The Brag #482

LT S + P O N T I A C + T H E FA U

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS

A WEEKEND OF GRAPHIC STORYTELLING, ANIMATION & MUSIC

10 & 11 NOV

DR. SEUSS MEETS ELEFANT TRAKS A musical tribute featuring The Herd, Hermitude, Urthboy, Sietta, Joelistics, Unkle Ho, The Tongue, Jimblah and more 11 NOV / FROM $29*

EXCLUSIVE ALBUM PREVIEW

ALBUM PREVIEW

NZ’s nine times platinum, seven-headed soul monster presents the worldwide premiere ere of their 4th album

PHOTO BY KERRY BROWN

FAT FREDDY’ S DROP BLACKBIRD: AN ANIMATED & ILLUSTRATED 10 NOV FROM OV / F FRO ROM RO M $5 $59* 9 9*

CREATIVE PARTNER

TICKETS & FULL LINE-UP SYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM/GRAPHIC *TRANSACTION FEE OF $5-$8.50 APPLIES TO ALL BOOKINGS, EXCEPT INSIDERS

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 3

ALPINE ALT-J BAT FOR LASHES CHET FAKER CLOUD NOTHINGS DIVINE FITS EL-P FLUME HENRY WAGONS & THE UNWELCOME COMPANY HIGH HIGHS HOLY OTHER JAPANDROIDS JESSIE WARE JULIA HOLTER KINGS OF CONVENIENCE MS MR NICOLAS JAAR NITE JEWEL OF MONSTERS AND MEN PERFUME GENIUS POLICA POND REAL ESTATE SHLOHMO SNAKADAKTAL THE MEN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD THE RUBENS TWERPS YEASAYER

TICKETS ON SALE

FRI 05 OCT

* ( ) SAT 02 FEB SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS SCA ROZELLE TO SEE WHICH ACTS ARE EXCLUSIVE TO LANEWAY FESTIVAL AND FOR MORE DETAILS ON CITY SPECIFIC LINE UPS, GO TO LANEWAYFESTIVAL.COM.AU SUBJECT TO COUNCIL APPROVAL

*

4 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 5

6 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

COMING UP

CNR KING & SUSSEX STREET ( UNDER SLIP INN )

chineselaundryclub.com.au

BUY NOW AT

THUR 25 OCT

THE TREWS (CANADA)

+ SPECIAL GUESTS, DOORS AT 7PM

UPSTAIRS BERESFORD.COM.AU

LEVEL 1, 354 BOURKE ST. SURRY HILLS BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 7

8 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

John Butler Trio (NYE Midnight Set) Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (usa-nye sEt) tHE bLacK sEedS (nz) fRiEndLY fIreS dj Set (uk-nye sEt) kRaFty kUtS Vs A.sKilLz (UK) tHE hERd (aus) Kaki King (USA) Blood red Shoes (UK) Unknown Mortal Orchestra (USA) Electric Wire Hustle (NZ) King Tide (AUS) mAt. mChUGh & THE SEPERATISTA SOUND SYSTEM (aus) 65DaysoFstatic (UK) Deep Sea Arcade (AUS) Gold Fields (AUS) Gossling (AUS) Will & The People (UK) Chapelier Fou (Fr) The Medics (AUS) NorthEast Party House (AUS) HatFitz and Cara (aus) Tuka (AUS) The Cairos (AUS) The PreaTUREs (AUS) Battleships (AUS) Lime Cordiale (AUS) Daily Meds (AUS) JONES Jnr (AUS) Tigertown (AUS) MicroWave Jenny (AUS) also featuring — The Return of The Dub Shack Plus many more artists to be announced...

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 9

10 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

SUNDAY 7 APRIL SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE 136 100 TICKETMASTER.COM.AU

ON SALE THIS THURSDAY THE BRAND NEW ALBUM ‘#3’ FEATURING ‘HALL OF FAME’ AVAILABLE NOW

THESCRIPTMUSIC.COM FRONTIERTOURING.COM

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 11

NICHE PRODUCTIONS & ASTRAL PEOPLE PRESENT..

ASTRAL PEOPLE PRESENTS

F R I D AY O C TOB E R 19t h

JIMMY EDGAR

ALBATROSS CHARLIE CHUX FRAMES ASTRAL DJs

SECRET INNER CITY WAREHOUSE. 9PM. BYO

$25 + BF EARLY BIRDS // $30 + BF GENERAL RELEASE VIA MOSHTIX

ASTRAL PEOPLE PRESENTS

Teengirl g Fantasy (R&S / TRUE PANTHER / US)

Australia / New Zealand Tour 2012 Friday 23rd November - Melbourne - Melbourne Music Week Saturday 24th November - Perth - Gilkinsons Sunday 25th November - Brisbane - Barsoma Friday 30th November - Wellington - Puppies Saturday 1st December - Sydney - Goodgod Small Club

WWW.ASTRALPEOPLE.COM “LIKE� US ON FACEBOOK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ASTRA F LPEOPLE “FOLLOW� US ON TWITTER WWW.TWITTER.COM/A / STRAL_PEOPLE

12 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 13

rock music news

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

on the record

WITH

JACKSON FROM NORTHEAST PARTY HOUSE The First Record I Bought 1.

I bought two CDs when I was around seven years old: a Silverchair single and a Sugar Ray album. I bought the Silverchair single as a mistake – I thought I was getting ‘Anthem For The Year 2000’, but I actually got ‘Anna’s Song’ with an a capella version of ‘Anthem For The Year 2000’. I was severely disappointed, but eventually grew to like the other tracks.

The Last Record I Bought 2.

The xx’s Coexist. I was a

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Benjamin Cooper, Alasdair Duncan, Christie Eliezer, Murray Engleheart, Andrew Geeves, Chris Honnery, Nathan Jolly, Anna Kennedy, Sheridan Morley, Jenny Noyes, Hugh Robertson, Rebecca Saffir, Romi Scodellaro, Jonno Seidler, Rach Seneviratne, Roland K Smith, Laurence Rosier Staines, Luke Telford, Rick Warner, Alex Sol Watts, Krissi Weiss, Caitlin Welsh Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this address 8a Marlborough Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9552 6333 fax - (02) 9319 2227 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of The BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Stephen Forde : accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: Wednesday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Thursday 12pm (no extensions).

Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Cartrage P/L ACN 104026388 All content copyrighted to Cartrage 2003 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@furstmedia. com.au or phone 03 9428 3600.

PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 Win a giveaway? Mail us a stamped and addressed envelope, and we’ll send your prize on over...

14 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

‘Stand Tall’. Since then, the band has been recording a bunch of demos for our debut album.

The Record That Changed My Life It was a Nirvana best-of. Wow. It was 5. released just as I was learning to play guitar, and I learnt to play every single song on it.

I eventually went through their entire back catalogue and became completely obsessed with Kurt Cobain.

What: ‘Stand Tall’ is out on October 5 through Stop Start Where: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi / UTS Oktoberfest / The Beresford Hotel When: Wednesday October 3 / Thursday October 4 / Saturday October 6

TENNISCOATS!

MAXÏMO AWESOMO

“Our songs are built on empathy,” explains Maxïmo Park frontman Paul Smith, and instead of this being the usual code for “our songs are soft, sad, soppy whimpers”, you should read it as meaning: “our excellent new record The National Health is vital and uplifting while also reflecting the sad state of affairs that surround us, innit?” Buy a ticket for their Hi-Fi show, which happens on January 3 – or catch them at Falls or Southbound. They’ll probably play ‘Apply Some Pressure’, too.

PALMER TOUR

“Amanda Palmer wants musicians to play for free even though her fans gave her, like, a billion dollars to make an album, but she bought cocaine and yachts and Albini rules, and she has eyebrow tattoos, why would you do that?” That was basically what the internet was whining about all last week, which unfortunately obscured the fact that Amanda Palmer has a lavish, new record called Theatre Is Evil, which is a slice of punk-cabaret yay-ness. She’s bringing her Grand Theft Orchestra to Enmore Theatre on February 7 to play songs from the new record, and hopefully some of her older stuff/Dresden Dolls stuff. She has a song called ‘Map Of Tasmania’, for example, which we can only assume is a tale about explorer Abel Tasman. Presale happens on October 10 from 2pm, but the main sale is October 12 from 9am.

BLONDIE TOUR

Hey Lil Wayne, hey Kreayshawn, hey 2Pac hologram – did you know the first ever rap broadcast on MTV wasn’t some groundbreaking, militant underground video, or a cheesy, ghettoblasting hip hop banger? It was a Blondie song called ‘Rapture’... Unless you class Lou Reed’s entire career as one long rap like he does (really, he claims rap music as his invention), then this is a fairly monumental and oftoverlooked achievement – although it possibly says more about the inherent racism of white, ‘80s America than anything else… We won’t be worrying about any of that mess on December 6 at The Enmore, when Blondie play alongside The Stranglers and The Machinations; we’ll just be yelling for ‘The Tide Is High’ or their ‘Hanging By The Telephone’ cover. Tickets go on sale October 9.

HOLY SCRIPT!

Irish juggernaut quartet The Script pulled the most boss move while in Sydney last week.

They sold out The Metro in minutes like it ain’t no thing and then, while actually in the city, lazily announced they’ll be back in April, this time to play the Entertainment Centre on April 7. Then they walked offstage, did a four-way group hug, and sang ‘Sunday, Bloody Sunday’ [citation missing]. Tickets on sale this Thursday October 4.

Japanese psych duo Tenniscoats are headlining a show at The Square in Haymarket on October 11 in support of their recent album All Aboard!.

You may have caught them when they were last out in 2010 supporting Deerhoof. If not, prepare to have your mind twisted, crinkled and then blown. Tickets only $15, too!

THE CIVIL WARS

There’s nothing remotely combative about The Civil Wars’ beautiful music, which is possibly why the Grammy Award-winning (then gloating to all their high school teachers who said they’d never be high flyers) duo have chosen to tour a tour of churches and other architecturally aweinspiring venues. March 6 they play the beautiful St Stephen’s Church in Newtown in front of an intimate audience (and possibly God, too, if you’re into that kind of thing?) Tickets go on sale this Friday October 5.

Bombay Bicycle Club

TOBY + BOB

Go into the manila folder where you keep every issue of BRAG’s Rock News and pull out last week’s write-up about Robert Forster, Go-Betweens genius and dapper dresser; the one about how he is playing two shows at The Vanguard on November 9 and 10. Now scribble underneath it: “Joining him for both shows is Youth Group frontman Toby Martin, who is currently touring his brilliant debut solo record Love’s Shadow and probably won’t do ‘Forever Young’ – unless that Home & Away/ Underbelly actress who looks like Marissa Cooper is there and he gets all confused.”

KIRIN YAY CALLINAN

So, we all think that Kirin J Callinan’s giflathered video for ‘W II W’ is possibly the best/ most unsettling thing we’ll see this year, and clearly Kirin agrees, ‘cos he has jumped from director Kris Moyes to older brother Kim Moyes, who will be reuniting with Kirin in the studio (he recorded the Mercy Arms record many moons ago) to produce his upcoming debut record. In the interim he is playing a sneaky October 11 show at Oxford Art Factory.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

Bombay Bicycle Club, which we understand is a British four-piece and not the lamest bikie gang ever, are returning to our shores (well, our streets at least – the British hate the beach) for a January 7 show at The Enmore Theatre, and instead of supporting snooze-core band Elbow like they did last time, they are travelling alone like a gang of Kevin McCallisters, singing songs from their 2011 record A Different Kind Of Fix and rigging paint-can and micro-machine booby traps. Tickets on sale from Monday October 1.

Xxx

EDITOR: Steph Harmon steph@thebrag.com 02 9552 6333 ARTS & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Dee Jefferson dee@thebrag.com 02 9690 2731 STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Benjamin Cooper NEWS: Nathan Jolly, Chris Honnery

GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Conrad Richters - gigguide@thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) INTERNS: Natalie Amat, Siobhan Graham, Charis Lynn, Tanydd Jaquet, Jam Head

The Last Thing I Recorded The last thing I recorded in the studio 4. was my guitar parts on our latest single

Hey! You like cool things, right? Come buy some of them at the Rock ‘n’ Roll & Alternative Market, held at Sydney University on Sunday, October 7 – there are over 60 stores, taking in vintage and new fashion, records, collectibles and more. Exchanged all your money for gold bullion again? Not a problem, come along anyway and watch sets from ‘80s indie pop group Mushroom Planet, ‘70s Melbourne mods Little Murders, those rockabilly staples Pat Capocci Combo, Mother Truckers, Jordan C. Thomas Trio and some DJs: The Crimplenes, Brian, Rod Almighty & Toz Riot. That sounds like a good day, and it only costs a gold coin.

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

ADVERTISING: Ross Eldridge - 0422 659 425 / (02) 9690 0806 ross@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 8394 9027 les@thebrag.com

there screaming into it and finding extreme joy in hearing the feedback.

TO MARKET WE GO

Maxïmo Park

ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Nohmon Anwaryar, Katrina Clarke, Ashley Mar, Daniel Munns, Thomas Peachy, George Popov, Pedro Xavier

The First Thing I Recorded When I was six I had a little red toy tape 3. recorder with a plastic mic, and would stand

Xxxx

bit late jumping on The xx boat; I only really started listening to their first album last year. I saw them when they were in Melbourne in July, and Jamie xx claimed that the new record would include some “club bangers”, so

I bought the new album hoping for some heavier beats.

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 15

rock music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

he said she said WITH

BEC LAUGHTON for music. And also how I got so good at doing random accents.

My sister was a dancer and my brother a mini Steve Irwin. I guess we were all raised to think out of the box and chase our dreams.

The first album I owned was The Lion King. The first single I ever bought was Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’, and she has always been my number one – then I found Erykah Badu, another favourite. But my true inspiration comes from the real music I see created around me, from artists like Mark Lowndes (Brisbane), Ben Abraham (Melbourne), and Noah Slee & The Backyard Jam (New Zealand).

M

y dad was a musical director, so I grew up as a theatre orphan

sleeping backstage at shows.

I guess that’s how I ended up having an inescapable desire

It’s taken me two years to find the perfect band, and now we have it. Lui and Lene, The Amato Bros, are on drums and bass, and you couldn’t get a tighter combo; island boys who have more feel than you could ever poke a stick at. We’ve also got Jose Vides from El Salvador on keys and trumpet, who almost dances more than me on stage, and Lai and Rach are my uber-talented backing vocalists, who met through my music and are now dating! Hot. Then there’s music director Imraan, who is a musical genius and looks like Prince. Win.

FREE WORMS!

Since forming in 2009, Melbourne’s Eagle And The Worm have felt the immense pressure to move to the bigger stages and buses that come with such a rise of popularity. Not due to any burning ambition, mind – mainly just because they are sick of cramming eight members onto the same small-spaced OH&S nightmares. Luckily when they launch their new EP Strangelove (out October 12), they’ll be doing it on that large stage at Brighton Up Bar on Oxford Street.

It’s not until November 29 though, which is plenty of time to learn an EP’s worth of songs and sing them loudly back at the band.

CABINS

Here’s the plan: nobody tell Sydney band Cabins that the hypnotic, melodic thing they do is worth charging for, because at the moment fans of the group have it pretty sweet.

The band’s new single ‘In Blue’ is currently available for free download from their SoundCloud, and to launch it they are playing a show at The Annandale on October 25, which is free entry provided you rock up before 9pm. Don’t mess with the till.

Alpine

LANEWAY 2012

Laneway Festival, as is their way, have released the kind of lineup that fills you with joy at the sheer enormity of it, then with dread at the amount of potential timetable clashes. Guess we’ll have to go to all of the sideshows too. It’s on at Rozelle’s Sydney College of the Arts again, this time on February 2, and here’s the lineup: Alpine, Alt-J, Bat For Lashes, Chet Faker, Cloud Nothings (‘No Future/No Past’ = opening track of the year), Divine Fits (more like Divine Britts, amiright??), El-P, Flume, Henry Wagons, High Highs, Holy Other, Japandroids, Jessie Ware, Julia Holter, Kings of Convenience, The Men, Ms Mr – mid-alphabet breather – The Neighbourhood, Nicholas Jaar, Nite Jewel, Of Monsters And Men, Perfume Genius, Polica, Pond, Real Estate, The Rubens, Shlohmo, Snakadaktal, Twerps and Yeasayer.

Presale starts Wednesday October 3, but you have to sign up to their email list by Monday October 1 – which might just be today!

FESTIVAL OF THE SUN

If soul was allowed to make love to pop, reggae, funk and hip hop, our music would be the baby. Think Amy Winehouse with less drug addiction, Adele with more tongue-in-cheek, Britney Spears with no Britney Spears.

We recorded our latest release in Melbourne with Jan Skubiszewski (Cat Empire, Bliss N Eso, Jackson Jackson), and there’s a really fun mix of sounds. Island vibes, ‘90s hip hop, and some feels that could be N.E.R.D.-meets-Sister Act. Our live show is a whole other playing field – we are all absolutely crazy. I don’t think there’s any way to catch the electricity without witnessing it yourself.

The music scene is always going to be equally amazing and messed up. There’s so much talent emerging out of Australia, and so much talent that goes unnoticed. It’s very much an inbred industry, where you have to know the right people and scratch the right backs. But I think if you’re talented enough and hold on long enough, you can rise above it all in the end.

With: Mark Lowndes, Jess Beck What: By The Fire EP is out now Where: El Rocco Jazz Cellar When: Friday October 5

HARD KNOCKS

The Knocks from New York City are so hot right now. They write and produce for Katy Perry and Rihanna, tour with Sleigh Bells, MIA and Big Boi, and now they are playing Oxford Art Factory on Friday November 30 – which is about all that’s left for them to do at this point. Tickets from falcona.com.au.

STRANGE TALK

Melbourne four-piece Strange Talk were in their Melbourne studio listening back to their new single ‘Cast Away’ when in burst renowned producer Tony Hoffer, who had heard the shimmering synths, the layered vocals and the tom-heavy percussion all the way from America. He convinced them that, since he produced M83 and Temper Trap’s latest records, he would be the perfect man to mix the single, then started mixing it right

Here at BRAG, we love a good boutique festival. We especially love them in summer, by the sea, with a BYO policy – so we couldn’t exactly walk past this year’s Festival Of The Sun without a double take. The beachside camping event – which takes place on December 15 & 16 at Port Macquarie’s Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park – has roped in a huge number of awesome faces, including those of Kimbra, Hermitude, Husky, Dead Letter Circus, DZ Deathrays, The Datsuns, Busby Marou and The Snowdroppers, and if last year’s sold-out weekend is anything to go by, you best be getting yourself to the website to buy a ticket now. We’ve got a double pass to give away to one of you though; for your chance to win, tell us an interesting fact about Kimbra.

DRUNKEN MOON FESTIVAL

Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders call themselves “sex-voodoo Delta blues-abilly”, which is the kind of genre name we’d be poking fun at if it wasn’t so staggeringly accurate. The Melbourne band are getting set to tour Australia, but they’re doing it differently this time; frontman James Grim has handcrafted a whole friggen festival, selecting a huge variety of bands tied together only by a mutual respect for one thing: the good ol’ fashioned blues. On Saturday October 13, Gay Paris, Jackson Firebird, Mother And Son, Papa Pilko & The Binrats and Howlin’ Steam Train will be steaming through Manning Bar at Sydney University for Drunken Moon Festival, headed by The Brothers Grim themselves.

Tell us your favourite track of theirs for your chance at a double pass.

there without even discussing money. What a guy. Catch Strange Talk at The Standard on November 30, with Movement and Olympic Ayres in tow.

BLACK CHERRY TURNS SIX

Every year, Black Cherry host a Halloweenthemed birthday party. This year, in accordance with mathematics and time, the rockabilly/ burlesque/band/everything event is turning six, and the theme is Halloween/Day Of The Dead – which ticks all of the boxes and happens October 27 at The Factory Theatre. Playing on the night will be Mikelangelo And The Tin Star, along with Los Capitanes, Captain Reckless And The Lost Souls, Neon Heart and plenty more. Plus there’s a bunch of burlesque artists, Cantina Mobil will be serving up Mexican food, and the Green Fairy Absinth Bar will be providing themed cocktail creations. Go!

Dan Sultan

GOSFORD SAFARI

Hey Gosford! No not you, Bateau Bay. Stay out of this, Terrigal. Tuggerah, back off!

Gosford: Jinja Safari are coming to play an all-ages show inside of you, as part of their regional all-ages tour presented by the good people at Indent. It happens on December 7 at the Youth Arts Warehouse, with a $10 presale (via indent.net.au) or $15 on the door if you’re feeling lucky – but judging by past all-ages shows, which have people lining up for hours before the gig and Instagramming photos of actual Jinja Safari tattoos (!), you should pretty much buy a ticket NOW.

TREW DAT

The Trews are one of those Canadian bands where every single song sounds like it is made for the radio – which is certainly the case with their new gratefully apologetic EP Thank You And I’m Sorry, which is out on October 22 and features a sterling cover of Paul Kelly’s ‘Leaps And Bounds’, a song which Canadians have no right knowing about. I hope they made his reference to the MCG aboot the The Calgary Ice Hockey Rink instead. Find out on October 24 at The Brass Monkey, or at Upstairs Beresford the following night. Or that weekend (October 27, 28) at the Sydney Blues And Roots Festival.

ROCK FOR RECOGNITION

Dan Sultan usually just rocks for the sake of rockin’ because that’s how he (rocks and) rolls. But on November 9, at The Factory Theatre, he, along with Leah Flanagan and Dead Marines, will be rocking for recognition – more specifically, in order to raise awareness and promote the need for recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution. It’s as much of a no-brainer as gay marriage equality, so support it.

“You saw me on a pavement, puttin on a cabaret - I was just a stranger, sippin on some Beaujolais” - GRINSPOON 16 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 17

The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

Lifelines Split: One Direction’s Liam Payne and dancer Danielle Peazer, after two years.

Hospitalised: Cat Power for a weekend, for an undisclosed medical issue, but she happily posted photos of her meals – even her discharge pack!

Injured: America’s Got Talent contestant The Horse (Zac Gordon), during a stunt involving him jumping from a two-story roof and landing crotch-first on a wooden plank – instead, he ended up on a bucket of cement being used to hold the wood in place. He broke several ribs and defacated on impact.

Suing: Insane Clown Posse are suing the FBI for labelling their fans, 'The Juggalos', as a criminal gang in its National Gang Threat Assessment report, alarmed by their “destructive and violent nature”. They wear face paint, drink soft drink Faygo, and support acts on Posse’s label Psychopathic.

Arrested: There were 18 arrests for drug possession at Newcastle’s Fat As Butter festival, and 60 detained for underage drunkenness, police said. They added that the crowd of 11,000 was mostly well-behaved.

Died: US crooner Andy Williams (‘Moon River’, and 42 hit albums), 84, bladder cancer.

MAUBOY, GURRUMUL, LAST KINECTION WIN AT DEADLYS

In the music section of the Indigenous Deadly Awards, Jessica Mauboy won Female Artist Of The Year while her ‘Galaxy’ took Single Of The Year. This year, instead of her hair stylist, Mauboy brought her mum and thanked her “for allowing me to be who I am.” Other winners were Gurrumul Yunupingu (Best Male Artist), Last Kinection (Band Of The Year), Troy Cassar-Daley (Album Of The Year, for Home), Yung Warriors (Hip Hop Artist Of The Year) and Marcus Corowa (Most Promising New Talent).

The Jimmy Little Award for Lifetime Achievement to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music went to The Sapphires screenwriter Tony Briggs and The Original Sapphires, Beverly Briggs, Naomi Mayers, Lois Peeler and Laurel Robinson. APRA presented its APRA Song Of The Year award to Busby Marou’s ‘Biding My Time’, for earning the most APRA income by an ATSI songwriter.

PURPLE SNEAKERS: NEW LABEL, NEW SYDNEY CLUB Club promoters and DJs Purple Sneakers have launched a digital singles-only label to expose the sort of new music they take to their clubs and blog, which introduced The Rubens, Alpine, Rufus and Elizabeth Rose to the 50-60,000 who hit the site each month.

“We’ll release the sort of music we’d play in our clubs,” says Martin ‘PhDJ’ Novosel, who

co-founded Purple Sneakers with Randall Stagg. The two, along with team club booker Petchey and website editor Gabe Gleeson, choose the tracks. The first release is by Purple Sneakers DJs, followed by those from a US club band, a New York house act and a South African bass/hip hop posse. This is Novosel’s second label: his first was Boundary Sounds, and he admits he started the clubs to keep the label afloat. Next month sees Purple Sneakers return to Sydney after a year. Discovery, at the 100-capacity Brighton Up Bar on Oxford Street, opens on Friday October 26.

FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES FAN INITATIVE

Future Entertainment, who run the Future Music and Summadayze festivals, as well as numerous club tours, have launched an initiative called Future Fans. Consumers sign up to futurefans.com.au and promote the festivals and events to friends and family through social media and other networks. In return they get cash through commission, and reward points which get them CDs, tickets, artist meets, merchandise and other prizes, including holidays and a car.

HAVANA BROWN: A MILLION SALES IN AMERICA

Aussie DJ/singer Havana Brown’s single ‘We Run The Night’ has hit the 1 million mark in America, and was certified Platinum. It topped the US dance charts earlier this year. The track went 4x Platinum in Australia and Platinum in New Zealand and Canada. It will be released in the UK and Europe next month.

NEW PINK ALBUM: TRIPLE PLATINUM IN AUSTRALIA

The new Pink album The Truth About Love had enough advance orders in Australia for it to be certified triple Platinum (sales of 210,000), according to Sony Music Entertainment Australia. The album debuted at #1 on the ARIA chart last week, making it her fourth charttopping album. She’s about to announce an Australian tour: the last one stretched out to 58 sell-out dates.

CHUGG TEAMS WITH HOMEBAKE

Michael Chugg’s Chugg Entertainment has been brought in by Homebake promoters IMC and Village Sounds to co-produce the December event. “Right now in the live market, our local acts are doing as strong business, in some cases even better, than some international acts – so it’s a great time to get involved,” said Chugg. “There is so much love for this festival, and we just can’t wait.” Chugg and Homebake previously collaborated on charity events Wave Aid, Live Earth and Sound Relief.

The response has been overwhelming. Already about 130 from around the country have confirmed they are attending, some flying in from America and Asia. Ian Peel, one of the organisers, told us: “We as a collective were an important part of music legacy, and that must be remembered.” If you were a roadie from that era and want to attend, Peel can be contacted at ichibantuna@hotmail.com

KYLIE BEATS KYLIE AT THE HELPMANNS

Kylie Minogue’s Kylie Aphrodite Les Folies Tour in 2011 beat Minogue’s other Anti-Tour at the Helpmann Awards, for Best Australian Contemporary Concert. Also in the category were Cold Chisel and Keith Urban. Prince’s Welcome 2 Australia show took Best International Contemporary Concert over Foo Fighters, Roger Waters and Sade. Tasmania’s MONA FOMA won Best Contemporary Music Festival over Bluesfest, Future Music and Vivid LIVE. The JC Williamson Award for outstanding contribution to the industry went to the late Dr Jimmy Little AO, and arts publisher Katharine Brisbane.

GREEN DAY'S ARMSTRONG: WHAT CAUSED THE MELTDOWN?

What sparked off Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s public meltdown in Las Vegas, which led to him going into rehab? After a year on the wagon, he was drinking heavily on the day of the iHeart Radio Music Festival, says drummer Tre Cool’s ex-wife Claudia Suarez Wright. “In Las Vegas there’s a lot of temptation to drink, and it’s tough to be around when you’re fighting against it,” she said. Green Day had their 45-minute set cut by 20 minutes to make way for Usher. A screen popped up to say they had a minute left. He screamed, “Give me a fucking break. One minute left!

You’re going to give me fucking one minute. Let me tell you something – I have been around since 1988 and you’re going to give me one fucking minute! I’m not fucking Justin Bieber you motherfuckers!” He smashed his guitar and stormed off.

ARIA PREPS FOR FINE ARTS & ARTISAN ANNOUNCEMENT

ARIA announces winners of the Fine Arts and Artisan categories on Wednesday October 3, when it will also announce the nominations for the remaining genres. Fine Arts covers the best albums in the classical, jazz, world music and soundtrack categories. The Artisan division is for producers, engineers and cover art. The cover art sees Gotye’s father Frank De Backer

CHUGG TEAMS WITH DANCE FESTIVAL

Another overseas dance festival is looking at coming to Australia early next year. America’s Lights All Night has teamed with Chugg Entertainment to stage the event here; the city and dates are still being worked out. Now in its third year, Lights All Night runs December 29-31 in Dallas, with a bill including Tiësto, Bassnectar, Nervo, Crizzly, Avicii, Dallas’ Play-N-Skillz and Calvin Harris.

ROAD CREW REUNION

A reunion of all road, rigger, lighting and sound crews who worked in the industry before 1982 is being held in Melbourne on November 26.

THINGS WE HEAR

* Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee let slip that Crüe and Kiss will tour Australia together early next year. Meanwhile, Joe Perry confirms Aerosmith definitely have Australia on their world tour in 2013. * The Dee Why Hotel on Pittwater Road, which returned to showcasing live music two years ago, is up for sale. It comes with a 3am licence. * Is this tour exhaustion talking? Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon told US radio that he intends to “wind down” the band, explaining “I really feel the need to walk away from it while I still care about it.” His management later explained that Bon Iver was just taking a break after a two-year world tour...

We has internets!

www.thebrag.com Extra bits and moving bits without the papercuts 18 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

nominated for his work on Making Mirrors, and late photographer Rennie Ellis for the print he gave for the cover of Oh Mercy’s Deep Heat.

See ariaawards.com.au for the full list.

GALLAGHER VS BRAND

Good buddies Noel Gallagher and Russell Brand have been winding each other up in public. It began when Gallagher left a message on the comic’s answering machine after the Olympics: “After two weeks of glory, to have left it to a junkie in a top hat to murder The Beatles to round off what was a brilliant celebration of Great Britain..." Brand plays the message at his shows each night, before calling Noel’s home to leave this message, “Murdering The Beatles? At least I didn’t dig ’em up and base my career on ’em!” Gallagher had the last say about his fling with Geri Halliwell: “At least I’m not shagging Geri. I mean, out of all the Spice Girls – not Ginger!”

OXFORD ART FACTORY & MARQUEE LIFT THE BAR

Oxford Art Factory was lauded as the venue with Best Music Offering at the Australian Bar Awards. It beat out fellow Sydneysiders The Standard and Upstairs Beresford, Melbourne’s Corner Hotel, Survivor! Club Of Legends, The Toff In Town and Blue Diamond, and Perth’s Ellington Jazz Club. The awards were held in Sydney. In the Nightclub category, The Marquee took top honours, ahead of Sydney’s Ivy Saturdays, Kit & Kaboodle, Melbourne’s Survivor! Club Of Legends, Eurotrash, and Eve, and Adelaide’s Limbo.

THE HERD ZIP IT

The Herd are Zipping It (being silent) for 24 hours on World Mental Health Day, Wednesday October 10. It is a new campaign to raise awareness for mental health, with funds divided between Black Dog Institute, headspace, Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Australia. The Herd’s fundraising page is at zipit.org.au

SAAB SPLIT

After 15 years and 350 shows, 78 Saab are calling it a day. They play a final show at their spiritual home, the Annandale, on Saturday December 1.

WANNA DJ AT DAPPLED CITIES’ GIG?

Dappled Cities are offering a DJ in each state the chance to spin tunes at the shows on their Lake Air tour. Fire up your Spotify account and upload your Lake Air DJ set playlist to facebook.com/dappledcitiespage * The Annandale Hotel is using the wonderful world of social media to hunt down two Einsteins who broke in at 6.30am.

They caused $5,000 worth of damage, nicked a bottle of Midori and then sat down for ten minutes to have a beer and a banana Paddle Pop. All this time the ‘Dale’s security cameras were recording their faces. A photo’s up on Facebook. * Ricki-Lee Coulter is still spinning over the fan who got her autograph on her body, and then got it tattooed. “Can’t believe it!” she posted on Facebook. * Channel [V] will screen a one-hour special on Parklife on Sunday October 14 at 5pm. * Paul Heaton’s tour in mid-October has been cancelled due to “personal circumstances.”

This Week

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

Nekromantix Fri 5 Oct

THEHIFI.C

(DEN/USA)

Russian Circles (USA) Sat 6 Oct

Just Announced

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group (USA)

Maximo Park (UK)

Marduk (SWE)

Tortoise (USA)

Thu 3 Jan

Sat 12 Jan

Thu 11 Oct

Alt Rugby Commentary

Thurston Moore (USA)

Sat 20 Oct

Fri 26 Oct

FA ST SE LL IN G

SE LL IN G

FA ST

Sat 1 Dec

Gomez (UK)

Fri 12 Oct

Fri 19 Oct

Feat.

Jed Thian

FR EE SH O W

Everclear (USA)

District 7 Fest Feat: The Getaway Plan Leb I Sol (MKD) Tuneboy, + More

The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1

Sat 27 Oct

Only U18 Tickets left!

O PE NE R AL NI BU G M HT

Wed 21 – Tue 27 Nov

State of Emergency Thu 22 Nov The Living End Mon 26 Nov

Modern Artillery Fri 23 Nov The Living End Tue 27 Nov

The End Is Just The Beginning Repeating Sat 24 Nov

Turbonegro (NOR) Thu 6 Dec

SE LL IN G

FA ST

NB: Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free), Lamborghini Angels & Bitch Bad

ALBUM OUT NOW

Sat 10 Nov

FA ST

The Living End

White Noise Wed 21 Nov Roll On Sun 25 Nov

Mahalia Barnes & Prinnie Stevens

Sat 3 Nov

SE LL IN G

NEW ALBUM Food & Liquor II:

Sun 28 Oct

65daysofstatic (UK)

Crystal Castles(CAN) Kerser

Wed 2 Jan

Thu 17 Jan

Sat 2 Feb

An Evening with The Hoff (USA) Fri 15 Feb

ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER, BUILDING 220, 122 LANG RD, MOORE PARK, SYDNEY

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 19

Balls Out

By Lachlan Kanoniuk

I

t’s been a few years since LA rock monsters Steel Panther vehemently penetrated the world’s eardrums with the resounding battle cry of ‘Death To All But Metal’, and they’ve stayed true to their all-conquering ethos ever since. Evidently, the world – Australia in particular – has heeded the call. After a typically turbulent recording process, the band unleashed their second serving of unabashed hair metal glory, Balls Out – featuring tracks like ‘17 Girls In A Row’ and ‘It Won’t Suck Itself’ (with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, no less).

Australian audiences first witnessed these songs during the band’s arrival for the massive Soundwave Festival earlier this year – a tour which included some decent-sized double-headline Sidewaves with Alter Bridge. With the announcement of a swift return to our fair land to hit even bigger venues, it seems we can’t get enough of Michael Starr, Satchel, Lexxi Foxx and Stix Zadinia.

“Oh my god, that tour was amazing.

I think Australia has really great taste in music, that’s what I think it is,” Starr says the month before their triumphant return, trying to explain the phenomenon that was their Soundwave appearance. “We had no idea what the reception would be, and to come out on stage early – sometimes it was like noon, and it would just be packed. It was so fuckin’ fun, all the other bands on the tour would come to side-ofstage and watch our show. It was so flattering and so unexpected and overwhelming and fun. I dunno man, but to be received like that – I don’t want to sound corny – but it was really a blessing. We’re so stoked to have the opportunity to come jam there and fuck all those hot chicks

The release of Steel Panther’s debut record, Feel The Steel, was accompanied by a no-nonsense, prometal manifesto. “I gotta tell you man,” says Starr, “it’s time for heavy metal to come back. I think people are sick and fuckin’ tired of listening to Justin Bieber.” Indeed, the following years saw a massive resurgence in the long-dormant genre, from massive arena tours from the original titans, to the runaway success of the Rock Of Ages musical. So with their original goal seemingly achieved, what domains are left for Steel Panther to conquer? “I think we not only need to do world domination, but galaxy domination,” Starr declares. “First we have to start off by completely dominating the whole world. So far we have Australia, Europe, North America, Canada – and now we need South America, Asia; we need everything. I think everyone should be able to enjoy heavy metal, don’t you?”

A year after its release, their followup record, Balls Out, has more than seeped its way into the consciousness of the adoring Steel Panther fan base; live shows see full-throttle sing-alongs to anthems like ‘Just Like Tiger Woods’ (sometimes replete with a spot-on Woods impersonator on stage) and ‘Gold Digging Whore’. It’s a response that has even exceeded Starr’s decidedly cocksure expectations.

“It’s been really good. We’re not a traditional band that sells a lot of records. Most people just download our stuff for free, which is totally cool,” he states with refreshing aplomb.

“Everybody knows our stuff. It’s been

great. What we try to do when we’ve been touring is play 50-50 – in other words, 50% off Feel The Steel and 50% off Balls Out. We try to mix it up as best we can. Even when we play a track from Balls Out that we think people may not really respond to, they seem to still get it and love it. So it’s been cool so far.”

Another Balls Out cut, ‘I Like Drugs’, displays both the four-piece’s aversion to metaphor and their penchant for drugs. The recording of the album was beset by a revolving door rotation into and out of rehab facilities. In fact, it’s a miracle the album even saw the light of day. “I don’t think they were actually demons, but we got our advance for the record and it was bad timing,” Starr admits. “You should never advance a band all their money from the record before they record, because there is no incentive. Once you start partying you’re like, ‘Fuck’.

But everyone’s fine now. We have a new manager who made us go on salaries, so we don’t get anymore than we need for the month, you know what I mean? There’s no extra money just sitting in our pockets, so we’re not going, ‘What do we do with all this? Let’s go get some shit!’ That’s worked out really good, everyone’s cool, everyone’s really happy.

“That’s some advice I’d give anyone that’s trying to make it: don’t start shooting heroin. That’s a bad thing.

If you’re going to shoot heroin, do it with your parents,” he states sagely.

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend that.

Just stay away from the opiates.

They’re pretty addictive, and you’ll end up doing shit you regret. Cocaine is pretty safe.”

“You should never advance a band all their money before they record, because there’s no incentive. Once you start partying you’re like, ‘Fuck’... That’s some advice I’d give anyone that’s trying to make it: don’t start shooting heroin.”

The Steel Panther following is spreading forth much like an out of control STI, to the point where fans focus their at-times lustful adoration on a singular band member. “Oh my god, are you kidding me? Lexxi Foxx has a lot of chicks that dig the fuck out of him. It’s crazy. I think the reason they love him so much is because he’s safe. Then I have my share of fans as well, there are definitely Michael Starr fans, there are definitely Stix fans, there are definitely Satchel fans. You can always tell who the Satchel fans are,” Starr explains, “because they’ll look you in the face and go, ‘Fuck you.’”

Besides the fans, each Steel Panther show seems to get the seal of approval from the rock gods of days gone by: the aforementioned side-of-stage nods, the tour support requests, or even special guest on-stage appearances. Are we witnessing the heavy metal torch being passed down? “No, I don’t think it’s been passed down,” Starr demurs.

“I think what’s happening and what you’re witnessing is everybody coming together in the community.

We were touring with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, and they don’t need to pass down any fuckin’ torch, quite honestly. It’s more like, ‘Come on, welcome Steel Panther, welcome to heavy metal-ville, we’ve been doing it for 25 years’. Def Leppard taught us a lot of shit about what it means to be on the road, and what it means to be an arena act. It’s a lot different than playing clubs. But I think we’re all just coming together, man, and rockin’. It’s fun watching Sebastian Bach jam, and fuckin’ hanging out with Scorpions. It’s a fuckin’ dream come true.”

What: Balls Out is out now With: The Art Where: Big Top, Luna Park When: Friday October 5 (SOLD OUT) / Saturday October 6

“You’re getting closer now to what you’ve always wanted in your life” - GRINSPOON 20 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Xxx

I first spoke to Starr ahead of the Soundwave visit at the start of the year, when he then laid clear Steel Panther’s less-than-wholesome intentions. “So that’s where we want to infiltrate – the vagina of Australia –

and work that magic.” It’s safe to say we can consider ourselves infiltrated.

too,” he beams. “Australian chicks are pretty fucking hot, dude.”

TIMOMATIC SYDNEY ALBUM LAUNCH WE DN ES DAY 3 OC T

Perform ing his new single ‘INCREDIB LE’ with his dancers , new tracks off his debut album and the hits ‘SET IT OFf, IF LOOKS COULD KILL and CAN YOU FEEL IT.’

FREE

y entr

THURSDAY 4 october

JESSIE MORRIS & THE 3 BEANS + Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun + DJ Flux friday 5 october

ALPHAMAMMA + C Major + Breeze + DJ Kitsch78 SATURDAY 6 october

KINGSWELL + Shag SUNDAY 7 october FROM 2.00PM

CONTINENTAL ROBERT BLUES PARTY + Kevin Bennet FROM 8.30PM

SUITE AZ + Troy T NO cover charge

$5

house spirits, wine and beer MONday-friday from 5-7pm

WED-SUN 5pm til late

The Star Pty Limited ABN 25 060 510 410. Think! About your choices.

Call Gambling Help 1800 858 858 www.gamblinghelp.nsw.gov.au.

The Star practises the responsible service of alcohol. Guests must be aged 18 years or over to enter the Casino.

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 21

Stephen Malkmus Electricity And Lust By Nathan Jolly

“I

don’t think I’m one of the great lyricists or anything, but I try to develop my own sort of iconography, and just be myself – and that’s all I can really take credit for.”

Stephen Malkmus is discussing his reputation as one of the most feted lyricists in modern music. As Malkmus rightfully points out numerous times, it is easy to critically disassemble his lyrics and singular songwriting technique: fractured phrases crash into non-sequiturs; songs barely hold a common thread from one line to the next; throwaway thoughts are shoved unceremoniously against sweet succinct ones; and verses wander into the woods with the attention span of a Ritalin-kid. Like Dylan before him, Malkmus is clearly in love with language while willing to disregard almost every convention associated with it. Yet, befitting of a man who will forever have the term ‘slacker’ affixed to his name, he claims, almost proudly, that his lyrics are as thoughtlessly tossed into the mix as detractors would suspect. “I don’t over-think lyrics or anything that much, so I also understand that people like things a little tighter. I could see someone wishing there was a little more effort sometimes,” he laughs.

In Australia currently with his post-Pavement outfit The Jicks, Malkmus’ last recorded shot was the sublime and criminally under-rated 2010 release Mirror Traffic – his finest solo outing to date, and the first time he has teamed up with Beck, who sat in on production duties. Considering the pair’s parallel careers – scrappy lo-fi beginnings in the early ‘90s, MTVflirtations, critical and commercial success, strings of wildly inventive records, plus boyish good looks – it’s surprising they had never worked together until Beck called Malkmus out of the blue one day, ostensibly to catch up.

“What he was really doing was saying he was a producer now,” Malkmus explains. “He wanted to produce some bands because he had a recording set-up in his house, and he was in a time when he wasn’t working on new material, or he was having trouble with that… and so it just happened.

“Either someone told him to contact me or he did it of his own devices,” he continues, “so I thought, ‘Yeah, sure, why don’t we do it with him?’ He’s got all the cool stuff, he’s not gonna, like, try to over-charge us or do any of the things that you have to consider when you’re dealing with a producer. And I know him: we did Lollapalooza together in like ’96 or something, with Hole and Sonic Youth [actually ‘95] – he had the ‘Loser’ song, but it was before he did the album, Odelay, so he was not a big star yet but he was a novelty star. So I was like, ‘I like that dude’ on that tour, we got along, and then I hadn’t seen him for several years – and in that time he put out a lot of records.”

“I don’t over-think lyrics or anything that much, so I understand that people like things a little tighter. I could see someone wishing there was a little more effort sometimes.”

Given both artists’ experimental tendencies, it is more than a little surprising that the pair produced such a tightly-woven record, with little of the excess present on recent Jicks outings or Beck’s post-Seachange releases. As Malkmus explains, this was always the mission statement.

“I just wanted it to be a get-in-and-out-quick type of album. I didn’t want to sit around with, like, seven pedals and plug them into each other backwards and forwards and sit there on a chair with the engineer for three days, which is normally what goes about on albums. I wanted to kinda just play it live and get the solos and everything live. We had some jammier songs but we just got on a roll recording in a room, just like, boom, boom, boom – like an early Beatles session, not that that’s what came out. That’s our version of it,” he says. “Maybe it was the studio we were recording in, too [Sunset Studio in LA]; it was like a ‘60s pop studio. It’s a place Buffalo Springfield had recorded, so it’s a place you go in and play your West Coast-style guitar-pop psych-rock, and every song is like three minutes.

That’s how we were thinking. I think we sorta blew our wad – that’s not my favourite adjective, but we … spent our energy on guitar solos on the last record. Playing those songs live, it was exhausting by the end of the cycle to bring this energy to these longer jams. So we just pulled back a little bit.”

Malkmus has spent the two years since Mirror Traffic’s release writing the next Jicks record, which is yet to be recorded but will feature sparingly in setlists on this current tour – he jokes about our high concert ticket prices, and reassures BRAG that he wouldn’t waste people’s money performing unfamiliar songs. He also recently relocated to Berlin, a move that thankfully hasn’t impacted too heavily on his trademark style of laconic pop – yet. “We’ll have to see,” he says. “I haven’t really made any deep connection with the electronic scene here. I’ve been out a few times to discos, but my grasp of the technology isn’t there. I have some inkling of things I like when I hear that music, things that I’d like to perhaps incorporate, but then you get back to the people you’re playing with and their strengths, and what is really special about The Jicks. To self-consciously adopt new influences might break what is really special about what we do as a live band. Maybe that energy is more special.”

22 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Xxxx

Who: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks With: Bearhug Where: The Factory Theatre When: Friday October 5

Grinspoon Out Of A Hat By Mel Roach

“I

believe records are just about capturing a photograph of the time,” says Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson. They’re wise words from a long-standing artist, especially one who’s had to answer the same questions for so many years.

After nearly two decades on the Australian music scene, and in the public eye again with a brand new album, Grinspoon are used to both sides of the media coin: one of the nation’s longest-standing outfits, Phil, Pat, Joe and Kristian have stood side by side while the bands of their peers have risen, fallen, and broken to pieces around them.

From taking off in 1995 after winning the very first triple j Unearthed, to receiving an ARIA Award; from getting a 1.5 star rating in Rolling Stone, to going double Platinum – it will take a lot to break these lads. Phil, sporting red chipped fingernails, a leather jacket and classy shades, and Pat Davern (in his classic golf hat) spent time out on Sydney Harbour to chat. “We’ve been lucky enough not to have fallen on our face too many times, and I guess there’s not so much pressure on us being in a rock band,” Davern says, of being back in the media hoopla again. As Jamieson runs in and out of the interview, Davern hangs tight to fill me in on the details; if Jamieson is the creative force behind the band, Davern seems like the glue that holds it together. “We have a bit of artistic license to pretty much do the fuck what we want,” he says. “I guess if you do the crime you do the time; if you’re in the public eye and you put yourself out there, sometimes you will have to explain your actions – but only if you really feel like it.” Jamieson agrees: “I didn’t start this band to be told what to do – that’s what rock’n’roll is all about,” he laughs. “It’s all about freedom to me, having no rules, but as far as the media goes it’s all a bit of bullshit really. I reckon if your tunes are okay, then, well, you’re pretty okay!”

a door to act out Russo walking through it and snorting cocaine. “He was trying to record with Dave, and Dave was like ‘GET HIM OUT!’. You should have seen it – he still had all this coke and shit on his nose!” he laughs.

Pumped with interesting riffs, fantastic basslines and powerful, sing-along choruses, Black Rabbits is vintage Grinspoon at their best. “[If] this album gets smashed by whatever blog wants to rubbish it, they are wrong!” Jamieson says. “Black Rabbits is a fucking good album, and I wouldn’t put it up against Temper Trap if I didn’t think it was fucking good. That’s a fact! I’m my own worst critic, for reals. If Black Rabbits wasn’t worthy of a release, then you wouldn’t be hearing it. No one would.”

What: Black Rabbits is out now through Universal With: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Band Of Horses, Sleigh Bells, Foals, Bloody Beetroots (live), and loads more Where: Big Day Out @ Sydney Showground When: Friday January 18

PRESENTED BY: THEMUSIC.COM.AU, STOP START, SELECT MUSIC AND MUCHO BRAVADO

“I was gripping to the SM7 with both hands and they’re like, ‘This is what Chris Cornell uses,’ and I’m like,‘WELL I’M NOT FUCKING CHRIS CORNELL!’” Recording their new album, Black Rabbits, in California, the boys brought in producer Dave Schiffman, who’s worked with acts like Nine Inch Nails, Dead Meadow and The Dandy Warhols.

“We learnt a lot from Dave,” Davern says. “Your approach to making a record in Los Angeles, it’s a different approach to making a record here.

There’s a lot of techie stuff [to learn], like Pro Tools editing and also work ethics – he’s different to anyone we’ve worked with before. He’s such a genuine guy, as well.”

“I sang into an SM7, which is the most unforgiving mic in the world,” Jamieson says. “I mean, these things were born to record a bass guitar and I was gripping to it with both hands and they’re like, ‘This is what Chris Cornell uses,’ and I’m like, ‘WELL I’M NOT FUCKING CHRIS CORNELL!’. I learnt from Dave about a good work ethic: no long lunches, no cocaine, no bullshit – just get in and do it. And he had a real desire to do the record. Other producers were more of a heavy metal kind, whereas [Black Rabbits] represents more of a power pop record for us – this record has a whole heap of melody.

Dave was perfect. There’s a bunch of people we could have gone with that just wanted to pay their mortgage, but he wanted to do it – there’s the difference.”

Xxx photo by JXxx

When it came to recording, the boys had a few friends drop in to help. You Am I’s Tim Rogers had a stop-over in LA, so popped into the studio to visit the band and lay down some guest vocals. The Living End’s Chris Cheney also came by to get involved, and Grinspoon couldn’t have been more grateful. “Those guys were brilliant: down-to-earth, lovely Australian men, peers of ours and people we really look up to,” Davern says. “Super respect,” Jamieson nods. “I mean, Tim and Chris have been friends of ours for years, and to have them even want to come into the studio, let alone record, is a great honour.”

Scott Russo from Unwritten Law also came by, but his vocal cameo ended up being a little problematic. Not only did he demand a $500 down payment in order to be featured on the album, but there were a few hiccups along the way. “He did a track, and then he went in and–” at this point in the narration, Jamieson runs to

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS GUNG HO & LIGHT GIANT

THE THURSDAY STANDARD SYD 01 NOVEMBER TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU, 1300 GET TIX & MOSHTIX OUTLETS

WOLLONGONG UNI FRIDAY 02 NOVEMBER

TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA BIGTIX WWW.BIGTIX.COM.AU TICKETS ON SALE NOW HUNGRYKIDSOFHUNGARY.COM BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 23

Russian Circles Lost For Words By Rod Whitfield

F

rom a commercial point of view, playing in an all-instrumental band – especially a heavy and progressively inclined allinstrumental band – is kind of a tough road.

The vast majority of music fans want a simple beat they can dance or tap their feet to, and a catchy vocal line that they can sing along to; only a very niche audience wants to hear lengthy, complex instrumental pieces. For a band like Chicago’s Russian Circles, life might become easier if they add vocals to the mix, but according to their bass player Brian Cook, the reason for not getting a singer is really very simple.

The crowd, he says, typically falls into two camps: musicians, and fans of instrumental music. “[There are people who] show up, ready

to watch a show and to absorb a show as people who have an inherent understanding of how instrumentation works. So in that sense I kinda feel it’s sort of an academic environment. But there’s also people who just show up and know that the songs are loud and the songs are heavy, and they’re excited to hear loud, heavy music!” he laughs. “So there’s pushing [and] shoving, and we hope that those demographics figure out how to mutually coincide with one another without one type bumming the other out.”

“I don’t see instrumental music as being its own genre,” he says, when asked about the

health of the scene. “I just feel it’s one of those things that kinda just happens… The majority of bands we tour with are bands that have vocals. When it comes to instrumental music it’s like, if you write compelling music, go for it.

I’m glad that we’re at the point where we can convince people we’re a compelling act without having vocals.”

What: Empros is out now With: Eagle Twin Where: The Hi-Fi When: Saturday October 6 Xxx

“It’s really that it’s just a pain in the arse,” he laughs. “When we started off, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll get around to adding those vocals in one day.’ But it’s so much easier to do all this shit when you don’t have to worry about monitors and PAs and microphones and vocal levels, and someone’s throat being sore for a week on a tour. It’s a hundred times easier to be an instrumental band and not deal with any of that shit… If at some point it made sense, and we were all really stoked on it and it felt like something that was necessary, we’d do it. No one has a major qualm with having a vocalist, it just works out so fuckin’ nice not having that shit, so let’s keep it that way.”

The band bring their dark and epic instrumental sound to Australia very soon; it’s their second trip to our shores, and Brian’s looking forward to returning. “I’m excited for it,” he says. “I think it should be good. We were there about a year ago, it was a pleasant surprise. I think when you go over the ocean, you sort of inherently expect it to be like playing your first show all over again. But they were really good shows, so we’re excited to come back.” Being that it’s only the band’s second ever time Down Under, it’s likely that many of the people coming to the show won’t have seen them before. Yet he is reluctant to attempt to describe their live vibe, preferring to let the music and the show do the talking.

“Aww man, I hate trying to describe it!” he says emphatically. “Whenever I try to describe it, it sounds like a drag – but we try to write songs that are instrumentally interesting, that work in a narrative process, sonically, and I would hope that people coming out to see it live would feel like they were being communicated a story somehow, through pure sound, as cheesy as that sounds. I don’t know how else to put it.”

Frightened Rabbit Letting Go By Mitchell Alexander

W

hen Frightened Rabbit first came to Australia to support their brilliant tearsoaked 2008 album, The Midnight Organ Fight, they brought in the new year playing at the Queensland love-in Woodford Folk Festival. When they returned to support their equally brilliant – not being biased, just stating the facts – third album The Winter Of Mixed Drinks in 2010, they returned to Woodfordia, this time for Splendour In The Grass. I feel compelled to ensure primary songwriter Scott Hutchison that Australia doesn’t just exist in the middle of a rainforest. But Scott’s a clever boy; he’s already seen it for himself. “Oh you’re in Melbourne?

That’s a lovely place!” says the chipper Scottish voice on the end of the phone. “Yeah, it reminds me of living in Glasgow.”

Gomez The Place And The People By Benjamin Cooper

G

omez and Australia have a special thing going on. The English fivepiece have been touring Down Under “for more years than I’ve got memories,” according to one of the band’s frontmen, LA-based Ian Ball, and they’re heading over once again for their Quinceanera Tour, celebrating their fifteenth year. “It’s always pretty full-on down there; lots of laughter and hopefully not too much madness! I can’t guarantee that it won’t get too wild, though, because it’s not always just up to me...”

As one fifth of the now globally-scattered collective, Ball has an equal voice at the table – “but because I’m in LA they probably don’t listen to me as much,” he jokes. Through cheeky quips and a chatty style, he reveals that the rigours of touring and creative differences no longer rankle as much as they did in the past. In early 2005, the band arrived in Australia after having been on the road for more than a year in support of their fourth LP, Split The Difference. By that time, relationships within the band were reportedly fractured as they dealt with the daily tedium of professional touring, a rigorous schedule that had enveloped the band since winning the Mercury Prize for their 1998 debut, Bring It On. On that Split The Difference tour, Gomez were booked for all the regular festivals and sideshows, but it was a day on Sydney Harbour that blew out the cobwebs and brought a renewed zest and zeal to their craft.

“We were asked to play on Cockatoo Island, I think it’s called, and we just leapt at the chance. Play on an island in the middle of Sydney Harbour? Absolutely!” Ball enthuses.

“I guess that the biggest thing for us was just to be welcomed in the way we were. We had played in Australia before many times – I think that visit was about our fifth or so – but

we were really just blown away. It was a really good day, and I think, as odd as this is to say, we really needed it.”

Ball shares vocal duties with guitarist Ben Ottewell and multi-instrumentalist Tom Gray, an arrangement that involves equal parts flexibility and restraint. But as Ball admits, the geographically-scattered nature of the group means he can occasionally get away with more. “All the boys are living around the world now. Some of us are in England, some of us are here in America, but I’m over on the West Coast so I can kind of do my own thing, which is a bit different. I think recording the last album at the same place gave us a lot of space to work with, and just a general feeling of space too.”

For Whatever’s On Your Mind, the studio in question was helmed by Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine), who produced 2009’s A New Tide. Deck is more used to the histrionics of Isaac Brock – so what did he make of the polite and quiet Gomez?

“Oh, there was plenty of noise, don’t worry about that,” Ball assures me, “but there was also lots of debate. Everything we do is collaborative, and that’s even more the case now that we’re all living in separate places.

There is an element of what can be done on your own, so people bring parts and melodies and themes they’ve devised and we go from there. We’ll start working on it together, but that part of the process can be difficult to get started; finding that common ground, that foothold. But fortunately we’ve all known each other for quite a while now.”

Choosing to take that as a compliment (Glasgow is no New York, but it’s not Sierra Leone either), I launch into questions about the band’s latest EP, State Hospital. It’s a miniature album that, along with a fourth LP planned for early 2013, signifies big changes for the band. For starters, what began as Scott’s bedroom solo project has expanded to a five-piece band, the latest addition being guitarist/keyboardist Gordan Skene. For seconds, the EP and as-yet-untitled new album were produced by Leo Abrahams, swapping out their regular dude Peter Katis. Where Katis is considered indie rock royalty (previous production credits include Interpol and The National), Abrahams seems a more obtuse, adventurous choice, with a timeline peppered with aural explorers like Brian Eno, David Byrne and Jon Hopkins.

“Everything had to change with this album. We felt that there had already been so many changes so we went further,” explains Scott. “We felt that if we went back to Peter again – although I would love to work with him in the future – we would lose the new energy we had. When Leo came along,

he was so passionate about the music that he seemed like the obvious choice.”

The final big change is that Scott has welcomed songwriting contributions from each of the other band members, after years of solely holding the reins of the Frightened Rabbit wagon. This doesn’t always go down well in groups that were once tightly controlled – think Metallica’s Some Kind Of Monster, or when Brian Wilson’s brain began to bubble – but Scott is only seeing positives (which seems rare for a guy who started out writing gut-wrenching ballads about relationships and suicide). “We have five heads instead of one,” Scott says proudly. “You can get so caught up in your own little world – the sleepless nights I had making the last record I didn’t have this time around.

“I’m really enjoying that the rest of the band is contributing to the songs, and those are my favourite parts of the songs,” he continues.

“Before I was a little bit anal about having control over the process, and I had to let go because I was repeating myself and getting bored. I don’t think I can go back to the old way now.”

The result is a clutch of songs that are too disparate to fit on the next album, but too good not to be heard – or, as Scott puts it, they deserved to be “more than just a B-side”. “They don’t really hint at what the next album will sound like – except for maybe ‘State Hospital’, the title track. The rest of them are sort of like the weird cousins,” he says. “I don’t know what it says about the album. The EP serves a few purposes, as a stopgap to get back into people’s ears, but we just really didn’t want to forget about them.”

What: State Hospital EP is out now through Warner Music

With: Eagle & The Worm Where: The Hi-Fi When: Friday October 19

“Spent the last 18 nights, floating around the world, spent the last 7 fights, holding out for her” - GRINSPOON 24 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 25

Collarbones Double Sided By Lachlan Kanoniuk

E

merging early last year with their debut full-length, Collarbones’ Marcus Whale and Travis Cook have steadily earned a reputation as one of the most captivating young acts on the Australian musical landscape.

Presenting a transgressive blend of soulful RnB and tidy electronica, the Adelaide/Sydney duo have spent the past year touring extensively while assembling the pieces for their upcoming record, Die Young.

“We’ve been playing live a lot, which has perhaps made us more aware about what things are more affecting and what things go over people’s heads,” Marcus says. “The most obvious [effect of that] is that this album has a lot more straightup songs – but that’s also because I became a lot more interested in RnB and that sort of thing.

Also, there are particular sounds and beats that are more immersive. I’ve kind of come around to realising that a lot of the stuff I was writing with lyrics was just incomprehensible, so this time I was coming up with a more unified theme and stimulus. I guess I was writing pretty earnestly.”

Each aspect of Collarbones’ multi-faceted output is imbued with a rich sense of nostalgia, from the

‘90s pastiche cover art of last year’s Tiger Beats mixtape to the earnest longing of Die Young single ‘Missing’.“If we can characterise these times that we’re in with anything, it’s probably nostalgia, more so than ever before,” Marcus ponders. “I have theories, mostly to do with how we’re constantly being bombarded with media, and live our lives through tapestries of media mummification. Before, you may have had a conversation with someone with only yourself as stimulus, but these days media is a really big part of how we interact with each other. Which I think is one of the big reasons why we’ve gone into this really nostalgic phase aesthetically. This is particularly true of Travis and I, because we mostly interact on the internet. Along with text comes the constant stream of links to pictures and music and videos, which can only come from another place and time, whether it be last week in my room, or 30 years ago in another country.”

With Bieber covers standing as a staple of the Collarbones’ live performance, the duo most definitely wear their penchant for mainstream pop on their sleeves. But 2012 has so far lacked a little in that regard, so Marcus has had to look elsewhere for inspiration. “I’m pretty divided right now, because I look at all the pop music that I’m really into [and] it’s kind of not that popular.

I guess the really slow RnB has gone out of favour, and now there’s a lot of EDM and trance influenced music, which I think Travis really likes.

I have trouble resolving that,” he says. “I think the best example is Usher’s big two singles this year.

On the one hand there’s ‘Climax’, which is this totally majestic slow, or slow-ish, RnB track, and just completely heartbreaking and perfectly put together; and then there’s ‘Scream’, which Travis would probably like more. But ‘Climax’ is probably my favourite pop song of this year.”

“I don’t know whether turning into Riff Raff is such a bad thing, but I think you and I both know that I’m not capable of doing that...”

Collaborating over the internet is par for the course these days, and with Marcus and Travis – who met online – residing in Sydney and Adelaide respectively, it presents the most suitable modus operandi for the production of Collarbones’ material. “We didn’t make that much music together in the past year,” Marcus says.

“We were on tour, and on tour you don’t want to sit around in a room trying to make music. So we ended up making most of the music apart from each other… With every single interview until this one – I shit you not – it’s been, ‘You guys met on the internet? How funny! How does that work?’, he laughs. “But a lot of people do it these days.”

The release of Die Young will be accompanied by a short film made by Paris-based artist Michael Salerno, a visual interpretation of the album’s wistful thematic links. “People react to music really visually these days,” Marcus explains.

“Mostly, if you want to hear a track that you don’t have on your computer, you go to YouTube. Often there will be a video clip, and if there isn’t a video clip there will be an image. Then there’s also the extent to which persona and character comes into it, at least with pop music. Twitter has a lot to do with that; you now get this really rich residue of narrative with pop music. The video accompaniment with an album is a really effective way to enrich the experience of the album. In the past year, especially in the past few months, it’s become pretty standard.”

Despite presenting a conventionally tasteful aesthetic on all official releases, Marcus and Travis indulge in garish computer-generated collages akin to underground rap mixtape covers within their online presence. But don’t expect Marcus to evolve into a Riff Raff-type character any time soon. “I don’t know whether turning into Riff Raff is such a bad thing,” Marcus laughs, “but I think you and I both know that I’m not capable of doing that. I guess with all of that, there’s a couple of sides to us. On one hand there’s this quite serious, dramatic stuff, but that isn’t everything. Especially when it comes to the live show – it’s not that dramatic or serious or introspective, there’s a different vibe going on.

Maybe it’s to weather the earnest, serious stuff, because we’re aware it’s pretty easy to make fun of. And I think philosophically we’re opposed to things being sacred.”

26 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Xxxx

What: Die Young is out now on Two Bright Lakes, through Remote Control With: Naysayer And Gilsun and more Where: The Standard When: Friday October 12

PRESENTS

A MONTH OF FRIDAYS

5TH OCT

BENI

N A I S S A C ESIDENTS + W E E K LY R

S MODULAR D J

LE . C O M M O D U LA R P E O P I . COM .AU D N O B D A O R H C B EA

Presents

SATURDAYSIN OCTOBER 6TH OCT

ELIZABETH ROSE LIVE

+ DEVOLA + FALCONA DJS

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 27

Grails The Madness Factor By Benjamin Cooper

“D

o I mind if we talk about genre?” Emil Amos, drummer for Grails, asks rhetorically, repeating my question. “Of course not,” he laughs. “Nothing could be finer or more interesting to me. I am in a post-rock band, aren’t I?”

The Portland instrumental rockers have amassed more than ten studio releases since forming in 1999, and are a fearsome live prospect once in full swing. Musicians generally don’t like to talk about genre, so it was fair to assume that the doom lords would dismiss my question, but thankfully Amos shares a similarly dry fascination with the peculiarities of how people classify art. In the midst of a period of intense isolation, buried deep within the society-proof walls of his studio, he’s had more than ample time to reflect on why certain people keep getting put in boxes. “I guess I get why genres need to exist, because on a more concrete level the temporal nature of art means it can never stand back and congratulate itself. I mean sure, put us on a post-rock shelf. We don’t care, nor do we agree with the kind of lineages that suggests, but if you need that label then go for it. As long as people get the record and absorb

it with some semblance of an open mind, that should be enough.”

Since dropping Grails’ most recent album Deep Politics in early 2011, Amos and guitarist Alex Hall have gone on to release a self-titled album for their side project, Lilacs And Champagne.

The record is a mash of J Dilla-esque minimalism amid surrealist imagery, and Amos was grateful for the opportunity to conquer an all-new musical landscape. “There was a whole new language for this project; we had to become accustomed to using a different vocabulary to how we do things in Grails. We had to do things much more as producers, which meant we were playing several different roles that are all about deciding what works and what doesn’t.

“The life of a producer is a mysterious thing; you have to be able to dance through potential conflicts and solve problems, but you also have to be someone who knows how to hit those emotional targets just so,” he continues, “to get the listener close range and articulate something that they’ve never experienced before... It’s such a relative process that if you don’t focus on anything else, you end up going insane. The reality is there’s no perfect bullseye to be scored, but I do think that a little bit of the madness factor can be useful – just [enough to be] functional.

“Most so-called ‘artists’ are basically people who are influenced by the art of others and imitate it.

They’re good craftsmen and are capable of creating a passive and palatable product. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s no desire for anything more. That desire is the difference, I suppose, between the internal life and pursuits of the true artist and the consumer craftsmen. There’s much more possible for the artist who is able to really hear down into the deeper layers of a piece of art, and be highly present. I guess I’m talking about a kind of functional schizophrenia, which is difficult to communicate because it’s such a clumsy way of articulating an extremely subtle concept.”

“I think of Grails as being borne of that gap between Fugazi and Tortoise. Just this bratty bunch of hardcore and underground kids that got bored and started messing with the most exotic sounds they could find.”

At the moment, Amos is focused on the new Grails recordings, plus a somewhat significant personal project that occupies most days and nights. “I’ve been mixing the same record for technically 20 years now. I’ve been turning in my home recordings from [when I was] growing up, and I’ve just got snagged on a few songs that have some minor technical issues. It’s called Holy Sounds at this point, and it is totally genre-less,” he laughs. “I don’t think it could ever fit into any scene! The recordings come from that idea, that sense of there being no limits... In the early ‘90s there was this moment where everything in the scene exploded, and the genres of the ‘80s and the underground ceased to exist. From 1989 to 1994 it felt like the limits had just melted away, so I thought, ‘Fuck it. I can literally not have a band. I’ll just record everything at home.’

I was looking around at people like Jandek (for whom Amos now drums) and Lee Scratch Perry and seeing all these people make records, so I kept recording and working.

What: Deep Politics is out now With: Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving, Dumbsaint, and Secret Birds Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday October 19 28 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Grails photo by Rebecca Steele

“Grails is a weird amalgamation of all that time and influence,” Amos continues. “It’s such a strange contradiction of a group: it operates like a punk band and everyone is arguing very loudly and in real time, but then there are also people speaking on more complex levels. So there’s the aggression of punk, but there’s also more complicated syncopation, and the jazz influences. In a weird, full circle way I think of Grails as being borne of that gap between Fugazi and Tortoise,” he explains. “Just this bratty bunch of hardcore and underground kids that got bored and started messing with the most exotic sounds they could find. Nowadays we’re all grown up, and it’s not too highbrow; it’s just a lot of people trying to make a lot of noise at once.”

Ben Folds Five Call It A Comeback Interview By Mel Roach

T

hree years since calling it quits, Ben Folds Five are finally back.

The trio from North Carolina came together back in 1993, proclaiming themselves ‘‘punk rock for sissies’’ and breaking through with singles like ‘Underground’, ‘Brick’ and ‘Army’ while the mass of the alt-music world was moshing to ‘90s grunge. There was seven years, three albums, and a multitude of hits which made their way from the ‘States onto all the best triple j Hottest 100 comps – but in 2000, Ben Folds Five announced their split; an amiable hiatus with little given in the way of explanation.

When I get the chance to talk to drummer Darren Jessee, in the lead-up to the hugely anticipated new Ben Folds Five album, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, and a subsequent album tour that will see them playing Harvest next month, my first question is obvious: what was the straw that broke the camel’s back? “That all still remains somewhat of a mystery,” he answers coyly. “The overall feeling was that we were all very tired. We were a band that during that time was touring nonstop throughout the course of our albums, and I think we were just exhausted. I think we just needed to take a break, so we called it quits. It’s much easier to reflect upon it all now, though.”

expected a very small, hardcore group of fans to get excited and donate, but we were very happy that there was a lot more than that!’’

Much of that response came down to Ben Folds of course, who has maintained the rabid loyalty of BFF’s fans through his series of acclaimed records and sold-out tours. Indeed, all the official information you’ll find online about the reunited band is hosted on Folds’ solo website – a telling sign of his centrality to BFF’s success. “I don’t actually know why someone hasn’t started an independent Ben Folds Five site,” Jesse says.

“I’m only to assume that because we can reach more of an audience with Ben’s followers, we’ll just run everything through him.’’

What: The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind is out now through ImaVeePee Records, via Sony Music Australia With: Beck, Grizzly Bear, Sigur Ros, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, Santigold, Beirut, Cake, The Dandy Warhols, Liars and more Where: Harvest Festival @ Parramatta Park When: Saturday November 17

The band reunited briefly in 2008 for the ‘Front To Back’ concert series organised by a soon-tospiral MySpace, which invited artists to perform an entire classic album live. Ben Folds Five played 1999’s The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner from start to finish. “I guess the reunion did take off with that MySpace show.

I think just getting back and playing together was good,” Jesse explains. After the concert Ben Folds, who by then had a burgeoning solo career, asked Jessee and bassist Robert Sledge to record a few tracks with him for his retrospective album, The Best Imitation Of Myself, which came out in 2011. “That’s when it all kind of took off.”

“The overall feeling was that we were all very tired. We needed a break, so we called it quits. It’s much easier to reflect upon it all now, though.”

The material for Ben Folds Five’s new album was a collaborative effort between the three bandmembers. It took them only six weeks to write and record the bulk of it in Folds’ Nashville studio. “Since the first album came out in 1994, we had been playing and touring our songs like most bands: you write your first batch of songs, then tour them, and then you make a record, or vice versa,” Jesse explains. “But The Unauthorised Biography Of Reinhold Messner and The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind were both pretty much written on the spot in the studio.”

Ben Fold Five photo by Autumn De Wilde

It helped that the bandmates had kept their music muscles toned; they’d been keeping busy during the 13-year hiatus. Jessee formed a band called Hotel Lights, who have released three independent records and to this day are still quite active: “It’s a band that hasn’t finished up, and we don’t plan to any time soon,” he says.

Sledge, who now has a family in North Carolina (“he’s a very good and dedicated father”), has been working in production for small bands, teaching music, and playing in local rock group The Bob Sledge Band. Ben Folds, of course, never really stopped: he’s released six solo LPs since 2008, judged a televised a capella competition called The Sing Off, collaborated with writer Nick Hornby on the Lonely Avenue LP (Hornby on lyrics; Folds on music), and worked with Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Damian Kulash as 8in8, writing, recording and producing eight songs in eight hours, which were available online within 24 hours.

Much like Palmer’s last album, which raked in $1.2 million through KickStarter, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind was crowd-funded, with Ben Folds Five asking fans to donate for the recording and release. Within two weeks, BFF reached 200% of their initial goal, and they couldn’t have been more thrilled. “Everything we do with this band is done to ultimately make us happy, and we hope that this translates to the fans. Obviously we are so grateful to those people who are still excited about it,” Jessee enthuses. Grateful, sure, but were they surprised? “Ben has maintained a consistent touring schedule and fan base, and the records we made in the ‘90s were pretty big – people liked us, we felt pretty popular – so initially we

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS

THE PAPER KITES

MONDAY JANUARY 7 ENMORE THEATRE ON SALE NOW!

132 849 or ticketek.com.au bombaybicycleclubmusic.com

• livenation.com.au BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 29

arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

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

five minutes WITH SHANNON

CREES

Shannon studied fashion design, production and business management, kicking off her art career with fashion illustration and working her way up to bigger ideas and canvases – before being commissioned to paint her second-ever wall piece as part of Banksy’s prestigious Cans Festival, in 2008.

You trained in fashion and business management among other things – how has that affected your street art career?

The business management helps to streamline things and for me to see things with some perspective.

In terms of fashion, any young designers or labels we should look out for (or that you’re currently crushing on?) To be honest, I don’t really look at fashion that much or follow any trends. I prefer to buy second hand and alter things myself. If I was loaded then I would probably love boutique shopping and have a hundred favourite labels.

S

You’ve won a lot of accolades – but what have been the hard bits of pursuing a career as an artist? Not having a consistent pay cheque, not being able to get a loan or rent a house easily like everyone else because I am self-employed. No sick pay, holiday pay or superannuation. It is only recently I started to stop working to have weekends. I guess that it gets better the longer that you work at it, but I certainly couldn’t do it all over again.

SECRET CINEMA Christian Thompson with spear

SEXES

And speaking of sex: finally some good news – Performance Space are dedicating an entire festival to thoughts about gender, sex and sexuality. Amongst the lineup of art, performance, debate and party are new works by celebrated Indigenous photographer Christian Thompson, provocative photo- and film-maker Tracey Moffat, sound experimentalist Philip Brophy, local lasses Parachutes For Ladies, a session of Erotic Fan Fiction (natch), dirty movies, a danceathon, a keynote

by Anne Summers, and lashes of other interesting things (including two guys chained to a stage). The SEXES festival runs from October 25 – December 1; for the full program, head to performancespace.com.au

WONDER100!

Surry Hills charity The Girls and Boys Brigade are hosting a fete called Wonder100!, with a little help from their friends, which means fanciful stalls by the likes of Elke Kramer, Daniel Boyd (Rosyln Oxley9 Gallery), and local labels P.A.M., Vanishing Elephant and Romance Was Born, and live music from Bertie Blackman, The Leisure Bandits and more – all raising funds, awareness and support for the Brigade, who work with disadvantaged youth in the area. Food-wise, your mouth hole can enjoy delicacies by the Vegie Patch Van, The Runcible Spoon and Messina gelateria, with coffee from the Golden Cobra crew.

Head to 404 Riley Street on Saturday October 13 between 11am-4pm and get amongst it. girlsandboysbrigade.org.au

SYDNEY RIDES

The Spokes People – aka the cats behind the Bicycle Film Festival – are expanding their cycleoriented program of events this year, as part of the 30 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

If you like cinema, surprises and secrets, circle Sunday October 21 in your Leunig calendar: it’s the return of World Movies Secret Cinema, which launched in May with a sell-out screening event at a secret location (which turned out to be the 2011 Sundance Audience Award-winner, Iranian lesbian drama Circumstance, screened at a Persian-themed Standard). The mystery continues this month, with another unknown film on the bill – at an unknown mystery location. A text message on the day will tell you where to meet, and ticket-holders will be treated to a drink upon entry, food, and ‘some spectacular surprises’ throughout the night. Tickets are $30 and go on sale Monday October 8 at 9am – see the World Movies facebook page for more deets.

When you’re in the painting zone, any particular rituals or routines? I like to listen to music; I find it definitely influences how creative I feel and makes me more productive. All other routines in terms of exercise and food go out the window.

Any dream collaborations or venues that you’d like to get your hands on? I would love to exhibit at all the top galleries around the world, I guess every artist would.

What other projects are you currently working on at the moment? I am building on a collection for a solo show. Venue and date as yet unknown.

What: OPEN STREET ART feat. Shannon Crees, Anthony Lister, Beastman, Twoone.

Where: Civic Connector, Darling Quarter (that park behind IMAX Darling Harbour) When: Check ‘em out til October 26.

More: ambushgallery.com.au / darlingquarter.com

CONFESSION BOOTH

When it comes to getting rid of your guilt-ridden woes, the only thing better than an old fashioned confession is hearing somebody else’s. Hallelujah to The Wall @ World Bar, who get interesting people to make entertaining confessions on a semi-regular basis, as part of their Confession Booth series. Airing their dirty laundry this week are a bunch of remorseful creatives, including Sydney comedian Genevieve Fricker, Adelaide novelist and poet Tim Sinclair, FBi Radio’s resident film-head Kate Jinx, blogger James Ross Edwards, and Sydney songstress Catherine Kelleher (aka Catcall). With free entry, all you have to worry about is getting a good spot; get down to the World Bar early this Wednesday October 3 from 7.30pm.

STAGE DOOR JOHNNIES

Still a little bit hot and sweaty after watching Magic Mike? Forget Channing Tatum & Co. – Burlesque Hall-of-Famers The Stage Door Johnnies are bringing their cheeky show Naked Boys Next Door Down Under this month, with special guests The Schlep Sisters, Minnie Tonka, Darlinda Just Darlinda and MC Nadine Dubois. An allman burlesque act known for “skilfully keeping

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

Having made his name with Chopper and then paired up with Brad Pitt for the melancholic western The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Andrew Dominik tackles the American gangster genre (and, just quietly, the GFC) with Killing Them Softly, based on George V. Higgins’ novel Cogan’s Trade.

The plot revolves around three guys who think they’re smart enough to loot a mobprotected poker game, until Cogan (Pitt) is hired to track them down. We’re gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse, with a giveaway of 15 in-season double passes; to get your hands on one, just tell us one other actor who stars in the film.

Brad Pitt as Cogan in Killing Them Softly

audiences guessing just when they’ll see the icing on their beefcake”, we’re predicting more smuggled budgies and squealing aunties than you can shake a tassle at. They’ll be bringing the magic to Lizotte’s on October 13, before playing The Factory Theatre on October 26 – for more information and tickets take a peek at jacbowie. com

MASTER COCKATOO

Hot on the heels of bagging the best script and a joint ‘Best Actor’ award for its leading men Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Thomas Anderson’s pseudo-scientology epic The Master will have its Australian premiere at the inaugural Cockatoo Island Film Festival – quite the programming coup for the festival.

Other big titles on the lineup include Tim Burton’s canine animation Frankenweenie, the portmanteau film 7 Days In Havana (featuring short Cuban-oriented films by Benicio Del Toro and Gaspar Noé, among others), late-night sessions of Maniac (starring Elijah ‘hobbit-face’ Wood) and Aussie sci-fi thriller Crawlspace.

Cockatoo Island Film Festival runs from October 24-28 – get your tickets and the full program at cockatooislandfilmfestival.com

S(HIT)LIST

Logie and ARIA-nominated comedian Heath Franklin is bringing back his most popular creation, Australia’s ‘Most Wanted’ criminal, Chopper, in a new show called The (s)Hitlist – and apparently he’s “fizzing at the bumhole”, so that’s a (gross) thing… Our lives revolve around lists, Chopper’s just happens to be one detailing everything that he hates. Channelling the infamous mo’ and aviator-wearing criminal, Franklin (whose YouTube clips boast millions of views) will be touring the country, letting everyone know that when you get angry, you have to get organised. With a new shitlist posted online every night of the tour, you can see yourself on it at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre on Thursday October 11. Tickets and more 'info' at riversideparramatta.com.au

COMEDY ON EDGE

The funny folks behind Gleebooks’ regular comedy night Wit Large are taking over the LOLduties at Chippendale’s Lybrary (87 Abercrombie Street – previously The Shannon Hotel), which in times past was home to the Comedy On Edge nights (featuring the likes of Arj ‘I’m screaming’ Barker and Kitty ‘sassy-pants’ Flanagan). They’re relaunching Comedy On Edge this Saturday October 6 with a slick, side-splitting lineup, headlined by Jeremy Keast and MCd by Peter Berner (plus there’ll be a top-secret special guest bringing bonus hilarity to the proceedings).

Tickets are $20 through moshtix or on the door. facebook.com/ComedyOnTheEdge

Paul Gilsenan made this!

DARK SIDE OF A SOFTY

You know that time you went to your GP and said you felt like crying very day, and they said ‘Have you tried having a bath/jog/Vitamin-B-injection?’ :-( Paul Gilsenan (best known for his ‘Duckman’ character, of Sketch The Rhyme fame) said ‘fuck that’ and embarked on an epic, seven-year painting spree, evolving his style and channelling his darker thoughts and feelings into a series of colour-drenched paintings (including a massive 16-panel, 25 metre mural commissioned by the University of Wollongong).

As if that wasn’t awesome enough, he’s promised to marry his sweetheart if he sells 20 paintings on opening night. Head along to Redfern arts hub 107 Projects on Thursday October 4 to show some love/buy some love. 107projects.org

SEXES: photo by Christian Thompson: 'Flowering Spear-Donkere Jongen Die Speer Rechtop Houdt-2' 2008 From the series, Lost Together, 2009, courtesy of Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi

City of Sydney’s Sydney Rides Festival, with a roster that includes the return of the popular Gold Sprints and the Bicycle Film Festival, plus an instagram street art exhibition, the ‘Creatures of the Night’ Halloween fun ride, and a Street Fair of Cycling Goodness. If you’re competitive, you can lock handlebars with Clover & Co (not true) in the new criterium racing event, the Barangarace, taking place around North Barangaroo. The festival runs from October 13 until October 28 at different locations around Sydney. For the dates and deets, check out thespokespeople.com.au

Can you tell us about your OPEN artwork?

I used acrylic and aerosol on marine ply. My work explores ideas of perspective and the subjectivity of symbolism. I drew inspiration from Rorschach’s ink-blots, with the subjectmatter of zebras and ideals of modern beauty. The work is designed as a seamless, unending plane as you walk around it, every surface an extension of the last and a precursor to the next.

Searching For Sugar Man chronicles the search for ‘70s guitarist Rodriguez, who was relatively unknown in his homeland, but, after a bootleg of his album made its way to apartheid-era South Africa, became a phenomenon there. The fascinating documentary, directed by Malik Bendjelloul, is the incredible true story of the greatest American rock icon who never was. The film is in cinemas from October 4, and to score yourself one of ten in-season double passes tell us the city where Rodriguez was first discovered.

Xxx

hannon is throwing the lady-paints gauntlet down this month as part of a group show at aMBUSH gallery’s newest initiative: a public arts space in the Darling Quarter precinct, called OPEN.

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

LOOPER

Stuck In A Moment By Alicia Malone

J

oseph Gordon-Levitt is not your typical Hollywood former child actor. He’s been working steadily since the age of four and has never appeared in the tabloids, instead making a name for himself by choosing interesting roles.

We’ve seen him wrestle with dreams in Christopher Nolan’s Inception, take on an iconic character in The Dark Knight Rises, and now, in the sci-fi thriller Looper, he confronts the idea of time travel. “I guess I do like a good little brain fry!” Gordon-Levitt admits, laughing.

“The director, Rian Johnson, and I have been friends since we shot a small film called Brick [in 2005]. It wasn’t long after we finished that he brought up this time-travel idea he had, so we’ve been talking about it informally since then. Several years ago he gave me a draft of the script and my expectations were certainly high, because I think he is one of the greatest filmmakers alive today – and I was not disappointed. This is a brilliant idea. The script was a fun read, a provocative one and an emotional one, and I think the movie is the same way.”

Looper is set in a futuristic world where the mob uses time travel as a way to dispose of their enemies, sending them 30 years back in time to ‘loopers’ – hit men who are waiting to shoot them on sight. Joe (GordonLevitt) is a looper who doesn’t mind his job, until he is sent his future self (Bruce Willis) to kill. Having let his older self get away, the younger Joe chases after him, tracking him to an isolated farm where a mother (Emily Blunt) and her son live.

“I liked the notion that Looper could start off as a sci-fi action movie, but the whole thing ends up hinging on the emotional bond of a mother who needs to protect her son.”

bond of a mother who needs to protect her son.”

Playing that mother, Emily Blunt says she loved being the heartbeat of this imaginative story. “You read so many films that are completely derivative of other movies that you’ve seen a thousand times, but Rian has this highly original point of view, and he’s really uncompromising about it,” says the actress. “It was one of the best experiences not only of my career but my life, to be on this film

set. It was a magical atmosphere; everyone knew they were making something special. Rian might be the best director I’ve worked with.

He’s aesthetically brilliant, but he’s also emotionally profound and those two don’t usually go hand in hand, so he’s just a gift for anyone who gets to work with him. Bruce Willis feels the same, he’s been doing this for years, and he’s never had an experience like this.”

Casting Willis as the older version of Gordon-Levitt may not be an

Emily Blunt in mum mode in Looper

ANIMATION! WIN! FESTIVAL! he Sydney International Animation Festival is taking over UTS campus next weekend, with an army of animations from Australia and around the world, including two features – the award-winning Czech rotoscope animation Alois Nebel and the family-friendly French 3D animation A Monster In Paris – and special sessions dedicated to the best Australian and International short animations. Besides this, this year’s program will also feature documentaries (including the featurelength exploration of pioneering German animator Lotte Reiniger), a showcase from Tokyo University (where the students are mentored

by Academy Award-nominee Koji Yamamura), and a retrospective of the best work from London’s Royal College of Art. For those with more experimental tastes, the Poemetrics showcase, presented by the London’s onedotzero and New York’s EMPAC, will put poems with pictures; if your tastes run to the bizarre, we’ll see you at the adults-only Late Night Bizarre session on Saturday.

obvious choice, with the two looking nothing alike, but Johnson says he enjoyed using Willis’ action-hero status as an added way to surprise audiences. “Besides the fact that he’s a great actor, I love that when he shows up in a movie we’re used to seeing him solve the problem by finding the bad guy and killing him.

The audience immediately gets on that train when he first shows up in Looper, but we quickly turn that around.”

Gordon-Levitt agrees. “The audience’s familiarity with [Bruce] actually helps, and that was why he was so uniquely perfect for the part. It’s a movie that really examines and is critical of violence – how violence begets violence.

To have Bruce play that part, someone who’s known as being the hero, and use it to complicate feelings and provide ambiguity, is perfect.”

“Plus thematically,” adds Johnson, “so much of the film hinges on a younger man sitting across from the older version of himself, and feeling that dynamic. Having someone like Bruce Willis, who has the experience and the years to stare Joe down, you get something you could never touch in an effects sequence with Joe staring at a

green screen with a tennis ball mounted on it, in order to play both parts.”

To get a sense of resemblance between the two, Gordon-Levitt spent weeks studying Bruce’s movies and listening to his voice on his iPod, plus hours in makeup every morning to apply prosthetics.

His dedication to the role didn’t surprise Johnson, who says the actor’s consistent hard work is the reason his star is currently on the rise.

“It feels so good to watch someone who is a close friend of yours do so well at something they’re really good at,” says the director. “Brick was my first movie; it was a bizarre script, you could easily have looked at it and seen the bad version of it.

There was no motivation for him to decide to do it, other than he was intrigued by it. And that is exactly the same reason he wanted to do The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, or 500 Days of Summer. There’s a consistency there, it’s always been there. He works hard and it’s really gratifying to see that work doing well.”

What: Looper When: In cinemas September 27

S AY W EA IV G

Stills from: Alois Nebel, Preferably Blue, La Détente

Film stills copyright © 2012 Village Roadshow Limited

Johnson was inspired to write the film after becoming engrossed in novels by legendary sci-fi author Philip K. Dick. He particularly loved the idea of using high-concept drama as a way to examine a moral dilemma.

“That’s what sci-fi is so good at, using a fantastic notion or hook – whether it’s time travel, cloning or space travel – to amplify a recognisable human story and something emotional,” says Johnson. “I liked the notion that Looper could start off as a sci-fi action movie, but the whole thing ends up hinging on the emotional

Jospeh Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis bond in Looper

T

SIAF launches Friday October 12 and runs across October 13-14; full program details, sessions times and tickets at siaf.uts.edu.au

Dukes Of Bröxstônia – Planet Of Babies (Late Night Bizarre session)

For the chance to win one of THREE festival double passes (valid for Saturday 13 October and Sunday, including feature films – each pass worth over $100) email freestuff@thebrag.com with the name of one famous animated film.

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 31

Romper Stomper [DVD] The Controversial Australian Classic Returns By Alasdair Duncan

Wright remains proud of the film’s ambiguous morality, and maintains that taking a preachy approach to the subject matter would have made for a boring film. “People would switch off, and the film would become another bit of Spakfiller in the pop-cultural walls around us,” he says. “I wanted to do something that was a bit different, and when you do that, you’re going to create some enemies.”

I

t’s two decades since Romper Stomper arrived in Australian cinemas, but the film has lost none of its visceral impact in that time. A confronting story about a gang of neoNazi skinheads in the Melbourne suburbs, it shocked audience and divided critics; some worried that the film glorified Nazis, while The Movie Show’s David Stratton famously refused to give it a star rating, saying that it should never have been made at all. Director Geoffrey Wright was dismayed by this backlash, but realised it was unavoidable.

Xxx

“Romper Stomper was told from the perspective of the neo-Nazis, and a lot of people resented that, they felt we’d humanised the characters too much,” he says. “The number-one complaint we got about Russell Crowe’s character, Hando, is that we humanised him too much and made him too heroic. You know what, though? All you need to do is look at Shakespeare to see that very bad people can still have one or two good qualities.”

For Wright, the defining moment came at an early screening of the film in Melbourne,

The world of Romper Stomper is an intensely violent and physical place, and Wright remembers that the atmosphere on set was similarly so. “One night, when we were in preproduction, the guys playing the skinheads actually did end up getting arrested, and had to be bailed out,” he tells me. “They went to a hotel in South Yarra, which is, you know, an upmarket suburb of Melbourne, and they caused a ruckus with some of the locals there, so the police came in and took them away. I got a call from the producer in the early hours of the morning telling me about this, and we basically had to get them out by any means necessary, because there’s no way we could have started the film with them behind bars!”

The pre-production process may have been boisterous, but when it came to the shoot, there was so much to do that it required constant focus. “I’d say that the actual shooting of it was the most intense part,” Wright says. “Keeping it all together required the focus of a chess game.”

Wright’s keenest memory of the time, however, is of working with the young Russell Crowe. “He was intense and ambitious and worked incredibly hard,” says the director. “I do a little bit of teaching with actors, and I always say that Russell’s attitude and approach in those days, when he was starting out, is a model for anyone aspiring to act. He was wonderful to work with – he’d demand the best from everyone around him, and everyone would lift their game around him. He was delightful.”

What: Romper Stomper: 20th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray and DVD When: Available from October 3

[FILM] Finding A Legend By Hugh Robertson Searching For Sugar Man photo courtesy of Rodriguez

when a group of skinheads turned up and sat in the front row. “I kept my eye on them, and when the film finished, they turned to each other and they were bitter and twisted and angry because Hando had been defeated,” he says. “They weren’t happy with how the film ended, but they weren’t supposed to be happy about it. In that moment, I could see very clearly that the film had charted the correct course in its navigation of what it was aiming to do.”

Searching For Sugar Man “I

like the world ‘unlikely,’” says the 70-year-old voice on the other end of the phone. As well he might – that voice belongs to none other than Rodriguez, surely one of the most mysterious and enigmatic characters in the history of rock and roll.

The story goes that, after releasing two brilliant but criminally unsuccessful albums in 1970 and ‘71, Sixto Diaz Rodriguez quit music in spectacular fashion – by killing himself on stage, mid-set. Some said he shot himself, others that he set himself on fire. Still others said it wasn’t on stage at all, but rather a drug overdose in some sad alleyway, among the grime and misery and ruined majesty of a Detroit rapidly approaching rock bottom.

Remarkably, though, his albums – full of working class struggle, of conflicted people trying to survive in a corrupt system, of burnouts, of drug addicts, of the double-edged sword of sexual freedom – were phenomenally successful in apartheid South Africa, despite government censorship so determined that the censorship bureau would actually scratch the grooves of the vinyl so that ‘inappropriate material’ simply could not be played.

Rodriguez’s albums were fixtures in South African households – as ubiquitous as Abbey Road or Bridge Over Troubled Water – but in those pre-internet days information about your favourite artists was hard to come by, even if you weren’t living in a totalitarian state.

And the reason Rodriguez likes the word ‘unlikely’ is that it so perfectly sums up the events in the documentary Searching For Sugar Man, wherein two fans – journalist Craig Bartholomew and record store owner Stephen ‘Sugar’ Segerman – try to find out what happened to their favourite musician.

Amazingly, while South Africans were listening to the music of a man they thought to have died, Australians were getting a much closer look at him. Rodriguez toured here in 1979 and 1981, including some long-forgotten festival with Moving Pictures, Men At Work, Split Enz and Midnight Oil. (In an interesting parallel, Rodriguez actually ran for city council in Detroit.

He didn’t win – it didn’t help that his name was misspelled on the ballot paper – and as such is full of admiration for Peter Garrett, now federal minister for early education and children. “That’s quite an achievement, I think,” says Rodriguez.

“He was always a favourite of mine.”) But

Australia didn’t take to Rodriguez in anything like the numbers as in South Africa, nor with anything like their passion. It must have meant a lot, I suggest to the singer, to find out about this passionate fan base, and to discover how much his music meant to and resonated with anti-apartheid activists?

“Yeah. It was very, very – yes, emotional is exactly right,” he says, haltingly, giving the impression that this is the first time he’s ever really thought about it. “It’s very strong – a sense of accomplishment. It’s almost indescribable, this feeling and the moments. It’s just the magic of that time.”

And maybe some of that magic seeps into the film itself. Ordinarily, a film about two guys tracing a paper trail to their hero would be spectacularly dull. But the actual search is full of twists and turns and all manner of wonderful industry characters from the early ‘70s, and that half of the film is a poignant story of wasted talent and missed opportunities. But once they find him, the film becomes something else entirely – a story of redemption, of second chances, and the power of music to change one life whilst changing the course of history.

Equally unlikely is that just three men – Segerman, Bartholomew and director Malik Bendjelloul – made this whole thing happen. If it wasn’t already a brilliant, inspiring documentary, it would make one hell of a film.

“Strangers, do you know what I mean?” asks Rodriguez, incredulously. “I meet them and they change the course of my day, or of my life.”

What: Searching For Sugar Man When: In cinemas from October 4

Taken 2

[FILM] Last Action Hero By Joe Utichi Liam Neeson with gun, in Taken 2

L

iam Neeson might have got the Oscar nomination for his role in Schindler’s List, but it’s thanks to a very different kind of drama that his career has undergone an unexpected resurgence in the last five years.

It was an innocuous action film, in which he took the leading role at the age of 55, that took his three-decade-strong career to a whole new level, recasting the Northern Irish actor as an ‘action hero’, and introducing him to as-yet untapped demographics. There followed lead

32 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

roles in blockbusters The A-Team, Unknown, The Grey – and now, due to the staggering box office success of the first film (taking almost a quarter of a billion dollars worldwide), a sequel – Taken 2. Neeson reprises the role of Bryan Mills, whose daughter was kidnapped in the first film – and who now finds himself and his wife kidnapped by the same family, and forced to enlist his daughter's help. From the film’s Istanbul set, during shooting, Neeson teases us about what to expect.

Could you have imagined that Taken would have this sort of life?

Never. Even when I was shooting the first one, as much as I enjoyed it and loved every minute of it, there was a bit of me that thought, “This is just a simple old story; it’s not going to take off” – but in fact, it was the opposite. People really connected with it.

What do you think it was that made the connection so strong?

You’ll do anything for your kids, especially if they’re in trouble. I think people just connected with that, on a gut level. Yes, I would do the exact same. And it resonates with men and women. It wasn’t just guys of a certain age; it was ladies, too. [Also], the first film came out in 2008. That’s when the whole financial debacle happened and I really think, with Taken, audiences saw a guy who’s not going to call authority figures when he’s in trouble, because they were not to be trusted anymore. I think that’s what everybody felt. I certainly felt that in 2008. You can’t trust anybody. You certainly can’t trust your bankers; you can’t trust this one, you can’t trust that one, certainly not politicians, and here’s a guy who will not call the police when something happens. He’ll do something about it himself. I think people rooted for that individuality of, “Yeah, fuck everybody else. This is what we want, this sort of guy.”

Is there a fear involved in going into the sequel?

Well, the writers have been clever. I’ve had a couple of meetings with Luc Besson over the years. We’d have a lovely meal in France and then gradually talk about ideas for a sequel. He and Robert Kamen, his writing partner, came up with this, and I thought, “Oh, this actually might work.” It’s got a lot of the original elements that audiences liked, and of course some thrills and spills and some really nasty guys that you want to see Bryan not just take on but take out with severe attitude. So I think we have supplied quite a bit of that, too.

Do you think Taken will be a franchise that will run and run in the same way as something like the Die Hard movies or 24?

I don’t think so. They’d start to get stupid.

Two years down the road and I’ll be 62. Oh, come on, sprinting across rooftops? Not sure who would buy that. But we’ll see.

But the physicality of it is going to keep you in shape.

That’s what I love about these movies, doing all that stuff. Of course I have a brilliant stunt double, Mark Vanselow, who’s my buddy and who’s been in my life professionally for 12-13 years. So he does all the hard stuff, but I like doing the fighting. I was a boxer as a kid. I love doing that stuff, as long as it looks okay.

What: Taken 2 When: In cinemas from October 4

LER DERBY

IF YOU CAN’T PLAY NICE, PLAY ROLLER DERBY!

Qgm n] `]Yj\ YZgml al& Fgo k]] `go Y _jgmh g^ _mlkq oge]f lmjf]\ \]jZq aflg l`] ^Ykl]kl _jgoaf_ khgjl af 9mkljYdaY&

AF ;AF=E9K GF= O==C=F< GFDQ G;L )) G;L ), @GQLK ;AF=E9K =fl]jlYafe]fl ImYjl]j H]fjal`

K]] qgm Yl l`] egna]k$ oal` \]jZq dgn]

THISISROLLERDERBY.COM Coarse Language

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 33

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

WRECKING

Joe, meet Joe – in Looper

Until October 6 / The Old Fitzroy

happiness is a warm gun

PICS :: TL

Kings Cross looms so monolithically large in the public imagination it can be hard to remember it’s actually a real place. Even if you pass through that suburb with any kind of regularity, it seems impossible to reconcile with the glitz and sleaze of various iterations of Underbelly.

15:09:12 :: M2 Gallery : 4/450 Elizabeth St Surry Hills

Wrecking serves up a vision of the Cross and its surrounds that might be a little more recognizable to locals. Shrunk down to fit in the poky room under the Old Fitzroy Hotel (ingenious set design

by Owen Phillips), it is a microcosm of a story that explores the gaping spaces between the various inhabitants of this strange postcode.

Lexie and Ned are street-kids, surviving under the wharves at Woolloomoolloo and in the occasional shelter. Alana and Miles live and work in the shiny structures that overlook them. In a confined space like that, lives can’t help but get mashed and mixed.

PICS :: TL

diner book launch

Writer Dan Giovannoni is primarily interested in exploring what unifies rather than divides his characters, but this remains a story about the tragic consequences of gaps in human empathy.

He’s asking interesting questions, if perhaps too many of them: the play’s 90-minute time frame doesn’t quite do justice to the complexity of the social, economic and philosophical issues it purports to deal with. Some uncomfortable and challenging material gets lost under a tone of whimsy. It’s all a bit soft around the edges, and greater tenacity is needed to confront the battle-weary inhabitants of this world.

19:09:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Sydney

Still, there is much to recognize in this urban fairytale: the princess in her tower, the king amongst the commoners, and a dark knight playing only for himself. It’s no Grimm tale, but there are flashes of illumination and instruction to be found nonetheless.

Rebecca Saffir ■ Film

LOOPER In cinemas from September 27

PICS :: TL

art & about launch

Writer-director Rian Johnson established himself as a truly original filmmaker with 2005’s Brick, which also helped to establish that kid from 3rd Rock From The Sun as a major acting talent. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s transformation into a smart yet bankable leading man is nearly complete with Looper, which also allows him to showcase a hardness that runs counter to his goofy-dreamboat persona. It helps some that his guileless features are moulded into the stony angles of Bruce Willis’ face with contacts and prosthetics, but effects can’t anchor a film the way Gordon-Levitt does, and they can’t echo the mannerisms of another person as effectively as Gordon-Levitt does.

21:09:12 :: Martin Place :: Sydney

What's in our diary...

PRIMAVERA 2012 October 4 – December 2 Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay ARTZ! According to the MCA, the future looks a lot like this (see right). But for the full picture, head along this week when they launch Primavera, their annual lineup of fresh talent, which this year is comprised of seven emerging young artists and themed around “imaginary territories, spiritual landscapes and private interior realms.” Three from the lineup come from NSW: Todd McMillan, whose film installation explores his expedition to remote Tasmania to document the ‘Shy Albatross’; Kate Mitchell, who will represent the days of her life so far in a hand-counted mound of unshelled peanuts; and Justine Varga, who will document small changes in the minutiae of her home and studio environment using film, video and photography. From interstate: Dion Beasley (NT), Benjamin Forster (WA), Anastasia Klose (VIC) and Teho Ropeyan (QLD). And thanks to the Musuem’s new Lights on Later initiative, you can choose to check this out on Thursdays 'til 9pm, as well as all the other 'regular' hours. mca.com.au 34 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Dialogue (detail) 2010 by Benjamin Forster

Gordon-Levitt and Willis play the same man thirty years apart, and the fulcrum of their lives is the moment where Old Joe is sent back from 2074 to be executed by his younger self. In 2074, time travel has been invented and immediately banned; like anything illegal, it’s now used only by criminals, who send their enemies three decades into the past to be dispatched undetectably by blunderbuss-toting assassins nicknamed loopers. Loopers retire by killing their older selves, taking a massive golden handshake and enjoying the next thirty years of guaranteed existence as best they can; when it comes Joe’s turn, though, the older man escapes to try and fix his 2074 life, and he must hunt Old Joe down just to have a chance at getting old himself.

Looper was promoted as a more highconcept film than it actually is. If you need an elevator pitch, “Sort of like Blade Runner but with time travel and assassins instead of robots!” will do, but the time

Like Brick (and Johnson’s odd second feature, The Brothers Bloom) the design is immersive, saturated with a rich darkness, and details – from the slang to the light switches – are unselfconscious and assuredly real. Everything in the film, from the idea of a person having a fixed destiny to the 20th-century clothes and aesthetics favoured by many of the loopers, plays on the inevitability of the circle and the tendency of history to repeat itself. It’s something to keep in mind as you watch the beauty of the action scenes and the nasty morality of 2044 play out; it’s chiefly a philosophical exploration of what makes us human, and you can’t take it as lightly as you might sometimes prefer to.

Caitlin Welsh ■ Theatre

WATER Reviewed September 13 / Sydney Theatre Here’s a fun bit of trivia for you: unlike most molecules, water operates through attraction, not repulsion. There’s something of a moral lesson in this for humans, who are comprised of upwards of 60% of the friendly little chemical structures – connect, or perish. Water also has a highly political dimension: being the stuff of life, it is a hugely contested resource in a world that is rapidly outrunning its limitations. Water, a co-creation between British visual theatre-makers Filter and writer David Farr, tries to explore these multitudinous dimensions – but here the political suffers at the hands of the personal.

Peter (Ferdy Roberts) was a scientist in the 1970s, at which time he predicted global warming. He has one son (also Ferdy Roberts) in Britain, who is also a scientist, and another (Oliver Dimsdale) who’s a radio DJ in Vancouver. When Peter dies, his sons (from different marriages) meet for the first time. In the same hotel, Claudia (Poppy Miller) is preparing to negotiate a major carbon offset deal amongst antagonistic nations (shades of Kevin and the fatal Copenhagen summit here). Her boyfriend (Dimsdale again) is a deep-sea diver who’s put off a record-breaking dive to be there for her, but nothing is going to plan and everything is falling apart. There are intersections and overlappings between the various stories and timelines, but they are both too few and too tidy to pack much emotional punch, and it frequently feels as if the pressing political questions (how do we get humans to co-operate long enough to save themselves?) are playing second fiddle to the almost soapy storyline.

The subjugation of the political is evident in the production aesthetics. Outwardly, Water displays flashes of Brechtian epic theate: visible set changes, a bit of direct audience address, some very clever actor-driven foley work. But its effect and bearing on the story or message is unclear. Water looks clever, but go a little deeper and it’s all rather adrift.

Rebecca Saffir

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Primavera – Image courtesy and © Benjamin Forster / Photograph: TJ Phillipson

Arts Exposed

travel is a device in the story, not the story itself. There are other sci-fi elements that are subtler at first but play a much larger part in the plot. That said, Johnson’s approach to the möbius strip that is any time travel plot is the neatest and simplest in recent memory – the ‘chalkboard scene’ is skipped, the science plausibly elided and the narrative possibilities mined deftly, including some truly chilling body horror.

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

■ Film

Nah, let’s hang here and enjoy the sights and sounds of exotic Istanbul.

TAKEN 2

So there we were in the kitchen, watching a bit of soccer on TV and having a smoke, when suddenly Liam walks in and shoots me in the face. IN THE FACE. I was like, WTF bro how did you escape? You are a troublemaker and a half.

In cinemas from October 4 So I got this awesome job with some Albanian sex traffickers, and on my first day we got to go on an excursion to Turkey to find Liam Neeson, take him back to our village and sprinkle his blood around the place, because apparently he killed everyone who lived here. Except for all of us who he didn’t kill.

As I lay there dying, I watched the star of Michael Collins break my friend Carlo’s neck, snap my friend Marco’s arms, and unload an entire clip into my Uncle Boris.

Who’s a bit of an asshole actually, so that was alright.

When we got to Istanbul, we checked into the local Slavic Torture House, and a few of the guys went off to the hotel where the star of the hit movie Taken was staying. And they got him straight away! I was pepped about getting his autograph but the boys said it wasn’t very professional.

As I drew my final breath, I was proud to say I was killed by the guy who did the voice of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. But I did wonder why he would take his family back to Europe after having such a bad experience here last time. I think he must be a masochist, or else he has a healthy sense of humour.

Either way, he’s good at maiming people without changing his facial expression, and you’ve got to pay that. Also, the producers probably felt like making another quarter of a billion dollars.

They also got his ex-wife. Not sure what she was doing there, but I figured I’d get a photo with her at some point when Slobadan wasn’t showing her his collection of medical instruments.

With Liam and his ex locked up, everything was coming up Albanian Sex Traffickers, so we decided to chill for a while. I was like, shouldn’t we take Liam back to the village and sprinkle his blood? But the boss said

Nikos Andronicos

What’s the worst thing a mother could do?

MEDEA

By KATE MULVANY & ANNE-LOUISE SARKS after EURIPIDES Original Concept & Director ANNE-LOUISE SARKS

11 OCTOBER – 25 NOVEMBER DOWNSTAIRS BELVOIR ST THEATRE

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Liam Neeson gets mad (and even) in Taken 2

Street Level

GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

with Angelo Kehagias

BETWEEN TWO WAVES 5 OCTOBER-17 NOVEMBER

T

hese days Angelo is one of Sydney's most in-demand music and editorial photographers – but it all started with a happy snap camera when he was holidaying around Europe, at that time as an aspiring writer.

15 years later, he’s opening a solo show at MART, including as-yetunseen pics from his recent shoot with Art vs Science, portraits of Washington, Lisa Mitchell, Temper Trap, Ladyhawke, Kate Miller-Heidke, Passenger, Julia Stone, Elizabeth Rose (pictured right), Deep Sea Arcade, Little Red, Belles Will Ring, Faker, Mercy Arms – and one of his alltime favourite portraits, of singersongwriter Steve Smyth, taken with a humble lomo panoramic.

Where did you train? I completed a parttime night course in photojournalism at the Tower Hamlets College of London. From there I did a bit of assisting, but I didn’t really learn much. I would have to say that most of what I’ve learnt and what I am still learning is from shooting.

Do you remember getting your first camera? When I left Oz in ‘97 and embarked on an eight-year European adventure, I brought a crappy little happy snap camera with me. I destroyed that camera when I fell off a Vespa in the Greek Islands, so when I made it to Athens I decided to upgrade [to an SLR].

What was your breakthrough moment, career-wise? That would have to be the Mercy Arms LP shoot. After the release of the LP I started to get a steady stream of work from both the independents and the labels.

My first shoot with an Australian band was a freebie I did for Faker. Faker’s manager introduced me to Todd [Wagstaff – who managed Mercy Arms].

How do you generally put a concept together with your music clients? I encourage the band to send me as many

BOOKINGS 02 9699 3444 BELVOIR.COM.AU/MEDEA

BY IAN MEADOWS DIRECTED BY SAM STRONG

references as possible, be it portraits, song lyrics, music videos, film etc. I cram as much of that data into my brain, and it spits out ideas at random. I do a lot of driving up and down the F3, from where I live on the Central Coast to Sydney. This is a good time to catch up on any music listening, and if the artist has provided me with music I listen to a track on repeat for an hour or so, until it has burrowed its way into my brainscape. After that sort of conditioning, the ideas tend to flow...

And what about this shoot (pictured) with Elizabeth Rose? I listened to ‘Ready’ on repeat 'til my ears bled; Liz then sent me a bunch of references, [including] a photo of a haute couture ball-gown made from layered blue chiffon. Her super-talented stylist friend Millie Hall then went away and made the final piece, together with the headdress. I also gave her a Martha Stewart guide to making origami paper roses, and she made approximately 20, which we used as props. Bless her! I then decided to light the predominantly white costume and props with a mixture of flash and fluorescent light to create the palette of cool colours. I then brought in a digital artist friend of mine called Jono Hislop, who put the final touches on the piece.

LOVE IN A WARMING CLIMATE

TO MAKE A BOOKING CALL 02 9361 3817 OR VISIT GRIFFINTHEATRE.COM.AU Production Sponsor

What: Other Worlds by Angelo Kehagias Where: MART / 69 Reservoir St, Surry Hills When: October 4-14 BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 35

Album Reviews

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK GRIZZLY BEAR Shields Warp Records

Like a piercing shard of sunlight, Brooklyn four-piece Grizzly Bear have emerged from the dream-like mists of their 2009 long player Veckatimest into a newfound clearness for their fourth album Shields.

Whether an intentional misnomer or something a little more cryptic, this album is anything but a shield.

It is the band’s most open and enjoyably imperfect recording yet.

There may be nothing on this record as immediate as the dreamy joy of ‘Two Weeks', but there doesn’t need to be. Shields comes through loud and clear.

The meticulous studio arrangements heard in their breakthrough album Veckatimest are a distant memory, replaced with a forthrightness that reflects a new confidence in songwriting. There’s no need to hide behind their swirling psychedelic melodies and syrupy vocal overdubs anymore; Shields is a simpler beast.

BETH ORTON

THE SHEEPDOGS

Sugaring Season Anti/Warner

It can’t possibly be 13 years since the release of the haunting, hypnotic and Mercury Prize-nominated Central Reservation, can it? Can it?! Well, it is – and while grey hairs now have cameos on my forehead and the memories of curling up to ‘Feel To Believe’ and ‘Pass In Time’ are faded, Orton has reappeared with her fifth studio album in an almost 20-year career sounding as fresh as ever.

Produced by Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, Spoon), Sugaring Season makes a bold return to acoustic instrumentation – and while the production is still a dominant feature, the glitchy, electronic overtones of her earlier work have disappeared. Orton has always focused on rhythm and groove as a backdrop for haunting melodies – a facet of her music that separates her from other folk contemporaries – but this time it is her guitar and piano that set the pulse.

Her voice is as strong and emotionally expansive as ever, and while her vocal choices on ‘Magpie’ and ‘Dawn Chorus’ feel like an old friend, she still pulls out some new ideas.

The jazz-infused feel of ‘Something More Beautiful’ contrasts impeccably with the playfully European waltz of ‘See Through Blue’, providing the depth of rhythmic and melodic exploration that is to be expected from someone with Orton’s years of experience. There is always going to be something undeniably “Beth Orton” about everything she does, due in part to that unmistakable vocal timbre.

But where other female folk artists are stuck in a cycle of recycling, Orton is expanding and staying relevant.

Gone are the electronic textures of yesteryear, replaced with a new focus on acoustic and organic enhancements. But what remains is Orton’s love of melody, harmony and vocal choices that will rip your heart out.

After years of constant touring, and three self-released albums, the Canadian band won an international competition that saw them become the first ever unsigned act to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone and land a three-album deal with Atlantic.

And along with winning three JUNO awards (Canadian Grammys), touring with John Fogerty and having Patrick Carney of The Black Keys produce this album, it’s clear that the band’s success is built on hard work and a steady accumulation of fans.

Which comes as no surprise, really.

The Sheepdogs write the kind of good time rock’n’roll that is always a hit live: equal parts Creedence and The Allman Brothers Band, but with a dash of wry self-awareness that prevents them from sounding too earnest about it all. There’s no doubt they are drawing from a popular well of influences, but their obvious love of those influences comes through with tremendous enthusiasm.

Some of the slower numbers lose a bit of steam, and opener ‘Laid Back’ lives up to its title to its own detriment. But ‘Feeling Good’ is an instant classic with a very late-era Black Keys riff made for roadtrips and summer afternoons, and when the whole band locks in behind the swaggering riff you won’t be able to stop yourself from tapping your feet.

‘Alright OK’ sees singer Ewan Currie channeling Gregg Allman, while Leot Hanson’s guitar work on closing track ‘It Ain’t Easy To Go’ is a real treat.

The Sheepdogs is by no means groundbreaking, but it’s good fun and good listening.

Hugh Robertson

Krissi Weiss

The rollicking ‘A Simple Answer’, led by Chris Bear’s irresistible drum beat, is the album’s most energetic, while the romantic and echoing ‘Yet Again’ is an obscure allusion to a relationship gone wrong. But lead single ‘Sleeping Ute’ captures Grizzly Bear’s newfound directness best, with big clean guitars crashing against tumbling drums matched only in urgency by Daniel Rossen’s surprisingly unaffected vocal take.

Rick Warner

MENOMENA

Although it still sounds like a Menomena record, Brett Knopf’s absence from the band’s lineup is definitely noticeable. The three-piece had long been known for their in-fighting, which saw them spend years recording their ideas separately before painstakingly weaving them together – and after ten years of that, Knopf was done.

The remaining members, singer/ bassist/saxophonist Justin Harris and drummer/singer Danny Seim, chose not to amass an arsenal of their musician friends to record on their new album Moms. They’ve instead delivered an arguably more coherent pop record than even 2010’s Mines, brought together by the concept of family members lost and others regained. It has a more personal lyrical focus than any of their prior records, indicative of a newfound comfort with their songwriting. On ‘Heavy Is As Heavy Does’, Harris laments, “As prideful as a man he was / Proud my father never was of me”.

There’s noticeably less jamming together of disparate ideas on Moms: Harris and Seim have utilised their solid rhythmic sensibilities to full effect, driving songs to almost breaking point, and creating tension through mathy drumming, swarming strings and pained, staccato-like keys. They’re still delivering the same affecting climaxes we’ve become used to, and the same dense, emotional weight. The haze of atonal, delayed guitars on ‘Pique’, the Portishead fuzz on ‘Tantalus’, and actual tap-danced percussion backing on ‘Don’t Mess With Latexas’ all display the duo’s flourishing creativity, with horn parts and synths swelling throughout.

Like any other Menomena album, Moms is so crisply recorded, its percussion and piano are so arresting, that it almost makes you wince. The remaining two thirds of this band have produced a record as good, if not better, than any prior.

Dijana Kumurdian

Die Young Two Bright Lakes

It’s amazing to think that it’s only taken Marcus Whale and Travis Cook just over a year to follow-up on their way-outtaleft-field debut Iconography. That album was such a rich, overstuffed delight of chopped up vocals and reverberating synths that even though they allegedly compiled the whole thing via email, it seemed like it would have taken an aeon to pull it together.

36 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Die Young smooths out the edges of the interstate duo’s sound, and properly announces their intentions.

When critics called these guys ‘RnB’ the first time around, it wasn’t immediately apparent what they were talking about – but from the first ten seconds of ‘Hypothermia’, the gorgeous, Weeknd-ish second single, that genre tag starts to make a bit more sense.

Die Young is chock full of this kind of icy, ‘90s hip hop-inspired longing, the difference being that the songs actually seem like songs rather than clever ideas put together for the sake of it. Sure, a lot of the sound sources are still taken from who-knows-where and implanted in their

It should take you all of about 25 seconds to decide whether or not you will enjoy this album. If you’re into jagged and angular brass riffs, synthesised percussion and an almost non-stop barrage of word salad, strap yourself in. If that kind of thing isn’t your bag, the bad news is that the whole album adheres fairly strictly to this formula.

Sitting somewhere between Salvador Dali and David Lynch in terms of innate surrealism, Talking Heads’ David Byrne has crafted more kooky and vaguely creepy pop classics than you’ve had hot dinners. By contrast, relative newcomer St. Vincent (Annie Clark) brings a slightly more earthbound and conventional flavour to proceedings. Then again, I suppose it’s natural to come across as the straight guy when your songwriting partner is screaming about being an ape on Christmas morning...

While it may overstay its welcome by a couple of songs (possibly the two non-collaborative co-writes), it’s hard to stay mad at an album that is so stubbornly non-commercial.

On repeated listens, the brass band backing seems to be the most normal aspect of the whole affair, with the whooping vocal samples, squelchy synth drones and the almost clinically pristine production moving into focus.

But the lyrics are the real kicker, and to quote any of them here would do them a disservice. Suffice to say that within any given verse – particularly Byrne’s – you’ll find some of the most intentionally ridiculous imagery and genuinely funny non sequiturs since The Beatles sang about being a Walrus. Sane people just don't say things like that, yet it taps into some weird dream or nightmare we can somehow all relate to.

William Bensussen – better known to the rest of us as The Motherfucking Gaslamp Killer, the beatsmith famous for his eccentric dance moves and even more eccentric moustaches – has finally delivered his debut album, and it is one that can justify the wait.

Breakthrough sputters, contorts and twists itself around your subconscious; it’s jagged and distorted yet somehow manages to bring together every imaginable computer-generated bleep and bloop with captivating instrumentals, from drum solos to Turkish-inspired riffs – and the execution is so faultlessly presented that you can’t help but hang on every beat like a desperate ex-girlfriend by a phone.

Dabbling in a range of genres, from trip-hop and glitch to electronica and dubstep, Breakthrough can switch from downright menacing, bass-riddled electronica in songs like ‘Peasants, Cripples & Retards (ft.

Samiyam)’ to a track like ‘Apparitions (ft. Gonjasufi)’ – California psych rock with a decidedly melancholic twist – without so much as blinking an eye. There's a distinctive nod to Bensussen's roots on tracks ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’, which feature recorded samples of his parents, while 'Nissim (ft. Amir)’ heavily references his Turkish ancestry. Lead single ‘Flange Face (ft. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)’ slowly builds into a state of pure anxiety, punctuated with horror movie-esque strings, and ‘Veins (ft.

Gonjasufi)’ will send the same level of shiver down your spine as the vocals plead and rasp.

Put it on and time how long it takes before you start dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld.

With its underlying theme of doomsday gloom, Breakthrough is not an easy listen. But the undeniable skill that went into twisting and manipulating sound makes this a record you’ll be strangely addicted to.

Benn Laidlow

Marissa Demetriou

right place, but they’re more considered and, frankly, more beautiful. The sublime triple-threat of ‘Missing’, ‘Cocooned’ and ‘Teenage Dream’ showcase a more sophisticated beat-making that underpins the duo’s favourite game: How many different ways can you layer a synth before shattering it into pieces? Above the humming and shuddering soars Whale’s voice, allowed more proper breathing space here than he had on the last album – and that’s probably the best surprise of all.

Can’t wait to hear what happens when Drake taps these guys for his next record.

Jonno Seidler

Breakthrough Brainfeeder

Love This Giant 4AD/Remote Control

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK COLLARBONES

THE GASLAMP KILLER

DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT

Moms Spunk/Universal

The Sheepdogs Atlantic/Warner

The Sheepdogs are a band you’re going to hear a lot more of.

This isn’t to say that their previous work hasn’t been musically impressive, because that wouldn’t be giving the band their due respect. But this collection of songs is something new. By their own admission, Shields is a more collaborative effort; songs were flushed out together as a band instead of the singular songwriting efforts heard in the past. This is particularly apparent in the beautiful jazz meanderings of ‘What’s Wrong’ and the ebb and flow of album closer ‘Sun In Your Eyes’.

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

LIARS - WIWIW SASKWATCH - Leave It All Behind THE MOUNTAIN GOATS - Transcendental Youth

THE PRESETS - Pacifica JULIA HOLTER - Ekstasis

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

NADA SURF

The Annandale Hotel Thursday September 20 For me, tonight was a night of rediscovery.

It was my first night back at The Annandale after their renovations, and I fell in love all over again.

The second room (the awkward thoroughfare on the other side of the main bar) looks great – slightly ‘shiny boutique pub’ in the manner of The Beresford or The Norfolk, but surrounded by years of blood, sweat and rock that a face-lift alone can't remove from the walls. And I’m not sure exactly what caused it, but the sound in the main room was far, far better than I remember it being (someone suggested that the remodelled roof allowed the sound to carry better).

POND, MELODIE NELSON, DAY RAVIES The Metro Theatre Thursday September 20

Originally a Tame Impala sideproject, Pond have blossomed into a breakthrough band in their own right over the past year, touring the world, playing at SxSW in Texas, and even being declared the ‘Hottest New Band In The World’ by NME. Four months later, they’re back home for a quick run of shows, including an all-ages date at The Metro.

Things kicked off early with Day Ravies. Their brand of guitar pop edges towards the dreamy and psychedelic, but there’s just enough grit and noise going on to demand attention. Despite it being the biggest stage they’ve played, they work The Metro well, drawing the crowd as they trickled in.

Melodie Nelson kept things dreamy, with a more straightforward approach. They’re influenced by the more adventurous pop of the ‘60s, particularly girl groups and the French fare that their moniker alludes to. Despite being a fivestrong band, they were the quietest act of the night, and it could’ve come unstuck in front of a less attentive audience. But they played a great set, clearly feeding off the attention of an all-ages crowd that were impressively respectful for what was about to become a much louder affair.

And I rediscovered Nada Surf, who are one of those bands whose music I really love, but who don’t occupy a prominent spot in my brain’s record shelf. You could never describe them as an essential band, but they write such pitch-perfect pop-rock it’s a wonder they haven’t had more success. The crowd tonight greets every song with a warm smile and a rousing cheer, as though seeing an old friend for the first time in years.

But despite the lightness of touch in much of their music, and the sweetness of Matthew Caws’ voice, there is some serious, unexpected grunt when this band plays live. A three-piece for much of their career, they’ve acquired Doug Gillard, formerly of Guided By Voices, and his second guitar expands their sound in all the right ways – notably by shredding all over ‘When I Was Young’ from the most recent record.

It’s the old favourites that receive the cheers, though, and even some obnoxious geezer yelling for it all night couldn’t take away the joy of ‘See These Bones’. ‘Weightless’ and ‘Whose Authority’ were also sublime, with Ira Elliott’s snare cutting through like gunshots in the dark.

It’s always been a mystery why Nada Surf never cracked the big time, but Caws hit the nail on the head halfway through their set: “We’re always trying to write hits for another planet.” And, probably, on that other planet they are superstars – it’s a crime that songs this good are heard by so few.

Hugh Robertson

The interval between bands saw a marked shift in the room; it swelled until almost full, the extra bodies bringing with them a fresh sense of anticipation. And that manifested with the huge reception that greeted Pond’s entrance. Unapologetic in their approach to rock’n’roll, they spent over an hour delivering crowd-pleasing riffs and solos built for the increasingly large stages they’re playing. In the best possible sense, it’s big, dumb rock’n’roll, but they escape the pastiche of similar groups with a psychedelic edge that adds just enough nuance to keep things interesting between the barrage of rousing, fistpumping moments.

Adam Lewis

OUR PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY

MAR

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 37

snap sn ap

pear shape

PICS :: PX

up all night out all week . . .

mum

PICS :: TP

22:09:12 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William Street Kings Cross 9331 9900

rival schools

PICS :: TL

21:09:12 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 9357 7700

chicks who love guns

PICS :: KC

19:09:12 :: Annandale Hotel :: 17 Paramatta Rd Annandale 9550 1078

21:09:12 :: The Standard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst 9331 3100

It’s called: The Sydney Rock‘n’Roll & Alternative Market It sounds like: A swarm of vintage motorbikes and scooters as they arrive to party after the Ton Up Boys Rockers Ride.

Who’s playing? Mushroom Planet, Little Murders, Pat Capocci Combo, Mother Truckers, Jordan C. Thomas Trio, plus DJs The Crimplenes, Brian, Rod Almighty and Toz Riot.

Sell it to us: Over 70 music/culture/related stalls over three levels, rockin’ new and vintage fashion, records, jewellery, guitars, collectables, posters, live bands, DJs, a tiki bar courtyard, great food, reasonably priced drinks, kids activities, and a vintage motorbike and scooter display.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: All the great things you brought home with you, the awesome entertainment – and your Sailor Jerry Rum hangover.

Crowd specs: All are welcome (under-18’s in the company of an adult in the main bar).

Wallet damage: Gold coin donation Where: Manning House & Manning Bar / Manning Road, University of Sydney When: Sunday October 7, from 10.30am

38 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

the rubens

PICS :: PX

party profile

the sydney rock'n'roll & alternative market

21:09:12 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

:: NOHMON ANWARYAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: DANIEL MUNNS :: THOMAS PEACHY :: PEDRO XAVIER KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR

snap sn ap

feelings

PICS :: PX

up all night out all week . . .

katchafire

PICS :: KC

21:09:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

deer republic

21:09:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

It’s called: Gallery Bar @ Oxford Art Factory It sounds like: Rowdy, rollicking rock‘n’roll.

Who’s playing? Doc Holliday Takes The Shotgun, The Owls, Super Best Friends, Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys Sell it to us: Four killer bands for zero dollars – aka ‘rock out with your Doc out.’

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: The sweaty taste of success.

Crowd specs: Party dudes, woo girls and possibly one or two people dressed as pirates. It happens.

Wallet damage: Free entry Where: Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory / 38-46 Oxford Street When: Thursday October 4, from 8pm

PICS :: AM

party profile

doc holliday takes the shotgun

PICS :: KC

22:09:12 :: EnmoreTheatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

future islands

hey geronimo

PICS :: PX

20:08:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

good charlotte

PICS :: AM

21:09:12 :: FBi Social :: Kings Cross Hotel 248 William Street Kings Cross 9331 9900

21:09:12 :: The Big Top:: 1 Olympic Dr Milsons Point 9033 7600

:: NOHMON ANWARYAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: DANIEL MUNNS :: THOMAS PEACHY :: PEDRO XAVIER KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR

BRAG :: 482:: 01:10:12 :: 39

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

Dappled Cities

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 Metro Theatre, Sydney

Dappled Cities, Jape (IRE) TUESDAY OCTOBER 2

ROCK & POP

ROCK & POP

2 Way Split The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 7pm The Donovans The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 2pm Monday Jam Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Peter Combe Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $8-$12 (+ bf) 11.30am all-ages The Polka Kings Ettamogah Pub, Kellyville free 1pm Regurgitator, Senyawa (IDN) The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35 (+ bf) 8pm Snow Patrol (IRE) State Theatre, Sydney sold out 8pm

JAZZ

Colors Tribute Night feat.

Joel Madden (USA) Venue 505, Surry Hills 7.30pm Jim Gannon Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm

COUNTRY

Lady Antebellum (USA), Tim Hart Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House sold out 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Russell Neal, Angel Awake, Ivona Budys, Milwaukee, Samantha Johnson, Chris Brookes, Adam Kiss Kellys On King, Newtown free 7pm

Adam Pringle and Friends Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Jurassic Lounge: Chance Waters, State Advanced, Jubilants (DJ set), Smart Alec, The Essential Stix Australian Museum, Sydney $14 5.30pm Mandi Jarry Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free Reality Bites, The Jerks, Old Spiced Boys The Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney free 9pm Renae Stone O’Malley’s Hotel, Darlinghurst free 10pm Rob Henry The Observer Hotel, The Rocks free 4pm Songwriters Association Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt free 7pm

JAZZ

DIG, Jade Bootay Brass Monkey, Cronulla $28.60 7pm Galaxstare, Chris Poulsen Venue 505, Surry Hills 7.30pm John Hill Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm

COUNTRY

Lady Antebellum (USA), Tim Hart Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House sold out 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Andrew Denniston, EvaMaria Hess, Stuart Jammin,

Francisca Valenzuela (Chile), Abuka Blue Beat, Double Bay $39.50 (+ bf) 8pm Pure Bohemia: Gadjo Guitars Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $25 6.30pm

COUNTRY

Lady Antebellum (USA), Tim Hart Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House $109 (+ bf) 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

$20 (+ bf) 8pm all-ages MONDAY OCTOBER 1

JAZZ

Sam Schroder, Josh Overett, Pal Sheldon, Dave Sattout, Alex Thompson Merton Hotel, Rozelle free 7.30pm Darren Bennett George IV Inn, Picton free 7.30pm Russell Neal, Senani, Peter Williams, Damien Chan, Bethia Thomas, Laura O’Laney Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 7pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 ROCK & POP

Andy Mammers Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm Benjalu Brass Monkey, Cronulla $10.20 7pm Brad Johns Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Dan Spillane Mean Fiddler Bar, Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill free 6pm Heavenly Sounds: Karise Eden, Lakyn Heperi St Stephens Church Hall, Sydney $62.50 (+ bf) 8pm Hello Vera FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel free 1pm It’s Alive! Verge Opening Night Party: Richard In Your Mind, Tin Can Radio, Milkk, Beat The System DJs Verge Festival Dome, Front Lawns, University of Sydney, Camperdown free 7pm Jamie Lindsay Northies, Cronulla free 7.45pm Knievel

Adrian O’Shea, Gavin Fitzgerald Coach & Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm Carolyn Woodorth, Rod Robinson Royal Hotel, Springwood free 8pm Folk Club Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Greg Sita Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 7pm Helmut Uhlmann, Angel Awake, Janise & the Cripps The Loft, UTS, Ultimo free 6pm Nigel Wearne Night Noodle Markets @ Crave Sydney, Hyde Park, Sydney free 6pm Rajko Gypsey Band (Hungary) Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $35 7pm Russell Neal, Chelsea Gibson Cookies Lounge and Bar, North Strathfield free 6.30pm Scarlets Revenge, Rather Be Dead, The Cashmere Revolution, The Mis-Made, No Illuminati, Dennis Aubrey, Chris James Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 7.30pm

Beaten Bodies, This Mess Notes Live, Enmore $12.25 7pm Bradley Cork & The Folklore Mantra, Julian Rojas, Spookyland Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 7pm Cass Greaves, The Blind Hot Gems The Vanguard, Newtown $21.80 (+ bf)–$56.80 (dinner & show) 8pm Dappled Cities, Jape (IRE) Metro Theatre, Sydney $20 (+ bf) 8pm all-ages Doc Holiday Takes The Shotgun, The Owls, Super Best Friends, Bellyache Ben & The Steamgrass Boys Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm The Gold Project, Jess & Jen, Stephanie Grace The Vanguard, Newtown $15.80 8pm Gregory Page (USA), Liz Frencham Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $15-$25 7pm all-ages The H.P Coronados Harold Park Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm Heavenly Sounds: Karise Eden, Lakyn Heperi St Stephens Church Hall, Sydney sold out 8pm Hot Damn!: The Bride, Hearts Like Wolves, Andee Van Damage, Fortune Fails Spectrum, Darlinghurst $15 (guestlist)–$20 8pm Kade & The Karneez, 5 Coffees, Big Dumb Kid, Mass Effect FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm Katrina Burgoyne Dee Why Hotel free 7pm Microwave Jenny Brass Monkey, Cronulla $17.85 7pm Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Hotel, Rooty Hill free 8pm Paul Hayward’s Live Punk Rock Karaoke Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 8pm The Strangers, Kings Of The North Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Velociraptor, Palms, The Dead Heads Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm The White Bros The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm

JAZZ

The Cellar Jazz Jam: The Phil Stack Trio The Spice Cellar, Sydney free 8pm Jazz a Vienne Sydney 2012: Zoo Superband with John Morrison & Suzanna Wellink, Emma Hamilton, Tricia Evy The Basement, Circular Quay $35 (+ bf) 7pm

Lionel Robinson Dee Why RSL Club free 6.30pm Novalima (Peru), Sistema Criolina (BRA) Blue Beat, Double Bay $39.50 (+ bf) 7pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel free 8pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Andrew Denniston, Simon Marrable, Ditte Taaning, Angelene Harris, Pat McCarthy Forest Lodge Hotel, glebe free 7.30pm Daniel Hopkins Horse & Jockey Hotel, Homebush free 7.30pm Joanne Hill, Brad Myers Corrimal Hotel free 7.30pm Nigel Wearne Night Noodle Markets @ Crave Sydney, Hyde Park, Sydney free 6pm Russell Neal, Spencer McCullum, Nick Domenicos Kogarah Hotel free 7pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5 ROCK & POP

Andrew Chubb Independent Theatre, North Sydney $36 7.45pm all-ages Baby Grand, Stellar Addiction, The Wire Hermann’s, Darlington $15 (+ bf) 8pm The Beautiful Girls Metro Theatre, Sydney $45.10 8pm all-ages Billy Goat & The Mongrels, Frank Sultana & The Sinister Kids, Roland K Smith & The Sinners, Andy Golledge Sandringham Hotel, Newtown $10 8pm Chinese Burns Unit, Collapso, Thorax, Glory Hole Black Wire Records, Annandale 7pm all-ages Claude Hay State Theatre, Sydney 8pm Darth Vegas, Jay Katz Lamps, Hibernian House, Surry Hills $15 8pm Disco is Dead, Restless Leg, Death Mattel The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe $10 8pm First Ladies of Soul Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $34–$76 (dinner & show) 8pm Flamin’ Beauties Crown Hotel, Sydney free 8.30pm Grace Elliot, Emma Edwards, Jae Moon, Vincent Pham Annandale Hotel $12 8pm Gregory Page (USA), Liz Frencham Yours & Owls, Wollongong $10 8.30pm Hello Vera, Master of

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 ROCK & POP

Andrew P Street, Wintah Thompson, Seamus Anthony, Benedict Horder Union Hotel, Newtown free 8pm Ashes Live House, Lewisham $12 8.30pm Bang! Launch: Kingswood, Little Bastard, The Cold Mean Reds Annandale Hotel free (early bird)–$10 7pm

The Beautiful Girls

“All things considered, you’ve done me wrong, but that’s not all...” - GRINSPOON 40 :: BRAG :: 482 : 01:10:12

Xxx

pick of the week

The Local Taphouse, Darlinghurst 7pm Little Hurricane (USA), Ainslie Wills The Vanguard, Newtown $38.80 8pm Musos Jam Night Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt free 8pm Northeast Party House, Pontiac Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach free 8pm Richie Branco Trio Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney free 11pm Vice ‘The Weird Science’ Issue Launch: Very Special Guest (USA), Fishing, Pelvis, BT Magnum Goodgod Small Club, Sydney free (RSVP) 9pm Watsup The Orient Hotel, The Rocks free 9pm White Picket Fence, Phoebe Eve Garden, Beck Fielding Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 7pm

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

The Paper Scissors

Ribongia Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $12 8pm High Wolf (FRA), Benoit Pioulard (USA), Thomas William, Secret Birds, Octopus Pi DJs The Square, Haymarket $15 8pm Hue Williams Avalon RSL free 9pm Jenny Love Show 2012: Jenny Tseng (Taiwan) Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour $72.05$252.35 8.15pm Joe Bonamassa (USA) State Theatre, Sydney $85.45–$105.45 8pm King Tide, Tales in Space, Dan Crestani, Liz Bird Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm Lachy’s Doley’s Organ in Rock: Tribute to Jon Lord Blue Beat, Double Bay $18 (+ bf) 7pm MayfairRising Manly Fisho’s $10 (+ bf) 8pm Microwave Jenny, Sam Buckingham, Rin McArdle The Vanguard, Newtown $18.80 8pm MUM: The Shooters Party, Corpus, Ocean Alley, Violet Pulp, Michael Finlay, Swim Team DJs, Bones Bones Bones, Bloody Lovely Audrey, The Zebs, 10th Avenue, Sammy K, Cries Wolf DJs, Ratbag DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross $10-$15 8pm The Music Maker Club: The Money Go Round, The Dead Heads, The Bedlams, Yardvark, Eden’s March, Lenox, Adam George, Wolfden DJs Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm The My Tys Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Nekromantix (DEN), Death Valley The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $48 (+ bf) 8pm Northern Lights Finalists Showcase FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel 8pm Old Mate, School Of Radiant Living, Family, Beef Jerk The Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo 8pm Outright, Vigilante, Hazards, Cop Gestapo Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 7pm The P!nk Show Dee Why RSL Club free 11.30am The Pigs Notes Live, Enmore $27.55 Rolling Stones Tribute: Damien Lovelock, Rex Goh Brass Monkey, Cronulla $25.50 7pm Roots – Punk Fridays Spectrum, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Sons of Lee Marvin, Handsome Young Strangers, Go/No-Go The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Steel Panther (USA) The Big Top at Luna Park, Milsons Point sold out 8pm all-ages

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (USA), Bearhug The Factory Theatre, Enmore $44 (+ bf) 8pm Steve Edmonds Band Catho Pub, Ctherine Hill Bay free 8pm A Tribute To John Lord: Organ In Rock, Lachy Doley Blue Beat Bar & Grill, Double Bay $18 (+ bf) 8pm Van The Man: The Australian Van Morrision Show The Basement, Circular Quay $25 (+ bf)–$79.80 (dinner & show) 7pm

JAZZ

Marsala Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $25 7.30 all-ages The Umbrellas The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (student)–$20 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Nigel Wearne Night Noodle Markets @ Crave Sydney, Hyde Park, Sydney free 6pm Puravida Roadshow: Malalma (Columbia), DJ Bitman, Francisca Valenzuela (Chile), The Cumbiamuffin The Standard, Darlinghurst $49.50–$59.50 (+ bf) 8pm

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 ROCK & POP

Bump City Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $20 7.30pm Cannibal Corpse (USA), Disentomb, Entrails Eradicated, Psycroptic Metro Theatre, Sydney $64 (+ bf) 8pm Chase The Sun Brass Monkey, Cronulla $19.90 7pm Coldplay Tribute Blacktown RSL Club free 9.30pm Christine Anu Presents Rewind – The Aretha Franklin Songbook The Basement, Circular Quay $30 (+ bf) 7.30pm Dead Ears, Daniel Keating, Rusty, Little Voice Roxbury Room, The Roxbury Hotel, Glebe $12 8pm The Demon Parade, The Tombstone, East River Harbour Cruise, #6 King St Wharf, Sydney Harbour $25 11.45am all-ages Dirt River Radio, 30three, Arcane Saints, Angel Awake Live House, Lewisham 8pm Dividers The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale free 8pm Drawn From Bees Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Flag Fall, The Jeff Chiky Fan Club, Colonies, Psychlops Eyepatch The Square, Haymarket $10 8pm Flamin’ Beauties Royal Hotel, Springwood free 9.15pm

Flannelette, The Nadiks, Partisan Code, Rattlesnake, The Gunn Show Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 7pm The Furious Five Panania Hotel free 8pm Girls Of The Golden Age Of Rock: The Starliners Hornsby RSL free 8pm Glass Towers, The Demon Parade, Rockets Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm Illicit, Rose To Ruins, Dystopic, On The Shoulders Of Giants, Black Mamba Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 12pm The Immigrant Union, Royston Vasie FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Darlinghurst 8pm Jericco, The Monks of Mellonwah, Kaleeko, Minus House, Lovers Jump Creek Annandale Hotel $12 (+ bf) 7.30pm Long Way to the Top: John Paul Young (Scotland), Axiom, Brian Cadd, Dragon, Marcia Hines, Col Joye, Masters Apprentices’ Jim Keays, Dinah Lee, Mi-Sex (NZ), Russell Morris, Ian Moss, Noiseworks, Doug Parkinson, Little Pattie, Glenn Shorrock, Spectrum, Lucky Starr, Chain’s Matt Taylor & Phil Manning Sydney Entertainment Centre, Darling Harbour $99-$249 7.30pm Malalma (Columbia), Coba Soundsystem (Peru) Blue Beat, Double Bay $39.50 (+ bf) 7pm Mechanical Black, Below The Zodiac, Mool King Device Town Hall Hotel, Newtown free 9pm Mist (USA), Outer Space (USA), Radio People (USA), Mad Nanna, Cooper Bowman & Nick Senger The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $18 7pm Nigel Wearne, SNEZ, Grimick Tramshed Community Arts Centre, Narrabeen $20 7.30pm Northeast Party House, I Am Apollo, Alisa Fedele & The King Bees, F.R.I.E.N.D/s Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm The Paper Scissors, Moonbase Commander, Moon Holiday The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 7pm Revolution Rock – A Joe Strummer Tribute Night: Streams Of Whiskey, The Strums, Sweet Teens, Steppin Razor Sanringham Hotel, Newtown $12 8pm Rolling Stones Tribute: Damien Lovelock, Rex Goh Notes Live, Enmore $25.50 7pm Royston Vasie, Immigrant Union, Thieves FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 (+ bf) 8pm Russian Circles (USA), Eagle Twin (USA), I Exist, LO! The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35 (+ bf) 8pm Steel Panther (USA) The Big Top at Luna Park, Milsons Point $68.80 (+ bf) 8pm Steve Edmonds Band Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills free 9pm Stormcellar The Taverner’s Hill Hotel 8.30pm The Sydney Youth Orchestra Riverside Theatres, Parramatta $40 7pm allages Tinpan Orange, Leah Flanagan

The Vanguard, Newtown $21.80–$56.80 (dinner & show) 8pm

JAZZ

Craig Scott Quintet The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Chippendale $10 (student)–$20 8.30pm David De Vries Trio Lizotte’s Restaurant, Dee Why $19 8pm Kafe Kool Supper Club, Fairfield RSL Club free 7pm Kintetic Jazz: Kim Sanders, Sandy Evans, James Greening St Luke’s Hall, Enmore $15 (conc)–$20 7pm Peter Head The Harbour View Hotel free 5pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie Well Co. Café / Wine Bar, Leichhardt free 7.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Shaz Cookies Lounge and Bar, North Strathfield free 8pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 ROCK & POP

Baby Et Lulu: Abby Dobson & Lara Goodridge Camelot Lounge, Marrickville $30 6.30pm all-ages Corey Legge Band, The Bland, The Beans Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 6pm Darling Harbour Fiesta: Bill Summers, Joe (USA), Joe Bataan, Son Veneno Darling Harbour Precinct free

12pm all-ages A Day of Bluegrass: The Morrisons Annandale Hotel free 12pm Dog Trumpet Downstairs, Sandringham Hotel, Newtown free 4pm Ghosts On Broadway, Call the Shots, Your Weight In Gold, Letterbomb, Alaska, Tear Down the Skies, Divide & Conquer Live House, Lewisham 8pm all-ages Greg Bryce Wisemans Ferry Inn Hotel free 1pm Gregory Page (USA), Liz Frencham The Clarendon, Katoomba $15 3pm Hue Williams Bayview Hotel, Woy Woy free 3.30pm Martika (USA) Metro Theatre, Sydney $60 (+ bf) 7pm Satellite V Marrickville Bowling Club free 4.30pm The Shout Bros.

Botany View Hotel, Newtown free 6pm Steve Edmonds Band Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle free 2pm Sunday Blues Jam: Mark Hopper Artichoke Gallery Cafe, Manly free 8pm Sydney Rock n Roll Alternative Markets: Mushroom Planet, Little Murders, Pat Capocci Combo, Mother Truckers, Big Blind Ray & The Wailing Wall, The Crimplenes, Rod Almighty, Toz Riot Manning Bar, University of Sydney $1 10.30am The Sydney Youth Orchestra

Sydney Town Hall $35 3pm all-ages Tinpan Orange, Leah Flanagan The Vanguard, Newtown $21.80–$56.80 (dinner & show) 8pm Vibrations At Valve Semi Finals Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 1pm

JAZZ

Bill Summers (USA), James Morrison The Basement, Circular Quay $49 (+ bf)–$103.80 (dinner & show) 7.30pm Inti-Illimani Historico (Chile) Enmore Theatre $78-$109 7pm The Peter Head Trio & Friends The Harbour View Hotel free 4pm Sunday Arvo Jazz Harold Park Hotel, Glebe free 3pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie, Tony Burkys, Bob Gillespie Concrete Blonde Restaurant, Potts Point free 1pm

COUNTRY

The Slowdowns Arcadia Liquors, Redfern free 5pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Russell Neal Matraville Hotel 6pm Russell Neal, BlakHatz, Naomi Crain, Sam Schroder Salisbury Hotel, Stanmore free 2pm Sean and Miss Bow, The Yellow Canvas Cookies Lounge and Bar, North Strathfield free 2pm

wed

03 Oct

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thu

04 Oct

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

fri

05 Oct

(5:00PM - 8:00PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

sat

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Oct

SATURDAY NIGHT

06

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

sun

07 Oct

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SUNDAY NIGHT

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 41

gig picks

up all night out all week...

Regurgitator

High Wolf (FRA), Benoit Pioulard (USA), Thomas William, Secret Birds, Octopus Pi DJs The Square, Haymarket $15 8pm

Russian Circles (USA), Eagle Twin (USA), I Exist, LO! The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35 (+ bf) 8pm

MUM: The Shooters Party, Corpus, Ocean Alley, Violet Pulp, Michael Finlay, Swim Team DJs, Bones Bones Bones, Bloody Lovely Audrey, The Zebs, 10th Avenue, Sammy K The World Bar, Kings Cross $10$15 8pm

Steel Panther (USA) The Big Top at Luna Park, Milsons Point $68.80 (+ bf) 8pm

Nekromantix (DEN), Death Valley The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $48 (+ bf) 8pm Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (USA), Bearhug The Factory Theatre, Enmore $44 (+ bf) 8pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 Sydney Rock n Roll Alternative Markets: Mushroom Planet, Little Murders, Pat Capocci Combo, Mother Truckers, Big Blind Ray & The Wailing Wall, The Crimplenes, Rod Almighty, Toz Riot Manning Bar, University of Sydney $1 10.30am

Little Hurricane

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 MONDAY OCTOBER 1 Regurgitator, Senyawa (IDN) The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35 (+ bf) 8pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 Little Hurricane (USA), Ainslie Wills The Vanguard, Newtown $38.80 8pm Vice ‘The Weird Science’ Issue Launch: Very Special Guest (USA), Fishing, Pelvis, BT Magnum

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney free (RSVP) 8pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 Velociraptor, Palms, The Dead Heads Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 (+ bf) 8pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5 The Beautiful Girls Metro Theatre, Sydney $45.10 8pm all-ages

Drawn From Bees, Post Paint, Oslow Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Mist (USA), Outer Space (USA), Radio People (USA), Mad Nanna, Cooper Bowman & Nick Senger The Red Rattler Theatre, Marrickville $18 7pm Northeast Party House, I Am Apollo, Alisa Fedele & The King Bees, F.R.I.E.N.D/s Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm The Paper Scissors, Moonbase Commander, Moon Holiday The Standard, Darlinghurst $12 (+ bf) 7pm

Velociraptor

WED 3RD OCTOBER

FRI 5TH OCTOBER

SAT 8TH SEPTEMBER

LUNCH BREAK

NORTHERN LIGHTS SHOWCASE

ROYSTON VASIE

Presented by ALBERTS

HELLO VERA 1PM // FREE // BROADCAST ON FBI 94.5

THURS 4TH OCTOBER

KADE & THE KARNEEZ 5 COFFEES BIG DUMB KID MASS EFFECT 8PM // $10 AT THE DOOR

level 2, kings cross hotel 42 :: BRAG :: 482 : 01:10:12

Our Six Finalists take the stage!

8PM $5 SUPPORTERS // $10 NON-SUPPORTERS

IMMIGRANT UNION THIEVES 8PM // $10 + BF FROM OZTIX // $15 AT THE DOOR

HANDS UP! “THROW DOWN TIL YOU THROW UP” DJ’S STAGGMAN & CLOCKWERK 8PM // $11 + BF FROM OZTIX // $15 AT THE DOOR

www.fbisocial.com

Remedy

More Than The Cure Since 1989 with Murray Engleheart

Metallica

METALLICA TIME

Metallica dominated Rolling Stone’s recent list of The Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time, picking up four spots in the top ten with Master Of Puppets (1), ...And Justice For All (5), Metallica (8) and Ride The Lightning (10). By comparison, Sabbath only nailed two slots, with Paranoid (2) and Black Sabbath (3). Why the masterpiece of tone and ambience that was the Sab’s Master Of Reality didn’t make the run (and never really seems to in such things) while the early evolving sound of their debut (complete with its clear jazz flourishes) did is just another one for the ages.

MOANIN’ AT MIDNIGHT

We’ve just finished reading a book on Howlin’ Wolf called Moanin’ At Midnight: The Life And Times Of Howlin’ Wolf by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman. It’s painstakingly researched with interviews with various members of the great man’s family – which can’t have been easy to pull off – along with many of his contemporaries, and figures like Peter Wolf (who was a blues nut in Boston long before he fronted the originally incendiary J. Geils Band). But of all the tales in the book, one really threw us for a loop: towards the end of his career, Wolf opened for Alice Cooper (who at that point was in full horror theatre mode). The bluesman walked into the venue, saw the guillotine on stage, and freaked out to the point of having yet another heart attack later that night.

MAKING NOISE

It seems that noise is becoming something of a crossover. We reported recently that Sunn O))) got a plug in The Wall Street Journal; now our beloved feedtime have scored a glowing review of their Aberrant Years box in the UK’s Sunday Times.

LED ZZZZZEP

The release of Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion show in London went from a maybe to a definite in the space of a week. Titled Celebration Day, it will show in cinemas from October 17, with the DVD to follow some time later. We just hope that all the renewed activity doesn’t mean we have to hear more from Robert Plant about Alison Krauss, niceness and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

BLAND LEADING BLAND

Here at Remedy, we’re big on legacy and its preservation – and few have done more to flush theirs down the great gurgler than

Carlos Santana. The man's unique buzzing and stinging guitar work led a storming band through their paces at Woodstock, he shared stages with Hendrix, Joplin and The Grateful Dead, was responsible for landmark recordings like Abraxas and Caravanserai, and rubbed shoulders with the likes of jazz masters such as Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter. In recent years, though, he's been the standard-bearer for the bland leading the bland. And now he’s doing a book. We’re guessing that the last few chapters will be light on rock action, but his early history should be fascinating. After all, at one point there were riots at Santana shows. True story.

EARTH

Recent tourists Earth – who in the flesh were far more enveloping and less like background music than we expected – have some interesting roots musically, apart from the usual suspects. In an interview with our sister mag Beat’s Tyson Wray, main man Dylan Carlson spoke of his great affection for many things Oz and rock (if not necessarily Oz rock specifically): “The whole reason I got into music was AC/DC,” he said. “I’m a big Radio Birdman fan, and I used to do a few covers of The Saints back in the day.”

LIVE AT RIVER PLATE

AC/DC have another live album on the way, this time drawn from the Live At River Plate DVD that hit some time back. If we recall rightly, it was Brother Wayne Campbell who once felt the full greatness of Machine Head’s debut record by taking it in through a PA system at home. And that’s probably the best way to experience AC/DC, particularly in the wake of that sound on the Black Ice tour.

PUBLIC IMAGE

PiL founders Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, who are probably two of the most important, ground-breaking musicians of the last few decades, and who gave Mr Lydon’s original outfit such a unique sound, have a new record out on November 19 called Yin And Yang. A few months back, the pair teamed up to perform PiL’s Metal Box masterpiece “in dub”.

NEIL YOUNG TAKES PSYCHEDELIC PILL

Here at Remedy we like acts who stretch out – just so long as they have something decent to stretch out with. We reckon that principle is in safe hands with the second offering for 2012 from Neil Young And Crazy Horse, which is due out on October 30 and titled Psychedelic Pill. The vinyl incarnation will be a triple set with just eight songs spread over those six sides – one of which clocks in at around 27 minutes.

We’re not sure if a reported ninth song (which, curiously, is an alternative mix of ‘Psychedelic Pill’) will end up on the vinyl or just the double CD. Anyways, the first shot is ‘Walk Like A Giant’, which is 16 minutes long – and thus considerably not for airwave consumption.

launches at 7pm Friday 12th October

ON THE TURNTABLE On the Remedy turntable is Orange Goblin’s Big Black, which is some of the very best post-Sabbath wallop there is, while Unsane’s Wreck is the pinnacle in assaultand-battery rock. The New York trio ooze malevolence; it’s an unthinking, instinctive part of what they do – you can almost feel it in the silence between tracks. And over the past two decades they’ve simply gotten better at it, which right now makes them the optimum means to blow any dust off your speaker cones.

TOUR AND INDUSTRY NEWS

The Pretty Things, the UK legends who coulda and shoulda been The Stones, are coming to town. On December 5 they’ll be at Lizotte’s, and on December 7 they'll be at The Factory.

Ahead of their BDO shows, punk super-

duper group Off! will be at The Annandale on January 17.

The Doomsday Festival returns in October with international headliners, New Jersey’s The Atomic Bitchwax. On October 12 it hits the Sando, with a lineup that includes Clagg, Daredevil, Arrowhead and Law Of The Tongue. Then on October 13 it’s down to the ANU Bar, Canberra with The Atomic Bitchwax, Mother Mars, Fattura Della Morte, Law Of The Tongue and Marcus DePasquale.

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

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

Xxxx

On Sunday October 7, the Sydney Rock‘n’Roll & Alternative Market is on at the Manning Bar from midday, with Mother Truckers, Little Murders and reunited rockers, Mushroom Planet.

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 43

44 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

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

brag beats

inside

als + club o: + club guide sn + week aps colum ly n

+ flying lotus

Flying Lotus photo by Timothy Saccenti

+ lupe fiasco + pillowtalk + monkey safari

diafrix now or never

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 45

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

S.A.S.H 50 PARTIES PARTY

five things WITH

U-KHAN Laundry and recently also gained a residency there. Recently I started a new monthly underground club night called Charades with my buddy Daniel Farley – people should look out for that too.

The Music You Make My DJ sets are ranged, depending 4. on where I’m slotted throughout the night – I tend to cross over from deep house to techno to bass music. Just expect dancefloor chaos.

Those of you who live to party have probably already sampled the delight of a Sunday arvo at S.A.S.H at The Abercrombie, but for those who haven’t, here’s your chance.

The party brand changed Sundays forever when they launched their afternoon-eveningnext-morning weekly party marathon, and now they’re celebrating their milestone 50th event with a special 50 Parties Party.

Techno-house titan André Lodemann will be on hand, alongside new residents Gabby, Jake Hough and Robbie Cordukes, plus Function 1 sound master Simon Bell. To nab a double pass to this epic 50 Parties Party party (party!), tell us what country André Lodemann hails from.

André Lodemann

Music, Right Here, Right Now Being new to the city, I can’t really 5. comment – I’m still grasping the history of

Growing Up Being raised in an Assyrian household, 1. my early childhood was pretty much surrounded with Assyrian and Arabic music, though my parents also enjoyed listening to Bonnie M, Abba, Beatles and The Bee Gees.

I moved to New Zealand at a early age, and the suburban area I lived in was very involved in the hip hop and rap culture, so coming up in high school my early influences were Mos Def, Jurassic5, Notorious BIG and Beastie Boys.

This is a very hard question; I listen to 2. Inspirations

OMAR SOULEYMAN

very wide spectrum of music that inspires me.

If I was to name some on the spot, I would say I’ve been currently enjoying work from David August, Nicolas Jaar, Fantastic Mr Fox and Boys Noize (waiting to hear his new album).

Your Group I’ve moved to Sydney earlier this year 3. from Auckland, where I was involved in a few projects: running night club events, touring international artists, holding club residencies, and being a regular on the NZ festival circuit. I landed a pretty sweet role doing the graphic design for Chinese

Omar Souleyman

Syrian megastar Omar Souleyman will headline Oxford Art Factory on Thursday December 6, arriving on our shores fresh from tours in the US with the likes of Ratatat, Hot Chip and Passion Pit. A truly unique performer, Souleyman hails from Jazeera, a region of small towns and villages that stand closer to Iraq and Turkey than the country’s capital, and established himself as a wedding singer who rose to prominence because of his modern techno take on traditional Arabic dabke music. Souleyman’s international breakout arrived when the head of the Sublime Frequencies label, Mr. Mark Gergis, discovered him on a trip to Syria and subsequently released a compilation of Souleyman’s studio work, Highway To Hassake, in 2007.

Souleyman’s reputation continued to grow courtesy of YouTube, before Björk commissioned him to add three remixes to last year’s ‘The Crystalline Series’. I had the pleasure of seeing Omar Souleyman perform at the Sonar Festival in Barcelona a few years back, and it was a genuine festival highlight to watch him win over the audience as rapidly as he did with a rollicking live show.

TEENGIRL FANTASY

Following the recent release of their sophomore full-length album Tracer, the Brooklyn-based duo Logan Takahashi and Nick Weiss, who collectively go about their business as Teengirl Fantasy, are set to tour Australia before the year is out courtesy of Astral People, with a Sydney show slotted for Goodgod Small Club on Saturday December 1. Teengirl Fantasy announced themselves a few years back with their debut album 7AM, disarming listeners with their skewed blend of classic house, RnB, obscure disco and Balearic influences. Their recent LP apparently leans towards a more lucid and techno indebted sound, and features high profile collaborators such as house hero Romanthony, Panda Bear and Laurel Halo.

NATIVE RYME

Touted as Australia’s first professional Indigenous rap/hip hop music group, Native Ryme (who until the year 2000 were known as Native Ryme Syndicate) will headline Oxford Art Factory on Thursday October 25. Despite having been in the game since 1994, touring extensively and collaborating with the likes of Tex Perkins and The Cruel Sea – see their single ‘Together’ – Native 46 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

the club scene week by week – but I am enjoying the underground scene. Being a Chinese Laundry regular in The Cave, I see more appreciation for the sound, which is dope; I also think having the likes of Spice and One22 is something special, because back home we only had one venue that really pushed that sound. My favourite locals I’ve enjoyed in Sydney so far are Robbie Lowe, Templar Soundsystem and Murray Lake.

With: Jon Convex Where: Chinese Laundry When: Saturday October 6 More: Also playing Charades @ One 22 on Saturday October 20, with Losoul, MSG, Antoine Vice and more

JUSTIN MARTIN REMIXED

San Franciscan producer/Dirtybird tycoon Justin Martin has announced Ghettos & Gardens Remixes Vol. 1, a remix package of his debut album that dropped earlier this year.

The list of remixers enlisted for the release comprises Catz ‘n Dogz, Danny Daze and French Fries, along with Bachelors of Science, who provide a drum’n’bass rinse on the title track. While there is no current word on when Justin Martin will next tour Down Under, Catz ‘n Dogz and Justin’s brother (and fellow Dirtybird artist) Christian Martin are among the first round of artists announced for this year’s Subsonic Music Festival, slotted for early December at Barrington Tops.

MODULAR FRIDAYS @ THE BEACH ROAD

Renowned Sydney-based record label Modular, home to The Presets et al, is launching a monthly Friday night party at The Beach Road Hotel in Bondi this Friday with a bash headlined

by Beni and Cassian. Starting out as part of the now-defunct Riot In Belgium, Beni released his debut album, House Of Beni, on Modular Records last year. Sydneysider Cassian has been featured on Kitsune Maison Compilations over the years, having established himself with remixes of the likes of Bag Raiders, The Rapture and Miami Horror – and he recently released his third solo EP, The Love Cuts. The revelry commences from 8pm.

Pnau

Ryme have never released a full album. But that all changes with the forthcoming The Debut Recordings Volume 1, which will be launched by the group at their OAF gig.

SLUGABED + IKONIKA

UK producers Slugabed and Ikonika will join Sydney’s Dro Carey for an all-night take on futurist club sounds at One22 on Saturday October 13. Greg Feldwick, aka Slugabed, is a relative newcomer who broke through with a remix of Roots Manuva’s ‘Witness The Fitness’, which led to an album deal with Ninja Tune and introduced the world to his distinct blend of all things electronic. Ikonika’s sound traverses earlydubstep and Detroit techno, underscored with the beautifully melodic production of modern RnB – and video game soundtracks. Releasing almost exclusively on the acclaimed Hyperdub & Planet Mu imprints, 2011 saw Ikonika’s own label Hum n’ Buzz founded in partnership with Japanese artist Optimum. A platform for the pair to self-release their own brand of electronic sounds, the label recently veered off to unleash Sydney’s very own Dro Carey on a global register, who will also represent on the night. $25 presales are available online.

NYE ON THE HARBOUR

Falcona has again teamed up with Cargo to organise a New Year’s Eve ‘On The Harbour’ soirée to send out 2012 in blazing fashion. Headlining the event is PNAU, the hometown duo of Peter Mayes and Nick ‘Empire Of The Sun’ Littlemore, who’ve enjoyed considerable success over the years, most recently with their collaborative album with none other than Sir Elton John, Good Morning To The Night. Yes You will also be performing live along with Elizabeth Rose, who recently collaborated with Sinden on her single ‘Again’. Ajax, a two-time winner of ITM’s Australia’s #1 DJ poll and the founder of Sweat It Out Records, is another prominent name on the bill, ahead of the likes of DJ Flagrant, the Sosueme DJs and Emoh Instead. Tickets begin at $89, and go on sale at midday on Monday October 8.

presents

THE MANE THING / KATO / BLAZE TRIPP / TIGERLILY / MARS MONERO / GO FREEK / CAMERON COOPER / MANJAZZ / PABLO CALAMARI / MIKE HYPER / MONAKO / ALISTAIRE ERSKINE / DJ DAMN

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6TH

$15 B4 10pm $20 After . The World Bar . 24 Bayswater Rd . Kings X

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 47

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

five things WITH TOM AND

Monkey Safari

NICK FROM OTOLOGIC Inspirations Ron Hardy, Larry Levan, DJ Harvey, 2.

Optimo, Rub N Tug. Your Crew We run Animals Dancing with our buddies 3.

Daragh Kan, Andee Frost and Lewie Day. We also run our monthly parties in Melbourne: C Grade at The Mercat, and Inside Out at New Guernica.

The Music You Make We don’t make music together as of yet, 4. but have a few separate projects with some other Melbourne producers. When we DJ, it’s mostly disco, house and techno.

Music, Right Here, Right Now In Melbourne there’s a massive amount of 5. parties happening, with different high quality internationals in town each week. This is great in some respects, but it does lead to a few unfortunate clashes, and people can forget how great regular parties with local resident DJs are. But all in all, contrary to whatever the ITM Awards say, the dance music scene is killing it in Melbourne.

Growing Up [Tom]: Music has always been a 1. constant for me and my family. They allowed me to play around recording bits and pieces from quite a young age, and I developed a healthy obsession for hearing new sounds.

Collecting records happened much later, but playing around with a hand-me-down drum machine and a reel-to-reel is one childhood memory that makes a lot more sense to me these days.

[Nick]: No idea where it came from for me...

With: Soft & Slow Where: The Spice Cellar When: Friday October 12

PLATFORM 5 FESTIVAL Aston Shuffle

Now in its fifth year, the Platform 5 Festival will descend upon Carriageworks this weekend for two days laden with MCs, DJs, graffiti artists and assorted other representations hip hop culture. Unfortunately Big Daddy Kane pulled out of his tour, so the concert planned for

MONKEY SAFARI

German duo Monkey Safari prove that you don’t have to be in the Amazon to have a wild time. These guys merge infectious jungle beats with African rhythms, hip hop, funk and dirty electro to create their own style of feet-shuffling tunes. With seven years of experience behind them, and two record labels (What! What! and Mambo), Monkey Safari will be putting on a seriously awesome show for Cakes @ The World Bar this Saturday October 6. We have one double pass to give to someone who can tell us the name of the German nightclub that the Safari gents own. The answer can be found a few pages away…

Saturday October 6 has been cancelled, but the rest of the festival is going ahead, and it’s free! There’ll be dance batttles, art battles, graf wars, beatbox showcases and popping comps, and performances from acts like Sky’High and Lamtech. For the full program, head to carriageworks.com.au

Âme

HARBOUR PARTY 2012 LINEUP

Harbour Party 2012 has announced the line-up for its annual New Year’s Eve party at Luna Park, which conflates musical performers with one of the best vantage points for the fireworks. Pop princess Ricki-Lee, Canberra duo The Aston Shuffle, TV Rock’s Ivan Gough, Wynter Gordon, The Potbelleez, Rüfüs, Marvin Priest and the UK’s Luciana will all be performing, with more acts set to be announced. First release tickets go on sale for $99 through harbourparty.com this Tuesday October 9.

YUNG WARRIORS’ ALBUM TOUR

The fast rising Indigenous hip hop outfit Yung Warriors, made up of brothers Tjiimba and D Boy, are embarking on a national tour off the back of their recent single ‘Standing Strong’, which will include a show at The Factory Theatre in Enmore on Friday November 30.

‘Standing Strong’ is the title track from Yung Warriors’ second album, which was produced by Momo from Diafrix. For anyone late to jump on the bandwagon, the LP merges “hip hop flows and beats with ample splashes of smooth RnB stylings and a sprinkle of poptastic hooks”. $12 presale tickets are available now.

MARQUEE OCTOBER DRAWCARDS

Marquee, located at Star City, has unveiled its program for the month of October, and it’s a good’un. The second Block Party will return with Martini Club this Friday October 5, before Dutch-born, Australian-based DJ and producer MaRLo takes to the decks on Friday October 19. Sydney lads Van She Tech will headline on Wednesday October 24, and Nukewood has top billing on Saturday 48 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

October 27. The promoters are also talking up “a bloody good Marquee Massacre party” on Halloween, which falls on Wednesday October 31, to round of the month in decadent fashion.

S.A.S.H’S 50TH WITH ANDRÉ LODEMANN

This Sunday October 7, S.A.S.H celebrates its 50th party [cue applause, salute/raised bat to the pavilion etc] at The Abercrombie with a bash headlined by German producer André Lodemann, who will be playing an encore Sydney show. Lodemann has been releasing 12-inch records and remixes on labels like Moods & Grooves, Simple Records and G-Stone for the past decade, breaking through on the back of the serene slice of neo-house that was ‘Where Are You Now?’ in 2009, the same year he co-founded his own label Best Works Records. For anyone curious, or newly converted fans after this coming weekend, Lodemann’s back catalogue of productions were recently released as a Best-Of compilation, Fragments. A stack of locals will also be representing, with doors opening from 2pm and entry 10 clams upon arrival.

ÂME @ SPICE CELLAR

Esteemed German duo Âme headline The Spice Cellar on Saturday October 13.

Drawing their moniker from the French word for ‘soul’, Âme burst onto the mainstream radar with the Ibiza anthem ‘Rej’ in 2006. After a string of crossover successes, such as ‘Where We At?’ and a remix of Rodamaal’s ‘Insomnia’ on Buzzin’ Fly, they have recently turned their attention to exploring the foundations of contemporary dance music with their A Critical Mass project, which also features Dixon and Henrik Schwarz. Âme also oversee Innervisions record label alongside Dixon, and have been integral in the deep house renaissance, while also exploring techno and ambient paradigms in their productions and DJ sets.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR NICK POWER AKA B*BOY RELY FEATURING NATIONAL B*BOY AND B*GIRL COMPETITIONS, AUSTRALIAN HIP HOP SYMPOSIUM, MASTERCLASSES, SECRET WALLS, GRAFF, POPPING COMPS & MORE. ALL EVENTS FREE The Australian Hip Hop Symposium has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

IMAGE: CONAN WHITEHOUSE

DOWNLOAD FULL SCHEDULES CARRIAGEWORKS.COM.AU BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 49

Diafrix Full Of Dreams By Benjamin Cooper

“Me and Azmarino share something amazing.

A lot of people will ask who my number one rapper is, and I just say it’s him every time. I really feel that he’s upped my game so much.” other projects, which meant we were able to just get going. Everyone was really passionate, but I think it couldn’t happen any other way, you know? You’re working on new material, plus you get to perform all these new songs with other people – it’s just fun when you’ve got a new track in the system. And then you get to take it out to live shows, and you can see people reacting from the stage. Heads start bobbing as people start getting into a song, or recognising a beat, and it’s just amazing. People put their hands up to show they’re loving it – that right there is what I do, and it’s the best feeling in the world.”

A

mysteriously. When pressed, he offers only this: “There were up and downs. We were definitely deeply engaged in the process, because we are very hands-on people. I mean it’s our album, our baby. So we were involved for the entire process, working with the engineers through the mixing to make the best music we could. A lot of it was trial and error – we’re well aware we’re no Lady Gaga – but it’s dope rhymes and good music. What more could you want?”

The new album features an array of guests, from eternal expat Daniel Merriweather to local legend 360. How did the group’s studio take to the task of housing so many creative types?

“It was actually a really chilled environment,” Momo says. “Quite a few of us had worked together before, either through the group or in

The crew obviously get much love and respect for their fans, but it’s the relationship between the two frontmen that provides the greatest creative spark. Azmarino and Momo have wildly different backgrounds, sharing only a love of all things Footscray, a passion for music and an African heritage. After being born in Eritrea, in the horn of Africa, Azmarino spent much of his young life as a refugee in countries as disparate as Jordan and Switzerland, before

“I think we both recognise we’re blessed in being part of such an organic relationship,” he continues. “I mean, stuff does go wrong.

There’s so much going on and you do have minor hiccups. But you know to keep going even if you miss a word, or to be backing each other, because if one person runs out of breath there’s gotta be someone else really supporting him. We’ve always supported each other, because we have had to. One of the things that motivated us way back at the start, and made us take our music seriously, was that Australian hip hop was a certain way and didn’t look like changing. But we still thought we had something good going on; we thought, ‘We’ll stand tall on our own two feet,’ and we did. Now the scene is very different – culturally and stylistically, it’s very diverse – but we’re still doing our thing. And we’re doing it damn well.”

What: Pocket Full Of Dreams is out now With: Allday Where: Goodgod Small Club When: Saturday October 27 More: Also playing at Homebake alongside Hilltop Hoods, Daniel Merriweather, Blondie, Kimbra, Sonicanimation and more, held on Saturday December 8 @ The Domain

Lupe Fiasco The Great American Rap Album By David Seidler

L

upe Fiasco is wearing flip-up sunglasses on the 20th floor of the Four Seasons. If not for the gold Rolex and the two burly security guys who muscled their way out the door to give us some privacy, you’d hardly guess he was the superstar hip hop force that he is. Peering at his iPhone, Lupe is devoid of many of the hallmarks of rap opulence. There is no serious bling dripping from his hands or neck, the entourage is tucked away in surrounding suites for now, and his thick-rimmed glasses subvert the paradigm further still. The glasses are important: they speak subtly of the strange dichotomy in which Lupe Fiasco exists. Alternating between shades and specs, Lupe is a rap star in the heady days of capitalism with a serious mind and a social conscience.

The ‘backpack rap’ tag is one that Lupe has welcomed since he recorded the seminal ‘American Terrorist’ for debut LP Food And Liquor. While probably best-known for feelgood tracks like 2007’s ‘Superstar’ and the Modest Mouse-sampling ‘Show Goes On’, a powerful undercurrent of social commentary flows through his four-album discography.

Even on last year’s Auto-Tuned-to-the-hilt and incredibly commercial Lasers, ‘All Black Everything’ pondered an alternative reality in which civil rights activists wrote The

“If one boat starts leaking, I’m jumping on another boat, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not selling out or whatever people want to call it, because I can always come back. My boats haven’t sunk.”

50 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

Constitution and Bill O’Reilly read from The Quran. With the newly released Food And Liquor II, that anti-establishment rhetoric continues across ‘Audubon Ballroom’ and the Pete Rock ‘T.R.O.Y.’-sampling ‘Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)’.

Reflecting on a role he’s assumed unintentionally, Lupe chuckles at the suggestion that he is one of the game’s chief critical voices, dipping into the first of many lucid analogies. “I have to tell a story,” he offers, “and unfortunately to tell a story you need characters, and those characters are those characters. You can’t use prostitutes to tell a story about nuns. You have to use nuns. And you can be Shakespearean about it and allude to nuns as being prostitutes, but I don’t want to do that – I want to talk about nuns.” Lupe’s “nuns”, the targets of his activist streak, are a diverse bunch, but he doesn’t come across as uncomfortably hostile.

Rather, he seems sage, wise beyond his 30 years. Although associated with the Occupy movement late last year, his criticisms are more directed and considered than that often frantic organisation, and his objectives more obviously utilitarian: “I just want to be around smart, educated people, and not fucking jackals and wolverines and wild motherfuckers.”

That firebrand characterisation is ostensibly what delayed the release and influenced the distinct pop sensibilities of Lasers: incisive social analysis doesn’t sell records. Whether worn down by years of label skirmishes or just resigned to commercial realities, Lupe is hyper-aware of the precarious duality he promotes – half mainstream hip hop, half lyrical and vocal critic – and he knows when to temper the latter. As immersed in the art world as he is, referencing Monet, Banksy and Jeff Koons, Lupe compares his albums to gallery shows: “I have to sell my paintings.

The gallery has 50 paintings, and they want to sell them all.” Unhurried in his deliberations, he obviously has a sincere appreciation for the realities of what he ultimately terms a “commercial pursuit.” Lupe hides nothing when it comes to acknowledging the industry powers that be. “I’m unapologetic about it as much as the label is unapologetic about it as much as the consumers are unapologetic about it.”

Even while bending to accommodate label pressure, Lupe, in line with more artists he counts off (Miles Davis, Picasso, James Baldwin), remains steadfast in his artistic ambition. Food And Liquor II boasts pitch black cover art: no artist, no title, no lyrics. “That’s a ballsy, artistically fucking weird thing to do,” its creator claims. Besides joking he’ll never have to sign the thing (unless someone produces a white-out pen), Lupe tells me that the last artist to do something similar was Metallica in 1991 – and even they had a coiled cobra in the bottom corner. The album art evokes the sort of statement Nas made with his controversial 2008 album, Untitled. Lupe corrects me: “His album wasn’t called Untitled. It was called Nigger. I would have probably left it as Nigger. You know, like, ‘Nah, I ain’t changing shit.’”

And yet change is one of the only constants for Lupe in a career now spanning six years, a career kick-started by a guest appearance on Kanye West’s ‘Touch The Sky’. 2006’s Food And Liquor was a pastiche of contemporary hip hop; 2007’s The Cool was a concept executed to haunting effect; Lasers was Top 40 jams for the most part. And Part II? Taking

in strings, Martin Luther King, a treatise on the word ‘bitch’ and conventional love songs, it’s just as schizoid as its counterparts. “If one boat starts leaking, I’m jumping on another boat,” Lupe explains, “and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not selling out or whatever people want to call it, because I can always come back... My boats haven’t sunk.”

Intensely culturally literate, Lupe maintains that he doesn’t talk cars, clothes and cash on his tracks because ultimately he believes them to be irrelevant. Making music for the everyman –“because I used to be that guy” – is what consumes him now. That, and leaving a legacy rich enough that Fiasco will be mentioned in the years to come alongside the greats. “The same way Picasso painted a bunch of naked women – drunk and naked prostitutes who looked like fucking spaceships – but he also painted Massacre In Korea and Guernica,” he says, staring earnestly behind his specs.

“There are no limitations. It’s all progression.”

What: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album is out now through Warner

Xxx photo by Xxx

fter more than a decade of hard and oftanonymous slog, Melbourne hip hop crew Diafrix are entitled to feel slightly fatigued.

Yet on the release of their second record Pocket Full Of Dreams, vocalist and rapper Momo insists that he, his fellow frontman Azmarino and producer Ptero Stylus are in a state of relative bliss. “For sure, it’s been ten years of hard work,” he admits, down the line from his home studio, “but that period also allowed us to become self-supporting as musicians and as artists, and it also gave us our sense of identity.

We wouldn’t have been able to put out any of our records [2007 EP In Tha Place and 2009’s debut LP Concrete Jungle] if we hadn’t been taking all that in. And we wouldn’t have made Pocket Full Of Dreams, which has been an... interesting process,” Momo says, somewhat

The Pocket Full Of Dreams tour will see the band teaming up with triple j Unearthed discovery Allday, heading through the cities and coasts of the nation. And after ten years, Diafrix still haven’t forgotten the fans sitting right up the back. “We love performing live, it’s really our thing, and it’s definitely one of the things that has kept us going for so long,” Momo says. “It’s really all about the crowd and the people that show you love from the nosebleed sections.

Nothing is better than when we’re standing on a stage looking out at all these party people, and we can see the people up the top going off. I mean, it’s gotta be our response to give it our all, right? When there’s that much love, and people are having that much fun – well, I’d hate for us to be half-arsed.”

finally migrating to Australia at the start of the last decade. Momo arrived in Australia with his family from the Comoros Islands at the age of three. “Me and Azmarino share something amazing,” Momo says. “We’ve created this whole group, this project, together... A lot of people will ask who my number one rapper is, and I just say it’s him every time. I really feel that he’s upped my game so much, and what I write has become much deeper than it ever used to be. And together on stage we really try to make each other shine.

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 51

Flying Lotus Nocturnal Innocence By Alasdair Duncan

The idea of innocence is a source of ongoing fascination for Ellison – in part, he says, because it’s one of the most difficult things to hold on to as we get older. “It’s a big, inspiring thing,” he says, “a powerful force. The more we get into this industry and try to sell our work, we lose our innocence. The more we travel, the more we have crazy experiences on the road, we lose our innocence. I think it’s something we take for granted almost, because there’s nothing like hearing and seeing things for the first time, and I really try and explore that notion in my work.” The popularity of Flying Lotus has drawn the shy and reclusive Ellison right out into the spotlight; reading between the lines, it’s easy to see why the idea of retreating to a simpler place might be on his mind.

Until The Quiet Comes has more of an emphasis on guest vocals than any Flying Lotus album before it: frequent collaborators Laura Darlington and Thundercat show up again, joined by Niki Randa and RnB legend Erykah Badu. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, who first appeared on Cosmogramma, pops up too, on the track ‘Electric Candyman’. “It was really easy, man,” Ellison says of their collaboration. “I’d send him music of mine that I was working on just so he could hear it, and he’d send back stuff of his. One time, I sent him something and he replied and asked me what I was planning on doing with it. I told him I didn’t know, that it was probably going on the album, and then he decided he wanted to do something with it.

That’s really how it started. I mean, I’m a guy, he’s a guy… We do what we can.”

F

What: Until The Quiet Comes is out now on Warp, through Inertia

Monkey Business By Annabel Maclean

M

onkey Safari have had their fair share of ups and downs. Since opening the now-legendary Charles Bronson club in their hometown of Halle, Germany three years ago, introducing their town to electronic music (and throwing some brilliant parties), it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for the pair. “In 2010 we put on a big festival in the club, too big for Halle. We booked people like Feadz, Oliver Huntemann, Zombie Disco Squad, Round Table Knights and a lot of more great – but expensive – artists,” Sven Rühlemann says. “We put a lot of energy in, but the people from Halle won’t pay much money, so we made a big dent in our bank accounts.”

And then last September, the lads had to temporarily close Charles Bronson after some folk decided to ruin the fun. “[Last year] in the July summer-break we built a lot of new stuff – deco, etc,” Rühlemann’s brother Lars Fröhlich begins. “But at the beginning of September 2011, some nasty guys or girls – nobody knows – broke in, stole technical [equipment] and committed arson. There was big fire damage, all of our work was gone, and we had to motivate ourselves to start again.”

Responsible for bookings and the art-centred part of Charles Bronson, Fröhlich says it was his town’s lack of music and club culture that sparked the decision to start a club. “Halle is a small city in the south of Berlin,” he explains.

“230,000 people live there. We’ve got 35,000 students and a famous art university, so it’s a small city but there are a lot of music-interested people from all over the world. We’ve loved music our whole lives and have been putting on illegal parties for a long time. A lot of people are

interested in electronic music, but we never had a fixed club for it in Halle.”

Other than running the club, the pair founded What! What! Records four years ago and started up their Mambo imprint last year, which is still going strong. “With Mambo, we build up our own Monkey playground. We release only Monkey [Safari] stuff on it and are free from other artists or timelines,” Rühlemann explains. “What! What! is a little family of different artists from Halle.

We release the music to show the world what’s going on in this small city.”

The duo are excited to be returning to Australia shortly, having enjoyed a quick three-week visit last year in May. “It was great, very impressive,” Fröhlich says of the 2011 tour. “This time we’re coming to cities we didn’t make it to last time.

We’re very happy about seeing more and more of Australia.” Rühlemann says punters can expect to hear “a lot of unreleased stuff” in their upcoming shows – and as for collaborations, original productions and remixes, the boys have got a fair bit coming up. “We made a remix for Zombie Disco Squad on Made To Play, and released our Hi Life EP on Super Flu’s imprint, Monaberry,” Fröhlich says. “In October we release another Monkey remix on Strictly Rhythm, and at the end of the year maybe our next Mambo release. Our first album has been out since April – we think one album per year is enough!” he laughs.

With: Mike Hyper, Pablo Calimari and more Where: Cakes @ The World Bar When: Saturday October 6

PillowTalk Coming Back By Benjamin Cooper debut tour of our shores, with a colossal evening planned for Oxford Art Factory. After opening sets from locals Simon Caldwell and Kali have juiced up the crowd, PillowTalk will blaze through an epic performance involving DJ sets either side of their main live show. It’s a particularly significant undertaking given the group could easily trade solely off the turntable skills that have already seen them play alongside Simian Mobile Disco and Nicholas Jaar. But bandmember Ryan Williams reckons the only mode the group have is going full throttle. “Of course we want to go epic, and of course it’s going to be awesome!” he laughs. “Whenever we tour we have such an exciting time, and the shows are such good vibes. I just hope we’re not too tired by then, because we’ve got a lot of shows to do first.”

When we speak, Williams is holed up in “a really lovely three-bedder artists’ loft in Berlin” with bandmates Sammy D and Michael Tello.

PillowTalk have used the apartment as a base during a glut successful of touring throughout the European summer, but Williams admits that he’s glad just to have made the trip this year.

“The boys came out last year and did a small European tour,” he explains. “I was actually working, of all things, at a summer kids’ camp.

It was for the Parks And Recreation department in my town, and I was teaching the kids how to record and do studio work and some DJing.

Then the boys told me how everything had been received over in Europe, which got me thinking.

F

ollowing triumphant performances at Melbourne Music Week, San Francisco’s PillowTalk are not looking to merely visit the

52 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

streets of Sydney next month: for one night only they’re going to run this town. The organic disco three-piece have decided to go all out for their

“After a while things started to pick up with the band, but I didn’t want to give any less time to the kids I was working with and helping. But

I’ve decided to take some time off to focus on the band for a couple of months.” Only a couple of months? “Well, it depends on if we survive the tour,” he laughs.

In 2011, following the successful reception of their debut single ‘Love Makes Parks’ on the Visionquest imprint, Williams and co. released The Come Back on tastemaking label Life And Death. Earlier this year the trio followed up with the Far From Heaven EP through New York’s Wolf + Lamb Records. Is Williams worried about the toll that such a busy release and touring cycle could take? “Oh no, not at all,” he says.

“It’s an amazing thing to be a part of. It’s super exciting to be a part of this group and meeting the people we do, because there’s a sense of experiencing culture in the truest way. But there’s more than that too, because the people we meet offer us this incredible warmth and love and energy. How can you not enjoy the good vibes?”

PillowTalk will be learning to live off good vibes and no sleep over the ensuing months, with Williams outlining his jam-packed schedule thus: “I walk back in my front door in San Francisco, put down my keys, and then leave pretty much straight away for Burning Man Festival in the desert. Then I’ve gotta fly to Ecuador for five days, before Mexico and then back to Berlin,” he says. “The real problem is that I haven’t seen my mum all summer – she is totally freaking out!”

With: Simon Caldwell, Kali Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday November 17

xxx photo by xxx

lying Lotus is a native of Los Angeles, but his music seems to come from a place much stranger than that, a hazy plane of existence somewhere between dreams and waking. His productions take in sounds from sources as diverse as jazz, hip hop and 8-bit video game soundtracks, then twist and contort them into new and unexpected shapes. His fourth album, Until The Quiet Comes, arrives this month on the legendary Warp Records, and it’s as lush and surreal as ever. “I wanted to build this world that had a feeling of nocturnal innocence about it,” Flying Lotus, otherwise known as beat-maker Steven Ellison, tells me. “I wanted to lead people into this nighttime world where they’re seeing things for the first time; this mysterious, nocturnal world.”

As our interview winds up, I mention offhandedly that I’ve recently been playing a lot of the Hong Kong-set crime thriller game Sleeping Dogs, and that two Flying Lotus tracks appear on the soundtrack. “Yeah, I knew about that,” he says. “I was told like a year ago it would be happening, and now it’s just coming out.” The game itself is pretty great, and I ask Ellison if he’s had the chance to play it yet. “Yeah, I did, but I had to buy my own copy – they wouldn’t send me one!” I’m a little taken aback by this. “Yeah, what the hell?” he replies with a flicker of a laugh – the one and only time he does this in our interview. There’s something a little incongruous about the mental image of Flying Lotus sitting on the couch, controller-in-hand, racing cars and beating up thugs around Hong Kong, but I think I like it all the same.

Monkey Safari

Deep Impressions

Xxx photo by Xxxx

Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Michael Mayer

W

e open with a barrage of positive news for those readers in dire need of an organic ‘upper’: Kompakt Records kingpin Michael Mayer will return to Sydney at the end of November following the release of his long-awaited forthcoming second artist album, the horrendously-titled but otherwise laudable Mantasy. As a DJ, Mayer is a one-man institution, responsible for classic compilations such as Fabric 13 and the aptly named Immer trilogy (‘immer’ meaning ‘always’ – as in ‘timeless’ – in German), which were all characterised by masterful sequencing and track selection that spanned everything from peculiar pop and off-kilter space disco to micro house and minimal techno. Mayer’s extensive back-catalogue of remixes, which comprises the memorably brazen rework of Baxendale’s ‘I Built This City’ and last year’s irresistibly catchy refashioning of WhoMadeWho’s ‘Every Minute Alone’, is similarly beyond reproach, while his collaborations with fellow Kompakt mainstays Superpitcher (as Supermayer) and Tobias Thomas have also contributed to his justified reputation as an auteur within the contemporary club milieu.

The one spot of unfinished business for Mayer on his otherwise immaculate CV is his solo output, which up until now – and officially up until October 22 – has comprised only one album, 2004’s slightly disappointing Touch. While Mantasy may not quite reach the (exorbitant) heights we expect from Mayer because of his peerless taste and supreme abilities to rework other artist’s productions, having listened to the promo thoroughly I can say that Mayer has taken a sizeable step

LOOKING DEEPER SATURDAY OCTOBER 20 Losoul One22

SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 Steve Rachmad One22

Subsonic Halloween Boat Party TBA

SATURDAY DECEMBER 1 Michael Mayer Oxford Art Factory

toward perfecting his CV; Mantasy will surely rank as one of the more engaging and imaginative electronic releases of this year.

Mayer’s Sydney performance will be part of his Mantasy world tour, where he is slotted to play all-night sets. While there has been no official announcement in relation to the Sydney show, it would seem safe to assume that we can expect a substantial (that’s a cautious substitute for the probably ‘all night’) performance from the Cologne tastemaker. Whether Mayer can top his classic performances at Club 77 and Subsonic from years gone by – ’05, ’10 respectively – remains to be seen, but we are in for a treat regardless.

While we opened on a note of supreme optimism, unfortunately I have a decidedly more disappointing appraisal of Superpitcher’s latest outing, the forthcoming debut album from his Pachanga Boys project alongside Rebolledo, entitled We Are Really Sorry – an apt title given the album’s content.

Unlike some of the pair’s previous output, namely the whimsical 15-minute epic ‘Time’, which was released on the limitededition vinyl Girlcatcher (and was asking for a whopping purchase price of $247.13 on discogs at the time of writing), I must forewarn you that We Are Really Sorry is – now how do I put this tactfully? – a load of self-indulgent crap. Pin your hopes on Mantasy rather than get too excited for this one...

As one of a number of gigs at One22 this month that should pique the interest of ‘the heads’, German producer Peter Kremeier, aka Losoul, will headline the venue on Saturday October 20. Kremeier has maintained a strong association with the canonical Playhouse imprint since the mid-‘90s, and has remixed the likes of Makam, Alter Ego, Jay Haze, International Pony and Lawrence over the course of his accomplished career. Often labelled a ‘minimal’ producer, Kremier challenges that description in interviews, politely responding, “From the beginning of my production life I was considered to do kind of ‘reduced’ stuff,’” referring to his formative years buying records and DJing in the ‘80s in a brief tangent before continuing: “I didn’t have the idea to call anything I do ‘minimal’, just because I always liked to cut down my productions to some stripped funk feel with some soul flavour. As far as I know it, [the term ‘minimal’] was merely referring to some ‘50s/’60s avant garde music, to some ‘90s experimental electronica techno, or to just an expression that sells well.” So there you have it: a history lesson and a tutorial in semantics. But if you really want to learn what Losoul does best, you’ll have to do so first-hand when he throws down in a few weeks’ time.

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 53

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

club pick of the week André Lodemann

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3

Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway

S.A.S.H Sundays – 50 Parties Celebration –

Andre Lodemann (GER), Gabby, Jake Hough, Robbie Cordukes, Simon Bell, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm MONDAY OCTOBER 1 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway End Of The Line Konrad Black (CAN), Secret International Guest, Timmus, Jamie Lloyd, Glitch DJs, Jam Smalls, Peret Mako, Trinity, Franchi Brothers, Chris Honnery, T n A, Nick Belshaw, Jordan Deck, MSG, Marcotix $20$30 12pm Scruffy Murphy’s Haymarket Mother Of A Monday DJ Smoking Joe free 8pm Secret Inner City Venue, 54 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

The World Bar, Kings Cross Jam Jam DJs, Ali, Chris free 8pm

Sydney Spirit of House Afternoon Throwdown Phil Toke, Michael Zac, Phil Hudson, Terry A, Agey, Soul Of Sydney DJs, Eadie Ramia $5 12pm Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice After Hours Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $20 4am The World Bar, Kings Cross Latin Jazz DJs free 7pm

TUESDAY OCTOBER 2 Australian Museum, Sydney

Jurassic Lounge Jubilants (DJ set), Chance Waters, State Advanced, Smart Alec, The Essential Stix $14 5.30pm Establishment, Sydney Rhumba Motel Salsa DJ Willie Sabor free 8pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst DJ Eric Wareheim (USA), DJ Douggpound (USA), Levins, Spod (DJ set) $5 10pm Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket We Love Goon Tuesdays DJ Podgee, DJ Smoking Joe free 8pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Coyote Tuesday Resident DJs $10 8pm

Bella Vista Boat, Sydney Aquarium Wharf, Darling Harbour Sounds Like Spring DJ Isaac (NL), Tatanka (ITL), Zannon, Suae, Pulsar, Futuristic, JStylz, Trbld Chldrn, Seizure, Pegface, Nino Pace, Slavv, Dog Bless, DJ Novah, Sampy, Little DJ, Wall-E, Jordan Magro, Steve Zappa, Spintz, Eiro, HDR $45-$65 (+ bf) 7pm under-18s Epping Hotel DTF Resident DJs free 8pm Ivy, Sydney Salsa at Ivy DJ Dwight ‘Chocolate’ Escobar free 8pm Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Frat House Frat House DJs free 8pm The Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Assembly Wednesdays Slow Blow $10 8pm The Ranch, Epping Hump Wednesdays Resident DJs free 8pm Rock Lily, The Star, Pyrmont Timomatic free 7pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Cream Resident DJs 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall King Lee, Brothers Grimm, Grillz, Pash n Hop, Redial, Damsel, Brown Bear, Shaven Puss $5 7.30pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 The Cool Room, Australian Brewery, Rouse Hill We Love Thursdays Resident DJs 8pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Greenwood Thursdays Resident DJs free 8pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Resident DJs free 8pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (UK), Future Classic DJs sold out 8pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Hot Damn Hot Damn DJs $15-$20 9pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Rewind Resident DJs 8pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Swag Resident DJs $10 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Propaganda DJs, Spice Cube DJs, Urby free (student)-$5 8pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway Totally Barry Bad Barry DJs free 9pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Modular Fridays Beni, Cassian (DJ set) free 8pm Burdekin Hotel, Darlinghurst Do Something Good Mr Bill, Gruzman, Master of Ribongia, Tooths DJs, Do Something Good DJs, Sub

Bass Soundscapes DJs free 7pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Jacques Lu Cont (UK), Jeff Drake, The Immigrant, Hydraulix, DJ C-Bu, Taylor Wolfe $25-$30 10pm Civic Underground, Sydney Volar Volar DJs 10pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Yo Grito! Yo Grito! DJs free 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Compound Zeus, Subaske, Community $10 10pm Hotel Chambers, Sydney Tribalismo Sheeba Williams, Vincent Sebastian, Dante Rivera, Nestor Martinez, Kate Munroe free 9.30pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross KK Fridays Resident DJs 8pm The Loft, UTS, Ultimo Super Chunky Funk ‘n Beats Busta, DJ Daigo, Mr Chombee, Jimi Needles (UK), Omegaman free 7pm Nevada Lounge, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm One22, Sydney UK Garage DJ Bilman MC, DJ Bravo, MC Ozak (UK) Ben Ashton, Tommy Rutherford $15 (+ bf) 9pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Teen Spirit – October 5ive Teen Spirit DJs $5-$10 9pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross One Night Stand Resident DJs 8pm Space Nightclub, Sydney Zaia Resident DJs 9.45pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney The Residents Andy Webb, Steven Sullivan, Soft & Slow $10 10pm Tarantula Club, Darlinghurst Warp Speed Tarantula DJs 9pm Vegas Bar, Darlinghurst Bad Habit – Calypso Bad Habit DJs $10 11pm The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM The Shooters Party, Corpus, Ocean Alley, Violet Pulp, Michael Finlay, Swim Team DJs, Bones Bones Bones, Bloody Lovely Audrey, The Zebs, 10th Avenue, Sammy K, Cries Wolf DJs, Ratbag DJs $10$15 8pm

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway Strange Fruit Strange Fruit DJs free 9pm The Argyle, The Rocks Takin’ It Back Matt Roberts, Emme, Random Soul free 8pm Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Falcona Saturdays Elizabeth Rose (DJ set), Devola, Falcona DJs free 8pm Cargo Bar, King St Wharf Kick On Resident DJs free 6pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Jon Convex (UK), A-Tonez, Kyro & Bomber, Samrai, DJ Moto, King Lee, U-Khan, Detnum, Ctrl Alt, Delicious, Front 2 Back $15-$25 9pm Club 77, Darlinghurst Starfuckers Starfuckers DJs 10pm The Cool Room, Australian Brewery, Rouse Hill Saturday Nights At The Brewery DJ Koffee 8.30pm FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel Hands Up! Staggman, Clockwerk free 11.30pm Goldfish, Kings Cross Andre Lodemann (GER), Kerry Wallace, Matt Weir,

Johnny Gleeson, Tom Kelly $20 8pm The Green Room Lounge, Enmore Vinyl Solution DJ Nic Dalton free 7pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour Homemade Saturdays Matt Ferreira $20 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang!

Isbjorn, Mr Belvedere, David Neale, Playmate, Devola, Pat Ward, Handsome, Kristy Lee 8pm Nevada Lounge, Darlinghurst DJ Hayden free 6pm One22, Sydney Mark Henning (UK), Dave Stuart, Ben Ashton, Antoine Vice, About Jack, Whitecat $20-$25 10pm Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Trance Central 2 Nik Fish, Jumping Jack, Andrew James, John Ferris, Amber Savage, DJ Ange $25 (+ bf) 10pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Saturdays Resident DJs 8pm Secret Warehouse, Sydney Felix Dickinson (UK), JMS, Matt Trousdale, Pete Dot $25 (+ bf) 10pm Space Nightclub, Sydney Masif Saturdays Resident DJs 10pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice Carlos Zarate, James Taylor, Nic Scali, Robbie Lowe, Dean Relf $20 10pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Cakes Monkey Safari (GER), Kato, Go Freek, Blaze Tripp, Mars Monero, Alistaire Erskine, DJ Damn, Pablo Calamari, Mike Hyper, Manjazz, Tigerlilly, The Mane Thing, Monaco, Cameron Cooper $15-$20 8pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway S.A.S.H Sundays – 50 Parties Celebration Andre Lodemann (GER), Gabby, Jake Hough, Robbie Cordukes, Simon Bell, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills Beresford Sundays Resident DJs free 3pm Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Sounds on Sunday Illya vs Matt Roberts, Shamus, James Taylor, J.A.C.E, Valentine, Carlos Zarate, Sam Roberts, James Fazzolari, James Cripps, Cam & Berry, Kyro & Bomber, Matt Ferreira, Nanna Does Smack, Jack Bailey, Brown Bear, Sami, Devola, Pat Ward, Heke, Kid Crookes $30 (+ bf) 1pm Hugo’s Lounge, Kings Cross Sneaky Sundays DJs 8pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Easy Sundays Resident DJs 8pm Q Bar, Darlinghurst Daydreams Daydreams DJs 4.30am Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Sundays Resident DJs 8pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice After Hours Robbie Lowe, Nic Scali $20 4am The World Bar, Kings Cross Soup Kitchen Cotolette, Ben Zooky, Dan Bangs, Ethan Winzer, Junior, Manjazz, Nacho Vossler, Rubio, Deli free 7pm

club picks up all night out all week...

Konrad Black

MONDAY OCTOBER 1

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Compound Zeus, Subaske, Community $10 10pm

Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway End Of The Line Konrad Black (CAN), Secret International Guest, Timmus, Jamie Lloyd, Glitch DJs, Jay Smalls, Peret Mako, Trinity, Franchi Brothers, Chris Honnery, TnA, Nick Belshaw, Jordan Deck, MSG, Marcotix $20-$30 12pm

The Spice Cellar, Sydney The Residents Andy Webb, Steven Sullivan, Soft & Slow $10 10pm

TUESDAY OCTOBER 2

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Falcona Saturdays Elizabeth Rose (DJ set), Devola, Falcona DJs free 8pm

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst DJ Eric Wareheim (USA), DJ Douggpound (USA), Levins, Spod (DJ set) $5 10pm

Chinese Laundry, Sydney Jon Convex (UK), A-Tonez, Kyro & Bomber, Samrai, DJ Moto, King Lee, U-Khan, Detnum, Ctrl Alt, Delicious, Front 2 Back $15-$25 9pm

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3

Goldfish, Kings Cross Andre Lodemann (GER), Kerry Wallace, Matt Weir, Johnny Gleeson, Tom Kelly $20 8pm

The Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Assembly Wednesdays Slow Blow $10 8pm

Secret Warehouse, Sydney Felix Dickinson (UK), JMS, Matt Trousdale, Pete Dot $25 (+ bf) 10pm

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4

The Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice Carlos Zarate, James Taylor, Nic Scali, Robbie Lowe, Dean Relf $20 10pm

Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (UK), Future Classic DJs sold out 8pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross Cakes Monkey Safari (GER), Kato, Go Freek, Blaze Tripp, Mars Monero, Alistaire Erskine, DJ Damn, Pablo Calamari, Mike Hyper, Manjazz, Tigerlilly, The Mane Thing, Monaco, Cameron Cooper $15-$20 8pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Propaganda DJs, Spice Cube DJs, Urby free (student)-$5 8pm

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Modular Fridays Beni, Cassian (DJ set) free 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Jacques Lu Cont (UK), Jeff Drake, The Immigrant, Hydraulix, DJ C-Bu, Taylor Wolfe $25-$30 10pm

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 Greenwood Hotel, North Sydney Sounds On Sunday Illya vs Matt Roberts, Shamus, James Taylor, J.A.C.E, Valentine, Carlos Zarate, Sam Roberts, James Fazzolari, James Cripps, Cam & Berry, Kyro & Bomber, Matt Ferreira, Nanna Does Smack, Jack Bailey, Brown Bear, Sami, Devola, Pat Ward, Heke, Kid Crookes $30 (+ bf) 1pm

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 55

snap

adult disco feat. kenji takimi

optiv

PICS :: AM

21:09:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

urthboy

PICS :: KC

21:09:12 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

strike

PICS :: AM

21:09:12 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

21:09:12 :: Strike Bowling Bar :: Lvl4 Mandarin Shopping Centre Chatswood 8458 1400

It’s called: S.A.S.H's 50 Parties Party It sounds like: A warm summer day breeze, cooling you off when you’re boiling…

But in music form.

Who’s spinning? André Lodemann, Gabby, Jake Hough, Robbie Cordukes, Simon Bell, Matt Weir and Kerry Wallace.

Three songs you’ll hear on the night: ‘The Light’ – André Lodemann; ‘Underground (Raxon Remix)’ – Nick Curly; ‘Forward Line’ – SIS And one you definitely won’t: Anything that resembles commercial crap.

Sell it to us: Starting from humble beginnings at celebrating our fiftieth party! We've been bringi The White Horse, S.A.S.H is now ng Sundays back to life for a while now, with an open-air courtyard, Sydney’s fi nest some of the biggest internationals around. For purveyors of all things deep, and our special – so we called in German legend André 50th, we had to do something Lodemann to help us celebrate.

The bit we’ll remember in the AM: More often than not the party runs into the AM! Crowd specs: Those who understand that good music doesn't involve stereotypical electro jams; those who want their shit deep and a little more underground.

Wallet damage: $10 all day Where: The Abercrombie Hotel / 100 Broad way When: Sunday October 7, from 2pm (and every Sunday after that)

56 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

the circus showcase

PICS :: PX

party profile

s.a.s.h 50 parties party

22:09:12 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666 :: NOHMON ANWARYAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER PEACHY :: PEDRO XAVIER MAS THO :: NS MUN :: DANIEL KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR

PICS :: PX

up all night out all week . . .

BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12 :: 57

snap

assembly feat. beni

PICS :: NA

up all night out all week . . .

dutty dancing

PICS :: PX

19:09:12 :: Marquee :: The Star Sydney, Pyrmont 9657 7727

20:09:12 :: Australian Brewery :: 350 Annangrove Rd Rouse Hill 9679 4555

sash sundays

PICS :: AM

the cool room

PICS :: NA

22:09:12 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

spice fridays

21:09:12 :: The Spice Cellar :: 58 Elizabeth St Sydney 9223 5585 PICS :: DM

propaganda

20:09:12 :: World Bar :: 24 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross 93577700

58 :: BRAG :: 482 :: 01:10:12

PICS :: AM

23:09:12 :: The Abercrombie Hotel :: 100 Broadway Ultimo 9280 2178

:: NOHMON ANWARYAR :: S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: DANIEL MUNNS :: THOMAS PEACHY :: PEDRO XAVIER KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR

IN CINEMAS OCTOBER 4