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Australian Institute of Music

Australian Institute of Music, 1-55 Foveaux St, Surry Hills NSW For more information visit aim.edu.au or call 02 9219 5444 CRIC CR ICOS OS 006 OS 006 66 65 5C

BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 3

rock music news welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin, Emily Meller and Sarah Corridon

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he said she said WITH

PACO PEÑA

egendary guitarist Paco Peña grew up in the Andalusian region of southern Spain, where flamenco culture runs through the blood of the people and the soil of the land. Ahead of his Australian visit, he talks us through the three aspects of flamenco: the cante (song), the guitar and the dance. How did you get your musical beginnings? From the community – the guitar was a very popular instrument all around, even in my family; my brother had one and he taught me a few things when I was six years old. Flamenco is so important to the Spanish people – why? Is it the spirit of dance, or the weather, or something more? All of that, but flamenco tells a very important history of the Andalusian people; a history full of deep emotions, upheavals, suffering and a great deal

WHY DON’T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD?

EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ARTS + ONLINE EDITOR: Hannah Warren hannah@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 STAFF WRITERS: Alasdair Duncan, Jody Macgregor, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby NEWS: Sarah Corridon, Chris Honnery, Emily Meller, Andy Huang ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant COVER PHOTOGRAPH: © David Venni PHOTOGRAPHERS: James Ambrose, Katrina Clarke, Amath Magnan, Ashley Mar ADVERTISING: Georgina Pengelly - 0416 972 081 / (02) 9212 4322 georgina@thebrag.com ADVERTISING: Les White - 0405 581 125 / (02) 9212 4322 les@thebrag.com PUBLISHER: Rob Furst MANAGING DIRECTOR, FURST MEDIA: Patrick Carr - patrick@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 / 0402 821 122 DIGITAL DIRECTOR/ADVERTISING: Kris Furst kris@furstmedia.com.au, (03) 9428 3600 GIG & CLUB GUIDE COORDINATORS: Sarah Corridon, Andy Huang, Emily Meller - gigguide@ thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Andy Huang, Sarah Corridon, Emily Meller, Ed Kirkwood, Naz Jacobs, Erin Rooney REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Keiron Costello, Marissa Demetriou, Rachel Eddie, Christie Eliezer, Blake Gallagher, Chris Honnery, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Pamela Lee, Alicia Malone, Adam Norris, Daniel Prior, Kate Robertson, Amy Theodore, Raf Seneviratne, Leonardo Silvestrini, David Wild, Harry Windsor, Stephanie Yip, David James Young

of happiness as well. Flamenco deals with all those things. It’s often said one needs to practise for 10,000 hours to become an expert in any field. You must have played guitar for many more hours than that by now – but are you still learning? Learning is something you are always doing. I hope I am still in the process of getting some wisdom about music, the guitar, life… You must be asked a lot for advice from young guitar players. What do you tell them? Take very seriously the heritage from your traditions, and then try and say something of yourself. Always from a standpoint of working very hard at the instrument and at listening to the art in general. The singing is fundamental in flamenco and it teaches you to play! You experienced the height of London’s booming musical culture when you moved there in the 1960s. What was it like?

Slim Jim Phantom

EVERYTHING’S COMING UP MILHOUSE

Western Australian skate-punks (and obviously excellent The Simpsons fans) The Decline have announced the release of their new EP, Can I Borrow A Feeling?, and a national launch tour. It’s not yet clear whether the fivetrack EP’s lyrics will mimic Kirk Van Houten’s declarations of undying love for Luann, but it has to be a good laugh either way. And The Decline know what they’re doing, too – after over eight years of playing in sweaty bars around the country, and having released two albums, they’re at the vanguard of the Aussie west coast punk scene. See them at Valve Bar on Saturday May 3 with support from Chris Duke and The Royals, Local Resident Failure and Faux Effects.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE

Have you heard the one about the drummer who locked his keys in his car? They couldn’t get the bass player out for hours. Yeah, there’ll be no hating on drummers here at the BRAG. So-called “coolest drummer alive” Slim Jim Phantom is coming back for another Australian tour. The rockabilicious skinsman was at the forefront of the neo-rockabilly scene of the early ’80s with his band, Stray Cats. Oh, and he married Britt Ekland. Catch up with Slim Jim at the Factory Theatre on Monday June 9, where none other than Fireballs will support.

White Lung

DEADLINES: Editorial: Thursday 12pm (no extensions) Artwork/ad bookings: Friday 5pm (no extensions) Ad cancellations: Tuesday 4pm Published by Furst Media P/L ACN 1112480045. All content copyrighted to Cartrage P/L / Furst Media P/L 2003-2013

AN AUDIENCE WITH THE POPE

Prolific singer, songwriter and guitarist Ron Pope will tour Australia in June. Pope has evidently found some rare time off from writing and recording to bring his live show our way – since 2005, the ‘A Drop In The Ocean’ singer has independently released ten albums and a raft of singles. Calling Off The Dogs is his most recent effort, for which he drew sizeable crowds to his SXSW showcases this year. See Pope and his band at the Factory Theatre on Saturday June 7. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 9am Monday April 7, with a Frontier Members presale starting 12pm Thursday April 3.

FOX & FOWL

WHITE LUNG

Vancouver trio White Lung are gearing up to drop Deep Fantasy, their third record, and have announced an Australian tour for the month of release in June. Mish Way, Kenneth William and Anne-Marie Vassilou play a heady brand of punk that won plenty of admirers via their second LP, Sorry, from 2012. It’s short, it’s fast, it’s loud and it’s live on Thursday June 5 at the Factory Theatre. Support comes from Upset, featuring Ali Koehler (ex-Best Coast and Vivian Girls).

Australian pop is about to get another injection of feel-good quirkiness as Fox & Fowl release their self-titled EP at a live show in Sydney this May. Originating in the capital of roundabouts, Canberra, Fox & Fowl make the perfect jangling soundtrack for a fun-filled neighbourhood drive. Now living on the Sunshine Coast, they will be bringing their indie pop down south for the launch of their debut. Catch them playing for MUM at World Bar on Friday May 23. Joining them will be Deepspace Supergroup and Miners. thebrag.com

Ron Pope photo by Eric Ryan Anderson

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121

4 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

What: Flamencura Where: State Theatre When: Friday April 4

Ron Pope

EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG.

PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204

What should Australian audiences expect from the Paco Peña Dance Company and Flamencura? I am bringing a brand new show I have just put together. Whatever show I present, I always hope that I can move people, that they feel something. That is because I don’t ever pretend to be anything I am not, [and] equally with my presentations. The show looks at essential ingredients that give flamenco its unique character. I hope the audience can get some of those feelings.

How’s this for a reunion? OK, The Beatles aren’t getting back together. But Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke, Chris Cheney and Phil Jamieson sure are, for another round of ‘White Album’ concerts. The all-star cast of Aussie rock heroes joined forces in 2009 to perform songs from 1968 release The Beatles, joined by a 17-piece orchestra. Needless to say, it’s no ordinary tribute act. And the record itself? Think extraordinary cuts like ‘Dear Prudence’, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’, ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Helter Skelter’. I’ve got blisters on my fingers from just writing about them. The White Album Concert returns to the Sydney Opera House on Friday July 18 and Saturday July 19. Tickets on sale Monday April 7.

Please send mail NOT ACCOUNTS direct to this NEW address 100 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 ph - (02) 9212 4322 fax - (02) 9319 2227

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It was a great place and a real discovery. There was huge interest in the guitar in general and in the Spanish guitar too. Flamenco was not so well known but I also found interest in people who wanted to hear what I had to say. It was a wonderful time to be in London.

IN 2 WEEKS “H Heaaven isi lying l i att while listening to hiim play ayy the gguitar.” r. J HEN JIM JIMI HE H HENDRIX N

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BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 5

rock music news

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin, Emily Meller and Sarah Corridon

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

on the record WITH

TOM WOLFE FROM THE WOLFE BROTHERS Your Band We all met in school. We 3. actually all lived on the same

Growing Up Growing up in the Wolfe 1. household was all about music. Dad was a drummer and played every weekend around the pubs and clubs of Tasmania. We lived on the family fruit farm where the weekends as kids were spent on the farm working with Dad, then driving into town where we would help unload his drums into whatever venue he was playing that night. If we had been good we were allowed to have a hit. There are so many favourite 2. Inspirations

musicians in the band. A big one, collectively, is Metallica. We were all in high school together playing ‘Master Of Puppets’ or ‘Ride The Lightning’ at school assemblies. We learnt our instruments playing that stuff. I can remember when I saved up all my money to buy Metallica’s Cunning Stunts on VHS. It was 45 bucks back then… Now we have YouTube! At the same time, I love John Farnham; that man has never done a bad gig or performance. He is constantly positive, hardworking and gives everything he has got to the audience. Like the music or not, got to respect that.

road. We have always played together. From our heavy metal stage, our glam rock stage, everything! We went through it all together. We all have the same goals and dreams for this band. Musically we are all very similar and listen to a very broad range of stuff. Traditional country, country rock, metal, rock’n’roll, current hits, whatever. It keeps us fresh. We are currently working with a producer from the States called Luke Wooten. This guy really gets the band. He just finished working with Brad Paisley before flying out to record our new album. The Music You Make We have always considered 4. ourselves a country rock act. There are a lot of country influences and rock influences in this band. When we write and record, it all comes out. We put our first album out in January 2013 and have pretty much lived on the road since. We love playing live and we love the challenge of converting a new audience. There is a lot of energy

in our show. It is all about fun and good times and letting your hair down. Everybody deserves a night off. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I think the music scene at the moment is great. There are a lot of killer acts out there. Live music is still alive and well. People don’t buy as many albums anymore, which is a little sad. I personally love the experience of buying an album and reading the all the info in the booklet and checking out the artwork. That doesn’t seem to happen as much anymore. But there are other cool ways to make your music available to everyone. What: It’s On out now through ABC/Universal With: Morgan Evans Band Where: The Roller Den When: Sunday April 6 And: Also appearing at Miranda Hotel on Friday April 4; The Small Ballroom, Newcastle on Saturday April 5; and the Penrith Working Truck Show on Sunday April 6

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD

THE JEZABELS

Prominent on the Australian live music scene for almost eight years with two studio albums to their name, The Jezabels have certainly left a lasting impression on their listeners with raw, honest vocals and a resonant sound. Their most recent album, The Brink, recorded in London and released earlier this year, debuted at number two on the ARIA charts. The Sydney four-piece has already booked a myriad of shows for the coming months, including an international tour across the US, UK, Canada and Germany. But until then, Hayley Mary and co. are bringing their evocative brand of alternative pop back home for the grandest stage there is: two nights at the Sydney Opera House on Monday April 28 and Tuesday April 29. We have a double pass to give away to the first night – for your chance to win, head to thebrag.com/ freeshit and tell us about the first time you saw The Jezabels in action.

Hotel in Maitland on Wednesday May 7; Newtown Social Club on Friday May 30; the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday May 31; and the Brass Monkey on Sunday June 1.

Melbourne alt-rockers Have/Hold know where to find the punk: in Sydney, of course. They’ve announced two new dates, their first of the year, in our fine city. For the last month or so, they’ve been in hibernation recording their debut EP, so this will be the first chance to show off their new wares to fans in this part of the world. Joining them are Apart From This, as well as a bunch of locals over the two dates including Between The Devil And The Deep, Harbourer, Oslow, Hannahband and Dear Seattle. Get down to The Record Crate in Glebe on Saturday April 12 and Black Wire Records on Sunday April 13.

Californian rockers High On Fire will tour Australia in July. Could they have thought of a better name for a stoner metal band? Hardly. In any case, High On Fire rose out of the ashes of the disbanded Sleep in the late ’90s to present a new style of aggressive stoner rock. 16 years and six albums later, they play the Factory Theatre on Sunday July 20.

KIM CHURCHILL

LOOK, NINJAS

This is a guy whose live performances involve him playing the guitar, bass drum, percussion, tambourine and harmonica – all at the same time. Needless to say, Kim Churchill is not to be missed. He’s currently on an extensive tour in Canada, but this May/June, singersongwriter Churchill will be returning home for a 16-date national tour in support of his latest single ‘Window To The Sky’ from forthcoming album Silence/Win, due for release in May. See Churchill at the Grand Junction

Joan As Police Woman

The Jezabels

HIGH ON FIRE

Ninjas are hard to find, unless you know where to look. Luckily, Brisbane’s The Ninjas have tipped us off on their next Sydney dates. ‘Kill Em All’ is the new single from these particular Ninjas – because ninjas don’t back down from a fight – and they’ll be launching it at two local dates. See The Ninjas at FBi Social on Friday April 4 (alongside Birds With Thumbs, Hockey Dad and Noire) and the Lansdowne Hotel on Saturday April 5 (with White Summer).

Story Of The Year

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN

Joan As Police Woman, AKA Joan Wasser, has announced she will be returning to Australia this June. Wasser has been restless ever since her last sold-out Australian tour in 2011 and the release of that year’s album The Deep Field. She’s starred in a BBC-produced celebration of the music of Sandy Denny and appeared on Orchestral Variations V.01 by The Separate (AKA producer/engineer Rob Kirwan), reimagining The Smiths’ ‘This Night Has Opened My Eyes’. Wasser then returned to the studio to create her most recent LP, The Classic. Now she’ll bring the new record to Australia for a string of shows. Catch Joan As Police Woman at The Basement on Wednesday July 2 and Thursday July 3.

A RECORD TURNOUT

Treasure hunters, crate diggers and music fans alike will gather at the Glebe Record Fair next Saturday April 12. It’s not all about vinyl – there are CDs on offer as well – but the purists are sure to have a fi eld day. Get in with the early bird crowd from 9am at the Peter Forsyth Auditorium opposite Glebe Markets.

KING PARROT

Fans of total chaos, head thrashing and metal – count us in – will be able to catch King Parrot in Sydney this May. Having blazed a trail of destruction across the USA, they’ll be hitting Australian shores to continue the mayhem. Following the release of Bite Your Head Off in 2012, the Melbourne outfit is well established in the Australian metal circuit, and fans will be eager to elbow their 6 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

way along to experience the explosiveness live. Catch King Parrot at the Bald Faced Stag on Friday May 9 with Origin, AMDBL and Eternal Rest. They’ll also play Hexham Bowling Club on Saturday May 10 for Metal Bloody Metal Fest, and Blacktown’s Masonic Hall on Sunday May 11.

PELICAN

After the release of their first studio album in four years, Pelican have announced an Australian tour including one date in Sydney. The US post-metal outfit has a special connection with our land, having debuted in 2003 with the Australasia album. Forever Becoming shows off the same percussionand-bass-boosted riffery that has placed them as leaders in their field. See Pelican at Manning Bar on Saturday July 26. Tickets go on sale at 9am Thursday April 3.

STORY OF THE YEAR (AND THE BAND IS COMING, TOO)

American rockers Story Of The Year are returning to Oz. The explosive quintet is coming our way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Page Avenue, their game-changing major label debut album. See them at the Metro Theatre on Friday June 27. Tickets are on sale at 9am Friday April 4 through Ticketek.

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 7

Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * Lollapalooza 2014 will include ten Aussie acts: John Butler Trio, The Temper Trap, Jagwar Ma, Vance Joy, Courtney Barnett, Cut Copy, Flume, Betty Who and expatriates Iggy Azalea and DJ Anna Lunoe. * Will the Def Leppard/KISS pairing for US shows make it to Australia? * Damon Albarn told the New Zealand Herald that Blur pulled out of Big Day Out because it was going to be their last gig and they wanted it to be special. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They [the organisers] werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t being straight with me about things, which they needed to be, and at that point I became disillusioned,â&#x20AC;? he said. * Marquee at The Star has introduced a weekly Wednesday Salsa Night hosted by Latino DJs Don Juan and Dante Rivera. * King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resident producer Stu Mackenzie revealed to triple j that the theft of his laptop from his car in Carlton, Melbourne, meant that his band, as well as The Murlocs, had to re-record a substantial amount of their two albums, which were finally released recently.

* The Dandy Warhols sold out their tour in 90 minutes, and added more shows. * Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not P. Diddy or Diddy or Doo Wah Diddy anymore. Diddy Sean Combs has gone back to Puff Daddy after ten years. * The new â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Speakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; video for former Taxiride member Jason Singh was filmed in Brisbane, at a mansion once owned by the late Christopher Skase. * Still on real estate, a threebedroom waterfront Finger Wharf apartment Delta Goodrem bought aged 19 for $1.41 million has been sold for $1.7 million. Meanwhile, the Walkabout Creek Hotel in North Queensland, home of Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee, changed hands after 30 years. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been bought by a miner, Frank Wust, and his wife Debbie. * According to the Australian Financial Review, David Thodey, boss of Telstra (which is sponsoring Katy Perryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour), listened to all her records before meeting up with her during her recent Sydney visit. * Blues-roots act Blake Saban 3 have changed their name to The Urban Chiefs,

NEW CATEGORY FOR THE SEED The Seed Fund is back in 2014 for its tenth year, with the Management Workshop for 25 rising managers returning after a hiatus last year. The workshop is a regular success. Monique Rothstein (Panama, Little May, Convaire) said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was one of the most pivotal, important and defining moments of my

while they record their next album with producer Russell Pilling. * Broken Bells (AKA The Shinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse) are donating one dollar from each ticket on their upcoming US dates to the B612 Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sentinel mission. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backing a telescope which will, from 2018, search for asteroids flying dangerously close to the earth. * Singer-songwriter Miriam Lieberman was driving in a hailstorm to Canberra when her radiator cracked, leaving her stranded an hour before the show. She somehow made the gig, and the audience passed around a bucket and made enough money to repair the radiator and get her back on the road. * Neil Young bought 20,000 copies of his 1978 Comes A Time album â&#x20AC;&#x153;to use as roofingâ&#x20AC;? because he was not happy with its audio quality. * M.I.A.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s middle finger action during the 2012 Super Bowl show with Madonna has seen her hit with a $16 million fine from the National Football League.

career in the music industry. The combination of well-selected participants, inspiring and generous speakers and facilitators created the optimal space for taking everything up a notch.â&#x20AC;? A new category, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About The Song, provides $3,500 towards producer and studio costs for a young act to cut a single. Money For Managers gives $5,000 towards

past Management Workshop attendees for a weekly wage and assistantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fee while setting up a tour or album campaign. Other initiatives include Bush Bands Business ($5,000 for mentors) and Song Cycles Inbound, which aims to take urban music pros into remote indigenous festivals. Applications close Monday May 5. Full details at theseedfund.org.

TITLE, ALBERTS OFFER VINYL DEAL FOR RECORD STORE DAY Independent music retailer Title is running a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Get Pressedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; promotion for Record Store Day (Saturday April 19). It offers an indie act the chance to have its music pressed on a seven-inch vinyl EP with two tracks and full colour artwork. The winner gets 100 copies, with additional copies available in Title. Title CEO Steve Kulak said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Record Store Day is fast becoming Titleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest trading day outside of Christmas.â&#x20AC;? Go to titlestore.com.au for details, entries close April 13. Also on April 19, Alberts Productions is releasing vinyl versions of The Best of The Easybeats + Pretty Girl (1967), Stevie Wrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hard Road (1974), The Angelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Face To Face (1978) and Rose Tattooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rose Tattoo (1978).

EMINEM HITS ANOTHER TWO MILLION MARK Eminemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Marshall Mathers LP 2 has hit the two million sales mark in the US. All his other albums have also sold two million each, with The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show each selling over ten million. Billboard reported that, since 1991, only he and The Backstreet Boys have had two ten-million-sellers. Eminem has now sold a total of 44.91 million albums in the States. That puts him at number six on the US best-selling album artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; list since Nielsenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SoundScan started tracking sales in the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s. Garth Brooks tops that list with 69.52 million, followed by The Beatles (65.55 million) and Metallica (54.26 million). Mariah Carey (54.24 million) and Celine Dion (52.21 million) follow. All but one Eminem album has topped the US charts. The exception was his 1999 debut The Slim Shady LP, which made it up to number two.

PNAU HAVE ANOTHER HIT IN EUROPEâ&#x20AC;Ś

E HIFI 1300 THO M.AU

THEHIFI.C

Just Announced This Week

â&#x20AC;ŚAND 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER TIPPED TO BREAK AMERICA

Karnivool

Darkside

Kylesa (USA)

Tue 29 Apr

Wed 02 Apr

Thu 3 Apr

Monster Magnet (USA) Fri 4 Apr

Coming Soon

Flying Circus feat.

Diva Fever feat. Deborah Cox

Toxic Holocaust & Skeletonwitch

Skid Row & Ugly Kid Joe

Thu 17 Apr

Sat 19 Apr

Sat 26 Apr

Sun 27 Apr

John Newman

D.R.I

Thu 1 May

Fri 2 May

DJ Premier & Pete Rock (USA)

Children of Bodom

Sat 3 May

Fri 9 May

Misery Signals (USA)

Band of Skulls (USA)

Tankard (GER)

Fri 16 May

Fri 20 Jun

Fri 11 Jul

Jonny Craig (USA)

Kingswood

Sat 10 May: All Ages

Fri 30 May

The Crimson ProjeKCt

Rebel Souljahz (USA)

Fri 27 Jun

Sat 27 Sep

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

8 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

PNAU have another hit in Europe, with a remix of their 2008 single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, by French producers Faul and Wad Ad, going to number two in the UK. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already gone to number one in Germany and is Top Ten in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The worldwide Shazam chart has it at number five. Peter Mayes and Nick Littlemore are putting the finishing touches on their mid2014 album.

Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5 Seconds Of Summer look set for a hit in America with their She Looks So Perfect EP, Billboard reported. The EP, released there Tuesday April 1 on Capitol, is set to sell 150,000 to 200,000 in its first week, judging from strong pre-orders and social media buzz. The band toured America with One Direction last year, and returns to play the US on April 11. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll then tour with One Direction through Europe, the States and Canada from May 23. In Australia, their seven theatre shows through Live Nation for April/May have sold out.

JANE ENGLISH TO HEAD MUSIC SALES AUSTRALIA Music publishing veteran Jane English is the new managing director of Sydney-based Music Sales Australia. She held top executive positions at BMG Music Publishing Asia Pacific (2000-2003), EMI Music Publishing, Asia (1997-2000), Warner/Chappell Asia and Warner Bros Music Publishing, Australia (1982-1986) and Rondor Music Australia (1978-1982). For eight years, English was director of Justin Hemmesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Jam Music, running the Good Vibrations festival, Jamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s booking agency, events, touring, recordings and publishing, as well as the Chinese Laundry and Tank nightclubs.

BYATT MOVES TO BREAKFAST AT 2SER Mitch Byatt will take over 2SERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakfast shift after Easter, moving from the drive program after five years. He replaces Tim Higgins who has opted to take on behindthe-scenes roles at the station â&#x20AC;&#x153;and have a sleep inâ&#x20AC;?.

THE TONGUE HIP HOP WORKSHOP Hip hop artist The Tongue is delivering a one-day short course this Saturday April 5 at 80 George Street in Redfern. He says heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approached regularly by aspiring MCs to mentor them, which is not feasible, so the workshop is the best alternative. Over six hours heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll cover songwriting, public image, marketing themselves, building a fan base, networking with other rappers and dealing with the industry. Tickets are available for $100 through eventbrite.com.au.

I AM D WINS HOODS INITIATIVE Queenslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I Am D AKA Tom Daley won the 2014 Hilltop Hoods Initiative. He gets $10,000 from APRA AMCOS towards the release and promotion of his debut solo album, legal advice from Media Arts lawyers and packs from Shure Microphones and Zoo York Clothing. The Hoodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; MC Suffa said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were blown away by the amount of entrants this year.â&#x20AC;?

TWITTER DROPS AUSSIEDEVELOPED MUSIC APP Twitter has axed its #Music app after a year. The app ranked the songs trending on the platform. It was significant for Australia as Twitter acquired Queensland startup We Are Hunted to develop it, and most of its execs relocated to the US. But the app ran into problems when Twitterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business development chief Kevin Thau, an enthusiastic supporter, left the company some weeks after. The number of downloads dropped dramatically. Meanwhile, Australia will be the third country to add Twitter data to TV ratings. Advertisers will know which shows attract the most tweets. Unofficially, there are four million Twitter users in Australia. 44 per cent of our online population connects in social TV conversations.

Lifelines Injured: TiĂŤsto had concussion after he knocked himself out bumping his head on a giant flatscreen television before a show in San Diego. Hospitalised: Avicii needs to have his gall bladder removed. He cancelled playing the Winter Music Conference in Miami after being hospitalised with abdominal pain. Expecting: Christina Aguilera told fans during a show in Malaysia last Friday she is expecting a girl. In Court: the man accused of assaulting a bus driver on the Gold Coast after an argument about change was sound engineer Jean-Adelphe Lasm, 20. In Court: NY label VMG Salsoul is suing Moby, alleging he used improper samples on his 1992 songs â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Next Is The Eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thousandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, taken from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Let No Man Put Asunderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Philadelphia girl group First Choice. Four months ago, the label lost a similar case against Madonna for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Vogueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In Court: the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that ISPs can legally block pirate sites. It was during a case brought by Constantin Film and Wega after Austrian ISP UPC Telekabel Wien failed to block access to kin.to, the largest pirate site in Germanspeaking Europe with four million daily users. In Court: NSW police are investigating death threats by a female against Skip Film Productions Sydney director Noel Sadler after he made allegations in the Sunday Territorian newspaper on March 16 that Dene Broadbelt (also with surnames Mussillon and Morgan), organiser of nationwide spring regional festival Infinity, had a trail of unpaid bills. In Court: a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles upheld a ruling that the LAPDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s firing of an officer who leaked a photo of Rihanna after she was attacked by Chris Brown in 2009 was justified.

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GIVE YOURSELF TO THE ELK

PERPLEX BY MARIUS VON MAYENBURG TRANSLATED BY MAJA ZADE

31 MAR – 3 MAY 2014 WHARF 1 THEATRE

SYDNEYTHEATRE.COM.AU 9250 1777 DIRECTOR

LIGHTING DESIGNER

DESIGNER

COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER

SARAH GILES RENÉE MULDER

BENJAMIN CISTERNE MAX LYANDVERT

WITH

ANDREA DEMETRIADES GLENN HAZELDINE REBECCA MASSEY TIM WALTER

PRODUCTION PATRON

ANDREW STUART

TIX $30-65

WARNING: CONTAINS NUDITY & STRONG LANGUAGE *Booking fees may apply

#PerplexedElk

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JOSS STONE

But then there’s the whole world. I feel like there should not be any barriers. There are no barriers when it comes to music. Music is a completely universal language.” The fact this tour visits countries prudently left off most travelling artists’ gig lists makes it a rare opportunity for the locals to witness Western pop music firsthand. What’s more, Stone’s tour plans aren’t simply focused on increasing her global following. “It also will be a charitable effort,” she says. “I want to visit a different charity in each country and see what I can do to help personally and, those that listen to me, see what I can encourage them to do to help.” Stone hasn’t refrained from supporting charity in the past. She’s directed funds from music sales towards AIDS research and relief, performed at Live 8 and Live Earth, and appeared in a PETA awareness campaign (Stone herself is a vegetarian). Despite these ongoing efforts, she admits that making an active contribution to every worthy organisation out there just can’t be done. “You try to spread yourself as thin as you possibly can because there isn’t really one problem that is worse than another. Death is death, whether it’s death from hunger, or death from not having enough water, or natural disasters, illnesses. There’s so many shitty things that go on in this world, there’s no one thing that matters more than another. It’s impossible for one human to do it all, but to encourage millions of people to do a lot is not impossible. I feel like I’ve been given certain tools in this life and I should use them.” Indeed, Stone has been taking advantage of her natural vocal talents since a very young age. On her 2003 debut, Soul Sessions, the singer already demonstrated an in-depth understanding of vintage soul and R&B. With the following four records, Stone developed her own songwriting voice, before releasing a sequel to her debut (simply titled Soul Sessions II) in 2012. Though she hasn’t issued an originals album since LP1 in 2011, it’s no surprise to discover the perpetually productive Stone has a new set almost ready for release. “Hopefully we’ll have the album being mixed in April while I’m away on my first leg of the world tour. Then I’ll come home and I’ll work on it some more and then it will be done. It’s soul music – everything is, if you feel it – but it’s a mixture of R&B/hip hop and reggae overtones.”

ALL AROUND THE WORLD BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

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British singer probably wants some downtime this year. However, the ambitious gig schedule she’s just dived into suggests otherwise. In late March, Stone made her way to Morocco, “and then from that point on, every gig is going to be part of the world tour,” she says. And when she says “world tour”, she means it. “It depends what list you look at, but the list that’s recognised by the UN is 196 countries [in the world]. That’s what we’re going to go by. I’m doing all of them.”

“When you’re a touring singer,” she explains, “there’s certain places that people want you to go – the fans will be in certain places.

The term ‘soul music’ generally refers to a particular stylistic quality, which traces back to African-American gospel music. But perhaps any emotionally stirring music comes from the soul, not the mind. “We share emotions, humans – we share our feelings with each other, and that’s the beauty of soul music,” says Stone. “I can go onstage and I might sing a song that’s desperate and people will feel it. “The beauty in singing a sad song is that it helps everybody that feels that way feel like they’re not alone. That’s what soul music does for me personally. It doesn’t put me into a sad space, it puts me into this space where I’m like, ‘Well thank God I’m not the only one that feels like that.”

Given Stone’s considerable success and massive fan base, there are clear expectations on her to meet a certain standard with everything she releases. For the soul artist, this can raise a contradiction: if there are rules of success to follow, how can anything truly come from the soul? Stone doesn’t see it that way. “Because I haven’t been musically trained at all I don’t really know what’s right or what’s wrong or what the normal chord progression would be for a soul record or a blues record. So all I have is my gut. The way that I decide whether it’s worthy of being put out there to the masses is whether it feels good. “The reason why I like [music] so much is because it’s not stressful and it doesn’t matter what you do. If it doesn’t feel like it’s fl owing then, for me, it isn’t meant to be. I think if you remember why you began then you can continue. I began because I wanted to enjoy the music that was on this planet. So if I’m sat in the studio getting frustrated over a song then I’ve already defeated the purpose of why I began. “As long as it sounds nice and evokes an emotion, I feel like you’ve achieved the goal of making good music,” she adds. “There are really no rules to it. You don’t need to be particularly ambitious, you just need to feel good about it. That’s the beauty in it, it’s a freedom of thought and spirit and vibe. It’s quite a beautiful thing.” With: India.Arie Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday April 24 And: Also appearing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Devendra Banhart, India. Arie, Erykah Badu, Jake Bugg, Passenger and many more at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21 xxx

ack in 2003, the 16-yearold Joss Stone emerged to inject startling lungpower into neo-soul versions of songs by the likes of The White Stripes and The Isley Brothers. Fast-forward to 2014 and she’s released six hit albums (shifting in excess of 14 million copies worldwide), scooped up a stack of BRITs and Grammys, and collaborated with everyone from Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck to John Legend and hip hop luminary Common. After such a mammoth first decade in the music biz, the now 26-year-old

Later this month the Total World Tour brings Stone our way to appear at Bluesfest, as well as a string of co-headline shows with India.Arie. As it stands, Stone expects the various stages of the tour to take at least a couple of years. Australia might be a long way to travel, but that’s nothing compared to performing in places such as North Korea and Syria, where military confl ict and government hostility is rife. Stone’s tour is certainly a gutsy undertaking, but she points to a simple reason for scheduling dates in the globe’s lessfrequented regions.

“WHEN YOU’RE A TOURING SINGER, THERE’S CERTAIN PLACES THAT PEOPLE WANT YOU TO GO – THE FANS WILL BE IN CERTAIN PLACES. BUT THEN THERE’S THE WHOLE WORLD. THERE ARE NO BARRIERS WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC.”

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4 -15 JUNE

25 WAYS OF SEEING IN THE DARK

25 ﬁlms from this year’s program at sff.org.au/preview FULL PROGRAM 7 MAY Buy a Flexipass now and save on ticket prices.

GOD HELP THE GIRL

E-TEAM

FRANK

KILLERS

Directed by and featuring music from Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, this poignant indie-pop musical is a coming-of-age story about a troubled girl (played by Emily Browning) who sings and dances her way through the streets of Glasgow.

Dedicated, valiant teams of investigators from Human Rights Watch head to the world’s hotspots to document and expose humanrights atrocities in this dynamic and inspiring documentary.

Michael Fassbender (who spends most of the ﬁlm wearing a bizarre fake head) stars in a hilarious and sometimes dark comedy about an ambitious pop group who face the pitfalls of fame at SXSW. Maggie Gyllenhaal co-stars.

A Tokyo serial killer who uploads footage of his grisly deeds to a secret website is stalked by a copycat Jakarta journalist in this cult thriller. An intense psychological drama and a riveting study of violence ensues.

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE

NELSON MANDELA: THE MYT Y H AND ME

WE ARE THE BEST!

IS THE MAN WHO IS T TALL HAPPY?

Superbly restored, Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic about ﬁve friends who encounter a family of cannibal psychopaths remains one of the most notorious, inﬂuential and terrifying motion pictures ever made.

In his personal letter to Nelson Mandela, director Matabane confronts his childhood hero with the question of whether he went too far in his policy of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Lukas Moodysson (Lilya 4-Ever) r returns with a boisterous, feel-good ﬁlm about three 13year old girls in early-’80s Stockholm who are determined to form a punk band despite a notable absence of musical talent.

This is a ﬁlmed conversation, illustrated with hand-drawn animation, between two distinctive minds: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) d and philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky.

PARTICLE FEVER

PULP

UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL

MAN: ALTMAN ON ALT A RETROSPECTIVE

This exhilarating and thoroughly enjoyable documentary looks behind the scenes of one of the most momentous scientiﬁc feats of our age: the Large Hadron Collider and the search for the ‘God Particle’.

This portrait of the Britpop icons at their last hometown concert is full of wit and warmth; when the charismatic Jarvis Cocker takes to the stage and the fans sing ‘Common People’, you’ll want to join in!

An award-winner at the Venice Film Festival, Australian ﬁlmmaker Kitty Green’s fascinating documentary reveals the true story of FEMEN, Ukraine’s infamous topless female protestors.

Presented by Robert Altman’s eldest son, Michael Altman, this selection of classics celebrates the cinematic genius of “a man who didn’t play by the rules or stick to the script.”

SFF.ORG.AU BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 11

Paul Greene Laps Of The Land By Augustus Welby regional New South Wales in support of the release. “If it wasn’t for regional Australia, I wouldn’t have been able to survive,” Greene says. “I’ve been a full-time musician since 2001. It’s been my living all along. To run my business I’ve relied on the support of rural Australia. I’ve also grown quite fond of it in the process, and look forward to going back to those little towns and seeing my friends. And they look forward to me coming back.” Places such as Milton, Bulli and Jervis Bay are scarcely included on any band’s touring itinerary. Instead, Australian musicians tend to favour major cities, occasionally venturing out to university towns. Greene speculates about what might dissuade others from following his lead. “I think a lot of bands just do gigs purely to promote. All the smoke and mirrors I fi nd lame. It’s all about which venue and what band you’re playing with and it’s all about being seen as a success. I know it’s a cliché, but for me it’s about playing music to people that like it. And I try to keep it that way.” Greene. The singer-songwriter’s new LP One Lap Of The Sun came out last week, and at present he’s dotting a trail through

Greene’s outlook stems from growing up in the South Coast town of Nowra in the 1980s. “I was starving for music,” he says. “There was only ABC and

Joining Greene onstage for the current tour are The Other Colours, who also back him up on the new record. One Lap Of The Sun is Greene’s eighth album and, like 2012’s ARIA-nominated Behind The Stars, it was recorded and produced by the man himself. However, Greene implemented a rather different songwriting technique this time around. “I actually went in [at] nine o’clock in the morning, sat down in my little studio in the heart of Nowra and wrote for the day, had a break for lunch and wrote until dinner. Every other song I’ve kind of made up while I’ve been travelling, or it had been jammed out in soundcheck and then formed into a song, very naturally or instinctively. [For this album] I actually sat down and wrote. It was quite calculated and controlled, for me to take that approach.” Spending 15 years working alone, an artist could easily run into a songwriting impasse. Adopting

this mediated construction method allowed Greene to tweak his writing formula. “A little game I was playing while I was writing was to have six lines in the verse, not four – just little things like that, that made the song more interesting to me. Doing little things that weren’t predictable; trying to make little changes to the arrangements and make changes to the songs.” Rest assured, though, One Lap Of The Sun is not an experimental release. Taking infl uence from the sophisticated songwriting of Neil Finn and Scott Walker, Greene hasn’t lost sight of his primary goal. “It’s all about honouring the song,” he says. “I’ve got this opportunity and I have a gift that I can use. That’s what recording and touring and everything is about: having respect for the song.” What: One Lap Of The Sun out now through ABC/Universal Where: Lizotte’s, Dee Why When: Thursday May 1 And: Also appearing at Venue 505 on Friday May 9; The Junkyard, Maitland on Friday May 23; Lizotte’s, Newcastle on Thursday May 29; Lizotte’s, Central Coast on Sunday June 1; and The Brass Monkey on Thursday June 5

xxx

he road less travelled isn’t necessarily the road less lucrative. Not if you ask experienced journeyman Paul

one commercial channel in the South Coast until the mid-’90s, so any infl uence I could get was great. It was a little bit exciting if something was coming to town. Like, if Noiseworks came to town we’d go and see them play. I’d just try to soak up as much of it as possible. That excitement was part of my growing up.”

We Are Scientists The Stars Align By Jody Macgregor side of the audience that has been carefully marinating for eight years or whatever. But with that caveat, the new songs have been going down very well, I would say.” Those new songs come from this year’s album, TV En Français, which began with a very specifi c idea: We Are Scientists wanted to make a 1990s album. In particular, an album like those by Evan Dando’s band The Lemonheads. “We got about half of a record into it and then felt really uncomfortable,” says Cain. “It felt like we were aping; I guess like we were trying to do something that wasn’t We Are Scientists. A fair criticism, because we were trying to do a Lemonheads record! And although the songs were, I think, pretty cool, we definitely were like, ‘We need to start over.’”

12 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

unnecessary in 2010 as death by polio.” “That’s some pretty good phrasing,” says bass player Chris Cain when I read the review back to him. “I have to hand it to ourselves, it’s good and it’s very accurate.” Those terrible margaritas, which accompanied “probably the worst meal we’ve ever had on the road”, inspired the first of several Yelp reviews, varying from the brutal to the glowing. Of course, We Are Scientists are familiar with being on the other end of reviews themselves, but it’s the immediate reactions of crowds that Cain is focused on.

“You kind of have to learn as a performer how to discern between the unbridled appreciation and fervour that you get for your old songs – the songs that maybe people got laid to for the first time or remember from childhood days – there’s that level of appreciation, and then there’s actual contemporary enjoyment based on something that they genuinely like, but that they’ve only known for a month or something. It taps into an entirely different level of enthusiasm, and so as a performer I think you have to learn how to not get upset about the fact that new songs are never going to touch that

“I do think that lack of a horizon we were walking toward meant that we ended up with a record that, to me, sounds just like a pure, unadulterated We Are Scientists record, [more] than I think we have done before. I can clearly hear the influences in previous stuff. In this one I’m very hard-pressed to say, ‘Well, it sounds like Bowie or it sounds like Fleetwood Mac or it sounds like Weezer or Les Savy Fav,’ or whatever. I think this one is

Touring TV En Français is about to bring We Are Scientists back to Australia, and it’ll be their biggest tour here yet. They’ve uploaded a video to YouTube of themselves trying to walk across the country, or at least a green-screen version of it, to get to their next gig. In that video they end up starving to death in the desert – but when they’re here for real, they’re much more likely to be eating chiko rolls and chicken drumsticks at truck stops. After I explain that Yelp reviews are a thing in Australia too, Cain promises to write some for us. “I hereby vow to you that we will review one meal a day when we’re in Australia.” He won’t go easy on us either. Remembering a previous trip out here when they did the typical American tourist thing of seeing koalas, Cain says he was unimpressed. “I held a koala. He was kind of a sack of shit. He seemed like a surly little drunk bastard. He did not want to be there. It’s not like he fought me off or anything – I went to one of these places where you can hold a koala…” Lone Pine Sanctuary in Brisbane, where every visiting rock band goes to hold cuddly animals and get their photos taken? “It was, yes, and I don’t think you would apply the adjective ‘cuddly’ in the moment. He was furry, certainly, but it’s not like holding a cat that’s purring or a dog that’s pushing his nose against your ribs or whatever. Koalas don’t want to hang out with humans.” That sounds like a one-star review to me. Lift your game, koalas. What: TV En Français out now through Dine Alone Where: Factory Theatre When: Friday May 30

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xxxx

ouring bands spend a lot of time eating bad food. Cheap meals at greasy-spoon diners go hand in hand with travelling for months. No wonder they’re so picky about the hummus on their riders. We Are Scientists decided to take the expertise they’ve built up from years of tour-eating and share it with the world through the medium of Yelp reviews – hilarious Yelp reviews. Take this, for example, from their one-star review of Chili’s Grill & Bar in Crowley, Louisiana: “Our margaritas were absolutely terrible. There is no reason for these margaritas to exist in the world. They are as tragic and

Beginning again, this time without goalposts to work towards, meant a new direction emerged organically. “I think we got about 20 songs together and there was harder stuff and then there was the more, for lack of a better word – there needs to be a better word – indie stuff, and we decided to go for the indie stuff.” Then they hired producer Chris Coady, who has worked with Beach House, TV On The Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and who Cain describes as “definitely the best producer of indie stuff in the world”. They came up with ten songs they were much happier with, and felt like an honest portrayal of who they are.

definitely the one where we’ve come closest to achieving a We Are Scientists sound.”

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Dan Sultan Comeback Man By Dan Watt

fter flirting with success for over a decade, Australian rock singer and guitarist Dan Sultan may have arrived in the bigtime. His latest album, Blackbird, is slickly produced yet energetic, sexy and fun, with its seemingly effortless execution. The record screams accessibility while still remaining deeply credible and creative. To a casual observer, the description might seem obvious once you combine Sultan’s moviestar good looks, James Dean-like swagger and blues-drenched rock’n’roll vocals. However, belying this strut is over 14 years of hard gigging that began in 2000 at an open mic night in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown. It was a performance that led to Sultan’s friendship with fellow guitarist and songwriter Scott Wilson – a union that, in turn, inspired Sultan’s debut album, Homemade Biscuits (2006).

“When I first started the song it was just the chant and it was a lot slower, and sounded a bit Chinese,” says Sultan. “I was in a writing session and I decided to speed it up a bit and the song took shape from there. “The song’s meaning is that, ‘This relationship is finished because you’ve changed’. I [the protagonist] haven’t changed, but maybe that’s the problem. Maybe ‘he’ needed to pull his head in,” explains Sultan. Does Sultan often find himself in the position of ‘he’, the protagonist, in his lyrics? “From time to time,” he smiles. “With the banjo and the chanting it is pretty fun as well, on the ears, but it has heavy content.” The first taste of the album, ‘Under Your Skin’, marked Sultan’s return to the scene late last year. As comeback singles go, it was an interesting selection, given its subject matter. “It’s a pretty creepy song. It started as a love song but then it became a stalker, drug addict song. It’s a song about obsession

– whether that be of another person or a substance – and it’s not necessarily guy-to-girl or viceversa; it could be a guy to a guy or girl to a girl.” Lined up against his last release of four-and-a-half years ago, Get Out While You Can, Blackbird is a sassy and very different creature. The former won Sultan the Male Artist of the Year and Best Single Release awards at the Deadlys, celebrating individuals with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. Sultan was born to an Aboriginal mother and Irish father, and while he’s always embraced his ethnicity, he’s reluctant to discuss it at length. “Over the last few years I have been wanting to avoid this,” Sultan says softly. “Just because I find… I’ll tell you why, I just won’t say ‘no’, I don’t want to be a dickhead about it. Archie Roach said it best in an interview a few years ago when he said, ‘No-one asks Paul Kelly about where he’s from.’ I know it’s coming from a place that is genuine but at the same time, as Aboriginal artists, we find it hard to just be allowed to be artists.” What: Blackbird out Friday April 4 through Liberation And: Touring nationally soon – keep an eye on thebrag.com for details

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros High Flyers By Bob Gordon The funny part is my brother lives there, so I immediately sent that to him.” And he concurred? “Of course! He got a good laugh out of it.” Following The Magnetic Zeros’ Australian tour, Crash is readying himself for the release of his debut solo album, Hardly Criminal, later in the year. “It’s been a fun opportunity for me to stretch my wings, if you will, in this manner. Having so many lovely bandmates along the way, and even with The Magnetic Zeros and the creative pool that it is, sometimes you just write songs that aren’t so fit for everything that’s going on. “These songs came about mostly from being on the road with Edward Sharpe. It was really fun to be able to put some of my independent works down on an LP and share it. I’m really excited about it.”

ongs such as Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros’ ‘Better Days’ seem to capture time, space and ambience in a jar. It must be something to travel to farflung corners of the world and witness how four minutes of sound can speak so compellingly to so many. “The fact that you’re just even able to do that is just really rewarding,” Christopher ‘Crash’ Richard says. “With ‘Better Days’ you could just take that around and for anyone who’s heard the new record and has grown attached to that song or any song, it’s a very rich experience for us to see them move about and sing it as if it’s the anthem they have been carrying with themselves throughout the day. “It sort of translates to us as, ‘Wow, this is more than a song, it’s bigger than us.’ That’s always moving for us to realise.” 14 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

Crash was a contributor to The Magnetic Zeros before becoming a fully-fledged member. He just belonged. “I was finishing a record with a band I was in at the time called The Deadly Syndrome,” he recalls. “We had finished the record in Laurel Canyon on Woodrow Wilson Drive, and as that happened Alex [Ebert, bandleader] came in with some Edward Sharpe stuff because Nico and Aaron [Aglietti and Arntz, former members] produced out of that space. “So I met people once Alex came through the studio and of course those were the early days and my time was split, but I would sing with them and go on the road here and there. I guess within two or three years I’d jumped on board full-time. I think now we’re up to 11 of us onstage,” he laughs. Ebert is an enigma, albeit a friendly one, who has high expectations of

his collaborators – yet allows plenty of creative freedom. “All of us, I’d say, have pretty high expectations for how we want this to come across to our audience and how we want this to sound in a given space,” Crash explains. “Of course, leading that march, or that high standard, would be Alex. He has a real drive to see those things through – to bring the show and the songs and the material to the height that could be the highest for what it is. Like I said, it’s a pretty mutual standard amongst all of us, but very appreciated too, from one member to the next. It’s really great to have that kind of help and be a part of this type of team.” The DIY video for the band’s latest single, ‘Let’s Get High’, was directed by a fan who won a competition via an online call-out. Social media has certainly opened up the dialogue between fans and bands,

but something like this goes into a further artistic conversation. “These are tools that are here for us for that reason,” Crash says. “Especially for a band like ourselves today, we are perfectly positioned for that kind of interaction. I think it’s imperative for what we do. “Maybe there was a time when artists and musicians – and perhaps it still happens – would have this great divide between them and their audience. It feels like with every opportunity we get we try to eliminate that boundary.” Speaking of boundaries, in a special poll announced recently for each state in the US, The Magnetic Zeros were identified as the favourite band of Pennsylvania. Congrats! “It’s flattering and silly all at the same time, I guess,” Crash laughs. “But yeah, apparently there was this study and someone got this data that Pennsylvania was our state.

And Crash isn’t alone in this regard, with plenty of outside creative pursuits coming up from The Magnetic Zeros camp in 2014. “The cool part this year is that there is a lot of material being born, in that Alex is doing a lot of production, working on film composition and scoring and whatnot. There’s my Hardly Criminal debut as I said. Christian [Letts, guitar] will make a record and Jade [Castrinos, vocals/guitar], I believe, is working on a record, as well as Josh [Collazo, drums/saxophone]. So it’s gonna be cool, we’ll have a nice balance of Edward Sharpe, as well as our independent ventures blended with it.” What: Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros out now through Create/Control Where: Enmore Theatre When: Thursday April 10 And: Also appearing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Devendra Banhart, India. Arie, Erykah Badu, Jake Bugg, Passenger and many more at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21 thebrag.com

xxx

Blackbird, Sultan’s third effort (after Get Out While You Can in 2009) is a high-velocity release. “I think ‘fun’ is the big [descriptor], energetic as well,” Sultan says. “[Blackbird] feels like the most energetic record that I have made. Every record that you have made feels like practice for the one you are about to make, or the one that you are making at the time – you’re always wanting to go further with stuff.”

The latest single from the album, ‘The Same Man’, is a rollicking and rolling tune that pairs confessional lyrics with the inexorable bravado of the music. A particularly memorable aspect of the song is a hummed pre-chorus that calls to mind a Navajo Indian chant.

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Nahko And Medicine For The People Real Talk By Augustus Welby s the name suggests, American roots rockers Nahko and Medicine For The People aren’t messing around. Armed with their self-proclaimed “real talk” music, they’re on a mission to inspire positive change and spiritual harmony.

Xavier Rudd. They’ll be back in the country later this month for a national tour that includes a couple of appearances at Byron Bay Bluesfest. Anyone who caught them opening for Rudd last year will know the music’s earnest core doesn’t get in the way of a damn good time.

“Our focus certainly is to make music that tells the truth,” says the group’s leader, Nahko. “I’m a big fan of hip hop, I’m a big fan of pop music, but in pop music and a lot of other music the melody is a cloak for lyrics with just no content. A lot of the stuff that is out there on the radio, it’s music that’s just passes the time. It makes me dance in my car sometimes but I’m not really listening to it going, ‘Oh wow, this is changing my life right now.’”

“As musicians we jam hard together and we’re always just having a blast,” Nahko says. “Honestly, we play acoustic rock but we rock out. We’re just rocking out all the time.”

“I absolutely do not feel like I’m ever going to filter it for the audience’s standards,” he says. “As a poet and as a storyteller, I certainly feel like it’s so important to speak your mind, to explain how you feel about something or to tell a story to its fullest point.”

Thankfully, placing such fundamental emphasis on the pointed messages within his songs hasn’t given Nahko a superiority complex. He makes sure not to dismiss other artists’ efforts in any genre. “Whether it’s Justin Bieber or it’s Angel Haze or it’s Medicine For The People, it all has its purpose. I don’t feel like anybody out there who’s making music right now needs to change the way they’re making music, at all. Their process is their process and certain people are being changed by those artists in their own way.”

While Nahko doesn’t elaborate on Bieber’s artistic credentials, he actually identifies the rising New York hip hop artist Haze as another contemporary exponent of “real talk” music. “There’s a lot of stuff that some people wouldn’t want to listen to necessarily, but her story is inspirational and, what she’s come through, I can understand why she’s angry. As an artist she’s inspired me and as a poet she’s inspired me.” Medicine For The People were in Australia just six months ago touring with spiritual counterpart

What: Dark As Night out now through Hundred Handed Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Friday April 25 And: Also appearing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Devendra Banhart, India.Arie, Erykah Badu, Jake Bugg, Passenger and many more at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21

Foy Vance Hope And Joy By Jody Macgregor Doing it for a living meant moving again. Vance’s family had returned to Ireland, and he found himself flying from Belfast to London so often that eventually he gave in and moved there, returning to Ireland briefly to record his debut release. He calls himself “a bit of a late bloomer, I guess you’d say – I was 32 when I released my first album. I wanted it to be an experience for me more than anything else. I wanted to enjoy it so I thought about [recording] where I would find most enjoyable, and that’s the Mountains of Mourne [in the south-east of Northern Ireland], being surrounded by the mountains and the peace and the quiet.”

Kaiser Chiefs

But the album he came out with, 2007’s Hope, didn’t live up to his expectations. “I don’t think it sounds great,” he admits. “I don’t really like it that much as a record, if I’m being honest with you.” While he says it does have some “nice songs” on it, he wasn’t happy with the release as a whole – and wasn’t happy with London either. “It’s just so expensive to live there and it’s always busy. After a while it really got to me.”

Never Miss A Beat By Jody Macgregor

efore you ask, it turns out Kaiser Chiefs weren’t big fans of their last two albums either. “Maybe the last couple of records we haven’t delivered the goods,” admits bass player Simon Rix. “I think there’s some good songs but I don’t know if they’re the best albums, so I felt like we had something to prove.” Another reason to feel they’ve got something to prove is the loss of their drummer and founding member, Nick Hodgson. For most bands, that wouldn’t be such a big deal: find a new drummer, put out a press release, make a Spinal Tap joke and move on. But Hodgson wasn’t just their drummer, he was their principal songwriter – the one who often came up with the ideas before passing them on to frontman Ricky Wilson and the rest of the band to finish off. “He was actually the person who was the linking between all the components of the band, you know? He left, so that was an important thing,” Rix says with understatement. “But I think now in hindsight it was a great shakeup. Something really big happened and it was like, ‘Wow, OK, what’re we gonna do?’ It was an opportunity, I think, for us to start again, like a clean slate – to do something different and push things in a different direction. I think also with the jeopardy that was caused by Nick leaving, it reignited our hunger.” That new start has resulted in Kaiser Chiefs’ fifth album, Education, Education, Education & War. ‘War’ is an apt description – several of these songs sound like battle cries, calls to arms. “We’re at our best when we’re a little bit angry,” says Rix, “and we’re also saying something about society and life, modern life, that’s when we are at our best; when we’ve got something to get off our chests.” After Hodgson announced his departure there were several awkward months when they still 16 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

had shows to play before they could get on with this new beginning. “I think it’s easy if you fire someone, but because he went very amicably there’s lots of contracts and various things that had to be sorted out. We were just waiting around, really, because the four of us wanted to get on with getting on but we had a little bit of waiting around to do, so that was frustrating and a couple of us did some other things in the meantime.” Those other things include Wilson’s surprising move of signing on as a judge on the UK version of The Voice, where he sits alongside Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones and Will.i.am. Not everyone in the band was sure it was a great idea, but Wilson convinced them, explaining it would get them back in the attention of the mainstream audience they’ve always wanted. Right from the start, Kaiser Chiefs have been a pop band with their eyes on the charts, one who would perhaps have been more at home in the 1990s when they could have tussled with Oasis and Blur for a space on the front of NME. Instead, they’ve lacked competition, having gone straight to the Mercury Prize shortlist with their first album, Employment. “When you’ve done it and you’ve had hit records and played lots of gigs and been given lots of awards, lots of praise, maybe you lose that hunger a little bit,” says Rix. “I’m sure I didn’t mean to, but I think we all did a little bit. I think we regained it; suddenly we had something to prove again – that we could do it without Nick. And also, I think because it’s our fifth album, we’ve done it for ten years, a lot of bands fall by the wayside and I think we suddenly realised we had to step up and we had to prove that we still were the best band around.” What: Education, Education, Education & War out now through Liberator

hen I talk to Foy Vance, the Irish singer-songwriter is in America, where he’s just done a stereotypically American thing – attended his first baseball game. “Kinda like watching cricket a bit, actually,” he says. It’s surprising Vance hasn’t seen a game before, because when he was a kid his family moved to America and stayed there for several years. But his father was a preacher and his was a very old-fashioned upbringing – especially with the music he heard in his father’s church.

One more move was on the cards, to somewhere that had the mountains and the peace and quiet he craved – the Scottish Highlands. There, he put together his second album, Joy Of Nothing. This time Vance’s aim was to create a musical journey, as the cliché goes. The entire album builds to a climax in ‘Guiding Light’, which sounds like it could be one of those old church hymns he grew up with, only the voice joining in is that of Ed Sheeran. “Ed had been comin’ to my gigs since he was about 13, with his dad,” says Vance. “He got in contact about writing together, actually, and that started the conversation. Then we met up one night in Dublin and did a bit of a song-sharing thing ’til about five in the morning.”

“They don’t allow musical instruments. It’s quite old-school – lining up, someone at the front sings out and then the congregation sing it back. But being that it was all voices, actually I quite liked that element of it, because if it’s only voices then everyone finds a harmony or sings a bassline. The singing was really good. It was the only good thing to come out of that, really.”

Vance also shares songs with his family, keeping alive his grandmother’s tradition of bringing the guitar out at family events. His tenyear-old daughter has written her first song, and wants to follow in her dad’s footsteps. His reaction is that of a typical parent. “I’m trying to make sure she has a backup plan. This industry’s changing dramatically, you know?” He knows it better than most.

Although there were no instruments allowed in church, things were different at home, where Vance’s father introduced him to the guitar and taught him to play the 12-bar blues. “I grew up in a family where there was a lot of music. My granny would sing a lot; anytime we had a family get-together, the guitar would come out. There was a lot of singing in the house. It was just something I did for my own pleasure, and then before I knew it I was doing it for a living.”

What: Joy Of Nothing out now through Glassnote Where: Supporting Grace Potter and The Nocturnals at Oxford Art Factory When: Wednesday April 23 And: Also appearing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Devendra Banhart, India.Arie, Erykah Badu, Jake Bugg, Passenger and many more at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21 thebrag.com

xxx photo by xxxx

Nahko and Medicine For The People have independently released two albums since coming together in 2008. On both records, the debut LP On The Verge and last year’s Dark As Night, Nahko’s wordy expositions sit front and centre, amply supported by acoustic instrumentation and vocal harmonies. Striving to fill each sonic moment with a firm, pro-activating purpose could scare off casual listeners, but that hasn’t softened Nahko’s creative agenda.

The fun isn’t restricted to the onstage area, either. Nahko’s already built a reputation for rousing rooms full of people into choral unity. “When you go to a show where you can laugh, cry, mosh – whatever you’re going to do – you want to be part of the whole event. We encourage participation on the highest level. It seems like, almost involuntarily, it just happens that [at] most of our shows people will end up singing along with us and getting down with us.”

I M A G I N E B E I N G M A D E TO

FE EL L IKE CRAP JU ST FOR

BEING

LEFT

H A N D E D.

Okay, that’s hard to imagine? But being gay, lesbian, bi, trans or intersex is no different to being born left handed, it’s just who you are. So stop and think because the things we say are likely to cause depression and anxiety. And that really is pretty crap. GO TO LEFTHAND.ORG.AU TO WATCH THE VIDEO

STOP t THINK t RESPECT

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arts frontline

free stuff head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Hannah Warren and Emily Meller

five minutes WITH

SHANNON TE AO back. Devoid of specific locations and peoples’ names, the tone of the text sits somewhere between an apology and an argument. Essentially, the narrative of the text revolves around reflection of an unfaithful loved one. My recent work has often been invested in spaces of domestic ambiguity and tension. I first came across this particular text during some broader research into Maori poetic forms and it became a real focus during post-production of the work.

Shannon Te Ao and Chester

hannon Te Ao is an Australian-born, New Zealand-based artist in town for the Biennale Of Sydney. He took five minutes to talk to us about poetry, animals and the Biennale conflict. Tell us about your piece in the Biennale. Two shoots that stretch far out is a new video work shot late last year at an animal wrangling farm in Waikanae, north of Wellington. Viewers will see a number of small clips of me reading poetry to a range of different animals. The title

Two shoots that stretch far out is the English translation of a Maori proverb that describes the image of two separate shoots of a plant, vine or specifically a gourd growing in opposite directions. Historically, this phrase has been used to describe aspects of, for example, a long distance relationship or even people’s search for their own roots. What’s the piece of poetry in the video? The text that features in the work is an adaptation of on old Maori song called A Song For Two Wives. My version is stripped

Why the animals? I initially became interested in working with animals as markers of the limits and potential of our own communication. Part of the tension in the work is the image of a man trying to speak very personal, heartfelt things to other beings (in this case a range of animals) that can never logically empathize. It’s simultaneously tragic and absurd. The animals that I worked with on the project are all actors or performers. (They all have longer CVs than I do!) They are all animals that are somewhat

domesticated, some of them are edible and generally they are all ‘common’. They are all ‘non-exotic’ and relate to our (human) everyday experience on various registers. What’s the Biennale experience been like? Readers who have been following the ‘Transfield related boycotts’ leading in to this year's Biennale will already know what a complicated context has surrounded the event. It has been anxious for most of the artists that I have spoken to and there has been energetic and heated discussion from all angles. Big shout-outs to Juliana and the team who through it all have done their best to ensure the artists involved have been free to act according to their own will and have in the end put together a diverse exhibition which is on many levels ‘of the moment'. What: Two shoots that stretch far out, part of the Biennale Of Sydney When: Until Monday June 9 Where: Art Gallery of NSW

Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston in Only Lovers Left Alive

TICKETS! DVDS! WIN!

Everyone’s talking about Jim Jarmusch’s new film Only Lovers Left Alive – a cryptovampire love story about an underground musician, depressed by the direction of human activities, and his enigmatic lover. Their love story has endured several centuries until her wild younger sister disrupts their debauched idyll. There’s a pretty stellar lineup, including Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, and John Hurt, and an awesome soundtrack. Lucky for you, your friends at the BRAG have two Jim Jarmusch packs to give away! Each pack has one double pass to Only Lovers Left Alive, one copy of Ghost Dog on DVD, one copy of Dead Man on DVD and one copy of Down By Law on DVD. Woowee! To enter the competition, just head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us your favourite vampire (or other mythical being) movie. Anyone who says Twilight will be immediately disqualified. xxx

BIG NAMES IN SYDNEY

Filming began last week in Sydney on the new Australian feature film Strangerland, which means Sydneysiders are now celebrity hunting and having their best go at a bigbudget photobomb. Strangerland, directed by Kim Farrant, is a mystery drama about a couple whose two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert. Big names to keep your eyes peeled for include our very own Nicole Kidman, Josesph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving. After Sydney, shooting will continue in Broken Hill and Canowindra. Strangerland is due to be released in 2015.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ALTERNATIVE MARKET IS BACK

Whether you are in need of a ‘new’ vintage dress, a cult DVD or a haircut, the Rock ‘N’ Roll and Alternative Market has got you covered. Anyone who considers themselves a rock god, rock-a-billy, doll, dame, doowopper or wannabe will want to get down to the market by any means possible. Over three levels, and two huge courtyards outside Sydney University’s Manning Bar, festivities will be running all day. Live performers will include rockabillies Rusty & the Dragstrip Trio, the garage punk stylings of Los Tones and the gamblin’, ramblin’ Johnny Casino Three. Snag a record, some tasty treats and stick around for a drink (or three). Entry is $5 (children under 12 free) on Sunday April 6.

BROADWAY HIT NEXT TO NORMAL IN SYDNEY

The cast of Next To Normal

HIS MOTHER'S VOICE IN ATYP SELECTS

Bakehouse Theatre Company presents the world premiere of His Mother's Voice with Australian Theatre for Young People this June. Justin Fleming's latest play, based on a true story, follows the tumultuous chain of events set off as a mother defi antly teaches her son to play piano in Communist Shanghai in 1966. Culminating in a confrontation between Canberra and Shanghai, this play explores the limits of love – romantic, familial and patriotic. Directed by Suzanne Millar, this production forms part of the fresh and dynamic 'ATYP Selects' programme. His Mother's Voice will be running from Wednesday April 30 to Saturday May 17 at The Wharf, Walsh Bay, and tickets are available from atyp.com.au.

Rockdale Musical Society and St George Theatre Co’s production of the Pulitzer Prize winning Next To Normal starts this April. Touted as ‘not your ordinary musical,’ Next To Normal chronicles the struggles of a mother as she deals with the onset of bi-polar disorder as she tries desperately to hold her family together. Styled as a rock-musical, the play has been recognised for its realistic and honest portrayal of mental illness. This new production will star Charmaine Gibbs as mother Diana alongside Patricio Ulloa as husband Dan and Emma Taviani as daughter Natalie. Tickets are now available to the through rockdalemusicalsociety.com and it will be playing from Friday April 4 until Saturday April 12.

SMART ARTS

The City of Sydney present the Smart ARTS Festival – a variation of exhibitions and artistic workshops for up and coming artists. The festivities will run from April 4 to April 12 in various venues around town. Chippendale’s Creative Arts Space will act as the festival’s hub, with all events and workshops being one

hundred per cent free. Events will include Sydney’s biggest collaborative drawing games night and printmaking workshops. The smart ARTS festival is an opportunity for young Sydneysiders, aged 15 to 26, to explore their creative side through art, music, performance and film. For more info and to see Smart ARTS Festival program head to pinestreet.com.au.

Ukraine Is Not A Brothel

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FIRST FILMS FOR 2014

Art In Threads

Coming on the tail of Fashion Week, Art In Threads is a project celebrating an appreciation of multicultural diversity in our society through the synergy between art and fashion. It brings emerging local artists and fashion designers together for a collaboration in which each team will create a wearable artwork that evokes awareness of our multiculturalism. The final artworks will be showcased to the general public with the fashion show opening on Friday April 11, followed by a week-long exhibition until April 18 at Brand X space in L3 Central, Chippendale. For a list of artists and designers, and more details, head to artinthreads.com.

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thebrag.com

art In Threads photo by maylei Hunt

ART IN THREADS

The 61st Sydney Film Festival has announced 32 fi lms in this year’s event in advance of the full program launch. This teaser list includes a 40th anniversary screening of Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Friday June 13 at the Skyline DriveIn, an eight fi lm retrospective on maverick American fi lmmaker Robert Altman, and a specially curated photographic exhibition called Rosebud by Australian photographer Hugh Hamilton. There are also documentaries, including Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, The Unknown Known and Nelson Mandela: The Myth And Me; some out-there travel adventures with fi lms like Frank, Ukraine Is Not A Brothel and Pulp; sexy physics in Particle Fever; teenage punks in We Are The Best; and an Indian love story in The Lunchbox. Sydney Film Festival will screen across the city at the State Theatre, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Opera Quays, the Art Gallery of NSW, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne, the Apple Store, Grasshopper Lounge, SFFTV at Martin Place, Skyline Drive-In, and the Festival Hub at Town Hall. The full Sydney Film Festival program will be announced on Wednesday May 7 at 10am.

giveaway head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

WIN A 32” HD TV, BLU-RAY PLAYER & CARRIE ON BLU-RAY

WIN!

arrie, based on Stephen King's best selling novel, is one of the most wellknown horror stories of all time and is single-handedly responsible for making high school dances a thing of terror. Carrie White, a shy girl shunned by her schoolmates and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, unleashes telekinetic terror on her town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. This year Carrie has been reimagined and stars Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. It's

available now on Blu-ray, with an exclusive, never seen before alternative ending, and DVD. But you can’t watch a horror film on Blu-ray without a Blu-ray player. And you can’t use a Blu-ray player without a TV. So the BRAG wants to give you both. Yep, Furst Media has one Panasonic 32” HD LED TV and one Panasonic Blu-ray Player to give to one of our lucky readers, as well as ten copies of Carrie on Blu-ray for the runners-up.

To enter, just scoot on over to thebrag. com/freeshit and tell us the first film you would watch on your TV and Blu-ray player.

BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 19

THE LEGO MOVIE

n 1949, a small Danish toy company called LEGO – which translates to ‘play well’ – began producing little interconnecting bricks that would change the world of toys and create an empire that captured the hearts, minds and imaginations of children everywhere. Now, everybody’s favourite childhood toy is hitting the big screen...and it’s breathtaking. This week, The LEGO Movie finally lands in Australia, where the bulk of the filmmaking process took place. The story revolves around a construction worker named Emmet, who is so ordinary that nobody even seems to notice him. But owing to a chance encounter and a case of mistaken identity, it becomes his job to save the LEGO universe. Luckily for fans, the universe consists of favourite LEGO settings filled with old and new objects and constructs.

Despite the heartfelt storyline and the big names attached to the film, there have been doubts from cynics who have labelled it a giant advertisement. Co-Director of Animation, Chris McKay, says that this is by no means the case. “We had a choice to make a ninetyminute toy commercial, or to make it about something more. I think because we decided to focus on making it about the charm of what the brick films were, the love of the experience of building and the experience of being a creative person, ultimately that’s what our movie is and why I think [it] works for different generations. It’s about that impulse that everyone has, whether you’re a kid or whether you’re an adult. Because when you’re sitting there building, especially when you’re building a bucket of bricks and you’re in front of people, you are vulnerable, you are exposed.

arts feature Built With Love By Tegan Jones

Ultimately we all experience that, even on jobs, on dates, anything like that.” Watching the movie, it’s obvious that many of the people involved in the process are life-long fans of LEGO themselves. McKay admits “I was a kid who played with toys all through college...so for me to get to do this movie where I get to play with toys, I mean you can’t beat that!” Head of Animation, Rob Coleman had a similar confession, “I’ve played with LEGO as far back as I can remember. I even dabbled with little brick film ideas when I was a kid. In many ways it feels like it’s come full circle.” Considering the adult fans of LEGO involved in the film, it’s hardly surprising that it was made for both children and grown ups. Unlike many kids’ films where a few jokes are thrown in for the parents, The

The cast of The LEGO Movie

LEGO Movie has catered for multiple generations. Will Arnett’s portrayal of Batman is hilarious, and there are also a myriad of subtle gags that those with keen eyes may pick up. “There are hundreds of Easter eggs in this film. I would encourage people to look for little plastic pigs in the backs of scenes you may not expect to find a pig,” Coleman says. McKay says, “I think it was always important to us to make a movie that was broad and had jokes for everybody. But again, I think it’s less about the jokes…and more about the universal, visceral, primal impulses that the movie at its heart is about. I think that to me was the most important thing. Fortunately, that’s something that appeals to a wide variety of people.” Coleman praises the crew for this duality between adult and kid enjoyment. “I think it starts with the script. These guys are very funny and I think their slant on life and the world comes across as verbal humour for the adults and then more situational or slapstick humour for the kids. I know they worked very hard at it with the writing and the editing of the film. Finding the right balance so adults and kids will come away with a fun experience...was very much in the DNA of the film and the script, and it started that way and just evolved more and more.” This larger-than-life film is visually stunning and so intricate that it took three years to produce. Audiences will feel like they’re looking at real LEGO pieces, which is exactly what the team wanted to achieve. “When we sat down we said ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if we made a movie in LEGO

Emmet, Wyldstyle and Batman

he Used, the band that helped angsty teens around the world cope with all their feelings, is back with a brandspanking new album. The Used have straddled punk, rock, emo and even pop for well over a decade, and Imaginary Enemy is armed with Bert McCracken’s signature sharp vocals, stomping guitars and emotionally heavy lyrics. Heaps of feels. Imaginary Enemy is out April 4 via UNFD, and your buddies at the BRAG have five copies to give away.

The Used 20 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

To get yourself in the running, just head on over to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us your favourite emotion.

Some cheats were necessary though, particularly when it came to the mini figures, says Coleman. “[Directors] Lord and Miller told us they wanted to stay true to the hard plastic; no bending. When we first started animating we were like ‘What are we going to do, we can’t get a lot of motion out of these guys’.” McKay’s background in stop-motion helped with this challenge and he suggested customizing the holes by making them bigger and adding plasticine so they could have motions such as shrugging and moving from side-to-side. Despite this, audiences will see the finished product definitely stays true to the spirit of LEGO. As McKay says, “Everything we did on this movie was made with love.” Coleman agrees, “To engage with a little plastic character and feel for him, that starts with brilliant writing, then the staging choice to push in on our little hero, and then the subtlety of the performances. It all comes together and we have this emotional connection…and now we’re willing to go on a journey with this little guy; and it’s amazing.” What: The LEGO Movie When: In cinemas Thursday April 3

S AY W EA IV G

THE USED! CD! WIN! T

that if somebody had all the time and parts to be able to do it, could actually recreate all of that stuff.’ That was something that we always believed people would feel, even if you don’t explicitly see it. There were a handful of cheats in the movie at best. You literally could make almost everything in the movie,” says McKay.

WIN!

Construction Of The Human Heart

Stephen K Amos [COMEDY] K.O. By Chris Martin

tephen K Amos is an assertive man. The title of his new show, What Does The K Stand For?, doesn’t mean to suggest any kind of identity crisis. We won’t witness the British comedian going through one of those hour-long ‘What Am I Here For? What Was I Put On This Earth To Do?’ routines. Yes, he’ll tell us what the K stands for, and perhaps reveal a little more as well – but Stephen K Amos keeps his secrets secret.

[THEATRE] His And Hers By Kate Robertson

oss Mueller’s play Construction Of The Human Heart is a dark comedy that defies description. “It’s electric and fast and to the point – I’d say that the audience would have an exciting, raw and unexpected evening”, says director and producer Dino Dimitriadis. “It’s got these beautiful moments of lightness and humour and then it shifts; it falls into a deeper and kind of darker place. It is a piece that is for actors, it’s what theatre should be”.

“We live in such an age now where everything is online, you can’t say anything anymore without it being recorded somewhere for prosperity,” Amos says. “It’s quite nice to have some things that you don’t put out there. For example, I’ve never publicly said to anybody how old I am; I’ve never given interviews or said anything to Wikipedia, so I have no idea where they get their information from.”

Stephen K Amos photo by James Penlidis

What Amos will share is his thoughts on questions of universal identity. “The whole idea with this show is it’s just me, and I just have fun like I did in my previous shows, and I try and address the questions I’m asked a lot: i.e. ‘Where are you actually from?’; ‘What does the K stand for?’; ‘What’s your heritage background?’; ‘Are you in a relationship?’ – so I’m kind of addressing all those personal stories and hoping they’ll relate to other people.” Returning to the Sydney Comedy Festival for the fourth year running, Amos reckons his new material will speak particularly well to Australians. “Whenever I’ve been in Australia for Australia Day, I always question the fact that everyone’s celebrating, but where do you actually come from? … Were you born there, or were you born where your parents came from? I know there’s a lot of Greek people in Australia, lots of British people in Australia – who ‘owned’ Australia? Where are the Indigenous people in this mix? Where’s their Australia Day? So that’s [similar to] the notion of me asking myself where I come from, because obviously I was born and raised in London, my parents were [Nigerian] immigrants to this country, and that presents a dilemma.” As far as his comic identity goes, though, Amos can’t stand the lazy reviewers and critics who inevitably pencil him ‘the black gay comedian’. “I’m so bored of it, because what I don’t want is people to have a preconceived idea of who I am, what I am, and what I’m going to talk about. “I’m generally a person who’s got a very

Dimitriadis admits discussing Construction of the Human Heart is difficult. “You give away a lot with this piece if you start describing what happens in it. It’s more about what really happens. The set-up is two playwrights sitting in the space attempting to write a play which is basically what we’re seeing, and it’s a play based on their lives and as they try and find their words, and make sense of the play they’re writing, the truths fall out. So a lot of the humour is what they’re trying to write on the page, but as they try to deal with that and try to actually perform that, that’s when it goes into the deeper, layered territory”.

Stephen K Amos positive disposition. I believe that if you pay good money to go and watch a comedy show, by defi nition you want to go and have a laugh. Obviously you want to go and have a good think along the way, and that’s what I like to do with the audience, but primarily they’re there to laugh – they’re not to be made fun of, they’re not there to be fodder for me, they’re there to have a laugh, and to forget whatever it is that’s going on in your world for that couple of hours, you’ve come to see a comedy show. “I had a guy come up to me after a show in Melbourne once – he said, ‘I’ve just had my divorce papers through today, and can I just say to you, thank you for making me laugh.’ When you hear things like that, that kind of makes you go, ‘Yeah, that’s the reason why I’m doing this job.’ Laughter is the best medicine, and every one of us has got a story to tell, and I am fortunate enough to be able to translate that onto a stage, a platform.” Who: Stephen K Amos Where: Enmore Theatre When: Tuesday May 6 and Thursday May 8

need to significantly shift the kinds of work that’s being made.” Crowdfunding was fundamental to the development of this production, with a Pozible campaign established to pay the writers and actors. “It’s incredible – in ten days we got to the $5000 figure and the amount of discussion about artist fees and the need to pay artists was really wonderful”. He considers crowdfunding to be a great way to build a community around arts projects, centred on a common vision. “Basically, without the words and the performers, there is nothing and that should be at the centre of any producing conversation”, he says. “I’d rather have the actors on two milk crates and paid than not paid and incredibly lavish sets. Down the track, when the company gains traction, we can work out ways to make independent theatre more funded”.

Dimitriadis describes the two actors – Michael Cullen as ‘Him’ and Cat Martin as ‘Her’ – as extraordinary. “This piece is one hundred percent dependent on the right actors”, he says. “The way it actually unfolds, you can’t hide anything. It’s very bare bones, it’s very deconstructed, it’s two actors on a stage and so the theatre of it is very simple, so you need extraordinary actors to be able to carry the words and the feelings.” So, what emotions does the work invoke? “It explores all the extremes – it goes from laugh out loud euphoria to loss and to grief and sadness. It really kind of exposes the raw undercurrent of what people might be feeling and dealing with. It puts what we’re dealing with internally onto a stage and shows it to us, it’s quite beautiful in that way”. It seems balance is vital to Construction Of The Human Heart – between darkness and levity, His story and Her story, simplicity and depth. “It is very simple, but simplicity is really hard to achieve. It requires a lot of careful decisions because you’re dealing with less and everything that you’re achieving is really on show. So it’s just that balance between keeping it really pared back but finding the layers in that simplicity for the audience”, says Dimitriadis. “By choosing a show that is two people, that is simple, that’s not about set or costumes of lighting or anything, I’m basically saying that in order to pay the artists we need to reduce the costs and the way to do that we

Michael Cullen and Cat Martin in Construction Of The Human Heart What: Construction of the Human Heart Where: TAP Gallery, Darlinghurst When: Wednesday April 16 - Saturday May 3 More: apocalypsetheatrecompany.com

Perplex [THEATRE] Questioning Reality By Lee Hutchison

Perplex photo by Grant Sparkes-Carroll

n trying to explain the premise behind German playwright Marius von Mayenburg’s recently translated work, actor Tim Walter proves that it’s called Perplex for a reason. “It’s kind of hard to put your finger on. It starts off … in a living room and slowly the reality of these characters disintegrates and the assumptions they make about the world they live in are wrong.” If you were thinking the concept sounds rather abstract, you’d be right. The further Walter explains, the further away from the typical theatre experience he moves. “The play disintegrates so much that it ends up exploring questions of what it means to be human. It examines these great philosophical, existential questions where if you strip back all the social games and roles that people play in their life, what do you have left? Are we just mammals on a rock at the end of the day?” All this perplexing existentialism starts with a seemingly mundane premise – a couple, returning to their flat after a holiday. There’s a bizarre smell in the place, the electricity seems to have been cut off, the plants look bafflingly different and their friends who were supposed to be flat sitting are acting odd. “You think the friends are just going to

return the keys…but it turns out that it’s their flat as well,” explains Walter. “Slowly but surely their friends’ reality of this thing, their flat, overrides the first couple’s understanding that this is their flat and eventually they get kicked out. The reality has shifted around the characters.” Perplex premiered in Berlin in 2010 at the famed Schaubühne theatre. Marius von Mayenburg has been writer in residence there since the beginning of prolific director Thomas Ostermeier’s artistic directorship in 2000. His earlier work, The Ugly One, was performed in Sydney in 2011 and, under the direction of Sarah Giles (also the director of the current work), received the 2011 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Director of an Independent Production. Apparently the premise for the current work came to von Mayenburg when he was on vacation in Spain; inspiration struck when the playwright suffered a nightmare surrounding the isolation and irritation that he commonly felt when coming back from holidays. I ask Walter if he can personally relate to this experience. “Absolutely, that feeling of being in a foreign place and being alone and isolated and coming back from the holiday, back to the familiar world and not feeling like you quite belong.”

This sense of disorientation is pushed to the limit here as the four main characters evolve into a patchwork of different versions of themselves. “Glenn Hazeldine plays an eight year old version of himself and has a tantrum on stage,” Walter says. “At one point Andrea and I are Glenn’s parents, at another point I’m married to Rebecca. There’s even a moment where I’m Friedrich Nietzsch,” he chuckles. “It’s quite a kaleidoscope.” While it’s not the easiest work to get your head around, Walter’s enthusiasm for the concept is infectious. But even he struggles with how much to give away in drumming up public interest. “Some of my friends have been asking me about it and I’ve been a bit torn as to how much to say because I want to tell them all about it but at the same time I want them to come to the theatre and be surprised by all the changes. So I’ve been having to keep a few things in my hat.” What: Perplex When: Monday March 31 Saturday May 3 Where: Sydney Theatre Company, Walsh Bay More: sydneytheatrecompany.com

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

■ Film

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori

Zahra Newman and Gareth Davies Wade Doolan and Lara Lightfoot ■ Theatre

STITCHING Until April 12 at TAP Gallery As an audience we are implicated right from the beginning in Anthony Neilson’s Stitching. This dysfunctional couple are in love but resent each other, want to make things work but can’t communicate, and need to decide whether to keep their child. For us, on one hand there is the romance: the promise of making it work, the dream of mending the damage and making a life together. On the other hand there is the reality: if they can’t even speak civilly, what’s the point?

It’s a very confronting play, both in terms of theme and action, but treated deftly for the most part — the direction seems to always pull away at the right moment, keeping the pacing even. The play flashes to scenes in different time periods and slowly we uncover a tragedy that explains their mania, and questions our investment in their relationship.

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Until May 18 at Belvoir Street Theatre The Government Inspector was never meant to happen. It filled the spot left when rights to The Philidelphia Story fell through last minute, and it's a disaster. A glorious, hilarious, unabashedly ridiculous disaster.

The Gogol play of the same name tells the story of a small town in Russia whose residents mistake a low level clerk for the feared Government Inspector. The clerk is lives large on the town’s dime, seduces the mayor’s wife and daughter, then disappears. This version, written by Simon Stone and Emily Barclay, revolves around an amateur theatre troupe left in the lurch when the rights to their play fall through. In a desperate, last-ditch attempt to stay on stage, they ask a world-famous Ukranian director to come and direct them in his play The Government Inspector. A down-on-his luck actor is mistaken for the director, he thinks they’re practicing improv, hilarity ensues.

There are flaws throughout, though small, including a bland use of voiceover that detracts from the characters’ pathos, and an ending, that whilst powerful and moving, also alienates us from Abby — her hysteria, in an Ophelia-esque madness, cuts us off from her during the emotional climax instead of engaging us fully. Stitching still hits hard, though, and definitely adds to TAP Gallery’s continually exciting repertoire, with performances that are striking, startling, and impressive.

The actors seem to have taken this chance to show off what they can do, but rather than feeling pretentious, it’s actually rather fun; Gareth Davies can do flips, Fayssal Bazzi enjoys playing the dope and Zahra Newman can sing. Even the set designers had fun with the washing machine entry/exit system.

Justin Wolfers

Hannah Warren

In cinemas April 10 With lustrous visuals and saccharine weirdness, Wes Anderson is more Wes Anderson-y than ever. The decadent pastel palace that is the ‘Grand Budapest’ sits high in the mountains of Zubrowka, a fi ctional corner of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its concierge, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), deals in fi ne taste; with an intimate knowledge of his older female guests, he serves a dying breed of Old-World bourgeois. Inspired by the author Stefan Zweig, Anderson creates a fi lm of excesses, fi lled with quirky humour and charming witticisms,

but not untouched by the terror and melancholy of the era. The wacky murderedmadam-stolen-painting plotline launches the fi lm’s adventures and startto-fi nish commotion. M. Gustave and Lobby Boy Zero (Tony Revolori) form an endearing partnership while cavorting around Europe’s rail system, breaking Gustave out of jail, and entering a high-speed ski chase. An all-star cast pervades the giddying action, from pragmatic pastry making Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) to dying heiress Madame D. (Tilda Swinton). Others in Anderson’s usual swathe of famous faces include Jude

Broader themes of escape and escapism are hinted at in the endless running up staircases, scaling ladders, and general hightailing; beneath their wackiness, many characters are seeking refuge from the trauma-filled world in which the Grand Budapest Hotel serves as an extravagant fantasy sanctuary. Whimsicality is perhaps planted more firmly on the ground than in Andersons’ previous features. With as many levels of nuance as there are rooms, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a beguiling, bizarre and utterly exhilarating experience. Harriet McInerney

The play within the play gets terrible reviews, but Belvoir St’s version is too funny to miss.

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Homeground

Boomerang Concert

Sydney Opera House Saturday April 5 and Sunday April 6 This weekend we’ll be down at the Opera House for Homeground, a free world music and dance event. There’ll be performers from Australia and around the world, so with everything from R&B to traditional Gaelic harmonies to Maori haka, there is something for everyone. There will also be food and drinks from Bondi favourite The Corner House who are setting up a pop up restaurant for the event. It’s up and running from 6pm to 10:30pm on Saturday and 1pm to 9pm on Sunday. The full program is available at sydneyoperahouse.com 22 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

thebrag.com

The Government Inspector photo by Lisa Tomasetti

The dialogue in this play is sharp, seamless and truly affecting — we cringe and laugh at how realistic, how excruciating their interplay is. Lara Lightfoot and Wade Doolan, themselves a couple, both put on powerful performances — Stu is both a gentleman and a rabid animal, caring and sex-crazed, compassionate and fucked up. Abby is incredibly versatile, from a the-clock-isticking mother to a nihilistic prostitute and a range of weirdnesses in-between.

The coexistence of highly controlled imagery and dizzying action is just part of Anderson’s brilliance. The director’s now signature style is in full swing here: sweeping camera angles, exquisitely detailed interiors, obsessively symmetrical framing, and an endearing, stylised nostalgia.

■ Theatre

From the first moment Robert Menzies steps out in monk robes, wringing his hands, and introducing himself as himself, the audience is laughing – not polite giggles, but real, in-on-the-joke laughing. He apologises we won’t be seeing The Philadelphia Story, and if we want to leave, that’s OK. He apologises we won’t be seeing The Government Inspector either, we can leave if we want. He tells us that one actor has died and two have just gone, so hopefully we aren't there to see them either. When no one moves, he heads backstage mumbling about the “unexpected vote of confidence”, the Belvoir St stage spins, and the play kicks off.

Law, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray (of course).

Game On Gaming news with Adam Guetti

Releases APR New Following on from a pretty spectacular March, the video game world takes a

2014

little bit of a breather during April, but that’s not to say there isn’t anything worth spending your hard-earned cash on.

First up, The LEGO Movie Videogame on April 3 (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360), set to satisfy not just children, but the child inside of you, too. It’s based on the mega-hit movie that hits the silver screen the same day.

On the very same day you’ll also find a game not covered in LEGO – Trials Fusion (PS4, Xbox One). It’s the latest in a popular series that throws you on a motorcycle and tasks you to successfully complete elaborate tracks as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. Sounds simple in theory, is an absolute challenge in execution and, most importantly, is a boatload of fun. Wrapping things up, all you football (read: soccer) fanatics out there will have to wait one extra day (April 17), because that’s when you can get your mitts on 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (PS3, Xbox 360). This extra special FIFA edition maintains all the classic controls you know and love with one major addition – the ‘Road to the FIFA World Cup’. Pick your team, get your fingers ready and work your way thorough authentic Brazilian stadiums to take out the trophy. There you have it, folks. It might not be as spectacular as March, but there’s still a little something for everyone, so happy gaming!

The Power Of Kinect

We’ve already spoken briefly about Kinect 2.0, but what we haven’t mentioned is just how useful the voice recognition software can be. With a few basic commands you can order your Xbox to go to certain applications, control media or even shut itself down completely. The one strange caveat? Australian’s can’t utter the command ‘Xbox One’, at least for now. If you really want to give it a shot, just change your regional settings to the US.

BONUS TIPS

Continuing the LEGO love is LEGO The Hobbit (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360) on April 16. It’s an impressive looking adventure title based upon the first two films in the blockbuster Hobbit trilogy.

Internet Woes

While entering the next generation of gaming certainly has its fair share of positives, there’s definitely something you should be aware of before you take the leap. Hook up your Xbox One to an Internet source and you’ll quickly be asked to accept all sorts of downloads, ranging from game patches to system updates. Such things are to be expected, but with some downloads reaching up to a massive 13GB in size, owners of slow or low capacity internet plans should be warned; you’re going to chew through your data. Maybe it’s time for an upgrade?

Review: Xbox One

The tail end of last year was an historic occasion in the video game world, for the newgeneration of consoles finally kicked off in spectacular style with the launch of both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Now, with the dust having settled and initial bugs mainly squashed, we thought it was high time to check out one of the big players in this heated competition – the Xbox One. Boot up the One for the first time and the refinements from the Xbox 360 become instantly apparent. The new Kinect camera is now thankfully more efficient at registering your body and its voice integration is a feature you’ll surprisingly come to rely on. It’s by no means perfect, but it’s definitely a great improvement. Applications have also stepped up a notch with the new ability to record, edit and upload your own personalised footage within your favourite games for the world to see – a very welcome feature that will surely help satisfy the surging social demand of younger generations. The usual slew of apps like Skype, Internet Explorer, Twitch and YouTube are also ready to use. Slightly more controversial is the Windows 8-style visual design, which is in full force in the One’s operating system. It’s not for

everyone and can make locating some of the console’s more specific options a little confusing, but for the most part navigating is still a pretty seamless process. Most important, however, is the games and rest assured it’s here the One is set to shine. Ryse: Son of Rome is one of the prettiest games on a console, while Forza Motorsport 5 will get you closer to real life racing than ever before. They’re experiences amplified all the more by an improved controller that, although not as visually appealing, replaces the older model with a more responsive d-pad and ‘Impulse Triggers’, an addition that forces vibration directly into the controller’s triggers for added realism. Still, with games like Titanfall just having dropped and flagship franchises such as Halo on the way, you really can’t go wrong by investing in a One. It’s worth noting that this is simply the beginning. Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be your entertainment hub and, in the years to come, the console is bound to evolve in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine, with games that will look too good to be true. If you’ve got the $599 asking fee covered, this is your chance to get in on the ground floor and enjoy the ride. Come on, you know you want to.

Visit dustycartridge.com for more gaming news. thebrag.com

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK LIAM FINN The Nihilist Create/Control

Xxxx Finn’s third solo LP is an accomplished journey through playful, baroque psychedelics.

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA Cope Loma Vista/Caroline

While there are some ties that bind Manchester Orchestra’s albums together – the vivid lyricism, the unmistakable three-part harmonies and the urgent guitar work – they all differ significantly enough to demonstrate not only the band’s progression, but its efforts to not make an album that merely mimics its predecessor. This is a band that sets out to create something thematically driven, sharply dynamic and singularly distinctive in its music. With Cope, Manchester Orchestra are officially four from four. In the time since 2011’s Simple Math, frontman Andy Hull has continued to draw acute observations on faith, family, friendship, and both the things that bring people together and the things that will, in time, tear them apart. It’s set to a heavier background, with guitarist Robert McDowell going for a punchier and more abrasive tone in his playing, as well as drummer Tim Very – who makes his debut as an official member here – keeping the pace up with some stick-breaking precision and heavy-handedness. “I don’t want to believe,” confesses Hull on the pun-tastic ‘Girl Harbor’, before adding: “But I want to believe you.” On Cope, you will have your faith questioned, but ultimately restored. David James Young

Liam Finn has a keen ear for melody but he tends to favour fizzy eccentricity rather than the straightahead sing-along path. He’ll sing in wired-eyed falsetto (‘The Nihilist’), send in swirling guitar effects (‘Ocean Emmanuelle’), Beatles-like organs (‘Snug As Fuck’), and exuberant group backing vocals (‘Helena Bonham Carter’). The Nihilist’s most exciting song is probably its most structurally conventional: the four-to-the-floor, distorted bassdriven ‘Burn Up The Road’. The five-minute, gravityspurning outburst is summed up by the howling refrain, “I’m scared of myself / As I burn up the road”.

The record also includes whacked-out electronics (‘4 Track Stomper’) and some sombre interludes (‘I’). In fact, there’s a touch of melancholy throughout, largely stemming from the chosen chord structures. All along, Finn’s melodic effortlessness reigns supreme and the textural intricacy continues to surprise on repeated listens. The spirit of The Nihilist doesn’t exactly echo the title’s connection to meaninglessness. However, Nietzsche’s philosophy on nihilism emphasises the need to establish a new table of values (or the “revaluation of all values”). Perhaps Finn’s record is founded in a sort of pop nihilism. It mightn’t be altogether radical, but it presents a more imaginative pop song standard. Augustus Welby

MAC DEMARCO

THE NOTWIST

MY SAD CAPTAINS

MØ

Salad Days Spunk

Close To The Glass Spunk

The Best Of Times Bella Union/[PIAS]

No Mythologies To Follow RCA/Sony

Overall-donning Canadian Mac DeMarco has built on his previous record, 2, and continued the offkilter, genre-defying tunes with Salad Days. This time around, DeMarco, a little wiser for wear, turns up the organ chords and lines up the laid-back synths to give listeners’ ears a well-earned holiday.

The Notwist have juggled genres with aplomb over the years, forever anchored by frontman Markus Acher’s steady, unwavering vocals. Their eighth album, Close To The Glass, is the closest in style to 2002’s classic Neon Golden. There are moments of inspiration throughout and a select few triumphs that would make great singles, but the album is plagued by inconsistency.

My Sad Captains’ The Best Of Times lets you lie still in its warm, midtempo, layered guitar-and-keyboards embrace. Either dial in closely to uncover the prescient allure of the London foursome’s tunes or have them soundtrack your own internal musings. There’s cruisy dawn-of-day music and candles-burning night-time sweeteners. It’s not just fit for solitude either – it’ll make a juicy complement to dinner party conversation or a joint-passing vinyl session.

All hail Karen Marie Ørsted, the latest descendant of the Scandinavian pop dynasty. Her debut Bikini Daze EP released late last year was no Robyn/ Lykke Li B-side effort, however, each track fuelling MØ’s (pronounced ‘muuh’) status as a trailblazer in her own right.

There’s something nostalgic to DeMarco’s tunes that finds a voice in his shimmery and layered guitar work, harking back to an older era. Yet with familiar sounds, he creates something totally original. Synths find their guiding light in ‘Chamber Of Reflection’, where there is no aural space left untouched by a mash of hovering and piercing synths. The ode to everyone’s two favourite days, ‘Goodbye Weekend’, starts with a twang and will have you dreaming of Hawaiian holidays and legs dangling from swaying hammocks. Jet back to childhood with ‘Salad Days’ as the title track starts with what could easily form a theme song to one of those wacky kids’ cartoons from the ’90s. For newcomers to DeMarco’s slacker rock, repeat listens will accustom you to his quiet, unassuming vocals that might at first seem underdeveloped.

Electronic bleeps in the style of Morse code open proceedings and it soon becomes clear how confident The Notwist are with their beat-splicing sound, particularly on the striking one-two opening punch of ‘Signals’ and the title track. The album’s highs and lows come out of the more conventional guitar-based songs, with the immediate ‘Kong’ standing out as their sharpest pop moment yet and a big contrast to the album’s nadir, the drawn-out My Bloody Valentine-aping dirge ‘7-Hour-Drive’. Unfortunately, the latter song is indicative of the album’s uninspired, wavering second half, which fast leaves you hankering for the frenetic energy of the initial three songs.

I Don’t Want To Be Anywhere But Here Hobbledehoy

24 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

The Best Of Times documented here aren’t ecstatic; the record’s strength is in its subtleties. There’s no soaring peak, nor is there an overwhelming emotional swell.

Salad Days is contagiously relaxing and melodically beautiful.

There are certainly enough strong tracks here to cobble together an exceptional EP, but the full album merely follows the template of their best record while never coming close to matching it.

The record possesses a patient, affable flow, which easily prompts repeated listens. It might not dart to the top of your favourite albums pile, although with albums of this nature hasty judgements often get proven wrong.

From the swaggered-out Diplo collaboration on ‘XXX 88’, on which she chants about youthful cynicism, to the Lana Del Reyesque coos on ‘Waste Of Time’, MØ has crafted a persona that is both sonically and lyrically selfassured and cool as shit.

Katie Davern

Chris Girdler

Augustus Welby

Mina Kitsos

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

CERES

Hushed vocals and unhurried instrumentation develop a pleasant, sometimes hazy, sometimes melancholic sensation throughout. There’s also enough rhythmic ebb and flow to ensure a forward pulse. ‘All Times Into One’ recalls the calming antidotes on Spiritualized’s Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space and ‘Extra Curricular’ is akin to Yo La Tengo on a meditative trip.

With the production finesse of Copenhagen-based songwriting tandem NO WAV. (who we can also thank for Rhye and Quadron’s latest outputs), MØ has dropped a cocktail of fresh pop cuts spiked with a couple of old repeat-buttonobliterating favourites. The release sees MØ pack her saccharine Danish vocal ancestry into a stylistic shell that hardens into synth-driven trap at times and lulls into ’50s balladry at others. Cavorting from hook to hook, MØ shows off her melodic mastery, disguising melancholic musings with addictive brass hooks and a cavalcade of percussion and bass. You can hear her rap-roots trickle in as she almost spits out lines, before gliding into heavily layered harmonies with charismatic ease.

There’s something pretty special to music that’s equally as infectious and anthemic as it is affecting – which is precisely what Melbourne four-piece Ceres achieve on impassioned debut album I Don’t Want To Be Anywhere But Here. Wearing their influences proudly, on ‘Syllables’ and ‘Try To Keep You’ the band feels reminiscent of acts like Jimmy Eat World and The Get Up Kids while developing a distinct identity that sees a clear progression from last year’s Luck EP. Full to the brim with poppy hooks and alt-rock effervescence, tracks such as ‘I Feel Fine, I Feel Sick’ and ‘Barkly Garden Break Up Park’ are quite content to lull you

into a false sense of positivity before delivering swift, crippling emotional gut-punches. As fi stsraised zest turns quickly into yo-where-did-all-these-feelingscome-from-no-one-said-anythingabout-feelings-what-the-fuck, it becomes apparent that the band’s organic blend of boisterous punk leanings, impossibly catchy refrains and heart-on-sleeve sincerity results in a strikingly impressive debut. It’s unassuming punk rock with the kind of energy that demands movement, coupled with the kind of lyrical honesty that forces introspection.

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

METALLICA - St. Anger DESTINY’S CHILD - Survivor GARY CLARK JR - Blak And Blu

THE BEATLES - Help! RUDIMENTAL - Home

Blake Gallagher thebrag.com

WINNER GOLD GUITAR FOR NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2013, WINNER CMC NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2013

THE NEW FACE OF COUNTRY IS SET TO ROCK THE CITY! DISCOVER WHY MODERN COUNTRY MUSIC IS SETTING THE PLANET ON FIRE WITH EXCITEMENT AND FILLING ARENAS GLOBALLY!

MORGAN EVANS @ CARMENS MIRANDA AND ROLLER DEN

KAYLENS RAIN @ THE SMALL BALLROOM NEWCASTLE

NEW OZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR -2012 CMC OZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2013, CMC MALE OZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2013 CMC OZ VIDEO OF THE YEAR - 2013

JASMINE RAE @ ALL 3 SHOWS CMC OZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2012 CMC OZ FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2013 CMA GLOBAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR - 2013

IF YOU LIKE TO ROCK COME AND CHECK OUT WHAT IS NEW, HOT AND ROCKIN’ IN AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC...AND PREPARE TO BE CONVERTED TO THE FASTEST GROWING MUSIC GENRE IN THE WORLD! FRIDAY 4 APRIL 8.00PM SATURDAY 5 APRIL 8.00PM SUNDAY 6 APRIL 8.00PM

Carmens, Miranda Hotel, Miranda

Special Guests Morgan Evans & band +Jasmine Rae

The Small Ballroom, Newcastle Special Guests: Kaylens Rain + Jasmine Rae

The Roller Den @ The Imperial Hotel Erskineville Special Guest: Morgan Evans & band + Jasmine Rae

BOOK NOW www.oztix.com.au BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 25

snap sn ap

live reviews

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

Small gigs are always fun, but walking into FBi Social it was a shame to find the venue more than half empty. Still, the local talent made the best of it and delivered a relaxed and intimate show. Kicking things off, Sydneysider KarlChristoph took to the stage with his trusty guitar and laidback charm. His understated sound layers acoustic guitar underneath gentle, raw vocals. Fans of Angus & Julia Stone and Xavier Rudd will take a liking to his chilled indie sound. Before playing ‘Lady Luck’, he revealed that when the track reached number two on the triple j Unearthed charts he thought all his “dreams were coming true”. Sadly, he lamented, “I am just still here,” which had the audience laughing, but tells a more urgent story about the Australian music scene. Karl-Christoph invited friend and fellow local musician Direwolf onstage to accompany him for what was a highlight of the evening. Here’s hoping there is more to come from him.

Little Earthquake’s first-ever Sydney set was definitely energetic, if at times slightly out of tune, with a lot of jumping and getting up close and personal with the audience. ‘Planets’, their first release, is an infectious pop track – what else can you expect with a hook like “la-di-da-di-da, la-di da-da”? But there are also some deeper cosmic-themed lyrics, like: “This world can’t get much worse / If we’re all in rhythm with the same one verse.” Now on Rage and FBi rotation, and releasing their EP Universal Mind in the next couple of months, it is almost certainly not the last you will be hearing from them. Emily Meller

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS, WHITE LIES

clothing and aviators, Thirty Seconds To Mars emerged to open with ‘Night Of The Hunter’, ‘Search And Destroy’ and ‘This Is War’, while giant multicoloured balloons were unleashed into the crowd and Leto conjured up a vigorous storm.

Qantas Credit Union Arena Saturday March 29 “Get off your fucking seats, Sydney,” howled Jared Leto. Demonstrating his remarkable ability to hopscotch between performer, singer, guitarist and working a crowd, one could mistakenly believe that Thirty Seconds To Mars was Leto’s one-man show, rather than a band of three. The trio’s live performance offered an incessant balance between complementary aesthetics and vocal theatrics. Leto oozed a sense of effortless cool as his vocals, stage presence and cheeky charisma remained as focal as ever. Introducing Thirty Seconds To Mars was London five-piece White Lies, who provided a pleasant and promising start to the evening with a rich, buttery baritone that rung throughout. Jogging across tracks ‘There Goes Our Love Again’ and ‘Farewell To The Fairground’, the occasional addition of heavy drums made rhymes livelier, however there was a lack of magnetism and confidence in their presentation and delivery. Not long after the abrupt close of the support set, the already dimmed house lights darkened further, allowing a burst of strobe lights to flood the vast arena. Doused in their signature black draped

the jungle giants

PICS :: AM

FBi Social Thursday March 27

Taking the vibe up a notch, The Retreat took to the stage in cowboy hats and ripped denim. For those unfamiliar with their sound, imagine indie-pop with a country and western twang – in Australian accents. Having returned from a three-year hiatus, their set was impressively polished and energetic. ‘Ain’t No Prize’ had some audience members (also in hats) swaying along, while their latest release ‘After All, Tomorrow Is A New Day’ reveals a direction that is a little more indie rock than country.

28:03:14 :: Metro Theatre :: 624 George St Sydney 9550 3666

The moment which resonated for all in attendance was when Leto picked out a blind punter from the congested mosh, bringing him forward in accompaniment for ‘Kings And Queens’. When it came to the more vocally strenuous and slower songs, ‘City Of Angels’ and ‘End Of All Days’, Leto landed an on-point vocal delivery, as his ragged, potent voice reverberated across an arena of glowing iPhones. The trio exhibited animal onesies while breaking out in full force for ‘Closer To The Edge’, with a dramatically amped crowd that soared along with them. To cap things off, the band again invited a few enamoured fans to groove about onstage and belt out ‘Up In The Air’, confirming the incredible energy executed throughout the night. Kiera Thanos

twelve foot ninja

PICS :: KC

LITTLE EARTHQUAKE, THE RETREAT, KARL-CHRISTOPH

29:03:14 :: The Manning Bar :: Manning Rd, Camperdown 9563 6000 KE PHOTOGRAPHER :: KATRINA CLAR

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OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY

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30:03:14 :: Frankie's Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

five mile town

PICS :: AM

bloods

PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

28:03:14 :: Upstairs Beresford :: level 1 354 Bourke St Surry Hills 8313 5000

Sydney’s largest collection of secondhand vinyl LP’s and collectable CD’s.

Glebe Record Fair Saturday 12th APRIL 2014

PETER FO

RSYTH AU

DITORIUM

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Broadway Shopping Ce s S ntre tree t

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Peter Forsyth Auditorium (opposite Glebe Markets) behind Broadway Shopping Centre Free 3 hour parking at Shopping Centre

FOR ALL INFO CALL 9550 6056 Open 9am to 4pm • 10am to 4pm - $3 • Earlybird 9am - $6 • Setup - 8:45am thebrag.com

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pick of the week

FRIDAY APRIL 4 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jazz Hip-Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

THURSDAY APRIL 3

Glass Animals

Oxford Art Factory

Glass Animals 8pm. $43.60. WEDNESDAY APRIL 2 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Musos Club Jam Night Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt. 8pm. free. Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin + Glen And Glenda Leichhardt Bowling Club, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Peach Monthomery Sackville Hotel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free. Youngbloods - feat: Andrew Denniston + Ace Avenue Avalon Beach RSL Club, Avalon. 7pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

Concert On The Park - feat: Bruni Riley Campsie RSL, Campsie. 1pm. free. Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Kodaline Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $60.50. Love-Song-Circus - feat: Katie Noonan City Recital Hall, Sydney. 8pm. $55. Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Maxine Kauter Band The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $15.80. Tatler Sydney (Live Til Midnight) Tatler, Darlinghurst. 8pm. free. Vibrations Band Competition - Semi Final Agincourt Hotel, Sydney. 7pm. $15.

THURSDAY APRIL 3

Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. free. Supafly Jam Night (Open Mic) - feat: Gang Of Brothers Vintage Nightclub, Kings Cross. 8pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Cabins + The Desert Sea Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. free.

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Cole Soul And Emotion feat: Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

Bandsonstage - feat: Andrew Denniston + Confession & Denial + The

Aviators + Black Diamond Orchestra Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 7:30pm. free. Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Musos Club Jam Night Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. free. Sally Seltmann Lizotte’s, Kincumber. 8pm. $30. Songsonstage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Wenzel Carmichael + Benjamin Hurley Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge. 7:30pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Chris Raicevich Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

10 O’Clock Rock Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 10pm. free. Daniel Dawes + Bryan Estepa Lizotte’s, Dee Why. 8:30pm. $16. Glass Animals Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $43.60. Jagged Beatz Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9pm. $10. The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. White Bros Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Wolf & Cub + Greta Mob Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

Cath & Him Dee Why RSL, Dee Why. 9pm. free. Claude Hay And The Gentle Enemies Grand Junction, Maitland. 8pm. free. Cloud Control Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 6:30pm. free. Cloud Control Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly. 10pm. free. Diesel + Charlie A’Court Blacktown Workers Club, Blacktown. 7pm. $40. Elevate (Duo) Vinyl Room, Gymea. 9:30pm. free. Fresh Fridays - feat: Dreadication Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. $45. Harmony Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 7pm. $13.30. Hunters & Collectors + The Panics Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $106.10. I Am Apollo + White Summer + Yetis Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $13. James Fox Higgins Lazybones Lounge, Marrickville. 8pm. $10. James Parrino Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Kafkaesque Black Wire Records, Annandale. 7pm. free. Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt. 9:30pm. free. Loon Lake + Jeremy Neale Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15. Marcello Maio Trio The Sound Lounge, Sydney. 8:30pm. $10. Mashed Fridays Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8pm. free. Monster Magnet The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $71.50. Palms + Bris Springsteen (AKA Jeremy Neale) Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Paul Woseen (The Screaming Jets) Old Manly Boatshed, Manly. 8pm. free. Planet Groove

Sally Seltmann Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Soul Tattoo Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free. Spy Vs Spy + Jolene Theory + 2nd Nation Collector Hotel, Parramatta. 9pm. free. Stephanie Jansen Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. free. The Best Of Tour - feat: Kelebek + Omar Dean + Jiordon Tolli + Michael Stangel + Frank Dixon Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $30. The Haze + The Vanns + Younger Dryas + Blueberry Circuit + Rivet City Hostage X, Wollongong. 8:30pm. free. The Ninjas Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 8pm. free. Vaudeville Smash + Elliot The Bull Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Bandsonstage - feat: Ross Daley + Starr Witness + Carl Stewart Band + Green Manalishi Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. free. Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Renae Stone Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9:30pm. free. Sally Seltmann The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $23.80. Songjam - feat: Stuart Jammin Rosehill Hotel, Clyde. 7:30pm. free. Songs Of Love And War Tour - feat: Emma Dean + Francesca De Valence The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8pm. $15.

Palms

SATURDAY APRIL 5 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Boteco Brazil - feat: Ganza Project + Samba Australia Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 6pm. $10. Swing West Jazz Orchestra Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Allan Skinner + Pat Drummond + Dave Skinner Katoomba RSL, Katoomba. 8:30pm. free. Bandsonstage - feat: Starr Witness + Will Tremain Band Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 7:30pm. free. Homeground Boomerang Concert - feat: Breabach + Step Dancers + Casey Donovan + Shellie Morris + Djakapurra Munarryun + Aaron Burarrwanga Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 9:15pm. free. Jono Lee Jones Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale. 7pm. free. Youngbloods + Andrew Deniston The Beach Club, Collaroy. 7:30pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Abbalanche - The Australian ABBA Tribute Show Mounties, Mount Pritchard. 7pm. $15. Ball Park Music + Papa Vs Pretty + Holy Holy Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $43.90. Beatnix - Beatles Show Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free. Buble And The Legends Of Swing Bankstown Sports Club, Bankstown. 8pm. $20. Cloud Control Bucket List, Bondi. 2pm. free. Cloud Control Newport Arms Hotel, Sydney. 5:30pm. free. Cyril B Bunter Band + Ali Penney + The Money Makers Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $25. Diesel + Charlie A’Court Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $40. Elizabeth Rose Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15. Empty Fish Tank Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8pm. free. Finn George IV Inn, Picton. 8:30pm. free. Gerard Masters Trio The Sound Lounge, Sydney. 8:30pm. $20. Hunters & Collectors + The Panics

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Jenny Broke The Window

Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $106.10. Jenny Broke The Window + King Colour Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Kye Brown Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. My Generation - 50 Years Of The Who - feat: Ciaran Gribbin + Steve Balbi + Simon Meli Belmont 16s, Belmont. 8:30pm. $36.50. Panorama Band Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Paradise City Hermann’s Bar, Darlington. 9pm. $10. Paul Hayward And Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free. Peppermint Jam Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free. Rock And Roll Re-Launch Party - feat: Front End Loader + Chase The Sun + The Lazys + The Morrisons Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 8pm. $15. Sabrepulse + The J. Arthur Keenes Band + Godinpants + Men64 + Victory Road Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown. 7pm. $8. Swingshift – Cold Chisel Show Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8:30pm. free. The Nevilles Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free. The Ninjas Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. free. Vaudeville Smash Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 7pm. free. Video DJ Shayne Alsop AKA Sloppy Mounties, Mount Pritchard. 8pm. free.

SUNDAY APRIL 6 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC

The Paganini Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $15.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Andy Mammers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Cloud Control Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 3pm. free. Cloud Control Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 6:30pm. free. Hue Williams Harbourview Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. free. Indian Red Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $10. Kickstar Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 2pm. free. Lonesome Train Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Mick Aquilina Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 2pm. free. Mini Mobile Farm O’Donoghues Irish Pub, Emu Plains. 12pm. free. Satellite V Gig Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. free. St. Lucia Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $46.10. Sunday Sessions - feat: DJ Alter Ego Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 6pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Alfresco Brassiere - feat: Stuart Jammin + Chris Brookes Ettalong Bowling Club, Ettalong. 1pm. free. Chill Out Sundays Scubar, Sydney. 7:30pm. free. Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free. Jono Lee Jones Collingwood Hotel, Liverpool. 3pm. free. Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free. Menagerie The Welcome Hotel, Rozelle. 4pm. free. Satellite V Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville. 4:30pm. free. Sunday Blues And Roots The White Horse, Surry Hills. 5pm. free.

MONDAY APRIL 7 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin + Chris Brookes + Massimo Presti + Rick Taylor Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Helmut Uhlmann The Loft (UTS), Ultimo. 6pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Latin & Jazz Jam Open Mic Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Mambo Mondays Bar100, The Rocks. 5:30pm. free. Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm. free. Jonathon Jones Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free.

wed

thu

Apr

TUESDAY APRIL 8 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Co Pilot Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free.

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

fri

04 Apr

Innersoul Live Play Bar, Sydney. 6pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Apr

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

sat

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

sun

Apr

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Apr

St. Lucia (8:30PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:15PM)

mon

tue

Apr

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

thebrag.com

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

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gig picks up all night out all week...

Katie Noonan

Xxx

WEDNESDAY APRIL 2 Kodaline Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $60.50. Love-Song-Circus - feat: Katie Noonan City Recital Hall, Sydney. 8pm. $55.

THURSDAY APRIL 3 Wolf & Cub + Greta Mob Standard Bowl, Surry Hills. 6pm. Free.

FRIDAY APRIL 4 Cloud Control Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 6:30pm. Free. Harmony Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 7pm. $13.30. Hunters & Collectors + The Panics Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $106.10. Loon Lake + Jeremy Neale Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15. Royal Hunt + Vanishing Point + Avarin Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $54.50. Sally Seltmann The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $23.80.

Elizabeth Rose

Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 9:15pm. Free. Ball Park Music + Papa Vs Pretty + Holy Holy Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $43.90. Elizabeth Rose Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15. Rock And Roll Re-Launch Party feat: Front End Loader + Chase The Sun + The Lazys + The Morrisons Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 8pm. $15.

SATURDAY APRIL 5 Homeground Boomerang Concert - feat: Breabach + Step Dancers + Casey Donovan + Shellie Morris + Djakapurra Munarryun + Aaron Burarrwanga

SUNDAY APRIL 6 St. Lucia Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $46.10. Ball Park Music

xxx

30 :: BRAG :: 556 : 02:04:14

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brag beats

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

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

five things WITH

Seven Davis Jr

VINCENT SEBASTIAN FROM WATUSSI

SEVEN DAVIS JR

Growing Up I grew up in a Latin family 1. with traditional customs. My grandfather was a womanising trumpet player in Uruguay and his stories made me want to follow in his footsteps. Fortunately, I quickly realised that music was much more satisfying, and so I dedicated myself to studying the music of my Latin roots and adapting it to Australian society. Inspirations Santana was a big theme 2. in my early years, the way the percussion gave life to the melodic instruments was hypnotising. Equally, hip hop and funk/soul was essential in showing how a groove can just sit there and make you eventually lose your mind. Folkloric music of South America is also rich in variety and spirituality; for

example, Paraguayan harp music was one of my all-time favourites when I was eight years old! Your Crew Our band is really a band 3. of brothers that happen to write great music together. That’s helped us stay together nearly ten years. Along the way we have had the pleasure to work with some amazing people, such as NY producer Joel Hamilton, and fulfil some dreams like touring with Santana and opening for Seun Kuti and Earth, Wind & Fire. When writing, the main idea is to mix our Latin roots with the essence of Australian rock, and any other influences we may have rolling around the barrel at the time. Music You Make Much of our music is based 4. The

on folkloric music of South America, but in our last three albums you can hear quite a variety of influences. Most of our proudest offerings were written on the road, usually in some dingy club afterparty. We have toured Asia a couple of times, and South America as well. One great memory was being taken to an underground club in Japan after a gig. These kind people had a stage and band gear waiting for us, along with an open bar, and a small group of fans waiting to dance. We improvised for about six hours that night, and wrote some real gems along the way. Needless to say, I think similar scenarios have happened to us all over the place thanks to kind and passionate people. Our live shows try to replicate the energy that we hear in folkloric Latin

Alison Wonderland

music and Australian rock. They are both played with confidence and power; we try to bring that energy to every show. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. We are blessed in Sydney to have a very diverse and talented music scene, where musicians are eager to collaborate and share their talents. Jam sessions have always been the best place for musicians to connect with other players and show their abilities in a live setting. There are a growing number of these jams in Sydney right now… get to it!

ONE NIGHT STAND WITH DREEMS

Xxx

ONLY RAYS’ DEBUT EP Local lass Alison Wonderland has announced details of her Wonderland Warehouse Project, in which she will embark on a national tour of ‘secret’ warehouse spaces with Wave Racer and Young Franco. Wonderland says in relation to the project: “I wanted to thank everyone who has supported me the last few years and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than give them a truly unforgettable experience. I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve, and am super excited that my m8s [cringe – please Alison, let’s not butcher the Queen’s English here] Wavey and Franco are coming too.” Alison’s Sydney Wonderland party is slotted for Friday May 30, with $25 presale tickets currently on sale from wonderlandwarehouseproject.com.

Bok Bok

With: Soul of Sydney Block Party Where: Secret Funk Oasis, five minutes from the CBD When: Sunday April 6

The next in Picnic’s One Night Stand series of BYOBB warehouse parties is slotted for Saturday April 12, and will be headlined by a man whose restless creative cravings are refl ected in his surfeit of different monikers – step right up Dreems AKA Angelo Cruzman AKA Gus Da Hoodrat AKA The Southern Dandy AKA The Finger Prince (and those are just the names we know of). Gruzman is best known for his days spinning as Gus Da Hoodrat at the Bang Gang parties, and remains heavily involved in Sydney club life through his role within the Motorik crew. Gruzman’s noteworthy accomplishments include touring with Jagwar Ma, his output as one half of Turbo-championed duo The Finger Prince and his creation of a new label, Multi Cult. With an extensive record collection spanning disparate genres, Cruzman is equipped with the sonic arsenal to take dancers on a vast excursion through idiosyncratic variations upon dancefl oor soundscapes. Hit picnicstuff.com.au for further details and ticket information.

ALISON WONDERLAND

The Red Bull Music Academy continues its monthly series of events at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday April 10 with the Australian debut of the California-based Seven Davis Jr, a future soul veteran and gospeltrained singer who has spent much of his career behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, battling his own addiction demons and music industry disillusionment. Davis Jr’s track ‘Thanks’ was featured on Kutmah’s Worldwide Family Vol. 2 compilation, which dropped last year on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, a success that prefigured his recent P.A.R.T.Y. EP, his official debut for Funkineven’s Apron label. Seven Davis Jr will be playing live with support from Cassius Select, Edseven and Forty Love. The party is free entry for those who RSVP via dashtickets.com.au.

Nascent record label The Jazz Diaries has just released the debut EP from South London producer Tim Crombie AKA Only Rays, a musician who blends acoustic and electronic elements throughout his productions. Entitled TJD002, the EP is imbued with sonic cues to early Four Tet and Boards of Canada, and was mastered by Matthewdavid. In Crombie’s own words, “The record is a manifesto. The tracks explore many of my musical interests and should be seen as an introduction of what is to come in future”.

PHUTURE, L-VIS 1990 AND BOK BOK

Following their sold-out Studio debut last year, Astral People will once again host a Vivid LIVE party featuring international drawcards, with this year’s bash to be headlined by reunited Chicago acid house pioneers Phuture and the Londoners behind the Night Slugs stable, L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok. Phuture founding members Spanky and DJ Pierre reunited this year for their first performances in over a decade, playing a Boiler Room set that epitomised their acid house legacy. L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok broke through off the back of their Night Slugs club night dedicated to hybrid sounds and experimental club music, and subsequently launched a record label of the same name. The pair has also accumulated production discographies that are not to be sneezed at. Bok Bok explored grime soundscapes on ‘Ripe Banana’ and ‘Citizens Dub’ before shifting towards a more house and techno influenced sound, while L-Vis 1990 has followed a similar sonic trajectory, channeling classic house and pop influences across several EPs and an album. The headliners will be joined by Andras Fox and kaleido-pop producer Rainbow Chan, along with local selectors Ben Fester and Preacha. It all goes down on Friday May 30 at the Sydney Opera House from 10pm.

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dance music news

free stuff

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

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five things WITH

Bliss N Eso

NEMO Your Crew I started out about the same time I 3. started my first job working for Chinese Laundry – I would be out Friday and Saturday nights every weekend with the Laundry crew seeing the world’s best DJs playing to a packed, sweaty Laundry. This definitely inspired me to get where I am today. The Music You Make I have a lot of love for bass music. 4. Anything from moombahton to trap and twerk music. I love artists like Diplo and Dillon Francis and local homie Spenda C, so whatever they’re spinning is what you can expect from me! I have two new remixes coming out in the next few months and an EP mid-year. Music, Right Here, Right Now 5. I recently saw Kilter play at World Bar, that

Growing Up Inspirations I grew up listening to punk and hardcore Growing up, Blink-182 were my 1. 2. music. My brother was in a band and played favourite band – I remember seeing them guitar, so we would jam every now and then. I even tried to form a band with a few friends, which eventually fell through.

live when I was about 12 with my dad, still to this day one of my favourite concerts.

guy is so musically talented. Guys like him, Paces and Hatch doing their live shows is amazing. There is a lot more to the ‘Australian Sound’ than Flume copycats and I’m loving the talent that’s around. What: Supporting Dose at Chinese Laundry When: Friday April 4

remixography includes reworks of heavyweights like Josh Wink and Mano Le Tough. Spice main man Murat Kilic will also be spinning along with Michelle Owen, and the first 100 people to purchase tickets will gain free entry to the afterparty at the Spice Cellar.

Salmonella Dub

MIXMASH RECORDS COMES DOWN UNDER Laidback Luke’s record label, Mixmash Records, will host a series of label parties in Australia this April with a national tour featuring UK DJ/producer D.O.D and Australia’s own Uberjak’d. Last year, D.O.D

BLISS N ESO

Is this the raddest headline tour in Aussie hip hop history? If not, it must go close. Bliss N Eso have invited their buddies Seth Sentry and Horrorshow on the road for a mammoth national tour, taking in all the capital cities plus smaller regional locations. Together, MC Bliss, MC Eso and DJ Izm have had an unparalleled influence on the local hip hop scene, not only taking younger artists under their collective wing but also releasing albums of consistent quality – most recently, last year’s Circus In The Sky. The Circus Under The Stars tour arrives at The Domain on Thursday April 17, and we want you to be there on us. Two double passes are up for grabs – to be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us your tip for the next big thing in Aussie hip hop.

secured himself a spot as a Mixmag resident for their club and Ibiza tours, quickly building up a wide cross-section of fans with sets that traversed house, electro and techno – not bad for a kid who’s barely out of his teens. Meanwhile, Adelaide native Uberjak’d is currently in the US for his debut North American tour, having been on the road relentlessly since mixing two of Ministry of Sound’s massive compilations. Constantly building his followers via his monthly podcast, Uberjak’d cracked the top ten in the most recent edition of Australia’s largest DJ poll curated by inthemix. D.O.D and Uberjak’d play Pacha at Ivy on Saturday April 26.

Erykah Badu

SALMONELLA DUB SOUNDSYSTEM

Kiwis Salmonella Dub will hit the east coast during April and May as the five-piece Salmonella Dub Soundsystem. ‘Same Home Town’ is the new single from the crew, coming out of sessions for a new album they’ve been recording in Byron Bay. See them on Friday May 2 at Manning Bar.

HAHA BIRTHDAY PARTY FT HUNEE

This Saturday April 5, renowned underground party crew HAHA celebrates its ninth anniversary with a birthday bash at Goodgod Small Club, headlined by Koreanborn Berlin resident Hun Choi, AKA Hunee. With an accomplished discography that includes EPs on labels like Berghain’s Ostgut Ton imprint, Permanent Vacation and Rush Hour, Hunee has developed a reputation for his “warm and sensuous” DJ sets that span an eclectic spectrum of disco, techno, acid and soulful soundscapes. As the organisers themselves state, “On this night we drop bombs on the ‘what has been and gone’, making way for ‘what will be’ – obliterating any conceivable notion of ceasing this late night dancing force.” $25 presale tickets are available online.

FUNKDAFIED

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Hunter Gatherer will showcase a night of live local electronic music on Saturday April 12 at the Red Rattler in Marrickville, featuring performances from Gardland, Gareth Psaltis, Cassius Select, Nander and Asger Jorn, artists who share a penchant for exploring warped interpretations of live analog techno. The headlining pair of Gardland is comprised of Alex Murray and Mark Smith, who were discovered by Teengirl Fantasy and promptly signed to the RVNG Intl imprint. Gardland will perform a live set of material lifted off their debut album Syndrome Syndrome, which dropped last year and was self-described by the pair as showcasing a sound that is “elegantly wasted”. The album will be available for purchase on the night for a discount rate when bundled with a ticket purchase. More info can be found at hunter-gather.it.

SPICE AFLOAT EASTER

The Spice Afloat sunset series continues with a boat party on Easter Sunday April 20 featuring France’s Château Flight and Luca Saporito from Audiofly. Château Flight is a collaboration between Parisian producers Nicholas Chaix (AKA I:Cube) and Gilbert Cohen, who have earned the devotion of dancers with releases on labels such as Versatile and their excellent Baroque EP on the Innervisions imprint. Château Flight’s DJ prowess is distilled on mixes such as their Body Language compilation for the Get Physical label, while the pair’s

ERYKAH BADU

The woman dubbed the ‘Queen of Soul’, Erykah Badu, will play a late set under her DJ moniker Lo Down Loretta Brown at Goodgod Small Club on Thursday April 17. Badu has been an all-pervasive presence since her debut album Baduizm dropped 17 years ago, establishing herself as a singer, songwriter, producer, director, actor and now DJ, mixing traditional soul, staccato hip hop rhythms and laidback jazzy grooves. Badu will be joined by Mo’funk and DJ Libre for her Sydney set, which kicks off at 11pm. xxx

Funkdafied have announced details of the next 45 Sessions event, which will be held in the basement of Play Bar in Surry Hills on Saturday April 5. The DJ lineup will feature Frenzie, DJ Mk-1, Josie Styles, DJ Makoto, Benny Hinn and JC, who will be ushering in a new era of 45 Sessions parties that will fall on the first Saturday night of each month at the venue that caters for DJs who play vinyl. The parties will be free, with the beats commencing at 6pm.

HUNTER GATHERER

Academy Award 速 is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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Vengeance The Force Is Strong By Troy Mutton

“R

ave, because fucking shut up and rave.” They’re stern words from Sydney producer/DJ Vengeance, but when it comes to the genres he dabbles in (see: destroys) he’s not messing around. We find Vengeance making these bold proclamations midway through his Acid For Blood Australian tour, slamming its way around the darkest clubs in the country for a pumped-up series of shows featuring his patented brand of all-out aural assault. “I actually feel like the rave gods have smiled upon us this whole tour. All the shows have been busy and the people have been awesome, which is pretty much all you need to have a killer time.”

Vengeance is no stranger to the club circuit, with four years of high-profile club and festival shows behind him along with a heap of international remix work. It’s been in his blood for a long time. “I loved dance music when I was a young sproutling in the ’90s, and I mean way too young to even understand clubbing, DJs, mixing, producing, drugs, whatever… I was

just a little kid who loved dance music.” Citing the likes of Nick Skitz and the Wild FM/Ministry of Sound compilations as a driving force in those early days, you’re now likely to find his originals and extensive remix catalogue in record bags owned by Chuckie, Porter Robinson, Nick Thayer and Plump DJs, to name a few. Prolific as Vengeance may be, the beatmaking process is by no means an easy one. “I sit down, have a panic attack for 72 hours straight, and if I’m lucky I’ll have a track at the end of the ordeal … I like to focus on one key sound/riff/loop and build the entire track around that sound as if the whole song is just a pedestal for the delivery of that initial, inspiring sound. The same works with remixes except it’s a lot easier because you get to pull apart the track and choose the inspiring sound or element you want to focus on, rather than create it.” The current tour is focused around his latest mixtape, Acid For Blood, an intense and diverse selection of sounds ranging from acid rave to electro, EDM, trap, dubstep and more – all providing a snapshot of what to expect at his shows.

“I like to play my sets super highenergy. The only major difference is I mix my mixtapes much faster, to battle that short attention span syndrome the internet has given everyone – myself included. The mix is eight months old now, so people can expect a whole heap more fresher shit than that.” Being such a fixture in clubland for the past few years, who better to ask about the current state of affairs on the dancefloors of our nation, especially given the government interference of late? “To me, you can go all night sober, drunk or drugged out of your mind and as long as you’re having a good time, enjoying the music and not posing any threat to anyone, yourself included, then the rave is strong with you. A vast majority of clubbers have this mindset, and that’s why my highenergy rave sets have worked all over during this tour. It’s not a testament to my own talent, but to how well adjusted all the clubbers and patrons are.” What: The Wall Where: The World Bar When: Wednesday April 2

“As long as you’re having a good time, enjoying the music and not posing any threat to anyone, yourself included, then the rave is strong with you.”

Chance Waters Infinity And Beyond By Augustus Welby I like to work with BVs, particularly female BVs and sometimes choir parts. So, often I’ll have a lot of different people come in and stand in front of a microphone.” The success of Infi nity got the attention of the heavyweights at Island/Universal who’ve now struck up a deal with Waters’ preexisting indie label, I Forget, Sorry! Joining a major hasn’t halted the fl ow of new music and in the last six months tracks with Patience Hodgson (‘Looking For Something’) and The Griswolds (‘Bonnie’) both glided onto the airwaves. Waters is evidently thrilled about getting to work with a number of his talented contemporaries. “When you look at somebody like Patience, she has just so much musical experience. She’s full of interesting stories and she’s obviously been around the block for ages and really worked very hard in an independent faculty to build a career. It’s very nice getting to know those people and learning things from them. In most cases they’re a lot cooler than me so it’s just nice hanging out with them.”

fter releasing a moderately successful album under the name Phatchance, in 2012 Sydney MC Chance Waters reverted to his birthname and has since unfurled a consistent flow of upbeat, radio-supported singles. Waters has certainly seized upon the revised stylistic permissions of Australian hip hop music. “Right now in Australia there’s so many different kinds of hip hop music coming out and being popularised where you can really do anything,” he says. “You can take it [in] whatever kind of production direction you want. It provides a more interesting 34 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

challenge when you’re deciding what kind of production to actually roll with, because the options are really unlimited.”

changes and things I’d like to see in it. Generally speaking I prefer to write lyrics to a piece of music than viceversa.”

Switching to his real name didn’t signal Waters would be going it alone. The nice-guy rapper’s 2012 album Infi nity was made in close collaboration with Adelaide producer One Above (AKA Andrew Burford).

One Above is not the only outside party contributing to Waters’ growing profile. The rebranded Chance Waters had his major breakthrough with the single ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, featuring Lilian Blue. This was followed by another radio-storming tune, ‘Young & Dumb’, which featured Bertie Blackman.

“He really is responsible for almost all of the music,” Waters says. “Sometimes he’s already made a piece of music and he’ll pitch that piece of music to me and I’ll think, ‘Great,’ and suggest more structural

“There’s a lot of people involved in every single song,” Waters says, “whether or not they’re full features.

A few weeks ago, Waters dropped yet another infectious track: the calmly delivered protest number ‘The Ticket Inspector’. The three recent singles are lifted from a forthcoming record, which Waters and Burford have actually been chipping away at for quite a while. “After I fi nished Infi nity in 2012, I went down to Adelaide with One Above and we started hammering out music. [Since] then it’s just been a slow process of putting it all together and scrapping a few things and starting a few new things.” Many artists decline to speak candidly about their chief infl uences, but Waters has no scruples acknowledging where he looked for inspiration when working on the new album. “Mark Ronson; his production is defi nitely

an infl uence on both Andrew and I. I think you can probably hear that on the record. Unfortunately it all happened a bit late to really infl uence the record much, but I really like what Ryan Lewis has been doing for Macklemore. I think Andrew and I always loved that style of production and it’s executed really well on that record. It sets a standard for the quality of what we’d like to be doing. “I’m very obvious in that way. Directly I’ll say, ‘I really like what this person is doing,’ or I’ll play [Burford] songs and we’ll grab some ideas. Often I’ll end up with a hodgepodge of 15 different infl uences across the record.” The frequency of Waters’ releases over the past two years shows he’s comfortable cooperating with the current singles-oriented industry. Still, he does greatly believe in the album format. “Single songs are going to have a larger impact now than records, but that doesn’t devalue the worth of making a really great album. At the end of the day when people are listening to a whole record they’re going to get connected to you as an artist and [get] to know you as an artist a lot more than when they’re just listening to single songs.” Accordingly, Waters looked to apply some thematic continuity to his new record. “In all of the artwork and in all of the songs there’s references to sight or seeing,” he reveals. “There’s one song called ‘Tomorrow In Our Eyes’ and that track’s about kids in the 1930s through to the ’50s who thought the future would be this al-foil clad space movie. Then kids in the ’80s thought everything was [going to be] this hyper-coloured thing. In many ways, now that we have this future, we’ve lost a lot of the dreaming and hope aspects that made that kind of imagining fun.” With: Brendan Maclean Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday April 12

thebrag.com

Deep Impressions Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Luke Abbott

here’s something about Border Community artists and extended breaks between albums. After label head honcho James Holden finally released his second album The Inheritors a whopping seven years on from his debut, Norfolk producer Luke Abbott has announced that his second LP Wysing Forest will drop on Border Community in June. It comes a mere four years on from his debut LP, Holkham Drones, which memorably distilled the ambient psychedelia that imbues the label’s “danceable rather than dance music” sound. Drawing its name and inspiration from the Wysing Arts Centre in Cambridgeshire, Abbott recorded the LP over six weeks while he was there as a resident musician back in 2012. “There was a large emphasis on improvisation during the whole process,” Abbott divulged. “A lot of what has ended up on the record was originally recorded as first-takes or sketches of ideas.” Abbott was influenced by jazz while recording the album, along with minimal pioneers like Terry Riley, as he discussed in a press conference he conducted peering out from behind a pair of classic Ray Bans™ while sipping on a Cherry Coke™. “While I was recording the album I was listening to a lot of different things within spiritual jazz – Don Cherry’s Organic Music Society and Alice Coltrane’s Journey In Satchidananda were the two main records I was listening to,” he said. Abbott also went out of his way to stress that the album is best appreciated when listened to as a whole as it “has a very particular arc to it and the tracks only really make sense in the context of that arc.” There’s enough promise in the track ‘Amphis’, which Abbott has released online as an appetiser ahead of his album, to hint that Wysing Forest will be well worth the lengthy wait – indeed it will hardly be surprising if Abbott ‘does a Holden’. James Holden has created an environment in his record label where artists are comfortable enough to release albums when they feel sufficiently inspired to warrant doing so, as opposed to when they are contractually obliged to churn out releases. This ethos distinguishes Border Community from the centrist ‘EDM’, and is the reason why everything released on the label demands a close listen.

SATURDAY APRIL 5 Hunee Goodgod Small Club

THURSDAY APRIL 17 Morphosis The Imperial Hotel, Erskineville

SATURDAY APRIL 26 Fred P Marrickville Bowling Club

SATURDAY MAY 3 House of Mince The Imperial Hotel

proponents of unfettered techno in the underground milieu. When asked to describe his sound in a recent interview, Beaini opted to relay an encounter with a punter in Rome, recalling that a random dancer approached him and whispered in his ear, “Your music is balanced delirium.” Beaini endorsed this description, agreeing his output inhabits a space “when chaos becomes equilibrated,” before adding the qualifier, “I hate being branded and I hate belonging to something defined”. Which puts me in quite an awkward position when writing about the guy – now I’ve flagged him for your listening attention, let’s move on before I incur his wrath by defining him as a techno avant-gardist, or something even more pretentious. Experimental Viennese techno trio Elektro Guzzi, comprised of guitarist Bernhard Hammer, bassist Jakob Schneidewind and drummer Bernhard Breuer, will release their next album Observatory at the end of May. Observatory comes out on Stefan Goldmann and Finn Johannsen’s Macro imprint, a bastion of avant-garde techno (somewhere in the world, Rabih Beaini sighs forlornly). Lauded as an act resembling “Liquid Liquid for a digital age”, Elektro Guzzi are all about organic approaches to electronic music, performing everything live in real time, sans loops, minus overdubs – we’re talking totes live, babe. In fact, instrument credits have been completely wiped off the record sleeve cover for Observatory, with the eight-track outing epitomising the sound of techno constructed via live instruments. “We’re connected to the basic concept of techno, creating a sound representative of the future,” Schneidewind told an audience at last year’s Sonar Festival. “That’s always in the back of our minds, to make it sound new and futuristic with our means.” Track titles from the forthcoming album like ‘Acid Camouflage’ and ‘Rough Tide’ say it all, really. In light of Elektro Guzzi’s proclivity for laying down material live and their deserved reputation for putting on a rollicking live show, the trio’s Live P.A. album, which captures the ‘technotanzband’’s performance in London a few years back, is well worth a listen as you cross off the days in the calendar, awaiting the late May morning when Observatory can finally be yours.

FILM & TV SCHOLARSHIP COURSES 2 brand new heavily subsidised training courses designed to meet industry skills shortage Post Production Only 15 places available to specialise in Editing and Post Production April – December 2014

Assistant Director Only 15 places available to specialise in Film & TV Assistant Directing April – June 2014

APPLY BY 9 APRIL metroscreen.nsw.edu.au/scholarships

Xxx

Lebanese producer Rabih Beaini, who goes about his business under the moniker Morphosis, will perform in Sydney for the first time on Thursday April 17 at The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville. A man who oscillates between traditional techno and more abstract sounds, Beaini released his debut album What Have We Learned on the Delsin imprint in 2011, which was apparently recorded in a mere two days and largely improvised. Beaini followed that album with The Tepco Report EP and an album with his experimental outfit Upperground Orchestra, both of which dropped on his own Morphine label the following year. With remixes of Pinch & Shackleton and collaborations with Donato Dozzy also studding his discography, as well as regular performances at Berlin’s hallowed Berghain nightclub, the onetime architecture student has established himself as one of the foremost

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C E N T R E F O R S C R E E N C R E AT I V I T Y BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14 :: 35

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

Seth Sentry

THURSDAY APRIL 3

SATURDAY APRIL 5 CLUB NIGHTS

45 Sessions - feat: Frenzie + DJ Mk-1 + Josie Styles + DJ Makoto + Benny Hinn + JC (Funkdafi ed) Play Bar, Surry Hills. 4pm. free. Cakes - feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. Elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $109. FBi Hands Up! - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefi ts FBi Social, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Infamous Saturdays - feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Jozif + Mosca + Fingers + DJ Scoob + Whitecat + A-Tonez + Visual Lies + DJ Just 1 + King Lee Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25. My Place Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. free. Sienna Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney. 9pm. free. Soda Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Spice 05.04 W/ Michelle Owen - feat: Marc Jarvin + Morgan + Robbie Lowe + Matt Weir The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Spin The Bottle - feat: Domino + Logan + Into The Fireplace + The Vale Of Ah + Xater Bay + Wil Maisey Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $15.

8pm. free. Martini Club And Friends feat: Ocky + Tom Kelly Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Jozif + Pepperpot + Dave Hawtin + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace + Hannah Gibbs Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10. Sunday Spice 06.04 W/ Murat Kilic - feat: + Guests The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. $15. Sundays In The City - feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

MONDAY APRIL 7 CLUB NIGHTS

Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free. DJ Mattia Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

TUESDAY APRIL 8

SUNDAY APRIL 6 CLUB NIGHTS

La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor The Establishment, Sydney.

CLUB NIGHTS

Chu World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. DJ Robin Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

Darkside

Manning Bar

Seth Sentry + Bam Bam + Lyall Moloney 8pm. $29. WEDNESDAY APRIL 2

THURSDAY APRIL 3

CLUB NIGHTS

HIP HOP & R&B

Darkside + Movement The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $66. DJ Tom Kelly Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 11pm. free. House Party Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. free. Snapback - feat: Various Artists Newtown Hotel, Newtown. 7:30pm. free. The Supper Club - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. The Wall - feat: Various Local And International Acts World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5. Whip It Wednesdays - feat: Various DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

36 :: BRAG :: 556 : 02:04:14

Seth Sentry + Bam Bam + Lyall Moloney Manning Bar, Camperdown. 8pm. $29. Beastside + Subsketch + Ben Iota + Maatzi (DJ Set) The Forresters, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

CLUB NIGHTS

$5 Everything Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Goldfish And Friends - feat: Regular Rotating Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Kicks World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. Loopy - feat: Drty Csh + Daschwood + Generous Greed + Guest DJs The Backroom, Sydney. 10pm. $12. Physical Education - feat: Various DJs

Flinders Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. free. Pool Club Thursdays - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free. Solarium - feat: Solarium DJs And Live Acts Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. free. Spice Thursday 03.04 W/ Mantra Collective - feat: Aboutjack + Antoine Vice + Space Junk + Whitecat The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 9pm. free. The World Bar Thursdays World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

FRIDAY APRIL 4 CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free. Brooklyn Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 2 Darkside + Movement The Hi-Fi, Moore Park. 7:30pm. $66.

THURSDAY APRIL 3 Beastside + Subsketch + Ben Iota + Maatzi (DJ Set) The Forresters, Surry Hills. 8pm. Free.

FRIDAY APRIL 4

SATURDAY APRIL 5 45 Sessions - feat: Frenzie + DJ Mk-1 + Josie Styles + DJ Makoto + Benny Hinn + JC (Funkdafied) Play Bar, Surry Hills. 4pm. Free. Jozif + Mosca + Fingers + DJ Scoob + Whitecat + A-Tonez + Visual Lies + DJ Just 1 + King Lee Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $20. Spice 05.04 W/ Michelle Owen - feat: Marc Jarvin + Morgan + Robbie Lowe + Matt Weir The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

Brooklyn Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $15.

SUNDAY APRIL 6

Dose + Open-Eye + Bionic + Jayem + Nemo + Zealous Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 8pm. $20.

S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Jozif + Pepperpot + Dave Hawtin + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace + Hannah Gibbs Flyover Bar, Sydney. 2pm. $10.

thebrag.com

Xxx

club pick of the week

$15. Dose + Open-Eye + Bionic + Jayem + Nemo + Zealous Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 8pm. $20. Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Loco Friday - feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free.

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26:03:14 :: Beach Road Hotel :: 71 Beach Rd Bondi Beach 9130 7247 S :: JAMES AMBROS OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: AMATH MAGNAN ::

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E :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY

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edu imbernon 28:03:14 :: The Spice Cellar :: 58 Elizabeth St Sydney 9223 5585 38 :: BRAG :: 556 :: 02:04:14

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30:03:14 :: Flyover Bar :: 275 Kent St Sydney 9262 1988

29:03:13 :: Chinese Laundry :: 111 Sussex St Sydney 8295 9999

OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER :: AMATH MAGNAN ::

S :: JAMES AMBROSE :: KATRINA

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EASTER SUNDAY

SUNSET CRUISE

AUDIOFLY CHÂTEAU FLIGHT LUCA SAPORITO - IT VERSATILE - FRA

MICHELLE OWEN REJECTED – AU GARTH LINTON

MURAT ROBBIE KILIC LOWE STIL VOR TALENT/OFF – AU EK MANTRA COLLECTIVE ROOM

NIKOLAI - JEREMIAH - HEDON

SPACE JUNK - ANTOINE VICE WHITECAT - ABOUTJACK