The Brag #434 by The Brag

+WVQK[ ;_QU_MIZ

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 3

4 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 5

6 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 7

8 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 9

10 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 11

12 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

MEET THE ARTISTS

‘…Hitchcock delivers a thoroughly unforgettable evening’ LA Times Inﬂuential alt-rocker, Hitchcock is one of England’s most enduring singer/songwriters. An avid collaborator, originally with post-punk outﬁt The Soft Boys, he’s worked with country/folk duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, REMs Peter Buck, Grant-Lee Phillips, and more.

11 NOV. CONCERT HALL. FROM $59*. FIND OUT MORE SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/WAYTOBLUE.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH GAYNOR CRAWFORD PRESENTS.

BEIRUT

2 , 3 & 4 JANUARY

‘GORGEOUSLY CROONED SONGS THAT ARE LIKE HAZY, SEPIA-TINTED SNAPSHOTS OF LOVES AND LOSSES...’ 5 JANUARY CONCERT HALL TICKETS FROM $49*

CONCERT HALL FROM $69*

D! NCHEJA OUED NN STNA N JU 4T W: W D & FI AL SHO 3R

O N E I N T I M AT E S Y D N E Y S H O W O N LY

T! S A F G N I L SEL

F R O M N Y ’ S AVA N T- P O P A U T U E R S

GANG GANG D ANCE ‘A N G E L I C B L I S S … DY N A M I C AND THRILLING’ N E W YO R K T I M E S

THEY WILL HAVE THEIR WAY THE SONGS OF TIM & NEIL FINN SARAH BLASKO, PAUL DEMPSEY, CLARE BOWDITCH, LIOR, HOLLY THROSBY, ALEXANDER GOW & SALLY SELTMANN D OUT & 18 NOV . CONCERT HALL . FROM $79* 16 NOV, 17SOLNOV 3RD & FINAL SHOW NOW ON SALE - FRI 18 NOV!

1 0 D E C . S T U D I O. A L L T I C K E T S $ 4 5 *

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS A NICK CAVE SONG: FEATURING NEIL FINN, SARAH BLASKO, ANGUS AND JULIA STONE, PAUL KELLY, MARTHA WAINWRIGHT, THE TEMPER TRAP AND MORE. WATCH THE VIDEO AT THESHIPSONGPROJECT.COM JOIN US ON FACEBOOK ‘MUSIC AT THE HOUSE’ *A TRANSACTION FEE OF $5 - $8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS, EXCEPT INSIDERS.

BOOK NOW 02 9250 7777 SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/MUSIC BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 13

14 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 15

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

five things WITH

SASHA FROM ONLY THE SEA SLUGS Growing Up I grew up in this small home that had one 1. record player and a cassette deck. I remember making a drum out of a bucket and breaking branches to make sticks to hit it with. My folks are not musicians. Ironically though, they had a taste for sweet sounds, and all I did was listen to Michael Jackson, Motown and Billy Joel records after kindergarten. Dad began accordion lessons, but he was so uncoordinated that it irritated me so much I kicked him in the sack. I wrote a song in year three with a friend called ‘Fire Burns’. It was tight. Inspirations I was in love with folk music, and the cultural 2. music of Eastern Europe – just sitting staring at

Your Crew Zoran, a man of leisure and small workload; 3. Dean, who started with us at 18; Scotty the

With: Fait Accompli, Hello Vera, I Know Leopard Where: Spectrum, The Exchange Hotel When: Saturday October 22

ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Jay Collier, Cai Griffin, Ashley Mar, Daniel Munns, Thomas Peachey, George Popov, Sam Whiteside COVER DESIGN: Sarah Bryant ADVERTISING: Matthew Cowley - 0431 917 359 / (02) 8394 9492 matthew@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 8394 9027 les@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Meaghan Meredith - 0423 655 091 / (02) 8394 9168 meaghan@thebrag.com GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Conrad Richters - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance & parties) INTERNS: Sigourney Berndt, Greg Clennar, Julian de Lorenzo, Erin Holohan REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Simon Binns, Michael Brown, Liz Brown, Bridie Connell, Bridie Connellan, Ben Cooper, Oliver Downes, Alasdair Duncan, Max Easton, Tony Edwards, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Henry Florence, Mike Gee, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Alex Lindsay Jones, Robbie Miles, Peter Neathway, Hugh Robertson, Matt Roden, Emma Salkild, 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...

16 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

some sideshows to boot. He’ll be hitting up FBi Social on December 29 – and tickets are on sale now. Small venue. Amazing artist. Get a ticket.

“GROUPLOVE comes to Australia,” screamed the email in my inbox, and I immediately got extremely excited, called all of my sexiest friends, and bought a brand new set of car keys to drop into the salad bowl. ...After an extremely embarrassing phonecall with the publicist, however, it transpired that the press release instead referred to a world-beating American band who have announced a January 3 show at Factory Theatre on the back of their debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song. And if you buy a ticket to the show before December 1, you’ll go in the draw to win original artwork by Hannah from the band.

EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 02 9698 9645 ARTS & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 02 9690 2731 STAFF WRITERS: Jonno Seidler, Caitlin Welsh NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Chris Honnery

DUM DUM GIRLS

LANEWAY 2012

The Pitchfork-approved Laneway Festival has announced its lineup for the 2012 edition, which in Sydney falls on Sunday February 5 at Sydney College of the Arts. And it’s a big one. Laura Marling, Feist, Anna Calvi (whose self-titled debut will be making most year-end lists) and EMA (who is cooler than you) will bring the girlpower that Girls won’t, with M83, The Drums, Chairlift, Active Child, Cults, Portugal The Man, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Horrors, Toro Y Moi, Wu Lyf, Twin Shadow, Washed Out and Yuck just some more of the words that you’ll see adorning the Laneway posters around the city. This year, Laneway is moving the main stage to the Callan Park Ampitheatre, and adding another tucked in the trees – it’s gonna be a big one. Tickets go on sale this Wednesday October 19 at 9am.

bands, but haven’t really directly been related to many, and that helps us confirm our sound and continue writing it. Street Music was recorded at Flashpoint Studios, home of the Easybeats, and we mastered with a bearded legend named Dave Hammer. I used to be a maniac, and want to kill the members if we fucked up on stage, but I have found it’s easier to tease them. 5. Music, Right Here, Right Now The music scene is nice; there are some great acts out there. I suppose the hardest obstacle an artist has is maintaining momentum. It’s a long and draining road that requires more perseverance than a 40km jog on a hungover Sunday. Our homies Le Kingste have the freshest music I have heard; talking for hours with Paul Kingston inspires me to write more.

GROUPLOVE TOUR

PUBLISHERS: Adam Zammit & Rob Furst EDITOR IN CHIEF: Adam Zammit 9552 6333 adam@peergroupmedia.com

The Music You Make It might be dark, hypnotic, and moody pop 4. rock – for now. We are influenced by lots of

musicians at weddings. Then I discovered hip hop at six years old – Run DMC – and I lost my mind. Other than hip hop, anything that is quality pop music, such as David Bowie, Radiohead, Dino Merlin, The Beatles, Andre 3000. Anyone that doesn’t give a fuck, and is down to earth. And forget forced fashion bands – blahhh. Clever melodies/arrangements, moody singing and powerful sections are deluxe.

Battlecat; Liam, who moved from Perth to play in the band. Zoran and I grew up together, and we

Feist

slowly met the chaps as the years passed. We share a dusty warehouse that connects us all, and the moody music we have written there has grown in our hearts and bonds us.

‘Be My Baby’ has a lot to answer for. That boom-boom-boom BOOM drum intro part pretty much invented girl groups, shoegaze, lo-fi, hi-fi, chillwave and the Jesus and Mary Chain. California’s Dum Dum Girls do this style of shimmery, reverby, dreamy, stoned-ina-bedroom-listening-to-vinyl sound better than most, and they are playing at Oxford Art Factory on January 2. Swoon!

NICK LOWE TOUR

Nick Lowe pretty much did everything before you did anything. He produced the first five Elvis Costello records (the good ones), The Pretenders’ debut single, and The Damned’s first album, widely heralded as the first punk album (Saints fans can argue elsewhere; I personally think Beatles For Sale is pretty punk rock…). Plus he has had a litany of his own hits, ‘Cruel To Be Kind’ amongst them. Now he’s coming Down Under, off the back of his new album The Old Magic – the show doesn’t happen until March 29 at the Opera House, but tickets go sale this Tuesday October 18. Keep yours in a safe place.

IT’S ONLY ONLY THE SEA SLUGS

Only The Sea Slugs are awesome for a number of reasons. Among them: their name sounds like the punchline to a long-winded story you long lost interest in (also, this story is being told by an old English man), they released a recording a few years back called ‘You’re The Reason Drugs Are Useless’, and – most awesome of all – the Sydney four-piece are back with a new mini-album, Street Music. They’re launching it Saturday October 22 at Spectrum. See how many stairs you can jump down. I bet you can’t do twelve.

ARE YOU GOING TO GEORGIA FAIR?

The always terrific Georgia Fair are launching their seasonally displaced debut album All Through Winter on November 2 at the Standard, after a year of touring with artists like Washington, The Panics and the cutefaced Lisa Mitchell. (Meanwhile, the Augusta Chronicle reported, “Derrick McCurley mops the floor of the bumper cars on Thursday afternoon, at the 89th Georgia-Carolina State Fair.” Probably not related. That’s Google for you.)

HANNI EL KHATIB TOUR

Hanni El Khatib describes his debut album Will The Guns Come Out as “knife fight music”, which is good enough for us. The ‘60s-rock-meetsAmericana-meets-punk-meets-a-flip-trick artist has already been announced to play at Peats Ridge Festival already (December 29 – January 1 at Glenworth Valley), but they’ve just laid down

Howling Bells

HOWLING BELLS TOUR

Juanita Stein does whatever she wants. At the height of Waikiki’s fame, she went ‘Nope, had enough,’ and moved to London to start a dark, shoegaze band. Then, when the UK press boxed them as such, she went ‘Nope, had enough,’ and released an ultra pop record. Then, after they were referred to as ‘indie darlings’ and ‘pixie-faced-blah-blahs’ and the like, Juanita went and released the colossal shimmery, desert-peyote trip that is Howling Bells’ third album, The Loudest Engine. They’re touring the record at the end of this year, and will be stopping in at The Standard on December 10.

Q Bar + Phoenix Vegas + Spectrum

GIG OF THE WEEK FRI 21ST OCT 9PM $10

FRI 21ST OCT 10PM $10

TEEN SPIRIT 90’S CLUB FEATURING 9021Bros Melrose Waste Doh J. Simpson Pinky & the Brain Bash Brothers Pushin’ Pop Ben in Black Ren & Stimpy Dawson’s Freak Dj Smithers Bass Ventura Dj Tombogotchi Spice Cube DJ’s Doogie Howser MDJ Special Guest Urby Cookie Collective

SIDEWAYS FRIDAYS DETNUM MANJAZZ PAPER CRANES MINIMAL, TECHNO, TECH HOUSE

SAT 22ND OCT 10PM $10 MATT VAUGHAN

FRI 21ST OCT 8PM $10/$15

Megastick Fanfare Oh Ye Denver Birds Mrs Bishop Guerre SAT 22ND OCT 8PM $10

Only the Sea Slugs Fait Accompli Hello Vera I Know Leopard After 11:30

PRESENTS

DOWNTOWN UNDERGROUND

P*A*S*H

Matt Vaughan Dj Sveta

WITH DJ’S

NYC tribute performance

Goldfoot & Knife

Dallas Dellaforce

SAT 22ND OCT 10PM $25

THURS 20TH OCT 10PM $12/$15

Big Exile

Destroy All Lines Presents

Men Only with

Dj Rado Feisty Sveta, Mark Alsop Gavyn Vincze Chip

Endless Heights Mindset Far West Battlefront Snakepit

SAT 22ND OCT 5AM $15 SUN 23RD OCT 5AM $15

DAY CLUB

Monday M d -F Friday id 10am - Late Saturday - Sunday 9am - 6am Sunday Recovery 9am – late Happy Hour 5-7 every day

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 17

rock music news

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

He Said She Said WITH

DANNY FROM PIGEON we also have producers, DJs and a jazz musician to keep it fresh. Our music is high energy, eclectic, live electro-pop. We throw in jazzy bits and dub/reggae, dubstep, drum and bass, hip hop, and whatever we feel like. We’ve just released an EP called Parallels; it’s a pretty good indication of what we do, ranging from pop to hip hop and then winding down with some hard drumstep at the end. We recorded it ourselves at HKmusic studios in Brisbane, which is a studio that Nick and I own and operate.

rowing up, I listened to a lot of The Beatles. My dad used to be a bass player in a band that did a lot of ‘70s prog rock, but I can’t say I’ve drawn too much influence from that. My mum listens exclusively to Christmas songs; she can get a Christmas vibe going four months either side. I’m yet to find out if this has infiltrated my subconcious. We could be the next big thing in Christmas songwriting. My favourite bands and artists are constantly changing, but there are some bands I can always listen to. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Sigur Rós, and I

have artists that I’ll always revisit, like Jónsi, Bon Iver, Miike Snow, Why?, Delphic, Noisia and Sufjan Stevens. It’s definitely a bit of a mixed bag on my iPod, but that’s just how I like it. Pigeon is Chris Paget, Aaron Day, Luke Cuerel, Nick Kirk and myself. We all met through school and university, and started playing music together about a year ago. It’s a really cool and interesting bunch of guys to play with, because we all have completely different musical backgrounds. Nick used to be in a grindcore band playing music that makes your face bleed upon listening, and

Nobody really knows where the music scene might be headed. The number of bands is growing and the pool of revenue is being split between more people – and I think this is possibly what we can expect in the future. I go to a lot of festivals where I know a song by most of the bands but I don’t know any of the band members’ names; music used to be a bit more glorified, I think. What: Parallels EP is out now Where: Yours & Owls, Wollongong / Movement @ Beach Road, Bondi When: October 20 / October 21 More: Also playing at Fat As Butter in Newcastle on Saturday October 22

DRAGON TOUR

I remember when I was younger my father got a free Dragon tape with a packet of cigarettes or vice versa, in one of those amazing marketing campaigns that were totally quashed by political correctness (I believe The Libertines did the same thing with hits of heroin...). Ever since then, I’ve had a soft spot for Dragon, and classics like ‘April Sun in Cuba’, ‘Young Years’ and the morally dubious ‘Are You Old Enough?’ (at least he’s checking) only soften this spot. They’re embarking on a Chase The Sun EP tour – not to be confused with the Chase The Dragon tour, another Libertines venture – which hits Brass Monkey in Cronulla on November 25.

THE KILLJOYS

The Killjoys make the kind of lovely indie pop that can only kill heartache and sadness and enhance joy. In fact they should really re-name themselves The Joy-Infusers, or Joytime or the 100% Joymakers or something. S’pose it’s too late for that – they won an ARIA in 1990 for debut album Ruby, and those things cost a fair bit to get re-engraved. (Plus their ARIA is currently sitting at the bottom of the ocean – true story!) They have a new album, Pearl, and are launching it at Petersham Bowls Club on

free stuff

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

LAURA JEAN

What do you get when you cross delicate folk-rock with a pastel yellow electric guitar? Laura Jean’s second album A Fool Who’ll, that’s what. For the release, which has been made feature album on 2SER and Melbourne’s RRR, the Melbourne songstress did a Dylan and went electric, adding in some thumping drums and a whole lotta attitude to boot – and the result is pretty spiffy. So spiffy, in fact, we’d like you to check it out first hand. Laura’s going to be showing off her new songs at Petersham Bowls Club on Friday November 11; if you want a double pass, just tell us the name of her debut.

The Drones

THE DRONES

We all make mistakes. This morning, for instance, I misjudged my cornflake-to-milk ratio, and tragedy ensued. Some people who are less mistake-prone are The Drones, so we don’t understand why they’ve named their live DVD A Thousand Mistakes. Another non-mistake move is their decision to go on a national tour – seriously guys, it’s like you’re rubbing our faces in it. If you want a chance to rub your face in The Drones at The Metro Theatre on Saturday October 29 AND enjoy the magic on DVD with a copy of A Thousand Mistakes, just tell us the last mistake you made. October 28, supported by The Glamma Rays and The Bernie Hayes Quartet.

SET SAIL

Sydney’s Set Sail did just that earlier this year, when they set off on their World Stage Tour to hit 48 cities across seven continents; they turned down deals, got arrested, played to a crowd of thousands in their underwear, amassed a huge Facebook following, and recorded a single (‘The Boat Song’) in the back of a van. They’ve come a long way since their busking beginnings. The tour is called Chasing Summer, so it makes sense the Australian leg of it happens this December; they’ll be hitting Oxford Art Factory on December 15, and it’s hot on stage, so they’ll probably take their shirts off (ladies…).

THEE OH SEES TOUR

San Fran’s favourite skuzzed-out punk rock’n’rollers Thee Oh Sees will be heading back Down Under for Sugar Mountain Festival in Victoria – but they’re swinging around this way for a sideshow at The Annandale on Thursday January 19. Bring a spare T-shirt – they have a few slow songs, but shit will get sweaty.

Husky

Ashleigh Mannix

HUSKY FOREVER

When I used to think of ‘Husky’ I’d think of grizzled old cigarette-stained men coughing and spluttering and roaring something inaudible in a dimly lit afternoon pub. I’d also think of cute, drunk girls losing their voice after a night of drinking, shouting and cigarettes – and both of these have their certain charms. But now, after hearing Melbourne band Husky’s impressive harmony-drenched debut record Forever So, all I’m thinking about is that I need to get along to their November 12 album launch at The Standard.

THIS WEEK @ FBI SOCIAL

This week at FBi Social ain’t looking too bad, with the next installment of Radiant Live bringing Assasins 88, Bare Grillz, Sweet Teeth and Secrets to the venue on Thursday October 20. The following night you’ve got Pot Luck, with Das Platforms and Cleptoclectics, and on the Saturday, pay 13 clams to see The Rescue Ships (Brian Campeau + Elana Stone = sweetness, harmonies and occasional dick jokes), The Inland Sea and Jackson McLaren. Afterwards, we recommend you head all the way to the bottom level of King’s Cross Hotel and check out the gross crayfish in the aquarium near the booth behind the bar. He’ll never get to the top of that rock.

BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS

There’s an old legend that Texan funk/soul/rock band Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears

went down to the crossroads and made a deal with the devil; he gave them the voodoo power of James Brown, and all they had to do was travel 20 hours in a plane to the other side of the world and play songs from their latest record Scandalous for a bunch of convicts in a factory. Well, the time for redemption is near: it all goes down December 9 at the Factory Theatre in Sydney. Tickets on sale now.

PLUTO JONZE

Pluto Jonze’s new single ‘Plastic Bag In A Hurricane’ is being accompanied by a national tour, which will see the talented 24-year-old play October 27 at Oxford Art Factory. Which only begs the question, why does Pluto have to live outdoors in a kennel, while fellow dog Goofy gets to live indoors, chat to Mickey and Donald, and wear shoes and clothes? That’s the kind of inequality that saw Walt Disney later become a Nazi sympathiser. And don’t even get me started on Pocahontas…

SYDNEY BLUES & ROOTS FESTIVAL

It’s only a week or so now until Sydney Blues & Roots festival graces Windsor in the Hawkesbury Valley, from Thursday October 27 to Sunday October 30. It’s a pretty incredible lineup, with Ashleigh Mannix, The Snowdroppers, Ash Grunwald, Diesel, Abby Dobson, Chase The Sun, Spookyland, Kira Puru & The Bruise, Jordie Lane, Leroy Lee, Sam Shinazzi, Declan Kelly, The Rumjacks and more joining internationals like Folk Uke, Jeff Martin and Tim Chaisson. Tickets (including daily passes) are on sale now – head to sydneybluesfestival.com.au for more.

“Senses never gratified. Only swelling like a tide that could drown me in the material world” – GEORGE HARRISON 18 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 19

The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

Married: Sydney drummer Jackie Barnes and girlfriend Stephy, in a ceremony in Thailand before his family, including father Jimmy Barnes. Dating: Blues performer Dallas Frasca and Ezekiel Ox (Over Reactor, ex-Mammal) are stepping out together. Injured: NZ songwriter Tiny Ruins, aka Hollie Fullbrook, dislocated her shoulder and broke a finger in a motorbike accident during a holiday in Zanzibar. Hospitalised: Doctors have told Panic! At The Disco singer Brendon Urie not to perform for some time, as he might have contracted malaria in Indonesia. Hospitalised: Due to years of frantic headbanging, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth needed surgery on his neck – and faced being paralysed if he didn’t have the operation. Fined: Bluejuice singer (and BRAG contributor) Jake Stone copped a $100 fine for swearing onstage at the Caloundra Music Festival on the Sunshine Coast — and a ban from the festival for scaling up the side scaffolding of the stage. You can catch him on YouTube pashing an old woman on Bluejuice’s latest clip, for their new single ‘Act Yr Age’. Arrested: N-Dubz' MC Dappy, 24, for allegedly attacking his girlfriend Kaye Vassell, 21, mother of his two sons. In Court: England’s High Court ruled that Pete Doherty and his manager Andrew Boyd can be sued for compensation by a church worker who was left disabled and brain damaged after being run over by Boyd, who was driving Doherty’s car without insurance in September of 2009. Boyd has already served jail time for the incident. Suing: David Cassidy is suing Sony, saying the label has made $500 million over the past 40 years in merchandising and syndication royalties from his TV show, The Partridge Family – and only paid him $5,000 of that. Died: Former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh was found dead in a Chicago hotel, most likely of a drug overdose.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC LEADS ARIA NOMINATIONS Universal Music led the ARIA nominations which were announced last Wednesday; its artists and labels had a total of 61. More

20 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

ARIA ARTISAN & FINE ARTS AWARDS ANNOUNCED Unveiled at the ARIA nominations announcement were the winners of the Artisan and Fine Arts categories. They were Wally De Backer aka Goyte (Producer of the Year), Francois Tetaz (Engineer of the Year), Natasha Pincus for Starkraving Productions (Best Video, for Goyte’s’ Somebody That I Used to Know’), Alter (Cover Art for Cut Copy’s Zonoscope), Elixir’s First Seed Ripening (Best Jazz Album), Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s Rrakala (Best World Album), AC/DC – Live At River Plate (Best Music DVD), Chris Lilley’s Angry Boys (Best Original Soundtrack), and Sally Whitwell’s Mad Rush: Piano Music of Philip Glass (Best Classical Album).

AIR INDIE AWARDS ANNOUNCED The Jagermeister Independent Music Awards showed off the vibrancy of the dance music sector, with both Seekae’s ‘Blood Bank’ (Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy) and Tommy Trash & Tom Piper’s ‘All My Friends (ft. Mr. Wilson)’ (Ministry of Sound) tying for Best Independent Dance/Electronica/Club Single. The Jezabels (Independent/MGM) confirmed their strong standing in the Australian indie music world by winning Best Independent Artist, as well as Best Independent Single/EP for Dark Storms. Amongst other winners were Adalita’s Adalita (Liberation) for Best Album; Emma Louise (unsigned) for Breakthrough Artist; Pnau’s Soft Universe (Etc. Etc.) for Best Dance/Electronica Album; My Disco‘s Little Joy (Shock) for Best Hard Rock/Punk album; Drapht’s The Life Of Riley (The Ayems Records) for Best Hip Hop/Urban Album and rapper 360 (Soulmate), who took the People’s Choice aka Jagermeister's Most Hunted award. The awards were organised by AIR on behalf of its 120 label members.

WANNA WRITE FOR THE MINOR CHORD? Indent, a project of MusicNSW that supports all-ages entertainment, is looking for a young person to contribute to The Minor Chord column that appears in BRAG each week. No experience required, but you must have an understanding of the local all-ages scene. If you want to boost your writing skills or become a music journalist, send through your details with an example of your writing to scarlett@musicnsw.com

VILLAGE SOUNDS AND ATLAS AGENCY MERGE Village Sounds and The Atlas Agency have merged, with the two agencies now known as Village Sounds. Atlas founder Mark Lackey (who set it up eight years ago) and

office manager Gabby Meli move over to Village Sounds’ Sydney office in Surry Hills. They take with them bands like The Drones, Clutch, Ash Grunwald, Blue King Brown, Gareth Liddiard, The Black Seeds, Kora, Cog, The Beautiful Girls and Salmonella Dub. Village Sounds’ roster includes Art Vs Science, Bernard Fanning, Birds of Tokyo, The Grates, The Mess Hall, The Vines, Violent Soho and Washington. To coincide with the merger, a new website was launched last week at www.villagesounds.com

NEW TICKETMASTER FEATURE: FIND YOUR FRIEND Ticketmaster Australia has unveiled a new feature on their website. Through interactive seat maps (integrated with Facebook), fans can find where their friends are sitting at a live event. When a consumer buys a ticket online, he/she can tag their seats if they want friends or others to know where they’ll be. Ticketmaster calls this a first for Australia, with CEO Chris Forbes saying, “From our Dynamic Event Recommendations to our Interactive Seat Maps and Fan Reviews, we are delivering a truly social experience for fans that extends well beyond the initial event announcement and event date.”

NEW PARTNERS FOR SLEEPMAKESWAVES Sydney’s sleepmakeswaves have added two business partners to their team. Their new manager is Mike Solo, who also happens to co-run their record label, Bird’s Robe

Records. Daniel Sant from The Harbour Agency is their new agent. On another front, Tim Adderley is their new drummer. He will continue to play with his current regular gig, labelmates Pirates.

FESTIVAL FROLICS #1: PARKLIFE The woman who was thrown out of Parklife Sydney for anti-gay comments directed at Gossip’s Beth Ditto – she carried a sign with ‘Dyke Whore’ on one side and ‘Equal Rights/God Hates Your Soul’ on the other – claims that she is a lesbian herself and a Ditto fan. The 26-year old told gay site Same Same that she’d brought the sign to make a point about gay rights and religious intolerance; “I feel I’ve been misrepresented,” she told the site.

FESTIVAL FROLICS #2: DENI UTE MUSTER It poured down with rain two days before and for the first two days of the Deniliquin Ute Muster on September 30 and October 1. 18,000 came out in gumboots and jackets to celebrate the humble ute and catch the live acts. Saturday night’s concert was headlined by Icehouse, who took the stage with Eskimo Joe, Guy Sebastian, Adam Brand, Troy Cassar-Daley, Suzi Quatro, Adam Harvey and Beccy Cole. Festival chairman Harold Clapham said the event set two world records – for the amount of utes (6998) and the amount of blue singlets (1728). Five thousand watched the AFL Grand Final on a screen; The Mentals played at half time.

THINGS WE HEAR * DJ Guetta, in the country to promote his Nothing But The Beat album, let slip that he’s returning next year to headline the Creamfields festival. * Universal Music signed former Seekers singer Judith Durham globally, while Alberts has inked Queensland’s Harmony James to a publishing deal. * Acts on Sydney’s Bird’s Robe Records – sleepmakeswaves, Pirate and Anubis – will have their music released in Europe via For Kicks Music in Germany. * Kimbra’s debut album Vows went gold in four weeks, Warner Music announced. * Rihanna has gained her 20th Top 10 single in America in record-breaking time, taking just six years and four months (beating Madonna’s six years and nine months). She has also scored her sixth #1 hit in the UK. Meantime, Tori Amos became the first woman to simultaneously land a Top 10 in Billboard’s Classical, Alternative & Rock charts, with her classical concept album, Night Of Hunters. * Jarvis Cocker went back to address the pupils of his old school, Sheffield’s City School. While he was there he returned a library book, Nine Modern Poets, that he’d had for 30 years. * Ten Network has revealed that it is developing smartphone applications for Young Talent Time, so that the returning show can be streamed live. * Microsoft is discontinuing its Zune media player, which it launched five years ago as a rival to Apple’s iPod. * When Lady Gaga appeared on Britain’s The Jonathan Ross Show, she brought in a male sheep as a present for the host.

Lady Gaga and Kevin the sheep * Faced with dropping attendances in recent years, Canberra’s Stonefest has axed the bands it advertised (including The Vines), and will be running just dance and hip hop acts. Refunds are available. * Immigration changes that come into effect in March will make it easier for Australian musicians (and actors) to work in New Zealand. Those working for less than 14 days or playing a significant cultural, arts or music event will face a simpler visa processing system.

Image: http://www.capitalfm.com/artists/lady-gaga/news/lady-gaga-accompanied-sheep-tv-interview/

Lifelines

than half of these came from the indie labels that Universal have bought out, gone into joint ventures with or signed distribution deals with. These included ABC Music with a remarkable 17, Liberation (8), Eleven A Music Company (7), Modular (5), Dew Process (4) and Ivy League (4). Following were Sony with 32, EMI with 19, MGM Distribution with 18 (helped by four gongs for Darwin’s Skinnyfish), Warner Music with 9 and Inertia with 5. Of the acts, Gotye, Boy & Bear and Drapht pulled seven nominations each. Following were Geoffry Gurrumul Yunipingu (6), Eskimo Joe (6), Birds of Tokyo (5), Billy Thorpe (4) and Guy Sebastian (4). See aria.com.au for full list.

W E D N E S D AY S OCT

OCT

6PM / DANNY DE SOUSA 9PM / HUW LONGMAN

6PM / GEORGIA 9PM / ALICE QUIDDINGTON

T H U R S D AY S OCT

OCT

6PM / KRISTY LEE 9PM / BETH YEN

6 P M / E L LY K 9PM / LA VIDA

F R I D AY S OCT

OCT

6PM / JOHN DEVECCHIS 9PM / LA VIDA 12AM / ANTHONY CASA S A X / M A R K M AT T H E W S V O C A L S / N ATA L I E C O N W AY

6PM / JOHN DEVECCHIS 9PM / BETH YEN 12AM / CADELL S A X / M A R K M AT T H E W S V O C A L S / N ATA L I E C O N WAY

S A T U R D AY S OCT

OCT

6PM / GEORGIA 9PM / HUW LONGMAN 12AM / PHIL HUDSON S A X / M A R K M AT T H E W S VOCALS / MISS CHLOE

6PM / ALICE QUIDDINGTON 9PM / HUW LONGMAN 12AM / PHIL HUDSON S A X / M A R K M AT T H E W S

S U N D AY S OCT

OCT

4PM / LIVE BAND FROM 6PM / R A N DOM S O UL

FREE

ENTRY

4PM / LIVE BAND FROM 6PM / R A N DOM S O UL

WED SUN

OPEN TIL

3AM

W W W. T H E A R G Y L E R O C K S .C OM O P E N 7 D AY S

COCKTAILS

LUNCH

DINNER

L AT E N I G H T M E N U

1 8 A R G Y L E S T, T H E R O C K S , S Y D N E Y N S W 2 0 0 0 P HONE 02 9247 5500 T H E A R GY L E R O C K S.C O M R E S E R VAT I O N S @ T H E A R G Y L E . C O M FAC E B OO K .C O M / T H E A R G Y L E R O C K S BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 21

Although Vin Rock and Treach’s duo effort Illcons was hugely successful, peaking at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, the rapper tells me that on Naughty By Nature’s upcoming tour, the one that’ll see them in Newcastle this weekend for Fat As Butter Festival, material from that album will not get much of an airing. It simply wouldn’t be fair to Kay Gee, the MC tells me – but the group intends to make up for it in a big way. “It would be kind of weird to do stuff that Kay Gee wasn’t a part of. Since the whole tour and album is about the reunion, we’re going to stick to material we’ve done together,” Vin explains. “Anthem Inc. is a special album because it’s one half classic Naughty By Nature tracks, and the other half is brand new songs. We were going to do a full album of all original material, but we decided that with the reformation and everything, we would remake six songs from our biggest records and then do seven brand new songs. I guess we wanted it to be a record that represents the Then and the Now. “Our production has gotten so much better over the years,” he continues. “You’ve got to remember that when we first started, we were just teenagers, and Kay Gee was just a young aspiring DJ. The earlier stuff was probably a bit amateur compared to what we are now; just a lot of repetitive loops and not many changes from song to song. But after the first two albums, he really started working hard and made some great friends with R&B guys and a lot more producers. Even the songwriting got a lot better – so the quality of the entire group increased in more recent years.”

NAUGHTY BY NATURE Yeah You Know Me By Birdie

ime heals all wounds. Naughty By Nature have come to know that much. Despite having their differences back in 2000 – ultimately resulting in DJ Kay Gee exiting the group for a good part of the last decade – in 2011 they’re back on form and stronger than ever. To prove it, the New Jersey trio are about to release the album that most thought they’d never see: the two-decade celebration that is Anthem Inc.

“We’d been together in a group since we were kids – we were like 15 years old when we got started,” MC Vin Rock says. “By the time it got to around 2000, we were all getting on each other’s nerves – we’d spent so much time together, we’d always been in each other’s faces. Kay Gee decided to take a break from the group, so me and Treach put together an album [Illcons, 2002] in the meantime – but then we hooked back up with Kay Gee and decided to make another album,” he explains.

“Things that might have seemed important in the past, things that we thought we couldn’t get over, you end up realising it doesn’t matter in the long run, and you do get over it. We were coming up on 20 years by that time anyway, and we knew we had a lot of fans out there, so we decided to do it for those two reasons. Time heals all wounds anyway, and our friendship and making music was more important than holding grudges... It’s true what they say: nobody wins that way in the end.”

“Sometimes I guess the universe just aligns itself in the right way. We knew that we had the talent, but there are a lot of talented people out there that just never get that chance – so we were very lucky too... We never would have thought we’d still be around right now.”

It was fellow rapper and actress Queen Latifah, as it happens, who was among the first to recognise the superstar potential in the trio some two decades ago. Championing the group, as well as playing mentor in the early days, it was thanks to Latifah that Naughty By Nature signed a record deal with collectivecum-label Flavor Unit, while still going under their old moniker, New Style… And the rest is chart-topping, Grammy-winning history. “I don’t know what to put that down to when I look back on it,” says Vin Rock. “Sometimes I guess the universe just aligns itself in the right way. Meeting Queen Latifah was a huge blessing, and getting her to sign us was a super highlight for me! Once that happened, it really felt like half the battle was won already. We knew we had the talent, but there are a lot of talented people out there that just never get that chance – so we were very lucky too. You see that every day, and it’s sad. Once that happened for us, though, things just started getting better and better – we got a Grammy in 1995 for Best Rap Album, and now we’re back together again and we’ve got a new album. We never would have thought we’d still be around right now,” he says. And they haven’t lost touch with the old friends. “We’re still in touch with Latifah – she’s actually on this record too, she was just in the studio with us last week putting her touches on one of the songs.” Citing Drake and Kanye West as some of the main players Naughty By Nature hope to collaborate with some day, Vin Rock says the key to survival in today’s music industry – and especially in hip hop – is versatility, and the ability to sing as well as rap. Without the willingness and capacity to evolve, artists are doomed to failure, pure and simple. “It’s probably never been the case before as it is right now,” Vin Rock says. “A lot of it has to do with technology and the fast pace of change. You’ve got to be able to branch out as a rapper, or just as an artist. I really like Drake because he’s very musical, more than most hip hop artists. I love the fact that he mixes singing and harmonising into his stuff. It reminds me of our earlier stuff, for sure,” he says. “I’d love to collaborate with Kanye, especially on some beats and production, I think he’s great at that stuff. He’s also not afraid to experiment and to step outside the box and to just do something completely unexpected with his voice other than just rapping. There’s a lot of good stuff out there; maybe it’s not in the majority, but there are some great artists if you take the time to pay attention.” What: Anthem Inc. is out later this year, through Shock With: Empire Of The Sun, The Living End, Flo Rida [USA], Sparkadia, Cloud Control, The Jezabels, The Herd, Sinden [UK], British India, Aston Shuffle, Funkoars, Flight Facilities, Sparkadia and heaps more Where: Fat As Butter @ Camp Shortland, The Foreshore, Newcastle When: Saturday October 22

“I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping while my guitar gently weeps” – GEORGE HARRISON 22 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

A D R I A N B O H M P R E S E N TS

A N EV E N I N G W I T H

E M M Y AWA R D -W I N N I N G CO M E D I A N A N D STA R O F ‘ MY L I F E O N T H E D - L I ST ’

WEDNESDAY 30 NOVEMBER SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

PHOTO: MIKE RUIZ

BOOK AT SOH BOX OFFICE 9250 7777 SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM OR TICKETMASTER 136 100 TICKETMASTER.COM.AU

TICKE ON SA TS LE MON SEPTEDAY 26 MBER! A B P R E S E N TS .CO M . AU K AT H YG R I F F I N . N E T

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 23

Portishead The 5000-Piece Puzzle By Alasdair Duncan

here are enigmatic bands, and then there’s Portishead. Lead singer Beth Gibbons is a presence so shy she borders on the ethereal, hiding behind a curtain of blonde hair and delivering vocals that are at turns harsh and haunting. The Bristol trio record intermittently, leaving a gap of more than a decade between their last two albums, and tour only when they feel like it. They came out of hibernation recently for a run of European festivals, but beat-maker Geoff Barrow was singularly unimpressed, grumbling about how Coldplay and their “fucking fireworks” just ruin everything. It takes something very special to coax a band like Portishead halfway around the world – and as Barrow tells me, Sydney’s Harvest Festival is just that. “We haven’t been to Australia for a very long while, and the idea of playing a big, corporate festival wasn’t really appealing to us, you know what I mean? These days, most things are sponsored by massive phone companies, to the point where you go to a gig and feel like you’re prey. That is pretty much the complete opposite of what festivals are supposed to be about. Harvest Festival, with the lineup it has and the place it’s going to be held, seems to have a very specific

thing in mind, and that suits us. I don’t want to seem elitist,” he continues, with a wry chuckle, “but would you rather be sharing a stage with Bruno Mars or The Flaming Lips? Of course you’d rather it be The Flaming Lips. You want to be playing to people who know what you’re doing.” For many years, Portishead simply did not like to play live, but the recording of their third album helped turn that around. “On our first two records, we would play something live, then loop it and treat it and put it onto vinyl, then fuck up the vinyl and sample it for the recording,” Barrow says. “After the second album, though, I started to find that whole process mind-numbingly boring – things needed to change.” Inspired by bands like Can and Kraftwerk, Portishead fundamentally altered their approach for their third album, leading to a sound less intricate and vastly more immediate. “The music became about tuning and timing,” he tells me. “On our first two records, we were exploring blues through the lens of European soundtrack music, but Third was embedded in psychedelic music and Krautrock.” Harvest will be the first chance a good many of the group’s Australian fans will get to witness Portishead live; I’m curious to know what we can expect from their show. “It’s a bit of a machine,” Barrow says. “It’s pretty pounding, but not in a dance kind of way. We can’t just turn up and play a show on any kind of stage and with any kind of sound rig, it’s a very specific set-up; we’ve got to have two PAs – one for Beth and one for us. There’s loads of processing, but it’s all natural and organic. I mean, our show is not us opening up a computer and hitting a button marked ‘Dance Effect 35’. It’s all really old gear.”

“Harvest Festival seems to have a very specific thing in mind, and that suits us. I don’t want to seem elitist, but would you rather be sharing a stage with Bruno Mars or The Flaming Lips? Of course you’d rather it be The Flaming Lips.” Barrow and his bandmate Adrian Utley treasure their vintage equipment, but it can be difficult to keep so many old synths, mixers and pedals in line. “We’ve very lucky, in that we have a Hugh,” Barrow tells me with a laugh. “Hugh is a guy who tours with us, who is able to fix absolutely anything in record time, and he spends most of the show with a torch on his head and a soldering iron. There is only one Hugh in the world, and he’s spectacular. He’s very important. I mean, if we arrived somewhere without him and something didn’t work, we’d have to send it away to a shop, and it would be a nightmare. We can’t live without him. Our gear is very temperamental as is – we have to take backups of everything in case it breaks down.” I have trouble imagining a singer as fragile as Beth holding up in front of a festival crowd, but Barrow assures me that she has it down pat. “Beth’s good,” he tells me. “She’s an incredible singer and songwriter. When it comes to playing live, she has to work really hard to remember where her cues are, but she’s always been like that, and we’ve got it down to a fine art at this point. It’s a bit difficult for all of us,” he continues. “I mean, it still feels somewhat ridiculous being up on stage in front of an audience of 30,000. We’re up there playing our old gear, putting together a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle every night, and it can be incredibly stressful – because more than anything, we really want to get it right.” Before letting Barrow go, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about the possibility of a new Portishead album sometime in the near future; the band haven’t released a studio album since 2008. “I’m going to go back into the studio in January,” he tells me. “What that will mean, I don’t know. I’m not sure whether Beth or Adrian will be up for it at that point, and it’s not like I would try and come up with Portishead stuff without them, but I’ve got to get myself into a place again where I can start writing. I plan to switch everything else in my brain off at that point, and focus only on Portishead.” With: The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, TV On The Radio, Mogwai, The Walkmen, PVT, Holy Fuck, Mercury Rev and more Where: Harvest: A Civilised Gathering @ Parramatta Park When: Sunday November 13 24 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

LV L 3 , 3 8 3 B O U R K E S T S U R R Y H I L L S

L I V E M U S I C , V I S U A L A R T, T H E AT R E , CO M E DY, B U R L E S Q U E & B O O Z E

FRI 21 OCT SAT 22 OCT FRI 28 OCT MICHAEL JONOTHAN WORKMAN BALL HUMANS ARE BOULET BEAUTIFUL PARK CABINS THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND

WINNER BEST NEWCOMER

MELBOURNE COMEDY FEST 2011

DIRECT FROM EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL

SMART CASUAL + MICHAEL HING

GENEVIEVE FRICKER + THE SUITCASE ROYAL

MUSIC NORTHEAST PARTYHOUSE

THE JUNGLE GIANTS

SAT 29 OCT FRI 4 NOV SAT 11 NOV DOCTOR BLOOD’S NIGHT OF TERROR

DRESS YOUR GORY BEST MUSIC BY: GLITTER CANYON PSYCHONANNY & THE BABYSHAKERS WALK ON BY+ TOMBSTONE ART BY: ESJAY + JOHN HYND HEATH NOCK + BENNETT + STEVE EDGE STEVEN NUTTALL + PIGEON BOY

FREE ENTRY

WITH

WINTER PEOPLE

MICHAEL MOONEY

BEAUFIELDS

FAKER

LIVE

PAPER SCISSORS

COME VISIT US AT FACEBOOK.COM/THESTANDARDSYDNEY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT MOSHTIX.COM.AU/THESTANDARD WEARETHESTANDARD.COM.AU

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 25

Brothers Grim Silver Tongued Devils By Jess Martin

att and James Grim grew up listening to the blues with a dad who played fingerstyle guitar, so writing songs together came pretty naturally. They picked up Stephen Devlin on drums and Chris Lichti on double bass, and Brothers Grim were born. After three years of writing in the downtime of a near-constant touring schedule, the Melbourne band are finally ready to unleash their debut LP, a hot, bluesy, rollicking romp called The Year To Forget. They’re bringing a four-piece backing band to the Oxford Art Factory this Friday to show off their new tunes live, with support from Graveyard Train. We caught up with James Grim to see what they had in store for us. So you’ve finished The Year To Forget – are you proud, or just glad it’s over? Proud as punch. This is the first record I’ve ever made that captures what we do in all its crazed live glory, but then adds just a little sparkle dust so every song has its own little world. Our reputation was built from live performance; we tour, people come see our shows, we have a wild time, they leave and tell their friends. Now there is this album travelling around that does the same job for us, without us having to get sweaty, bruised and abused…

What was the most challenging part of recording? Navigating around each individual member’s personal vision of what this album was going to be. Brothers Grim at its core are four very different and strong personalities; we aren’t afraid to fight for what we think is best for the song, and without that mud-wrestling tango, our music wouldn’t be what it is. It was the same with recording, only we added a fifth strong ‘That’s fuckin’ shit, stop being cunts and do it again!’ personality with infamous engineer, Loki Lockwood. What was the most fun part? Trying to keep the mood light when things were getting heavy. Dev is the master of this – he’s like the court jester, he’ll come running in doing an amazing Bruce Dickinson impression, or whip out his right butt cheek (the smoothest skin in the world, it’s like a super power; all the glory and magic of a Buddha belly wrapped up in one little cheek). The most fun we had though was when our extra musicians came in; the beautiful cellist recorded naked, the viola player (who is the nicest, most unassuming guy in the world) put Loki back in his place after Loki dared question his composition, and the organist had us all dancing around the studio like idiots to the riotous onslaught he was

coming up with over ‘Silver Tongued Devil’. What was the Grim household like growing up? I left home when I was about 15, so I’d only visit the Grim household on occasions – and before that I was only there two weeks on/two weeks off, due to split parents. But I do remember there was one occasion when I dropped by and caught Matt practicing in the mirror the line “It must have been James” over and over – obviously working at making me into a scapegoat for whatever he’d been up to… I was 17 and he was about 8, so far from being angry I just thought, “Clever little bugga!” What can we expect from the Sydney gig? We will be bringing the four extra musicians that appeared on the album with us for a onceonly performance, for a start. It will include a (clothed) string section, keys and a blues harp – plus we’ll be bringing our arch nemeses and best friends: the riotous man choir of Graveyard

Train. On top of this, the infamous Loki will be on sound, so if you ever wanted to hear The Year To Forget played exactly as it was in the studio – minus the hissy fits, nakedness, dancing and right butt cheek flashing – then this is your chance. Although I can’t promise that those other things won’t make an appearance… What: The Year To Forget is out now With: Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, The Graveyard Train Where: The Oxford Art Factory When: Friday October 21

Darren Middleton The Hendrix Appeal By Peter Hodgson

Ask any guitarist for their ‘My First Hendrix’ story, and they’ll go all wide-eyed as they recount their tale. “For me, I was listening to a lot of stuff with a guitar mate in Brisbane – Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, more technical or weird guitarists. But I was also into some old blues guitarists like Robert Johnson and stuff like that. My mate put on a bit of Hendrix, probably ‘Foxy Lady’ or something, and we

just sat there going, ‘Holy shit! Listen to that bloody noise coming out of his guitar!’ It was pretty interesting and pretty weird – it’s kind of the complete opposite of the Frank Zappa/ Steve Vai guitar thing.” The Hendrix appeal is hard to sum up in words, but Middleton puts it quite eloquently: “It’s beauty mixed with chaos or something, but it doesn’t feel uncontrolled, like a guitarist who has just put his guitar against the amp and kicked it so it squeals. It’s controlled chaos, and beauty.” Aside from Middleton, the lineup for the show includes Rick and John Brewster of The Angels, Jak Housden of The Whitlams, Stuart Fraser of Noiseworks, Peter Koppes of The Church, Steve Edmonds from Jimmy Barnes’ band, Peter Northcote, and former Screaming Jet, Grant Walmsley. “I’ve never been involved in this sort of thing before,” Middleton says. “I know they happen in all sorts of different formats – Zeppelin tributes, The Beatles, Hendrix now – and I’m really looking forward to it.” The event also marks Middleton’s first foray back into playing music live since Powderfinger called it a day at the end of last year. After the split, he spent the first six months of the year travelling overseas with his family – as soon as he got home, there was a call asking if he’d be down with the Jimi tribute. “I thought it sounded like a bit of fun,” he says. “It’s not something I’ve done a lot of in the past, and it’s not a great amount of pressure – the show doesn’t hinge on me. And also, I haven’t really sat down and learned other peoples’ songs for a long time. Although I’ve played a bit of this music, it’s a large number of years since I’ve given it any focus. It’s kind of fun!” As for his first post-Powderfinger creative project, Middleton is keeping his options open. He’s just put his name down for some studio time and has started writing songs, and is also considering production and co-writing projects. “As long as it feels right to me and I can have a bit of fun with it,” he says. “It’s all about the music for me these days. There’s no need to make money, or any other motivation. If it appeals to me, I might do it. I’ve got kids and a family and it’s natural to have concerns about looking after them, but for me the motivation is to be free and inspired.” What: Experience Jimi Hendrix With: Darren Middleton (Powderfinger), Stuart Fraser (Noiseworks), Peter Koppes (The Church), John and Rick Brewster (The Angels), Jak Housden (The Whitlams), Grant Walmsely (Screaming Jets), Peter Northcote and more Where: The Enmore Theatre When: Saturday October 29

Bachelorette Finding Home By Mike Gee

or Annabel Alpers, the end of touring her self-titled third album marks the end of the solo artist known as Bachelorette. For the New Zealander, who now lives in New York, it will be a stop after seven years, over which time her lovely, multi-layered, electronic psychedelic ‘60s/ girl group pop has drawn broad critical acclaim. But most importantly, her music has spoken for itself – not a lot of people can say that. Isolation Loops, My Electric Family and Bachelorette are records of equal intrigue, ambience and strength; the simple question is, ‘Why now?’ “I want a break from the solo stuff,” Alpers says, sounding more concerned about a hurricane which is just a few hours away from rattling the windows of her ground floor New York unit than she is about her career move. “I will still make music, but I want to do more collaborative projects. I think it’s good to keep making music but not put myself under any pressure; I don’t want to record another album because I have to. It is healthier not to treat music as a job. I don’t want to be someone who churns out an album every couple of years.” Like many of her contemporaries, Alpers is not dissatisfied with what she has recorded, but she does feel detached from it. Recently, she listened to some of her older material for the first time in a while and found she could listen to it more objectively. “When I hear it,” she says, “it feels like somebody else’s music – not mine.” Still, she says you have to be happy with what you’ve done given the limitations of any given time – and unless you’re a megastar, recording an album involves plenty of limitations. “There’s no point in being too critical of stuff once you’ve done it.” Alpers is similarly straightforward about live shows. “I’m not somebody who craves attention,”

she explains. “The hardest thing for me when playing live is being looked at. I’m not a born performer, but I get a lot more out of playing live than I expected to. The songwriting and recording always starts out as the most important part of the process, and the touring is an enjoyable addition. But it will be nice to stay in one place for a while and feel like I’ve had a home… [Touring]’s not completely healthy,” she says. “It starts making you go a little bit batty after a while. After a couple of years you don’t know where home is – and you need to know that.” Annabel Alpers may call New York home for now, but she expects to eventually end up back in New Zealand. “You notice when you go to Europe and stuff, how overpopulated the world is. There are probably five times more people in New York than in the whole of New Zealand. I decided to plonk myself down here because it was such an extreme opposite; I thought I might as well experience something I couldn’t possibly experience in New Zealand.” Annabel is already eyeing off the days when, free from the pressures of touring and recording, she can just go into the city and enjoy all there is to see and do. There is sense of freedom here; a sense that the end of Bachelorette is also a fresh start. It’s not so much ‘out with the old and in with the new’ but, to draw from famous words by some fellow Kiwis, it’s simply time for a change. What: Bachelorette is out through Mistletone With: Donny Benet, Jasmina Maschina Where: GoodGod Small Club When: Saturday October 22

“Caresses fleeced you in the morning light, casualties at dawn” – GEORGE HARRISON 26 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

Darren Middleton photo © SAM D’AGOSTINO

“H

e represents wildness for me. He was always searching for his own voice as an artist, and that’s something that I’ve always aimed for. He respected the blues-based roots of his music but took it to the world that he lived on!” Darren Middleton, formerly of Powderfinger, currently of Weighing Up His Musical Options, is talking about Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix, of course, needs no introduction: his influence on music in general and the guitar in particular are well documented. The wild outfits, the psychedelic freak-outs, the quite literally incendiary stage antics – Hendrix wrote the book on how to be a rock star. Which is why a who’s who of Australian guitar talent is gathering to pay tribute to the man, the myth and the music, in the form of ‘Experience Jimi Hendrix’, which is being held on Saturday October 29 at the Enmore Theatre.

EXCLUSIVE

WANT $100,000* TO PRODUCE YOUR OWN 7 PART WEB SERIES? Simply submit a 60 second trailer for your web series pitch, promote your trailer, wait for the votes to stream in & be in the running to win the MAJOR prize.

R E L I A R T YOUR + YOUR FRIENDS = YOUR CHANCE TO *

WIN $100K

Not only was there a major MOVIE EXTRA WebFest winner in 2010, MOVIE EXTRA These incredible productions guest star Tex Perkins, Merrick Watts, MOVIE EXTRA WebFest opens doors.

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK NOW

FACEBOOK.COM/ MOVIEEXTRAWEBFEST HURRY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COMPETITION CLOSES NOVEMBER 23 Supported by

*Visit the Facebook page for full T&Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 27

2011 Jägermeister Independent Music Awards By Amelia Schmidt

ith the 2011 ARIA nominees just announced, AIR’s Jägermeister Independent Music Awards last week showed the industry just how much our indie labels have to offer, with a packed out night at new Melbourne venue, Revolt. The awards night was moved to the new venue in its sixth year, with a change of scenery from The Forum as well as a couple of new awards (‘Most Hunted’ and ‘Best Independent Dance/Electronica/ Club Single’) giving the night a pretty fresh vibe. We were also treated to some great performances from The Holidays, Calling All Cars and Illy & Owl Eyes, as well as award winners Emma Louise (Breakthrough Independent Artist) and Adalita (Best Independent Album). Revolt is essentially a huge industrial club/artspace teleported straight from underground Berlin, and last week it was swimming in industry types and Jägermeister & Red Bull (which you couldn’t order as a ‘Jägerbomb’, as 360 drunkenly pointed out on stage). The award winners who couldn’t make it to the event recorded video messages broadcast to the audience via multiple displays. Video messages are always kind of tricky, and at times they failed to capture the rowdy crowd’s attention, while at other times they went down an absolute treat: Henry Wagons sent a message from Nashville, Tennessee regarding his Best Independent Country Album win for Rumble Shake and Tumble (Spunk). With genuine excitement and happiness, he thanked everyone, gestured wildly and then wittily explained he’d be “disappearing into a world of bad haircuts and fried food.” 19-year-old Brisbane-based Emma Louise counted her Breakthrough Artist win as the most important award she’s won so far. Her future looks bright, with recording on the horizon for early next year: “Either an album or an EP, it’s undecided as of yet,” she told me. “It’s a matter of picking between the songs [I’ve already got].” With a national tour planned for early November, it looks as if the young singer-songwriter has a big career ahead of her. Best Independent Album winner Adalita accepted her award humbly and paid respects to Dean Turner, her Magic Dirt bandmate who passed away in 2009. “I feel incredible!” she said after the win. “I’m already planning on tucking myself away and getting stuck into writing the new record... I feel like getting out of Melbourne, maybe

The night featured live sets from Calling All Cars and the enchanting Emma-Louise going somewhere quite desolate [to write],” she explained. “I’d like [the next release] to be a bit more upbeat and a different kind of energy, but still sparse and raw. But I’ll just let the music dictate it.” With a few great collaborations on her self-titled debut, Adalita said she didn’t know who she’d be working with for the next one yet. “I like collaborating,” she explained, but noted that she liked to let it happen organically. “I think I’m passive in that way, I let things come across my radar – I don’t actively seek out anything. If it happens, it happens.” In a strange twist of fate, the newly-added Best Independent Dance/Electronica/ Club Single award was shared by two winners, with Tommy Trash & Tom Piper (‘All My Friends feat. Mr. Wilson’, Ministry Of Sound) and Seekae (‘Blood Bank’, Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy) both grabbing a nice glass trophy. But it was The Jezabels who dominated, as the only act to take out two separate awards, for Best Independent Artist and Best Independent Single/EP (for Dark Storm). Gurrumul’s chart-topping Rrakala took out Best Independent Blues & Roots Album (surprising no-one), Drapht’s Life Of Riley was awarded Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban album, and My Disco were awarded Best Hard Rock/Punk Album for Little Joy, despite their angular music only barely fitting into those genres… With a series of entertaining presenters (including a pretty dapper Taka Honda) and Dylan Lewis from Nova FM as a charming MC, the ceremony lasted almost two hours before the thirsty crowd was released to the bar, to celebrate another great year of independent Australian music.

#WINNING: Tom Piper, 360, My Disco – and Dan Sultan presents Adalita with her award

(l-r): Mr Wilson & Tom Piper, Emma Louise, Adalita and Ben Andrews (My Disco) 28 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 29

Okkervil River Embracing Chaos By Dan Watt

kkervil River’s Will Sheff is a master storyteller. Over six albums and 13 years, he’s been looking at our world and explaining it back to us through sublime strumming, driving rock’n’roll and lyrical prose that would have William Shakespeare re-reading his sonnets to check his cultural relevance. And like all masters of their art, with each album Sheff has continually changed his angle to get a new perspective – like with 2005’s heartbreaking, Tim Hardin-inspired Black Sheep Boy (and its Appendix), and 2007’s homage to the emptiness of show business, The Stage Names. This year, Okkervil River reinvented themselves again, releasing one of their most distinct and disparate albums to date: I Am Very Far. “You know, I envy the freedom of Animal Collective,” Sheff tells me. “I mean, here we have a bunch of guys who from day dot have come at their music from a completely unexpected place. I mean, I’m not making an excuse for the linear rock structure of Okkervil’s music, because I am very proud of it – I’m just saying that to do what we have done on this album came from an unusual place, and took a lot of time,” he says, his softly-spoken voice flashing with a sternness

that betrays the fact that this is his fifth interview in a row. I Am Very Far is the first Okkervil River album that Sheff produced on his own and he took a very traditional analogue approach to it, which has left each track capturing ideas as unique as the moment a thought is first thought, before it’s distorted by time and reproduction. Sheff calls these ideas “sonic signatures”, and explains that they come from the age of the recording equipment that his band favours. “In the real world, there’s an intangibility to [analogue] machines, making them like people. This is unlike a computer,” Sheff says. My silence down the line urges him to explain. “Okay, so what I am saying is that if you leave a machine out in a field for six months, it may still work, but its exposure to the elements will change it in an irreversible way – the same way humans mature, thus altering the way they do things… But you leave a laptop out in a field and expose it to the conditions, and it will break and never work again!” Sheff’s penchant for production and his love affair with the studio desk came about after producing legendary musician Roky Erickson’s first album in 14 years, last year’s True Love Cast Out All Evil. Roky Erickson was one of the founding members of seminal psychedelic band The 13th Floor Elevators, but his life was a little bit more like a roller coaster, as he battled schizophrenia, drug abuse and ended up spending three years in a mental hospital, where he involuntarily received electro shock therapy. After finally being released, Erickson returned to music against all odds, turning his back on psychedelia, getting into the burgeoning heavy metal scene, and writing songs about aliens and monsters. “I’m from New Hampshire, so I didn’t become aware of Roky until I lived in Texas where a lot of my friends at the time were into his horror-rock stuff. But when I first got into him, I just loved the ‘Elevator stuff – but then I realised how much depth was actually in the horror-rock stuff. It’s written from a heavily autobiographical perspective.”

“You know, I envy the freedom of Animal Collective... To do what we have done on this album came from an unusual place, and took a lot of time.” The album that Sheff produced for Roky has a warmth and complexity to it that only a producer and a musician who are both on the same level could create. Sheff explains that the connection he felt with Erickson transcended reality. “In order to produce this record, I had to open myself up to a willingness to embrace chaos. Roky elicits a mystical quality that gave me confidence to step outside of myself with his music.” Sheff is surprisingly calm as he talks about his newlyfound spiritual mentor. “Roky is just in a moment that’s bigger then you. He’s special and different.” Sheff’s work with Erickson certainly affected the music on I Am Very Far, and their relationship seems to have manifested on at least one song from the record. ‘We Need A Myth’ expresses the mood of its title through its rolling, expansive music and Sheff’s warbling tenor vocals – and Sheff agrees that there is a lot of mythology surrounding Erickson, and that, indirectly, the song relates to him. Still, he says, what it’s really about is mankind’s obsession with creating a structured narrative to explain everything. “We need a story to understand the world,” he says. “We can’t just accept things.” In closing, Sheff and I discuss the album’s opener, ‘The Valley’ – a dark, driving march of a track, alive in its alliteration, assonance and wordplay. “Like the water loves lapping at the skin of the shore / hear our friend come tapping at the latches on the door,” he spits over a sinister stomp, in a song that could easily have been taken off Okkervil’s breakthrough album, Black Sheep Boy. I Am Very Far is a disparate record that goes from ballad to rock song to waltz and back again, but to me it’s ‘The Valley’ that sounds the most like Okkervil River. When I ask if Sheff agrees, he comes up with an interesting and pertinent analogy: “If someone got five different photos of you and said, ‘Which one looks the most like you?’ – you would struggle to answer that, wouldn’t you?” What: I Am Very Far is out now through Inertia With: Mike Noga Where: The Metro Theatre When: Tuesday October 18 30 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 31

The Drones The Next Chapter By Max Easton ith almost three years on hiatus and two successful solo projects for members Gareth Liddiard and Mike Noga, it was beginning to look like The Drones were a waning prospect – until the band announced a national tour in support of their first ever live DVD. The idea behind A Thousand Mistakes was born out of a desire for preservation, and a willingness to show a new side to the band. Featuring The Drones live at Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club, the DVD also includes, as a primary focus, a specially recorded warehouse session, showcasing the band’s own ideal live gig.

The accolades that have followed The Drones throughout their ten-year career tend to focus on the sardonic mean-streak behind their gritty rock‘n’roll and, inevitably, the sprawling storytelling of their frontman. As Liddiard explains, tracks like ‘Oh My’, the thinly-veiled attack on environmental bandwagoneers (“They’ve always said the sky would fall / Now it is you have to wonder why you want to shrink your stinking footprint”), or post 9/11 epic ‘Jezebel’ (“you don’t want a tyrant, we’re sure you’d prefer a civil war”) aren’t so much social commentaries as they are vague descriptions of times and places.

“I like to do things that I like,” frontman Gareth Liddiard explains of the DVD from his Central Victorian home. “I like a Led Zeppelin live video and I like to watch lots of live music, and I thought while we were at it, we could do a bunch of stuff we can’t normally do, something that’s a bit weird that can’t fit into a set-list, or something that includes the gear and people that we can’t take with us because it’s too expensive. It’s kind of just preserving shit too, you know? One day we could all die in a plane crash. Now at least there’s a DVD of us.”

But as opinionated as he is on the state of play, Liddiard has never tried to influence it. “You know, you’re dealing with monkeys,” he deadpans. “This is what people are, there’s no improvement. Certain pockets will improve – in the developed world you’ve got women’s rights and shit like that – but then as soon as the developed world falls apart, we’ll go back to where we were, and then India will start improving… So everything is kind of in flux. Those songs aren’t specific takes, I wasn’t singing the Anti Iraq Blues or anything, they’re more general than specific. I’m not accepting of it, but with something like ‘Jezebel’ – we really turned over a new leaf after September 11, it was a fresh way of making atrocities. It was imaginative stuff, flying aeroplanes into buildings, chopping people’s heads off while you film it… That kind of song is a reaction to the shock of the new, ‘cos everyone gets jaded, and it’s not like it was nothing that hadn’t happened before – they just managed to make it new and relevant.”

“Once this tour is done, I kind of want to do a thing where I say, ‘Alright, The Drones, we’re breaking up. I’m gonna start a new band, called The Drones, and we’ll start again.’ I just want to wipe the slate clean.” The time the band spent apart allowed them to pursue personal endeavours that had long been put aside. On top of the aforementioned solo albums by Noga and Liddiard, guitarist Dan Luscombe featured on Glenn Richards’ solo record, while Liddiard finally dusted off a record with the Gutterville Splendour Six, the Perth band that splintered into The Drones back in 2001. This hiatus and the sideprojects seem to have given the band some perspective, while offering Liddiard a chance to reflect on what he wants The Drones to be. “Before the time apart, we were this weird flat-out kind of punk band,” he begins, “so you slow it down and you show a bit more light and shade or whatever cliché works… [The filmed warehouse session] was sort of an introduction to that, and when we do this tour, we’re going to base it around that session, where we use weird gear and do weird arrangements of songs that appeared on the albums. Once this tour is done, I kind of want to do a thing where I say, ‘Alright, The Drones, we’re breaking up. I’m gonna start a new band, called The Drones, and we’ll start again.’ I just want to wipe the slate clean, because you get bogged down, you can become a slave… and we want to get out of there.” Liddiard may be starting to feel the weight of what he refers to as The Drones’ “perception of the public’s perception”, but it’s not likely to be a force to end the band; just a force to evolve it. It’s a change that he explains not as stemming from a lack of respect for their past output, but – surprisingly for the evergreen frontman – something he ascribes to age. “It’s hard, because I’m not twenty-something anymore, I can’t keep doing stuff like this forever,” he explains. “There’s a much more physical element, whether it’s the live thing, or even just the sound that’s physical and hostile; there’s a sort of rage in there. As you get older, that turns from that physical and cathartic thing into something more intellectual; more refined and mature, for want of a better word. That’s the sort of plan; to morph, to do a big evolution, in a short period of time.” Who: A Thousand Mistakes live DVD is out now through Shock Records With: Adalita Where: The Metro Theatre When: Saturday October 29 32 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

XIIITOURING, SPA & CHUGG ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT

MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER • SYDNEY • OXFORD ART FACTORY TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WWW.OXFORDARTFACTORY.COM, WWW.MOSHTIX.COM

WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER • MELBOURNE • EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB

AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2012

THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER • PERTH • ROSEMOUNT HOTEL

MON 2 JAN - EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB, MELBOURNE

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WWW.EASTBRUNSWICKCLUB.COM

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WWW.MOSHTIX.COM & WWW.HEATSEEKER.COM.AU

SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER • BRISBANE • THE ZOO

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM WWW.THEZOO.COM.AU, WWW.OZTIX.COM.AU

eastbrunswickclub.com

TUE 3 JAN - THE ZOO, BRISBANE Oztix 1300 762 545, thezoo.com.au and all Oztix outlets

THU 5 JAN - THE ANNANDALE, SYDNEY annandalehotel.com or 02 9550 1078

WWW.CLAPYOURHANDSSAYYEAH.COM WWW.CHUGGENTERTAINMENT.COM WWW.XIIITOURING.COM

NEW ALBUM HYSTERICAL

AVAILABLE NOW

TICKETS ON SALE TUE 11 OCT Album BURNING YOUR HOUSE DOWN out now XIIITouring.com | jimjonesrevue.com | chuggentertainment.com

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 33

arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

arts, theatre and film news... what's goin' on around town and more...

five minutes WITH TOM

BALLARD

significantly higher profit margin! Yes, Josh and I are still friends, and he’s been very good to go along with the whole thing, really. He even makes a brief ‘cameo’ in the show. I think the show is respectful and truthful and, in the end, it’s really more about the universal experience of heartbreak than it is about us specifically. The show covers youth and love; do you think love is an important growing experience? For me, going through a serious break-up for the first time was a key experience of ‘growing up’. It changed and matured me. I don’t know if you could truly consider yourself to be an ‘adult’ without having gone through that. It seems to be a common milestone; every single one of my older friends felt it necessary to inform me of just how painful it was for them the first time they broke up with someone they were in love with. THX U GUYZ LOL xx t 21 years of age, triple j breakfast host and comedian Tom Ballard has been a comic for a third of his life. His new show Since 1989 is a recollection of his exploits since arriving on the planet, including going skinny dipping, getting scabies, and having a relationship and breakup with Channel 10 Gen Y celeb comic Josh Thomas, amongst other things. Yep it’s about being young; but it’s for all ages.

If your life was like that 7UP doco and 21UP is Josh, drugs, triple j, partying, what about 28, 35, 42UP? At 28, I’d like to be talking about all the crazy travelling I’d done around the world. At 35, I’d like to be talking about marriage and kids in an interesting and original way. At 42, I assume I’ll be talking solely about proctology and my catheter. That’s what old people are into, right?

Is Josh cool with you talking about your former relationship? I should hope so, seeing as he wrote an award-nominated show about our relationship (called Surprise), which had a

Your show Is What He Is covered your coming out, and this show is also pretty close to the bone. Is it difficult to talk about such personal issues on stage? I’m only scared of coming across as self-indulgent or

AFTER DARK ORIGINALS

Courtney Solomon – founder and CEO of US horror studio After Dark Films (which launched in 2005 with An American Haunting, starring Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek) – is in Sydney this week, talking up the Australian launch of the After Dark Originals series on DVD. Consisting of eight fresh new American horror films, the series will launch with special screenings at the Chauvel Cinema this Tuesday October 18 (Popcorn Taxi presents Seconds Apart and a Q&A with Soloman) and on Saturday October 29 (a special Halloween double-bill that includes Seconds Apart and Husk). If you like your horror facemelting, and think everything looks better with a soundtrack of other people screaming, head to chauvelcinema.net.au to book your tickets.

HOLA MEXICO!

Explore Mexico the cheap and comfortable way by parking your arse at this year’s Hola Mexico Film Festival, with its lineup of documentaries, comedies, action films and dramas. This year’s centerpiece is a retrospective of three films by director Luis Estrada, including the hugely popular Herod’s Law (1999), a critique of Mexican politics and the church, in which a small-town janitor who becomes Mayor finds himself succumbing to corruption; and Estrada’s latest film, El Infierno (Hell), about a Mexican who is deported from the USA, and becomes involved in the narcotics industry back home. (Not a good career move – who knew?) HMFF runs November 4-13 at Dendy Newtown. For the full lineup, see holamexicoff.com

arrogant. As long as people are laughing, I figure it’s fair game and people are on board. There’s pretty much nothing I wouldn’t talk about, as long as I thought it was funny. That’s the way I approach performing, I think. Life’s too short to not be as honest as humanly possible. Does comedy come easier for you if you’re sharing something personal? For me, yes. It’s the comedy I love doing and the comedy I’m attracted to. Some comics come out, are hilarious, walk offstage and you feel like you’ve learnt absolutely nothing about them personally, but you’ve still had a great time. And that’s cool; it’s just not what I do. I like personal stuff because it’s unique to me; no one else can possibly do these jokes. Looking back on youth, what would you regret, and what would you celebrate? I regret my timidity and judgement of my party-friendly friends during high school; I should’ve lightened up a bit. I’m trying to make up for that in my 20s. I think I’ll celebrate my early days as a comedian, bumming around Melbourne during comedy festival time – and yes, falling in love, not only with one Josh Thomas, but with my friends and the very fact that I get to tell dick jokes for a living. Naww... What: Tom Ballard – Since 1989 Where: Belvoir Downstairs When: October 18-30, Tue-Sat 7.15pm, Sun 6.15pm More: belvoir.com.au

John Waters – aka the Pope Of Trash – takes the stage at Sydney Opera House this weekend, presenting a series of double features in extremely bad taste: Shock (AntiChrist + Irreversible), Terror (United 93 + his own Cecil B. Demented), Goddess (Boom! + Fuego) and Sex (Zoo + his own A Dirty Shame) – with all sessions hosted by the man himself (who proved himself to be a razor sharp and devilishly funny raconteur in his 2010 Mardi Gras show, This Filthy World). Waters describes the lineup as “radically intelligent and disturbing movies that will push [audiences] closer to the edge of cinema insanity.” Yes please. Double Features From Hell runs from October 21-23 in the Playhouse. We have five double passes to the ‘Terror’(ism) session up for grabs; to get your hands on one, email us with the name of one other Waters film, not mentioned above! Sydneyoperahouse.com

JUMP MENTORING

Applications are now open for Jump – a sicknuts program that matches emerging artists with professionals in their field, for 10 months of one-on-one guidance on the art of making your career in what is, let’s face it, a fairly money-lite and labour-intensive industry. The Jump alumni include local heroes like Justin Shoulder (Fantastic Creatures), and Karl Logge (Makeshift, who did The Hanging Gardens & Other Tales at Underbelly Festival 2009); and this year’s artists include Dara Gill (Firstdraft), Tim Spencer (Bambina Borracha) and Jordana Maisie (Close Encounters). So…all the cool kids are doing it. If you’re an artist between the ages of 18-30, and in your first five years of industry practise, then apply by October 28! jumpmentoring.com.au

RAPTOR '86

New York-based fashion photographer GL Wood is opening an intriguing show of digitized collage works in Sydney this week – miniature collages upscaled digitally, bursting with colour, and representing the punk alteregos of various birds of prey. Wood’s fashion photography is versatile, but you definitely get the feeling that his real passions are colour, spikes and interesting angles. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, on a diet of '80s comics, he went on to study fine arts at college – and he cites Lichtenstein, Warhol, Haring and Basquiat as major influences. Raptor ’86 runs October 25 –November 5 at Showcase Gallery (Suite 3, Lvl 2, 85 William Street, Darlinghurst). showcasegallery.com.au

MOVIE EXTRA WEBFEST

A budgeted seven-part series – it doesn’t get much better than that if you’re an emerging filmmaker. Movie Extra has launched the second instalment of its annual Webfest competition, calling for submissions from young filmmakers (or just wannabe filmmakers) who have mind-melting ideas for a web series. Make a 60 second trailer, upload it to the Movie Extra Webfest Facebook page – and then pester your friends to vote for it. The good news is, even if you don’t have as many friends as that babe over there, the competition is also judged by Serious Professionals, who can spot a turd from a mile off; so, you know, make something good. Voting closes November 30! facebook.com/ movieextrawebfest

The supremely sexy Lucille Spielfuchs and Baby Blue Bergman

WORLD AROUND US

Miles O’Neill (the really tall third of The Suitcase Royale) is bringing his solo show The World Around Us to the Old Fitz this week; if you need a little charm in your life, a little holiday from arseholes, we recommend an hour with Miles. Debuting at Imperial Panda Festival earlier this year, this incarnation of the show is “70% new” according to Miles, but retains the mix of storytelling, songs, and rescued super-8 home video footage: a show

NOW WE ARE SIX

34B Burlesque celebrate six glorious years this November – which means it’s time for a bit of a romp; never one to pussyfoot around a party, master of ceremonies Messr. Bublé, has assembled a shameless lineup of Gold Digging beauties to extract entertainment from the evening anywhichway they can: hula hooping hussy Kira Hulala, billon-dollar babe Jamilla De Ville, the outrageously attractive (and former BRAG cover-gals) Lucille Spielfuchs and Baby Blue Bergman, the acrobatic Jade Twist, the delectable Kitty Van Horne, and the positively dangerous Bella Pistol. 34B Burlesque: Gold Digger is November 12 at 34B (Exchange Hotel, 44 Oxford Street) – and tickets are gonna go faster than a goldrush, so book ‘em at moshtix.com.au

34 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

DOUBLE FEATURES FROM HELL

“about family,growing up and the incremental gathering of knowledge.” Runs October 19 – 22 at 9.30pm at The Old Fitz. Rocksurfers.org

LA SOIRÉE = L'ÉTÉ

With Sydney Festival launching its program on November 2, Summer madness is officially upon us. Sydney Opera House have been cheekily jumping the gun, we notice, announcing a swag of covetable January gigs, including Fleet Foxes and Beirut – and now La Soirée, a concoction of burlesque, circus sideshow and vaudevillian treats that draws heavily on the best parts of Spiegeltent’s cult favourite, La Clique – including Bath Boy, Ursula Martinez, the English Gents… It kicks off on January 6, and will take over The Studio until February 12, with surprise guests dropping in throughout the season. Tickets on sale NOW. sydneyoperahouse.com

NIDA PLAYS

Theatre-heads need to get along to NIDA this week, for a chance to see Tony Awardwinning director Mel Shapiro direct the final year students in a production of The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot – a courtroom drama set in a downtown subway – by Sopranos writer Stephen Adly Guirgis. Best of all, you get to sit in the audience and place bets with your friends on which of NIDA’s acting crop is going to be the next Russell Crowe or Cate Blanchett. Runs October 19-22 at Parade Theatre; also on offer are Idiot (after Dostoevsky) directed by sound designer Max Lyandvert (Carriageworks – October 22-26); and Bruckner’s Pains Of Youth, directed by STC Associate Director Tom Wright (Parade Studio – October 18-24). Full lineup of plays at nida.edu.au/whats-on

34B Burlesque – Photo by Isabella Melody Moore

John Waters

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART Bachelor of Performance Unique Education for the Actor / Creator / Producer

AUDITION NOW FOR 2012

Funny? Funny? Registrations Registrations now open open now Be part of the biggest comedy festival in the southern hemisphere!

Apply Online: www.aada.edu.au

INFORMATION EVENING Tuesday 8 November, 6:30pm – 8:30pm Pilgrim Theatre, 262 Pitt Street, Sydney (02) 9219 5444 enquiries@aada.edu.au

Cricos Code 00665C

Melbourne International

Comedy Comedy Festival Festival 28 Mar — 22 Apr 2012 comedyfestival.com.au

Producers and artists should visit comedyfestival.com.au or phone (03) 9245 3700

Registrations close November 23 The Australian Academy of Dramatic Art is a department of the Australian Institute of Music

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART

Sydney Information Session – Wednesday 26 October, 6pm Contact the office for details (03) 9245 3700 BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 35

Paul Clarke: behind the wheel, on the road, ready to rock.

The Need For Speed [FILM] Richard de Aragues talks racing, death and Jared Leto By Scott Ford

Wide Open Road [TV] Life Through The Windscreen By Alasdair Duncan

“T

he thing I really associate with cars is music,” Paul Clarke – the producer behind Spicks & Specks, and rock history series A Long Way to the Top – says of his latest project, Wide Open Road. “I think Australian music really is the sound of cars. If you listen to AC/DC, it’s basically the sound of a V8 motor humming along. I’ve always said that in Australia, all it takes to be free is a car, some petrol money and a good soundtrack, and if you have those things, you and your mates can set off for the greatest time of your life.” A three-part documentary series, Wide Open Road takes an irreverent look at the history of the car in Australia. Everyone gets a look in – personalities as varied as comedian Jean Kittson, racing legend Jack Brabham and former Prime Minister Paul Keating all share their driving tales – but as Clarke tells me, the soundtrack is the key ingredient. “When you’re looking at the world go by through the windscreen of a car, hearing great music, it really sears itself into your memory,” Clarke continues. “As a kid, I’d spend my uni holidays driving. I had a friend who lived in the country in Bombala, and we’d go around there in old Holdens – I remember that feeling of moving through the three gears in the Holden, that ‘three on the tree’ as they call it, and turning up the music. It was incredible. We were just learning about life and music, and it was a great time.” Clarke came of age in the '70s and '80s, and the Australian music of that time, from The Lighthouse Keepers to The Triffids and The Go-Betweens, left an indelible impression. For Clarke, one of the most exciting parts of Wide Open Road was the ability it gave him to pair images of cars with the sounds of beloved bands from his youth, many of them relatively

obscure today. “There were so many amazing bands back then that, for whatever reason, just didn’t connect with a broader audience,” he says. “There was this creative flowering in Australia at that time. There were heaps of people around doing exciting things, and this series allowed me to play that music again. Songs like Died Pretty’s ‘Everybody Moves Away’, which is genius – it’s such an evocative song, and it’s completely forgotten. It was great to bring that song back, and put it to the sound of the FJ Holden. It’s so unexpected, that pairing – the combination of a great song with a great bit of film makes the screen just sparkle.” On the few occasions Clarke had difficulty securing the rights to a song, he simply made his own. “There’s one particular piece of music, ‘The Persuaders Theme’ by John Barry, that to me feels like the best possible combination of elegance and danger,” he says. “I wanted to use that in the scenes with Jack Brabham, because that’s the kind of guy he was, but we couldn’t get the rights to the original – so I had to record a cover version myself. It took me and my mate about a week to do it, and I thought I’d come up with a great new arrangement, but when I played it to my wife, she thought it sounded just like the other one!” Doing so inspired Clarke to compose some original music to fit the series. “If you’re trying to make music for the Toyota Crown or the 120Y and just sitting around with friends jamming and having a laugh, it’s really fun, just a way of getting closer to your own film.” What: Wide Open Road When: Series premiere Sunday October 16, 7.30pm, on ABC1 (then abc.net.au/iview) More: Part 2 airs October 23; Part 3 airs October 30.

ichard de Aragues comes across as calm, collected and British as cucumber sandwiches. No doubt this (his manner, not the sangas) came in handy while directing TT3D: Closer To The Edge: the world’s first 3D sports documentary, which throws viewers into the high-octane thrills and spills of superbike racing with retina-bursting intensity. For de Aragues, capturing the blink-and-it’s gone drama of races moving at 200km-plus per hour presented, in his own low-key words, “big challenges.” “When you’re shooting a live event, especially one like the Isle of Man, logistically even getting around is a challenge, and especially when you’ve got 40 to 50 people with each camera.” Add 3D and things get even trickier. “3D doesn’t like being thrown around,” the director says. “Do your first take, do your second take. That’s it.” The results are startling. Individual blades of grass quiver as racers shoot by. Superbikes fire out of the idyllic countryside and straight at the viewer. It’s even more impressive knowing it was shot on the move and in a limited time frame – de Aragues elaborates that he and cinematographer Thomas Kürzl were “trying and testing techniques along the way.” For the uninitiated, “TT” refers to the International Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Each year tens of thousands of people from all over the world gather for two weeks of bikes, babes and burning rubber. “Once you’ve been once, you go back,” says de Aragues, “It’s like a great big rock festival, centred on two wheels.” One of the main draws of the TT is how close you can get to the action, it being one of the few remaining bike tournaments where

spectators can get roadside. “All you can hear are the birds tweeting, then suddenly there’s this incredible noise and a bike explodes past and you can hear the bark chipping. The wheels almost hit you.” There’s danger, and lots of it. TT3D: Closer To The Edge captures the tension of racers slipping through cobbled village streets. One wrong move and it’s race over – or worse. “As a documentary filmmaker, you get close,” the director says, referring to his coverage of a death that occurred mid-shoot. “You get to know them really well.” Disaster also struck the film’s hero, racing maverick Guy Martin. “These days feature film effects are so good you feel disconnected. Here there are no stunts. You’re seeing real action, real people.” The moment in question is easily one of the film’s most dramatic, both on-screen and off. “A lot of the crew were in tears,” says de Aragues. On his choice of indie-film heart-throb and tween rock idol Jared Leto as narrator, the director explains, “There were a lot of people on the table, but I just felt that he had the right tone. He’s a biker and a keen TT fan.” He adds, honestly, that he hoped the celebrity would add a wider international appeal to the film. And while the soundtrack doesn’t feature Leto’s band 30 Seconds To Mars, TT3D: Closer To The Edge has more than enough heart-thumping drama to go around. What: TT3D: Closer To The Edge When: Opens October 20 Where: Hayden Orpheum (Cremorne), Randwick Ritz, Dendy Newtown, Event Cinemas, Hoyts.

Drive [FILM] Nicolas Winding Refn finds a real hero. By Dee Jefferson

icolas Winding Refn spends a lot of interview time talking about violence; it’s a consequence of making his mark with the grisly Danish crime trilogy Pusher – followed by the thriller Fear X, his biopic of Britain’s most violent prisoner, Bronson, and the ‘Vikings and viscera’ fantasy-thriller Valhalla Rising. In July 2009, ahead of Bronson’s Australian release, Refn told me, “Violation is the DNA of drama. The darker the character, the more sinister the elements, the more the drama is heightened. And I think that is what always keeps me attracted to the dark side – as Darth Vader would say.” And Refn is still talking about violence – fifteen years after he made his cinema debut – with the release of his critically acclaimed ninth feature, Drive – even though he’d rather talk about John Hughes, and the finer qualities of Sixteen Candles. Refn’s first Hollywood film, Drive is based on James Sallis' pulp novel about a lone-wolf stunt-driver in Los Angeles, and stars indie leading man of the moment Ryan Gosling – whose ‘star power’ is such that the film’s producers gave him first choice of director. He chose Refn – and even though they’re thick as thieves now (in fact when we talk, Refn is in Shanghai looking at offices for their upcoming collaboration), their disastrous first meeting has become a bit of a legend. “I was in LA for four days,” Refn recalls, 36 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

“working on another movie, with Harrison Ford. And I had gotten the flu coming in on the plane, and had a very high fever – so Harrison got me these anti-flu drugs, which made me high as a kite. So when I met Ryan I was stoned out of my mind. But it was the right way – because about an hour or so later, when I asked him to take me home, we were sitting in the car, and REO Speedwagon came on the radio. I turned it up really loud, and I was really getting into it – which I guess was annoying – and then I started to cry. It gave me an idea for a film about a man who drives around in a car at night listening to pop music, because that’s his only release.” This is not exactly how Drive turned out – although it does have a soulful, synth-laced soundtrack – but it was a vision that Gosling immediately connected with. Given the green light, Refn set about working with screenwriter Hossein Amini to turn the existing script, which had been a blockbuster proposition with Hugh Jackman in the lead, into its current form – a lean, dialogue-lite, tightly-wound psychological thriller, with car chases and a skull-smashing to boot. But Drive is also incredibly romantic, from the underlying conception of Gosling’s 'Driver' as a fairytale hero (albeit a flawed and at tragic one), to the breathtakingly tender, lingering scenes between Driver and his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan). (Talking about these,

Ryan Gosling is Driver in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive Refn says, "They were very simple; I’d taken away all the dialogue, and I just had them stare at each other – and right before each take, I’d go over and hug them, until they gave in. And then we shot it.”) Refn has always been interested in powerful and violent men – particularly their moments of transition; but Driver is his most emotionally accessible hero. “I almost felt like the first half of the film should feel like you’re watching Sixteen Candles,” Refn agrees, “but then the other half is a very different kind of movie.

Because essentially the movie’s about a man who’s psychotic.” Talking about his shift towards introspection over the last 15 years, Refn says, “I started making better films as soon as I got married and had kids; because then I realised not everything was about me. Ego is a terrible, terrible, terrible thing for creativity.” What: Drive, Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn When: Opens October 27

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS

“ GOOD NIGHTS OUT don’t come much better

than La SoiREe ” The Daily Telegraph, UK

“The freakishly talented folk from

LA CLIQUE ARE &BACK

And the line uP WITH old acts doing new tricks

some new faces, is

better than ever ”

FROM 6 JAN STUDIO

TICKETS FROM $65*

Time Out, UK

TICKETS ON SALE NOW *TRANSACTION FEE OF $5 - $8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS, EXCLUDING INSIDERS MEDIA PARTNER

02 9250 7777

SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 37

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.

Owen Wilson finds love at midnight, in Paris

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS PICS :: TL

alaska projects launch

Released October 20 Woody Allen is one of the giants of cinema, and at 75 seems to show no signs of slowing down. Midnight in Paris sees him, if not with a new bag of tricks, at least with a freshness and verve that’s only sometimes present in his new millennium work. It contains all the usual Allen trademarks – neurotic artists, pseudo-intellectuals and the snappy, selfdeprecating comedy, but the result is an infectious and exuberant celebration of life and art, past and present.

05:10:11 :: Alaska Projects :: L2 9A Elizabeth Bay Rd Elizabeth Bay

mark whalen/ kill pixie

PICS :: GP

Evoking his 1970s classic Manhattan, Paris opens with a montage of the French capital, and Allen’s affection for the city, seen mostly at night in a nostalgic haze, is obvious. It’s there that Gil (Owen Wilson) is undergoing an existential crisis. A sold-out screenwriter with a half-finished novel, he’s travelled to the City of Light for inspiration, inadvertently getting some perspective on his shrewish fiancée (Rachel McAdams) in the process. She and her pretentious parents (Mimi Kennedy and Kurt Fuller, good value) are there with him, and compel him to endure, among other things, the insufferable company of Paul (an hilarious Michael Sheen), an obnoxious English git with an endless supply of obscure and pointless facts about art history.

06:10:11 :: Gallery A.S. :: Cnr Commonwealth & Hunt Streets Surry Hills

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Sydney Dance Company

THE LAND OF YES & THE LAND OF NO October 18-29 / Sydney Theatre If you see one dance work this year, make it this one: finally, Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela will present his internationally acclaimed piece The Land of Yes & The Land of No in Sydney, reworked specially with a new team of collaborators. Described as a piece about “the power of imagination, and the body’s ability to give physical shape to memory, experience and emotions,” Land of Yes will feature a soundtrack by Bonachela’s long-time collaborator Ezio Bosso (We Unfold; 6 Breaths and LANDforms), and a set design by Alan MacDonald (The Queen and The Edge of Love). sydneydancecompany.com 38 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

Gil ends up finding better company in a rather unlikely place, and it’s in these scenes that Allen allows Gil – and us – to muse on the value of nostalgia, the romance of art, and the personalities of great minds. There’s a zestful energy to these scenes, and while I’m avoiding revealing the inspired hook of the film (revealed by the 30-minute mark), it does involve fine actors such as Tom Hiddleston (Loki from Thor), Corey Stoll, Adrien Brody, Marion Cotillard and a wonderful Alison Pill as someone named “Zelda.” Paris finds Allen at his most free and playful. There’s none of the cynicism that marked the excellent but nasty Match Point from 2005; this is a pure Woody fantasy, aimed at anyone who’s ever fallen in love – with a book, a movie, a city, a person or an era. Wilson deserves a lot of credit for bringing to life Allen’s funny and literate script as the Allen-surrogate, and he neatly avoids the trap of imitating his mannerisms and inflexions. Gil is basically a goodhearted, rosy-eyed romantic. If you fit that description or have forgotten what that feels like, Midnight in Paris is a joy to behold. Joshua Blackman

■ Theatre

KURSK October 6-16 / Studio, SOH Submarines are cool. They traverse the ocean at great depths, are often run by evil masterminds and can fire torpedoes (I learnt everything I know about submarines from early Batman films). What you don’t often think about is the reality of living on a submarine – the cramped spaces, the constant company and the limited

resources. With their immersive production, UK company Sound&Fury attempt to bring this reality to life. As we’re led into the theatre, after being advised to check all loose items, the first shock is that the bright red of the Sydney Opera House Studio has been completely blacked out. The room is filled with various areas of a submarine, such as the submariners’ beds, the captain’s compartment, the eating/living area, etc. At the centre of the set is the control room, which features an impressive telescope. Jon Bausor’s set design is detailed, with personal knick-knacks and the like, and more than a few images of half-naked women (making the all-male make-up of the crew even more conspicuous). The performances are strong, with the actors skilfully realising the charming characters created by Bryony Lavery (Stockholm; Frozen). Unfortunately, with the exception of a couple of suspenseful moments (as we wait while the submarine descends into the ocean, or when the submarine is in silent mode), Kursk fails to take full advantage of its immersive form. Perhaps it was the audience, but there rarely seemed a reason to move around the space, and nothing was achieved that could not have been done with a successful stage production. In spite of this, the story of Kursk is compelling and makes for a solid work of theatre. Lavery’s writing is consistent but as with the production, I feel there was more to be mined from the situation. This is a good show, but it could have been amazing. Henry Florence

■ Theatre

LUCKY Until October 22 / New Theatre Posted in the foyer of New Theatre are a set of questions on placards. One grabbed my eye: ‘What would it take for you to leave everything behind?’ This seems like the perfect preface to Lucky, the story of two brothers who trust in a brutal people smuggler to carry them to a distant land. It’s surprising to find that the play itself doesn’t attempt to answer any such questions. Ferenc Alexander Zavaros’ script is a small-scale drama of three men on a raft that has more in common with Wolfgang Petersen’s The Perfect Storm than version 1.0’s A Certain Maritime Incident. There’s no harm in a good thriller, but the muddled dramaturgy means that Lucky does nothing to humanise the refugee experience and may actually confuse the issue. There’s no sign, for example, that the brothers are facing persecution or hardship. It’s hard to sympathise with the pair’s naval mishaps when the worst they’re fleeing seems to be an overenthusiastic family gathering, complete with seafood buffet. Politics aside, there’s merit in Lucky as an experience. Guy Simon, by turns wry and sombre, makes a sympathetic protagonist. Director/designer Sama Ky Balson fleshes out the play with scenes of stylised movement, dance and acrobatics that are gripping on first glance. The first sighting of

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

The Land of Yes & The Land of No – Photo by Jez Smith

■ Film

Film & Theatre Reviews Hits and misses on the silver screen and the bareboards around town.

a bird on the horizon is a moment of pure theatre, with movement, sound and lighting working in harmony to tell a truth beyond words. It’s when the bird returns for a series of identically meaningless visits that its beauty cracks under the weight of laboured symbolism. Balson and the rest of the production team do a fine job building a world of isolation, tension and sharp bursts of poetry. It’s a pity the narrative that unfolds in that world isn’t more moving or politically engaging. Pierce Wilcox

■ Theatre

BLOODLAND Until November 13 / Wharf 1, STC

There are a few rare gems among the misfires. As the young lovers, Hunter PageLochard and Noelene Marika form a stunning moment of stillness amidst a storm of familial squabbling. Elaine Crombie’s rendition of the national anthem is a chilling revelation, while Ursula Yovich’s Cherish is a flawless creation, hewn from nervous energy and scattered rage. Bloodland closes with a mourning ritual driven by painfully raw emotion. It’s impossible to deny the power of these characters’ grief. It’s equally hard to know why they’re feeling it. It’s a truly idiosyncratic sequence that sums up the production: near-incomprehensible, deeply felt and possibly profound. Do all the background reading you can, and Bloodland may reward you, but don’t expect it to be easy. Pierce Wilcox

Bloodland is without a doubt the most boldly ambitious work to appear on the Sydney Theatre Company stage this year. It’s performed entirely in a tongue few STC audience members can name, let alone comprehend – the Yolngu language of Arnhem Land – with no surtitles in sight. It takes a white middle-class theatregoer’s conventions, their culture, their very language, and says: Those are yours. That’s nice. Here are some of ours. I’ve rarely been so glad that a production exists, and yet so much needs to change for Bloodland to be more than a provocative exercise. In the absence of shared language, something else needs to fill the void, be it an illuminating design or an acting style of rare clarity. Bloodland has no such substitute. What it does have is a meandering progression of tonally confused scenes, few of which seem interested in the riff on Romeo and Juliet that ostensibly forms the core of the story. It’s a sketch-show approach that offers few insights into the social issues riving the community, and few reasons to care about the characters’ fates.

Street Level

With Michael Workman / By Peter Neathway

ick Cave doing stand up? That’s how Wil Anderson describes fellow comic Michael Workman; so it makes sense that Workman is first comic off the rank in the comedy program of new Darlinghurst artsmusic-rumpus-room, The Standard. Since first stepping on stage three years ago, he’s won Raw Comedy, prolifically delivered three solo shows, and took out the title of Best Newcomer at this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival for his show Humans Are Beautiful. And he’s just returned from Edinburgh Fringe, where he took that award winning show. We talked to Workman about comedy, communism and zombies. You’ve covered heady stuff in your shows – depression, war, communist Cuba. Where do you look for the laughs in this subject matter? Tragedy is the basis of comedy. We call that ‘irreverent’ because we think comedy only detracts from serious issues but in fact it makes us view them in new and more focused ways. So to make jokes about communist Cuba would be impossible without empathy for it. Once you establish that, the jokes start to flow. You seem to have cornered philosocomedy. Where did your philosophical bent come from? It’s more of a comedic bent on philosophy than the other way around. I studied philosophy for some time, and found it easy to weave into jokes and stories. Any show I do is really just an argument presented in the form of a comedic parable. When you set out on your comedy journey in Perth in 2008, what were you aiming for? Happiness.

Meyne Wyatt in Bloodland

And, it’s not just comedy for you artistically, right? Yup. Although I’m pretty busy at the moment, I am trying to record an album. Music is still really interesting to me, and it’s quite therapeutic to make. The same is true of drawing and painting. So you’ve had other creative outputs; what drew you to comedy as a mode of expression? All of my musical equipment was stolen in a home invasion, but I still wanted to connect with people creatively. I needed to find a medium where I could do that, but without any instruments and so on. When I did my first gig I realised I should have been doing this all along. A lot has happened for you in just three years – where would you like to be creatively three years from now? Martyred. What inspires you as an artist? Most often I get an image in my head, like a still from a film. Then it’s a matter of reverse engineering that tableau and extracting the story from it. In short I don’t know where that image comes from, or what inspires it, but it’s quite visceral and persistent so I run with it. Tell us something we don’t know about you. I like exploring abandoned industrial buildings. It’s like a trailer for the apocalypse. (No zombies yet, but remain vigilant, people.) You’ve got some ink. What are your pieces? What do they mean to you? I have a few tattoos. The one I get asked about the most is the “2+2=5” on my left arm. It’s a reference to George Orwell’s book ‘1984’. I have it to remind me to be critical. What: Michael Workman in Humans Are Beautiful With: Smart Casual, Genevieve Fricker and Michael Hing Where: The Standard / Lvl 3, 383 Bourke St, Darlinghurst When: Saturday October 22 / doors 7.30pm, show from 8pm Tickets: $17 from wearethestandard.com.au

Accelerate your career by forming a mentoring relationship with a leading arts professional of your choice. In NSW, JUMP is delivered by Carriageworks. Go to www.jumpmentoring.com.au to read the FAQs, download application forms, or to seek further assistance. Applications close 28 October 2011.

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 39

PAISTE MASTERS EXPERIENCE 2011

HUGE DISCOUNTS ON

CYMBALS!

FREE CYMBAL WORKSHOP

FEATURING AUSTRALIAN DRUMMING LEGEND WARREN TROUT

Learn why the world’s leading drummers play Paiste with a master-class featuring Australian drumming legend Warren Trout and the team from Yamaha and Paiste. Get a detailed understanding of many of the different cymbal types available, and how and when to use them to add colour to your music. You’ll also get to hear all about the new Paiste cymbals for 2011. If that’s not enough to get you interested, there will also be amazing discounts on Paiste cymbals available on the night. So make sure you don’t miss out. REGISTER YOUR PLACE NOW!

THURSDAY

20 OCT 7PM AT HIGH STREET MUSIC 491 HIGH STREET, PENRITH NSW 2750 02 4722 8608

SPACES ARE LIMITED - BE SURE TO REGISTER YOUR PLACE AT WWW.YAMAHABACKSTAGE.COM.AU

PRODUCT INFORMATION: WWW.PAISTE.COM PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS: WWW.YAMAHABACKSTAGE.COM.AU

40 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

FIVE NEW GLITTER FINISHES

GIGMAKER White Grape Glitter

ONLY $999 .99 RRP

Includes Hardware Package

& PAISTE 101 Cymbals.

White Grape Glitter

Blue Ice Glitter

Silver Glitter

Burgundy Glitter

Black Glitter

High quality drum shells | Recommended by artists around the world | Complete with high quality hardware package and PAISTE 101 cymbals | Available in Rock and Fusion conďŹ gurations

For your closest dealer visit au.yamaha.com For events and promotional offers, visit yamahabackstage.com.au RRP is the recommended retail price as set by Yamaha Music Australia Pty Ltd and is subject to change at any time without notice

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 41

Spring Fashion

@ Westfield Sydney’s Urban Precinct on Level One

ee that sky? See that sun? Feel that delightful trickle of warmth hitting the top of your head for the first time in MONTHS? Stop hiding behind your doona in your hoodie and your thermals, and get out into some of that sweet spring action. Picnics, beaches, races and festivals – it’s all about getting out of the house and into the sun. We thought we’d share some of the lesser-known spots for you to hit up this season. But first things first: get the wardrobe sorted, and make sure you do it with a heap of colour.

General Pants Co., Princess Polly, Streetology, Graniph, Platypus Shoes, Capsule, Sneakerology, Shadebox, Saxony and Supre – these are just some of the outlets you can find at Level One of Westfield Sydney, along with the awesome young designer markets at 100 Squared. It’s a veritable emporium of all the latest springwear for him and her, so we took Zac and Natasha shopping and picked up some new gear to keep them looking good on the weekends – no matter where those sunny days could take them.

HIM: Pants: Skinny roll up chinos in burgundy, RDX, $89.99 Shirt: Arvust check shirt, General Pants Co., $79.95 Cardigan: West Bourne Rovers cardigan, General Pants Co., $99.95 Shoes: St&Ard expedition boot, General Pants Co., $149.95 HER: Dress: Subtitled clementine collared dress, General Pants Co., $89.95 Bracelet: Red bangle, Lovisa, $12.99 Shoes: Miss Wilson red check heels, Platypus Shoes, $129.95 Bag: Brown bag, Rubi Shoes, $29.95

THE PICNIC Grab friends, chips, games and a couple of beers, and head down to a local greenery in your freshest Sunday gear – at Level One of Westfield Sydney, we went for the blues and the reds; a summer dress for her, rolled-up chinos for him. Try Wendy’s Secret Garden at Lavender Bay, a patch of land at the foot of Brett Whiteley’s home which was recently resurrected by his widow into an enchanting spot strewn with greenery, flowers, figs and winding paths. If you’re an Inner Westie, you can look out over the Anzac Bridge from Blackwattle Bay Park in Glebe – or look out over the delightfully happy dogs at Camperdown Memorial Park in Newtown. For more of an adventure, catch a ferry to Cockatoo Island; on November 19 and 20 it becomes ‘Cocktail Island’, filled with cocktail bars and tasting rooms.

THE FESTIVAL The sun just needs to wink at Sydney and we get one thing on our minds: festival season. It starts this year with the inaugural Harvest Festival at Parramatta Park on Sunday November 13 – Portishead? The Flaming Lips? Bright Eyes? Yes please. Homebake returns on December 3 with their epic ‘Classic Edition’, followed by Field Day on January 1, Big Day Out on Australia Day (Kanye, anyone?), Laneway Festival on February 5, and Future Music in March. With lineups as big as the entry lines, you’ll want to get to as many as possible – so you’ll need a few outfits. Remember: comfort is essential, Cons last a lifetime, layering is crucial, and gumboots never hurt. Westfield Sydney’s Urban Level got us everything we need.

HER: Dress: Daisy print dress, Tree Of Life, $69.95 Shoes: Hunter gumboots, Platypus Shoes, $199.00 Jewellery: Brushed cuff, $16.99; green wood bangle set, $12.99; gold tribal disc ring, $12.99; raw tusk necklace, $12.99 – all from Lovisa Headpiece: Yellow daisy headpiece, Lovisa, $14.99 42 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

HIM: T-Shirt: ‘Nirvana’ Tee, RDX, $59.99 Shirt: Vanishing Elephant ‘Forbes’ shirt, General Pants Co., $99.95 Shorts: Stray shorts, RDX, $69.99 Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylors, Platypus Shoes, $90.00

HIM: Jacket: Grey Shark, RDX, $299.99 Trouser: Grey Shark, RDX, $149.99 Belt: Twister Gunner, RDX, $49.99 Shirt: Purple pinstripe, RDX, $99.99 Vest: Grey Shark Skin, RDX, $89.99 Shoes: Lace Point in black, RDX, $149.99 Bow Tie: Black bow tie, RDX, $49.99

HER: Dress: ‘Play With Me’ dress, Princess Polly, $40.00 Headband: Floral headband in black, Rubi Shoes, $9.95 Necklace: ‘Pearl’, Lovisa, $14.99 Clutch: Black clutch, Rubi Shoes, $14.95 Shoes: ‘Serena Heel’ in blush, Rubi Shoes, $49.95

THE RACES

When Australians think of spring races, most think of the Melbourne Cup: leaving work for an hour or four to drink champagne on company time and scream encouragement at a screen. That’s all well and good, but why not dress up this year and spend the day at Rosehill or Randwick Racecourses to take part in their celebrations? We got Zac looking particularly dapper in Roger David, from RDX, with Natasha in a simple but elegant dress from Princess Polly, with a thrifty headpiece from Rubi Shoes.

THE BEACH

Shorts? Check. Kaftan? Check. Casual sleeves rolled-up on a casually open shirt? Double check. The last thing you need on those 30+ degree days is to share body heat with four million other people on Bondi Beach, so we’ll be visiting the more secluded spots this summer: try Gordon’s Bay just south of Clovelly, Milk Beach in Vaucluse, Store Beach in Manly (can only be reached by water, Crusoe), or Congwong Beach at Botony Bay National Park. Westfield Sydney’s Urban Level has the clothes part sorted – don’t forget the hat!

HIM: Shirt: Arvust ‘Trouble In Paradise’ shirt,

General Pants Co., $69.95 Shorts: Arvust ‘Iceburg’ shorts, General Pants Co., $59.95 Thongs: Havianas, General Pants Co., $24.95

HER: Bodysuit: Bodysuit in coral, Supre, $20.00 Dress: Kaftan, Tree of Life, $35.00 Shoes: ‘Jill’ sandal, Rubi Shoes, $19.95 Hat: ‘Hampton’, Rubi Shoes, $14.95 Necklace: Ombre necklace, Lovisa, $16.99

Photographer: Ken Leanfore Stylist: Hayley Hughes Hair & Make Up: Rosalie Musso Models: Zac and Natasha, from EMG Words: Alex Shipman

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 43

BRAG EATS

News Bites PIE’N’PALE

of creamy mash. We washed it down with a Pale Ale, the thinking man's beer (unless you like preservatives). Download the Pie’n’Pale app from cooperspienpale.com.au

Okto(beer)fest The Whole Nine Yard(glasses) Words by Roland Kay-Smith Photos by Alboon Lord Nelson's beers

Food. Yes – Duke Bistro is now serving a bar menu downstairs in the Flinders, so wrap your mouth around this: fried chicken burgers, bacon and green tomato chutney muffins, cheese ‘n’ corn quesadillas, chicken wings with burnt scallion mayo, and chips’n’gravy. That is all. 65 Flinders St, Darlinghurst. dukebistro.com.au

MOODLE NARKETS We already knew that beer and pie go together like Bert & Ernie (one’s warm and cheerful, the other’s slightly bitter, but in a refreshing way), but it took Coopers to make it into some kind of sport. Coopers' Pie’N’Pale Challenge physicalchallenges you to eat your way around Sydney in search of the best pie and a schooner of their Pale Ale, for just $20. It’s the kind of sport we like: low energy, no expensive equipment, better with more players (but also quite good one-on-one), and extremely competitive. There are 26 pubs taking part – but because we’re fiercely patriotic, we made a beeline for our local the Clarry (that’s Clarendon to you, punk) on Devonshire Street, for their spicy harissa and lamb pie [pictured], a warming, delicious treat of a meal – the meat tender, the pastry crispy – served on a bed

The Noodle Markets finish on Friday October 21, so head along to Hyde Park some night this week and put some noodle in your mouth-hole. If you’re scared of new experiences, don’t worry: Mamak, Nu, Din Tai Fung and Papparoti are there – or, if you like your Thai with two hats, Longrain has a stall.

THE DISPENSARY

This week is also your last chance to experience The Dispensary, the apothecaryinspired bar that won Drambuie’s ‘The Premise’ competition. A pop-up bar that floats somewhere beside Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, The Dispensary is the creation of Matilda Swan and Simon Connett, who mined Drambuie’s medicinal origins for inspiration, and came up with dark woods and leather-bound chairs, medicine drawers, recycled chemist bottles and antique scales. Open Thursday October 20 – Saturday October 22.

The Dispensary

GOT SOMETHING FOR BRAG EATS? Email us news tips or story ideas at food@thebrag.com

YYY UEJYCTV\DTGYGT[ EQO 44 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

Red Oak's meat tasting board

ktoberfest is one of Germany’s greatest gifts to the world: a fortnight dedicated to celebrating the best beers the nation has to offer. Beginning in 1810 in Munich, the festival only allows locally produced beer to be served during the event – and now enjoyed by beer guzzlers the world over, Australians have welcomed Oktoberfest with open arms. From the end of September until the last Sunday in October, it is not unusual to see local pubs erecting the traditional Oktoberfest tents and dressing themselves in lederhosen – all in the name of that wonderful golden liquid... As this year’s Oktoberfest celebrations wind down, BRAG visited a few local breweries to find out if Sydney can produce beer worthy of such a celebration. Established in 1841, The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel lays claim to being the oldest licensed hotel in Australia. Located in the historic Rocks precinct, the hotel itself is a beautiful, heritage-listed sandstone building complete with cosy wooden interior and colonial-era decorations. Since they began brewing in 1985, The Lord Nelson has managed to accumulate their fair share of international brewing awards. The Quayle Ale, popular with the ladies, is easy to drink, light, and the perfect companion to a sunny summer’s day. The Victory Bitter, their most popular beer, is a big cloudy mouthful of full flavoured bitter ale. As dark as the name suggests, the Nelson’s Blood is a rich, chocolaty, robust porter; complex and subtle, this is a beer worth savouring. The darker colour and fuller flavour of the beer is achieved by roasting the barley that little bit longer – and the beers at the Lord Nelson are served at slightly warmer temperature than most pubs, to bring out the taste. The great bar staff provide enough beer knowledge to help you make your selection, and are happy to offer you a sneaky taste before you decide which to attack first. The Lord Nelson also offers a sophisticated food menu, brewery tours, accommodation and sports, all without the hassle of those nasty poker machines. Well worth the trip down to Old Sydney Town. On Clarence Street, in the heart of the CBD, you’ll find the Red Oak. A newer establishment, the ‘Oak has been brewing beer since 2005. Exclusively serving their own award-winning beers, the Red Oak also offers a wide variety of ciders. The entire beer selection is too vast to mention here, but a few favourites include the Perry (pear cider), the India Pale Ale and the Honey Ale. Highly recommended are the tasting boards: at the bargain price of $20, they intricately match beers and ciders with small samples of food from the bar menu. The seafood tasting board begins with kingfish tartare and salmon roe matched with Dry Apple Cider, then moves onto Tasmanian smoked salmon mousse accompanied by Original Apple Cider, followed by the excellent black mussel and Original Dry Cider pie, before finishing on a high with the porter-marinated BBQ octopus and Original Pale Ale – and you can pick from other tasting boards, including meat, vegetarian and cheese. The staff at the Red Oak display a deep knowledge and passion for their beers, completing an enjoyable and relaxing experience for the casual and the serious beer fiend alike. If you should find yourself near Central Station, make sure you visited the newly branded Schwartz Brewery. Formerly the Macquarie Hotel, the Schwartz is a veritable labyrinth

of nighttime entertainment. Bill & Toni’s Pub Life bang out classic Italian food upstairs, the front bar pumps with live music most evenings, and there's an internationally acclaimed brewery out the back. Made on site by passionate brewers, the Schwartz beer range includes pilsner, pale ale, dark larger, wheat beer and cider. The top selling Pale Ale is a smooth drinking ale with a refreshing citrus finish, the Pilsner is rich and clean thanks to the use of Saaz hops, and the Sydney Summertime is a crisp, easy-drinking lager. While all the beers here are fantastic, it is the Sydney Cider that stands out as the brewery’s real hero: a labour of love born 20 years ago, it leaves its mass-produced competitors for dead, culinary apple and champagne yeast producing a well-balanced, fruity and delicious apple cider. No amount of descriptive words can do it justice; this is possibly the best apple cider in town. The brewers often man the taps in the evenings and are more than happy to have a yarn about their beers, how they brew them, and which is their personal favourite. I’m sure they’d agree with me: when it comes to beer, Sydney has plenty to celebrate.

CHEERS FOR THE BEERS Hunting Down The Best Local Brews

THE LORD NELSON 19 Kent St, The Rocks We recommend: Take a cheeky sample of each beer before deciding – they're all great!

RED OAK 201 Clarence St, CBD We recommend: The tasting boards match samples from the menu with beers and ciders.

SCHWARTZ BREWERY 40-44 Wentworth Ave, CBD We recommend: The Sydney Cider – incredible.

4 PINES BREWING COMPANY 29/43-45 East Esplanade, Manly We recommend: 4 Pines Pale Ale for aromas of pine and grapefruit, or 4 Pines Hefeweizen for hints of banana and spice.

THE COURTHOUSE HOTEL 202 Australia St, Newtown We recommend: A pint of their home-brewed, summer-ready Justice Ale, over a game of Space Invaders!

THE AUSTRALIAN BREWERY 350 Annangrove Rd, Rouse Hill We recommend: A takeaway growler of their homebrewed Mexican-style ale, Amazing Cerveza.

PADDY’S BREWERY 268 Parramatta Rd, Flemington We recommend: Paddy’s Pilsener for some malty, floral goodness, or Paddy’s Old Regret Strong Dark Ale, for a bolder beer experience.

Photos by Alboon

DUKE'S BAR MENU

BRAG EATS food review

Brand new menu and experienced chef.

TOMMY’S BEER CAFÉ [GLEBE]

When the first page of a menu at a restaurant is BEER (in capital letters, before the food), you know you’re in for a good evening. In a world where the drinks are just as important as the food, Tommy’s Beer Café has transported the rustic wooden benches and quintessentially Eastern European vibe of Munich and Prague, Vienna and Bratislava, and brought it to Glebe.

Offering up pub favourites as well as traditional Thai food.

Our Slovakian waitress Suzanna took us on a food-and-drink safari through Central and Eastern Europe. The starters ranged from freshly-baked pretzels ($3.50) and pork

Photos courtesy of Tommy's Beer Café

crackling ($4.20) to dishes that could almost be considered mains: slowly braised buffalo cheek on a bed of parsley mash, dark beer and rosehip juice ($11.90), and homemade duck sausage with chilli mustard salsa ($13.90) – a menu highlight. Then the mains were presented to us: a mixed platter of veal schnitzel on mash, roasted duck on braised red cabbage and pork belly on sauerkraut ($28.90), and Slovak Halusky: a bowl of baby gnocchi and creamy bryndza cheese with bacon ($18.90). The mixed platter was the bees’ knees of the menu – three servings of finely cooked European food, and the pork belly’s sauerkraut is so good you’ll find yourself eating it on its own. And the beer. Oh, the beer. Even nonbeer-drinkers will fall under Tommy’s beery spell, with everything under the European sun to choose from: notably ‘Budvar’ ($5), a 700-year-old Czech lager which the Americans stole to make Budweiser; the cherry or passionfruit Floris beer ($8.90); and

FEAST YOUR EYES: BRAG'S GUEST RECIPES

BBQ Corn With A Kick

Ingredients: Four corn cobs, ¼ cup mayo, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ a lime Method: Peel back the husks of the corn and remove all the silky bits. Soak the corn in water for 10-15min so the husks don’t burn on the grill.

Fire up the BBQ to medium heat. If you’ve got a char-grill, even better. Throw the cobs on, husks intact. Turn them every now and then until the corn is cooked, but not charred. Pull back the husks, and blacken to your desired 3. amount of black. the mayo, paprika and lime. You may wish 4.Mix

free stuff

Tommy’s is a homely, toasty warm place with the best European drinks and food this side of Munich – it’s obvious that the man himself has put a lot of thought into showcasing the delights of his mother continent. With multiple rooms, dorky music (Seal, Jamiroquai et al), and an outdoor beer garden which is due to be approved in six months or so, it’s the perfect place for big groups of hungry, happy people. By Rach Seneviratne Where: 123 Glebe Point Road Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 5pm til midnight Phone: (02) 9660 6870

Come get warm this winter in this cosy cottage style pub.

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

Part of The Sydney Morning Herald Crave Sydney International Food Festival, presented by Citibank

Marrickville Road and Illawarra Road, Marrickville

MARRICKVILLE FESTIVAL 2011

[BY DAVE MILLER FROM PVT] Tell us about it: This is a butchering of another recipe that occurred due to lack of ingredients at the time. It’s a bit messy, a little bad for you, and you can eat it with your hands – always good combo…

Live music, Beer Garden, Sports Room and Gaming Room

‘Delirium Tremens’ ($12), an extremely strong Belgian beer that’s allegedly the best in the world. (It is.) They don’t stop at beer either, with a bevy of traditional spicy spirits you won’t find anywhere else, as well as a ludicrously long list of assorted absinthes. (Eurotrip?)

Sun 23 October 11am–5pm to alter the amounts, so it has the right kick for you. the mayo mix on your cobs. Eat. 5.Drizzle [Illustrated by Matt Roden]

email: freestuff@thebrag.com

▼

Bitter & Twisted runs November 5-6; we have two double ‘Day Passes’ for Sunday Nov 6 up for grabs, which includes entry to the festival, your tasting glass and five beer tokens to get you started! To get your hands on one, email freestuff@thebrag.com with the name of one Aussie boutique beer. www.bitterandtwisted.com.au

s the weather heats up, it’s time for a summer escapade to the country, for Maitland’s Bitter & Twisted International Boutique Beer Festival. Bringing together the internationally recognised powers of MUSIC and BEER, Bitter & Twisted presents boutique beers (over 50 beers from the best Australian craft-breweries, as well as specialty international beer) alongside a lineup of heroes like Hungry Kids of Hungary, Watussi, Crooked Fiddle Band, Kym Campbell, and heaps more. Probably because rockers and beer always end up in trouble, it’s all taking place at Maitland Gaol (which, looking at the photos, kinda reminds us of Laneway Festival’s SCA Campus).

BITTER & TWISTED WIN!

rric

kville

v . n s w . g o v. a u / m a r r i c k

Richard in Your Mind • Stiff Gins • Doc Jones

ill

s efe

Food • Arts • Entertainment

&ESTIVAL %NQUIRIES s 449 Marrickville Council encourages you to walk, ride or travel by public transport to the Marrickville Festival Presented by:

Sponsor:

Media Partner:

Supporters: Commonwealth Bank IKEA Tempe Petersham RSL

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 45

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK LOST ANIMAL

range he bleeds in cool – effortlessly blending swagger and intensity in a worldly, windswept drawl.

Ex Tropical Sensory Projects

Lost Animal is the solo project of Jarrod Quarrell, the singer and songwriter in Melbourne band St Helens, whose dissolution in 2010 came just a year after the release of their acclaimed debut Heavy Profession. Reportedly, the band broke-up so that Quarrell could focus on Lost Animal – and now comes Ex Tropical, the fruit of that premature divorce. Breezy, seedy brilliance from a nonchalant savant.

Fortunately for St Helens fans left brooding over the band’s all-too-short blaze and burnout, Ex Tropical is fucking fantastic. Quarrell is a distinct and compelling vocalist with an innate feel for pacing and delivery rivalling that of everyone’s favourite bard, Bill Callahan. What he lacks in

BLINK-182

Blink-182’s self-titled 2003 album was a dark and experimental piece of music – in many ways it was the band’s magnum opus – and after they announced their indefinite hiatus in 2005, it was the final statement made before a career ellipsis. After such a long (and less than amicable) split, it’s a marvel that Blink-182 are able to recapture at least some of their well-known musical chemistry at all. They do an admirable job to achieve a sense of cohesiveness with Neighborhoods: sonically the album falls somewhere amongst the shadows of its predecessor, Tom DeLonge’s other bands Angels & Airwaves and the now defunct Boxcar Racer, and Mark Hoppus’ and Travis Barker’s short-lived +44. Lead single ‘Up All Night’ is a song that portrays all of these elements, with a heavy, posthardcore lead riff, soaring chorus lines and driving drumbeats. When they get the chemistry right, like on ‘Wishing Well’ (possibly the poppiest song Blink’s ever written), Neighborhoods is a return to form; when they don’t, like on ‘MH 4.18.2011’, things take a mediocre turn. There’s even a tip of the hat to the moody style of The Cure throughout the album – just like them, Blink-182 are a band capable of tapping into emotions and creating empathy with their audience. Does it happen on Neighborhoods from beginning to end? No. But they come close. In choosing to forego nostalgic repetition for forward-thinking composition, Blink-182 demonstrate that they still have much to give. Lindsay Cuthbertson

While parts of the record sound upbeat, it’s surface-level flourishes only. Below that, it’s all dark terrain. And like talking to a friend who just can’t see the light no matter how hard you shine

THE TWELVES

Neighborhoods Interscope/Universal Putting an end to eight years of studio silence from Blink-182, Neighborhoods will be a disappointment to some and a triumph to others – but it’s definitely more of the latter in the broader context of the band’s canon.

On first listen, Ex Tropical is a weird ride. Composed mainly of a drum machine and a Roland synthesiser, the backing tracks layer incongruous influences like the mid-tempo schmaltz of Lionel Richie, morose horns a la Morphine, and the chic Caribbean groove of Grace Jones. Yet miraculously, as a package, there’s no sense that Quarrell is trying to be anyone but himself.

THE BATS

Kitsuné Tabloid Kitsuné

Do not underestimate the power of a good remix. It’s the kind of thing that can launch a DJ/production unit’s career and send them spiralling into the mainstream in a way they couldn’t have possibly done on their own. Such is the case for Brazil’s favourite sons, The Twelves, who pretty much owned 2009 with their engrossing take on Metric’s ‘Help I’m Alive’, which was so brilliant that it outshone the original the same way A-Trak did with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Subsequent edits of La Roux and Two Door Cinema club seem to have proved their mettle, which lead to French house-of-hipster, Kitsuné, commissioning a full-length mix from them. Tabloid is divided into a Side A and Side B a la vinyl – the format which all the precocious Parisians will buy it on. Advance warning though: don’t flip it over. The first side, with re-re-mixes of some of The Twelves’ best work and a few great originals, is the party to end all parties. Their Tabloid mixes of Black Strobe and French Horn Rebellion are among the best they’ve done, all porn bass and trippy synths respectively. The second half, which reads like the Pitchfork Guide To Electronic Music (read: stuff most people won’t like) is jarring and doesn’t really sit that well, especially compared to the first. To their credit, The Twelves can bring funk and soul to even the most rigid new-wave bullshit (you won’t even realise you’re listening to The Juan Maclean until you hear that deadpan voice), but their song selection brings down an otherwise perfect first innings. I blame the French.

The ten-year recording hiatus starting from 1995’s Couchmaster has been instrumental in revitalising the band’s sound. Everything since 2005’s At the National Grid has shown evidence of a startling maturity, and Free All The Monsters is no exception. Robert Scott’s voice is less raw and more lilting, without age diminishing its idiosyncrasies. More brazen about exploring other genres, the band have again managed to absorb these influences into the monolith of their own unmistakable sound without bending to them. Best of all, as always, are Scott’s vocal harmonies with fellow guitarist Kaye Woodward, particularly in the lo-fi ballad ‘It’s Not The Same’, and the churning ‘When The Day Comes’.

You can’t change sides on a CD, so they win this time (shakes fist).

I said when it came out that 2008’s The Guilty Office was, despite all odds, the best thing The Bats have ever put out. By way of comparison, Free All The Monsters makes it look like a sweaty, obese man clutching a T-shirt cock cannon in the middle of the MCG.

Jonno Seidler

Sean Gleeson

Batmania Shock

The Fearless Vampire Killers are a group of four Melbourne friends who've been raised on a steady diet of rock‘n’roll, surf and punk, and apparently have a formal arrangement with Beelzebub. Produced by Lars Stalfors of Mars Volta fame, their debut record sounds like a genuine 1960 artifact; amp speakers break up nicely, the lead guitar tones are creamy, and groovy backing vocals sit tightly behind a convincing lead singer. 46 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

Opener ‘Tell Me What You’re Trying To Say’ kicks off with a classic garage rock riff, before being followed by the first of many infectious choruses; ‘Country Rock’ makes its mark by ending with a thirty second drum solo; and lead single ‘For You & Me’ is the band at their rocking best. The two slower songs on the record, ‘Jacky’ and ‘Precious Ground’, mix things up by adding strings and horns sections; in the hands of a lesser band these songs could have been disastrous, but The Fearless Vampire Killers have enough restraint to allow these additions to serve the songs without them becoming overpowering.

When an album opens with “It’s a party, and don’t you know it don’t get much better. We’re going to make it such an awesome party,” it’s hard not to stand up and walk away for good. Luckily for The Subways, the British trio’s latest full-length Money And Celebrity is fun enough to overcome repetition and simplistic lyrics. As a visceral exercise in dance-floor or house-party excitement, this album works well. The record isn't bad – it just has its flaws. A serious overuse of cowbells essentially defines the major problem: some ideas, while initially fun, are grating when overused. Generic drum beats and repetitive stylistic devices get old quickly; heavily compressed guitars leading into uninspiring punk-pop become tiring. Especially after listening to three similar tracks in a row. In the same vein, vocal bridges accompanied with nothing but percussion are also overused. While tracks like ‘Celebrity’ and ‘Money’ stand out – they would be an excellent fit in indie kids’ party playlists – with little artistic variation and a lot of repetition, Money And Celebrity is a hard album to listen to in full. Surprisingly, the back-end of the album is much more impressive than the opening tracks. After all of the band’s ‘party anthems’ have been used, tracks like ‘Rumour’ and ‘Down Our Street’ really redeem the record, tying together a collection of otherwise disparate tracks into a more cohesive release. Less of an album and more of a compilation of songs, Money and Celebrity will still be received well. If you’ve just seen The Wombats, move onto The Subways. You won’t be disappointed. James O’Doherty

The instrumental closer, ‘All Coked Up (With Nowhere To Go'), might be the record’s only throwaway track, but it nevertheless does a good job of highlighting how much musical chemistry this band possesses. If there is a downside to what The Fearless Vampire Killers are doing, it’s that while they channel their influences faithfully, they do so at the risk of not creating any distinguishable personality of their own – and for a band with this much potential, that’s a damn shame. It might not be original, but it’s slick, well executed, and a lot of fun. Batmania won’t disappoint fans of good old-fashioned rock‘n’roll. Roland Kay-Smith

DAVID LYNCH

Money And Celebrity Shock

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS

Kate Hennessy

THE SUBWAYS

Free All The Monsters Mistletone/Inertia When Meat Loaf fired T-shirts out of a giant phallus during the pre-match entertainment of the AFL final a few weekends back, before launching into the most aurally torturing melody of a back catalogue since Angry Anderson rode onto Waverley Park in the Batmobile, the lesson for the kids watching at home was that anyone who’s been making music for that long deserves to be regarded with a healthy dose of suspicion. For The Bats, far and away the most prolific band to come out of the Dunedin indie explosion, people can be forgiven for a similar degree of wariness upon hearing they’ve put out their eighth full-length, three months before they celebrate their 30th anniversary. Said people are ignorant simpletons who should be rounded up and shot.

a beacon, there’s a palpable finality to Quarrell’s perspective, expressed in the first lines of the record: “When I was a boy mother told me / The biggest killer is a made up mind / Now I’m full grown I’m in danger / But I got a beat and the beat goes on.”

Crazy Clown Time Sunday Best Crazy Clown Time, the debut solo venture from twisted filmmaker David Lynch, is disjointed, conceptually directionless, and devoid of anything that could thematically tie it together as an ‘album’ as we understand the term. In short, it’s Lynch’s most focused and direct work to date. Fans of Lynch’s film and television output have long given up on secondguessing anything that he does. Lynch himself has made it very clear that those in search of meaning will come up empty handed. His films are less about the linear journey and more about scattered plot points and implied emotion – which makes music the perfect medium for Lynch to wield his manic wand. Opening gambit ‘Pinky’s Dream’ sees Karen O lost on a highway and sounding more Yeah Yeah Yeahs than she has in years. ‘Football Game’ is a journey to the edge of the desert, the distorted country/ blues vocals and warped musical bed hinting at a foreboding event at the titular game. ‘These Are My Friends’ harks back to the dreamy ‘50s sound of the Twin Peaks soundtrack Lynch co-authored with Angelo Badalamenti – close your eyes and you can imagine Sherilyn Fenn sexily swaying to this – and ‘Movin’ Up’ achieves the same feeling, albeit to a lesser degree. The title track is both the most trying and the most avant-garde; a seven-minute centrepiece that mixes White Stripes blues swagger, Velvet Underground noise and nightmarish vocal shards. Is the female voice being murdered or pleasured? The mixture of violence and sex implicit in Mullholland Drive is present here, even if it does outstay its welcome by about four minutes… They say there’s a thin line between insanity and genius. That line just became a whole lot thinner. Nathan Jolly

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

OKKERVIL RIVER - Black Sheep Boy GRIZZLY BEAR - Veckatimest GHOSTFACE KILLA - The Big Doe Rehab

DRIVE - OST CAITLIN PARK - Milk Annual

7 9 , : , 5 ; :

9 6 6 ; : 9 , . . ( , : 6 < 3 + < ) , = , 9 @ ; / < 9 : + ( @ 7 4

- , (; < 9 0 5 .

:63( 96:( :6<5+ :@:;,4 ),5;3,@ +1 ()030;@

6*;6),9 ;/

NICHE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

A N EVENING OF DISCO/ AN O/ HOUSE, H OUSE, DUBSTEP, DUB UBST S EP, HIP HOP, HOP P, LE TFIELD EL LEF ELECTRONICA & FUTURE SOULL

PIGEON O 21 OCT ALL LIVE EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT 8PM TIL MIDNIGHT

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 47

The Minor Chord The all-ages rant brought to you by Indent.net.au and Dominic O'Connor

Confession

A Thousand Mistakes

ALL-AGES GIG PICKS

DVD OUT NOW

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21

Saturday October 29 METRO THEATRE Tickets: www.thedrones.com.au or www.theatlasagency.com

ell fellow all-agers, it looks like we’re all back to school by now. But who says we can’t beat those blues and long nights of homework ahead by attending a bunch of kick-arse all-ages gigs?

Tonight Alive, Rufio Metro Theatre

Our feature gig this week is by Indent’s regional tour headliners Tonight Alive, who will be playing their biggest gig to date on Friday night, at The Metro Theatre. This is a huge achievement from a band who are so close to exploding into the stratosphere; we’re amazed they haven’t burnt up yet! They’ll be supported by US punks Rufio, who are on the verge of being just as huge – so if the Metro Theatre hasn't blown up from the sheer enormity of expectations before Rufio go on at 8pm, this gig will definitely be one to look at with sepia-toned glasses in the future. Tonight Alive won’t be playing at just Metro Theatre for much longer, with their debut album What Are You So Scared Of? produced by uber-producer Mark Trombino – he's worked with bands like Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Basement Jaxx and Gyroscope.

Drive, Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle

On the same night, Melbournian hardcore merchants Confession will be screaming their lungs out at The Factory Theatre, supported by Western-Sydney deathcorers Thy Art Is Murder and the most hardcore band in all of New Zealand, Antagonist A.D. The elderly folk of Marrickville will be awoken by these heavy sounds from 8pm – so the Inner West will certainly be the place to be on Friday night. There’s a current trend towards showing live concerts and music documentaries on the big screen. This writer has caught both the Foo Fighters: Back and Forth doco and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers: I’m With You live concert recently, and The Minor Chord certainly hopes that this idea gains momentum. It’s a rare opportunity to feel closer to international acts and see them play live without paying the hundreds of dollars usually associated with concerts. Also, it’s an all-ages-friendly setting – and let’s be honest, it’s easier than waiting for these bands to tour down under. When Hoyts Broadway showed Nirvana: Live At The Paramount a few Fridays ago, fans went into a frenzy – being hardcore

Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Antagonist A.D Factory Theatre

SEPTEMBER17NOVEMBER 23

Drawing North – Australian Tour Selected Australian Highschools

Nirvana-heads, most of the audience was kicked out for jumping out of their seats, and moshing in front of the screen. Personally, we think that’s the kind of behaviour we need more of… Canberra’s five-piece pop rock group Drawing North have just announced their national 30+ date tour of high schools across the east coast and regional areas of Australia. This will coincide with the anticipated release of their new single later this month, which they are busy recording in the studio as you read this! The young punk-pop rockers have supported many international and homegrown acts like The Almost, New Empire and even Indent Tour headliners, Tonight Alive. Boy and Bear’s producer, Andy Mak, is recording the band’s follow up, and has described Drawing North as “...the most exciting up and coming Australian band I’ve seen this year.” Impressed much? Head to the Indent site for all the tour dates. In other music news, Music Victoria is conducting a national research survey on musicians’ access to Centrelink. This survey is focused on Centrelink payments, and will help you gain an understanding of the impact Centrelink requirements may be having on musicians. The survey is super short and should take no more than five minutes of your time; being the next generation of promising musicians and music enthusiasts, we at The Minor Chord encourage you all to help shape any future change. To complete the survey, head to our website: indent.net.au

Send all ages listings & info to theminorchordradio@gmail.com 48 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

xxxx

Drawing North

whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S on

1 TIME EVER IN PENRITH! ST

s r a c l l a ing with Call

1 2 R E B O T C O Y A D I FR RS 7.30PM PRESALE

DOO F B + 0 6 $ R O O D | F B + 5 5 $

PEN152

Visit penrith.panthers.com.au for more details.

Mulgoa Road, Penrith 1800 061 991 penrith.panthers.com.au More information available on facebook

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 49

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE AND MAGGIE GERRAND PRESENT

Remedy More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

JOHN WATERS

SELECTS FOUR DOUBLE

FEATURE FILMS FROM HELL

! k c o h s ROR! TER

DESS!

GOD

S EX !

21 - 23

OCT OBE R

TICKE TS FROM $45* INCLUD ES AN INTRO DUCTIO N AND Q&A WITH JOHN WATER S

*TRANSACT ION FEE OF $5 - $8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS, EXCEPT INSIDERS

The Jesus And Mary Chain

X-SPURTS

X’s X-Spurts – The 1977 Recordings, which were long thought to have been lost in the mists of time, have finally made it into daylight on the Aztec label. Recorded in a room at the Sydney home of the legendary Irish John two years before the X Aspirations album was put on tape, this is the original and best X, a four piece unit that lasted a mere eight months with Ian Rilen, Steve Lucas, late and sadly missed guitar God, Ian Krahe – the man who was the missing link between Angus Young and Johnny Ramone – and drummer, Steve Cafiero. This band could have been huge, so much more than just, say, Australia's answer to The Ramones or The Sex Pistols. They could have been our edition of The Stones or The Who, but after Krahe died in May 1978, far too much was lost – the band themselves included. The stripped down classic, X Aspirations, was what they ultimately had to do post-Krahe, when nothing else really sparked; it wasn’t what they could have done. It’s all covered in a damn fine read: Blood Sweat And Beers...

IPAD ROCKS

There’s some weird and wonderful things available as iPad and iPhone apps, but this is one right outta left field: made for iPad, ‘Deep Purple – Sunbury 1975’ is centred around Deep Purple’s infamous Australian tour and appearance at the Sunbury festival in 1975. There’s video clips that include: Sunbury 1, Sunbury 2, Drug issues, Tommy Bolin, CTTB, Glenn Hughes, Australasian tour, Jakarta, Jakarta nightmare, Tokyo, Hughes problems and Implosion. An app on Rainbow’s 1976 Australian tour is available too.

JESUS BACK

The Jesus and Mary Chain’s back catalogue has been reissued in a hell of a way. The white noise pop classic Psychocandy, which in a sense was the modern day equivalent of Phil Spector’s wall of sound, is available as a deluxe three disc – two CDs and a DVD – package. Apart from the usual suspects of demos, out-takes

and BBC Sessions, the DVD has the Reid Bros’ glorious din of an appearance on the UK’s Old Grey Whistle Test – and best of all, the riot that ensued at their legendary “show” at North London Polytechnic, where most of the action was off stage. Not all the rock 'n' roll of the eighties sucked hugely. This is exhibit A; Spacemen 3 are exhibit B.

KEITH: LIFE

We’ve been working our way through Keith Richards’ book Life, and we've gotta say: to us, the great man kinda short-changes the influence Brian Jones had on the early Stones. ...Still, Brian isn’t a household term for rock’n’roll or a testament to the survival of the fittest, is he?

WTF

We’re still recovering from the cover line on a recent edition of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Metro, which declared “Pete Murray cranks up the amp for his fourth LP”. Huh. We didn’t think for a second that he even owned an amp, much less ever thought of turning it up. It got us to wondering, how on earth did folks like him seemingly manage to get lumped in with anything remotely deemed “rock”? Worse, somehow deemed to be part of some “nu-Oz rock” movement?

WHAT A NIGHTMARE

Sometimes ya gets picked up with one hand and thrown down with the other. Like the new Alice Cooper slab, Welcome 2 My Nightmare. On the up side, surviving members of the original Alice Cooper Band – Denis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith – make an appearance. But on the downside, for some ridiculous reason, so does Ke$ha – plus of course countless co-writers. Alice made his best records – Love it To Death and School’s Out – with his own band, no guests and no external songwriters; because he/they didn’t need them. It was a band. Bands only seem to exist in a nominal sense now. It’s no longer an ‘us against the world’ thing; it’s an ‘us and all the people we know and can rope in against the world’ thing. Kinda loses the magic, really...

ON THE TURNTABLE

THIS WEEKEND

02 9250 7777 S Y D N E Y O P E R A H O U S E . C O M 50 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

On the Remedy turntable is Hendrix’s mammoth Winterland box, which is drawn from a string of shows at the hallowed San Franciscan venue. It’s tough to be subjective about this man. Yes, there’s been a cazillion releases of his stuff, but the thing for us is, how can you have too many items by the dude who was to the guitar what John Coltrane was to sax? Who was the one-man improvisational equivalent of The Grateful Dead? Who made some delicious noise and was the best blues guitarist ever? Also thumping it out (but with a block of wood under one foot) is Seasick Steve’s aptly titled Man From Another Time. To be honest, despite the widespread raves, we had this guy pegged as the latest blues Grammy type – and that’s not a good thing. How wrong we were. This is almost one-man garage stomp in the tradition of John Lee Hooker and RL Burnside at its best. And that is a good thing.

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS Mudhoney are playing Meredith Festival, and will also be at Manning on December 6 with The Holy Soul and The Treatment.

to the Hard-Ons, which they used to do demos, and write songs at home. It comes with a brand new Gator roadcase.

The Hard-Ons are doing a Wednesday residency at the Sando in Newtown through November. Each night there’ll be a draw for items such as: 1) a massive gift-pack with one of every item in their merchandise storeroom (i.e. every CD, every LP, every 7” vinyl, every t-shirt, every hoodie); 2) the original ink drawing of the killer Motörheadstyled ‘Donald Duck – war pig Punchbowl’ t-shirt/flyer art; 3) a signed cymbal as used by recent drumming addition Murray, featuring a custom drawing as well; and 4) a Jackson electric guitar that belongs

Sydney’s grand grind-masters, Mother Eel, are playing their final Sydney show for 2011 as part of Grindhead Records’ East West DeathGrind Fest 3 – which is happening at the Sando in Newtown on November 26. The full lineup is Daemon Foetal Harvest, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Mother Eel, Hell Itself, The Mung, Tortured, Festering Drippage, Granny Fist, Disciples Of Torture, Lower Back Problems, Autolysis and Putrefaction. The first 100 payers get a free Grindhead Records CD; it's $20 to get in.

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

tOtElAbEx

ToNeLaBeX

$329! $449.99 rRp

Vt80+

$449! $549.99 RrP

Vt80+

Ac30C2

$1099! $1499.00 RrP

ElEcTrIcS YaMaHa PaCiFiCa 012 YaMaHa PaCiFiCa 112 PaCk

$279! $399.99 RrP $449! $599.99 RrP

AcOuStIcS Ac30Hw2X

.00 RrP

$2349! $2799

ThE VoX HaNd-WiReD SeRiEs rElIeS oN tHe pAiNsTaKiNg tEcHnIqUe oF tUrReT bOaRd hAnD-wIrInG rEqUiRiNg a hIgH lEvEl oF sKiLl aNd cRaFtSmAnShIp – rEsUlTiNg iN aN aMp tHaT’s bEaUtIfUl iN iTs aRtIsTrY wItH iNcReDiBlE vInTaGe tOnE.

Tb35C2

Ac30Hw2

YaMaHa F310P AcOuStIc PaCk YaMaHa Fg700Ms/S YaMaHa FgX720ScAw YaMaHa Fg720S YaMaHa Fg720Sl YaMaHa Fg730S YaMaHa ApX500IiBl 00IiBl

$1599! $1999.00 RrP

HiGhLy rEsPeCtEd bOuTiQuE aMp dEsIgNeR ToNy BrUnO, cOlLaBoRaTeS wItH VoX tO cReAtE aN aMp tHaT cOmBiNeS aLl oF VoX’s BrItIsH hErItAgE wItH dIsTiNcTlY AmErIcAn tOnE aNd cOlOuR.

$199! $249.99 RrP $299! $399.99 RrP $499! $699.99 RrP $399! $499.99 rRp $469! $599.99 rRp $469! $599.99 rRp $399! $499.99 rRp

FgX720ScA

C40A

ClAsSiCaL Tb35C1

PaThFiNdEr10

$79! $99.99 rRp

AgA150

$629! $799.99 rRp

AnNaNdAlE - BlAcK LaBeL StOrE 55 PaRrAmAtTa Rd, AnNaNdAlE NsW 2038 (02) 9517 1901

YaMaHa Cs40 YaMaHa C40A YaMaHa C70 YaMaHa Cg142S YaMaHa Cg122Ms

$119! $199.99 RrP $149! $199.99 RrP $219! $269.99 RrP $349! $449.99RrP $299! $399.99 rRp

StAgEpAs150M

$549! $699.99 RrP

wWw.gAlLiNsMpS.cOm.aU BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 51

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

waves and intone susurrus, pitch-shifted vocals over a linear track of burbling electronics. Save for a 4:4 kick that steps in and out, there’s not much on the surface of the music to pique the attention of the audience, many of whom choose to talk over it. But those listening closely find that the duo’s single chord unfolds incrementally, revealing exquisite detail; a bottomless pit of fractal arpeggios.

BLACK DICE, LUCKY DRAGONS, HOLY BALM Oxford Art Factory Friday October 7

It seems as though Holy Balm has been on every second local bill in the past six months, and with good reason; their blend of Kosmische synth and dark-disco drum machine continues to reach new levels of sophistication and cogency. It’s still loose enough to feel organic, but it’s now slick and aggressive too. Tonight their sound has jumped from the stygian murk of ‘70s European electronica to the brilliant sheen of the ‘80s and the early ‘90s, and the set is blinding in the light of this newfound detail. Let’s hope there’s an album on the way.

black dice

Luke Telford

PICS :: RR

Lucky Dragons are an impressively androgynous experimental duo from L.A., renowned for their lateral approach to audience interaction. As their music begins to purr out of the subs, a number of patrons perspicaciously step forward in anticipation of an ingenious, tactile musical experience; but they’re disappointed. Hunched, facing each other, over laptops set up on the floor of the stage, the pair take turns to serenely plot touchpad sine

Bands like Liars and Autechre come to mind in the first 20 minutes of Black Dice’s set, but neither allusion quite evokes the hermetic logic that seems to be piecing this music together. Flagrantly distorted Casio beats run rampant over goofy, electro-slush guitar and grating walls of synth. Those who happily nodded their heads through the previous sets are at a complete loss, eventually realising that you just need to surrender to this music in all its infantile, ramshackle glory. This might have been what it was like to see Captain Beefheart play after they emerged from the yearlong, drug-addled hermitage that birthed Trout Mask Replica. Regardless, the band’s forthcoming album, Mr. Impossible, is going to be nothing short of a mind-fuck.

07:10:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

CRAFTED BY HIPSTER WANKERS FROM COLLINGWOOD, MELBOURNE, QUIZ MEISTERS IS A REBELLION AGAINST THE SHIT TRIVIA THAT HAS HAUNTED SYDNEY PUBS FOR TOO LONG. JOIN THE REVOLUTION AND FIND OUT WHAT PUB TRIVIA SHOULD TASTE LIKE. THREE AWESOME LOCATIONS ON THREE DIFFERENT NIGHTS OF THE WEEK...

MONDAYS 7:30PM TUESDAYS 7:30PM THURSDAYS 8PM 52 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

MARNIE STERN, UNITY FLOORS GoodGod Small Club Thursday October 6

– maybe honour in the face of death, or the idea of television? But they were definitely songs, not noise experiments. Three ticks!

Guitars! Where hath thout beenth, lo these laste few months o’ my life? Do you ever find yourself mired in that swamp of dusty folk strummings and warbled half stammers of – sigh – feelings, so much so that when you by chance find yourself square in the path of a couple of hours of solid riffage, plucked and hurled, chunk by chunk into your face, you say, “Thank you, sirs, may I have another”? As if having your face repeatedly slammed by noise was like drinking in the freshest of spring breezes? No? That was just me last Thursday, huddled in the hull of GoodGod’s Danceteria? You weren’t there, getting poetic about guitars? You idiot. This show was great.

Marnie Stern could have been plucked straight from Halls Of Valhalla, a new mythic Nordic show I’m pitching to Nickelodeon. Starring a pip-squeak Valkrie as the guitarwielding heroine, with the fingers of Loki and the axe of Freya, she sweeps earthbound atop a winged chariot, fighting criminals and bullies with wicked pop metal stringtapping, backed by some giant gentle bear creature on heaving slap-bass, and a faceless machine for a drummer. Here are great measures of intergalactic hyper-drive bubblegum screamo rock. Tune in.

Unity Floors shambled on stage, and then just nodded and yammered through a set of fun ra-ra repetitions and back-of-thefret noodles. It was great! It was like the Sydney duo had just been released from a basement, where they spend their days floating in matching pods, soaked in some kind of brine from sorta-mid-'90s Washington state, pickling in the juices of pop-post-punks come before them. I don’t think any of these songs were about share houses or specific cafes on specific streets of Sydney; in fact, I don’t know what any of the songs were about

We’re dealing with technical-type playing, and she’s a pretty girl, and she got early career NYTimes hype, and all the other rock snob hang-ups – so haters gonna hate, I guess. But, well, fun is fun. So there, Steve Vai. The third, self-titled album that Marnie is currently touring is fantastic, with lots of clashing rhythms and stacked-on song parts, and moments of quieter thought amongst the shred. Seeing it live is recommended, if only to see this American gal and her guitar battle like sister-wives on speed, and create sparks.

Matt Roden

L2 Kings Cross Hotel

www.fbisocial.com

Thursday October 20

Friday October 21

Saturday October 22

Radiant Live

Potluck

The Inland Sea

presents

presents the launch of

8pm $10 door

Das Platforms

+Assasins 88 +Bare Grillz +Sweet Teeth & Secrets

6pm FREE, 6-7 Happy Hour!

+Cleptoclectics +Great Earthquake (Melb) (live broadcast)

8pm $10+bf Oztix or $13 door

+The Rescue Ships +Jackson Mclaren

Late Night DJs Midnight - 3am FREE

+Winternationale (Melb)

Cosmonaut + The Kat (Motorik) + Frames

A Thousand Mistakes DVD OUT NOW

Saturday October 29 METRO THEATRE Tickets: www.thedrones.com.au or www.theatlasagency.com

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 53

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

It’s called: Only The Sea Slugs – ‘Street Music’ Launch It sounds like: Everything you have ever wanted in an evening. We might record it for a music video...definitely not. Who’s playing? Only The Sea Slugs, Fait Accompli, Hello Vera, I Know Leopard Sell it to us: It’s gonna be dark and fun, lamps everywhere, nice people, better music, and an after-party in our hotel. We have something cinematic planned and would like it to be a surprise. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Probably Scott or Zoran talking way too close to you after the show. Crowd specs: Come as you are, we like you all. Looking forward to meeting your new faces. Wallet damage: A crisp $10 Where: Spectrum (newly renovated and refurbished) / 34 Oxford Street When: Saturday October 22

PICS :: GP

mono/sleepmakeswaves kick out the jams

07:10:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700 :: :: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) IDE TES WHI OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER SAM :: NA HAN ROU OV :: ROSETTE DANIEL MUNNS :: GEORGE POP

54 :: BRAG :: 434: 17:10:11

chocquibtown / renegado 06:10:11 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93323711

PICS :: TL

mum

10:10:11 :: Hunky Dory Social Club :: 215 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9331 0442

PICS :: KC

08:10:11 :: Manning Bar :: @ Sydney Uni City Rd Chippendale 95636107

PICS :: TL

party profile

only the sea slugs

Ectomorph Custom Basses and Badass Guitars have a number of availabilities before Christmas. Why not treat yourself to the instrument you have always dreamed of; fully customised and hand made in our Sydney workshop. Prices start at $1500.00 inc GST Or drop in to see the guitar weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve built for Dave Grohl.

(FWRPRUSK &XVWRP %DVVHV DQG %DGDVV *XLWDUV +XQWHU 6WUHHW +RUQVE\ ZZZ HFWRPRUSK FRP

(USA)

+ TOPNOVIL + THE RUMJACKS

wed

19 Oct

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thu

20 Oct

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(USA)

fri

21 Oct (5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM))

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

23 Oct

SUNDAY NIGHT %.42!.#% 0/).43 4/ #!-053

4/ #)49 "2/!$7!9 &//4"

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

&//4"2)$'% 4(%!42%

% 2$

# )%. 3#

/6!,

-!). 15!$

,!7.3 &2/.4

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

0!22!-!44! 2$

2)$'%

$ 44! 2 !-!

2 0!2

-!..

).' 2$

$ 2

. !6% %!34%2 $ 4/ #)49 2

-!..).'

!6 %

SATURDAY NIGHT

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

)

Oct

sun

45..%,

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

'2!&&)4

sat

3)49

5.)6%2

6)#4/2)! 0!2+

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 55

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

mum It sounds like: Electricity running through your bones and making you jump! Who’s playing? Siren Lines, Howler, Si Claros, Pineapple Head, Bachelor Pad, Colourfide, Alpine (DJ Set) + MUM DJs. Sell it to us: It’s like a rock’n’roll house party in a converted Victorian terrace with five bars over three levels. It’s going to be wild. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: You’ll have some new favourite bands. Crowd specs: Party people who are into good jams. Wallet damage: $15, students free before 10pm, $10 after. Where: The World Bar / 24 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross When: Friday October 21/ 8pm

box rockets

PICS :: AM

PICS :: KC

party profile

It’s called: MUM

emmanuel jal

PICS :: AM

08:10:11 :: Upstairs Beresford :: 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 9357 1111

05:10:11 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 92642666 :: :: CAI GRIFFIN :: ASHLEY MAR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) WHITESIDE OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER SAM :: NA HAN ROU ETTE ROS :: OV DANIEL MUNNS :: GEORGE POP

56 :: BRAG :: 434: 17:10:11

teeth & tongue / cabins 08:10:11 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Sydney 9267 3787

PICS :: GP

triple j unearthed launch

PICS :: KC

07:10:11 :: The Basement :: 29 Relby Place Circular Quay 92512797

www.georgeharrison.com

Coarse language

IN CINEMAS OCTOBER 20 BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 57

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

pick of the week Empire Of The Sun

MONDAY OCTOBER 17 ROCK & POP

City Riots, Collective Sound System Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills 8pm Mandi Jarry Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Matt Jones The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Songs On Stage Grand Final: Eleventh Hour, Kylie Stephens, Aimee Francis, Sanity’s Collision, The Belle Havens, Kyarna Cruse The Basement, Circular Quay $20 9pm

JAZZ

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22

The Foreshore, Newcastle

Fat As Butter Festival: Empire Of The Sun, The Living End, Flo Rida (USA), Naughty By Nature (USA), Sparkadia, Cloud Control, The Jezabels, The Herd, Sinden (UK), British India, Funkoars, Flight Facilities, Jonathan Boulet, Owl Eyes, Calling All Cars, Katalyst (live) and loads more

Greg Coffin Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $10 8pm Jim Gannon Dee Why RSL Club free Open Mic Jazz: Rinske Geerlings, Daniel Falero, Philip Taig, Pierre Della Putta The World Bar, Kings Cross free 7pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Chris Brookes, Noel Davies, MC Alonzo, Helmut Uhlmann Kellys On King, Newtown free 7pm

TUESDAY OCTOBER 18 ROCK & POP

Adam Pringle and Friends Sandringham Hotel – Street Level Bar, Newtown free 8pm All Star Trio Bankstown Sports Club free 6pm Heart & Soul of the 70s!: Patrice Tipoki Slide, Darlinghurst $20–$60 (dinner & show) 7pm Hunter & Suzy Owens Band Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club free 4.30pm The Listening Room - Open Mic The Vault, Windsor free 7pm Okkervil River (USA), Mike Noga Metro Theatre, Sydney $52.70 (+ bf) 8pm OMG Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10pm Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Songs on Stage Performers Competition Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Steve Tonge O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free Tuesday Night Live: Two Tribes, TFT Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm

$120–$160 (+ bf) midday – 10pm Okkervil River

World In The Basement: Isaiah B Brunt, Paula Baxter, Arabesk, DJ Brent Clough The Basement, Circular Quay $20 7.30pm

JAZZ

Jazzgroove: The World According to James, Phil Stack Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $8 (conc)–$10 8pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Ashton Tremain, Lauren Elyse, Tina Alcorace, Hang Fire, Narelle Lewis, Aussie Boy, Pilgrim, Russell Neal Dee Why RSL free 6.30pm David Sattout, Renate Nguyen, Matthew James, Samantha Johnson, Daniel Hopkins Kogarah Hotel free 7pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19 ROCK & POP

Andy Colledge, Johnny Took, Diamond Quills, Leeroy Lee Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Bayonets For Legs, The Chris Rose Band, Only the Sea Slugs Rock Lily, Pyrmont free 8pm Bernie Hayes Sandringham Hotel – Street Level Bar, Newtown free 8pm The Butterfly Effect The Annandale Hotel $35 (+ bf) 8pm sold out I’m With Stupid O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9.30pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 7.30pm Jed Zarb Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free Kingston Flavas The Valve, Tempe free 7pm Lounge Sounds Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 8pm Mandi Jarry Summer Hill Hotel free 7.30pm Mike Bennett The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Musos Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt free 8pm Rufus, Conics, Swimwear Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm The Study Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills free 7pm Tom T Trio Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Whispering Jack 25 Years: John Farnham State Theatre, Sydney $99– $149 8pm

Heath Burdell Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm

JAZZ

Alison Penney Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Good Food Great Jazz: Susan Gai Dowling, Vince Martin, The Kiwi Connection 505 Club, Surry Hills 8pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel free

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Gavin Fitzgerald, TAOS Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm Noel Davies, Emad Younan, Russell Neal Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 6.30pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 20 ROCK & POP

The Acid Monkeys, Chainsaw Massacre, The Switchblades, Distract The Valve, Tempe free 7pm Andy Mammers Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Anthems Of Oz Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm Astral: Guerre, Flume, Thomas William, Rainbow Chan, 48/4, DJ Mike Who, Preacha Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $5 8pm The Butterfly Effect The Annandale Hotel $35 (+ bf) 8pm sold out Crashdiet (Sweden), L.U.S.T, Sunset Riot Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $55 (+ bf) 7.30pm Def Leppard (UK), Heart, The Choirboys Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour $105–$165 7pm Dragon The Vanguard, Newtown $33 6.30pm Dropkick Murphys (USA), Lucero, The Corps Enmore Theatre 8pm Funkoars, Vents, Ciecmate, Mase & Mattic Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills $30 (+ bf) 7pm Hot Damn: Endless Heights, Mindset, Far West Battlefront, Snakepit Spectrum $12-$15 8pm Inland Sea, The Rescue Ships, Jackson McLaren The Steyne Hotel, Manly free 8pm The Living Chair Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 9.30pm Lj Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Sydney free 8pm Luke Escombe Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 8pm Lyyar, Sounds Like Sunset, Unity Floors GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm Mark Wilkinson, Nikki Thorburn The Basement, Circular Quay $20 7.30pm Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Hotel, Rooty Hill free 8pm Ngaiire Notes Live, Enmore 8pm Passing Strange: The Nugs, TV Colours, Mere Women, Yes I’m Leaving, DJ Barrie Cradshaw Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Pigeon Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm

“Although your mind’s opaque try thinking more if just for your own sake” – GEORGE HARRISON 58 :: BRAG :: 434 : 17:10:11

gig guide send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Radiant Live: Assassins 88, Bare Grillz, Sweet Teeth, Secrets FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm Rockit To Mars Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10pm Sola Rosa Sound System, Bentley, Ability Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Speakeasy The Whitehouse Hotel, Petersham 8pm The Subterraneans Macquarie Hotel, Sydney free 9pm Whispering Jack 25 Years: John Farnham State Theatre, Sydney $99– $149 8pm

JAZZ

Mike Nock Trio 505 Club, Surry Hills $15 (conc)–$20 8pm

Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

James Parrino The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 8.30pm The Tallest Man on Earth (Sweden), Old Man River The Factory Theatre, Enmore $46.20 (+ bf) 8pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21 ROCK & POP

After Party Band Mounties, Mount Pritchard free 10pm Alcest (France) Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt $33.80 8pm Baby Animals, Syndicate Annandale Hotel $35 8pm Belles Will Ring

Barry Leef, Peter Northcote Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain free 9pm Belles Will Ring, Brackets Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst free 8pm Black Lion, Ya Aha, Buzzkiller, Paw vs Claw The Square, Downstairs Capitol Square Hotel, Haymarket $7 8pm British India, Betty Airs Harbord Diggers Club 8pm Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, Graveyard Train Oxford Art Factory $20 (+ bf) 8pm BUDDY the Concert: Scott Cameron Rooty Hill RSL Club $40–$70 8pm Confession, Thy Art is Murder, Antagonist A.D, The Bride The Factory Theatre, Enmore $15 (+ bf) 8pm all ages Counterfeit – War & Peace: The Blarney Stoners, The Glimmerati, The Russian Messengers, Telafonica, Subtle Vagrants, Sex In Mexico, Art Rush, The InVersions, Scarlet’s Revenge, Fresh Prince of St Clair, No Hope Kids, Leyne Deyvesson, Mystic River, Jefferson Hovercraft, Seizure Procedure, Hustle n Tofu, The Diamond Sinatras, Elroy, Craic Horse, Big Tex Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 7pm Delroys Rose of Australia Hotel, Erskineville 9pm Diesel Brass Monkey, Cronulla $49 7pm Drive: Peter Northcote Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $15 3.30pm

Flamin’ Beauties Mortdale Hotel 8pm Gods Of Thunder Notes Live, Enmore 8pm Greg Bryce Great Southern Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Heirs, Alcest, Pestidential Shadows, The Veil Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt 8pm Hue Williams Ettalong Beach Cabana free Huxton Creepers Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $25 8pm Jamie Kilstein (USA), Michael Hing, Jack Druce Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown 8pm The Jezabels, Hey Rosetta (Canada), Alpine Enmore Theatre $34.80 (+ bf)–$59.35 (incl CD) 8pm Jonny Gretch’s Wasted Ones, Gaz Wylde Band. A.L.S.D., Blurter Marrickville owling Club free Jonathan Boulet, Cabins, The Crooked Fiddle Band The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 (+bf) 8pm Killers Show Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 10.30pm The Living End Penrith Panthers $56.50 (presale)–$61.50 8pm Lo!, We Lost the Sea, The Matador, Adrift For Days Hermann’s, Darlington 8pm Luke Escombe Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 8pm Mad Season Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 9.30pm Megastick Fanfare, Oh Ye Denver Birds, Mrs Bishop, Guerre Spectrum, Darlinghurst $15 8pm

Mum: Siren Lines,Howler,Si Claros,Colourfide,Pineapple Head,Bachelor Pad, Alpine DJs, MUM DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm Pete Hunt Chatswood RSL Club free 8pm Phil Jamieson, St Cecelia Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $35–$77 (dinner & show) 8pm Pulling Teeth, Teartornis, Atom Squad The Valve, Tempe free 7pm Reckless, Jonathan Jones Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm Sex In Mexico, The Blarney Stoners, The Glimmerati, The Russian Messengers Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 7pm Shannon Noll Castle Hill RSL Club $35 (+ bf) 8pm Simo Soo, Guerre, Shark Bait, Gentle Hurst Black Wire, Annandale $10 8pm Skipping Girl Vinegar, Myles Mayo, The Trouble With Templeton The Vanguard, Newtown $15 (+ bf)–$50 (dinner & show) 8.30pm Spookyland Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Swinging Sixties Manly Fisho’s 8pm Thieves, Pear & The Awkward Orchestra Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Tongue & Groove The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm Tonight Alive, Rufio (USA) Metro Theatre, Sydney $25.70 8pm all-ages

Watussi The Basement, Circular Quay $25 7.30pm White City Light, Kids At Risk, The Smoking Ponies, Kato Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills 5.30pm

JAZZ

Entropic 505 Club, Surry Hills $15 (conc)–$20 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Cafe Carnivale: Armandito & Trovason Eastside Arts, Paddington $22 (member)–$28 8.15pm Chantra Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta $10 8.30pm Chords for Causes - Breast Cancer Unplugged: Simon Day, Amy Meredith, The Art, Screaming Bikini, Luchi, The Blush Foundation, Isac Cole Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $25 8pm Garage Daze, Joe Dabron, Russell Neal Everglades Country Club, Woy Woy free 7pm Johnny Rock The Belvedere Hotel free 8pm

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 ROCK & POP

Agent Orange, The Celibate Rifles, Los Capitanes, The Turps Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $33.15 –$39 (+ bf) 7.30pm

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 59

g g guide gig g send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Baby Animals Annandale Hotel $35 (+ bf) 8pm Bachelorette (NZ), Donny Benet, Jasmina Machina Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $20 8pm Bang Shang a Lang Penrith RSL free 9pm The Bloodpoets Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Brian Gillette Guildford Leagues Club free 8pm Bryen Willems Ryde Ex-Services Club free 8pm BUDDY the Concert: Scott Cameron North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray $40 7pm The Cannon Ball: Bertie Page Clinic, Contraban, The Ragtag Band, Lena Marlene, My Dynamite, Coppelia Jane The Vanguard, Newtown $28 6.30pm Celadore, Animal Shapes Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Danger Dannys, Spooky Land, Pinnacle Sound System, Sosoume DJs Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills 6pm Diesel Brass Monkey, Cronulla $49 7pm Dirty Deeds – The AC/DC Show Kiama Leagues Club free 8pm Fierce Angel, Bass Monkeys, Wayne G Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst 10pm Flamin’ Beauties Royal Hotel, Springwood 9.15pm

60 :: BRAG :: 434 : 17:10:11

Godswounds, Bloody Kids, Spaceticket The Square, Downstairs Capitol Square Hotel, Hay Market $10 8pm Highway To Hell Richmond Inn free 10pm Huxton Creepers Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $25 8pm The Inland Sea, The Rescue Ships, Jackson McLaren FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm Instra Dub: Ben Cuddy, Lizzy Cross, Daniel Twining, Marquessa Franco, Ruffle Weather The Valve, Tempe free 4pm Lime Cordiale Mona Vale Hotel 8.30pm Lockdown, Get Real!, Aftermath, Bridges, Deadly Visions Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm The Midnight Ramblers Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club $10 7pm Millennium Bug Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 9.30pm Neil Murray Empire Hotel, Annandale $20 8pm Only the Sea Slugs, Fait Accompli, Hello Vera, I Know Leopard Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Rockin’ For Rights: Angry Anderson, Odyssey, Peter Northcote Band Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt $15 (presale)–$20 8pm Rough Stock Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL free 9pm Salmonella Dub (NZ), Tijuana Cartel Metro Theatre, Sydney $38.90 7pm

Sarah McLeod Notes Live, Enmore 8pm The Smoking Ponies Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 7pm Songbook: Chris Cornell (USA), Mat McHugh Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $89.90 7pm Stormcellar Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle free 8pm Storytellers Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 8pm Totally Ga Ga Blacktown RSL Club free 10pm Velvet Hotel Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Watussi, The Liberators, Afro Nomads The Basement, Circular Quay $25 8pm The Waves Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm

JAZZ

Cope St Parade 505 Club, Surry Hills $15 (conc)–$20 8pm Jazz Nouveau Supper Club, Fairfield RSL Club free 7pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel free 5pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Calling Mayday, Noel Davies, Helmut Uhlmann Terrey Hills Tavern free 7.30pm Carolyn Crysdale, Courtney Foote, Mimi Gilbert Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta $5 8pm

JJ Duo The Belvedere Hotel free 9pm Mark Da Costa The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm The Tallest Man on Earth (Sweden), Old Man River The Factory Theatre, Enmore $46.20 (+ bf) 7pm

The Jezabels

SUNDAY OCTOBER 23 ROCK & POP

Ace Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 7pm Alpha Degenerate, Broken Toys, Carni Meat, Black Rose The Valve, Tempe free 3pm David Agius Harbord Beach Hotel free 8pm Diesel Brass Monkey, Cronulla $49 7pm Drive: Peter Northcote, Danny Marx Young Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $10 Finn Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills 3pm Gina Jeffreys Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $38–$80 (dinner & show) 12pm The Graveyard Train Coogee Diggers 8pm Hue Williams Ettalong Beach Hotel free The Jezabels, Hey Rosetta (Canada), Alpine Enmore Theatre $34.80 (+ bf)–$59.35 (incl CD) 8pm Jezebel Kro Bar, Bondi Junction free 8pm

Leadfinger The North Gong Hotel, Wollongong free 5pm Marrickville Festival: Richard In Your Mind, Doc Jones and the Lechery Orchestra, Stiff Gins, Ungus Ungus Ungus, Mariam Sawires, DJ Jack Shit Marrickville & Illawarra Rds, Marrickville free 11am Memory Loss Loreto Spring Fair, Normanhurst 12pm Rocking Mustangs Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club free 4.30pm Songbook: Chris Cornell (USA), Mat McHugh Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $89.90 7pm Steve Lane & The Autocrats The Vanguard, Newtown $20 6.30pm Steve Tonge Great Southern Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Sunday Blues Jam: Mark Hopper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 5pm

Turner and Simmons Forrest Lodge Hotel 5pm

JAZZ

Jimmy Shaw & Shaw’n’Uff Big Band, Peter Power, Paige Delancey Randwick Labour Club $8 (conc)–$10 3pm The Peter Head Trio, The Dirt Track Demons Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Michael Peter The Belvedere Hotel free Shane MacKenzie Cohibar free 2pm

COUNTRY

50 Million Beers Sandringham Hotel – Street Level Bar, Newtown free Balmain Goes Bush Country in the Heart of the City: Doug McIntyre Cat & Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 3pm

gig picks up all night out all week...

Megastick Fanfare

TUESDAY OCTOBER 18 Okkervil River (USA), Mike Noga Metro Theatre, $52.70 (+ bf) 7.30pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 20

Dropkick Murphys (USA), Lucero, The Corps Enmore Theatre $59.90 (+ bf) 7.30pm Lyyar, Sounds Like Sunset, Unity Floors GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21 Belles Will Ring, Brackets Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst free 8pm Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, Graveyard Train Oxford Art Factory $20 (+ bf) 8pm Jonathan Boulet, Cabins, The Crooked Fiddle Band The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 8pm

Only The Sea Slugs, Fait Accompli, Hello Vera, I Know Leopard Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Pigeon Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm The Tallest Man on Earth (Sweden), Old Man River The Factory Theatre, Enmore $46.20 (+ bf) 7pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 23 The Jezabels, Hey Rosetta (Canada), Alpine Enmore Theatre $34.80 (+ bf)–$59.35 (incl CD) 8pm Marrickville Festival: Richard In Your Mind, Doc Jones and the Lechery Orchestra, Stiff Gins, Ungus Ungus Ungus, Mariam Sawires, DJ Jack Shit Marrickville & Illawarra Rds, Marrickville free 11am Songbook: Chris Cornell (USA), Mat McHugh Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $69–$119 7pm

Megastick Fanfare, Oh Ye Denver Birds, Mrs Bishop, Guerre Spectrum, Darlinghurst $15 8pm Chords for Causes - Breast Cancer Unplugged: Simon Day, Amy Meredith, The Art, Screaming Bikini, Luchi, The Blush Foundation, Isac Cole Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $25 8pm

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 Bachelorette (NZ), Donny Benet, Jasmina Maschina GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $20 8pm

The Tallest Man On Earth

Chris Cornell

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 61

62 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture

inside

brag beats

recloose

thirteen years of mad racket

the rapture

funkoars also: crookers, hernan cattaneo and more

plus: + club guide + club snaps + columns

We has internets!

www.thebrag.com Extra bits and moving bits without the papercuts BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 63

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

DAVE SEAMAN

Growing Up I was pretty lucky in that respect; my 1. parents certainly weren’t musos but they had

out a bit better to accommodate some more music making next year.

pretty good taste. I was brought up on The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Barry White and The Carpenters. We also had a neighbour who introduced me to Queen and ELO, so it was all a great basis from which to develop my own tastes.

The Music You Make I’m in the middle of a new collaboration 4. with Funkagenda, the follow up to ‘The Mighty

Inspirations There’re literally hundreds of artists 2. that have inspired me over the years. When I was younger I had my ‘Jam and New Order phases, but I don’t follow anyone particularly religiously nowadays. I can tell you that right now though, I can’t get enough of Lana Del Rey. Her single ‘Video Games’ is on constant repeat in our house. Utterly mesmerising. Your Crew I work with lots of different people. 3. Recently, I’ve done collaborations with Funkagenda, Andy Chatterley and Josh Gabriel, and I also work a lot with Chad Jackson and Adrian Pickard. I have a young family now, so between DJing every weekend and trying to spend quality time with them, studio time is not as frequent as I would like. Hopefully, I’ll get the work/life balance worked

MASSIVE ATTACK V BURIAL

Massive Attack and Burial have teamed up for a collaborative two-track single that will be released by The Vinyl Factory and Inhale Gold. The single features two tracks: ‘Paradise Circus’ (a revisit of a track from Massive Attack’s last album, Heligoland) and ‘Four Walls’ (previously unheard). The tracks have been described as “full on upheavals of the source material,” as opposed to standard remixes, with each clocking in at around 12 minutes, and Burial delving further into extended beatless territory than ever before. Four Walls’/‘Paradise Circus’ will be available exclusively as a limited vinyl edition of 1000 copies worldwide, pressed on heavyweight 180 gram 12-inch vinyl, and housed in a handnumbered, gold glitter screen-printed sleeve,

featuring artwork by Massive Attack’s Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja. The edition was released this Monday October 17.

RAINBOW SERPENT LAUNCH The crew behind the renowned Rainbow Serpent festival in the Victorian outback are throwing a launch party in Sydney on Friday November 18 at the Whitehouse in Petersham, headlined by German prog/tech proponent D-nox, as an appetiser ahead of the main event in January. Rainbow Serpent is known as one of the few places you can get proper crazy in Australia – it is an alternative, outdoor bush party for alternative, outdoor types. The 2012 Rainbow Serpent lineup includes revered German producer DJ Koze, James Harcourt,

Swedish House Mafia

Ming’ tune we did last year. And I’m going back in the studio with Andy Chatterley next month to do another track with him. I also did a remix for Solee which came out recently, of a track called ‘Reflect’. I hate to categorise music, so all I’ll say is that my music is all electronic house music. That’s a nice catch-all umbrella.

Music, Right Here, Right Now It’s been a great year for music; there’s been loads of inspiring stuff. Aside from the aforementioned Lana Del Rey, I love the Flowers & The Sea single ‘AM’, which features on my new Renaissance Masters compilation. The Bombay Bicycle Club’s ‘Shuffle’ and Joe Goddard’s latest single with Valentina, ‘Gabriel’, are both ace too. And I was really pleased to see the Anna Calvi album get a Mercury Music Prize nomination – that’s one of my favourite albums this year. What: Renaissance: The Masters Series, mixed by Dave Seaman, is out now

The Reckless Republic record label will officially be launching next week, with RR001, a fourtrack EP from Sydney duo Shades of Gray, that includes remixes from Milton Jackson and Melbourne’s Mic Newman. It will be available as a digital release from Beatport as of October 22. For those unacquainted with the chap, Newman is a house producer of rising international prominence, with his productions being released by labels such as Get Physical, 8bit, Great Stuff, Tsuba and, now, Reckless Republic. Newman is flying up from Melbourne to play at the record label launch party, which will take place on Saturday October 22 and run through ‘til the early hours of the morning at the Reckless Republic Crew’s newly opened nightclub, The Spice Cellar, on Elizabeth St near Martin Place.

YOUNG MC FOR FIELD DAY

English born hip hop stalwart Young MC is set to tour Australia for the first time next year, and will perform at Fuzzy’s Field Day Festival on New Year’s Day. Over his 25-year career, Young MC has released a total of eight studio albums, landed numerous television and film appearances – Entourage and Up In The Air for example – and written a handful of charttopping songs, including Tone Loc’s ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Funky Cold Medina’, and Anastacia’s ‘Not That Kind’. Young MC joins a lineup already featuring Justice, Crystal Castles, Moby, Tiga, Busy P, Skream and Benga, Gotye, Metronomy, Yuksek (live), Spank Rock, Jack Beats performing live, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Foreign Beggars and 12th Planet. Tickets are on sale NOW through fielddaynyd.com.au

Q. How tall is Kristian Matsson, a.k.a. swedish artist The Tallest Man on Earth? 64 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

A ‘koan’ is a fundamental part of Zen Buddhism; it refers to things that cannot be understood by rational thinking – only by intuition. Similarly, when listening to electronic music gods KOAN Sound, the best idea is to let loose and allow the beats take control. (Just make sure it’s the beats and not all those ciders that are guiding you…). KOAN Sound will be bringing down the house at Distortion @ Fakeclub on Friday October 21 – and in our longstanding mission to bring our readers inner peace (aka DANCING), we asked them for a couple double passes to offer you guys. If you want in, just tell us one other act on the bill.

RECKLESS REPUBLIC LABEL LAUNCH

To tie in with the imminent Australia tour of Los Angeles soul proponent Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins, aka Aloe Blacc, Sony are releasing a deluxe CD/DVD edition of Blacc’s Good Things album. Aside from the visual entertainment, the release will offer additional remixes of the tracks ‘Loving You Is Killing Me’, ‘Green Lights’ and ‘I Need A Dollar’, the latter being an unlikely credit-crunch anthem about a man made jobless by the recession – a song which has an added experiential dimension, given Dawkins’ former work as a consultant at Ernst & Young. Aloe Blacc headlines an all-ages Sydney show at the Enmore Theatre on Wednesday January 4 with support from Australian trio Electric Empire and Maya Jupiter.

The lineup for next year’s Future Music Festival, which will take place at Randwick Race Course on Saturday March 10, was announced early last week. [Deep breath]. Richard D James, aka Aphex Twin, playing live is the clear stand-out act for the ‘heads’, but it’s an impressive full list this year. The Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim, Paul van Dyk, Hercules & Love Affair, Azari & III, The Juan Maclean, Benoit & Sergio, Gareth Emery, Jamie Jones, Frank Ocean, Alex Metric, Holy Ghost!, Jessie J, The Rapture, Sven Vath, Horse Meat Disco, Skrillex, Tinie Tempah, Die Antwoord and The Wombats will all be performing, while LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Pat Mahony will also be playing a DJ set. No need for any added superlatives then; tickets go on sale 9am this Thursday, October 20, through Ticketmaster.

KOAN SOUND

Gabriel Ananda, Peter Horrevorts, Loud, Protonica, Hedflux, Robert Rich and Tipper. Further festival information and tickets can be obtained by visiting rainbowserpent.net

ALOE BLACC TOUR RELEASE

FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL

KOAN Sound

Pantha Du Prince

PANTHA DU PRINCE

Hendrik Weber, aka Pantha Du Prince, will return to Sydney to play the newly-opened Spice Cellar, on Saturday November 25. First emerging on the Dial imprint, home to quality electronic producers like Efdemin and John Roberts, Weber shifted stables to release his third LP, Black Noise, on Rough Trade earlier last year. The album spawned the single ‘Stick To My Side’, which featured the vocals of Noah Lennox, aka Panda Bear, among a collection of sleek, textured cuts. Though Pitchfork said this single was the one blemish on an accomplished album, opining, “oddly it doesn’t come together like one would hope – Lennox’s traditionally warm vocals sound detached from Weber’s chilly arrangement,” I’d dismiss such waffle as contrived tall poppy syndrome garble; at the very least I suggest you grab the album and judge for yourself. (For the record, the overall tone of the review was overwhelmingly positive.) There’s plenty to delve into on Black Noise beyond the single, and trend-spotters will be drawn to the fact that Tyler Pope of LCD Soundsystem and !!! plays bass on the track ‘The Splendour’.

A: www.quizmeisters.com.au/bragquiz

Saturday 5 November Metro, Sydney Support from: JPS (The Operatives) // Foreign Dub Tickets from ticketek.com.au

shapeshifterlive.com

WITH

IC R T C E L E EMPIRE + MAYA JUPITER

ON SALE NOW

WED 4 JAN ENMORE THEATRE TICKETEK.COM.AU or 132 849

FRONTIERTOURING.COM | ALOEBLACC.COM

‘GOOD THINGS’ DELUXE CD/DVD EDITION FEATURING ‘I

NEED A DOLLAR’ IN STORES OCT 21 BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 65

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

TASTE OF ITALY

five things WITH

Those kids at Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange are doing it again, getting 50 countries from around the world to work out what makes their nightlives unique, and then swap it with another. On September 9 it was announced our swapping partner was Italy – and while the huge party will be happening in Melbourne this year, they’re bringing a bit of it to Sydney. On Saturday October 22, Selina’s Nightclub in Coogee will be transformed into Taste Of Italy, an impeccable slice of Italian nightlife: drinks, beats and good times, with Mobin Master providing the bellissimo cherry on top. We’ve got a double pass to giveaway – just tell us who your favourite Italian is.

COLOURFIDE

Mobin Master

Growing Up We pretty-much all grew up on the Gold 1. Coast, and started off as mates making a racket in each others’ garages; nothing serious, just hangin’ out playing music. We had a very relaxed entry into the music scene, so it’s nice to be where we’re at right now. Inspirations We’re inspired by the people around us 2. who are working towards putting the Gold Coast music scene on the map. There’s a lot of really cool stuff happening on the Coast at the moment, across all art forms – it’s exciting.

Your Group With many thanks to Ms Gillard and part-time jobs, we have been able to focus on

music and scrape by doing what we love. We all make ends meet in different ways. We’ve got good support networks, so everyone is thankfully out of the slave trade. The Music You Make We play a lot of different music, and it’s 4. hard to say who we sound like because it’s not often the same. Yeah that’s what every band says when asked about genre – so to put it simply, if your feet are moving and you find yourself singing along to songs that you don’t even know… well, we’ve done our job. We love performing live, so there’s never a shortage of onstage energy. We’ll be dropping a new single, film clip and EP in coming months, which we’ll be touring down this way again soon.

Music, Right Here, Right Now We recently spent a good few hours 5. scrolling through the latest top-30 hits on commercial television; it was hilarious. The commercial music scene at the moment pretty much speaks for itself; starts with “sh” and ends with “it”. There are plenty of people around the world making great music at the moment, though; hopefully if we keep supporting great, original music, the industry will come good. Also, we have big things planned for December 15, so keep an eye out... Colourfide will be thrusting in your direction soon. What: Colourfide EP will be out December 15 Where: Mum @ The World Bar, Kings Cross When: Friday October 21

Rubio and Guillotine, as well as Glovecats, Paul Fraser, The Unthinkables, Farj, Saiko, Enochi and DJ Toppsey. Visuals will be provided by Morph, with MC DTech laying down some vocals atop the beats. Doors open at 9pm, with presale tickets available online for $25.

Shapeshifter

W!LDLIVE OPEN 4 BUSINESS A new nightclub, W!ldlive, located at Shop 10, 185 Oxford Street Bondi Junction (near the Train Station) officially opened its doors as of last Friday. If you turn up this Friday, you can expect to hear beats from Javi Sampol, the Franchi Brothers, the Likewise DJs and YokoO, all of whom will be on regular Fridaynight rotation.

MOBIN MASTER

As the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange party on Saturday November 12 draws closer, Smirnoff are throwing a Taste of Italy party on Saturday October 22 at Selina’s Nightclub at the Coogee Bay Hotel, with Mobin Master set to perform a headline set with vocalist Karina Chavez. Mobin Master has a lengthy sonic CV, breaking through many years ago on the back of a remix of Madison Avenue’s ‘Everything You Need’, and has retained a presence in the clubbing milieu since. Mobes has enjoyed a successful 2011 so far, with the release of the single ‘In My House’, and a collaboration with Roger Sanchez and MC Flipside called ‘Worldwide’. RSVP for free guestlist at facebook.com/smirnoffaustralia

SHAPESHIFTER AT THE METRO

After purportedly spending the last six months in their Berlin studio, occasionally venturing out to play the odd European festival – Glastonbury anyone? – acclaimed New Zealand DnB troupe Shapeshifter are returning to our shores, and will perform at The Metro on Saturday November 5. The Kiwi veterans retain a reputation for putting on a pulsating live show, which was captured at Christchurch Town Hall for the Shapeshifter Live album. Have a listen with the dial turned well up (you want the neighbours to share in the experience) as you anticipate what should be a choice gig in November. Tickets available through metrotheatre.com.au

Triple j unearthed winners Laneous & The Family Yah, are set to perform a couple of Sydney shows next month: at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel on Thursday November 17, and on Saturday November 19 at FBi Social. Having already inked a deal with the Creative Vibes label, the Brisbane four-piece list TV on The Radio, Battles and Little Dragon as influences, and conflate electronic and garage styles in their live show. Former BRAG-er Dom Alessio commented on triple j that Laneous & The Family Yah “blend styles at will, effortlessly moving from silky soul to beat-heavy hip hop, never sounding contrived or overreaching.” Their Scissors EP is currently available for your listening consumption.

MAD RACKET 13TH BIRTHDAY Iconic Sydney club brand Mad Racket will celebrate its 13th Birthday on Saturday October 29 at Marrickville Bowling Club with a headline set from Recloose, one of the Racketeers’ favourites, who has performed for them at their Sydney Festival Becks Bar night in years past.

Recloose burst onto the scene when he was signed to Carl Craig’s canonical Planet E label after he slipped a demo into Craig’s sandwich when working at a café. He’s since performed as a turntablist for Craig’s Innerzone Orchestra, while releasing acclaimed albums on labels such as Sonar Kollektiv and Peacefrog and developing a ‘chameleon-like’ sonic palette that conflates jazz, techno, funk, soul, house and down-tempo influences. As ever, Racket residents Jimmi James, Simon Caldwell, Ken Cloud and Zootie will also be spinning, with presale tickets available for $30 through Resident Advisor.

DISTORTION FT KOAN SOUND

Fast-rising UK bass double act KOAN Sound will headline the forthcoming Distortion bash at Fake Club this Friday October 21. Signed to Skrillex’s Owsla label, KOAN Sound’s performances are associated with “dark, gripping baselines,” but are not restrained by the secure confines of a single genre. An elaborate support cast of DJs has been assembled, headed by Distortion residents

Guerre

ASTRAL PARTY @ OAF

Oxford Art Factory will be hosting a jamboree featuring an array of artists from the Astral People roster this Thursday October 19. The lineup features Guerre, Nakagin, Rainbow Chan, 48/4 and Thomas William (formally known as Cleptoclectics) all performing live, while Mike Who? and Preacha will be playing DJ sets. Doors open at 8pm, and it’s a mere five crabs to get in.

Q. Which artist, touring early next year, has songs titled “Life So Hard”, “Femme Fatale” and “Loving you is killing me”? 66 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

Guerre photo by Jacob Ring

LANEOUS & THE FAMILY YAH

A: www.quizmeisters.com.au/bragquiz

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 67

Funkoars That Adelaide Vibe By Birdie

‘M

going crazy from being in the studio for so long,” Yates says. “I just want to get the hell out of the house! We’ve chilled a lot just to be able to keep our health for when we’re going to really need it, which is on the road. Trials [MC] has also had a bad back, so we didn’t want to aggravate that too much or jeopardise [anything]. The last six months of putting the album together have been especially intense, and I’m so sick of hearing it now and talking about it – I just want to do it! It’s the start of a new album cycle, and I just want to get the live show cracking again!”

aturity’ ain’t the first word you’d think to associate with Adelaide hip hop rascals Funkoars, but for new album The Quickening, DJ Reflux aka Dan Yates insists that the lads did a lot of growing up – and it certainly shows. If first album Who’s Your Step Daddy was the endless party, and follow-up LP The Hangover was pretty selfexplanatory, then think of The Quickening as the mid-week guilt-trip that comes back to bite you on the butt. “Some people would say that maturity could never be the case with us; we’re not usually the ones who’d get tagged with that,” laughs Yates. “In terms of music and the way we make music, we’ve definitely matured, though. We know what we want to do and we know who we are and we know how we fit into our own brand of hip hop. I think this album is a heaps more mature effort, [in] the polish that’s gone into the songs and the depth... It’s not just quickly smashed out and moved on. We’ve had time to sit on the songs a little bit. Even the lyrical content is more mature, I think. We’re all getting a little bit older and more cynical, maybe.” Be that as it may, Yates is still quick to point out that he and Funkoars can’t wait to take this new show on the road. Listening back to the album with pride is one thing, but doing it all over again in front of crowds of fans is another altogether. “Right now, I feel like I’m

“The hip hop scene ten years ago had no fans the way it does now... In Australia, hip hop music was in the minority, and was shunned by a lot of the media. How things change.”

Renowned for their out-of-control shows, their rabid crowds and some of the biggest beats that Adelaide has to offer, Funkoars are bringing a crew of locals along for the ride, some of which also feature on The Quickening. With Ciecmate, Vents and Mase & Mattic as supports, Yates explains that Adelaide’s hip hop scene is defined by its tight-knit community. “I think it gives us a different sound, too; I think every area of the country has a different, unique sound. Well, I can hear it, anyway,” he says. “I hear the difference between a Sydney MC and a Melbourne MC, and there are certain traits that Adelaide MCs carry as well. But it’s not a blanket rule, because people influence each other too. Like, Drapht used to get bagged for his delivery, and now people are mimicking him all the time! There’s also heaps more lanes of hip hop now, from the Illys to The Herds to the Bliss N Esos. One thing I will say is that Adelaide has always had a good grounding in terms of the core of the Aussie hip hop culture; we don’t mess around with it.” If the legacy of the Hilltop Hoods is anything to go by, there’s no mistaking that Adelaide does take its hip hop very seriously indeed. Initially a small crew of local hip hop heads, Yates explains that the Certified Wise Crew – also featuring Hilltop Hoods – came about mainly out of necessity over a decade ago. “It’s not like a crew, it’s more like a community,” he explains. “The hip hop scene back then had no fans the way it does now; it solely consisted of people who were making the music. In Australia, hip hop music was in the minority

and was shunned by a lot of the media. How things change… I remember when we were all kids 15 years ago – and I look around now at the people who’ve been successful, and it’s all the same people! This scene was born out of mateship and having to stick together because nobody else would give you the time of day.” And while the local crew Yates refers to – consisting of acts from Hilltop Hoods to up-and-comers like Vents – have all found some form of success over the years, the mateship is still as strong as ever, with the recent announcement that Funkoars signed a record deal with Hilltop Hoods’ very own Golden Era imprint. Talk about keeping it in the family. “It actually came about more out of the fact that we had nowhere else to go at the time this record was coming along. We were with Obese, then we switched to Shogun, but then they went belly-up and so it was quite

a while there that our records weren’t even on the shelves. At the same time, we were doing all these big festivals like Homebake and stuff, but nobody was able to get access to our albums – it was stupid and ridiculous! So the ‘Hoods came to our rescue and said they’d pick us up, which is fantastic, to be able to work with them,” Yates beams. “Sometimes it can be difficult to mix business and friends, but the ‘Hoods are unbelievable – they’re so professional and dedicated and smart.” What: The Quickening is out now through Golden Era Records With: Vents, Ciecmate, Mase & Mattic Where: Upstairs @ Beresford When: Thursday October 20 More: Also playing at Fat As Butter festival at The Foreshore, Newcastle on Saturday October 22

future classic presents with

FLUME (LIVE)

MORE TBA

( U L U WAT U

LAUNCH)

S AT U R D AY 5 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 , 8 P M - L AT E OX F O R D A RT FA C TO RY T I C K E T S F RO M M O S H T I X 1 0 ” V I N Y L O U T N O W A T S H O P. F U T U R E C L A S S I C . C O M . A U

68 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 69

Hernan Cattaneo Love In The House By Alasdair Duncan

rgentina’s Hernan Cattaneo discovered house music in the late ‘80s, when a friend brought back a clutch of 12” records from Chicago – he fell in love instantly, and began playing parties and clubs around his native Buenos Aires. Superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold was an early admirer of Cattaneo’s style, and it wasn’t long before the plucky Argentine was himself spinning records around the world. By his own estimate, Cattaneo now spends half of every year on the road, dropping his signature brand of deep, progressive house everywhere from Bucharest to Montreal. He could easily do more, he tells me, but he’s a family man now, and doesn’t like being separated from his daughters for too long. When reflecting on his long career, Cattaneo is struck by how much things have changed in the world of club music, while simultaneously remaining the same. “When I started out 20 years ago, people used to go to a club to hear a DJ playing music that was specifically made for clubs, and they still do that today,” he says. “In that sense, nothing has changed. But 20 years ago, the DJ was not necessarily someone who was popular – people wouldn’t choose the club they went to based just on who was playing. That has changed completely, as has technology. You can do things in five minutes that in the past would have taken you five days, and you can carry a collection of tens of thousands of songs with you everywhere you go. That would have been just a crazy dream when I was starting out.”

is the most tiring and the most boring part, because it seems like such a waste spending hours in taxis and hotel rooms and on planes. Being a DJ though, that side of it never feels like working.” Given his devotion to house, the big question I have is whether or not Cattaneo still goes out dancing in clubs? “Going out and dancing?” he says with a hearty laugh. “I don’t have much time for that, because I play every weekend of the year, apart from one month when I take a holiday. Whenever I get the chance, I’ll go and see a DJ I like, but it’s not very often. I try to. But I don’t go out to dance. I’ve never been good at it – I wish I was, because it’s something that I like, but I’d rather stand there quietly. Maybe that’s why I became a DJ!”

Busting Out For Mad Racket By Matt Cowley

t’s been 14 years since the infamous incident when Recloose slipped a demo into Carl Craig’s sandwich at a Detroit deli. Fourteen years of hard work and flawless productions – melding his love for moody, soulful house with funk, jazz and techno. A tireless worker, Recloose currently splits his time between producing, teaching a DJ and EDM program in Auckland, hosting a weekly radio show ‘Hit It and Quit It’ with Frank Booker, all in-between his performance commitments, flying around the world to play festivals and club shows. He’s heading back to Australia next weekend to celebrate the 13th birthday of everyone’s favorite underground club night held in a bowls club, Mad Racket – curated by the infamous Sydney crew of Racketeers, who Recloose refers to as “party prophets”. How much of your life does music take up? My personal recipe for creative success (namely: staying inspired!) revolves around a variety of endeavours – production, radio, club DJing, teaching and sometimes leading a band. Collectively, these activities keep me happy, productive and balanced. Music obviously plays a huge part in my life, but sometimes I need to tune out to really enjoy what it is I do. I end up listening to talk radio or nothing at all in an effort to clear the creative palette.

There’s an openness and a generosity to Cattaneo, and he speaks about his friends and the people who have inspired him over the last two decades much more readily than he does his own achievements. “I’ve met a big variety of people throughout my career as a DJ, people I’ve admired and from whom I’ve learned a lot,” he says. “I’m talking people from John Digweed to Danny Howells and Sasha. In each one, there are elements I learn from. I owe a lot to Paul Oakenfold, who was the one who took me from being a local Argentinian DJ to international exposure – he opened a lot of doors for me, and I’ll never be able to pay him back enough. Then there are the original masters, people like Frankie Knuckles and Laurent Garnier, who have been around forever but who are still amazing.” For all his years in the business, Cattaneo still loves music with a passion. “Playing is fun,” he says, “it never feels like a job. Being in a club and sharing music with other people could never be a job. The travelling

Recloose

You’re back in New Zealand now operating a studio. How has having all that at your fingertips changed the way you produce and record? To be honest, most of my time is currently spent teaching a DJ and electronic music program at a school in downtown Auckland, called MAINZ. I have access to a variety of good studio facilities here, but I’ve been struggling to find enough time to make music. I regret this a little, but at the same time teaching has been a really inspiring tangent, so I’m not complaining. Who: Hernan Cattaneo Where: Chinese Laundry When: Saturday October 29

You’re coming over to play again at Mad Racket – do you have any fond memories coming back to this party? Playing at Mad Racket is an honour. I’m not saying this lightly. These brothers brought me over to Australia for the very first time and are a reason

why I live in this hemisphere now. They are party prophets, true believers in their art and the power of communal musical jubilation. Theirs is a unique chemistry, one that I’ve only experienced at a very few other special parties – The Do-Over (L.A.), Family Funktion (Detroit, circa 1990s), and The Turnaround on a good night (an on/off Auckland institution). How have your DJ sets changed over the past few years? I’d say my DJ style has stayed on a trajectory. I only play shit I feel. I have a very hard time fakeenjoying music that makes me cringe inside, just to please a (usually difficult, non-discerning) crowd. I like to take chances, especially at gigs like Mad Racket because this is the type of place where those chances pay dividends… People respond! And if you fuck up, well, I think the crowd is educated enough to recognise you’re going out on a limb and forgive you, as long as you keep rocking the party. You recently released a series of ‘early years’ reissues on Rush Hour Records. How is it for you, to revisit some of your older productions? I enjoy it, but it usually takes a good three or so years for me to come to terms with what I made and to be able to listen to it more objectively. Rediscovering the Detroit/Planet E material has been really good for my current work – I’m back in love with my synths, samplers and record collection (not that we fell out of love; we just got distracted). What do you miss most about Detroit? Where do I start?! Detroit is the jewel center of my musical consciousness. It taught me my most valuable lessons about music, camaraderie and life. I miss my friends, the vibe, the history, and spirit in the face of adversity. With: Recloose (DJ set), Jimmi James, Ken Cloud, Zootie, Simon Caldwell What: Mad Racket’s 13th Birthday Where: Marrickville Bowling Club When: Saturday October 29

Crookers Going Gonzo By Shaun Cowe genres that we love and people will dance to it’,” Fratangelo recalls. “That was a great discovery and it unleashed a whole new world for us. To experiment and try to do electronic music in a slightly different way was the most exciting thing.” This simple ethos has carried Crookers’ through eight years of music, a bunch of original EPs and a mind-boggling number of remixes. Not lads to rest on their laurels, they’ll be releasing their sophomore album Dr Gonzo later this month – a follow-up from The Gonzo Anthem EP, released earlier this year. Dr Gonzo sees Crookers collaborating with a handful of artists – including Hudson Mohawke, whom Fratangelo was particularly excited to work with. “I’m very happy that we managed to have him collaborate on a track with us,” he tells me.

talian dance duo Crookers have carved out a name for themselves as kingpins of house music, contributing to the rise of Kid Cudi through their chart-busting remix of ‘Day ‘N’ Night’, and working with the likes of will.i.am and Kelis on their own tracks. Talking about their success, ahead of their tour Down Under,

Andrea Fratangelo (aka ‘Bot’) demurs, “It’s always the same thing; it’s just trying to recreate the music that you like, in your way.” The resulting ‘Crookers sound’ improbably pairs deep house with rap and hip hop. “We thought, ‘Okay, we can combine the two

“We never really start with an idea with what the final result is going to be,” Frantangelo says of the Crookers’ creative process. “[For this album] it really came out naturally, just playing around with sounds. It was pretty random in a way which is what we always try to do - to never know what’s going to come out.” When we talk, Fratangelo is enjoying downtime in his London home, off the back of a gruelling

What was the name of the Barber Shop group, formed by Homer and his friends on the Simpsons? Q. Bonus Point: Who was the ﬁrst to leave the group? 70 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

North American tour; but he says he’s excited to be heading Down Under for Stereosonic – although he’s quick to back away from the idea of partying like crazy. “We’re trying to avoid partying as much as possible right now. It may be fine in the beginning, but then you realise that it’s not really great for the next day and the performance. You can’t really party every day and have a good show. We learned to enjoy the show a bit more when we chill and go to sleep; in a way it’s even nicer than partying all night (laughs).” “This will be the fourth time [we’ve visited Australia],” Fratangelo calculates. “It’s good to come back. We’ve gotten to know people there, so it’s nice to be so far away from home but still feel a kind of family; people who you’re familiar with, who can make you enjoy a little bit more than just airports and that kind of life.” What: Dr Gonzo is out October 28 through Liberator With: Armin Van Buuren, Carl Cox, LMFAO, Empire Of The Sun, The Bloody Beetroots, Madeon, PNAU, Ferry Corsten, Annie Mac, The Gaslamp Killer and more Where: Stereosonic @ Sydney Showgrounds, Olympic Park When: Saturday November 26

A: www.quizmeisters.com.au/bragquiz

The Rapture All Lushed Up By Alasdair Duncan

t’s been five years since The Rapture’s last album, and the band have been through an awful lot since then. Exhausted from touring, both of their singers walked out, and only one came back. Albums were started and then scrapped – at one point, there was even talk of the band breaking up. Now that it’s finally here, In The Grace Of Your Love is an exuberant-sounding LP – not only is it The Rapture’s happiest record to date, it’s also their most lush. Their sense of rhythm is still in place, as are the dark disco jams that have defined their sound since Echoes, but there’s just... more of everything. The songs are packed with synths and horns and harmonies, each one bursting out of its skin with sound. As drummer Vito Roccoforte tells me, they didn’t plan it this way – but they’re very glad it happened. “That lush sound wasn’t deliberate by any means,” he says. “Partly, the songs we were writing just leant themselves to being a bit more lush, so that was the sound that was coming out.” It helped that vocalist Luke Jenner was getting into harmonies around the same time that multi-instrumentalist Gabe Androzzi was getting into synths... “The lushness was one of the first things [Phillippe Zdar, producer] saw in the music, and one of the things he really wanted to bring out. When we heard the first mix of the album, we were shocked because of how much reverb he’d put on stuff – he used the first digital reverb ever made, the one that was used on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and maybe Off The Wall. He put that on almost everything, so there was a lot of reverb on the album, too!”

for us. We wanted to find people that understood us musically, and who weren’t obsessively worried about how many albums we were going to sell or any of that major label stuff. With DFA, it just felt like unfinished business. We’d started something, but we didn’t finish it – we felt like it was right to go back there. And we signed with Modular directly in Australia, because we knew and admired the label. Pav [Steve Pavlovic, Modular Recordings’ founder/director] has been a big fan and a big supporter of ours for a long time, and we really respect him and what he does. Musically, we respect the label’s output. We didn’t have to explain ourselves to Pav – he understood us and understood the album.” What: In The Grace Of Your Love is out now on DFA/Modular Recordings With: Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim, Paul van Dyk, Skrillex, Die Antwoord, James Murphy & Pat Mahony (LCD Soundsystem/ DFA) and loads more Where: Future Music Festival @ Royal Randwick Racecourse When: Saturday March 10

“Mattie had a really specific direction he wanted to go in musically, and that was fine – but when he left, it freed us all up. I think of this album as being a lot freer because of that.” Awkward as it may be, I have to bring up Mattie Safer, the bass player and co-vocalist who left the band two years ago and never returned. “Well basically, we got off the road after about a year and a half of touring, and went straight into the studio,” Roccoforte explains. “We should have taken time off, but we started writing an album instead, and it led to a lot of problems. That summer, Luke left, and we kept on writing – me, Gabe and Mattie. Mattie left about six months later. By the time Mattie had left and Luke came back, we’d stopped and started writing an album three times already. At that point, needless to say, we were really ready to go.” The album they ended up making was a patchwork of old and new material. “Luke had some acoustic songs that he’d amassed over the years – ‘Sail Away’ and ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Rollercoaster’ – so he brought them in and we reworked the music. ‘Come Back To Me’ was based on an edit Gabe made of a West African artist, Franco, and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ is a track I originally made, then we decided to rework. We had a huge mass of music,” Roccoforte says. “Mattie had a really specific direction he wanted to go musically, and that was fine – I was totally willing to work with that – but when he left, it freed us all up. We were happy not to have a specific direction; we were happy just to go into the studio and make music. I think of this album as being a lot freer because of that.” The idea of love is one that comes up in a lot of The Rapture’s music; it appears again and again in album titles and songs – ‘House Of Jealous Lovers’, ‘I Need Your Love’, the list goes on… “It’s weird, because I’d never realised that until this album,” Roccoforte laughs. “[But] with this album, I feel like love is coming through in a totally different way. ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ embraces love, rather than seeing it as something that can do you harm.” Singer Luke Jenner is a pretty loved-up guy himself – every time I’ve seen The Rapture live, he has come down to the front after the show to give sweaty hugs out and get his picture taken with fans. “Luke’s hilarious,” Roccoforte says when I bring this up. “I think the love thing has something to do with his psyche, his obsession with love. You could probably get pretty Freudian about that if you wanted to!” In The Grace Of Your Love is a significant album for The Rapture in that it sees them returning to DFA, the label headed up by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, which they left after Echoes. I ask Roccoforte what brought about his band’s return. “When we made this album, we decided to do everything on our own terms,” he begins. “We built the studio, we demoed everything on our own terms, we found Philippe Zdar and paid for all the recordings with him… [So] finding the right label was a big deal BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 71

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

fter last year’s memorably debaucherous Halloween boat party featuring Superpitcher, the Subsonic crew will repeat the formula at the end of October with a Halloween boat party headlined by German producer Phillip Bader and revered local DJ Phil Smart. A resident at the hugely popular – and now unfortunately defunct – Berlin clubbing destination Bar25, Bader has been involved in fruitful sonic partnerships with Heinrich & Hertinfellner’s Sascha Braemer, a union which spawned the anthemic single ‘Thankyou’. Together with compatriot producer Nicone, Bramer and Bader have also just released ‘Dantze, Boy’, a catchy cut released on Bader’s fledgling Dantze label, and one that will certainly do the business on Sydney dancefloors over summer. Those planning on attending are advised to embrace the ‘zombie geeks and circus freaks’ theme, as Subsonic’s Halloween cruise is traditionally an occasion upon which to don outlandish clubbing accoutrement. The boat party is an afternoon ‘til evening affair, running from 1.30-10pm on Saturday October 29, giving you the opportunity to ‘kick on’ at one of the many excellent parties that will occur that Saturday night, such as Anthony Shakir at The Spice Cellar or Mad Racket’s 13th Birthday ft Recloose. Any fans of Bader should also take note that Nicone and Sascha Braemer will release a collaborative album, Romantic Thrills, next month on the Stil vor Talent label. $50 Presale tickets are on sale through residentadvisor.net Chile’s Pier Bucci will make his Australian debut on Saturday November 5 at The Pumphouse in Darling Harbour, where he will play a five-hour headline set for FACT. Though Bucci has been keeping a low profile of late, a listen to either of his two LPs will remind you of his prowess as a producer. Following collaborations with Argenis Brito and Luciano, Bucci released his first album Familia back in 2005 on Crosstown Rebels (a label that certainly had a different flavour back then, as nowadays Damian Lazarus appears to be viewing it through a commercial lens to mine the pecuniary potential of hipster ketamine house). Bucci’s sophomore album, Amigo, hit shelves last year as the inaugural release on his own Maruca label (which is apparently named after his mother). While the album didn’t make the critical splash that enveloped Bucci when minimal techno was all the rage – the fact that it wasn’t a ‘club’ album may have had something to do with the restrained response – Amigo is well worth a listen, and boasts a healthy cast of guest vocalists, including Armelle Pioline from Paris-based band Holden, along with Chilean vocalists Washingtone Miranda and Jorge Gonzales. First release $30 tickets are currently available online. Details of Reckless Republic’s New Year’s Day morning cruise Spice Afloat have been announced, with headline duties falling to Scotland’s Graeme Clark, known for his output under the moniker The Revenge as well as his work as 6th Borough Project with Craig Smith. Clark has released notable re-edits of

LOOKING DEEPER

Soul Sedation Soul, Dub, Hip Hop & Bottom-heavy Beats with Tony Edwards

East Park Reggae Collective

Phillip Bader

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29

Phillip Bader Subsonic Halloween Boat Cruise

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5

Pier Bucci The Pumphouse, Darling Harbour

SATURDAY DECEMBER 17

Carl Craig, Octave One, John Roberts Metro Theatre

SUNDAY JANUARY 1

Spice Afloat ft The Revenge The Bella Vista Stevie Wonder, Unfinished Business and Hot Chocolate over the past few years, along with a stream of more nuanced, ‘serious’ edits, such as the dubinfused deep house Revenge cut ‘The Soul Part II’, which was included by Seth Troxler on his Boogybytes compilation. Clark recently released a collection of his edits entitled Reekin’Structions on Joey Negro’s Z Records imprint, which appropriated vintage disco, boogie, and soul jams via the deep funk and ‘sultry’ grooves that Revenge productions are known for. Indeed, Clark should not be pigeonholed in the disco re-edit oeuvre, as his DJ sets explore house and Detroit techno influences, a fact evinced by many of his podcasts floating around the interweb. A cursory glance through some of Clark’s DJ staples reveals cuts from the likes of Dave Aju, Iron Curtis and Anthony Shakir, and he seems like the perfect foil to the more traditional house sounds that local DJs like Murat Kilic, Carlos Zarate and YokoO will be playing while clubbers celebrate the first sunrise of 2012. Spice Afloat tickets are now on sale.

Fabrizio Maurizi

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.

ll y'all reggae heads should be keeping an ear out for a pending album from the UK’s East Park Reggae Collective. The band from Leeds boast a well-stacked four-piece horn section, so all you brass enthusiasts will be in seventh heaven. You can pick up one of their very excellent tracks, ‘Love Radar', on the First Word Records compilation Two Syllables Vol 5 – and the forthcoming full-length is predicted to be dope. Soul Sedation is pumped for this release! Funk heads will want to know about the new album from the UK’s Baker Brothers. Time To Testify is no less than the seventh album from one of the best funk/soul bands around. Once again, if you’re into your horns you’ll dig these guys, and their drum breaks are on point as well; all in all, a very accomplished outfit. This new release is out through Record Kicks but you can track down some of their back catalogue through Freestyle Records. Look out for a Soul Jazz re-issue of Pheeron Ak Laff’s album House Of Spirit: Mirth. Active in the ‘70s jazz scene in the US, Ak Laff trained at length under Rashied Ali, who was Coltrane’s drummer. Originally released in 1979, this record is considered the Detroit-based composer/drummer’s finest exploration into deep, spiritual jazz. This is a chance to get your hands on a record that music historians Stuart Baker and Gilles P have gushed over in more recent times. There’s also new Floating Points material out on Eglo Records. The double-sided 12inch is on the downtempo tip, featuring the tracks ‘Danger’ and ‘Miniature 27’. It’s really beautiful, detailed headphone music, the UK’s Sam Shepherd working in that late night triple j Frequency Lab vein. He really is one of the most wondrous electronic producers around; his work must be the envy of a good number of the machine musicians out there today. One of the more interesting artists to feature on the recently announced Rainbow Serpent 2012 line-up is Dub FX. Real name Ben Stanford, he’s a Melbournian now based in the UK, a beatboxer-style vocalist who makes use of technology to create some amazing sounds using only his voice. If you want to check him out look up his YouTube clip of ‘Step On My Trip’ – mindblowing stuff. Still Australia’s premier doof, Rainbow Serpent goes down January 27-30 in Western Victoria. To gigs closer to home: Australian hip hop legends Def Wish Cast are hitting the road on the back of their new album Dun Proppa – their first release since 2006 – and taking in Katoomba, Newcastle, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. The Sydney show goes down October 27 at The Annandale Hotel with Bingethinkers, Blades of Hades, Herb and more supports to be announced.

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com 72 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

ON THE ROAD SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 Musica /Tumbalong Tumbalong Park

Liberators, Afro Nomad The Basement

THURSDAY OCTOBER 27 Def Wish Cast Annandale Hotel

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29 Silkie + Jon Convex Oxford Art Factory London Elektricity Arthouse

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3 Onra Oxford Art Factory

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5 Shapeshifter The Metro Theatre

FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 Mulatu Astatke Factory Theatre Gaslamp Killer Oxford Art Factory

FRIDAY DECEMBER 9 Hermitude The Standard

You can pick up the new DWC record through Creative Vibes. US producer Eliot Lipp has put together a podcast for URB Magazine. This guy has produced some quality, detailed downbeat in the past; he’s actually one of this column’s all-time favourite producers. Most recently, the wizard has been in the studio with Jasia 10; the pair have an album pending called How We Do: Moves Made. The podcast will prep your ears for the sounds to come – when it drops, pick up the LP through Old Tacoma Records. This weekend is looking killer, with a truly world-class lineup coming through Sydney. For Saturday October 22, the promoters behind Musica /Tumbalong have pulled together a remarkable showing of the global underground, that transverses everything from disco, house, dub, techno, hip hop, experimental electronica and beat poetry. We’ll hear from no less than Bon Chat, Bon Rat, Electric Wire Hustle, Ghostpoet, Lunice, Mitzi, SBTRKT, Simon Caldwell and Tiger & Woods (Baths had to cancel his appearance two weeks back). Fingers crossed this event becomes a harbinger of Spring year-in year-out. Bring it!

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

★ FRI OCT 21 ★

9PM - 3AM

★ SAT OCT 22 ★

RE 11 P FO

8PM - 3AM

$10 AFTER

★ SAT OCT 29 ★ 9PM - 3AM

F E AT. P H I L I P BA D E R + G U E S T S

★ FRI NOV 04 ★

9PM - 3AM RE 11 P FO

DSS Presents:

$10 AFTER

★ SAT NOV 05 ★

9PM - 3AM

The Coffin Slave presents:

★ FRI NOV 11 ★

RE 11 P FO

$5 DANCEHALL, REGGAE, DUB ★ SAT NOV 12 ★

9PM - 3AM

$10 AFTER

RE 11 P FO

DSS-Eschalon, Bassdrop, Collective, and Foreign’dub Pres.

9PM - 3AM

$10 AFTER

★ FRI NOV 18 ★

9PM - 3AM RE 11 P FO

★ SAT NOV 19 ★

9PM - 3AM

$10 AFTER

TICKETS & BOOKINGS: BOOKINGS@LOWSOCIETYDUBSTEP.COM

450 PARAMATTA RD PETERSHAM 9560-1488 BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 73

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

club pick of the week SBTRKT

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22

Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour

Música/ TUMBALONG SBTRKT (UK), Ghostpoet (UK), Lunice (CAN), Tiger & Woods (ITA), Electric Wire Hustle (NZ), Bon Chat Bon Rat, Mitzi, Simon Caldwell, New Navy $89 (+ bf) – $175 (VIP) 12pm MONDAY OCTOBER 17 Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Monday Jam Danny G Felix, Djay Kohina free 9pm Scubar. Sydney Crab Racing 7pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross Open Mic Jazz free 7pm

TUESDAY OCTOBER 18 Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel DJ Willie Sabor free 6pm

Scubar, Sydney Backpacker Karaoke 8pm The Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Coyote Tuesdays free 8pm Vault Nightclub, Scruffy Murphys Frat House DJs free 11pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Pop Panic Andy & Mike, Pablo Calamari, Karaoke free 8pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19 Beach Palace Hotel, Coogee Palace Uni Night DJs free 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Rufus, Conics, Swimwear free 8pm Cargo Lounge, Sydney Menage a Trois 5pm Home The Venue, Darling Harbour Embrace Wednesdays free 8.30pm Kong’s Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction Voodoo free 9pm Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Frat House F.R.I.E.N.D. DJ free The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown Student Nights DJ Moussa free The Ranch, Marsfield Hump DJs 9pm Scubar, Sydney Schoonerversity 3pm The Seymour Centre, Chippendale City Jungle Synergy, Speak Percussion, Terminal Sound System, Noxious Aquatic, Tokyo Love-In $23 (Conc) $27 8pm Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney Sincopa free 7pm Theloft, Sydney Piano Man 6pm Valve Bar, Tempe Kingston Flava All Star DJs 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Dodge & Fuski (UK), Hydraulix, Singha, Pablo Calamari, Tigerlily, Darkhorse free 7.30pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 20 Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill Flo Rida (USA), Timmy Trumpet, Matt Nukewood, Daz $45 8pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Drop Sola Rosa, Bentley, DJ Ability free 8pm Beresford Upstairs, Surry Hills $30 (+ bf) 7pm Funkoars, Vents, Ciecmate, Mase & Mattic Cargo Lounge, Sydney Thursday’s I’m In Love! $5 5pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Tenzin, Cadell, Zannon, DJ K-Note free 8pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Bad Apple $5 8pm Ivy, Sydney Ivy Live 5pm Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Indie Warhol Low 302, Darlinghurst Actual Russian Brides Divine Knights, Glace Chase, Tigerlily, Monii free 9pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Astral Agency Party feat. Guerre, Thomas Williams, Nakagin, Rainbow Chan, 48/4 Q Bar, Darlinghurst Hot Damn $12-$15 8pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Flaunt $15 8pm The Sly Fox, Enmore Inhale free 6pm Star Bar, Sydney Thirsty Thursdays 8pm Theloft, Sydney Thursdays at Theloft Nad, Stu Turner, Mr Belvedere The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Tom Ballard, Urby, Chappers free (student)–$5 9pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21 ARQ Sydney DJs free 9pm Arthouse Hotel, Sydney RnB Superclub $20 9.30pm The Bank Nightclub, Kings Cross Addiction 9pm Beach Palace Hotel, Coogee Aqua Friday 6pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Movement Pigeon free 8pm The Burdekin, Darlinghurst DJs 9pm Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Liquid Sky Pretty Young Things, LA Tech, Victims, Sohda, Hypa 8pm The Cellar, Sydney Void Sub Bass Snarl, MC Ozi Batla $15 (+ bf) 10pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Dubrave Karton, Will Styles, Daniel Farley, A-Tonez, Smokin’ Joe Mekhael, Def Tonez, MC Hayley Boa, Sample Sex $15–$25 10pm Cohibar DJ Jeddy Rowlands, DJ Mike Silver free Establishment, Sydney Sienna 9pm Fake Club, Kings Cross Distortion Dubstep Koan Sound, Guillotine, Glovecats, Farj, Paul Fraser, The Unthinkables, DJ Toppsey, Saiko, Enochi $31.20 9pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Yo Grito! Conrad Greenleaf, Yo Grito DJs free 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Love Kings vs Hoops Bad Ezzy, Levins, Nina Las Vegas, Radge $10 11pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney DJ Cadell 5pm Gypsy Lounge, Darlinghurst Warp Speed Various DJs 9pm Home The Venue, Sydney Sublime DJs Hotel Chambers, Sydney Jump Jive & Wail Limpin’ Jimmy & the Swingin’ Kitten free 9pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJs free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Alison Wonderland, Devola, Hobophonics, Isbjorn, Stoney Roads $10 8pm Kong’s Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction Wildlive 9pm The Marlborough Hotel Level 1, Newtown Resident DJs free The Metro Theatre, Sydney Seven, The Abyss, Keiran Helmore, Gilsun, Actuator $15 (+ bf) 9pm Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays DJ Tone free 9pm Omega Lounge, Sydney Unwind DJ Greg Summerfield free 5.30pm Phoenix, Darlinghurst Sideways Fridays Detnum, Manjazz, Paper Cranes $10 10pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Teen Spirit 9021Bros, Melrose Waste, Doh J. Simpson, Pinky & The Brain, Bash Brothers, Pushin’ Pop, Ben In Black, Ren & Stimpy, Dawson’s Freak, DJ Smithers, Bass Ventura, DJ Tombogotchi, Spice Cube DJs, Doogie Howser MDJ, Urby Cookie Collective $10 9pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Club Onyx free-$15 8pm Scubar, Sydney Jagermeister Fridays DJs

Shark Bar, Sydney Puls8 Jono, Guest DJs free Shelbourne Hotel, Sydney Mixtape free 6pm Space, Sydney ZAIA Savvy, Edo, D’Kutz, Em-Tee, Ming, Ace, Flipz, DJ Sefu, MC Suga Shane, Arbee, Suae, Pulsar, Askitz, Jinkang vs Tezzr vs Rhe3, MC D 9.45pm Star Bar, Sydney Just Dance free 10pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Eve 9pm Vault Nightclub, Scruffy Murphys DJs free 11pm The Watershed Hotel Watershed Presents… Caribean Night The Whitehouse, Petersham Ellesquire, Reverse Polarities, Money Kat feat. Ishu, Tigermoth, Tenth Dan, DJ Sam Z, DJ Migz $15 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM Siren Lines,Howler,Si Claros,Colourfide,Pineapple Head,Bachelor Pad, Alpine DJs, MUM DJs $10-$15 8pm

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 ARQ Sydney Dance Dance Dance $15$25 9pm The Burdekin, Darlinghurst DJs 9pm Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Ritual Zomg! Kittens, Sherlock Bones, Teez, Stressless, Hoodlmz, Acid Mouth, Tetris, Stick It! 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Lunice (Canada), Light Year, King Lee, Murray Lake, Ctrl Alt Delicious, Spenda C, Samrai, Gabriel Clouston $15 (early bird)–$25 9pm Forbes Hotel, Sydney Cube Kerry Wallace, Robbie Cordukes & Jake Hough, Tom Brereton, Amy Fairweather, Edoardo Perlo, Nacho Vossler 10pm Club 77, Darlinghurst Starfuckers Starfuckers DJs Cohibar DJ Matty Roberts free Coogee Bay Hotel Smirnoff Exchange Party DJ Mobin Master, Karina Chavez 10pm Dee Why Hotel Kiss & Fly 8.30pm Fake Club, Sydney Sinden 9pm The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills Tour De Dance Botanics, Bunny Hoopstar, Sambafrog, Triple Rebels, DJ Ability $17 (+ bf) 8pm Goldfish, Kings Cross The Bassmonkeys (UK), Johnny Gleeson & Tom Kelly, Ross Middleton free 6pm Home The Venue, Sydney Homemade Saturdays Ivy Pool, Sydney Pool Club Saturday Nights 6pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJs free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Miss T, Gabby, Cassette, Alison Wonderland 8pm Kongs, Bondi Junctions Out Of The Valley Pablo Calamari, Tim Sea The Marlborough Hotel Level 1, Newtown Resident DJs free Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Fierce Angel Bassmonkeys, Wayne G $33.80-$38.90 10pm

“I welcome you to Crackerbox Palace. We’ve been expecting you” – GEORGE HARRISON 74 :: BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11

club guide send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com Phoenix, Darlinghurst Phoenix Rising Resident DJs $15 5am Phoenix, Darlinghurst Downtown Underground Matt Vaughn, DJ Sveta, Dallas Dellaforce $10 10pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Big Exile DJ Rado, Feisty, Sveta, Mark Alsop, Gavyn Vincze, Chip $25 10pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross The Suite free-$20 8pm Shark Bar, Sydney Puls8 Jono Soho, Sydney The Usual Suspects Lee Mortimer, Ember, Oakes and Lennox, Mike Rukus, Tigerlilly $15 9pm Spectrum, Darlinghurst P*A*S*H* DJs, Goldfoot, Knife $10 11.30pm The Spice Cellar, Basement Level, 58 Elizabeth St, Sydney Reckless Republic Record Label Launch Mic Newman, Murat Kilic, YokoO $20 10pm Star Bar, Sydney Situation free 10pm St James Hotel, Sydney SFX 9pm Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills Sosoume DJs, Dangers Dannys, Pinnacle Sound System, Spookyland 6pm

Valve Bar, Tempe Luskimze DJs 10pm Verge Bar, Arthouse Hotel, Sydney After Dark DJs free The Watershed Hotel Watershed Presents… Skybar The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham! DJ PP (Uruguay), Raye Antonelli, Illya, Foundation, Matttt, Mitch Crosher, Sam Roberts, Lennox & Oakes, Yogi, Astrix Little, Moneyshot, Deckhead, Shamozzle, Say Whut!? $15 8pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 23 The Spice Cellar, Basement Level, 58 Elizabeth St, Sydney Spice Matt Weir, Murat Kilic $20 4am Cargo Lounge, Sydney Stick It In 3pm Goldfish Martini Club, Tom Kelly, DJ Heidi free 6pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Sneaky Sundays Resident and Guest DJs 8pm Ivy, Sydney Marco Polo Resident DJs 1pm

Jacksons On George, Sydney Aphrodisiac Resident DJs free Kudu Lounge, Darlinghurst Timeless Sundays free 2pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sessions DJ Tone free 7pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Sundays free-$10 8pm Scubar, Sydney Sundays at Scubar 3pm The Watershed Hotel Afternoon DJs DJ Matty Roberts free The World Bar, Kings Cross Dust James Taylor, Alley Oop free 7pm Mobin Master

club picks up all night out all week...

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19

Funkoars

The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Dodge + Fuski (UK), Hydraulix, Singha, Pablo Calamari, Tigerily, Darkhorse and more free 9pm Beach Palace Hotel, Coogee Palace Uni Night DJs free 9pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 20 Australian Hotel & Brewery, Rouse Hill Flo Rida (USA), Timmy Trumpet, Matt Nukewood, Daz $45 8pm Beresford Upstairs, Surry Hills Funkoars, Vents, Ciecmate, Mase & Mattic $30 (+ bf) 7pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Astral Agency Party feat. Guerre, Thomas Williams, Nakagin, Rainbow Chan, 48/4 $5 8pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Dubrave Karton, Will Styles, Daniel Farley, A-Tonez, Smokin’ Joe Mekhael, Def Tonez, MC Hayley Boa, Sample Sex $15–$25 10pm Fake Club, Kings Cross Distortion Dubstep KOAN Sound, Guillotine, Glovecats, Farj, Paul Fraser, The Unthinkables, DJ Toppsey, Saiko, Enochi $31.20 9pm

The Metro Theatre, Sydney Low Society pres. Seven, The Abyss, Keiran Helmore, Gilsun, Actuator $15 (+ bf) 9pm The Whitehouse, Petersham Ellesquire, Reverse Polarities, Money Kat feat. Ishu, Tigermoth, Tenth Dan, DJ Sam Z, DJ Migz $15 8pm

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22 Selina's @ Coogee Bay Hotel Smirnoff Exchange Party DJ Mobin Master, Karina Chavez 10pm Kongs Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction Saturdays - Out Of The Valley Pablo Calamari, Tim Sea

Glovecats

The Spice Cellar, Martin Place Reckless Republic Record Label Launch Mic Newman, Murat Kilic, YokoO $20 10pm

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 75

snap

hot damn

PICS :: SW

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

wham!

PICS :: DM

06:10:11 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93316245

08:10:11 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

party profile

teen spirit

PICS :: RR

distortion It’s called: DISTORTION presents KOAN Sound It sounds like: Transformers having sex Who’s playing? KOAN Sound (Owsla/Insp ected Glovecats (The Wall), Farj (Garage Pressure), ), Guillotine, Rubio, Paul Fraser (Garage Pressure), The Unthinkables, DJ Toppsey, Saiko , Enochi Three songs you’ll hear on the night: Sunsh ine – ‘Modestep (Torqux and Twist remix)’; Excision & Downlink – ‘Reploid (Document One Remix)’; KOAN Sound – Trouble In The West. And one you definitely won’t: Anything by Kylie Minogue Sell it to us: Amazing dubstep unleashing the newest act signed to Skrillex's label… Enough said. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: immense bass and a whole lot of blurry memories. Wallet damage: $20 through Facebook / $30 through Moshtix / more at the door! Where: Fakeclub / Kings Cross When: Friday October 21

slow blow

PICS :: RR

strike

07:10:11 :: Goodgod :: 53-55 Liverpool St Sydney 9267 3787 76 :: BRAG :: 434: 17:10:11

PICS :: AM

07:10:11 :: The Exchange Hotel :: 34-44 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93601375

08:10:11 :: Strike Bowling :: King St Wharf Darling Harbour 1300 787 453 :: KATRINA CLARKE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) MAS PEACHY :: GEORGE OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER THO :: NS MUN IEL LEY MAR :: DAN :: CAI GRIFFIN :: KIM LEE:: ASH POPOV :: SAM WHITESIDE ::

S A T M I C

2 2 O C T N E W M A N

( M E L B O U R N E )

S A T 2 9 O C T A N T H O N Y S H A K E S H A K I R ( U S )

S A T 1 9 N O V B U R N S K I ( U K )

F R I 2 5 N O V P A N T H A D U P R I N C E ( D E )

S A T 2 6 M O V E

N O V D

( D E )

P R E - S A L E S R E S I D E N T A D V I S O R . N E T

b a s e m e n t

l e v e l ,

5 8

e l i z a b e t h

s t

A F T E R H O U R S F R O M 4 A M E V E R Y S U N D A Y U N I Q U E

E U R O P E A N

U N D E R G R O U N D

i n f o @ t h e s p i c e c e l l a r . c o m . a u t h e s p i c e c e l l a r . c o m . a u

BRAG :: 434 :: 17:10:11 :: 77

snap

07:10:11 :: Kings Cross Hotel :: 248 William St Darlinghurst 2010 9331 9900

smirnoff: taste of italy party profile

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

the tongue

PICS :: TL

propaganda

PICS :: DM

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

It’s called: Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Projec t ‘Taste of Italy’ It sounds like: The best in commercial house from the streets of Rome Coogee Who’s playing? Mobin Master feat. Karina Chavez and supports Three songs you’ll hear on the night: Mobin Master – ‘Show Me Love’ and ‘In My House’, Alex Gaudino feat. Kelly Rowland – ‘What a Feeling.’ Sell it to us: The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is a huge night where 50 countries around the world literall y swap nightlife on one huge night. This year Australia gets all Italian . In huge event, Smirnoff are giving all Sydneysider the build up to this s the oppor tunity to experience a ‘Taste of Italy.’ So whether it’s the amazing sights, tastes or sounds on offer, dust off your Versa ce and come down and experience some of the good life the Italian s know oh so well. The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Mobin Master rocking out on his KEYTAR Crowd specs: Eastern suburbs massive Wallet damage: Regular Saturday, you’ll surviv e. Where: Coogee Bay Hotel

kid kenobi

PICS :: KC

When: Saturday October 22

chinese laundry

the coolroom

06:10:11 :: Australian Brewery :: 350 Annangrove Rd Rouse Hill 9679 4555

78 :: BRAG :: 434: 17:10:11

PICS :: AM

08:10:11 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 82959958

07:10:11 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 82959958 :: KATRINA CLARKE S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) :: GEORGE OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER IEL MUNNS :: THOMAS PEACHY DAN :: MAR LEY ASH : LEE: :: CAI GRIFFIN :: KIM POPOV :: SAM WHITESIDE ::