The Brag #511 by The Brag

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rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Lisa Omagari and Nick Jarvis.

five things WITH

RICKY KRADOLFER OF CITY RIOTS would sing. At home we also listened to a lot of Motown bands like The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Drifters, The Manhattans.

to date and it’s exactly what we wanted it to sound like. My brother and I are forever working on the band. Matt has cool tats.

Inspirations The Music You Make ‘Born in the USA’ by the Boss was the We were very clear about making a 2. 4. first song I ever sang as a little kid. We are also record that was a cohesive piece of work all huge fans of Tom Petty and David Bowie. During high school I made friends with this introverted guy I met in the music lab at school. He gave me an album called ‘Elsewhere for 8 Minutes’ (Something for Kate) which completely changed my life. It was raw, it was real, and it had the best guitar sound I had ever heard. I then saved to buy a Jazzmaster and started my first band. Of late, we listen to My Bloody Valentine, The Horrors, TOY, Queens of the Stones Age, Band Of Skulls, Creedence, The Smiths, The Doors, Wild Nothing, and Ride. Your Band City Riots is made up of my brother 3. Dan, Matt Stadler and I. To cut a long story

Growing Up A key childhood music memory is singing ‘Take The Pressure Down’ by John Farnham into a plastic microphone at home with my

brother Dan when I was seven. I knew all the lyrics. Dan could only yell the word ‘down’. It was the only lyric he knew. He was only four. Our dad used to play drums and my mum

short, we went to Chicago to record our debut album at Billy Corgan’s house and studio. We didn’t like what we ended up with at all, so we ditched it all and started again. We went to Melbourne and started working with Woody Annison at Red Door Sounds. He GOT it. We recorded the Matchsticks EP with him in 2011 then Sea Of Bright Lights last year. Releasing our debut album was our proudest moment

with a consistent texture. Not just a bunch of singles slapped in the middle of b-sides. We were listening to a lot of The Smiths, The Horrors, Blur, The Dandy Warhols, The Church, and The Stone Roses. Woody was drilling us with lots of shoegaze too. Music, Right Here, Right Now The biggest problem for new bands 5. is finding a sustainable and viable way to continue to do what they do and gain the exposure their music deserves. The best thing about the local Oz scene is the sense of comradery and community, and the friendships made through fellow bands. One of the best local bands I’ve seen recently is Pluto Jonze. I saw them when I was on tour playing in Vydamo last week. They sync visuals through TVs with their live sound. It’s awesome. Who: City Riots supported by Bell Weather Department and Jenny Broke the Window Where: Brighton Up Bar, Oxford St When: Friday May 10

VINYL FAIR

Eastside Radio’s Black Gold Record Fair returns to the Local Taphouse on Saturday May 25 with more collectible jazz, soul, funk, blues, reggae, hip hop, dub and electronic wax.

Splashh

MONO

EDITOR: Nick Jarvis nick@thebrag.com 02 9690 2731 ARTS EDITOR: Lisa Omagari lisa@thebrag.com 02 9552 6333 STAFF WRITERS: Benjamin Cooper, Alasdair Duncan NEWS: Lisa Omagari, Chris Honnery

Epic Japanese instrumental rock band MONO are hitting Australian shores in June, joining fellow Japanese experimentalists Boris for a Winter Solstice celebration of darkness in Hobart, Mona’s Satanalia (alongside The Drones, Barbarion, The Stickmen and more). If you can’t make it to the Apple Isle, though, catch MONO in Sydney at the Hi Fi on Wednesday June 26 – tickets through Oztix and the Hi Fi.

ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant GRAPHIC DESIGN: Alan Parry SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Tim Levy SNAP PHOTOGRAPHERS: Katrina Clarke, Jay Collier, Kate Lewis, Henry Leung, Ashley Mar COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: Ed Purnomo COVER STYLIST: Jam Baylon COVER HAIR AND MAKE-UP: Kat Bardsley

UPSTAIRS BERESFORD

ADVERTISING: Ross Eldridge - 0422 659 425 / (02) 9690 0806 ross@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 8394 9027 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Rob Furst GIG & CLUB GUIDE CO-ORDINATOR: Nat Amat, Katie Davern, Mina Kotsis - gigguide@ thebrag.com (rock) clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Natalie Amat, Katie Davern, Mina Kitsos REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Simon Binns, Katie Davern, Marissa Demetriou, Christie Eliezer, Chris Honnery, Kate Jinx, Nathan Jolly, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Jody Macgregor, Alicia Malone, Chris Martin, Jenny Noyes, Hugh Robertson, Rebecca Saffir, Jonno Seidler, Rach Seneviratne, Luke Telford, Simon Topper, Rick Warner, Krissi Weiss, Caitlin Welsh, David Wild 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: Luke Forrester: 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 a division of Furst Media P/L ACN 111248045 All content copyrighted to Cartrage/ Furst Media 2003-2013 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get The Brag? Email distribution@furstmedia. com.au or phone 03 9428 3600. PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204 Win a giveaway? Mail us a stamped and addressed envelope, and we’ll send your prize on over...

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SPLASHH TOUR

Dreamy UK quartet Splashh is supporting the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park (London) soon, but first they’re stopping by Goodgod on Thursday June 27 (tickets on sale this Wednesday May 8). Put June 7 in your diary – that’s the date their album Comfort drops on Breakaway Recordings.

May’s set to be another stellar month for Upstairs Beresford. On Friday May 10 punters can catch SWRLS, featuring former members of Dirty Secrets, Irrelevant Celebrities and Mercy Arms, and on Saturday May 11 youthful five-piece Louis London will take to the stage. Next on the bill is Buffalo Tales, the new project for Sydney-based singer-songwriter Wes Carr on Friday May 17, followed by pop quartet Lime Cordiale on Saturday May 18. Adelaide indie quartet Messrs will perform on Friday May 24 and Adam Katz will show off his fusion R&B-hip hop on Saturday May 25. Wrapping up the month will be Newcastle’s Nova and The Experience’s EP launch on Friday May 31. Get amongst it folks! More info at merivale. com.au/upstairsberesford

THROTTLE ROLL

Fans of motorcycles and rock’n’roll, stop scrolling wistfully through the Selvedge Yard and get yourself to the Vic in Enmore this Saturday May 11 for Throttle Roll, where you can perv on customised café racers and catch bands like Snowdroppers, Wes Pudsey and the Sonic Aces, and the Cope Street Parade. Tattoos and quiffs optional – admiring glances at chrome and leather a must. It kicks off at midday, and best of all it’s free.

INTERN AT BRAG?

Want to learn the secrets of how we put together a free weekly magazine? We’re on the hunt for people to help us out with the online and paper versions of The Brag, one to two days a week for three-month internships. If you’ve got a passion for magazines, music and Sydney arts and culture (and a taste for free gigs and music), send a cover letter with some info about yourself, your CV and a writing sample to nick@thebrag.com.

PEL MEL

Meanwhile, reformed ’80s Australian postpunk legends PEL MEL will turn out at Goodgod for their first show of 2011 with fellow ’80s post-punk cult faves The Limp, and local experimental synth outfit Bad Jeep. Tickets on the door.

Palma Violets

FIRST SPLENDOUR SIDESHOWS

Were you one of the unlucky horde that missed out on Splendour tickets? Your July isn’t ruined yet, for there’ll be oh so many sideshows to choose from, with the first announcements including NME’s wet dreams Palma Violets, Enfield’s sweet dream James Blake and skate punks FIDLAR, along with HAIM, Darwin Deez, Jake Bugg, Deap Vally, MS MR, Daughter and Everything Everything; dates and ticket announcements to come.

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rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town... with Lisa Omagari and Nick Jarvis.

60 seconds WITH

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM Oilbusta

THE COUGHIN’ NAILS What can a punter expect from your live show? Our live shows are spontaneous and high energy. We have a ‘no set list’ policy and play what feels right on the night. We love pyrotechnics and all the smoke and mirrors that makes a live music experience memorable. I like to think of our live shows as ‘spontaneous combustion’. So, someone is walking past as you guys are playing, then they go get a beer and tell their friend about you...what do they say? Sorry mate, I can’t hear what you’re saying, the band is too freakin’ loud. Tell us about the last song you wrote. My last song is ‘Not A Very Good Year’. It is my ‘legacy song’ outlining how certain choices I have made have impacted my career, my health and ultimately my imminent death. I hope it connects with people who may have to make similar choices in their lives. We’ve just put this track out as a film clip exclusively for Smokescreen Music Festival.

What do people say you sound like? The ‘Nails’ sound might be likened to post-punk glam-rock. Over the top ‘take no prisoners’ rock’n’roll so full of clichés and posturing you could create a reality TV show around us. What do you love about making music? Making music is the only way I know emotionally to turn myself inside out. To take what is inside you and give it a form that allows it to be accessible to other people. People need to be in touch with their creative side and truly express themselves. For me

BEACH ROAD

What’s not to like about free entry, free popcorn and free hugs? Yeah, we thought so – not much. This Wednesday May 8 at the Beach Road you can catch Shantan Wantan Ichiban and Isbjorn in the venue’s Valley and if that’s not really your thing try Nina Las Vegas, Daddy Long Legs

music makes that happen…and of course, the fancy hotels, limousines and girls What do you hate about the music industry? What I hate about the music industry is that the lyrics have to be sung in a chosen language. The music itself is a universal language, and I wish there was one universal language for the lyrics as well. The Coughin’ Nails built their career in the 80s across Eastern Europe and we had to record tracks in many different languages and I really think some of our better tracks get lost in translation. Subtitles don’t work live.

Kingswood, Lime Cordiale and Bernie Dingo in the Rex Room. Friday May 10 sees DJ Greg Perano bring the party to the public bar with the joint’s Fresh Fridays Reggae & Hip Hop Party kick starting the weekend with N’fa and DJ Secret Weapon in the Rex Room. Beach Road’s going all out on Saturday May 11 with DJs Richie Ryan and Bobby Gray, Super Furnace DJs, Watussi, The Godfather and Tai Daniels on the bill. And the week’s grand finale? Think DJs Clockwerk and Richie Ryan as well as DJ Andy Glitre for a buzzing Sunday night sesh on May 12. More at beachroadbondi.com.au

Where would you like to be in five years? In five years time I would like to be still breathing and playing rock’n’roll. A lung transplant and a hair transplant would be a big help in that regard. If not, I would like to be the lead singer of heaven’s glam rock all stars and have a gravestone that has pyrotechnics and lasers that fire up each year for my birthday. What: Part of Smokescreen Music Festival More: facebook.com/ smokescreenmusicfestival

WEEKEND VINES

In one of the most astonishing feats of high-speed event organisation in recent history, the team behind Weekend Vines have organised an entire dance music festival in the space of a few weeks. Heading to Wee Waa to be among the first people in the world to hear Daft Punk’s new album? Well, now you can keep the party kicking afterwards at Weekend Vines; or if you missed out on a launch party ticket, make your way to Wee Waa for some fresh country air, a Funktion One soundsystem and selectors like Olibusta (FR), CC:DISCO! (Kiss FM), Marvin Roland (UK), Crease, Mr Pyz and more. Tickets are $120, but we have two to give away to one lucky punter who can tell us what Daft Punk’s new album is called.

Lillian Starr

TOY TOUR

xxx

CULBURRA BEACH FEST

Grassroots fans at the ready because the Culburra Beach Festival is happening this weekend on Friday May 10 and Saturday May 11. In its third year running, the festival’s 2013 lineup is set to rival last year’s headline highlight of Sticky Fingers. The Friday night will showcase local acts with Shannon Evans cutting a toe tapping figure on his trademark rack of didgeridoos, seven-piece FunkHouse, Tommy M and the Matersounds’ grooves and the bongo-backed sounds of Southerly Change frontman Ben Fowler all on the bill. Saturday night music will be split across two stages with headliner Paul Greene And The Other Colours taking to the stage with support from mud-stained blues and roots outfit Daddy Long Legs and the Swamp Donkeys. Illawarra groovers Penny and the Mystics will be bringing their fusion of reggae, folk and funk to the community hall alongside acoustic soloists Daniel Champagne, Ben McNeill and Alan Blackshaw. Feeling tribal? Culburra’s got you covered. In the Banksia room on Saturday, five-piece percussion group the Beatmeisters will bring traditional African drums to the stage with a Latin and Arabic twist. Sydney-based hip hop-cumballad songsters Beaton Bodies and the harmonica-tinged sounds of Big Erle will also play sets. For full festival deets head to loveculburrabeachfestival.com.au

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Psychedelic indie rockers TOY have just announced their Australian tour. The Londonbased five piece formed in 2010 from the ashes of Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong who found success in 2007 with their single ‘Lucio Starts Fires’. After the group pulled the pin in 2009, Dominic O’Dair, Maxim ‘Panda’ Barron and Tom Dougall enlisted the talent of Charlie Salvidge and Alekandra Diez to form the TOY we have today. Their rock’n’roll songs distort themselves to produce a sound that’s best described as a late ’80s, early ’90s jam sesh. TOY was invited to tour with The Horrors and have also supported Primal Scream. TOY plays Oxford Art Factory on Wednesday June 19. Tickets on sale now at handsometours.com

BERNARD FANNING

Fanning’s a man of his word – the former Powderfinger frontman has announced a 17-date national tour of his forthcoming album Departures. Support at all gigs will come from Melbourne acts Big Scary and Vance Joy. The tour announcement comes off the back of his newest single ‘Battleships’ and is set to kick off in mid July with a string of shows in his home state of Queensland. Fanning will then play Splendour In The Grass (July 26-28) before hitting Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Friday August 2. Departures launches on Friday June 7 and tour tickets on sale from 12 noon Friday May 10.

KING KHAN

The King Khan & BBQ Show are garage rockers who mix doo-wop and punk. Comprising former Spaceshits bandmates Mark Sultan and Blacksnake, alias King Khan, the band were hand-picked by Lou Reed in 2010 to perform at the Sydney Opera House. What happened next? They broke up, went on a three year hiatus but now they’re back and have announced an Australian tour! Sultan brings the snare and bass drums, vocals, guitar and tambourine while Khan leads guitar and vocals. Experimental to say the least, yes, but we’re hella keen to make it down to their Goodgod gig on Thursday June 13 to check out what they’re all about.

BLACK CHERRY

Rockers get ready to roll because Black Cherry’s back on Saturday May 18 at The Factory Theatre for its first night this year! There’s going to be three rooms of underground bands, circus burlesque and DJs to get the raucous party started with bands like The Satellites, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Porkers, Pat Capocci Combo, Electrik Dynamite and The Tearaways. Fancy yourself as a bit of a vocal dynamo? Black Cherry’s on it with their Jungle Rump Rock’n’ Roll Karaoke; pick a track, sink a shot, grip a mic and belt out your tune as these talented musicians provide the live backing track to your ultimate Axl Rose, Johnny Cash or Lemmy moment! And for those chasing the burlesque, think Lillian Starr, Anna ‘Pocket Rocket’ Lumb, Frankie Valentine and Tarantino’s ‘Titty Twister’ Burlesque Knockout Competition. DJ wise there’s going to be Rockabilly Rhino v Wolfman Dan, Solid Gold Hell DJs, Creatura Noctis, The Black Cherry DJs plus MC Lauren La Rouge. $5 drink specials and prizes for best dressed and dancers so get your glad rags and dancin’ shoes on!

FBI SOCIAL

Lunchbreak with Royal Chant will bring us a free 1pm set at FBi Social this Wednesday May 8. Royal Chant is a three-piece garage band from sleepy Port Macquarie who are fast and fuzzed, slanted and slurred. Their debut LP Raise Your Glass & Collapse was even crowned indie album of the week by us here at Brag! And later on, for your hump day folk and alt-country fix, there’s going to be FBi’s May edition of The Folk Informal from 7pm showcasing Abbori, The Ellis Collective, TJ Quinton plus TFT. Thursday May 9’s lineup includes Garage Syndicate Vol 2 featuring Designer Mutts, Kids with Teeth and Jugular Cuts for a romp stomping night of some

of the heaviest and fuzziest underground duos out there. Kicking off the weekend on Friday May 10, rock-pop powerhouse Bec & Ben will launch their single ‘This Is Why I Love You’ – a song about the dichotomy of love and hate, lust and angst, pleasure and destruction. Wrapping up the week, Saturday May 11 will see an afternoon Liveschool Input sesh with guests Seekae, Kilter, Julian Hewitt and Andy Webb who will offer short presentations, performances and Q&As covering production techniques and industry pathways. And Wrapping up FBi Social’s music bonanza will be alternative country singer Krista Polvere, The Falls, and guests. For more details see fbiradio.com

FRONTIER TOURING CO. & ODD FUTURE PRESENT

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New single Whoa out now BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 9

The Music Network

themusicnetwork.com

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

* Advance sales in the UK for Iron Maiden’s new Trooper ale were so huge (the equivalent of 250,000 pints) that the brewer had to move to a six day week and do three batches a day to keep up – a first in its 175 year history. Over 100 countries have contacted the brewer wanting to stock the beer. * We hear that one festival’s after-party lasted for two weeks! * NZ drag queen Ashley Tonga, who played Sydney on the weekend, auditioned for X Factor NZ recently. The big 18 yearold momma’s rendition of ‘Proud Mary’ was so vigorous they had to repair the stage after she finished. * On the first anniversary of his death, a Brooklyn Heights playground was named after Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch. He had played there as a kid. * Foals’ album is #1 in Oz, so it’s no surprise that their Enmore Theatre show on September 28 has already sold out, as has

THINGS WE HEAR

* Whole Lotta Love, the star-studded travelling Led Zeppelin tribute show, had a five-minute standing ovation when it kicked off in Wollongong. Music director Joseph Calderazzo is travelling with 15 guitars (including a signature edition Jimmy Page Gibson Les Paul, one of the first 400 made) and is joined by Noiseworks guitarist Stuart Fraser for the first time. One highlight: percussionist Tony Azzopardo and Gordon Rytmeister on the drum solo on ‘Moby Dick’. Robert Plant was invited to the State Theatre show on May 10 but the old Lemon Juicer will have left the country by then. * Due to the huge amount of entries for DJ competition Your Shot, entries closed off earlier than the originally advertised May 10. Last year 4,300 entered in the first three weeks and drew 10,000 to heats, beating X-Factor.

their Melbourne Palace date. * The Amity Affliction’s fifth album Chasing Ghosts has gone gold. * The Growl’s recent dates with Tame Impala through the US and Canada have seen their single ‘Liarbird’ reach #7 on the US college radio charts. * Liam Gallagher’s label Columbia demanded he change the title of Beady Eyes’ album Universal Gleam because it mentioned a rival label. Then he pissed off his idols The Stone Roses; he joined them at every gig, but kept mouthing off. At one show, he was escorted off the side of stage to the mixing desk, and then flung out of the venue after he spilled beer on the desk. * Sydney community radio station Fine Music 102.5 aired its first broadcast from its new $2 million complex at Chandos Street in St Leonard’s. The new premises, three years in the making, has two on-air studios, three production studios and a live performance and recording studio.

NEW POP CATEGORY FOR APRA AWARDS

SPLENDOUR SELLS OUT IN AN HOUR

NEW SIGNING #2: VANCE JOY LANDS DEAL WITH ATLANTIC

This year’s APRA Awards have a new category – Pop Work of the Year. They already have rock, dance, urban, blues & roots and country. APRA chief Brett Cottle points out, “almost 65% of APRA members categorise themselves as songwriters in the pop/ rock genre and songs that fit this category feature significantly in our own statistics and in recognised industry albums and singles charts.” The APRA Awards are on Monday June 17 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Clare Bowditch.

Splendour in the Grass sold out in an hour, with only a few $715 Country Club tickets left. The promoters admitted, “the system laboured a little under the unprecedented demand for tickets, but once it started to move it was all smooth sailing.” This year’s event, the first at their permanent site, increased capacity from 17,500 to 25,000. Meantime, social media buzz puts the festival’s “mystery” act as a toss up between Alt J and Daft Punk.

Rising troubadour Vance Joy has signed for the world with iconic US label Atlantic Records. It doesn’t include Australia and NZ, where he’s with Liberation Music. Debut EP God Loves You When You’re Dancing will be released abroad in the next few months. Joy does an 11-date US tour between May 21 and June 8. He’s just finished an Australian run – including four shows at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne, matching The Rubens’ record for most shows on one tour at the venue – and will open for Bernard Fanning’s tour.

NEW SIGNING #1: WENDY MATTHEWS RETURNS After a recording break of 12 years, ‘90s multiplatinum artist Wendy Matthews is returning with The Welcome Fire in August. She co-wrote it with Josh Pyke, Megan Washington, Mark Sholtez, Rod McCormick, John Castle, Kim Richey, Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci. She signed a deal with Fanfare Records, distributed by EMI, which reunites her with Fanfare boss Robert Rigby, who was MD of WEA Records back when she released her Lily album to sales of 500,000.

UNIVERSAL GETS AVICII Universal Music will handle DJ/producer Avicii’s debut album via a worldwide licence deal with Swedish dance label PRMD. PRMD was behind the global dance hit ‘Beam Me Up’ from Cazzette. Avicii, who has sold 5 million singles and was voted #3 in the most recent top 100 DJ list by DJ Magazine, is in the Oz charts with his collaboration with Nicky Romero ‘I Could Be The One’.

THEHIFI.C

BriBry (IRL)

HTC & Speaker TV Presents

Haim (USA)

Sun 9 Jun

Dappled Cities

Jessie J must pay 20% of royalties from her 12-million selling album Who You Are to the manager who discovered her before being dumped. Raymond Stevenson of agency 141a found Jessica Cornish at 15 at a music school and got her signed to a label at 19. When it went belly-up, he paid £70,000 of his own money to buy her out of the contract, and took her to America to introduce her to heavyweights such as LA Reid. But on returning to the UK, she dumped him and signed with Crown management (Sugababes, Ellie Goulding. Crown got her the deal with Universal. Jessie J’s fortune is estimated at £8 million.

Wed 24 Jul

Thu 20 Jun

SE LL IN G

FA ST

Coming Soon

Opiuo + Spoonbill Cradle of Filth (UK)

Born Of Osiris (USA)

HTC & Speaker TV Presents

Fri 10 May

Sat 18 May

Birds of Tokyo Thu 23 May

Moved from Roudnhouse

The Red Paintings Fri 14 Jun

Municipal Waste (USA)

Mono (JPN)

HTC & Speaker TV Presents

Thu 27 Jun

Hungry Kids of Hungary

Sat 6 Jul

Sun 16 Jun

Hardcore 2013 Feat. Youth of Today (USA) + More

Saint Vitus (USA) & Monarch! (FRA)

Sat 13 Jul 18+ | Sun 14 Jul All Ages

Fri 19 Jul

Nejo Y Dalmata (PUR) Fri 26 Jul

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

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‘SHE CAN DJ’ GOES TO AMERICA

JESSIE J MUST PAY AXED MANAGER

Just Announced

Sat 11 May

Dance music consultant Tim Waugh, ex-GM of Home Sydney, is marketing director at Star City’s nightclub Marquee. He’s also director of Musik Lounge and has managed Sneaky Sound System, Erick Morillo and Dirty South.

EMI Australia’s female DJ competition She Can DJ has spread further across the globe. Already in New Zealand, France, Spain and Italy, in July it launches in America, where EDM has taken off big time. The search will be by CBS Radio’s pop-dance stations in 12 cities, with a recording deal with EMI imprint Astralwerks, home to Swedish House Mafia, Empire of the Sun and Nevo.

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

This Week

TIM WAUGH MARKETS MARQUEE

BOOZE SPONSORSHIP BAN AT NSW FESTIVALS? The Byron Youth Service has suggested to a NSW Upper House inquiry into high youth alcohol intake that alcohol promotions and sponsorships be banned at NSW festivals and events. The Byron Youth Service pointed out that Byron has more crime than most of the state due to the fact it had 30% more liquor licences. The BYS said that bars at festivals, “heavily promote and encourage the engagement of young people and young adults in alcohol consumption.”

MARIC LAUNCHES MARIC MEDIA Sydney publicist Chris Maric launched his own company Maric Media (www. maricmedia.com.au) last week, covering promotions, publicity and artist relations. He remains promotions & artist relations manager at hard rock and heavy metal label Riot Entertainment. In the past 15 years, Maric worked at Sony, Universal, EMI and Ten Network. He is at chris@ maricmedia.com.au.

Lifelines Born: daughter Capri Charlotte to Sydney publicist Kristyn Brennan of Ferris Davies PRM, and her partner Anthony Nazombe. Born: son Phaedra to Peaches Geldof and S.C.U.M. singer Tom Cohen, on the same day as what would have been her mum Paula Yates’s 54th birthday. The name is from an album by her favourite group Tangerine Dream (and the daughter of Minos in Greek mythology). Injured: a girl was taken to Maitland Hospital with suspected spinal injuries after falling off her boyfriend’s shoulders in the mosh pit at Groovin’ The Moo. Arrested: Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain’s 20 year-old son Justin. He allegedly broke into a Florida woman’s house and rifled through her purse, “taking a halfeaten chocolate bunny, half of an orange — which he consumed in the home — a belly ring, cosmetics, and a freezer pack,” cops said. Arrested: hip hopper William Warren Darcy, 23, over the stabbing of a 50 year-old in Canberra. The Canberra Times said ACT police searched for him for four years for charges of burglary, assault, property damage and possessing a knife. He’d been living in Dubbo and spent time in jail. In Court: Daniel Merriweather lost his driver’s licence for 14 months and was fined $800 for a drink driving incident last December, during which he crashed his car. In February, he checked himself into rehab. In Court: British publicist to the stars Max Clifford, 70, on charges he molested seven girls aged 14 to 19. In Court: an elderly couple from Stockholm face harassment charges after taking revenge on a noisy neighbour by playing Iron Maiden at full volume, sometimes until 4am. In Court: US rapper 2 Chainz, who blew out of the Movement hip hop festival as he was facing drug charges, was found not guilty. The judge said there was no evidence marijuana paraphernalia found in his tour van was his. Died: US steel-guitar innovator Bob Brozman, 59, at his home. His tours of Australia saw him not only showcase his styles adopted from all over the world, but entertain crowds with his sharp wit. Died: Chris Kelly, who in the ‘90s found fame as a 13 year-old in rap duo Kris Kross (‘Jump’), was found unconscious in his home in Atlanta, of a possible drug overdose. He died in hospital, aged 34. Kris Kross were discovered in a shopping mall by producer Jermaine Dupri and their first album Totally Krossed Off sold four million. Died: UK promoter Paul Shurey, who founded the Tribal Gathering festival, during a holiday in Goa, in a motorbike accident. Died: Slayer guitarist and songwriter Jeff Hanneman from liver failure, 49. He’d been off the road since 2011 when he contracted a rare skin-tissue disease from a spider bite.

AMRAP ROLLS OUT MOBILEFRIENDLY SITE Community radio service Amrap has set up a new mobile-friendly station website. Listeners use their smart phones to access playlists, listen live or to playbacks, discover artist info and share content via social media. The first to use it is FBi Radio. If you want to use the service go to www.amrap.org/pages.

for Live and Localsau! Calling all artistsplay entertainment.com. Contact: chris@fair

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LOCAL NATIVES

yan Hahn, Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer and Matt Frazier make up Local Natives, the trail-blazing indie rockers (or psych-folkers, depending on which frothing review you read) who first plotted their career at an Orange County high school. The band’s debut Gorilla Manor (2009) was famously named after the share house in which the guys first cut their musical teeth; after its release by Frenchkiss in the States, the group was compared to the likes of Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend. New album Hummingbird (released in January) still bats these influences around, while also expanding their sound with full but not frenetic choruses and haunting, lilting background vocals. “Especially when we’re writing, we all just kind of play whatever we’re inspired to work with at that moment,” Hahn says in his smooth Californian accent. “There are songs that I play drums on, and Kelcey plays guitar, or bass. We just switch often. It’s fun...you can’t have an ego about it, you know. We all just try to contribute what we can.” This democratic writing style also extends to their lyrics. “We try to keep [lyrics] as personal and from one perspective as possible. We always bounce ideas off each other and if there’s something that’s not clear, or if something is like, kind of cringeinducing, then we pick it up and iron it out that way. But oftentimes it is from just one person’s perspective.”

First single ‘Breakers’ was released in late 2012, and features a fantastic trilling guitar line that makes you think of marimbas (but played on clams!) and rising and falling background vocals, like a pod of singing whales. If it doesn’t seem like single material at first listen, that doesn’t bother the band at all. “It’s a weird thing selecting singles, for a band like us,” he says. “I guess we’re not really into that game. I think we’re just more concerned with making an album as a whole, just because that’s the way we tend to listen to music. We just want a collection of songs that we’re really proud of – and if a few can be played on the radio, then, cool.” Other standouts on Hummingbird include ‘Heavy Feet’, which features a tom-heavy drum pattern; as you listen to the album it becomes apparent that distinctive drums, and especially auxiliary percussion (like handclaps), are a big component of Local Natives’ sound. A tom or snare on all four beats of a bar, followed by total breaks in percussion while guitar or harmonies burst through unaccompanied, is part of that ‘afro’ style the group has also been linked to. “Matt’s our drummer but I love playing drums,” Hahn says. “When we write songs we’ll demo them out before we bring them to the other guys, a lot of the time. For me – for my songs at least – I like showing my drum ideas when I show the guys. I feel that’s just the nature of our band, being multi-instrumentalists.”

“It felt like we’d become professional musicians, a few years after the fact!” 12 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

Coming of Age By Zoe Radas

One of the tracks penned by Hahn is ‘Black Balloons’, which he describes as one of the “angrier” on the album. It’s a beautifully written lament with a driving hi-hat pattern and airy, slightly unusual harmonies. “That one came from a place of frustration, maybe with a person in my life,” Hahn says slowly. “A person that I just found to be…” he laughs, “…pretty loathsome. Just interacting with this person. When I was just toying around with the song, and toying around with the melody, those lyrics came to me really quickly.” The band scored a coup in lining up The National’s songsmith Aaron Dessner as the producer for Hummingbird; you can tell Hahn enjoys recounting the story of how the connection came about. “We were already writing quite a bit [for the album], and then we got this call from a booking agent, that The National was asking us to go on tour,” he says. “They’re one of those bands that we just couldn’t say no to. We went out and we had an awesome time; Aaron really went out of his way to welcome us. And we kind of just became buds.” Dessner put it out there that he’d like to work with the band on their album and they, of course, gladly accepted. “In a lot of ways, he definitely became an older brother type figure that we could be honest with. In the studio, we could be really upfront about ideas. It was just a really good working relationship,” Hahn says. Besides a wealth of production and songwriting experience, Dessner also brought a studio-worth of amazing equipment. Hahn’s at a loss to name some of the more exotic gear used to produce

sounds like the deep keyboard line on ‘Black Balloons’. “Honestly, I wish I could answer you, but we had so many keyboards! Aaron had vintage keyboards and awesome organs and stuff, and certain things we hadn’t even considered. So we had the song, we had instrumentation, and then it was like, OK, let’s plug a few of these in and see what happens if we layer a few of these.” As a tight knit group used to working on their own – Gorilla Manor was produced entirely within the group – Hahn admits that they were initially “sceptical” about bringing anyone else in, but that didn’t last long. “Our first record we basically did in a garage, and then this time we got to go to Montreal to a full professional studio, and [also to] Aaron’s place; he had some really quality gear. And it felt like in some ways we’d become professional musicians,” he laughs, adding, “...a few years after the fact.” Considering the band never stick to one instrument, it’s going to be interesting to see how they translate their recorded sound on a live stage. “Yeah, as we speak we’re trying to figure out how to play some of the songs live,” says Hahn. “There’s a kind of trade off. Last time [in Australia] we played Laneway and it was our first time playing in Australia, period. It was honestly – I guess it sounds like I’m just pandering to you – but it was just such a fun tour. And we’re really stoked to come back and play Australia again.” With: New Gods Where: The Metro Theatre When: Wednesday May 15

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Suede Britpop Revisited By Chris Martin

uede never liked to think of themselves as the pioneers of Britpop. Brett Anderson’s nasal wail and the glam rock guitars of his band’s maiden single, ‘The Drowners’, wouldn’t be seen bowing at the same altar as Oasis’s ’60s revivalism or the art-pop nationalism of Blur and Pulp. And yet in 1992 – long before the infamously ravenous UK music press got a hold of the B-word; that catch-all term for populist and patriotic culture – Suede were there. “The Next Big Thing,” they were labelled. “The Best New Band in Britain.” Mat Osman is used to fans and interviewers reminding him of Britpop. “I kind of cringe about it, to be honest,” says the Suede co-founder and bassist. “I feel as if we were there before it and things were taken from the kind of band we were; the kind of band who wanted to sing about our lives and the lives of people around us. I have total respect for someone like Morrissey, who’s singing about Manchester and working class kids in Manchester. It was a shock to the system for me to hear someone singing like that – not singing about Americana and not singing in the abstract, [but] singing in the concrete. But it gets turned into a cartoon. It gets taken up by chancers and people on the lookout for a quick buck, and it gets turned into this bleary, nationalistic cartoon.” Often, the members of Suede are criticised for mouthing bitterly about the Britpop juggernaut leaving them behind. When Osman talks like this, you can see where the disdain arises. But in truth, the band is more concerned about keeping its own house in order. Down the phone line at least, Osman sounds not so much bitter as reluctant; mildly amused by what Britpop became, but satisfied enough with his experiences as the plane took off to not be jealous of those who came crashing down to earth at the

journey’s end. Actually, Suede outlasted most of their contemporaries – it’s just that A New Morning finished the band off in 2002 with a whimper, not a bang. Ten years later, there’s a new offering, Bloodsports, and Osman puts it down, in part, to revisionism. “One of the things that was good was if we’d gone out on a high, you’d always be terrified of coming back and trashing your legacy. But we’d kind of already trashed our legacy with the last record [laughs]. There was a feeling that…it had been a band of extremes and ups and downs and constant crises, and the way the story ended was unsatisfying.” Sure enough, this time Suede has it right. “I’m really proud of it,” says Osman of Bloodsports. “It was really, really hard work – I was always surprised that when bands got back together to go on tour and stuff, they didn’t make records … I couldn’t work out why, because I love making records and for me it’s what a band does. And about halfway through it, we realised the reason bands don’t do it is it’s hard. The thing about playing old songs is, you play the best songs that you’ve ever written to people who haven’t seen them for ten years. It’s going to be great, you know what I mean? As long as you’re there and you get involved and you give it your best, it’s going to be great. “And then you go to write an album and you go, ‘Oh, it’ll be the same. We’ll just write ten songs like the best things we’ve ever written. Why don’t we just write ten ‘Wild Ones’ and ‘Animal Nitrate’s and ‘She’s in Fashion’s?’ It doesn’t work. I think we discarded the first 20 songs we wrote … they were interesting, but they didn’t sound like Suede at all.” In Osman’s view, the best thing about making Bloodsports was the freedom the band had

“Britpop gets taken up by chancers and turned into this bleary, nationalistic cartoon.”

to take the time to get things wrong. “That’s one of the nice things about it being 2013. We’re not a young band, we don’t have to be a phenomenon – we’re not going to be. That’s a job for 19-year-olds.” Suede, these days, are far removed from the pressure of an omnipresent media, demanding excellence from them at every turn and slaying them for anything less. It’s a long way from 1993. “That one year was absolutely insane,” says Osman. “It was probably 50-50 between adoration and hate. I’d be spat at in the streets by musicians and stuff, all these kinds of things – and at the same time, especially travelling abroad, it was kind of Beatlemania. Thousands of people turning up at airports and stuff. It was a storm in a teacup – but it was a big storm.”

Vampire Weekend

Through all the highs and lows of Suede, Osman has had Anderson by his side; the singer he met as a teenager in London. “[My friends] were all goths and stuff, and he was there in his mustard yellow suit and tie pins,” says Osman. “He’s always been…he just commits himself to something and takes it as far as it can go. And I think it shows in the music, in his lyrics and his singing. He always pushes it too far, and that’s where it gets interesting. His voice – one of the reasons I think lots of people hate his voice is that he just pushes it, nags away; it’s not comfortable, it’s not easy listening, and it’s part of his personality – but I think it’s what makes Suede the kind of band that people care about.” What: Bloodsports out now on Warner

“By the time we started on this record, a lot of those young band anxieties had started to recede”

Thoroughly Modern Vampires By Samantha Clode

really had a ton of piano on our albums before, but suddenly there was something so attractive about that sound – well-played piano with gospel-type harmonies. That song certainly helped to clarify the sounds we were getting into; it definitely set a tone.” You and Rostam travelled to Martha’s Vineyard to start writing this record, how fruitful was that period? “It felt like a breakthrough in a few ways. One was the time of year – we weren’t working through a typical dark, cold, New York winter, and working in the same places. There was something nice about it, the beginning of spring – it wasn’t warm, but there was a thaw. We went to a place we’d never been before, and in some ways is the polar opposite of New York: emptiness, quiet, the lack of people. There was excitement to get away. We were already working on songs we felt solid about, trying different exercises to come up with new tunes, like rapid-fire lightning writing sessions to force ourselves to do stuff. Getting out of town gave us the sense that we had a whole record’s worth of songs – a feeling we hadn’t had before.”

14 :: BRAG :: 510 :: 29:04:13

“Especially in this era, you know. We had all these ideas we wanted to show people after our first album, so we had a lot of reasons to make sure we didn’t prolong the process with Contra. Whereas by the time we started on this record, a lot of those anxieties a young band has started to recede – you don’t have to worry too much about things disappearing overnight. You can never be too comfortable as a musician, but you don’t have this existential worry. On Modern Vampires... we had challenges, but it was cooler ‘cause it was more internal, creative challenges. We

really just had to create music we felt excited about.” What’s the earliest song on the record? “One of the first songs that we worked on is [opener] ‘Obvious Bicycle’. It’s funny, we always knew it was going to be track one. It just had a feeling of a beginning. That started around the time we were finishing Contra – Rostam [Batmanglij] sent me an instrumental demo with these really nice piano chords, all these crazy drums. There was immediately something about it that felt fresh. We’d never

Wheat: Modern Vampires of the City out May 10 on Remote Control

xxx photo by xxx

o-produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (Cass McCombs, Glasser), the third effort from preppy New Yorkers Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City is, dare we say it, a more mature beast. With songwriting kicking off during a sabbatical at Martha’s Vineyard, and recording taking place in Los Angeles, songs like ‘Hannah Hunt’ and ‘Hudson’ read like a love letter to the band’s hometown. According to frontman Ezra Koenig, the group felt more freedom to take chances – without feeling the pressure to quickly capitalise on their previous discs.

If a record is a document of a band in a particular space and time, what does Modern Vampires of the City say about Vampire Weekend in 2013? “I love that idea, of it being a snapshot in time. Because that’s what an album should provide – a memory of how things felt for you. I think this album certainly shows us changing – new emotions, new moods. But there are also more reflective moments. I’d hate to say it’s grown up, as we really don’t feel grown up at all (laughs). But definitely growing up – that’s a theme. So maybe it is a snapshot of this reflective beginning of adulthood period? I don’t think we’re ever going to be ‘mature’.”

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BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 15

Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders Blue Collar Murder Ballads By Patrick Emery

ith a hectic touring schedule and a reputation for exploring the inebriated boundaries of the rock’n’roll lifestyle, local band Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders hasn’t always allowed itself a great deal of luxury in the recording studio. So when the band headed up to the Empty Room studio in Nagambie in regional Victoria for a weekend of recording, it was an entirely new experience. “We wanted to find a completely different head space,” says vocalist James Grim. “We were sleeping in the studio, getting up in the morning and going for a swim and then going to record. It was a different environment – it was a luxury that we didn’t know how to deal with. It was great, but after it was over we thought for next time it’ll be straight back to a concrete box!” Grim laughs.

The brief hiatus from touring also meant that Grim could spend more time creating the lyrics for the band’s songs. “Cathartic is a bit of a horrible word, but in a way that’s what it was for this record,” Grim says. “We finally had time to write after the last tour was finished. So rather than sit down and say ‘this is the album that we want to write’, it was more of a case of ‘this is the story that we want to tell.’” Brothers Grim have made an art form of transposing dark and seedy tales into a confronting punk-blues aesthetic, and as time goes on, Grim feels his own lyric writing is maturing. “With the genre I write in, it’s pretty easy to fall into the misogynist trap, just because of the material you’re dealing with, murder ballads,” Grim says. “But I want to empower the characters that are in the songs, so lyrically I feel that I’m creating characters that both men and women can appreciate – even if they don’t actually like those characters.” Grim’s a huge fan of the late Bon Scott, whose influence can be seen in the final

track on the new record, ‘Baby Girl’. In the song, Grim adopts the position of a father contemplating what would make him turn to violence. “The song comes from a pulp story titled I Killed The Only Man My Baby Girl Ever Loved – when I saw that, I thought, ‘Wow, what a statement’. The novel was written from the perspective of the mother, but I started looking at it from my perspective, and in the context of domestic violence, which I absolutely abhor.” Grim is conscious of the potential for the lyrics to be misinterpreted by the audience, but sees that as an occupational risk. “The person I want to respond to the song is the perpetrator of domestic violence – it’s a veiled threat,” Grim says. Grim started out as an English teacher, and with his band about to return to the road, there’s no immediate need for him to ponder an alternative career outside of music – but he does have a suggestion. “Maybe a cult leader – it’s all about getting laid, but doing it in a way that makes people more peaceful,” Grim says dryly. “But I wouldn’t be wearing sandals!” What: The Steyne, Manly / the Annandale with Blackbear and Frank Sultana and band When: Thursday May 9 / Friday May 10

Julian Marley Jah’s Soldier By Lachlan Kanoniuk

t’s a surname that doesn’t come any bigger in reggae, but Julian ‘Juju’ Marley has established himself as a formidable talent in his own right, spreading the good word of reggae across the globe. It’s a role he was born to. “From the time I came out of my mother and started to cry, that was the first note I ever sang,” Marley says. “As I child I was grown to be around music and play with instruments all day and night, which made music a very spiritual experience for me from day one. Music is healing, uplifting. That’s why it is important to feed music to all children.” Marley’s career has seen several collaborations with his brothers, including the Awake highlight ‘Violence In The Streets’ with Damian and Stephen Marley. “It is a very natural thing to work with my brothers, we are inseparable,” Marley says. “We grew up together, we play football together, we make music together. It is a very natural and blessed feeling, as we have love and respect for each other, always.” With one of the biggest figures in contemporary music for a father, you could forgive Julian Marley for feeling a familial pressure – he insists this isn’t the case. “I don’t feel any pressure to live up to my father. My father made me, my name is Julian, I have my own genetic make up, I wear size 11 shoes and that’s me, I am myself,” he says. “I stay grounded and not stuck up, I am normal and do not think that I am my father’s ‘shadow’ but instead that he is my inspiration, my teacher.” Joining Marley onstage in Australia will be his 12-piece band, The Uprising. “The band came together around 1994 – there’s wicked talent in the Uprising. Growing up in Jamaica I started to

play music with my bass player – Owen Dreadie Reed – who is from the school of [Wailers producer] Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett. I have a wicked keyboardist who has been with me from the start, as well as a wicked guitarist. I love performing with my live band, and the entire crew will of course be with me in Australia, bringing that great live sound, energy, spirit and light,” he says. “The audience can expect conscious music, reggae music, spiritual music. It is an overwhelming feeling every time we perform. I love to play music to a live audience because the heartbeat of the music can be felt, the uplifting and positive messages of the music can be experienced by the live audience.” For Marley, time has not diminished the need for the fundamental messages of reggae music. “There is a new generation that likes reggae music and performs reggae music now, however it is important that our peers and the new generation understand that the foundation of reggae music is in struggle. Reggae literally means King’s Music. Our peers need to understand that in order to perform reggae music, you must perform the King’s Music, meaning keeping with the integrity of the highest quality of music,” Marley says. “Reggae music represents the heartbeat of every person, and speaks of the struggles and ups and downs of life. Regardless of the language that is spoken, reggae resonates globally because its message breaks race and class, and is dedicated to positivity, hopeful times, unity and love.” What: : Julian Marley plays the Metro When: Friday May 10

Truckfighters Swede Jams By Augustus Welby

wedish rockers Truckfighters have been drawing international comparisons to stoner rock royalty like Kyuss and Fu Manchu since their debut EP came out in 2001, but it’s taken until now for them to find a sizeable audience in their homeland. “We’re getting bigger in Sweden, that’s something we actually noticed lately. I think we passed the point of being totally unknown in Sweden,” guitarist Niklas ‘Dango’ Källgren says. “When we started, the stoner scene [in Sweden] didn’t really exist. There were a few bands playing when we first started, but not so many people actually listened to these bands in Sweden. Because all the bands played more in Europe than in Sweden, we did the same – Sweden is a bit hard because you have to get past a certain level for people to actually think it’s OK to listen to you.”

The creative core of the group is guitarist Dango and vocalist/bassist Ozo, with a lot of their material coming out of casual jam sessions. “In the early days of the band we just jammed and came up with ideas and then tried to make songs out of them. Then, as drummers have been coming and going, it’s become more focused on Ozo and I sitting down in the studio and composing stuff. But even if the two latest albums have been more Ozo and I writing, lots of the ideas still come from recorded jams. We hear a part of a jam and think, ‘Woah, this sounds really cool, let’s try to make something serious out of it.’”

Truckfighters self-produce all their records at their studio in Örebro, but it’s been four years since their last outing Mania, with touring, label duties and line-up changes causing delays in recording.

The band’s sound is particularly indebted to the gritty, fuzzy guitar sounds of the ‘90s, and Dango says he still prefers to listen to his early influences, rather than investigating current music trends.

“We’re ‘do-it-yourself’ guys. We run the label, record everything, write the songs and take care of everything ourselves. Partially because we tour really hard all the time, we don’t really take time off just to sit down and say ‘let’s make an album’. Also the drummer dilemma takes away lots of time, to rehearse with new drummers. Creative energy disappears when the drummer leaves and we have to look for a new one.”

“I’m too old to be excited for new music, unfortunately. I really like the Soundgarden album they released last year. I like the old Soundgarden as well, but I really was impressed that they made a good album 15 years later. One of my favourite bands is Tool. They don’t release that many albums, but Tool is a really big influence for me personally. Although I did get the new Kvelertak album – we toured with them in Europe for six weeks. That’s a good album, it’s like more of a punk-rock hardcore mixture. Their first album is also good. That’s a new band I actually listen to, but mostly I listen to old bands.”

Truckfighters has had a string of temporary drummers over the last four years, and although Dango suggests that Poncho, the man currently occupying the drum stool, is a great candidate he’s reluctant to confirm whether he’ll remain permanently. “Let’s just say I have been through too much to think so, but I really hope so. We’ve been

16 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

playing with Poncho for four months. If he stays for more than a year I think he’s going to stay for a long time. He’s really cool and a really good drummer and we get along really well and it feels good, but you never know.”

What: Truckfighters play Manning Bar with Unida When: Friday May 10

Xxxxx photo by Xxxxx

“The initial plan was always to record an EP. We tour all the time, and we like to have a new product each time we go on tour to feed to the audience. We could have looked at doing a complete album,

which would have meant slamming down 14 or 15 songs and choosing the best ten in a more expansive process. But with a mini-album, it means you can spend more time over the songs.”

BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 17

arts frontline

free stuff email: freestuff@thebrag.com

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

five minutes WITH

LIAM NUNAN AND HEATH IVEY-LAW

beach and ten in the other to be surrounded by bush.

Heath: I’ve recently graduated from NIDA’s acting course, but before that I’d been on the Hobart theatre scene for many years as an actor, director and writer. Offbeat characters and narratives that delight in the unexpected inspire me and I listen to music to help create such characters.

What does director James Dalton bring to the play and how has his vision help shape the way you deliver your characters? Liam: James is good at bringing out the comedy in the grotesque and bringing out the grotesque in the comedy. When I watch his plays, I’m conflicted in what I think I should be feeling and what I am feeling. You will be in hysterics while being painfully aware of the stark reality and humiliating tragedy of the situation.

Brotherly love and tensions between city and country are central themes in A Butcher of Distinction. How do you relate to these? Liam: I have three brothers. I relate. We all had an inbuilt duty of care for each other, but on the other hand, a harmless conversation or game could switch in a heartbeat to a scene from Thunderdome. I also know how it feels to find myself in an unfamiliar city. When I first moved to Sydney, I was overwhelmed at how big (and sometimes scary) it was. Heath: Coming from Hobart to Sydney I can relate to the country vs city theme explored in the play. Hobart is not strictly country, but I miss walking ten minutes in one direction to be at the

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ARCHIVE SPACE OPENS

ART PHARMACY

“Art Pharmacy: prescriptions for art lovers,” runs the slogan and this month the art dispensary is giving us a double dose. Two pop-up shows at 118 Oxford Street, City vs Nature (until May 12) and Contemporary Urbanism (May 16-26) will offer audiences the chance to catch work

Heath: One of James’ mandates from the beginning was to never stop exploring all the different options for character and to not get stuck with the most obvious choice. In choosing the less obvious choices the characters become more complex, more human, and more eccentric. What: A Butcher of Distinction by Rob Hayes Where: Old 505 Theatre When: May 8-26 More: venue505.com/theathre

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THE HUNT When we can’t find anything to pin on the donkey, we search for a tale. Danish director Thomas Vinterberg hurtles down the slippery slope of doubt and accusation in his Cannes award-winner The Hunt. In this unmercifully powerful story of the classic ‘little white lie gone horribly wrong’ the film’s narrative follows leading man Mads Mikkelsen’s demise into a tangled web of hysteria, betrayal and uncertainty. The Hunt is in cinemas now and we’ve got ten double passes to give away. To score your tix just email freestuff@thebrag. com with your postal address and tell us the name of the character actor Mads Mikkelsen plays in the film.

from both emerging and established talent and for those of you looking to crack the market with your first buy, it might be time to amp things up. All works in City vs Nature will be priced between $100-250, but let us give you a word of advice: buy work that speaks to you rather than buying for the sake of it – you’re the one who’s going to have to live with the thing! Art Pharmacy is an online gallery aimed at supporting young talent with work priced accessibly. artpharmacy.com.au for more. Zwischenräume, 2011, Forum Stadtpark detail

OPEN STUDIO

Chalk Horse (8 Lacey St, Surry Hills) gallery is opening its studio for a preview hang of Jasper Knight’s upcoming exhibition One Piece At A Time. Between 4-8pm on Saturday May 11 us folks are going to be given the chance to see Knight’s body of work before it’s shipped off to Italy to be showcased as part of Autodromo Di Modena. Knight’s work spans high art, photography, sculpture and painting and his repertoire often recalls dada, surrealist, fluxus and pop movements. At the core of Knight’s practice is an exploration of the constructed object. chalkhorse.com.au for more. Applespiel

ACCOMPLICE

The walls of Artspace gallery are about to be defaced. By robots. Yes, robots. The gallery’s latest exhibition Accomplice features the work of Petra Gemeinboeck and Rob Saunders and opens this Thursday May 2. So what’s the deal? Well, autonomous robots – a colony of curious, social machines hidden within the space, each fitted with a motorised punch, a camera and a microphone – will react to visitors’ knocks by producing patterns and holes in the gallery’s walls! Gemeinboeck and Saunders’ respective backgrounds in interactive media arts, machine performance, design and planning, and installation brings to the fore a dialogue about our world’s complex mechanic ecology. A wonderfully weird experience not to be missed. artspace.org.au for more.

MAYDAY! FINAL LINEUP

ASSANGE AT ISEA2013

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will present a special keynote speech at the International Symposium of Electronic Art on Thursday June 13. Assange will address the audience via a live video link from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The controversial journalist is expected to offer insight into the futility, or otherwise resisting the incursion of the digital into every aspect of our lives. ISEA2013 explores the ways art and new technologies are used in the service of power, protest and resistance. A limited number of tickets will be made available to the general public through the ISEA2013 website from 9am Monday May 20. For full program details visit isea2013.org

Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt

UNDERBELLY ARTS X POZIBLE

Underbelly Arts and the Keir Foundation are offering eight artist projects the chance to raise some sweet dosh towards the development of new work at the Underbelly Arts Lab and Festival on Cockatoo Island in July and August. The campaign is running via crowdfunding platform Pozible; an impressive dollar-for-dollar match is on the cards! Underbelly have also given us a sneak peek at the first eight projects in the Underbelly Arts 2013 program and we’re here to tell you that artist Abdul Abdullah and brother Abdul-Rahman Abdullah are on the bill and will be recreating their childhood home on Cockatoo Island alongside performance collective Applespiel who will explore histories of the island. More details and more artist projects outlined at underbellyarts.com.au

Mayday! Playwrights Festival launches next week on Wednesday May 8 and runs for three weeks. The festival aims to give young playwrights the chance to produce their work right now sans any ‘development limbo’; selected participants are guaranteed a week of professional production with a cast, director and theatre space at the Tap Gallery (278 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst) within the month. And the Mayday! final lineup has just been announced and includes the likes of 7-On Playwrights collective, Hilary Bell, Jonathan Gavin and Maxine Mellor. Best not miss the final week – AFI award winner Nicholas Hope, who most know for his performance in Bad Boy Bubby, will deliver a new piece made up of three interconnecting theatre works. Mayday! is all about being impulsive and instinctive to energise and empower young talent. We’re so there and we reckon you should be too. More details at tapgallery.org.au

Underbelly Arts Applespiel photo by Lucy Parakhina

A new ARI has landed in Newtown (5 Eliza St). Archive Space is spearheaded by a crew of young practicing artists and CoFA graduates who aim to create an extended, growing digital archive of the exhibitions and ideas presented in the gallery. The space’s first major exhibition We Live as We Dream Alone, curated by Archive committee members Patrick Cremin and Sarah Kukathas, looks at ideas of massive media mania, control and anxiety and is currently on display. The exhibition comprises contemporary sculptures by Kyle Christie and photographs by David Manley and Katrina Stamatopoulos and runs until May 10. The initiative is brought to us by Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd, Lauren Carroll Harris, Daniell Connell, Patrick Cremin, David Greenhalgh, Sarah Kukathas, Lisa Sammut and Jack Stahel. For more information see archivespace.com.au

Keen on catching some of the Archibald rejects (no offence) talking about their work? S.H. Ervin Gallery are hosting a Salon Des Refuses artists luncheon with host Richard Morecroft on Monday May 13. Morecroft will be joined by guest artists Anne Cape, Christopher McVinish and Peter Gardiner with sitter Damien Minton for an open discussion about the works on display. S.H. Ervin’s alternative selection from hundreds of entries to the Archibald and Wynne Prizes has been hand-picked by guest selectors who went behind the scenes at AGNSW to curate the exhibition. And when we said ‘rejects’ we were probably a little too harsh; the work on display shows finesse in quality, diversity, humour and experimentation. Get amongst it! For more details see shervingallery.com.au

As orphaned brothers your characters Hugo and Hartley share an intense connection. What creative processes did you engage to recreate this onstage? Liam: Heath and I have already worked with each other a lot and I like to think we share a pretty strong working relationship. On top of that, Heath reminds me a lot of one of my brothers.

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Butcher of Distinction is set to bring contemporary gothic to the fore in a strangely compelling tale of brotherly love, corrupt family pasts and tensions between rural and metropolitan life. Penned by young playwright, Rob Hayes, the play’s narrative follows the plight of two orphaned brothers Hartley and Hugo on their quest to reclaim the lost fortune of their dead father – a quest that brings them to a depraved London and traps them in a cluttered pub basement. What happens next is a deeply cynical exposé into the whacky imaginings of the play’s creator, much of whose critical acclaim has emerged from the comedic prowess of this black-humoured gem. A Butcher of Distinction opens at the Old 505 Theatre on May 8 and we caught five with the play’s two leads, Liam Nunan and Heath Ivey-Law – who play orphaned brothers Hartley and Hugo respectively – ahead of opening night.

Let’s talk about your background in theatre and what inspires your creativity. Liam: I’m from Brisbane and I started acting at the arse end of high school when I was cast as Tony in our school production of West Side Story. I went on to act in anything I could find, took classes with Zen Zen Zo and studied at The Actor’s Workshop. Eventually I worked at Queensland Theatre Company. The following year I went to NIDA and that’s where I first met James and Heath.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

Living The Onscreen Offscreen By Alicia Malone

Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond The Pines

he most impressive thing about actor Ryan Gosling is not his dreamy blue eyes, or the internet memes he has spawned; it’s the way he switches effortlessly from high budget romances to small, gritty independent movies. He refuses to rest on his good looks, constantly surprising audiences at every turn. In 2010 Gosling won acclaim for his emotional role in Derek Cianfrance’s low budget Blue Valentine, as a husband trying to make it work with his wife (Michelle Williams). To prepare, the two actors lived in their on-set house, a rare experience that paid off once shooting began. And it was during the filming of Blue Valentine that Cianfrance mentioned the idea for his next movie, The Place Beyond The Pines. “My fantasy has always been that I want to rob a bank,” admits Gosling. “I told him how I would do it, and Derek said, ‘you got to be kidding me! I just wrote a script about that!’ So I said, ‘I’m in’, and years later I read that script and

I realised that I wasn’t even really in it that much! But I was in, even though I wasn’t in it.” In Pines, Gosling plays Luke, a motorcycle stunt rider struggling to be a good father to his baby son who was born out of a fling with local waitress Romina (Eva Mendes). In a misguided attempt to provide for them, he begins to rob banks, using his motorbike as a getaway vehicle. This sets off 15 years worth of events, involving local cop Avery (Bradley Cooper) and each of their sons. Cianfrance says he was inspired to write the story when his wife was pregnant with their second son. “I was thinking about this fire I had always felt inside of me that had helped me do a lot of things in my life and had also been very destructive. I’m thinking about how my father and my grandfather had that fire and how this little baby was going to come into the world and just be clean. I was wishing that he wouldn’t get that fire, that I wouldn’t give it to him and that he would have

his own path. So I decided to write a movie about that.” After watching Blue Valentine, actress Eva Mendes knew she had to meet the filmmaker responsible. She tracked him down and a year after they met, she was asked to audition for the role of Romina. “I really wanted to show them that I was serious,” she admits. “I told Derek, ‘you’re an unconventional filmmaker; I’m an unconventional auditioner. I would like to take you for a ride. I grew up around LA. I’ll show you a little bit about myself’. We went out and I just drove him around. I’m a first generation American like my character, so I showed the similarities. It was a special ride. We had a nice bonding moment.” Like Gosling and Williams in Blue Valentine, Mendes was able to stay in her onscreen home to immerse herself in Romina’s world. “Derek tells you, ‘that’s your house. Make it your home. Spend as much or as little time as you want and just

make it yours.’ There would be times I would be in there alone, other times I had my little onscreen baby. I would also be with the woman who plays my Mum. But what’s beautiful is he doesn’t tell you to do that. He says, ‘it’s there for you if you would like it to do it.’ There is just beautiful freedom.” And not only did Mendes jump at that opportunity, she was also excited by the prospect of her character ageing 15 years throughout the course of the movie. “Oh my God! That was the big thrill for me!” she says, “I was excited to go the extra mile and age 15 years. Instead of making her older, I wanted to make her more haggard. Ask Derek, I said, ‘Can I shave my eyebrows?’ Everyday I was in there creating wrinkles… I know this sounds weird but I even used things that made me slouchier, heavier on top. I worked on my speech, you name it. I would have gained a lot of weight for it, but I had two days to go from mid-20s to early ’40s. If

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dapted from Daniel Clay’s novel of the same name, Broken is set on an English housing estate and tells the tale of three families whose lives interlock in a complex web of love, violence and turbulent emotion. Central to the film’s narrative is new child star Eloise Laurence who plays 11-year-old Skunk; the youngster’s child’s eye view on the complexities of adult life generate much of Broken’s brooding tensions. First-time director Rufus Norris has enlisted a blue-chip cast including the likes of Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy to bring the story to life – a haunting story that won Best Film at the British Independent Film Awards.

Eloise Laurence as Skunk in Broken

WIN!

– Ryan Gosling I had more time I would have gone a lot harder because I was very excited to completely portray this character.” “You could talk to anyone who has worked with Derek,” adds Gosling, “He doesn’t just change you as an actor. He changes your life. He puts you in a situation where you’re forced to live through the experience of the character. It’s not as simple as just acting or playing a scene. It’s unlike any other experience I’ve had on a film.” What: The Place Beyond The Pines opens on May 9

S AY W EA IV G

BROKEN! PRIZE PACKS! WIN!

“My fantasy has always been that I want to rob a bank.”

Broken lands in cinemas on May 16 and thanks to our friends over at Curious Distribution we’ve got five prize packs to give away. For your chance to win a bounty of 1 x double in-season pass, 1 x Daniel Clay’s novel Broken and a digital download of the Broken soundtrack, email us at freestuff@ thebrag.com with your postal address and tell us one other film actor Tim Roth has starred in.

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Vanguard [DANCE] A New Vocabulary For Modern Dance By Shannon Connellan

odern ballet has ditched the tutu. Not too many moons ago, as the twentieth century revved its newly invented engine, ballet visionaries looked beyond the canonical field of Nutcrackers and White Swans to a new, modern style. And this month The Australian Ballet present their latest contemporary number, Vanguard, to celebrate the moments that steered a new course for dance.

Vanguard is a hand-picked triple bill featuring pieces that stuck it to The Man and shook up the system for ballet in the last century. “Classical ballet underwent dramatic developments in the twentieth century and continues to evolve,” said The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director David McAllister. “Vanguard is a program that will shift people’s expectations of what classical movement can express.” Leading the pack, George Balanchine’s 1946 work The Four Temperaments put classical technique through the wash. Jirí Kylián’s 1995 Bella Figura pushed dancer bodies to new Ty King-Wall in Vanguard

Drift

[FILM] When Luck’s On Your Side By Jenny Noyes

contorted limits. Then, under a decade ago, Wayne McGregor’s Dyad 1929 wrote a new vocabulary for modern dance. These three outside-the-boxers reinvented traditional ballet and splashed icy water on the faces of jaded balletgoers. The works push movement to the forefront, politely asking epic narrative and fancy costuming to take a breather. The choreography is laid bare, the dancers themselves made the main focus. Incidentally, the biggest headliner in the Vanguard bill is the one making all the moves with shiny new Principal Artist for The Australian Ballet, Ty King Wall, making his debut performance wearing the top spot title. Performing in all three of the Vanguard pieces, the choreography King Wall performs is quite different to his main repertoire; he’s ticked off numerous classical characters from The Nutcracker Prince to Don Quixote’s Basilio. And the 26-year-old dancer, who has been with the company since 2009, is keen to get his nose out of the history books for a change. “These are three abstract ballets… they’re all very testing and quite removed from what we usually do. All three are, in their own way, very challenging and rewarding works to perform,” he says. Kicking off the triad for Vanguard is Russianborn New York ballet legend George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. Created in the ‘40s, the piece studies the four Ancient Greek “humours”: melancholic, choleric, sanguinic and phlegmatic. Fifty years after Balanchine, Czech choreographer Jirí Kylián decided to create new parameters for a ballet dancer’s technique. His work, Bella Figura is the second featured Vanguard piece, taking the form of a psychological study, which fluctuates between consciousness and dreaming.

King Wall is excited to bring the works to both a seasoned ballet audience and enthusiastic newcomers to the art. “It’s a fantastic triple bill that [The Australian Ballet] has put together. I know the dancers really enjoy performing it and I’m sure the audience can read that and feel that,” he says. What: Vanguard by The Australian Ballet Where: Sydney Opera House When: Until May 18

Making his debut as a producer with Drift, Pollard acknowledges the temperamental climate he had to work in. “Talking to more seasoned producers, they’re blown away. It was the middle of winter in a remote location, a wild location three hours south of Perth and that region is known for its volatility at that time of year. It could just rain and rain and rain and the winds could be really severe,” he says. And that’s what they got for at least threequarters of pre-production. Pollard describes the amount of water as “biblical” and says they were running out of options if the weather didn’t improve for them, but it did. “The sun magically arrived during the first day of shooting, the swell was incredible, it was the best luck we could have hoped for,” Pollard says. Shooting in some of Australia’s biggest swells, they were also lucky to escape injury and avoid any encounters with sharks. Pollard’s face drains a little when I innocently ask about whether sharks were a problem; it turns out there was a fatal attack in the area just a day after the team were filming in the water. “I could put my hand on my heart and say you’ve got more chance of being hit by lightning, but Western Australia just had a run of them […] You can sit out on the water and there are pods of dolphins everywhere, baitfish swimming around. You’re in an ecosystem, and for me that’s the biggest appeal of it. We were very, very fortunate. Someone was smiling down on us.” There is a moment in Drift when the film’s central characters have to make a split-second decision about whether to continue a surf

Spring Breakers

shoot in huge, rough swell. Pollard recounts an almost identical moment that occurred in the making of the film – a case of life imitating art, in the making of art. Again, a twist of luck got them through the scene. Like some of the more extreme challenges faced in the making of Drift, the film’s narrative centres on overcoming “insurmountable odds”, with the early surfing culture of remote coastal Australia’s forming the context for all the drama. “We spent years trying to eke out a really good, strong, inspiring story that would resonate with a mainstream audience, not just the surfing audience,” says Pollard, “but at the same time we wanted to authenticate the surfing experience.” This focus on balancing the importance of dramatic performances with solid authentic surf sequences has paid off. There are some beautiful, epic surf shots, but the characters get under your skin whether you’re a salt water baby or you’ve never stood up on a board. Pollard says the story was constructed as a sort of “fictionalised soup” made from events that have at least a few kernels of truth to them. “You only have to sit down and have a beer with a surfer and they’ll talk until the cows come home about all the surfing myths that exist, all the stories about these larrikins in the late ’60s and ’70s. They loved what they did so much; they loved the whole lifestyle of surfing so much that they built this industry around it out of their backyard sheds. “Unashamedly, we’ve just chucked in a whole bunch of these myths, stirred them around in the pot and added a few herbs to create an entertaining experience,” says Pollard. What: Drift When: In cinemas Thursday 2 More: driftthemovie.com

Spring Breakers

[FILM] Harmony Korine’s Beach Noir By Dee Jefferson

ntil recently, Harmony Korine has been the underdog of a fiercely independent film-as-provocation subculture of American cinema, along with filmmakers like Vincent Gallo and Larry Clark. A skater, painter, author and photographer, his films have been decidedly on the experimental and performance art end of the spectrum – apart perhaps, from the very verité Kids, which he wrote when he was 19. Thereafter followed four resolutely non-commercial features: Gummo, Julien Donkey Boy, Mister Lonely, and Trashhumpers (about degenerate oldies who hump trash); all lo-fi films set in low-income enclaves, about lowbrow things like fucking, skating, drinking, drugs and casual violence.

game; bare-breasted, they jiggle underphallic yard-glasses waiting to be showered on.

And then Spring Breakers happened: his fifth feature, his first commercial success, and about as different aesthetically to his previous work as Chaplin’s Great Dictator is to Die Hard. At first glance, you’d be hard pressed to see Korine in this film, for all the slick, high-def visuals, production values, and the big-name stars (Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, James Franco). “Yeah, I can see that,” the writer-director demurs.

“You know I never wanted to make a movie about spring break,” says the writer-director. “It’s almost more representative of this idea, and of this thing that’s more fleeting. And then the film becomes something more of a crime story – about the underworld; the gangster culture, gangster mysticism. All that stuff – beach noir: the coke houses, the guns, the shoot-outs; the menace and pathology under the palm trees at night. The rotting yachts, the dirty swimming pools, the Glocks and the spinning rims and the cocaine and the baking soda...”

Spring Breakers a candy-coloured cultural nightmare, in which bikini-clad babes cruise the streets of Miami on scooters in slowmotion, straight out of a rap video; jacked up on coke, brandishing machetes and fake guns, they rob a diner like it’s part of a video 20 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

“There’s elements of the visual style of rap videos that are kind of sifted through – like a cultural mash-up, or an impressionistic reinterpretation of those things, of that culture,” says Korine. “It’s a meshing and a melding and a blending and a kind of mutating of all of those things.” Korine’s entry point was his passion for the trap and drill subgenres of rap (he worked with Skrillex on the soundtrack, and cast one of his all-time favourite rappers, Gucci Mane – “I just called him in prison and asked him to do it.”).

This violence and consumerism, he says, “is something that’s completely linked to American culture; it’s part of the fabric here, it’s part of the mythology [of America].”

In this respect, Korine follows in the footsteps of Brian De Palma’s American nightmare Scarface (explicitly referenced in the film), in which Cuban immigrant-on-the-make and wannabe gangster Tony Montana, assessing ‘80s Florida, says: “In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, you get the women.” But while Spring Breakers features another Tony, in the form of white-boy rapper, dealer and wannabe gangster Alien (James Franco), the action belongs to the four party-hard girls who arrive on his patch of turf for spring break. In the real world and in the movie world, some terrible violence would befall these girls; but in Korine’s world, they cut through the scene like a

razor through butter, moving with a sinister kind of amorality; untouchable, unreal. What does it say about the American dream that these girls are the ultimate predators? But Korine is reluctant to engage in deep analysis, insisting that his film “is not an indictment or an essay”. “I don’t ask myself any questions. I just make movies, make things, mind my own business, play basketball, eat tacos. I do what I want to do. I entertain myself. I just don’t want to know anything about why I do anything.” What: Spring Breakers When: In cinemas May 9 More: springbreakersmovie.com

Ty King-Wall photo by Georges Antoni

Closest to home of the three is Dyad 1929, created in 2009 for The Australian Ballet by UK-born Wayne McGregor, founder of Random Dance and resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet. “Dyad is a whole other kettle of fish,” says King Wall. “When that was choreographed about ten years ago in the company none of us had ever encountered anything like that before. It was almost like being slapped in the face really, in a good way. It really tested us, pushed us to our limits.”

he surf gods, Mother Nature, sheer luck – whatever you want to call it – was firmly on the side of actor/producer Myles Pollard and his Drift co-creators when they shot the film two years ago in just 32 days.

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

David Whitney as Henry IV

Set within the context of a seedy London boarding house, the play is about a poet being forcibly drawn from his isolation into the petty squalor of his downstairs landlords’ squabbles. It’s clear that White wrote with beautiful poetry, however I felt the production I saw on the night somewhat clouded the playwright’s exceptional writing. What annoyed me about Rouse’s rendition was the sense of overproduction that came from the play’s soundscape. Every moment was overlaid with grim, crackling white noise, spooky chimes or the sound of wind rushing into a void. Unfortunately, the play felt over-thought – Rouse clearly aiming for a strong vaudevillian aesthetic, which clashed with the squalid suburban theme without adding the necessary juxtaposition or paradox needed for true absurdism.

To be honest, things didn’t get off to a good start. While it was clear that this was going to be a fairly rockin’ rendition of Shakespeare's Henry IV (parts one and two) with a lone guitarist getting things started before being joined by a drummer, the opening moments of Bell Shakespeare’s Henry 4 offered a couple of worrying signs. There was some fairly lame raucous acting and a bizarre inclusion of a stripper, who seemed without purpose other than to invite the worst criticisms of how to present one of Shakespeare’s near womanless texts. Thankfully, however, once designer Stephen Curtis’ Union Jack of milk crates was destroyed shortly after, things improved. Despite its title, the play is really about the life and times of Prince Hal (Matthew Moore). At the start of the saga, he’s hanging out with drunkards, avoiding any of his responsibilities to the throne. By the end of the three hours, he’s transformed into an emotionless monarch and it’s this journey that provides half the focus of this production. The other half is Falstaff, Hal’s tutor in mischief, played with glee by John Bell who also adapted and co-directed the work with Damien Ryan. It’s clear that Bell engineered the show to put Falstaff relatively front and centre and thankfully his performance lives up to the stature (although he occasionally gets lost in his accent making him hard to understand). Moore is likeable and lively as Hal, but in some major moments he fails to live up to the grandeur of the language. David Whitney plays the eponymous Henry IV with an appropriate mix of cutthroat politician and sad sick man, but it’s really the supporting cast who provide much of the production’s energy. Yalin Ozucelik treats the language as his own, Nathan Lovejoy brings skill and comedy to all of his many characters and Wendy Strehlow’s Mistress Quickly is a riot. Simon Binns ■ Theatre

THE HAM FUNERAL Until May 25

Henry 4 photo by © Lisa Tomasetti

It’s been a secret dinner party fear of mine that somebody would engage me in a conversation about the late Australian writer Patrick White. Apart from a half-hearted attempt at reading his novel Voss, I’ve sadly been lacking in education about our country’s only winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. And for all the critical acclaim White’s received as one of the most important novelists and playwrights of the twentieth century, I must admit that it came as a surprise to find my most recent consideration of his work – or one particular rendering of his work – less than flattering. I won’t deny that director Phillip Rouse’s production of White’s The Ham Funeral currently showing at New Theatre remains true to the play’s themes

The performances themselves were strong and consistent. Lucy Miller as the frenetic landlady could have carried the entire play herself; such was the impressive strength of her performance. Disappointingly I found Rob Baird, who plays the young poet, pseudo narrator, upsettingly irritating. I don’t think it’s his fault, however. He’s been directed to deliver a monologue of subtext and interior thought in a kind of gleeful yell.

first draft group show

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of death, dangerous sexual innuendo and the deteriorating human condition, but will confess that in my opinion it doesn’t reach its full theatrical potential.

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The Ham Funeral is a play about life and all its grim drama. This production may have obscured the message somewhat, but the beautiful set and committed actors certainly shouldn’t be disregarded. Patrick Lenton ■ Film

IRON MAN 3 In cinemas now Iron Man 3 is a classic blockbuster superhero movie. There is a battle between good and evil, a huge CGI budget, out of this world technology, awesome gadgets and many a jam-packed action sequence. What sets this film apart from other Marvel Studios flicks, however, are excellent performances and an ability to poke fun at itself. Robert Downey Jr really does make this film; his portrayal of protagonist Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, is eminently likeable, charismatic and very funny. The film details Tony’s battle against the super-genius terrorist, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). Although the content isn’t particularly new, the film is successful in raising some important points about our inherent compulsion to put a face on terrorism – something that is particularly fascinating in the context of the fantastical superhero genre. Iron Man 3 employs the usual flawed logic typical of superhero films; one moment our protagonist can’t get a hold of a single suit and the next he has a myriad to choose from.

art battles australia

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

25:04:13 :: Name This Bar :: 197 Oxford St Darlinghurst

nic benzina

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■ Theatre

Arts Snap

26:04:13 :: LoFi/TheStandard :: 3/383 Bourke St Darlinghurst

Iron Man 3 marks the return of director and writer Shane Black to major blockbuster film and alongside co-writer Drew Pearce, he creates a blackly comic and self referential tone in the screenplay, which really gives this film an edge. Tony’s charismatic demeanour clashes against his constantly malfunctioning new suit and he’s also been left with an anxiety disorder from The Avengers. These details add a lot to the character and humour of the film.

Arts Exposed

The 3D and special effects are impressive, but the film really draws its strength from its characters. Tony spends as much time out of his suit as he does in it, which leads the film to create fight choreography outside of the usual repertoire. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts is welcome relief from the overtly sexualised action heroines of recent times, such as Black Widow and Catwoman, and the young Ty Simpkins provides a spirited and witty sidekick as the child genius Harley. Iron Man 3 is a lot of fun and will appeal to long time fans and newcomers alike.

Jeff Wall is recognised throughout Jeff Wall, The Destroyed Room, 1978, transparency in the world as one of the most light box innovative and influential artists of our time. His work is based on first hand observations of everyday situations and incidents that are reconstructed with a cinematographic approach. Currently on display at MCA, Jeff Wall Photographs showcases 27 major works produced between 1978 and 2010 including illuminated colour transparencies in light boxes, black and white and colour prints as well as smallscale photographic observations. One of Wall’s most striking and best-known works, The Destroyed Room (1978), is on display among other highlights including A sudden gust of wind (after Hokusai) (1993) and more recent works such as Knife throw (2008) and Boy falls from tree (2010).

Emma McManus

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

What's in our diary...

Jeff Wall Photographs May 1 – July 28/ Mon – Wed & Fri – Sun 10am-5pm, Thu 10am-9pm MCA, 140 George St, The Rocks

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bread&thread Food & Fashion News

SPANGLISH ROASTS

The Hills’ Spanish-inspired pub The Carrington heard our cries for hearty roasts in the lead up to colder months and they’ve delivered! They’re serving Spanglish roasts – Spanish/ English roasts for the pun-slow among us – every Sunday from 3pm. 20 bucks will get you English or Spanish meat (think roast beef or roast chicken with sobrasada stuffing), veggies, gravy, pudding and more. And c’mon, now’s not the time to get shy about admitting just how much you love stuffing your face so get amongst it folks! For more details see thecarrington.com.au

The Carrington

BANK’S BEER GARDEN Newtown’s much-adored The Bank (324 King St) has launched its revamped beer garden, the first stage in the venue’s complete overhaul. No longer a shabby Thai eatery, the newly renovated courtyard space is ready to dish up a quality casual dining experience with share plates

BAR BITES

Surry Hills’ provincial dininginspired gem, Rainford Street Social, is offering bar bites for $20 throughout the month of May. Two ‘bites’ from a dedicated bar menu might make a perfect midweek, after-work catch up with your mates so get down there and check it out while it lasts. And let it be known that Rainford’s burger throwdown with kraut and mustard is on the bill. Bar bites are available 5-8pm Tuesday – Thursday. For more details see rainfordstreetsocial.com.au

aplenty – think smoked oyster tin, crème fraîche, tabasco and crackers or stick lamb, radish slaw and lemon yoghurt. Alternatively, for those seeking out a hearty brunch binge, try baked eggs, Tuscan beans, tomato sugo or the all-time fave corn fritters. Up for something more substantial? There are always pizzas, burgers, bbq chicken and the ultimate scotch. For more info see bankhotel.com.au

Elke Kramer Revolte sunnies

LORD DUDLEY

In anticipation of The British Lions tour of Australia, Woollahra’s suburban nugget, The Lord Dudley (236 Jersey Road), is hosting an English food and beer master class on Monday May 27. Chef Matt Fosker will join ‘Dan the Beer Snob’ to present a six-course degustation paired with unique beer. Menu highlights include crumbed pigs head with apple purée and pork and cider jus, and black pudding with braised beef cabbage and Cumberland sauce. Tickets on sale now. Bookings through The Lord Dudley on (02) 9327 5399.

Just last week, Parisian chic-inspired Australian label Toi et Moi Sydney launched their Une Romance Moderne summer and Metropolitan resort 2013 collections. Designer Gill Lawrence catapulted a range of exclusive Toi et Moi prints, graphic monochrome and signature stripes down a makeshift runway at Paddo restaurant L’etoile and we’ve our eyes on a few collection staples. Think floral mirror image print dresses, ‘jetable’ blazers, tees, draped miniskirts and tailored pants. Coinciding with the launch of the label’s two latest collections was the announcement of the Le Super Shop the new online home of Toi et Moi Sydney. Check out what’s on offer at toietmoisydney.com and shop.lesupershop.com

COLAB X ELKE

Sydney-based illustrator, art director and jewellery designer Elke Kramer has launched the third installment in her collaboration with Colab Eyewear, Revolte. Kramer has art directed her own art and fashion zine and illustrated for glossy powerhouses like Russh and Yen. Her jewellery can also be found in Paris’ Colette, the infamous fashion concept store. And her eyewear? Revolte is inspired by the mid-nineteenth century poetry of Charles Baudelaire tome Les Fleur du Mal. Think striking colours and bold frames. Kramer’s Revolte collection is available online at colab.com.au

The newest kid on Redfern’s small bar block, Hustle & Flow (105 Regent St), is showing promising signs of infusing hip hop culture into every part of its Regent Street operation. What does the joint look like? With no financial backing, co-owner Tim Duhigg (who runs the place with his wife Lisette Duhigg) has decked out most of the place himself with the help of local graffiti artists some of which include Amuse, Pezm, Jackpot,

MONOPOLE

71A MACLEAY STREET, POTTS POINT MONDAY – FRIDAY 5PM-MIDNIGHT, SATURDAY – SUNDAY 12PM-MIDNIGHT Nick Hildebrandt & Brent Savage

The Finders Keepers Autumn/Winter Markets are moving into a new space at the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh (2 Locomotive St). On Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1, designers and artists will gather to showcase their work in amongst live music, a food lane, bar and food trucks. Feature stalls include: Frankie Magazine’s vintage booth and The SuperCool Emporium for all things home decorating. With over half of the 200 designers set to exhibit being newbies to the markets expect to see some talent debuted. Think Zilpa (bowls, dishes, coasters, bags), Chocolate Brownie (contemporary leather goods) and Pom by Pomegranate (hand-printed textiles and accessories). For more information see thefinderskeepers.com/ Sydney

TIME OUT’S WORLD COCKTAIL WEEK

HUSTLE & FLOW TOI ET MOI

FINDERS KEEPERS

Froth Monster and Phibs. And what’re we hearing? Hustle & Flow’s tunage is predominantly rap and R&B from the ‘90s. Now let’s get down to business: the booze. The place offers a range of Australian and New Zealand wines and American and Filipino beers, but what you’re really here for is the hip hop-inspired cocktail and spirit list. Snoop’s gin and juice, Tupac’s ‘Thug Passion’ and Tech N9ne’s ‘Caribou Lou’ are among the tipples on offer. hustleflowbar.com for more.

Yeah, you’re not the only one thinking about how much those boozehounds over at Time Out Sydney like a drink. Actually, correction – how much they like to drink, en masse, in some of Sydney’s hippest bars. Between May 6-20, Time Out Sydney is presenting World Cocktail Week in celebration of all things mixed, thrown, rolled, shaken, stirred and blended. Participating bars include Tio’s, Bulletin Place, Lo-Fi, Pocket Bar, Gardel’s Bar, The Commons, Zeta Bar, Stitch Bar, The Soda Factory, The Rook and Mojo Record Bar among others. The 14-day festival will finish with a bang on Monday May 20 with bartenders battling it out at the Time Out Shakedown at The Standard. For more visit au.timeout. com/worldcocktailweek

restaurant profile Nectarine & Sorbet, Brown Butter Curd

and a focus on the bar, which runs through the whole venue. This allows extensive seating and interaction with the bar team.” Care for a drink? “Try a glass of 2012 Lucy Margaux ‘Bentley Barrel’ Pinot – a white made especially for us from the Adelaide Hills.”

The basics: Monopole is brought to us by the team behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, head chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hilderbrandt who deliver good food, good wine and friendly service. Of the finer details, think a seasonal tapas-style menu and a 500-strong wine list including organic and biodynamic options. As the area’s latest sign of gentrification, Monopole’s what many have been waiting for: a place offering a swanky dining experience sans the hefty bill.

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Favourites: The Monopole team recommends you start with the salt cod with green peas, mint vinaigrette and pea shoots followed by a larger dish of slow roasted suckling pig with charred baby cucumbers. Room for dessert: Nectarine and sorbet with brown butter curd. Need we say more?

Make us drool: “The 50-seater eatery and wine bar is smack bang in the middle of Potts Point’s café and restaurant hub. The menu suits a casual bar snack as much as it does a light, shareable dinner, and showcases the unusual seasonal ingredients Savage’s food has become renowned for.

“Nick Hildebrandt’s wine list shows an extensive offering of biodynamic, natural and rare wines, with a strong focus on iconic international regions. A large selection of the wines are served both by the glass and by the carafe.” monopolesydney.com.au Xxxx

Eye-candy: “Renowned Melbourne designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb has created an intimate bar with her signature focus on atmospheric lighting, unusual, quality features

Flavours: “We have created a selection of house-cured meats including Rangers Valley beef brisket, cured venison sausage and spiced, cured Berkshire pork neck. Other small dishes and snacks include grilled baby sweet corn with tamarind yoghurt and grilled mussels with roasted fennel juice and housemade Merguez. Larger dishes can be shared or served as a main course for dinner like the Angus sirloin with mustard greens, bone marrow and peppercorn sauce of the grilled lamb shoulder with nettles.”

CREATIVE FESTIVAL

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11 YEARS, 38 EVENTS, 11 CITIES, 5 COUNTRIES, 300+ SPEAKERS, 250,000+ ATTENDEES, 41 EXHIBITIONS, 17 EVENT BOOKS

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Album Reviews

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK XXX CAMPERDOWN & OUT Cosmogramma

former and ‘Follow Me’, but that’s pretty negligible given the bubbling dominance of strident guitar lines throughout.)

Couldn’t Be Better Warp Popfrenzy Records x

Xxxx There are myriad contemporary references to Sydney and Australia, but the quality of the songs will surely prove timeless.

There’s not much point in obsessing about how much of the jaunty/whatever vibe of this group is affected. The reality is there’s a lot of talent on offer, and much of it has smooshed together rather classily – not that they’d admit it. No disrespect to multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Alex Kiers (Raw Prawn) and David Akerman (Dead Farmers), but the most distinct and appealing voice here is the baritone belonging to Nathan Roche (Marf Loth). On record, as when they play live, his never-keening voice is a joy as he summons females to drink tepid cocktails in ‘The Tropic Capricorn’, and ponders whether he’ll fit in with the beautiful people of ‘Manly’. (The exceptions to this are when his speak-sing labours over some clunky rhyming on the

SNOOP LION

BUCHANAN

Reincarnated Sony

As you may have heard, Snoop Dogg recently went to Jamaica, where he had a ‘spiritual awakening’ (i.e. smoked some particularly potent strains of local weed), and fell in love with Rastafarianism. Now he’s traversed both genre and species lines to reincarnate himself as Snoop Lion, creator of mediocre reggae. If all this sounds like a shallow marketing ploy, it’s because it clearly is. As a singer, Snoop makes an excellent rapper. These are competent but clumsy takes on Jamaican music, littered with inane, generically positive lyrics. It’s nice that Snoop is all about peace and love now, but frankly he was far more entertaining when he was rapping about shooting cops and being a misogynist. The production, handled mostly by Major Lazer, is high on polish, and low on soul. Upbeat dancehall tunes like ‘Here Comes the King’ and ‘Smoke the Weed’ are fun enough to dance to, but forgettable. The majority of the tunes are carried by guest vocalists, and some of them – like Collie Budz, Angela Hunte, Mavado and Popcaan – bring much-needed energy to Snoop’s listless singing style. Other guest spots from the likes of Drake and Busta Rhymes don’t add much besides star power. Snoop’s been claiming that he feels like the reincarnation of Bob Marley, which is odd. Not only because Snoop was born ten years before Marley died, but also because Bob Marley was a musical genius incapable of writing a bad reggae song. So it seems unlikely he’d be reincarnated as an ageing gangsta rapper who’s incapable of writing a good one. What sort of karmic justice is that?

Led by the talented Josh Simons, Buchanan specialise in clear vocals tangled in and amongst powerful driving drums and guitars that deftly avoid becoming obnoxious and retain a sense of understated force. Title track ‘Human Spring’ masters this recipe to perfection as Simons’ earnest vocals coax you into a sing-along, unavoidably so in the repetitive “Ain’t got no violent heart / Still we will make our mark”. The video clip for ‘Human Spring’ is one to look up, especially if you appreciate an unsavoury underdog winning a small-town talent show with a killer display of his enviable air-guitar skills. The album is also speckled with lighter songs like ‘For Tonight We Rest (Leaves)’. Vocal harmonies add depth to already existing subtleties and comforting echoes, which delicately fill the song in a steady build, long before any electric guitars come in. A few songs fall into generic Chris Martin anthem territory and in these, the efforts of a star-casted production team really do come to the rescue. Human Spring was produced by Catherine Marks (Foals, Interpol) with the help of Tim Cross (Mike Oldfield), mixed by Andy Baldwin (Bjork, Midnight Juggernauts), and mastered at Abbey Road by Geoff Pesche, who’s worked with the awe-inspiring likes of LCD Soundsystem and Radiohead.

There’s the allusion of room to breathe on ‘Morphine Dream’, but there is barely room to wheeze. Roche fires questions throughout the verses before recalling pre-1975 Lou Reed in the refrain; from nowhere the band hit the gas as Akerman’s bass bobs and swirls in a mix of guitar slides and buzzes to close the album. Benjamin Cooper

PHOENIX

MAILER DAEMON

Human Spring Raw Imagination People Expect

Single ‘Run Faster’, a triple j favourite of 2012 and easily one of the standouts on this debut is how you might remember Australian band Buchanan (pronounced ‘Bew-Cannon’). Human Spring, their debut album, is doused in all the uplifting alternativepop-rock substance one could hope for.

The Kiers’ sung ‘Down and Out’ is a close-to-perfect two minutes of shlop ‘n’ roll. Chris Shortt (Royal Headache) kicks and flicks his drums along with snappy precision, while the chorus’s harmonised vocals are rough, ready and pleasing. The tale of a flâneur who has hit the big time thunders along so quickly it requires multiple repeat listens to get a smidgeon of appreciation for the clashing guitars.

Gravitas (EP) Independent/MGM

Mailer Daemon has been described as genre agnostic and it only takes the first few songs to realise just how diverse this Sydney based producer’s influences are. While alt-rock influenced hip-hop with strong dance music leanings sounds like a cluster fuck of nonsense waiting to happen, it’s lucky that Mailer Daemon happens to be a formidable producer. Taking the best elements of each genre, he manages to make his debut EP an intriguing sample of things to come. Lead single ‘Always On the Grind’ featuring P Smurf of Daily Meds, Jeswon of Thundamentals and The Tongue, a nod to the hustle and grind of job juggling as an artist, has future classic stamped all over it; tongue in cheek, tight rhymes from some of the best in Aussie hip hop, it’s the anthem for struggling artists everywhere. It fuses dance and hip hop aesthetics tastefully, a fusion that has the tendency to lead to unyielding cheesiness if handled clumsily. There are occasions though, where the careful balance of sounds and influences seems disrupted. ‘Up In The Clouds’ ft. Jackie Onassis has an amazing arrangement and beat that deserves the limelight all to itself, rather than having vocals competing for your attention over the top; as a sum of parts, it feels too busy and would have worked just as well as an instrumental. ‘As a whole, though, Gravitas is a testament to the talent of this up and coming producer, and the pastiche of influences and genres with a modern lick works surprisingly well.

Listening to Doggystyle for the three thousandth time would be far more enjoyable than this.

It’s a solid effort from Buchanan, who have clearly isolated their anthemic indie-rock sound and called it their own, in a powerful and tonally varied debut.

While ‘genre agnostic’ can too easily end up as just plain rudderless and confused, Mailer Daemon keeps it fresh and interesting for those who like their music mashed up.

Adam Black

Katie Davern

Marissa Demetriou

Phoenix are so dreamy. They regularly serve up surprises like collaborating with R. Kelly at Coachella and recording the early part of their new album in Byron Bay’s hinterlands. But is their fifth album any good? There is no denying this jaunt is all about the aural sugar. The famously finickety Frenchman have deviated slightly from their formula by layering synth upon synth to drown ears and hearts. Thomas Mars uses his keening voice to yearn for and align himself with youth desperate to find solace AND the party on ‘S.O.S. In Bel Air’ and ‘Drakkar Noir’. Yet there’s none of the graduation of previous hits like ‘Too Young’ and ‘Consolation Prizes’; instead of hand claps or steady strumming summoning the fun we’re immediately and unceasingly drenched in swirling, and disorientating, keyboards. A defining pleasure on 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix was the gorgeously realised instrumental track ‘Love Like A Sunset’. The Parisians have tried to do the same with ‘Bankrupt’, but creative lassitude is all the more noticeable once what has been earned in the past is squandered. There is nothing epic about the muted keys that give way to electro loops that Daft Punk wouldn’t have touched in 1989. The space they so desire is completely absent, and by the time Mars’ forgettable croon ushers in the song’s end we’re completely lost. And slightly deflated. There are notable highlights: early single ‘Entertainment’ is the only example of ‘80s aping that is undeniably exciting, while ‘Bourgeois’ packs a chorus that will have even the nastiest of cynics/critics singing along. Unfortunately it’s not enough. The treacle is turned up to 11, and this time it’s far from tasty.

Ride Your Heart Dead Oceans Bleached comprises sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, who match pure Shangri-Las harmonies with Beach Boys guitar and percussion. The LA duo rose from the ashes of lo-fi garage rock band Mika Miko and their new outfit has deservedly been generating some serious buzz of late, online and off. Their debut Ride Your Heart features deceptively simple “bubblegum punk”

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songs that wink and sparkle through a haze of lush guitar fuzz. But scratch the surface and the songs are more than just odes to cute boys and waiting for your crush to call you. They are also about maintaining your independence in a relationship and finding your own identity. “Don’t try and stop me/Cause I’m already dreaming without you.” The songs have largely similar elements, but each one does something a little different with them. Opener ‘Looking For A Fight’ is a rollicking, catchy two minutes that’s over too soon. ‘Dead In Your Head’ features harmonies that echo The Bangles before fading out in a wall of feedback and ‘Searching Through The Past’ is simultaneously

chastising and pleading. ‘Guy Like You’ is a stripped back ballad underscored with a yearning guitar line and simple lyrics, and final track ‘When I Was Yours’ contrasts organ, a spoken verse and murky feedback for a surprisingly successful finale. Basically, Bleached have delivered a fantastically fun and thoughtful pop record that will make a great summer soundtrack. If you like fast, fun and fuzzed out surf-pop, Ride Your Heart ticks all the boxes, but goes deeper than its sugar and spice surface in the process, revealing unexpected depth. Natalie Amat

Heartful EP Yes Please / Remote Control

While listening to this six-track collection you wouldn’t be shunned for assuming it’s made up of several exceptionally talented musicians. In fact, it’s the work of only one man – multi-instrumentalist and composer James Wallace. For his third EP release, Melbourne’s ambient orchestral pop producer returns with more signature delicate melodies and spacious arrangements. Opener ‘Hierloom’ is one of the standout tracks, with hushed choruses and a deeply layered crescendo of violins making you all soft on the inside, while ‘Halogen Moon’ begins with a tinkling glockenspiel over a pretty earworm melody. ‘Burial’ takes things even more intimate, pulling together a wealth of versatile bowing sounds coupled with his dreamy vocals, but it should have been placed as the album closer, as being mid-album breaks up the intensity and lulls you to sleep. Fortunately, ‘Everyone Seems to Be in on Something’, comes next to wake you up, as Wallace takes his sound to new heights with rhythmic plucked strings on the record’s standout track, bringing the middle of the EP together with twinkling, out-of-thin-air symphonies adding atmosphere. Wallace has an exceptional talent for creating profound compositions that simply work their way under your skin – he can turn everything from tapping a violin’s strings to samples of his voice into an instrument, constructing sparse, elegant headphone music for your heads and heart. Wallace is a master of ethereal delicacies - treat yourself to the sounds of Heartful. Carla Pavez

Benjamin Cooper

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK BLEACHED

WINTERCOATS

Bankrupt EMI

OFFICE MIXTAPE

And here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week... DAFT PUNK - Random Access Memories IGGY AND THE STOOGES - Raw Power DANCEHALL TO BURN - (Spotify playlist)

FRIGHTENED RABBIT - Pedestrian Verse ACTION BRONSON - Bon Appetit...Bitch

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

THURSDAY 16 MAY THE STANDARD MOSHTIX.COM.AU

ON SALE NOW frontiertouring.com

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TOBIN

fameisdead.com

New album Picture Show out now Featuring the hit single ‘Everybody Talks’

PRESENTS

THE SPOKESMAN “ slick and accomplished…His material is impeccably crafted, his comic timing skilful…intelligent wit and down-anddirty, idiotic naughtiness”

★★★★

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9-11 MAY

ENMORE THEATRE BOOKINGS: 02 9020 6966 www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au marytobinpresents.com.au BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 25

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

THE DRONES

Sydney Opera House Saturday April 27 How exactly did The Drones go from hungry upstarts, constantly winning over audiences with noisy shows on broken-down gear, to critically lauded (yet no less ferocious) torchbearers of Australia’s loud yet erudite rock‘n’roll history? Perhaps it was winning the AMP Award, or their show-stealing Kev Carmody tribute. Or maybe this is the moment. They’re playing the Sydney Opera House, one of Australia’s most iconic buildings, and one that rarely sees fullblown rock’n’roll, let alone the sweaty grit of a Drones show. Of course, this doesn’t mean they’ve gone formal. In fact, from kraut-influenced countrygarage openers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to singer Gareth Liddiard’s infamous banter, the space doesn’t seem to have tamed them. Perhaps as a reaction to the new surroundings, Liddiard is more sardonic than ever. “I came here with my dog thirteen years ago,” he mentions at one point. “He’s dead now...but he never thought I’d be here." Musically it’s a different story, and it feels more tailored to the space than you’d expect. Most of the set is taken from the new record,

BIG SCARY, CAITLIN PARK Goodgod Small Club Wednesday 24 April

The sacred semi-circle of empty audience space is the curse that few support acts can avoid. Fortunately, an enthusiastic bundle of fans decided that this unused space was perfect for sitting; which is how, for the whole of Caitlin Park’s experimental-indie set, she charmed the standing crowd and captivated those who sat cross-legged before her. Ten minutes before Big Scary were due to take the stage, though, everyone was standing and the room was buzzing with a wall-climbing sold-out crowd. Everyone’s eyes were lifted as Tom Iansek, Jo Syme and Big Scary’s new addition, the immaculately-bearded Gus, thrashed into a high-energy intro to say hello. The audience reaped great aural rewards – Big Scary squeezed every last ounce of energy into every single note they played.

Few young bands can successfully swing between genres like indie-pop, alt-rock, blues and more. Indeed, when they announced that the next song would be a new one, audience members yelled out in sincerity, “Woo! Hip hop!” Most of the new tracks gave an insight into the sounds we can expect from their forthcoming release: slinky and a bit more experimental than 2011 debut, Vacation. Just when you thought Big Scary were diving into the shimmering pool of chillwave with the likes of ‘Invest’, you realised they were just dipping their toes as they played an old-school rock-heavy anthem like ‘Belgian Blues’. Despite the absence of an encore (Big Scary had to clear out quite early to make room for another gig later that night), closing track ‘Purple’ left everyone content with a funky head-bang. The ultimate encore, which they’ve left us thirsty for, will be their June release Not Art. Katie Davern

and its creeping nuance is emphasised in front of a seated crowd, with the band playing up the added atmospherics and slowly-inching builds that lead to their signature choruses – rousing, cathartic crashes of guitar and vocals that somehow manage to be both unhinged and anthemic. In the Opera House, they sound colossal. The space quietly shifts the material in different ways, though. The new material and select cuts, such as their infamous cover of ‘River of Tears’, benefit from a more formal environment. But much of their older material is more chaotic, and tracks like ‘I Don’t Ever Want To Change’ and ‘Six Ways to Sunday’ just aren’t as effective in front of a seated audience. The Drones are seemingly incapable of a bad performance, though, and while it’s not their best show, the setting makes it a unique one. When the band asks people to fill empty seats at the front, it feels like part goodwill and part frustration with such an unusually formal space. “Meet someone you’ll spend the rest of your life with,” Liddiard encourages. “...in fuckin’ prison!” Adam Lewis

THE HILLBILLY KILLERS The Basement Wednesday April 24

Unless they’ve sought out the three-track online sampler or caught a performance at the Tamworth Music Festival, tonight is the first time the crowd has heard a note of The Hillbilly Killers, so it speaks to the admiration of the individual artists – Tim Rogers, Catherine Britt and Bill Chambers – that The Basement is well attended. “We can’t afford a support band,” announces Chambers, explaining in his good-natured Aussie bloke way why each band member, including guitarist Michael Muchow, is playing a couple of solo songs before the main set. The highlights are the collaborations, all bare minimum acoustic guitars and vocals, especially Chambers and Britt’s version of Gram Parsons’ ‘Kiss The Children’, and two aching songs on which Britt and Rogers collaborate – first on her new single ‘Troubled Man’, then on his 2012 song ‘Walkin’ Past The Bars’.

BLACK SABBATH, SHIHAD Allphones Arena Saturday April 27

“It’s fun being crazy,” says Ozzy Osbourne, before unleashing his infamous laugh. 40 years since Black Sabbath was last in Australia, the Allphones Arena became a restless sea of black t-shirts reigned by the godfathers of heavy metal. Wedged between AC/DC anthems on the loud speakers and the mammoth Black Sabbath set design, Shihad were set up to fail. New Zealand’s rock royalty powered through their hits, playing the same concert I saw when I was 15. Despite an unreceptive audience, frontman Jon Toogood managed to power a solid five-person mosh pit in the 21,000 capacity arena as he ran around the stage. An unmistakable shadow with outstretched arms appeared against the main curtain, amongst a tidal wave of air raid sirens. As the curtains lifted, Ozzy Osbourne stood center stage beside original members Tony Iommi on guitar and Geezer Butler on bass. Replacing Bill Ward, Tommy Clufetos sat behind a huge drum kit on a raised platform as the centerpiece of a row of stacked amps.

/JAY PHOTOGRAPHER : ASHLEY MAR

26 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

COLLIER

RKE PHOTOGRAPHER : KATRINA CLA

‘War Pigs’ makes a great opening song. Leaving every second line to be chanted by an overexcited audience, Osbourne jumped up and down in his long black cape

The Hillbilly Killers burst with enthusiasm for string instruments and their old time country concept, with each member swapping between nine guitars, not to mention occasional dalliances with a banjo, slide guitar and the double bass, expertly handled by fifth Killer James Gillard. While all five contribute vocals, Rogers and Britt are the alternating front-people, starting softly and a little nervously with a few forgotten lyrics, but finding their nerve quickly, grinning between themselves about the booze-obsessed lyrics in ‘Calamity Anatomy’. It’s that cheeky camaraderie that ensures the band never feels like the novelty supergroup it could have been, but instead like friends having a grand time, epitomised by Chambers’ beaming lead vocals on the ghastly murder ballad ‘I Might Kill You’, and the absolute ball Britt has with the feisty thigh-slapper ‘Love Sucks And I Hate It’. An encore of Hank Williams and Rolling Stones covers ends a short but memorable set bringing bluegrass and country to life, not with reverence but with cheeky joy. Simon Topper

screaming “Let me see your fucking hands!” At 64 years-old, the Prince of Darkness ran solely on the energy of his followers. Running low in ‘Electric Funeral’, he exhausted his back up generators to leap frog during ‘Children of the Grave’. Taking the audience back “to before some of you were even fucking born”, it’s hard to believe that the first track of their first album Black Sabbath is 43 years young. As Osbourne tottered offstage, a short instrumental led into the kind of drum solo that you only see in movies. When was the last time you saw a drummer lift his arm to the skies to hit every snare shot? Probably Spinal Tap. Accompanied by an overexcited strobe light, I couldn’t help but think Tommy Clufetos might spontaneously combust. Apart from Osbourne ducking his head in a bucket between songs and sporadically yelling ‘yoohoo!’ into the microphone, highlights of the evening were strong performances of ‘N.I.B’, ‘God is Dead?’ and a highly anticipated encore of ‘Paranoid’. Kneeling down to his audience, the Osbourne bowed Wayne’s World style (WE ARE NOT WORTHY!). In between the reality shows and giving up the drugs again, it was a damn good show. Tanydd Jaquet

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

FRIGHTENED RABBIT The Hi Fi Tuesday April 30

You couldn’t get two more disparate groups hanging out in the Entertainment Quarter – a legion of scantily clad teens flocking excitedly to Flume, and ranks of dour bearded types on a pilgrimage to see brilliant Scottish miserablists Frightened Rabbit. Frontman Scott Hutchison hits the nail on the head in his opening address to the faithful (after a crowd-warming rendition of ‘Modern Leper’)… “I didn’t realise there was another show going on next door tonight, I thought Christ, our fanbase has changed dramatically since the last time we toured. I didn’t know anyone so young could have experienced heartbreak… although dressed like that…” Hutchison is a funny man – and he’s looking healthy and jovial, a long way from the heartbreak and despair that informed 2008’s Midnight Organ Fight and, to a lesser extent, 2010’s Winter of Mixed Drinks. For it was Hutchison’s raw nerve documenting of a horrific relationship breakdown, in all its truth and ambivalence

TEGAN & SARA

Sydney Opera House Thursday April 25 Identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin seem an odd pick for the Opera House. Yet from the moment they take the stage the Canadian duo are immediately at ease – confident, hilarious and natural. These ladies know how to work a crowd. Working quickly through their hefty catalogue, the Canadian duo recount story after story of awkward on-stage moments, encounters with ‘actually famous people’ gone wrong and the weird, weird shit that fans mail them. Their raw honesty and willingness to share reveal them as entirely normal people, breaking down the sometimes awkward barrier between stage and audience. Sara tells the two thousand plus crowd about her first heartbreak, conceding that it was something she thought she might never get over. The next minute she apologises for the “structured lady jackets” the duo are sporting, admitting that they felt they needed to dress up for the performance at the Opera House. They too are not immune to the venue’s overwhelming sense of history and tradition. The next minute Tegan interrupts, “Sara, you’re really fucking weird.” And then they are away with the next song. There is laughter and banter aplenty and I find myself surprised by the emotional threads

and self-pity and despair, that elevated those two albums to instant classics. It’s a criticism that’s been levelled at new album Pedestrian Verse that Frightened Rabbit’s sound has moved from the shambolic, literary, intimate folk of their beginnings to a crisper, engineered sound with more fist-pumping festival anthems. That said, those fist-pumping anthems sound amazing live – and the band is a well-oiled machine of perfect harmonies, double drums, multiple guitars, keys and Hutchison howling like a wounded Highlander at the front. The highlight, though, is still when his acoustic guitar is delivered and the stage is cleared for solo renditions of ‘Poke’ and ‘Good Arms vs. Bad Arms’. Because there’s nothing like joining a few hundred heart-scarred fans in a sing along of, “Why won’t our love keel over as it chokes on a bone / And we can mourn its passing and then bury it in snow / Or should we kick its c*nt in / And watch as it dies from bleeding / If you don’t want to be with me just say and I will go.” Nick Jarvis

that Tegan & Sara manage to weave in the short space of 90 minutes. The duo are talented musicians and, perhaps more impressively, entertainers. While the acoustics of the Opera House make for an incredible aural experience, it’s only during the new song Closer at the end of the gig that people feel comfortable enough to stand. The seating arrangement makes for a weird vibe during Tegan and Sara’s more upbeat numbers. It feels just plain wrong to be sitting down – hands in lap – for old school hits ‘Back in Your Head’ and ‘The Con’. The awkwardness is amplified during tracks from their newest release, Heartthrob – an album that’s taken a decidedly different direction from their previous material. Saturated with raving synths and bubbly hooks, it misses the grittiness of previous albums and seems flaky in comparison. The duo start their encore with an acoustic rendition of ‘Call it Off’ and ‘Nineteen’, before a rendition of their collaboration with Tiesto ‘I Feel It In My Bones’, but it’s the haunting, melancholy melodies of the two previous tracks that are still hanging in the air: “Break it off, break my own heart / Maybe I would have been something you’d be good at / Maybe you would have been something I’d be good at / But now we’ll never know.” Liz Brown

PHOTOGRAPHER : ASHLEY MAR

BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 27

live li ve + snap snap up all night out all week . . .

GROOVIN’ THE MOO

Which brings me to the DJ on everybody’s lips – Flume. He was the reason 99% of the crowd had trekked it up from Sydney and while the punters gave him the ultimate warm welcome, he was totally, completely, moronically (you get the idea…) underwhelming. No doubt 21-year-old Harley Streten will mature with more time onstage but it was disappointing that he couldn’t bring it for a crowd that was so clearly infatuated.

Maitland Saturday April 27

I’d clearly missed the dress code memo for this year’s Groovin’ The Moo – it was leather shorts and midriffs as far as the eye could see. If only I had thought to wear my fluoro bindi and flower headband I might have felt a bit more comfortable among the trippin’ fourteen year-olds. Nevertheless, we ventured our way through the throngs of tweens to the small oasis that was the over-18s section just in time for Matt & Kim. The duo hit the stage with a borderline illegal amount of energy. Just watching Kim jump around/on top of/ under her drum kit made me exhausted – but what a set these guys managed to pull off despite the midday timeslot. Kim repeatedly told the crowd that she wanted “everyone to have a really good day – and by good day, I mean GET LAID” (google #kimsdatingservice – I’m not joking). In a fruitful turn of events, the condom freebie tent happened to be to the left of the stage. Matt & Kim were followed by a solid sets from indie kids Alpine and the consistently amazing Frightened Rabbit.

Consistent crowd pleasers The Kooks and later, The Temper Trap, followed with their easy listening indie-pop, and despite their more mellow sound, both bands were easily better than Flume. British headliner Example, on the other hand, brought the motherfucking party – he worked the crowd into a chaotic frenzy in a matter of minutes. GTM sure know how to run a festival. Short queues, decent toilets and stages that don’t require a golf cart to move between. Even the temperatures once the sun had gone down seemed reasonable. If only Flume had lived up to the hype and I’d worn my sparkly leopard underpant-shorts. Guess I’ll have to save them for next year. Liz Brown

26:04:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: Level 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9572 6322 :: KATRINA CLARKE :: JAY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER LEWIS :: ASHLEY MAR :: COLLIER :: HENRY LEUNG :: KATE

28 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

they might be giants 20:04:13 :: The Metro :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

PICS :: TL

blackchords

PICS :: AM

PHOTOGRAPHER : ASHLEY MAR

snap sn ap

up all night out all week . . .

THU 9 MAY FRI 10 MAY

EGY BOY (LITHUANIA)

‘ART IS NOT DEAD’ ILLUSTRATION EXHIBITION

BLIND VALLEY FRANK SULTANA & THE SINISTER KIDS THE BLACK ZEROS THE CADRES

SAT 11 MAY THU 16 MAY PICS :: AM

turin brakes

SPOTIFY & FRANKIE PRESENTS:

25:04:13 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst 9332 3711

NIGHTSWIM TOUR COLLARBONES / MAMMALS

(USA)

NEW EMPIRE / PLAYLIST

FRI 17 MAY SAT 18 MAY THE MONEY GO ROUND SHINING BIRD THE SUPER TRIP

anzac day at the vic

PICS :: KL

CAPTAIN OF THE PUSH

25:04:13 ::Vic On The Park Hotel :: 2 Addison Rd Marrickville 9557 1448

IN MAY 19th GALLERY BURLESQUE - NO MORE QUEENS 23rd JENNY BROKE THE WINDOW 25th WATUSSI – FROM SOUTH TO NORTH COAST TOUR

OPEN TIL 3AM PICS :: HL

howlin steam train

Coming Up

26:04:13 :: The Vanguard :: 42 King St Newtown 9557 9409

:: KATRINA CLARKE :: JAY S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER LEWIS :: ASHLEY MAR :: KATE :: NG COLLIER :: HENRY LEU

BRAG :: 511:: 06:05:13 :: 29

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week Owl Eyes

SATURDAY MAY 11

Greta Gertler Gold (NYC) and friends Blue Beat, Double Bay $20 (+ bf) 8.30pm Jay Birds Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket free 10pm Kingswood with Nina Las Vegas, Lime Cordiale and more Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm Lunchbreak with: Royal Chant FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Potts Point free 1pm Vibrations at Valve Band Competition Valve Bar & Venue, Tempe $15 7pm

JAZZ

Soul Jazz with The Darren Heinrich Trio Play Bar, Surry Hills free 7pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

The Standard, Darlinghurst

Collarbones, Mammals $25 (+ bf) 8pm

MONDAY MAY 6

TUESDAY MAY 7

ROCK & POP

Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney free 9pm The Seekers State Theatre, Sydney $89.90/$129.90 (+ bf) 7pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Helmut Uhlmann, Chris Brookes, Massimo Presti, Paul McGowan Kelly’s On King, Newtown free 7pm Wes Carr and Georgia Mooney 505 Venue, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm 30 :: BRAG :: 511 : 06:05:13

The Lockhearts, Raindrop, Because They Can Brighton Up Bar $5 The Seekers State Theatre, Sydney $89.90/$129.90 (+ bf) 7pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

Darren Bennett + guests George IV Inn, Picton free 7.30pm Greg Sita, Emad Younan, Lissy Noelle, Nick Latta, Cameron Mckee, Sam Higginson, Ryan McClenahan Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why free 7pm

Peach Montgomery, Starr Witness + guests Newington Inn, Petersham free 7pm TAOS, Chich, Frankie Francis, Gabriella Brown, Ace Avenue, Grace McCarthy, Tea Gardens Bondi Junction Hotel, Bondi Junction free 7pm

WEDNESDAY MAY 8 ROCK & POP

God K, Drug Squad 66, Library Siesta, Paul Macadam Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $5 8pm

COUNTRY

JAZZ

Slowpoke Rodriguez 505 Venue, Surry Hills $10 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK The Broods, Chris Neto, Richard Murphy, Collin Gosper Brewhouse, Darling Harbour $15 8pm Daniel Hopkins + guests Olympic Hotel, Paddington free 7.30pm Peach Montgomery, Ace Avenue + guests Forest Lodge Hotel, Glebe free 7.30pm The Myall High Club duo set The Spice Cellar, Sydney free 7pm

FRIDAY MAY 10 ROCK & POP

Blind Valley, Frank Sultana and The Sinister Kids, Black Zeros The Standard, Darlinghurst 8pm Bec And Ben, The Chitticks, Burn Antares FBi Social at Kings Cross

Mark Travers Orient Hotel, Sydney free 9pm

Hotel, Potts Point $10 8pm Black Diamond Hearts Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest 6.30pm Black Lakes with Australia, High-Tails The Square, Haymarket $5 8.30pm Bounce Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket free 10.30pm Brendan Deehan O’Malley’s Hotel, Kings Cross 8pm Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, Papa Pilko & the Binrats, Blackbird Annandale Hotel, Annandale 8pm City Riots, Bell Weather Department, Jenny Broke The Window Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Culburra Beach Festival ft. Paul Greene and the Other Colours, Daddy Long Legs and the Swamp Donkeys, Big Erle, Penny and the Mystics, more Culburra Beach Community Centre $15 6pm Face Command, Siamese Almeida, Rockethead, Robosexual, Royal Baccarats The Sly Fox, Enmore free 8pm The Fallon Bros Observer Hotel, The Rocks 10.30pm Geography of Mars, DAVE, Romy Church, David Lobb The Loft Youth Centre, Newcastle (all ages) $15 6.15pm Julian Marley, Blue King Brown (acoustic set), The Strides, Mana Lion Metro Theatre, Sydney $49.90 8pm Klay Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater 8pm Kye Brown, Reckless Orient Hotel, Sydney $5 (after 10pm) 4.30pm

AN EVENING WITH

NINA & LAUREN

Owl Eyes

Angelene Harris + guests Cat And Fiddle Hotel, Balmain free 7pm Brad Myers, George Dever + guests Avalon Beach RSL Club, Avalon free 7pm Bruce Mathiske The Basement, Sydney $32 7.30pm Helmut Uhlmann, Olivia Jean, Chich, Tim Busuttil, Coda Conduct UTS Loft, Ultimo free 6pm Mel Parsons (NZ) The Newsagency, Marrickville $17 8pm TAOS, John Chesher, Gavin Fitzgerald, Paul McGowan Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick free 7pm The Folk Informal: Arbori + The Ellis Collective + Tj Quinton FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel, Potts Point $10 7pm

7pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 8pm Regular John, The Chitticks, Siamese Almeida The Backroom, Potts Point $10 8pm Sarah Paton Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Botany 6pm Valgar, Ribongia, Christo Jones Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $10 8pm Watsup Orient Hotel, Sydney free 9.30pm

THURSDAY MAY 9 ROCK & POP

Ali McGregor The Basement, Sydney $35-$85 7.30pm Andy Mammers Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why free 7pm Balmain Blitz Band Comp Bridge Hotel, Rozelle $15 7pm Beastwars (NZ), Bruce!, Summonus, Los Hombres del Diablo The Square, Haymarket $15 8pm Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders Steyne Hotel, Manly free Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks 8.30pm Castlecomer Paddington United Church, Paddington $10 (+ bf)/ $15 door Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, CBD 9.30pm Frightened Rabbit Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst sold out 8pm Garage Syndicate Vol. 2: Designer Mutts, Kids, Jugular Cuts FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross Greg Agar Harbord Beach Hotel, Freshwater 8pm Lonely Boys Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket free 10pm Night Attack with Broken Hands, The Know Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe

It’s been 10 years since the incredible and intense singer/pianist extroadinaire Nina Simone left this earth and left a legacy like no other. After a sold out show in Brisbane, Lauren Lucille and her quartet are bringing the show to Sydney and paying tribute to Nina at Venue 505 on Wednesday the 22nd of May from 8:30pm (doors 6:30pm). With Matt McMahon on piano, Jonathan Zwartz on Bass and Tim Firth on drums, it’s sure to be an incredible night of the music and stories of Dr Simone.

Venue 505: 280 Cleveland St, Surry Hills. $10/$15 Doors 6:30, Show 8:30pm

www.laurenlucillemusic.com LEARN HOW TO

SING

Are you interested in learning how to sing? Becoming the next winner on the Voice? or just singing for the pure love of it?

Well its now your time to shine. How do I do this you may ask? Just pick up the phone and book your ﬁrst lesson today... I am Hayley Milano, I have been performing and teaching professionally for over 10 years, I have toured Australia and have a lot of contacts in the industry from people, gigs and inside the studio. I enjoy nothing more then to share my love and passion for singing with others. I have two studios - City and Vaucluse. Im looking for dedicated, hard working students who are committed to reaching there goals. I have students ranging from 8 - 65 year old students. It is very important to have a connection with my student so i can unlock the performer within. Hayley 0422 963 373

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com Matt Jones Trio Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point 8pm MUM: The Carraways, Sherpa, Morning Harvey, Franky Baums, Moonbase Commander, This Mess, Ra Bazzaar, Labelstate DJs, Swim Team DJs, Lloyd Healy, T. Mingus, MUM DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross Nicky Kurta Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why free 7pm Opiuo, Spoonbill The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $35.50 9pm Renae Stone Customs House Bar, Circular Quay free 7pm Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks 8.30pm Sherpa The World Bar, Kings Cross 9pm Super Wild Horses, Day Ravies, Family Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 8pm SWRLS, Dirt Farmer, Tin Lion Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm The Hollow Bones Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Unida, Truckfighters (SWE), Beastwars (NZ), Looking Glass Manning Bar, Camperdown $40 (+ bf) 8pm

JAZZ

Lily Dior Band The Sound Lounge, Chippendale $15-$25 8.30pm My Goodness McGuiness

& Miss Little The Sound Lounge, Chippendale $10-$20 8.30pm Sonido 505 Venue, Surry Hills free 8.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Bob Evans, Tigertown Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $27.50(+ bf ) 8pm

SATURDAY MAY 11 ROCK & POP

As Chaos Unfolds, Until Darkness Falls, Winter Wolves, Van Damage The Square, Haymarket $12 8pm Carb On Carb (NZ), No Art, Mere Women Black Wire Records, Annandale $10 7pm Carl Fidler Observer Hotel, The Rocks 4pm Conics, Binjuice Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Culburra Beach Festival ft. Paul Greene and the Other Colours, Daddy Long Legs and the Swamp Donkeys, Big Erle, Penny and the Mystics, more Culburra Beach Community Centre $15 6pm Cradle Of Filth The Hi-Fi, Moore Park $74.50 7.30pm Funeral For A Friend, Relentless Manning Bar, Camperdown

$33 (+ bf) 8pm Heath Burdell Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Botany 7pm Heroes For Hire, Nine Sons of Dan, Forever Ends Here (all ages) The Lair, Metro Theatre, Sydney $15(+ bf) 5pm Hue Williams Wyong Bowling Club, Wyong free 6pm John Field Duo Brewhouse, Marayong 8pm Louis London, Citizen Kay, Sons Of The East Beresford Upstairs, Surry Hills free 6pm Michael McGlynn Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why free 6.30pm Oliver Goss, Singled Out Orient Hotel, Sydney $5 (after 10pm) 4.30pm Owl Eyes, Collarbones, Mammals The Standard, Darlinghurst $25 (+ bf) 8pm Pel Mel, Bad Jeep, The Limp Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm Peter Head Harbour View Hotel, The Rocks free 5pm Rachael Leahcar (all Ages) Revesby Workers’ Club, Revesby $35 8pm Shinobi, Chainsaw Mascara, Atlantis Awaits, Sleeper Annandale Hotel, Annandale $15 8pm Tenacious D, Damien Power Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point sold out 9pm The Bennies, Steel City Allstars, March Of The Real Fly, Ivan Drago Hermann’s Bar, University of

Sydney, Sydney $12 8pm Toby Martin, Knievel, Disgusting People Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $15 8pm UK Anthems Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket free 10.30pm

Super Wild Horses

JAZZ

Sirens’ Big Band 505 Venue, Surry Hills $20 8.30pm Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie Well Co. Cafe and Wine Bar, Leichhardt free 7.15pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK Leroy Lee with The Morrisons The Newsagency, Marrickville $16.50 8pm Neil Young Tribute - Local Harvest Forest Lodge, Glebe free 7.30pm

COUNTRY

Krista Polvere, The Falls and special guests FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel $10 8pm

SUNDAY MAY 5 ROCK & POP

Jess Dunbar Mill Hill Hotel, Bondi Junction 3pm Mandi Jarry Duo Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo 4pm Peter Head and the MotherF***ers Harbour View Hotel, The

Rocks free 4pm Richie Branco Brewhouse, Marayong 1pm Tenacious D, Damien Power Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point $96.20(+ bf) 8pm The Bitter Sweethearts Valve Bar and Venue, Tempe 5pm The Gaslight Anthem, Dave Hause Enmore Theatre $68.70 8pm Three Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks 4pm

U2 Elevation, 3 Way Split Orient Hotel, Sydney free 4.30pm

ACOUSTIC & FOLK

BluesOnStage: Russell Neal + guests Evening Star Hotel, Surry Hills free 12pm Finn Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle free 6.30pm Peach Montgomery + guests Salisbury Hotel, Stanmore free 2pm

wed

08 May

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thu

09 May

(9:00PM - 12:30AM) (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

fri

03 May

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sat

04 May

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

SATURDAY NIGHT

(9:00PM - 12:30AM)

sun

05 May

SUNDAY NIGHT

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 31

gig picks

up all night out all week...

TUESDAY MAY 7

Julian Marley, Blue King Brown (acoustic set), The Strides, Mana Lion Metro Theatre, Sydney $49.90 8pm

Frightened Rabbit

The Seekers State Theatre, Sydney $89.90/$129.90 (+ bf) 7pm

MUM: The Carraways, Sherpa, Morning Harvey, Franky Baums, Moonbase Commander, This Mess, Ra Bazzaar, Labelstate DJs, Swim Team DJs, Lloyd Healy, T. Mingus, MUM DJs The World Bar, Kings Cross $10 9pm

WEDNESDAY MAY 8 God K, Drug Squad 66, Library Siesta, Paul Macadam Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $5 8pm

Black Wire Records, Annandale $10 7pm Conics, Binjuice Gallery Bar, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst free 8pm Funeral For A Friend, Relentless Manning Bar, Camperdown $33 (+ bf) 8pm Pel Mel, Bad Jeep, The Limp Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $12 8pm The Bennies, Steel City Allstars, March Of The Real Fly, Ivan Drago Hermannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar, University of Sydney, Sydney $12 8pm

Kingswood, Nina Las Vegas, Lime Cordiale Beach Road Hotel, Bondi free 8pm

Super Wild Horses, Day Ravies, Family Goodgod Small Club, Sydney $10 8pm

Lunchbreak with: Royal Chant FBi Social @ Kings Cross Hotel, Potts Point free 1pm

SWRLS, Dirt Farmer, Tin Lion Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills free 6pm

Toby Martin, Knievel, Disgusting People Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $15 8pm

SATURDAY MAY 11

SUNDAY MAY 12

Mel Parsons (NZ) The Newsagency, Marrickville $17 8pm The Folk Informal: Arbori + The Ellis Collective + Tj Quinton FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel, Potts Point $10 7pm Bec And Ben

THURSDAY MAY 9

FRIDAY MAY 10

Castlecomer Paddington United Church, Paddington $10 (+ bf)/ $15 door

Blind Valley, Frank Sultana and The Sinister Kids, Black Zeros The Standard, Darlinghurst 8pm

Frightened Rabbit Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst sold out 8pm

Bec And Ben, The Chitticks, Burn Antares FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel, Potts Point $10 8pm

Garage Syndicate Vol. 2: Designer Mutts, Kids, Jugular Cuts FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross Regular John, The Chitticks, Siamese Almeida The Backroom, Potts Point $10 8pm Valar, Ribongia, Christo Jones Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $10 8pm

32 :: BRAG :: 511 : 06:05:13

Bob Evans, Tigertown Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst $27.50(+ bf ) 8pm Brothers Grim & The Blue Murders, Papa Pilko & the Binrats, Blackbird Annandale Hotel, Annandale 8pm City Riots, Bell Weather Department, Jenny Broke The Window Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst $10 8pm

Carb On Carb (NZ), No Art, Mere Women Tenacious D

Tenacious D, Damien Power Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point $96.20(+ bf) 8pm

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

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inside

also + club g : + club s uide na + weekl ps y column

komes and krunk!

fred v and grafix

rudimental sound of London

We has internets!

www.thebrag.com Extra bits and moving bits without the papercuts BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 33

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

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

60 seconds WITH MAILER

DAEMON

Earl Sweatshirt

Tyler, the Creator

EARL AND TYLER

Earl Sweatshirt (regarded by many as the finest MC in the Odd Future crew) is fresh out of military school in Samoa and on his way to Australia with buddy Tyler, the Creator for the Earlwolf tour. Go check the film clip for ‘EARL’ for a hint of what the shows might involve (and why Sweatshirt was packed off to military school by his mum). The very naughty boys will play the Enmore on Thursday June 6 – tickets on sale 9am this Tuesday May 7.

COME TOGETHER 2013

Aussie hip hop bash Come Together celebrates its tenth birthday on Saturday June 8 at the Big Top at Luna Park. The all-ages festival’s line-up features the likes of Drapht and Illy, both of whom have new albums in the works, along with The Herd, Spit Syndicate, Dialectrix, Full Tote Odds, Allday, Jackie Onassis, Evil Eddie and Crochet Crooks. Come Together runs from 3.30pm to 11pm,

with $60 presale tickets available via www. cometogether.com.au.

THE BASED GOD

It’s official – the entire hip hop internet is coming to Australia in the next two months. Completing the trifecta is Tumblr’s favourite rapper Lil B AKA Berkeley’s Brandon McCartney. The MC brings his esoteric stream-of-consciousness flow to The Standard on Saturday June 15.

Flatbush Zombies

Growing Up Growing up I played 1. in punk, alternative, and

Your Crew The Last Record I Mailer Daemon (Live) Bought: 3. 5. includes drummer Bruno The last record I bought was...

post rock bands. I began to develop my production skills on MS-DOS based trackers such as Scream Tracker and Impulse Tracker, making jungle and techno in the ‘90s. My parents had these late ‘80s Iranian pop music videos from Los Angeles on VHS, which instigated a love for synth pop; moreover, my elder brother laid the foundations of my musical taste with everything from rock and electronica to bass music as we toured in a band and wrote together.

Marion, guitarist Canecutter and rapper Enkae. We bring the worlds of alternative rock, hip hop and EDM into a cohesive live experience. I also MC for Canecutter as he is an amazing producer with a wicked live MPC show; furthermore, I DJ for Enkae who is an amazing rapper on the rise that people will definitely be hearing more of. You can find me DJing at Oxford Art Factory, you can hear my mix engineering skills on the new True Vibenation Project USB record, and you can find me collaborating with VJ Ali Infinite.

xxx photo by xx

Inspirations Key musical inspirations 2. include Smashing Pumpkins, Depeche Mode, Mogwai, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Rage Against the Machine, Teenage Fanclub, The Verve, The Prodigy, 311, and Weezer, amongst others. Also notable mention to the Judgement Night, Hackers, Mortal Kombat, and Spawn soundtracks as key points of hybrid philosophy. Right now I’m listening to artists like Miguel, The Dream, Frank Ocean, Mac Miller, Yeasayer, Twin Shadow, Kanye West, Swizz Beats, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Drake, and Joey Bada$$.

34 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

The Music You Make On my Gravitas 4. EP you can find guest appearances from artists such as The Tongue (Elefant Traks), Jeswon (Thundamentals), P Smurf (Daily Meds), Jackie Onassis (One Day) and members of True Vibenation (Big Village) alongside others such as Crochet Crooks, Peach and Dutch. In my DJ sets you can hear trap bass, 90s jams, party jams, psychedelic rock, electro, hip hop and more.

my Spotify subscription. I really love having all an artist’s records in chronological order including the remastered releases; comparing the old/ new masters can teach you a lot about how dynamics have evolved through the ages. Music, Right Here, Right Now 6. Music right here, right now is totally awesome and fresh; things are really exciting as we are fully into gear with the iPod generation embracing a dynamic taste and appreciation of styles. Naturally I’m always in the role of the ‘other’, being the rock guy in the bass culture – and being the bass guy in the rock culture. In such a saturated world of art, the truly unique and genuine artists filter through to the masses if it’s got that crack, snap and pop. What: Mailer Daemon (Live) Gravitas EP Launch Where: Oxford Art Factory (free) When: Thursday May 9 Live Launch And: Gravitas EP out Friday May 10 independently and via MGM

FLATBUSH ZOMBIES

More hyped US rappers hitting our shores – LSD and sour diesel weed fans Flatbush Zombies hit Oxford Art Factory on Wednesday May 29. Check out ‘Thug Waffles’ for more on Meechy Darko and Juice’s cut up flows, interesting hairdos and obsessions with the macabre.

WE ARE THE NARK COLLECTIVE FEAT.

EMOH INSTEAD

JUBILANTS DJS

DANIEL FARLEY

DANIEL REDFERN

FRONT LEFT

ZWELLI

THE NARK COLLECTIVE

WEDS 15 TH MAY @ THE ABERCROMBIE

FREE ENTRY / $10 JUGS $5 HOUSE SPIRITS / 100 BROADWAY / FACEBOOK.COM/WHOISTHENARK?

NEW ANTI-SMOKING CLIPS FROM

“ALL I WANTED WAS TO BE ONE OF THE BLOKES, MY ARTERIES ARE BLOCKED I’VE HAD TOO MANY STROKES”

“FEELS LIKE I CAN’T GET YOU OUT MY SYSTEM, GUESS I SHOULD BE THANKFUL I’M STILL HERE”

— The Coughin’ Nails, 2013

— M4-CEMA, 2013

CHECK THEM OUT AT

facebook.com/smokescreenmusicfestival

BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 35

dance music news

free stuff

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

FREESTUFF@THEBRAG.COM

60 seconds WITH

RYAN ELLIOT

have been on the radio in the car, and some of my dad’s old records. But, growing up in Detroit, the radio was all you needed. We had the Electrifying Mojo, Jeff Mills, and countless others on the radio waves every night. We also had “The Scene” and “The New Dance Show” on the public TV stations. I was exposed to all the early electronic music and proto-house/ techno through TV and radio. Inspirations Steve Reich, Radiohead Jeff Mills, 2. Robert Hood, The Smiths, Art of Noise, etc… there isn’t one genre for me, it’s more about a reduced, unpolished, almost “un-perfect” approach. Little mistakes that add character, things like that. Your Crew My friends and I bought turntables 3. together when we were in our early twenties. We just wanted to do what the DJs were doing at the clubs that we attended every weekend. From there it grew naturally. I now live in Berlin and am lucky enough to support myself by making music and playing music for people all over the world. For that I am so grateful.

Growing Up My family isn’t musical. The only exposure I had from family to music would

LL Cool J

The Music You Make I make music for DJs to use to move the 4. dancefloor. A mixture of house and techno, completely utilitarian. Tools. That is where I

am artistically right now. Maybe someday all of that will change and I will want to make ambient albums or something, but I doubt it. The Last Record I Bought I really like the new Jai Paul LP, the 5. new Vondelpark LP, and also the new Friedman & Liebeziut Secret Rhythms 5 LP. I never get inspired to make house or techno from listening to other house or techno. It always comes from listening to other types of music. Since I’ve been doing a lot of production lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of other stuff. Music, Right Here, Right Now I think the music scene is really good 6. right now. I’m lucky enough to play excellent parties all the time and there’s loads of excellent new music coming out. The biggest obstacle for me, to be totally honest, is social media. I really wrestle with the correct balance between opening yourself up enough to people, but also keeping a healthy distance for the music’s sake, because whether or not people think so, they process music differently the more they know about someone. What: S.A.S.H presents Ryan Elliott, The Abercrombie When: Sunday May 12

P-MONEY & DAVID DALLAS

New Zealand hip hop impresario P-Money has announced a series of Australian dates, including a show at The Basement on Saturday June 8, in support of his forthcoming album Gratitude due out on May 17. The new album showcases some of the Duck Down Music label family with Talib Kweli, Buckshot and Skyzoo all featuring, along with M.O.P, who lends vocals on the single ‘The Hardest’. Label mate David Dallas will also be representing at the gig, performing material off his forthcoming album Falling Into Place, which is set to drop in July.

Boards Of Canada

CHINESE LAUNDRY MAY

Chinese Laundry has unveiled another stacked line-up for May. DnB kingpins Delta Heavy and Fred V & Grafix will hit the decks on Friday May 10, before Birdee and Germany’s Alex Niggemann provide some housier soundscapes the following night. The next Friday is dedicated to local bass music, while on Saturday May 18 the focus shifts to Rekids main man Matt Edwards, AKA Radio Slave, who’ll be launching his forthcoming Balance compilation. To close out the month, Vengeance, Kid Sample, Spenda C and Ra Bazaar will all throw down for a night of electro on Friday May 31.

BOARDS OF CANADA

After much speculation, it’s now official – Edinburgh duo Boards Of Canada will release their highly anticipated new album Tomorrow’s Harvest on June 7 on Warp Records, their first album in eight years. The announcement follows mysterious Boards of Canada teaser records – containing 12 seconds of ambient music – being sold to a small number of fans across the world on Record Store Day. (Have a look online to see how much those records are fetching on eBay – far more than you’d expect for a mere 12 seconds of music!) Tomorrow’s Harvest is a 17-track album that will be sold in CD, digital and double-LP formats, though there’s no word yet on how it sounds – like any Boards of Canada fan isn’t going to automatically purchase this release on spec. Australian Boards of Canada fans will be able to track down Tomorrow’s Harvest through Inertia.

PET SHOP BOYS

Perennial pop mainstays Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, collectively the Pet Shop Boys, have announced they will release new album Electric in July. Electric comprises nine tracks in total, including a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Last To Die’ and a guest spot from BRIT award-winning rapper Example on ‘Thursday’, and was produced by the man with the Midas touch, Stuart Price, of Les Rythmes Digitales and Thin White Duke fame. Price pinpointed the Pet Shop Boys’ 1986 album Disco as an influence in the recording process “because it blended song arrangements with dance floor mixes, and that is what Electric felt like to make. Allowing songs to be full length without considering the pop rules, disregarding classic structures and instead just working instinctively on what was fun and danceable.” The album’s opening track ‘Axis’ is available in full online, with a Boyz Noize remix to follow shortly.

BREACH & ROUTE 94

Two of the foremost artists in the UK bass music scene, Breach and Route 94, will play a Boat Party on Sydney Harbour on Saturday 36 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

LL COOL J

Ladies Love Cool James – it’s a moniker, and it’s a fact (our Art Director can’t get enough of the “Greatest Of All Time”). The rap game collectively bends to its knees this week to offer thanks that Cool James has blessed us with another R&B opus, this time working with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Travis Barker and Seal (but also Bootsy Collins and Snoop). You know you want to hear it – that’s why we’re giving away copies of Authentic to the first people to tell us which CBS crime drama series LL Cool J currently acts in.

SHOCKONE

Does Perth-born/UK-based bass and DnB producer ShockOne have what it takes to follow in the footsteps of fellow West Australians Pendulum and take over the world of heavy club music? From the reception given to his last four tunes, the signs are looking good. But you can make your own mind up by winning a copy of his debut LP Universus – for a chance to win, just tell us the name of one of ShockOne’s big tunes.

MATIAS AGUAYO

Chilean producer Matias Aguayo, who recently toured Australia, will release his third studio LP in June. Entitled The Visitor, the album features collaborators Philipp Gorbachev, Daniel Maloso, Alejandro Paz and Ana Helder, and was mixed by Deadbeat. In light of Aguayo’s views of collaborations being a necessary part of maintaining creative impetus, the lengthy cast of guests on The Visitor is little surprise. “Music is about dialogue and communicating on other levels,” Aguayo declared via press release. “That’s why it is more fun and more challenging to involve people in the process, and learn from one another.”

PACHA IN MAY

The weekly party brand Pacha, held every Saturday at The Ivy, has unveiled its May schedule. This coming Saturday May 11, Pacha will host the launch of Ministry of Sound’s new two-disc compilation Electro House Sessions mixed by Ember and Chardy, who will be turning out at Ivy alongside London duo Third Party. The following Saturday May 18, Canberra duo Peking Duk will headline, before Mixmash Records host Pacha on 25 May to close off the month.

The Tongue

June 1 as part of their maiden tour of Australia. Breach is the ‘Naked Naked’ records head honcho and the house alias of Ben Westbeech, who’s basking in the success of his Jack EP, released on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird Records and apparently ‘rinsed’ at this year’s WMC in Miami. Meanwhile, Route 94 is more of a wildcard, supported by the likes of Skream and Benga – check out his guest mix on BBC Radio1 for a taste. Presale tickets are available through Ticket Fairy.

NARK COLLECTIVE

A new weekly Wednesday club night, The Nark Collective is launching on Wednesday May 15 at The Abercrombie. The party was established in early 2011 in Auckland and is now running in three New Zealand cities, which has prompted the organisers to plot their trans-Tasman expansion. The Sydney chapter of The Nark Collective will showcase local talent and new artists across electronica and hip hop soundscapes every week, with the promoters promising new and diverse lineups from week to week. Join their Facebook page, facebook.com/whoisthenark, for further info.

THE TONGUE

One of the foremost figures in the Aussie hip hop milieu, Xannon Shirley AKA The Tongue has announced a nationwide tour in support of his third album Surrender to Victory, which dropped in March on the renowned Elefant Traks imprint. Lauded by critics and fans alike, and even snaring Brag’s coveted ‘Album of the Week’ slot, Surrender to Victory featured guest spots from fellow hip hop heavyweights Thundamentals, Suffa of Hilltop Hoods, Sky’High, Spit Syndicate and Jimblah. The Tongue’s live show is co-anchored by DMC Champ DJ Skoob, and the word is that he’ll be flanked by a range of special guests on his impending tour. The Tongue will play The Basement on Friday July 19, before giving Sydneysiders a second chance to see him the following night by backing up with a show at the Mona Vale Hotel.

Rudimental Feel The Love By David Wild

t was little surprise that BRAG’s original interview slot with UK DnB sensations Rudimental was postponed. The evening before our scheduled chat, the band’s new single, ‘Waiting All Night’, hit number one in the UK single charts. You’d expect nothing less than a gigantic celebration and you can’t begrudge the band a little lie-in after a couple of shandies.

“We were 30,000 copies ahead of Justin Bieber and will.i.am in the midweek [charts] so we thought we’d be alright but we couldn’t be sure,” says songwriter, producer and one quarter of Rudimental, Piers Agget, when we do finally speak. “We were ecstatic when it was confirmed we were number one again.” Bursting out of London’s underground scene, Agget and his bandmates Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and Leon Locksmith (AKA DJ Locksmith) unofficially soundtracked the UK capital’s Olympic summer last year with debut hit ‘Feel The Love’, which also topped the charts in their homeland. It didn’t fare too badly in Australia either, reaching number three on the ARIA singles chart and topping the iTunes chart. The foursome hope their newly released debut album, Home, which features collaborations with Emeli Sandé and Angel Haze, will be similarly successful both here and there.

as to which box to place them in (“Saxophones on a DnB record?!”). It must have been frustrating to see old friends and acquaintances, like rapper Professor Green or Simon Cowell protégé Labrinth – both old schoolmates of Dryden’s – find the success that they had craved and worked hard for. “A little, I guess,” says Agget, “But you see these guys representing where you’re from and it pushes you as well.” Given that a specific location some 17,000 kilometres away is so central to the record and the formation of the band, I wonder why Rudimental’s music has translated so well to the Australian market. Agget offers a simple explanation. “The location’s maybe different but I think the [Australian and British] people are very likeminded.” It may be even simpler than that – the quest for a good time is universal. With infectious hooks, layered basslines and boundless energy, Rudimental have captured it precisely. I can feel the love, can you feel it too? What: Home out now on Warner And: September tour dates to be announced

Although they have been labelled a drum and bass act, Rudimental’s music is a lot broader than that – as listening to Home reveals. Growing up together in the tough inner-city suburb of Hackney exposed the lads to many types of bass music including UK garage and grime but also hip hop, reggae and R&B. Agget has previously said of Rudimental’s sound, “We are Sly and the Family Stone, Todd Edwards and Dr. Dre in a cheeseburger.” It’s a cute description, but there is more besides. Dryden took classical piano lessons as a child – the band is named after the Rudiments book of piano exercises his music teacher drilled him on – and Agget was raised on his parents’ blues and jazz records.

“We are Sly and the Family Stone, Todd Edwards and Dr Dre in a cheeseburger.” “I was a secret jazz fan. I obviously kept it quiet at school, because it’s not the sort of thing you shout about in Hackney,” he laughs. From prominent saxophone in ‘Feel The Love’ to the tiny piano flourishes in ‘Hide’, a rich musical education – both formal and informal – can be heard. Agget reveals that the band also approach their music in a different way to many of their peers, relying on more than just a laptop and an ear for a winning 180bpm beat. “We like to mix soul and bass music and we like to mix live instruments and the electronic,” Agget says. Key to Rudimental’s success is a sense of unity – the four share ideas, develop them together and consider themselves more than just a collective of producers with similar tastes. “We’re definitely a band. Our dream is to keep on writing music and be successful with albums and to headline Glastonbury in a few years time,” says Piers, revealing an ambition not normally associated with an electronic dance act. “Why not think big?” Above all, Home wears its identity with pride. The influence of the pocket of London where the quartet grew up and the Rudimental project started shines through. Gritty vocals tell of despair and hope and paint a vivid picture of the daily trials of city life, while up-tempo beats and thick layers of different sounds express the vibrant cultural scene through which many manage to escape the drudgery. “Hackney is very important,” says Agget. “It’s why we called the album Home.” A screenplay of Rudimental’s success could be entirely set in about 40 square kilometres of North London. Agget and Locksmith grew up on the same road together and played soccer with Dryden – the trio forming the original Rudimental line-up. Amor, who joined the band later, spent his teenage years making hip hop beats in a youth centre in nearby Camden. Meanwhile, Locksmith was making a name for himself on pirate radio alongside some kid calling himself Dizzee Rascal. While Dryden was working at a school helping troubled kids find themselves with music, Piers was managing a studio in Tottenham and engineering tracks for the likes of Wretch 32. Many of the guest vocalists on Home, like Sinead Harnett, MNEK and John Newman, are friends of friends or talented singers that the Rudimental boys bumped into in the studios they were working in. But success was never written on the wall for Piers, Kesi, Amir and Leon. Early on, many record companies turned them away because, as the band suspects, record execs were a bit confused BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 37

Fred V & Grafix Ready To Rock By Jo Campbell friend and a passion for indie-rock, with Vahrman’s guitar skills being laid down on ‘Find My Way’. The pair were won over to DnB after finding inspiration in Pendulum’s genre-crossing Hold Your Colour. “Still to this day I think Rob Swire is an absolute genius and I’ve always liked Pendulum in general. They’ve always had a massive rock influence and because I was really into live bands back then, that was kind of a nice bridge into DnB. “Sonically they were about ten years ahead of their time. Tracks from Hold Your Colour still sound up-to-date now and you can still play them out.” Fred V & Grafix recently played Fabric Live for the second time. Their first appearance had been for a Hospitality gig in Room 1, but in an indication of how popular the two are becoming, they were invited to play Room 2 minus their label-mates. “It’s sweaty,” Jackson says with a laugh. “It’s obviously amazing. The only annoyance was having to squeeze through the crowd to get to the decks with my two gin ‘n’ tonics without spilling them. “The sound was amazing and it was nice to get the contrast between the two rooms. But yeah, Fabric is one of those places that just playing there in general is awesome, no matter which room.” hey’ve only released three tracks on a compilation and one EP but liquid DnB duo Fred Vahrman and Josh Jackson AKA Fred V & Grafix are on the up and up.

not at the level. They sort of signed us without knowing if they were going to get much back from us and we haven’t had much out and feel bad about that, but there’s plenty now.”

The Devon duo signed to Hospital Records in 2011, making their debut on the label’s Fifteen Years Of Hospital Records compilation with their superbly cranking ‘Find My Way’.

Since then they’ve been awarded Drum & Bass Arena’s 2012 Best Newcomer DJ award and have produced their debut solo release, the Goggles EP. Dropped this March, the EP features three varied tracks, all proving their ability to make fun, dancefloor driven beats, but Jackson says their upcoming LP, due for release later this year, will be of a different bent.

“A lot of people don’t know, but Hospital sort of signed us on faith,” says Jackson. “We were stupidly surprised because we knew we were

“Those were more just three songs that we put out so people had something to listen to ahead of the album,” he says of the EP. “It’s gotten a good reaction, but in our eyes, our new music is really different to that. People might be surprised. “We really love real indie guitar music and live sounding stuff like Muse and Bloc Party. A lot of the new tracks (on the LP) have more of a focus on sounds like that and it’s more like the sound we love.” Jackson and Vahrman met through a mutual

In terms of their set, the two employ lots of quick mixing across four decks and usually keep it in the DnB vein. “Sometimes we stand back and think, ‘maybe that was too quick’, but in terms of the music we play – we put together really varied sets and I think they transfer very nicely to a well rounded DnB set.” With: Delta Heavy Where: Chinese Laundry When: Friday May 10

Komes & Krunk! The Wild Side By Alasdair Duncan

oung troublemakers Komes and Krunk! have seen their profiles rise steadily over the last few years. DJs, producers and purveyors of big fat beats, the pair are also members of the ever-expanding Bomb Squad crew of producers and party promoters, and their latest achievement is a shared disc on the Wild Nights 2013 compilation. How did you guys initially get involved with Bomb Squad? Krunk!: “That’s a long time ago now. I’ve been friends with those guys for ages.” Komes: “How we first met was that we were on an internet dating site, and one thing led to another…” Is Bomb Squad a supportive little family for you guys? Komes: Yeah, it’s awesome, very supportive. We’ve got people all around Australia in Bomb Squad now – people in almost every capital city. It’s really good. You guys are both pretty young, and you’ve already had the opportunity to play in a lot of clubs – are there any nights that stick out, for good or bad reasons? Krunk!: “I don’t know if I can single out that many bad nights. I mean, everything bad that happens is a lesson, so I take it like that. There have been plenty of good nights, good parties.” Komes: “I’ve seen some funny dancers, and some pretty sick people. Schoolies is probably up there – you have 10,000 kids on the beach who’ve just finished school and are ready to party. That’s a pretty good crowd right there.” You guys shared a disc on the Wild Nights compilation – how did that initially come about? Komes: “They approached Bomb Squad about doing a mix, and the guys just decided that it should be us to do it.”

knew you really wanted to get on there? Krunk!: “At the time, I really liked Nicki Romero & NERVO’s ‘Like Home’ – that was one of my big main-room tracks that I was really vibing at the time. Even the Timmy Trumpet track ‘Snapback’ was one of my favourites.”

Krunk!: “That’s pretty much how it happened. From there, we got a list of the available tracks and mixed it all together.”

Komes: “The Timmy Trumpet track’s cool. I’m trying to think about my favourite one. The Komes remixes are pretty cool, obviously!”

Do you have any particular favourite tracks on the compilation, or any that you

Thanks to the available technology, the DJ profession is pretty accessible to kids

38 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

these days – does that make it harder to make a name for yourself and be recognised? Krunk!: “Anyone can do it, but you need skills, and you need your own style if you want to stand out, especially when you’re starting out.” Komes: “I think it’s a lot more competitive in that anyone can make music or become a DJ. You have to know what you’re doing. You need to have your own thing – that’s important.” What does the future hold for you guys?

Komes: “I reckon a Krunk! & Komes track in the future would be pretty cool. I’ve been doing heaps of remixes lately, so I think that it would be pretty cool to put something of my own out.” Krunk!: “Like Komes said, I think the focus would be on getting some more original stuff out.” What: Wild Nights 2013 mixed by Krunk! & Komes and Mobin Master & Tate Strauss out now on Central Station

Deep Impressions Underground Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Alexkid

he brash and extremely talented Detroit producer Alex Smith, who records as Omar-S, will play the Sydney Opera House Studio on Saturday June 1 courtesy of Astral People. Omar-S recently released his third full-length album, Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself, adding another superb collection of analog jams to his bourgeoning catalogue that features cuts such as ‘Here’s Your Trance Now Dance’. Throughout the past decade, Smith has released material prolifically on his own FXHE label, which has also put out material from the likes of OB Ignitt and Luke Hess. Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself clocks in at around 80 minutes and spans 14 previously unreleased tracks, traversing house and techno influences with tracks that are at once industrial and emotive. Now it’s apparent from his interactions with the press that Smith isn’t the sort of fellow who’d ask for permission to be himself – rather, the album title is likely a facetious and slightly provocative statement that continues the pattern Smith established when naming his previous LP, It Can Be Done But Only I Can Do It. But for all his inflated self-puffery, Smith has affirmed on his most recent LP why listeners should be thankful that he remains immersed in his own bubble, churning out productions that sound like no one else. As was written on the back of the sleeve of the 2005 debut Omar-S LP, Just Ask The Lonely, “You can not copy Omar-S style. You can only copy a song that has already been produced by Omar-S.” Fresh from headlining the recent Circo Loco Easter bash at Greenwood, Parisian trio Apollonia, comprised of Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom and Shonky, have mixed the next installment of the Fabric compilation series, Fabric 70. While Apollonia formed officially in 2012, the trio had been working together for more than a decade previously, with Dyed and Shonky releasing their first EPs on Ghenacia’s former imprint, Freak n’ Chic. After the label’s demise in 2011, the Parisians formally created Apollonia – both a record label and a collective – and have established their reputation playing extended sets at venues such as Panorama Bar, DC10 and Fabric. The forthcoming mix, which is due out in mid-June, includes fresh cuts from the likes of The Mole, Dyed Soundorom’s remix of Daze Maxim’s ‘Farbfilm’ and two new Apollonia releases crafted especially for the mix; the smooth deep house cut ‘Trinidad’ and ‘Visa Americain’, a trippier excursion laden with drums patterns. The tracklist concludes with Callisto’s ‘Need Ur Love’, an homage to the influential producer Dana Kelley who passed away in January of this year. Subsonic’s End Of The Line long weekend sub-brand returns to The Abercrombie on Monday June 10 with a headlining performance from pioneering French producer and DJ Alex Mauri,

who goes about his business under the nom de plume of Alexkid. Mauri has established himself as a respected and versatile producer in the underground scene since being signed to Laurent Garnier’s F Comm label back in 1997 on the strength of a DnB demo. Over the ensuing years, Mauri’s output has varied, spanning accessible crossover cuts such as ‘Don’t Hide It’ and the Tiga-remixed ‘Come With Me’, as well as his work as part of electronic outfit Dubphonic (which he describes as “the soundtrack of a Sergio Leone movie made by John Carpenter”) and remixes of heavyweights like Damian Lazarus and Nina Kraviz. While Mauri commands huge respect as a producer, he is also a formidable DJ who can hold his own against anyone behind the decks, as he has shown in past Sydney performances alongside the likes of Superpitcher, and closing the Subsonic Music Festival in 2011. Mauri heads a lengthy DJ lineup that also features New Zealand’s Phillipa, and will span two rooms of The Abercrombie for a 12+ hour bash that kicks off at midday on Monday and runs deep into the night. $15 presale tickets are available online.

LOOKING DEEPER

Omar-S

FRIDAY MAY 10

Strange Signals ft. Rrose Oxford Hotel Underground Bar

SATURDAY MAY 11 Mad Racket ft. Vakula Marrickville Bowling Club

SATURDAY JUNE 1 Omar-S Sydney Opera House

MONDAY JUNE 10 Subsonic ft. Alexkid The Abercrombie Sydney Opera House

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 39

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

club pick of the week FRIDAY MAY 10

Resident DJs 10pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Rewind Resident DJs 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Gillex, DJ Moody free for students/$5 9pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Take Over Thursday Resident DJs $10 9pm

Loefah

FRIDAY MAY 10

Opiuo

The Hi-Fi, Moore Park

Opiuo

SATURDAY MAY 11

SUNDAY JUNE 24

Spoonbill $35.50 9pm

MONDAY MAY 6 Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket Mother Of A Monday DJ Smokin’ Joe free 7pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Latin & Jazz Open Mic Swim Team DJs free 7pm

TUESDAY MAY 7 The Establishment, Sydney Rumba Motel Salsa DJ Willie Sabor free 8pm Scruffy Murphy’s, Haymarket I Love Goon Resident DJs free 7pm Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross Coyote Tuesday Resident DJs free 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross 40 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

Chu Andy & Mike, Dollar Bear & Rees Hellmers, Ali and Nacho Vossler 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY MAY 8 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Sosueme Nina Las Vegas, Kingswood, special guests free 8pm Ivy, Sydney Salsa Resident DJs free 8pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross KIT Wednesdays Resident DJs 10pm The Lewisham Hotel Garbage 90s Night Garbage DJs free 7pm Goodgod Small Club Tim & Eric Trivia free 8pm Whaat Club, Potts Point Whip It Wednesdays DJs: Camo, Snillum, Jaimie Lyn free 9pm The World Bar, Kings Cross

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi N’fa Jones, DJ Secret Weapon free 8pm Candy’s Apartment Something Wicked DJs: Robust, Harper, Aydos $10$15 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Delta Heavy, Fred V & Grafix, Open-Eye, Brooklyn Zoo, Capture, Adam Zae, U-Khan 10pm Gay Bar, Darlinghurst DJ Alex Taylor free 5pm Goodgod Front Bar, Sydney Yo Grito! Yo Grito! DJs free 9pm Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour The Guestlist Peewee Ferris $15-$25 9pm The Hi-Fi, Moore Park Opiuo, Spoonbill $35.50 9pm Jacksons On George, Sydney $5 @ 5 On Fridays Resident DJs free 5pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Fridays Resident DJs 10pm Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Mashup Fridays DJ Power $20 10pm Oatley Hotel We Luv Oatley Hotel Fridays Resident DJ free 8pm Omega Lounge, City Tattersalls Club, Sydney Unwind Fridays DJ Greg Summerfield free 5.30pm Spice Cellar CLUB MOD Presents SOFTWAR EP Launch 12am Trademark Hotel, Kings Cross TGIF Resident DJs 10pm Whaat Club, Potts Point Think Fridays DJs: Discobusy, Kittkatt & Peeping Tom 8pm $10-15 The World Bar, Kings Cross MUM MUM DJs $10-$15 8pm

The Wall: Battle Royal Blaze Tripp, Brown Bear, Tigerlily, Nanna Does Smack, BDG, Bocue, Chenzo, Hydraulix, Kombat, Who Am I, Clockwerk, Joyride, Fingers $5 8pm

THURSDAY MAY 9 Bridge Hotel, Rozelle Balmain Blitz $15 7pm Exchange Hotel, Darlinghurst Hot Damn Hot Damn DJs $15-$20 8pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney KLP Heaps Decent Fundraiser KLP, Charlie Chux, Stu Turner, Moonbase Commander $10+bf 8pm Ivy Pool Club, Sydney Pool Club Thursdays Resident DJ free 5pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross

Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Watussi, Bernie Dingo, Isbjorn free 8pm Candy’s Apartment, Potts Point Disco Disco DJs: Fresh to Death, Sherlock Bones, Robust $20 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney

Birdee, Alex Niggemann, Chris Fraser, Nanna Does Smack, Wrecks, Kerry Wallace, Whitecat, Fingers, Ra Bazae, Trent Rackus 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Loefah & Chunky special guests $30+bf, 11:30pm Hellenic Club, Sydney Sussos, Roland Tings 11pm Ivy, Sydney Pacha Third Party, Ember and Chardy, Ben Morris, Matt Nugent, Jace Disgrace, Spenda C, Fingers, Pat Ward, E-Cats, Cassette, Handom, Pablo Calamari, Dechhead, Heke, Program $38.20 6:30pm Jacksons On George, Sydney Resident DJs free 9pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Resident DJs 10pm Marrickville Bowls Club Mad Racket Vakula, Jimmi James, Ken Cloud, Zootie and Simon Caldwell $35 10pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross The Suite Resident DJs 8pm Soho, Potts Point Usual Suspects DJs 9pm Spice Cellar Mic Newman, Fantastic Man 10pm The Watershed Hotel, Darling Harbour Skybar Saturdays Resident DJ $20 9.30pm Whaat Club, Potts Point After Dark DJs: Luke La Beat, Sampy & Valentino $10-15 8pm

The World Bar, Kings Cross Cakes NatNoiz, Emoh Instead, Oakes & Lennox, Accadamy, Hannah Gibbs, Brown Bear, E-Cats, Miss Adventure, Goodfella, Mike Hyper, Chasm, Deckhead, Christian Carlos $10-$30 8pm

SUNDAY MAY 12 Abercrombie Hotel, Broadway S.A.S.H Sundays Ryan Elliot, Robbie Lowe, Jordan Deck, Zeus, Brendan Pinilla & Daniel Kouzan, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm The Beresford Hotel, Surry Hills Beresford Sundays Resident DJs free 3pm Gay Bar, Darlinghurst Resident DJ free 3pm Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross Easy Sundays Resident DJs free 10pm Oatley Hotel Sunday Sessions DJ Tone free 7pm Sapphire Lounge, Kings Cross Sapphire Sundays Resident DJs 8pm The Spice Cellar, Sydney Spice After Hours Nic Scali $20 4am The World Bar, Kings Cross Soup Kitchen Rave Doss (Stoney Roads), Axle, Albert Hunt, The Soup Kitchen DJs free 7pm Watussi

club picks up all night out all week...

N'fa Jones

Sundays WEDNESDAY MAY 8 The World Bar, Kings Cross The Wall: Battle Royal Blaze Tripp, Brown Bear, Tigerlily, Nanna Does Smack, BDG, Bocue, Chenzo, Hydraulix, Kombat, Who Am I, Clockwerk, Joyride, Fingers $5 8pm

THURSDAY MAY 9 Goodgod Small Club, Sydney KLP Heaps Decent Fundraiser KLP, Charlie Chux, Stu Turner, Moonbase Commander $10+bf 8pm The World Bar, Kings Cross Propaganda Gillex, DJ Moody free for students/$5 9pm

FRIDAY MAY 10 Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;fa Jones, DJ Secret Weapon free 8pm Chinese Laundry, Sydney Delta Heavy, Fred V & Grafix, Open-

Eye, Brooklyn Zoo, Capture, Adam Zae, U-Khan 10pm Marquee, The Star, Pyrmont Mashup Fridays DJ Power $20 10pm

SATURDAY MAY 11 Chinese Laundry, Sydney Alex Niggemann (GER), Birdee, Chris Fraser, Nanna Does Smack, Wrecks, Kerry Wallace, Whitecat, Fingers, Ra Bazae, Trent Rackus 9pm Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Loefah & Chunky special guests $30+bf, 11:30pm Hellenic Club, Sydney Sussos Roland Tings, Cliques, Marc Jarvin, Slowblow 11pm

SUNDAY MAY 12 S.A.S.H Sundays Ryan Elliot, Robbie Lowe, Jordan Deck, Zeus, Brendan Pinilla & Daniel Kouzan, Matt Weir, Kerry Wallace $10 2pm

12 MAY

Ryan Elliott Robbie Lowe Jordan Deck Zeus Brendan Pinilla & Daniel Kouzan Matt Weir Kerry Wallace

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27:04:13 :: Goodgod Small Club :: 53-55 Liverpool St Chinatown 8084 0587

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up all night out all week . . .

26:04:13 :: The Ivy :: 330 George St Sydney 9240 3000 INA CLARKE :: JAY

:: KATR S : TIM LEVY (HEAD HONCHO) OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER LEUNG :: ASHLEY MAR :: RY HEN :: IS LEW KATE :: COLLIER

BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13 :: 41

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up all night out all week . . .

baaúer

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26:04:13 :: Marquee :: 80 Pyrmont St 9657 7737

all day

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26:04:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

s.a.s.h

28:04:13 :: The Abercrombie Hotel :: 100 Broadway Ultimo 9280 2178 PICS :: AM

ben klock

27:04:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999 42 :: BRAG :: 511 :: 06:05:13

PICS :: TL

25:04:13 :: Brighton Up Bar :: 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9361 3379

INA CLARKE :: JAY

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