie, Romulus Remus & The World, Heke free 8pm

THURSDAY MARCH 17 11a Oxford St, Paddington Inhale Sweet Az Soundsystem, Jonny Faith, Typhonic free 6pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi The Camera Club 8pm Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor Top 40 Fitzroy DJs free 9pm Home Terrace, Sydney Unipackers John Young $5–$10 10pm Tone, Surry Hills Sounds of Los Angeles Arabian Prince, Toni Toni Lee, Paper Plane Project, Wedding Ring Fingers, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Cold Crush DJs $15 – $20 (at door) 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Urby, Mush, Johnny Segment free (student)–$5 (at door) 9pm

Audiofly

FRIDAY MARCH 18 Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill DJ Retro free 9pm Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt Ravenous Tour Raven $13.10 9pm Bank Hotel, Newtown Eddie Coulter, Frenzy free 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Morphingaz 8pm Bristol Arms Retro Hotel, Sydney Club Retro Club Retro DJs $10–$15 9pm CarriageWorks, Eveleigh Platform Hip Hop Festival Flexing Skillz All Stars, Sketch the Rhyme $15 7.30pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Bassnectar, Doctor Werewolf, Blog Wars, Typhonic, Flash Hubbrad, Andrew Wowk $15$25 10pm Cohibar DJ Shamus, DJ Anders Hitchcock, DJ Brynstar free The Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills Last Night Young Revelry, Radio Star, Mr Nice, Ben Lucid, Kill The Landlord, Minou $10 8pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst The Hellfire Club DJ Tokoloshe, DJ Jay, Sveta, Lanny K, Miss Yetti $25 9.30pm Home The Venue, Sydney Sublime John Ferris, Geeflukz, Bionic, Peewee Ferris, MC Losty, Dover Haze Jts, Executive Project, Tulz, Flite, Iko, Suga Shane Jacksons On George, Sydney DJ Michael Stewart free 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Falcona DJs $10 10pm Le Panic, Kings Cross Box Social MYD, 3Hundreds, Sotiris, Jamie What, 14th Minute, Jordan F $10 9pm The Loft, Darling Harbour Late at the loft Somatik, Noel Boogie, Noodles, DJ Huwston, Meem, The Swat DJs, Lippo free 10pm Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown DJ Michael free 8pm Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Tone free 9pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Electric Empire $20 8pm Phoenix Bar, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst Generic Party Mosca (UK), Kato, Preacha, Generic DJs $10-$15 10pm Pontoon, Darling Harbour Nic Philips free 9pm The Rouge, Kings Cross Hollywood Gossip Stalker, Astrix, The Immigrant, Ember, Messy Digital $5 9.30pm The Roxy Theatre, Parramatta Good Times S ociety Aladdin Royal, DJ Seiz $10 8pm Sting Bar, Cronulla Electro Sessions DJ Soda, JustMore DJs, Brosman, Knocked up Noise, Matt Mandrell, Riggers free 8pm Tone, Surry Hills Pinksilver Label Night Michelle Owen, YokoO, H Four, Trinity, Dave Stuart $10$15 9pm V Bar, Sydney Tom Yum free 11pm The Watershed Hotel Club Miami The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM Royal Chant, Post Paint, Lacey, Doc Holliday

Take The Shotgun, The Archerbolds, Sweetie, Meowcat, 16 Tacos, FifiDoesDidi, Shag, Jaggernauts, Sammy K, My Melody $10-$15 8pm

SATURDAY MARCH 19 Bank Hotel, Newtown Rhythm Punkz & D*Funk free Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Kid Mac, Bayside Wreckers, My Life, Dax Golding, Chung, DJ Bobby Diigital $13.10 8pm Bella Vista Harbour Queen, Sydney AGWA Yacht Club Audiofly (Spain), Emerson Todd (Germany), Wolf & Lamb, CoOp DJs, Jimmy Posters $45 (+ bf) 11am Bristol Arms Retro Hotel, Sydney Club Retro Club Retro DJs $20–$25 9pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Paul Kalkbrener, Kasey Taylor (Portugal), Jeff Drake, Club Junque, Cassette, Mindgutter, Sushi, Mike Hyper, Eko, King Lee $15 (1st release)–$25 2.30pm Civic Undergound, Sydney Adult Disco Mitzi, Magic Happens, Future Classic DJs 10pm Cohibar DJ Jeddy Rowland free Constellation Supercat Summit DJs Autumn 11 Boat Party Mog Vilderplume, Scotland Lamont, Linda Jenssen, Umder U, Greener, Hilf & Patrick Curda $48.90 5pm Dee Why Hotel Kiss & Fly Launch Night Hook N Sling, Kaiser, Olsen 9pm Establishment, Sydney Sienna G Wizard, Troy T, Def Rok, Eko, Lilo free 9pm The Forbes Hotel, Sydney We Love Indie We Love Indie DJs $10 8pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Picnic Presents Justin Vandervolgen, Kali, Steele Bonus, DJ Silvio, Andy Webb $20 (presale)-$30 10pm Home The Venue, Sydney Homemade Saturdays Jacksons On George, Sydney DJ Michael Stewart free 9pm The Loft, Darling Harbour Late at the Loft Somatik, Noel Boogie, Noodles, DJ Huwston, Meem, The Swat DJs, Lippo free 10pm Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown George B free 8pm Parramatta Leagues Club Kicks Reunion Kicks DJ $10$15 Phoenix Bar, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst Phoenix Rising Dan Murphy, Johan Khoury, Mark Alsop $10 4am

Pontoon, Darling Harbour Phil English, Nobby Grooves $10 8pm The Rouge, Kings Cross DJ Chilli, Matt Nukewood, Matt Nugent, Micko P $10 Valve Bar, Tempe Are You In? Abel, Vic Zee, SubBassSnarl (live), Mookie, Andrew Wowk, HPS? (live), Sakura, Lord von Zipstor, Kate Doherty, Linken & Vertigo, Protogon $10 9pm The Watershed Hotel Skybar The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! Emerson Todd, Yes Yes Y’All, Kato, Levins, James Taylor, Illya, Moneyshot, Miss Gabby, Temnein, Ennsu, Joe Gadget, Mehow, Shamozzle $15-$20 8pm

SUNDAY MARCH 20 Bank Hotel, Newtown Brett Austin free Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Softwar 6pm Fakeclub Spice Will Renuart (USA), James Taylor, Bella Sarris $20 4am The Forbes Hotel, Sydney Church Of Techno Mitch Crosher, Kerry Wallace, Joey Kaz, Jey Tuppaea, Jaded, Shepz $5 9pm The Hive Bar, Erskineville Revolve Records DJs free 5pm The Hunter Bar, Sydney Daydreams Dayclub Yoshi, Keely, Pulsar, Suae, X Dream, Tahndee 5am Jacksons On George, Sydney Aphrodisiac free 9pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sesions DJ Tone, Undie Sundie DJs free 7pm Phoenix Bar, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst Loose Ends Matt Vaughan free 10pm Prince Alfred Park, Sydney One80Project Festival Mark Ronson, Bag Raiders, Softwar free 5.30pm The Rouge, Kings Cross Cheap Thrill$ Matt Nukewood, J Smoove, Barfly free 8pm Sub Bar, Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill Bobby Dazzler free 5pm Sweeney’s Rooftop, Sydney Sundaes Hanna Gibbs, Ty, Josh Verdi, G-Banga $10 12pm UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington Scream Music Festival Tyga, Nino Brown, Steve Play, Suae, Pulsar, Konnected, Ravine, G-Wizard, DJ Willi, Sax on Legs, New Era, Mario Malik, Jason K $34.80 3pm The Watershed Hotel DJ Matt Roberts free The World Bar, Kings Cross Fortune Disco Punx free 6pm

“Southern trees bear strange fruit. Blood on the leaves and blood at the root” - BILLIE HOLIDAY 38 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

club picks up all night out all week...

TUESDAY MARCH 15

Dead Prez

The Australian Museum, Sydney Jurassic Lounge The Cosmic Explorer $15 Metro Theatre, Sydney Sidestepper (Columbia), The Cumbia Muffins, Tropicante Sound Systema $28.90 (conc)–$33.90 8pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Dead Prez (USA) $48.30 (+ bf) 8pm

Cold Crush DJs $15 (+ bf)–$20 (at door) 9pm

FRIDAY MARCH 18

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16

CarriageWorks, Eveleigh Platform Hip Hop Festival Flexing Skillz All Stars, Sketch the Rhyme $15 7.30pm

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Secret Wars Sydney – Round 2 Mistery vs Sprinkles $12 (+ bf) 8pm

SATURDAY MARCH 19

UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington The First Degree Tour Bag Raiders, Muscles, Mitzi $23.40 (+ bf) 7pm

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Kid Mac, Bayside Wreckers, My Life, Dax Golding, Chung, DJ Bobby Diigital $10 (+ bf) 8pm

THURSDAY MARCH 17

Civic Undergound, Sydney Adult Disco Mitzi, Magic Happens, Future Classic DJs $15 (+ bf) 10pm

Tone, Surry Hills Sounds of Los Angeles Arabian Prince, Toni Toni Lee, Paper Plane Project, Wedding Ring Fingers, Shantan Wantan Ichiban,

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Paul Kalkbrener, Kasey Taylor (Portugal), Jeff

NICHE PRODUCTIONS IS PROUD TO PRESENT

Drake, Club Junque, Cassette (NZ), Mindgutter, Sushi, Mike Hyper, Eko, King Lee $35 (final release) 2.30pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! Emerson Todd, Yes Yes Y’All, Kato, Levins, James Taylor, Illya, Moneyshot, Miss Gabby, Temnein, Ennsu, Joe Gadget, Mehow, Shamozzle $15-$20 8pm

SUNDAY MARCH 20

Fakeclub Spice Will Renuart (USA), James Taylor, Bella Sarris $20 4am Prince Alfred Park, Sydney One80Project Festival Mark Ronson, Bag Raiders, Softwar free 5.30pm

Fast becoming one of Australia’s foremost live acts!

THIS WEEK

FRIDAY 18TH MARCH SUPPORT: FANTINE, DJ’S STEPHEN FERRIS & HUWSTON TICKETS: MOSHTIX.COM.AU AND ALL MOSHTIX OUTLETS NICHEPRODUCTIONS.COM.AU / ELECTRICEMPIREMUSIC.COM / FACEBOOK.COM/ELECTRICEMPIRE BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 39

Deep Impressions Underground Dance and Electronica with Chris Honnery

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.

ON THE ROAD TUE MAR 15 Dead Prez Oxford Art Factory

WED MAR 16

T

his is Soul Sedation checking in from the US of A. I spent some time on Sunset Strip the last couple of days taking in some iconic venues, including The Viper Room, where KB Jones - a conscious rapper from Smithtown, New York - rocked a party. He was performing to a backing track, so it was very much a DIY, low budget, Sunday night kind of production, but respect to the man because he pulled it off with style. Will be doing some further digging on Jones once I’m back at the desk.

Horace Andy & Dub Asante Metro Theatre

SAT MARCH 26

Peanut Butter Wolf & James Pants The Basement

SAT APR 2 Calibre, DRS Manning Bar

FRI APR 8

DMZ Oxford Art Factory

THU MAY 5 th

MURS & 9 Wonder Gaelic Theatre

Ryan Crosson

O

n the back of the Squillace affair in October, Circo Loco returns to Greenwood on Easter Sunday with a lineup consisting of Le Brond, Ben Korbel and – yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m getting to the internationals, just giving the stellar local lineup some column space too. But if that’s going be your attitude then I’ll roll out the big names; Visionquest’s Ryan Crosson – responsible for the excellent, Seth Troxler/Michael Mayer endorsed ‘Birds + Souls’ cut from last year – Spanish stalwart Andrew Grant and UK duo Audiojack, who are currently gearing up to drop their debut LP on Get Physical Records, will all be spinning. Furthermore, DFA’s Shit Robot is also on the bill after being introduced to Australian audiences last January by, well, yours truly, in the most recent Deep Impressions club night - a memorable romp down at GoodGod Small Club. Though anyone who’s listened to the Shit Robot album may consider him an anomaly on the otherwise house/techno lineup, he is certainly capable of ‘knuckling down’ and pushing those sounds; from memory when he was last in town he whipped out some Loco Dice and Layo and Bushwacka, and though he’ll no doubt dip into some disco, it’s always good to have a bit of variety in a lineup, eh?

Presales are selling at an expectedly rapid rate through Resident Advisor.

While the excitement is understandably all about this breaking news, don’t forget the last of the AGWA boat parties this Saturday, boasting performances from Wolf + Lamb and Audiofly. There were still tickets available at the time of writing. The Wolf + Lamb cruise ain’t the final maritime bash until next summer though. Dutchman Joris Voorn headlines the next instalment of Spice Afloat on Saturday May 14, and it’s worth recalling that he purportedly nailed it on his last appearance on Sydney Harbour, for Bread And Butter back at Easter time in 2008. Likes the water, does old Joris…

Sydney audiences are now used to approaching Caribou and Four Tet as a conjoined duo – mind out of the gutter, please – due to the pair touring together of late, and this close affiliation will continue with the announcement that they will release a new split 12” on Four Tet’s Text Records label. Text Records was established by Kieran Hebden (that’s Four Tet to his family and loved ones – but not us) way back in 2001, the year Goran Ivanisevic won that epic Wimbeldon final, but spent much of the noughties on ice. Since ’08, however, the label has cranked into gear, churning out some quality releases, including the Burial and Four Tet 12”, ‘Moth’ / ‘Wolf Cub’. This latest 12” apparently showcases each of the producers in dancefloor mode. The Four Tet track is called ‘Pinnacles’, and is a lush, borderline trancey disco-house groove with lots of pianos and synths – I’m dying to give it a proper listen after his standout and surprisingly robust ‘four-to-the-floor’ set at Playground Weekender. Dan ‘Caribou’ Snaith adopts a new alias, ‘Daphni’, for his track, ‘Ye Ye’; I haven’t heard it but it has been hailed as “one of his best, and

SAT MAY 28

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY MARCH 19 Paul Kalkbrenner Chinese Laundry

SATURDAY APRIL 2 Daniel Steinberg Hotel Sweeneys

Kenny Larkin Marrickville Bowling Club

SUNDAY APRIL 24 Omar-S Tone

least fussy, productions of recent years.”

According to Caribou’s Soundcloud page, the split is “soon to be released,” but though both cuts can be streamed online there’s no official word of a physical release date yet.

We’ve certainly been spoilt with Detroit drawcards in local clubbing circles of late.

There was the gargantuan D25 triumvirate of Carl Craig, Theo Parrish and Moodymann to round off last year, and this year we can look forward to seeing the likes of Omar-S and Kevin Saunderson in action. In fact, just about the only of the ‘big guns’ who hasn’t been down under is, or should I say was, Mr Kenny Larkin.

But all that changes on Saturday April 2, when Larkin plays for the HaHa lads at Marrickville Bowling Club to celebrate the brand’s sixth birthday on Saturday April 2.

A luminary who has released on labels like Submerge, Planet E, Peacefrog, and Rush Hour, Larkin is equally revered as both a DJ and a producer, and sure as hell ain’t coasting on the back of the success of his many classic releases either. To younger and older listeners alike he reaffirmed his class in 2010 with two of the best works of last year; a collaboration with Shlomi Aber, ‘Sketches’, and a rollicking remix of Radioslave’s ‘I Don’t Need A Cure For This’.

With Daniel Steinberg slotted to play a day party at the Hotel Sweeney’s rooftop on this very date, it’s shaping as a long stretch of dancing to begin next month. Not that I’m complaining in the slightest!

Teebs Sydney future sound purveyors, the Space Is The Place crew, are bringing us some more good sounds this April. LA’s Teebs flies into the country after spending some time in the UK. The producer makes some bangin’ beats, and this column recommends you check him out. The signals he sends to the subwoofers under the stage at Tone are sure to irritate the neighbours and make your bones shake. It goes down Saturday April 2 at Tone, and you’ll hear 104 Collective, Monk Fly and Prize all support.

NZ’s Electric Wire Hustle return to our shores this April on a double bill with soulstress Ladi 6. The Ladi herself has been based in Berlin of late, working hard on pushing her sound in the European market; she'll be dropping her second album in May this year, so expect some previews of the new material on this tour.

Currently her live show consists of herself, Julien Dyne (who has his own excellent EP out on BBE Records) and DJ Parks. EWH blew our collective minds at their album launch last year, so those who missed the show have a chance to right the situation.

They play the Gaelic Theatre on April 16.

Much like Andy Smith before him, Diplo has been digging in the Greensleeves crates. But where Smith’s Greensleeves mix focused on dub and reggae, Diplo’s focuses on the vintage dancehall material the UKbased label contains in its back catalogue.

The new mix features music from all-time

greats of Jamaican music like Hugh Mundell, John Holt, Barrington Levy, Joe Gibbs, Ranking Dread, Prince Jammy, Gregory Isaacs, Eek-A-Mouse and Johnny Osbourne. Sounds brilliant!

Soul Sedation can’t wait to wrap the ears around this one. And if you haven’t heard Andy Smith’s own Greensleeves mix, now would be a good time to track it down - it’s really exceptional stuff.

Staying on a Carribean tip musically, Brighton reggae band The Resonators have a new single pending, titled ‘Gold Getter’. You’ll be able to pick it up soon on the Wah Wah 45s label - and keep an eye on the same label for the full Resonators album, due out next year. This column has had their previous single ‘Sweet Love Affair’ in the player for a long, long time.

Australia’s consistently bar-raising hip hop stable just expanded with the news that emcee/producer Joelistics joins the Elefant Traks family. His debut solo record – entitled Voyager – is due out for release on May 6. Elefant Traks inform us that the self-produced album was “written in France, Mongolia, China and Australia”, and “taps into themes of travel, modern world paranoia and growing older.”

There’s an opportunity to get your electro hop on this week, as Tone nightclub plays host to N.W.A’s Arabian Prince. He’ll be rocking a mix of the old and the new school this Thursday, flanked by the allstar local line-up of Toni Toni Lee, Paper Plane Project, Wedding Ring Fingers, Shantan Wantan Ichiban and the Cold Crush DJs. Submotion Orchestra

Carl Craig

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com.

40 :: BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11

Bliss N Eso, Horrorshow Hordern Pavilion

Electric Wire Hustle

Send stuff for this column to tonyedwards001@gmail.com by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to art@thebrag.com

snap

gay bash

PICS :: PS

05:03:11 :: The Oxford :: 134 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93313467

04:03:11 Kit & Kaboodle :: 33-35 Darlinghurst Rd Kings Cross 93680300

wolfden

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falcona fridays

up all night out all week . . .

PICS :: TL

up all night out all week . . .

twist & shout 1st b'day

PICS :: TL

04:03:11 :: Iguana Bar :: 15 Kellett Street 93323711

04:03:11 :: Tone :: 116 Wentworth Ave Surry Hills

It’s called: Arabian Prince (NWA, Stones Throw ) It sounds like: ‘80s electro, rap DJs: Arabian Prince, Toni Toni Lee, Paper Plane Fingers, Shantan Wantan Ichiban & Cold Crush Project, Wedding Ring DJs Three records you’ll hear on the night: NWA – ‘Straight Outta Compton’, Toni Toni Lee – ‘Feelin Real Good,’ Paper Plane Project – ‘Pacific Connection’.

And one you definitely won’t: 'Charlie Sheen Bi Winning Dubstep'.

Sell it to us: Arabian Prince was of course a founding member of NWA. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Hi tops and fly girls.

Crowd specs: Hustlers, pimps and sexy ladies .

Wallet damage: Only $15 +bf from moshtix Where: Tone / 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills When: Thursday March 17

mardi gras parade

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party profile

Arabian Prince

05:03:11 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras :: Oxford St LEY MAR :: PATRICK STEVENSON : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: ASH OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS :: LAURA FARMER :: NEL LEY WES :: LE RSTY INNE :: :: NIKI BODLE :: THOMAS PEACHY

BRAG :: 403 :: 14:03:11 :: 41

snap

wham!

PICS :: WN

up all night out all week . . .

sosueme djs

It’s called: Freak The Technique It sounds like: A day and night of free non-s top hip hop action Who’s playing? Jules & Dragonfly, Thorn & Hijack feat. DJ ASK, True Vibenation, DJ Mathmatics, and internationa l b-boy phenoms Storm (GER), Blond (Korea) and POE 1 (USA).

Sell it to us: Freak the Technique is the jewel in the crown of Platform Hip Hop Festival. We’ve got krump classes, breaking, popping and locking, beatbox battles, MCs and DJs, as well as a massive graf comp and demo, plus tagging, sketching and throw up comps. Then, as the sun goes down, b-boy heroes Storm, Blond and POE 1 will judge the highly-contested Platfo rm Breaking Battle title…

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Massive moves and deathdefying tricks.

Crowd specs: Everyone welcome! Come down and get involved, or just sit back and watch the pros.

Wallet damage: FREE! Where: Platform Hip Hop Festival @ Carria geWorks, Eveleigh.

When: Saturday March 19, noon til late.

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04:02:11 05:03:11 :: Entertainment Quater :: Moore Park Sydney

Freak The Technique

party profile

mardi gras afterparty

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05:03:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

illy

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beachball 04:03:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711 42 :: BRAG :: 403: 14:03:11

PICS :AM

05:03:11 :: Cargo Bar :: 52 - 60 The Promenade King Street Wharf 92621777

03:03:11 :: Manning Bar :: @ Sydney Uni City Rd Chippendale 95636107 LEY MAR :: PATRICK STEVENSON : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: ASH OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS :: LAURA FARMER :: NEL LEY WES :: LE RSTY INNE :: :: NIKI BODLE :: THOMAS PEACHY

WED 25 MAY // The Uni Bar // WOLLONGONG // 18+ THURS 26 MAY // Level One // NEWCASTLE // 18+

FRI 27 MAY // Metro Theatre // SYDNEY // LIC AA