The Brag #447

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rock music news

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

he said she said

WITH

I

had already written some material myself before we formed in August last year, but I felt it was really missing something special. I gathered together the best young

ISABELLA FROM BELLE AND THE BONE PEOPLE

musicians I knew, that suited the style I wanted to play: indie/folk. It wasn’t until we jammed that I realised they were the missing piece of the puzzle. They took what I had

written and made it into something magical, bringing my songs to places I didn’t even know they could go.

Everything has moved very fast for us since then. We recorded our first single ‘The Light’ in November 2011 with Ryan Miller and had it mastered by Don Bartley.

Then we were lucky enough to have a video made for us by friends of mine, Samuel Leighton-Dore and Matt McGuire – with zero budget. It was a collaborative effort by a few young creatives who made the costumes, did the makeup and helped with filming, ending up with a final product we are really proud of. We are also working with Matt O’Connor from the A&R Department, who has supported our development every step of the way and has introduced us to some amazing people.

I lived in Ireland for a long time when I was a child. That really helped my love grow for folk music and the tradition of storytelling.

We really aim to incorporate these traditions in our music, bringing them to a contemporary setting. We all have different music tastes but we bond over musicians like Laura Marling, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver and Radiohead, and

hope our love for these great artists can be heard in our own music.

Our live sound has many dynamics.

Sometimes we love to have a passionate build up, getting louder and more wild. Other times we have one guitar and the six of us just singing. We use banjo, keys, drums, glockenspiel, guitar and bass to form our contemporary sound with hits of traditional folk.

In my opinion, the music scene in Sydney is getting better and better – and also younger.

Our band has an average age of 19, and a lot of the bands we listen to are a similar age and are super talented. There is a great little folk community of young musicians in Sydney that all collaborate together.

What: ‘The Light’ comes out February 10 With: Bell Weather Department, The Ruminaters, Mushu, Adam George and The Electric Vogues Where: Music Makers Club @ Oxford Art Factory When: Friday February 3 More: Also playing MUM @ The World Bar on Friday February 15

Austra

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AUSTRA SIDESHOW

Canadian four-piece Austra, the only musical act to come out of their country that didn’t star on Degrassi or date Joey from Full House, are heading to Australia for the first time as part of the amazing Laneway Festival lineup, and have booked a sideshow at The Basement on February 9. In support will be Sydney/Dublin chillwave act (please don’t write in saying they aren’t really chillwave, it’s a dumb genre name, what does it even mean anyway and blah blah blah) Kool Thing – who we dearly hope were named after the song of the same name by chillwave band Sonic Youth.

NECKING AT THE OPERA HOUSE

I’m one of those people that, to misquote Howard from The Mighty Boosh, fears the lack of rules in jazz music. So the idea of seminal Sydney band The Necks, and their 16 albums of experimental jazz, twists my brainmind into knots that can only be untwisted by the soothing sound of Lisa Mitchell singing showtunes to me while applying a washcloth to my forehead. “It’s not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz,” toots their presser. “Well what, exactly, IS it?” you retort.

Find out at Sydney Opera House on March 18.

BLACK LIPS SUPPORTS

Usually when a lo-fi garage punk band teams up with a big name producer known for immaculate pop sheen, the results are akin to running a Fugazi record through Autotune and replacing the bass with synth. But when the Black Lips teamed up with Mark “Winehouse and that” Ronson, the results were the band’s best-yet-most-accessible-yet-still-the-best album yet, the storming Arabia Mountain. The Atlanta-based act will be racing to Sydney from the idyllic Playground Weekender to play a sideshow at The Standard on Sunday March 4, and have announced their supports: Circle Pit and Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, both of whom are perfectly suited to the challenge. It’s nice when that happens.

DIEFENBACH

Brisbane-based songwriting Diefenbach was called a “pathological chronicler of the human

condition” by The Age, to which he quipped, no doubt with a scotch in hand, “Maybe I’m not so much a pathological chronicler of the human condition as a pathological chronicler of my own?” BAM! He’s right though; his second album Missing Person is fairly open-woundy, in all the best ways. He launches the record live at El Rocco (in Potts Point) this Thursday February 9. $15 at the door, and buy the album too.

STUBBLE TROUBLE

Although we fear joke bands the same way we fear AIDS needles, we were very pleased to hear The Beards’ ‘You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man’ enter the lower reaches of the Hottest 100 last week. For one thing, they contain an oft-missing element in the comedy-music genre: actual humour. They are running with a similar motif on their debut album Having A Beard Is The New Not Having A Beard, which they are launching at Manning Bar on April 20. Come along! You can showcase that Craig David beard you’ve been perfecting.

BLEEDING KNEES AND DRUMS DJS

As I furiously type away at a pace that makes Kerouac seem like the sloth-like drunkard he quite possibly was, the idea of The Bleeding Knees Club having ‘Nothing To Do’ makes me wanna line them all up and slap them across their young, foppish Brisbane faces. Then I read that this is just the name of a new single which they’re touring with a DJ set from The Drums, and bringing to Sydney on February 7 at a venue to be announced 24 hours prior to the event – which makes me wanna line them all up and kiss them across their young, foppish Brisbane faces. Tickets are only available on the door, wherever that door may be... (Not an analogy.) The Holidays will also be DJing, Sydney Pixies-surfy-awesomeband Sures will be supporting, and it’s at a secret venue! Secret!

KILL CITY CREEPS

When you’re at Spectrum on February 17, watching Kill City Creeps play their brand of awesomely skuzzy garage psych, you will undoubtedly go, “I know this guy’s voice and hair and face….” Well put that Google-machine away: it’s the same frontman from those Dolly Rocker Movement shows you freaked out at a few years ago, and you’ll be pleased to know this group continues that Nuggets/’60s psych sound the Dollys were known for – but adds a bit of T-Rex to the mix. Mother and Son and The Ghost will be supporting too.

Bleeding Knees Club

THIS WEEK

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rock music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH

RISH FROM TYPHOS in the wine industry, so that lubricates us well.

I’m pretty sure that we are the only metal band around drinking pinot noir on stage.

4.

The Music You Make It’s hard to pigeonhole us stylistically. We are very heavy, yes, but our vocal delivery is a big thing – harmonies etc. Five of us sing, so there is a lot of very energetic vocal swapping.

We have just released our first album, called Absence Of Clarity, which was recorded at Shark Sounds and mastered by Don Bartley.

We are really proud of it, and should someone else raise their horns because of it, it’d be a sound investment.

Music, Right Here, Right Now 5.

I think the music scene is in a state of flux at

Growing Up Bad music on AM radio on the farm is my 1. first memory. My folks weren’t musical in any way, then a cousin introduced me to Black Sabbath when I was about eight and my world changed. Only mistake I made was thinking that every eight-year-old loved Sabbath!

first time I heard Devin it was like, “Yes – that is the sound I have had in my head!” Pity I lack the talent… I must also mention Randy Rhoads. He’s been gone a long time now, but to have such a relatively small body of work be so influential to so many is incredible.

Inspirations 3.

Devin Townsend is probably the greatest 2. musician that (nearly) no one has heard of.

His approach to sound and to composition are intrinsically linked, so his production is never opposed to the message of the work. The

Spod

Your Crew In Typhos, we have extremely diverse musical tastes. There is a core of old school thrash metal, but throw into the crucible anything else and you probably have us. Two of us have played together for ten years, and the rest have infected us since. Four of us work

the moment. Local original music is probably struggling, but there is a light. There are some terrific venues that still haven’t replaced us with poker machines; the Sydney Livehouse has one of the best rooms around, and is run incredibly well. The sound is top class, and when you have played for a long time it is the little things you notice – like no angst between set up and get out. That is a venue that needs our support, because it continues to support us.

What: Absence Of Clarity is out now With: Delabarker, Smoking Mirrors, Days Gone By Where: Sydney Livehouse @ The Lewisham Hotel When: Saturday February 4

Drawn From Bees

DRAWN FROM BEES

Peter Parker, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent; we’re not ashamed to admit we’ve had a crush on a comic book character or two, but our little secret could turn into full blown obsession when Brisbane boys Drawn From Bees star in their own comic strip, wreaking havoc around the Wild West.

The strip is available on their website, and serves as a pretty good place-filler until Saturday February 4, when the boys ride into Oxford Art Factory as part of their Dusty Midnight Cowboys Tour. If you wanna see the indie rockers IRL, just tell us the name of the single they’re launching.

THE DRUMS & CULTS

Not to beat our own drum, but we know a good thing when we see it. Which is why the BRAG office was replete with emasculating shrieking when we saw that The Drums and Cults would be playing a show in the same venue on the same night. The Drums latest LP Portamento is everything we’ve come to know and love from the Brooklyn-based, don’t-call-usa-surf-pop-band surf pop band, and the secretive Cults won legions of fans with their self-titled EP. There is actually no excuse not to get down to The Enmore Theatre on Wednesday February 8, especially when we’ve got a double pass to give away. If you want it, just tell us something that the two bands have in common...

AUSSIE OPEN OF SURFING

A lot of you may not know this, but the BRAG team surf to work each day. Therefore, we will be leaving early February 17 and 18 to surf on down to Manly Beach to watch The Australian Open Of Surfing – but mainly to catch the free live concerts each day, with Sneaky Sound System, Bluejuice and Grant Smiley playing February 17, and Children Collide, Stonefield and one monster act TBA this week on February 18... Music starts at 4pm; check the full schedule online. Surf you later, dude! Kick your gnarlied flippers up!

Don’t crash your doobie board! (Well-known surf lingo. You’re welcome.)

Ball Park Music

THE KILLGIRLS

SPOD. DONNY BENET. RAP BATTLES? YES.

Spod, Donny Benet, Naughty Rappers Collective (feat. Fishing, Richard In Your Mind and Spod) and Black Vanilla (feat. Guerre and Collarbones) are all performing at Pimpish Behaviour, a night of booty, bass and naughty raps going down on Saturday February 4 at Goodgod Small Club. And if that isn’t amazing enough (hint: it is), they’re serving jugs of crunk juice and hosting an open mike rap battle (a la that one at the end of 8 Mile that you know all the words to). We’re not even kidding about this.

Adelaide electro rockers The Killgirls have been in the news of late. No, they didn’t make good on the inherent promise their name holds, but they played Parklife and BDO, and supported Crystal Castles, MSTRKRFT, Die Antwoord and Bloody Beetroots. They will be playing Upstairs Beresford on February 18 in a set that I can promise will be blockrocking.

Their presser tells us their aim is to get the party started immediately – an extremely noble pursuit.

BALL PARK MUSIC

You know how you decide to like a band based solely on their appearance? And you know how that book-cover-judging tends to be completely disproved by their music? Well, that never happened with us and Ball Park Music, which is why we unfortunately can’t come to your aunt’s dinner thing on March 30, as we’ll be at The Factory Theatre watching them play with Nantes and Cub Scouts as part of their 180° Tour. They got two spots in the Hottest 100, won Rolling Stone’s ‘Artist To Watch’ award, won triple j’s ‘Unearthed Artist Of The Year’ award, and the name of their tour is a gentle jibe at U2. What more could you want?

EVANESCENCE

Type “Evanescence tattoo” into Google, and you will be confronted by the most amazing run of human beings you will have the pleasure to Googlemeet, all of whom will have their comingof-age story inked on them for life. Evanescence certainly inspired a cult-like following, and are back in the country on March 29, playing the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Also, doesn’t frontwoman Amy Lee kinda remind you of a goth Deb from Napoleon Dynamite/Mac from Veronica Mars?

HAND GAMES LAUNCH

There’s a new creative agency in town called Hand Games (insert inappropriate joke), and they’re launching their existence at Goodgod Small Club on March 31 with a show featuring Oscar + Martin, triple j’s latest Brisbane crush

BONDI OPENAIR BIG SUNDAE SESSIONS

THIS WEEK @ FBI SOCIAL

Donny Benet

FBi Social surely has to run out of awesomeness soon – but it won’t be this week.

On Tuesday January 31 they have the Jurassic Lounge after-party with FBi’s own Shannon Connellan tearing up the decks like DJ Lethal (probably); Wednesday February 1 sees Fishing play at the rock ‘n’ roll time of 1pm; On Thursday February 2, The Fighting League and La Mancha play at the VICE party (definitely a ‘Do’); Friday night, Super Florence Jam, Foxx on Fire and Hello Vera kickstart your weekend hangover; on and Saturday night, Melbourne folkies The Paper Kites try not to tear themselves in the whirlwind that is your volatile personality.

The Belligerents, UK-based Mc Gaff E and Nakagin. And just in case you bring that awful uncle of yours who hates all music, there will also be dancers, visual displays and a bunch of general awesomeness. Tickets are only $12, and are on sale now.

Hungry Kids Of Hungry

Open air cinema is such a wonderfully romantic notion. Also, it makes us think of Grease! Anyways, Bondi OpenAir cinema are having a party on Sunday February 5 at Bondi Beach Pavilion in conjunction with charity collective Tunes For Change, with games on the lawn, free Ben and Jerry’s icecream and sets from The Cat Empire, Hungry Kids Of Hungary and The Winter People.

They’ll be screening the incredible Life In A Day, too. (Also, save the date: February 21. BRAG is presenting a screening of The Labyrinth, and we’ve got a few treats in store…)

“Pawn shop ain’t no place for a wedding ring. Six months from now what will that money mean?” - RYAN ADAMS 8 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS

The Necks AN EXCLUSIVE OPERA THEATRE PERFORMANCE ‘ a post-jazz, post-rock, post-everything sonic experience that has few rivals’ The Guardian

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‘ One of the greatest bands in the world’ New York Times

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Photo: Henrik Strömberg

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The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * Big Day Out put out a release saying that Kanye West’s 45-minute delay at the Gold Coast show was due to heavy rain ruining the stage equipment. But the Brisbane Courier Mail insists it was because West wanted to be driven the 30-metres to the stage in a limo – which got bogged in the mud, and had to be pushed. Meantime, Daily Telegraph pop writer Kathy McCabe reported that Kanye’s entourage included a huge team of security and a hair stylist, costing $3000 a day. * Still on BDO Gold Coast, triple j were interviewing Noel Gallagher backstage when he heard The Amity Affliction in the background. “What’s this? It sounds like a dead turd.” The band took it in their stride (“Noel Gallagher hates our band. Mum, we

SOUNDWAVE PIRATE RADIO Soundwave Festival has set up Soundwave Pirate Radio. The 24/7 online station has exclusive interviews, daily news and tracks from the festival’s acts, as well as a two-hour metal show, Haugmetal, hosted every Thursday (8pm to 10pm) by ex-triple j announcer Andrew Haug. See soundwavefestival.com

B LIST MEDIA B List Media (www.blistmedia.com) is a new company from Sydney and Wollongong offering media packages primarily to bands too big to DIY everything, but too small to afford full service. “B List Media provide a great second step for any aspiring A List-er, be they musician, sculptor, comedian, painter, actor, or just generally insane and doing something awesome,” says Kristy Wandmaker (hello@blistmedia.com). She comes from a background of media and marketing (which she teaches at university), and in street press.

LAUNCHING PAD #3: RARA.COM Unlimited music streaming service Rara.com has launched in Australia with 10 million tracks.

It has an introductory price of 99 cents per month, but will leap to $7.99 per month for web access, with web plus Android mobile access at $12.99 per month. Rara’s global research suggested that 60% of consumers had never used a digital music service; the company is hoping to target music lovers who don’t currently pay for digital tracks by making the process easier.

LAUNCHING PAD #4: SIMON COWELL’S DJ COMPETITION After digging up singers via American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor, Simon Cowell is launching a new show to find the next DJ star in the US and UK. His Syco Entertainment and Will and Jada PinkettSmith’s Overbrook Entertainment have teamed up for it: “DJs are the new rock stars, it feels like the right time to make this show,” Cowell says.

MUSICOZ RETURNS The Aussie totally-indie Musicoz Awards return for their 11th year, with heavyweight support from BigPond, YouTube, MTV and Facebook.

Entries close March 31 at musicoz.org. Acts who launched through Musicoz are Bluejuice, Art Vs Science, The Jezabels, Cog, Bliss n Eso, Blue King Brown, Radio Ink, Fiona Joy Hawkins and Felicity Urquhart.

10 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:12:11

made it!!!”), but their 6,000 Facebook fans lambasted him. * The Kyle Sandilands backlash continues: fast food chain Oporto is reviewing its decision to advertise with Southern Cross Austereo, after negative consumer responses. * Regurgitator’s Superhappyfuntimefriends is charting on a dozen US college radio stations, while in Australia, the Japanese monster-themed video for ‘No Show’ is getting heaps of airplay on Channel [V] and Rage. * Azealia Banks is dropping hints about an Australian tour. * Megadeth’s David Ellefson is studying to become a Lutheran minister. * Rihanna has set a new record with online video site Vevo, by becoming the first female artist to reach over two billion views (beating Lady Gaga, who has 1.8 million). Justin

Bieber retains the lead with 2.3 billion views. * Tennis fans know their music, reports the Newcastle Herald. They chanted at Bernard Tomic “Where’s your head band? Tomic where’s your head band?” to the tune of Basement Jaxx’s ‘Where’s Your Head At’ and “I wish that I had Tomic’s girl” (Rick Springfield’s ‘Jessie’s Girl’), while Ashleigh Barty was serenaded with ‘‘We came for Barty!” to Vengaboys’ ‘We Like to Party’ tune. * Jay-Z spent $10 million on refurbishing his New York nightclub 40/40, but health inspectors closed it down citing 69 violations in the kitchen. * Ministry of Dance founder and choreographer to the stars, Jason Coleman is about to expand into the music biz.

Coleman is preparing for a mid-February launch of his label, Groove Pill Records.

DAVID FRICKE SPEAKS AT AMP WINNER EVENT

DZ DEATHRAYS GET NORTH AMERICA RELEASE

American Rolling Stone’s David Fricke will make a keynote speech at The AMP (Australian Music Prize)’s winners’ announcement at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday March 8.

This year, organisers expanded the event with a sit-down lunch: ‘Amped Up In Conversation’.

Fricke has been informing global readers about Aussie acts since the ‘80s. “It is a great honor to be invited to one of the most important events in Australian music, celebrating the best new records in the country,” Fricke says. “It will also be like coming home to one of my favorite rock 'n' roll scenes in the world.” After that, there’ll be a forum for attendees which will cover issues concerning the local music industry. The event is made possible by the Sydney Opera House and the PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia), which administers licenses on behalf of record labels – and also provides the $30,000 prize money for the AMP winner. The AMP shortlist is announced on Thursday February 2.

DZ Deathrays release their debut EP in the US on 3|4 Records (Odd Future) in February, and in Canada via Dine Alone Records (Alexisonfire, City & Colour) in March. They’re playing shows in the US, including SXSW and Canadian Music Week. Their profile in Europe continues to rise: the NME placed them as the 4th most exciting new act of 2012, with a double page spread featuring quotes from Mark Ronson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Huw Stephens of the BBC1. New single ‘No Sleep’ had its world premiere last week on BBC1. DZ Deathrays, aka Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley, are recording their debut LP with Richard Pike (of PVT) and Neil Coombe at White Room Studios in Arkansas.

GOTYE HITS 50 MILLION Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ has hit 50 million views on YouTube and last week stayed at its fourth week at #1 in Germany. An all-live, all-acoustic cover by Canada’s Walk Off The Earth has notched up 37 million views.

UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING INKS REDCOATS Universal Music Publishing Group signed Melbourne’s Redcoats to a world deal.

“Redcoats are one of the most exciting and explosive rock bands in the country,” said head of A&R Heath Johns. “Their blistering brand of rock deserves a global audience.”

ALBERTS GETS THE MEDICS Alberts signed Brisbane buzz band The Medics, who’re working on their debut album.

Alberts, who represent Wally De Backer through his band The Basics, extended the deal to include the Gotye catalogue.

CLOUD CONTROL ISSUED IN JAPAN While Cloud Control start work on their second album, their debut Bliss Release went into the Japanese stores last week via Hostess, home to Bon Iver, M83 and Arctic Monkeys. In the US, they’ve gone to #27 on the CMJ Radio Charts and were featured as KEXP’s Single Of The Day with ‘Meditation Song #2’.

SHOCK PAYBACK DEAL Shock will distribute and export Melbourne footballer Nathan Lovett Murray’s indigenous hip hop label Payback Records. This will put Yung Warriors, Mt Morgz and Alter Egoz in stores around the country for the first time.

MELDRUM IMMORTALISED AT ROLLING STONE AWARDS The hospitalised Molly Meldrum received The Immortal award for his contribution to the music biz, at the third Rolling Stone awards on Thursday last week. Cold Chisel were honoured with the Rolling Stone Award.

Other winners were Gotye (Best Male), Megan Washington (Best Female), Jezabels (Album), Kimbra (One To Watch), Florence + The Machine (Best Act) and Foo Fighters (Best Live Act).

NOEL GALLAGHER BECOMES GODLIKE GENIUS Noel Gallagher will be presented with the Godlike Genius Award at this year’s NME Awards on February 29 in London. He joins past winners Dave Grohl, The Clash, Paul Weller, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, New Order and Joy Division. Gallagher quipped, “I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. I accept that I am now a genius, just like God.”

RESTRUCTURED MTV: MORE CHANGES, BEST EVER RATINGS MTV Australia/NZ, which last year shed 13 staffers as part of a major restructure, has brought in three new names. Drew Michel

Lifelines Unengaged: Aretha Franklin has cancelled her wedding to long time partner Willie Wilkerson, saying some “issues” still had to be sorted out.

Injured: Madonna pulled a hamstring and hit her nose with a mic while rehearsing for her performance at the Super Bowl.

In Court: A US court told Canadian Valley Regional Hospital to return a $500,000 donation to Garth Brooks. He gave the $$$ on the condition that they build a women’s centre to honour his mother, who died of cancer in 1999, but he says they reneged on the deal.

Threatening: Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker sent a cease-and-desist warning to US gossip website MediaTakeOut. com, which posted nude pix of him. The site posted it as an “unnamed musician”, but Barker’s instantly recognisable tattoos gave the game away.

Died: John Levy, the first prominent African-American personal manager in jazz and pop, 99. The one time jazz bassist managed Nancy Wilson, Ramsey Lewis Cannonball Adderley, Betty Carter, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn and Freddie Hubbard, as well as comic Arsenio Hall.

(ex-Max/XYZ) is manager of programming, Steph Withey has been promoted to executive producer, and former MTV freelancer Paola Cracknell is now senior manager, talent and artist relations. Rebecca Batties, GM of Music Brands and Comedy Central, said that MTV ratings grew last year. US-made Jersey Shore became the most watched series in MTV’s history in Australia, while Teen Mom, Awkward, 16 & Pregnant and the UK-produced Geordie Shore set new records for their timeslots. “This sets the bar even higher for us in 2012, and I’m confident that with what’s in the international content pipeline and with new leadership in the talent, programming and content teams, we are well poised to connect with even more Aussie and Kiwi young people on MTV’s screens,” Batties said.

SWIZZ BEATZ IN HOT WATER OVER MEGAUPLOAD Rapper and producer Swizz Beatz is bracing himself for a knock on the door by the FBI for questioning. It follows the arrest of seven executives of filesharing website Megaupload, and a US$175 million piracy claim. Swizz Beatz (real name Kasseem Dean) is listed as CEO of the site, but owns no part of it.

He says the offences must have taken place before he joined a year ago. Married to Alicia Keys, Swizz has producedfor DMX, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Kanye West.

Martini café during the day. Martini bar during the night.

Sandringham Hotel 387 King St Newtown 9557 1254 MON

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South King Sessions Wednesday 1st Feb - Ben Panucci and Meklit Kibret Thursday 2nd Feb - Get Folked and Liam Gale Friday 3rd Feb - Gabby Dever Saturday 4th Feb - Live DJ’s GMC Sunday 5th Feb - Amanda Lindholm and Adam Fitzgerald

FEB

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04 FEB

Sando Sketch Club Life Drawing

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STREET LEVEL

Unherd Open Mic

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MAIN STAGE

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STREET LEVEL

“The Songwriter Sessions” Adam Pringle and Friends

Funky as F#ck

CHILL STAGE

The Gunn Show + Anatta + Elephant + Drop Tank

$10 8:00pm

STREET LEVEL

Old Man Crow + $3 SCHOONERS OF SANDO LAGER

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CHILL STAGE STREET LEVEL MAIN STAGE

+ TOOHEYS $6 NEW JUGS (7-8PM)

Marty Willson-Piper & Tiare Helberg Johnathan Devoy + special guests “Zombie Dog presents”

The Lazys (album launch)

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$20 8:00pm FREE 8:00pm $15 8:00pm

+ GrimSkunk + Lovers Jump Creek + Mayfair Rising

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Crow + Holy Soul

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BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 11

THE BRAG’S GUIDE TO Laneway pulled another floral-printed rabbit out of their re-stitched vintage satchel this year, with a lineup that reads like the Best Of list from your favourite music blog. But as always, they haven’t sacrificed substance for style; the acts playing are straight-up talents, and we actually couldn’t be more excited.

Turn to PAGE 16 for the map & playing times

We’ve interviewed some of our festival picks over the next few pages.

For the full lineup, head online – and snap that ticket up quick.

Laura Marling

The Old Soul By Christine Lan

“Y

ou start off on a light foot, fall into a crevasse and then come back up again,” laughs Laura Marling.

She’s talking about the journey that unfolds on her third album, A Creature I Don’t Know. It’s Marling’s latest critically-acclaimed composition, and further proof that the 21-year-old (she turns 22 on February 1) from London is en route to becoming one of the most prolific and respected songwriters in modern folk music.

Age has been neither an issue nor a hindrance for Marling: “I try not to think any further than one day ahead.”

To say that releasing three acclaimed albums by the age of 21 is a rare feat would be an understatement – and Marling’s evolution as a singer-songwriter has led to each album garnering higher accolades than its predecessor. “I think music is the core of my identity, and that was obvious to me from teenagehood. I’d much rather be tucked away listening to music on my headphones than doing what other people would do,” she laughs.

In Marling’s eyes, A Creature I Don’t Know is the first record that she truly put her stamp on, finally possessing enough confidence to do so. How did it feel to find that selfassurance? “It felt like more of a relief, I guess... to know that I could trust my own opinion.”

On her sophomore album, I Speak Because I Can, Marling explored womanhood and adult responsibility with a sense of gravitas; impressively, A Creature I Don’t Know explores those themes even further and more profoundly, as she contemplates the issues of devotion, betrayal, submission, rage, dependency, desire, innocence and guilt. But as Marling demonstrates, asking questions can often be more important than finding answers. “I think it was the general idea of not knowing, not understanding... that was kind of the reason why those themes came up, I guess, because I suppose from a feminine standpoint, those are the things that most people will question, or I hope would question, in their time. And I think especially on A Creature I Don’t Know, there’s such a lack of understanding,” she laughs. “I’m wondering.”

Marling’s love of writers like John Steinbeck and Robertson Davies inspired the tales that weave through A Creature I Don’t Know, and triggered her own drive as a writer. “I think I take a bit more from the writers that I read than maybe I should,” Marling laughs. “It’s not necessarily what they’re talking about; it’s the way they talk about it. And that’s why I get stuck in ruts of reading the same writers, because I feel so comfortable with the way that they write – I really find myself sinking into it. Especially with people like Robertson and Steinbeck, who have a really, really distinctive way of writing. I find that the way someone structures a sentence is really fascinating; it can be the difference between something being conveyed and you understanding it, or something being so well conveyed that you feel like no one could have said it better.”

‘Sophia’ (the name of the ancient goddess of wisdom) was the stunning first single off A Creature I Don’t Know, and was influenced

by Robertson Davies’ The Rebel Angels.

Meanwhile, ‘Salinas’ can be traced to Steinbeck’s East Of Eden. “I do like hearing what people deduce from them, because sometimes I write without really knowing [what it’s about] until it’s done,” Marling muses. “When I was at school, I always thought that when we were doing English and learning poetry or dissecting a novel, it was terribly unfair that there was one way of taking it in and one way of understanding it, and there was a set curriculum of how you would take on this poem or how you would take on this novel. I just don’t think any writer has that much control over how words affect people.

Words will affect people differently, and I like that people would have their own ideas about things like that.

“In art and music, you’re completely unrestricted,” she continues. “You can do anything to get a point across. There are bits on this album that feel more emotional and intense; there are some bits that I wrote with quite a light heart, and lots I wrote with a heavy heart. It’s a nice mix and when we

“I take a bit more from the writers that I read than maybe I should. It’s not what they’re talking about; it’s the way they talk about it.

I feel so comfortable with the way that they write – I really find myself sinking into it.” play live, we try and play most of the songs in order – or close to being in order.”

Marling’s versatility on A Creature I Don’t Know, and the timeless quality of her songs, have seen her mentioned in the same breath as artists like PJ Harvey, Tori Amos and Fiona Apple. PJ Harvey’s latest album, the Mercury Award-winning Let England Shake, was viewed by many as the best album of 2011 – how much does Marling draw from such a strong, uncompromising artist? “PJ Harvey set a path and a standard that I find very interesting, and she’s great – well actually, I haven’t gotten that far into her music,” Marling admits. “That’s just because I haven’t got around to it yet. And she’s the kind of artist where you have to buy them all, you can’t just try one – so I’m working on that,” she laughs.

“Women singer-songwriters get bracketed into a genre; it happens all the time, and I’m really glad that there are stand-out people like PJ Harvey and, to some extent, people like Björk who are doing interesting things – you can’t put them in a bracket with straight-downthe-line pop artists because they’re just doing something more exciting.”

Infused with both the beauty and darkness of A Creature I Don’t Know, Marling’s guitar playing is more haunting, distinctive and expressive on her latest masterpiece. “I made a conscious effort between the last album and this one to play a different style of guitar,” she explains. “I was playing on a nylon string guitar this time; the first style of guitar that I learnt was classical guitar, so it was quite strange in a way to go back to a Spanish guitar, and

it’s a completely different tone. The older I get, the more I play the guitar... and the easier it comes.”

In the next few months, Marling’s hectic touring schedule will include performing at the Coachella Festival and supporting Andrew Bird. “We toured with him about two years ago,” Marling recalls, “and when I went on tour with him, I think I had two of his albums. And then we were helping him set up his merch after the shows and the guy has like ten!” she laughs.

“They’re all bizarre and amazing.” As much as she adores Bird, the one artist who she remains utterly awe-stricken by – even after having the privilege of touring with him – is Neil Young. “It was really, really surreal – you know when someone’s been such a figure in your life that they don’t appear in a justified reality anymore? You can’t really consider them walking around or drinking tea or doing whatever people do,” Marling laughs. “And in a way, I wanted it to remain like that – I only really met him for about five minutes when I toured with him for four shows... On the last day, I managed to summon up some courage and say hello. I managed to let him remain a mythical being in my head.”

With: M83, Feist, Toro y Moi, The Horrors, Total Control, Yuck and loads more Where: Laneway Festival @ Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle When: Sunday February 5 Sideshow: Thursday February 9 at the Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall

“I wish you would come pick me up, take me out, fuck me up. Steal my records, screw all my friends. They’re all full of shit... with a smile on your face” - RYAN ADAMS 12 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

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The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Now In Stereo By Nathan Jolly

I

t’s at the eleven-second mark on The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s second album Belong when it becomes facemeltingly apparent that the band have toned down the twee and turned up almost everything else. A wall of Corgan-esque Gish-tars barge in and stone the band’s c86inspired past into submission. It’s a massive, life-affirming opening gambit, and throughout the record the band traverse Jesus and Mary Chain territory, wield a pedal-board that puts Kevin Shield to shame, and couple it all with butter-wouldn’t-melt vocals from Kip Berman and keyboardist Peggy Wang.

The widescreen sound immediately propels New York band out of the lo-fi leagues, so it’s no surprise to find that the twin towers of Alan Moulder and Flood were behind the sonic shift. Between them, the pair have worked on albums by Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, U2 and Ride, and have teamed up on many projects – most

famously (at least in indie-rock circles) on The Smashing Pumpkins’ magnum opus, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness.

About to board a flight to Spain from JFK airport, Peggy Wang’s amazement at working with the duo can still be felt from half the world away, over the frequent boarding calls that she feels the need to apologise repeatedly for. “We met Alan Moulder and he had expressed interest in our first record and maybe working with us on something, but the main issue was getting around his schedule, as he works with a lot of prominent bands. We didn’t really think it was going to happen. Just to work with Alan Moulder was so far outside the reality of what we thought could happen, but he didn’t really have time to do all of it – so he was like, ‘Well, let me ask Flood’,” she says, clearly still in disbelief.

Not surprisingly, Wang says the band was going through a Smashing Pumpkins renaissance at the time, which added to the shock of securing the production duo.

Although the band’s leap into high fidelity seemed to come out of nowhere, Wang insists it was always intended to be this way. “We always wanted to be a noisy pop band,” she explains. “And even with the way we recorded the second record – obviously it was pretty different and rather produced, but at the end of the day we are a noisy pop band. If we didn’t have loud guitars and fast guitars it wouldn’t be as fun to play live.”

The step up in production was also due to a rise in the band’s fortunes. Although they’re longtime fans of bedroom pop like Belle and Sebastian, and the homespun pop records on the Slumberland label (who released their debut), Pains’ initial lo-fi aesthetic was very much borne of necessity. “The first album was definitely, ‘Let’s record this in our friend’s basement and let’s scrape together a hundred dollars’ – it was less serious,” Wang explains. “This time we were in an actual studio, and we definitely spent more time getting the sounds right.

There were a couple of songs that had to be denser than the first record, and to be able to spend time adding more layers was great. In regards to the process, Flood would just think of things we’d never even thought of.

Even just like getting the right keys for the songs – that was so important.”

Although Wang modestly never imagined working with storied producers such as Moulder and Flood, there were a few early signs that things were snowballing for the band. “We got to play The Carson Daly Show pretty early on, a month or two after our album came out. Which was pretty special. A little before that, we played this really big show in Toronto, and they had to move it to an even bigger venue. We were intimidated and really scared, but it still ended up selling out. That was the first time I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I didn’t think this was possible’.” It’s certainly a long way from her first forays into the world of music, which

“I’ve been in a few bands and I’m proud of everything – but nothing is as cool as covering ‘Hamster Baby’ by Bikini Kill when I was 13.” sound ripped from the pages of a Cameron Crowe-esque coming-of-age film. “This is a long story,” warns Wang. “But it’s good.”

“When I was 11 or 12, I was reading a teen magazine and this article about Riot Grrrl [the early ‘90s feminist movement, mainly driven by Kathleen Hannah of Bikini Kill], and I thought, ‘This sounds cool, I should check this out.’

So I bought a Bikini Kill record and it was just girls playing music. I liked [Hannah] playing the guitar. I was in a band when I was in the seventh grade and we did a cover of Bikini Kill’s ‘Hamster Baby’ and a cover of this Ben Lee song about Evan Dando [‘I Wish I Was Him’]. Kathleen Hannah did a cover of it, and we did a cover of it too,” she laughs.

Although the Riot Grrrl manifesto may not be too clearly embedded in The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s records, it’s still obviously something that inspires Wang. “It was a really positive, interesting thing that influenced a lot of people playing today. I’ve been in a few bands and I’m proud of everything – but nothing is as cool as covering ‘Hamster Baby’

by Bikini Kill when I was 13.”

What: Belong is out now Where: 1.30pm @ the Car Park stage Sideshow: Thursday February 9 at Manning Bar, with Geoffrey O’Connor

Girls Cult Following By Benjamin Cooper

T

vinyl at shows, often by bands that aren’t using any other form [of medium]. Not sure why, but I prefer to get the vinyl off the band, rather than go to the record store.”

he music world has been spending a lot of time fawning over the next horrorcore punk-rapper or trouty-pouty croonermodel, with the glitz and hype obscuring less flashy but often more talented songwriters. One such artist is Christopher Owens, distinguished both by his fascinating and true history, and the astounding breadth of his craft. The co-founder of Californian band Girls alongside bassist/ producer JR White, Owens was born in Miami into the Children of God cult (which became known as The Family). Formed by David Berg with the intent to lead a spiritual revolution, the group later began expressing its particular brand of Evangelism through a practice of religious prostitution called ‘Flirty Fishing’, leading to rumours of child abuse by Berg and other spiritual leaders.

When asked if we can talk about his background, Owens answers “Sure, man”. But the prospect of salacious stories is quickly quashed by his frank assessment: “It was a time in my life, and it could be odd at times.

But it’s where you grow up, y’know?” It was an upbringing devoid of popular music, with entertainment and creative stimulation provided only through religious songs and stories. Owens’ developed his guitar skills by improvising on simple ditties around a religious theme – and it’s precisely this ability, to take a basic chord structure and build on it tremblingly slowly, that announced his postcult group Girls as a force of delay-heavy and epic sing-alongs. The band’s debut single, ‘Hellhole Ratrace’, was seven minutes of antislacker, heart-on-sleeve, retro-drenched indie

“Deep Sea Arcade are very cool. They took us shopping, looking at records, listening to music...”

14 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

After a day of practice for his upcoming tour, Owens is getting set for what will be their biggest non-festival gig yet. “We’re playing at Terminal Five in New York City, to three thousand people, which is pretty big for us.” Has the critical success of Father, Son, Holy Ghost and the subsequent increase in the band’s fanbase added pressure to their live shows? “No, I don’t think we feel any pressure,” he says. “I know for me, it’s just excitement. I actually think it’s easier with more people; I feel like the hardest audience is five people. Not even necessarily five particular people, or friends – just five people, watching you. But if you get a big crowd, and you get everyone cheering and having fun, it makes the whole vibe of the gig much more relaxed.”

rock that blew apart blogs in 2009 – and its successor from last year’s Father, Son, Holy Ghost, ‘Vomit’, resulted in similar acclaim.

Owens has fond memories of his most recent trip to Australia, in December 2010. “We had a lot of fun. The thing we liked the most was that the kids were very personable. They all seemed to really enjoy hanging out and coming to our shows.” The experience was made all the better by their touring buddies and support act Deep Sea Arcade. “They were very cool. Wait, no they ARE very cool,” Owens laughs. “Yeah, they were great – they brought us over to their houses and we all just hung out. They took us shopping, looking at records, listening to music. It was one of the first kinda real experiences we had in Australia. And man, it was so laid-back – that was the nicest part.”

Owens is an avid vinyl collector, albeit one continually hobbled by the curse of international travel restrictions. “For me it’s so much a flights or baggage issue – I just don’t want to take the chance that it will get ruined. I mean, you’re touring with a whole bunch of people, you put a record in the van and then snap! Someone’s sat on it. Or if it gets hot then it’ll warp, which has happened before. Never again...” A devotee to the cause, releasing both Girls’ debut Album and last year’s follow-up on vinyl was a personal concern for Owens. “I obviously prefer vinyl. I think it’s nice [that] there’s just so many people manufacturing it at the moment. In the last five years there’s been such a massive surge in interest – and the really cool thing about the new vinyl is that you usually get that download code too. It’s the best way, ‘cause you want both forms but the cost can be a bit much otherwise,” he says. “I collect most of my

Most of Girls have had the day off when we talk – it’s just been Owens working with the new bandmember. “We’ve had to get a new drummer, so I’ve spent today working on our songs with him. We do try not to change the lineup of the band, but at the same time I try to let people be free, and people occasionally leave to pursue other projects and work on albums. Very rarely people haven’t worked out, which is good, because the goal is to have one band, one group, that stays together.”

Owens remains confident about the future of the group in its current incarnation. “After the last European tour, we kinda took stock a bit.

I realised that this is a very, very good fivepiece. It’s quite a privilege to play together, and the bulk of us have been together for a good while. I don’t think that’ll change.”

Where: 3.55pm @ Eat Your Own Ears & Young Turks stage Sideshow: Thursday February 2 at Oxford Art Factory, with Loon Lake

Portugal. The Man Mountain Songs By Lachlan Kanoniuk

W

hen Portugal. The Man (yes, the errant full stop is part of their title) are sent from airport to airport for the Laneway Festival tour, you can forgive them for getting a little over-protective about the storage of their instruments. In August last year, the band’s entire arsenal of gear went missing – along with their tour van.

“We were at Lollapalooza in downtown Chicago, and we played Sunday evening,” keyboardist Ryan Neighbors recounts. “The show went really good, we were all riding high, feeling really good about the set and how everything was going. When we woke up the next morning, the van was missing from the parking lot. It was an attended lot, and the guy working there said he didn’t see anything.

So whoever stole the van had crept in quickly and unsuspiciously enough that he just didn’t notice. The van just drove away, and it didn’t look weird to him. Or he was in on it – who knows?” he says, letting out a wry laugh.

“We filed a police report and then we took to Twitter, and just let everyone in the area know what the van looked like, what equipment was missing. We were feeling hopeless, basically – because what were the chances of getting it back?”

But later that day, the van and trailer were found in Chicago, empty – and then a week later, the band’s tour manager got a call from the police,

who’d found a bunch of the gear – amps, lights and drums – during a house search in Chicago.

They’d lost six guitars and three keyboards, but Neighbors and his bandmates were relieved.

“It’s insane how social networking worked out for us, and how much support we got from everybody. I’ve never seen Twitter actually do anything so helpful before – at least, something that helped me personally. [‘Twitter’] is such a goofy word and doesn’t seem like it could cause any good, but it was really a great thing.”

What sets Portugal. The Man apart from many of their contemporaries is the confidence of their soaring rock; as Neighbors explains, their sonic resoluteness is something that requires a deal of dedication. “I wouldn’t say we sounded that amazing from the beginning, but over time – more recording, more studios and [having] these old vintage amps and different guitars and keyboards, just getting to know them better… A lot of it was that we want to sound good,” he says. “We like to have a polished sound, that sounds neat and like we’ve practiced. Just having it so it seems like we know what we’re doing, if that makes sense.”

Coinciding with the release of their most recent record, In The Mountain In The Cloud, came the accompanying short film for ‘Sleep Forever’, which featured a mix of stunning landscapes and brutal imagery. “That’s more or less [set] in John’s backyard in Alaska. We got the idea

to just get a bunch of beautiful shots of the landscape – there are some amazing aerial shots taken from a helicopter. After all of this gorgeous stuff, then all of a sudden something fucked up happens. We didn’t want to make just a really visually awesome and beautiful music video; we wanted there to be something more to it, the clincher – to make people not only go, ‘Did you see that new music video?’ but, ‘You gotta see this new music video. And wait for it, something’s gonna happen.’ So that’s what we did. John’s there running through the snow,

Chairlift

EMA

Onto Something By Nick Mason

Past Perfect By Kim Croxford lot of time just ironing through the songs on this record – just the two of us sitting in a room, figuring out every idea that we had, some good ones, some bad ones. It was a different process to [that of] the three of us.”

C

hairlift’s Patrick Wimberly shifts restlessly, preoccupied with a very important milestone: the impending release of the Brooklyn band’s second album, Something. His own anticipation reflects that of the band’s fans around the world. “It’s really exciting. It makes me nervous, actually – really nervous,” he admits. “We’ve been sheltered for the last two years. We spent a lot of time working on this record, and when we first started we felt a little bit of pressure.” Fortunately, working alongside frontwoman Caroline Polachek, Wimberly eventually found a groove. “About six or seven months into it we were very much in the flow, with a good rhythm – and the pressure had kind of disappeared,” he recalls. “Now I feel a bit of anxiety, just wondering what Something is going to mean in the long run!”

The electro-pop duo’s brand new album marks quite a departure from their bloghyped debut Does You Inspire You, and not just in terms of musical development; according to Wimberly, Something came from a greater personal investment from the pair. “We wrote more songs that meant more to us personally, [compared to] the last record... This is more of a reflection of what was going on.” Wimberly is somewhat guardedly referring to how Aaron Pfenning’s 2010 departure from Chairlift effected their creative processes.

A hot topic for the music media – Pfenning was rendered Polachek’s ex-boyfriend, then ex-bandmate – it’s reasonable to suggest the split had a role to play in shaping Chairlift’s sophomore release. “Caroline and I started writing all of our songs together, whereas before, as a three-piece, everyone was writing songs separately and bringing them into the band,” Wimberly reveals. “We spent a

Irrespective of the personal issues at play, however, the duo encountered a conundrum familiar to most songwriters in bringing the record to life. “It’s hard to find a really nice balance of something that’s both cryptic and also really meaningful. I think we pushed ourselves with this record to be a bit more transparent. We wanted it to be obvious what we were talking about,” Wimberly says. “In putting together this record, it was balancing that with what the songs meant to each other. We had about forty songs we had written over the course of the time we spent in the studio. Our favourite ones became obvious to us – not in a concrete way, but through more of a feeling.”

Chairlift’s Australian fans have a special treat in store when the band touch down this weekend; they’ll be among the first ever to witness the songs of Something in a live context. “This is going to be one of the first tastes,” Wimberly says, referring to the band’s Laneway appearances.

“We’ve done a little bit of touring [the new songs], but not much.

“On the 24th of January – that’s the day the record comes out [in America] – we’re flying to Australia. Our last tour for Does You Inspire You actually ended in Australia. We’re super excited that it starts in Australia this time. We couldn’t be happier to start it anywhere else.” On the subject of touring, Wimberly has a few words of wisdom to sum up the lifestyle: “Extreme highs and extreme lows, honestly,” he laughs. “Every night, it’s fun – and every morning, it’s not so fun!”

What: Something is out now through Sony Where: 7.10pm @ Eat Your Own Ears & Young Turks stage When: Tuesday January 31 @ Oxford Art Factory with Elizabeth Rose

he trips on his rifle, blows his head off and his dogs begin eating him,” Neighbors chuckles.

“I think it’s great!”

What: In The Mountain In The Cloud is out now through Warner Music When: 4.45pm @ the Windish Agency stage Sideshow: Tuesday February 7 at the Metro Theatre, with Givers (USA) and Guineafowl

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elishing the chance to delay cleaning her untidy apartment to do our interview, it is hard to believe singer/songwriter Erika M. Anderson (EMA) is plagued by an “obsession with perfectionism.” “My room is a mess and I don’t care about cleaning it,” she admits. “It’s filthy, [but] I’m not like ‘everything needs to be in its place,’ you know?

[My perfectionism is] just kind of in the artwork realm of things… It makes me work hard; it makes me like, ‘No, I’m not resting until this is right.’”

With EMA’s debut solo album, all that hard work has paid off. Her first release since she split with collaborator and lover Ezra Buchla (the other half of folk-noise duo Gowns), Past Life Martyred Saints showcases her own haunting, melodic brand of noise music. “I read a description that [described it as] ‘shoegaze punk,’ and I kind of liked that,” she laughs, when I ask her to pin-down her sound. “I had work before Past Life Martyred Saints that was even less genre specific; it was like country and noise, like Americana meets feedback and some harsh parts – and no one wanted to touch it. Noise labels were like, ‘You’re singing too much.’”

Disregarding advice from labels, EMA has created an album that has received such a positive reception exactly because of its unique sound. “If you want to be successful in a traditional sense, and sell out places and earn money, it’s probably good to take the advice of people in the industry,” she muses, “but the thing that’s been really cool on this record is that I feel like the songs that I’ve taken the most risks on [see the record’s seven-minute opener, ‘The Grey Ship’] are actually the songs that people are most excited about.”

Past Life Martyred Saints is intriguing, introspective, violent and laced with metaphor. Combining harmonious, layered vocals, grungy guitar sounds and creative instrumentation, EMA’s music epitomises everything contradictory, with its only constant a pervading sense of disquietude. Renowned for artistically crafted and emotionally bare lyrics, she insists that writing is an entirely natural

process, and often finds herself decoding her own lyrics after the fact. “If you think about your subconscious mind, it kind of works in metaphors and puns. If you think about your dreams, something might seem totally absurd until you say it out loud, and [then] you’re like, ‘Oh, I bet this means this.’ Sometimes I don’t even realise the metaphors and the rhyme structure or anything like that is there until I look at it later and I’m like, ‘Oh man, there is a lot of stuff going on.’”

One of the most interesting album tracks is ‘California’, written about EMA’s move to that state from her native South Dakota – and the displacement she experienced. “[Because] I’m from such an isolated place, I’m constantly interested in other places and other ways of life… It’s like different places have different beliefs of what life is for, and what life is about, and that can really fuck you up. To travel to different spots and have your whole orientation rotate – it’s crazy.”

Quickly becoming an extremely welltravelled young woman (“I’ve been in Europe a bunch this fall, so I’ve been reading up on European history,” she tells me), EMA is looking forward to adding Australia to her list of adventures this month. “We’ll just kind of make it punk and loose and rowdy,” she says of her upcoming shows. “When I play live, I kind of care about music, but I also really care about the experience what passes between a performer and an audience...

That’s more what I’m concerned about.”

What: Past Life Martyred Saints is out now Where: 1.45pm @ Eat Your Own Ears & Young Turks stage Sideshow: Thursday February 9 at Oxford Art Factory, supporting Yuck (UK)

BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 15

Limp Bizkit Back In Action By Patrick Emery

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imp Bizkit’s last tour of Australia ended in tragedy. Mid-way through the band’s set at the 2001 Sydney Big Day Out, 16-year-old Jessica Michalik was crushed in the mosh pit in front of the stage. As the reality of the moment unfolded, chaos ensued, with event organisers, road crew and emergency services personnel each endeavouring to respond in the midst of the panic. Confronted with wild accusations about their own role in the tragedy, the members of Limp Bizkit packed their bags and flew out of the country, leaving the Australian tabloid media still baying for blood.

Both parties were criticised; the event organisers for failing to provide appropriate crowd control measures, and Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst for his provocative behaviour. The tragedy seemed to have a lingering effect on Limp Bizkit, with the band’s commercial popularity entering into a period of decline which culminated in the departure of original guitarist Wes Borland, and the band’s extended hiatus. A few years later Borland returned to the fold, and Limp Bizkit reformed and headed back into the studio

When life is perfect, what’s to question?

and to the stage, playing their first ‘reunion’ gig in 2009. It’s in this historical context that I meet with Leor Dimant aka DJ Lethal, DJ and turntablist with Limp Bizkit, on a rainy day at Sydney’s Hard Rock Cafe, where he’s promoting the band’s upcoming tour for Soundwave. Given their colourful reputation and occasionally provocative public commentary, I’m half expecting Dimant to be defensive and evasive when asked about his last Australian visit. The reality couldn’t be any more different; he’s candid, sincere and introspective when recalling that fateful day. “I remember it being really mad,” Dimant says. “I haven’t seen anything like that before – Woodstock was probably the closest I’d seen to that.”

As paramedics rushed to Michalik’s aid, Dimant tried to calm matters by playing a mellow loop on his computer. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on,” Dimant says. “It felt like an awkward moment, but I didn’t know the extent of what had happened.”

Dimant concedes that the events took a long-term emotional toll on the band. “It’s not like we thought about it every day, but since my father died, I really appreciate loss a lot more,” he says. “When you lose someone, you never get them back.”

Dimant had joined Limp Bizkit some years earlier after meeting the band when they supported his hip hop group, House Of Pain. While collaborations between rap and rock’n’roll had been around since at least the Run DMC/Aerosmith venture in 1986, Dimant’s inclusion in Limp Bizkit still came as something of a surprise. “I remember we were playing in Florida, and we were upstairs watching them play, and all of a sudden I thought, ‘What the hell is this?’. They were doing a cover of Paula Abdul’s ‘Straight Up’,” Dimant laughs, “and I looked out, and Wes Borland was wearing a mini-skirt, a halter top and pig tails. [House Of Pain member] Everlast was like, ‘What’s up with these guys?’ I said ‘I dunno’, but I kept listening.”

“I don’t know if we could be doing what we’re doing now if we’d kept going until people were completely sick of us.”

By the late 1990s Limp Bizkit had become one of the hottest touring acts in the world, releasing a series of successful albums, including Significant Other and Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water. Fred Durst seemed to take delight in constructing an abrasive public image, inciting feuds with Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love amongst others – but Dimant rejects any suggestion that Durst deliberately sought controversy. “I think people probably mistook that for our sense of humour,” Dimant says. “We have a sense of humour that’s mistaken for being egocentric, but it’s kind of like we’re making fun of ourselves. It’s like a play on words in some ways, but people mistake it for something more nasty… I don’t think Fred particularly liked the controversy – it’s kind of hurtful. I can’t imagine what it’d be like for him to have all that stuff happening. He’s my friend and a cool dude, so when he’s beat up all the time it makes you angry.”

Six months after Limp Bizkit left Australia, Wes Borland left Limp Bizkit. Borland’s departure didn’t spell the end, but it did provide the catalyst for their decline in popularity. “It definitely altered the DNA of the band,” Dimant concedes. While the band’s new material with replacement guitarist Mike Smith generated less-than-positive reviews, Dimant says their subsequent hiatus was caused more by their hectic touring and recording schedules than anything else. “We’d been at it for so long that we hadn’t had a chance to have a normal life,” he says.

“It was a good break for us to have – I don’t know if we could be doing what we’re doing now if we’d kept going, constantly playing and touring until people were completely sick of us.”

A new comedy From the creators of The Castle and The Dish

In 2009 Borland mended his relationship with Durst and rejoined Limp Bizkit, leading eventually to the release of a new album, Gold Cobra. Serendipitously, Limp Bizkit played its first ‘reformation’ gig in Latvia, the country in which Dimant was born in 1972. With his father having passed away a couple of years earlier, it was a particularly emotional time. “I got to see my grandmother for the first time in 30 years,” Dimant says. “It was my dad shining down on me. It was a week after my father passed away that the band got back together. I really feel like my dad was with me when we played.”

With: System Of A Down, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Bush, A Day To Remember, Mastodon, Machine Head and loads more

Coarse language and sex scene

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IN CINEMAS FEB 9

Where: Soundwave @ Sydney Showground When: Sunday February 26

The Naked & Famous Capture The Zeitgeist By Dan Watt

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istening to The Naked & Famous’ song ‘Young Blood’ makes me feel young and cool. I re-lived the clip once at a party, doing horsey bombs into a pool while the song was playing – it was a 30th and I looked ridiculous, but it was fucking rad.

Earlier this year I got some phone time with the The Naked & Famous’ vocalist and keyboard player Thom Powers, the founding member of the group. He was in Seattle when we spoke. “Yeah, Seattle is pretty awesome – but just the whole US tour is amazing.”

It’s been a big couple of years for the Auckland-based five-piece. After forming in 2008, they came to the attention of the public off the back of ‘Young Blood’; Powers admits that even just after they’d finished it they could tell it would be huge. “There are times in an artist’s career when they stumble upon something that is kind of of-the-moment – I mean, I do feel like I’m setting myself to come across as…” he trails off, before finally acknowledging that the song has zeitgeist just dripping from it. “Yeah, I guess it does have that thing about it that really resonates with a lot of people. It’ll be fantastic in ten years if people look back and say that song was really cool – that would be wonderful … I like the idea of creating something that means a lot to people.” Powers still vividly remembers the moment when vocalist Alisa Xayalith came to him with the keyboard line. “She was just sitting playing around on the keyboard, and then we put it on the computer and started playing around with the keyboard lines and stuff, and writing chords to go with it – it just developed so quickly.”

The band are more than just one song though; their debut album, 2010’s Passive Me, Aggressive You, picked up seven trophies at The New Zealand Music Awards in 2011. Another track that got a big response was ‘Punching In A Dream’, with its challenging keyboard arrangements, driving bassline and soaring verse, which pushes Xayalith’s unique voice into the stratosphere. “It was the most difficult to write,” Powers admits. “That was a song we were working on for weeks and weeks, day and night, to just try and make it work. I CAR PARK STAGE mean, the demo was quite simple, but we knew that if we pushed it hard enough we could turn it into an epic pop song.” Even though they 9.00 -10.00 M83 are now very proud of the finished product, at the time it was tough to keep perspective;he actually sounds slightly out of breath as he 7. 40 - 8.30 THE HORRORS thinks back on the time. “It was actually such a miserable process and so stressful, and I think 6.20 - 7.10 FEIST that [effected] how the song turned out, with its sense of urgency and that feeling that you are ploughing through something.”

5.05 - 5.50 THE PANICS

“I guess ‘Young Blood’ does have that thing about it that really resonates... I like the idea of creating something that means a lot to people.”

WASHED OUT

9.20 -10.00

SBTRKT LIVE

9.00 -10.00

JOHN TALABOT

7.50 - 8.35

TORO Y MOI

8.15 - 8.55

THE DRUMS

8.00 - 9.00

ONEMAN

6.45 - 7.25

YUCK

7.10 - 7.50

CHAIRLIFT

7.00 - 8.00

BULLION

5.50 - 6.20

CULTS

6.05 - 6.45

ANNA CALVI

6.00 - 6.40

GLASSER

4.45 - 5.25

PORTUGAL.THE MAN

5.00 - 5.40

TWIN SHADOW

4.30 - 5.30

YOUNG TURKS SOUND SYSTEM

FEAT. SHARON & NEIL FINN

3.45 - 4.20

ACTIVE CHILD

3.55 - 4.35

GIRLS

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

2.50 - 3.20

GIVERS

2.50 - 3.30

AUSTRA

1.55 - 2.25

JONTI

1.45 - 2.25

EMA

1.00 - 1.30

TOTAL CONTROL

12.40 - 1.20

DZ DEATHRAYS

HUSKY

11.45 -12.15

SURES

LAURA MARLING 2.40 - 3.25 PAJAMA CLUB

12.15 - 1.00

GEOFFREY O’CONNOR

12.05 -12.35

Looking forward to their next record, Powers promises that The Naked & Famous won’t be simply resting on their laurels. “We’re not a band that want to repeat ourselves, so with the new material that we’re working on at the moment, we are really pushing to do something different,” he says. But fans of their old stuff mustn’t fear: “We’re not about to do a big 180 degree turn and bring out a jazz record. I never really understood how some musicians talk about how much they hate their old stuff.”

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Powers and his bandmates are getting set to hit the massive Future Music Festival in March – but even after their success at Parklife last year, it still hasn’t sunk in quite how big their band has become. “I don’t feel massive anywhere. I think as a New Zealander it’s not really in our nature to think we’re big rock stars,” he says. “Just a couple of months ago Mark Ronson was talking about us on Twitter, which was really lovely – I mean just a few years ago I was working at a record shop and putting the CDs on the shelves of these artists who are now telling us that they love our music. It just really puts it in perspective.”

With: New Order, Swedish House Mafia, The Wombats, Skrillex, Fatboy Slim, Jessie J, Friendly Fires, The Rapture and loads more Where: Future Music Festival @ Royal Randwick Racecourse When: Saturday March 10

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DISH WIN AGE THE NCY ST AGE

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SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

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“I don’t think there’s a massive difference between our two cultures,” Powers says, when I broach the old NZ/AUS rivalry question. “You make great coffee – and I love the food culture over there. It feels like home.”

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As for the sets they have planned for FMF, Powers says the challenge for the band is to try to keep the sound true to their releases. “Some aspects of a song sound slightly different [live], but we’ve been doing live electronic music for so long now that I like to think we can pretty accurately reproduce all the sounds that went into Passive Me” he says. “Our set up is so fail safe – and the reason for that is that Aaron, who is the keyboard player, was a very well paid I.T. professional before he joined the band!”

YOUNG TURKS SOUND SYSTEM

9.05 - 9.50

3.50 - 4.35

1.30 - 2.15

EAT YOUR OWN EARS & YOUNG TURKS STAGE

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PIP ACCESS EXHIBITION MARKET TOILETS MERCH TICKETS FIRST AID BAR FOOD COFFEE BUSES CARPARK VENDING MACHINE

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arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

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

five minutes WITH

CHARLES DENNINGTON :-) So the show will feature discarded objects, body parts, empty vessels – all with surfaces altered by paint.

What inspired you? I am inspired by tinkering with new materials and thinking about how an object will look photographed.

I like to think of an artwork in the most basic sense as an original material altered in a way that is surprising and the artwork makes you stumble a little bit while you wonder from which reality it has come into being. A kind of altered beast.

What’s turning you on at the moment?

I am currently obsessed with electric blue / trying to make a blue that is razor sharp.

Works by Charles Dennington / courtesy Galerie Pom Pom

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n upcoming show at Tin Sheds gallery brings together four emerging artists you should get to know (all of whom make weird and wonderful things) – including Charles Dennington.

What’s your background and training? I would say I am more of a tinkerer. I studied Photography at UWS but always wished I was doing Fine Arts. I tinkered with art rather than studying it, and in the last few years I have been hit with the sudden realisation of how different working as an artist in a studio can be. A recent series of collaborations with Tully Arnot have meant very satisfying artmaking and self-training in many new materials and processes – collecting junk and other unlikely

materials and altering them to be art etc.

When did the art start? From ages 2 to 6 my Mum used to hand all the household packaging to me. I would then repurpose these things. I had lots of craft time as a young boy! I always wanted to be an artist or an inventor.

What are you doing for Wunder Pond?

I am presenting a range of experiments in painting. By painting the actual object to look like itself I can a) achieve making a painting (something which I usually have trouble/ insecurity with) and b) alter an object to be itself as a kind of simulated version of the original object by imitating its surface, hmmm

Tell us about the picture! I like to think of this artwork as describing the difference between seeing a figure visually as compared with feeling a presence of someone close by. The finger is referencing a whole figure whilst the other thin sharp object (also in skin coloured polymer clay) is thin and tapered and disappears at its pointy end.

Newcastle’s annual Crack Theatre Festival is looking for fresh blood: two passionate theatre-makers who will work alongside the current festival directors to implement the 2012 instalment, and then take the reigns for 2013. Opportunities to program your own theatre festival being, like hen’s teeth, extremely rare, this falls into the category of Exciting Opportunities. If you’ve got no idea what we’re talking about: put a note in your diary for ‘October’ to head up to This Is Not Art festival in Newcastle, and check out what’s happening at Crack. Applications close Wednesday February 8; download an application form from cracktheatrefestival. com and email cracktheatrefestival@gmail. com for all the rest.

FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

The lineup for this year’s Alliance Française French Film Festival has dropped: there’s newies from Christopher Honoré (In Paris), Mia Hansen-Løve (Father Of My Children), Robert Guédiguian (Army Of Crime), Cédric Klapisch (The Spanish Apartment), Fred Cavayé (Anything For Her/The Next Three Days), and Philippe Lioret (Welcome); the directorial debut of actor Daniel Auteuil; and fans of political biopics should put The Conquest on their list, a tragi-comic look at the rise to power of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. We’re probably most excited about Presumed Guilty, which got rave reviews at Venice Film Festival where it premiered.

The festival runs from March 6-25 at Palace Cinemas. affrenchfilmfestival.org

SPELLING BEE

Late Night Library is hosting its inaugural spelling bee this Thursday February 2, inviting massive brains to exchange letters (like the ones in capoeira, diarrhoea, and floccinaucinihilipilification) with hosts Charlie 18 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

Garber (Neighbourhood Watch), Zoe Coombs Marr and Mark Sutton (Project 52). For the rest of us, there’s drinks and the prospect of public humiliation. Either way, it’s free, it’s fun, and it’s at Surry Hills Library from 9pm. Book your spot via (02) 8374 6230.

THE F-WORD

If you’ve been following the Melinda-gate controversy this month (and especially if you haven’t – how embarrassment) you’ll want to pencil this one into the diary, to get (re) acquainted with the current state of feminism: The F Word, a forum on feminism, headlined

by Our Own Germaine Greer and Naomi ‘Beauty Myth’ Wolf. Other speakers including international journalist and poet Eliza Griswold (The 10th Parallel), Slut Walk co-founder Clem Bastow and human rights activist Samah Hadid. Although we’re disappointed that Melinda Tankard-Reist won’t be on hand to challenge what may well be a status quo, we’re hoping to get a signed copy of Wolf’s new book Vagina: A Cultural History. Sunday March 4 at Sydney Opera House, tix on sale February 6.

Speaking of awesome festivals: the curators for PACT’s 2012 Tiny Stadiums Festival have been announced: Amelia Wallin, Maria White and Christopher Hodge (aka Groundwork collective). Every year Tiny Stadiums brings site-specific interactive art and performance to the streets of Erskineville, with a lineup of emerging artists that reads like a who’s-who of Sydney’s Most Interesting Artists. If that sounds like you, Tiny Stadiums is currently calling for submissions from artists interested in being part of the 2012 ‘Live Art Weekend’ – basically the centerpiece of the festival, held on June 2-3. Submissions are due by 5pm on Wednesday February 13. For more info hit up pact.net.au

Who Changed The World (2009) and André Téchiné’s The Girl On the Train (2009)... It’s a fairly random selection of films from the last few years, but definitely worth taking a look at for the gems: dendy.com.au

PERSIAN FILM FEST

Off the back of Asghar Farhadi’s Golden Globe win for the Iranian drama A Separation (just one of 43 awards this film has racked up, folks) and its two Oscar nominations, you might want to get across Iranian cinema generally… The Persian Film Festival will be showcasing ten new features and a selection of shorts across just four days, closing with a screening of A Separation (ahead of its Australian release on March 1).

Other films of note include the Ken Loach-y Iran/UK coproduction I Am Nasrine, the lushly melancholic teen romance Heiran, and the Rotterdam-selected Rainy Seasons.

The Persian Film Festival runs February 23 – 26 at Dendy Opera Quays; full lineup at persianfilmfestival.com

DESIGN AGAINST DRUGS

You know those posters/ads for the ‘Ecstasy: Face Facts’ campaign? If you’re one of those smug people who thinks you can do better AND you have the graphic design skills to back that up, this one’s for you: the Department of Health And Aging are running a design competition as part of the National Drugs Campaign. All you gotta do is design a tee-shirt for their ‘Ecstasy: Face Facts’ slogan, and if yours is better than everyone else’s, you can win $2000 cash, festival tickets and get that tee made and distributed as part of the National Drugs Campaign. Yewwww.

The competition closes February 27 – visit facefactstees.com.au for more information.

WINDOWS ON EUROPE

This year’s Windows On Europe film festival opens on a strong note, with the directorial debut of Ralph Fiennes: Coriolanus. Already getting good press for its modern-warfare take on Shakespeare’s classic, and with a cast that includes Fiennes, Gerard Butler and the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain, Coriolanus will open WOE a week ahead of its Australian release. Other films on the lineup include Ken Wardrop’s Sundance award-winning documentary His & Hers, the critically lauded Spanish spy documentary Garbo: The Man

WORSHIP NOTHING

Head along The Standard this Thursday for beer and artz – a show curated by graf and stencil artist Scott Owen (also behind new creative agency one nine nine, and ALSO the dude who puts on those MUM parties you go to) and featuring work by talented young thangs Craig Atkins, Slug, Sprinkles, Houl, Birdhat and Amanda Rondonuwu (and Scott).

Titled Worship Nothing, the show will expand on Scott’s preoccupation with the psychology of religion and worship – but may end up involving drunk silly skateboarding-type-things. Opens from 6-9pm at Lvl 3 / 383 Bourke St, Taylor Square.

Christian Edwardes: 'Travelling Landscape-Objects: A Ship Aground' (2010-2011) Type C photograph, 50 x 70cm

Hot on the heels of Outpost Festival posting triumphant figures, another art project has been announced for Cockatoo Island: a group show presented by Peloton. Seven artists will present site-specific installations that investigate “the Western colonialist tropism of island territories as condensed sites of acquisition, containment and control.” Waaahhh!

The show apparently features a ‘Virtual Reality Simulator’, a forest of scaffolding, and a massive drawing, among other things. The artists featured are: sculptor Julia Davis, Elizabeth Day, Christian Edwardes (UK), sculptor Lisa Jones and sound designer Derek Allan, Geoff Kleem, and Adam Norton (Mars Gravity Simulator). Drawing Lines in the Sand runs from February 19 – March 18. peloton.net.au/t/projects

Safe House opens February 9. Thanks to Universal Pictures, we have FIVE in-season double passes up for grabs. To get your hands on one, watch the safe house trailer and tell us what/who the soundtrack is. nooneissafe.com

There is no try, only Denzel

TINY STADIUMS!

DRAWING LINES

If you’d like to see Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds kicking arse (Check.

Check) then you’re in luck: Safe House sees the two pairup for spy-actionthriller-timez, in a CIA-agent-goes-rogue romp. Washington plays a renegade spy who has been on the run for ten years, but turns up at the South African safe house where Reynolds’ young wannabe-agent is stationed. When mercenaries attack, the two men join forces on the run… Just looking at the slick and stylish trailer, this has guilty pleasure written all over it – not to mention a supporting case that includes Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson and Sam Shepard.

What: Wunder Pond feat. David Capra, Charles Dennington, Hossein Ghaemi, and Matthew Tumbers.

Opens: Thursday February 9 from 6pm Where: Tin Sheds / 148 City Rd, Darlington More: charlesdennington.com

CRACK CALL-OUT Artwork by Christian Fellowes

SAFE HOUSE! WIN!

Martha Marcy May Marlene Sean Durkin’s Cult Hit By Elaine Lipworth

John Hawkes and Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene

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anadian-born, New Yorkbased director Sean Durkin was already a Cannes regular in May 2010 when his second short, the edgy, atmospheric road trip Mary Last Seen, won the SFR prize – awarded to the most “audacious” short film – in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar.

That year, after workshopping the script at the Sundance Lab, Durkin filmed his first feature, the dark, hypnotic thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene, which stars Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a young runaway from a sinister cult, who hides out with her sister and her husband in their upstate New York weekend home. The film premiered in the US Dramatic Competition at the 2011 Sundance Film festival, where

Durkin won the directing award.

What was the starting point?

I read a story about a girl who had escaped from a violent group. She got away but the leader tracked her down and found her at a bus stop. He paid for her bus ticket, wished her well – and then she disappeared. And I thought that if, instead of intimidating her or threatening her, he’d let her go, that would have certainly been the most terrifying thing for her.

It was just a few lines in a book I was reading. Then I Googled her and found her picture. And that combination set the story into motion.

Why was seeing that picture

so useful? Just seeing her face; and not just that person’s face but others too. With any book I was reading about cults, seeing pictures of the people involved, or watching documentaries about them, made me want to explore what happened to them and what happened even afterwards. How do they come back from this?

It’s interesting that the cult in this movie is not a religious cult… No, not at all. I wanted to stay away from creating a religious group because I feel like religious groups that fall into this world [of cults] become somewhat preachy.

The stereotype is the white robes and the sermons and things, and I wanted to create something that was much more contemporary in a way. I knew where I wanted the story to take place, and it’s something that I believe could happen there – and does happen there. It’s set in upstate New York, about three hours north of New York City. But there are several groups who have become known that are even further up in New York state, that are sort of like the one depicted in our film. They start off as sort of separatist groups who just want to live away from society and then they become more and more isolated and manipulative.

Was it a hard subject to research? These must be very closed, private groups… Yeah.

I never went to speak to any, but I did meet people who had

escaped from them. That was the perspective I was coming from. I was most interested in the individual experience of this one girl because once I’d realised that – that it had to be about one woman’s experience – I could sort of avoid the stereotypes and the generalisations. Then it would become specific about one person and their experience.

So I spoke with people who had gotten out of different kinds of groups about their experiences and how they had been manipulated.

And although they couldn’t quite explain in a clear way, they would tell me stories about how they got inducted, the tactics used, and from that I could make some comparisons, and they were consistent throughout. I’d go back and read about these groups, small or large, and there were all these consistencies. There are methods these people have been using forever.

Would you say that what’s common to all those cults is some kind of sexual hedonism?

Absolutely. I feel like it all comes down the the fact that these guys are perverts... It’s like a male leader has figured out ways to control people and take advantage of them sexually.

Is there a type of person that joins a cult? I always find that generalising about that is very dangerous because it makes those people seem like some sort

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ocking Angel is a traditional bourbon, aged in white oak barrels which give the rye, corn and malted barley concoction a subtle hint of vanilla and caramel. And then of course there’s the design-savvy bottle, which boasts some ferocious street art. Like we said, it’s about substance and style. Rocking Angel have a promo pack to give away, including a cap, iPhone case and playing cards.

of ‘others.’ But that’s not true. All kinds of people get caught up in all kinds of groups. And the word “cult” is very general. ... It means a group that is separate, but there are different forms of cults who live in cities and congregate once a week, and that takes us into something else. So there is no “kind” of person. But there are specific traits.

Why did you cast Elizabeth Olsen? She was the best person for the role! I auditioned a lot of people. I wanted to have someone who was unknown, who no-one had ever seen, and we looked at every girl that we could in that age range in New York. Elizabeth just stood out. When I saw her, I just knew. There’s something in her face: intelligence, complexity, depth. I knew she could bring in those elements. And she has a strength, too. It’s not like Martha is just some sort of weak victim being kicked around. I think Martha does become responsible for certain things—she gets physically involved in certain actions, so there’s a guilt there.

Which meant that there had to be a level of complexity. Lizzie, as a person, is very vibrant and bright, and I thought that if she would suppress that – because Martha’s so suppressed – it would give the character a real internal energy.

What: Martha Marcy May Marlene When: Opens February 2

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Pygmalion [THEATRE] Eliza Doolittle Reimagined By Simon Binns

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Man On A Ledge

[FILM] Sam’s The Man By Dee Jefferson

arely (if ever) will an actor go on the record saying that they could have done a better job. So it’s no big surprise that Sam Worthington made e-news headlines when he slammed his own performance in the woefully-received ‘sword-and-sandals’ epic Clash Of The Titans, and apologised to the audience. It certainly lent a refreshingly no-bullshit air to the guy whose best-known credits are Avatar and Terminator: Salvation.

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For his part, he grew up on films like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon – “anything for twodollars from the action section of the video store,” he chuckles. “I saw Lethal Weapon 2 when I was studying drama [at John Curtin College of the Arts, in Fremantle] and I went, ‘If I can have as much fun as those guys – I mean, it’s basically The Three Stooges – in this high pressure industry… There was something in that that I liked.”

The same no-bullshit attitude is in full evidence during his Sydney press junket for Man On A Ledge. Batting away media reports about his fear of heights – supposedly a key factor in his performance – Worthington says, “It’s more that if you’re 200-feet in the air, everyone’s gonna get scared; so I think that got blown out of proportion. I mean it’s true – I am scared when I’m 200-feet in the air, to the extent that I don’t do that every day!”

Following high school, Worthington famously ended up at NIDA after he went to audition with a girlfriend, and was accepted instead of her. Graduating in 1998, aged 22, he immediately made an impression with his stand-out performance in Neil Armfield’s production of Judas Kiss at Belvoir Street Theatre. By 2000 he had a leading role in Bootmen under his belt and had made his US television debut, by 2004 he had impressed critics in the Australian indie Somersault, and by the end of 2006, he’d had a “complete and utter freak-out” (“I liked my career, I liked my friends – I just didn’t like me,” he tells me) and sold all his possessions except his car. A few weeks later, he had his first audition for an unknown film – which turned out to be Avatar.

Man On A Ledge sees Worthington play a New York cop convicted of grand larceny, who breaks out of prison and stages a daring stunt to prove his innocence. It’s a simple premise that allows for enough twists, sideplots and roadblocks to keep the audience on tenterhooks and uncertain of the truth.

“I kind of just choose [roles] day by day,” says Worthington. “This was something where I was looking for a movie that was pure popcorn, pure entertainment. People can spend their hard-earned money and have a good time – that’s what I was looking for, a simple action movie.”

Growing up in the outer suburbs of Perth, Worthington puts his audience-oriented career down to a childhood playing sport.

“Sportsmen worry about the crowd all the time, because they’re playing for their home team. My job only exists because there’s an audience, so why wouldn’t I think about the audience, and what they’re getting out of it?”

Demetriades is getting used to being the centre of attention, with several leading roles for Bell Shakespeare under her belt, including Viola in Twelfth Night and the titular role in Andrea Demetriades stars in Pygmalion

Romeo and Juliet; but the role of Eliza came as somewhat of a surprise. “I remember seeing the season and thinking Pygmalion was a great choice – and then seeing [Jessica Marais] in it and thinking she’s a fantastic actress,” she recalls. Then, just three weeks out from rehearsals, Demetriades got a call from her agent: “She told me the good news about Jess being pregnant and I thought ‘Awesome, but why are you telling me this?’ and she said, ‘Because [STC] want to audition you’ – and all of a sudden I got really nervous.”

The nerves are understandable. Pygmalion might not exactly be a household name, but its various adaptations and performances, from Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, to Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, certainly are – so there’s a certain kind of pressure that goes along with taking it on. Luckily, all the Shakespeare has stood Demetriades in good stead for her inevitable wrestle with the role of Eliza.

“I remember the first time I played Viola and I had to do the ‘I left no ring with her’ speech,” Demetriades recalls, “and I thought the amount of people who have done this speech and probably done it perfectly or terribly…

[But] you just have to go with your truth; I’m obviously a very different casting to what this girl would have been in the 1900s – she wouldn’t look like me at all; so I’ve just go to with my truth, and trust that I understand her.”

Some of that understanding has come from Demetriades’ discussions with director Peter Evans (Julius Caesar – Bell Shakespeare, 2011) who is bringing the 1912 text into the image-obsessed 21st century. “We’re not making contemporary equivalents, but we’re putting it in a world that doesn’t have a period,” says Demetriades. “We’re not going to have the hats and things like that because it just doesn’t mean anything to Australians.”

On the other hand, the text (with the exception of a few cuts) has remained intact.

“At first I wasn’t sure if it would work because it’s such a period piece, and such an English piece with class systems that we don’t really understand,” Demetriades admits, “but Pete and [set designer] Bob Cousins have created this world, and everything’s fitting quite well.”

So Eliza hasn’t been transformed into a wisecrackin’ streetwise teenager? “She’s not this gangsta girl, but she is a lot tougher than what you might have seen [before], because she’s on the streets and if she was on the streets around now she would be a very different girl to what she was [in the original].”

From Avatar onwards, Worthington has developed a reputation for a relentless work ethic, which he says stems from that breakdown. “It was two things: firstly, you look back at your twenties and you realise you mucked around – and there’s a lot of people who want to do this job, so it’s almost disrespectful to them; and secondly, there’s a lot of times that you’re unemployed as an actor – so when the employment comes, you’ve gotta run with it, take the jobs, because you never know when it’s going to dry up!”

What: Pygmalion – Dir. Peter Evans When: January 31 – March 3 Where: Sydney Theatre / 22 Hickson Road More: sydneytheatre.com.au

What: Man On A Ledge When: Opens February 2

The Straits

[TELEVISION] Beautiful One Day, Deadly The Next By Alasdair Duncan

S

et in the tropics of Far North Queensland, The Straits is unlike anything Australian television has seen before. It tells the story of the Montobello family, who run an empire of guns and smuggling across Cairns and the Torres Strait. Of course the waters are far from crystal clear, and when patriarch Harry Montobello (played by Scottish bad-boy Brian Cox) announces his retirement, he sets his children against each other in a war for control of the empire.

Queensland: beautiful one day, meth labs, bikie gangs and brutal revenge the next. It’s a sun-soaked Sopranos, and that’s exactly what creator and star Aaron Fa’aoso intended.

Aaron Fa’aoso (front) in The Straits

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“I think the American network HBO really has to be credited for the great work they’ve done over the last few years,” says Fa’aoso. “They’ve changed the way audiences look at television – they raised the bar with programs like The Sopranos and Deadwood, and

now there’s more sophisticated, high-quality TV drama out there than ever. In this country, we’ve had programs like East West 101 and The Slap that have met that challenge, and hopefully, The Straits will join those two.”

I suggest to Fa’aoso that local television is doing a far better job of telling entertaining stories than our film industry, and he agrees.

“It would be great to see more real Australian stories, that represent the make-up of Australian society and that come from real voices, in cinema. I’m not saying that hasn’t occurred, but lately, it’s television that’s shown the diversity of Australian culture, and showcased the voices and stories we have here today.”

In general, Australians seem to be unusually fascinated with tales of crime and malfeasance – a tradition that stretches from the success of shows like Underbelly right back to our ongoing love of Ned Kelly. The Straits fits firmly into this tradition.

“I think this ongoing interest with crime stories comes back to the fact that Australia was settled as a penal colony,” Fa’aoso says with a chuckle. “Then there’s the fact that, thanks to our colonial heritage with the British, there’s always been that big brother/ little brother attitude. That all kind of transfers

through areas like sport. Whenever we play against England, there’s this feeling that we have to stick it to the Poms. There’s that history to take into account, also. At the end of the day, though, I really think people are fascinated with the dark, secret worlds that shows like Underbelly uncover; it can be a real thrill to find out how people get involved in a life of crime.”

In The Straits, Fa’aoso plays Noel, the hotheaded heir to the Montobello throne. He leads a fine cast, including Rena Owen as clan’s steely mother figure, and Brian Cox. “It was an absolutely fantastic experience, to be able to work with a person of his calibre, and to draw on his years of experience,” Fa’aoso tells me of acting alongside Cox. “When someone of that calibre steps on set, you really know that what you’re doing is the real deal. He brought the best out of us, too, and motivated us to want to do the best we could day-in and day-out. It was the best experience I’ve ever had as an actor, and the hardest I’ve ever worked. It was gruelling but rewarding.”

What: The Straits When: Starts Thursday February 2, 8.30pm Where: ABC1 and abc.net.au/iview

Pygmalion – photo by Ellis Parrinder

Sam Worthington stars in Man On A Ledge

eing at the promotional centre of productions, in the starring role, has its added pressures; not only do you have more lines to learn and more stage-time to craft than anyone else, but you’ve also got to do the interviews and the photo shoots.

Andrea Demetriades, who is set to take the central role of Eliza Doolittle in Sydney Theatre Company’s upcoming production of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, seems to taking the onslaught of journalists in her stride. “It’s funny, I think I’m saying the exact same thing [in every interview] and I was thinking today, I could just say really random, different answers – even about a different play,” she laughs.

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Arts Snap

Film & Theatre Reviews

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

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

■ Theatre

BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT January 18-29 / Seymour Centre

boardwalk empire party

PICS :: KC

I feel that I have the same relationship with boxing that a lot of people have – I think it’s violent and damaging, but still really love Brad Pitt’s character in Snatch. This paradox between distaste for violence and love of the energy and potential for a great underdog story is fully in play in this physical theatre work from Scottish company Frantic Assembly, who have a reputation for visceral productions.

Beautiful Burnout tells the story of Cameron Burns (Kevin Guthrie), a troubled kid with an absentee father, who decides that boxing is his ticket to fame, money and women.

His mother Carlotta (Blythe Duff), initially dubious, gets caught up in Cameron’s success in spite of herself, as his trainer Bobby (Ewan Stewart) decides Cameron is a natural born boxer. He decides to go pro, and you can probably guess from the title what happens next.

18:01:12 :: Twenty One :: 12 Kellett St Kings Cross

The show oozes style, with amazing dance sequences, gorgeous video and a fair share of “who said you can’t stage The Matrix” fight moments. Unfortunately the script fails to live up to the production, rarely reaching beyond the clichés of its “kid wants to box, boxing is dangerous” hook. It makes gestures at complexity, with Dina’s (Vicki Manderson) journey as the only female boxer the best fleshed-out. In spite of this, the show still manages to tug at the heartstrings, and the finale is genuinely affecting.

PICS :: KC

fbi smac awards

The physical prowess of the performers is undeniable, and we get to see to see a lot of intense sweating on stage. However it is Duff, in the non-boxing role of Carlotta, who stands out, her guilt and joy providing the emotional weight to counterpoint the physical energy of the boxing scenes.

19:01:12 :: Cell Block Theatre :: National Arts School Darlinghust Henry Florence ■Theatre

THYESTES Until February 19 / CarriageWorks The Greeks left us the myth of Atreus and his brother Thyestes, and the word tragedy.

The Romans left us Seneca’s Thyestes, a play with the sudden viciousness of a sniper on a suburban street, and the word genius.

The Hayloft Project’s Thyestes is a work of genius, one that understands tragedy in its ancient form and unleashes it in a way that’s devastatingly present. It is the product of rigorous intellect, with each scene bringing another subtle or immediate masterstroke, and yet its greatest achievement is how simple it all seems.

PICS :: KC

hindu tattoo

The script, co-written with the actors and aided by improvisation, achieves something rare: it makes three guys in a room sound normal. When they kill time telling stories or playing with language – Atreus loves words that sound like what they are – it’s instantly familiar and funny in its banality.

What separates Thyestes from the existential prison of Beckett or Sartre is that when the curtain drops on each scene, these people do great and terrible things to each other.

19:01:12 :: The Standard :: Level 3/383 Bourke St Surry Hills 9331 3100

Arts Exposed

That Thyestes can use this hyperrealistic foundation to build a tragedy of incomprehensible horror is down to the performers’ incredible talent. Chris Ryan’s move from underplayed sensitivity to monumental emotion is an astounding embodiment of catharsis that leads to the production’s principal coup-de-theatre,

What's in our diary...

JURASSIC LOUNGE

Tiny croc plays water piano: Jurassic Lounge!

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Find out why they won this year’s Remix The City SMAC award by heading down to Jurassic Lounge this Tuesday, as they kick off a fresh season of summer soirees at the Australian Museum. On the bill are comedians Michael Hing and Jennifer Wong, live music from Camden and Yeo, kar-ay-okeh, and a Silent Disco courtesy of DJ Levins (also awarded a SMAC, for his foodie side-project The Dip). Brett Chan will be live-painting a (papier mache) dragon. Most importantly, there are dinosaurs, live lizards and crocs, and a Little Creatures Beer & Cider Bar. See you there! jurassiclounge.com

Tiny crocodile – photographed by Matt Ravier

Australian Museum / 5 College St Tuesday January 31 (and weekly until April 3) from 5.30-9.30pm

and Thomas Henning has an implacable deadpan that shatters to overwhelming effect. But the memory I’ll carry is Mark Winters’ Atreus, a terrifyingly recognisable portrait of playful masculinity as a vehicle for inhuman psychopathy.

Thyestes is far more than a fun night out, despite being funny up to its final moments.

It is a brutalising experience of profound pity and fear. It is tragedy in its pure and refined form, and if you care about art or humanity, you owe it to yourself to see it.

Pierce Wilcox ■ Comedy

BUG: THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC VIDEO January 26-29 / Seymour Centre Hosted by comic, director and music video aficionado Adam Buxton, BUG is a bit like a mashup of rage, At The Movies, and Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show: basically, it presents a selection of the latest and greatest in music videos, with stand up and video sketches that run the gamut of a family-friendly redub of Grace Jones’ 'Pull Up to The Bumper', and a great (and useful) visual instructional on how to tell Moby from other bald bespectacled celebrities (like Michael Stipe).

One of the show’s greatest challenges is managing the shift of tone between the reverent, quiet, dark cinematic experience of the screenings, to the banter and sketch comedy interspersing it. Buxton mostly conquers this, though the ‘planned chaos’ evident in the show did occasionally feel unplanned, and more structure would not have gone astray.

Now an institution at London’s British Film Institute, the UK BUG nights are dedicated to giving big-screen exposure to the most awe-inspiring new work in music video – and it works; I’m positive I’m not the only audience member who has already gone in search of second viewings on YouTube.

On the other hand, some of the show’s magic is lost in adaptation. The UK nights benefit from Buxton’s prolific UK profile, directors discussing their work, and BFI’s Southbank screening venue. This outing of BUG has none of those things, which diminished the magic factor a tad.

Peter Neathway ■Film

J. EDGAR Released January 26 One way to explain the total absence of Clint Eastwood’s latest film from the recent Academy Award nominations is the reticence of American film industry to give any kind of publicity to one of modern American history’s most reviled figures. It’s a shame, because besides Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar-worthy performance, this is a fascinating portrait (although as some American reviewers more versed in the history point out, not necessarily a wholly accurate one!) of the man who founded the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the age of 24 and was its director until he died, aged 77.

Rather than a biopic, this is a character study; it focuses on the personality behind the politics, with only fleeting references to many major points of history (two exceptions

Sexual tension never looked so good... Armie and Leo in J. Edgar

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

■Theatre

being the Palmer Raids, which were a catalyst for the founding of the Bureau, and the Lindbergh kidnapping case, which Hoover used to increase the Bureau’s powers). Eastwood and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) frame the story as an interplay between Hoover’s personality and the way he saw and portrayed himself, opening with the elderly Bureau director dictating his memoirs to a series of attractive young FBI rookies (just one of several ways in which Black introduces the issue of Hoover’s sexuality).

TUES 31ST JAN WED 1ST FEB THUR 2ND FEB

FOLEY January 24-29 / Sydney Opera House

29 JAN - 4 MAR

It’s a satisfying juxtaposition: watching Gary Foley, a radical indigenous activist renowned in the early ‘70s for his involvement in the Black Power and land rights movements, deliver a stand-up show (a bizarre blend of history-lecture-cummulti-media-presentation-cum-friendlysiddown-with-garrulous-ol’-grandad) to such outstanding effect, sweeping the audience off its feet.

Somewhere near the beginning of the piece, DiCaprio delivers a line about how historians judge things from the present, without an understanding of context; on cue, the film proceeds to give us the context – the socio-cultural and historical factors, and the personal. What emerges is a man who was indoctrinated about crime, civic duty and his own personal greatness from an early age by his mother – who also managed to successfully repress his homosexual leanings; a man who was obsessive, suspicious, and single-mindedly driven to fight crime. Over his career, this purpose warped to include anyone who seemed to be antagonistic towards himself. Eastwood gives Hoover’s love of the Bureau, his baby, as the driving force for this, though one of the film's final scenes suggests that there were more personal considerations at work: pride, vanity, and tremendous insecurity about his manly effectuality.

Ambling onto the stage through an archway of cardboard boxes variously marked ‘National Archives’, ‘Foley Collection’ and ‘ASIO’, Foley (clad in skinny black jeans, ‘FREE GAZA’ peeking between the folds of a jacket decorated with the fist of resistance outlined in sparkly sequins – the man is 62 and still spry) proceeded to spend an hour and a half outlining in his inimitably lackadaisical style (‘here’s another little bit of history for ya folks...’) the at times brutal (and at all times sickly depressing) history of indigenous resistance to the colonisation of this country in the 20th century.

Surprisingly, J. Edgar turns out to be a love story between Hoover and his right-hand man Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer of The Social Network); the film’s best moments are reserved for their scenes together, which simmer with unspoken feelings and unrealised physicality. In fact, this might just turn out to be the year’s most moving screen romance.

History, as Foley notes, ‘is the story of what didn’t happen, written by a man who wasn’t there’. This particular man WAS there, from his first encounter with Charlie Perkins’ Freedom Ride in 1965 to his involvement in founding the Tent Embassy outside Parliament House, to his small role in creating the Aboriginal flag (done with a mate over a coupla cases of VB) – though as he is quick to point out, while battles were won, real land rights remain elusive for indigenous people of this country. Essential watching for anyone who might one day like to call themselves Australian. Also, Google ‘Basically Black’ and enjoy. Fucking hilarious.

Dee Jefferson

Oliver Downes

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MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (M) THE INBETWEENERS (MA 15+) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 4 GHOST PROTOCOL (M) WE BOUGHT A ZOO (PG) HAPPY FEET TWO (PG) LIFE IN A DAY (PG) BIG 681'$( 6(66,21 CHARITY LAUNCH WITH THE CAT EMPIRE, HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY AND WINTER PEOPLE DRIVE (M) TOWER HEIST (M) AUTOLUMINESCENT (M) THE IDES OF MARCH (M) PUSS IN BOOTS PG) RED DOG (PG) 681'$( 6(66,21 DIRTY DANCING (M) BURNING MAN (PG) FBI PRESENTS: MELANCHOLIA (M) SHERLOCK HOLMES - A GAME OF SHADOWS (M) TOP GUN (PG) BLUES BROTHERS (M) 681'$( 6(66,21 THE BRAG PRESENTS: LABYRINTH (M) TRACKS PRESENTS: FIGHTING FEAR BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (PG) THE SKIN I LIVE IN (MA 15+) THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (PG) YOGAWOMAN (E) 681'$( 6(66,21 ARRIETTY (CTC) THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (MA 15+) THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (M) THE MUPPETS (CTC) THE DESCENDANTS (M) CLOSING NIGHT: YOUNG ADULT (MA 15+) 681'$( 6(66,21

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DVD Reviews Aussie drama versus HBO...

BOARDWALK EMPIRE: FIRST SEASON

Warner Bros. Home Video Released January 11 In the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire, Nucky Thompson’s hungry protégé Jimmy Darmody insists, “You can’t be half a gangster anymore”. This, as writer/director/EP Terrence Winter has stated, is the overarching theme of the series, and the principle underlying the characters’ motivations.

It’s also what makes Boardwalk Empire essential viewing, particularly in the context of the notorious characters that make up its (mostly) historical world: 1920s Atlantic City.

At the centre of the story is politician-cum-fixer and bootlegger Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi. “Nucky can be both benevolent and cruel and Buscemi does it so subtly”, says Winter in the Making Boardwalk Empire minidocumentary, with fellow Executive Producer (and pilot director) Martin Scorsese adding, “He shows vivid emotional depth. You can feel it. You can see it.”

In fact it’s the brilliant ensemble cast that holds together this series, even as the writing veers into soap-opera territory, frequently becoming heavy-handed with foreshadowing and metaphor. In the case of Prohibition Agent Nelson Van Alden (played by the incomparable Michael Shannon), his story arc veers so wildly into unrealistic pulp fiction, it would be hardly believable if Shannon wasn’t throwing everything he had into making Van Alden seem like a wildcard, teetering on the brink of psychosis.

And as the plot thickens throughout the season, we see the actions of these characters influencing the very course of history. It’s frequently riveting and often deep, and wondering how far these turn-of-the-century Atlantic City dwellers will go as they strive for power, is sure to keep most viewers glued to the screen as the series plays out.

Kirsty Brown

THE SLAP

Hopscotch Entertainment Released December 1 The Slap takes you down the rabbit hole of suburban discontent, fleshed out through the eyes of eight characters who are witnesses to the slap of the title, one day at a 40th Birthday barbeque. It’s lead by Alex Dimitriades (please, more work for him. He is great) Jonathan LaPaglia, an excellent Melissa George and rising star Sophie Lowe (Beautiful Kate).

The Slap can be grindingly dull depending on who the focus character is, and each scene seems to linger just a little bit too long; on weaker episodes like ‘Anouk’, an hour of television feels quite similar to sitting in the waiting room of a doctor for what feels like forevvvvvver, waiting for your name to be called. It’s been described as feeling “listless” by the Sun-Herald, and that for me, seems the most accurate way to sum up the pace of the show.

On the other hand, The Slap is quite remarkable at turning this one absurd incident into something that creates myriad tensions amongst the main characters – never really resolving itself and always causing new complications. For instance, you are well aware that someone is going to be slapped in the first episode, but it is so artfully set up, showing the many tangled relationships and personality flaws at play, that you’re never really certain who is going to get a hand to the face. And when it happens, it’s exciting, shocking, immediately polarising and the fallout is both believable and nuts.

The Slap is also one of the first programs I have seen to incorporate a multicultural cast naturally and comfortably. This is Australia after all, and who hasn’t watched a family barbeque turn into all-out war once or twice?

Kirsty Brown BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 23

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK HERMITUDE

HyperParadise Elefant Traks/Inertia

If Gershwin wanted to write Rhapsody In Blue in 2012, he’d be out of luck. Hermitude got there first.

An instrumental beats album is a very difficult thing to get right. Particularly if you want it to stand alone rather than exist as a beat farm for other producers.

Particularly when you aren’t making something purely for people to dance to. And particularly when your last album damn near perfected the art form.

Not that 2008’s Threads was strictly speaking an instrumental album – four of the eleven tracks featured voice, but the instruments on every single one of them were so intricately constructed, so densely layered, so resonant emotionally that they could exist apart from their vocals.

There’s no doubt that the absence of vocals makes this album a little harder to instantly

CHILDISH GAMBINO

TEEBS

He’s already a frontman of College Humor group Derrick Comedy, a writer for 30 Rock and The Daily Show, and an actor in Dan Harmon’s Community – which makes you wonder why comedian/ writer/actor Donald Glover wanted to add another profession to his already impressive CV. Glover raps under the moniker Childish Gambino, a name purportedly attained from an online Wu-Tang Clan name generator. His rapid-fire wit and library of pop culture references validates his music as more than just a side project, but the spontaneous mixtape charm of the earlier releases is absent on Camp – an album that shows us what happens when a comedian takes himself just a little too seriously.

Glover’s talent as a rude, clever wordsmith is still undeniable (“I love pussy I love bitches – dude, I should be running PETA”), but the overall subject matter doesn’t stretch beyond two things: being a black guy who wears white guy clothes, and how he’s “making up for the fucks I missed in high school”. Growing up as a mixed race kid is something I can empathise with, but Glover is past the point of merely bringing it to light; he’s really fucking bitter about it.

On ‘That Power’, Glover raps over an Arcade Fire-esque choir with ill-fitting venom: “Lovin’ white dudes who call me white and then try to hate / When I wasn’t white enough to use your pool when I was eight … Every black ‘you’re not black enough’ is a white ‘you’re all the same’”.

Glover’s attempted a grandiose, twice-fried My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – but what we’re left with is a bombastic, insecure album that falls short both lyrically and musically. Still, at least he’s getting laid now.

Rach Seneviratne

Artist, skater, musician? In the Inner West, that description is akin to ‘unemployed guy with impressive beard’ – but across the Pacific in Los Angeles, it describes Mtendere (pronounced ‘ten-de-ra’) Mandowa, aka Teebs. As part of the intimidating yet unassuming stable of artists on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder collective, Teebs has worked his way from hanging out at the famed L.A. beatmaking incubator Low End Theory and painting on discarded record sleeves, to playing Sonar and releasing his second long-player, Collections 01.

As the title alludes, Collections 01 is the first in a series of Teebs’ releases on Brainfeeder. Clocking in at 30 minutes, it seems like just a glimpse through a studio door left ajar, a snapshot of Teebs as he is right now.

From the very first saturated melodies heard in album opener ‘Just The Yellow Bits’, it’s clear where Teebs’ sonic intentions lie; it’s a drowsy, dreamlike electronic tapestry without a hint of melancholia to steer you off course.

‘Cook, Clean, Pay The Rent (New House Version)’ is an enchanting sirensong, while the hypnotic, underwater murmurs of ‘Pretty Polly’ feels like drifting tides. There’s a true sense of wandering on this album.

More than anything else, it is a soundtrack for an urban environment, and ‘The City’ is one of the main characters throughout. That the album is called HyperParadise is no coincidence, as the ravenous hustle and bustle of major cities is re-imagined and remixed into the perfect

THE LITTLE WILLIES

Collections 01 Brainfeeder

Camp Liberator

connect with than Threads, but HyperParadise might actually be better. It’s certainly brasher, with synths flaring and drum machines snapping to and fro in place of the more subdued reggae and dub sounds of its predecessor. And it seems bigger, too; the sound of a band proud to be a known quantity at the top of their game, rather than beatmakers squirreling away in a bedroom studio in the Blue Mountains. This album has colossal, unapologetic swagger that makes you want to rock down the street in triumph, like ‘Staying Alive’ for sneakers and hoodies instead of white suits and bouffant hair.

For The Good Times EMI Since her not-sohumble beginnings as a multiple Grammy Award-winning contemporary jazz singer, Norah Jones has gone on to collaborate with country music heavyweights from Ryan Adams to Willie Nelson, so it's fitting that she also fronts her own country band, The Little Willies.

For The Good Times is the second album from The Little Willies in their nine year existence. Joined by a group of backing musicians, all of whom have established careers in their own right, Jones and band take their time running through songs by Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn and other country legends.

In terms of album highlights, Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ has been wonderfully arranged. While it hasn’t been reimagined completely, it manages to sound unlike the original or any of the other quite famous cover versions.

Guitarist Richard Julian takes lead vocals on ‘Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves’, a bad-to-the-bone tale of a drifter on the highway. Jangly western guitars colour the cautionary narrative set on the open road.

Hugh Robertson

SAN CISCO

PUSHA T

Awkward EP Independent

Fear of God II: Let Us Pray GOOD Music/Fuse

Sounding like a weird mix of the Bedroom Philosopher and Sekiden, San Cisco’s single ‘Awkward’ grates a bit at first.

Frontman Jordi Davieson and drummer Scarlett Stevens toss accusations back and forth in a sing-songy fashion, over a pitchy, repetitive guitar pattern that makes you want to physically shake it off. After a few listens, though, the thought creeps in that perhaps this is the effect they’re aiming for – to literally recreate the sensation of awkwardness through uneasy sounds and endearingly irritable lyrics. “I wouldn’t have gone to dinner / If I knew that you’d agree with everything I’d say,” sighs Stevens.

‘Rocket Ship’ gets off to a shaky start, as Davieson eschews melody for a line or two – and then he nails a nifty little tune, and rumbas around a cartoon forest with it. The tangle of la-las and handclaps and feel-good vibes that follows isn’t particularly original or edgy – I liked Australian indie-pop better when it was called Cuthbert & the Nightwalkers – but there’s a messiness to it that’s fun to hear.

Stylistically, Pusha T has long been one of the most interesting MCs around. His lyrics are mostly concerned with typical rap fare – cars, women, clothes, drugs and himself – but delivered with wit, intelligence, intensity and some serious flow, which elevates them above the countless others spitting the same game. But as one half of Clipse he always had access to great producers who appreciated that a beat can elevate a vocalist, as well as being memorable in its own right.

No surprise, then, that Pusha’s Rolodex gets a solid workout on this album, which features guest verses from the likes of Kanye, Diddy, 50 Cent, Pharrell, Young Jeezy and Tyler, The Creator, plus track after track of dynamic, engrossing production credits including The Neptunes and Bangladesh. And aside from creating a bit of buzz and excitement around the featured artists, it does much to break up the album, which at times suffers from Pusha’s limited subject matter. He's said in interviews that much of this album was inspired by the number of his friends in prison, but many of these songs focus so heavily on his well-documented teenage drug-dealing that he seems unable to move past it.

Jones’ voice lends itself well to this kind of music. Her country croon is smooth, emotive, heavy with heartbreak, and dedicated to the songs; at times she sounds like a mix between Emmylou and Dolly Parton.

The rest of the band play their parts masterfully – the rhythm section, Dan Rieser (drums) and Lee Alexander (bass), are able to make the songs swing with an ease that would make Asleep At The Wheel proud.

Like many a debut EP, Awkward is a mishmash. The hooky, glitchy powerpop of ‘Lover’ hints at a possible fondness for Devo, while a straight-up cover of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘505’ is a bit pointless – there’s no attempt at all to change Alex Turner’s distinctive phrasing or the original arrangement, although it probably goes over very well live. But there’s definitely something here – in the scudding, soaring cadence Davieson pours into the third line of ‘Rocket Ship’; in the crisp, fill-happy drumming; in ‘Lover’s earwormy sing-alongs.

Collections 01 is electronica created in the most intricate way for those perfectly lazy moments.

This is real, non-commerciallyinfected country music made by musicians connected to the purity of the music they are playing. The Little Willies have made an album that feels comfortable and familiar.

Awkward feels too much like a young, hyped band showing how versatile they are to be a coherent EP – but it brims with more sweetness and energy than a cold glass of Milo.

Despite the star talent of the guests, it’s Pusha himself who really shines here – and since there doesn’t seem to be a new Clipse album forthcoming, this will just have to do.

Rick Warner

Roland Kay-Smith

Caitlin Welsh

Hugh Robertson

The stunningly delicate ‘Jahara’ and the plucked harp scattered over the warmth of ‘Verbana Tea’ really seem unfairly caged when listening to them in the confines of your lounge room.

Even the more upbeat cuts, like the samba driven ‘While You Dooooo (Extended)’ and ‘Yellow More New’, are soaked in dreamy orchestrations.

This is an album that requires natural accompaniment – a sun-drenched beach or a lush rainforest, something of equal beauty.

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK DELANEY DAVIDSON Bad Luck Man Voodoo Rhythm Delaney Davidson lives the proverbial peripatetic lifestyle. Born in New Zealand, Davidson travels the world playing his guitar, imbibing the local culture and transposing his observations into country garage tunes. If Davidson was American, he’d be prone to jingoistic hubris; as a New Zealander, his narratives are dripping with pathos, irony and the odd splash of comic relief.

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accompanying soundtrack. It sounds like bus trips or train rides; like spending time in close quarters with other people, totally immersed in your own little bubbles.

Bad Luck Man is Davidson’s latest album, released again on the Reverend Beat Man’s Voodoo Rhythm Records, and charting Davidson’s idiosyncratic journey through complex emotional pastures. The title track is a dark country noir journey from pessimism to optimism; ‘I’m So Depressed’ finds Merle Haggard producing the local barn dance with heart-wrenching results.

‘Time Has Gone’ is a haunting meander to the darkest recess of the flawed human condition, ‘Another Man’s Eyes’ is adultery seen through the piercing eyes of Leadbelly, and ‘You’re A Loser’ is melancholia in its most endearing country form.

The Reverend Beat Man’s ‘I Got The Devil Inside’ is delivered with pummelling jungle beat intensity, before ‘So Long’ grabs you by the hand and ushers you into a religious institution where only rock’n’roll can save your weathered soul. ‘Windy City’ is a rollicking one-man band ride through love in Chicago where, for once, all seems good in the world; ‘Something Of Your Own’ slumps down the other end of the romantic spectrum, staring indulgently through the bottom of an empty glass of bourbon.

It takes a rare artist to wade through the marshlands of human misery and emerge with a set of classic tracks.

Delaney Davidson is one such artist.

Patrick Emery

Lyrically, though, Pusha is in top form.

‘Trouble On My Mind’ is the star track, as Pusha and Tyler trade heavy, tight verses over a killer Neptunes beat.

And although French Montana’s spot on ‘Everything That Glitters’ is dull and lifeless, Pusha’s is so beautifully phrased and so full of feeling and gravitas that it immediately grabs you.

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

GIRLS - Father, Son, Holy Ghost MENOMENA - Friend And Foe JONTI - Twirligig

MALCOLM MIDDLETON - Sleight Of Heart DOM - Sun Bronzed Greek Gods

Remedy More than The Cure since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

FEEDTIME THE DAMNED

The Damned show at the Metro last Saturday was just like old times, complete with a pre-gig get-together at one-time punk watering hole, The Civic Hotel. The show? It was packed and pretty much faultless. The big surprise shouldn’t have been a surprise at all by this point: Captain Sensible, the band’s original bassist, is one hell of a guitar-slinger. Rather than a classic-album-in-its-entirety type exercise, the set was pulled from the Damned Damned Damned, Machine Gun Etiquette and Black Album slabs, plus “hits” like their version of ‘Eloise’. Big fun.

ROLLINS BAND

Former latter-day Rollins Band bass beast Melvin Gibbs has a million projects going these days, but one that really caught our eye and ear involves a rock take on John Coltrane’s epic 1965 free jazz monster, Ascension. Given that the original work has no riffs and a pretty loose rhythmic structure, rocking it up and out musta been quite a challenge.

COLTRANE

Speaking of ‘Trane, his former home (where he imprisoned himself to forcibly tap into a greater sense of the divine, and thus ultimately create the masterful A Love Supreme) has been entered into America’s most endangered list by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There are plans to build a memorial on the Long Island site, but that might be a whole other political battle.

COMMANDO RAMONE

Almost a decade after he passed, Johnny Ramone’s book, which he began after

he took ill, is finally on the way. Fittingly titled Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone, it should be quite a read.

Johnny was the band’s Keef or Malcolm Young; despite the “dumb” and at times almost cartoonish persona, he was one very hard-nosed and focused individual who took no shit and no prisoners. All the military and early political overtones, and the band’s general onstage discipline, all came down to Johnny. He also loved his local boys, Mountain, as a kid, for which he receives additional Remedy bonus points. Tommy Ramone, the original drummer and sole surviving member of the band who took the rock‘n’roll world by three-chord-storm back in 1975, pens the book’s intro. Sure, maybe getting Henry Rollins’ take on the guitarist might have made for a stronger opening, but hey, the task could also have fallen to Johnny’s good mate, Eddie Vedder... So we’ll count our blessings, shall we?

LV L 3 , 3 8 3 B O U R K E S T S U R RY 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

THU 2 FEB FRI 3 FEB

NOISE COMPLAINTS

The things you read in the sports section.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s sports pages had a piece last week on the loud grunting of some female tennis players when they send a ball flying over the net. An insert panel discussed the noise also made by fireworks, a gun and the volume of The Who, Manowar, and the mightiest of them all (in terms of dBs): the thud and drag of The Swans.

SUNBURY FEST

Melbourne’s Sunbury festival, which was a mass public display of what would later become known as pub rock (fittingly from what was the world’s biggest outdoor pub) was 40 years old on Australian Day. As was of course The Aztecs! Live at Sunbury slab.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

DANGER

DANNYS

AN EXHIBITION CURATED BY SCOTT OWEN EXPLORING THE ICONOGRAPHY OF MODERN WORSHIP. FEAT. SCOTT OWEN, CRAIG ATKINS, SLUG, SPRINKLES, HOUL, BIRDHAT

WWW.WEARELOFI.COM.AU/COLLECTIVE

SAT 4 FEB THU 9 FEB

The quote of the week comes from Neil Young, who asked on MTV News, “Where are our [musical] geniuses? What happened?” The great man meanwhile has not one but two new albums with Crazy Horse in the works. We reckon it’s about time for another everything-feedbackingmore-than-everything-else type effort, à la Ragged Glory.

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable (thanks to the excitement of the Hoodoo Gurus’ Dig It Up tour) is The Sonics’ explosive Here are the Sonics. Without any prompting and with no model to copy from, these guys instinctively went for the throat while The Beatles were toying with sitars. Not only do the guitars and vocals sound like they’re melting their amps and microphone respectively, but the drums are some thunderous garage precursor to what Jimmy Page coaxed from John Bonham’s skin when Led Zeppelin were in the studio doing their version of ‘When The Levee Breaks’. Also spinning and still in the ‘60s is The Small Faces’ Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. The outfit virtually had two careers, firstly as a super-tough RnB snarl of an act, followed by a more crafted psych-tinged phase (which is where Ogden comes in). While it’s almost simultaneously trippy and drunken and very old-school England, it also contains some amazing pop and a crackling loud guitar that was at the very least on a par with the fret aggro of The Who at that point.

DJ G AT S BY

NICKY NIGHT TIME + KATO VALARIE YUM + LUX LIFE

Plus Special Guests

DJ BERNIE DINGO

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TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS There’s been huge interest in the Dig It Up! – The Hoodoo Gurus Invitational on April 22 at the Enmore, Notes and the Green Room, with special guests including The Sonics, Died Pretty, Redd Kross, The 5.6.7.8’s, The Fleshtones, The Hard-Ons and Royal Headache. Don’t muck around when tickets go on sale this Monday January 30.

Sydney-based instrumental rockers sleepmakeswaves are about to embark on an extensive Australian tour to mark the success of their recent slab, ...and so we destroyed everything. On February 9 they’ll be at the Transit Lounge, Canberra, with River of Snakes; February 17 at Sydney’s Gaelic Theatre, with Dumbsaint (it’s also their single launch), Solkyri and Kasha; and then on February 18 at the Great Northern, Newcastle, with Lander Configurations (their album launch), I Am The Agent and Solkyri. Then it’s off to showcase at SXSW in Austin, Texas, before a European tour that includes co-headlining Belgium’s Dunk! Festival, alongside Pelican, This Will Destroy You

and 65daysofstatic. And they’re supporting Boris in Sydney and Melbourne, too.

‘WHAT IS THIS GARBAGE’ EP OUT FEB 10

If you manage to pick BRAG up early, Lucy Desoto and the Handsome Devils are at The Bald Faced Stag in Leichhardt, on January 29 from 4-7pm.

Hell-raising Atlanta mob The Black Lips will be at The Standard on March 4, with support from Circle Pit and the Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys.

No Life Till Leather returns to Hermann’s Bar (cnr Butlin Avenue and City Road) on February 17 with a celebration of Whitesnake’s 1987 album. There’ll be Whitesnake videos on the big screen and their tunes pumping out of the speakers, along with all the crankin’ ‘80s glam, hard rock and metal tunes you could hope for from Motley, Poison, Bang Tango, Van Halen, GN’R, Danger Danger and many more. And the first ten payers through the door will get a copy of Van Halen’s new album.

OPEN TIL 3AM COME VISIT US AT FACEBOOK.COM/THESTANDARDSYDNEY

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

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

Pics to art@thebrag.com www.facebook.com/remedy4rock BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 25

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

THEE OH SEES, STRAIGHT ARROWS, GOOCH PALMS The Annandale Hotel Thursday January 19

Zephyr Pavey of Melbourne band Total Control once described San Franciscan garage gurus Thee Oh Sees as “the best people to be touring with – such experienced road warriors.” When you look at Thee Oh Sees’ extensive tour schedule and the rapid rate at which these dudes record and release albums, it’s a wonder how the Californian quintet manage to find the energy to set up their amps, let alone play a raucous, psychedelic punk show for an hour and a half. In true Oh Sees style, playing to a packed out Annandale, the band showed no trace of fatigue or lassitude, relishing the opportunity to be playing on our shores for the third time in three years.

After some mooning antics and loose punk tracks from Sydney-based comedic duo The Gooch Palms, Owen Penglis’ Straight Arrows took the stage for main support.

Racing through tracks from their debut LP It’s Happening, these guys knew exactly how to set the tone for this garage-rock extravaganza. Al Grigg’s guitar was frequently going in and out of tune, but thanks to their overall reckless demeanour and deafening distortion, they got away with it.

Thee Oh Sees are one of those live acts that seem to reach new levels of loudness, cohesion and ingenuity with every performance. This was the fourth time I’d been able to see them play, and they just get better and better. Their democratic positioning on stage, whereby no particular member was emphasised beyond the others, summed up the underlying live ethic of Thee Oh Sees – to simply play the heck out of their songs. This was their first Australian tour with two drummers, but rather than indulging in elongated solos or tricky fills, the two combined seamlessly, allowing John Dwyer room for guitar and vocal improvisation.

SELLING FAST - DON’T MISS OUT!

It perhaps took a few inebriated members of the audience to liven up the crowd (who stood dead still for opener ‘Contraption’), but by the time the anthemic ‘Enemy Destruct’ played, the back-standers were nodding ferociously and the front-rowers were gleefully flinging themselves into one another.

Whether Dwyer was playing his six or twelvestring guitar, the sound was immaculate, with he and keyboardist Brigid Dawson offering up interesting vocal interplay. It was yet another night that proved it; Thee Oh Sees are experienced road warriors.

Greg Clennar

SAM AMIDON

The Famous Spiegeltent, Hyde Park Saturday January 21

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SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

Sam Amidon walks on stage and bows self-consciously. His eyes dart around the room as he begins to play, as though he’s already contemplating a swift exit. He claws at the banjo deftly, forcefully reciting the first piece with a strange sense of duty. He’s accompanied by Chris Vatalaro on drums, bass and keys, and the first bar appears a complete shambles, a mess of tiny cymbals clattering against the snare. In the song, a father draws a murderous confession out of his son, and as the truth in the lyrics blossoms, the percussion congeals around Amidon’s playing, and the two trace a delicate rhythmic call and response through the rest of the piece.

Amidon is one of a handful of popular musicians that take the ‘new folk’ quest for authenticity to its logical conclusion, framing ancient folk songs with modern arrangements. Like fellow trad-revivalist Alasdair Roberts, the striking earnestness of his records suggests that, for him, this isn’t a disingenuous pursuit.

Live, it’s bewildering to witness these bittersweet and tragic parables told with such an unsettling and disarming sense of humour. He waxes lyrical about the auspicious year ahead of us, intimating that he’s seen the impeding apocalypse told through the glacial evolution of Kirsten Dunst’s acting “starting with Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, through Wimbledon, and now with Melancholia.” Later, he imparts the two-chord lament of a dying young man’s pleas with the spectre that has come to collect him. As Vatalaro’s piano trills quietly into the coda, Amidon places his guitar

on the floor and starts doing push-ups, as though to ward off his own impending demise. The hilarity occasionally threatens to subsume the gravitas of the songs – especially when the duo’s improvisatory tension dissolves into overtly daft jazz-fusion territory – but, remarkably, the spell is never broken.

It’s almost as though he’s reminding us that the troubadour’s role is, and always has been, twofold: to make us laugh, and to help us reflect on our place in the world. Strange that a set of such sad songs should see so many of us leave quietly happy.

Luke Telford

WOOLLEN KITS, UNITY FLOORS, CONSTANT MONGREL, THE SINGING SKIES The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe Saturday January 21

There’s probably no better country for garage than ours right now. That may be a big call (inspired by the lamb and can anticipation of a public holiday), but after six months of releases by acts like Royal Headache, Total Control, Kitchen’s Floor and now Woollen Kits, it’s a hard claim to refute. At the centre of this movement is Sydney’s RIP Society Records, the one-man operation responsible for all those releases. Via the curatorial spin of RIP’s CEO-by-default Nic Warnock, the Roxbury played host to the next wave of acts set to stain 2012, from Sydney’s excitable grin-punk duo Unity Floors to the moody shouts of Melbourne’s Constant Mongrel and their city-mates Woollen Kits.

While it wasn’t Constant Mongrel who opened proceedings – that honour was reserved for the more-than-out-of-place (but not unwelcome) croons of The Singing Skies – it was Constant Mongrel who got things running along a thematic vein.

Noticeably darker than their labelmates, Constant Mongrel’s jangly guitars and halfspat vocals were by no means a downer, breaking down into forced laughter to finish their set as an almost disgruntled retreat.

Where Constant Mongrel seem to express a brand of punk dulled with discontent, Sydney’s Unity Floors are amongst the most smile-inducing acts the city has to offer. Their slacker fuzz and moaning-through-a-grin vocals are a welcome change to scowling rock‘n’roll posturing, making them possibly the two happiest men in garage-punk. With only one 7-inch released, the anticipation for a Unity Floors LP is palpable.

Set to fly out to the States the following morning, Woollen Kits gave little thought to self-preservation, crossing their short discography with the same relentless energy as the preceding act. Co-vocalist Thomas Hardisty’s deadpanned baritone drone was an unmistakable foil to drummer Tom Ridgewell’s snappier vocal; the highlights of the setlist (Hardisty’s ‘Maths’ and Ridgewell’s ‘Out of Whack’) were great examples of this two-pronged vocal attack. Like Unity Floors, Woollen Kits embrace an optimism and positivity that’s often overlooked in favour of scowls and pouts, distilling aspects of their own personality rather than layering on something foreign. With Constant Mongrel in tow, there’s no doubt in my mind that this country is doing something special – and that’s not just the public holiday talking.

Max Easton

PJ HARVEY

The State Theatre Wednesday January 18 Uncanny gig tonight; the ostentatious formality of the State Theatre dwarfed in significance before the slight, imperious presence left of stage. Cloaked in a black dress somewhere between Miss Haversham and an amorphous swirl of raven feathers, black leather corset buckling the lot down like a latter-day Boadicea, PJ Harvey conjured a maelstrom deep and reverberating, filling a packed hall with a musical invocation at once compassionate, unrelenting and pitiless.

Part of the weirdness was the bizarre clash between the effort that went into maintaining a stark presentation of the material – which included an almost complete recitation of last year’s behemoth Let England Shake as well as songs from 2007’s White Chalk – and the needlessly atmosphere-shredding

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

punctuations provided by people calling out "We love you" between songs. In any case, the woman on stage nurtured a careful ambience – the austere spotlights cutting through the pitch black to catch her ghostly upturned face; the sober vests sported like 19th century miners by John Parish, Mick Harvey and drummer Jean-Marc Butty; the sound equipment arrayed behind them like furniture lifted from Wuthering Heights; the almost total lack of audience interaction, which was frighteningly effective in establishing the necessary seriousness.

Indeed, if the raw violence of her work has sometimes been obscured by her current profile, this evening was a timely reminder of the unflinching dispassion with which she catalogues dismemberment (‘The Words That Maketh Murder’), deformity (‘The Glorious Land’) and disenfranchisement (take your pick) in her recent work, and her heartrending contempt for what England has done to itself over the last decade or two.

At times trading the jangling wrath of the autoharp for her familiar electric, tonight she shrilled and shrieked (as on the pounding ‘Bitter Branches’), crooned (‘Last Living Rose’), warbled (a welcome inclusion of ‘Pocketknife’ from 2004’s Uh Huh Her) and wailed (the encore this evening, an overwhelming rendition of White Chalk’s ‘Silence’), embodying an oracular fury while dispensing wisdom as required as it is unsavoury.

Oliver Downes

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE The Metro Theatre Thursday January 19

I don’t know why it is, but live hip hop is nearly always a disappointment. Even if the artist actually shows up to the gig there are going to be problems with the sound, or with the enthusiasm of the act, or with the hype men screaming incomprehensible noises. They only play snippets of tracks, and re-start them over and over if the audience isn’t hyped enough – and the show becomes more about servicing a performer’s ego than entertaining their audience.

Clearly nobody told Immortal Technique.

In front of a packed Metro Theatre, the man is a ferocious presence, spitting every single word of his two-hour set. He never walks off stage, never relies on his offsiders Akir and Poison Pen to do the heavy lifting, and barely takes a breath the entire time. His music has always been ferocious, full of rage at the policies and hypocrisy of governments, of institutions and of the media, and on stage his persona is appropriately intense. His conviction when performing is unquestionable, and he follows up his savage songs with impassioned monologues about the oppression of minorities and the evils of colonialism. But the other aspect to his music is a small-scale focus on personal responsibility, on integrity and on believing in the potential of individuals to improve their own situation. And across all of these topics he comes across as genuine and passionate, and the crowd respond with roars of approval and seemingly genuine support for the cause.

Having never played in Sydney before, and with more than a decade’s worth of work to choose from, the set is wall-to-wall fan favourites – but it says something about how much passion this man inspires that a nineminute ballad based on a piano riff is met with a roar unlike anything I’ve ever heard.

I’ve been to The Metro countless times, but I’ve never seen it this full or this frenzied before. This may have been Immortal Technique’s first tour to Australia, but I can guarantee it won’t be his last.

Hugh Robertson

TUNE-YARDS

Keystone Festival Bar Friday January 20 There’s a sense of abandon about tUnEyArDs’ music – and most of it seems to come from all the fucks Merrill Garbus does not give. Like Amanda Palmer without the militant campiness, or Kimya Dawson with saxophones and loop pedals, Garbus oozes a lack of concern – about being 'cool' or 'conventionally sexy' or wearing the right clothes; it might be an Oakland thing, which is plausible if you can swallow the idea of conflating Garbus with

Kreayshawn’s op-shop brat-rap, for example.

Her asymmetrical mullet; her lady-mo; her throaty, mealy croon; her embrace of the humble ukulele; whatever it is, it inspires me and my companions to stick several cocktail umbrellas in our hair and invent a new style of dance that has something to do with tribal glee and Tap Dogs.

Resplendent in her whopping pink-feather epaulettes, Garbus performs alone for ‘Party Can (Do You Wanna Live?)’ before bringing on two saxophonists, a bassist and drummer in addition to her uke, loops and extra drums.

‘Gangsta’ remains a perfect party-starter, with the tumble of siren-like vocals, scudding snares and bowel-shaking, slouching bass – not to mention that hook: BANG BANGBANGOH! (Although that glorious cacophony means that some poor people up the back have to bellow to make their conversations heard, so those of us who are determined to sing along slink sheepishly forward, so as not to be thought rude.)

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The sweet, fluting melody of ‘Doorstep’ and the sultry ‘Powa’ sink below the fray a little, although there is a roar of approval as Garbus nails that ecstatically high note in the latter. Bloody right too – her voice is as flawless live as on record, with all its multiple personalities intact. She uses loops more effectively and skilfully than most artists – making beats, building complex counter-harmonies against her own voice.

The best example of this, ‘Bizness’, is highly anticipated, with the audience greeting duelling, messy saxes and call-and-response choruses by stomping and dancing so hard that the floorboards sway and bounce. By the time she’s built up to the climax of ‘Riotriot’ there’s a real sense of letting go, the crowd buoyed along by a floor that feels alive – and music that does the same to us.

Six months later the bloom is certainly off the rose, and that early critical evangelism has made way for poor reviews and strident, reactive op-eds (now that everyone has moved on to the Next Big Thing). But if anything, Odd Future are getting better.

And their crowds are certainly getting even more rabid. The punters at The Enmore were throwing bottles and clothes, bashing each other in circle pits and being lifted out of the moshpit by security guards – and all before anyone but DJ Syd tha Kid was on stage.

The rest of the show only picked up in ferocity as the gang thrashed around the stage, flailing their limbs with little regard for those around them. It was a similar story in the audience, where tracks like ‘64’, ‘Dracula’ and ‘Sweatshirt’ were greeted with howls of animalistic fury as hundreds of hot, sweaty bodies thrashed their pain away. There were moments during ‘Yonkers’, ‘Sandwitches’ and ‘Radical’ that I was scared someone was going to get seriously hurt. It’s not a show in any conventional sense – it’s a spectacle.

And it’s true that the show itself is still lacking some fundamental aspects. It’s almost impossible to hear many of the lyrics with all of these MCs yelling at and over the top of each other, and the long, occasionally awkward pauses between songs make it clear that this is not a scripted event. But for sheer experience, it’s impossible to ignore.

Odd Future are still more style than substance. But the substance is pretty good – occasionally brilliant – and the style is undeniable, even if it lacks polish.

But, thinking about it, do they really need polish? When you think of the best punk, or the loudest metal, what matters is not the slickness of the operation but the visceral experience. And Odd Future are fucking great at visceral.

Hugh Robertson

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As he introduced ‘Yonkers’, Tyler, The Creator mentioned that it’s only been 12 months since he actually recorded the song that catapulted him and his ‘collective’ into the zeitgeist. By any measure it has been a remarkable 12 months; when they made their Sydney debut during Vivid they were riding the crest of their infamy, and their shows were an explosion of excitement, aggression and youthful anti-everything-ism. “Kill people, burn shit, fuck school” and “SWAG” became statements of intent, shibboleths for a new scene and its leaders.

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by Revue Burlesqu 11 The Ru bies, Eagles & Barry Leef’s – “Doo ow FEB 12 West Coast Rock” Sh

Lizotte’s Sydney 629 Pittwater Rd Dee Why

Lizotte’s Central Coast Lot 3 Avoca Dr Kincumber

Lizotte’s Newcastle 31 Morehead St Lambton

W W W. L I ZOT T E S.CO M.AU BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 27

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

diefenbach party profile

It’s called: Diefenbach It sounds like: Beethoven and Vanessa Carlton had a love child and raised him in a whorehouse; Diefenbach is Jake Diefenbach (piano and vocals) with Dan Hirsch (drums) and Aidan Arnold (bass).

Who’s playing? Diefenbach, Martyn Badoui and Tony Dean Sell it to us: Diefenbach is bold, pop-rock cabaret. It is the dramatic, highenergy creation of Green Room Award-winner Jake Diefenbach, who has performed alongside the Dresden Dolls, Kate Miller-Heidke and Paul Capsis.

The evening celebrates the launch of Missing Person (co-produced by Powderfinger’s Darren Middleton), a compelling and fragile new release about the destruction and recovery of self.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: We can be losers together and it’s okay.

Crowd specs: Lovers of pop, rock and dark cabaret. If you have a penchant for the strange and macabre, this show is for you.

Wallet damage: $15 at the door Where: El Rocco / 154 Brougham St, Potts Point

guerre

PICS :: KC

When: Thursday February 9 / doors open 7.30pm

major raiser

PICS :: KC

20:01:12 :: The Standard:: Level 3/383 Bourke St Surry Hills 9331 3100

alpine

PICS :: KC

19:01:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Sydney 9267 3787

20:01:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93323711

sound kapital It sounds like: The experimental underbelly of Beijing – free folk, punk and experimental disco.

Who’s playing? AV Okubu, Nova Heart, Xiao He. Sell it to us: Discover the energy of Beijing’s underground music scene at this one-night-only performance from three of the city's most explosive underground cult bands – featuring projections from Matthew Niederhauser, whose work documents the contemporary Chinese punk scene in Beijing.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Arriving home feeling like you have just had the craziest trip to Beijing.

Crowd specs: Experimental, indie, punky travelling types.

Wallet damage: $25 at the door Where: Carriageworks / 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh When: Friday February / 3 from 8pm

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) STEVENSON :: TIM WHITNEY OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER ICK PATR :: Y CHE PEA MAS NS :: THO :: ASHLEY MAR :: DANIEL MUN

28 :: BRAG :: 447: 30:01:12

expatriate

PICS :: AM

party profile

It’s called: Sound Kapital at Carriageworks

20:01:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Sydney 9267 3787

20 February 2012

BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 29

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week M83

MONDAY JANUARY 30 ROCK & POP

Cambo The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Krishna Jones Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm Rockin’ With Rah Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm

JAZZ

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5

Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle

St Jerome's Laneway Festival: M83

(FRA), (UK),

(CAN),

The Drums

(UK),

(USA),

Toro y Moi (USA), Girls (USA), The Horrors (UK), Anna Calvi Yuck (UK), Active Child (USA),

Bullion, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (USA), Austra (CAN), Portugal.

The Man (USA), Cults (USA), Chairlift (USA), (USA),

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Senani, Russell Neal Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield free 7pm Shane Coombe, James Raxworthy, Helmut Uhlmann Kellys On King, Newtown free 7pm

TUESDAY JANUARY 31 ROCK & POP

Laura Marling Feist SBTRKT

(UK),

Amber Hammond, Marcello Mao 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8.30pm Monday Jam: Danny G Felix, Djay Kohinga The Lansdowne, Broadway free 9pm Open Mic Jazz The World Bar, Kings Cross free 7pm

Adam Pringle and Friends Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Bondi Jam Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Chairlift (USA), Elizabeth Rose Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $38.50 (+ bf) 8pm Dan Lawrence The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 8.30pm Dave White Experience Coogee Bay Hotel free 9pm The Songwriter Sessions Sandringham Hotel, Newtown 7.30pm They Call Me Bruce Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 8.30pm

JAZZ

Jazzgroove: Greg Coffin Trio, Daryl Pratt Sextet 505 Club, Surry Hills $8–$15 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Burn Antares feat. Grace Farriss, Nathan Cole Trio, Taylor Hogan The Basement, Circular Quay $15 (+ bf) 8.30pm

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1 ROCK & POP

Anatta, The Gunn Show, Elephant, Drop Tank Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Anthony Hughes & The International Love Experiment, Benjamin Cuddy, Mark Tsangaris Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Catcall, Atom Bombs, The Bloods GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $12 (+ bf) 8pm The Chill The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm Crying Tree Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm David Agius Summer Hill Hotel free 7.30pm Expatriate, The Ruminaters Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Hit Machine The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 10pm Jagermeister Presents: The Secret Whisper, Kid Vegaz, Winslows Cancer, The Dirty Ground Annandale Hotel $8 7.30pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 7.30pm Jed Zarb Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Matt Jones Duo Novotel Homebush, Homebush Bay free 3.30pm Mike Bennett The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 9.30pm Musos Jam Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt free 7.30pm Natasha Stuart & Joseph Calderazzo Tokio Hotel, Darling Harbour free 8pm Old Man Crow, Mavis and Her China Pigs Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Steve Tonge Duo O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 9pm

Washed Out (USA), Twin Shadow DZ Deathrays, EMA (US), Geoffrey

O’Connor, Glasser (USA), Husky, John Talabot (ESP), Jonti, DJ Oneman, The Pajama Club, The Very West, Givers (USA), The Panics, Total Control and more

$135 (+ bf) 11.30am

Natalie Cole

Vince Martin Notes Live, Enmore 8pm Wests Tigers Band Competition Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm

JAZZ Baz 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8.30pm Jimmy Vargas Blue Beat, Double Bay $10 9.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Daniel Hopkins Taren Point Hotel free 7pm Greg Sita Cookies Lounge and Bar, Bakehouse Quarter, North Strathfield free 8pm Ken Stewart, John Chesher Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm Peter Yannakis Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 6.30pm Winters End, Alana-Lee, Natasha-Eloise, Renee Jonas, Dan Usher, Russell Neal The Basement, Circular Quay $20 8pm

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2 ROCK & POP

Anthems Of Oz The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm Bordello Blues: Nikki Nouveau Slide, Darlinghurst 8pm Briscoe, Video8, Capitol, Sepora, Jack Colwell & the Owls Annandale Hotel $10 7.30pm Chase The Sun, Ray Beadle, Claude Hay The Basement, Circular Quay $22 (+ bf) 8pm Faye Blais Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm The Fighting League, La Mancha Negra, Danger Dannys FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel free 8pm Girls (USA), The Twerps Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $45 (+ bf) 8pm GrimSkunk, Spangled Mistress, The Lockhearts Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm The Horrors (UK), Allbrook/ Avery Metro Theatre, Sydney $49.70 (+ bf) 8pm Johnathan Devoy Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Marosi Di Buriana, Elliphant, Templar Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm Marty Willson-Piper and Tiare Helberg Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $20 8pm Michel Michel, Kellie Loyd, The Station Masters The Union Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Hotel, Rooty Hill free 8pm Natalie Cole, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House 8pm Open Mic Night Excelsior Hotel, Glebe free 7pm The Side Project The Factory Floor, The Factory Theatre, Enmore $12 (+ bf) 8pm Speakeasy The Whitehouse Hotel, Petersham 8pm

“I’ve got a Halloween-head, head full of tricks and treats. It leads me thru the night time streets” - RYAN ADAMS 30 :: BRAG :: 447 : 30:01:12

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Sweet Teeth, Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun, Humans, Making Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm TNL: Round The Corner, Larissa McKay Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm

JAZZ

El Orqueston 505 Club, Surry Hills $10–$15 8pm Matt Finish Blue Beat Bar & Grill, Double Bay $28 (+ bf) 7pm Sax In The City: Jeremy Rose The Spice Cellar, Sydney free 6pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Dinki Di Acoustic: Men With Day Jobs Duo, Graham Healy The Hive Bar, Erskineville free 6.30pm Russell Neal Kogarah Hotel free 7pm Simon Shapiro The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 8.30pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 ROCK & POP

(Hed) P.E (USA), Jeffrey Nothing, Recoil Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $55.10 (+ bf) 8pm Aaron Lyon Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm

Angharad Yeo, Stono Caves, Ponder Mars Hill Cafe, Parramatta $10 8.30pm B-Massive Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Cap A Capo, Steppin Razor, Horsenprawn, DJ Alley Cats The Lansdowne, Broadway free 9pm Chicks Who Love Guns, Danger Dannys, Spirit Valley, Sativa Sun The Standard, Darlinghurst 8pm The Classic Kings Manly Fisho’s $25 8pm Concord Joe, Teale, Fushia Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt $10 8pm Courtyard Sessions: Two Timin Playboys Seymour Theatre Centre, Chippendale free 6pm allages Dave White Experience The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm Divlje Jagode, 1-2-Seppuku, Metak Punchbowl Ex Services Club $60 9pm all-ages Don’t Dream It’s Over - A Tribute To Crowded House & Split Enz: Bernie Segedin, Floyd Vincent, Gary Fredericks, Clive Harrison, Tom Cox, Dave Kirby The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf) 8pm Fender Benders, Blair Greenberg Taren Point Bowling Club free 7.30pm The Fire Tree, Ollie Brown, Bennie James Yours and Owls, Wollongong $8 8pm Flamin’ Beauties Crown Hotel, Sydney free 8pm

The Fleetwood Mac Show Penshurst RSL $15 8pm Garry David, The Walk On By, Gravel Samwidge Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 9pm The Headliners Dundas Sports free 8.30pm Incubus (USA), Papa Vs Pretty Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park $89.90 (+ bf) 8pm Jenny Marie Lang Guildford Leagues Club free Jessica Mauboy, Stan Walker Castle Hill RSL Club 8pm Killer: We Built Atlantis, Delorean Tide Club 77, East Sydney 8pm The Lazys, GrimSkunk, Lovers Jump Creek, Mayfair Rising Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $15 8pm Lime Cordiale, The Nectars, Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $9 (+ bf) 7.30pm Minus House Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 8.30pm Movement – The Frequency Lab Showcase: Monk Fly, Roleo, Elliot, Limetipe, Huw Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm MUM: Fox, Cake Shop, Humans, Go Violets, In Measures, Karl Christoph, MUM DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm The Music Makers Club: Bell Weather Department, The Ruminators, Mushu, Belle & The Bone People, Adam George, The Electric Vogues Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm

& show) 7pm Gang of Brothers Blue Beat, Double Bay $10 10pm Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10-$20 8.30pm My Sauce Good 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8.30pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie Well Connected Café, Glebe free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Matt Toms The Belvedere Hotel free 8pm Russell Neal Bowral Hotel free 7.30pm

Super Florence Jam Natalie Cole, Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House 8pm Off With Your Head: Foxx On Fire, Super Florence Jam, Hello Vera, Jimmy Hawk and The Endless Party, Rabbit Hole DJs FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $12 8pm Original Sin INXS Show St Marys Band Club free 8pm Peter Northcote’s Drive, Brydon Stace, Virginia Lillye Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Red Ink, Go Violets, Sye McRitchie, PhDJ Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm Reece Mastin, Johnny Ruffo Enmore Theatre $65 8pm The Road Crew Overlander Hotel, Cambridge Park free 8pm RUST, The Turps, Slick 46, No Such Luck Valve Bar, Tempe 7pm SBTRKT Metro Theatre, Sydney $41.90 (+ bf) 8pm

Sound Kapital, Av Okubu, Nova Heart, Xio He CarriageWorks, Eveleigh $25 8pm Sound Stream Kurnell Recreation Club free 8pm Steam Engine IX: Voltaire (USA) Red Rattler, Marrickville $40 8pm Suvi Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm Sydonia, Sub Atari Knives, Meniscus, Shinobi Annandale Hotel $12 (+ bf) 7.30pm Tangled Up In Bob – A Tribute To Dylan Notes Live, Enmore $19.40 8pm Timothy Cannon Hermann’s Bar, University of Sydney, Darlington $10 8pm

JAZZ

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 ROCK & POP

Elixir Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $44 (show only)–$86 (dinner

Blood Sweat & Beers: Wagons, I Exist, Old Music for Old People, Luca Brasi (NZ), Isaac Graham, Paper Arms, Harmony, Army of Champions, Milhouse, Glitter Canyon, Stolen Youth, Frank Rizzo, La Mancha Negra Annandale Hotel $30 (+ bf) 12pm Bones Atlas Brass Monkey, Cronulla 8pm Bruce Kulick (USA), Six Hours The Factory Theatre, Enmore $47.50 (+ bf) 8pm Chateau Generals, Orca Straightahead Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 9pm

wed

01 Feb

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thu

02 Feb

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

fri

03 Feb (5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

sat

04 Feb

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SATURDAY NIGHT

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

sun

05 Feb

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SUNDAY NIGHT

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 31

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Chunk Caringbah Bizzo’s 8pm The Classic Kings Coogee Diggers $25.50 (+ bf) 8pm Crow, The Holy Soul, The Broken Needles, Camperdown & Out Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $14 (+ bf) 8pm Dave Tice, Mark Evans Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm Dirty Deeds – The AC/DC Show, No Secrets - The Angels Show Blacktown RSL Club free 9pm Drawn From Bees, Our Monk, Fuscia Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Emerald Vale, Vices, I As One, Beneath The Crown, Deadly Visions, To The Grave Lucky Australian Tavern, St Marys $10 4pm all-ages Furnace & the Fundamentals, Screaming Bikini, Die For You, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. DJs Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm Jack Derwin Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 7.30pm Jessica Mauboy, Stan Walker Campbelltown RSL 8pm Katherine Ellis (UK), Mrs Doris, ShaneSOS, Peter Glass The Basement, Circular Quay $30 (+ bf) 9.30pm The Lazys, GrimSkunk Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 8pm Next Best Thing Seven Hills RSL free 8.30pm Pack FM Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt $20 8pm

The Paper Kites, Sleepyhands, Faith Lee FBi Social, Kings Cross Hotel $15 (+ bf) 8pm Pear Shape, Sierra Fin, Hot Spoke The Standard, Darlinghurst 8pm Pimpish Behaviour: Spod, Donny Benet, Naughty Rappers Collective, Black Vanilla GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm Roc-A-Tac Guildford Leagues Club free 8.30pm Ryan Francesconi (USA), Grand Salvo, The Singing Skies Red Rattler, Marrickville $18 (+ bf) 8pm Saturday Night Live: Tongue and Groove Oatley Hotel free 8.30pm Sophie Raymond, Peter Miller-Robinson Band, Christina Mimmocchi Empire Hotel, Annandale 8pm SOSUEME: Olympic Ayres, Lovers Jump Creek, New South Whales, Alison

Wonderland, Surecut Kids, Shantanwantanichiban Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm Sound Stream Brighton RSL Club, BrightonLe-Sands free 8pm Stone Parade, Freestate, Is it Her Gaelic Theatre, Surry Hills $20 8pm Tipper (UK), III Gates, Dov, Spoonbill Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown 9pm Tori & Ben The Basement, Circular Quay $20 7.30pm Totally Gaga - The Australian Lady Gaga Show Matraville RSL Club free 8pm Yum Engadine RSL & Citizens Club free 8pm

JAZZ

The Catholics 505 Club, Surry Hills $15–$20 8.30pm Kafe Kool

Supper Club, Fairfield RSL Club free 7pm Professor Groove & The Booty Affair Blue Beat, Double Bay $10 10pm Tim Clarkson Trio, Steve Barry Trio The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10-$20 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK BADjane, Halfway Homebuoy, James Snyder, Helmut Uhlmann Terrey Hills Tavern free 7.30pm Ester Lamb, The Yellow Canvas, Russell Neal Royal Exchange Hotel, Marrickville free 7.30pm Mark Da Costa The Marlborough Hotel, Newtown free 10.30pm The Shack: The Wheeze & Suck Band, Beth ‘n’ Ben, Earlwood Greg Derrig Tramshed Community Arts Centre, Narrabeen $20 7.30pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5 ROCK & POP

The Paper Kites

77 Sunset Strippers, Terry Serio & The Ministry of Truth, The Resurrection Men Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 7pm Blue Sunday: Dauno Martinez Blue Beat Bar & Grill, Double Bay $10 8.30pm Bondi Open Air Cinema Launch: The Cat Empire,

Tuesday January 31 JURASSIC LOUNGE AFTER PARTY:

Hungry Kids of Hungary, Winter People Bondi Beach Pavillion $69.10 5.30pm Dirty Deeds – The AC/DC Show Catho Pub, Catherine Hill Bay free 2pm Fender-Benders, Sep Martin Bayview Hotel, Woy Woy free 3pm Finn with Keith & Pat Dow Jack’s Bar and Grill, Erina free 3pm Hard as Nails, Sixplane, Smokin’ Mirrors, Domino, Big Smack The Lucky Australian, North St Marys $10 2pm all-ages Hunter & Suzy Owens Band Marrickville Bowling and Recreation Club 8pm The Laughing Outlaw Class Of 2012: Jamie Hutchings, Edward Deer, Charlie Horse, Wilding, James Thomson Annandale Hotel $10 (+ bf) 3pm New Settlement Road Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor free 8pm Seether (South Africa), Numbers Radio Metro Theatre, Sydney $50.90 (+ bf) 8pm St Jeromes Laneway Festival: Active Child, Anna Calvi, Austra, Bullion, Chairlift (USA), Cults (USA), DZ Deathrays, EMA (US), Feist (Canada), Geoffrey O’Connor, Girls (USA), Glasser (USA), Husky, John Talabot (Spain), Jonti, Laura Marling (UK), M83 (France), DJ Oneman, The Pajama Club, Portugal The Man (USA), SBTRKT, The Very West, The Drums (USA), The Horrors (UK), Givers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (USA), The

8pm // $12 on the door

LUNCH BREAK

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2

Live Broadcast on FBi Radio 94.5FM!

VICE & FBi SOCIAL ~ present ~

+ THE

FIGHTING LEAGUE + LA MANCHA NEGRA + DANGER DANNYS 8pm // FREE

L2 Kings Cross Hotel www.fbisocial.com 32 :: BRAG :: 447 : 30:01:12

Anthony Hughes Oatley Hotel free 2pm Jackman Friday, Duncan Davidson, Air Hi 5, Guitar Guru Dylan Valve Bar, Tempe 5pm James Snyder, Russell Neal Avalon Beach RSL Club free 6.30pm Joyce Collins The Belvedere Hotel free 4pm Russell Neal Salisbury Hotel, Stanmore free 2pm Shane MacKenzie Cohibar, Darling Harbour free 3pm

+ SUPER FLORENCE JAM + FOXX ON FIRE + HELLO VERA + JIMMY HAWK AND THE ENDLESS PARTY + RABBIT HOLE DJS

2012

1pm // FREE

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

~ presents ~

Wednesday February 1

FISHING

Blue Sunday: Dauno Martinez Blue Beat, Double Bay $10 9pm The Peter Head Trio Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm The Subterraneans Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 7pm

OFF WITH YOUR HEAD

9pm // $5 on the door.

~ featuring ~

JAZZ

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3

GUEST DJs KRIS KEOGH (NT) & SHANNON CONNELLAN (FBi RADIO)

PRESENTED BY ALBERTS

Panics, Toro y Moi (USA), Total Control, Twin Shadow (USA), Washed Out (USA), Yuck (UK) Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle $135 (+ bf) 11.30am Tug Dumbly and The Nine Inch Snails Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm Vibrations at Valve Band Competition: Release The Hounds, Hawk Kestral, Cordea, Underground Architect, Man On The Wall, Hey Baby, Mayhem Addition, The Accidents Valve Bar, Tempe 12pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 +

THE PAPER KITES “WOODLAND TOUR” + SLEEPYHANDS + FAITH

LEE

8PM // $15 + BF through Oztix / $15 on the door

gig picks

up all night out all week...

G N I COMON SO 2

The Horrors

TUESDAY JANUARY 31

MUM DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm

Chairlift (USA), Elizabeth Rose Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $38.50 (+ bf) 8pm

Off With Your Head: Foxx On Fire, Super Florence Jam, Hello Vera, Jimmy Hawk and The Endless Party, Rabbit Hole DJs FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $12 8pm

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1 Catcall, Atom Bombs, The Bloods GoodGod Small Club, Sydney $12 (+ bf) 8pm

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2 Girls (USA), The Twerps Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $45 (+ bf) 8pm The Horrors (UK), Allbrook/Avery Metro Theatre, Sydney $49.70 (+ bf) 8pm Sweet Teeth, Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun, Humans, Making Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 (Hed) P.E (USA), Jeffrey Nothing, Recoil Manning Bar, Sydney University, Camperdown $55.10 (+ bf) 8pm Incubus (USA), Papa Vs Pretty Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park $89.90 (+ bf) 8pm MUM: Fox, Cake Shop, Humans, Go Violets, In Measures, Karl Christoph,

Sound Kapital, Av Okubu, Nova Heart, Xio He CarriageWorks, Eveleigh $25 8pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 Crow, The Holy Soul, The Broken Needles, Camperdown & Out Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $14 (+ bf) 8pm Pear Shape, Sierra Fin, Hot Spoke The Standard, Darlinghurst 8pm SOSUEME: Olympic Ayres, Lovers Jump Creek, New South Whales, Alison Wonderland, Surecut Kids, Shantan Wantan Ichiban Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $10 (+ bf) 8pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5 Bondi Open Air Cinema Launch: The Cat Empire, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Winter People Bondi Beach Pavillion $69.10 5.30pm Seether (South Africa), Numbers Radio Metro Theatre, Sydney $50.90 (+ bf) 8pm

Papa vs Pretty

0

1

2

The Fumes The Hello Morning Polo Club Caravana Sun Donovan Frankenreiter The Mission in Motion I Am Giant Bon Chat Bon Rat Cabins THE Cairos Dune Rats Slow Club [UK] Songs & LIVE E E FR BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 33

34 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

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

brag beats

inside

martin eyerer, john talabot, publicist and more

bass mafia meet the family

also: + club guide + club snaps + columns

BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 35

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

he said she said WITH

M

y musical background really began when I started going to clubs and met people really into music, who showed me new things I loved. DJs first, and friends later, showed me techno and electronic music, then I went back to the ‘90s, ‘80s and ‘70s. Maybe I started the house by the roof, maybe I knew Aphex Twin before Joy Division, but that’s just how it went.

I like so many artists and styles that I can’t pick just one inspiration. But one thing I was really into some time ago was old DJ tapes. People like Baldelli, or the first proper Chicago house radio stations from the ‘80s like the WBMX, with DJs like Bad Boy Bill or Mikey Oliver, were some kind of revelation.

I loved the way they played music back then.

Petter

JOHN TALABOT (SPAIN) I’ve recently been working with Pional, a friend from Madrid who I do my live show with.

I quit my job last year to finish the album. I worked on my own, and had my small little company of TV and ad production – and all my clients understood the decision.

It’s hard times in Spain, so it was not easy to survive.

My range of music taste is quite representative of what I play.

I try to be energetic,

and try to surprise people. I don’t like it when people look like they’re spinning the same track all through the DJ set. I prefer surprises and risky mixing; the mix might get rough, but I like the human part of it. I’m not interested in perfection.

I think it’s a good moment for music – a lot of people can make music with lots of different influences and backgrounds.

In the past you could only be influenced by whatever was in your local record store, or by travelling a lot. Now you can be really into Nigerian music without leaving Oslo. The local scenes are less important because the local has become the whole world, thanks to the internet. I think that’s quite exciting for creative output.

The best thing about my local scene is that it’s only being created just now. We don’t yet have a proper sound coming out of Barcelona; there are many different, varied acts making their own music without one unique direction. But hey, we didn’t have a world champion football team 20 years ago – maybe in 20 more we’ll have a huge, solid musical scene to conquer the world!

With: Adult Disco @ Civic Underground When: Saturday February 4 More: Also playing at Laneway Festival.

CIRCO LOCO EASTER Das Racist

Finely Tuned and Pulse Radio have revealed the lineup for their Easter Circo Loco bash at the Greenwood Hotel on Easter Sunday, April 8. The headline triumvirate will comprise the purported “Queen of DC10”, Tania Vulcano, second-wave Detroit producer Stacey Pullen and Englishman Clive Henry, formerly one half of the now defunct duo Peace Division (along with Justin Drake). For any young sconies unaware of Peace Division, the pair were a pioneering force in the tribal and deep house scene from ’94 onwards, and both Henry and Drake remain key players in the club scene today. Pullen meanwhile was personally groomed by none other than Derrick May, and follows in May’s rather large footsteps with a neo-classical, digital edge to his productions that is absent from many of the grittier Detroit cuts. Any neophytes seeking a sample of Pullen’s sonic sensibility ought to investigate his fabric compilation which still more than holds up when played today. As for Vulcano? While

PETTER @ SHRUG

Shrug seems to us like a strange name for a party – especially one with a lineup that will have techno aficionados pogoing up and down and flailing their arms about like a particularly excitable Muppet. But when someone texts you on the day before Saturday February 4 all, “Hey, what should we do tomorrow night?” you will text back “SHRUG!”, because you will have (maybe) tickets to see Swedish techno star Petter – one third of mindmelting trio Studio Barnhus – with support from Robbie Lowe, Trinity and Dave Stuart. And then, once your friend has confirmed that ‘Shrug’ means a cool party and not that you have no idea what’s going on, you will both be set to head to One22 from 10pm, to make some dents in the dancefloor. For a chance to make this scenario happen, email us a hilarious picture of somebody shrugging. she doesn’t have the production pedigree of the other lads, her sets at Ibiza pantheon DC10 are the stuff of clubbing folklore.

PHOTEK DJ-KICKS

DnB and jungle icon Rupert Parkes, aka Photek, will be at the helm of the next installment of !K7’s DJ-Kicks mix series in April.

The UK veteran pioneered innovative strains of drum’n’bass in the ‘90s, and has recently been picked up as an influence by both the UK bass community and LA beat heads alike. As Photek fans might expect, the forthcoming compilation mostly draws from music around 130bpm in tempo; significantly slower than the DnB that he made his name with, but in line with his recent singles for labels like Tectonic. Boddika, DJG, Pinch and Sepalcure have all contributed tracks to the mix, with material by older hands like DLX and Baby Ford. Photek describes his DJ-Kicks as “... introspective. I imagined that this would be the mixtape that you listen to later on – after the club.”

RDIO LAUNCH PARTY

The anticipated music streaming service, Rdio, has landed in Australia, and Vice magazine is putting on a lavish free fiesta at the Beach Road Hotel in Bondi this Saturday January 4 to celebrate. The party will feature performances from Das Racist, Canyons, Alpine, Jonti, Nantes, Rufus and Collarbones, and special guest DJ sets from Twin Shadow and Austra, along with main-room sets from PhDJ and Randall Stagg and hotel room parties hosted by GoodGod, The Thousands, FBi and Halfway Crooks. Visit rdio.vice.com for your chance to get on the door – there’s 300 double passes up for grabs.

YELAWOLF

Alabama born rapper Yelawolf will perform at The Metro on Saturday March 31 courtesy of Niche Productions as part of his maiden Australia tour. The self-styled “gutter motherfucker from an Alabama creek” wanted to be a professional skateboarder before he was signed by Eminem to the Shady Records imprint. Yelawolf released his debut album Radioactive late last year on the back of two mixtapes (Trunk Muzik and Trunk Muzik 0-60) of considerable quality. Despite their business alliance and a surfeit of lazy critical shorthand based on the visual resemblances between two skinny white boys, Yelawolf is certainly not the new Eminem: he is not a product of Detroit, nor has his reputation been built on pop culture wit and wisecracks. You can see 36 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

what the man is about come the end of March – presales are available online.

FATBOY SLIM SIDESHOW

The one and only Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, will perform an all-ages Future Music Festival sideshow at The Enmore on Thursday March 8. The veteran big beat pioneer’s sonic pedigree is well-documented: his You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby was the soundtrack of 1998, spawning the smash singles ‘Praise You’, ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ and ‘Right Here Right Now’.

He’s since partaken in numerous side projects with the likes of David Byrne, and kept up a relentless touring regime regardless of his age. Norman can still rock it, and first release $50 tickets are available online.

AC Slater

AC SLATER @ LAUNDRY

Brooklyn-based Aaron Clevenger, aka AC Slater, will headline Chinese Laundry on Saturday February 25. “Raised on ‘90s hip hop and nourished by old school rave”, AC broke through with his Jack Got Jacked EP, and has subsequently remixed Boys Noize, Crookers, Moby, Steve Angelo and Laidback Luke. AC also oversees his own digital imprint, Party Like Us. As with all Laundry events, the usual advice to arrive early applies; entry is cheaper before 10pm, and you’ll skip the queues.

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BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 37

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

JOHN TALABOT

five things WITH

PUBLICIST (NYC, EX-TRANS AM)

Growing Up My family is from Argentina and I grew up 1. there, and in Brazil as well. My parents always had pretty big parties with a lot of friends and dancing – especially to Brazilian batucada music. Those are my earliest musical memories – the drums, the people partying, and me wishing I was allowed to stay up later and partake!

Inspirations I’ve worked more in the rock world than 2. in the club world, but I would say some of the more important influences in my formative years were Kraftwerk, Fugazi, Bad Brains, Joy Division and Chrome. But moving to London about six years ago and going to warehouse parties there inspired me to change tack a bit and start Publicist. The mathematical process and possibilities of song construction also inspire me; I like to think of how many possible permutations an intro can have.

Your Crew I’ve worked so long in bands – the 3. special thing about Publicist is that it’s a solo project. It’s literally just me; I write, record, mix and perform everything myself. I even tour

alone. It makes it more of an adventure. There is no one else to act as a buffer between me and the tour.

The Music You Make Imagine sequenced synths with a live 4. drum kit and a vocoder – that’s the live show.

I play some sort of club/house music with no drum machines. Even though I love listening to electronic music, seeing someone twiddle knobs live does not excite me. If someone is going to be performing live I want to see some kind of muscle movement, which is why I do my show the way I do.

If you like your house old-school, your labels cult and your DJs Spanish, you’ll already know that John Talabot is heading to Sydney for Laneway Festival, with a sideshow at the Civic on Saturday February 4. With a unique brand of beats – raw, fresh, distorted and sample-based, with trans-continental inspirations listed as “Afrobeat, Detroit techno, Chicago house and cosmic disco” – Talabot has been pushed through labels like Young Turks (Jamie xx, SBTRKT etc), Permanent Vacation and Future Classic – the latter of whom are bringing him out to Australia for the first time.

Want tickets? Let us know the name of his first full-length album.

John Talabot

Music, Right Here, Right Now I live in NYC, not Sydney, but I will say 5. that I’m a little frustrated by the desire some of my contemporaries here have to recreate past styles so faithfully. Of course I am inspired by the past, but I’m not interested in resurrecting something, and I feel that is a common pitfall in dance music – especially here in NYC. With: Hawnay Troof, Simo Soo Where: GoodGod Small Club When: Wednesday February 8

THE GLIMMERS

Elefant Traks on February 3. HyperParadise traverses future beats, electronica and of course hip hop soundscapes, and follows the success of lead single ‘Speak Of The Devil’, a collaboration with Sydney vocalist Chaos Emerald that garnered plenty of support from triple j and FBi. Hermitude will be embarking on a national tour with label-mates and triple j ‘Next Crop’ artists Sietta in support of the album, and will perform a Sydney show at Oxford Art Factory on Friday March 16. Tickets are available through hermitude.oztix.com.au

Belgian duo David Fouquaert and Mo Becha, collectively known as The Glimmers, will headline Picnic at The Civic Underground on Saturday February 18. The pioneering duo were behind Eskimo Recordings, one of the many highlights of a career that has spanned multiple decades.

Let’s run through a few further highlights, shall we? The pair have curated compilations for Eskimo and done mixes for fabric and DJ Kicks, remixed all and sundry – including Roxy Music and the Australia-bound New Order – and put out countless EPs and albums on their own Diskomo imprint. They’ve released three studio albums and

MIA Hudson Mohawke

Le Brond

SPICE FT LE BROND

An enigma in Sydney’s underground club milieu, Brendan ‘Le Brond’ Cassidy headlines the Spice Cellar on Saturday March 31. Le Brond has carved out a niche in the local dance scene with DJ sets that are meticulously constructed around deep and rhythmic variations on house and minimal sounds. Having spun for many of Sydney’s most respected club brands, including Minimal Fuss, Deep Impressions, The Box and Circoloco, Le Brond has also played alongside renowned club drawcards such as Akufen, Konrad Black, Ben Watt, Dixon, Diatribe and Gregor Treshor – while, in terms of international jaunts, he’s played at Berlin’s Arena Club with Dop and Motor City Drum Ensemble, and at the established Transit party in New Caledonia. Also stepping up to the decks that night will be Murat Kilic, YokoO, Robbie Lowe and Nic Scali. Entry is free with guest list before midnight, and $20 thereafter.

MOHAWKE + RUSTIE DOUBLEHEADER

Niche Productions’ dubstep/funk/ future beats night Hold Tight! will host an evening with Warp Records’ Glasgweigan producers Hudson Mohawke and Rustie on Saturday February 25 at Manning Bar. Mohawke is a precocious talent to say the least, having made his first mixtapes at 10 and started producing beats on a Playstation at 12 before becoming a UK DMC finalist at the age of 14. He’s also enjoyed a rather solid year in 2011, releasing the EPs Satin Pathers and Pleasure Principle. Rustie, meanwhile, makes his Australian debut in 2012 after a terrific end to 2011 and his debut LP Glass Swords, which traversed RnB, crunk, house, techno and dubstep influences. Tickets are available through manningbar.com.au

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countless 12-inches, which range from disco-notdisco and rocky dance jams (a la DFA) to deep electronic grooves and house-influenced beats.

Picnic favourites Marcus King and Long John Saliva will be taking care of support duties on the underground level, while upstairs in the ‘Picnic Saloon’ will be Mirror Mirror, Perfect Snatch and Andy Webb. Presale tickets are $20 from Resident Advisor, and doors open at 10pm.

HAHA FT HUNEE

The highly regarded HAHA crew are hosting Korean-born, now Berlin resident Hunee at Marrickville Bowling Club on Saturday February 11. Hunee has a reputation for being both a DJ’s DJ and a DJ for the dancers, and is primed to release his debut album for Dutch imprint Rush Hour in the second half of the year if the blog of the Retreat label is to be believed (it should be!).

In terms of Hunee’s sonic palette, the presser facetiously elucidates that Hunnee “eats bumpin’ disco for breakfast, heats up deep jackin’ music for lunch and slows it soulfully down for dinner”.

Sydneysiders will have a chance to get acquainted with all his favourite sonic delicacies, with Hunee

slotted to play a three-hour set. Jamie Lloyd will be providing support on the night, and $20 presale tickets are available through hahaindustries.com

LIKES OF YOU FMF TENT

Future Music has announced the program for the Likes Of You ‘Techno Tent’. A major attraction at its gargantuan festival on Saturday March 10, the tent should be the first destination for the more discerning electronic aficionados bearing the masses. Some of the foremost figures in the electronic scene will be representing in the L.O.Y area: Aphex Twin, Sven Vath, Dubfire, Oliver Huntemann, Jamie Jones, Die Antwoord and Azari & III will all be playing there, a list of names that really speaks for itself. Presale tickets to FMF 2012 are still available.

HERMITUDE HYPERPARADISE TOUR

One of the leading lights in the Aussie hip hop scene, Blue Mountains duo Hermitude, will release their fourth album, HyperParadise, on

M.I.A UPDATE

The often inspired, always mouthy sortof-pop star M.I.A is set to release the full-length follow-up to 2010’s /\/\/\Y/\ later in the year, and will prepare the ground for it with a new single, ‘Bad Girls’. Produced by Danja (who may become a more regular figure in camp M.I.A after a recent public slating by ex-production partner Diplo), ‘Bad Girls’ originally appeared on M.I.A.’s Vicki Leekx mixtape, but has since been re-recorded and will be officially released on Tuesday January 30 – which is, like, this week dude.

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Bass Mafia

PLAYER STATS

D

A

Meet The New Weekly Residents Of Chinese Laundry’s Bass Night This Friday night marks the launch of Chinese Laundry’s Bass Mafia, a new weekly night of wall-throbbing, bass-loving, bottom-heavy beats. With it comes a bunch of residents – some fresh faces and some veterans. Want the low-down? Read on...

A PAUL AZZOPARDI aka THE GODFATHER Years on field: Going into my eleventh year promoting now, and in my seventh at Chinese Laundry.

Promoted at: Club Habana (Canberra), Lot 33 (Canberra), Academy (Canberra) and Chinese Laundry.

Inspirations: Sasha, James Zabiela, Danny Tenaglia, Hybrid , Gui Boratto, Erick Morillo – but in terms of bass music, it’d be LTJ Bukem, DJ Marky, Sub Focus, Nero, Bassnectar and Alix Perez.

What’s Bass Mafia? Sydney’s biggest weekly bass music night – a home of dubstep and drum‘n’bass in Sydney. A great crowd, a great crew of local DJs, the best international artists, and just overall good times week to week.

STEVE LIND (not pictured) Pseudonyms: Spenda C, The Main Thing, The Hump Day Project.

Time on field: Seven years.

Past wins: Resident @ Chinese Laundry for five years, toured with Good Vibes, warmed up for Kanye.

Inspirations: J-Trick, Danny Byrd, A-Skillz Bass Mafia arsenal: Spenda C – ‘Getting Dumb’; Punk Ninja Feat.

Oh Snap – ‘Chakka Zulu (Spenda C Remix)’; Aquasky – ‘Get Me Out (Spenda C Remix)’ What else are you bringing? I’ll be bringin’ the moombahcore to da floor!

B HYDRAULIX

Past wins: Chinese Laundry, The Wall, Candys Apartment, Tank Nightclub.

Inspirations: Sub Focus, Tantrum Desire, Kill The Noise, DZ, SPL, Roksonix.

Recent buys: SPL & 12th Planet – ‘Lootin ‘92 VIP’; Pop The Hatch & Shudder X – ‘Burn The Sky’; Syrebral – ‘Broken Angels VIP’.

Bass Mafia arsenal: The Squatters – ‘Rock To The Rhythm’; Will Bailey – ‘Xpander (Figure Remix)’; The Yank – ‘We Can’t Be Stopped’.

E C

B

What else are you bringing? I’ll be opening, so I’m going to try and keep it fun and boppy with some glitch hop, moombah and of course fidget.

C LINKEN

Time on field: Four years.

Past wins: Played at Chinese Laundry, Arthouse, Oxford Art Factory, The Forum and Favela; warmed up for Andy C, London Elektricity, DJ Friction, Sigma, Chase & Status and Culture Shock.

Inspirations: Andy C, Friction, Fierce, DJ Marky, LTJ Bukem, Cyantific, N-Type, Culture Shock, Wilkinson, Royalston, Noisia, Phace. There’s really too many to name.

Bass Mafia arsenal: Wilkinson – ‘Pistol Whip’; Culture Shock – ‘Protection’; Linken x Royalston – ‘Upfunk’.

What else are you bringing? I mix on three decks, so generally an intense mixture of the different corners of drum’n’bass. I try to keep it changing up and entertaining, and play a pretty broad spectrum of styles of drum’n’bass.

D + H GLOVECATS Time on field: Three years.

Past wins: Parklife, Stereosonic, Future Music, Creamfields.

Inspirations: Skream, Benga, Rusko, Caspa, Joker, N Type.

Recent buys: Trolley Snatcha – ‘Make My Whole World’; Doctor P – ‘Neon (Roksonix Remix)’; Redlight – ‘Get Out Of My Head (Joker Remix)’ Bass Mafia arsenal: Dream & Beezy – ‘X Rated’; Benga – ‘Any Steppers’; Skrillex – ‘Kill The Noise.’

What else are you bringing?

Booze and bass.

E + J DOCTOR WEREWOLF Time on field: Seven years.

Past wins: Started the year off with a rad set at Field Day, and have supported Nero, Chase & Status, Sub Focus, Rusko, Bassnectar, Noisia, London Electricity, Stanton and more.

F

I H

G

Inspirations: The Prodigy, Chase & Status, Knife Party, Zomboy, Dodge & Fuski, Soulwax and Rage Against The Machine.

Bass Mafia arsenal: Doctor Werewolf – ‘Trololo’; Doctor Werewolf – ‘Lasercat Rocket Attack!’; that one that goes ‘wubwubwubnpyowwwwrurrrp’. That one.

What else are you bringing? We never ever plan our sets (like, ever), so it’s hard to know how to answer this – except to say you’ll pretty much hear every track ever made through a blender that’s strapped to the back of a rave-panda being shot around the Large Hadron Collider. But, you know, with more bass.

F A-TONEZ

Pseudonyms: Asylum, with DJ Samrai.

Time on field: Twelve years.

Past wins: Played at Chinese Laundry, Good Vibes, Parklife, Stereosonic; supported Rusko, 12th Planet, LTJ Bukem, Danny Byrd, Stanton Warriors, Plump DJs, Drop The Lime, AC Slater.

Inspirations: All of the guys in the above list – plus Rusko and Skream & Benga.

Bass Mafia arsenal: Paul Harris – ‘I Want You (Bar 9 Remix)’; Flux Pavillion – ‘Got To Know’; Modestep – ‘Sunlight (Jacob Plant Remix)’ What else are you bringing? I tend to mess around with a lot more remixes and edits, dropping things that I guess can be slightly more approachable for people that aren’t necessarily there for dubstep. I leave the hectic shit for the rest of my Bass Mafia crew!

J

K

G VERTIGO

Time on field: Five years.

Past wins: Supporting LTJ Bukem at the NYE Garden Party at Chinese Laundry, and Andy C at the last two Bass Drop Boat Parties – and playing the majority of clubs in Sydney town.

Inspirations: Icicle, Alix Perez, Spectrasoul.

Recent buys: Spinline – ‘Artificial’; Amoss – ‘Astrodome’; Need For Mirrors – ‘Columbia’.

Bass Mafia arsenal: Need For Mirrors – ‘Sharp Teeth’; Krakota – ‘Tunnel Vision’; June Miller – ‘Snapcase’.

What else are you bringing?

Straight up danger from beginning to end!

I

BRUXISM

Time on field: Eight years.

Past wins: Supporting Mark Instinct at Chinese Laundry last year – and any time I play there or at The Wall on Wednesdays is ridiculous.

Inspirations: Noisia, Rob Swire, Spor/Feed Me, Sub Focus, Original Sin. Three records in your bag: Original Sin – ‘Therapy’; Foreign Beggars & Noisia – ‘Contact’; Sub Focus – ‘World Of Hurt’.

Bass Mafia arsenal: That’s a secret…

What else are you bringing?

A broad variety of bass-heavy music, cheeky changes in tempo, scratching and turntablism coupled with raw, aggressive form behind the decks.

THE HATCH K POP Pseudonyms: Boss Bass

L

(collective/event), KPC (collective), Subspace (with Autoclaws).

Time on field: Eight years producing, two years DJing.

Past wins: Supporting Rusko, DZ, Downlink, Doctor P, and playing at All City Bass, Boss Bass and Shooters.

Inspirations: Noisia, Foreign Beggars, Headhunterz, Noisecontrollers.

Bass Mafia arsenal: Pop The Hatch & Shutter-X – ‘Burn The Sky’; DJ Shadow – ‘Midnight In A Perfect World (Pop The Hatch & Bruxism Remix)’; Kombat & Aztec – ‘Shatter Ft. Maksim’ What else are you bringing? A fusion of bass-heavy music, mixed with a dash of turntable trickery – a recipe for total aural annihilation!

K AUTOCLAWS

Time on field: Six years.

Past wins: Playing at Defqon 2011, amongst sets supporting Doctor P, Freq Nasty, Funtcase and Helicopter Showdown.

Inspirations: Noisia, Sub Focus, Noisecontrollerz, Andy C, Freq Nasty Bass Mafia arsenal: 12th Planet & SPL – ‘Lootin ’92 VIP’; Kill The Noize – ‘Still Speeding’, Zomboy – ‘Pressure’.

What else are you bringing?

Heavy basslines, dark screaming synths, quick mixing and genre skipping, dubstep, DnB, drumstep, moombah – all tunes bass heavy, and plenty of cheeky bootlegs to get your heart pumping.

Where: Bass Mafia @ Chinese Laundry When: Every Friday night from 10pm

Martin Eyerer Kling Klong Turns Seven By Rick Warner

F

rom shadow-producing records for Eurohouse luminaries like DJ Sammy in his early years (who could forget that vomitinducing trance remix of Don Henley’s ‘Boys Of Summer’?) to becoming one of the go-to guys for techno mastering in Europe, Martin Eyerer has been immersed in dance music throughout the last twenty years. His revered home studio is a constant drop-by spot for some of the scene’s most notorious – Gui Boratto, Sasse, Anthony Collins and Robert Babicz are among the friends who pop over for sessions – and his label, Kling Klong, has been releasing tunes since 2005.

We caught up with Martin on the eve of a tour that will see him play Spice Cellar this weekend, in celebration of Kling Klong’s seven years. Fresh off the plane from Argentina, he talks to us about his studio, his label, and making cheese for a buck.

Your music has always had a strong following Down Under – especially your early remixes, like Aquanuts’ ‘Deep Sea’ and Commander Tom’s ‘Are Am Eye 2.3?’. Do you feel that you have a particular connection to Australia?

Travelling to Australia the first time was a big challenge for me, and very exciting. I found a country of probably the nicest people on the globe, and indeed, I felt pretty connected to it. I was happy about the success that Chopstick and I had with our ‘Haunting’ single in 2006, too.

Apart from your DJ schedule, you’re also famed for your state-of-the-art studio.

You’re the in-house masterer for Kling Klong of course, as well as Great Stuff, Craft, Connoisseur, Stil Vor Talent and a few others. Is mastering just something that pays the bills, or do you find some deeper

40 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

satisfaction?

This is something I don’t do just for money at all. Actually, when I [calculate] all the money I spent on mastering equipment and the time I use it in relation to the earning, I shouldn’t be doing it at all. But I’m a bit of a gear head and I really love adding my touch [to] productions, and hopefully taking them to a next level.

With your productions, you seem to enjoy collaborations as much as you do solo work – you’ve worked with the likes of Gui Boratto, Robert Babicz and Tom Clark among others. What is it about working with other people that you enjoy so much?

Working with other people – or I should better say, friends – has two [benefits]. On one hand, it’s a totally different creative process, and it’s very exciting to see how other producers [make] music. On the other hand, it’s very nice spending time in the studio with a friend and having three days together. We all travel so much that we don’t meet that often, so when we schedule in studio time, it’s intense.

You’re also a prolific remixer. What are some of the favourite remixes you’ve released?

That’s a hard question – I think I always love best the last remix I did. The reason being I don’t give out my work before I am 100% satisfied. I am adjusting and evolving personally [with my] sound, so old stuff is never my favourite. At the time it was out though, it simply was perfect for me.

Your label Kling Klong isn’t afraid to put out music by lesser-known artists. What is your criterion when choosing from the countless promos you receive?

It’s risky, as these days only big names sell big.

I am running [Kling Klong] together with my partner Rainer Weichhold, and the main criteria is that we both have to be convinced about every single track we release. This sounds easier than it is. Rainer is a bit more commercial and I am a bit more underground, so when there is something we’re both into, it works.

At the beginning of your production career, you were shadow producing for Euro-house artists like DJ Sammy. Was that simply a decent money-making gig, so you could start making your own tunes?

In a way you’re right. It gave me money to follow whatever course I liked, independent from any income. [Then] I could focus much more on my DJ career.

You made trance records just as the genre was booming in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

Was it a fun time?

I always liked what I did in that time – [but] after a few years in trance, I realised that this music was, and still is, not evolving at all. And standing still is dying, I think… Making the switch [to

house and techno, around 2005] was fun; asking for a five-hour-long set instead of two. When I was playing that trance stuff before, it moved into a direction that I didn’t like, so I would have been happy with shorter sets – but at the end of the day, that’s not what DJing should be about.

When you visit Sydney this time around, you’ll be playing a new club, The Spice Cellar.

It’s a smaller venue with an intimate vibe.

What can we expect from your set?

Smaller venues are about working much more directly with the crowd. [With] bigger festivals or venues it’s more indirect. I definitely prefer the smaller and intimate parties – I’ve heard only the best things about Spice Cellar. Expect good energy, and new stuff from Kling Klong, from myself, and from a few friends.

With: Murat Kilic, Garry Todd, Nic Scali, Sam Roberts, Steven Sullivan & Christian Verlaan Where: Kling Klong’s 7th Anniversary @ The Spice Cellar When: Saturday February 4

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

James Holden

MARTIN EYERER DE

T

hree of the rising stars from James Holden’s venerated Border Community imprint, Luke Abbott, Fairmont and Avus, will tour Australia in March and make up a delectable triple bill at Chinese Laundry on Saturday March 23. Though Holden is a chap who needs little introduction, the three aforementioned artists he has mentored have more demure profiles – though they’re certainly highly regarded by electronic connoisseurs. “I tend to get quite bored with music that’s just made in a club and is very functional,” Holden offered when I spoke with him around the time his DJ Kicks compilation was released. “Why do we have to suffer that, why do we have to sit through those bits? It’s unnecessary!” This mantra applies to all of the artists signed to Border Community. Abbott’s Holkham Drones album from last year is a great snapshot of the ambient psychedelia that imbues the label’s sound, and featured tracks that attracted remixes from interesting producers such as Etienne Jaumet, RocketNumberNine and Gavin Russom. Fairmont is the alter-ego of Canadian producer Jake Fairley, whose cut ‘Oshawa’ was featured on Holden’s classic Balance mix before the Fairmont moniker was well and truly cemented with the release of the Coloured In Memory album back in ’07. Avus meanwhile is both an accomplished producer and DJ with a lengthy UK club pedigree, including a resident slot as warm-up man at the former Border Community nights at London clubspot The End. To see these three artists play live should offer hugely innovative, and at times challenging, variations to the well-worn electronic/club blueprints that we’re normally exposed to in Sydney. As Holden said of the Border Community culture, “I don’t really care what goes on in the middle of the dance scene to be honest. We can carry on doing what we’re interested in, and there are enough people in the world to find that interesting, so we can just do it. It’s sort of healthy for the scene too; I don’t think monocultures produce good music.”

Pencil this triple-header in the diary.

Continuing the Border Community motif, Shrug kicks off its 2012 events by hosting Petter Nordkvist aka Petter, who is touring Australia as part of the Rainbow Serpent Festival, this Saturday at the newly-launched One22 venue.

Petter was one of techno’s rising stars in the mid noughties due to Six Songs, his sublime EP released on – yeah, you got it maestro – the Border Community label.

After a lengthy period of hibernation,

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4

SAT 4 FEB

Petter One22, 122 Pitt St Glitch The Abercrombie

SATURDAY MARCH 23

Avus, Fairmont, Luke Abbot Chinese Laundry

PETER HORREVORTS GEM RECORDS | NL

SUNDAY APRIL 8

Clive Henry, Tania Vulcano & Stacey Pullen The Greenwood Hotel Petter has resurfaced as part of the DJ trio / record label Studio Barnhus, alongside Axel Boman and Kornél Kovács, and collaborates with Axel Boman as Salax Peep Show. Petter was last in Australia for the epic livewire gig in 2008, and as anyone who was lucky enough to be there that night will tell you, it was one of ‘those’ nights – as this coming Saturday very well may be. Grab your $15 presale tickets through Resident Advisor – or it's $20 on the door.

Esteemed Cologne-based label Kompakt has just released its 11th annual Pop Ambient compilation, like, yesterday (add extra days on as you get further away from January 30). Curated as usual by label co-founder Wolfgang Voigt, Pop Ambient 2012 features two contributions from Voigt himself – one of which is a track from Mohn, his new collaborative “ambient-grunge-downbeat” project with longtime sparring partner Jörg ‘The Modernist’ Burger. Other participating artists include Superpitcher, Triola, Magazine (the Cologne electronic group, rather than Howard Devoto’s post-punk ensemble), Bvdub, Marsen Jules, Loops Of Your Heart, Morek and ex-Slowdive member Simon Scott. The press are gobbling up the promos and responding to the release with considerable exuberance, with one particularly excitable fellow lauding the compilation as “a stunning trip through blossoming soundscapes, and a must-have for fans of quality down-tempo electronica.”

SAT 11 FEB TRUS’ME PRIME NUMBERS | UK

SAT 18 FEB

b a s e m e n t

Wolfgang Voigt

l e v e l ,

5 8

e l i z a b e t h

s t

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

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 41

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

club pick of the week Das Racist

Ruby Rabbit, Darlinghurst Resident DJs 9pm Scubar, Sydney Schoonerversity 3pm Tracks Nightclub, Epping Hotel DTF DJ Tom Piper free 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Sam Scratch, Bass Riot, Singha, Adrian Gidaro, Zwelli, Jack Bailey, T-Bo $5 9pm

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi

VICE presents:

‘Chateau Rdio’ Rdio Launch Party:

Das Racist, Canyons, Alpine, Jonti, Nantes, Twin Shadow DJs, Austra DJs, Collarbones, Rufus and more free (RSVP online) 7pm MONDAY JANUARY 30 Goldfish, Kings Cross We Owe You One 6pm Scubar. Sydney Crab Racing 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Jazz DJs free 7pm

TUESDAY JANUARY 31 Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Bondi Beach

42 :: BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12

The Jinglists $33 7pm allages Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel DJ Willie Sabor 8pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Jurassic Lounge After Party Kris Keogh, Shannon Connellan $5 9pm Goldfish, Kings Cross We Owe You One 6pm Scruffy Murphy’s, Sydney Frat House free Scubar, Sydney Backpacker Karaoke 8pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Coyote Tuesdays DJs free 9pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross Tuesdays Andy & Mike, Pablo Calamari free 8pm

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1 The Flinders Hotel, Darlinghurst Hip Hop DJs free 8pm Kit & Kaboodle Supper Club, Kings Cross Resident DJs 8pm The Lansdowne, Broadway Frat House Wolf & The Gang free 9pm

The Arthouse Hotel, Sydney Lounge DJs 8pm Cargo Lounge, Kings St Wharf Dance The Way You Feel 6pm The Flinders Hotel, Darlinghurst Hippies From Hell DJs free 8pm Goldfish, Kings Cross We Owe You One 6pm GoodGod Small Club, Sydney Young Turks Takeover! Young Turks DJs Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Resident DJs free 8pm Ivy, Sydney Ivy Live DJs free 6pm Low302, Darlinghurst Thursday Switch DJs free 9pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Hot Damn DJs $15-$20 Ruby Rabbit, Darlinghurst Resident DJs 9pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Flaunt Resident DJs 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda The Horrors DJs, Urby, Shag, Mush, Dan Bombings free-$5 9pm

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 Arq, Sydney Fomo Justing Scott, Brett Austin, Jimmy Dee, Kitty Glitter $20 9pm The Arthouse Hotel, Sydney This is RnB G-Wizard, Def Rok, Troy T, Lilo, MC Jayson $15 9.30pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Movement – The Frequency Lab Showcase Monk Fly, Roleo, Elliot, Limetipe, Huw free 8pm Candys Apartment, Kings Cross Button Down Disco Ember, 2Busy 2Kiss, Kyro & Bomber, Hypa, Sherlock Bones, WhatIs?, LeBronx, Habbits and The Kid 8pm Cargo Lounge, Kings St Wharf Kick On DJs Chinese Laundry, Sydney Delta Heavy (UK), Glovecates, A-Tonez, Adam Zae, Linken, Vertigo, Struz $15-$25 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Volar Resident DJs 10pm Cohibar, Darling Harbour DJ Jeddy Rowland, DJ Mike Silver free Dee Why RSL Club Justice Crew, Young Men Society $40 (+ bf) 8pm allages GoodGod Small Club, Sydney Sparkling Drag Party Slow Blow, Softwar, DJ Buttfuck $10 10pm Hotel Chambers, Martin Place F**k Me I’m Famous Resident DJs $15 9pm

Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Rat Pack DJs Jacksons On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJs free Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Falcona Fridays Kristy Lee, Starjumps, Stoney Roads, DJ Rumfoord $10 8pm Kong’s Jungle Lounge, Bondi Junction W!ldlive Fridays Resident DJs $10 10pm The Marlborough Hotel Level 1, Newtown Resident DJs free Metro Theatre, Sydney SBTRKT $41.90 8pm Oatley Hotel We Love Oatley Hotel Fridays free 8pm The Roxy, Parramatta Fridaze Resident DJs 4pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Payday Fridays Resident DJs 8pm Selina’s Nightclub, Coogee Bay Hotel Resident DJs 8pm Space, Sydney Zaia Resident DJs 9.45pm Tracks Nightclub, Epping Hotel Flirt Resident DJs free Tunnel Nightclub, Kings Cross Why Sleep? DJs $10-$15 10pm The Watershed Hotel Bring On The Weekend! DJ Matty Roberts free The Wolf Bar, Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour Digital Therapy 1st Birthday Aaron Camz, Big J, Adam Byrne, T&O, DJ Moody Bay $10-$15 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM Fox, Cake Shop, Humans, Go Violets, In Measures, Karl Christoph, MUM DJs $10-$15 8pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 The Abercrombie, Broadway Glitch Gus Da Hoodrat, Glitch DJs, Matt Aubusson & Dave Choe, D&D, Motorik!

DJs, Le Brond free 5pm The Basement, Circular Quay Katherine Elliz (UK), Mr Doris (Ibiza), Shane Sos, Peter Glass $30 (+ bf) 7pm Candys Apartment, Kings Cross

Shake! Shake! Shake!

MooWho, Zomg! Kittens!, Disco Volante, FLCKR, C. Rain 8pm Cargo Lounge, Kings St Wharf Kick On DJs Castle Hill RSL Club Justice Crew, Young Men Society $40 (+ bf) 8pm allages Chinese Laundry, Sydney Clubbers Guide To 2012 Danny T, Too Fresh, The Hump Day Project, A-Tonez vs King Lee, Emoh Instead, FT Mode, Little Fritter, Ben Ashton, Steve Dee vs Andy Hitchcock, Ella Loca, Ramske $20 9pm Civic Hotel, Sydney Adult Disco John Talabot (Spain), Future Classic DJs, Angelo Gruzman, Ze $15 (+ bf) 8pm Cohibar, Darling Harbour DJ Brynstar, DJ Mike Silver free Darling Harbour Pier 26 Wet Dreams Boat Party Zannon, Dan Absent, Matt Ferreira, Gemellini, Paul White, Dammit, Jarrad Pearse, Naughty Noize, Kidd Wah, Timmy Lala $50 5pm Dee Why Hotel Kiss & Fly Saturdays Resident DJs 9pm Establishment, Sydney Sienna G-Wizard, Troy T, Lilo, Def Rok $20 9pm The Flinders Hotel, Darlinghurst Horne Dogg free 8pm Goldfish, Kings Cross Jackin Kinky Movement (UK), Hannah Gibbs, Illya, Matt Roberts, 2phat Jackin DJs $20 6pm Hotel Sweeney’s Rooftop, Sydney Killpop Kuriosity Kills, Snap Neck DJs $10 2pm Ivy Poolclub, Sydney Change Saturdays Residents DJs 8pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Ultimate Party Venue Resident DJs free Kit & Kaboodle Supper Club, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Resident DJs 8pm Manning Bar, University of Sydney, Camperdown Tipper (UK), Ill Gates (USA), DOV (USA), Spoonbill $32.65 9pm The Marlborough Hotel Level 1, Newtown Resident DJs free Metro Theatre, Sydney JamRock Showcase J Boog, Million Stylez, Saea Banyana Dance Group,

Delta Heavy

club guide send your listings to: clubguide@thebrag.com Gabriel Clouston $15-$20 10pm

Anna Lunoe

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5

Jamrock! Sound Crew $45 (+ bf) 8pm Nevada Lounge, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm One22, Sydney Petter, Robbie Lowe, DJ Trinity, Dave Stuart $15-$20 10pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Sosueme Olympic Ayres, Lovers Jump Creek, New South Whales, Alison Wonderland, Surecut Kids, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. DJs $10 8pm Ruby Rabbit, Darlinghurst Resident DJs 9pm Selina’s Nightclub, Coogee Bay Hotel Resident DJs 8pm Soho, Potts Point Inthemix Summer Series The Only, Wax Motif, Anna Lunoe free 10pm Space, Sydney Masif Saturdays Resident DJs 10pm

Spectrum, Darlinghurst Kittens Kittens DJs $10 11.30pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Martin Eyerer (GER), Murat Kilic, Garry Todd, Nic Scali, Sam Roberts, Steven Sullivan, Christian Verlaan $20 10pm Tunnel Nightclub, Kings Cross ONE Saturdays DJs $10-$20 10pm Valve Bar, Tempe BeeBQ Vic Zee, Mookie, Abel El Toro, Mike Big FX, Raine Supreme, $ Money, Andrew Wowk, HPS?, Martin Stace, Aggrovator, Protagon, Meister Black, Allan Nonamaka, Shaden Freude, Manheim Rocket 12pm The Watershed Hotel Skybar The World Bar, Kings Cross Wham Bass Kleph, Kraymer, Adam Bozzetto, Mr Doris, Joy Ride, Illya, Lola Siren, Joe Gadget, Man He Can,

The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills Beresford Sundays Resident DJs free 5pm Goldfish, Kings Cross Martini Club 6pm Gypsy Nightclub Sensation Sundays Resident DJs $10-$15 11am Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Sneaky Sundays Resident DJs 8pm Name This Bar, Darlinghurst Sunday Sets DJs 6pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sets DJ Tone free 7pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Young Turks After Party SBTRKT, John Talabot, Oneman, Bullion $15 (+ bf) 11pm Phoenix Bar, Darlinghurst Loose Ends Matty Vaughn free 10pm Ruby Rabbit, Darlinghurst Resident DJs 9pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice Murat Kilic, Sam Roberts $20 4am The Watershed Hotel Afternoon DJs DJ Brynstar free The World Bar, Kings Cross Dust Telefunken, James Taylor, Alley Oop, Sulo free 7pm

club picks up all night out all week...

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3

The Lansdowne, Broadway Frat House Wolf & The Gang free 9pm

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Movement – The Frequency Lab Showcase Monk Fly, Roleo, Elliot, Limetipe, Huw free 8pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Clubbers Guide to 2012 Danny T, Too Fresh, The Hump Day Project, A-Tonez vs King Lee, Emoh Instead, FT Mode, Little Fritter, Ben Ashton, Steve Dee vs Andy Hitchcock, Ella Loca, Ramske $20 9pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Delta Heavy (UK), Glovecates, A-Tonez, Adam Zae, Linken, Vertigo, Struz $15-$25 10pm

Civic Hotel, Sydney Adult Disco John Talabot (Spain), Future Classic DJs, Angelo Gruzman, Ze $15 (+ bf) 8pm

Metro Theatre, Sydney SBTRKT $41.90 8pm

Goldfish, Kings Cross Jackin Kinky Movement (UK), Hannah Gibbs, Illya, Matt Roberts, 2phat Jackin DJs $20 6pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall Sam Scratch, Bass Riot, Singha, Adrian Gidaro, Zwelli, Jack Bailey, T-Bo $5 9pm

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2 GoodGod Small Club, Sydney Young Turks Takeover!

Young Turks DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda The Horrors DJs, Urby, Shag, Mush, Dan Bombings $5 9pm

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 The Abercrombie, Broadway Glitch Gus Da Hoodrat, Glitch DJs, Matt Aubusson & Dave Choe, D&D, Motorik! DJs, Le Brond free 5pm SBTRKT

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Sosueme Olympic Ayres, Lovers Jump Creek, New South Whales, Alison Wonderland, Surecut Kids, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. DJs $10 8pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Martin Eyerer (GER), Murat Kilic, Garry Todd, Nic Scali, Sam Roberts, Steven Sullivan, Christian Verlaan $20 10pm

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5 Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Young Turks After Party SBTRKT, John Talabot, Oneman, Bullion $15 (+ bf) 11pm

BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 43

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gabby

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

crooks

PICS :: KC

21:01:12 :: The Spice Cellar :: 58 Elizabeth St Sydney

20:01:12 :: Ruby Rabbit :: 231 Oxford Street Darlinghurst 93310633

cesare vs disorder

It’s called: Kling Klong’s 7th Anniversary It sounds like: Unique European undergroun d house.

Who’s spinning? Martin Eyerer (Kling Klong , GER), Murat Kilic, Garry Todd, Nic Scali, Sam Rober ts.

Three songs you’ll hear on the night: ‘Cring e’ – Solo; ‘Blackstreet’ – Garry Todd; ‘Yellow (Murat Kilic Remix)’ – Rolan d Nights.

And one you definitely won’t: Anything David Guetta, Deadmau5 or Armin Van Buuren.

Sell it to us: Good crowd, awesome sound system, great cocktails = Sydney’s new hotspot.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Hopefully you will still be rocking it on the dancefloor in the AM; we don’t usual ly close until after 9am.

Crowd specs: Down to earth and musically educated people who know how to party.

Wallet damage: FREE before midnight for guestlist / $20 after Where: The Spice Cellar / Basement Level, 58 Elizabeth Street (CBD) When: Saturday February 4 / from 10pm

PICS :: AM

20:01:12 :: The Exchange Hotel :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93601375

party profile

the exchange hotel

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king klong's 7th anniversary

propaganda

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21:01:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool Street Sydney 92673787

plump djs

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19:01:12 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

21:01:12 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 82959958 44 :: BRAG :: 447: 30:01:12

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER PEACHEY :: GEORGE POPOV :: TIM WHITNEY MAR :: DANIEL MUNNS :: THOMAS

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up all night out all week . . .

COOGEE BAY HOTEL

DANCE Potbelleez Live

in Selina's

tickets available

sosueme

PICS :: AM

on moshtix.COM.AU

21:01:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford st, Darlinghurst 93323711

REGGAE rebel Souljahz Live

in Selina's

tickets available on moshtix.COM.AU

POP Belinda carlisle Live

in Selina's

tickets available

the cool room

PICS :: TW

on moshtix.COM.AU

19:01:12 :: Australian Brewery :: 350 Annangrove Rd Rouse Hill 9679 4555 :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER PEACHEY :: GEORGE POPOV :: TIM WHITNEY MAR :: DANIEL MUNNS :: THOMAS

BRAG :: 447 :: 30:01:12 :: 45

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insert coins

PICS :: KC

up all night out all week . . .

wham!

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19:01:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 93323711

noize

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21:01:12 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

heatwave

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robopop

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20:01:12 :: The Gaelic Club :: 64 Devonshire St Surry Hills 92111687

20:01:12 :: FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel :: 248 William St Kings Cross 93319900

19:01:12 :: The Enmore :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 95503666

It’s called: Shrug presents Petter (Sweden) It sounds like: Weird, eclectic house, genre -bending electronica and deep, twisted melodic techno.

Who’s playing? Petter (Studio Barnhus / Borde r Community / Manual Music), Robbie Lowe, Trinity, Dave Stuar t Three songs you’ll hear on the night: ‘Some thing Is Raw’ – STL; ‘Free For All (Soundstream Remix)’ – Rhythm & Sound ft. Paul St. Hilaire; ‘Downunder Dub (Trinity & Beyond Remix)’ – Nadja Lind.

And one you definitely won’t: ‘I’m So Excite d’ – The Pointer Sisters.

Sell it to us: Petter is one of electronic music ’s dark horses, and pulls inspiration from all forms of house and techn o – so expect to hear tunes you’ll never hear anywhere else.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Nothin g. Your brain’s going to be left in a molten puddle of goo on the dance floor.

Crowd specs: Friendly dancers.

Wallet damage: $15 from Resident Adviser / $20 on the door Where: One22 / 122 Pitt St (entry via Lees Crt) CBD When: Saturday February 4 / 10pm-5am

46 :: BRAG :: 447: 30:01:12

the argyle

PICS :: AM

party profile

petter @ shrug

21:01:12 :: The Argyle Hotel :: 18 Argyle St The Rocks 92475500 :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER PEACHEY :: GEORGE POPOV :: SAM WHITESIDE MAR :: DANIEL MUNNS :: THOMAS

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