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AUSTRALIA 2011 With Special Guests Pulp have decided to get together and play some concerts this year. The shows will involve the original members of the band (Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey & Mark Webber) & they will be playing songs from all periods of their career. (Yes, that means they’ll be playing your favourites) If you wish to know any more then please visit www.pulppeople.com where you will be subjected to a barrage of cryptic questions. In the meantime ask yourself this: “Do You Remember The First Time?” Thank you for your attention.

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rock music news

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

He Said She Said WITH

SAMUEL FROM THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA music entirely unrecognisable! The orchestra has an ever-shifting lineup of around 35 people, with terminal velocity reached at 50. And really, no other band like this exists in the world… The only thing really holding it all together is a shared commitment to discovering new and interesting solutions to the very problem of Splinter itself: how to comprehend a large scale, non-idiomatic, improvising orchestra with a rotating membership and no money!

he Splinter Orchestra is the love/brain child of ma and pa experimental, Clayton Thomas and Clare Cooper. After spending its first seven years in a firm but loving home, the orchestra moved out and our parents moved to Berlin. Four years on, we are still struggling through our rebellious late teenage years - drinking, smoking, turning up late, staying up all night - and all the time

making complex music far more mature and interesting than the band itself… Comprised of such a large and diverse bunch of people, the orchestra could probably be inspired by everything, ever. As inspiring as other music can be, we are often inspired more by certain spaces, architecture and each other. Each of these diverse personal inspirations feed into the Splinter machine, which churns out a

The music of Splinter is impossible; impossible to describe without running into the end of language, and impossible to comprehend without the experience of the music itself. But we still try… The 35 people are primarily improvisers on a variety of instruments, ranging from the piano accordion to the saxomaphone to scratched CDs and broken mixing desks. They meet together to make new music that is without identifiable genre and form, music that is unique to that specific combination of space, time and people. Music that accepts individual contributions and spits out a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Music that is quiet and loud, high pitch and low pitch, long and short. Maybe drones, maybe squeaks, maybe weird shit you have never heard before

Sydney’s contemporary/experimental/ exploratory/improvised/noise/other scene is going off at the moment. People talk about Berlin, Tokyo, Amsterdam and London, but Sydney is just as vibrant, cutting edge and awesome as anywhere else in the world - and because of the limited funding available in Australia, everyone does it because they love it. No wankers who want to be contemporary musicians for a living - just a need and a love. Keep an ear to the ground to hear the underground; check out people and places like the NOW now, Sound Series, Serial Space, Dirty Shirlows, The Silent Hour, New Weird Australia, New Music Network, Bird’s Robe Collective, PSH… and more. Maybe you won’t like it, but maybe you’re not supposed to! Where: Underbelly Festival @ Cockatoo Island When: Saturday July 16, 1pm-10pm / Splinter Orchestra are playing at 3pm in the dogleg tunnel, 5pm in the bunker, and 7pm upstairs in Building 124 More: underbellyarts.com.au

Vesper White

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: Dara Gill SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Cai Griffin, Luke Latty, 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 6333 les@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Meaghan Meredith - 0423 655 091 / (02) 9552 6333 meaghan@thebrag.com GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Matt Banham - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance & parties) INTERNS: Sigourney Berndt, Louisa Bathgate, Jemma Cole REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Binns, Joshua Blackman, Liz Brown, Oliver Downes, Alasdair Duncan, Max Easton, Tony Edwards, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Max Easton, Mike Gee, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Alex Lindsay Jones, Peter Neathway, Hugh Robertson, Romi Scodellaro, Rach Seneviratne, Luke Telford, Rick Warner Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this address 8a Marlborough Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9552 6333 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Editor or Staff of The Brag. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial Wednesday 12pm (no 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 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@furstmedia. com.au or phone 03 9428 3600. PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 Win a giveaway? Mail us a stamped and addressed envelope, and we’ll send your prize on over...

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THEY WILL HAVE THEIR WAY

Remember that massive fight that Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann, Clare Bowditch, Holly Throsby, Lior, Paul Dempsey and Oh Mercy’s Alexander Gow had, where they swore they would never set foot in the same room again unless there was a really good cause? Well, such a cause arose: the seven proponents of some of Australia’s finest modern music will be getting together to sing the songs of Neil and Tim Finn, for the national They Will Have Their Way tour. It hits the Sydney Opera House on November 17, and we’re extremely, extremely excited about it.

BATRIDER

Another good band from New Zealand. Batrider have that Flying Nun thing that seems to be injected into the bloodstream at birth over there, with slicing, dicing guitars just to muddy everything up. They’re launching their latest album Piles of Lies all over the place, but the reason you’re reading this while you wait for your friend at the pub is to hear about the August 20 show at GoodGod Small Club. The album itself comes out July 15.

SIAMESE MK II

involves collecting bottles for prizes - so stop littering! (This week’s Brag Eats is all about sustainability, if you’re into this kinda thing – check pages 28-31.)

…TRAIL OF TOURS

... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead is an epic, important name for an epic important band, and they are taking an epic, important plane ride to Australia to play Manning Bar on September 10.

PAPER SCISSORS

We’ve already told you all about the experimental/collaborative gigs that are being put on for three Thursdays in July by Siberia Records and Chocolate Jesus Industries. This Thursday July 14 marks the second night at GoodGod Small Club, and features Circle Pit (either the most hated or most loved band in Sydney?), Marf Loth and Panel of Judges, who are celebrating the launch of their album, Moods On The Move, which is out on vinyl & iTunes only from July 22... The night’ll also feature an improvised performance by Sam (Bum Creek), Chris Petro and DS (Siberia).

Wednesday July 13, you’re at the Beach Road Hotel in Bondi waiting for The Paper Scissors to play another mind-bending set - when before them comes DJ Jane Gazzo to warm up the crowd. Yup, that girl from Recovery. Yup, that girl from Channel [V]. Yup, that girl from that trivia team that keeps beating your team but you aren’t bitter because it just means you have to train faster, harder, longer and better. Meanwhile, In Loving Memory by The Paper Scissors is a great record; buy it, study it, sing it.

SPLENDOUR GREENS OUT

Let’s stay back tonight in the office and rearrange all the chairs and furniture in a big mess around us, then put on Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ at maximum volume, and act out the video clip where the room is being demolished yet the band still rock out. Did you hear they’re playing the Entertainment Centre on October 20 with those ‘80s babes Heart? Did you know Nancy Wilson from Heart wrote all those amazing Stillwater songs? You are home. (Tickets on sale July 18.)

Splendour have a bunch of new recycling initiatives to carry on with the general greenness and emissions-offsetting they’ve been doing very successfully for the past four years. There’ll also be eco-cops patrolling and handing out personal ashtrays, and a 60-man Green Team collecting bottles and cans like some kinda Degrassi-meets-Captain Planet utopia. There’s also a Splendour Recycling Club, which

DEF LEPPARD AND HEART

BLACK CHERRY

If you’re into your rockabilly, your swamp, your blues, your alt-country, your glam or your good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll; if you’re into bands like The Art, Doubleblack, The Ramshackle Army and Generation Swine; if you’re into ladies with names like Kira Hu-La-La, Vesper White, Foxtrot India and Betty Grumble wielding-hoops, twirling tassels, and stomping on your heart with their burlesque – if you’re into all that, saunter down to The Factory Theatre on Saturday July 23 for the band, burlesque and DJ variety show that is Black Cherry. (If you’re not heaps of that, Simon Day from Ratcat will be DJing - and they’re making special Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum Cocktails, too!)

They Will Have Their Way photo by Tony Mott

Throsby, Lior, Blasko, Gow & Seltmann

(probably weird shit you’ve never heard before). The only definite is that it cannot and never will be repeated, ever.

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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

Grouplove

DANIEL FROM TIJUANA CARTEL

rowing up, I was always surrounded by music. I remember listening to my dad play the classical guitar and watching the carnivals on the streets of Uruguay, which resonated with the strong percussion beats of the Candombe drums. But it wasn’t until later in life, through a sporting injury, that I found my passion for music. Without sounding too corny, the people that inspire me the most are the people I work with. The band consists of some of Australia’s finest talents. Another personal source of inspiration is this Uruguayan rock-ska/Afro-Cuban/ traditional Uruguayan folk band called No Te Va A Gustar. Growing up with this band showed me how musical fusions could be created; they mixed old and new music styles together, like tango with rock, murga with ballads and reggae with Afro-Cuban twists. Tijuana Cartel has been slowly evolving for almost ten years now, although we only put out our first real album in 2005. We’ve been touring relentlessly for the

Foo Fighters

past five years, and living out of a white van all around the country means we’ve done a lot of growing up together on the road. All in all, I can say that this has been the longest relationship we all have had. We pride ourselves in knowing that the music we make has no real music style or genre associated to it. Lately, we’ve been called “indie electronica”, which is probably the best way to describe our current direction in sound. The band is highly influenced by everyone’s musical backgrounds, styles and studies, ranging from flamenco guitar to Afro-Cuban percussion to trumpet to fat electronic beats. We’re also just finishing our new album right now; all the tracks are done and mixed - just a few tweaks and then they’re off to get mastered. We’ll be doing a full release and tour for that later this year. The Australian music industry has been very supportive – we’ve been fortunate to receive guidance from peers and key industry people. It’s great to be part of the music scene at the moment, working amongst some fresh and inspiring bands like Art vs Science – we’re really into what they’re doing at the moment. Where: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi When: Thursday July 14

GROUPLOVE

If you’re one of the lucky ones who’s heading along to this year’s Splendour in the Grass, you’re already looking forward to experiencing the happy sunshine indie explosion that is Grouplove. Well, the band have generously set aside a night in August for the rest of us who refrained from cutting off a limb for the black market in order to afford the flights... The Californian five piece will be performing a rare intimate show at the Oxford Art Factory on Wednesday August 3, with fellow Cali band Young The Giant. If you and a buddy wanna find out what happens when a group of friends brings sunlight to a night, email us the name of their first single.

ALPINE

Many bands receive praise from triple j; fewer receive praise from Pitchfork. And when you’re in the top ten of the The Hypemachine Twitter chart, well, you know you’ve made it. Throw in a sold out EP tour around the country, and you’re sitting as pretty as Melbourne band Alpine. And how are they dealing with all this love? By touring again! They’re going to be at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday July 14 with Boy In A Box, and if you want a double pass, just tell us the name of Alpine’s killer EP.

WIM

WIM LAUNCH LP

There’s this thing happening on Friday July 22 at Paddington United Church. It will be transcendental, it will be magnificent, it will be glorious and it will be coming from a higher power and filling you with a warm yellow light. It’s the launch of WIM’s debut self-titled record (out now through Modular, and really very good), and you will be born again. Presale tickets are $12 only, and they’re on sale now.

THE FOO FIGHT BACK

Foo Fighters would have to be the greatest rock band in the world about now, right? Wrong. It’s still Tenacious D - and to prove it, they’re heading to Australia with Foo Fighters for a massive tour of rock something something riff something something devil 666. Last time Foo Fighters were in Sydney (earlier this year), they played two three-hour shows - and as Pink Floyd have shown us, there’s no going back from that. Tickets go on sale Monday July 18, and Foo Fighters go on stage at the Sydney Football Stadium on December 8.

THIRSTY MERC TOUR

Thirsty Merc just casually add 29 dates to their national tour and then bury it in a presser about their new single ‘Tommy and Krista’ (we checked - neither Springsteen or Bon Jovi are in the writing credits). They play The Metro Theatre on October 23, but they’ll be heading pretty much everywhere else in NSW - so jump online and find out which show is within walking distance.

AKRON/FAMILY ALSO TOUR

Unless you are familiar with the following act and album, this next section may give you a grammar seizure… Here we go: genre-hopping American trio Akron/Family are playing their pastoral polyphonic pomp at The Annandale October 1, in support of their latest record S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT.

ALICE COOPER SIDESHOW

Remember when Alice Cooper bit the head off a bat? Or when he sued Napster? Or when he boasted about sleeping with 5000 women? No? That’s because he isn’t a massive dick, and is actually an interesting and intelligent entertainer. He’ll be playing The Enmore Theatre on September 26. (…There’s something quite odd about the possibility of him walking past the Townie, isn’t there?)

100% LUCKY FUN MACHINE, OK!

When I think of Canberra, I think Mal Meninga, the Government House, whatever monetary denomination has the Government House on it, and now indie-dance band Fun Machine because their second EP Desert Creatures is

infectious like that. They’re heading towards your house, too, stopping at GoodGod on Wednesday July 13, so go watch them live up to their name.

Stevie Nicks

CHOCOLATE, JESUS, MUM

The team behind Chocolate Jesus Industries are taking over MUM at World Bar on Friday July 15, and have roped in the adorablynamed Reckless Vagina to help them celebrate. No Art and Whipped Cream Charges will also be playing, along with Big Dumb Kid, Disco Club, Old Men Of Moss Mountain, White Ox, Virgo Rising and Kokomo. That’s quite a bit of bang for your $15 buck.

TALLEST MAN ON EARTH

Robert Wadlow is the tallest man in recorded medical history. He was a goofy-looking tree of a dude who clocked in at 2.72 metres when he was last measured - and he died in 1940 from a blister on his ankle. That guy! Less preposterous is The Tallest Man On Earth, the sweet, earnest Swedish singer-songwriter who goes by the name Kristian Matsson and sounds like what Bob Dylan would sound like if he wrote in peculiarly poetic pigeon English and had a better voice. He’s coming here in a few months, to hit The Factory Theatre on October 22. Tickets go on sale Friday July 15.

STEVIE NICKS!

Did you know that the percussion on Eurhythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This’ is actually Dave Stewart banging picture frames against the wall? Did you know that Stevie Nicks is a witch who cast a love spell on Lindsey Buckingham? Well, Nicks and Stewart are touring together down under, spending the evening of November 29 at the Entertainment Centre performing for you. Nuff said.

“Daddy’s ﬂown across the ocean leaving just a memory. Snapshot in the family album, Daddy what else did you leave for me?”- THE WALL 12 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

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The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Industry Music News with Christie Eleizer

Lifelines Engaged: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott after boyfriend, Chris Tyrell, popped the question over the Fourth of July weekend at a getaway in Tennessee. Injured: one of the eight dogs that Robbie Williams has in his LA home was bitten by a rattlesnake when he was away on tour in England. Sued: Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, by composer Jaques “Jack” Urbont, for illegally sampling his theme song for 1966 television cartoon Iron Man, for a track on his 2000 solo album. Why so long to take action? Urbont is 80, and doesn’t listen to rap.

VIDEO HITS & SPICKS AXED After a week of speculation and denials, Network Ten finally admitted it was axing Video Hits after 24 years. Ten's programming chief David Mott said that the way fans “listen to it, watch it and enjoy it has changed dramatically in last few years”. Losing their gigs are hosts Faustina “Fuzzy” Agolley and Dylan Lewis, and Executive Producer Rachel Moor. Although the show was perceived as predominantly mainstream, the indie sector also expressed its dismay at its passing. Urthboy, for instance, tweeted that Video Hits played more tracks from his label Elefant Traks than MTV and [V]. The final show is on August 6. Meantime, ABC-TV’s Spicks and Specks filmed its last session last week, to be aired on November 23; it too gave exposure to left-of-centre artists.

ROCKING HORSE: DAMN THE MAN! SAVE THE EMPIRE! One of the last major independent record stores, Brisbane’s Rocking Horse Records, is downsizing. Initially there was a possibility owner Warwick Vere, who set it up 36 years ago, would close shop, hit by downloading, high inner-city rents and flat trading after floods. But a Facebook movement to get customers down to its half-price sale bolstered revenue, and Vere is now looking at setting up outside the innercity and concentrating on vinyl. Rocking Horse stocked singles and EPs as well as albums, giving Brisbane acts like The Saints and The Go-Betweens their first retail exposure.

EMINEM SETS NEW RECORD Eminem last week became the first artist to sell one million digital copies of an album in the United States. Universal Music claims that Recovery, which has sold 5.7 million units worldwide, is “the best-selling digital album of all time.” With his collaboration Hell: The Sequel with Royce Da 5’9 debuting at #1 in its first week, he also became the first artist in five years to have two #1 albums in America within a 12 month period. Em’s new single ‘Lighters’ is in the Top 20 in Australia.

MUSICNSW EXPORT GRANTS MusicNSW, through Arts NSW, announced a new quick-response grant program for acts and managers attending Australian conferences and trade fairs to learn about getting their music overseas. It allows them to attend events

that will help them develop relationships in international markets prior to going overseas, as well as business skills and a national audience. It is also for those who’ve been offered opportunities to showcase or open for acts abroad, but find it too costly. You can apply for one-off funding of up to $650 per member of the touring party (artists and artist managers only) - up to $4000. MusicNSW’s Eliza Sarlos said, “After years of having been able to offer spot funding to artists for specific opportunities, it’s great to be able to announce a strong investment in developing artists' careers regardless of the opportunity.”

BLUES MUSIC DAY Sick and tired of getting such limited support in mainstream media and by music associations, Australia’s ten Blues Societies teamed up to declare August 29 Blues Music Day. They will come up with initiatives like comps, gigs, in-stores, a youth battle of the band, community radio tie-ups and BBQ jams on the day, which marks the birth date of the late legend Dutch Tilders. The event was the idea of John Durr of Black Market Music, who you can find at publicity@blackmarketmusic.com.au. The first initiative will be in West Melbourne, where the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society (MBAS) has organised a special night at the Royal Standard Hotel, featuring musicians who've performed with Dutch Tilders.

FLEMING ARTISTS OPENS IN OZ US booking agency Fleming Artists — which looks after Grant-Lee Buffalo, actor/ musician Jeff Daniels and Ani DiFranco — has set up an office in Australia. It will operate in Melbourne under veteran booker John Sinclair, who discovered Goanna and Weddings Parties Anything among others. Sinclair says the agency wants to break Australian artists in the US and Canada. The Graveyard Train leave on July 12 for their first US/Canadian tour, which will take in the Vancouver Folk and Hillside Festivals. Sinclair believes Melbourne is a hotbed of creativity at the moment, saying “(it) is the next Brooklyn or Seattle.” Visit flemingartists.com.

SXSW SESSION SPEAKERS The South By Southwest session at the Vanguard in Newtown on Monday July 18 has named Millie Millgate of Sounds Australia and Glenn Dickie of EMI/Aussie BBQ as its first two speakers. The Texas event’s local rep Phil Tripp will moderate the panel, and a festival doco, Outside Industry, will be screened.

DVD PIRATE FINED Sydney DVD pirate Helen Yu Ying Pan was fined $7000 after pleading guilty in the Wollongong Local Court to 18 charges of negligently possessing infringing copy with intent to sell, and one charge of dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime. She was nabbed with 2000 films at the popular Sunday markets in Dapto, none of which had classifications and seemed to have covers printed from the internet. Yu initially claimed she bought the titles overseas as her hobby, and had decided to sell some of them off.

GETTING HIGH ON RADIO Is this the highest radio show in Australia? The ‘On Snow Show’ is broadcast on Capital Radio Network’s Snow FM by Chris Morecroft on Saturday evenings from Charlotte Pass Ski Resort, at an elevation of 1765m.

FREEGAL ARRIVES IN OZ US media company Library Ideas LLC launched its Freegal Music Service in “over a dozen libraries” in Australia and NZ last week. Under its model, libraries act as a group buyer of music tracks on behalf of customers, rather than as a lender. Patrons join the service through the library website and can download a select number of tracks in MP3 format each week at no direct cost. Freegal has tracks from Sony, and last week added two million more after a deal with Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA).

EMI: NOT JUST AN OFFICE, ALSO AN ART PROJECT When EMI staff arrived at its new offices in Surry Hills last week, they needed a guided tour and explanation of the design. EMI chief Mark Poston wanted the office set up as an art project and commissioned design company The World Is Round, led by Andrew Cliffe. Two of the windows facing Flinders Street will showcase new art, design and fashion every six weeks, provided by local artists and art college students. The first display is Stuart Hall’s portrait of EMI artist Paul Dempsey, which was entered in the Archibald Prize. The second window is a 3D street art installation by the award winning Beastman.

HELPMANN NOMINATIONS Of the 41 Helpmann Award categories covering all aspects of the live music sector, the nominations for contemporary music were: * Best Contemporary Music Festival: Bluesfest, Splendour In The Grass, Vivid LIVE and Mona Foma. * Best International Contemporary Concert: U2, Metallica, Gorillaz, Leonard Cohen at Hanging Rock, Sufjan Stevens at the Sydney Festival. * Best Australian Contemporary Concert: Powderfinger’s Sunset tour, Angus & Julia Stone’s Down The Way tour, The Church’s

THINGS WE HEAR * Foo Fighters' Aussie tour dates leaked a day before they were announced last week. They popped up on the Frontier Touring and Ticketek sites briefly before being yanked. But Dave Grohl had earlier Twittered about an announcement for Oz and NZ fans, who had headed to the two sites to watch and wait. * Meantime, Cee Lo Green’s website claims he’s doing three shows in Australia this month after he axed shows earlier this year. * A woman was turfed out of her London apartment after neighbours complained about 12 months of late night Tina Turner karaoke sessions. * Brian Ritchie of Violent Femmes fame and his wife Varuni are staying on in Tasmania — they’re becoming Australian

We has internets!

www.thebragmag.com Extra bits and moving bits without dirty fingers 14 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

30th anniversary 'A Psychedelic Symphony' at the Opera House, Regurgitator’s Akira.

MUSIC IS BETTER THAN FILM, SPORTS, TV AND SEX People who play music equipment tend to be obsessed with music. In a survey by music equipment giant Audio-Technica, 96% would give up films if they had to choose between music, 73% would give up live sports, one third would give up sex and less than 40% would give up television.

BENEFIT FOR CAROLYN SHINE Friends of Sydney muso and author Carolyn Shine have rallied around as she recovers from an operation to combat cancer. A fundraiser is being held on Sunday July 24 from 8pm at the Basement. Performing are Junglehammer, Lily Dior, Temple of Groove, Merenia Gillies, Mitch Anderson, Rebekah Jensen and Paula Baxter. Tickets from thebasement.com.au.

GRAMMY BOYCOTT? A coalition of musicians is calling for a boycott of the Grammys’ broadcast partner CBS, and hired a lawyer to explore legal action. The group is protesting against a decision to drop 31 categories from the awards, including instrumental categories in pop, rock and country, traditional gospel, and albums covering Latin, Zydeco and classical crossover.

POLICE PUT HEAT ON WOLLONGONG VENUES An attempt by Wollongong police to have a 1:30am lockout on all eleven CBD nightspots was nixed by the State Government, which instead imposed a ban on shots and doubles, and a limit of four drinks per person. Police have now said that the city’s liquor accord, which makes it mandatory for all clubs inside Wollongong’s entertainment precinct to support it, should also be extended to major venues which are just outside the precinct.

citizens, revealed undercover.fm. The couple moved to Hobart five years ago after she got a job as a scientist. Ritchie plays with The Breaks and runs the highly inventive Mona Foma Festival, which was just nominated for the Helpmann Awards. * Newcastle sculptor Tanya Bartlett has begun work on the $120,000 bronze statue of late country singer Smoky Dawson, which will be unveiled at the 40th Tamworth Country Music Festival in January. * The February Vanity Fair that featured Justin Bieber on the cover covered in lipstick kisses is its the worst selling issue in 12 years. * Among diva-like demands by Prince before playing the Hop Farm Music Festival in England were a limo to take him the 80ft between his dressing room and the main stage, as well as a purple-painted

dressing room with such exacting measurements that production had to re-do it three times. * Funny old world. 40 years ago, Aussie music journo Lillian Roxon moved to New York and championed The New York Dolls as the next big act out of America. Last week, an Australian tour by the ‘Dolls was abandoned when it was alleged that cigarette company Peter Stuyvesant was its sponsor. The axing was part of stringent new anti-tobacco laws being introduced in Australia, and behind the rules? Lillian’s niece, Health Minister Nicola Roxon. * Clubber of the week was a 25-year old Rockhampton, QLD man who blew .243 – nearly five times the legal driving limit – after a night clubbing. * NME names Johnny Cash’s ‘Hurt’ the greatest music video of all time.

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that we need to disperse of somehow – get rid of it, burn it out. Burn out the calories.”

Nobody’s Fool By Caitlin Welsh

ne of the standard icebreaker questions for a phone interview is something along the lines of, “What have you been up to today?” Usually the artist will tell you they’re hanging in their flat with a cup of tea, or backstage in Berlin, or in the tour van. Some of the cheekier (or dimmer) musos will retort that they’re doing lots of interviews. Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa recounts her day: her jetlagged sleep patterns, her grocery shopping, a “chinwag” with bandmate Emily K, and what’s going on in the studio she and her housemate are building under their house. “Right now we’re stapling an excessive amount of black curtain-material to all of the walls, so we can soundproof it. So that’s my exciting life today!” she declares, a little sheepishly. Mozgawa’s sense of humour is bone-dry and her Australian accent is broad, despite having exported her inimitable drumming skills from Sydney to the States several years ago now. Today, she’s tooling around LA in her “boatsized car”, trying to enjoy a measly week of free time before the tour madness begins again. A week after our conversation, Warpaint were in Luxembourg of all places, kicking off a gruelling 38-date tour of Europe, the UK, and Australia – most of which are festival sets. As I

write this they’re in Milan; by the time you read it, they’ll have just played the Oregon Country Fair; in another two weeks, they touch down in Perth. Their last scheduled tour date is as part of a massive lineup at the Hollywood Bowl in late September, with The Smith Westerns, Panda Bear, Arctic Monkeys and TV On The Radio. If it’s possible to be starstruck by a venue, that’s exactly what Mozgawa is. “I remember going to the Hollywood Bowl just for the sake of going, I don’t even remember who I – I think I saw Aaron Neville! – when I first came to LA, or even when I was visiting for just like a week,” she recalls. “And the thought of playing there just seemed so, so far away. It just felt so distant, like a distant desire.” Mozgawa, who has also spent time drumming for fellow expat Andy Clockwise and halfAussie-half-American outfit Mink, joined Warpaint in the final demo stages of their critically acclaimed 2010 debut The Fool. (She succeeded five previous drummers, including current Chili Pepper Josh Klinghoffer and founding drummer, and sister of bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg, Shannyn Sossamon – who quit to focus on her acting career). Coming into an established band, particularly after the almostuniversal adoration of their John Fruscianteproduced EP Exquisite Corpse, could have been daunting, but having a recording process that’s different each time helped even things out. And according to Mozgawa, the follow-up to The Fool will be an entirely new prospect – she adds that they’re hoping to get into

“We’re itching to play with each other without any rules or constraints... I think we have a lot of energy that we need to disperse of somehow get rid of it, burn it out.”

a relatively intensive period of writing and recording after September. “It’s been a long time coming, especially for the other three girls. It’s been a while since they’ve had a clean slate. Because a lot of the songs on the album are songs that have existed for a long time - and that’s pretty taxing,” she explains. “It’s going to be a very different experience this time around. Last time was really exciting and we learnt a lot about each other and the process and stuff – but basically that was boot camp, and now we get to just relax and be a real band, you know? “[For the EP] the girls kind of knew what they were doing before they went into the studio,” she goes on, “whereas [on] the album there was a lot of experimentation that happened while we were tracking. Which is really exciting, because a lot of things just happened off the cuff… We have to be free as a band, over the next few months in writing; we can’t really constrain ourselves to just one form of writing music, because it’s just gonna be dull, you know? I think we have to explore the option of an almost-written song and then everyone has to finish it; a song that’s a completely blank canvas. Just a little bit of everything and see what we like, ‘cos there’s no rules right now. Which is liberating and frustrating at the same time,” she finishes, with a laugh. In a recent interview with NME, Warpaint’s manager Jody White described how, after playing three shows in 24 hours in Houston, the band left their instruments on stage; at 2am, they returned to the stage one by one to jam until four in the morning. Mozgawa says that even onstage, during performances, they’ll sometimes drift into miniature jam sessions. “It’s just a sign that we’re itching to play with each other without any rules or constraints,” she explains. “Whenever we have time to just play, we’ll play something new, whatever comes to mind. I think we have a lot of energy

Given all that extra energy floating around, it’s no great surprise that there’s no set concept for the next record just yet. “I think there probably will be a bit of droney, jammy shit,” predicts Mozgawa. “I just think [finding] different ways of approaching being creative with one another, that’ll be important. Because we had a few different [processes] when we were recording the album, and they were all quite challenging... Even if we have a concept that we wanna express on the album, I think it’s gonna be important that whatever way it’s done, the methods are open to interpretation.” Warpaint have hit a sweet spot with the hype that built up around them over the course of a few short years. “I think we got pretty lucky with the degree of exposure we’ve had,” Mozgawa says reflectively. “It’s hopefully enigmatic enough not to bother people. It’s not like, ‘Oh, we’re ALWAYS hearing about Warpaint, I don’t want to hear another Warpaint song because they’re always on the radio!’ We’ve accumulated this really nice group of people who come to our shows and listen to the music, and it feels like that demographic – that group of people – are open to seeing exactly what we do next, and they trust that we’re going to do it with integrity. That’s important, as opposed to, ‘Ok, well we really liked that last album that you did. Basically do that same thing, but better, and with different songs!’” If Mozgawa’s to be believed, Warpaint has the most chilled-out fanbase ever. “Even if we make an ABBA-style album, they’ll just be like, ‘Oh, so they were into ABBA at that time.’ Like, ‘It’s OK.’” “I’d buy that album,” I tell her, quite seriously. “Me too!” she exclaims. “Maybe that’ll be my solo record. And it’ll be called Indie ABBA. I’m going to check if somebody’s already taken that domain name...” What: The Fool is out now Where: Manning Bar, Sydney University When: Thursday July 28 More: Also playing alongside Kanye West, Coldplay, The Hives, Wild Beasts, Regina Spektor, Seeker Lover Keeper, Foster The People, The Grates and loads more at Splendour In The Grass 2011 @ Woodfordia, Queensland, from July 29 - 31

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Domeyko/Gonzalez Playtime By Ben Southee Being able to channel the danger and thrill of improvisation into a thought out and engaging structure is what sets D/G apart from other experimental bands, who can tend to indulge their own fancies with less regard for the audience. D/G shows will often start noisy and industrial, wander into areas of ambience, touch on dance music and even avant garde classical and minimalist influences, moving from style to style with subtlety rather than bombast. Essentially long pieces in themselves, each show offers new sections written to move between their main themes or songs, and always with a sense of movement towards the next idea.

he term ‘experimental music’ has long carried negative connotations. It calls to mind images of ‘artists’ pouring cow’s blood all over themselves while screeching into a microphone, and music that sounds more like the soundtrack to a nervous breakdown than something you’d ever listen to for pleasure. Thankfully, Domeyko/Gonzalez defy all of that. Rather than using their music as a forum for unfettered, unstructured expression, the Sydney outfit bring their love of experimentation and improvisation together with a careful sense of structure in their songwriting. The live band consists of James Domeyko on guitar, sax, piano and vocals, Jaie Gonzalez on synth, sampler, bass, vocals and other assorted toys and gadgets, and Jasper Fenton from Decoder Ring on drums, sampler and vocals – and, as I’m sure you can imagine from the wide scope of instrumentation, preparation is very important. “We’ll average about three rehearsals a show - six hours a rehearsal, lately,” Domeyko tells me. “We do that to tighten things up, so that the improv element doesn’t get in the way of the songs or the performance. We could just get up there and improvise, but if you don’t have the structures and the changes down and tight, it just sounds like poo.”

“When you’re watching a band jamming, there can be points where you can be like, ‘Oh this is a really great sound’ - but sometimes it’s just jamming,” Domeyko explains. “If there’s no goal in mind, if it’s not improvisation with purpose, then it’s just musicians saying, ‘Look! I can improvise!’ I think that kind of thing is where the image of improvised music being indulgent comes from.” Not that the band see themselves above self-indulgence altogether; when asked how he would respond if someone applied that term to their music, Domeyko laughs after a long, thoughtful pause: “Fair enough!” “It’s indulgent in the sense that we’ve never tried to write music from the perspective of pleasing people,” he clarifies. “It’s always been that the idea exists first. I don’t think we’ve ever gone into a completely improvised set or a noise section thinking ‘Oh, this will be very controversial’ or anything. It just seems right at the time.” Experimental music often sets out with the aim of confronting an audience. When done well, this can be fantastic - bands like Suicide and Swans come directly to mind but these are rare examples, the remainder littered with mediocre copycats. Removed from this, and as close to classical as they are to no wave, what Domeyko/Gonzales set out to do is explore and develop ideas rather than shock or stun. It’s the way they toy with music, rather than how they play it, that defines them as experimental. With: Forces, John Hunter, Dead China Doll and Qua. Qua will also collaborate in an improvised set with Domeyko/Gonzales. Where: Siamese @ GoodGod Small Club When: Thursday July 21

Major Raiser Doing It For The Kids By Benjamin Cooper

hen we speak, Dominic Greenwood is excited, his words tumbling and jostling with his ideas. But that comes as no surprise. Greenwood is the dynamo behind local upstarts ‘Major Raiser’, whose banner you may have already seen adorning venues around the city. The new initiative is dedicated to an excellent concept: mobilising Sydney’s love of live music to generate awareness of and funds for a different social issue each time they host a gig. “It all started with one piece of paper,” Greenwood explains, recalling the late 2010 brainstorm with his brother that acted as the genesis for the increasingly prolific group. Starting with a rough notion of ‘doing something to help people’, missives were sent forth to various industry contacts. Replies started dripping back, and Greenwood noticed a real kick in momentum – a reception he was startled by. “I realised that this is that moment... I could do this for the rest of my life! Why not?!” he says. So he dedicated himself to organising events where people could get a glimpse of a particular social cause, raise funds for a related charity, and take in some great live music in the process. The first event in March this year was held at GoodGod Small Club, and saw more than 200 people party down with Skryptcha and Convaire - the cheeky flipside to the revelry being that all the cash they raised at the door was donated to the Music Outback Foundation. The upcoming Major Raiser gig at The Gaelic on Saturday night features the now-ladyless wunderkinds Parades, synthy groove-rats Bon Chat, Bon Rat and local newbies RÜFÜS, and the money this time will be donated to Australian Youth Against Cancer (AYAC), whose founder Chris Boyd spent the evening before our chat shooting and editing a film with Greenwood. The result of their work is a short clip that will be circulated on the interwebs to get people talking before the gig - and there’s barely time for breath before Major Raiser hits it again in August, this time focusing on youth mental health as part of the University of Sydney’s Verge Festival. Potentially due to the intensity of planning and executing such events, there’s a new creative team appointed for each. It’s evident, however,

that it is Greenwood’s zest that stands front and centre of the initiative. He’s recently been asked to join the Young Social Pioneers in Melbourne, whose alumni include Chris Raine, the Queenslander who successfully developed the Hello Sunday Morning program to offer a break from national bingeing. The opportunity to develop the leadership skills necessary for Major Raiser to “have that kind of impact” means that Greenwood will be plenty busy between each project. As talk moves to future intentions, words like “responsibility” are bandied about with equal freedom as “passion”. Noble sentiments are all well and good, but they can run the risk of seeming hackneyed or divorced from a significant section of the audience - yet Greenwood is responsive with his rhetoric. After all, this is a project drowning in relevance and with much scope for development, all thanks to its most arresting element: Major Raiser works from a principle similar to the simple beauty of incidental exercise. If we’re going to a gig anyway, we might as well come away with something more – like more understanding of the disenfranchised, or funds raised to help them out. There are plans afoot to expand Major Raiser beyond the current set-up, and it’s safe to say the kids will come to the party. What: Major Raiser’s fundraiser gig for AYAC With: Parades, RÜFÜS, Bon Chat Bon Rat, Boats Of Berlin, The Lockwoods, Cross Beams / DJs: Lewi McKirdy (triple j), Xanno (FBi), Karoshi, Generic DJs, Major Raiser DJs Where: The Gaelic Theatre When: Saturday July 16 More: majorraiser.com australianyouthagainstcancer.org.au

The Horrors Skying High By Michael Hartt

fter blowing minds all over the place with their second album Primary Colours, London five-piece The Horrors are back with Skying. The first record the band have produced themselves (at the suggestion of Primary Colours producer, Geoff Barrow of Portishead), it was put together in their selfconstructed studio in Hackney, in London’s east. As singer Faris Badwin explains, the freedom of being self-reliant informed much of the album’s creation. “It was great. We built our own studio and I think that was really exciting for us. It was something we’d really wanted to do and we were really happy about having the chance,” he says. “We didn’t have to worry about the engineer wanting to go home to his kids or whatever. We could just go in there at any hour and get on with it, and that’s what we did.” There was a dramatic shift from the garage punk of debut album Strange House to the shoegaze-inspired Primary Colours, and Skying sees the band continue further down the same path, but with a more pronounced synth-driven sound which came about thanks to their ever-increasing collection of equipment. “Josh [Hayward, guitar] built a sort of guitarsynth thing. That pops up a lot on the record. That was the biggest thing besides the studio itself.” Like a lot of bands, their ever-increasing record collections also gave them new ideas, but Badwin doesn’t feel as if there are any specific reference points in the new album. “We listen to a lot of music between us. It’s not like we pick three records out of a hat and

try to combine them. Usually someone comes in with a starting point - and it varies who it is,” he says. “We know where we’re gonna go when we’re on our way. It’s never that selfconscious.” Primary Colours was awarded NME’s Album Of The Year and was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Prize – a far cry from the reception of their earlier work, which was dismissed by some as the music of cartoon Goths, much to Badwin’s bemusement. “When we released Strange House we had generally good reviews, but the whole joke is people kind of forgetting what they actually said about the record at the time. It’s a weird spin on it that people decided to take, but really, the records have all been well received.” Badwin says that the praise and acclaim for the previous album didn’t really put any kind of pressure on the band to outdo itself with Skying. “I don’t think a few people gushing over something is going to give you pressure. Whether opinions are positive or negative, they’re not really worth taking into account. I think what has to be your own motivation is your desire to improve.” In between Horrors’ albums, Badwin teamed up with classically-trained multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira to form Cat’s Eyes. The band’s debut album is a lush ‘60s girl groupinspired set, a project which Badwin found creatively rewarding and inspiring. He’s hoping to continue on with it and tells me they’ve already started writing a follow up, even as commitments for The Horrors begin

to increase again. “I think if you do anything that you’re excited about and you enjoy, you’re going to learn a lot. The whole thing is about learning,” he says. “I always try and do a bit of both, but obviously The Horrors is the most time-consuming.” The Horrors recently made their first major appearance in support of Skying at Glastonbury, with a set that included tunes from both Skying and Primary Colours - the band said it made sense to delve back to their

early material. “Glastonbury was alright. It was quite muddy but I did get to see a couple of bands I like - Warpaint and Anna Calvi,” Badwin says. The Horrors haven’t been in Australia since January 2010, but are hoping to make it down again during summer. “I hope we get in on the Big Day Out bill - I really enjoyed the last one.” What: Skying is out now on XL Recordings, through Remote Control

“We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control” - THE WALL 18 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

- Wed 13th -

Alphamama EP Launch feat Danny G Felix, Milan, Ngaiire, Mirrah, West Labz & Kween G - Thur 14th -

LHA - Keep It Moving Album launch feat Fonke Knomaads, DJ CBay and DJ Dlect - Fri 15th -

Meniscus - War of Currents Album launch feat Mushroom Giant (Melb), Pirate and Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes - Sat 16th -

No Half Steppin Street dance throw down official Destructive steps afterparty - Sun 17th -

Zulu Flow Zion plus Milan, Mirrah & Rough Co www.tone.net.au facebook.com/tonesydney twitter.com/tonevenue

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Jack Carty, Jordan Millar & Leroy Lee Hope, Smoke & Everything By Cass French

ack Carty, Jordan Millar and Leroy Lee have a lot in common. They’re all Sydney-based singersongwriters with guitar-calloused fingers and winning voices, they’ve all had a lot of nice things said about them over the few short years that they’ve been plying their various folkpop trades, and they all hate dickbags. (NB: While the terminology is all theirs, the BRAG heartily endorses this sentiment.) Which is why heading out on the road together in support of Carty’s new album, Millar’s new EP and Lee’s continuing awesomeness was kind of a no-brainer. Since the beginning of this month the threesome have been tooling around NSW and Victoria in an increasingly stinky station wagon, nerding out about their guitars and keeping their fellow lonely troubadours company. With the tour halfway over (though yet to hit Sydney), we checked in for a quick catch up - and the bromance was palpable.

What did you grow up listening to? Jordan Millar: Heaps of Motown and Steely Dan. There was always music around the house. Jack Carty: I grew up listening to Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Nick Drake. This was all because of my mum, really, who has a great taste in music. She once made a mixtape and the whole of one side was just Hendrix’ ‘Little Wing’ on repeat. Leroy Lee: I had some Beach Boys, Crowded House and some Zeppelin. I got all my music from taping it off the radio – we didn’t have much music around the house – so I had lots of songs without intros. ‘Stairway To Heaven’ was my favourite song when I was a kid, but I didn’t hear the beginning til high school. When/why did you first pick up a guitar? JM: I was listening to a song by Oasis and my mum had a guitar in the house, so I tried to figure it out... It just felt right. JC: The first instrument I ever learnt to play was the drums, but my dad was in an a cappella choir and he always used to sing, so I would sing too - and people started encouraging that. I started to play the guitar because I wanted something to accompany my voice, and guitar was portable and I had one in the house. LL: I was about eight. I remember seeing a kid at school get up and play for everyone and I thought it was magic. My dad picked me up a cheap nylon stringer, and that was that. You’ve all toured with some incredible songwriters and performers - what’s the best thing you learnt from them? JM: How important it is to just keep enjoying it, and to never let it become work. Not many people pick up their instruments at a young age thinking about making money or whatever. It’s a passion and a love, and you’ve just gotta keep that at the forefront of whatever you do. JC: The best thing I’ve learnt is just to relax, because it’s only music. If you’re not enjoying it, you should be doing something else. And also to be humble and kind to people because JM: Yeah, because I hate dickbags. JC: I hate dickbags. Exactly. Well put. LL: The best piece of advice was from Steve Kilbey from The Church. He said, ‘Don’t eat before you go on stage, you need to be hungry, otherwise you get lazy.’ So I time my meals.

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Tell us about your favourite guitar… JM: My guitar is a delightful Taylor that I spent about three months trying to find, because Dave Matthews, my hero, just rocks the shit out of a Taylor. So I searched and searched until I found the perfect one, and now it’s my baby. LL: My favourite guitar has no neck on it yet it’s the guitar that I’m building, a National-style wooden body resonator. I’m building it at the Mandali guitar factory in Erskineville, with a little help from my friends. I’ve made the body and I’ve carved the neck. I think it’s gonna be a beauty. JC: My favourite guitar is a Gibson J45 that I’ve had for about a year. I feel pretty lucky to have gotten my hands on one, and I just love everything about it. It’s easy to play and it sounds amazing. I always get comments at every show, which has nothing to do with me. LL: Yeah, your guitar sounds good even when it’s on the stand. What can we expect from this tour? On-stage jams together? A Traveling Wilburys-style folk supergroup? Smelly dude-bonding in the van? JC: You can expect all of the above! There has already been smelly dude bonding and on-stage jams, and although we’re missing Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and George Harrison, I think there is a little bit of that Travelling Wilburys vibe… We’re probably missing a little bit of the ‘super’ part though. JM: We’re more of just a group then, really. LL: There’s plenty of super. Lots of harmonies and guitar/banjo duels. JC: Yeah it’s been great fun so far! By the time we play FBi Social, I think we’ll all be playing each others’ songs. What’s the hardest thing about performing solo? What’s the best? JM: The hardest thing is that the onus is on you, but that’s also the best thing at the same time; you’re in control. A double-edged sword. JC: Touring with these boys has been brilliant. When you’re touring solo you do often have people around, but also long stretches where you’re out on your own. On this tour it’s been nice to be with kindred spirits and feel like you’re part of a team. What: Jack Carty’s One Thousand Origami Birds, Jordan Miller’s Everything EP and Leroy Lee’s self-titled LP are out now Where: FBi Social @ King’s Cross Hotel When: Thursday July 14

Leader Cheetah Remaining Men Together By Caitlin Welsh

aniel Crannitch and Daniel Pash, the frontman and lead guitarist respectively for Adelaide retro-rockers Leader Cheetah, are genteel boys. As they sit patiently through a run of interviews at Kawa in Surry Hills, their vintage shirts look clean and pressed and their manners are endearingly proper. Being back in the real world is clearly treating them well – they admit things went a little strange while the fourpiece were recording their newest album, Lotus Skies, holed up in the Adelaide bush. “It’s not something that I’d even thought of, but we were up there recording for about a month without much female energy at all,” Crannitch recalls. “And then Holly Throsby and Brooke from Spunk [Records] came up for Holly to do some vocals and so Brooke could say hello, and afterwards I just felt so much better. I couldn’t even explain it, but having that feminine energy around to break up the [masculine]... It’s amazing, and not something I’d ever really thought about - but it’s not often in your life that you’re with the same sex for a month.” Despite all the testosterone flying about, the four managed to hold it together for long enough to get twelve tracks down on record. Following on from their 2009 debut LP The Sunspot Letters, Lotus Skies is a natural progression of the kind many young bands don’t feel comfortable making for fear of repeating themselves. But Crannitch talks often about trying to nail down what Leader Cheetah sound like, about refining songs until they sound like A Leader Cheetah Song, and it’s clear that they’ve long had a clear vision in mind for the band – clear enough to skip right over Second Album Syndrome.

night, it doesn’t take long before the idea of going back to real life and the domestic stuff you normally have to worry about seems like a real drag. ... And you just start enjoying things like buying new socks! It’s a pleasure you don’t get at home.” “It’s funny how quickly you forget that you were the slob yesterday,” adds Pash. “You forget that you left your socks drying on the toaster, and then when somebody else does that the next day you are incensed - ‘How could you do that?’ Or when somebody loses their boarding pass 30 seconds before getting on a plane. ‘How could you possibly have managed that?!’ And then they reply, ‘Dude, you left your suitcase in the hotel room.’” Who: Lotus Skies is out on Friday July 15, through Spunk Records With: Belles Will Ring Where: The Gaelic Theatre When: Saturday September 24 More: Also playing at Splendour In The Grass from July 29 – 31 @ Woodfordia, Queensland

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A lot of it, Crannitch explains, comes from wanting to capture a feeling of cinematic, rather than emotional, nostalgia. “It’s not an active nostalgia in the sense that you’re thinking back to your childhood – it’s more the feeling you get from watching a 1950s film,” he says. “Even if you weren’t part of it, there are certain things that can take you back. [It’s] a romantic way of looking at things.”

“You forget that you left your socks drying in the toaster, and then when somebody else does that the next day you are incensed...” In interviews around the time of Sunspot Letters, Crannitch claimed to have most of the next record written – but not everything made it to the final cut. “We had written a lot, but when it came down to it, the majority of Lotus Skies was written in the twelve months leading up to it,” he explains. “There were maybe four or five songs that were written in 2009, but I think most of it was written last year... And it was good, because when we finished Sunspot Letters we felt we had twelve great tracks [for the next], but when it came to the actual recording we had come up with new ones that would take the others’ places. So by the time we got to recording, it was pretty much a brand new set of twelve songs. Which is nice when you have the luxury to do that,” he says, and Pash deadpans, “The downside is that sometimes your 20-minute death metal opus didn’t make the cut.”

w/ Boy in a Box* MEL BOURNE

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The band are also reassured that despite the differing production styles on the two records – Scott Horscroft replaced American producer Kramer this time around – they still felt as though they sounded like themselves. “I don’t think they sound worlds apart,” says Crannitch. “This one basically just sounds more polished – not over-polished by any means, but there’s a bit more balance.” The main difference, in fact, was that Leader Cheetah’s drummer, Crannitch’s younger brother Joel, had far more input into the songwriting on Lotus. Due to a hefty age difference, the pair don’t draw on the same childhood bedrock of musical influences you might assume, which the elder Crannitch believes made the record richer. “I’m 29 and he’s 21, and I think we’ve got quite different tastes in music,” he explains, “but I think that’s good – I think it’s what gives colour to the songs, and the different kind of styles we’ve brought to it.” The band have just come off the back of touring with The Middle East (who at least have one female member to keep things balanced), and will be joining Gomez for a few dates immediately after Splendour In The Grass. They’re bang in the middle of a lot of tour and album madness, but insist it’s yet to take its toll. “Before you go on tour, there’s always a slight nervousness,” says Crannitch. “But as soon as you cross over and you’re playing shows every

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five minutes WITH

ROACHY (DRS CREW)

ith a cast of characters that includes familiar local names like Roach, Numskull, Thomas Jackson & Cam Scale, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are kind of like an exclusive men’s club for like-minded individuals who enjoy vandalism, art, train paraphernalia, adrenalin, laughing, exploration, and (most importantly) the wonderful world of graffiti… For the last decade or so they’ve been painting streets and railway lines near you, gradually working their way into legitimacy and ‘real jobs’. As they all shuffle shamefully towards their thirties, they’re staving off adulthood with a reunion (aka group show) called Delayed Reactions. What is DRS? It all started in 1999, with a young man who went by the nom de plume ‘PLAZM’. Through a series of chance meetings that involved painting City Rail’s infrastructure, the DRS club expanded to over 16 people – who these days live all over the world. DRS also stands for DUBSTARS, DROOGS, DRUIDS, DEALIN RAW SUGAR, DR SEUSS, DOWN ROUND SYDNEY, DRUNKS... Pretty much where ever it applies we make it so. How did the crew come together over the years? In 2000, PLAZM and ENTAH met up with SNOW, SCAEL and ARME, also local kids from the north end of Sydney – and that’s what started the crew on its path to

LA SARDINA! SEA PRIDE!

When did you get into galleries? We had our first gallery show – Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – at China Heights in 2007. What are you all doing/making for Delayed Reactions? Everyone (bar one member) is making one work; they range from screen prints from Thomas Jackson and the hand-painted signwriting styles of Roach and Numskull, to photographic work by Tony and Dunes, illustrative giclée prints by Trevor... what it is today. I met PLAZM in 2002 at a pub; we got talking and lined up a paint [mission] where he put me down… At the time, PLAZM had a three-man hip hop outfit with VOKAL and NEKL called Full Throttle, so they both naturally fell straight in. The rest were roped in from different places and crews – QUE from the local skate park, TONY from our friends DSL (Dead Souls League), NUMSKULL because he was my brother… In 2005 we went interstate, because QUE AND SCAEL moved to Melbourne together and met two more fellas who wrote RADIO and GANS – they began hammering DRS all over Melbourne... We all live in separate parts of the country/world now and are really excited to all come back together to have a laugh and catch up. I guess it is one part exhibition, one part reunion.

Is there any unifying theme to the upcoming show? It seems like it's taken forever, and although we are all still ratbags in our own ways, the show is DIRTY ROTTENS all grown up and hence the title ‘Delayed Reactions’ (also a DRS meaning). Being creatively linked to a group of people for 12 years is funny, especially watching everybody shift through their graffiti practice, style and then other endeavours non graffiti related. The gallery shows are a nice place for us to feel grown-up, and illustrate how crime can pay.

ROOM FOR THOUGHT

EMI ART PROJECT

Not content to kick musical arse, EMI Australia have used their recent move to brandnew Surry Hills offices as an excuse to get arty, with the creation of the EMI Art Project. Geared at supporting local artists and providing eye candy to passersby (thank you), the two Flinders Street-facing windows of their new building will function as a display gallery, to be refreshed every six-or-so weeks. Their inaugural display comprised of a massive 3D wall-piece by Brad Eastman (aka Beastman), and Australian/British artist Stuart Hall’s portrait of Paul Dempsey, a contender for the Archibald Prize earlier this year. If you’re a local artist and you fancy seeing your work in EMI’s window, email emiartproject@ emimusic.com.au – for the rest of you, head past 18 Hutchinson Street, Surry Hills.

THIS IS NOT CHEAP ART

This one’s for anyone who has ever been to This Is Not Art festival (and therefore knows how rad it is): TINA have lost their triennial funding from Newcastle City Council. While they are funded from other sources, including the Australia Council and Arts NSW, the loss of local government funding leaves them with an $18,000 shortfall for this year’s budget – and the festival starts in 12 weeks. So if you’re feeling a bit flush this week – or you’d like to forgo that second coffee for a week, for an excellent cause – you should donate. After all, basically everything at TINA is free, so just think of it as an I.O.U you didn’t even realise you’d accrued. Surprise! Donation details at octapod.org

FIRSTDRAFT CALLS

What we love most about Firstdraft (apart from the people) is the way they manage to mix it up between established and emerging artists, presenting kickarse shows that celebrate people we already love and introduce us to people we didn’t know we loved YET. They’re currently calling for artists, curators and aspiring arts writers who are interested in getting involved with their various programs. We’re particularly pleased to see they have a residency for an Emerging Arts Writer – coz we sure as hell need more good ones of those! There’s also a Studio Residency program for 22 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

emerging artists, housed in Firstdraft Depot (Woolloomooloo), and extending ten weeks… More details at firstdraftgallery.com/programs

Thanks to lomography.com.au we have one of these babies to giveaway: the Sea Pride (pictured). To get your hands on it, tell us your postal addy and where you'll take it first!

What: Delayed Reactions When: Opens Thursday July 14 from 6pm Where: LO-FI Collective/ Level 3, 383 Bourke Street, Taylor Square More: wearelofi.com.au/collective

Coyle (Me Pregnant!), comedy duo Allsop & Henderson, Penguin Plays Rough’s Pip Smith, TRS Associate Artistic Director Phil Spencer, Bambina Borracha’s Vanessa Hughes and Cait Harris, director/animator Jerome Dernoncourt and editor Dave Drayton. Saturday July 30 at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre. 6.30pm start, $5 on the door. rocksurfers.org

Beastman takes over EMI's new offices (well, their windows anyway...)

From the people who brought you the analogue funtimez of Sprocket Rocket comes a new pocket-sized playmate: La Sardina! With a super wide-angle lens, rich colours, and the ability for close-ups and double exposures, this is your new favourite point-and-shoot. Best of all, there’s no weirdarse film stock – this is 35mm, pure and simple. But what the fish is lomography, you ask? Simply speaking, it’s a movement dedicated to analogue photography – started accidentally by two Austrian students who were using an antiquated Russian camera. The 10 golden rules of lomography are: 1. Take your camera everywhere you go 2. Use it any time – day and night 3. Incorporate Lomography 4. Try the shot from the hip 5. Approach your subject as close as possible 6. Don't think (William Firebrace) 7. Be fast 8. You don't have to know beforehand what you captured on film 9. Afterwards either 10. Don't worry about any rules

Continuing the trend towards mentorships (e.g. SOYA, Jump, Realise Your Dream), American Express have created a global project called Room For Thought, geared at attaching promising young creatives in the fields of fashion, music, community and the arts with mentors who can help them realise their unique idea. If you’re the kind of person who is always having brainwaves for how things could be done better, you should probably check this out. Submissions close this Wednesday July 13. The winners in each field, as voted by the public, will get the chance to work with one of these mentors: Peter ‘pyjama king’ Alexander (fashion), actress Miranda Otto (arts and community) or Paul Mac (music). Enter online at facebook.com/americanexpressaustralia

YOUNG HOLLYWOOD

You may have noticed that the Chauvel’s been closed for renovations; you can, however, get your cinematheque fix at the AGNSW’s free

‘Art After Hours’ screening program, which has hit a sweet spot with its current program, entitled New Hollywood. We’re swooning over the lineup of talent, which so far has included Bonny & Clyde, and The Graduate. This week, we’re heading along to see Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces (1970), which marked the arrival of Jack Nicholson as a serious young actor who was here to stay - and earned him his second Oscar nomination after Easy Rider. The AG will be showing the freshly restored 40th Anniversary print, yip! The following week is John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy (1969). Films screen three times: Wednesdays 2pm and 7.15pm, and Sundays 2pm, in the Domain Theatre. More at artgallery.nsw.gov.au

HELPMANN NOMINATIONS

The good news is, nothing much really happens, theatre-wise, in any other city. Case in point: the vast majority of the Helpmann Award nominations this year went to Sydney shows, with the big winners (not literally, because they haven’t won anything yet) being Belvoir (Diary of A Mad Man, The Wild Duck, Measure For Measure) and Sydney Theatre Company (Uncle Vanya, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play, and Baal – for lighting). The awards will take place August 1 at Sydney Opera House; you’re not invited, but you can vote for your favourite productions (not actually, because unlike the Logies, voting isn’t public) at helpmannawards.com.au

Lars Von Trier's Melancholia has its Australia premiere at MIFF

BEGINNERS

Hot on the heels of his ladyfriend (Miranda July) visiting Sydney with her second feature The Future, chronic creative person and occasional filmmaker Mike Mills is coming with his second feature, Beginners – a semi-autobiographical comedy about a mid-30s graphic artist who has to juggle his first love and the last moments of his dying gay father. Even though it’s not ‘nice’, you might want to compare and contrast the films, monitoring them for signs of compatibility – and, naturally, you’d want to pick a winner. In fact, they’re both pretty awesome. If you’d like to try your luck, Mike will be doing post-screening Q&As for Beginners at the Dendy Newtown on Monday August 1, and Palace Verona on Wednesday August 3.

CUT & PASTE # 8

It’s true, you have to travel a little further; on the upside, it’s a lineup worth travelling for: Tamarama Rocksurfers’ bi-monthly performance night Cut & Paste is happening at Bondi Pavilion (as opposed to Old Fitz) this month, featuring a swag of performers and theatre-makers trialling curious ideas. So far, this month’s lineup includes Nick

MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL: FULL PROGRAM DROP

Melbourne International Film Festival dropped their full line-up last week, and it’s worth travelling south to see a bunch of hotly-anticipated films that Sydney Film Festival didn’t snag: from Cannes’ Official Competition they’ve pinched Nicolas Winding Refn’s highly anticipated drama Drive, which won him the Best Director award; Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia; Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, FIPRESCI Prize winner Le Havre (by madballs Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki), Jury Prize-winner Polisse, and Best Script-winner Footnote… From Venice 2010 they snagged Jerzy Skolimowski’s Essential Killing, starring Vincent Gallo (who scored Best Actor for the role). And that’s just the cream off the top. MIFF runs July 21-August 7. We’ll see you there! miff.com.au

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN The highest-grossing film franchise of all time culminates this week with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The BRAG’s Kelly Griffin sat down with the cast and crew in London, to recap on a magical decade.

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 t’s been seven books, eight films, fourteen years and billions of fans since J K Rowling’s story about ‘the boy who lived’ kicked off, with a modest print run of just 500 copies. It must have been hard to imagine, back in 1997, that Harry and his friends would become so tightly woven into our collective culture that ‘muggle’, ‘quidditch’, ‘Hogwarts’ and even ‘expelliarmus’ are now part of the global lexicon.

Yates has put his finger on why Harry Potter has been so successful on both page and screen; because while the films have always been visual spectaculars (and never more than this epic finale, replete with 3D battle set-pieces, dragons, spiders, giants, an awesome fire scene, and all those wizardy special effects) it’s the characters and their friendships that have captured our hearts.

“Jo is very generous in creating this world and she’s given us so many characters that are so vivid that there’s someone for everybody to relate to,” says director David Yates (who has helmed the last three Potter films) on the series’ success. “There’s universal storytelling themes – the fight against good and evil, the power of love and faith, and the feeling of loss...”

The chemistry between Ron, Hermione, Harry and their Hogwarts classmates undoubtedly has a lot to do with the fact that the actors effectively grew up together, on set. “I do think the bond between me, Rupert [Grint] and Emma [Watson] is pretty unbreakable,” Radcliffe admits, “because I don’t think anyone knows what it’s like to go through this craziness.”

Now 21 (and celebrating his 22nd birthday next week, as the film no doubt explodes box-offices the world over) Radcliffe has mixed feelings about having grown up on screen. “It’s just very peculiar when you see footage of yourself at that age – and it’s kind of sad, because I’m not that lovely little innocent thing anymore. But I’m very proud.” He adds, “When we look at those first films, you think god, we had no idea what we were doing – and to a certain extent none of us did. It was new ground. If you look at the visual effects, just the jump between [Philosopher’s Stone] and [Chamber of Secrets] in the quality of visual effects is huge, and I think we were all finding our feet, both cast and crew. Chris Columbus was saddled with the biggest franchise in the world, and he had to start it off – and it wasn’t an easy job!”

For all the cast – but especially the three leading actors – the release of the final film is an understandably bittersweet moment. Besides the time dedicated to their characters, they have this franchise to thank for the fact that they are simultaneously the most recognised and highestpaid actors in their age bracket.

Radcliffe says he’ll definitely miss getting to do some of the stuff he got to do as Harry. “I got to do a 40-foot free-fall down a roof when I was 15, and all the underwater stuff and bursting out of water surrounded by a ring of fire! I will never get to do that again in my career. So I will miss some of the opportunities that playing Harry affords you.”

There are other benefits, of course: reflecting on the experience, actress Emma Watson says, “Hermione is such an incredible young woman, and sort of growing up alongside her definitely pushed me; I think she made me a better person and she made me work harder just as a result of comparing myself with her everyday. I feel so privileged to have played her, to have gotten to be her.”

On a sadder note, Grint adds, “Since we finished filming about a year ago, I have felt a little bit lost without it and not really knowing what to do with myself. It’s been a constant part of my life for so long and… it is quite sad [it’s finished] and I am genuinely going to miss it and miss everyone.”

A W AY

“The 3D was probably the biggest challenge, because I’m not a big fan of 3D generally; I’m not sure it helps story-telling – it doesn’t necessarily pull you into the movie. So that was the biggest challenge: getting it right. I never wanted it to distract or disturb the story telling. But I’m very proud of the 3D version now. I watched the 3D and 2D version in the same day recently and the 3D, because we’ve done it very elegantly, very simply and very conservatively, actually is an immersive experience. It enhances the story, it brings more depth.”

It’s been one helluva ride thus far for cast, crew and fans alike, but while the films may have finished there’s no doubting the Harry Potter legacy will live forever. What: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Director: David Yates Opens: Wednesday July 13 More: harrypotter.warnerbros.com

WIN!

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

DIRECTOR DAVID YATES ON GOING 3D

While the Harry Potter journey may have ended for the film’s cast, the legacy lives on for the fans with the upcoming launch of the interactive online experience Pottermore and the announcement of the Hogwarts Experience, a visitor attraction at Leavesden Studio, where the films were made, where fans can walk through some of the iconic sets, including the Hogwarts school hall and Dumbledore’s study.

LOUIE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON! DVD!

f you aren’t already, it’s definitely time to get familiar with the observational humour of Emmy-winning comedian Louis C.K. – ahead of his appearance at Sydney Opera House’s Just For Laughs festival in September. Set in New York, and loosely based on his own life as a successful stand-up comedian and newlysingle father of two teenage girls, Louie features a unique mix of Louis C.K. stand-up and scripted shorts. Thanks to 20th Century Fox, we have FIVE copies of Louie: The Complete First Season up for grabs, featuring deleted and extended scenes, and audio commentary by the man himself. To get your hands on one, email freestuff@thebrag.com with your postal address, and your favourite comedian.

Louis C.K. and Tom Noonan go to church BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 23

The Farnsworth Invention

For The Lulz [VISUAL ARTS] LOL art! By Bridie Connell Mimetic madness by Andrew Moran

[THEATRE] Aaron Sorkin rewrites television history. By Stephanie Yip at the centre of the script. At its most basic level, it’s a battle between the prodigiously gifted inventor Philo T. Farnsworth and David Sarnoff, the head of RCA (one of the top US electronics companies in the 1930s and '40s). In Sorkin’s hands, their feud is a witty and multi-layered battle for truth and recognition.

Happily for Di Palma, the outcomes from commissioning six contemporary artists to utilise the memetic processes of remixing, replication, reconfiguration and translation, whilst keeping within their own practise and aesthetic, are surprising and diverse.

Accordingly, Fischer has cast Damian Sommerlad and Patrick Connolly – two naturally fiery actors – as Farnsworth and Sarnoff respectively. “They come out fighting, and there’s this great cheekiness involved,” Fischer tells me. “It’s beautiful to watch. It’s like watching this consummate actor’s tennis match and I feel like all I’m doing is reigning in the energy.” But despite the struggles onstage, Fischer’s more than aware that in the end, “It doesn’t matter who won. It’s who ended up being remembered. And whether Farnsworth won or not, he’s still obscure, which is why Sorkin has written a play, to almost bring knowledge of him back to the world.”

ears before Aaron Sorkin (writer of The Social Network, A Few Good Men and West Wing) wrote The Farnsworth Invention, he came up with this cute disclaimer for his work: “reality is nice, but my main focus is to entertain and get the themes across.” Which explains why Sorkin felt comfortable rewriting history in this play about the acrimonious legal battle between two men over the invention – and patenting – of television. “The Farnsworth Invention has its basis in fact,” notes director Louise Fischer, who will take the helm of New Theatre’s upcoming production. “And that’s how I directed it. When we worked on it, I stopped everyone doing research [because] it was doing our heads in. So I said, ‘All you need to know will basically come from this script. That is your research. We will do a bit of historical research on the costumes and the set but when it comes to character development, all the clues are in the text.’ And that’s what we used as our point of departure. Otherwise, people would have gone, ‘But that character didn’t look like that,’ and ‘That character was younger in real life.’” The fact of the matter is, like Sorkin, Fischer didn’t want real life. She wanted the drama

Whereas Sorkin’s A Few Good Men started as a broadway production, before moving to screen, The Farnsworth Invention was originally written for the screen. “Some of the play feels like it’s being filmed rather than read,” says Fischer. “A lot of the challenge has been keeping the theatricality in the play. I said in the first rehearsal, ‘I don’t want to do a play about television that looks like it’s television. That’d defeat the purpose.’” So, how do you translate a piece about television onto the stage? “Well, we made the set design as abstract as possible. The lighting’s going to be sepia, very ‘20s. Also, there’s the fact that you’ve got two actors talking to the audience and arguing about their version of the truth – which I absolutely adore. Like, they’ll go, ‘And he said that,’ and the other will reply ‘Oh, piss off, farm boy!’ It’s wonderful!” Fischer exclaims. “The actors understand the challenge of keeping the work bigger than film or television. It has to stay in the theatre. And they do it beautifully.” What: The Farnsworth Invention by Aaron Sorkin; Dir. Louise Fischer Where: New Theatre, Newtown When: July 13 – August 13 More: www.newtheatre.org.au

snap shots, then you’ve clearly been offline. “I knew if I liked memes, and my friends liked memes, there would be more to the topic than simply the mindless or goofy qualities attributed to them,” Di Palma continues. “For the Lulz explores how the sensibilities and techniques borne from online memetic culture can be applied to generate novel, subversive and culturally relevant contemporary art.”

’m sure I’m not the first person caught YouTubing Maru the cat whilst at work. Yes, I know it’s naughty, but sometimes, like over 100 million viewers before me, I crave a little comic relief and there’s just something about an overweight Scottish Fold jumping in and out of cardboard boxes that makes me laugh out loud - perhaps a little too loud. I work in a whisper quiet contemporary art gallery. You get the picture. With the above in mind, you can understand my delight when an invite to For the Lulz, an exhibition not only celebrating the online modes of communication and popular culture to which so many of us are addicted but one that openly encourages viewers to laugh out loud, recently popped up in my inbox. Taking its title from the common slang of LOL (laugh out loud) and featuring new works by artists Andrew Moran, Christopher Hanrahan, Ella Barclay, Giselle Stanborough, Michael Moran and Tom Polo, For the Lulz is Australia’s first exhibition dedicated to the topic of Internet memes. “An Internet meme refers to a mode of online cultural production based on the sharing and viral spread of seemingly worthless but entertaining artefacts of popular culture,” explains For the Lulz curator Sandra Di Palma. “When I try to explain this to people and they get confused, the easiest way out is to mention the word ‘LOLcat.’” If you’ve never seen an example of these humorously captioned feline

Best known for his humorous and selfdepreciating text-based paintings, Tom Polo’s exhibition piece YOU LOSE (not quite right) was inspired in part by the replication and viral spread of Internet memes. “As a starting point,” he explains “I took an Internet meme which is an image of Gene Wilder/ Willy Wonka in the scene [from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory] where Charlie and Grandpa are told that because they stole the Fizzy Lifting Drinks, they’ve lost the Golden Ticket. Gene/Willy says ‘YOU GET NOTHING. YOU LOSE. GOOD DAY, SIR!’ From this image I’ve lifted the text ‘YOU LOSE GOOD DAY SIR!’ to make a painting in three colours. I then set about inviting 15 people to make their own version of my painting using only a set of written instructions. What I’m hoping for is 15 replica paintings that are similar to the original but ‘not quite right’.” Meanwhile, cross-disciplinary artist Giselle Stanborough will be working more specifically with online engagements. “Giselle is creating a digital installation featuring songs and video clips that all have a particular resonance and meaning on the Internet,” Di Palma tells me. Installation artist Ella Barclay is also taking inspiration directly from the primary source, featuring a survey of edited .pwn, .gif and flash files that are used frequently online. “She’s creating a never-seen-before environment,” Di Palma tells me – “You’ll just have to wait 'til opening night to find out!” What: For the Lulz When: Opening July 14 / exhibition runs July 15 – August 6 Where: Tin Sheds Gallery / 148 City Road (University of Sydney) More: tinsheds.wordpress.com

K.I.J.E.

[THEATRE] Sarah Giles discovers a new world at the Old Fitz. By Simon Binns says Giles, with some frustration. “We’d never sat in a room with actors, read the play and worked on it, and that was just due to lack of time, lack of money, lack of rehearsal space.” The pair originally hoped to have time for a full development, but instead they went straight into production, again due to time constraints. “When we sat down on day one of rehearsals, instead of just rehearsing the play, we were developing it as well.”

or people who live outside the theatre world, it’s probably very easy to underestimate the significance of new work. The plays that have made it into our broader cultural memory are mostly by writers long dead, and even the theatre community seems to go in and out of phases of being obsessed with the classics.

“I don’t think people outside theatre understand how much work goes into new work, and one of the big reasons I wanted to do this was I’d never done it before,” explains Giles, who most recently directed The Pigeons for Griffin (2010). “This is the first time I’ve ever sat down with a completely untested text.”

However, as well as keeping the art form relevant and lively, new work is a chance for new directors, actors and designers to make an impact on plays that will make up the dramatic canon of tomorrow – and that’s an exciting prospect for Sarah Giles, who is helming the upcoming premiere of Joanna Erskine’s K.I.J.E., at the Old Fitzroy Theatre.

Loosely based on Yury Tynanov’s1927 novella Lieutenant Kije and Prokofiev’s five-part suite of the same name, K.I.J.E. is the story of four soldiers who, in a moment of panic, blame a crime they have committed on an imaginary soldier – and then have to deal with the consequences. As one mistake snowballs into another, the soldiers are soon embroiled in a

24 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

fantasy that can no longer be separated from reality. Although it will be the first full production of the play, K.I.J.E. is a project that Giles has had at the back of her mind since 2008, when she got sent to a playwriting festival in Canberra to work on the play with Erskine. “I met Jo and we stayed in some hotel and drank a lot of wine and spoke about the play,” recalls Giles fondly. Their collaboration was a very short process, with a very early draft – “we had two days,” says Giles matter-of-factly. Erskine continued to work on the play, but the pair had never managed to bring it to fruition. “We’d never actually done a development,”

Joining Giles on this expedition are design team Charlotte Lane (set and costume), Caitlin Porter (sound) and Verity Hampson (lighting), who are developing their ideas in tandem with rehearsals. This rough and ready approach is in contrast to the strict processes Giles has observed at the major theatre companies, where she has undertaken numerous coveted attachments, including assisting director Andrew Upton on Sydney Theatre Company’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and Peter Evans for Melbourne Theatre Company’s The History Boys. For Giles, this flexibility to work in different ways is one of the joys of co-op theatre. “You have a flexibility that you don’t have when you’re within a company… you can allow your ideas to grow and change, because the rehearsal process is inevitably a journey of discovery.” What: K.I.J.E. by Joanna Erskine Director Sarah Giles When: Until July 30 Where: The Old Fitzroy Theatre, Woolloomooloo Tickets: rocksurfers.org

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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.

■ Theatre

THE SEAGULL Until July 17 / Belvoir Street Theatre In the hands of Benedict Andrews (Measure For Measure; The War of the Roses), Anton Chekov’s The Seagull is the epic work of metatheatre it was meant to be: a play whose gaze is turned inwards on itself, by a writer whose gaze is turned inwards onto himself, about a writer whose gaze is turned inwards on himself, and adapted and directed by a writer-director whose gaze is turned inwards on himself and his craft.

PICS :: TL

homebrew microfestival

The Tree Of Life

■ Film

THE TREE OF LIFE

01:07:11 :: The Old Fitzroy Hotel :: 129 Dowling Street Woolloomooloo 9356 3848

Released June 30 In his sixth feature, maverick auteur Terrence Malick (Badlands; The Thin Red Line) presents a general thesis for ‘Life’ that encompasses everything from the Big Bang to the modern-day existence of man: that there are two ways to live – the way of nature, and the way of grace. One is selfish, ambitious, and domineering; the other is governed by love.

PICS :: TL

bad angle

These competing philosophies struggle inside modern-day man of industry Jack (Sean Penn), who, on the anniversary of his younger brother’s death, grapples with the meaning of his life. He reflects on his childhood and upbringing, in a strict, religious family in the Midwest, with a mother (Jessica Chastain) who was grace embodied, and an authoritarian father (Brad Pitt) who was the opposite. Jack’s reflections are like dreams and flashes of memory, awash in a sea of more coherent recollections: dinners where he and his brothers were made to feel totally inadequate by their father; his first romance (the girl in his class at school) and stirrings of lust (the woman next door); shooting BB guns with his brother in the nearby forest; playing with firecrackers, footballs, hoses and neighbourhood mutts; his first minor transgressions and his first 'sin' (breaking into a neighbour's house and stealing her slip) – leading to his first experience of shame. Looking back on a life in which he assimilated his father’s maxims all too well, Jack tries to piece together how he lost his way, and discover whether he has enough faith to get back – to the way of grace.

darlie laundromatic: gallery launch

PICS :: TL

29:06:11 :: Stills Gallery :: 36 Gosbell Street Paddington 9331 7775

30:06:11 ::Darlie Laundromatic :: 304 Palmer St Darlinghurst 0413 330 341

Arts Exposed What's on our calendar...

UNDERBELLY ARTS FESTIVAL: JULY 16, 12PM-10PM Cockatoo Island (By public ferry from Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, Balmain, Birchgrove) Underbelly Arts Festival is pretty much a day of adventures amidst a winter wonderland of wind-dancers, robots, obstacle courses and installations, social experiments, demonsongs, strange sounds, and polyphonic sprees; clandestine meetings, lizard-people, and pervasive gaming… Top of our list are Justin Shoulder’s audiovisual extravaganza V (we’re imagining opera for demons), Applespiel’s Awful Literature Is Still Literature I Guess, a new work from Whale Chorus (whose 2008 Underbelly show was pretty much the weirdest thing we saw that year), and the on-site improvisations of 35-piece experimental supergroup The Splinter Orchestra. Adventures will be had. New friends will be made. Beers will be consumed. Best of all, attendance comes with a compulsory ferry ride to the island. See you there! Tickets and schedule at underbellyarts.com.au 26 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

Justin Shoulder as 'V'

Malick approaches the life of man with a liturgical sense of reverence, wonder and poetry, artfully weaving together a symphony of vignettes, exquisite images, transcendent music, and half-whispered narration, to show rather than ‘tell’ his thesis. That said, there’s plenty of overt religious references – most obviously to the Old Testament text of Job, an upright man who struggles to balance his faith in God with evidence of the enormous injustice and suffering of the world. The cumulative effect of Malick’s painstaking audiovisual symphony is overwhelming in the way that cathedrals, and natural wonders like mountains and ancient forests are overwhelming. He chooses to embrace rather than moderate the epic tendencies of his story, including a 17-minute montage on the creation of life – from Big Bang to skyscrapers – and a stirring soundtrack of Tavener, Holst, Berlioz, Smetana, Respighi… Some call this pompous and pretentious – and the film’s coda is certainly a bit hard to swallow; but given the magnitude of his subject matter (not to mention its autobiographical resonance) and Malick’s skill, I’d say The Tree Of Life assumes an air of self-importance that is earned. Dee Jefferson

Pitching its tent amongst an extended crew of family and friends enjoying a claustrophobic summer holiday in the country, The Seagull revolves around Konstantin (a young writer who struggles to express something profound, in an original way, and feels he has failed, and so shoots himself) and his erstwhile lover Nina (a young actress with talent, ambition and stars in her eyes, who ends up a single mother, second-rate actress and raving lunatic). Over the course of the play, this couple scale the giddy heights of romance and creativity, only to plummet into despair – alone. Which is not to say that it’s not funny. Andrews’ production successfully translates Chekov’s satire of the minds and manners of the working class (farmers), middle class, intelligentsia, actors, writers and youth. Highlights include Emily Barclay’s angsty goth-clad teen Masha drowning her sorrow in bucket bongs and bowls of cornflakes and vodka; Gareth Davies’ gloomy muppet of a schoolteacher (yet another showcase for his physicalcomedy chops); and Bille Brown’s selfsatisfied fifty-something doctor dancing to Bowie’s ‘Fame’ in the twilight… Further in the self-reflexive and humourous spirit of the play, Andrews casts the production with actors playing heightened versions of their personal schtick (Judy Davis playing a diva, Maeve Dermody playing an ingénue, David Wenham playing a scruffy and endearingly fallible everyman; Dylan Young, a member of the experimental theatre outfit Black Lung, playing overwrought young playwright Konstantin). Even as Andrews lodges Chekov’s classic firmly in the now, his ‘vision’ here is far more traditional than the avantgarde audio-visual deconstructions he’s renowned for. (In fact, he takes a playful dig at his reputation by having Konstantin stage his ‘play within a play’ in a revolving glass cage.) Costumes, lighting, and Ralph Myers’ set design all operate well under the radar, putting Chekov’s ideas – and Andrews’ perfectly cast performances – front and centre. This is a wonderful chance to see top-notch theatre-makers riffing on what they do – and having a helluva lot of fun. Dee Jefferson

■ Comedy

HAHA ON THE HARBOUR Tuesday July 5, Cargo Bar/Lounge Comedy is like hallucinogenic mushrooms: more enjoyable in the right environment and potentially intolerable in the wrong one.* It’s a pleasure then, to see Cargo Lounge’s new Tuesday comedy night providing the right environment: there’s a proper door person (sans bouncer), a hostess, a bar, dinner, an elevated-butnot-too-high stage, good sound, all in a darkened room with a low ceiling, no columns and all the tables facing the front. Bring on the ha ha. MC Lindsay Webb opens and works the room like a pro, because he is. Like a magician’s pickpocket act Webb pinches not items but tidbits from the audience – which he riffs into a laughter-filled and genuinely two-way conversation. Webb welcomes special guest support act Tim Ross aka Rosso of Merrick and, who is returning to his first love: stand up. Ross’

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Film & Theatre Reviews

Street Level With Kira Carden from Hu-La-La

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

Headline act Tommy Dean, born and bred in Arizona but now an Australian citizen, is a legend of Australian stand up, perhaps for his ability to make his borderlinegenius observational and conceptual comedy accessible. You can understand it, knowing that you’d never have had that thought in a million years. Blending observation, storytelling, conversation, even an impromptu Q&A, Dean’s masterful experience is revealed in a seamless set that is over long after it should be, but well before we want it to be. [*So I’ve heard. Drugs are bad.] Peter Neathway ■ Theatre

STAINLESS STEEL RAT: A WIKIPLAY Until July 17 / Seymour Centre There’s a man and woman doing it “doggie style” on the stage. A cameraman is nearby filming the interaction. After a few minutes the audience begin to shift uncomfortably in their seats, until finally the scene comes to climax, just as the ‘director’ calls cut! This is how we first meet Julian Assange, part lothario, part media warrior and the centre of Stainless Steel Rat, Ron Elisha’s play within a play (or should I say film). A Melbourne GP who moonlights as a successful playwright, Elisha is no stranger to politically touchy material (as per 2005’s Wrongful Life) and this satirical take on media and politics is

lack Cherry is back this weekend, with three rooms of burlesque bombshells, bands, and beats, serving up everything from punk to soul, ska, alt-country, blues, swamp, glam and alternative – including Aussie expat glam-rockers The Art (if they’re good enough for Sonic Youth and The Pixies, then they’re good enough for us), and sizzling psychobilly from Melbourne’s Doubleback. And if you have your own dreams of rock’n’roll glory, the fellas from Jungle Rump are doing their karaoke thang, with a live back-up band featuring members of Torch Le Monde…

no different. Stainless Steel Rat examines one of the world’s most intriguing men, and asks, ‘Who is the real Assange?’ Frustratingly, however, Elisha only deals with the actor (played by Darren Weller) portraying Assange – rather than looking at the man himself. Caroline Craig and Peter Phelps play the co-directors of the aforementioned film, whose relationship as former husband and wife means we are subject to constant jeering and arguments over the film’s artistic direction. Their constant interjection in each ‘scene’, while humorous, causes serious fragmentation in the dialogue.

On the performance front, ‘Burlesque Knockout Comp’ winner Betty Grumble will be showing us why child beauty pageants are a bit f*&ked up, Melbourne stunners Vesper White and Foxtrot India will be working their ‘Bettie Page vs Tempest Storm’ duet, and Kira Carden from the Hu-La-La troupe will be putting the hoop in hoopla. We took five with Kira, to see what’s on the cards…

Another setback (depending on your general knowledge of the political world) is the density of information in Elisha’s script. The many political twists and turns can leave less news-savvy audience members feeling like they’ve missed the inside joke; luckily, the crowd-pleasing efforts of various cast members make up for the sometimes laborious scripting.

What is your background as a performer? My history is like an ‘80s movie training montage, a kaleidoscope of dance, theatre, circus, burlesque and flea training. It’s all early mornings, late nights and stairs. Oh the stairs! Not to mention the raw eggs. Just like Rocky but with more knockers than knockouts. And many, many more sequins.

A particular highlight is Valerie Bader’s interpretation of Julia Gillard. Although Elisha takes poetic licence with the character, imbuing our Prime Minister with an exaggeratedly stupid demeanour, Bader’s drawn out nasal accent is spot on. Brian Thomson’s set design, of thousands of pages of ‘leaks’ littered over hundreds of seats, is vivid and powerful. At nearly two and half hours the play is undoubtedly too long; but with smart editing it has the potential to be the visceral and intriguing play it should have been. Morgan Reardon

Kira Carden – photo by Jade Carden

ability for good true stories told well with strong punchlines is his strongest suit in this set, which (judging by the notebook on stage) seems to include some untested new material.

When and how did you first get into Burlesque? You could say I kinda fell out of my costume and into burlesque. As a starving carnie I couldn’t afford enough lycra to cover my whole body so I sewed a few tiny triangles together & voilà, one scantily clad show = a riotous crowd, and a burlesque hoop-star was born. Who are your key performance inspirations? Trash Vaudeville, Jade Carden, Hot Gossip Dancers, The Muppets and Yos Worth. Where do you usually draw inspiration from? Random things like hmmnn... I want to come out of a giant taco shell like ‘The

Birth of Frida/Venus’. Sometimes it starts with music... I love the Chipmunks’ ‘Japanese Banana’ song... I think I’ll do some high kicks followed by some shadow puppetry of the... banana. What are you bringing to the upcoming Black Cherry? I’ll be doing my ‘Black Betty vs Ballbuster’ routine (there’s nothing sexier than the Tom Jones version of ‘Black Betty’ – rrroawrr!) and ‘My Little Pony’ – every sweet innocent little girl’s vinyl and vegetable fantasies on stage; I am the love child of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, looking for a cowboy to brush and comb my hair. How did your last Black Cherry show go? It involved lots of hula-hoops and a teeny tiny costume held on with glue. The crowd was great, totally into the music and the shows. Just the sort of folks a burlesque gal likes to play to. I have a soft spot for the Black Cherry crowd, they’re sharp dressers and they know how to have a good time. I feel a ZZ Top song coming on! What: Black Cherry When: Saturday July 23, doors open 8pm Where: The Factory Theatre, Enmore More: facebook.com/blackcherryclub / factorytheatre.com.au

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BRAG EATS

News Bites ARTHUR STREET KITCHEN Our new food crush is Arthur Street Kitchen. The truth is, anyone who hand-makes us delicious, nutritious, mouthwatering salads and delivers them to our work for just $10, with an optional side order of homemade brownies or macarons, automatically qualifies as a food crush. It all began when we ordered the roast brussel sprouts and puy lentils with toasted almonds, parmesan and mint… Just six weeks old, Arthur Street Kitchen is the brainchild of Hetty McKinnon, who describes it as a tiny operation run out of her home kitchen. “The idea was to establish a community kitchen, with honest, real, home-cooked food cooked by a local, for locals.” Mission accomplished. Hetty takes orders for Thursday and Friday lunches only, and offers two salad choices

each day, and an assortment of home-baked sweet treats. arthurstreetkitchen.com

BRAG'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO FOOD

free stuff

▼

IPAD MENUS?

In another one of those sign o’ the times moments, news.com. au reports that a North Sydney restaurant has ditched their appallingly outdated dead-tree menus for iPads with a custombuilt ordering app. Slightly more sophisticated than the (admittedly impressive) Domino’s app, the program allows patrons at Global Mundo Tapas to read tasting notes, select how well they’d like their meat cooked, pick their sides and sauces, and even automatically removes out-ofstock items from the menu, before beaming the orders to the kitchen. Fortunately, nobody has invented an app yet that can carry four foot-wide dinner plates at once, so the serving staff aren’t out of a job.

FISH & CO.

Aroma Festival

BEBE Y CENE OPENS

The Carrington on Bourke Street, Surry Hills, reopens this week with the addition of a charming Spanish bistro called Beba Y Cene (= drink and dine in Spanglish), courtesy of the fellas behind The Norfolk revival. Chef Jamie Thomas (formerly of St John, The Anglesea Arms, and Avido) will preside over a menu of Iberian comfort food – think salted cod croquettes, oxtail empanadas, calamari sliders, braised rabbit and slow-roasted goat, capped off with Pedro Ximinez trifle… Drool. Head down on the weekend to see what it’s all about. facebook.com/ thecarrington

AROMA FESTIVAL

If you have something really important to do towards the end of July, we recommend procrastinating as much as possible, and then making a beeline for The Rocks on Sunday July 31, where enough caffeine to give a small rhino heart palpitations will be yours for the sampling. The Aroma Festival is a huge coffee, chocolate, tea,

spice and generally-tasty-things extravaganza that spreads from the MCA to just below the Bridge. As well as stalls brimming with treats, free entertainment, music, coffee classes and competitions to enter, there are four separate “regions” to explore: The Orient, The Continent, The Oasis and The Latin Quarter. therocks.com

GUERILLA DINING

Inspired by the “guerrilla dining” movements in New York and Melbourne, in April last year dining blog Eat Drink Play began Secret Foodies. Like the Bacardi Express or The Gate’s mystery backyard gigs, Secret Foodies invites guests to themed dinner events with surprise chefs at secret locations – the suburb is revealed two hours beforehand, with the actual address unknown until just one hour before dinnertime. The next dinner, a Taste of Tuscany, is sold out already, but you can still get in for the Medieval Feast on September 16. Tickets are $95, including wine. For more info and bookings see secretfoodies. com.au

f you caught Rupert Murray’s devastating documentary The End Of the Line last year, you’ll know that we’re facing the very serious threat of a world without fish – unless we adopt sustainable fishing practises. Cue Fish & Co. – an environmental warrior in the guise of a seafood cafe: fresh produce from sustainable and MSC-certified fisheries, presided over by world-renowned chef (and fisherman) Tom Kime, and served sanspretension in their comfortable, casual restaurant in Annandale. We’re dreaming about the Provencal fish soup with saffron, fennel and tomato served with rouille and grilled Coorong yellow eye… Fish & Co. also do an excellent line in rainforest alliance coffee, organic beer and wine, and offer organic, locally sourced fruit and veg boxes for pick up every week! Fish & Co. are offering one lucky BRAG reader a dinner for two; to get your mouth around this delicious prize, tell us one other item from their menu… www.fishandco.com.au

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BRAG EATS

SUSTAINABLE SYDNEY It Ain’t Easy Being Green… Is It? By Romi Scodellaro

arlier this year, Sydney was captivated by The Greenhouse, a pop-up restaurant at Circular Quay that sought to challenge the way we think about sustainable eating. The brainchild of a man known simply as Joost, it was around for eight weeks – before it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. The Greenhouse was made from recycled and recyclable building materials, and created no waste: all leftover produce (organic, naturally) was composted on site. The menu was composed of local, seasonal, whole foods, and every element of the way it was made and presented involved reused, reusable or recyclable materials. Basically the Greenhouse ticked all the green-cred boxes – and the crowds flocked. But did Sydney fall in love with the concept, or just the novelty value? And how achievable is being quite so green for the rest of us, at home or while eating out? Eating sustainably is about eating local, seasonal, organic food, as unprocessed as possible, with a focus on vegetables and grains. It’s about protecting the diversity of plant and animal life, as well as the livelihoods of those who work with them. It means rejecting that shopping-aisle kiwifruit from California, and finding out where your meat came from. It means not necessarily being able to have your favourite meals all year round. The Greenhouse set off on a world tour, leaving Sydneysiders to figure out their longterm approaches to sustainable eating. Below are a few places you can visit, and things you can do, to make your eating more sustainable – and best of all, these alternatives won’t be disappearing overnight. Wafu is the well-intentioned, nagging mum of the sustainable eating world. Owner and chef Yukako wants you to finish the food on your plate – and she’s not mucking around.

SYDNEY’S PREMIER CERTIFIED ORGANIC CAFÉ & CATERER

You can take leftovers home, if you bring your own container (recycled, please: not one you bought for the occasion), but watch out if you don’t: you’ll be charged extra, and you won’t be allowed to visit again. A friend of mine, a Wafu regular who Yukako greeted by name, once took a guest to dinner, who left a piece of tofu concealed under a napkin. She was sent a break-up email: “You are never welcome here!” You’ve been warned, but give it a go – the food is great, and although their policies are slightly militant, it comes from a good place. Fish & Co is an excellent choice if you like your seafood certified sustainable. “Communities that live by the sea and indigenous people have fished [sustainably] for millennia,” says Executive Chef Tom Kime. “They live by following the seasons, respecting breeding times and aquatic habitats, allowing time to mature and returning juveniles when caught.” Fish & Co has done its best to make the rest of the menu sustainable too – you’ll find rainforest-alliance coffee, local and organic fruit and veg, and organic beer and wine. Then there are organisations like Oz Harvest, a charity that picks up prepared, good quality food from cafes and restaurants that would otherwise go to waste, and redistributes it to more vulnerable community members. Oz Harvest estimates that on average, every kilogram of food they redistribute avoids 2kg of greenhouse emissions, and the consumption of 143 litres of water. Restaurants you visit may already donate their leftover food to Oz Harvest, or a similar organisation – if you’re interested, ask the next time you visit, and check out ozharvest.org. There are too many places doing their bit for the environment to list here, but it’s always worth giving your favourite restaurant a call – the more demand there is for sustainable food options, the more the restaurant industry will deliver. You can also make your eating-out

Providing Sydney and Newcastle with Organic Produce

experience greener by never buying bottled water, refusing disposable cutlery (including bamboo chopsticks), and bringing your own doggy-bag containers. It’s easier eating sustainably at home, because you'll be able to easily find out where your food has come from. Slow Food Sydney, which you can find at slowfoodsydney.com.au, is a local arm of an international movement to counter fast food and promote local production and responsible farming practices, and they've published a Sydney-centric ‘Slow Food Guide’. The guide is available for $10, and outlines what can be bought seasonally throughout the year within a 160 km radius of Sydney. Or simply visit one of the many farmers markets in Sydney – you can find a fairly comprehensive list at marketsandfairs.com.au. Alternatively, take the hassle out of grocery shopping by having food boxes that fit all your sustainable criteria, delivered to your home. You can make your home more waste-friendly too, by growing your own herbs and picking what you need, when you need it – rather than buying packaged bunches. Get a worm farm or a compost bin for waste, and try building a menu plan for the week (making sure you throw in a few veggie or vegan meals in there) so you only buy what you need. For more strategies around sustainability at home, check out The Watershed sustainability resource centre in Newtown, which runs a bunch of free workshops on topics like no-dig gardening, worm farming, and sustainable eating. Eating sustainably in Sydney can sometimes be a little more expensive or time-consuming than the alternatives – but it’s the only guiltfree way of consuming. Far from being a fad, being a little greener is a great way of enjoying your meal more while doing something good for the environment. A bit of a win-win, really.

Brand new menu and experienced chef.

SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES EAT SEASONALLY

If you observe seasons, you’ll pay less for fruit and veg, support local producers AND be eating healthier, more taste-tastic food… And it’s not even that hard. Sign up for a farm share or an organic delivery service, and the experts take care of all the work. If you're more DIY, here's what's in season now: citrus, pears, quinces, asian vegetables, peas, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, leek, lettuce, mushrooms, potato, pumpkin, rhubarb and tomatoes.

REDUCE WASTE

There’s no excuse for using disposable cups these days – there are oodles of sustainable alternatives. We’re coveting hookTURN’s candy-coloured and surprisingly indestructible silicone coffee cups (hookturnindustries.com.au). Likewise, there’s no excuse for paying exorbitant amounts for bottled water and contributing to Australia’s already daunting landfill problem. Cheeki do a superb line of bag-friendly, spill-safe, stainless steel mugs and drink bottles of various shapes, sizes and hues… cheeki.net.au

ORGANIC SYDNEY O Organic Produce Cafe

Speciality: O Cafe only uses seasonal, local produce to ensure that local organic farmers are supported, and carbon footprints are minimised. Address: 487 Crown Street, Surry Hills / Level 2, Westfield Shopping Centre, Bondi Junction / 7-13 Hunter Street, CBD Web: organicproduce.com.au/cafe Contact: Surry Hills: 9319 4009 / Bondi Junction: 9387 6888 / CBD: 9232 8806

Organic Food and Farmers Market Speciality: Meet the folks who grow some of the best produce in Sydney, and try specialty cakes, breads, pickles and cheeses direct from the farm. Address: Fitzroy Gardens, Macleay St, Elizabeth Bay (Saturdays 8am-2pm) Web: organicfoodmarkets.com.au/markets Contact: 9999 2226

Wholesome and delicious food, using local organic produce.

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9999 2226

487 Crown Street Surry Hills 02 9319 4009 www.organicproduce.com.au

www.organicfoodmarkets.com.au

AT O ORGANIC PRODUCE, OUR NUMBER ONE INGREDIENT IS OUR INTEGRITY.

Find the ORGANIC FOOD MARKET in a suburb near you at:

Exciting and nourishing meals influenced by Mediterranean, Middle East and Thailand flavours.

Wafu

Offering up pub favourites as well as traditional Thai food. Live music, Beer Garden, Sports Room and Gaming Room Come get warm this winter in this cosy cottage style pub.

Tudor Hall Hotel (02) 9310 4314 90 PITT ST REDFERN

Speciality: ‘Special Mondays’ - no meat is served on Mondays, in order to support the reduction of C02 emissions, with an emphasis on a waste free, allergy free dining experience. Address: 460 Cleveland St, Surry Hills Web: wafu.com.au Contact: 9690 1336

Billy Kwong Speciality: Ever-changing menu, reflecting the availability of sustainable and local produce, based on a traditional Chinese eating house. Address: 355 Crown St, Surry Hills Web: kyliekwong.org/billykwongs Contact: 9332 3300 (only one table is available for bookings per night)

Fish & Co: The Sustainable Seafood Cafe Speciality: Fish & Co source their fish from Australian sustainable fisheries, and wherever possible buy seafood from local sources. Address: 41 Booth St, Annandale Web: fishandco.com.au Contact: 9660 5575

Agape Restaurant Sustainable Speciality: Sydney’s largest certified organic restaurant and bar uses local ingredients and buys produce only in season - organic food doesn’t have to be expensive! Address: 1385 Botany Rd, Botany Web: agaperestaurant.com Contact: 8668 5777

BRAG EATS food review

O Cafe

#AFÂŤ

[SURRY HILLS]

Located on the leafy stretch of Crown Street near the Devonshire Street cross-section, with a few tables out the front on the street, Cafe Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s atmosphere is halfway between sunny cafe and organic deli. While the outside seating is easily the prime position, the interior also has a welcoming vibe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; consolidated by charming waitstaff and owner-chefs Mick Gay and Shane Hillard, and an open kitchen where you can watch your food being prepared.

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Offering up a wide variety of fresh juices (carrot, apple and ginger would be my pick) as well as faultless Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Estate coffee, O Cafe's menu ranges from a standard bacon & egg roll ($8.50) to more exotic items like the Middle Eastern spiced lamb stew with soft polenta ($20). In retrospect, probably not a good breakfast choice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but an irresistibly aromatic mix of super-tender spiced meat, offset by fluffy polenta; think Moroccan tagine. On the more prosaic end of the spectrum is the sautĂŠed mushrooms with fetta, herbs and toasted sourdough with mixed leaf ($15.50) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the kind of simple and fresh dish youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d expect to get at an organic cafe: no fancy cookery, just great ingredients, perfectly juxtaposed for texture and flavour (and served with a cheeky side of salsa). Simple button mushrooms transformed into flavour explosions in my mouthâ&#x20AC;Ś

3HENKINÄ&#x2122;

With Balinese chef Ali working the day I visited, it was no surprise that the more Indonesian-influenced dishes on the menu (of which there are many) really shone. Jinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thai spiced chicken salad ($17.50), with its mouth-tingling mixture of tomato, cucumber, apple, lettuce, mint, coriander, and tamarind dressing, balances flavours for optimum effect, without drowning out the rich flavour of the organic chicken. The Ayum Betutu ($20), a Balinese spiced chicken leg sitting atop a mountainous slaw of cabbage, bean sprouts, green beans, spinach, coconut, lime, chilli, garlic and biodynamic brown rice, was another ambitious but rewarding breakfast choice. With a spiciness redolent of a Thai green curry, the chicken was so tender it almost fell from the bone. Less aggressive in the flavour stakes than the aforementioned salad, this was actually a perfect counterpoint. Perhaps

the biggest surprise, however, was the rice; so often a bland afterthought, this rice tasted almost sweet, and sort of like popcorn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it had a smooth and moist texture, just slightly on the drier side of risotto. Those looking to make their dollars stretch as far across the menu as possible might want to adopt my strategy, and share some of the bigger dishes amongst friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in fact, with so many different flavours on offer, sharing is the only way to get the full O Cafe experience. That and repeat visits. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mikey Carr Where: 487 Crown Street, Surry Hills Hours: Monday - Saturday 7.30am - 4.30pm; Sunday 8.30am - 3.30pm Contact: 9319 4009 Web: organicproduce.com.au

/NEÄ&#x2122;OFÄ&#x2122;3YDNEYhSÄ&#x2122;ONLYÄ&#x2122; )SRAELIÄ&#x2122;CAFÂŤSÄ&#x2122;OFFERINGÄ&#x2122; UPÄ&#x2122;TRADITIONALÄ&#x2122;ANDÄ&#x2122; CONTEMPORARYÄ&#x2122;BREAKFAST Ä&#x2122; LUNCH Ä&#x2122;DRINKSÄ&#x2122;ANDÄ&#x2122;DESSERTS 2ELAXÄ&#x2122;OUTSIDEÄ&#x2122;WITHÄ&#x2122;OURÄ&#x2122;ALÄ&#x2122; FRESCOÄ&#x2122;DINING Ä&#x2122;ORÄ&#x2122;STAYÄ&#x2122;WARMÄ&#x2122; INSIDEÄ&#x2122;WITHÄ&#x2122;AÄ&#x2122;CUPÄ&#x2122;OFÄ&#x2122;OURÄ&#x2122; EXPERTLYÄ&#x2122;SIPHONEDÄ&#x2122;COFFEE

&AMILYÄ&#x2122;OWNEDÄ&#x2122;ANDÄ&#x2122; OPENÄ&#x2122; Ä&#x2122;DAYSÄ&#x2122;AÄ&#x2122;WEEKÄ&#x2122; FROMÄ&#x2122; AM PM

THIRSTY?

MEALS $10 Mexican Mondays Meat or fish add 3.00/4.00

$10 Pasta Tuesdays For all our pastas excluding seafood

THE NEW BLACK

$10 Burger Wednesdays Any of our burgers with chips $10 Chicken Schnitzel Thursdays With salad and chips or mash

@ THE HIVE BAR 93 ERSKINEVILLE ROAD Ingredients: 30ml 42Below Vodka 20ml Chocolate Schnapps 10ml Vermouth

$10 Fish & Chip Fridays With salad and tartare

Method: Fill shaker with ice, add vermouth to coat ice, discard vermouth and keep ice. Add vodka and schnapps. Stir and strain into a very cold martini class. Glass: Martini (ice-cold).

268 Oxford St Paddington

Garnish: Dress rim of glass with organic dark chocolate powder. Best drunk with: someone youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to impress during: a hot date while wearing: new lingerie and listening to: Barry White.

ph: (02) 9361 5157

Sometimes you have to turn left to go right.

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.

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 31

Album Reviews

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA S/T Spunk Records

If you happen to find yourself with a spare moment amongst your daily web trawling, do a quick image search with the words ‘spomenik revolucije’. They translate as ‘monument to the revolution’, and refer to eerily alien, dilapidated structures erected by a long defunct communist government to invoke the achievements of a recent past and reaffirm the promise of a future that never eventuated. Unknown Mortal Orchestra is enormous fun to listen to; it brims with skuzzy earworms to soundtrack the most surreal of awkward party silences.

An image of one of them adorns the cover of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s debut record, and suits the music well. The NZ-born but Portland-based act's heady broth evokes some alt-reality ideal of psychedelic pop, one that might’ve predated and informed hip hop, post-punk and indie. They’re the kind of band Frank Zappa might have dreamt up as part of a needlessly dense concept album, except their songs eschew excess to be as sweet and perfect as those of a well-rehearsed '60s RnB unit.

DIGITALISM

SEUN ANIKULAPO KUTI & EGYPT 80

I Love You, Dude Universal German duo Digitalism were unleashed with unstoppable force back in 2007 with their debut album, Idealism. Jens "Jence" Moelle and Ismail "Isi" Tüfekçi were praised for creating a sound that seamlessly merged indie and electro, with one reviewer exalting, ‘The Strokes taught rockers how to dance, just as Digitalism got ravers to rock’. Four years on and Digitalism have finally unveiled I Love You, Dude, a follow-up which attempts to revisit the sounds of its predecessor - but without the same success. Tracks like ‘2 Hearts’, ‘Circles’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ aspire to the indie-electro pantheon but, though catchy and worthy of a second listen, they don’t attain the heights of singles like ‘Pogo’, and are unlikely to attain an iTunes playcount that cracks the double figures. Other tracks like ‘Blitz’, ‘Encore’ and ‘Stratosphere’ would have been well placed on Idealism; they successfully recreate the journey into an intergalactic mass of sound that only feels appropriate to listen to at night. But ‘Reeperbahn’ and ‘Miami Showdown’, with their heavy and confused mix of guitar, bass and synths, only serve to create cacophony – and some of the later tracks offend the flow of the album, and would have been better left out altogether. ‘Antibiotics’, for instance, comes across as the work of a bedroom DJ who’s testing out acid riffs on Ableton for the first time. Those hoping for Idealism Part II – or even just an album that attempts to create a genuinely different listening experience – will be let down by I Love You, Dude. You’re best off purchasing a few of the better tracks online and giving the rest of the album a miss. Mattje Pieterse

From Africa With Fury: Rise Cartell Music

So what changes about a straightforward, traditional Afrobeat album when Brian Eno co-produces it? Sonically, absolutely nothing - but I suppose it's more about what his involvement represents, and it's good to see the Western music deity endorsing Afrobeat along with all the other disparate sounds he champions. The foundation of this particular strain of Afrobeat is the music and the rhythm. The lyrics, unlike pop or even contemporary folk, are devoid of nuance, poetry or metaphor; rather than being cloaked in symbolism or narrative, the messages are straightforward and direct. There’s a tradition of bluntness, of David vs Goliath confrontation, which is very much a reflection of the political struggle that the music has evolved from. This genre revolves around a marrying of deep, hypnotic, relentless polyrhythmical grooves with political statements and virtual headlines. The music is for the dancefloors, the rhythms designed to make you shake it all out, while the chorus reminds you, with stark honesty, of daily injustices. This album? Well it sounds like every other straight-ahead Afrobeat album you’ve ever heard. It’s not as technical as a Tony Allen recording, or as jazzy as Seun’s father Fela when he’s in one of his whimsical, experimental moods. Unlike his brother Femi, who’s known for fusing trad-Afro rhythms with contemporary pop, Seun tends to record in the spirit of Fela’s most familiar style - and leading his father’s former band, Egypt 80, this album is no exception. If you're not into Afrobeat, this record won’t be the one to turn you. But if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll appreciate the latest from the son of a master.

Ruban Nielson – ex-The Mint Chicks – has an innate understanding of how guitars should sound. Each track is laden with the kind of warped effervescence that tube amps emit when they’ve been left on for too long, and this extends to the record’s overall aesthetic. It sounds as though the higher frequencies have been tucked in at the edges, wrung through a phaser and left to shimmer in a reassuringly lucid haze. Similarly, Julien Ehrlich appears to know just how much groove a beat can withstand before the world crumbles, dancing. The record is so charged with his sprightly, pragmatic funk that at times it sounds like it could’ve been one of J Dilla’s secret weapons. Luke Telford

KAISER CHIEFS

GOMEZ

The Future Is Medieval Liberator

Kaiser Chiefs’ fourth studio album turned heads with its unique promotion, allowing fans of the UK pop-rock group to put together their own version of the record by selecting ten of 20 available tracks and customising the artwork online. Sadly, this is where the album’s innovation ends; listening to the songs, one bemoans the Chiefs’ whitebread production and indie-by-numbers approach. True to its name, the album alternates sporadically between robotic and industrial bleeps and whirrs (which conjure images of an Orwellian future, or the kind found in an IBM ad...), and tracks which feature dated ‘60s throwbacks. But the attempted fusion never arrives at any real sense of cohesion. ‘Heard It Break’, with its intricate drumline, is the only track on the album where the conflicting ying of futurism and yang of ‘60s pastiche combine successfully, while acoustic track ‘If You Will Have Me’ is supported by great droning violins, and lyrics that are the album’s only attempt at genuine emotional truth. There are individual songs that stand out with flashes of decent production and the odd clever lyric here or there, but these rare hints of musical prowess don’t add up to a satisfying whole. Although by no means a terrible album, The Future Is Medieval is certainly Kaiser Chiefs’ weakest effort so far, with a musical ethos that isn’t pushed enough in any one direction to be considered truly engaging. In the end, the record's fundamental flaw lies in its lack of adventurousness and its unwillingness to completely deviate from (or even fully commit to) the triedand-tested Kaiser formula. Let’s hope they stick to the old stuff when they play Splendour, eh? Tom Hoare

Gomez’ three-vocalist arrangement could be considered analogous (if you’re into that sort of thing) to the varying character of their output. Ian Ball and Tom Gray’s clean, sweet, everyman pipes do great work on every album and on some of their best songs, but when Ben Ottewell’s distinctive gravel-rash tones kick in, that’s when you go, “Ahhh - THERE’S Gomez.” As they’ve slowly moved away from the cheeky humour and oblique blues & electronic infusions that won them plaudits in 1998, they still haven’t ever written a single bad song. But without that extra grittiness, they can be a little too nice. It’s a slippery slope from nice to boring, and some of the song titles of Whatever’s On Your Mind could be from a Selena Gomez or Josh Groban album: ‘Just As Lost As You’, ‘Song In My Heart’, ‘Our Goodbye’... Many of the choruses are easy and bland, and the production (by the band, with Sam Farrar of Phantom Planet) is crisp and workmanlike. ‘That Wolf’ sounds more like Semisonic than anyone else, ‘The Place And The People’ has a worrying Viva La Vida vibe, and the title track is crying out for its own sad-face montage in a Richard Curtis movie. There are some gems to be found here, though – the capering beat and tongue-in-cheek fatalism of opener ‘Options’ make it feel like a classic straight away, right down to the cheeky sax and Ottewell's cameo on a rollicking bridge. And despite its limp lyrics, ‘Song In My Heart’ sees all three vocalists on equal footing over an unselfconsciously cheesy synth and tinny drum machine, and the experiment pays off unexpectedly well; it ends up the best love song here. It says something about 2011 Gomez that I’m kinda hoping the next album is heavy on the 808s. Gomez are veering dangerously close to the middle of the road. Caitlin Welsh

Tony Two Tone

Mesozoic EP Other Tongues It’s not often that a packed audience bellows ENCOOOOORE at an opening act, but that’s exactly what happened when the Laurels supported the Black Angels in Sydney a few weeks back. Their grinding, melodic, loud-as-fuck shoegazepsych may have been a no-brainer support for the Texan outfit, but it was nonetheless received by the rapt audience with awed surprise and enthusiastic swaying, followed by the 32 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

aforementioned baying for more. This EP is intended both as a document of and a fullstop on this period of the band, as they prepare to go into the studio to record a full-length album later this year. Mesozoic comes not a moment too soon, being their first recorded output since a lone 7” in 2009. It’s really an EP by merit of the track count rather than length – clocking in at just on half an hour, it’s nearly as satisfying as an LP, and showcases all the things the Laurels do best. Sludgy eight-minute opus? Check (‘Until The End’). Airy harmonies with bucolic guitars that nod lazily at ‘More Than A Feeling’? Check (‘Run For Cover’). Low-slung, Thirteen Tales-era-Dandies twang? Check (‘Merry Go Round’).

Dedication 4AD Add the prefix ‘post’ to the most hyped musical sub-genres of the last few years, and you’ll likely find the UK’s Zomby referenced as a forerunner. When his 2008 debut, Where Were U In ’92, came out, his homage to early ‘90s UK breakbeat was labelled as post-rave. Then, through his work with the revered Hyperdub label, he became an underground dubstep hero - even though his sporadic singles never actually slotted neatly into the genre. Now with his second LP, the prefix has once again been attached: Zomby has been re-classified as post-dubstep. The recording of Dedication was interposed by the death of Zomby’s father, and there's an unmistakable haunting and lonely quality that permeates throughout. 8-bit analogue melodies are still in play, but it’s his drum programming that sets the tone. Kept submerged, the dampened beats remain mostly unobtrusive, rarely breaking the densely-layered surface. Early on, the album’s lead release ‘Natali’s Song’ takes over. Dissected vocal snippets are tossed across a fluttering orchestral piece to beautiful effect. But this is as close as you’ll come to finding a single on this album; it’s rare to find a cut over 3 minutes long. The only other song pushing that timeframe is ‘Things Fall Apart’, with Noah Lennox from Animal Collective adding a human touch to an otherwise synthetic album. Apart from these tracks, you’re left with a collection of melodies which at first listen appear merely to be segues; notions recorded, yet to reach full potential. And while this may be true for some cuts (‘Digital Rain’ and ‘Black Orchid’ are screaming for further crafting), it may also be said that Zomby’s singular focus to each melody honours it, wringing it thoroughly until dry instead of diluting the intent. Dedication is a challenging album, but one worth exploring. Rick Warner

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE LAURELS

ZOMBY

Whatever’s On Your Mind Shock

A cubic fuckton of distorted guitars, somehow clean and stoned and dreamy all at once? Many, many checks. The sound is indeed wall-like but, crucially, it’s never oppressive – the perfect density to drift in, eyes closed and volume up – with the unfussy dual vocals of Luke O’Farrell and Piers Cornelius high enough in the mix to keep things sounding crisp. They’ve promised some sonic excursions on their forthcoming album, which is something to look forward to - but this darkly luminous noise is the Laurels' bread and butter. Spectacular. Caitlin Welsh

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

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH - Shallow Graves FAUX PAS - Noiseworks TALK TALK - Laughing Stock

DIAGRAMS - S/T SHABAZZ PALACES - Black Up

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

THE BLACK ANGELS, THE LAURELS, JOEL GION Friday July 1 The Metro Theatre

Following an enthusiastically deadpan set from The Laurels, the good officers of City of Sydney brought a rather friendly black tail-wagger inside The Metro to check out all the sights and smells: spilt beer, fake smoke, stale sweat. Although the sight of four policepersons stalking their way through a sea of black t-shirts could never be anything but a welcome one, as an exercise in protecting gig-goers from themselves it seemed to be remarkable ineffective – at least judging from the aromas that began to circulate as soon as the houselights went down... Maybe they were just taking shelter from the drab evening outside. Former Brian Jonestown Massacre tambourine man Joel Gion provided the soundtrack for an enjoyable interlude of standing-around-and-waiting-for-themto-get-on-with-it, spinning a bit of ‘60s girl-pop, a little spaghetti western, and

generally mixing it up. Considering the raffish charm with which he leads his own group The Dilettantes, it was somewhat disappointing that crowd interaction stayed off the menu for this stint of DJing, Gion limiting himself to mincing gormlessly between the turntable and his box of records, with the occasional pout at the offstage sound engineer. We didn’t think it was loud enough, either. Neither, for that matter, were The Black Angels. Although they routinely get lumped in with groups such as Wooden Shjips, Dead Meadow or The Warlocks, the Austin quintet’s take on nu-psychedelia relies almost completely on throwing down layer after layer of menacing, scuzz-riven drones, chasing a relentless purity all their own. What was lacking in volume tonight was made up for by the group’s sheer inexorability, a needless cameo from Gion the only thing interrupting an otherwise mesmerising endurance test. Though hardly made for dancing, rhythmic torso gyrations were enjoyed by many, emerging from the darkness energised, sweatdrenched and grinning. Oliver Downes

: TIM LEV Y OUR LOV ELY PHOTOG RAP HER

DEREB THE AMBASSADOR, LO-FIVE GoodGod Small Club Friday July 1

Dereb The Ambassador, the new project of Ethiopian-born Dereb Desalegn and producer Tony Buchen, launched their debut self-titled LP with a bang. The album combines original songs with reworked traditional standards and covers from Ethiopia’s Golden Age of music, which began in the mid-1960s and didn't last long after the 1974 Soviet-backed coup that deposed Haile Selassie. In tribute to the era, the album was recorded using mics and preamps from the '60s. Not that you can tell: the record sounds warm and clean. A little hygienic, actually, and I was hoping the band might be rawer in the flesh – but Dereb The Ambassador sounds as spruce live as on record. Still – even if, like me, you hanker for snaps and crackles in your pop, the allure of Desalegn’s voice will relieve any discontent. His rich timbre is a delight, and his deft twists and twirls on unfamiliar syllables leave one reeling on the old keel. Support was new Sydney band Lo-Five, with keys, drums, and a bass that was underutilised, an uncommon sin for a band playing loungey funk. They had

some nice grooves, and if they tone down the cheesy vocal echo they might have something more. About 10.45pm, the Dereb The Ambassador band introduced itself with the instrumental ‘Yegale Tizeta’, setting a capering organ against smooth horn lines and a kick drum you could feel in your ribcage. It’s always a treat to see accomplished musicians enjoying themselves on stage, and why wouldn’t they, with such an unusually responsive Sydney crowd? The band took a break, and came back with a low-key number followed by ‘Etu Gela’. Some clod (there but for the grace, etc.) knocked the main vocal cord askew, but mics were quickly swapped and a public pulse restored. The encore was the first song off the album, an extended version of Alamayehu Eshete’s ‘Addis Ababa Bete’. None of the fuzz of the original, glorious recording here: instead it was crisp horns at a cracking pace. It was 1am when Desalegn’s marvellous voice splintered a little at the sides, but neither he nor the band nor the crowd could be stopped. Heads bobbed, hips swayed and shoulders dipped. All the way from Addis Ababa, Sydney is lucky to have him. Zoe Roberts

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 33

Remedy

More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

The Jim Jones Revue

(USA)

SMALL MERCIES

With the stupid tribal bullshit of State Of Origin over for another year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; complete with crazed Oz rocker Pete Murray doing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jumping Jack Flash Jack Johnson styleâ&#x20AC;?, as someone put it, and needing a 30-man band to pull it off â&#x20AC;&#x201C; things can get back to normalâ&#x20AC;Ś

+ JACK LADDER + DONNY BENET

BAD GIRLS

(US (USA)

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an all-gal and all-heavily-tattooed Rose Tattoo cover band forming in San Francisco. Their name? Bad Girls For Love - what else?

SUGAR DADDY

The mighty Melvins have a new live album, Sugar Daddy Live, and anything anytime by these guys is a cause for much ceremonial singing and dancing, we reckon. Kinda timely too, given that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still tingling all over from their set at Soundwave in February â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which (for us) kicked Maidenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s butts all around the main arena that The Melvins werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t playing in. Recorded at the Bust-a-Guts Club in California, this is of course the â&#x20AC;&#x153;look ma, two drummers!â&#x20AC;? version of the band which, strangely, neither adds nor detracts; it just is. The record is spiked with recent material thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brought to a rumbling close by a near 12-minute version of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Borisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Yep, our Japanese heroes took their name from that song in an act of reverence to these guys. But you should already know that.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD

Lynyrd Skynyrd have a new album on the way, the follow up to their God & Guns effort. But first they have some envyinspiring roadwork to do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gonna go out and do some more shows with ZZ [Top],â&#x20AC;? Johnny Van Zant told Billboard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good year so far; everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthy and

weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting a lot of work.â&#x20AC;? Everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healthy? That might sound like a throwaway line from any other band, but for Lynyrd, who have lost half of their number to various tragedies over the past few decades, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing short of a prayer of thanks.

IDIOCY/GENEROSITY

Mother Eelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much talked about 7-inch, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Idiocy/Generosity Cycleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, will be available from July 30 through Grindhead Records. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first vinyl release in the eight-year history of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest running grind bandâ&#x20AC;?. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being launched at Slaughterfest IV at The Sandringham in Newtown on July 30.

JIM JONES SELL OUT

The Jim Jones Revue sold out Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legendary 100 Club in a matter of minutes recently, a far more respectful reception than what they received here back in January, when tickets for their Metro appearance went on a two-for-one basis and the place still wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t packed. Some things just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t translate well it seems.

ROAD KILL CAFĂ&#x2030;

Henry Rollinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; persona has easily leant itself to all manner of things, like his character in Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (in which he was thrown through a window by Pacino), and that English show where mini monster trucks kicked the living shit out of each other. But perhaps his best role yet is on a Nat Geo Wild series called Animal Underworld, which combines his love of travel with humankind studies, such as on a trip to Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Road Kill CafĂŠ.

FEEDTIME REISSUE

Expect a reissue program of the catalog of the mighty feedtime at some point hopefully very soonish.

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is the Flamin Grooviesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Teenage Head, the album that (according to legend) Mick Jagger preferred to The Stonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sticky Fingers. Huge call, that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and some of it, as Peter Wells used to say, might even be true; it is a strong (although for ours, not exactly a killer) effort. But favouring it over Sticky Fingers, with all SFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s epic sweep, soul grit and grime and Saturday-night-on-the-front-porch ambience, is really just as dumb as it is lazy as it is wrong. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what Mr Jagger was (allegedly) thinking, really. The silly title track â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hot riff notwithstanding â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the slabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equally lightweight name is somehow a match for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bitchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wild Horsesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Moonlight Mileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? Really? Us, we much prefer the rockiness of their Flamingo album, where the Groovies are really firing on stuff like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Texas Borderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Second Cousinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS

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Grindhead Records and 666 Entertainment present Slaughterfest IV on July 30 at The Sando in Newtown. The event is into its forth year and promises to be the biggest and best yet, with a bill that includes Fuck...Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Dead (VIC), Looking Glass (ACT), Roadside Burial, Summonus, Mother Eel, Deathcage, Mother Mars, Ether Rag, Red Bee, Agonhymn (VIC), Burial Chamber, Arrowhead, Rock n Roll Weapon, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt and Van. Doors open at 12pm and entry is $20. The first 100 payers get a free Slaughterfest IV comp, featuring tracks from all the bands at the festival. Go to facebook.com/SlaughterfestSydney

As promoters and a label, Feel Presents have long been supporters of Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner-city music scene of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s and earlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s, having released two cracking volumes of the two-disc collection Tales From The

Australian Underground: 1976 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1990, alongside various single band compilations by the likes of the Sunnyboys, Happy Hate Me Nots and Sekret Sekret â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as promoting tours for Radio Birdman, The (original) Saints, Died Pretty, Laughing Clowns and more. Now theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re once again putting their shoulder to the wheel, with a series of shows entitled On The Street â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which, together with the Sydney Fringe, will provide a month of killer gig-going activity. On September 9 at the Sandringham The Lighthouse Keepers will be playing two sets; on September 10 at the Annandale itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ups & Downs plus Knievel and Worker Bees; on September 16 the Sandringham will host the return of the original lineup of the mighty feedtime, alongside Useless Children and Three Toed Sloth; on September 17 at the Manning Bar is The Hummingbirds plus The Laurels and Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jerome?; and finally, on September 23 at the Sandringham, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Moffs and The Frowninâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Clouds. Tix for all shows go on sale on Friday July 15, from www.feelpresents.com.

Send stuff to remedy@ozemail.com.au by 6pm Wednesdays. Pics to art@thebrag.com www.facebook.com/remedy4rock

RES EATEST PLEASU O OF LIFE’S GR MARRYING TW

ND MUSIC GREAT FOOD A Y

Calling ts all artisand e iv L r fo Locals! Contact: es. ott events@liz com.au

NE LIZOTTE’S SYD 3 9933 84 99 84 98 99 2 99 02 eeper

JUL r Lover K 11 Seeke ’s presents JULY Lizotte 13 Live and Local Y

zz & Chilli Brian’s FamousinJa rris Trio 14 Mussells featur g Evan Ha JULY ock 15 Glenn Shorr JULY eymour 16 Mark S JULY

JULY Legs 20 Sea

JULY leigh Grace 21 Ash

Flamenco Fusion 22 23 Night & Tapas Mr ay Lunch with n JULY Lazy Sund e ti n 24 Percival & James Vale JULY

JULY

AST O C L A R T N E C ’S LIZOTTE 02 4368 2017 ts Lizotte’s presen 13 Live and Local JULY r Suite 14 The Bake JULY mber Lawrence 15 A e McCarthy JULY Mik s 16 & Sarah Humphrey JULY Ashleigh Grace JULY

JULY Legs 21 Sea

JULY Freedman 22 Tim

ntal As Anything e M 23 Sunday Lunch ley JULY Lazy 24 with Troy Cassar-Da JULY

TLE S A C W E N ’S E T T 2066 LIZO 6 20 56 5 95 49 24 02 JULY

Lizotte’s presents

13 Live and Local

per

r Kee 14 Seeker Love JULY

JULY

Paul Grabowsky

15 & The Baker Suite

h 16 Jon Englis JULY

Lizotte’s presents 20 Live & Local es JULY Mr Percival & Jam 21 Valentine JULY race 22 Ashleigh G JULY JULY Moving Pictures JULY

23 24

Lizotte’s Sydney 629 Pittwater Rd Dee Why

Lizotte’s Central Coast Lot 3 Avoca Dr Kincumber

Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton

WWW. LIZOT TES.COM.AU BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 35

snap up all night out all week . . .

chocolate jesus @ mum party profile

It’s called: Chocolate Jesus Industries takes over MUM It sounds like: A crazed mix of some of Sydney’s best bands. So loud, good and loud.

Who’s playing? Reckless Vagina, No Art, Whipped Cream Chargers, Disco Club, Big Dumb Kid, Old Men Of Moss Mountain, Virgo Rising, White Ox, Sharmaduke, Kokomo and DJs Balls Deep, Gatsby and Pele vs Judge Demus. Sell it to us: Chocolate Jesus taking over MUM, bands from 9pm till 2am, DJs all night long. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Hopefully not much, coz we predict it’s not going to be something you want to tell Mum about... It’s World Bar after all. Crowd specs: Open-minded. Wallet damage: Students free before 10pm / $10 after / $15 general admission. Where: The World Bar / 24 Bayswater Rd, King's Cross

gossling

PICS :: KC

When: Friday July 15, 8pm

rufus

02:07:11 :: Tone :: 16 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills 9267 6440

PICS :: CG

clarity

PICS :: CG

29:06:11 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool Street Sydney 9267 3787

01:07:11 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 95501078 :: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) A ZHU OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ANN :: SON VEN STE RKE :: PATRICK DANIEL MUNNS :: KATRINA CLA

36 :: BRAG :: 420: 11:07:11

party and bullshit

02:07:11 :: The Factory :: 105 Victoria Road Enmore 95503666

PICS :: TL

the mess hall

PICS :: KC

30:06:11 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool Street Sydney 9267 3787

snap sn ap

wham!

PICS :: DM

up all night out all week . . .

mum

PICS :: CG

02:07:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

01:07:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

last night

party profile

It’s called: Purple Sneakers presents Last Night It sounds like: FAP FAP FAP Acts: Miami Horror DJs and Ball Park Music live Sell it to us: We looked to the sky and asked the Gods, ‘Bless us with the raddest party ever?’ – and then it rained. Drenched us in delicious, Australian indie raindrops… The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Elbowing girls on the d-floor for a last chance to dance to Miami Horror DJs, before they move overseas. Crowd specs: Bangables. Everywhere. Wallet damage: $15 on the door. Where: The Gaelic Theatre / 64 Devonshire St, Surry Hills When: Friday July 15, from 8pm

:: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) A ZHU OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ANN :: SON VEN STE RKE :: PATRICK DANIEL MUNNS :: KATRINA CLA

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 37

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week

SATURDAY JULY 16

Jinja Safari

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Jinja Safari, Husky, Pear Shape $15 (+ bf) 8pm

MONDAY JULY 11 ROCK & POP

Bernie The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm David Agius Opera Bar, Sydney Opera House free 8:30pm O’Malley’s Got Talent O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 8pm Rimshot Freeway Hotel, Artarmon free 7pm Seeker Lover Keeper, Toby Martin Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $43–$85 (dinner & show) 7pm Steve Tonge Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 9pm The Rocks Choir The Merchant’s House, Sydney free 6pm The Thing Os Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm

JAZZ

Jeremy Rose Quartet 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8:30pm Jim Gannon Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK Alana-Lee, Lucky Luke,

Peter Yannakis, John Tennyson, BADjane, Helmut Uhlmann Kellys On King 7pm

TUESDAY JULY 12 ROCK & POP

Adam Pringle Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Bernie Segedin Dee Why RSL Club free James Parrino Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 9pm Mash Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 10pm Matt Jones The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Sons of Mercury Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Steve Tonge O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9:30pm The Listening Room The Vault, Windsor free 7pm They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9:30pm

JAZZ

Acronym Orchestra, Tina Harrod 505 Club, Surry Hills $8 (member)–$10 8:30pm

JP O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9:30pm Kristy Garrett Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm Lady GaGa (USA) Sydney Town Hall 7pm Let Me Down Jungleman, Hira Hira, Sweet Teeth Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $5 8:30pm Mavis & Her China Pigs Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Musos Jam Night Live at the Wall, Leichhardt free 6pm Open Mic Night Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick free 8pm Penny & the Mystics, Southerly Change Notes Live, Enmore $12 (show only)–$36.50 (dinner & show) 7pm Taylor King Valve Bar 7pm The Paper Scissors, Money For Rope Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm The Skimps, Howler, Benjalu, Soul Tones Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $15 8pm The Walk On By, Dora Marr, Jusgo Mosh The Vanguard, Newtown $10 (+ bf)–$45 (dinner & show) 6:30pm They Call Me Bruce Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 10pm Tracksuit Rock Lily, Pyrmont free 8pm Two Minds Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Vindan & The Loose Cannons Name This Bar, Darlinghurst 6pm Vulpes Vulpes, Bones Atlas, Ethan Joe, Chris Neto Tailors On Centra free 7pm

JAZZ

Paul Sun, Monique Lysiak Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm

WEDNESDAY JULY 13 ROCK & POP

Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9:30pm British India The Station Resort, Jindabyne $28.40 9pm Catch 22 The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10pm Dan Spillane Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Daniel Allars, Sussie Hurley & The Hurricanes, Halfway Home Buoy, Abby Smith Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 7pm David Agius Summer Hill Hotel free 7:30pm Embrace Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 8:30pm Gary Sterling Cronulla RSL free 11am Gemma The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Jager Uprising Annandale Hotel $8 7:30pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 7:30pm

Deva Permana Trio Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Jess Pollard and Matilda Abraham, Stephen Barry Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8:30pm The Toby Hall Sextet Paddington RSL $5 (student)–$15 (adult) 8pm

Martinez Akustica Hotel, Darlinghurst $15.30 (presale) 8pm Johnathon Devoy Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Joseph Tawadros (Egypt), Steve Hunter, James Tawadros The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $20 (conc)–$25 8pm Kooyeh, The Raw Tide, Bones And All The Basement, Circular Quay $15 (+ bf)–$20 (at door) 9pm Late Shift The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10pm Mandi Jarry Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 8:30pm Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Hotel, Rooty Hill free 8pm No Action, Intentions Jura Books, Petersham $10 7:30pm Our Monk, Plasmon Resonance Band, Skar Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Party In The USA Penrith RSL free 10am Pod Brothers Gymea Hotel free 7:30pm Reckless Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 10pm Sharron Bowman Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Sould Nights Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 9pm Sugar Sun Valve Bar 7pm

Tank, Elizabeth Rose, The Rockets, The Founds Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm The Broderick, Make Them Suffer, Signal The Firing Squad, Vices Spectrum, Darlinghurst $12 (guestlist)–$15 8pm Tijuana Cartel Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Tony Mazell & The Four Tunes, Joanna Capetinakis, Pat Brady South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8pm Veora Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 8pm

JAZZ

Andy Glitre The Basement, Circular Quay free 5pm Evan Harris Trio Sydney Lizotte’s $18 6pm Lionel Robinson Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm Polkadot & Moonbeam Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Victor Valdes Latin American Band 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8:30pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK

Martinez Akustica, Imogen Harper, Fire Tree Brass Monkey, Cronulla $17.85 (presale) 7pm

THURSDAY JULY 14 ROCK & POP

Alpine, Boy In A Box, Camden Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $15 (presale)–$18 (at door) 8pm Austin Buckett, James Domeyko The Silent Hour, Woo’loo $5 8pm Circle Pit, Marf Loth, Panel Of Judges Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 8pm Danger Bus, Dali’s Angels, Rani’s Fire, Stanmore Phoenix Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Gary Mara Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 4pm Greg Byrne Toxteth Hotel, Glebe free 8pm Hit Machine Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10pm Hope, Smoke & Everything: Jack Carty, Jordan Millar, Leroy Lee FBi Social @ Kings Cross

Tijuana Cartel

“Sitting in a bunker, here behind my wall, waiting for the worms to come ” - THE WALL 38 :: BRAG :: 420 : 11:07:11

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

Ball Park Music

FRIDAY JULY 15 ROCK & POP

2 Of Hearts Kurnell Recreation Club free 8pm 50 Million Beers Rose of Australia Hotel, Erskineville 9pm Anton Richmond Inn free 8pm Armchair Travellers Duo Club Rivers, Riverwood free Backlash Penrith Gaels Club free 8pm Ball Park Music, City Riots, Sea Legs, Miami Horror DJs Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10 (guestlist)–$15 (at door) 8pm Bliss Bombs Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst free 10pm Californication Wentworthville Leagues Club free 10pm

Chris Stretton Hawkesbury Hotel, Windsor free 7:45pm Craig Thommo Duo Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 10pm Dan Sultan, Alexander Gow Brass Monkey, Cronulla $30.60 (+ bf) 7pm Dave Cooke RG McGees Hotel, Richmond free 9pm Deep Purple Tribute Show Notes Live, Enmore $23.50– $47.95 (dinner & show) 7pm Double Dragon Valve Bar 7pm Dundas Sports Next Best Thing, Ryndalmere free 8:30pm Endless Summer Beach Party South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8pm Flamin’ Beauties Mortdale Hotel free 8pm Glenn Shorrock Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $48 (show only)–$103 7pm

Highway To Hell Engadine Tavern free 9:30pm Hooray For Everything Revesby Workers Club free 9pm Ignition The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10:30pm Kill City Creeps, Mother & Son, Surprise Wasp, The Go-Gettes, Goldfoot The Vanguard, Newtown $15 (+ bf)–$50 (dinner & show) 6:30pm Laceration Mantra, Roadside Burial, Nobody Knew They Were Robots, Lomera Live At The Wall, Leichhardt $10 8pm Lee Moon Sae (Korea) Enmore Theatre $80 (B Res)– $120 (premium) 8pm Marcia Hines Rooty Hill RSL Club $35–$65 8pm Mark Seymour The Vault, Windsor $25 (presale)–$30 (at door) 8pm Mental Elf The Hero of Waterloo Hotel, Millers Point free 7pm Millennium Bug Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10:30pm Mission Jones Hornsby RSL free 10pm Night Owl Down Under Bar & Bistro, Kings Cross free 8pm Nova Tone Colonial Hotel, Werrington free 10pm One Hit Wonders Heathcote Hotel free 9:30pm Outlier Customs House Bar, Sydney free 7pm Panorama Club Marconi, Bossley Park free 9pm

Party Central Club Cronulla free 8:30pm Pink Chevys Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 8pm Rack & Ruin, This Filthy Seed, Papa Pilko & the Bin Rats and 400Kw Town and Country Hotel, St. Peters 8pm Rapture Taren Point Bowling Club free 7:30pm Reasons 2b Cheerful Narrabeen Sands Hotel free 8pm Rip it Up Eastern Suburbs Legion Club, Waverley free 8pm SixFtHick, Grand Fatal, Hytest, 300 St Claire Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $15 (+ bf) 8pm Sons of Mercury Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 8:30pm Sophie Katinis, Planet Groove, Nathan Foley Coogee Diggers 8pm Soul Nights, Radio City Cats, Mr Fabulous Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 8pm Steve Edmonds Band The Beach Club Collaroy free 7:30pm Swinging Sixties Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9:30pm The Green Day Show Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10:30pm The Led Zeppelin Show Penrith Hotel free 10pm The Licks, Sex In Columbia Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm The Lost & Fine Roxbury Room, The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe $10 7pm The Nevilles Commercial Hotel, Parramatta

wed

13 July

thu

PRESENT

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

fri

15 July

(5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:15PM - 1:00AM)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

16 July

sun

SATURDAY NIGHT

The Peej, Mish The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction free 6pm The Ruminaters, JD Mo, This Vacant Field, Monii, DJ Zushi Phoenix Bar, Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst $10 8:30pm The Shivon Duo Parramatta Leagues Club free 8pm The Snowdroppers, Anna Lunoe, Cassette (NZ) Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills $15 6pm

Third Time Lucky St Marys Band Club free 9pm Tim Kendell Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Times Like These Richmond Club free 8:45pm Tom T Duo Stoned Crow, Crows Nest free 9:30pm Tonight Alive, Skyway, The Critics, Sound of Seasons Annandale Hotel $15 (+ bf) 8pm

NEW CHEF NEW MENU $12 SPECIALS

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

14 July

The Snowdroppers

SUNDAY NIGHT

July

45% 5 * ,9

ROCK-STEIN music & movie trivia THIS WEEK’S HOT HOST-LUSCIOUS LYSSA!

7%$

*5,9

RIOT HOUSE GALA

TOM BALLARD + DAVE JORY + REBECCA DE UNAMUNO + CLoUD GIRLS PURPLE SNEAKERS PRESENT LAST NIGHT

&2)

Wednesdays Riot House Comedy

*5,9 (LIVE)

CITY RIOTS + SEA LEGS + BALL PARK MUSIC

MIAMI HORROR DJ SET + PURPLE SNEAKER DJ’S

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

3!4 THE STUDY feat *5,9 RUFUS + PARADES + BON RAT, BON CHAT + BOATS OF BERLIN + THE LOCKWOODS

MAJOR RAISER

21/07 CROSSROADS LAUNCH NIGHT 22/02 PURPLE SNEAKERS/LAST NIGHT 23/07 NOWHERE/BODYJAR 26/07 ROCKSTEIN TRIVIA/STRIP! 27/07 THE STUDY/RIOT HOUSE 28/07 FOSTER THE PEOPLE 30/07 VTRIBE/BUD SPELLS 31/07 LOS SKELETONE BLUES

COMING SOON

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 39

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Tracksuit Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Two Minds Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Us Too Club Merrylands free 8:30pm Wildcatz Mounties, Mount Pritchard free 10pm Young Revelry, Chicks Who Love Guns Caringbah Bizzo’s $10 (at door) 8pm

JAZZ

Chuck Yates Trio, James Ryan 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8:30pm Freefall Duo Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm James Morrison The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf)–$30 (at door) 8pm Sam O’Brien, Joshua Tait Quartet Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta $10 8:30pm The Sandy Evans Trio, Sarangan Sriranganathan, Bobby Singh The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (member)–$20 8:30pm

Armchair Travellers Duo Ingleburn RSL Club free 9pm Bang Shang a Lang Penrith RSL free 8pm Belles Will Ring, Fearless Vampire Killers, Richard Cartwright, Kill City Creeps, Count Doyle, Brigadier Brickman Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 (+ bf) 8pm Big Bozza Band Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 8:30pm Black Label Hurstville RSL Memorial Club free 8pm Briana Cowlishaw 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8:30pm Chartbusters Ryde Ex-Services Club free 8pm Cheeky Gymea Hotel free 7:30pm Covergirl Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10:30pm

Craig Thommo Duo Paddy Maguires, Haymarket free 9:30pm Cross City Traffic Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 10pm Damien Leith, Jess Chalker Enmore Theatre $55 (pensioner)–$60 (+ bf) 8pm Dan Sultan, Alexander Gow The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 9:30pm Double Whammy Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Dynamic Duo Penrith Gaels Club free 8pm Finn Pendle Hill Inn free 8pm Frieda’s Boss The Lansdowne free 8pm Happy Hippies Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 6:30pm Homegrown, Led Zeppeln Show Celebrity Room, Blacktown RSL Club free 10pm

SATURDAY JULY 16 ROCK & POP

Addison Road, Freida’s Boss Landsdowne Hotel, Darlington free 8pm AM 2 PM Coogee Legion Ex-Service Club free 7pm

The Paper Scissors

Hue Williams Ettalong Beach Hotel free 8pm Jinja Safari, Husky, Pear Shape Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $15 (+ bf) 8pm JJ Duo PJ Gallagher’s Parramatta free 8pm John Field Band Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9:30pm Jungle Kings Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 8pm King Tide Penrith Panthers, Evans Theatre 9:30pm Late Shift Wentworthville Leagues Club free 10pm Latino Superstars Workers Blacktown $7.50 (member)–$10.50 8pm Made in Japan, Jenny Broke The Window Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Mark Seymour Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $53–$111 (dinner & show) 8pm Martys Place Miranda RSL Club free 9pm Miami Horror, Gold Fields Metro Theatre, Sydney $28.70 (presale) 8pm Millennium Bug Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL free 10pm Mystery Guest The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney free 9pm New Empire The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $20 (+ bf) 7pm One Hit Wonders Bayview Tavern, Gladesville free 10:30pm Outlier Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10:30pm

Rise Against

Major Raiser: Parades, Rufus, Bon Chat Bon Rat, Generic DJs, Boats of Berlin, The Lockwoods, Cross Beams Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $28 (+ bf) (all proceeds to Australian Youth Against Cancer) 6pm Peppermint Jam South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8.30pm Rand and Holland, Beaverman, Melodie Nelson The Red Rattler Theatre $15 8pm Rip it Up, Grizzly Adams Ashfield RSL Club free 8pm Rise Against (USA), Sick Of It All (USA), Break Even Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour $76.30 8pm Rock Busters Club Cronulla free 8:30pm Rock Cats Deluxe Club Merrylands free 8:30pm Sarah McLeod Coogee Diggers 8pm

Saturday Night Divas Campbelltown RSL free 8:30pm Screamfeeder, David McCormack & The Polaroids, Peabody, Further, Sounds Like Sunset, Greg Atkinson, Bosom, Grand Tango Fandango Annandale Hotel $22 (+ bf) 6pm Singled Out The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm Steve Edmonds Notes Live, Enmore $23.50 (presale)–$47.95 (dinner & show) 7pm Stormcellar Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle free 7:30pm Stormcellar Pendle Hill Inn free 9:30pm Tall Pop Syndrome The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10:30pm The Barry Leef Band North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray $20 7:30pm

COOGE E WEDNESDAY JULY 13TH

FRI JULY 15

VARIETY BASH FUND RAISER FEATURING:

SOPHIE KATINIS & PLANET GROOVE & NATHAN FOLEY

FRIDAY JULY 15TH

Tix & info at www.planetgroove.biz/band-faq/charity-fundraiser.html

For The Love Of Purple

SAT JULY 16

SARAH MCLEOD

SATURDAY JULY 16TH

SAT JULY 30

THE SNOWDROPPERS

THURSDAY JULY 21ST

MON AUG 1

‘LITTLE JOHNNY’

ADVANCED FILM SCREENING WITH LIVE INTRODUCTION BY KEVIN ‘BLOODY’ WILSON

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 40 :: BRAG :: 420 : 11:07:11

USE ME.

FRIDAY JULY 22ND

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 17/09 The Trews (Canada) Fri 28/10 Folk Uke (USA)

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com The Elton Jack Show Kingsgrove RSL free 8pm The Led Zeppelin Show Blacktown RSL Club free 11:15pm The Paper Scissors Brass Monkey, Cronulla $14.30 (presale) 7pm Swing vs Rockabilly: The Velvet Set, The Pat Capocci Combo, Hollywood Hombres, Twilight Rhythm Boys, Satellite V, The Creepers, Flattrackers, Drey Rollan Band The Factory Theatre, Enmore $28 (+ bf) 7pm The Zeros Cronulla RSL free 7pm Third Time Lucky Parramatta RSL free 7:30pm Tice & Evans, Kaki Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm Tonight Alive, Skyway, Wake The Giants, Highways Annandale Hotel $15 (+ bf) 12pm Tony Williams Guildford Leagues Club free 10pm Toucan Brighton RSL Club, Brighton-Le-Sands free 8pm Trilogy Richmond Club free 8:30pm Two Minds Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks free 3pm Wildcatz Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 9:30pm

JAZZ

Allan Browne Quintet The Sound Lounge,

Seymour Centre, Chippendale $20 (member)–$25 8:30pm Blue Moon Quartet Supper Club Fairfield RSL Club 7pm Jasper Sarkodee Charlie Chan’s, Sydney free 8pm Old Time Band The Hero of Waterloo Hotel, Millers Point free 2pm Paul Grabowsky, The Baker Suite City Recital Hall, Sydney $45 7:30pm Susan Gai Dowling Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm The Subterraneans Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 10pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK

Balmain Bush Dance Sydney Secondary College Rozelle Campus $8 (student)–$17 8pm Martinez Akustica The Vanguard, Newtown $15 (+ bf)–$50 (+ bf) 6:30pm Masha’s Legacy Camelot, Marrickville $20 7:30pm Soweto Gospel Choir (South Africa) State Theatre, Sydney $79 (B Res)–$99 (premium) 8pm

COUNTRY

Drew McAlister, Troy Kemp Rooty Hill RSL Club $15–$50 8pm

HIP HOP

Vents Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

SUNDAY JULY 17 ROCK & POP

3 Way Split The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 8:30pm Ace Brighton RSL Club, Brighton-Le-Sands free 7pm Giggly Rose, Static Silhouettes, Charmaine The Vanguard, Newtown $8.50 (+ bf)–$43.50 (dinner & show) 6:30pm Gorillas in Cahoots Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 1pm Hunter & Suzy Owens Band Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club 4:30pm Jimmy Mann Richmond Club free 3:30pm JJ Duo Malabar RSL Club free 7pm Joyce Collins The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney free 5pm Mark Seymour, Declan Kelly Brass Monkey, Cronulla $28.60 (presale) 7pm Matt Toms Coogee Bay Hotel, Beach Bar free 7:30pm Mike Mathieson Duo Campbelltown RSL free 5pm Panorama Duo Gymea Hotel free 4:30pm

Party Vibe The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10pm Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $10 3pm Screaming Sunday Annandale Hotel $15 12pm Soul Agents Club Five Dock, Five Dock RSL free 4pm Steve Edmonds Band Bomaderry Hotel free 4pm Stomp The Dog The Valve, Tempe 2pm Times Like These Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park free 3:30pm Tom T Duo Mosman RSL Club free Triple Imagen South Sydney Juniors, Kingsford free 8pm Twitcho Palace Hotel, Mortlake free 1pm Two Minds Trio Fox & Lion Hotel, Moore Park free 4pm Two Tribe Town & Country Hotel, St Peters free 5pm

JAZZ

Don Hopkins Dee Why RSL Club free 6:30pm Doug Williams Trio Collaroy Services Beach Club free 4:30pm Girl on a Swing, Lane Cove Youth Orchestra Lane Cove Plaza free 9am Mark Hopper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 3pm Matt Ross Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle

Monks of Cool Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta free 2pm Old Time Band The Hero of Waterloo Hotel, Millers Point free 2pm Paul Sun, Alex Compton, Monique Lysiak Frenchs Forest Organic Market free 9:30am Sean Coffin Quartet Cafe Sydney free 12pm Stan & Van Jazushi, Surry Hills free 7pm Unity Hall Jazz Band Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 4pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie, Tony Burkys, Lee Hutchings, Alan Gilbert Cronulla RSL free 12:30pm

ACOUSTIC/FOLK Green Jam The Hero of Waterloo Hotel, Millers Point free 7pm Ohana, Hulanesian Riverside Theatres, Parramatta $22 (member)–$28 4pm Pat O’Grady, the Broken Wings, MC Alonzo, Tim Walker, Ken Mclean, Helmut Uhlmann Hotel William free 7pm

25 years experience in the industry working with Australia’s premier musicians.

‘our recordings cut through the noise’ Offering: • In-house mastering suite including analog chain • CD Manufacturing & Duplication • Analog to digital transfers & remasters • Record, Mix, Master Package deals • State of the art analog & digital including 2˝ tape & pro tools • Highly experienced in-house engineers

02 9331 0666

COUNTRY

Dale Cooper The Vault, Windsor free 2:30pm The Dennis Boys Band Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm

bookings@damiengerard.net www.damiengerard.net STUDIO:

174 Mullens St Balmain OFFICE:

230 Crown St Darlinghurst

TUESDAY 12TH JULY

LITTLE JOHNNY THE MOVIE

Feature length animation based on Little Johnny jokes

Saturday 6 August Mr Percival Sunday 7 August Bones Atlas Wednesday 10 August Panda Band Thursday 11 August Matt Corby

DAN SULTAN &

ALEXANDER GOW

SATURDAY 16TH JULY

Sunday 14 August The Louds 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 Thursday 25 August Craig Woodward Friday 26 August King Tide

MARK SEYMOUR featuring Survival Reggae

Saturday 13 August James Taylor Tribute

Saturday 20 August FisherKing

+ Pluto Jonze + The Quixotics

BOB MARLEY TRIBUTE:

Friday 12 August Ray Beadle

Friday 19 August Rock Box

THE PAPER SCISSORS FRIDAY 22ND JULY

Friday 29 July Bachelor Girl

Friday 5 August Kira Puru

FRIDAY 15TH JULY

+ Declan Kelly

Thursday 28 July Sarah McLeod

Thursday 4 August Diesel

+ Imogen Harper (Guineafowl) + The Firetree

SUNDAY 17TH JULY

Tuesday 26 July Ninth Pillar

Sunday 31 July Bones Atlas

MARTINEZ AKUSTICA OUT

Sunday 24 July Bones Atlas

Saturday 30 July The Last Waltz Revival

THURSDAY 14TH JULY

SOLD

Saturday 23rd July Stevie Ray Vaughan Celebration Featuring Mal Eastick + Matt Roberts Trio

Saturday 27 August Andy Bull Sunday 28 August Max Wednesday 31 August Jeff Martin Thursday 1 September Jeff Martin Friday 2 September Owl Eyes Saturday 3 September A Tribute to Bob Dylan Sunday 4 September Bonjah Friday 9 September Ian Moss Saturday 10 September Ian Moss Thursday 15 September The Trews Friday 16 September The Flood Saturday 17 September Johnny G & The E Types Friday 30 September Classic Rock Show

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 41

gig picks

up all night out all week...

Belles Will Ring Seeker Lover Keeper

SATURDAY JULY 16 Belles Will Ring, Fearless Vampire Killers, Richard Cartwright, Kill City Creeps, Count Doyle, Brigadier Brickman Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 (+ bf) 8pm Dan Sultan, Alexander Gow The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 9pm Miami Horror, Gold Fields Metro Theatre, Sydney $28.70 (presale) 8:30pm

MONDAY JULY 11

Darlinghurst $15 (presale)–$18 (at door) 8pm

Seeker Lover Keeper, Toby Martin Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $43–$85 (dinner & show) 7pm

Hope, Smoke & Everything: Jack Carty, Jordan Millar, Leroy Lee FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $15.30 (presale) 8pm

WEDNESDAY JULY 13 Lady Gaga (USA) Sydney Town Hall 7pm The Paper Scissors, Money For Rope Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm

THURSDAY JULY 14 Alpine, Boy In A Box, Camden Oxford Art Factory,

Parades

42 :: BRAG :: 420 : 11:07:11

Tijuana Cartel Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm

FRIDAY JULY 15 Ball Park Music, City Riots, Sea Legs, Miami Horror DJs Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $10 (guestlist)–$15 (at door) 8pm The Snowdroppers, Anna Lunoe, Cassette (NZ) Upstairs @ The Beresford, Surry Hills $15 6pm

Major Raiser: Parades, Rufus, Bon Chat Bon Rat, Generic DJs, Boats of Berlin, The Lockwoods, Cross Beams Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $28 (+ bf) (all proceeds to Australian Youth Against Cancer) 6pm Rand and Holland, Beaverman, Melodie Nelson The Red Rattler Theatre $15 9pm Screamfeeder, David McCormack & The Polaroids, Peabody, Further, Sounds Like Sunset, Greg Atkinson, Bosom, Grand Tango Fandango Annandale Hotel $22 (+ bf) 6pm Swing vs Rockabilly: The Velvet Set, The Pat Capocci Combo, Hollywood Hombres, Twilight Rhythm Boys, Satellite V, The Creepers, Flattrackers, Drey Rollan Band The Factory Theatre, Enmore $28 (+ bf) 7pm

brag beats

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

dance music news

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

five things WITH

INDIAN SUMMER

Growing Up I grew up in Elsternwick – a 1. suburb in Melbourne’s south. My

I don’t need to work somewhere I hate in order to keep things going.

first musical memories were dad playing John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band album on repeat while we cleaned the house, and listening to the same Kinks cassette every time we went on a family road trip. I was in bands all the way through high school, but I didn’t really fit in with the groups – everyone wanted to be reserved when we played live, and I just wanted to go nuts. I suppose being in bands has had a big influence on my live sets now. I always have a lot of energy.

The Music You Make My main focus is to always try 4. to keep a good balance between

Inspirations In terms of bands, I’m into pretty girly stuff like Belle & Sebastian and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Recently, I’ve really been loving the new Junior Boys and Baths records.

Your Crew I do the party/production thing 3. with long time friend Chevy Long. It started when we took a trip to Morocco; he played me some of the stuff he’d been working on, and I wanted to be involved. We got back to Australia and released our first mixtape, which we’ve now done three tours for. I’m lucky enough to be able to do four or five sets a week in Melbourne, so

Simon Caldwell

entertaining the audience and playing tasteful tunes. Recently I’ve been playing a lot of disco/ old school funk remixes in my sets, as well as our own productions. I always try to put on a party; the most important thing for me is for people to be having a good time. If chinstrokers don’t like my sets I’m not really fussed. Music, Right Here, Right Now There’s no better place than 5. Australia to be a party DJ at the moment, with so many talented acts around (Sampology, Naysayer & Gilsun, Surecut Kids etc). We take influence from cultures all around the world. I’m from Melbourne - and the best thing about that city at the moment is there’s such a tight community of young, talented and excited people that are all eager to help each other out. There’s also very few wankers. That’s always nice.

PICNIC FT SIMON CALDWELL

What: Indian Summer will be a new resident DJ at Last Night @ The Gaelic from August, joining PHDJ and Randall Stagg. He’ll also be a resident at Bel Air @ Transit in Canberra, which launches August 26.

MATTHEW HERBERT: ONE PIG

Lil’ Kim

Veteran producer Matthew Herbert is ready to unveil his eagerly awaited – and somewhat controversial – concept LP, One Pig; an album made from recordings taken during the birth, life, butchery and consumption of a single pig, reared for meat at a farm in England. Some three years in the making, it’s the final part in the artist’s One trilogy, which began with unadorned singer/ songwriter album One One and continued with One Club, which was composed entirely from field recordings made at the Robert-Johnson techno club in Frankfurt. The album “aims to listen in on a single farm animal’s life in the context of an otherwise-anonymous food chain.” Despite his good intentions, PETA last year accused Herbert of trying to make entertainment out of animal cruelty, and there is currently a Facebook campaign attempting to prevent One Pig’s release. Assuming it’s not met with any more serious obstruction, One Pig will be issued through Herbert’s own Accidental Records on October 10.

DISTORTION FT EMALKAY

WINTERBEATZ 2011: 50 CENT, G-UNIT, LIL KIM ETC

The huge Australian urban music festival Winterbeatz returns for another year at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Friday August 19, with a suitably lavish lineup. Hip hop figurehead 50 Cent will be headlining with the aid of G-Unit (including Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo) along with Fabolous, Grammy-winning rapper Lil Kim and Mario. Tickets are available online, and begin at $99.

Birmingham-based producer Martin Knowles, who produces under the moniker of Emalkay, will play Distortion at Fake Club on Friday July 19. Emalkay is best known for his ’09 single ‘When I Look At You’, released on Caspa’s Dub Police label, and released his debut album, Eclipse, only in May this year. On the remix front, Knowles has reworked the likes of Pendulum, Faithless and Miike Snow, which introduced his sonic sensibility to a broader cross-section of the listening public. Emalkay will be supported by Distortion residents Rubio and Guillotine, along with special guests The Unthinkables and Saiko, with visuals by Morph and $30 presales available online.

FBI RADIO’S NORTHERN LIGHTS COMPETITION

Bedroom producers, this one’s for you: This October, local community radio station FBi is

Following on from their last epic starring Tamas Jones of Hey Convict!, Picnic have recruited iconic Sydney DJ Simon Caldwell for their next all night warehouse affair on Saturday July 30. While you may very well have seen Caldwell play plenty of times, chances are you won’t have witnessed him play a set such as this: a minimum of six hours on a Funktion One system in a warehouse environment. Caldwell’s DJ pedigree is well documented; he’s co-promoted one of Australia’s freshest and longest running dance parties Mad Racket for the last 12 years, pushes quality deep grooves every Monday night on his Sunsets show on FBi Radio, and had the honour of being only the second Australian to put together an RA Podcast. Picnic tickets are available through the Resident Advisor website, with the venue to be revealed closer to the date...

taking two solo artists on a trip to Reykjavik for the Iceland Airwaves festival to meet the industry and set up collaborations. With flights and accommodation covered, this is an immense opportunity to receive a gargantuan leg up into the thick of the music industry. Enter simply by filling out a form that’s available on the FBi website, right up until the deadline of Friday July 29. Once entries close, six finalists will be selected by the FBi powerbrokers, and their music will then be voted on by the public. The two with the most votes will be announced as the winners in early September. The competition is open to electronic music producers from NSW, with full details online.

GRACE JONES IN DUB

Grace Jones has announced details of her new album; a dub version of her acclaimed LP Hurricane, which is set for release in September. The album was produced by Ivor Guest, who was quoted as saying, “It was a great thing to be able to do, as there is so much fantastic source material from the original masters, from Sly and Robbie, Mikey Chung and Sticky Thompson in particular (as I focused on the straight reggae playing), as well as all the other players”. Anyone who missed the Aeroplane remix of ‘William’s Blood’, a standout track from Hurricane, is advised to seek it out.

“What shall we use to fill the empty spaces where we used to talk? ” - THE WALL BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 43

dance music news

free stuff

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

GODSKITCHEN 2011

SOFTWAR The Music You Make We really make a mixed bag of sounds 4. (much like our mixed citrus bag); everything and anything from slow down-tempo stuff to upbeat house. We’ve been fortunate enough to recently remix some amazing artists like Groove Armada, Two Door Cinema Club, Bag Raiders, Mitzi and Azari & III. Our most recent EP came out midway through this year on Jolly Jams, which is based outta Berlin. We’ve also got some new stuff coming out on Future Classic and Modular Records, which is super exciting for us. In relation to our DJ set, we really try to play a solid blend of old disco classics, house, deep house etc... We take massive pride in playing rare stuff that we source on vinyl from around the world.

Growing Up Having been born in the mid-80s, we both 1. witnessed some pretty funny stuff... Parents in

are inspired by a lot of different artists and genres.

full body ski suites and lycra gym outfits, with Hall n’ Oates (‘Private Eyes’), Pet Shop Boys (‘West End Girls’) and Duran Duran (‘Planet Earth’) in the background. We both aspire to one day have our very own fluro outfit collection.

Your Crew We’re fortunate enough to have a really 3. cool pocket of likeminded mates; they all

Inspirations There are really so many to name. We 2. both really dig a lot of the Wurst label releases - Tensnake, Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb to name a few. We both take time with new songs and really try to escape with them, and

WESTBEECH RETURNS

Producer, singer and Soul Sedation-favourite Ben Westbeech will release his second solo album on September 12. Released through Strictly Rhythm, the LP is titled There’s More To Life Than This and features plenty of co-productions, though Westbeech did apparently write the whole album himself. Among the artists featured are the likes of Midland, Redlight, Motor City Drum Ensemble and Henrik Schwarz. The album was recorded in Berlin, New York, London, Bristol, Munich, Stockholm and Amsterdam over the past 12 months, and has been described by Westbeech as “house-inspired, rather than straight-up house.”

HUDSON MOHAWKE EP

Glaswegian electronic DJ Hudson Mohawke (aka Ross Birchard) is set to deliver a new kaleidoscopic 5-track EP, Satin Panthers, which is out on July 29 on Warp through Inertia. Satin Panthers is Hud Mo’s first major offering since

really get behind the dance music/party/ production thing. We hang out, throw parties and share new works all the time, it’s pretty rad. We got into the whole music thing through playing records at a party we both put on, and everything else just stemmed from there. For day jobs, we both work on an organic farm just out of Sydney. We are considered to be the best in the business with the citrus variety.

his 2009 debut album, Butter; a fusion-inspired R&B fantasia which had many critics fumbling for superlatives, not least of all BRAG’s own beats aficionado and mother superior, Tony E. Satin Panthers is influenced by a variety of sounds from ‘80s electronica to noughties R&B, and one of the EP’s five tracks, ‘Thunder Bay’, is available to buy now from Bleep and iTunes. ‘Thunder Bay’ is a walloping club track with big, bashy horn sounds, lurid synths, hardsnapping drums and – in its closing seconds – some nicely deployed Mentasm bass. It’s an encouraging harbinger of the impending Mohawkisms on Warp.

Music, Right Here, Right Now We both love the music scene at the 5. moment; this is our generation, so we can’t really not get involved and show some love. In Sydney, things are really on top and beginning to break through, with amazing parties like Slow Blow and Adult Disco (both Sydney), and more recently the Vivid LIVE Festival at The Opera House. These world class gigs are seriously pushing the envelope.

EMALKAY

Birmingham-based producer Emalkay is hitting up Fake Club in King’s Cross for a night of dubstep this Friday July 15. His experimental style has kicked him to the forefront of the expanding dubstep scene, and his debut album looks set to gather audiences from all over the musical spectrum. We have a cheeky double pass to give away for the night, which will also feature Rubio, Guillotine, The Unthinkables and Bruxism to name but a few... To get your hands on it, simply tell us who you think has made the most illconceived foray in ‘dubstep’ to date. (Our money is on Britney).

With: Kanye West, DJ Shadow, James Blake, Kele, Bliss N Eso, Thievery Corporation and more Where: Splendour In The Grass @ Woodfordia, Queensland When: July 29 - 31 / splendourinthegrass.com

Theophilus London

MACLEAN’S PEACH MELBA

DFA mainstay Juan Maclean (aka plain old John Maclean) has just unveiled a new project in the form of Peach Melba. Circa 1991, Maclean was a guitarist and synth player with acclaimed but obscure gonzo electro-punk band Six Finger Satellite, and he’s since established himself as a solo producer of merit. In his latest studio venture,

LHA

THEOPHILUS LONDON IN SYDNEY

Theophilus London is set to drop his debut album, Timez Are Weird These Days, at the end of this week. The Brooklyn rapper’s LP features his popular single ‘Last Name London’, and will be available down under through Warner Music. Theophilus is also gearing up to make his first visit to Australia, where he’ll perform at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday August 27 in support of Big Boi (who is of course one half of Outkast), at a gig that will also include a performance from Thundamentals.

Maclean has collaborated with New York-based vocalist Amy Douglas, with the shaping up as an outlet for Maclean’s house music excursions. The first release from Peach Melba is the ‘Can’t Let Go’ single, which features three takes on the track that traverse deep house and dubby, Basic Channel-like techno, and will be released on DFA Records on July 25.

RNB SUPERCLUB RETURNS

On the back of its four-year reign at Tank Nightclub, RnB Superclub has recently – like, last week – relaunched at the Arthouse as a weekly Friday night fiesta. Held over two rooms of the Pitt St venue, RnB Superclub will cater to the RnB market every Friday with a mix of international and resident acts on rotation, including the likes of G-WIzard, Troy T, Lilo and Def Rok.

LHA KEEP IT MOVIN

When we imagine God’s Kitchen, we see a country cottage sort of vibe; gingham curtains, vintage canisters with the smell of banana bread in the oven. When we imagine Godskitchen 2011, we see Marco V, Richard Durand, John Askew and Ben Gold, huge crowds and more trance than you can shake your brains at. Sadly we can’t get you into God’s Kitchen, but you better believe The BRAG has one double pass to Godskitchen 2011 on Sunday October 2 at the Hordern Pavilion - and if you want it, you just gotta tell us where Marco V comes from…

Emerging Sydney soulful hip hop duo LHA are launching the lead single from their soon to be released debut album at Tone this Thursday July 14. ‘Keep It Movin’ is a forerunner for LHA’s Split Decision, which is due out in August. Joined on the night by live hip hop funk band the Fonke Knomaads, DJ Cbay, DJ Dlect and other special guest performers, LHA will be performing the new record for the first time in a night of funk, soul and hip hop. Doors open at 7:30pm, with tickets $12.

DJ FUNK TOUR

Best known to younger listeners for his remix of Justice, Chicago icon DJ Funk is touring Australia in September and will spin at Oxford Art Factory on Saturday September 24. One of the driving forces behind the ghetto house movement, DJ Funk (real name Charles Chambers) has been in the game for some 30 years, and has consistently adapted to the sonic scene; indeed at present, the word is that he’s working on an

album for Busy P’s Ed Banger label. Support acts are still TBA.

JOAKIM VIA FUTURE CLASSIC

The man dubbed the Godfather of French Electro by I-D Magazine, Joakim, is preparing to release his fourth studio album Nothing Gold on his very own Tigersushi Records, breaking an album drought that stretches back far too long all the way to 2007’s Monsters And Silly Songs. Having recently remixed Queensland group Mitzi for the Future Classic label, Joakim has just dropped the first single from Nothing Gold, ‘Forever Young’. Joakim was incredibly descriptive when discussing the emotional underpinnings of the track: “‘Forever Young’ is my song for all the 30-something-year old people out there,” he stated. “I used to hate people between 30 and 40 when I was under 30. I thought they gave up on most of their beliefs and lived a dull and fake life. Love cowards pretending to still be cool, contemptuous grown-ups afraid of the young sharks. But now I’m one of them. So I have to cope with that.” The early word is that Discodeine’s (a.k.a. Pilooski and Pentile) remix of the single is an absolute cracker, though we’ll have to wait until September for the album to be released.

“Sitting in a bunker, here behind my wall, waiting for the worms to come ” - THE WALL 44 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 45

Katy B Mission Statement By Tom Hoare

here’s no doubt that the current British pop climate has become increasingly geared towards the nation’s burgeoning urban scene. Long reliant on US artists for their pop-rap fix, the Poms have recently been taking a far greater interest in home-grown British rap, with artists like Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk, N-Dubz, Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah all scoring places significantly higher up the Top 40 than they would have ten years ago. Arguably, it was Dizzee himself who sparked this pop de-gentrification; his 2003 debut Boy In Da Corner’s Mercury Prize gong (normally reserved for artists like Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons and PJ Harvey) shed new light on the wealth of talent in London’s underground ‘grime’ scene and, more significantly, gave pop producers and record labels all over Britain a great idea for

a new cash cow. From unlikely collaborations between grime godfather Wiley and Aussie pop-crooner Daniel Merriweather, to Brit singer Jessie J wailing about how she can ‘do it like the mandem’, the UK music scene has never been so fascinated with its own seamy urban underbelly. Enter Katy B. On paper, an ideal contender to finally bridge the gap between the pop charts and the pirate stations. Educated at London’s prestigious BRIT School of Performing Arts (alma mater of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Imogen Heap, Jessie J and Jamie Woon, to name a few) but born and bred on the mean south London streets of Peckham, Katy combines a rough-as-fuck upbringing and street attitude with a genuine appreciation for and understanding of what makes good

“We put the video for ‘Katy On A Mission’ on YouTube, and it had like 500,000 views in a couple of days. I couldn’t understand it.”

music - and what sells records. Her debut album On A Mission has been lauded by critics up and down the country, calling Katy “the best of a new wave, bringing the sound of the underground to the charts” and “the singer to take London’s urban scene into the spotlight”. But when Katy calls me from her mum’s Peckham kitchen, she explains that it was never meant to be this way. “At the time when I was writing the album I liked going out, I liked clubbing - that was just such a big part of my personality - and I just wanted to incorporate the kind of music that was such a big part of my life at the time,” she explains. “I thought the album might sell, like, 1,000 copies. Then we put the video for [debut single] ‘Katy On A Mission’ on YouTube, and it had like 500,000 views in a couple of days. I couldn’t understand it.” Although she’s as surprised as anybody by the reaction to the album, it’s clear from speaking to Katy that she certainly didn’t stumble upon this success by accident. When I ask her about ‘UK Funky’, the grime-house fusion genre that’s sweeping Britain at the moment, she speaks with authority on the subject. “Funky came about when DJs who’d been used to playing only garage started playing house music too, but because of the influence in London of grime and bashment and 2-step, it came out sounding not really like house at all – [so] we called it ‘Funky’”. When you listen to On A Mission, you can hear the staggering range of influences Katy B takes in when she’s making her music. As well as the obvious elements of dubstep and drum ’n’ bass (due in no small part to the album being produced by UK dubstep trio Magnetic Man, among others), there’s also smokey lounge and café del mar tones on tracks like ‘Movement’ and ‘Hard To Get’. Meanwhile, ‘Power On Me’, ‘Easy Please Me’ and ‘Go Away’ contain the kind of high-NRG, bass-driven production that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Flux Pavillion tune. Interestingly, the latter three songs all deal with a lyrical theme that’s common on the album, that of

frustration with men; be it with their annoying, cheesy come-on lines, or their reluctance to open up and show their sensitive side. I ask Katy if she’s had some rough luck with the fellas recently… “I’m not a man-hater - I know there’s obviously some lovely guys out there - but I definitely have been messed around,” she says. “Everyone’s had their heart broken, and having your heart broken makes for writing good songs.” This response typifies her singular focus on the end result - throughout our conversation, it’s clear that Katy B sees all of life’s little distractions as possible influences on the most important thing: her music. Katy is coming to Australia for Parklife Festival later this year, alongside her UK dubstep comrades Magnetic Man, Nero and Example. When I ask her how she thinks an album described as so inherently British will translate to an Australian audience, she doesn’t seem worried. “I think it’s got a universal appeal to it. People in Australia love to dance, just like people in England do. I went over to Poland to play a festival recently and I was really nervous, because it was one of the first shows I’d done outside England, but they were just going mental, really full-on proper raving.” So, how does Katy stack up as the new champion of chart-friendly British urban music? Intelligent: check. Soulful: check. Edgy: check. But crucially, is she hard-working? Or will she be sitting back and riding this unexpected success for as long as she can? “No way,” she says, resolutely. “I don’t want to be playing the same set next year as I’m playing this year. I’m gonna definitely get back in the studio as soon as I can. I can’t wait.” What: On A Mission is out now through Sony With: Death From Above 1979, Digitalism, Crystal Fighters, Duck Sauce, The Gossip, Flux Pavilion, Mylo, SebastiAn, Simian Mobile Disco and more Where: Parklife 2011 @ Kippax Lake, Moore Park When: Sunday October 2

The Nextmen What’s Next By Andrew ‘Hazard’ Hickey

ike many of the greats, The Nextmen are hard to categorise. The Cambridge connection of Brad Baloo and Dom Search mix jazz, reggae and funk in their cauldron of musical madness, but the genre they’ve been most closely associated with over the years is hip hop. “We love hip hop and always have, but we don’t really consider ourselves hip hop. I suppose we’re just eclectic,” says Baloo. He believes that the pioneering DJs who founded hip hop culture back in the late 1970s were rooted in the same musical openness that The Nextmen thrive on. “Back then there wasn’t something called hip hop music. Hip hop, especially today, isn’t just about hip hop - it’s about all music.” Knee-deep in the UK’s music scene since debuting over 13 years ago, The Nextmen are still doing their “standard gig thing”. Baloo estimates they play around 100 shows a year, but they’ve somehow found the time to work on a bunch of side projects too. “I’ve been working with a band called The Milk, they’re a four-piece from Essex,” he says. “They’ve just put out their first single, and they’ve got a major deal for the album.” He’s also working with a London rapperguitarist, Random Impulse, who he compares to vintage Beastie Boys. “These artists are going to become really big and really popular over the next 18 months or so.” Dom too has a couple of collaborations up his sleeves, including a project with a budding singer - “this girl Jess Bell, from London” - and contributions to Plan B’s much anticipated third album. “It’s [Plan B’s] return to hip hop after doing the soul thing, and it’s pretty big and pretty hard from what I’ve heard so far. I think it’s gonna be surprising, interesting and shocking at the same time.” But the endeavour they sound most excited about is their web radio show, imaginatively titled The Nextmen Podcast. Only a few episodes in, it’s already been topping the UK’s iTunes chart. “We’ve already had over a quarter of a million downloads,” Baloo proclaims. The pair see the podcast as a great opportunity to play the music they love - and the fact that it’s

more relaxed than their usual DJ sets gives them the chance to delve deeper into their record collection. “It’s more about just playing the tunes, instead of mashing them up like we do when we DJ.” Pitting their podcast up against the endless sea of music available online is a challenge that The Nextmen are mindful of. The fact that they have a strong profile in the UK helped draw in fans initially, “but you still need to track the success and keep the quality high, or people will get fed up and move on to something else.” Filesharing has taken away some of the influence of the DJ, too. “It kind of makes it harder for a DJ to set themselves out from everyone else,” Baloo explains. “[These days], it’s all about doing something else, making your own version. Taking those songs, re-editing them, making them unique. That’s what I think separates people as DJs now.”

The burgeoning podcast market has blown up in the UK over the last two years, and Baloo specifically points to the Space Invader internet radio network, which reminds him of Australian community stations like PBS, RRR and FBi. “We don’t really have something like that in England, [but] it seems to be happening a lot more now, people supporting each other and all excited by the opportunity to play good music on the radio.” He sees podcasts and internet radio as “a really good place to start … It’s very much survival of the fittest, with the podcast market especially.” And while the DIY ethos of podcasts and internet radio hark back to the days of pirate radio, so too do the processes of making and releasing music; “People have managed to put records out themselves, and make them really popular.” The shift from musicians working in a traditional label-machine structure to self-promoting on a grassroots level is something he’s been following closely

“It’s harder for a DJ to set themselves out from everyone else. These days, it’s all about taking those songs, re-editing them, making them unique.” too. With major labels less willing than ever to take chances, if you want to sign your band, he says, you have to come to the table with an existing fanbase and a polished product. “You’ve gotta be ready from a really early stage,” Baloo explains. “There’s not much waiting around - you have to do everything yourself. With technology and home studios, it’s becoming easier to do as well, to get the quality out.” Brad and Dom are opting to record their next project first, and worry about distribution later. “In terms of putting another Nextmen record out, we will do it all on our own, and then we’ll probably license it out to labels… If a record label comes along with the right deal then I’d be happy to sign. If not, I’m happy to do everything myself.” They have another project in the works too, one which will divert from the Nextmen norm. “A lot of our albums featured tons and tons of vocalists. Although it’s fun for us to work with a lot of different people that understand us creatively, we wanted to just do an album with one vocalist. It’s closer to where we are right now, but it won’t be under the name The Nextmen,” he says, before apologising - he’s not able to tell me anymore about it. After all, magicians don’t give away their secrets. With: Harry Cotton, DJ Mike Who?, Peter Glass & Thomas Crown Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday July 15

“The way you made them suffer, your exquisite wife and mother, ﬁlls me with the urge to defecate! ” - THE WALL 46 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:10

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 47

Deep Impressions Underground Dance and Electronica with Chris Honnery

Loco Dice

unisian born producer Loco Dice returns to the proverbial techno fray with the release of his forthcoming EP, Knibbie Never Comes Alone, on Richie Hawtin’s Minus label. The release sees Dice teaming up with long-time studio collaborator Martin Buttrich on a pair of tracks that purportedly explore an “abstract and cerebral” techno template. Apparently the EP fuses Dice’s trademark sense of bold and “chunky” rhythm with the classic motifs that Minus is renowned for. This EP follows Wagon Repair head honcho Mathew Jonson’s recent release on Minus, and should reinvigorate a label that I dare say had become a little too predictable and devoid of inspiration in recent years. Matthias Tanzmann and Dyed Soundroom will headline the next Circo Loco bash at the Greenwood Hotel on Saturday October 29. Tanzmann runs the respected Moon Harbour label, and is part of the illustrious DJ trio ‘Better Lost Than Stupid’, alongside Davide Squillace and the aforementioned Martin Buttrich. To localise things, Tanzmann has been a Sydney favourite since he introduced himself to local clubbers in no uncertain terms at Lost Baggage many moons ago, and has an equally ardent following worldwide thanks to regular appearances at notorious Ibiza day club DC10. He teamed up with Squillace to mix this year’s Circo Loco compilation DC10 Ibiza 2011 – The Next Level, which featured tracks by the likes of Audiofly, Marcin Czubala and Nil By Mouth. Meanwhile Dyed Soundroom is a French producer who has remixed compatriot Losoul on the Freak n’Chic imprint while accumulating a discography that includes releases on Spectral Sound and Crosstown Rebels. As we’ve come to expect, the headliners will be flanked by an extensive lineup of locals including Matt Aubusson, Slow Blow and Defined By Rhythm among others. First release tickets are now on sale. One of my favourite record labels, Macro, will release its first label compilation in September, the aptly named Macrospective. The release will feature two discs, mixed by Finn Johannsen and Stefan Goldmann respectively, each comprised of many of the memorable cuts that can be found in the Macro back catalogue, including productions from Raudive, Ricardo Villalobos and even Patrick Cowley. The twist is that both discs use the exact same set of tracks, but each is sequenced and mixed differently. Johannsen’s mix is apparently more of an off-the-cuff affair, done in one take – the complete antithesis to the anemic Ableton mixes of today – while Goldmann takes what Resident Advisor described as “a more calculated approach” in working with the same pool of tracks. Both guys give a nod to the old school by mixing completely off vinyl. Crosstown Rebels will resurrect their Get Lost compilation series with the release of Get Lost 4, which will be mixed by label main-man Damian Lazarus. The series kicked off way back in 2006 with a mix by Lazarus and the imprint’s then co-manager, Matthew ‘The Goat’ Styles. After that, two more compilations were released, mixed by Dinky and Jamie Jones – the Dinky one is especially worthy of praise; it’s a cracking

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY JULY 23 Henry Saiz Chinese Laundry

SATURDAY JULY 30 Picnic ft Simon Caldwell Warehouse Venue TBC

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29

Circo Loco ft Matthias Tanzmann Greenwood Hotel

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 AGWA 11 ft Jamie Jones Boat Party

listen if you can track it down – while the ‘Get Lost’ brand lived on through the annual event at the Miami Music Conference. The forthcoming Get Lost release functions as a sort of label showcase, introducing new acts like Fosky, Amirali, Left and Nitin alongside more renowned artists such as Art Department and Dinky, with 10 of the 16 tracks exclusive to the compilation. Get Lost 4 gets an official release on September 19. In the meantime, you can look forward to Kompakt’s yearly compilation, Total 12, which collates a hand-picked selection of the Cologne imprint’s recent and upcoming material and will hit shelves next month. Going down the tracklist you’ll come across tracks by Kompakt staples Gus Gus, Superpitcher and Gui Boratto, along with Michael Mayer’s inspired remix of WhoMadeWho, which is arguably the track of the year so far. Furthermore, Total 12 also includes the first track minimal pioneer Jorg Burner has released as ‘The Modernist’ since 2005.

Jamie Jones

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com. 48 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

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

ince we last spoke, the CO-OP DJ fraternity was responsible for a party of epic proportions at Sun Studios. The crowds turned out en masse, braving the unfriendly temperatures and showing a healthy desire to kick-on all the way through the winter months. As this column turned up there were at least 50 ticketless heads baying to get into a venue that had already hit capacity. The security team were twitchy as hell, and working hard to keep things under control. Headlined by Harri of SubClub fame, the night was characterised as much by its looseness as it was by the music. Honourable mentions go out to Claire Morgan and the Monkey Tennis DJs as well, for holding it down on the house tip. The lesson here: buy your tickets pre-sale for the next CO-OP outing. This week’s instalment of Soul Sedation has been written to the sounds of disco re-edit specialist The Revenge (who the CO-OP collective has also toured in the past) – specifically his new record, his first full-length to date. Reekin Structions, out through Z Records, comprises ten tracks of sublime re-edits of selections from past greats like Letta Mbulu, Seargent & Malone, The Joneses and The Velvet Hammer. If this is not a sample of the best nu disco and re-edit production around, I’ll eat my jazz cap! In touring news, Melbourne’s Cumbia Cosmonauts will be coming through Sydney for the first time at the end of this month. Pushing the sounds of digital cumbia, which has been popularised largely by the ZZK record label out of Buenos Aries, the style is an electronic update of the traditional Latin cumbia rhythm. Fans of Douster, El Remolon and Tremor et al will want to know about this one. The band plays The Mac, supported by James Locksmith and Hezekiah, on July 30. And you’ll also be able to catch them on the Thievery Corporation support - August 1 at the Enmore. Speaking of Thievery Corporation, this column promised you a run down of their new record, Culture Of Fear. In short, while not breaking much new ground, the album is a high-grade collection of the “global chill” sound that TC are so famous for (and indeed synonymous with), blended with hip hop and dub, and heavily pushing sociallyconscious messages as per the title of the record. The pair are from Washington after all, so in a strong geographic position to comment on the state of human affairs... The record features vocal contributions from US emcee Mr Lif, who features on the title track, and Ras Puma. There’s a new Brownswood compilation out – Brownswood Electr*c 2 – full of fresh producers that have all gone through the Gilles P quality control test (a serious advantage in our current era of undeniable producer overload). You’ll hear from names like Synkro & Indigo, 19 year old German producer Frederic Robinson, DJG, Jus Wan, Anenon, Ta-ku and Stray. I highly recommend picking it up; there’s always an unbelievable gem or two on these comps. Keep your ears peeled for another Lance Ferguson side project on Freestyle Records. Black Feeling Vol. 2 is a collection of covers and re-interpretations from great music of bygone eras, including a great reggae re-fix of a Jackie Mittoo track, and one of US acid-jazz legend Ronnie Foster’s ‘Mystic Brew’.

The Dennis Coffey album of dirty guitar, blues and funk on Strut that this column was banging on about a couple of weeks back is set to undergo the remix treatment. There’ll be some wicked producers like Dabrye, Recloose, 14KT (a Soul Sedation favourite), Nick Speed and Shigeto making contributions on the release. Returning to brilliant local music, there’s a midweek party you need to know about

WEDNESDAY JULY 13 Alphamama EP launch Tone

FRIDAY JULY 15 The Nextmen Oxford Art Factory Emalkay Fakeclub

FRIDAY JULY 22 Tokimonsta, Nosaj Thing Oxford Art Factory

SUNDAY JULY 24 Del The Funky Homosapien Oxford Art Factory

THURSDAY JULY 28 James Blake Factory Theatre

FRIDAY JULY 29 Opiou, JPS Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY JULY 30 DJ Shadow Hordern Pavilion Cumbia Cosmonauts The Macquarie Hotel

AUGUST 4 & 5 Wu-Tang Clan Enmore Theatre

SATURDAY AUGUST 27 Big Boi Enmore Theatre

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17 The Herd + Sietta Metro Theatre

going down at The Mac this Wednesday July 13, when Alphamama and her band The Love Drug launch their self-titled EP. Drawing on influences like Erykah Badu, the soul sisters of the Motown era, and the stars of the rapidly growing Pacific roots reggae movement, Alphamama is all about good soulful strains of reggae, funk and hip hop, as well as the tasteful end of ‘90s RnB. Danny G Felix, Milan, Ngaiire, Mirrah, DJ/ producer West Labs and Kween G will all be sharing the stage on the night. It kicks off early at 7.30pm, so don’t drag your feet! Upstairs at The Beresford has shown strong hip hop and electronic leanings in its early programming schedule, with shows from Urthboy, Infusion, Katalyst, Brisbane’s Dubmarine and The Tongue all cropping up. To this column, the venue’s first steps seem slightly reminiscent of the OAF when it opened: a nice balance of international techno and electronica, which slowly gave way to the indie band program as the venue made some adjustments to its initial manifesto... I feel the success stories (and equally the flops) that come out of Upstairs will be a good litmus test of the new mindset of the inner-east of our city. And it will be a great test of whether the over-25 diverse music-loving demographic will end up being comfortable sharing space with the preppy, well made-up, popped-collar set who have dominated The Beresford in recent times; those who would be as happy listening to a DJ slap together ‘90s pop RnB all night as they would be catching an Infusion or a Katalyst show.

Send stuff for this column to tonyedwards001@gmail.com by 6pm Wednesdays. All pics to art@thebrag.com BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 49

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

club pick of the week The Nextmen

FRIDAY JULY 15

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

The Nextmen

[UK] DJ Harry Cotton, Peter Glass, Thomas Crown $20 (+ bf)–$25 (at door) 8pm MONDAY JULY 11 Club 77, Kings Cross Sideways Fridays 10pm World Bar, Kings Cross Mondays at World Bar 16 Tacos, Pipemix free 8pm

TUESDAY JULY 12 Big Top Luna Park ID Under 18’s Festival DJ Activator, Zannon, Jay2p, Nukewood, Ember, Skinny, Smash Palace, Suae, Pulsar $30/75 6pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst Coyote Tuesday Kid Finley, Johnny B free 9pm The Valve, Tempe Underground Tables Myme, Ato, Gee Wiz, Benji, BC, One Am, Allstars 6pm World Bar, Kings Cross Pop Panic free 8pm

WEDNESDAY JULY 13 Bank Hotel, Newtown Girl’s Night DJ Heartattack 9pm Marlborough Hotel, Newtown DJ Moussa 11pm

The Hive Bar, Erskineville Vinyl Club 8pm Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain Swing Patrol Swing Patrol $14 7pm World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall free 8pm The Flinders, Surry Hills Hip Hop Weds. Feat. Kato free 8pm Tone, Surry Hills Alphamama EP Launch feat Danny G Felix, Milan, Ngaiire, Mirrah, West Labz & Kween G

THURSDAY JULY 14 Front Bar, Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Club Al Levins, McInnes, Joe Gadget free 8pm Home The Venue, Sydney DJ Activator, Steve Hill, Pulsar, Suae, Nasty, S Dee, Ar-bee, Matrix, Hard Forze, Kid Finley, Big Dan, DillytEk, The Artistz, Jigzee, Smash Palace, Skinny $25–$35 9pm Home The Venue, Sydney I Love Unipackers Steve Frank, John Young $5 8pm Jacksons On George Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJ’s free The Gaff, Darlinghurst The College Party 9pm The Vanguard, Newtown Vive Le Fist DJ Gemma, Lillian Starr $25 (+ bf)–$60 (dinner & show) 6.30pm

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, Fonke Knomaads, D-lect, CBay LHA, Fonke Knomaads, D-lect, CBay $10 (presale)–$12 (at door) 8pm

FRIDAY JULY 15 Bank Hotel, Newtown Friendly Fridays Eddie Coulter, D*Funk 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Movement Kato, Victim, DJ Huwston, Mason & Bennett, Preacha free 8pm Blue Hotel, Woolloomooloo Friday Shines Sarah J Hyland free 6pm Candy’s Apartment Liquid Sky J.I.A, Bomber, Hoodlmz, Dos Bangers, Diskoriot, Webz, Blanco Negro 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Utah Jazz (UK), Inna Riddim Sound System, Vice Versa, Pop The Hatch, A-Tonez, Bruxism, Spenda C $15/25 10pm Cronulla RSL DJ Michael Stewart free 8pm

FakeClub Distortion feat. Emalkay $34 9pm Front Bar, Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Yo Gritto King Opp, Silky Doyle, Daniel Darling, Chimmy Sing free 9pm Goldfish, Darlinghurst Funktank Mike OConnor, Fabz, Drop Dead Ed 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Low Motion Preacha, Moriaty, Joseph Gadget, Max Gosford, Bardeya, Kid Fiction $10 9pm Gypsy Nightclub Genesis Tritonal, Thomas Knight, Nick Arbor, Toby Matrix, Krish Titan $25 9pm Home The Venue, Sydney Digital Therapy Adam Byrne, Big J, Likewise DJs $10 9pm Hotel Chambers, Sydney Jump Jive & Wail Limpin’ Jimmy & the Swingin’ Kitten free 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Devola, Hobophonics, Starjumps, Stoney Roads, Dan Paech 8pm Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Tone free 9pm Oxford Art Factory, Basement Tracksuit free 8pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst The Nextmen (UK), DJ Harry Cotton, Peter Glass, Thomas Crown $20 (+ bf)–$25 (at door) 8pm Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney MixTape free 6pm St James Hotel The Vaine, Ruin Gloria, Dirt Sweet, No Peace For Charlie Fairfield RSL Club Intimate Lounge Music 7pm The Gaelic Miami Horror DJs, Ball Park Music (Bris), City Riot (Adel), Sea Legs 8pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst DJ Tokoloshe, DJ Jay, Sveta $25 9pm Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Bring on the Weekend! DJ Matty Roberts free 9pm

SATURDAY JULY 16 Agincourt Hotel As Chaos Unfolds, Starforge, Empirical, Resonator Bank Hotel, Newtown Slynk, Busta Ben Kelly & Paul Master 9pm Blue Hotel, Woolloomooloo Saturday Night Deluxe DJ Frenzie 8pm Bungalow 8, Darling Harbour Cassian, Murray Lake, Andy Benke free 9pm Candy’s Apartment Big Guns Disco Volante, Wizzfizzkid, Leigh Westren, SMS, Sohda, Ethan Boyd $15/20 8pm Cargo Bar, Darling Harbour The Institute of Music 9pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney The H ollywood Anthem Tour The Only, Vengeance & The Immigrant, Matt Nugent, Samrai, Murray Lake, Naiki, Matttt & Friends, Jake Hough & Noodles, Ben Dunlop, Defined By Rythm, Carlos Zarate $15/26 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

Ngaiire Forbes Hotel Cube Franchi Brothers, Edoardo Perlo, Tom Brereton, Amy Fairweather, Kimba 10pm Gladstone Hotel Reload The Abyss, Juzlo, Max Gosford, Moriarty, Schmee J, Beans, Ritual, Speaks, Bionic, Sakura, Misree $5/10 8pm Hotel Chambers, Sydney Red Room Trey, Naiki, C-Major, Troy T 8pm Ivy, Sydney Pure Ivy Minx, Cadell, Sir Charles, Beth Yen $20 6pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJ’s free 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Miss T, Gabby, Cassette (NZ), Alison Wonderland $10 8pm Parramatta Leagues Club DJ Express free 9pm Phoenix Bar, Darlinghurst Phoenix Rising Dan Murphy, Johan Khoury, Mark Alsop $15 5am Sandringham Hotel, Newtown Fluent Form, Gecko, Discourse, Tavern Slander, That’s Them, Dialectrix $12 (+ bf)–$15 8pm Selina’s, Coogee Bay Hotel Festival of Fire - Full Moon Party 9pm Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney Club Troppo Winter Series MJ, Drew Mercer free (early bird)–$10 9.30pm St James Hotel The Havknots, DJ Fly Girl Tee, DJ Victor Lopez, B-Don & Mizi The Forbes Hotel, Sydney Cube Franchi Bros, Amy Fairweather, Tom Brereton, Kimba 10pm The Gaff, Darlinghurst Johnny B free 9pm The Metro Theatre Miami Horror, Gold Fields 8pm The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction Tim Whitney free 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! 9pm

Tone No Half Steppin! Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Dubmarine, Kato, Spenda C $15 6pm Valve Bar Instru - Dub Nikita Rolleston, Daniel Twining, Nikita & Desiree, Ben Cuddy, The Dimberrys 2pm Viper Lounge Sync 9pm Watershed Hoted The Watershed Presents... Skybar

SUNDAY JULY 17 Alexandria Hotel Sunhaze Future Classic DJs free 2pm Bank Hotel, Newtown Glitter Sundays DJ Kitty Glitter free 4pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Picnic Sundays DJ Jamin 6pm Cargo Bar, Darling Harbour Mo Hat Mo Play DJ’s free 5pm Fake Club, Kings Cross Spice Matt Weir, Mitch Crosher, Nic Scali $20 4am Jacksons on George Aphrodisiac Industry Night free 8pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Session DJ Tone free 7pm Sweeney’s Rooftop Sundaes Hanna Gibb, Ty $10 12pm The Hive Bar, Erskineville Revolve Records DJs free 5pm The Roxy Hotel Starfucker DJs, DJs Willi, Charlie Brown, Ember, G Wizard $28.20 4pm The Tea Gardens Hotel, Bondi Junction Anthony K, Demolition, Gee, Gary Honor free 4pm Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour DJ Matty Roberts free World Bar, Kings Cross Disco Punx free 6pm

“You better make your face up in your favourite disguise with your button down lips and your roller blind eyes ” - THE WALL 50 :: BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11

snap

club picks up all night out all week...

Cassian

WEDNESDAY JULY 13

Kween G

propaganda

PICS :: DM

up all night out all week . . .

30:06:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

Tone, Surry Hills Alphamama EP Launch feat Danny G Felix, Milan, Ngaiire, Mirrah, West Labz & Kween G 7:30pm

THURSDAY JULY 14

Tone, Surry Hills LHA, Fonke Knomaads, D-lect, CBay LHA, Fonke Knomaads, D-lect, CBay $10 (presale)–$12 (at door) 7pm

FRIDAY JULY 15 Chinese Laundry Utah Jazz (UK) , Inna Riddim Sound System, Vice Versa, Pop The Hatch, A-Tonez, Bruxism, Spenda C $15/25 10pm

Only, Vengeance, The Immigrant, Matt Nugent, Samrai, Murray Lake, Naiki, Matttt & Friends, Jake Hough & Noodles, Ben Dunlop, Defined By Rhythm, Carlos Zarate $15-25 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Miss T, Gabby, Cassette (NZ), Alison Wonderland $10 8pm

Upstairs @ The Beresford, Surry Hills Dubmarine, Kato, Spenda C $15 6pm

SUNDAY JULY 17 Alexandria Hotel Sunhaze Future Classic DJs free 2pm

falcona fridays

PICS :: PS

The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Propaganda DJs free (student)–$5 (at door) 9pm

01:07:11 :: Kit & Kaboodle Supper Club :: 35 Darlinghurst Rd Kings Cross 9368 0300

Sweeney’s Rooftop Sundaes Hannah Gibbs, Ty $10 12pm

FakeClub Distortion feat. Emalkay $34 9pm

SATURDAY JULY 16 Bungalow 8, Darling Harbour Cassian, Murray Lake, Andy Benke free 9pm Chinese Laundry The Hollywood Anthem Tour The

Kato

teen spirit

PICS :: AM

Fonke Knomaads

01:07:11 :: Q-Bar :: 34 Oxford Street Darlinghurst 9331 2956 :: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) A ZHU OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ANN :: SON VEN RKE :: PATRICK STE DANIEL MUNNS :: KATRINA CLA

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 51

snap snap

02:07:11 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 55 Liverpool St, Chinatown 9267 3787

melt

PICS :: CG

slowblow

PICS :: AM

upall allnight nightout outall allweek week...... up

01:07:11 :: Melt Bar :: 2 Kellett Street, Kings Cross 9380 6060

party profile

alphamama

It’s called: Alphamama’s EP launch

It sounds like? Funk-infused neo-soul with reggae and hip hop influences. A bit like all your favorite girl bands of the ‘90s rolled into one woman. Who’s playing? Alphamama with a 12 piece band, special guests West Labz Sound, Milan, Ngaiire, Danny G Felix, Kween G and Mirrah. Sounds you’ll hear on the night: 100% origin al Aussie soul music. Sell it to us: There’ll be heaps of hot chicks dressed as Amazon women… And a hell of a show. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: All you’ll have to do is throw your copy of the EP on your stereo to bring back the memories. Wallet damage: $10 Where: Tone / 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills

last night

PICS :: CG

When: Wednesday July 13, from 7:30pm

the mane thing

PICS :: AM

strike bowling 01:07:11 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex Street Sydney 82959958

52 :: BRAG :: 420: 11:07:11

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01:07:11 :: The Gaelic Theatre :: 64 Devonshire St Surry Hills 92111687

02:06:11 :: Strike Bowling :: 122 Lang Road Moore Park 1300 787 453 :: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) A ZHU OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ANN :: SON VEN STE ICK RKE :: PATR DANIEL MUNNS :: KATRINA CLA

BRAG :: 420 :: 11:07:11 :: 53

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bungalow 8

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

02:07:11 :: Bungalow 8 :: 8 The Promenade Kings Street Wharf 92994440

PICS :: AM

don rimini

rnb superclub It’s called: RnB Superclub

party profile

04:02:11 02:07:11 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex Street Sydney 82959958

It sounds like: The biggest and most pump ing RnB club hits from past to present. DJs: Serving up Sydney’s premium DJs – DJ G Wizard, DJ Def Rok, DJ Troy T, Dj Lilo, DJ Eko & hosted by MC Jayso n. Three records you’ll hear on the night: Anyth hot & banging, and everything you won’t hear ing Pitbull, anything at another club. And one you definitely won’t: ‘Hot Potato ’ by The Wiggles. Sell it to us: If you missed the grand openi missed the biggest night to hit Sydney on a ng last week, then you Friday - it was a full house. Come join over one million people who’v Superclub doors, at what is now Sydney’s premie been through the um Friday night event! The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The pump ing party atmosphere that continues on into the morning. Crowd specs: Full of party people ready to bring the house down (and taking full advantage of our $5 drinks from 9:30-11pm). Wallet damage: $20 at the door, or discount entry if you're on the guestlist; check out platinum1.com.au

hot damn

PICS :: CG

Where: The Arthouse Hotel / 275 Pitt St, Sydne y When: Every Friday night

30:06:11 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93316245

PICS :: TT

PICS :: AM

01:07:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

54 :: BRAG :: 420: 11:07:11

PICS :: AZ, CG

16bit & singa

3things hip hop approach 30:06:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

:: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) A ZHU OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ANN :: SON VEN STE RKE :: PATRICK DANIEL MUNNS :: KATRINA CLA

PRESENTS

New Single ‘Tear the Roof OFF’ Out now!

MORE INFORMATION AT ASHGRUNWALD.COM

FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST - OXFORD ARTS FACTORY, SYDNEY SATURDAY 13TH AUGUST - WAVES, WOLLONGONG SUNDAY 14TH AUGUST - CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE MORE INFO & TICKETS AT ASHGRUNWALD.COM