The Brag #417

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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly and Steph Harmon

five things WITH

LIAM JUDSON FROM SISTER JANE what? It still spooks me out. It’s incredible.

Inspirations I think the three bands that really 2. opened my mind over the last ten or so years would have to be The Velvet Underground, The Free Design and Suicide.

At some point, each of these bands have changed the way I think about my own work and have inspired me to change direction or try new things. My favourite singer of all time is and always will be Frank Sinatra. That man has musically been by my side throughout my whole adult life, no matter what new sounds or directions surround me.

Your Crew I feel so lucky that I have friends 3. that are such amazing songwriters and

1.

Growing Up The earliest musical memory I can think of is me rolling around on my lounge room floor, still in nappies, as my mum played Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits while doing

housework. Specifically the song ‘Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town’; there was something about it that spooked me out a little. Only fairly recently have I decided to check out that song again, and you know

DEAD LETTER CIRCUS

PUBLISHERS: Adam Zammit & Rob Furst EDITOR IN CHIEF: Adam Zammit 9552 6333 adam@peergroupmedia.com EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 9552 6333 ARTS EDITOR & ASSOCIATE: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 9552 6333 STAFF WRITERS: Jonno Seidler, Caitlin Welsh NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Chris Honnery ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cai Griffin, Ashley Mar, Daniel Munns, Thomas Peachy COVER DESIGN: Sarah Bryant ADVERTISING: Matthew Cowley - 0431 917 359 / (02) 9552 6333 matthew@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9552 6618 les@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Meaghan Meredith (02) 9552 6725 meaghan@thebrag.com GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Matt Banham - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance & parties) INTERNS: Sigourney Berndt, Lenny Adam, Jemma Cole

Seems Dead Letter Circus were pretty inspired by that Gasland documentary, because after watching it and being rightfully incensed by the carbon footprint left by those wacky coal seam gas operations (it’s called “fracking” and for more, watch the doco - this isn’t year ten Science), they’ve decided to use their upcoming tour to preach the good word on the issue (petitions and that). Whatever they like - as long they show up to their Manning Bar show on August 19 and bring the Corganesque Wolves and Melbourne indie quartet Closure In Moscow to support them, we’ll sign anything. ...Anything.

MUM

MUM have decided to throw their biggest party of 2011 at us this Friday June 24, and instead of providing a reason for the festivities, they just kinda shrugged and went, “Eh, we’ve got the space”, as they waved a casual hand around the fireplace-glowing interior of The World Bar. Any excuse (or lack thereof) will do, especially when the lineup includes partyduo DZ Deathrays, Chicks Who Love Guns, scuzzy-surf-pop group Dolphins, and the mental Doc Holiday Takes The Shotgun. Plus,

musicians. All the other bands and artists on Broken Stone Records are inspiring; as an engineer/producer, I’ve got to work with some of them in that capacity too, and these kids have got it going on. Soon I’m going to be working with The Maple Trail and Magnetic Heads - two amazing bands.

The Music You Make Sister Jane seem to defy description, as 4. no one seems to be able to pin point exactly

What: Mercy is out now on Broken Stone Records With: Mike Noga and Matthew J Tow (The Lovetones) Where: The Annandale Hotel’s 11th Birthday Week When: Sunday June 26

‘Pumped Up Kicks’ - the first song to deal with the eternal question, “Can you ever pump up your Reeboks to the point where they’ll explode?” - has done quite well for Californians Foster The People; aside from landing them in the business end of the triple j Hottest 100, they also sold out the Metro Theatre completely. Not to worry though; they’ve announced a second show on July 28, to be held at the Gaelic ahead of their Splendour In The Grass set. They’ll be supported by our very own Guineafowl, and tickets are on sale now.

GANGA GIRI

If you just turned to that guy that you only hang out with because you haven’t met anybody better at uni yet and asked him, “When is Ganga Giri, that one-man percussive dynamo, launching his new album Good Voodoo?” then we can help you out in a way The Living End

ROLL ON ROLL ON

The Living End have teamed up with Craig Finn (that rambling genius behind The Hold Steady) and written a brand new single, the anthemic and grammatically infuriating ‘The Ending is Just The Beginning Repeating’. It definitely sounds like a mash between the two - despite not mentioning dockyards, whiskey, biblical plot points or the state of our generation. The Living End are touring both the song and their similarly-titled album, and will arrive at The Enmore Theatre on September 3 - which seems like a while away, but life sneaks up on you so fast and you always forget about the things you wanted to do. (Presales June 30; general, boring sales July 7.)

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

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121

he never could. It’s happening this Saturday June 26 at Tone in Surry Hills. It’s sort of dub, it’s sort of world music, and it’s totally great live. See? You don’t need that guy when you’ve got BRAG.

DEADLINES: Editorial Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Art Work, Ad Bookings Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Ad Cancellations Tuesday 4pm Published by Cartrage P/L ACN 104026388 All content copyrighted to Cartrage 2003

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rooms to play. I think the Sydney scene is still healthy. One recent highlight that I caught live was Melodie Nelson at the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills (which has now shut out live music) – they write some seriously sweet melodies and I really dig them. Another is The Day Ravies – I caught them at Oxford Arts Factory, and they were rough and really cool.

FOSTER THE PEOPLE SECOND SHOW

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Music, Right Here, Right Now Despite the fact that some venues 5. are closing their doors, there are still great

they’ve got this sweet new small bar called The Apothecary, in the room where they used to put the pokies – comfy couches and everything!

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what to call the music we play. Some call it road house blues, others call it psychedelia.

All I can say is that our debut record Mercy, which came out earlier this year, contains musical references to folk rock, country, torch song, electric blues, 50s pop… We recorded and produced it ourselves at my folks’ house, and the live experience is similar – only louder. Much, much louder.

Katchafire

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

Katchafire are New Zealand’s undisputed kings of reggae. (Somebody tried disputing it once, and it didn’t end well... Let’s just say they’re skylarking with Jah now…). The band are leaving their home country to promote their album On The Road Again, which hit #3 on the Billboard Reggae Charts quicker than you can say “Really? There’s a chart? And they fill it? Weekly?” It happens on Friday June 24 at the Enmore Theatre and you should buy tickets now, because these guys are awesome live. Come watch.

THE CHURCH SAVES

The Church (the band, not the archaic cult) makes insular and intelligent music, so it makes perfect sense for three of them (Kilbey, Koppes and Powles) to organise a special one-off performance to raise awareness and money for autism. ‘The Universe Within: Autism Awareness and Benefit Gig’ has no door charge, but you’re urged to dig deep. It’s being held on Wednesday June 23 at Red Rattler. Save me a spot on the couch?

the new album featuring the single

fragile bird

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rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Nathan Jolly and Steph Harmon

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

he said she said WITH CARUS THOMPSON

I

grew up in the Top End, spending four years as the only white child in the Aboriginal community of Peppimenarti, five hours south west of Darwin - where my parents were teachers. When I returned as a twenty-year-old singer-songwriter trying to make his way, I was struck by the amazing sound of Top End reggae and country, the Aboriginal take on Jamaican and American music styles. When I play my “Aussie Reggae” as I call it, this is where I take it from - not from Bob Marley. Likewise with my country influences - I’m more Warumpi Band than Johnny Cash. I always remember as a kid all the stockmen with their amazing country press-button shirts - wish I had them now, country cool!

My favourite musician these days is Steve Earle. First time I really heard a song by him was backstage after a festival in Broome, with Nick Barker singing and Jeff Lang playing guitar, sitting around with Tex Perkins, Sally Dasty, Donna Simpson and Xavier Rudd.

Jeff and Nick were singing ‘Over Yonder’, an unbelievably beautiful song by Steve Earle about someone about to be executed for murder. In Steve Earle I’ve found a new appreciation for how you can create empathy for the characters in your songs.

I’m a singer-songwriter who’s been touring his arse off for the past ten years, round

Australia and Europe. Hugely influenced by guys like Steve Earle, Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Thomas, I try to write songs with the same emotional depth and weight that those guys do. I’d love to be known as a story-teller who can pull the listener into the song, engaging them with the character and the story. I just released my sixth album Caravan, and am very happy with the reception it’s had.

You’d call it folk-rock, or in Europe they call it singer-songwriter. It gets called roots a lot in Australia, but that can be a bit misleading, as I hate stomp boxes and sing no simplistic songs about trees or the ocean! On Caravan I feel like I’ve made a real singer-songwriter record; uplifting and poppy in parts, and intense and lyrically dense in others.

The music scene at the moment is battling against the evil that is X Factor etc... People hang at home with a bottle of wine and feel like they’ve had their live music experience for the week, rather than heading out to a pub to see a band. It’s not real, and it’s very manipulative of vulnerable people who believe the bullshit, that they’re gonna “make it”. It’s a crock of shit. Once people tire of shows like that, music will improve.

THE BLACK ANGELS

On the cusp of releasing their newest album Phosphene Dream, Texan six-piece The Black Angels are bringing their experimental psych sounds to the Metro Theatre this Friday July 1, alongside fellow neo-psychedelic legend Joel Gion (Brian Jonestown Massacre) and local shoegaze favorites The Laurels. Yikes, what a lineup.

If kaleidoscopic sonic explosions are your cup of tea (and we know they are), we have two double passes to the gig – all you gotta do is tell us the name of The Black Angels’ lead singer…

Tim Rogers

What: Caravan is out now Where: Fan Request Show @ Notes, Newtown When: Thursday June 23

FRIDAY FRY UP

Why do we hate on Melbourne all the time? And why does Melbourne hate on us? Why has it taken so long for everyone to just hug it out a little over a few brewskis (schooners, not pots, Thankyou Very Much.)? Friday Fry Up is a new night which launches this week at GoodGod Small Club – and the first edition features a few of the best live acts from both cities; Sydney’s Gay Paris and La Mancha Negra, with Melbourne’s The Jacks and Cherrywood. (The Sydney bands will be better than the Melbourne ones. And also, we have small bars too.)

Fatty Gets A Stylist

SIAMESE, IF YOU PLEASE

The good people behind Siberia Records (Midnight Juggernauts, you guys) and Chocolate Jesus Industries (of the huge Double Dragon gigs held at OAF every so often) are hosting a series of nights at GoodGod through July – and they look so damn interesting we asked if BRAG could buddy up with ‘em. The idea behind SIAMESE is to bring some of Australia’s most interesting emerging artists together, to collaborate and experiment on stage – and they’ve booked acts like Domeyko/Gonzalez, Qua, Marf Loth, FLRL and Circle Pit for the first three Thursdays of July. The first night, held July 7, features Donny Benét (the one man disco who just signed to Rice Is Nice), BROUS (from Melbourne), Kirin J. Callinan, Erik Omen and Laurenz Pike (PVT’s drummer, solo).

ANNANDALE TURNS 11, THROWS BIG PARTY

Donny Benét

xxxx

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

FATTY GETS A STYLIST

Have you heard Fatty Gets A Stylist?

It’s this sombre-voiced girl singing New Wave-sounding tunes, and she seems a lot like Kate Miller-Heidke but with a lower voice - until you realise it is, in fact, Kate Miller-Heidke, in ‘80s-esqueside-project-mode. Except this is less Neighbours and more “Who invited the B52s over, I hope they don’t drink all the pop”-style pop. KMH is joined by Keir Nuttall, who programs and produces the tunes; their debut album is self-titled, comes out July 1, and could be the best thing KMH has done.

Parades

Yeah we’ve already told you about it, but until you get a diary we’re going to have to keep reminding you… The first half of FBi Radio’s Sydney Sounds Like Festival is ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’, and it’s set for July 2 at The Factory Theatre. It’s a huge love-in of indie extravaganza featuring food, burlesque, DJs and art, and Faker are headlining - their first public Sydney gig since NYE 2009, when frontman Nathan ran around the stage like an overtired eight year old (in a good way). The rest of the lineup reads sort of like a Who’s Who of BRAG Rock News: Parades, Deep Sea Arcade, WIM, Andy Bull, Matt Corby, Collarbones, Kirin J Callinan, StepPanther, Domeyko/Gonzales, Holy Balm, The Gooch Palms, Royal Chant and Big Dumb Kid. (The second half of the festival – Party & Bullshit – is being held the following week, and is all about the beats. Flick to the back of BRAG for that section!)

The Annandale turns eleven this week, which means that in seven more years it will legally be allowed to turn inside out and enter itself. The effect this will have on the structural integrity of the building remains to be seen, but the council is aware of the potential impact and in the meantime you can show your support by attending the following birthday shows: Thursday June 23, Tim Rogers will be looking around expecting to see Rusty go into ‘Baby Clothes’ and then realise it’s a solo show; Friday June 24, Papa vs Pretty will be arguing over which one of them looks most like Mick Jagger; Saturday June 25, Wagons and The Gin Club will be complaining that the stage is too small; and Sunday June 26 flips the bird at the idea of the Sabbath, with a midday all ages gig featuring Kill Appeal, Rose from Ruins and Young Blood before a nighttime show, where Sister Jane, Mike Noga and Matt from the Lovetones will trip things out a little. HB, The Annandale!

PAPA VS PRETTY

Just before we sent this to print, we found out that for some completely unfathomable reason, Papa vs Pretty still had a few tickets up for grabs for their album launch. United In Isolation is a seriously awesome debut LP (so much so that we put PvP on the cover about it), but everyone knows that what these guys do on record they do ten times better live. It’s going down this Friday June 24 at the Annandale Hotel, and newbies Redcoats are supporting. Tickets are only $12 – but if you shell out $30, you get an album too. Nice.

“I can’t swim. I can’t drive, either. I was going to learn to drive but then I thought, well, what if I crash into a lake?” – DYLAN MORAN 10 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

Triple M, Video Hits, Channel [V], Fasterlouder, New World Artists and Crucial Music present

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 03 THE ENMORE SYDNEY (LIC. ALL AGES)

TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY JULY 07 Tickets available via: TICKETEK: www.ticketek.com.au - 132 849 - Ticketek Outlets

THE NEW ALBUM ‘THE ENDING IS JUST THE BEGINNING REPEATING’ OUT JULY 22 on CD/DIGI/VINYL SPECIAL DELUXE VERSION AVAILABLE FROM www.thelivingenddeluxe.com

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The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Industry Music News with Christie Eleizer

THINGS WE HEAR * The debut appearance of Blue King Brown’s Natalie Pa’apa’a on ABC TV’s Q&A last week went down a storm. She took on Bob Katter, got a cheer from the audience when she told the major parties that Generation Y didn’t trust them, called for another apology for Indigenous Australians because of the intervention policy, sniffed that talking about climate change was too late (“we have to act”), and moved the topic of the livestock scandal in Indonesia to that country’s genocide in West Papua.

After the taping the other panelists congratulated her, and an enchanted Katter bounced over and exclaimed “who ARE you!” Clearly TV’s found a new Gen Y spokesperson, and Q&A asked her to return. Q&A was the latest media conquest for Blue King Brown: they scored twelve front covers in eight weeks, courtesy of publicist Chryss Carr. * Daniel Johns was spotted at US performer Van Dyke Parks’ show at Lizotte’s in Newcastle. Van Dyke arranged Silverchair’s Diorama album, and the Young Modern album title came from a nickname he gave Johns. * There are no plans for Adele to tour Australia, but we have an insider working on it. Playing bass in her band is former Adelaide lad Samuel Dixon, who also wrote hits for her, Christina Aguilera and Sia. * The ‘Kronic Blowout’ party at Perth’s Bakery Club, held hours before the synthetic cannabis Kronic became illegal at midnight, had its own blowout.

Angry police closed the venue for 24 hours, and Arts Minister John Day sent a letter calling it “irresponsible” for a state government-funded arts venue to be used for such an event. * Cowboy Junkies had to change their name to Cowboy Fan before they could play at a festival in China. * Bands and promoters breathed sighs of relief when Perth flights started again last Thursday after volcanic cloud hassles. Melbourne’s Henry Wagons had to cancel two shows in Perth, while organisers of the Dalai Lama show on Sunday had been extremely anxious if Tim Rogers, Tex Perkins and Lior could make it from the east. Earlier in the week, Carrie Underwood, visiting here from the States, had to travel by bus, and organisers of Darwin’s dance party XXXX Summer Session hired a private jet to get The Stafford Brothers, Timmy Trumpet and Bombs Away up there in luxury. * Indie music website Pitchfork has inspired a movie about a mother seeking revenge on a blogger, who gave her son’s band a bad review. * Jay Sean reveals he split from Virgin Records and set up his own Jayded label, because they tried to turn him into the next James Blunt. * Record label Fuse Group launched its new free music, film and arts magazine StrangeLove last week, with former Juice/Stone editor Toby Creswell at the helm.

APRA AWARDS: PERFORMERS, PRESENTERS

Lifelines

Paul Kelly, Clare Bowditch and Darren Hayes are among the performers at this week’s APRA music awards. Also performing are Papa Vs Pretty, Kimbra, Curse Ov Dialect and a six-piece Guineafowl. Music director for the night is film composer Francois (Frank) Tetaz. Presenters include Andrew Denton, Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen of The Chaser, John O’Donnell and Sarah Blasko. The awards are being held on Tuesday June 21 at Carriageworks.

RADIO VOLUNTEER CHARGED A 29-year-old volunteer at STA FM in Inverell, NSW, will be in court on August 4, facing charges that he falsely claimed someone rang the station to say there was a bomb in its offices. As we said in last week’s column, police conducted a two-hour search of the premises, keeping fire engines and ambulances waiting on standby, and closed nearby businesses. The emergency services will be seeking compensation for time and money wasted.

MUSIC UNLIMITED ANDROID APP GOES LIVE

The British Council is looking for applications from Indigenous Australians who have been working in the arts for between five to ten years, to get involved in its professional development initiative, 'Accelerate'. The program will provide eight applicants with leadership development, profile, skills, mentoring and industry placements in Australia. Four of these will go to the UK for further skills development. See accelerate.org.au; deadline is Friday July 22.

OPPORTUNITY #3: JAMESON IF AWARDS The SAE Institute's IF Award opened applications for Best Music Video. The video has to be by an Australian artist with an Australian director that has screened on local free-to-air or cable television, or at an IF accredited film festival, since September 18 2010. It closes for public rating on September 17. For details on how to submit your music video email musicvideo@if.com.au. Last year’s winner was Kiku Ohe, for Angus and Julia Stone’s ‘Big Jet Plane’.

Divorced: Jack White and his model/ muso wife Karen Elson celebrated their sixth anniversary by announcing they were getting divorced - and throwing a party!

In Court: Funk pioneer Sly Stone pleaded not guilty to possessing cocaine rocks, after a van he was a passenger in was pulled over in LA for a minor traffic violation.

Recovering: E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons is recovering from his stroke, but is still not out of the woods yet. In the past 12 months, he’s had both knees replaced and undergone spinal fusion surgery.

Died: Seth Putnam, founding member of controversial US grindcore band Anal Cunt, of a heart attack, aged 43. Their songs included ‘Kill Women’, ‘Recycling Is Gay’ and ‘Eazy E Got AIDS From Freddie Mercury’.

Injured: Jessie J tore tendons in her foot after falling off the stage while rehearsing for a show at London’s Wembley Stadium. She insisted on doing the show the next day, hobbling before 75,000.

Died: Melbourne guitarist Josie Jason (Argonauts, Dirty Rats, Jimi The Human, Mother), mid-40s, after a battle with cancer.

Arrested: Liam Gallagher’s bodyguard-turned-business partner Steve Allen, for sending death threats (to wit, bullets) to a couple who were due to testify against him in a civil case. Allen runs Gallagher’s fashion brand Pretty Green, film company Savile Row Films, and production company In 1 Productions.

OPPORTUNITY #1: AIADA

OPPORTUNITY #2: ACCELERATE

Arrested: Two men, 33 and 30, over a suspected plot to rob and murder singer Joss Stone in her isolated country home in east Devon.

Suing: Joan Jett and Cherie Curie of The Runaways are taking action against a US label that is compiling a tribute album.

Australia was one of nine countries in which Sony’s cloud service Music Unlimited Android app went live last week. Users can now access the service’s seven million tracks (from all the major labels and publishers, and some indies) on Sony Ericsson’s Android-based mobile devices, including the various Xperi models as well as Android-based third party devices.

Independent country music artists are invited to submit their entries for the Australian Independent Artists’ Development Awards (AIADAs). Previously known as the Golden Saddles, three major prizes are on offer. They are the Professional Development Award ($20,000), People’s Choice ($10,000) and Music Video of the Year Award ($5,000). The AIADA concert is held on Saturday October 15 at Rooty Hill RSL Club as part of the four-day Total Country Weekend. Deadline is Sunday July 24; see totalcountry.com.au

Split: Kiss bassist Gene Simmons’ long time gal Shannon Tweed told US TV that their 26-year old relationship has "pretty much unraveled”.

SXSW DOCO SCREENING, PANELS A documentary on the 25 years of Austin’s South by Southwest will be shown for free at events around the country aimed at music, film and interactive execs. A panel of SxSW veterans will discuss the opportunities that the conference holds for Australians. The Sydney event is at the Vanguard on Monday July 18, from 5:30 - 10pm.

HARD ROCK CAFÉ: BE INSTRUMENTAL Hard Rock Australia launched ‘Be Instrumental’, asking for new, used or unwanted musical instruments for disadvantaged children.

They will be collected at Hard Rock Cafes in Sydney and Surfers Paradise until the end of July, and then distributed through the Jimmy Little Foundation, Australian Children’s Music Foundation and the Alexandria Park Community School in Sydney. More info at hardrock.com/surfersparadise or hardrock.com/Sydney.

ATP MOVIE Warp Films screens its All Tomorrow’s Parties doco at Dendy Newtown from Wednesday June 23. It was shot by 200 filmmakers, fans and musicians, with key input from co-director Jonathan Caouette and cinematographer Vincent Moon.

We has internets!

www.thebragmag.com Extra bits and moving bits without dirty fingers 12 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:05:11

Died: Carl Gardner, original lead singer of the US R&B group The Coasters (‘Yakety Yak’), 83, from congestive heart failure and vascular dementia.

Died: One of the original (and distinctive six and a half octave) voices of US house music Darryl Pandy, 48. He shot to fame in 1986 on Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk’s global breakthrough hit ‘Love Can’t Turn Around’.

Died: US trumpeter Alan Rubin, who played with Sinatra, BB King and Aretha, and was Mr. Fabulous in the Blues Brothers movies, 68, lung cancer.

AZOFF, AXL, SETTLE SUIT Axl Rose and former Guns N’ Roses manager Irving Azoff have settled their lawsuits out of court. The saga began last March when Azoff sued, claiming that Rose owed his company Front Line $1.9 million (or 15%) from a series of shows outside America, from which the band earned $12 million. Rose counter-sued saying it was hogwash, and that Azoff misused his position as chairman of Live Nation Entertainment to “punish artists and harm their career if they do not follow his orders” with unfavorable touring deals. He also claimed Azoff mishandled plans for the Gunners to tour with Van Halen.

CONFESSION BY TUPAC SHOOTER? A man serving life for murder and robbery wrote to allhiphop.com confessing that he shot Tupac Shakur in 1994, in a studio. Dexter Isaac claimed he was paid $2,500 to rob and shoot the rap superstar by prime suspect Jimmy Rosemond, who is on the run. He says he’s only confessed now because he can’t be prosecuted for the shooting, as the statute of limitations has run out. Meantime, reports recently released by the FBI show that it spent almost two years investigating if the 1997 shooting murder of Tupac’s rival, Biggie Small, had involved corrupt cops. The inquiry ended in 2005, due to lack of evidence.

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Wishful Thinking - A Retrospective

By Dominik Krupinski

sn’t it funny that there’s a word for as specific a misfortune as defenestration, but no equally succinct term for having grown up poor but intelligent; aware of the options available to others, but denied the same ambitions. You’d think the former a smaller niche than the latter, but English doesn’t afford it a discrete word.

There’s probably a German compound word that nails it.

That failing of language was just as well for Pulp; spinning that idea out to song length put the group on the crest of the Britpop wave in 1995. Standing in for The Stone Roses as Glastonbury headliners, it’s hard to imagine how surreal it would have been for Pulp after years of middling success, odd jobs and the dole, seeing thousands upon thousands of people going ape over ‘Common People’; singing their words back to them - the ones about “watching your life slide out of view.”

Hell, it gets weirder - around that time, it was possible to buy (buy!) ‘I’m Common’ merchandise. Hysterical.

And all the moreso because, prior to the Glastonbury victory, fame had long eluded the band. Lead singer, unlikely sex symbol and sole original member Jarvis Cocker had formed (then) Arabacus Pulp with a high school classmate all the way back in 1978. But despite an early break playing John Peel’s radio show in 1981, the ensuing decade didn’t smile on the group. Members came and went, records sold poorly, and for a while in the late ‘80s, the band called it quits, the lineup dispersing to pursue studies and dead-end jobs.

That said, it’s hard to entirely blame the listening public; Pulp’s early albums were pretty hit and miss. It (1982) was Leonard Cohen-inspired folk, Freaks (1987) humourlessly and unconvincingly dark, while Separations (1989) dabbled in acid house (I swear I’m not making this up). Which isn’t to say there weren’t highlights. ‘Wishful Thinking’ (from It), was an early hint at Pulp’s future aesthetic; plaintive and sexually frustrated, it’s the sort of post-coital hangover song that would have fit among the more downbeat songs on Pulp’s eventual hit album, Different Class. But then who’d have thunk kitchen sink eroticism a recipe for success?

Poorly-received albums weren’t Pulp’s only misfortunes. In 1985, Cocker fell through a window at a party while performing a (presumably unsuccessful) Spiderman impression, leaving him wheelchair-bound for months. Overnight success indeed. But perhaps ironically, it was Pulp’s very lack of headway, as well as some fortuitous timing, that eventually gave them their break in the early ‘90s.

Notoriously elusive to the media of late, Cocker and bassist Steve Mackey did reminisce about the past in a recent interview with the BBC’s Steve Lamacq: “Towards the end of being at college, we just started playing a few shows and things started to happen,” Jarvis said.

Added Mackey: “[It was a case of] not trying as hard, ‘cos things weren’t going so well, Jarvis had come to London to try and do something else; we didn’t really expect anyone to come and watch us.”

This newfound relaxation may not have immediately produced a recognisably “Pulp” sound, but it did, thankfully, mean ditching the acid house and finding material a little closer to home. The group’s first inklings of success came with favourable press for the singles ‘My Legendary Girlfriend’ and ‘Countdown’ in 1991. Sonically, ‘Countdown’ may have sounded like disco via Joy Division - check out the hilarious video featuring a short-haired Cocker channeling Ian Curtis - but tellingly, both songs found Jarvis’ lyrics starting to draw overtly on his background as a bookish, if perverse, misfit from working class Sheffield.

It was a direction that foreshadowed Pulp’s future career as producers of slightly kinky tales of underprivilege; something that a resurgent British music scene would turn out to have an appetite for. As Mackey put it in the Lamacq interview, “The thing you need sometimes in a band is a bit of luck. There’s loads of bands making great music, but people just don’t catch them at the right time. Suddenly grunge died … people seemed interested in British music again and we just happened to have a record around.”

That record was 1994’s excellent His ‘n’ Hers, and the singles that preceded it were ‘Babies’, ‘Lipgloss’ and ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’. ’Babies’ in particular marked the point at which Pulp became musically and lyrically cohesive. It may have dealt with voyeuristic suburban longing, but rather than a mopey dirge or outright sleaze, the track was musically ebullient, and lyrically, intensely confident… in a

roundabout way. Cocker’s stand-in protagonist even got laid - “I only went with her ‘cause she looked like you” - albeit by the wrong girl.

There’s a great line from Loaded editor James Brown in the doco Live Forever that pretty much sums up Britpop: “Confidence was something that in the past we’d left to Americans, [but suddenly] it just seemed like all of those sentences, all of those discussions you’d ever had - wouldn’t it be great if? - well that’s what happened in the ‘90s: if happened.” And what better encapsulation of that than Jarvis Cocker’s council flat lothario persona getting his end away? Than the far-from-conventionallyattractive singer becoming a sex symbol himself? For a couple of years after that, it seemed all the band’s tracks were about dorks getting laid and the small triumphs of dweebs, oddballs, the working poor and the dole; all shot through with Jarvis’ characteristically English, and increasingly cocksure, wit. Unsurprisingly, given the musical and cultural climate, they sold big. His ‘n’ Hers was, by Pulp’s standards, massive; ‘Common People’, Glastonbury, and their next album, 1995’s massively successful Different Class, were huge by anyone’s.

Which, as it turned out, wasn’t the blessing it must have seemed in Pulp’s leaner years.

Cocker in particular was ill-equipped to deal with fame, or the mountains of coke that lent Britpop much of its ballyhooed confidence.

As a celebrity, he made for a fine spectacle probably the best being his arrest for storming Michael Jackson’s messianic performance at the 1996 BRIT awards - but personally, fame took its toll. Jarvis recounted later (again, in Live Forever): “You don’t often hear people say, ‘Oh, since he’s been taking them drugs, he’s such a nice person! He’s really come out of his shell.’”

Previously charming on stage, in concert he sometimes sounded like he belonged in Oasis rather than a band known for their wit - “turn the fookin’ sound up on the stage, we’re tryin’ to get a fookin’ vibe going here, for fook’s sake” - and the rest of the band had their own problems.

Long-time guitarist/violinist Russell Senior left in 1997 due to “creative differences”, and to escape the lifestyle that success had afforded the group. Not long afterwards, Cocker suffered a nervous breakdown upon return from a “rest trip” to New York.

If there was a silver lining, it was that rampant drug abuse and psychological trauma often

make for great hangover albums. 1998’s This Is Hardcore baffled fans looking for more triumphof-the-underdog anthems and sold poorly, but in hindsight it stands alongside His ‘n’ Hers as one of Pulp’s best releases. In the same way that their success in the 90s reflected Britpop’s rise, Hardcore mirrored its wane (Be Here Now had shat onto shelves the previous year).

The songs were major downers - but what downers. The title track was as good a tune as ever came out of Cocker’s obsession with sex, while ‘The Fear’, ‘Dishes’, and ‘Help The Aged’ all showcased the band’s increasing sophistication, if not a chipper mood (Ali G Show performance notwithstanding).

But This is Hardcore left Pulp with little ground to cover. No longer in any position to claim being common, and having vented their post-fame neuroses to minimal sales, the group ultimately had only one more release in them. 2001’s We Love Life wasn’t bad by any stretch; much more relaxed and upbeat than Hardcore (in so far as tracks about refugees and assault can be), it also boasted one of Cocker’s finest sprawling, semi-spoken word epics, ‘Wickerman’. But Life nevertheless felt thematically empty. Pastoral imagery and resignation took the place of prole triumph, immediate dread or believably fervent invective. As enjoyable as the album was, it sounded like a band that had run their course, and Pulp went “on hiatus” a couple of years later.

At least until now. Reunited, if not necessarily resurgent, Pulp are adamant that no new albums are forthcoming - but they’ve been playing shows again over the last six months, and are coming to Splendour In The Grass and little old Sydney. Which, despite how things fizzled out for the band in the end, is pretty fucking exciting. Listing back over their catalogue, the songs have aged remarkably well - more so than most of Pulp’s peers - and it’s a rare affluent poseur who can, even now, resist shaking their arse to ‘Common People’.

With: Coldplay, Kanye West, Jane’s Addiction, The Hives, The Mars Volta and loads more Where: Splendour In The Grass @ Woodfordia, Queensland When: July 29 - 31 Sideshow: July 27 @ Hordern Pavilion

“It’s easy to smile when you have a squirrel’s intellect.” – DYLAN MORAN 14 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

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Chris Cornell Alone On The Range By Jesse Shrock believed to have caused their split in 1997, Cornell not only denies that was why they broke up, but even that a break-up actually occurred. “Well, that’s kind of BS,” he sighs. “I feel like that’s a script written from how other people look at it. Whenever those kinds of characterisations cropped up, we would always look at each other thinking, ‘It’s like we’re on a completely different planet’ ... It probably didn’t even need to be called a break-up, but just an indefinite hiatus. That’s really what it has ended up being.”

W

hether Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell has treated his legacy as a founding father of grunge with careful respect (Audioslave) or deliberate disregard (the 2009 Timbaland collaboration, Scream), the one aspect in which his work has never failed to astound and inspire is in his vocals. With its unmistakable, razorsharp edge, Cornell possesses one of the most iconic voices in modern music. And despite the reservations of old-school fans, he has spent the last decade proving that it’s a voice capable of bringing an intensity to styles far outside the agrorock paradigm. These old-schoolers can rest easy in the knowledge that Soundgarden are reunited, working on a new album, and getting ready to take flight again - but before they do, Australian audiences will have the opportunity to appreciate that iconic voice in the most stripped-back form possible, when Cornell brings his solo acoustic ‘Songbook’ tour to our shores.

of the (apparently) few remaining recording sessions for said Soundgarden album - but as for how this recording-in-progress might compare to the band’s genre-defining 90s albums, Cornell maintains an air of mystery.

“Well you know, what we do always feels new,” he says. “But at the same time, it feels very much like us. We never repeated ourselves, ever.

If anything was too reminiscent of something else we’d done, we wouldn’t bother with it.

As it happens, my interview with Cornell is deferred for a day so that he can complete one

When asked how the band have managed to overcome the creative differences widely

“Having said that, anyone who writes songs has their own sensibilities, and those are [still] recognisable. And I feel like it’s also very vital, because that’s how we are together. When a certain amount of time passes, some people lose their - I guess the best word is ‘passion’.

But we all still have that. You never know if that’s going to be there or not - and fortunately, in my life, it always has been.”

Another thing that has apparently returned from ‘indefinite hiatus’ is the vocal gymnastic ability that Cornell displayed in songs like ‘Slaves And Bulldozers’. YouTube clips of recent Soundgarden shows support Chris’ claim that he has fully regained the astounding range of the early days.

“I went through a period where I wasn’t singing songs in the highest range,” he says. “But over the last couple years, I’ve been writing songs that are in that range again. It was just a matter of doing it for it to return completely. And on some of the stuff I’m doing now ... it gets as highrange as anything I’ve ever done.” In Cornell’s ‘Songbook’ shows, that extraordinary range will be brought to bear in an acoustic retrospective of his catalogue (both solo and Soundgarden) and a selection of covers. But as he admits, some of the Soundgarden material presents a challenge in an acoustic format. “It’s not that easy to take an aggressive rock song and make it work in the context of an acoustic setting,” he says. “I will do it, but sometimes it takes a while to re-interpret them. ‘Burden In My Hand’ is one that even I was surprised to find I could actually do in that context. But others, like ‘Spoonman’, were actually written on acoustic guitar in the first place.

“With the cover songs, I’ve tried to approach them from a completely different place,” Cornell continues. “Like that acoustic version of ‘Billie Jean’... When I originally did it in Audioslave, it was kind of intended as a prank. But as I took time with it, changed the time and some chords ... it became almost a gospel-style lament. And it reminded me of other points in my career where I saw how malleable music can be. Like, when Johnny Cash did [Soundgarden’s] ‘Rusty Cage’, I thought that was a stupid idea, to be

“It’s not easy to take an aggressive rock song and make it work in an acoustic setting.

With the cover songs, I’ve tried to approach them from a completely different place.” honest. Then when I heard his version, it made complete sense. And I got comments about the lyrics from people, only after they heard him sing it.

“Doing a two-plus hour set of acoustic music every night is a great opportunity to crack open different songs and see what they’ll do,” he says.

“For pretty much every show, I’ll end up doing requests from the audience, as they shout them out... Part of what I like about it is being able to communicate with people - to hear what they’re saying and be able to speak back to them. It’s such a completely different thing, being able to slow down, speed up, move into acapella, change the rhythm ... and then do it completely differently the next night. That kind of becomes the second-nature thing, so that standing up and playing with other people again takes some getting used to.”

The idea of listening to Cornell belt out Soundgarden classics and obscure covers in a venue like the Opera House certainly has its appeal - but his Australian solo itinerary falls between Soundgraden dates in the US. Are these shows to be taken in lieu of an Australian Soundgarden tour? “Absolutely not,” Chris assures. “We will find an opportunity to come together as a band and tour Australia, for sure.”

Where: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall When: Saturday October 22; tickets on sale now

Bon Iver Can We Get Much Higher? By Caitlin Welsh highest high? How do I get there?’ And that’s what I try to do.”

Bon Iver contains many a sonic reference that might be seen as taboo or daggy to 2011 listeners, from dark, twinkling sax and earnest vibraphones to unabashedly emotional vocal performance, met with swelling, romantic arrangements. ‘Calgary’, the first single, was accused in some quarters of sounding like Coldplay – the death knell, surely! But the easylistening references and grandiose arrangements weren’t a product of ironic nostalgia, or even really that deliberate, says Vernon. “I have influences and things that I could go on and on about, but I think it’s about the emotional context, for me...

I think that, for me, it wasn’t about categorising references or pulling them together in an interesting way. I think, for me, it was about a search for emotional quality.”

J

ust so we’re clear: when you hear the final track on the new self-titled Bon Iver record, your reaction should not be “Oh, sweet Phil Collins jam”. Justin Vernon’s heard that one before, and it still bemuses him. “I wasn’t thinking about Phil Collins when I wrote [‘Beth/ Rest’],” he explains good-naturedly - because apparently this needs clarification. “I was thinking about what joy means to me, and what unadulterated sunlight feels like, or something!

So for me, it’s more like, ‘How do I express the

You might notice he says “for me” a lot; Vernon is not one of those performers who obsesses over whether their music is being received in the way he intended. “My job is to make a song,” he says simply. “If you start worrying about what people think then you are castrating the whole meaning of doing it. I think I just wanted to make a song that made me feel a certain way, and that sounded interesting, and that didn’t sound like a cop-out, and didn’t sound like something I had heard before.”

While they’re quite welcome to do so, fans also shouldn’t see Bon Iver as Vernon consciously distancing himself from the loner mythology of his first album, For Emma, Forever Ago. Rather, it’s a product of his environment just as much as Emma was. When not touring, he spent most of the past three and a half years at home

in Wisconsin, building his own studio in a house he bought with his brother, and recording new music there at his own pace. “I dunno what kind of person I’d be if I was nervous about repeating myself, and needing to be sad and alone to do any new music,” he says. “I had the time and space to make the record that I’ve always wanted to make... I think it was more of a joyful record because I was in a better spot.”

Although there’s a clear shift in mood and atmosphere, Vernon hasn’t ditched the sonic hallmarks that made his debut so easy to get attached to. The wistful melodies and distinctive vocal treatments are there in abundance, albeit richly layered and spacious in a way the famously shut-in Emma couldn’t hope to match. Those frail, gauzy Autotune harmonies in particular would have been much missed and remarked upon in their absence. In the midst of the Autotune-in-pop debate, Vernon demonstrated how the technology could be used as an effective and humanising instrument as opposed to a Top 40 tool. It even led to Vernon working on Kanye West’s fantastical opus of ego, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – and while recording with someone with West’s international pop clout is the kind of opportunity few would turn down, Vernon is seriously passionate about the importance of the record itself. “To me, critically, on paper, it is the biggest record in the world,” he says. “But it’s not selling. It sold a million copies or something - but Nicki Minaj is outselling it twofold. Which I think people aren’t noticing. And I don’t think Nicki Minaj’s album is a masterpiece.

“It just shows you that something can be really critically important and not have this corporate push behind it. And Kanye just doesn’t like to play the game; he’s too much of a real person for that shit… The fact that people understand it as [a masterpiece] is justified, because it is a great record; it’s a very heavy sonic record.

And I’m pleased to be a part of it obviously, but mostly I think it’s just important to know that it is so good.”

“As soon as I catch myself using Autotune poorly, I’ll probably stop.

But it’s not something I’m worried about being defined as. The world’s too big to pretend you’re that important.”

Vernon’s still a little wary of being known as the Autotune Folk Guy, or the Kanye Guy, or the Log Cabin Guy – not because he allows himself to be defined by the public, but because it would be a sign that he’s not pushing himself creatively. “As soon as I catch myself using [Autotune] poorly, I’ll probably stop,” he says.

“But it’s not something I’m worried about being defined as. Ultimately, I can only define myself.

If I feel like the Kanye-only guy then I’ll probably change what I’m doing... But I’m not worried about those things, really. The world’s too big to pretend you’re that important.”

The last time Vernon came out here was for the 2009 Sydney Festival; he’s admits he’s due for another visit. The plan is for the nine-piece outfit he’s assembled for the Bon Iver tour – including indie-hero saxophonist (and Arcade Fire touring member) Colin Stetson – to be out here early in 2012. To say he has fond memories of the last tour would be an understatement. “That was one of the better experiences of my life as a musician,” he says, before giving me full permission to start SydFest 2012 rumours aplenty… fingers crossed.

What: Bon Iver is out now on Jagjaguwar, through Inertia

“I don’t do drugs. If I want a rush I just stand up when I’m not expecting it” – DYLAN MORAN 16 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:10

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City And Colour Character Building By Chris Driver

“I

feel like life is all about those little hells that you have to get through in order to enjoy the good parts,” says Canadian songwriter Dallas Green, also known as guitarist and vocalist for Alexisonfire. He’s reflecting on the title of his latest and perhaps most widely anticipated solo album, Little Hell.

“They’re the things that build your character and make you stronger - they make you who you are as a person.”

It feels like forever ago that we got our mitts on Sometimes – the debut LP from the nowlauded Ontarian singer. Such has been the spiralling success of the once-stoic City and Colour that it’s hard to imagine the guy having to cope with anything even mildly hellish.

The gifted vocalist has transitioned into the kind of artist that makes cameos on US soap operas, and his songwriting has shed all but the vaguest remnants of that guarded and melancholic austerity that delivered him to us not a handful of albums ago. On the eve of the release of what is poised to be Green’s most gilded triumph, both critically and commercially, the fact that the forthcoming Little Hell isn’t anything we expected it to be seems only fitting.

In retrospect, everything that Little Hell promises to be was on show only a few months ago, when City and Colour jammed on a few of the new songs for Australian audiences. It was an experience that Green seems to genuinely rate among his all-time favourite performances. “I know everyone says that, but I genuinely mean it,” he says.

“The crowd was so respectful and interested in the music – and interested in making it a moment between us and them … It’s fun to take songs and give them a different feeling live. I think that is what’s still fun about live music; you can jam on stuff or just approach songs differently, and it can just be that – it can just be that moment.”

A Better Aftertaste By Tom Hersey

P But there are a few things that have carried over from 2008’s Bring Me Your Love. For starters, Green and his team (which now includes a pretty solid band of supporting musicians) decked out the same converted church in Hamilton to do the album “100% analogue” – something that seems high on Green’s priorities at the moment. “If you want to compare the idea of the stripped-down organic nature of those old songs, where it was just people in a room in front of some microphones playing – it wasn’t all about processors and auto-tune and ‘We’ll fix it later with the computer’,” he says, explaining just a few of the reasons why he elected to record the album on tape with renowned master-ofthe-medium, New York-based Alex Newport.

“That’s what I’m leaning towards these days.

“I’m a huge fan of the whole blues thing, you know,” he continues. “I appreciate the bluegrass stuff and all that, but I’m a much bigger fan of like pre-war blues, where the whole process was just a bunch of people in a room playing music – and that’s what you hear on the records. You feel like you’re in the room with them.”

What: Little Hell is out now on Dine Alone, through Shock

age Hamilton is chipper this afternoon.

Apparently the Australian press he’s been taking interviews with are really enthused about Helmet, and the iron-throated frontman is feeling pretty good about it.

Hamilton has fronted the legendary posthardcore alt-metal act since the late 1980s, and in as good a mood as he is, he’s quick to acknowledge that he hasn’t always had such a great run with press. In 2004, when Hamilton decided to restart Helmet without the help of any of the band’s other founding members, to release the still overlooked Size Matters record, the media lambasted him. “I was naïve enough to go about something I love to do, and go about it with a pure heart,” he says. “I was very hurt by criticism early on, when I couldn’t believe that people thought what I was doing in Helmet was crap. Half the people were saying ‘You’re a genius’ and half the people were saying ‘You’re a junk dealer’ or whatever. But I just had to take it all with a grain of salt.”

Since the Size Matters backlash, Hamilton and Helmet have been busy, working steadily to rehabilitate their image, hitting the road touring and releasing two albums – Monochrome in 2006, and last year’s Seeing Eye Dog. But the band has continued to be marred by a changing lineup, which was kind of the whole reason people kicked up a fuss about Size Matters in the first place. So I’m curious to know - will Helmet ever have a stable lineup again? “It’s not in my control,”

Hamilton says. “A lot of times if a musician’s got to put food on the table and another band offers them more money, then they’re going to go - and I’ll never begrudge anyone for leaving for those reasons. I’d like to keep it together, but it’s out of my control. I like this line-up a lot though, I’m really happy with everybody in the band now and that makes what I do much better ... I’m travelling with people who appreciate what we’re doing. The band and the crew are very tight knit these days; it’s a much better vibe. When you’re doing something you love, you don’t want it to be tainted by negativity.”

Not allowing himself to get bogged down in the past, Hamilton is most enthused when we discuss the music he’ll be playing for Aussie fans. On his last trip here, they were playing 1992’s Meantime album in full, and my final question to the singer is about what songs fans can expect this time around. “I don’t want to be up on stage playing the same set every night,” he says. “I know bands do that, but when Helmet plays, I want it to feel fresh for the audience and the band. There are certain songs that work in a live setting when they’re played before or after other songs, so we just work around that and put the old and the new together, and have a good time.”

With: Pangaea Where: Manning Bar, Sydney University When: Friday June 24

Wagons Back On The Wagon By Max Easton

T

he suburban Melbourne origin of Henry Wagons may be a long way from Nashville, but that doesn’t stop his band from dabbling in the sonics that the city is known for. Inspired by the country greats of the mid-20th century, Wagons have spent the last ten years forging a reputation as one of the country’s most legitimate alt-country acts, culminating in their latest release, the diversely crafted Rumble, Shake And Tumble.

“I think it’s kind of a turbulent record by design,” Wagons explains from his Melbourne home. “It’s an attempt to capture a lot of the extremities of a lot of these places and people and influences we’ve been thrown into the last couple of years.

I wanted to push each facet of what we do as far as it would go, so if the song was sounding a bit dirty we wanted to take it into the pits of hell, or if it was sounding like it was coming out of a reverb chamber in Jeff Lynn’s sleek LA studio, I wanted it to be there as well. It’s a bit of a jumble, but a lot of my favourite records are like that … It’s sort of like clowns who have that can of spring-loaded snakes; they cram all the little snakes into a can, walk up to children and release it in their faces.”

Just likes its predecessors, Rumble, Shake And Tumble is informed and defined by its influences; a lapsteel moaning behind Henry Wagons’ Johnny Cash baritone, and the band’s stilted country rhythms. It’s such an accurate

portrayal of the genre, though, that it begins to walk the line between tribute and parody. “I don’t think any of it is a piss-take at all,” Wagons counters, although he acknowledges that his laconic stage manner might lead people’s opinions astray. “I think the music is definitely coming from a genuine place and [from] an absolute passion for trying to write songs as good as my heroes. I’m a bit worried that for some people it’s sounding like The Darkness or Jack Black. It’s definitely not supposed to be a joke or a parody, I can say that for sure… By and large, I keep taking-the-piss to beer-soaked conversations with my friends on a Friday night.”

If the music of Wagons isn’t a parody, then it’s a broad slice of the many aspects that make up 50s - 80s country & western, never resting on the dreary ballads of Townes Van Zandt, but harnessing the country-rocker aesthetic of artists like Neil Young or Jackson Browne, albeit with the darker twist of Cash. The question lies in whether there’s any restriction in sticking to these specific sounds. “I never felt like it’s a constraint,” Wagons says. “The whole project was more or less inspired by a late Johnny Cash record and some Cormack McCarthy novels - that’s what inspired me to make dark country. I definitely wanted to cross a lot of boundaries on this record. I think we did aim for the difference between [album track] ‘Downlow’, which sounds like late-80s LA Travelling Wilburys, and ‘Love Is Burning’,

which is a dark, aggressive, underground kind of tone. We try to push the limits of Americanainspired music and outlaw country... I don’t feel like we’re stuck on a porch with a dead dog at all.”

The comfort in their surroundings certainly shows on Rumble, Shake And Tumble, an album that is perhaps their greatest excursion into the sound Wagons aim for. With a national

tour preceding their return to the United States, Wagons are all set to find their way into the right sets of ears.

What: Rumble, Shake And Tumble is out now through Spunk Records With: The Gin Club, Matt Banham Where: The Annandale Hotel When: Saturday June 25

“Don’t clap I’m not a jazz band for Christ’s sake.” – DYLAN MORAN 18 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

City And Colour photo by Vanessa Heins

While the title of the record suggests some lingering threads from the first two releases, its first single, ‘Fragile Birds’, boasts a bass line from a “dirty, fuzzed-out” electric organ and it’s actually something you could dance to. That in itself has had tongues wagging, as the inevitable fallout and shifting fanbases that mark any artist’s change in sound rears its ugly head – but Green “could care less”.

“What happens a lot of times is that people forget that they’ve grown as well,” he explains.

“When you hear the new record of a band that you love, you want that band to sound exactly like they did when they put out that first record that made so much sense to you. But then you also forget that you’re in a different headspace, just like they are. You’ve grown as a person, too.”

Helmet

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brushstrokes & TED

but I love the Darjeeling aesthetic. RACHEL: Yeah, a bit of a toss-up. Having watched them all again recently I had really forgotten how great Rushmore is. But then everything about Darjeeling is magical.

R

achel and Claire Fuller prove that sisters should stick together, with a slew of charming vintage-installations-cumboutiques under their belts – including Picnic At Hanging Rock, To Catch a Thief and Murder She Wrote. Under the moniker Bams & Ted, the Fuller sisters are a deadly combo: Rachel is a visual artist and writer, while Claire has a double major in French and Film Studies. Their next project is By Way Of The Green Bus, a night themed around the films, fashion and characters of Wes Anderson. We took five with them, to get the skinny.

What was the original inspiration behind the event? We have long wanted to do a ‘Darjeeling Limited’ shop, being that it is such a fantastically styled film and has all the romance of train travel and dysfunctional family journeys.

What’s your favourite Wes film, and why? CLAIRE: It’s a tie between The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited.

The characters in Tenenbaums are so great

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Kaleidoscope Gallery - pic courtesy of artist Tim Andrew

Curated by graf artist Phibs, South of the Border is a group show by the graffiti and street artists behind Melbourne's colourful laneways. Representing the southern low brow scene are Rone, Wonder, Makatron, Sync, James Reka, Stabz, Dr Prizm, Mayo, Bailer, Sheda, Itch, Otis Chamberlin, Nurock, Zode, Musery, Guy Parker – and of course Phibs.

If you like your streets colourful and your art graffic, head along to South Of The Border on Thursday June 30 from 6pm, at LO-FI Collective, Lvl 3/383 Bourke St, Taylor Sq. Wearelofi.com.au/collective

What are your favourite Darjeeling moments? CLAIRE: I love the campfire scene when ‘Clair de Lune’ is playing and the boys all get high on cough medicine and prescription drugs. RACHEL: A stand out for me is the funeral scene in India. Slow mo, the boys all in white, The Kinks song ‘Strangers’ and then the segue into their father’s funeral. One of the best scenes ever.

Describe Wes World, for the uninitiated?

Right from the titles you know you’re entering Wes world – from some anthem type score (‘Hey Jude’ in The Royal Tenenbaums), to the biopic style of the character introductions with Futura Bold font and the references to their particular ‘uniform’ outfits and quirky habits (all of Max Fisher’s outrageous extra-curricular activities in Rushmore). A common Wes theme is dysfunctional families (often involving the loss of one parent), and he generally works with the same cast, give or take (e.g. Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Angelica Huston).

And everything you look at is beautiful, to a ‘t’ – his attention to detail is second to none – the monogrammed suitcases in The Darjeeling Limited – amazing! And lastly, a classic slow-mo scene to some kicking old song.

Favourite Wes-inspired fashion trends?

We definitely have Wes to thank in part for the

YOU LOOKIN' AT ME?

Three more reasons to move to Newtown: this Thursday June 23, Dendy Newtown opens an exclusive NSW season of All Tomorrow Parties, Warp Films' kaleidoscopic documentary about the cult music festival, which incorporates contributions from bands, punters and filmmaker fans, putting you front and centre at one of the world’s premiere parties. Oh, and live performances by Grizzly Bear, Sonic Youth, Battles, Daniel Johnston, Animal Collective, Les Savy Fav, Mogwai, GZA, Fuck Buttons and Patti Smith, among heaps of others. Then on June 30, Kelly Reichardt’s revisionist, feminist western Meek’s Cutoff (starring Michelle Williams) opens at the Dendy Newtown – for all of us who missed its recent Sydney Film Festival screenings. Finally, July 7 will see the new, 35th anniversary digital restoration of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver open for one week only! dendy.com.au

UNDERBELLY ARTS FEST

We’re loving the idea of crowdsourcing – whether it’s fundraising sites like Pozible and Fundbreak, or more informal things, like the Underbelly Arts Festival’s ingenious Bridal Registry. Debuting at Underbelly 2010, the registry is a list of items that the festival’s participating artists need in order to make their projects. (AKA a chance for you to get rid of things you don’t need anymore and get a warm fuzzy sensation). This year’s registry includes pillows/cushions, linen, glass and plastic bottles, old lamps, old maps, old suitcases…and moss. For the full list email bridalregistry@underbellyarts.com.au In related news: earlybird tix for Underbelly's Festival Day - Saturday July 16 on Cockatoo Island - are now on sale! At $10 for 24 performances, it's crazier than that time we forgot to wear sunscreen to ATP. underbellyarts.com.au

KALEIDOSCOPE MOVES

Kaleidoscope Gallery moved from Paddo to Waterloo last week, setting up residence in a brand-spanking-new complex in Danks Street. Straddling the parallel worlds of artist-run-initiative and commercial gallery, Kaleidoscope have set their sights firmly on the next generation of art collectors – so start saving your pennies, and head along this week to check out their exhibition of 17 fresh new artists, including low-brow provocateur Tim Andrew (work pictured above), Marc Gerada, David Kurzydlo, Georgie Pollard, Nicole Chaffey and Sarah Park. Head along before June 29, to catch the new generation of talent: 3-7 Danks St, Waterloo. kaleidoscope-gallery.com

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MARTIAN EMBASSY

Complaints about UFOs and disappearing dogs should henceforth be directed to Sydney’s newest cultural attaché, via the Martian Embassy (aka the brand-new pop-up store for the Sydney Story Factory). Modelled after McSweeney’s 826 Valencia – a centre dedicated to developing the writing skills and literary enthusiasm of young students in San Francisco – Sydney Story Factory is dedicated to fostering literacy amongst innercity indigenous and disadvantaged youth; like 826 Valencia, which has a mock ‘Pirate supply store’ streetfront, the SSF have created a popup gift store called the Martian Embassy, where you can fulfil all your alien-centric inventory (we have our eyes on the Mars snow globe). All funds support the Sydney Story Factory – so dispatch your envoy post haste to 47 George St (upstairs!) in the Rocks this Thursday and Friday, June 23-24 (11am - 7pm) or Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26 (10am-7pm). sydneystoryfactory.blogspot.com

resurgence in boys dressing in preppy suits and loafers and for being less afraid of pastels. And there’s nothing wrong with wearing the same clothes, day in day out. Pick your perfect outfit and then don’t change, ever. And wish-list wise, if we could incorporate some custom made Louis Vuitton luggage into our daily grind we would never want again.

What are you wearing to the party? CLAIRE: I will probably attempt a stripey tennis dress, fur coat and eyeliner with severe bob, Margot Tenenbaum style. RACHEL: Still tossing up but thinking along the lines of Sweet Lime from The Darjeeling Limited. If anyone is stuck for ideas we have been doing character profiles on our blog everyday for the last couple of weeks so no one has any excuses for not dressing up!

We heard you’re making goodie bags…

We’re making 50 goodie bags based on five of Wes’ most popular characters so you had better arrive early! There will be Margot Tenenbaum, Steve Zissou, The Whitman Brothers, and Ash from Fantastic Mr. Fox. Each bag will have an assortment of paraphernalia in reference to those characters – from dalmation mice, painkillers, red beanies and hand-stitched capes to limited-edition prints.

What: By Way Of the Green Bus Where: The Wall, World Bar / Kings Cross When: Wednesday June 22, from 7.30pm More: bams-and-ted.blogspot.com

THIRTY THREE Having wowed inner-westies (and, just quietly, the visiting Steppenwolf Theatre Company) with their debut production That Old Chestnut, Cathode Ray Theatre and director Michael Booth are back with another rough-and-ready piece of theatre, called Thirty Three – which invites us to watch Saskia's world unravel in the aftermath of her disastrous 33rd birthday party. After her ultra-hip terrace dinner party is crashed by booze, drugs and unwelcome guests, Saskia’s night explodes in a shower of spilled secrets, dropped bombshells, broken friendships and sexual misadventure… If this sounds like your life, then this production is right up your alley; and if not, then get ready for a delicious dose of schadenfreude.

Thirty Three opens this Wednesday June 22, and plays from Weds-Sat until July 17 at Darlinghurst’s TAP Gallery. Thanks to the kids from Cathode Ray Theatre, we have a double pass to the June 29 show up for grabs – to get your hands on it, just tell us the names of Thirty Three's two writers! www.cathoderaytube.com.au

LATE NIGHT LIBRARY

The holy trinity of wine, cheese and entertainment are brought together this winter

by Surry Hills Library, in their Late Night Library series. Every Thursday night from 9pm, for the gentle price of $0, you can head along to the Library to see live music, performance and readings from a local lineup that includes Toby Schmitz, Claudia O’Doherty, Sam Smith, Kate Jinx, Tom Tilley and Zoe Norton Lodge. First up, this Thursday June 23, catch performance artist Daniel Mudie Cunningham presenting Jodie Foster’s Beaver – a combination of screening, performance and video-lecture that reimagines Jodi as an icon of queer cultural resistance. The following Thursday, June 30, relive the anguish and comedy of your teenage years, as writers Nick Coyle (Me Pregnant!) and Marieke Hardy, among others, read from their own teenage diaries… 405 Crown St, Surry Hills.

HOME BREW @ OLD FITZ

The Home Brew micro-fest returns to the Old Fitzroy Hotel next week, courtesy of Associate Artistic Director Phil Spencer, bar manager Brett Pritchard and Little Creatures beer. A sell-out success last December, Home Brew is a mini festival that fills the nooks and crannies of the Old Fitz with theatre, film, live music and performance. On the arts front, there’s performances by Tim Spencer (Words They Make With Their Mouths / Bambina Borracha), Tin Shed theatre, Caroline Craig and Scarlet McGlynn, dancers Anton & Ann, Matilda Ridgeway, Mel Matheson, and two favourites from last year’s festival, courtesy of playwright Caleb Lewis – plus cheap Little Creatures on tap! Home Brew runs June 30-July 2 at the Old Fitzroy / Cnr Cathedral & Dowling St, Woolloomooloo. rocksurfers.org

SPLENDID ARTS LINEUP

Splendour In The Grass have dropped their 2011 arts program, a diverse spread of visual treats that range from interactive digital media projection and street art to sculpture, performance and installations.

We’re particularly taken by Oliver Of The Sky – a series of huge sculptures made out of cardboard waste; the masking-tape ‘drawings’ of Berlin-based artist Buff Diss; talented young Mexican video-artist Fernando Llanos, who will wander the festival at night using his mobile blimp-shaped light source as a roving exhibition tool; Jordana Maisie’s large-scale interactive UFO sculpture; the life-sized interactive Curious Creatures of Jimmy McGilchrist and Darryn Van Someren; Lauren Brincat and Dominic Finlay-Jones' 23m-long timber and steel 'Stairway to Heaven' (which is also one of the largest sundials in the world); and the interactive iPorn filmmaking boudoir of ‘Studio 69’. Splendour In The Grass runs Jule 29-31in Woodfordia, Queensland. For the full lineup see splendourinthegrass.com

BAD ANGLE

Both cute and courageous, Bad Angle (named after a the lines of vision at which audience members can discern a magician’s trick) is an exhibition of photographic work that celebrates the power of the photograph to expose secrets that might otherwise remain hidden…

Some of the artists are photographers and video makers in their own right, while others are experimenting with the medium as it relates to their usual practise: photographer Ben Cauchi will present a body of works that build on his interest in staged atmospheric happenings, while video-artist Heath Franco will present a work relating to the idea of wormholes and alternative realities. On the other end of the spectrum, Jess Olivieri and Hayley Forward of performance duo Parachutes For Ladies will present a series of photos deconstructing their 2010 Next Wave performance, I thought a musical was being made (pictured). Bad Angle opens June 29 at Stills Gallery, Paddington.

Stillsgallery.com.au

SWING VS ROCKABILLY

The next round in the eternal battle between Australia’s swing-set and rockabilly rioters occurs Saturday July 16 at the Factory Theatre, when The Velvet Set face off against The Pat Capocci Combo. Crack our your creepers and fedora – or alternatively, your jeans and hair gel – and get ready to rumble to the tunes of Limpin’ Jimmy and the Swingin’ Kitten, and a support lineup that includes The Hollywood Hombres, The Twilight Rhythm Boys, Satellite V, The Creepers, The Flattrakkers, and The Drey Rollan Band. iI you need help getting in the mood, you can get your hair and make-up done at the Vintage Allsorts Styling Parlour, get inked at the Post Modern Ink Tattoo stand or have your image immortalised at the Boogie Bop Dames photo booth… Tickets from factorytheatre.com.au

Parachutes For Ladies - I thought a musical was being made

WITH BAMS

Bridesmaids

Paul Feig Makes The Cut

By Alasdair Duncan

F

or the kinds of nerds who hoard box sets of beloved TV comedy shows, Paul Feig is already a pretty big deal – he has directed numerous episodes of shows like Arrested Development and The Office, and with his friend and frequent collaborator Judd Apatow, he created the cult classic Freaks & Geeks. Feig’s film career has never taken off to the same extent as Apatow’s – ‘spotty’ is the word he uses, not entirely inaccurately – but that will surely change with the release of Bridesmaids. Already a huge hit in America, the film’s success will likely usher in a new era of bawdy, female-driven comedies – and open all kinds of new doors for its director.

Like Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall before it, Bridesmaids has a naturalistic feel, with humour that draws on the awkwardness and absurdity of everyday interactions rather than reaching for big punchlines. It’s a style, Feig tells me, that can be traced back directly to his and Apatow’s days on Freaks & Geeks. “That show gave us the chance to work together and share our love of telling stories about real things. It was important to us to never have a moment where people could go ‘oh, that could never happen’ or ‘oh, that’s dumb’. Judd and I both share the belief that it’s important to ground any story you tell in reality so you can then build the comedy on top of it.” This style of comedy is where Feig and Apatow found their voices, and is what makes their latest collaboration so memorable.

Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig e Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ros per, Kem Ellie y, arth McC L-R: Melissa

The Bridesmaids cast – led by the talented Kristen Wiig – were given permission to improvise much of their dialogue, which presented a directing challenge for Feig.

“As soon as we hired the cast, we brought them in for a lot of rehearsals and improv sessions to really bring out their characters in a way that made it stronger for them,” he says. “That’s where

Director Paul Feig and producer Judd Apatow on the set of Bridesmaids

the energy comes from. from There’s nothing better than people surprising one-another with a joke or a comment – my biggest job as a director is to make sure I capture it all in the moment. I do a lot of cross-shooting, to capture both people at the same time, so if one of the performers says something unexpected and the other has a reaction or fires something back, I’m able to catch both sides of that, without having to recreate the other side later. It’s really a case of capturing lighting in a bottle, so you want to make sure you’re always prepared.”

Feig ended up with so much improvisational gold that the original cut of Bridesmaids was close to three hours long. Much of it obviously had to go, and while Feig assures me that the DVD version will come packed with deleted and extended scenes, he has no plans to do a formal director’s cut.

“To be honest I think that the cut that’s in theatres now is the director’s cut,” he says. “The DGA rules guarantee directors ten weeks to make their cut of a movie – many directors will get in there for the whole ten weeks and come out at the end of that process with something they consider precious and untouchable. Judd likes to work differently, and I agree very much with his method, which is that you go in there for about three weeks, get it to where you

think you like it, you think you’ve found the funniest version, version then you immediately test screen it in front of an audience to get their reaction.”

“You very quickly see that some of the things you thought would work really don’t, and others you didn’t think would get such a good reaction end up getting a really big laugh,” he continues. “You just keep testing it every couple of weeks, and what you avoid that way is getting too precious about a particular cut. I don’t think there’s any one cut of a movie that’s definitive. I’ve seen so many movies where they released a director’s cut that made me go ‘well, I can see why you lost that – you really didn’t need that!’

It can become very indulgent.

The reaction of the crowd is really important when it comes to comedy. I can fight and fight for a particular joke, but if it doesn’t get a laugh in a test screening, I don’t have a leg to stand on – and I shouldn’t have.”

What: Bridesmaids – Dir. Paul Feig / Prod. Judd Apatow When: in cinemas now

THE TREE OF LIFE! TICKETS!

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One such moment was the opening scene, a highly energetic and deeply bizarre sex scene between Wiig and co-star Jon Hamm. “We choreographed that one like a fight scene,” Feig laughs. “We were very non-specific about what we wanted in the script – we waited until we got Jon and Kristen on set, and then we just said to them, okay, what would you do? We were all standing around throwing ideas at them, like, ‘hey, go over there, get on top of him, go behind!’ as we had the camera on a crane moving around the

bed. They were just making me laugh and I was throwing in rude comments the whole time. It was very fun, and you can’t have that unless you have a very secure and funny cast. Jon had worked with Kristen on Saturday Night Live so many times that they were very comfortable together.”

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significant dose of film hype over the last month has been reserved for The Tree Of Life – and not without reason. Besides winning the prestigious Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival, it also had fans of maverick director Terrence Malick (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line) salivating. A kaleidoscopic vision of the human condition that includes a visually ravishing 25-minute montage of evolution – from galactic gas particles, to the first cells, sea life, dinosaurs and so on – the film examines the life of one man (played as a child by Hunter McCracken, and as an adult by Sean Penn) as he reflects on his path from troubled childhood to dissatisfied adulthood – and the very different wisdoms imparted by his gracious mother (played by luminous newcomer Jessica Chastain) and his controlling father (Brad Pitt). Visually orgasmic, poetic, and incredibly moving, The Tree Of Life is quite simply unlike anything you’ve seen before.

The Tree Of Life opens on June 30. Thanks to Icon Film, we have TEN IN-SEASON DOUBLE PASSES up for grabs. To get your hands on one email freestuff@thebrag.com with your postal address and favourite Malick film.

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Romance Was Born

Darren Weller as Julian Assange

[FASHION/THEATRE] Amazing Feats of Costuminess By Alice Hart

From the imagination of Scottish surrealist Anthony Neilson (who wrote The Wonderful World of Dissocia, in STC’s 2009 season), Edward Gant is set in 1881, within the travelling Victorian sideshow fronted by ringmaster and impresario Mr Edward Gant.

With a cast of colourful characters that includes Sanzonetta, a girl whose pimpled face belies her inner beauty, and Edgar, a heartbroken lover in search of a cure, Neilson's fantastical play seems perfect fodder for the sartorial skills of Plunkett and Sales…

How did you become involved in this production? A While ago we were asked by Cate Blanchett (Co-Artistic Director of STC) to come in for a meeting. We discussed many things, but one was the idea of Romance Was Born doing something costume-based for the company. Cate and Andrew (Upton) didn’t have anything in particular in mind at the time, it was just when they felt the time was right. Then Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats Of Loneliness came up at just the right time for us all.

How have you found the experience, compared to your usual fashion work?

We have made costumes plenty of times for bands to perform in, but this is totally different.

Costumes help tell a story, convey a message etc. They also have to be durable as the play has more than 100 shows! In the beginning we thought it was going to be even more creative than fashion, but in a way it’s more restrictive due the need for durability of the garments.

What was your initial creative process for the costume design? We talked a lot with director Sarah Goodes, not only about the costumes but about the overall look and feel of the world she was trying to build. Along with set designer Renée Mulder, who also consulted with us heaps about the processes of working in theatre, we all met twice a month or so over a long period of time – letting ideas settle, and then coming back to them.

What were the key inspirations for your costumes? We did a site visit to the STC costume warehouse and were really influenced by a lot of the old faded and worn costumes there – in conjunction with traditional clown costumes of the really early days of circus and freakshows, gypsy and trapeze artists. The warehouse was the starting point for a lot of our ideas, and especially the colour palette.

What: Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness, Dir. Sarah Goodes When: June 21 – July 23 Where: Wharf 1, Sydney Theatre Company More: sydneytheatre.com.au

Actress Emily Tomlins in costume by Romance Was Born for Edward Gant

Stainless Steel Rat: A Wikiplay [THEATRE] Julian Assange takes centre stage at Seymour Centre. By Emma Salkild

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ho is Julian Assange? This is the central question posed in Stainless Steel Rat, a play set in 2010, when WikiLeaks exposed thousands of secret US government cables. The ensuing media frenzy turned Brisbane-born hactivist-turnedmedia-entrepreneur Julian Assange into an international celebrity, polarizing the world between those who love or hate him, support or oppose him.

Stainless Steel Rat is Australian playwright Ron Elisha’s fictionalized account of the WikiLeaks fiasco, and thought to be the world’s first 'Wikiplay'. With talk of film rights being bought

by Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks, director Wayne Harrison (former Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company) was keen to get Assange’s enthralling story on stage before anyone else.

“It’s a very Australian thing to do – to shut up the authorities,” Harrison tells me on a break from his busy rehearsing schedule. “I liked the Ned Kelly anti-authority aspect to [Assange], as corny as that sounds. I was disappointed with the tawdry sex scandal. I didn’t want him to be flawed – but all the great leaders of revolutions are human, and have possible flaws.”

In the vein of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), Stainless Steel Rat is actually a story within a story – or a film within a play.

It’s about a movie director creating a film based on Assange’s rise to fame, and features a cast of characters that includes US President Barack Obama; Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Swedish women who accused Assange of sexual misconduct – and, of course, Assange himself.

Besides the politics, Elisha’s play is also a witty satire on current events and Assange’s background. The title Stainless Steel Rat is taken from the 1961 sci-fi spy novel written by

Harry Harrison, which was a pseudonym used

by Assange on dating website OkCupid. “We also use the idea of a rat because the world has become so sophisticated that a rat has to be particularly cunning,” Harrison explains.

“Stainless steel is an armour reference and people see Julian Assange as a knight in shining armour (which is the way I see him).

But then there’s also that idea of trickery.”

32-year-old actor Darren Weller will be playing the first-ever fictionalized portrayal of Assange – and while his physical transformation is quite remarkable, Weller has been spending his evenings meticulously studying the nuances of Assange’s speech patterns.

Harrison, meanwhile, has been preparing for Stainless Steel Rat on the back of successful New York and Las Vegas runs of his Spiegelworld show Absinthe – not to mention the Sydney Opera House season of Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss and What I Wore. Stainless Steel Rat is an opportunity for this seasoned director to tackle more topical material.

“It’s essentially a comedy with dual storylines that allows you to play with ironies,” says Harrison. “I’ve always liked the idea of theatre as a way to discuss contemporary issues and provoke people so they don’t forget about it as soon as they leave. [Stainless Steel Rat] asks what truth is in the age of new technology.

Theatre is of the moment and is engaged in a dialogue with society. The Julian Assange story is always evolving and it’s exciting to be part of the storytelling.”

What: Stainless Steel Rat by Ron Elisha; Dir. Wayne Harrison When: June 28 – July 17 Where: York Theatre, Seymour Centre More: stainlesssteelrat.com.au

Romance Was Born photo by Al Caeiro

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f Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales are anything to go by, we can stop worrying about our Saturn return: barely in their late-20s, these two have already conquered local fashion and forged a path abroad with their avant garde label, Romance Was Born. Known for shows that are more wonderful than wearable, incorporating outlandlish materials such as teeth, hair-extensions and shells, psychedelic digital prints, and textures as diverse as PVC, lace, crochet and tulle, RWB seem a perfect fit for Sydney Theatre Company's latest production: Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness.

Bully Beef Stew [THEATRE] PACT’s fearless first commission. By Simon Binns

Colin Kinchela, Sonny Dallas Law and Bjorn Stewart were first brought together in 2009

by PACT’s 'Incubate' initiative, which paired emerging Aboriginal artists with established theatre director Wayne Blair (Ruben Guthrie – Company B Belvoir; Dirty Butterfly – B Sharp). In Bully Beef Stew, the trio explore what it means to live as an Aboriginal man in the 21st century, ‘uninitiated’. As Dallas Law explains, “Not all of us go through the traditional cultural practices like in other places of Australia, so we dived into how we practice our traditions and maintain our cultures living in the city in 2011,” with Kinchela adding, “and how [our culture]’s changed, but is still valid.”

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PACT has paired the trio up with Melbourne director Andrea James, who felt immediately comfortable with the work. “Theatre is a really perfect form to explore that whole notion of what Aboriginal initiation is because at the end of the day, theatre is about ritual,” says James.

This idea informs the structure of the work, with Dallas Law describing it as “a journey from boyhood to manhood.”

All three performers are passionate about the play's content. “I chose to write and perform about this subject because I feel it’s time for young Aboriginal men to have some role models and listen to good stories,” says Dallas Law. “In the media and out in the community we still get stereotyped… I wanted to send a message, not just to young Aboriginal men, but to everybody, that this is who we are, we are just like every other male out there. I think this is going to be a great show, especially for young Aboriginal men to see the positive side of being an Aboriginal man.”

For Kinchela, it’s about making people realise that Aboriginal culture is still alive and well.

“Some sectors of society still think that the Aboriginal people’s story is so cut and dry, and think that our cultural practices are still so traditional, and that it’s something that’s passed… But it’s changed and adapted and been maintained.”

Sonny Dallas Law, Bjorn Stewart and Colin Kinchela in Bully Beef Stew

Bully Beef Stew relies heavily on personal material from the three performers, with stories of fathers, relatives and friends feeding directly into the show. It was this intimate approach that attracted James to the project. “I don’t think I’ve seen a play, a three-hander, with Aboriginal men talking about their relationships with their fathers.

Stephen Page has dealt with it a bit through Bangarra Dance Theatre, but not with the spoken word; it’s really exciting!”

As Stewart explains, Bully Beef Stew represents something very rare indeed. “It’s very exposing.

Culturally, especially with Indigenous males, they

don’t want to reveal too much about themselves.

When you’ve got somebody who’s constantly been hurt over and over again, you don’t want to open up. This [show] is very raw, it’s us showing the inside of ourselves… all our cards are on the table.”

What: Bully Beef Stew When: June 29 – July 9 Where: PACT Centre For Emerging Artists / 107 Railway Parade, Erksineville More: www.pact.net.au

Bully Beef Stew photo by Cat Jones

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n the past decade PACT Centre For Emerging Artists has transitioned from being a small youth-based theatre to presenting some of the most exciting new performance work in Sydney.

Through a variety of avenues including, but not limited to, their resident ensemble, PACT’s work in co-presenting events such as the Tiny Stadiums festival, and their commitment to importing emerging companies from other states (such as Melbourne's Grit Theatre, whose US played at PACT earlier this year) have positioned the company as an essential part of Sydney’s theatre culture. The latest step in this strategy is PACT’s first professional commission, Bully Beef Stew, which continues another arm of their work – the development of indigenous artists.

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FAUSTUS A BELL SHAKESPEARE AND QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY CO-PRODUCTION AFTER DOCTOR FAUSTUS

BY CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY MICHAEL GOW WITH JOHN BELL AND BEN WINSPEAR

DAMNED = YOU – A SOUL

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PLAYHOUSE 30 JUNE – 24 JULY BOOKINGS SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM 02 9250 7777 TICKETMASTER.COM.AU 1300 723 038 OPTUS UNDER 30 TICKETS FROM $30* *Seats limited. Transaction fee of up to $8.50 applies.

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Media Partner

Performance Space and Blacktown Arts Centre present

Within & Without Portrait of a City Within & Without is a new performance and installation by Paschal Daantos Berry and Deborah Pollard in collaboration with Valerie Berry and Anino Shadowplay Collective.

22 June - 2 July 2011 Blacktown Arts Centre 78 Flushcombe Road, Blacktown 22 June, Preview $20 rush. $30 Adult, $20 BAC Friends/Concession and Performance Space Members.

Wed – Fri 8pm, Sat 3pm & 8pm. Bookings essential.

Limited capacity per show.

Visit www.artscentre.blacktown.nsw.gov.au or call 02 9839 6558.

The Manila city installation can be visited from 24 June during Centre opening hours: 10am – 5pm, Tues – Sat.

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Arts Snap

Film & Theatre Reviews

At the heart of the arts Where you went last week.

Hits and misses on the silver screen and the bareboards around town.

Sleeping Beauty

■ Film

SLEEPING BEAUTY Opens June 23

PICS :: TL

firstdraft: four shows

Having seen David and Margaret talk about ‘The Films That Divide Us’ last week, I am feeling more appreciative than ever of the energy that divisive films bring to cinema culture. The recent Sydney Film Festival was rife with these – including Sleeping Beauty, which screened in the festival's Official Competition fresh from Cannes Film Festival, where it was a contender for the Palme D’Or. Written and directed by acclaimed Australian novelist Julia Leigh (whose novella The Hunter has just been adapted for screen, starring Willem Dafoe), Sleeping Beauty stars Emily Browning (Sucker Punch) as a uni student who takes on a highly-paid freelance gig as a Silver Service lingerie waitress, and finds herself drawn into the dark sexual proclivities of the ultra-rich.

08:06:11 :: Firstdraft Gallery :: 116-118, Chalmers St, Surry Hills 9698 3665

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farewell oh really

Present in virtually every frame of the film, Brown’s Lucy, and her journey of awakening, are absolutely the focus. While in the bloom of youth and beauty, Lucy is no ingenue; a wilful outsider, she barely conceals her cynicism is barely concealed under a veneer of bored indifference.

Practised at exploiting her sexuality for survival and profit, she is emotionally aloof. Her only close relationship, with an alcoholic invalid called Birdman (Ewen Leslie), is so constrained by an unspoken set of rules that it reveals Lucy’s predilection for control. For the audience, however, it becomes increasingly apparent that she has an exaggerated sense of her own power, and is actually being exploited – as a copyroom assistant, as a paid guinea pig for clinical research, and finally in the bedroom of the exclusive ‘brothel’ where she takes employment as a fullysedated 'sleeping companion'.

sydney film festival: hanna

PICS :: AM

09:06:11 :: Oh Really Gallery :: 55 Enmore Rd, Newtown, 0401919624

08:06:11 :: State Theatre :: 49 Market St Sydney 93736655

Arts Exposed What's on our calendar...

Dendy Opera Quays presents

WINTER WONDERLAND Every Monday at 10am til August 29

More reasons to be ‘sick’ on Monday mornings!

Skip work with us and head to DOQ for their winter program of classic films. Monday June 27 is one of our favourites – Stanley Donen’s Singin’ In The Rain (1952). If you imagine all the joy in the world bottled, then consumed by Gene Kelly, and danced out from the top of his perfect hair to the tips of his tap shoes, then that’s approximately what you can expect. Even people who hate musicals love this one. Highlights from the rest of the program include Hitchock’s Dial M for Murder, Bogey and Bergman in Casablanca, Frank Capra’s heartwarming It’s a Wonderful Life (the antidote to all strains of the blues) and Billy Wilder’s glorious screwball comedy Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Tickets are $9 (true) and include doonas! (Not true.) Dendy.com.au 24 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

Singin' In The Rain

While Lucy is told by the brothel's 'madam', Clara (played with haunting melancholy by the wonderful Rachael Blake) that her vagina is a temple, the rest of her body is repeatedly abused by the men who procure her services. Lucy’s understated response to a cigarette burn she finds behind her ear after one such assignation is troubling.

Gradually, however, an appropriate sense of misgiving seems to stir within our heroine and she determines to find out what happens when she sleeps.

Sleeping Beauty is an exercise in poise, restraint, and style – from Leigh’s elegant and highly ‘written’ dialogue, to Geoffrey Simpson’s exquisitely framed shots, and a wintery colour palette, and Browning’s aloof, dreamy performance. (In fact, the characters that most moved and intrigued me were Clara and Peter Carroll’s elderly aesthete). The film’s aloof spirit is both its strength and its weakness – and I think its appeal will relate to each viewer’s ability to impose their own readings onto Leigh’s somewhat inscrutable canvas – whether feminist, philosophical, post-colonial or personal.

Dee Jefferson ■ Comedy

NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN June 16-18 / TAP Gallery Lou Sanz is blessed with the gift of the gab. Only minutes in to her latest show it’s clear we are in the presence of a master storyteller. Her soothing voice, faultless

timing and crisp, clean writing make the perfect buffer for her outrageously shocking but hilarious anecdotes.

In this brazen one-hour comedy piece Sanz reads (in a deadpan tone, from a notebook) stories not suitable for children – ever. For example, her opening narrative, ‘If Only You Looked More Like a Man’, is the tale of Marguerite and the gay man she has fallen in love with. Other gems are ‘Let’s Get Wet Together’, ‘Annie You’ll Never Amount to Anything’ and ‘Carla the Ethnic’.

The heroines of these stories are unlucky in both love and lust – and the odds that at least some of these stories contain autobiographical elements from Sanz's own love life seem pretty high...

This well-crafted show is paced perfectly, with an array of colourful segments such as ‘Advice With Me’, where Sanz answers people’s moronic problems with cynical quips and witty jabs; a letter written to her sex life; and a glory box she has filled with bit and bobs for the children of today. As usual with Sanz, there's a liberal dose of schadenfreude, and her misadventures are particularly delightful.

Is Sanz crass and vulgar? Damn straight!

Her forthright, show-no-mercy approach is reminiscent of Sarah Silverman, but the Melbourne-based writer/comedian is more subtle and dry. She’s unashamed of making herself the butt of the joke.

Sanz has won almost as many awards as she’s had dysfunctional relationships – so whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it right.

For audiences, cringing and groaning is a possibility, but guilty laughter is guaranteed. After all, this is funny stuff and there’s no point in fighting that. In the end, when it comes to Lou it’s a case of something so wrong being so, so good.

Emma Salkild ■ Dance/Theatre

HAVANA RAKATAN June 7-19 / Sydney Opera House Cuban dance spectacular Havana Rakatan has all the elements of a great guilty pleasure: West Side Story-esque danceoffs, cat fights, voodoo magic, an all-singing all-dancing wedding – and even a coy male striptease. In fact, at the risk of jeopardising my wobbly claims to street cred, the guilt hasn’t even set in yet.

Havana Rakatan unfolds as a romp through the 500-year-old Cuban obsession with music and dance, tracing the mix of African and Spanish cultural influences that make up Cuba’s unique cultural brew. Split in two by an interval featuring complimentary mojitos (5 stars), the first half of Rakatan is about Cuba’s beginnings, including a hammy depiction of flamenco-dancing Spanish conquistadors putting African slaves in their place. But the second half, a showcase of Cuban street-dancing culture, is where it really takes off. Spangled miniskirts hip-pop their way onto a stage replete with disco ball and a silver curtain of streamers. Legs fly and butts wiggle as the beaming dancers perform with enviable balance on improbably high heels.

Highlights included the vibrant and frequent costume changes (all with a ‘50s theme) and of course, the sinewy moves of the 14 dancers. From mambo to cha-cha-cha, they knew their stuff. The ensemble work was extremely tight and highly enjoyable, but choreographer Nilda Guerra thankfully allowed her dancers their distinctive individual styles, shown off to great effect during a male trio and in some of the duets.

The live band, Turquino, were a wellintegrated stage presence, featuring busty sequined singer Geidy Chapman and a Louis Armstrong lookalike on trumpet (obviously), as well as coordinated salsa shuffles from the guitar players. Taking the piss, or just an irrepressibly musical nation?

By the shimmy-ing, booty-shaking finale, which had the entire crowd up and dancing (post-mojito), it didn’t really matter.

Lucy Fokkema

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

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BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 25

BRAG EATS

News Bites HEMINGWAY’S

BISTRO MORELLI

Ye Olde Faithful, aka the Cricketers Arms, has re-imagined its kitchen as Bistro Morelli, with a selection of nuevo-Italian twists on warm winter pub grub – from macaroni cheese to schnitzels and steaks. 106 Fitzroy St, Surry Hills / 9331 3301

do as we do, and order pancakes with a Breakfast Martini (Hendricks gin, orange and cardamon syrup, flamed orange). 4 Pitt St Redfern / thefern.com.au

ABERCROMBIE BITES BACK THE BOOZY FERN Redfern is giving Surry Hills a run for its money with its transition from ghetto to trendy hipster hub – marked by a proliferation of cafes featuring odd chairs and menus scrawled in chalk.

Nestled in a cozy old terrace, and with a Japanese-infused menu presided over by chef Ariel Coplan (formerly Felix), The Fern is a cut above the crowd – and they’ve just added a liquor license to their considerable charms.

Wet your palate with Cruse Blanc de Blancs sparkling, a glass of Ross Hill rosé, or a Woodhouse cab sav – or

The Cricketers Arms

It was a sad day when The Abercrombie closed its doors – but behind those doors renovations have been afoot!

Thanks to the people behind The Norfolk, The Flinders and Duke Bistro (aka Bang Gang 12 Inches crew), we can expect a hip new nosh joint on the corner of Broadway and Abercrombie St in late July.

Gunning for a late night disco diner vibe, the concise menu will cross-pollinate Scottish diner food with Mexican cantina and old school Aussie pub grub – and a cool little cocktail list, natch. To be first in line, find them at facebook. com/abercrombiehotel

THE GOOD FOOD & WINE SHOW

The Good Food & Wine Show are bringing their travelling circus to town from July 1-3 at Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, in a celebration Sydney’s diverse modern cuisine scene, with feast-loads of free food and wine samples for your over-indulgence.

For the full lineup of masterclasses, guest chefs and displays, see goodfoodshow.com.au

MEALS $10 Mexican

C o r ri dor Fr esh New Bar. F RE S H C OCKTA ILS. S P I RI TS. WINE. I M PO RTE D & LOCA L BEER S, LE AF Y DECK. LI V E M USIC. C O MF Y C OUCHES. LUS C I O US FOOD.

L AI D B A C K

Mondays Meat or fish add 3.00/4.00

$10 Pasta Tuesdays For all our pastas excluding seafood $10 Burger Wednesdays Any of our burgers with chips $10 Chicken Schnitzel Thursdays With salad and chips or mash $10 Fish & Chip Fridays With salad and tartare 268 Oxford St Paddington

st a y c l a s s y DINNER 7 NIGHTS corridorbar.com.au.

1 5 3 A K i n g st. N e wto wn 26 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

ph: (02) 9361 5157

OPEN IL 8AM UNT MIDNIGHT 7 DAYS

All meals exclude additions, only available on the days listed and cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions or offers.

May exclude weekly Specials, Subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.

Main photo: Vegan Café

A touch of the old world comes to Manly with new bar and bistro Hemingway’s, which does fancy twists on comfort food – from the ‘PB & J’ (aka peanut-butter-and-jam sandwich) to the intriguing ‘Nacho Dog’. Like the man himself, Hemingway's has a no-nonsense approach to beverages, which range from VB or passion pop throwdowns for a sweet $3.50, to vodka creaming sodas, and the Pimpin Colada cocktail.

48 North Steyne / 99763030 / hemingwaysmanly.com.au

BRAG'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO FOOD

Vegan Sydney Can You Win Friends With Salad? By Romi Scodellaro

I

n an episode of this season’s Masterchef, contestants were given the option of cooking a mystery meat, or taking their chances on a fishing expedition. The risk in the latter being that if you failed to catch a fish, your punishment was (cue dramatic music)… you’d have to cook a vegetarian main. OH NOES! If ‘creating an interesting, tasty main’ and ‘vegetarian’ are so woefully incompatible, I’d love to see contestants’ reaction to a vegan challenge. No animal products – at all? …Fortunately, Masterchef isn’t an accurate reflection of the real food world, where veggie mains have been acceptable for a few decades now. But oh, vegans – they do get a bad rap! Even for meat-eaters, vegetarianism is inoffensive – but being vegan is just, well, fussy.

And no animals actually die to produce eggs or milk, do they?

Well… yes, they do. Scads of them. Little boy chickens get gassed or minced alive the day they’re born, even on the most free-range of farms; cows are continually impregnated to keep producing milk, their calves taken away almost immediately (about 85% of calves are sold for slaughter at five days old; some are kept for veal). It’s all a bit doom and gloom, and while there are a variety of ways to navigate the ethical food minefield, vegans just say, “Pass.” Which is all very well, unless you have to eat with one of these impossible-to-caterfor creatures. Which you will. They’re growing in numbers, infiltrating your social circle, and having vegan bake sales at markets near you.

They’re coming for you, and when they get you, you’ll have to accommodate them in your dinner plans. Presumably, they sort themselves out when eating at home, but can they eat out?

Turns out, vegans have it pretty good in Sydney.

There are a lot of restaurants that note which food items are vegan, or that even serve solely vegan food. You can get vegan yum cha in the city and in Newtown, and there are loads of Asian joints that do mock meats, if that’s your thing. Falafel is vegan, and depending on the oil it’s cooked in, you can still get the traditional kebab on the stumble home. Lots of Indian restaurants do vegan meals, and there are even vegan chains popping up. And of places that make no mention of vegan-ness? If you call in advance, you might find that there’s a separate menu that they don’t advertise, as is the case at Café Sydney; and for the absurdly prosperous amongst you, Tetsuyas does a vegan degustation. But even if they don’t specialise in it, with a bit of notice cafes and restaurants can be pretty accommodating. There’ll usually be at least one or two vegan-suitable dishes.

But it’s about time a lot of Sydney cafes and restaurants bucked up. As Bart tells Lisa: “You don’t win friends with salad.” Garden greens with a vinaigrette is not going to cut it, grilled veggie stacks are usually bland and uninspired, and veggie patties are often boring, recentlydefrosted, and contain both egg and cheese.

C’mon, guys. Don’t think you have a get-out-ofjail-free pass because your restaurant happens to not be in Newtown or Paddington. It is really nice to mention you’re vegan to waitstaff and have them a) understand what you’re talking about and b) provide you with options.

With all that in mind, here is a three-step guide to vegan-friendly dining:

1.Look At Your Menu

Lots of meals are quickly veganisable.

Most pasta, if it’s dried and not fresh, is eggfree; rice noodles always are. Offer dairy-free margarine as well as butter. Offer a veggie foccacia with some sort of funky relish option as well as the pesto/cheese option. Offer cheeseless pizza, but throw something else on it to amp up the flavour. You’re the chef, you figure it out! (Also, think about not charging vegans the same amount for a meal you’ve just removed the most expensive component from…)

2.Educate Your Staff

Explain what vegans are, and warn your staff that they may sometimes want to eat out. Tell them not to gawk or laugh (real life experience here, folks). Explain which options are vegan, and that they need to know the answer to ‘What stock is that made with?’ and ‘Is there fish sauce in that?’ You don’t need a million vegan options; you just need to be able to communicate whether there are any at all.

3.Pat Yourself On The Back

It isn’t rocket science. Vegans are like normal people, only marginally more painful.

Feed them!

Would You Like Karma With That?

Our picks of Sydney’s vegan eateries…

Green Gourmet Specialty: Vegan yum cha Address: 115-117 King Street, Newtown / 538 Pacific Highway St Leonards Web: greengourmet.com.au Bookings: 9519 5330 / 9439 6533

Funky Pies Specialty: Delectable vegan pies (even omnivores love them!)

Address: 114-148 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Web: funkypies.com.au Contact: 0420 415 164

Naked Espresso / Basil Pizza Specialty: Vegan big breakfasts, doubleshot coffees and pizza Address: 126 King Street Newtown (shared address) Web: cafenaked.com / basilpizza.com Bookings: 9519 4880

Earth Vegan Café Specialty: Vegan breakfast, lunch, drinks and deserts Address: Jivamukti Yoga, 76a Wilford St (just off of Enmore Rd), Newtown Web: jivamukti.com.au Contact: 9517 3280

Mother Chu’s Vegetarian Kitchen Specialty: Asian cuisine, mock meats galore Address: 367 Pitt Street, Sydney Web: motherchusvegetarian.com.au Bookings: 9283 2828

Iku Wholefood Specialty: Organic vegan takeaway & catering Address: More than ten locations around Sydney Web: ikuwholefood.com

BRAG EATS free stuff

▼

food review

VEGAN LUNCH FOR TWO!

Micky’s

arth Vegan Café in Newtown is leading the charge against carnivores, and showing that veganism isn’t just for Greens-voting treehuggers. Located in the Jivamukti Yoga Studio just off Enmore Rd, their winter menu features delicious twists on comfort foods, from their Morroccan Roast Carrot & Lentil Soup and Homemade GlutenFree Lasagne to their Aromatic Curry with blanched seasonal vegetables and brown rice.

Conveniently located across the road from the Chauvel, Micky’s is the perfect place to drop in for a bite to eat before or after a movie – and the menu has a range of snacks that cater to just this sort of diner, ranging from ‘I’m a bit peckish’ to ‘I’m frigging starving’ in size. They offer such a variety of food that you’d be hard-pressed to find someone not catered for.

E

If you like delicious food that’s planetfriendly, we have a special giveaway: a lunch for two, plus a 20% discount voucher for your instore purchases! To get your hands on this vegan treat, email us with a rough definition of what ‘vegan’ food entails.

Earth Vegan Café / 76 Wilford Street, Newtown / 9517 3280

You don’t have to be Vegan to enjoy our Food

[PADDINGTON]

Dropping in on a Wednesday evening for a bite, my date and I watch the booths and tables slowly fill up, without the place ever becoming too noisy or packed. The first win is the indie music playing at an unobtrusive volume: excellent. We order a mixed entrée plate, which includes ‘Crazy Corn’ (a chipotle-mayo and parmesancoated barbequed corn) and a sexy chunky eggplant relish for which my date and I, despite neither of us being massive eggplant fans, would happily return; we’re also enamoured of the garlicky, seasoned lentils, and the tasty jalapeno quesadillas.

Priced at $24, and pretty-much dinnersized, we feel like we’ve got good value for our money.

It’s clear that a lot of people have popped in to take advantage of Micky’s daily $10 meal deal, and I happily join them. On

Open weekdays from 11:30am - 3pm

Wednesdays it’s their entire burger range, so I have a veggie burger with grilled portobellos, haloumi, relish, and some fat fries. It’s a generous portion, which is a recurring theme at Micky’s - and if the starter hadn’t been so epic, I’d have cleared the dish. I get through a couple of glasses of wine and, while I order from their reasonable selection, you’ve gotta love a place that’s fully licensed as well as BYO. My date was surprised by his slow-cooked beef ragù risotto – the sauce was oil- rather than tomato-based. But he enjoyed it nonetheless, particularly the complementary gremolata garnish.

Micky’s is a great pick over local pubs – especially if you want a drink later in the night without having to yell to be heard. It also has a nice courtyard and some pretty fairy lights, both of which are wins in my book. Some selections were a bit more pricey, but the food was good, the wait-staff were attentive, and if you’re looking for a bite to eat in a relaxed cafe atmosphere, Micky’s is a safe bet.

– Romi Scodellaro Where: 268 Oxford Street, Paddington

Save the Earth, eat one vegan meal a week!

Menu includes snacks, mains, drinks and desserts Gluten Free options available Conveniently located in the heart of Newtown

Drop in and try out a yoga class while you’re here!

Hours: 8am-midnight, seven days a week Signature dish: Daily $10 meal deal BYO: Yes – and licensed.

Takeaway: Full menu – check website for details and delivery charges.

Web: mickyscafe.com

The Place is a Blast!

SUCCUMB TO YOUR SENSES

B A R C

G N I C RA

EVERY WEDNESDAY

76a Wilford St, Newtown ph: (02) 9517 3280 For more information please become our friend on facebook Or visit the website...

www.jivamuktiyoga.com.au

Pre-book & WIN! Pre book tickets through Ticketek to go in the draw to win a set of Riedel Vitsis Wine Glasses valued at $149.95. Simply quote BEAT when booking.

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Immerse yourself in a world of food and wine.

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Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre

goodfoodshow.com.au

1 -3 July 2011 BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 27

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK LADY GAGA Born This Way Universal / Interscope

Lady Gaga walks the walk.

This album fulfils so many expectations of her as an artist, while leaving plenty of surprises for the more cynical amongst us.

This is only album number 2.5 for Lady Gaga, but it’s already become incredibly hard to find something new to say about her. Her uber-fame and instant ubiquity have created this decade’s biggest (and most interesting) pop star, who's been endlessly dissected and examined in microscopic detail. But forgetting her clothes, her politics, her sexuality, her incredible video clips – what does the music actually mean, and what does it reveal that we don’t already know?

On Born This Way as opposed to The Fame Monster, it’s the album tracks rather than the singles that speak volumes about Lady Gaga as an artist and performer.

From the seedy, Berlin-sex-club-dirty track ‘Government

VETIVER

SEEKER LOVER KEEPER

The Errant Charm Sub Pop / Inertia The Errant Charm is Vetiver’s fifth full-length release since their self-titled debut back in 2004. The first two largely lived up to the freak-folk moniker that rubbed off from a productive symbiotic relationship with Devendra Banhart, playing The Band to his Dylan, before Vetiver’s songsmith Andy Cabic flaunted his musical erudition with Thing Of The Past - an unassuming but sublime collection of covers of the folkpop of yesteryear (c. ’68-’73). 2009’s Tight Knit bore the fruits of this back catalogue-mining, and Cabic’s latest collection continues the trend; it's an exquisitely mellow crop of chillaxed day-glo pop.

Opener ‘It’s Beyond Me’ sets the tone, with Cabic “just a passerby” watching “shameless games”; “I used to understand them / til the rules were changed” he sings, vocals blending inconspicuously into the mix, washed over by quavering licks of pedal steel before Cabic ultimately admits defeat with a bemused smile in the face of the world’s fickle moods, remaining aloof in a world of his own. Things don’t stay downbeat for long, as Cabic muses on receiving the blunt end of reality’s stick (‘Wonder Why’) or getting ready to fight back (‘Can’t You Tell’), with both tracks benefiting from his talent for concocting instantly catchy hooks.

Elsewhere, ‘Right Away’ exhibits pleasing country inflections, though nowhere near the degree of the pounding stomp of ‘Ride Ride Ride’ – it would be difficult to accuse Cabic of originality, but that’s hardly the purpose of the exercise. Before its dissolution in the lava-lamp-lit glow of ‘Soft Glass’, The Errant Charm manages to encapsulate the spirit of searching whimsy that's suggested by its title.

The Errant Charm is a record that demands to be lived with, its depths slowly revealed a dozen spins down the line.

Oliver Downes

Holly Throsby, Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann are all wonderful songwriters – eloquent, honest and engaging. All three seem to be at a creative peak of sorts, each having released a beautiful (and successful) album in the last eighteen months.

As a fan of her darkly orchestral first two albums, I'll admit to finding Blasko a little cloying these days; on my first spin she was all I could hear, and afterwards I felt like I’d eaten too many musk sticks.

On subsequent listens, more light and dark emerges. Seltmann’s writing stands out whether she’s singing it or not – ‘If The Night Is Dark’ could easily be from Heart That’s Pounding; Throsby adds her sweet, papery tones to ‘Even Though I’m A Woman’, a tender, sheepish confession about getting off on the drama of separation (“I love the danger in distance”).

Would-be title track ‘Theme I’ trundles along on a gently percussive pattern of acoustic strumming, distant bass plucks and a bowed banjo that lends a not unpleasant (and much-needed) sense of unease. The final track, ‘Rest Your Head On My Shoulder’, is a clear highlight - the harmonies are at once flawlessly constructed and intricate, and as intuitive and comforting as all the best lullabies.

Gorgeous in parts, Seeker Lover Keeper is mostly just nice.

Caitlin Welsh

Similarly, on ‘Scheiße', Gaga again comments on star-ascommodity with “I don’t speak German / but I can if you like”, before the track descends into glitchy, bass heavy, coked-out brilliance. There are flourishes of this Eurorave aesthetic on several Gaga tracks that were never destined to make radio (and some that will – ‘Judas’ most notably), but the album is so much more well-rounded for having tracks that are both pop-lite and club-heavy. And it also must be said that ‘Born This Way’ is one of the best singles of her career, or this year. Feel the soul!

Kirsty Brown

OMAR RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ

Seeker Lover Keeper Dew Process Supergroups always seem way better on paper. The Traveling Wilburys' ‘Handle With Care’ is a great song, but it’s not as good as ‘Mr Blue Sky’, ‘Something’, ‘Cryin’’, ‘Free Fallin’ and ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ put together. The Wilburys, The Four Highwaymen, Monsters Of Folk and Them Crooked Vultures – they somehow all end up being slightly less than the sum of their parts, even if they do produce the occasional sublime moment.

Hooker’, which grinds and pumps with wild sexual abandon, Gaga makes wry comments on her fame like “I could be anything / as long as you pay me” – which might be as close to the truth of Gaga as she’s willing to reveal. Regardless, it’s a brilliant club track that tracked her catwalk debut for Thierry Mügler, and gave that show more atmosphere than the couture itself.

Telesterion Rodriguez Lopez Productions When I received Telesterion, the new 2CD best-of-so-far from The Mars Volta’s head honcho Omar Rodriguez Lopez (or ORL), I was dismayed to discover that the delicate plastic CD tray had shattered. I retrieved a similar tray from the considerably more heavyduty habitat of the 3CD Floorfillers: 90s Dance Classics! The sheer density of plastic that had held such heady, vital acts as Tokyo Ghetto Pussy would surely be able to securely house the 140 minutes of sheer prog that I now held in my hands... But this tray also shattered – spontaneously, and quite dramatically – apparently incapable of restraining the weighty jams contained therein. Warily, I turned to the music itself.

What can actually be said about a 37-track-strong compilation that acts as a ‘sampler’ of ten years and 40 (!) albums worth of solo material? Like The Mars Volta, ORL as a solo act suffers from issues that have plagued most progressive rock from the outset.

This comp exhibits the same lack of incisive editing that tainted much of Frank Zappa’s work after Joe’s Garage. And in the same way that the recent King Crimson ‘ProjeKCt' appears to eternally sustain the exquisite nuances of hell’s own placid elevator music, the less pressing moments on Telesterion stick around too long to maintain their charm.

So taken even as the tip of a narcotictinged iceberg, the sheer bulk of this eccentric, vibrant, indulgent collection of material renders it as something of a confectionary, a bag of sherbet to be dipped into frugally, as opposed to indulged as a single slab of psychedelic noodling.

LIAM FINN

Liam Finn’s been a busy chap since dropping his debut, I’ll Be Lightning, back in 2007. With multiple world tours with the likes of Wilco and Pearl Jam, and fingers in half a dozen musical pies (unfortunately the less said about BARB, last year’s collaboration with the wonderful Lawrence Arabia amongst others, the better), Finn The Younger generally takes full advantage of the opportunities offered by some fortuitous family connections.

Which is not to say that he hasn’t proven himself as a solid performer in his own right. His debut contained some lovely moments, imparting with manic energy a vital sense of the world opening up. Such points are few on angst-fuelled second album FOMO (= Fear Of Missing Out), the prevailing mood instead being one of subdued melancholy, occasionally riven by a barely contained agitation.

A prime example is first single ‘The Struggle’, in which Finn is perhaps aiming towards the misanthropic excesses of uncle Tim’s darker moments but instead comes off, well, adolescent. It's a problem that also besets ‘Little Words’: “desire / now it has gone / you’re pretty much dead to me”. Wow… Harsh. That said, he never lets you forget his talent: ‘Roll of the Eye’ is excellent, ‘Cold Feet’ is a surprisingly upbeat slice of power pop, and ‘Chase The Seasons’ possesses all the self-deprecating generosity so conspicuously absent elsewhere.

It’s actually quite good, but be warned – it may break your CD shelf.

Given the length of the shadows he’s working under (Liam is not Neil, nor should he be expected to be), it’s unsurprising that Finn has a few insecurities to shake out.

But by the time FOMO hits frenetic album closer ‘Jump Your Bones’ he's managed to convince you that though he’s not quite there yet, it’s only a matter of time...

Luke Telford

Oliver Downes

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK SIERRA FIN Cautionary Tale Of The Beautiful Blackout Independent A lot of young bands conceiving their debut album probably joke about using an orchestra, before realising that from a logistic and practical standpoint, it’s a pretty bad idea. But words like ‘practicality’ mean nothing to a band like Sydney fourpiece Sierra Fin. Not only did they hire twenty-seven classically trained musicians to play on their debut album, but they managed to create something amazing – recorded in only five days.

The album is broken into three distinct

28 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

parts; “Yesterday”, “Today” and “Tomorrow”.

In “Yesterday”, the band seems content to let the orchestration dominate proceedings.

The opener, ‘Death by Alarm Clock (Overture)’, is a colourful, bombastic piece, devoid of vocals, that wouldn’t seem out of place in an episode of Charlie’s Angels. It gives way to the balladry of the densely-layered ‘Polystyrene Dream #1’ and maudlin, Radiohead-esque ‘Claustrophobia’, whose soaring orchestral peak is one of the best moments on the album.

transition to the record's third chapter.

The “Today” component consists of only one piece. The seven minute title-track ‘Beautiful Blackout’ is just a man at his piano finding solace from a painful world in the arms of sleep. It’s a down-trodden ballad, torturous and beautiful; a sprawling

Some parts Freddie Mercury, some parts Thom Yorke, it’s difficult to fault this album at all. Their debut LP is well beyond Sierra Fin’s years.

A snapshot of Sierra Fin’s indie credentials the song-writing on “Tomorrow” holds firmer against the orchestral direction, as individual songs are segmented from the whole. ‘Lost Man’s Lie’ belongs in a smoky backroom bar, with heavily distorted guitars forming the backbone for string melodies, before the band gets Vaudevillian during standout ‘Wrapped In Plastic’, which transforms into a swinging good time with a hands-in-the-air crescendo to finish.

Rick Warner

JACK LADDER & THE DREAMLANDERS

FOMO Liberation

Hurtsville Spunk Kirin J Callinan might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Jack Ladder.

The latter’s sonorous voice – which he’s finally embraced after years of dodging comparisons to every doomy baritone from Cave and Cohen to Cash and Callahan – sounds deliciously rich and dark wrapped in the guitarist’s gently commanding, otherworldly noodling. Callinan’s best work here is on the opening three cuts; each is devastatingly atmospheric, languidly paced and, once you get around to it, richly veined with black humour and economical storytelling.

Hurtsville plays out like a really terrific mix tape, made with love by a suburban New Wave kid trying to win over a nubile Goth. It’s true that the references are easy to pick and that, after the first three tracks, the mood leaps around a bit; going from the dark swagger of ‘Position Vacant’ to the mechanical throb of ‘Short Memory’, to the doleful and admittedly Cavesque ‘Blinded By Love’ doesn’t do much to defend against accusations of pastiche.

But if the other option was, say, adding more tracks in each style to bridge the apparent gaps in sonic cohesion, I’d prefer this lean, strange beast over a flabby record that overstayed its welcome. Almost every track is rich and wide, with enough space and ambiguity to bury yourself in for days at a time.

As for the Cave comparisons – well, the only real clunker here is the plodding ‘Blinded By Love’, so one hopes Ladder will avoid that place where the wild roses grow in the future... He has far more in common with classic Springsteen – another songwriter who wore his nostalgic pop influences on his sleeve, learning to tailor them to his strengths.

A disciplined and (mostly) stunning third record, from an artist who’s not afraid to try something old.

Caitlin Welsh

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

BON IVER - Bon Iver THE REPLACEMENTS - Let It Be JONNY GREENWOOD - Norwegian Wood OST

METRONOMY - The English Riviera WYE OAK - The Knot

ardline ardline media group

BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 29

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

that instantly recognisable DnB intro from their biggest hit to date, ‘Rock It’, that you realised why the majority of the crowd were there.

The place erupted like a late-'80s NKoTB concert, with screaming fan-girls deafening all and sundry. Little Red responded in kind, bopping around stage until guitarist Dominic Byrne eventually flung himself into the adoring crowd (delivering a couple of timely knees to some of those excruciating squealers, fingers crossed…).

JANE BADLER FEAT. PAUL GRABOWSKY The Basement Thursday June 9

Before Jane Badler was a singer, she was an actress. Best known for appearing as Diana, the sexually charged and enigmatic villain of seminal late-'70s American TV serial V, she went on to act in a series of Hollywood B movies and television soaps, even popping up in Neighbours in 2010.

Jane’s music is inevitably tied to this history, conjuring a sensation of melodrama, sadness and sleaze; most of which you’d expect from a woman whose latest album is titled Tears Again.

Jane obviously models herself after the great dramatic singers such as Edith Piaf and Jaques Brel, and anyone would come off a little worse for wear in comparison to them.

Yet even though she might not be able to live up to the true greats, you would never guess it from the way she carries herself on stage. Exuding mesmerising confidence in everything she did, even her foibles and mistakes seemed to all be part of the show.

THE DELTA RIGGS, HOWLER The Lansdowne Friday June 10

Stumbling into the Lansdowne on Friday night could easily be equated to hopping into a DeLorean DMC-12 and setting the meter to 1969. There were more paisley shirts, floppy feather-embellished wide brimmed hats and unruly facial hair than the Almost Famous set. With the crowd’s intense psychedelic authenticity, the few modern-day trendies seemed lost – but whatever your style and whether or not you were painstakingly inebriated or stoned, it was hard not to applaud The Delta Riggs’ brand of infectious, high-powered retro rock'n'roll.

Animated local three-piece Howler warmed up and invigorated the crowd with their fluid fusion of blues, psychedelica and funk-inspired tunes, weaving detailed and poetic lyricism, high-powered drums and dynamic, harmonic vocals into their live performance with serious ease and style. Channelling late-‘80s Bret Michaels steez, frontman Mickey Grossman growled into the mic, flaunting his solid husky vocals and shredding skill like a '70s rock icon. Howler’s ability to emulate past eras of rock‘n’roll while effortlessly blending a series of opposing genres make them a remarkable live act. Almost as remarkable as the intoxicated chap in the front row doing backwards rolls to the beat of the kick drum…

Unlike the more genre-malleable Howler, The Delta Riggs are rock‘n’roll in its purest, most unadulterated form. Sauntering on stage wearing uniform hats coupled with luscious straight long locks, the Gold Coast sevenpiece know how to work together to hype a

30 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

Rick Warner Decades of acting have shaped everything Jane does on stage, and without this live presence one wonders how the music would work; everything about the performance is tied up in the character she presents on stage.

Compared to his other work, Grabowsky’s arrangements were a little disappointing; they fit in with Jane’s act, but this meant they were standard and traditional. I was sort of hoping that his involvement would bring some more experimental and interesting passages. Even as the star of the show, it would’ve been

crowd. Seconds into their set, the dance floor was filled with flower children and men in suits, shuffling their feet frantically like it was some type of modern Woodstock. ‘Get Back’ brought that gospel/soul musicality to the stage, with multi-layered percussion, Americana-style group vocals, and frontman Elliot Hammond thrusting his pelvis passionately towards the mic stand and thrashing his long hair back and forth. Hammond kicked off the mid set with crowd favourite ‘Soul Train’, in which Aaron Jackson’s dynamic guitar work was complemented by the group’s insurmountable energy. Closing the set with the tempoerratic, psychedelic jam ‘Heavy Water’, the band provided a less glossy, more gritty performance with a dense wall of sound and a memorable final guitar breakdown. Judging from the enthusiastic moves from the front row it is evident that, in the words of Hammond, The Delta Riggs make music "of the people, for the people," man.

Ava Nirui

LITTLE RED, WORLD’S END PRESS Metro Theatre Friday June 10

Having never experienced Little Red live before, I really didn’t know what to expect.

From what I saw in the media, Little Red were three extras from an Australian Crawl film clip and two effeminate, well-dressed Asian dudes.

From what I read, they were occasionally surly in interviews (Quang and Taka, I’m looking in your direction) but with a sense of fun on stage. And from what I’d heard from their sophomore album Midnight Remember,

great to see Jane feed off the band a little more.

Jane Badler’s appeal is very much one that rests in nostalgia. Her songs and her presence recall a bygone era – one that while occasionally schmaltzy, has a charm that stands the test of time. And while I do feel she could have done more to bring the show into a more contemporary arena, if classic jazz singers are what you’re after, you can’t go past this consummate performer.

Jim Willing they were an almost bipolar pastiche of '60s surf rock, '80s pop rock and Neil Diamond balladeering. So I was interested to see how this would all come together.

Melbourne indie-disco act World’s End Press were smashing their way through their set as I manoeuvred through the already jammed crowd. It must be a nice for the support act to play to a full Metro Theatre, and they put on an energetic show, scampering around the stage with drumsticks lodged in mouth, pounding on keyboards and guitars as the crowd lapped it up. Although they occasionally came off like a reinvention of Duran Duran, they put together a strong show; their last song, a storming piano-driven house track, was an absolute standout.

Now, I’m not sure if Little Red intentionally brought a mellow vibe to the stage as an antidote to World’s End Press (Taka, Little Red’s drummer, once vehemently stated “Fuck electro... All electro bands suck.”), or if it’s just their regular M.O., but the hyperactive buzzing before the band played certainly turned to simmering heat during their opener ‘Get A Life’, before they followed up with one of their oldest songs, ‘Waiting’. Exploring the realms of Midnight Remember in the first half of their set, they worked through the gorgeous ‘Slow Motion’ and the neo-folk lament of ‘In My Bed’ before the crowd took the initiative and clapped out the beat for the stripped-back balladry of ‘All Mine,’ the single whose launch they were celebrating, and one of my favourite moments of the night.

Delving into their back catalogue, they gave the enthusiastic crowd some older tunes like ‘Witchdoctor’ to dance to, but it wasn’t until

DANGER

Oxford Art Factory Saturday June 11 Danger lies somewhere between a conscious audio euphoria and an unconscious, acidtrip-esque, psychological dystopia. The ostensible ‘anonymity’ of the mysterious Lyonbased DJ simultaneously inspires curiosity and fascination in the listener, successfully subverting the notion of ‘fear of the unknown’...

Amid Oxford Art Factory’s dense fog of tired and sopping-wet pseudo-hipsters lay the French electronic hype magnet, sporting a form-hugging black body suit. His notoriety has been established over a short four-year period, with his first EP, 09/14 2007 (named after the day it was finished) demonstrating his musicality. Comparable to other European synthetic music pioneers such as Daft Punk and Kavinsky, Danger sets himself apart with his innovative overlay of samples, his use of throbbing electronic basslines and his resurrection of the chip-tune genre.

Thematically, he doesn't limit himself to electronic influences; he draws upon the intensity of metal, the familiarity of pop and the danceability of disco. Sadly, his technical skills and artistic capabilities don't translate to his live performance.

Whether it was due to the 1.30am start, the torrential downpour that flooded Oxford Street, or the long-winded lead-up to his set, the crowd did not appear remotely enthused – and leaping on stage with his blazing neon eyes darting around erratically, Danger did little to hype or excite us. As he kicked his set off with a tight performance of ‘19h11’ from his debut record, it was obvious the dynamic between the artist and audience was underwhelming. Whilst he convulsed his body to the swelling synth and the frenzied percussive layering, the crowd shuffled their feet around, awkwardly throwing their hands in the air. The glitchy, tempo-inconsistent, bitty mix during ‘4h30’ (from his most recent EP) drew slightly more enthusiasm, with Danger’s dramatic dance moves being passionately reciprocated – but his performance became stale and somewhat exhausted with repetition. Although Danger manages to effectively absorb listeners through his studio recordings, he doesn’t quite pull it off live.

Ava Nirui

Live Jane Badler photo by Ken Leanfore

Her second time working with Sir (aka Jesse Shepherd), Jane was joined on stage by internationally renowned Australian composer Paul Grabowsky and some of Sydney’s leading jazz talent, including the wonderful Tina Harrod on back-up vocals, and Phil Slater playing trumpet. But even with such players behind her, Jane was hardly going to let them steal the show.

After an obligatory encore of Van Morrison’s ‘Here Comes The Night’ and fan favourite ‘Coca Cola’, it was over, and I left feeling strangely happy. Whether it was the doowop that had somehow seeped into me, or I’d caught some of that bliss that the people down the front were pushing, I can’t be sure.

But it seems that everyone else had the same problem.

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BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 31

Remedy

More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

SNAPPED: ROBERT JOHNSON

(USA)

Did anyone see that new photo of Robert Johnson that’s been circulating? There’s only been one pic available of the master for many, many years now, but someone recently stumbled across another, this time with some other dude in the frame (which is just gonna get confusing for some). Funny thing is, both photos of Johnson have this most haunted and dangerous of all the blues men looking pretty carefree – like Louis Armstrong, or some guy who sold ice cream from the back of a truck. Pretty wrong, really.

STEVE ‘BASEBALL’ EARLE

He’s one of the last American performers that really matters, so it’s fitting that he’s now involved in one of the most traditional of US sports: baseball. Yep, Steve Earle has teamed up with ESPN to conjure up a revised version of the music that heralds Baseball Tonight. It can be heard for the rest of the current season.

JELLO REALLY?

How true the talk that former Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra will be gracing our shores for another spoken word visit later this year?

RIP ANAL C**T

They were never ever ever ever going to get a Grammy nomination and wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, but Anal C**t have lost singer Seth Putnam (the man referred to as the “GG Allin of grindcore�) to a heart attack. The band, if we recall rightly, were at one point recording for (and being strongly championed by) Pantera and Down man, Phil Anselmo.

(USA) + JACK LADDER + DONNY BENET

RADIO BIRDMAN UNITED

Radio Birdman’s Rob Younger and Deniz Tek are back together, it seems. They hooked up with a French backing band and hope to do some European dates possibly in October.

(US (USA)

LESLIE WEST APP

Mountain’s Leslie West, who doesn’t seem to have aged a damn millimetre since Woodstock, now has an iPhone game app. Bless him.

MASTODON HUNTER

It’s busy times for Mastodon. They’ve got a new slab called The Hunter on the way, and guitarist Brent Hinds also has a role in a new supergroup tentatively titled Giraffe Tongue, featuring various members of The Mars Volta, Jane’s Addiction and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Expect something much more out there than a take on Sabbath or AC/DC.

MOLTEN UNIVERSE

Molten Universe’s new album, The Green Ray, doesn’t sound like it’s your usual

rockist rock, if the rave that goes with it is any guide: “Come join us and connect with your inner self as we celebrate the birth of this garage punk rock beast. The Stones have Exile on Main St, The Beach Boys have Pet Sounds, Aerosmith have Rocks – now Molten Universe have The Green Ray. Join in the revelry as we blast through our repertoire of songs about alien abduction, amphetamine-induced psychosis, geriatric vigilante squads, the Flair/Steamboat feud of 1991, Ancient Egyptian mummification practices, transgender prostitution, etc. A couple of us gatecrashed a Cult tour party back in the ‘80s, where Ian Astbury told us that, ‘I used to play in a garage band once’. If we ever met him again we will say to him, ‘Listen here big fella. We still play in a garage band and we dig it! You can have your fancy hairstyle and stadium rock trip but we are a hip underground act with a cult following and we love playing groovy venues like the Baldy’s Live At The Wall.

Yeeyah!'"

ISLAND EXODUS III

We were uncomfortable about this last year, and we’re just as uneasy this time around: Gov’t Mule’s Island Exodus III will once again be taking place at the Breezes Grand Resort in Negril, Jamaica over four nights between January 13-17, 2012. The Mule will play three shows and Warren Haynes will play a solo acoustic show on the fourth night. There’ll be the usual activities such as the poster signing, golf outing and Matt Abts’ drum clinic.

The resort has seven restaurants and “non-motorised water sports and scuba diving are all included in the cost of your package�. We wonder what Duane Allman or Jerry Garcia would have made of all this.

BYRDS MEETS BIG STAR We might have mentioned previously that we used to have a thing for REM. Legitimately so, we reckon. Their whole Byrds meets Big Star meets weird Beatles’ mystique was pretty damn fetching back in the ‘80s. All that magic has of course long gone – but the 25th anniversary edition of 1986’s Life’s Rich Pageant, with 19 previously unreleased demos, falls well within our appreciation trajectory. It’s out on July 8.

ON THE TURNTABLE

On the Remedy turntable is The Dream Syndicate’s Medicine Show, their ridiculously expensive Sandy ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ Pearlman-produced flop – and one of our all time faves of the past few decades.

Karl Percoda’s droning and somewherenear-the-right-pitched guitar work remains a marvel. Also spinning is Wine Is Red Poison Is Blue, a comp by Texan mob Poison 13, who featured one time Big Boy and general God, Tim Kerr. Of all the acts that say they were influenced by Rose Tattoo, this lot are the only ones that really sound like it. But with Ian Rilen on vocals. Killer stuff.

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS In a great bringing-together of Oz rock generations, Screaming Jets' Dave Gleeson is now singing with The Angels.

Yep, the band that’s very loosely had a few singers over the past decade or so – former bassist Jim Hilbun at the Gimme Ted benefit gig, and then John Brewster in The Angels Band – make it official at their first show with Gleeso at the Annandale, on June 30.

The supports for Helmet’s tour in a few weeks have been announced. On June 24 the Manning Bar won’t just be subjected to the pounding of its life by Page Hamilton’s crew, but will also cop a thumping from openers, born again Brisbane mob Pangaea.

The Screaming Tribesmen are reforming in September to play The Gathering Festival in Brisbane. Not the original ‘Igloo’ band mind you, but still a strong lineup. %.42!.#% 0/).43 4/ #!-053

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Rose Tattoo are set to blow the roof off the Sando at Newtown over two “up close and dangerous� nights. On June 24 they’ll be joined by Melody Black and Nat Cole & The Kings, and then on June 25, Hell Crab City and The Lazys are doing the opening honours.

Helmet

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

Pics to art@thebrag.com www.facebook.com/remedy4rock

BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 33

snap sn ap up all night out all week . . .

mum party profile

It’s called: MUM It sounds like: The sort of noise generated by a house party packing seven bands and the best house party-style DJs playing what ever the hell they want.

Who’s playing? DZ Deathrays, Chicks Who Love Guns, Dolphins, Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun, The Future Prehistoric, Johnny Rock & The Limits and The Ruminators Sell it to us: This will be MUM’s biggest party of 2011 so far – and now the ultimate party in a terrace-house-style-bar has a fireplace and extra heating to keep you toasty while you party down.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: This week’s lineup will ensure that any AM memory-searching will have to be done on your Sunday, because this party is sure to wipe out your Saturday morning!

Crowd specs: People looking for the ultimate terrace house party.

Wallet damage: $15 / students free before 10, $10 after Where: World Bar / 24 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross

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When: Friday June 24

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08:06:11 :: Entertainment Centre :: 35 Harbour Street, Darling Harbour 9320 4200

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09:06:11 :: Kings Cross Hotel :: 248 William St Darlinghurst 2010 9331 9900

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10:06:11 :: Museum of Contemporary Art :: 140 George St, The Rocks, 92452400

09:06:11 :: The Factory :: 105 Victoria Road Enmore 95503666 :: CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: PATRICK STEVENSON :: THOMAS PEACHY :: DANIEL MUNNS :: VICKY NGUYEN

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10:06:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

:: Tone :: 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills 92676440

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Contact: es. ott n eve ts@liz com.au

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:: The Metro Theatre :: 624 George St City 92642666

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party profile

unplugged + uncomplicated

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It’s called: Unplugged + Uncomplicated It sounds like: Lazy winter afternoons with a mellow soundtrack and a beverage in hand.

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Who’s playing? The bluesy beats of Gerard Masters, the mellow and melodious Lincoln Davis Trio, the sublimely poetic Elle Kennard, songbird Lois Mares and lyrical songstress Sarah-Jane O’Hara.

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castle Comed 30 New Showcase JULY 1 Mental As Anything

JUNE

Sell it to us: The best way to spend a penniless Saturday afternoon, with Sydney’s finest local music, super-comfy LoveSacs, and CarriageWorks’ cafe and bar open all day.

Crowd specs: Chilled inner-westies, Eveleigh Farmers' Markets-goers, and parents of well-dressed babies.

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Wallet damage: Free!

Where: CarriageWorks / 245 Wilson Street Eveleigh When: Saturday June 25, from noon.

:: CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: PATRICK STEVENSON :: THOMAS PEACHY :: DANIEL MUNNS :: VICKY NGUYEN

Lizotte’s Sydney 629 Pittwater Rd Dee Why

Lizotte’s Central Coast Lot 3 Avoca Dr Kincumber

Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton

W W W. L I ZOT TES.CO M.AU BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 35

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send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week

Andy Bull

Red Riders

Joshua Radin (USA), Jim Bianco (USA), Andy Bull Enmore Theatre $56.60 7:30pm

THURSDAY JUNE 23

COUNTRY

The Factory Theatre, Enmore

The Middle East,

The Starry Field, Joseph Liddy & The Skeleton Horse $23 (+ bf) 7pm MONDAY JUNE 20

TUESDAY JUNE 21

ROCK & POP

ROCK & POP

Ian Blakeney Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm Matt Jones The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Nicky Kurta Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm O’Malley’s Got Talent O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 8pm The Rocks Choir The Merchant’s House, Sydney free 6pm Van Dyke Parks (USA), Kinky Friedman Brass Monkey, Cronulla $56.10 (+ bf) 8pm

JAZZ

Roman Pulati Quartet 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8:30pm

Adam Pringle Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Bondi Community Choir Bondi Pavilion Community Cultural Centre, Bondi Beach free 7pm Glen Cardier, Sean McKenzie, Merenia Gillies The Basement, Circular Quay $15 (+ bf)–$63.80 (dinner & show) 8:30pm JMC Academy Band Night Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Outlier Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Steve Tonge O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9:30pm

They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9:30pm Van Dyke Parks (USA), Kinky Friedman Brass Monkey, Cronulla $56.10 (+ bf) 8pm

Whip Crackin’ Country Music Club Penrith Gaels Club free 7pm

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22 ROCK & POP

Alloway Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9:30pm Emme Bank Hotel, Newtown free 9pm Gemma The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Ghoul Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach 8pm Golden Fang, Nikki Thornton, Tim Fitz Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 8pm Goodnight Dynamite O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9:30pm Grun, Dave Carr’s Fabulous Contraption, Takadimi, Laura & Susie Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Jade Gannon El Rocco Jazz Cellar, Woolloomooloo $10 8pm

Jed Zarb Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Jimmy Webb (USA) The Basement, Circular Quay $65 (+ bf)–$70 (at door) 9pm Kym Campbell Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm Luke Dixon Summer Hill Hotel free 7:30pm Mandi Jarry Duo Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 6:30pm Mark Lucas Petersham Bowling Club free 7:30pm Marty From Reckless Northies, Cronulla free 7:30pm Michelle Martinez Marble Bar, Sydney free 8:30pm Musos Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel. free 8pm Musos Jam Night Live at the Wall, Leichhardt free 6pm Open Mic Night Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick free 8pm Open Mic Night Down Under Bar & Bistro, Kings Cross free 7:30pm Superheavyweights Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm The Glamma Rays Slide, Darlinghurst $20 (show only)–$60 (dinner & show) 7pm Torana The Valve, Tempe 7pm Two Minds Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm

Josh Pyke

JAZZ

John Harkins Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm John Hill Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm Mark Gordon The Manhattan Lounge, Sydney free 6:30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm The Waples Bros, Song Fwaa 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 (at door) 8:30pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK

Adam Pringle Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown 8pm

“Don’t clap I’m not a jazz band for Christ’s sake.” – DYLAN MORAN 36 :: BRAG :: 417 : 20:06:11

JAZZ

Darryl Beaton Civic Underground, Sydney free 9pm Mark Hooper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7:30pm Paul Sun Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Robert Susz & The Continental Blues Party The Rose Hotel, Chippendale free 7pm The Spirit of Moses Quartet Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8:30pm Transit 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8:30pm

THURSDAY JUNE 23 ROCK & POP

Bno Rockshow Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Carus Thompson Notes Live, Enmore $15 (+ bf)–$20 (at door) 7pm Dean Stafford, Elk Bell Excelsior Hotel free 7:30pm Duck & Cover Woollahra Hotel free 7:45pm English & The Doc Brass Monkey, Cronulla $17.85 (presale) 7pm Fire Room The Valve, Tempe 7pm G4 Marble Bar, Sydney free 8:30pm

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Gaby Bonello, Peter Lanzon Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7:30pm Glenn Whitehall Edinburgh Castle Hotel free 7pm Greg Byrne Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Halal, How Are You?, The Fighting League, TV Colours, Sweet Teeth, Adam Lewis, Dirtybird Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Johnathon Devoy Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Josh Pyke, Jackson McLaren Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $20 (presale)–$25 8pm Luchi, Chris Gillespie, Ex-Trendy, Constant Project Lewisham Livehouse $10 7:30pm Matt Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 8:30pm Mountain Static Paddington Uniting Church 8pm Mushu Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Hotel, Rooty Hill free 8pm One Non Blond Lakemba Services Memorial Club free 8pm Swamp Lizard Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $5 8pm Sydney Sound Big Band Rockdale RSL Club free 8pm The Church Red Rattler, Marrickville $60 8pm The Gin Club Vault 146, Windsor 8pm

The Medics Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10.60 (presale) 8pm The Middle East, The Starry Field, Joseph Liddy & the Skeleton Horse The Factory Theatre, Enmore $23 (+ bf) 7pm Tim Rogers, Leena, Diamond Quills Annandale Hotel $25 (+ bf) 8pm Tony Mazell & the Four Tunes, Sophie Serafino, Johnny V South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8pm Tony Williams Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Warbrain, Mandalay Victory, Relentless Spectrum, Darlinghurst $12 (guestlist)–$15 8pm

JAZZ

Brad Johns Dee Why RSL Club free 7pm Gerard Masters, The Falls 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8:30pm Jo Fabro, Samba Mundi Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8:30pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Ted Sly’s Band Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK

Christian Berechree Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta free 8pm Luke Escombe & The Corporation, Hobo Bordeaux The Vanguard, Newtown $12 (+ bf)–$47 (dinner & show) 6:30pm

Kate Gogarty Ruby L’otel, Rozelle free 6pm

The Grates

FRIDAY JUNE 24 ROCK & POP

2 Of Hearts Revesby Workers Club free 9pm American Graffiti Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club free 8:30pm Andy Mammers Castle Hill RSL Club free 8:30pm Barry Leef, Peter Northcote Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9:30pm Big Way Out Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Booty Call Kro Bar, East Leagues Club 8:30pm Brown Sugar Marble Bar, Sydney free 9:30pm Chris Connolly Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Computer Wants Me Dead, Big Dumb Kid DJs, Yes (UK) Last Night @ Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10 8pm Dark Order The Valve, Tempe 7pm David Haack, Eye to Eye, Arcaine Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Dom Turner, Martin Cilla, Brad Carr, Fess Parker Vault 146, Windsor $17 (presale)–$20 (at door) 8pm DZ Deathrays, Chicks Who Love Guns, Dolphins, Doc Holidays Takes The Shotgun, The Future

Prehistoric, Johnny Rock & The Limits and The Ruminators MUM @ The World Bar, Kings Cross $10 (students) $15 9pm Franky Valentyn Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 8pm Gay Paris, The Jacks, La Mancha Negra, Cherrywood Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $16 (1st release) 8pm GTS Club Rivers, Riverwood free 8:30pm Harbour Masters Kings X Hotel 10pm

wed

22 Jun

thu

7%$

5 * .%

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

fri

24 Jun

(5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:15PM - 1:00AM)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

25 Jun

4(5

*5.%

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

26 Jun

THE STUDY PRESENT

GOLDEN FANG

NIKKI THORNTON + TIM FITZ

THE MEDICS

THE HONEY MONTH + BABAGANOUJ

+ BIG DUMB KID

SUNDAY NIGHT

3!4

*5.%

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

&2%%9 %.42

PURPLE SNEAKERS PRESENT LAST NIGHT &2)

(LIVE) COMPUTER WANTS ME DEAD(NZ) *5.% PLUS THE RESIDENT

sun

SATURDAY NIGHT

Late Shift Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10:30pm Lisa Edwards Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $33–$73 (dinner & show) 7pm Mad Cow South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8:30pm Mike Mathieson Duo, Chris Alexander St Marys Band Club free 9pm Natalie Gauci El Rocco Jazz Cellar, Woolloomooloo $20 (+ bf) 7:30pm

Wednesdays Riot House Comedy

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

23 Jun

Helmet (USA), Pangaea Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $49.50 (+ bf) 8pm Jonah & the Wailers, The Elementals Camelot, Marrickville $25 7:30pm Katchafire (NZ), This Version Enmore Theatre $43 (+ bf)– $50 (at door) 7:30pm Keith Armitage Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm La Vista Petersham RSL Club free 8:30pm

35.

*5.%

PURPLE SNEAKERS DJ’S

DESTROYALLLINES PRESENT NOWHERE

KISSCHASY

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN + THE HOT DAMN DJ’S

LOS SKELETONE BLUES THE BLINDFOLDS

28/06 STRIP! TUESDAYS 29/06 SHIVON COELHO + RIOT HOUSE 30/06 SYNDICATE 02/07 MICAH HINSON + DUBSTEP PARTY 03/07 THE VOLTS 09/07 OURBOROS/SRDL AFTERPARTY 14/07 CROSSROADS LAUNCH NIGHT 16/07 MAJOR RAISER

&2%% %.429

COMING SOON BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 37

g g guide g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Night Owl Down Under Bar & Bistro, Kings Cross free 8pm No Brakes Rockdale RSL Club free 7:30pm Papa Vs Pretty, Redcoats, I Know Leopard Annandale Hotel $14 (+ bf) 8pm Paris Club Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7:30pm Pia Anderson & The Cocktail Cabinet Red Rattler, Marrickville $25 7:30pm Powderfinger Show Engadine Tavern free 9pm Rolling Stoned Dural Country Club free 8:30pm Rose Tattoo, Melody Black, Nat Col & the Kings Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $25 (+ bf)–$30 (at door) 8pm Skyscraper Customs House Bar, Sydney free 7pm Steve Edmonds Band Springwood Sports Club $30 7:30pm Sydonia, Contrive Live at the Wall, Leichhardt 8pm The Gin Club, The Handsome Young Strangers Brass Monkey, Cronulla $19.40 (presale) 7pm The Grates, Big Scary, Guineafowl Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $30 (+ bf) 8pm The Groove Academy Water Bar, Woolloomooloo free 6pm The Hitmakers Bankstown Sports Club free 9pm The Matchbox Twenty Show Penrith Hotel free 10pm

The Underground Architect, Big Bozza Band, Spooky Land, Ray Ray Ray, The Jetsons Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm Thirsty Merc, We Are Grace Taren Point Hotel-Motel $25 (member)–$30 8pm Tony Trelawny Hawkesbury Hotel, Windsor free 7:45pm Twin Set Ramsgate RSL, Ramsgate Beach free 8pm

JAZZ

Ali Hughes, Lady Sings It Better The Wharf Theatre, Walsh Bay free 10pm Dig Notes Live, Enmore $36 (+ bf)–$40 (at door) 8pm Doug Williams, Flatwound Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8:30pm Freefall Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Hard Rockin’ Amigos Club Cronulla free 8:30pm No Beef Patty Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7:30pm Not Quite Cabaret Paddington Arms $24 7pm Paul Capsis The Basement, Circular Quay $42–$90.80 (dinner & show) 9pm The Ninth Chapter 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8:30pm

COUNTRY The Torchsong Country Soul Band, Pugsley Buzzard, Beautifully Mad The Manly Fig $15 7:30pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK

Ange Murphy, Hannah Matysek Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta 8pm

SATURDAY JUNE 25 ROCK & POP

031 Rockshow Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm 3 Way Split Peachtree Hotel, Penrith free 9pm Amodus, The Conspiracy, Everything Is Coming to Millhouse Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm Brad Johns Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Brian McKnight (USA), Barry Southgate, Dwele (USA) Metro Theatre, Sydney $69.70 (+ bf) 7pm Buckshot Ramsgate RSL, Ramsgate Beach free 8pm Captain Cleanoff, Burning Servant, Battle Pope, Michael Crafter Black Wire Records, Annandale $12 (at door) 7pm Cardboard Cutouts Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 8pm Chaos Divine, Dawn Heist, Branch Arterial, Circles, Get To The Chopper Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo $12 (guestlist)–$15 8pm Chartbusters Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10:30pm

Dirty Grotto The Valve 12pm Downlink, Creeptown, BlogWars, Bruxism, Low Society DJs Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $17 (+ bf)–$20 (at door) 9pm Eclypse Club Cronulla free 8:30pm Fabba- Abba Tribute Celebrity Room, Blacktown RSL Club free 10pm Foreday Riders, Dr Don’s Double Dose Empire Hotel, Annandale $15 (at door) 8pm Gerard Masters, The Lincoln Davis Trio, Elle Kenard, Lois Mares, Sarah Jane O’Hara CarriageWorks, Eveleigh free 12pm Girls Talk Regents Park Sporting & Community Club free 7:30pm Hit Selection Duo Richmond Club free 8:30pm Jack McCord (UK) Water Bar, Woolloomooloo free 8pm Keith Armitage Castle Hill RSL Club free 8:30pm Kisschasy, Ladies & Gentlemen, Hot Damn DJs Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $15 (guestlist)–$20 8pm Luke O’Shea Cronulla RSL free 7pm Marty Rhone, Sheena Crouch Penrith Panthers, Evans Theatre $36.50 8pm Midnyt Sun Bambu, Western Suburbs Leagues Club Campbelltown, Leumeah free 9pm Mr James Bankstown Sports Club free Natalie Gauci Coogee Diggers $23.50 (+ bf) 8pm

Kisschasy

Not Like Horse Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Old Man Crow Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7:30pm One Drop Family Festival Eden Gardens, North Ryde free 10pm Pink & Katy Perry Show Mounties, Mount Pritchard free 8pm

MONDAY 20TH JUNE

KINKY FRIEDMAN AND VAN DYKE PARKS + Jason Walker

TUESDAY 21ST JUNE

KINKY FRIEDMAN AND VAN DYKE PARKS + SpookyLand

WEDNESDAY 22ND JUNE

ALLOWAY

+ Ruby Blue + Aaron Martin THURSDAY 23RD JUNE

ENGLISH AND THE DOC + The Blondettes (Kimba & Sharnee)

FRIDAY 24TH JUNE

THE GIN CLUB + Handsome Young Strangers

SATURDAY 25TH JUNE

SUPERHEAVYWEIGHTS SUNDAY 26TH JUNE

NATALIE GAUCI + Mike Brislee

38 :: BRAG :: 417 : 20:06:11

Radio City Cats Marble Bar, Sydney free 10:30pm Replika Rock Trio Kro Bar, East Leagues Club free 8:30pm Rose Tattoo, Hell Crab City, The Lazys Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $25 (+ bf)–$30 (at door) 8pm

Wednesday 29 June Tin Sparrow Thursday 30 June Caravãna Sun Friday 1 July Micah P Hinson Saturday 2 July Rose Of York Wednesday 6 July James Blundell Thursday 7 July Old Man River Saturday 8 July Dragon Saturday 9 July Johnny Cash Tribute Thursday 14 July Martinez Akustica Friday 15 July Dan Sultan & Alexander Gow Saturday 16 July The Paper Scissors Sunday 17 July Mark Seymour Friday 22 July Bob Marley Tribute Saturday 23 July Stevie Ray Vaughan Celebration Tuesday 26 July Ninth Pillar Thursday 28 July Sarah McLeod Friday 29 July Bachelor Girl Thursday 4 August Diesel Friday 5 August Kira Puru Saturday 13 August James Taylor Tribute Tuesday 16 August Boats Of Berlin Wednesday 17 August Bob Log III Thursday 18 August Wendy Matthews Sunday 21 August Jace Everett Wednesday 24 August Alvin Youngblood Hart Friday 26 August King Tide Saturday 27 August Andy Bull Wednesday 31 August Jeff Martin Thursday 1 September Jeff Martin Friday 9 September Ian Moss

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Soul Juice South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8pm Sound Stream Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 8pm Stormcellar Royal Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Superheavyweights Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Swingshift Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9:30pm Tezza & the Twistops Rockdale RSL Club free The James Lees Group Campbelltown RSL free 8:30pm Thirsty Merc, We Are Grace Rooty Hill RSL Club $31 (+ bf) 8pm Tice & Evans, Kaki Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm

Tim Kendell Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Unforgettable Petersham RSL Club free 8:30pm Vera The Valve 7pm Wagons, The Gin Club, Matt Banham Annandale Hotel $18 (+ bf) 8pm

JAZZ

Blue Moon Quartet Supper Club Fairfield RSL Club free 7pm Frank & Barbara The Cube, Campbelltown $30 8pm Jive Bombers Club Liverpool free 8pm

Lah-Lah’s Big Band Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $24–$35 10am Lily Dior 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8:30pm Paul Capsis The Basement, Circular Quay $42–$90.80 (dinner & show) 9pm Paul Sun, Alex Compton, Ian Bloxsom Trio Chatswood Presbyterian Church Hall free 7pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm Pugsley Buzzard Camelot, Marrickville 7:30pm Steve Hunter Band The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (member)–$20 8:30pm Wagons

Susan Gai Dowling Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Swing City Big Band, Monica Trapaga North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray $25 7pm The Danny G Felix Project Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 8:30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Natasha-Eloise Andrade, Jaimie Deakin Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta $10 8pm

HIP HOP

Tom Loud’s Video Dancea-Rama Red Rattler, Marrickville $15 8:30pm

SUNDAY JUNE 26 ROCK & POP

Andy Mammers Harbord Beach Hotel free 6pm Bryen Willems Shady Pines Saloon, Darlinghurst free 7pm Captain Cleanoff, Roadside Burial, Death Cult Jock, Serious Break, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Den Hanrahans Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm Mick Aquilina Ramsgate RSL, Ramsgate Beach free 2pm Miley Cyrus (USA) Sydney Acer Arena, Sydney

Olympic Park $81.40 (silver)–$101.65 (gold) 8pm Motionmotive The Valve, Tempe 4:30pm Natalie Gauci Brass Monkey, Cronulla $23.50 (presale) 7pm Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $10 3pm Red Alert, Heavy As Fox, Aurox, Paradox Park, Vamp, Your Way Sucks The Lucky Australian, North St Marys $10 1pm Ron Ashton Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club free 4pm Simone Dee Trio Woollahra Hotel free 6:30pm Soul Agents Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 4pm Squid Squad, Allotta Pressure, Botanics Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Sydney Blues Society Botany View Hotel, Newtown free 7pm The Holy Soul, Mike Noga & the Gentlemen of Fortune Annandale Hotel 6pm Thirsty Merc, We Are Grace Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill $30 (presale) 6pm Time Machine Campbelltown RSL free 5pm Triple Imagen South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8pm U2 Elevation Acoustic Show The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 4:30pm Your Way Sucks Lucky Australian Tavern, St Marys $10 Yum Kro Bar, East Leagues Club free 6:30pm

JAZZ

Angie Dean Trio Castle Hill RSL Club free 1pm Geoff Power Cronulla RSL free 12:30pm John Blenkhorn Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm John Leigh Calder, Di Bird Hotel Clarendon, Surry Hills free 3:30pm Lah-Lah’s Big Band Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $24–$35 10am Mark Hopper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 3pm Monks of Cool Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta free 2pm Unity Hall Jazz Band Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 4pm Urban Gypsies Cafe Sydney free 12pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Ganga Giri Tone, Surry Hills 8pm Kate Gogarty Ruby L’otel, Rozelle free 2pm Kate Gogarty Bavarian Bier Cafe Bondi Beach free 6pm Out of the Blue Barrenjoey Music Room, Avalon Beach $10 (child)–$20 6pm

COUNTRY

Cash Only Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club $10 4:30pm Lisa Richards, 49 Goodbyes, Mark Lucas Petersham Bowling Club $10 6pm The Slowdowns The Old Fitzroy Hotel, Wolloomooloo free 7pm

COOGE E THURSDAY 23TH JUNE

FRIDAY 24TH JUNE

WEDNESDAY 29TH JUNE

FRIDAY 1ST JULY

SATURDAY 2ND JULY

Thur 7/07 Steve Kilby (The Church) & Ricky Maymi (Brian Jonestown Massacre) + Jill & Alsy (The Triffids) + Richard Lane (The Stems) Sat 9/07 Old Man River + Owl Eyes Wed 13/07 Penny & The Mystics Fri 15/07 For The Love Of Purple Deep Purple Tribute Sat 16/07 Hendrix & Heroes Thur 21/07 Tiny Ruins (NZ) Fri 22/07 The Strides + Uncle Jed Sat 23/07 The Sins Single Launch + The Glamma Rays + The Pork Collective Sat 8/08 Café Of The Gate Of Salvation With guest Paul Capsis Fri 29/07 Last Waltz Revival Sat 30/07 Sarah McLeod Tue 16/08 Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson Fri 28/08 Jeff Martin & Terapai Richmond Wed 31/08 The Amazing Rhythm Aces (US) Fri 9/09 Otis Redding 70th Birthday Celebration w/ Johnny G & The E Types

SAT JUNE 25

NATALIE GAUCI

SAT JULY 16

SARAH MCLEOD

SAT JULY 30

THE SNOWDROPPERS Band Bookings

info@codeone.net.au - www.codeone.net.au

Tickets & info from www.coogeediggers.com.au

COOGEE DIGGERS 9665 4466 CORNER BYRON & CARR STREETS

USE ME.

BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 39

gig picks

up all night out all week...

Ghoul

THURSDAY JUNE 23 Halal, How Are You?, The Fighting League, TV Colours, Sweet Teeth, Adam Lewis, Dirtybird Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Josh Pyke, Jackson McLaren GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $20 (presale)–$25 8pm Tim Rogers, Leena, Diamond Quills Annandale Hotel $25 (+ bf) 8pm

FRIDAY JUNE 24

Kinky Friedman

MONDAY JUNE 20

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22

Van Dyke Parks (USA), Kinky Friedman Brass Monkey, Cronulla $56.10 (+ bf) 8pm

Ghoul, Bearhug, The Walking Who Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm

Tim Rogers

DZ Deathrays, Chicks Who Love Guns, Dolphins, Doc Holidays Takes The Shotgun, The Future Prehistoric, Johnny Rock & The Limits and The Ruminators Mum @ The World Bar, Kings Cross free (student)–$10 9pm Gay Paris, The Jacks, La Mancha Negra, Cherrywood GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $10 (1st release) 8pm Helmet (USA), Pangaea Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $49.50 (+ bf) 8pm Katchafire (NZ), This Version Enmore Theatre $43 (+ bf)–$50 (at door) 7:30pm Papa Vs Pretty, Redcoats, I Know Leopard Annandale Hotel $14 (+ bf)–$30 (album + show bundle) 8pm The Grates, Big Scary, Guineafowl Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst sold out 8pm

SATURDAY JUNE 25 Wagons, The Gin Club, Matt Banham Annandale Hotel $18 (+ bf) 8pm

JAMES BLUNDELL + CATHERINE BRITT - Thursday July 7 JAMES MORISON - Friday, July 15 DAN SULTAN + ALEX GOW - Saturday July 16 FITZ & THE TANTRUMS - Wednesday July 27 JACE EVERETT - Thursday August 11 Tickets online at

www.thebasement.com.au

40 :: BRAG :: 417 : 20:06:11

SUNDAY JUNE 26 Sister Jane, Mike Noga, Matthew J Tow Annandale Hotel $12 (+ bf) 7pm Annandale Hotel 6pm

brag beats

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

dance music news

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Tony Edwards (filling in for Chris Honnery)

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

free stuff

HARRI GIVEAWAY

BINGETHINKERS blunderbusses, foghorns and other instruments of sonic mayhem. Then holding court up the back is the mighty 2Buck on the 1s and 2s, with arms flailing and general madness spewing forth from both turntable and microphone. Together it’s like some kind of mad hip hop octopus bum-rushing the stage for an hour of salty chaos. Or something.

The Music You Make Our debut record Where Are They Now… 4. came out in Feburary on LookUP/Obese, and while we’ve done a few shows with Pegz and Dialectrix, this will be our first proper appearance in front of our home crowd in a long time. Needless to say we are pretty damn excited to give Sydney a taste of the all new live Bingethinkers styles. If you’re after that real underground hip hop, look no further!

CO-OP are gearing up for another huge warehouse party, to celebrate their transition into their troublesome toddler years – it’s their second birthday on July 2. If last year’s party is anything to go by, shit is gonna get crazy radical.

The party will be fronted by Glasgow’s legendary house music phenomenon Harri, and will also feature CO-OP’s own house DJs. It takes place at a secret venue, the event is BYO, the first release has sold out and the second release is selling like delicious hotcakes. And just when you thought life couldn’t get any sweeter, BRAG are offering two blessed readers double passes to get in on the madness…

Simply tell us what you’d do if you got the chance to throw your own second birthday party again.

Music, Right Here, Right Now Theres a lot of talk about how the 5.

Sydney scene has been tough for local bands

Growing Up Rinse, Aeon and PSYKEone all went to 1. the same school back in the day, and played in punk and grunge bands together here and there (hey, it was the 90s). In 2005, 2Buck moved into a warehouse in Chippendale with Aeon, after migrating from Adelaide. That warehouse became a creative hub that gave birth to Bingethinkers, with the Shelf Life mixtape recorded there and released in 2007.

Some damn fine warehouse parties, and a fair percentage of the local liquor consumption statistics, went down in that place. Ah the memories.

2.

Inspirations Australia’s a rich source of inspiration.

Santigold

The people we worked with on the album (like Mantra, Newsense, Swarmy G, Vida Sunshyne and Dialectrix) are a testament to that. We’ve got mad love for our own backyard and feed off the fruits it produces too. For our launch we’ve got Rainman and Calski coming down from Brisbane to show Sydney some QLD flavour.

Your Crew Well the goodship Binge is crewed by a 3. motley crew of salty sea dogs. Firstly there is Captain Rinse on the mic, holding down the front of the stage with a razor sharp cutlass of lyrical flows. Either side of him you’ve got shipmates PSYKEone and Aeon bringing the noise with their drum machines, synthesisers,

PARKLIFE DROPS A LINEUP!

Okay, stop, take a deep breath, then collaborate and listen. Fuzzy comes through with another MONSTER Parklife lineup for 2011. Check. This.

Out. Adrian Lux, Crystal Fighters, the reformed Death From Above 1979, Digitalism, Diplo, Duck Sauce, Example, Feed Me, Flux, Pavilion, Gold Fields, Gossip, Harvard Bass, Joker & MC Nomad, Katy B, the incredible Kimbra, Little Dragon, Lykke Li, Magnetic Man, MSTRKRFT, Mylo, Nero, Santigold, Sebastian, Sebastian Tellier, Simian Mobile Disco, those pool party anthem fun boys Tensnake, The Aston Shuffle, The Naked & Famous, The Streets, Wolfgang Gartner and Melbourne’s insanely talented Yacht Club DJs. Locals are to be announced in the coming weeks. The festival is set for Sunday October 2 at Kippax Lake in Moore Park, and tickets go on sale next Thursday June 30 at midday, sharp.

for quite some time now, but it’s even harder for local hip hop, when more than half the possible venues wont put the genre on. It was a similar kind of uncertainty a few years back that inspired us to form the LookUP Collective, and get real local Sydney hip hop parties happening on the regular. People like FBi Radio have been great in supporting local music such as ours, and their venue is filling a much needed small venue gap in the Sydney music scene. So I’m sure there’s a silver lining somewhere.

What: Where Are They Now album launch With: Rainman (Bris), Calski (Bris) & Ellesquire, with DJs Morgs, 2Buck and Ology Where: FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel When: Friday June 24

WINTER WAREHOUSE MADNESS

The Sydney Warehouse Project is one that seeks out alternative spaces in which to throw diverse, cutting edge electronic events. The concept, they say, is “to create an experience that brings back the days when music was played in eccentric spaces such as car parks, abandoned buildings and forgotten corners of the urban environment, where there’s an amazing vibe and atmosphere.” Saturday August 6 will see the massive lineup of Kid Kenobi, Bang Gang, Kato, Jono Fernandez (epic Melbourne based producer - look up his proggy back catalogue), Foreigndub and many, many more. The experienced campaigners are promising you a mashup of electro, dubstep and techno, and it’s all going down in a space no more than 10 minutes from the Sydney CBD. You can pick up $30 presale tix at Moshtix, and unless you’re one of those strange punters that appreciate wallet gouging, don’t wait to buy them on the door - it’ll cost you more. The best thing about the party is that it’s BYO... It all goes down Saturday August 6; check out sydneywarehouseproject.com.au for more.

DESIGN A NEW HEAD FOR DEADMAU5

The marketing hyper-savvy Canadian producer/ deity/epic-rave-machine deadmau5 is about to bin his iconic mouse ears (chill Winston - he’s not giving up dance music) in favour of a new headdress, the design of which he’s thrown out to the general public: “Deadmau5, together with Talenthouse, the leading platform for creative collaboration, today announce their partnership inviting artists and fans from around the world to design the next official mau5head.” Get busy creative types, a winning submission in this design prize will result in some serious high

Tokimonsta

TOKIMONSTA & NOSAJ THING

Two practitioners of new electronica are crossing the Pacific to open up their record bags/contents of their hard drives, and drive heavy bass music through the speakers. Tokimonsta and Nosaj Thing, both hailing from LA, are touching down for a showcase at the Oxford Art Factory.

Tokimonsta is signed to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint - look out for her debut EP Creature Dreams on that label. Nosaj Thing is making his first Australian appearance, following a series of remixes for artists like The xx, Radiohead and Flying Lotus. If that sounds like your bag/swag/cup of tea, then clear your schedule on Friday July 22, get along to Moshtix.com and pick up your right to a night of audio heaven.

profile coverage of your work. When I threw the concept out to the BRAG’s resident dance music columnist and self-titled creative Chris Honnery, his response was “err… something minimal?”. As you can see, there’s nothing much resembling original thought coming from that corner… If you’re keen to take on Honnery (and the rest of the global design community), you’re encouraged to visit talenthouse.com to submit your designs. The grand prize winner and runners-up will be announced on August 3.

“Deep in the bungalow, chopping the motherlode, carving my own path, taking another road,” BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 41

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Tony Edwards (filling in for Chris Honnery)

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

BIG VILLAGE

JILLIONAIRE (MAJOR LAZER TOUR DJ / MAD DECENT) [TRINIDAD] is about Martin Luther King, geniuses.

Your Crew Diplo ghost produces all my tracks, so 3. that pretty much sums it up. Oh, and the Jamaican guy with the lazer arm. I don’t have a shitty day job, but I do have to DJ in clubs at night. Oops.

The Music You Make It’s 7am. You awake, groggily, on a boat. No, it’s a 162 ft yacht. There are empty champagne bottles everywhere.

Birthday candles. Toothpicks. And naked women. Well, not naked, but that bikini isn’t covering much. Oh, martinis? I’ll have a martini. Welcome to the morning after.

4.

Music, Right Here, Right Now I live on Venice Beach. It’s a shit 5. show. On repeat. The best thing about my

Growing Up It’s 1985. I’m at my grandparents’ house.

1.

My grandfather is playing his organ. But it’s

Inspirations Prince. Boy George. Cyndi Lauper.

2.

The ‘I think we’re alone now’ girl. George

not really an organ, it’s a Casio keyboard. But hey, he played a real organ in church. That thing was huge. Couldn’t really bring it into his living room. Or could he?

Michael. ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’.

Stevie Wonder’s ‘Happy Birthday’ at every got damn family birthday party. I’ve got about twenty cousins. Every time. The song

local scene constantly switches from the homeless guy on the trap set, to the fake Kurt Cobain with the broken guitar, to the graffiti artist with the boom box. I think that guy inhaled too many chemicals.

With: Doc Daneeka (UK), Kato, Generic DJs Where: RUDE? @ Phoenix Bar, Oxford Street When: Friday June 24, from 10pm

RUDE, INNIT? CO-OP TURN TWO AND TURN TO GLASGOW

Harri

Disco and house heads get excited: it’s CO-OP’s second birthday on Saturday July 2, and they’re celebrating with Harri, of Sub Club and Under The Shade fame.

From the horse’s mouth: “James ‘Harri’ Harrigan is synonymous with Glasgow’s vibrant house scene. His record-breaking (and ongoing) 20 year residency at the Sub Club was the foundation for its growth into one of the UK’s premier dance music venues (in the past couple of years it has been voted Resident Advisor’s #10 and DJ Magazine’s #14 in their respective ‘World’s Top Clubs’ polls)”.

Bringing you the best of the underground house and disco worlds, you can pick up tickets to both events through Resident Advisor.

Mad Decent fans unite: Trinidadian born Major Lazer DJ Jillionaire (above, yeah?) is headed to Sydney for a show in that dark sweaty basement that we all know and love as Phoenix Bar. He’ll be joined on the night by UK funky figurehead Don Daneeka, who’s released music through labels like Fabric, Ramp, Blunted Robots, PTN, and Ten Thousand Yen – and the pair will be supported by Sydney’s ubiquitous Kato and the Generic DJs. Promoters Kato, Generic Collective and Golden Era are promising a “genre-hopping mix of forward thinking future music, served up alongside discerning side dishes of classic jams, with a middle finger towards the mind-numbing commercial shlock clogging many clubs today.”

Amen to that - death to commercial shlock!

Unless it’s ironic - then I suppose it’s ok, in small ironic doses... It all goes down this weekend, Friday June 24 at Phoenix Bar.

LIVE & ELECTRIC

Enter Electric Zoo, a new Sydney club night devoted exclusively to the live electronic music

Big Village can be held accountable for some of the sickest new hip hop Sydney’s offered up in recent years. In celebration of their new label compilation, which was made FBi Album of the Week, they’ll be showing off their entire roster (including Daily Meds, Tru Vibenation and Tuka) at Tone in Surry Hills on June 25. The album features 13 tracks, showcasing the eclectic beats and sounds of the BV camp.

We have two prize packs for you hip hop heads, each including a double pass and a copy of Big Village’s Big Things Volume One – all you gotto do is tell us the name of one other act that’s part of the BV crew.

DEREB THE AMBASSADOR

1960s-70s Ethiopian soul projects are not something you hear about every day, but that pretty much sums up what Dereb the Ambassador’s all about. His unforgettable live show will be dropping by on Friday July 1, when he launches his debut selftitled record at GoodGod Small Club.

He’s handpicked a seven-piece band to support him which features members from Deep Sea Arcade and The Strides, who will be playing a sweet mix of traditional interpretations and original sounds, drawn from Dereb’s Ethiopian musical influences.

We have three giveaway packs up for grabs, that include double passes and your very own copy of the mastermind’s record.

We’ll send one to you, if you know the name of his album…

performers of Sydney. The first installment was at Red Rattler in the inner west, but they’ve moved this second event to Oxford Street. Turn up to hear synth pop, ambient chill and experimental electronica of all shapes and sizes performed live, with DJs programming the space in between.

Your sonic hosts on the night are Actual Russian Brides, Dyan Tai, Divine Knights and DJ Craig McKellar – and it all goes down Friday June 24 at Sol Bar, 239 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.

INDIE HIP HOP STAND UP

Bringing some competition to Elefant Traks’ neat little corner of the world is Sydney’s Big Village label, who are dropping their first (hopefully of many) compilation album on us. Entitled Big Things Vol 1, it showcases the entire BV family, which includes Daily Meds, Loose Change Tru Vibenation and Tuka among others; the comp earned itself the coveted title of FBI Album Of The Week. The album launch party goes down at Tone on Saturday June 25, and features the entire Big Village roster plus support from Suburban Dark and DJ Migz.

Thundamentals

The Nextmen

PARTY & BULLSHIT - GALA BALL GETS BIGGER

The Stolen Records Gala Ball lineup expands in height, girth and weight with the addition of Thundamentals and Bingethinkers (who have just dropped their debut LP). They’ll both be supporting Hermitude and Dase Team 5000 at the annual Ball, presented by Sydney hip hop powerhouse Elefant Traks. The Gala Ball goes down on level two of the Kings Cross Hotel, as part of FBi Radio’s Party & Bullshit - the second installment of this year’s ‘Sydney Sounds Like’ festival. Meantime, level three of the venue will be celebrating the return of Cuddle Puddle (Anna Lunoe, Kato, Moriarty et al), and level four will be hosted by the Club Future Beat kids, featuring 104 Collective, Flight Recorder, Paul Fraser, Monk Fly & more. On the roof? Disco of course, courtesy of Stephen Ferris, Toni Toni Lee, Kali, Frames, James Locksmith and Ron Dayview. That’s four floors of party thanks to FBi Radio, held on Saturday July 9.

THE NEXTMEN RETURN

Those world-beating dons of breakbeat, hip hop, jungle, UK funky, dubstep and anything and everything in between, The Nextmen are touching down in Sydney next month, to shake the foundations of the Oxford Art Factory. UK duo Brad Baloo and Dom Search’s far reaching podcast is acknowledged as one of the most digestible around, and if you’re lucky enough to get your track included, there’s not much better coverage you can hope for (barring a name-check in this rag’s Deep Impressions or Soul Sedation columns of course – the key to moving real units…). This crazy genre-bending bash goes down at the OAF on Friday July 15, with DJs Harry Cotton and Mike Who? on support. Tickets are available from Moshtix for no more than a lazy $20. The last time they came out was a straight up hands-in-the-air good time, so don’t miss this one.

“It’s a life of crime. Some might sing or rhyme to escape the ghetto before the flatline,” 42 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

Digitalism The Perfectionists By Liz Brown two months.” Jence denies that the pressure of producing a sophomore album after such an incredibly successful debut induced the rewrite.

“I think the only pressure we really felt was from ourselves... We stick to stuff that we really like and try to make songs out of those. That’s how you get the best result. You need to be 100% happy with it, or it’s not a real thing.”

Jence is also keen to point out that for many, discovering Digitalism came months, even years, after the release of Idealism, as more and more DJs started slowly spinning their tracks. That could explain why it feels like Digitalism have been on a never ending tour... “It took everyone quite some time to absorb or digest our first album. It wasn’t like everyone bought it in the first week, like Lady Gaga,” he laughs. “You can be big in one country and others just aren’t bothered with you. When we first started, no one knew us in Germany which was really sad - but now, after two years of touring, it’s one of our biggest countries. We’ve not been lazy; it just wasn’t the right time”.

W

hen I speak to Jens ‘Jence’ Moelle, one half of German duo Digitalism, he’s enjoying a rare moment of quiet. The last four years for him have been filled with non-stop touring, partying and recording – but never once during the interview does he sound exhausted.

Rather, it’s a lively enthusiasm that bubbles down the phone line all the way from Hamburg.

He giggles, swears, insults bands, compliments others, answers the door mid-conversation and is completely modest and charming; an indication of just how much energy is required in order to be considered one of the world’s greatest party starters.

It all began ten years ago when Jence met Ismail ‘Isi’ Tüfekçi, while working at a small record store

in Hamburg. Uninspired and jaded by the samesame albums that they unpacked and listened to each week, the boys decided that the only way to satisfy their rock and electro sensibilities was to create the music themselves. This policy of making music that would make them want to dance continues to be their guiding principle, and since then very little has held them back although for fans of Idealism, the four-year wait for their latest record I Love You, Dude has been very long indeed.

“We didn’t want to release anything that we weren’t 100% happy with,” Jence explains, of the delay. “It was finished at the end of last year but we weren’t thrilled with it, so we went back and rewrote everything. We finished it within

Apart from touring, both Jence and Isi have been turning their nimble fingers to the decks, remixing everyone from Tiga to The Cure. Featuring among some of Jence’s favourite Digitalism remixes are Australian acts Cut Copy and The Presets. “Oh yeah! Yeah! We have tons of friends in Australia!” He reveals that Kim Moyes from The Presets inspired some of the lyrics for Idealism hit single ‘Pogo’ (although he’s keeping mum about the details). It turns out to be just one in a series of links between Digitalism and Australia – a relationship which will only be strengthened by their upcoming tour for Parklife Festival, the lineup of which was announced last week. Jence also lists a stream of Aussie artists that he’s been listening to (Tame Impala is a favourite), and seems genuinely excited when he talks about the success of Aussie acts abroad.

As we speak, it occurs to me that at the heart of Digitalism is just two mates wanting to have a really, really good time. The film clip for their most recent single, ‘Two Hearts’, features Jence and Isi in a Star Wars-esque battle against invading mutants on a retro spaceship while in ‘Pogo’, the two spin round the room in a headache-inducing

“There is so much hardcore techno stuff going on - sometimes I’m just like, ‘Come on, man! Where’s the love?’” magic trick, as naked women, instruments and gold sneakers disappear and reappear. Having fun, Jence explains, is also the motivation for the album name, I Love You, Dude. I tell him it reminds me of walking out of a dark, throbbing club into the piercing 6am dawn, when just about all you can manage is to place your hand on your friend’s shoulder: ‘Yeah - I love you, dude.’ “That’s exactly it!” he exclaims. “It’s all feel good stuff, because with the new album we feel good. It’s just being a bit cheeky and bringing back some love into the music out there. There is so much hardcore techno stuff going on – sometimes I’m just like, ‘Come on, man! Where’s the love?’”

After 25 minutes of chatting and laughing I have just the one question left: has Digitalism arrived at the sound Jence wanted to hear amongst the record store shelves all those years ago? He pauses. “Yeah - but we felt the same four years ago. For us, it’s always an update of, ‘If you want to know what excites us most music wise, then listen to this.’ And because it doesn’t really exist, we have to make it for you. We have to mix all these ingredients, and this is the stuff. It might be different in the next two or six years; it just reflects what we like at the minute. It could be reggae next time, you know?” he laughs.

What: I Love You, Dude will be out on July 1, through Universal With: Death From Above 1979, Lykke Li, Crystal Fighters, Mylo (DJ Set), Santigold, MSTRKRFT, Simian Mobile Disco, The Streets, Sebastien Tellier, Diplo and more Where: Parklife 2011 @ Kippax Lake, Moore Park When: Sunday October 2

Ozi Batla It’s The Little Things By Marissa Demetriou

O

zi Batla has never been afraid to speak up. As MC of one of Australia’s most politically-minded hip hop crews, The Herd, he clearly has no problem with starting a conversation about what’s going on around us. And having participated in a number of social conscience events, and hosted hip hop workshops for disadvantaged youths in Aboriginal communities and the inner city, he’s no stranger to helping make a difference, either. So acting as ambassador for the Oxfam 3things Hip Hop Approach seemed a seamless fit. “I love what Oxfam does, and this is a really good initiative, to get young people engaged in a process,” he says.

Combining some of Australia’s best rappers, beat boxers, DJs and VJs in shows across Sydney and Melbourne, The Hip Hop Approach is part of the 3things initiative, which aims to get young Australians talking and thinking about global issues. The event, hosted by Kween G of KillaQueenz, features Ozi Batla, Dialectrix (with Joe New and Plutonic Lab), Tuka and The Last Kinection, with DJ Gabriel Clouston and beatboxers Rival and LC Beats; a premier hip hop gig, which will offer punters a live mural and a handy

“It can be overwhelming trying to consider global issues on a big scale, but when you break it down to your own life - if everyone made a difference, it would be much less confronting.”

cam to collect hundreds of their ideas on how to change the world, 3things at a time. Ozi acknowledges that The Hip Hop Approach is “obviously not just a fundraiser where you play and that’s it”. “I think these events ask people to be more engaged in the process,” he says. “There are people you can donate to and charitable organisations, but I think this is more. It’s about getting people’s ideas and [helping them work out] how they can make an impact, and be more engaged in the long term.”

Young people in Australia are often charged with being apathetic and hopelessly selfabsorbed, with their heads firmly buried in the sand – but Oxfam’s 3things movement has unearthed a huge number of young Australians looking to make a difference but not knowing where to start. Artists who are already bringing social awareness to the forefront have been given the opportunity to create an open forum, to encourage people to start making small changes that can help to make a big difference. “It can be overwhelming trying to consider [global issues] on a big scale, but when you break it down to your own life - if everyone made a difference it would be much less confronting,” Ozi says. Hip hop has always been an effective platform for bringing social awareness to the fore - you only have to look at The Herd’s ‘77%’, the blistering attack on the percentage of Australians perceived as racist (with that “these c***s need a shake up” refrain), or ‘The King Is Dead’, that gleeful ode to John Howard’s 2008 ousting. “The medium itself is about expression and being an individual; putting your own spin on things and embracing difference,” Ozi says. “Hip hop is when people have something different to say, and they say it well.”

When I ask Ozi what his 3things would be, he finds it difficult to stop at just three - and it’s no surprise that education rates highly among them. “Getting educated is a big one,

being informed; taking an interest in the way things happen, because it affects your life ultimately. How many is that already?” he laughs. “Empathise, try and put yourself in someone else’s shoes; seeing outside your own life is a main one for me, too. And finding out what you’re passionate about, because most people’s passions are a positive force on the people around them.”

Although his 2010 solo release Wild Colonial was met with praise, and the single ‘Put It On Wax’ got an ample rinsing on triple j, 2011 sees Ozi Batla the solo artist take a backseat to The Herd, who are about to begin mastering their latest offering since 2008’s Summerland.

“We’re taking a new approach to this album.

It’s got a broad range of topics as usual, [but] perhaps dealing with personal politics a bit more than on previous albums,” he says. “I think the big difference is on the production side; the producers have really gone above and beyond on this one, and it’s full of rich arrangements, and great playing”.

Ozi Batla admits he’ll probably “get the itch” to go back to his solo work soon, but he’s keen to get back onstage with The Herd and tour the new album in August through to October, starting with Splendour In The Grass. He’s looking forward to putting on the infectiously energetic shows The Herd are renowned for – and with some of Australia’s prime hip hop acts on the bill for The Hip Hop Approach, Ozi is keen to check out what his contemporaries are bringing to the table. “I love what Tuka does,” he says. “I have to see him!”

Who: Ozi Batla, Dialectrix (w/ Joe New & Plutonic Lab), Tuka (Thundamentals), The Last Kinection; DJ Gabriel Clousten; beatboxers Rivals & LC Beats; VJ Spook What: 3things Hip Hop Approach Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Thursday June 30 / tix are $5, and all proceeds go to Oxfam Australia More: 3things.org.au/hiphopapproach

“When it’s on then it’s on and poppin’, shots lickin’ I’m spittin’ this shit for the hood, Glock clickin,” BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 43

Deep Impressions Underground Dance and Electronica with Chris Honnery

Bruno Pronsato

T

hree years on from his last LP, Seattle producer Bruno Pronsato has completed another offering of brooding minimalism with Lovers Do. The pronsatosaurus, who actually goes by the name Stephen Ford, has put out a number of high quality releases in the ensuing time, primarily with side projects.

First there was Others, his experimental house outfit with Daze Maxim. Then came Public Lover, his duo with the French artist Ninca Leece that debuted last year on Bruno’s own label, thesongsays. He’s continued to collaborate with Sammy Dee as Half Hawaii, while he’s also been involved in the duo Ndf, co-producing their cut ‘Since We Last Met’, a single that marked his debut release on DFA Records last year and was remixed by an icon he has sometimes been compared to, none other than Ricardo Villalobos. And that’s not to mention Bruno’s epic The Make Up The Break Up, a masterpiece that surely has no precedent; it is a 39-minute track – yes, you read it right – from back in 2009, which managed to retain an understated hypnotism for its entirety without ever sounding forced, or like an exercise in selfindulgence. Which brings us to Lovers Do, an album which, to use Bruno’s own term, is “accidentally avant garde”. (Nice phrase huh?) It has a looseness that’s certainly quite rare in techno; scrapping formulaic verses and breaks, it winds along like a free-associative sonic sketch, with an overall mood that is delicate and subtle.

It also features Bruno’s best club tune in years, ‘Feel Right’, a cut that features vocals from a raft of Bruno’s friends and contemporaries, including Vera, Margaret Dygas, Marc Schneider, Marco Rafanelli, Alex Petit and Pheek. Brian Eno once described his own music as a place you occupy rather than a thing that happens, and such a description is fitting for this release, which is a must for those after something that’s a bit more cerebral and understated – and also very suitable for late night loving.

Best known for his output as Alter Ego together with Jörn Elling Wuttke, German producer Roman Flügel will release his first LP under his own name, Fatty Folders, in September. (Not the best title, it has to be said.) It’s also his first album for Hamburg’s Dial, home to the likes of Lawrence and John Roberts, and features a clutch of tracks culled from his previous 12” releases on the label. Aside from his ‘bolshie’ electro-techno work as Alter Ego, Flügel has also recorded under such aliases as Soylent Green and Roman IV for imprints including Playhouse and Turbo;

Roman Flügel

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY JULY 2 Co-Op Ft Harri Secret inner-city venue

SATURDAY JULY 9 Tevo Howard Civic Underground

Vibrating Balance Label Party Inner-city warehouse

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19

AGWA 011 ft Jamie Jones, Lee Foss Yacht cruise

Jamie Jones and though old Roman can be decidedly hit or miss, as with anything that’s released on Dial this is well worth investigating.

Honest Jon’s have commissioned remixes of Shangaan Electro tracks by some of the finest Western producers around, which will be released for public consumption in a few months time. For the uninitiated, let’s backtrack slightly: Shangaan Electro was the name of a compilation released

by Honest Jon’s last year. Curated by Mark Ernestus (Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, Hard Wax) and Honest Jon’s label manager Mark Ainley, it featured some of the best examples of the South African dance phenomenon, a synthesised, marimba-heavy and high-speed update of traditional Shangaan music. Since then, Honest Jon’s have released a full artist album from Foster Manganyi, Ndzi Teke Riendzo, and now are set to release no less than five Shangaan Electro 12”s in quick succession. Two of these are EPs of original material from Tsetsha Boys and Tiyiselani Vomaseve, and then three remix 12”s. The first features two mixes of Tshetsha Boys by Mark Ernestus, the second featuring a mix of BBC by Detroit figurehead Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir and one by Oni Ayhun (the latter listed as a remix of Shangaan Electro, so presumably Oni has drawn upon sounds from a variety of tracks from the original comp).

Last, but certainly not least, we have a further 12” to look forward to, featuring more mixes of Tshetsha Boys, this time

by Ricardo Villalobos, Max Loderbauer and Peverelist. Early speculation says that the 12”s will be out in July/August, but as no formal release date has been issued as yet, you’ll just have to settle for me speculating. Until next week…

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

44 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

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 FRIDAY JUNE 24 Katchafire, This Version Enmore Theatre

FRIDAY JULY 22 ats off to the Future Classic crew for a rocking Sunday night of the long weekend. The OAF was packed to the brim on a wet, miserable night, but the party was cooking inside. New York duo Classixx played a bang-up set of slowburning disco, the sound system was killer, and everything was in its right place. Look out for the next parties – featuring Tevo Howard and Jacques Renault from the FC crew – very soon.

Tokimonsta, Nosaj Thing Oxford Art Factory

One of hip hop’s favourite sons, Katalyst has announced he’ll be performing a live show in Sydney to celebrate the launch of his new single, ‘Ready To Drop’. The producer will be joined on the night by Kween G of KillaQueenz who features on the single, and a host of other guest vocalists. No doubt the man will be dropping more tracks off his forthcoming album, too. It all goes down at the The Beresford in Surry Hills on Saturday July 2.

FRIDAY AUGUST 5

H

Hip Hop Karaoke returns to GoodGod Small Club this Wednesday June 22. That’s right: they’ll pass you a mic to give you a chance to flex your lyrical style. So brush up on that third verse from that favourite track you never quite got your head around, yeah? Soul Sedation would probably get involved by selecting some UK hip hop…

Goldie Lookin’ Chain anyone? The night is hosted by Ran-Dee and Spook, with DJ Burn on the 1s & 2s.

Electronica heads should look out for Opiou’s latest EP on Additech records.

Squiggle is four tracks of original Melbourne-made bass, breaks, crunk and glitch, some more accessible than others. The release includes an Opiou remix of Kiwi drum n bass leading lights Shapeshifter, and a collaboration with Canadian producer ill.esha.

To the US, and DJ Premier has dropped the vinyl-only compilation Beats That Collected Dust Vol 2. It’s a collection of Premo instrumentals that have never seen the light of day until now; you can track it down through Year Round records.

Disco heads will want to know all about a warehouse party going down in July.

Headlining the bash is a Mr Al Kent, out from the UK and touring his early disco and soul compilations, Disco Love Volumes 1 & 2 (BBE). Soul Sedation has both compilations in the collection, and in amongst some well-known scene-defining

Katalyst

SUNDAY JULY 24 Del The Funky Homosapien Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY JULY 30

James Blake (second show added) Factory Theatre

Wu-Tang Clan Enmore Theatre

SATURDAY AUGUST 27 Big Boi Enmore Theatre

tracks there’s a bunch of rarities in the collection that you probably don’t have – think seminal artists like Tomorrow's People, Crosstown Traffic and New Ghetto Express. The venue will be announced closer to the date, stay tuned to the People Must Jam website.

The new Fink album, Perfect Darkness, is out through Ninja Tune. The Brighton artist is a veteran of the beat scene, who surprised everyone with his shift to singersongwriter recordings in 2006. Since then, the output’s been fairly regular, and of a consistently high quality. It’s a really brilliant catalogue – John Legend is a believer after all, having recorded songs penned for him

by Fink.

Future beat, electronic, and post dubstep heads will want to get their hands on a copy of Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke’s new release, Satin Panthers. It’s a challenging release, not so easy to get the head around. But that’s just HM’s way. You can pick it up thranks to Warp Records.

And if you’re into Hud Mo at all, you’ll be interested in the Tokimonsta and Nosaj Thing gig that’s just been announced. To get your head in the right space, check out Tokimonsta’s remix of Andreya Triana’s ‘Far Closer’ - it’s a brilliant production. Nosaj Thing is yet another LA-based producer doing interesting work under the future beat banner, and has found himself playing to both Sonar and Coachella lineups to date.

Check his latest album Drift, out through Alphapup records. The showcase goes down at the OAF on Friday July 22.

And finally, everyone’s favourite ‘60s dance party Twist & Shout returns to Tone next month - Friday July 1. The last event, a Prince tribute night, had everyone jammed on the dancefloor, knee deep in guilty pleasures. Who knew one man’s catalogue could soundtrack an entire club night?

The symbol’s output runs deep! This time around, the T&S DJs will focus on tunes from some of the most nostalgia-soaked soundtracks of all time, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Rushmore, Pulp Fiction and Animal House.

Al Kent

Send stuff for this column to tonyedwards001@gmail.com by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to art@thebrag.com BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 45

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

club pick of the week

SATURDAY JUNE 25

Shrug & Golden Cage present:

Sasha Le Monnier [UK], Robbie Lowe, Garth Linton, Dave Stuart $15 (presale)–$20 (at door) 10pm Amber Savage

MONDAY JUNE 20 World Bar, Kings Cross Mondays at World Bar 16 Tacos, Pipemix free 8pm

TUESDAY JUNE 21 Bella Vista Boat, Sydney Harbour Flouded Speaker’s Under 18 Amber Savage, Zannon, Suae, Hardstyle Boyz $38146 2pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst Coyote Tuesday Kid Finley, Johnny B free 9pm The Valve, Tempe DJs Myme, Ato, Gee Wiz 6pm World Bar, Kings Cross Pop Panic free 8pm

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22 Bank Hotel, Newtown Girl’s Night DJ Emme 9pm

Ellesquire Marlborough Hotel, Newtown DJ Moussa 11pm The Hive Bar, Erskineville Vinyl Club 8pm World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall free 8pm GoodGod Small Club Hip Hop Karaoke DJ Burn with Host Ran Dee and Spook $5 8pm

THURSDAY JUNE 23 Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill Hook ‘n’ S ling free 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Botanics, Budspells, Bentley, Ability free 8pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Club Al Levins, McInnes, Joe Gadget free 8pm Strike Bowling Bar, Sydney Ruby Rose, Andy Murphy, Generik free 8pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst The College Party Kid Finley, Pee Wee Pete free 9pm The White Horse, Surry Hills Let Loose 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Propaganda DJs free (student)–$5 (at door) 9pm Tone, Surry Hills LHA, CBay, Fonke Knomaads, D-lect $10 (presale)–$12 (at door) 7pm

Home, Darling Harbour Us V Them Events Adam Byrne, Big J, Likewise DJs $10 9pm Home’s Terrace, Sydney Nacho Pop, Samurai $23.50 9pm Jacksons on George Ultimate Party Venue Lenno, Aladdin Royale free 9pm Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross FBi Social Bingethinkers, Rainman + Calski (Bris), Ellesquire (Big Village), DJ Ology + DJ Morgs + DJ 2Buck Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Alison Wonderland, Hobophonics, Starjumps, F.R.I.E.N.D/s DJs $10 8pm Le Panic Social Network Amy Meredith Djs, Minor Delay $10/15 8pm

Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Tone free 9pm Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Bring on the Weekend! DJ Matty Roberts free 9pm

SATURDAY JUNE 25 ARQ Nightclub, Darlinghurst Jake Kilby, Jayson Forbes, Johan Khoury, Rob Davis, Jimmy Dee, Justin Scott $15–$25 9pm Bank Hotel, Newtown Ben Kelly, BustaDJ Lok free 9pm Blue Hotel DJ Marc Us free Bungalow 8, Darling Harbour Bungalow Nights free 9pm Tittsworth

FRIDAY JUNE 24 Bank Hotel, Newtown Friendly Fridays DJ Richie Carter free 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Movement Kato, Victim, DJ Huwston, Mason & Bennett, Preacha free 8pm Blue Hotel, Woolloomooloo Sarah J Hyland free 7pm Candy’s Apartment Liquid Sky Vengeance, Disco Volante $10/15 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Glovecats, Murda 1, Typhonic, A-Tonez, Detecktives, Detnum $15/20 10pm Cronulla RSL DJ Michael Stewart free 8pm Goldfish, Darlinghurst Funktank Mike OConnor, Fabz, Drop Dead Ed 9pm Gypsy Nightclub TYDI $22 9pm

“Cock back my tongue like a hammer, my head is like a nickel-plated bammer, spit forty-five calibre grammar,” 46 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

Tittsworth photo by Benjamin Tankersley

Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst

club guide

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com Candy’s Apartment Ritual Teez, SMS, La Dooda Peeda $10/20 8pm Cargo Bar, Darling Harbour The Institute of Music 9pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Tittsworth, Kid Kenobi, Surecut Kids, Blaze Tripp, The Canyons, Matttt, Whitecat, Naiki, King Lee, Samrai $15/25 9pm Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick Retro Night free 8pm Dee Why Hotel Kiss & Fly Ben Morris, Kaiser, Olsen 8pm Empire Hotel, Darlinghurst Empire Saturdays Empire DJs free 9pm Hotel Chambers, Sydney Red Room Trey, Naiki, C-Major, Troy T 8pm Ivy, Sydney Sebastien Drums $20 6pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue DJ Michael Stewart free 9pm Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst Shrug & Golden Cage present: Sasha Le Monnier, Robbie Lowe, Garth Linton, Dave Stuart $15 (presale)–$20 (at door) 10pm Le Panic Blow Always Never, Pretty Young Things $10/20 8pm Manning Bar Downlink Creeptown,

Blogwars, Bruxism, Low Society DJs $20-25 9pm Maquarie Function Centre Soul Good Kierra Folsom, Ryan Bandong, Don Valix, Harry Mellon, Tim Baustina, Glenn Lumanta, Jess Dias, Sophia Rose, Gigi Perez, Jenny Oak, Abi Pamei, City Love Band $35-40 6pm Melt 12, Kings Cross Andrew Wowk, Rachael Sabin, Jimmy Brus, DJ Saw Whut?!, Jay Smalls, Defined

by Rhythm, Linda Jenssen, McBean 9pm Selina’s, Coogee Bay Hotel Black Magic Brazillian Costume Party Sabrina Tome, Fabeta $10 9pm The Forbes Hotel, Sydney We Love Indie $10 9pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst Johnny B Johnny B free 9pm Red Rattler, Marrickville Video Dance-A-Rama Tom Loud $15 8:30pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! Wax Motif, Disco Punx, Alleyoop, Starjumps, Money Shot, Deckhead DJs $15–$20 9pm Tone, Surry Hills Big Village Album Launch Tuke, True Vibenation, Daily Meds, Loose Change, Ellesquire, Suburban Dark, DJ Migz, Reverse Polarities $15 (+ bf) 8pm Watershed Hoted The Watershed Presents...

Skybar

SUNDAY JUNE 26 ARQ Nightclub, Darlinghurst White Party 9pm Bank Hotel, Newtown Damien Goundrie free 4pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Picnic Sundays DJ Jamin 6pm Bedlam Bar, Glebe Soundwave Sunday Shane Burgess, Jae Sneddon free Fake Club, Kings Cross Spice Matt Weir, Nic Scali, Mitch Crosher 4am Jacksons on George Aphrodisiac Industry Night free 8pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Session DJ Tone free 7pm Petersham Bowling Club Sunday Jump 2pm Sweeney’s Rooftop Sundaes Hanna Gibb, Ty $10 12pm The Hive Bar, Erskineville Revolve Records DJs free 5pm The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction Anthony K, Demolition, Gee, Gary Honor free 4pm Tone, Surry Hills Ganga Giri 8pm Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Club Parada $25 World Bar, Kings Cross Disco Punx free 6pm

club picks up all night out all week...

WEDNESDAY JUNE 22 GoodGod Small Club Hip Hop Karaoke DJ Burn with Host Ran Dee and Spook $5 8pm

THURSDAY JUNE 23 Strike Bowling Bar, Sydney Ruby Rose, Andy Murphy, Generik free 8pm Tone, Surry Hills LHA, CBay, Fonke Knomaads, D-lect $10 –$12 (at door) 7pm

FRIDAY JUNE 24 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Niche Productions presents Movement Kato, Victim, DJ Huwston, Mason & Bennett, Preacha free 8pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Glovecats, Murda 1, Typhonic, A-Tonez, Detecktives, Detnum $15/20 10pm Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross FBi Social Bingethinkers, Rainman + Calski (Bris), Ellesquire (Big Village), DJ Ology + DJ Morgs + DJ 2Buck Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Alison Wonderland, Hobophonics, Starjumps, F.R.I.E.N.D/s DJs $10 8pm Le Panic Social Network Amy Meredith DJs, Minor Delay $10/15 8pm

SATURDAY JUNE 25 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Tittsworth, Kid Kenobi, Surecut Kids, Blaze Tripp,

The Canyons, Matttt, Whitecat, Naiki, King Lee, Samrai $15/25 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! Wax Motif, Disco Punx, Alleyoop, Starjumps, Money Shot, Deckhead DJs $15–$20 9pm Tone, Surry Hills Big Village Album Launch Tuke, True Vibenation, Daily Meds, Loose Change, Ellesquire, Suburban Dark, DJ Migz, Reverse Polarities $15 (+ bf) 8pm

SUNDAY JUNE 26 Bedlam Bar, Glebe Soundwave Sunday Shane Burgess, Jae Sneddon free Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Picnic Sundays DJ Jamin & Kali 6pm Free Tone, Surry Hills Ganga Giri 8pm Ganga Giri & band

BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 47

snap sn ap

propaganda

PICS :: TL, DM

up all night out all week . . .

09:06:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700 PICS :: TL

biz markie

paddle emporium

PICS :: TL

09:06:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

It’s called: Soundwave Sundays It sounds like: We hate Monday.

Who’s spinning? Shane Burgess and Jae Sneddon Three records you’ll hear on the night: Afroja ck, Deadmau5, PNAU And one you definitely won’t: Spice Girls Sell it to us: Two bars, two levels, two DJs, two hot spot gives a Sunday Session to envy! Laid words: DO IT! Glebe’s latest back DJ tunes to warm you up before the onslaught of dance floor bedla m from Shane Burgess, who rips in at 10pm from the basement level.

goodgod

10:06:11 :: GoodGod Small Club :: 55 Liverpool St, Sydney 9267 3787

A hell of a way to end your weekend.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Distinct sound of Shane’s originals being dropped.

Crowd specs: Anyone who knows how to have a good time!

Wallet damage: Free!

Where: Bedlam Bar, University Hall / 2-12 Glebe Point Road, Glebe When: Sunday June 26, 7pm til late

wham!

11:06:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700 PICS :: AM

strike bowling

12:06:11 :: Strike Bowling :: 122 Lang Road Moore Park 1300 787 453 48 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

PICS :: DM

party profile

soundwave sundays

PICS :: TL

10:06:11 :: LO-FI Collective :: Floor 3, 383 Bourke St Surry Hills

:: CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: PATRICK STEVENSON :: THOMAS PEACHY :: DANIEL MUNNS :: VICKY NGUYEN

+ GENERIK

FREE ENTRY JUNE 23, 8PM. STRIKE KING ST WHARF. BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11 :: 49

snap sn ap

classixx

PICS :: CG

hot damn

PICS :: TL

up all night out all week . . .

09:06:11 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93316245

dubchild

bungalow 8

PICS :: AM

12:06:11 :: The Oxford :: 368 Oxford Street Paddington 94442193

12:06:11 :: Bungalow 8 :: 8 The Promenade Kings Street Wharf 92994440

50 :: BRAG :: 417 :: 20:06:11

12:06:11 :: Melt :: 12 Kellett St, Kings Cross 93806060

halfway crooks

PICS :: AM

PICS :: AM

gay bash

PICS :: AM

12:06:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

11:06:11 :: Phoenix Bar :: Downstairs 34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 93311936

:: CAI GRIFFIN:: ASHLEY MAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: PATRICK STEVENSON :: THOMAS PEACHY :: DANIEL MUNNS :: VICKY NGUYEN

MAXWATT G100R GUITAR AMP COMBO

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VOX AC30C2 VALVE AMP

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BEHRINGER VIRTUBE VT100 FX

SALE : $3199

SALE : $289

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