Brag#577

ISSUE NO. 577 AUGUST 27, 2014

FREE Now picked up at over 1,500 places across Sydney and surrounds. thebrag.com

MUSIC, FILM, THEATRE + MORE

INSIDE This Week

DUNGOG F E S T I VA L

The Hunter Valley lights up with a festival of film, music and more.

HILLTOP HOODS

PAT R ICK J A ME S

It’s been a gradual rise for the young folk singer.

ONE DROP R A NK IN R IDDIM

Sydney’s finest reggae acts come together for a springtime festival.

E S C A PE T HE FAT E

Soundwave beckons for a rejigged lineup with a new destiny.

Plus

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SEP 20: + PROJECT COLLECTIVE SKA

SEP 27: + NOVA & THE EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL EDITION

FEB/MAR

2015

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lorne marion bay byron VICTORIA

TASMAN IA

NEW SOUTH WALES

dec 28 2014

dec 29 2014

dec 30 2014

Until

Until

Until

jan 01 2015

jan 01 2015

jan 03 2015

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

ALT-J BIG FREEDIA THE BLACK LIPS BLUEJUICE COLD WAR KIDS DMAs GEORGE EZRA GLASS ANIMALS JAGWAR MA JAMIE XX JOEY BADA$$ JOHN BUTLER TRIO KIM CHURCHILL THE KITE STRING TANGLE MILKY CHANCE MOVEMENT THE PRESETS REMI RÖYKSOPP & ROBYN RUN THE JEWELS SAFIA SBTRKT LIVE SPIDERBAIT STICKY FINGERS THE TEMPER TRAP TENSNAKE TKAY MAIDZA TODD TERJE LIVE TYCHO VANCE JOY WOLF ALICE BOOGIE NIGHTS

ALISON WONDERLAND BADBADNOTGOOD CLIENT LIAISON SALT N PEPA

PLUS PLENTY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

general ticket sales 9am wed 3 sep fallsfestival.com

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rock music news welcome to the frontline: the latest touring and music news...with Chris Martin and Gloria Brancatisano

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speed date WITH

FANNY LUMSDEN FROM FANNY LUMSDEN AND THE THRILLSEEKERS Your Profile We sound like equal portions 1. apple pie, blue flannie and glitter on a warmer-than-average summer day. I hail from the sticks, am a show pony and create happy altcountry music. The ideal fan keeps me cool on said hot day and can keep a straight face while making fanny puns.

Keeping Busy We have been flat out like a 2. lizard drinking the past few months

Best Gig Ever Country Halls tour shows 3. for sure. Usually in a hall which is in the middle of a paddock or alongside a pub and a church. We get in there, deck it out with lights and sound gear and decorations and then the whole community comes down and parties with us, some having travelled hundreds of kilometres. Everyone brings the kids, the dogs and an esky and has a top night. We just finished one recently and all I’ll say is that things got pretty wild and woolly – I’m still basking in the afterglow.

Current Playlist I’m currently going through 4. a bit of a girl power phase and listening to some great country sass from the US, and have been

revisiting a lot of ’90s pop including Belinda Carlisle and Destiny’s Child.

I’m loving my tour buddy Ruby Boots’ new EP and am always, always listening to Dolly and Patsy.

Your Ultimate Rider Dried banana chips, tortilla 5. bread (nothing on it), apple pie, fancy Scotch whisky, laksa for Dan, fresh bananas for Preston, a small teacup piglet (been wanting one for a while now), Dolly for moral support and dressing tips, a neverending supply of multicoloured cowboy boots, rain water and CWA-made sandwiches in little triangles.

What: Seek Stumble Listen Live With: Vanessa Caspersz, Twin Caverns, Little Fox Where: The Corner Store, Erskineville When: Friday August 29

Rodriguez

MANAGING EDITOR: Chris Martin chris@thebrag.com 02 9212 4322 ONLINE EDITOR: Tyson Wray ONLINE COORDINATOR: Emily Meller SUB-EDITOR: Emily Meller STAFF WRITERS: Adam Norris, Krissi Weiss, Augustus Welby NEWS: Gloria Brancatisano, Lauren Gill, Nic Liney, Amie Mulhearn, Tyson Wray ART DIRECTOR: Sarah Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS: Amath Magnan, Ashley Mar, Katrina Clarke 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: Furst Media 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: Nic Liney, Emily Meller, Amie Mulhearn gigguide@thebrag.com (rock); clubguide@ thebrag.com (dance, hip hop & parties) AWESOME INTERNS: Amie Mulhearn, Nic Liney, Fergus Halliday REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Nat Amat, Ian Barr, Prudence Clark, Keiron Costello, Marissa Demetriou, Christie Eliezer, Blake Gallagher, Cameron James, Tegan Jones, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Mina Kitsos, Emily Meller, Adam Norris, Daniel Prior, Kate Robertson, Erin Rooney, Leonardo Silvestrini, Amy Theodore, Rod Whitfield, Harry Windsor, Tyson Wray, Stephanie Yip, David James Young 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 EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, editors or staff of the BRAG. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Luke Forrester: accounts@furstmedia.com.au ph - (03) 9428 3600 fax - (03) 9428 3611 Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond Victoria 3121 DEADLINES: Editorial: 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 2003-2014 DISTRIBUTION: Wanna get the BRAG? Email distribution@ furstmedia.com.au or phone 03 9428 3600 PRINTED BY SPOTPRESS: www.spotpress.com.au 24 – 26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204

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Alt-J

ALT-J

RODRIGUEZ

Rodriguez, the long-labouring performer shot to international prominence by the film Searching For Sugar Man, will play his debut Sydney Opera House dates this October. Sixto Rodriguez’s rise from obscurity to fame makes for quite an incredible tale. From 40 years toiling in America, Rodriguez found his market in South Africa, where his anti-Apartheid anthems spoke to multiple generations. Still he remained unknown to much of the outside world until the Academy Award-winning 2012 documentary Searching For Sugar Man, and hasn’t turned back since.

Rodriguez will bring his ’70s classic Cold Fact and more to the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday October 21 and Thursday October 23. Tickets go on sale 9am Thursday August 28.

The UK’s leading purveyors of electronic-infused art rock, Alt-J, have announced a return to our shores on the Falls Festival lineup, and they’ll play a Sydney sideshow as well.

Now a trio, Alt-J’s second album, This Is All Yours, is due to land on Friday September 19, following up their mammoth Mercury Prize-winning debut of 2012, An Awesome Wave.

Already fans have had a triple taste of the new record by way of ‘Hunger Of The Pine’, ‘Left Hand Free’ and ‘Every Other Freckle’, so everyone’s sure to be well acquainted by the time Alt-J reach the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday October 7, with support from Grace. Tickets go on sale 9am Thursday August 28.

before she relocates she’ll embark on a second and final tour of Australia supporting her third album, Sway. The record features collaborations with Adalita, Andrew Cowie, Andrew Keese, Richard Martin and JP Shilo, and includes the tracks ‘Found Some Secret’ and ‘Not Been Sleeping’. Be there to wish Laucirica well at Camelot Lounge on Saturday October 4, where The Apartments will support.

TUBA SKINNY

New Orleans jazz ensemble Tuba Skinny will return to Australia this October for a national tour. This will be the band’s fourth tour of the country, after selling out their last dates in 2013.

They return with two new albums under their belt – Pyramid Strut, recorded in Tasmania during their last visit to Australia, and their latest release Owl Call Blues. Catch ’em at The Basement on Saturday October 11 and Sunday October 12.

HERE’S HUSKY

Melbourne folksters Husky have confirmed the details of their new album and tour. Ruckers Hill, the follow-up to stunning debut record Forever So, will be out on Friday October 17, led out by single ‘I’m Not Coming Back’. Good news is, Husky are indeed coming back to town at the Oxford Art Factory on Thursday November 13 and Newcastle’s Small Ballroom on Friday November 14. They’ll also headline the Sydney Craft Beer week closing event, Sip & Savour, at Carriageworks on Sunday October 26.

JUST KEEP WALKING

Iconic Australian songwriter Don Walker – the man behind such Cold Chisel hits as ‘Khe Sanh’, ‘Flame Trees’, ‘Cheap Wine’, ‘Saturday Night’ and more – will tour the country with his band The Suave Fucks this October and November. ‘The Perfect Crime’ is the latest single from their album, Hully Gully, and proves Walker hasn’t lost the touch that’s etched his melodies into the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere. See Walker and The Suave Fucks at Camelot Lounge on Saturday October 25 and Lizotte’s Newcastle on Sunday October 26.

AMAYA LAUCIRICA

Hypnotic Aussie pop singer Amaya Laucirica is set to chase the dream in Europe, but

Sleep

SEND ME TO SLEEP

Sleep have revealed details of their first full Australian tour this December. After breaking up in 1998 and returning a mere 11 years later in 2009, Sleep are finally back with their first piece of new music, ‘The Clarity’. Originally the 2009 reformation was meant to be a one-off, a proper send-off for the trio, but more festivals followed, then US and European tours, and they haven’t stopped since. In 2012, the band reissued Dopesmoker in full, remastered and over an hour in length – the way it was meant to be heard. Now they will return to Australia for a run of six shows, including Meredith Music Festival and stops in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Be there when Sleep take over Manning Bar on Sunday December 13.

thebrag.com

xxx photo by xxx

– it’s been a ball. We completed a successfully funded Pozible campaign for our debut album (which we will be putting down in September/October), a residency at The Vic On The Park in Enmore, a heap of shows up and down the east coast including opening for the Davidson Brothers and playing with Bill Chambers, did our third annual Country Halls tour through the Riverina, went and toured in WA with Ruby Boots, and have just

returned from the NT where we sold out our Darwin Festival show… and went camping in Kakadu and I tried to get over my fear of snakes.

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live & local

free stuff

welcome to the frontline: what’s goin’ on around town...with Chris Martin

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five things WITH

JED HOLMES FROM HOBO BORDEAUX is four dudes with tremolo and soul, belting it out because we have to. We met because we had to to make this, and we keep going because we have to to stay sane. What more could you want?

The Music You Make We have a ridiculously long genre name 4. on the interwebs but for the most part it’s an ol’ timey, swanky rock’n’roll band. The short version is if you like Quentin Tarantino film music then you’re in our ballpark. We’ve got a couple of EPs available online that we recorded with Gusto from Hermitude and Michael Silk from La Tarantella. They are available for free but honestly the best experience of us is live (as with most bands I guess). We like to holla, make a ruckus, and crown the occasional prom king!

Growing Up The first music that really had an impact 1. on me was ‘The Message’ by Grandmaster

Inspirations I like a metric tonne of music but the 2. major musical influences on the birth of

Your Band Hobo Bordeaux is Evan Jones, James 3.

Shine, Matt Williams and yours truly. The deal

MORE EXPERIENCE

After their sold-out show at the same venue earlier this month, Nova And The Experience return to Brighton Up Bar this Saturday August 30 to launch their EP, Where We Go. Enerate and Sundown State will support the indie-pop outfit, whose EP in question was recorded with ARIA Award-nominated producer Lachlan Mitchell.

a rain of venues. It really is the major obstacle at this level, just needing places to play. But it’s certainly not the talent that’s the problem. Gay Paris gave me goddamn vertigo last time I saw them (seriously).

With: La Tarantella, Skyscraper Stan Where: Annandale Hotel When: Saturday August 30

Here’s a name for the memory bank: Lauren Glezer, a Melbourne singersongwriter who’s releasing her debut EP in September. Searching For Tall will be out Friday September 19, and ‘This Living’ is the latest taste – a cut of folkpop that displays Glezer’s raw vocal style.

Glezer has taken her time to get the EP just right, putting it together over a twoyear period, and recording with Richard Stolz at Woodstock Studios. She’ll launch ‘This Living’ on an east coast tour starting in September, but Sydney dates are yet to be announced, so your best chance to hear Glezer’s new stuff is through the BRAG. We’ve got five copies of the EP to give away – to be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us what you’re searching for.

Xxx

Flash and The Furious Five. I was in primary school and already very into music (my earliest memory is of watching Rage) but that was the first song that made me genuinely curious about it.

Hobos were Tom Waits and his frequent collaborator, Marc Ribot. There’s now all manner of influences from soul, surf, swing, spaghetti western and good ol’ rock’n’roll but Tom and Marc were the start. That gnarly, clunky guitar tone under a soulful derelict’s yammering made the most beautiful nightmare ever.

Music, Right Here, Right Now I think Sydney has a fantastic collection 5. of musicians who are desperately praying for

LAUREN GLEZER

Stephen Cummings

ARGYLE SUNDAYS

Had a big Saturday night out on the town? Ears ringing from the big gig the night before? The Argyle has the solution you’ve been waiting for.

Leading into spring and summer, check out the venue’s outdoor courtyard space – one of the raddest in Sydney – and have your recovery soundtracked by resident acoustic artists Erin Marshall, Gemma Lyon and weekly guests. To bring the body back up to speed, they’ve got Napoli pizzas and Bloody Mary cocktail jugs.

Boy, we feel better already.

SPOD

Fast approaching 20 years of music-making, Spod is back with a new record. Taste The Sadness is an “updated” take on 2003’s Taste The Radness, the release which infiltrated eardrums from the Inner West to the Big Day Out and beyond. Spod’s sweaty dance-pop has returned in triumph, and he’ll headline the Lansdowne Hotel on Friday September 19 with support from Justin Heazlewood AKA The Bedroom Philosopher.

STEPHEN CUMMINGS

The incredibly prolific Stephen Cummings, former frontman of The Sports and an ever-present performer in his own right, is hitting the road in support of Nothing To Be Frightened Of, his first album for three years. Rather than rest on past glories, Cummings managed to avoid playing old Sports songs for 25 years of solo touring, instead recording some 20 albums off his own steam. Cummings’ memoir was recently made into a documentary and screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival, so he’s a character you’ll want to get up close and personal with.

Do just that at Café Deus on Thursday September 4 and The Brass Monkey on Thursday September 18.

The Big Blind Ray Trio

Woodlock

WOODLOCK

Melbourne indie rock trio Woodlock are marking the release of latest single ‘The Garden’ with a 17-date national tour. The track is lifted from the Labour Of Love EP, and harks back to the bare necessities of making a rocking tune – it’s intelligent music without too much digital interference. Woodlock have a strong grassroots following, which you can be part of at Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on Friday October 3 and Newtown Social Club on Friday October 10. Support comes from Fieu.

SPARROWS

This week’s edition of Sabbath Sessions at Frankie’s Pizza features Central Coast rockers Sparrows, who’ll fly into town with rock’n’roll influenced by The Bronx and The Hives.

Joining the fivesome are hard rockers Stars Of Addiction, who’ve been making waves on US radio and are headed Stateside for a debut tour there soon. In the meantime, Frankie’s on Sunday August 31 is where you wanna be.

EEO

SHADY DAYS

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Singer-songwriter Daniel Vogl, who performs under the name EEO, will be doing just that in Sydney during September. ‘Dead Love’ is the latest single from the 21-year-old Melburnian, who released his debut album Villain In Me back in 2012. Vogl follows in the tradition of the folk songwriting greats – Bob Dylan, Paul Kelly – and will bring a full band to Oxford Art Factory on Friday September 12.

Hey-o!

thebrag.com

xxxx

It’s another weekend of meaty beats at Shady Pines Saloon this weekend, starting Saturday August 30 with the return of Frank Sultana And The Sinister Kids. Sultana and his blues crew are the latest in a long tradition of musicians that draw on the bluesy heart of North America, and are always a popular choice at Shady’s. Meanwhile, Sunday August 31 delivers two headliners: The Big Blind Ray Trio, who’ll be upping the ante courtesy frontman and harmonica expert Ray Lechminka, and The Drey Rollan Band, with their high-energy, harmony-driven tunes.

HEYO, EEO

with special guest

Tuesday 7th October Enmore Theatre ON SALE TOMORROW

F R O N T I E R T O U R I N G . C O M • A LTJ B A N D . C O M

NEW ALBUM THIS IS ALL YOURS OUT 19 SEPT

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Industrial Strength Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

THINGS WE HEAR * Are Kanye West and Paul McCartney recording together? * Flume’s new ten-minute slow-burning remix of Arcade Fire’s ‘Afterlife’ got over one million plays in its first week. * Just over four years since its release, The Amity Affliction’s breakthrough album Youngbloods has been certified gold with sales of over 35,000 copies. * The life of Gwar frontman Dave Brockie, AKA Oderus Urungus, who died of a heroin OD in March, was celebrated at its annual Gwar-B-Q festival in Virginia. His stage costume was set ablaze in a Viking-style funeral pyre. * Who’s a millionaire global superstar? Those chomping lunch at the communal eating Ponsonby Food Hall

in NZ probably didn’t realise that among their midst, eating budget food with plastic forks, were Lorde and mum Sonja Yelich. * A new study by the Queensland University of Technology found 2.8 million Australians are registered on Twitter, and the ACT has the highest per capita concentration of users. * Kesha revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon she broke into Prince’s house to leave some music for him – and found him at home playing the guitar. He didn’t speak, just gave her a look, so she scrammed. * Chicago’s Congress Theatre has reopened with a ban on all EDM events.

After hosting Skrillex and Steve Aoki in the past, it had to close in May

LIVE MUSIC OFFICE TO RESEARCH LIVE MUSIC CONTRIBUTION

The Sydney-based Live Music Office’s new website livemusicoffice.com.au will serve as a resource for the live music industry and the government to see how policies are impacting the sector. It also enables venues and musicians to set up gigs and build audiences.

Policy director John Wardle said live music strategies in Sydney, Wollongong, Adelaide and Melbourne over the last year “recognise that if venues and musicians are going to be a part of our community then we need to plan for their future�. It’s teamed with the University of Tasmania to research a proper snapshot of the live music sector’s contribution. “There’s a lot of activity that flies under the radar and the economic and cultural value can be

2013 after “drug-related problems� led to the loss of its liquor licence. * On his songwriting trip through Paris, Stockholm and London, Chance Waters is collaborating with producers and writers including the chart-topping Agent X and Micky Green, who was on Flight Facilities’ single ‘Stand Still’. * Wollongong producer Kid Pharaoh produced three tracks on the upcoming mixtape from US-based lyrics website Rap Genius. * Nicki Minaj broke a Vevo record with her ‘Anaconda’ video, getting 19.6 million views within 24 hours.

Meantime, one of her dancers was bitten by a six-foot-long boa constrictor after she startled it onstage during rehearsals for the MTV Video Music Awards.

tricky to measure,� said head researcher Dr. David Carter. A consumer survey is open at research.link.edu.au/641669.

UNION CALLS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO PEATS RIDGE

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) wants all creditors to write to corporate watchdog ASIC by Thursday August 28 to demand it continue investigating the collapse of the Peats Ridge Sustainable Arts and Music Festival. Held in Glenworth Valley on the NSW Central Coast, it went belly-up after the 2012/13 event with between $1.4 million and $1.6 million in unaccounted ticket revenue, leaving acts and production crew out of pocket.

Liquidators Worrells claimed in June there was evidence festival director Matthew Grant

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Drum & Bass Tour feat: The Upbeats,

“breached a number of criminal sections of the Corporation Act�, citing insolvent trading, preferential payments and inadequate record-keeping. The 2012 creditors may not see any money as the $1.6 million was allegedly used to pay creditors of earlier festivals. But after an 18-month investigation, ASIC has suspended inquiries owing to lack of funding. “As the union representing performers and crew in the arts industry, we want to ensure those responsible for the failure of the Peats Ridge Festival are held accountable, and send a message to our industry that people who attract and entertain the paying public should be paid fairly and protected from unscrupulous operators,� the MEAA said.

AUSTRALIA COUNCIL’S NEW GRANTS MODEL

From January, the Australia Council will introduce a new artist-centric grants model that will allow a great diversity of artists and organisations to apply for funding for development grants ($5k to $25k), arts project grants ($10k to $50k), arts projects for organisations ($10k to $150k), $100,000 fellowships and six-year funding for arts organisations. See thebrag.com for our full report.

CALVIN HARRIS HIGHEST-PAID DJ AGAIN

Calvin Harris is the highest-paid DJ in the world this year, earning US$66m according to US business mag Forbes’ Electronic Cash Kings list. He said, “The rise of dance music has been astronomical in the last three years. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.â€? Harris topped last year’s poll too, with earnings of $46m. At number two was David Guetta ($30m), while TiĂŤsto, Avicii and Steve Aoki made up the rest of the top five. The list takes in earnings from live shows (Harris played 50), merchandise, endorsements, record sales and “external business venturesâ€? from June 1, 2013 to June 1, 2014. The top ten earners on the list have a combined total of $268m, up 11% on last year.

PPCA HELPS OUT ATSI MUSIC OFFICE

The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) has joined APRA AMCOS to expand the activities of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Music Office.

The office was set up in 2008 by APRA AMCOS and the Australia Council to provide opportunities for indigenous musicians.

VALE IAN SMITH

One-time band manager and tour manager Ian Smith passed away late last week, aged 62, after a battle with cancer.

Beginning as an artist manager (including for Australian Crawl during their rapid rise to fame), he became involved in associations such as Ausmusic and the Victorian Rock Foundation as well as an event manager and producer for music, sporting and corporate events. He was tour manager at Frontier Touring and operations coordinator for New Year’s Eve at City of Sydney.

FILMMAKERS’ PUBLIC FORUM

Following Screen Australia scrapping funding for emerging filmmakers, Metro Screen is holding a public forum called ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’, for people to have their say and hear industry leaders voice their opinions. It’s on Tuesday September 2 from 6pm at Paddington Town Hall. Register at Eventbrite to attend.

EVENTBRITE’S SNAPSHOT OF FESTIVALGOERS

A snapshot of Australian festivalgoers by ticketing platform Eventbrite’s Festival Social Buzz Study found the average attendee is twentysomething, female and in a relationship. 55% of attendees are female, 45% are men. 68% are married. A quarter are in their thirties, 35% have children, and they’re not as music-obsessed as you’d imagine. 48% expressed a keen interest in politics and news, then comedy (21%), music (20%), technology (17%), cooking (13%) and fashion (12%). They are social media savvy, with Twitter as their platform of choice. Soundwave was the most effective of festivals, engaging audiences over a long period, and using smart tricks like staggering artist announcements and getting acts to “speak� directly with fans. The other most talked-about events are Stereosonic, Vivid Sydney, Big Day Out, Splendour In The Grass, St. Jerome’s Laneway, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Tropfest, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Australia Day Parade. But when

social media buzz is set against the size of their crowds, Splendour In The Grass has the most engaged audience, then Stereosonic.

MORE ON YOUTUBE MUSIC SERVICE

YouTube’s parent company Google remains hush-hush about the release date of YouTube’s much rumoured subscription-based music service as it’s still negotiating with record labels.

But Android Police claims it will be called YouTube Music Key, and the year-old Google Play Music All Access will be rebranded Google Play Music Key. The YouTube service allegedly offers ad-free music, audio-only playback, concert footage, remixes and discographies.

CONTROL: THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC MANAGEMENT

The Australian Music Industry Network’s fivestage Control program for music managers has opened applications until Monday September 29 at amin.org.au. It will help grow their businesses, with the first of two residential labs near Sydney on November 23-26. Six music and business advisers including managers Paul McKessar and Correne Wilkie will work with participants on their leadership skills and business models.

LITTLE SEA SIGN PUBLISHING

Sydney pop band Little Sea have signed a global deal with Universal Music Publishing.

The act built its popularity via social media and busking, with its indie EP Wake The Sun debuting at number one on the Australian iTunes chart.

Lifelines Born: daughter Ophelia to Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and wife Jordyn Blum, their third. This month Grohl also lost his father after a long illness.

Born: son Saint Lazslo for Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and galpal Meagan Camper. His five-yearold son was lumbered with the name Bronx Mowgli.

Split: America’s Got Talent host Nick Gannon confirmed he and Mariah Carey are living separately. They married in 2008 and have three-year-old twins.

Engaged: singer Anthony Callea and singer/actor Tim Campbell after seven years together.

Expecting: former Pussycat Doll turned Got To Dance UK judge Kimberley Wyatt and husband, male model Max Rogers, are having a girl in December.

In Court: Jay Sedrish, executive producer and production manager of the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges of camera assistant Sarah Jones, who was killed by train in February on the set.

Sued: Justin Bieber by photographer Aja Oxman, who claims Bieber instructed his bodyguard to smash his camera and slam him against a car bonnet after he took a shot of the singer jumping off a cliff in Hawaii.

Died: bassist Billy Rath, who replaced Richard Hell in Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers, 66, after a long illness.

Died: Caterina de Nave, commissioning editor for drama, comedy and entertainment at SBS, after a long illness. She commissioned high-profile shows including Better Man, Danger 5, Housos, Legally Brown and A Pang For Brazil.

Died: US music journalist Charles M. Young, who joined Rolling Stone in 1976 and championed the New York punk scene, of cancer at 63.

Died: Radio host Phebe Irwin (Wave FM Wollongong, i98 Newcastle), from complications during surgery.

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T

here is something Pynchonesque about the talent Australian film directors Michael and Peter Spierig enlist for their productions. Mungo McKay in Undead. Sahaj Dumpleton and Willem Dafoe in Daybreakers.

Now, Sarah Snook stars opposite Ethan Hawke in Predestination, a clever, tragic and hugely entertaining film that sees the Adelaide actress deliver an outstanding performance.

The film is the latest in a string of Spierig stories whose roots run deep in speculative fiction, but unlike the majority of contemporary horror and sci-fi releases the great appeal of their movies is the ability to pitch classics of the genre in entirely unexpected ways.

“Peter and I grew up in the ’80s, in the days of the video nasties,” Michael says. “There were all those VHS movies that came out like Evil Dead, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw, all of that stuff.

Granted, we were very, very young, but we managed to get our hands on them and take in everything. So we definitely love horror, have always loved sci-fi. I think there’s so much room to experiment within those genres, and we also admire so many filmmakers that have started in the genre. People like Peter Jackson, [David] Cronenberg, Sam Raimi, all those guys. We sort of see their trajectory, and hope to emulate that to some degree.”

Like those directors, The Spierig Brothers’ films have certainly grown more polished and assured as their reputation has risen, but their fascination and appreciation of the genre has in no way diminished.

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And, at the risk of sounding sycophantic, it’s exciting for the audience as well. Predestination is a genuinely good film – the performances from Hawke, Snook, and (too briefly) Noah Taylor are all compelling; the pacing is tight; perhaps even more importantly, the film is simply interesting. After watching a media screening, I overheard several people laughing in self-deprecating fashion that they had not understood what it was all about. Though by no means a linear story (involving as it does notions of time, love and fate), Predestination is not an obtuse or confusing film.

It is not difficult to understand and enjoy, yet it does demand a certain level of engagement that is lacking from a lot of cinema today.

“You have to cater to… hmmm,” Michael laughs. “The ‘lowest common denominator’ is not the term I’m trying to use, but you have to appeal to the broadest audience you can, and that often means simplifying the story. We had total freedom in this project, we were answering to no-one and got to make the film that we wanted to make. But I really enjoy a film that makes you think. I think there are

certain films that require repeat viewing, and I think a film like ours lends itself to that. There are so many layers to it that make so much more sense once you know how it all unfolds.”

“If somebody said they just totally didn’t get it, I’d find that a little surprising,” Peter adds. “But not only that, we’ve also had the opposite – people saying they knew every twist that was going to happen, which I also find a little difficult to believe,” he chuckles. “I can understand that it does have that reaction, and you’re right, it does require the audience to be engaged. I know there are plenty of movies out there where you go to them simply to switch your brain off.”

The film gains an added layer of intellectual credibility given it’s based on a story by Robert A. Heinlein, whose writings have previously crossed over into Hollywood to varying success (compare the popularity of Starship Troopers to, say, the questionable 1994 Donald Sutherland flick The Puppet Masters). In this instance, the source material is short story All You Zombies, a title which may have worked for Lucio Fulci but not quite as well here. It is also notable given it took Heinlein just 24 hours to write.

“It was very, very quick,” Michael says. “You think of the intricacies of what the plot is, and you get a sense of his mind and how clever he was.

Turning that into a feature script took a little more than a day, I’ll tell you that for sure,” he laughs. “But it was a fairly quick process. We got it to the point where we had a shooting draft in maybe six months, and in the grand scheme of moviemaking that’s pretty fast.”

“Michael might find a piece of material, I might find a piece of

material, and if there’s passion there, then we’ll go after it no matter what,” Peter says. “And that’s across all different genres, all different styles.

It’s just whatever story grabs us, whatever makes us passionate, that’s what we’ll run with.”

This marks the second time The Spierig Brothers have worked with Ethan Hawke, having formerly cast him as the vampiric lead in the dystopian Daybreakers. Seeing as Hawke himself seems drawn more and more to genre films these days (Sinister, The Purge), you wonder how long it will be before he is officially promoted to ‘Spierig Muse’.

Michael laughs.

“We had such a good time working with him on Daybreakers. We wrote the script [for Predestination] and sent it to him without really having the film at all set up or financed.

He just fell in love with the story and wanted to know what part he was playing, but we weren’t entirely sure. It sort of evolved over months of auditioning a lot of actors and deciding the path we were going to take with the characters. Were we going to get two actors to play the parts that Sarah ultimately played, or could we find one actress to play both? Obviously the most interesting option was to have one actor play both. We were so fortunate to find Sarah, she’s just remarkable.”

With the commercial appeal of classic monsters today stronger than ever – one need look no further than the Twilight franchise or The Walking Dead – reimagining established horrors along more cerebral lines is not without risk. The Spierig Brothers seem interested in more than whatever creature happens to currently be in vogue, but they are certainly aware of material that treads a similar path.

“Vampires in particular are the oldest of the movie monsters,” Peter says. “There are so many different versions. [Guillermo] del Toro’s new show [The Strain] I haven’t seen yet, Twilight I’ve seen… well,” he laughs, “I’ve seen enough of it to know what it is. It’s obviously something that is not what we would spend our time watching. But I loved The Lost Boys. I watched the From Dusk Till Dawn series, and that was interesting. The good thing about the genre is that it does have all of this room to experiment and play; you can do different things. With Daybreakers, we were trying to show a completely different world.

And our vampires didn’t sparkle, that’s for sure.”

What: Predestination (dir. The Spierig Brothers) Where: In cinemas Thursday August 28 xxx

“We pushed really hard to ensure that…” Peter begins, then trails off. Given the unfair rap that horror and sci-fi films tend to receive,

it’s no surprise he takes time to consider his reply. “Look, it’s very easy for the gimmick of time travel paradoxes to take over a film, but we were striving to do something a little more. And it’s so interesting to see introspective characters in this type of movie too; you just don’t see that, you don’t often really see actual science fiction. We’re thrilled that we were able to do something a little different. And it’s difficult to get films like this made because people are so preconditioned to think what this genre should be, and to push the barriers a little bit is so exciting for us.”

thebrag.com

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Joe Henry The Life And Times By Patrick Emery

J

oe Henry – singer, songwriter, producer and modern-day keeper of the American folk music tradition – traces his interest in music back to his childhood in North Carolina in the early 1960s.

“I was obsessed with songs at a very young age – likely before it would have ever occurred to me that someone actually wrote them,” Henry says. “They seemed to exist organically, like salt on a table, there at the ready to flavour whatever they touched.”

By the time he was a teenager, Henry had moved with his family to the Midwestern industrial city of Detroit. While Henry says his Southern origins “pierce deep into one’s DNA”, he retains a soft spot for Detroit, especially as the city struggles to escape its troubled recent history. “I have strong ties to Detroit, and to the Midwest as a whole,” he says.

“My wife is a Michigan native, and I made some of my closest and most enduring friendships there.

Detroit is an extremely soulful place, and it is heartbreaking to see it languishing as it has been for so long now. But I believe in its powers of redemption.”

Yet it was the power of song to which a young Henry gravitated.

“I was especially enamored of narrative songs, like the ones Jimmy Webb had written for Glen Campbell, or the ballads Johnny Cash so powerfully delivered in the mid-’60s. But it was probably Bob Dylan, in truth, who woke me up to the idea that, when I heard a song or a recording, real decisions were being made by someone with a vision, and that’s when I remember thinking I, too, wanted to write a song.”

Patrick James Learning The Lines By Augustus Welby

K

een followers of the Australian indie-folk scene have probably caught Patrick James live at some point in the last two years.

Over a busy 18-month period, the Sydney-based singer-songwriter toured with the likes of Boy & Bear, The Paper Kites, Josh Pyke and Tim Hart. However, it was only a few years ago that James was unknown outside of the low-key music scene in his hometown of Port Macquarie.

“It was pretty cool to grow up in a small community where you’ve got a lot of mates that are surfing and playing music,” James says. “[But] it was pretty limited in the amount of places you can play. There was, like, three pubs and then you’ve got to move on.”

So that’s precisely what he did.

After finishing high school, James relocated to Sydney’s Inner West with just one thing in mind: music.

Still, it’s not as though fame and opportunity rushed forth upon his arrival in the big city.

“I think my first gig in Sydney was a bookshop, [so at first] it was really, really small, unplugged acoustic things. It took me maybe a year or two to where I could get the gigs that I wanted to be playing. I was lucky enough to meet some cool people who were putting on gigs with bigger-profile bands in Sydney. I was able to support them and it sort of had a bit of a ripple effect after that.”

“Touring with those guys so much definitely had an influence on the next batch of songs,” he says. “[Onstage] there’s more harmonies going on and a little bit more in-depth instrumentation to what my 14 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

the start, you wouldn’t really think it’s a solo artist.”

Broken Lines was recorded with esteemed Australian producer Wayne Connolly. Teaming up with the studio master further enabled James to expand the breadth of his compositions.

As for specific songwriting instruction, he refers to some infallible sources of wisdom.

“I consciously wanted to make it a lot bigger,” he says. “So [Connolly] just gave me really good sonic ideas about how to put that all together.

His way of working was to almost fiddle for a while; you get the beds of the tracks down and then you just fiddle with random instruments or synths or glockenspiels or something like that. He’s definitely a very talented producer and had some great ideas.”

The resulting EP is replete with choral vocal harmonies, string arrangements and electric instrumentation. Thanks to Connolly’s crafty touch, the added layers don’t obscure James’ intimate songwriting voice. While input was welcome from both Connolly and the band, James remains the commander-in-chief.

“It’s a really personal thing for me, writing my music and writing songs.

It’s still pretty much a solo project. I’ll take [the songs] to those guys and I’ll have a basic idea of what I want them to do and they’ll go from there.

Wayne was really good with fleshing that out as well.”

In recent years, Connolly’s expert production has enhanced records for James’ past tour mates Pyke, Boy & Bear and The Paper Kites. Broken Lines comfortably slots in alongside the work of his peers, but James isn’t trying to reproduce a winning formula.

“As a singer-songwriter I’m really enthused when I hear other people push the boundaries of what a singer-songwriter can do. I guess Bon Iver’s a good example, with his latest album. There’s just so much going on and if you listen to it from

“Over the last six months I’ve had an imprint of James Taylor’s face in my mind, just being like, ‘What would he do in this situation?’ I think the main artist that I was listening to on the road, which influenced a few of the more acoustic-based songs, is Ryan Adams. There’s a song called ‘Fight With Me’, which is the only track on the EP that was consciously alternative-country-sounding. I was just so in that headspace of listening to Ryan Adams, so that came out.”

But it is within music that Henry continues to find both inspiration and peace. Henry has been quoted as saying his interest in the American songbook is analogous to his parents’ interest in the Bible. While modern American folk artists such as Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan have used song to critically explore the dominant American culture, as well as celebrating hitherto unheralded (and marginalised) aspects of the surrounding culture, Henry’s views are more sanguine. “I don’t there is any obligation whatsoever [to be critical],” he says. “But I am interested and awake to the way our culture moves like weather through our lives, both influencing and reflecting it.”

Henry’s latest album, Invisible Hour, continues the rich narrative tradition of his own songwriting.

Henry has previously suggested that the album is about marriage, not as a noun but as a state of living. “[The album] is about commitment and devotion, and all of its poetic invention and articulation,” he explains. “I didn’t mean for that to be read quite so literally, but I do think it’s all in there nonetheless.”

While Henry acknowledges a thematic narrative in his music, he says it’s not a deliberate thing. “I don’t have pre-formed notions that I then try to fit into song form – I write to find out what I am writing about. It is discovery more than self-expression. I frequently find after the fact that the songs on any given album share concerns and interests. But I recognise it all in hindsight, and I could be wrong in my interpretations. I am not necessarily the best judge of what’s going on.”

What: Invisible Hour out now through The Planet Company/ MGM With: Heath Cullen Where: The Basement When: Tuesday September 9 / Wednesday September 10

James’ upward trajectory over the last 18 months means he can support the EP with a relatively large-scale headline tour (which encompasses Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and Port Macquarie).

While he’s amassed a significant fan base in a reasonably short period of time, he says it hasn’t quite been a swift glide.

“The whole thing’s been very gradual from the start of my touring cycle.

When you’re touring consistently over a two-year period it’s hard work and it’s like a slow grind, rather than a quick rise.”

Either way, Broken Lines is evidence that James’ artistry is developing. So what comes next?

“After this cycle I’ll think about an album,” he says. “I don’t know if [the sound of the EP] will be the exact sound I go with for the album to come, but for this EP that collection of songs just really stuck together.”

Patrick James photo by Jarrad Seng

Last month James released his second EP, Broken Lines. The sixtrack set follows on from last year’s relatively sparse debut, All About To Change. The majority of James’ recent touring has been conducted with a trio of backing musicians and the new EP shows he’s comfortably transitioned into playing with a full band.

first EP portrays. That opened up the writing for my second EP.”

Henry’s interest in music was complemented by a wider interest in the arts. In the early 1970s Henry became aware of the African-American comedian Richard Pryor, whose witty and caustic observations exposed the latent racism that existed just behind the facade of self-righteous American cultural hegemony. In 2001 Henry recorded ‘Richard Pryor Addresses A Tearful Nation’, a track that took as its narrative voice the late American comic.

A couple of years ago Henry and his brother co-authored a biography of Pryor, to critical acclaim.

What: Broken Lines out now through Create/Control With: Winterbourne Where: Lizotte’s Newcastle / Oxford Art Factory When: Friday September 12 / Saturday September 13 thebrag.com

“ONE OF THE MOST DRA MATICALLY THRILLING AND EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING TIME-TRAVEL MOVIES OF THE PAST SE VERAL YEARS.” ROB HUNTER - FILM SCHOOL REJECTS

ETHAN HAWKE S A R A H SNOOK NOAH TAYLOR

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T O

S A V E

T H E

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F I L M

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T H E

S P I E R I G

B R O T H E R S

F U T U R E

M U S T

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+++++ “ E N T H R A L L I NG F R OM

START TO FINISH.”

- THE E XA MINER

Strong sex scene and violence

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Escape The Fate New Beginnings By Augustus Welby very year Soundwave brings a staggering assortment of the globe’s leading heavyminded musicians down to Australia.

Festival promoter AJ Maddah might have an outspoken public persona, but Soundwave regularly garners statements of affection from the participating performers.

E

of certain uncooperative band members. Just a few months on from the release of Ungrateful, longtime lead guitarist and key songwriter Monte Money, and his brother and rhythm guitarist Michael, left the band. Mabbitt describes the hostile recording sessions that preceded their exit.

“We’re very, very excited to be on Soundwave again,” says Escape The Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt. “Last time we came we had a fantastic time. It’s one of my favourite tours to be a part of.”

“It was so all over the place, members weren’t satisfi ed, members didn’t want to do certain things. Finally, once you were so grateful that the album’s fi nally done, another one of your members decides, ‘Well I’m not going to tour anymore.’”

The Las Vegas metalcore tearaways haven’t visited our shores since 2011. In the ensuing period the band released its fourth LP Ungrateful, as well as undergoing a series of personnel changes. Mabbitt eagerly awaits the forthcoming Australian visit, but it’s not long since jumping on tour was a far from ideal prospect. “[There were] a lot of times in the past when I didn’t even want to leave my bunk,” he says. “Everyone was wandering off from the tour bus and doing their own thing throughout the whole day. I’d end up at some random bar down the street drinking a beer by myself, eating some mozzarella sticks and I wouldn’t see the guys until we went onstage.

Then I’d go off and do my own thing with a couple of fans after the show and wander onto the bus somehow, blacked-out wasted and pass out.”

Mabbitt’s renewed enthusiasm directly relates to the departure

While the departure of the Money brothers (as well as original bassist Max Green) initially looked like a crushing blow, Mabbitt says it’s been crucial in securing Escape The Fate’s future. “Now I’m on the road with a group of people I want to hang out with,” he says.

Indeed, the band’s newly appointed lead guitarist Kevin Gruft has actually been part of the Escape The Fate family for years. “A lot of our diehard fans already know Kevin because he has fi lled in every single time the other members didn’t want to tour. This is a guy that’s been around for years in my life, that I’ve been friends with for years.”

Meanwhile, the unsavoury circumstances surrounding Ungrateful haven’t impeded on the public’s embrace of the record.

Not only was it the band’s second

successive US top 30 debut, it’s the biggest Australian chart success in Escape The Fate’s career. However, having had over a year to distance himself from the convoluted recording process, Mabbitt doesn’t believe it’s the band’s crowning achievement.

“There’s some hits and some misses on this record for me, personally. I’m ready to go back into the studio and do something brand new and just go full force within that.”

With intra-band harmony firmly re-established, Mabbitt looks forward with pronounced optimism.

“You just keep going and you’ve got to give thanks to the fans that are sticking by you through all of that. Once you jump all of those hurdles, the payoff is going to be worth it.

“I’m very, very excited to get into the studio and do a record as a band again, as a group of people that are all on the same page and they all want the same thing.”

What: Soundwave Festival 2015 With: Slipknot, Faith No More, Soundgarden, Slash, Marilyn Manson, Incubus, Lamb Of God, Fall Out Boy, Judas Priest, Ministry and many more Where: Sydney Olympic Park When: Saturday February 28 and Sunday March 1 And: Ungrateful out now through Sony

Dick Diver Meet In The Middle By Lachlan Kanoniuk In terms of recording, the group nestled into Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road earlier this year, putting together the follow-up to Calendar Days. “The stuff we did in April was for something completely different [than ‘New Name Blues’], which will get released at some stage,” Edwards reveals. “It’ll end up being another record – it’s just a matter of when it’s all finished, organising when we’re all free to have a good go at putting it out properly. Some of it’s an extension [from Calendar Days], some of it is a bit different. I don’t know if it will surprise anyone. Some of it feels really, really different to me, so it’s exciting for that reason.

R

eleased to unanimous acclaim last year, Dick Diver LP number two Calendar Days consolidated the band’s standing as Australian pop storytellers par excellence, crafting resolute beauty from the mundane and painting aural landscapes from the suburbs to Alice Springs. Now marks an estimated midpoint between that album and the next, with a seveninch release of new song ‘New Name Blues’ (and its B-side cover of Coloured Stone’s ‘Lonely Life’) providing a satisfying stopgap between full-length releases.

16 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

“I didn’t write the song, so I can’t speak for Al Montfort, who wrote it,” he says. “But I don’t think we’re too consciously reactive to perceptions about the band. We just write whatever we feel like at the time. It’s not like a PR strategy, certainly. From my point of view, I want to have types of songs that reflect who we are as people. Everyone has lots of different moods. Everyone can be satirical, can say things about politics, but at the same time everyone says some dumb things as well. Hopefully, because we are a bit like that, it finds its way into the songs.”

While there’s a palpable crop of artists embracing nostalgic Australiana to varying degrees of success, Dick Diver – drenched in irony – have managed to veer

towards a heartfelt and sincere reflection of our nation.

“I think if it’s gonna be there, it’s gonna be there with some sort of sincerity, rather than be flippant about it,” says Edwards. “A lot of these things are part of – I don’t speak for broader Australian culture – but these things are what we experience. Not necessarily because we love them or hate them, but because they’re there, and you can’t do anything about it whether you sing about it or not. It’s not a case of being dishonest if these things weren’t in our songs, but because they’re there they find their way into the songs. It’s pretty simple in that way.”

Despite Dick Diver boasting four formidable songwriters in their ranks, the compositional load is not governed by an intra-band bureaucracy. “We don’t talk about it too much, it works out pretty well on its own. I think me and Al McKay

probably write the most songs, therefore more of our songs filter through. Then again, Steph [Hughes] and Al Montfort are really good songwriters in their own right – when they have a song and bring it along it’ll pretty much always pop up somewhere,” Edwards says.

Though there was a relatively elongated lead-up to 2011 debut album New Start Again, Dick Diver have been on a steady path of recording and touring ever since. A gnarly feat, considering their concurrent musical projects.

“There are always quieter patches. A lot of us in the band have one or more, or many more, other bands going on. But at the same time, from my point of view, there’s been more of a momentum building, which means we become busier as a band as time goes on. We haven’t had a huge lull, but it’s not like we’re playing every week. We rarely do a big tour or anything.”

With a current standing as one of the country’s most revered songwriting outfits, Edwards is pragmatic when it comes to Dick Diver’s future possibilities. “I don’t have any delusions about mainstream success. We’re going to the States, and hopefully have one of our records out there eventually.

Hopefully people will like the record, and it won’t sound like a repetition of what we’ve already done.”

What: Building Bridges For Refugees With: Holy Balm, The Ocean Party, Day Ravies, Roamin’ Catholics and more Where: Marrickville Bowling Club When: Saturday September 13 thebrag.com

Xxx photo by xxx

‘New Name Blues’, sung by certified national treasure Al Montfort, marks a slight departure from the band’s previous lyrical tone, channelling the overt political satire of their past two Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre appearances with cutting lines such as, “Dreamtime is done / Howard, Kochie and Bolt / They won”. While the song is explicitly reactionary to the current political climate, singer/

guitarist Rupert Edwards explains it’s not a reaction to the murmuring criticisms that bands of Dick Diver’s ilk aren’t as politically engaged as necessary in these trying times.

“The process has been pretty similar to the other times. There may have been one or two things that we worked out there, but most of the stuff we recorded was written well before. I think one of the songs was written a year before. Most of it, we have a pretty good idea of what we’re gonna do. The last show we played, half the set, or three-quarters of the set, was all new songs that we hadn’t put out or anything. That was mostly so we’ll get used to playing them live so we don’t look like complete tools when the time comes when we have to play them properly.”

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One Drop Rankin Riddim Pat Powell’s Many Hats By Adam Norris

P

at Powell is a busy man.

Besides being the musical director of the inaugural One Drop Rankin Riddim Spring Fest – a one-day festival showcasing the best of Sydney’s reggae scene – he is the frontman for the The Pat Powell Band, Chocolate Jazz and The Protesters, as well as being part of the ongoing success of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, led by the esteemed eccentricity of Nicky Bomba. With all this going on, it’s a little surprising that Powell hasn’t yet burst into flames.

“You know, of late I kind of agree with you,” Powell says in a voice that would find a vibrant career in audiobooks were he ever to throw in the musical towel. “It’s been kind of … blistering. I think at the moment the most important thing is that I’m still working. Today [the industry] is geared towards youth, and as you get older you kind of get pushed out of the way if you’re not established enough. To still be gainfully employed as a singer is a really good thing for me. The practicality is just that if you want to survive as a musician you’ve got to be flexible enough and versatile enough to be doing three or four other things. Out of that, you hope that one or two of the projects are good for your soul, and the other things can be there to pay your rent.”

Even the most cursory glance at Powell’s recent schedule is enough to prove his versatility. With the MSO having just returned from a series of international gigs and festivals, there are already several new shows in the weeks ahead, on top of performances from The Protesters and a stint in The Marvin Gaye Experience at the State Theatre. Not to mention, of course, One Drop Rankin Riddim. Keeping his head together from one act to the next is almost a career in itself.

“You do have to have a shift in personality from act to act, but obviously it’s different with different acts,” he acknowledges. “I’ve always loved being part of ensembles that have lots of voices, and I’ve always enjoyed doing backing vocals. In those situations, especially given I have quite a big voice, I had to learn how to tame and control it. There are many times I’ll meet someone who’ll say, ‘Oh, Pat Powell, should I know you?’ And I’ll say, ‘Not necessarily, but I guarantee you’ve got me in your lounge room somewhere!’” he laughs.

While ska has without a doubt seen a great swell in fans over the last few years, it is not the only genre that has been steadily gaining popularity.

Though reggae has never really disappeared from Australian music, it has often been overshadowed by the sheer weight of the commercial music scene. What many may not realise, however, is that even in the most popinfused hits, reggae is often hiding in the background.

“I’ve noticed a big resurgence in reggae,” Powell says. “With the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, it’s more that Nicky’s taken on something and brought it to a scale that has never been done before in this country.

We’ve engaged a lot of younger audiences, but those younger audiences were already seeing people

like King Tide, The Strides, Midnight Tea Party. There are a lot of great reggae bands around. Judge Pino and The Ruling Motions down in Melbourne, The Ska Vendors. There’s a whole batch of reggae bands that have been flying the flag. Caribbean Soul [at the Civic Underground] is one of the biggest gigs in Sydney of a Monday night and has been running for the past 11 years. So it’s never actually been dead, it may have just been underground. It never gets the promotion that indie rock or pop gets; it never has. But it has always had a strong following, and people don’t realise how reggae influences other music. How many songs out there now are out-and-out rock, or out-and-out pop, and all of a sudden a Jamaican comes along, gives it a little flavour and then goes away again? We’ve

become insidious,” he laughs.

With a lineup that includes many of Sydney’s pre-eminent reggae acts, One Drop Rankin Riddim has the potential to become a go-to festival not only for established fans, but for a whole new generation of people whose musical tastes have already been infused with the genre without them ever knowing it. Each act is unique, but each is inspired by love for a sound that will not be going away anytime soon.

“There might be two or three bands that people haven’t heard of, but by the end of the festival I aim to change that.

It’s all about reggae played well. The colour of Sydney has changed a lot.

You’ve got Italians who have grown up with reggae, you’ve got Chileans who

grew up with ska. You’ve got British backpackers who know reggae inside out. It’s not like it’s this new thing that we’re trying to sell to Australia; we’ve got this huge multicultural mix in which reggae has been a part of their lives for years. It’s not something that came along that people had to get to know; it’s always been there. And so, One Drop Rankin Riddim Festival, here we go.”

What: One Drop Rankin Riddim Spring Fest With: King Tide, The Protesters, The Strides, Kinsky, DK and The Rising Sun, Midnight Tea Party, ForeignDub Where: Factory Theatre When: Saturday September 13

Whitechapel Fighting The Endless War By Rod Whitfield With all the excitement of the Soundwave 2015 first round announcements happening recently, you would have been forgiven for thinking Whitechapel merely would have traded their place on the 2014 tour for next year’s version. But Wade says this was never really a realistic option, and their own tour was the more suitable solution.

“I’m not sure that was really on the cards,” he says. “If we were offered it, we would absolutely love to do the tour again, so hopefully we’ll get the offer for that next year [for 2016].”

A

merican death metal outfit Whitechapel were booked to appear at 2014’s Soundwave Festival, but a family tragedy meant they had to pull out at the last minute. Naturally, this caused some consternation amongst their many Australian fans. Most understood, of course, that family comes first, and that the band would be back at some stage.

That time has now come, as 18 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

Whitechapel recently announced they would be playing three co-headline shows down the eastern seaboard in early September.

Rhythm guitarist Alex Wade, speaking from his home in Lowville, Tennessee, is regretful about having to pull out of the Soundwave jaunt, but very happy to be coming back a little later than expected.

“We’re excited to be able to come back and make those shows up

for our Aussie fans that missed us because we had to cancel the Soundwave shows,” he says.

“We were really bummed out about that situation because our hands were tied and there really wasn’t anything we could do, and ultimately we decided that we had to cancel. That was what we had to do at the time, but we’re just excited that we can come back and make it up to a few of the cities down there.”

And while this run may not be Soundwave, they are bringing another absolute luminary of American heavy music with them – Dez Fafara and his band, DevilDriver – for what promises to be a blistering heavyweight double bill. The two groups have done quite a bit of touring together previously, and have become great friends, so the Australian visit is sure to be a rollicking good time for all concerned.

“We’re really excited to be playing Australia with those guys,” says Wade.

“We did a full US and Canadian tour with DevilDriver, and that went over really well in North America, so I’m excited to see how well it does in Australia.

“I’m sure we’ve played with them quite a bit in the past. The first time we played shows with them and really got to know them was in 2013 – we played a couple of off-day shows on a European festival run with DevilDriver.

We got to know them through playing those small clubs in Europe with them, and we had a great time. So when they did a headline tour of their own, they took us out as direct support. And it went over really well.”

Whitechapel now have five albums to their name, and they pride themselves on playing a broad cross-section of material in all of their live sets to keep fans, old and new, happy.

“We’re not one of those bands that just plays the whole new record and doesn’t play old songs. We always make sure we have a good mix. With every new album we release it gets harder and harder to write a good setlist, because our sets aren’t necessarily getting any longer. But we always try to do a good mix.”

What: Our Endless War out now through Metal Blade/Rocket With: DevilDriver Where: The Hi-Fi When: Saturday September 6 thebrag.com

BRAG’s guide to film, theatre, comedy and art about town

arts in focus

dungog festival

the new frontier also inside: xxxx

DONNELL R AWLINGS / OEDIPUS REX / ARTS NEWS / ARTS GIVEAWAY / REVIEWS thebrag.com

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arts frontline

free stuff

arts news...what's goin' on around town...with Chris Martin and Amie Mulhearn

head to: thebrag.com/freeshit

five minutes WITH

JAMES NOAKES, DESIGNER OF FROM THE GROUND UP

J

ames Noakes, designer for leather footwear and accessories label Mere, recently took to the streets to meet some of Sydney’s homeless.

With photographer Rob Domjen, Noakes created From The Ground Up, and he explains the idea to us.

Tell us about the concept

behind the From The Ground Up book and exhibition.

It’s a project to help homeless individuals in the little way we can, and to raise much-needed funding for Youth Off The Streets.

Our aim is to assist in preventing homelessness from happening to our younger generations. Over the past few months I spent time on

Orlando Bloom, best known for his roles in the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit trilogies and taking a swing at Justin Bieber (what a bloody hero), is coming to Sydney for Oz ComicCon next month. Bloom’s The Hobbit co-stars Stephen Hunter and Dean O’Gorman will join him at the convention, alongside already announced guests William Shatner, Jason Momoa, Jason Dohring, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield and more. Oz Comic-Con Sydney is at the Sydney Exhibition Centre on Saturday September 13 and Sunday September 14. Head to thebrag.com/freeshit for the chance to win a double pass.

Were there any particularly moving moments you had with your subjects along the way?

Woolloomooloo was a fair eyeopener. There were so many individuals affected by the situation, it was really sad to see.

Fiona Jopp in Louder Than Words

A particular subject was Irish, a Vietnam vet, but seeing the setup he had created was cool. He was a really interesting guy with a great backstory. Another good moment was chatting to the guys up in Manly who were funny and lighthearted about their situations.

There’s a lot of good humour on the streets. In summary, each person was so different with diverse and interesting stories. The whole thing was a great personal experience.

The images are in black and white – did you make that decision specifically for this project?

I like that black-and-white photography is dramatic and wanted to portray the sheer honesty of the situation without the impact of colour.

What: From The Ground Up Where: District 01 Gallery When: Thursday August 28

NIGHT MOVES

Writer/director Kelly Reichardt’s latest effort, Night Moves, has captured attentions at fi lm festivals worldwide, from the Official Selection at Toronto last year to Melbourne and Sydney this year. And for good reason – the strong cast features Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard as a trio of eco activists who plan to attack a hydroelectric dam in Portland, Oregon.

It’s a gripping drama that explores what happens when admirable aims are sullied along the way, and when confl ict gets between idealists.

Night Moves is opening in cinemas on Thursday September 11, and we’ve got ten in-season double passes to give away. For your chance to win one, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us why you think environmental activism is important in this day and age.

Tabac Rouge photo by Richard Haughton

ORLANDO BLOOM DOWN UNDER

Sydney’s streets with photographer Rob Domjen, aiming to capture what life is like for people with nowhere to call home. We took sturdy duffle bags filled with warm clothing and basic necessities, and gave them to the individuals we met along the way. We also paid them in return for their story and time, and provided a food hamper as well. The imagery taken and small stories documented were then compiled into a hardcover book. Imagery was also printed as artwork to be displayed at the official exhibition on August 28.

Mere is donating $5 to Youth Off The Streets from every pair of shoes or bag sold from the spring/ summer collection, as well as proceeds from sales at the art exhibition.

Tabac Rouge

ETERNAL REALITIES

Eternal Realities Volume II is a mixed media exhibition inspired by the life of one of Sydney’s cultural icons. War casualty and part-time drunk Arthur Stace was also one of our city’s original street artists, having spent 35 years writing ‘Eternity’ in chalk all over footpaths, train stations and walls. 50 years on and eight artists have taken the task of interpreting the Eternity theme for themselves through painting, installations, performance art, sculpture and graffiti. Eternal Realities Volume II is exhibiting at 5 Eliza Street, Newtown from Wednesday September 10 – Sunday September 21. Entry is free.

SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2015

Preparations are well under way for Sydney Festival 2015, and now the first show on the program has been announced: James Thierrée’s Tabac Rouge. It marks Thierrée’s fourth visit to Sydney Festival after sell-out productions in 2003, 2006 and 2008. Tabac Rouge sees Thierrée – one of the world’s foremost contemporary circus performers – appear alongside a cast of dancers and artists, all endeavouring to transport their audience to a dark and chaotic yet beautiful environment. Tabac Rouge plays at the Sydney Theatre from Wednesday January 7 – Friday January 23.

LOUDER THAN WORDS Jason Byrne

Sydney Dance Company will present two world premieres for the price of one this October. Louder Than Words features Greek choreographer Andonis Foniadakis’ Parenthesis, his Australian debut, and Scattered Rhymes by Sydney Dance Company artistic director Rafael Bonachela.

Expect a vivid showcase of movement, colour and power. Louder Than Words plays at the Sydney Theatre from Saturday October 4 – Saturday October 18.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Dice, Character, Action is one-part warehouse party, one-part improv session, and open to talents of all shapes and sizes. Idle Wrath Films and designer Luke Mac are inviting punters to unleash their inner actor in a friendly warehouse party environment. The night will start with an instructor-led improv session and will lead into the Dice Party, in which attendees will be asked to assume the persona of a notable person (real or fiction) for the rest of the evening. Oh, and it’s BYO. Dice, Character, Action takes place on Wednesday September 10 at Nauti Studios in Stanmore.

JASON BYRNE NEEDS YOUR HELP

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Two Sydney filmmakers, Epiphany Morgan and Carl Mason, are pretty sociable creatures: they’re travelling the world for a year, determined to meet a stranger a day and document a slice of their life. 365 Docobites aims at capturing the essence of a person right in a particular point in time. Each day a new docobite is published online, reaching over 100,000 people each week. Morgan and Mason are four months into their sagas. You can follow the online documentary series at 365docobites.com.

INDIE GEMS

Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson in The Rover

Independent film fans in Sydney’s west will get their fill at the Indie Gems film festival this September.

Charlie’s Country (starring David Gulpilil), The Babadook, Gracie Otto’s The Impresario and The Rover (with Guy Pearce at Robert Pattinson) are among the highlights on the program, celebrating the best in local and international independent cinema. The opening night party will feature Tango Underpants, an Australian short film, and five-part web series BedHead.

The festival takes over Riverside Theatres, Parramatta from Thursday September 11 – Sunday September 14. For the full program and to book, head to riversideparramatta.com.au.

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Louder Than Words photo by Justin Ridler

Fast-talking Irish comedian Jason Byrne is returning to Australia in September, and offering audiences the chance to win $1,000 for naming his show. Byrne is currently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he’s the biggest-selling comedian in the Festival’s history. He’s running a competition to name his Australian show – look for Jason Byrne posters and postcards around town, write your suggested name in the space provided and upload a pic to facebook.com/ livenationcomedy to enter. Byrne plays The Concourse, Chatswood on Friday September 26 and the Enmore Theatre on Saturday September 27.

A DOCO A DAY

Oedipus Rex

Donnell Rawlings

Donnell Rawlings photo by Bonnie Rodriguez

[THEATRE] Up Close With Tragedy By Adam Norris just feels to me like something unto itself. It’s an incredibly unique place, in that it’s a theatre that has a huge audience space, it’s something that has a lot of cultural impact on Sydney, but on the inside it operates a lot like a family. There’s a beautiful kind of free spirit to it. It might be something to do with its original roots. It feels like it’s living in the moment; it has its own energy. For me, what has been the most challenging part is learning what a Sydney audience is like, which is quite different to a Melbourne one.

That’s where I’m finding my footing.”

Prior to her appointment as co-resident director at Belvoir, Jacobs was busy honing her craft at locations as disparate as Melbourne and New York. Over time a theatre develops its own personality, its own tone, shaped in turn by the people who come to view each performance and those who work behind the scenes. Belvoir has proved no exception.

The notion of idiosyncratic audiences is an intriguing one, implying as it does that directors may be faced with a potentially cool reception if their production deviates too greatly from what loyal crowds expect. The pseudo-artistic feud that is said to exist between Melbourne and Sydney may well be a case in point.

M

Donnell Rawlings [COMEDY] Raw Laughter By Tegan Jones

A

s a massive comedy nerd, I was nervous about interviewing Donnell Rawlings for his latest show, Unchained, which he’s bringing to the Sydney Fringe in September.

I’d been following the veteran comedian’s work since his days as Ashy Larry on Chappelle’s Show, and was fully prepared to make an arse out of myself. Despite my trepidations, what ensued was one of the funniest conversations of my life, including everything from the “Great Barrier Reef getting shit on” to his unique and hilarious comedic beginnings.

“I used to go to comedy clubs with my co-workers and I started as a heckler. I was the guy who was trying to take the piss out of you,” Rawlings laughs. “I started to build an audience and a following and people would be like, ‘Is that asshole guy going to show up? Because he was funny last week.’ Eventually, I was challenged to go onstage and what they thought was going to be a horrible show turned out to be a good one.”

So basically, Rawlings got his break by being a jerk to people? He laughs and replies, “You don’t know the level of jerk I was. Before I’d even told a joke I tried to work a door deal with the club. I was like, ‘Listen, there has to be a fee for somebody being a jerk at the level that I am.’”

Oedipus photo by Gary Heely

ost of us know the story of Oedipus Rex – or if we don’t, we at least know some variation on it. It is one of the foundational texts of Western literature; a story of jealousy, prophecy and fate that proves that not only were the Classical gods jerks, but that they had their eyes on the big picture. Adena Jacobs directs the latest incarnation of this story in the Downstairs Theatre at Belvoir, a space that brings you so close to the action you are but a breath away from being part of the play itself.

Rawlings continued to take chances in order to establish his career as a comedian. “The first television show that I did was Def Comedy Jam. A friend gave me this business card for the talent executive of the show. So as the cocky person that I am, when the receptionist answered the phone I acted like I’d known the dude for 20 years,” he laughs. “When she answered I was like, ‘Where’s Bob? Put Bob on the phone. Is Bob there?’ She was so nervous and scared that I was somebody she was like, ‘Oh I’m sorry,

“It’s actually quite eye-opening,” Jacobs says.

“I’ve worked at the Malthouse before, I’ve worked as an independent artist, and Belvoir

one second!’ Two weeks later I was performing in New Jersey and my friend told me that I’d booked Def Comedy Jam.”

There would seem no finer setting for a story that has withstood the test of time than a theatre which is itself considered something of a classic. Belvoir has seen its share of productions new and old, and although the Upstairs Theatre is ordinarily the space you would expect to find established work, Jacobs was firm in her conviction to stage this production in a more intimate environment.

Besides scaring the shit out of administrative staff, Rawlings says he doesn’t have a specific brand when it comes to his comedy.

“If there’s something that happens in pop culture that’s really relevant, something that’s excited me about politics or something that upsets me about race, I’ll try and put my spin on it. I think that comics are the best people to take you to a place that you wouldn’t normally go, or you’d be afraid to go to. One of the beauties of working on Chappelle’s Show was that we talked about racial issues, but we did it in a funny way. You can laugh people into anything. I don’t consider myself to be a preacher, but with my style of comedy I want people to leave with some kind of message.”

“I find something really exciting in presenting epic ideas and extreme circumstances in a really tiny space, because it immediately makes the audience complicit and responsible in a way that I think is really interesting as far as Greek theatre goes.

Sitting there in that [Downstairs] Theatre is a lot like sitting in an amphitheatre. I had certain questions that I wanted to explore, which I felt like I could do best via this myth given it’s one that everybody knows. It has to do with the notion of suffering, which has been part of a lot of my work, and Oedipus Rex is one of the most famous examples of a suffering subject. It’s something to do with the inescapably of fate and time, mortality and shame. How does somebody live on after they’ve committed what they believe to be a horrible act? How do you live on after tragedy? I find that a really confronting and fascinating thing to magnify onstage in front of an audience.”

This idea is certainly relevant for his latest show title, which was inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

“The movie is about a guy that’s breaking away from the norm, breaking tradition and going to avenge something because he wants to prove a point. For me, that title just resonated with what I do. I’m an outspoken person, I want to take chances and I want to break away from what you think is normal. How do you do that? You gotta break the chains.”

What: Unchained, as part of Sydney Fringe Festival 2014 Where: Giant Dwarf Theatre, Redfern When: Wednesday September 17

“Perhaps there is a love of text in Sydney, or at least it’s something which is more present in the theatrical landscape, whereas Melbourne is less so. I think that each have just been fed a very different diet for the past 30 years, and so their expectations when they come to the theatre are very different.”

Peter Carroll in Oedipus Rex

What: Oedipus Rex Where: Belvoir St Theatre When: Until Sunday September 14

Dungog Festival

The Infi nite Man

[FESTIVAL] Film, Music And More By Adam Norris arthouse, it had to be Peter Greenaway, all pretty pictures and surreal ideas. Then as I got older, and especially with doing film festivals, needing to please an audience, I realised how much I also just needed to be pleased. I want to be entertained!” he laughs.

Though film festivals are no stranger to Dungog, tucked away in the Hunter Valley, under Lindsay’s guidance this will be the first time the focus has shifted away from a strictly cinema-centric experience. While films will remain the main attraction, the festival will also feature a variety of musicians, local displays and markets to encourage audiences to sample as many sights as possible.

F

or a man in the midst of curating a film festival, Lex Lindsay sounds remarkably at ease. We are talking over the phone, but such is his relaxed tone you can easily picture him reclining in a banana chair right now, margarita in hand while grass skirts sashay and the tide comes lapping in. As director of the Canberra International Film Festival, curating the new Dungog Festival is quite a change of pace and audience expectation. Common to each role, however, is the fundamental quest to find a good story.

The Dungog Festival launches with Australian feature The Infi nite Man, a time-travel comedy that opened to great acclaim at the South By

thebrag.com

Southwest festival earlier this year. It’s an interesting choice, opening a festival with a film that has both feet firmly planted in genre (especially given there are films of greater renown that will also feature, including JeanPierre Jeunet’s latest, The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet). For Lindsay, though, it was an easy decision.

“I’ve always been into fantasy, bending of reality, a bit of science fiction,” he explains. “For opening night I went with my particular obsession with time travel. I was a Doctor Who fan as a kid and continue to be so, I love it. I went through my late teens and early twenties doing that arty wanker thing, where it had to be

“What we want is to provide people with a really fantastic, enjoyable weekend in the country, and film is a big part of that. But we don’t feel that people need to be trapped in a cinema for three days. They’re in the gorgeous Hunter Valley Shire, there’s so much to see and enjoy. I wanted the film program to have something for everyone, and to be quite accessible for lots of different audiences and be spread in such a way that you can pop into the cinema, pop out to the farmers’ markets, go and see a vintage tractor display, go and see another film, grab a bite to eat, and at the end of the night go and see a band. We want to have people spend a weekend rambling through this really lovely town.”

With the intention to grow over time to branch out into even more areas – photography, visual arts and theatre – the Dungog Festival is on the cusp of becoming one of the stand-out cultural events in regional Australia. The key to its success though, as Lindsay well knows, is not showcasing content that will only be wellreceived by critics – the “arty wanker thing” – but by finding stories that engage and entertain.

“I think there are two types of film curators,” he says. “You’ve got the critic, and you’ve got the marketeer, and I am very unashamed in saying I am completely the marketeer. It’s not about what I think, what I like. It’s not about me casting my judgement over the offerings here and deciding what is or isn’t a better piece of work, what has more right in getting screen space. I’m about looking at films and thinking, ‘Do I have an audience for this? What story am I telling an audience? If they go and see six films, what is the overarching experience that they’re getting from the beginning of the festival to the time they walk away? What is the story they’re taking from it?’ To me, that is most important.”

What: Dungog Festival 2014 When: Thursday August 28 – Sunday August 31

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Film Reviews

five minutes

Hits and misses on the silver screen around town

WITH

Felony

GEOFFREY SYKES, DIRECTOR OF WALK IN BEAUTY

What We Do In The Shadows

■ Film

■ Film

FELONY

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

In cinemas Thursday August 28 As cable-televised sagas like True Detective and The Wire continue to garner more and more acclaim, big-screen crime thrillers seem to have gone out of fashion.

Because of this, it’s kind of refreshing to see movies like Felony make their way to the cinema. Unfortunately, director Matthew Saville doesn’t do a lot with the advantages that film can offer crimefocused storytelling and the whole affair ends up being a bit underwhelming.

Edgerton isn’t especially convincing as star cop Mal – but this is an issue less to do with his acting and more with the script.

There’s a frustrating disparity between Edgerton’s depiction of a relatable everyday bloke and the ace detective the script seems to think he is. Courtney is slightly more convincing as newbie Jim but he stumbles when it comes to the film’s clunky romance subplot. Wilkinson ends up being the scene-stealer as the cranky, jaded and ultimately corrupt Carl.

What We Do In The Shadows is a mockumentary showing us the lives of four vampires living in a share house in Wellington. Taika Waititi is Viago, a 379-year-old ‘dandy’ vampire, and the main focus for the fi lm’s crew. He shows us around his home and introduces us to his mates – Vladislav, the 800-odd-yearold Don Juan of the gang; Peter, an ‘oldschool’ vampire who lives in a tomb in the basement and is 8,000; and Deacon, the young one of the group at 183.

The gang hangs about at night, hitting the local Wellington clubs, and finds victims via Jackie, its human mediumcum-slave. When Jackie brings along ex-boyfriend Nick to a ‘dinner party’, Nick becomes the meal – and ends up the newest vampire of the gang. When the boys begin to dislike his new style – and become far better mates with his human bestie Stu – Nick is shunned from the house and starts to question if being a vampire is everything it’s cracked up to be.

The pacing and cinematography of the film is reasonable, but in more than a few ways, Felony just feels like a movielength procedural rather than a big-screen production. All up, it’s is an average crime thriller that touches on some interesting ideas but ultimately fails to pull them together into anything truly memorable.

This is a hilarious piss-take on all things vampire-related at the moment, as well as a great satire on share house living in any era. Waititi wrote and directed the film along with Flight Of The Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, who is almost unrecognisable as Vladislav. The two have found an excellent middle ground between slapstick and highbrow comedy, and bridge them perfectly. Rhys Darby’s cameo as the leader of the local werewolf crew is priceless, as are the showdowns between the two mythological gangs.

This is a definite must-see for anyone who likes their humour sharp and more than a bit weird.

Fergus Halliday

Julian Ramundi

W

alk In Beauty, playing at the Tap Gallery this week, is a hybrid theatrical performance that draws a line between ancient and contemporary artistry. We asked director Geoffrey Sykes to tell us about it.

Talk us through the concept of Walk In Beauty.

The show responded to rich lyrical images of South Australian printmaker Janet Ayliffe, with ancient and modern poetry, speech, music and dance. Janet’s interest in multimedia paralleled my own. The work follows a narrative of human evolution and the present-day artistic expression. The concept gives the dancer a rich and diverse framework.

The work explores and affirms universal themes of beauty at the core of human culture.

How do the choreography, music,

voice and visuals interact in the production?

The show uses dynamic and varied dance segments, original electronic and keyboard music, projected layered images, speech, and the recorded voice of accomplished Sydney actor Susie Lindeman.

There are 12 parts, and the combination of elements continually changes.

The work accomplishes rich media onstage that includes rich language and poetry.

It must be exciting to bring these artists together to express their individuality as part of one communal work?

Collaboration is always an exciting thing. The origins of a work can come from one person – its producer or writer. However, others can play an essential role in its growth and performance. This is especially true in multiform

works like this. Communal work can be quite organic and exploratory.

How do you hope audiences respond to the piece?

We feel audiences are quite receptive to the multisensory nature and synaesthesia of a work like this. If anything they are not given enough true multiform work, especially including rich verbal language. We have already showcased the piece and found audiences quite amazed and excited. This included non-theatregoing audiences. The constant play of elements makes the work colourful and entertaining, as well as rich in ideas and experimental in style.

What: Walk In Beauty Where: Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst When: Thursday August 28 – Sunday August 31

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Arts Exposed What's in our diary...

Festival Of Dangerous Ideas Sydney Opera House, Saturday August 30 – Sunday August 31 The annual Festival of Dangerous Ideas is back for its sixth edition this weekend, with a suitably dangerous lineup of speakers on show at the Sydney Opera House and streaming online. This year, the festival brings Steven Pinker, Salman Rushdie, Pussy Riot members Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alekhina, Elizabeth Kolbert, Malcolm Fraser and John Pilger and many more to town, promising a fascinating weekend of conversation and debate.

If you can’t make it to the venue, Jane Caro will host a broadcast online at 3pm on Sunday.

Tickets start at $25.

For bookings and the full schedule, head to sydneyoperahouse.com/ fodi.

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Festival Of Dangerous Ideas

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

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Festival of Dangerous Ideas photo by Prudence Upton

Felony follows detective Mal (Joel Edgerton), who spends a night out on the town after closing a big case and in a drunken stupor ends up running down a child. From there, the crux of the film settles on whether Mal and his mentor, Carl (Tom Wilkinson), can cover up the crime and live with the guilt before young detective Jim (Jai Courtney) puts the pieces together and exposes the pair.

In cinemas Thursday September 4

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COMEDY OTHER

BUNKERED We’re no architects, but an exhibition exploring houses of the future? Sign us up. Based in an actual house, actual architects have actually designed living spaces that will deal with the reality of climate change.

Whether you think we’re warming or cooling, these are important questions about the future of humanity and how we intend to live in a radically different future landscape.

Where: 26 Ross St, Forest Lodge When: Saturday September 26 – Saturday September 27 Cost: Free

MUSIC

THEATRE

AMANDA

MICHAEL HING Much Ado About Not Hing

Are we born with a certain character, or do the environment and circumstance determine what kind of person we’ll become?

Mark Langham’s play looks at this question through the eyes of Amanda (Amylea Griffin), who after being arrested is led through her own complex and identityforming past. This is Amanda’s second season after its premiere at the Tap Gallery earlier this year.

Not only is he back on home turf, Michael Hing is bringing with him probably the punniest show title at the Sydney Fringe this year.

The triple j and SBS personality – and self-described “comedian, socialist, hypocrite” – promises an hour of brand new material that’s sure to get your belly laughing and your jaws hurting.

Where: New Theatre, Newtown

Where: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

When: Monday September 15 – Sunday September 21 Cost: $25

When: Wednesday September 24 – Sunday September 28 Cost: $14

IGNITE Heat The Streets The Fringe will kick off in style this year, with a transformation of Crown Street like Sydney’s never seen before. The Ignite event will see shopfronts, bars and venues turned into makeshift musical stages, with performances from over 30 of the nation’s finest: Lime Cordiale, Gang Of Brothers, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Emma Pask, Martha Marlow, Avivaa and many more. From bookstores to record retailers, see Surry Hills ‘Ignite’ with live music.

Where: Crown Street, Surry Hills When: Sunday August 31 Cost: Free

THEATRE

FILM

I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS

FILM

STOP MAKING SENSE

Talking Heads There are concert films, and there are concert films. This is arguably one of the greatest ever made, and the next best thing to seeing them live (or in 3D holograph).

Talking Heads were one of the few bands that managed to have commercial success without compromising their musical integrity. Sadly, a breakdown

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means there is enough bad blood between members to rule out another tour or album, but this film captures them in their prime. See it on the big screen to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary right.

Where: Golden Age Cinema, Surry Hills

COMEDY

CARLO RITCHIE

THE BOOKBINDER

Picture this: a guy onstage with one hour to fill and no written material. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but somehow one half of improvisation group The Bear Pack (with Steen Raskopoulos), Carlo Ritchie, manages to spin empty air into comedy gold. The audience provides two words and the journey begins – expect subplots, twists and up to a dozen different characters. The best/worst part?

You’ll never be able to see the same show twice.

It’s easy to get lost in a good book. But what about when the world in those pretty pages starts to get a little twisted? What if you literally couldn’t put it down?

New Zealand theatre company Trick Of the Light presents Ralph McCubbin Howell in a story that feels like getting lost in the pages of a long, fantasy-driven book. We are drawn into a world of dusty covers and a rusty phonograph to hear tales from The Bookbinder.

It has won a host of awards, including Production of the Year at the 2013 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards in its native New Zealand.

Far more importantly, it also features paper puppets.

Where: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Where: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Where: Better Read Than Dead, Newtown

When: Saturday 6 Sept (with Q&A), 6pm; Sunday 7 Sept, 3pm.

Cost: $14

When: Thursday September 25 – Sunday September 28 Cost: $15

When: Thursday September 11 – Saturday September 13 Cost: $20

Straight from the mecca of edgy independent fi lm (SXSW, where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize, no less) to the Sydney Underground Film Festival, showing during the Sydney Fringe, this is an exploration of an awkward teenage girl and her first romance. But before you roll your eyes at yet another manicpixie-girl-style romance, know that reviews have compared director Leah Meyerhoff’s style to Sofi a Coppola’s evil-er twin.

There is plenty of dreamy gazing, but also a constant undercurrent of violence threatening to boil over.

One Man Yarns

When: Saturday September 27 Cost: $22

BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 23

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

ALBUM OF THE WEEK FIREKITES

thread – one with enough variation to hold attention, but in a fine balance, just enough that it never loses its way.

Closing Forever Sky Spunk

Newcastle lads Firekites have finally followed up their 2009 debut The Bowery with a moodier, lusher constellation of songs that is filled with ethereal echoes and slow builds.

Natalie Amat

xxx

Firekites Xxxx have created a contemplative, pensive, rainy day record.

Each track is like a self-contained ecosystem, conversely fading and then intensifying, the whorl of melodic elements underlaid with analogue beats and pulsing drums. The album is a meandering journey, but one held together by a constant sonic

The atmospheric title track plays like a Foals song distilled to its basic musical elements and rearranged, drawing in listeners with a simple duet of guitar and drums that rolls into the light vocal layers of ‘Fallen’ and through to the more rhythmic ‘Fifty Secrets’. The gentle interlude of ‘Said Without A Sound’ recalls Arcade Fire’s soundtrack to Her, and leads to the mournful guitar moan on ‘Antidote’ that eventually expands to a celestial breaker of instrumentation to carry us out.

#1 DADS

STEP-PANTHER

HYLA

SPOOKYLAND

LOWTIDE

About Face Pieater/Inertia

Strange But Nice HUB/Inertia

Hyla Independent/Bandcamp

Rock And Roll Weakling Monday

Lowtide Lost And Lonesome

Hot contender for worst band name of the year, #1 Dads is Big Scary’s Tom Iansek in solo mode. The project title suggests this is music a father would make. However, the dad responsible for About Face isn’t a daggy Eagles and ABBA enthusiast.

Perhaps he’s been doggedly spinning Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours for 30 years. But lately Cocteau Twins, Sun Kil Moon and Bon Iver have taken over the turntable.

It’s fitting that the panther is a part of the greater cat family, as StepPanther have seemingly used up a fair share of their nine lives. With vocalist/guitarist Steve Bourke the sole constant, the latest version of the lineup sports Nuns drummer Daniel Radburn and a fresh face in bassist Zach Stephenson (also of Hockey Dad).

A spooky fuzzed-out organ gives way to a big shoegaze beat.

Guitars start scratching their way out of a flooded basement. Vocals slide in from nowhere sounding like Craig Nicholls fresh from the pharmacy. The opening track of Hyla’s EP is on its way into the sonic wilderness, and I can’t help but get dragged along.

Lowtide’s self-titled debut album has been a while coming, but hell, it was worth the wait. There are lashings of Joy Division and Explosions In The Sky in its emotive and often dark swell, and the emphatic chord progressions could bring grown men to their knees.

The umpteenth reboot of the band means that there’s a chance at reinvention for the project’s second studio album after years of being the proverbial bridesmaid.

Sadly, that’s not what you’ll find on Strange But Nice – it’s simply another batch of slacker guitar pop that takes its cues from acts like Ratcat, Sloan and The Lemonheads.

‘Sides’ is the first song on the debut release from one of the few Perth bands these days claiming no relationship to the Tame Impala juggernaut. I mean, I love Pond, Mink Mussel Creek, Gum, Shiny Joe Ryan, The Growl et al., but it’s refreshing to hear something that’s coming from a different side of town.

It’s hard to remember a voice more destined to polarise listeners than that of Marcus Gordon, singer, multi-instrumentalist and mastermind of new Sydney act Spookyland. How to describe it? Think of a young Nick Cave, howling in prepubescent rage in the moments before his voice breaks.

Think of Bowie as Ziggy Stardust doing his best impression of The Tallest Man On Earth doing his best impression of Bob Dylan. And even then we’re just getting started.

Considering Iansek’s main band is only a two-piece (co-pilot Joanna Syme cameos on one track here), comparisons are inevitable. Bedroom production and distant drum sounds make About Face less forthcoming than Big Scary’s 2013 opus, Not Art. There’s also a strolling relaxation in Iansek’s songwriting. Like a father, he’s got nothing to prove – he’s just doing this for kicks.

Still, that doesn’t belie his singular songwriting sophistication. The record’s dynamic range is somewhat static, but the quality never wanes.

Tracks such as the speak-singing acoustic daydream ‘Camberwell’ and the right-of-the-dial pop of ‘So Soldier’ (featuring Ainslie Willis) stand out as novel ventures for Iansek.

Iansek’s master talent is writing songs that won’t burn on contact, but will gradually mark your skin.

Augustus Welby

Certainly, there’s a time and a place for this kind of music – there’s certainly worse ways to pass the time than to mellow out to this record. There is, however, a distinct lack of replay value here, and it might not be long at all before the band fades back into obscurity.

It’s an album that’s ultimately a bit more Nice than it is Strange – which, of course, is fine, but perhaps some weirdness might have taken the songwriting to the next level.

David James Young

This is lo-fi and scuzzy; psychedelic in the comedown way, not the euphoric Impala brand way.

The three-track EP is rounded out by ‘Remedy’ and ‘To Safety Or Ruin’; the former sounding like Black Angels jamming with Black Rebel, the latter like someone got hold of some ’90s shoegaze cuts and remixed them with a head full of Xanax.

It’s good stuff. I’m looking forward to their double A-side vinyl due out later in the year.

Julian Douglas

BRUCE! Bruce! The EP Independent/Bandcamp

24 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

With four tracks and ten minutes of music, this EP does not mess around. Opener ‘Shapes And Numbers’ is a two-minute, uptempo stoner rock explosion that hits hard. ‘Captain’ brings the pace back a tad, with its enormous groove and sing-along vocals.

The centrepiece of the EP is the very aptly named ‘Sludge’, which drops the pace even further, but in

Ultimately the jury remains out on that for the time being, but based on the additional three songs that comprise the Rock And Roll Weakling EP, Gordon and his Spookyland accomplices are a force to be reckoned with.

‘Missing History’ is vaguely reminiscent of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’, as it winds up for each chorus, but dares to be more delicate. A major highlight on the album, its softness resonates long after the six minutes and fourteen seconds have come to an end.

The closing track, ‘Still Time’, is appropriately sobering.

Each track, in both sound and name, seems to evolve or transition from the one that preceded it, reinforcing the sense of movement and maturity on the album.

Izzy Tolhurst

Wayne Marshall

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK Short, sharp, nasty and completely in your face, but with a sense of humour at the same time. That’s the new EP from Wollongong’s loudest, the very Aussie Bruce!

Lead single ‘The Silly Fucking Thing’ has been doing the rounds for a while now. It’s that rare and utterly magical kind of song that leaves you remembering when and where you first heard it. At its most basic, ‘The Silly Fucking Thing’ is a break-up song. But there’s never been a break-up song quite like this. For all its brilliance, though, one of the big questions posed by the song was whether Gordon’s eccentric singing style would hold up across a longer platform. Would he be like other vocal oddities: best consumed in small doses?

The opener ‘Whale’ is, for want of a better analogy, like a whale’s call.

It’s haunting yet beautiful, and sets the pace for an album that moves like the sea. First single ‘Blue Movie’ succeeds in deceiving the listener as to when exactly it will erupt, move into a chorus or even end, making it a strong centrepiece for the band’s debut.

doing so ups the intensity levels.

The bluesy riff and fat groove lead into a chorus that is simply a series of bloodcurdling screams that send shivers down the spine.

‘Shit Sells’ only lasts just over a minute, but makes a very strong statement and impact in that time; it’s another upbeat stoner rock fi st to the face.

Bruce! The EP gets in, beats you around the head for ten minutes, then gets the hell out.

This is made for people who love their rock heavy as fuck and who have short attention spans.

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

DIZZEE RASCAL - Maths + English SIA - 1000 Forms Of Fear COURTNEY BARNETT - A Sea Of Split Peas

FRACTURES - Fractures ELLIPHANT- Look Like You Love It

Rod Whitfi eld

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live reviews

up all night out all week . . .

What we've been out to see...

COURTNEY LOVE Enmore Theatre Sunday August 24

Let’s agree on one thing: Courtney Love is an icon. Another thing: she’s earned that title. During her headline tour across Australia, a hatred for the former Hole frontwoman has become spectacularly apparent. Commentators have resorted to the same boring insults and tired speculations – one Adelaide punter threw a beer can at her, and Brisbane band Dune Rats made her the butt of jokes over Facebook. It’s like the boys of rock have forgotten that Kurt Cobain was a vocal feminist. But Love was and continues to be a musician in her own right, an icon in her own right, more than just Cobain’s wife.

frankie’s pizza

PICS :: AM

The love for Courtney is damn fierce too, made abundantly clear at her Enmore Theatre performance. Strutting onstage as a caricature of herself – tiara and all – Love had immediate charisma. After affectionately calling us “little shits” and thanking Qantas for not arresting her – like they did in 1995 – Love raised one foot to a podium, splaying her legs through opener and recent single ‘Wedding Day’.

24:08:14 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

‘Celebrity Skin’ closed the set before Love returned – in a new outfit – for a four-song encore that the crowd had really pleaded for. Curtseying goodbye, Love then handed roses out into the audience.

Throughout the night she told one punter that she wanted to fuck him; she divulged that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails “wasn’t that great” in bed; she said she hadn’t slept with Nick Cave but “I have everyone else”; and she slapped the insides of her elbow, pretending to shoot up. Half the audience threw their bras onstage as Love hung them from her microphone and beckoned us to throw more. “If you can beat my record of 200 bras I’ll stage dive – which hasn’t happened since Miami in 1991.”

Though the quota wasn’t met, Love joined in and showed us her bra.

If we can take anything from her final Australian show, it’s that Courtney Love has earned the title of icon and musician in her own right. “I’m not America’s sweetheart,” she admits. But we didn’t come for a sweetheart. We came for Courtney-fucking-Love, and that’s exactly what we got.

Rachel Eddie

‘Miss World’ and ‘Violet’ from Hole’s 1994 record Live Through This were next up, resulting in a whole lot of \m/ from the largely female audience. After her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Gold Dust Woman’ came Celebrity Skin’s ‘Malibu’.

Although the 1998 track was Hole’s most acclaimed single, Love’s performance of it was the least impressive of the evening.

Patchy screeching replaced the gentle sadness we know from the track’s vocals.

No-one seemed to mind much, singing along regardless. Of crowd favourite ‘Olympia’, Love shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

“I don’t understand why you all like it,” she mocked, while an infatuated crowd went nuts.

little dragon

PICS :: AM

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

19:08:14 :: Oxford Art Factory :: 38-46 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9332 3711 26 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

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PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

The Basement Wednesday August 20

I am only a recent convert to John Murry, and so the chance to review his acoustic set at The Basement was pretty fantastic timing – usually I’m the kind of fan who only really becomes one once the circus has already rolled out of town. Even better, he was to be supported by the huskyvoiced Heath Cullen. I have found that the trick to gigs is to keep your expectations muffled, and so I tried not to get my hopes up of seeing Cullen perform ‘Silver Wings’ or Murry launch into the heart-shuddering honesty of ‘Little Colored Balloons’.

Turns out, Heath Cullen chose to open his set with ‘Silver Wings’, so already the night was off to a promising start. The strength of Cullen’s songwriting is the vividness of his lyrics, his turns-of-phrase that sit somewhere between Paul Kelly and Neil Finn. With references to dustytown Australia – blackened cornfields, magpies, trucks dropping to 80 before speeding off again – he imbues slight and casual observations with sad profundity.

The title track from his last album, The Still And The Steep, was his set’s ominous highlight, played like a lovely, broken tango.

VELOCIRAPTOR, BLOODS, SPOOKYLAND, PAUL CONRAD Newtown Social Club Friday August 22

Paul Conrad offered a tempered opening at Newtown Social Club with a collection of melancholy tunes that eased the trickling crowd into the night.

Spookyland, usually just a one-man show, was an expanded band this time and offered rock with a twinge of Jeff Mangum-level emotion in Marcus Gordon’s vocals.

Sydney trio Bloods brought their garage punk A-game, proving you don’t need much more than a guitar, drums and a bass to make catchy-as-hell music. ‘Into My Arms’ was a screamer and new song ‘Penelope’ was great fun. All killer, no filler and over way too soon.

On the night of their eponymous record release, Velociraptor bounded onstage one by one until their seven-strong lineup was all present and accounted for. ‘Riot’ whipped the keen crowd into a frenzy early on, and lead raptor wrangler Jeremy Neale introduced the new record opener ‘Robocop’ as “the first thing you’ll hear because it’s the first track,” further explaining, “It’s symbolism.” The set was a great mix of old and new with World

When John Murry began to address the crowd, my fears that the show would somehow lurch off the rails seemed validated.

His introductory remarks consisted of a rambling account of the low literacy rates in his home state, Missouri, and places he had stayed when last visiting Australia. However, this turned out to be one of the most arresting sets I have seen in some time. The audience were treated to songs never before played live, and the dark lyricism of previous album The Graceless Age has certainly carried into his new material. There is something haunting about Murry’s voice and guitar, or, as he put it himself, “This is some redneck Thom Yorke shit here.”

21:07:14 :: Newtown Social Club :: 387 King St Newtown 1300 724 876

At the close, he found himself requested to sing the nine-minute, harrowing chronicle of almost dying from a heroin overdose, ‘Little Colored Balloons’. After warning the crowd it would be his last song (it wasn’t – Cullen joined him for a cover-heavy encore), Murry mostly made it to the end before conjuring those memories became too much and he abruptly stormed offstage, knocking things over and disappearing behind the curtain. I do not fault him at all. To sing that song must take a great deal of courage, and to do so with such brutal strength and sadness is a moment I’ll remember.

Adam Norris

Warriors “rarity” ‘Scientists’ and ‘The Walk On By’ between new material like ‘Cool Baby, Cool’.

Their instrumental fluidity was on show too with varying combinations, as was their ability to improvise. When the keyboardist dashed offstage, Neale took charge: “Lauren’s gonna throw up in the bathroom, I’m gonna play drums and George is gonna sing for a bit.” After a search party was sent to check on the erstwhile Lauren, ‘The Right To Call You’ amped up the crowd even more.

With tea in hand Lauren returned, and guitarist Julien James apologised for “saying she was dead, she isn’t,” prompting a chant of “Resurrection! Resurrection!”

Despite feeling “like a rat’s ass” after partying until 5am, Bloods bassist Sweetie Zamora joined the crew for ‘One Last Serenade’.

They cemented their reputation as the band with the most people onstage at once with the catchy single ‘Ramona’, which saw a hefty chunk of the enthusiastic crowd pour onto the stage, shouting along to the chorus. With an invitation to party with the band after the show, Neale and co. threw out one last chorus before taking their leave.

Natalie Amat

king gizzard & the lizard wizard + the mulocs PICS :: KC

JOHN MURRY, HEATH CULLEN

king buzzo

23:07:14 :: Newtown Social Club :: 387 King St Newtown 1300 724 876 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

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PICS :: AM

up all night out all week . . .

S :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY

MAR ::

BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 27

g g guide gig g

send your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

pick of the week Megan Washington

THURSDAY AUGUST 28 Oxford Art Factory

Megan Washington

FRIDAY AUGUST 29

8pm. $28.70.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Gang Of Brothers Jam Night Spring Street Social, Bondi.

9pm. free.

Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington.

8pm. free.

Mark Ginsburg (South African Project) Foundry616, Ultimo. 7pm. $27.50.

Mary Rapp Sextet + Brokebeat Mountain + DLR Venue 505, Surry Hills. 7pm. $10.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Chris Raicevich + Angelena Locke + Althea Kuzman The Loft (UTS), Ultimo. 6pm. free.

Mitch Anderson & His Organic Orchestra Coopers Hotel, Newtown.

8:45pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

28 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

THURSDAY AUGUST 28 ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Chris Raicevich Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale.

7:30pm. free.

Eddie Boyd And The Phatapillars Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Rachel Collis + Lilliputian + The Perfect Pitchure + Andrew Denniston Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 7:30pm. free.

God Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 7:30pm. free.

Tim Walker + Mick Hambly Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Anna Salleh (Brazil & Beyond) - feat: Tricia Evy + Dan Barnett + Peter Locke Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $27.50.

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

8pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

A Team Duo Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 9pm. free.

Alkemie Night - feat: Live Music + DJ Sudek Spring Street Social, Bondi.

9:30pm. free.

Claire & The Cops + Wash + S. Bend Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Dave White Duo

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Gabriel Levin + Thyrsday + New Delhi Llamas + Andrew Denniston Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. free.

Julia Henning + Twin Lakes Small Ballroom, Newcastle.

8pm. $15.

Since Kyabram + Declan O’Rourke Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

8pm. $49.90.

Stuart Jammin Rosehill Hotel, Clyde. 7:30pm. free.

Hill. 8pm. $10.

Ben Finn Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill.

9:30pm. free.

Blake Tailor PJ Gallagher’s, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Brad Johns Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free.

Clay Vetter The Grand Hotel, Rockdale.

5:30pm. free.

Clive Hay Duo Panthers, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

Daniel Merriweather Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. $38.90.

Dandy Warhols + The Upsidedown Enmore Theatre, Newtown.

8pm. $76.10.

Dave Morris Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale.

9pm. free.

Declan O’Rourker + Jenna Murphy + Anto McKeon Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

8pm. $49.90.

DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

East Coast Band Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free.

Fallon Bros Trio Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

10:30pm. free.

Friday @ The Record Crate feat: Axis Trio + God K Record Crate, Glebe. 8pm. $10.

Furnace And The Fundamentals Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $22.

Gatherer + Safe Hands Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

7pm. $10.

Glass Towers Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. free.

GTS Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

8pm. free.

Hello Cleveland Time & Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 7:30pm. free.

Hue Williams St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. 9pm. free.

Jamie Lindsay Cyren Restaurant, Darling Harbour. 6pm. free.

Joe Echo Duo PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt.

10pm. free.

King Tide + The Kava Kings Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 9pm. $23.

Lauren Azar Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale.

5:30pm. free.

Leon Fallon Parramatta RSL, Parramatta.

5pm. free.

Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt.

9:30pm. free.

Mammals

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

7:30pm. $13.50.

Marty’s Place North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free.

Matt Jones Ingleburn RSL, Ingleburn.

9pm. free.

Matt Lyon The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 8pm. free.

Melody Rhymes Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill.

8pm. free.

Nicky Kurta Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 5:30pm. free.

Red Morning Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

Rock Solid Duo Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 10pm. free.

Seek Stumble Listen Live - feat: Vanessa Caspersz + Twin Caverns + Fammy Lumsden & The Thrillseekers + Little Fox The Corner Store, Erskineville.

6:30pm. $12.

Shane Flew Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

6pm. free.

Sound City Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point.

8pm. free.

The Indians Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

7pm. $5.

The Lonely Boys Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

The Tribe Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Them Dreamers + Sparrows + Stashmunkee FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Tori Darke Stacks Taverna, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Troldhaughen + Darker Hall + Swamp Harlot + Whisky Smile + Godswounds Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10.

Victoria Avenue Adria, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Wil Wagner + Georgia Maq + Iona Cairns + Jack R Reilly Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $18.

Wildcatz Bayview Tavern, Gladesville.

10:30pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Lionel Cole + The Family Business Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $20.

Jazz Hip-Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. free.

Jess + Jason King Tide

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

19twenty Huskisson Hotel, Huskisson.

8pm. free.

2thorns Windsor Leagues Club, Windsor South. 9pm. free.

3 Way Split Colonial Hotel, Werrington.

9pm. free.

A&R Department Music Makers Club #43 - feat: Winter’s End + The Bloodpoets + Cartoon + Little Coyote + Callum Wylie Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $2.

Alex Hopkins Wenty Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

Andy Mammers Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

8pm. free.

Beatnix - Beatles Show Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty

xxx

Chris Komorowski Mounties, Mount Pritchard.

6pm. free.

Deathraid - feat: Crust Assault + Unknown To God

+ Darkhorse + Scrotal Vice Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $15.

Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Gary Johns Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7:30pm. free.

Joe Echo Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Kingswood + The Sinking Teeth Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $25.50.

Pentatonix Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $49.90.

Shredders Lair Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 6pm. free.

The Happy Hippies Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge.

6:30pm. free.

Without Parachutes + The Dark Hawks + Balloon Kill Babies + Cat Or Pillar Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Yeah Nah Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 9pm. $15.

Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney.

9:30pm. free.

David Agius Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

7:30pm. free.

Deep Space Supergroop Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

7pm. $10.

Greg Byrne Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free.

Hollywood Nights - feat: Jo Meares With Michael Bridges + Lola And The Captain Hotel Hollywood, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Iluka Marlborough Hotel, Newtown.

8pm. free.

Jonathan Lee Jones Nag’s Head Hotel, Glebe.

8:15pm. free.

Julia Henning + Twin Lakes + Nightbug FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Kids In Glass Houses + Confidences Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

8pm. $27.

Megan Washington Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70.

Melody Rhymes Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 4pm. free.

Pity Sex + Postblue + Mere Women Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28.

Sons Of The East + Lacey Cole & The Lazy Colts Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. free.

The Late Night Soda Social Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

The White Brothers New Brighton Hotel, Manly.

10pm. free.

Tim Walker Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. free.

Tiny Hearts Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $10.

thebrag.com

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

The Dandy Warhols

Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 7pm. free.

Lauren Dawes (For Eva - A Tribute To Eva Cassidy) Foundry616, Ultimo. 6pm. $21.50.

Matt Price Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free.

Sydney Soul Weekender Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington. 7pm. free.

The Protesters Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham.

8:30pm. free.

Yuki Kumagai + John Mackie Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Leichhardt. 8pm. free.

Xxx

SATURDAY AUGUST 30 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Rosie & The Bees + Billie McCarthy Venue 505, Surry Hills. 6pm. $20.

Sydney Soul Weekender Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $15.

Tim Shaw Kelly’s On King, Newtown.

9:30pm. free.

Vince Jones Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $27.50.

Yuki Kumagai + John Mackie + Tony Burkys Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Leichhardt. 8pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

A Girl’s A Gun + Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars + Brother Funk + Fade In Mona Lisa Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free.

Abby Donson + Matt Tonks Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 9pm. $28.

AM 2 PM Club Central, Hurstville.

9:30pm. free.

Area-7 Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

7pm. $20.

Big Way Out Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst. 9:30pm. free.

Bin Juice + Ocean Alley Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

Cath & Him Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 10:30pm. free.

Chase Atlantic + Logan’s Laundry Metro Theatre, Sydney.

4:45pm. $15.

Client Liaison Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $21.50.

Daily Meds Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $18.

Dan Spillane Panthers, Penrith. 8:30pm.

thebrag.com

free.

DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

Everyday People Band Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free.

Evie Dean Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10pm. free.

Get The Party Started - The Pink Show Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 8pm. free.

Good Stuff Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

Joe Kalou Panthers, Penrith. 5:30pm. free.

Keep The Faith - Bon Jovi Show Easts Kingswood Sports Club, Kingswood. 9:20pm. free.

Klay Cookie’s Lounge Bar, Strathfield North. 8pm. free.

La Coka Nostra Factory Theatre, Marrickville.

8pm. $60.

Lady Gaga Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. 7:30pm. $169.90.

Little Coyote Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. free.

Macson Oxford Hotel, Darlinghurst.

9:30pm. free.

Melody Rhymes Le Pub, Sydney. 9pm. free.

Mesa Groove Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

8pm. free.

Mike Hallam Hot Five Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

Mystery Guest The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney.

8:15pm. free.

Nova And The Experience + Enerate + Sundown State Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst.

8pm. $10.

Nova Tone Club Engadine, Engadine.

8pm. free.

Official Cannibal Corpse Pre-Show With Daemon Foetal Harvest + Viscera + 4 Dead In 5 Seconds + Dionysus + Manslaughter Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

Paul Hayward Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 2pm. free.

Rapture North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free.

Rob Henry Town Hall Hotel, Balmain.

10pm. free.

Ryan Thomas Panthers, Penrith. 7pm. free.

Split Sceen + Threequency + Alannah Russack Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham.

8:30pm. $20.

The Experience Jimi Hendrix Concert Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $40.

The Good Stuff Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 10pm. free.

The Nevilles

Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free.

The Supreme Motown Show Parramatta RSL, Parramatta.

8pm. $12.

The Van Morrison Show feat: Van The Man South Hurstville RSL Club, South Hurstville. 9pm. free.

V.I.P. PJ’s Irish Pub, Parramatta.

9pm. free.

Video DJ Sloppy Mounties, Mount Pritchard.

10pm. free.

Whorefest - feat: Pink Industrial Whores + Cybridian + Ar12 + Concrete Lung + Grim Demise Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

Wildcatz Orient Hotel, The Rocks.

9:30pm. free.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

6 Strings - feat: Blake Higgans Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 8pm. free.

Eddie Boyd And The Phatapillars Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8pm. free.

Frank Sultana & The Sinister Kids Shady Pines, Sydney. 4pm. free.

Paul Hayward And Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free.

The Hadron Colliders + Premonition + The Count’s Band + Carolyn Woodorth Hampshire Hotel, Camperdown. 8pm. free.

SUNDAY AUGUST 31

Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. free.

Ben Finn Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill.

8pm. free.

Daniel Romeo Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 3pm. free.

David Agius Duo Commodore Hotel, Mcmahon Point. 2pm. free.

Elevation (U2 Acoustic) The Oriental Hotel, Springwood. 4:30pm. free.

Geoff Rana Family Inn Hotel, Rydalmere.

6pm. free.

Greg Agar Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 6pm. free.

Ian Blakeney Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci.

2pm. free.

Imogen Clark Panthers, Penrith. 2pm. free.

JJ Duo Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 5pm. free.

Joe Echo Duo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill.

1pm. free.

Jordan Roach Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 6pm. free.

Kotaki Groove Time & Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 1pm. free.

Lady Gaga Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. 7:30pm. $169.90.

Mandi Jarry Pritchards Hotel, Mount Pritchard. 1pm. free.

Matt Jones Duo Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 2pm. free.

Matt Price Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee.

8:30pm. free.

Pete Hunt Waverley Bowling Club,

Presti + Rick Taylor + Chris Brookes Kelly’s On King, Newtown.

7:30pm. free.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1

Architects + From The Path + Hand Of Mercy Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70.

The Audreys Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $25.

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Latin & Jazz Jam Open Mic Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free.

Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2 JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jack Derwin Spring Street Social, Bondi.

7:30pm. free.

Old School Funk & Groove Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8pm. free.

Swingtime Tuesdays The Basement, Circular Quay.

7pm. $9.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS

Stuart Jammin + Massimo

wed

thu

27

28

Aug

Aug

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

fri

29 Aug (4:30PM - 7:30PM)

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Chich The Vanguard, Newtown.

6:30pm. $18.

Sydney Soul Weekender Hive Bar, Erskineville. 2pm. free.

Waverley. 2pm. free.

Repressed Records Birthday Show - feat: Holy Soul + Dead Farmers + Ela Stiles + Drunk Elk Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 4:30pm. $10.

Revier (Acoustic) Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 2pm. free.

Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

8pm. free.

Sparrows + Stars Of Addiction Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. free.

Steve Passfield And The Hand Picked Band Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free.

The Living Room - feat: Johnny Took + Simon Meli + Laura Zarb Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham.

6pm. free.

Three Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks.

4pm. free.

Vander + Mirella’s Inferno + Silver Statues + The Salty Biscuits Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 2pm. $10.

Victoria Avenue Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge.

1pm. free.

Will Tricity Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free.

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

sat

30

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Aug

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

sun

31

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Aug

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK

Big Blind Ray + Red Driver Shore Shady Pines, Sydney. 4pm. free.

Peach Montgomery Garry Owen Hotel, Rozelle.

3pm. free.

The Slowdowns Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 6pm. free.

(8:30PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:15AM)

mon

tue

01 Sep

02 Sep (9:00PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Alex Watts + Kira Puru + Fanny Lumsden

BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 29

gig picks

up all night out all week...

Kingswood

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27 Kingswood + The Sinking Teeth Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $25.50.

Pentatonix Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7pm. $49.90.

Without Parachutes + The Dark Hawks + Balloon Kill Babies + Cat Or Pillar Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 8pm. Free.

The Corner Store, Erskineville. 6:30pm. $12.

Wil Wagner + Georgia Maq + Iona Cairns + Jack R Reilly Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $18.

SATURDAY AUGUST 30 Area-7 Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 7pm. $20.

THURSDAY AUGUST 28

Client Liaison Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $21.50.

Deep Space Supergroop Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10.

Frank Sultana & The Sinister Kids Shady Pines, Sydney. 4pm. Free.

Julia Henning + Twin Lakes + Nightbug FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10.

Lady Gaga Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

7:30pm. $169.90.

Kids In Glass Houses + Confidences Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $27.

Nova And The Experience + Enerate + Sundown State Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $10.

Pity Sex + Postblue + Mere Women Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 8pm. $28.

FRIDAY AUGUST 29 Dandy Warhols Enmore Theatre, Newtown. 8pm. $76.10.

Declan O’Rourker + Jenna Murphy + Anto McKeon Factory Theatre, Marrickville. 8pm. $49.90.

Furnace And The Fundamentals Metro Theatre, Sydney. 8pm. $22.

SUNDAY AUGUST 31 Alex Watts + Kira Puru + Fanny Lumsden Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham.

8pm. Free.

Big Blind Ray + Red Driver Shore Shady Pines, Sydney. 4pm. Free.

Repressed Records Birthday Show Feat: Holy Soul + Dead Farmers + Ela Stiles + Drunk Elk Newtown Social Club, Newtown. 4:30pm. $10.

Glass Towers Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm.

Free.

Sparrows + Stars Of Addiction Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 4pm. Free.

King Tide + Karva Kings Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 9pm. $23.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2

Mammals Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 7:30pm. $13.50.

Seek Stumble Listen Live - feat: Vanessa Caspersz + Twin Caverns + Fammy Lumsden & The Thrillseekers + Little Fox

Architects + From The Path + Hand Of Mercy Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $28.70.

The Audreys Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $25.

The Audreys

30 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

thebrag.com

brag beats

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

plus: + club guide + club snaps + weekly column

basement jaxx

alexis raphael

client liaison in limbo

thebrag.com

BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 31

brag beats

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

dance music news club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Martin and Lauren Gill

he said she said WITH

Joelistics

SAM FRANCISCO

W

hat kind of music do you play in your sets?

My sound is a blend of house, tech and disco and I will definitely be sticking to this vibe at S.A.S.H Sleepout.

I love to blend classic jams with their quality new breed derivatives.

Who inspires you to select the music you play?

The local acts around me inspire me the most these days. I am so impressed by the local talent that places like Sydney and Melbourne have to offer. Internationally I would have to say artists like DJ T. In my eyes he can do no wrong.

Who’s in your crew?

I’ve always loved music and

ZEROCOOL

I have been booking DJs for different bars and venues around Sydney for quite some time now so I guess my day job and my DJing go hand in hand. I spend a lot of time on the weekends with other DJs and hanging out at Spice and of course S.A.S.H on Sundays. I’ve been very lucky to grow up with friends and family that all love and appreciate music.

It’s the first-ever S.A.S.H Sleepout this year – what will the vibes be like at the weekend getaway?

I am so excited for this festival. There is such an amazing lineup and it’s in such a fantastic location. My roommate will most definitely be my partner in crime AKA

There’ll be plenty of cool cats on hand at Marquee this Friday August 29, but no cooler than the man in the booth – ZeroCool, who returns to the venue with the array of hip hop, funk, soul, electro, house, reggae and dancehall

wifey AKA DJ Cassette.

Who from the S.A.S.H Sleepout are you looking forward to seeing most?

Wow! Now that’s a tough question… I’m definitely looking forward to hearing Nick Curly. And of course all my favourite locals, especially Cassette. I hear her DJ all the time but I know she’ll play what I love and we will have some mega fun!

Elefant Traks rapper Joelistics has won plenty of admirers – including here at BRAG HQ – for his latest record, Blue Volume. Now he’s set to turn the volume up a notch with a new national tour, joined by Sietta (fresh from releasing The Invisible River) and Mathas.

The charismatic headliner and member of Melbourne collective TZU leaps between genres on his second album, and will surely be leaping around stages all over the country. He kicks off at Newtown Social Club on Friday October 17, before heading up to Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on Saturday October 18.

Aphex Twin

cuts that have made him a local favourite in these parts. Amongst other achievements, ZeroCool has soundtracked the afterparties for Kanye West’s and Leonardo DiCaprio’s visits to Sydney, so as cool cred goes… well, what’s cooler than zero?

APHEX TWIN

Aphex Twin fans around the world were sent into a frenzy this month when a giant blimp appeared flying his logo in the London sky – was there an album announcement imminent? The suspense wasn’t held for long, with details now confirmed of Aphex Twin’s new album, Syro, to be released on Friday September 19. It’s the first fulllength from Aphex Twin (AKA Richard D. James) since 2001, with a 12-track listing featuring such obscure titles as ‘produk 29’ and ‘syro u473t8+e’.

MAK & PASTEMAN

Certain parts of the world are known for certain exports, and while ‘oop norf’ in the UK they’ve got Yorkshire pudding, flat caps and Manchester United, don’t forget their proficiency for production. Mak & Pasteman hail from Leeds, where they’ve been collaborating on a house, techno and jungle-infused sound since 2011.

Together, Mak & Pasteman run the Materials label, and are bringing their beats our way on Saturday September 13 at Chinese Laundry.

Tijuana Cartel have announced a slew of tour dates in support of their latest album, 24 Bit Guitar Orchestra. The extensive national tour will see the Gold Coast trio serve up its unique brand of world music and club beats in small towns, capital cities and festivals. 24 Bit Guitar Orchestra is set to be released on Tuesday September 2. Tijuana Cartel will hit Oxford Art Factory on Thursday September 25 with support from Kalidad, and Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on Friday September 26.

There’s an ambitious new generation of EDM producers and DJs getting around the country at the moment, there’s no doubt about it – and one of the hardest working of the lot is Uberjak’d.

He’s constantly on tour, and in between has done mixes for Ministry of Sound and keeps up a regular (and immensely popular) podcast.

There’s nothing like experiencing him on the dancefloor, though, so get along to his set at Marquee this Saturday August 30.

WHAT’S A WATSKY

Slam poet turned rapper George Watsky, better known by the stage name Watsky, has locked in a series of Australian tour dates. Watsky’s back catalogue reads like a description of his alternative take on hip hop – A New Kind Of Sexy, Guilty Pleasures and so on – and he’s well worth a YouTube search to get a handle on his vibe. The San Francisco artist has just put out his latest album All You Can Do ahead of his debut Australian visit, which brings him to Newcastle’s Small Ballroom on Thursday December 11 and UTS Underground on Friday December 12.

TCHAMI

Tchami will bring his brand of future house to Sydney when he makes his debut performance here next month. The Parisian producer first emerged in July 2013 with a series of basslineheavy remixes. He’s since made waves with his catchy house melodies, performing alongside the likes of Boys Noize, What So Not and RL Grime. Catch Tchami at Soho on Friday September 12. thebrag.com

Watsky photo by Eleanor Stills

UBERJAK’D

32 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

Watsky

What: S.A.S.H Sleepout With: Nick Curly, Nico Stojan, Rodriguez Jr, Sammy Dee, Francis Harris, Marc Poppcke and more Where: Hunter Valley When: Friday September 19 – Sunday September 21

Tijuana Cartel

TIJUANA CARTEL

Joelistics photo by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore

JOELISTICS

BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 33

Alexis Raphael Spinning Around By Augustus Welby

T

he master DJ, strictly focused on skilful disc-spinning, is something of a dying breed.

Alexis Raphael’s reputation rests on the cunning house music DJ sets he’s been dispensing since emerging in London’s late-’90s club scene. In recent years, however, Raphael has added ‘original producer’ to his job title.

“There are a couple of DJs that have come through solely on their DJing,” he says, “but even then, they’ve had record labels to showcase music and something more than just the DJing. Nowadays, if you want to play in the far corners of the world, you need to make tunes.”

Although Raphael came to attention in the final years of last millennium, he’s plotted his movements quietly, placing emphasis on the art of DJing rather than the spotlight. It’s not exactly valiant unselfishness that’s led him down this path.

Simply put, Raphael attends to the particulars of his assignment out of sheer love.

“I just play and make music I like,” he says. “I think if you’re trying to be someone or something then it’s not genuine. Music comes from inside and the love and passion that I’ve had for over 20 years for electronic music is just part of me. I try to do what I do and I hope people will like it.”

This impassioned commitment has allowed Raphael to sustain

relevance in the clubs of the world for over a decade. In fact, he was nominated for DJ Mag’s coveted ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ title as recently as 2012. But while the name Alexis Raphael holds enduring weight in the DJing world, he didn’t always plan to etch out this reputation.

“I started DJing when I was 14 but never actually thought, ‘I want to be a DJ.’ I just loved the music so I wanted to buy the records so I could play them. However, I did always say I wanted to make tunes.

[DJing]’s just a natural love of mine that has luckily ended up being my career path. I’m grateful every day for that.”

It’s taken a while, but in recent years Raphael has been realising his initial ambition. In 2011, his debut original release ‘Spaceship’ came out via Lee Foss and Jamie Jones’ Hot Waves imprint. Foss and Jones have since released a string of Raphael productions and remixes on their primary label Hot Creations, and he’s also put out tracks through London electronic label Lower East. Raphael is set to continue with original production in the future, but it won’t supplant his DJing post.

“I think that, like everything in life, it’s all about getting the right balance between the two. I love making music and think I have a lot more still to give, but I also love touring and DJing.”

Raphael comes Sydney’s way this weekend to perform at S.A.S.H. This is the experienced Londoner’s first visit Down Under, which is another sign of his growing international signifi cance.

He mightn’t have been to Australia before, but he’s not fretful about winning over club-dwellers.

“At the end of the day, wherever they are in the world, people are out for the same thing: to party, have a good time and get lost in the music,” he says. “I think that DJing is about getting the right balance between pushing music forward to the crowd that they might not necessarily know, whilst also trying to give them some of

Basement Jaxx

what they want. I try to get that balance in all my sets, whether it’s here in London or in the far corners of the world. So Australia will be the same.”

What: S.A.S.H Sundays Where: Home Nightclub When: Sunday August 31

sounded all quite biblical, but that was it. We were mastering the album the next day, so ran out of time, but it’s amazing what you can do when you’ve got to reshape something and make it work.”

Back In Business By Paul McBride

Having been a major player in the EDM scene since the ’90s, Burton is unconcerned about how the music industry is evolving of late.

“It’s been changing so much in the past ten years. I think people who work in the music industry now have no idea what’s happening with it or where it’s going, which I really like.

Rather than resting on their laurels, people need to understand life is about change and embracing change. Everything is temporary, and if a tune is good, you’ll be whistling it in a few years and everything else will get left behind. At a time when there’s so much corporate entertainment dross, it’s good that things keep moving forward and we don’t know where they’re heading. Everyone says it’s all about streaming and nobody will own any music anymore, but who knows? There are always going to be enthusiasts who pile up vinyl, but I don’t really worry about these things, I guess.”

A heaving touring schedule is already locked in for the end of the year, with Burton hoping to add Australian dates.

I

t’s been five long years since the last official Basement Jaxx album, but the English EDM duo has come back strongly with new effort Junto. While being free of his record contract and releasing new material means DJ and songwriter Felix Burton should be feeling on top of the world, it’s something altogether more other-worldly he most wants to talk about.

34 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

Interplanetary interruptions aside, Basement Jaxx are back with an album brimming over with their signature electronic pop anthems and plenty of vocal collaborators.

After over ten years with XL, Burton is happy to be embracing independence on the new record.

are inspired by us, so actually we might as well do our version of ourselves anyway.”

“We’ve always felt free in how we write,” he says. “It’s just you might not hear a lot of the stuff that was very free [laughs]. There were people who thought it might be a bit too tangential or might not fit into the idea of what was appropriate.

With this album, we were very clear that we wanted to have stuff we could DJ, so we wanted to make sure it could be useful in our live show and connect to Jaxx fans, as well as fitting in with the current resurgence in house and deep house; now that’s kind of like pop music here. A lot of those people

“That was the one vocal where we weren’t actually with the singer. It was done in a very modern way, where we emailed stuff. I sent him a couple of things and said it’d be great to work on ‘Buffalo’ and get some Native American spirit. We were back-and-forthing, and Mykki was really into it, then we started getting random emails and things weren’t quite connecting. Then [someone said], ‘Mykki’s gone.’ We thought it was all sounding great, and told them we need the second verse to finish it, but they told us he’d gone to the desert. I thought it

One of the guest vocalists was trans rapper Mykki Blanco, who didn’t exactly finish the job, Burton says.

“I’m really hoping we can come in February or maybe January, around that time. We just did the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and a festival here in the UK. They went amazingly and I feel very happy with our live show at the moment. We have a lot of people, so it’s quite expensive, but I’d love to bring everyone. Also, the album is called Junto, which is about togetherness. It’s not about me or Simon, it’s about the audience and ideally all the people onstage as well. But yeah, fingers crossed. If Australia shows some interest in the record, then hopefully we can come. At the moment, we’re slightly in that limbo time where we’re waiting on responses to the album, but in my mind I’ve got it to go to Australia and Japan in February next year.”

What: Junto out now through Atlantic Jaxx Recordings/[PIAS] thebrag.com

Basement Jaxx photo by Phil Sharp

“We’d just moved into a new studio, its windows look over London,” he says. “I saw something sitting right in the middle of the sky that looked a fl ying saucer. Well, it looked like a Ford Fiesta; the way a car shimmers in the sunshine – it was defi nitely metallic. [A friend was] with me, having a cup of tea, and we were watching this thing in the sky. We realised it wasn’t a helicopter or a hot air balloon or

anything like that; whether it was a military device or arable farming technology we’ve never heard about, who knows? Some other people saw it on that day, but what was most interesting was how small-minded some people were when I told them. An unidentifi ed fl ying object means I don’t know what it is, but people would get angry and say it doesn’t exist or there isn’t such a thing, and I thought it was amazing how closeminded people are to new possibilities and ideas. So many people are living a charade and getting whipped up in all this bullshit of celebrity culture that has no effect on their lives and makes them feel dissatisfi ed and envious.

They don’t like the idea of something they don’t understand, but the fact is nearly all of life and reality we don’t understand. It’s arrogant to think we do.”

Client Liaison More Tricks Up Their Sleeve By Emily Meller

H

ave you heard about ‘faux-fi’? Neither had I. But apparently Melbourne-based duo Client Liaison, made up of Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller, are pioneers of the genre.

“It’s a play on the established term ‘lo-fi’,” Morgan explains, “but we actually have a hi-fi sound.”

He isn’t being totally serious, but with his deadpan delivery it can be hard to tell. Other labels that have been flung their way include ‘’80s revivalists’, ‘blueeyed soul’ and ‘dance-electric’. One thing that is undisputed is their reputation for putting on one hell of a live show, which was enough to win them a place via triple j Unearthed at Laneway Festival in 2014. Things really took off from there – a national tour supporting Miami Horror, two of their own headlining tours (the second of which is about to start) and a slot at this year’s Falls Festival.

But unlike most bands, they won’t be staying in any fancy hotels. Or hotels built in the last decade.

For them, it’s all about keeping true to the Client Liaison aesthetic – which means pastel wallpaper, green leather lounges and patterned carpets.

“Fiction becomes non-fiction,” says Morgan. “In Canberra, we would happily pop into Parliament House for breakfast… we try to actualise Client Liaison.”

“We’re playing on that, like, white guys doing black music in the digital age,” says Morgan.

“We don’t care about the bass, we care about the treble,” adds Miller. “That’s a real geeky thing to do.”

Their latest releases have gone a long way to demonstrating that diversity, foraying into multiple genres and proving their music has real substance behind it. Obviously they’ve tapped into something meaningful, as their fan base continues to grow.

“We hope we are too underground to be pop, and too pop to be underground,” says Morgan. “We’re in limbo.”

What: Client Liaison out Friday September 5 through Dot Dash/Remote Control With: Turkish Prison, Albert Salt Where: Oxford Art Factory When: Saturday August 30 And: Also appearing alongside Alt-J, Todd Terje, The Presets, Tkay Maidza, Alison Wonderland and many more at Falls Festival, Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron Bay, Sunday December 28 – Saturday January 3

Similarly, their hallucinatory clip for ‘End Of The Earth’ is a gaudy pastiche of some of the most cringeworthy moments in Australian culture ever caught on camera. Everything from a kangaroo hopping in the outback to scenes from the Sydney Olympics is overlaid with disco synths and images of Morgan and Miller throwing shapes.There’s John Farnham, Vegemite and Shane Warne all thrown in the melting pot. None of it makes much sense, or even appears to make a coherent political statement, but it all taps into what it means to be ‘Australian’. It’s equal parts uplifting and hard to watch.

“It’s about trying to embrace [Australian culture] and reinvigorate a sense of patriotism, not nationalism, and it’s important to make a distinction,” Morgan says. “Nationalism is like the White Australia Policy and Cronulla [the 2005 riots], whereas patriotism is more inclusive, and a celebration of the country.”

Despite this clear manifesto, Morgan is quick to insist that Client Liaison were never meant to be a commentary on Australian culture. “We’re not professors of sociology,” he says.

“When people are dancing to ‘End Of The Earth’ in a nightclub, they’re not thinking about the subject matter of the lyrics,” Miller adds. “They’re just enjoying the song. It functions on a range of levels.”

It is true that what Client Liaison produce is primarily dance music, and whatever extra layers are contained within it are additional to the songs themselves. To them, making music from a particular era is no different to making music from a particular genre. It just so happens they were drawn to the sound palette (and presumably, hairstyles) associated with ’80s music, in the same way as someone who plays folk.

“We just like that programmed pop, that’s the tools we use,” says Morgan. “Just like someone in folk music from the ’60s or ’70s. We don’t really think about it too much.”

This all makes sense, but unlike other constantly evolving genres, the ’80s aesthetic is fixed in time.

Plus, Client Liaison haven’t just used that sound palette – they have appropriated the clothing, hotel rooms and imagery from an era that no longer exists.

“Any gypsy folk player down in Brunswick will have unwashed scruffy hair,” says Miller. “We don’t discriminate against Monte’s haircut or a folk haircut. We use modern technology so it’s impossible to not have those modern artefacts come through.”

1 hour of jumping $10 Mon – Thurs 10am – 4pm Conditions apply.

I get the feeling they are a little weary of being quizzed about the decision to embody a particular sonic niche. It’s fair enough – many a band has fallen off the radar after a particular gimmick has lost its steam. Client Liaison are keen to impress the distinction between being a “one-trick horse” and simply working within an established genre.

They tread the fine line between irony and honesty, and it gets blurry pretty often. It begs the question, “Are you being serious?”

“There’s seriousness and conviction injected into it,” Miller says.

Listening to Morgan’s falsetto on Client Liaison’s upcoming debut EP, the earnestness is clear. A release that could have folded into cliché very quickly has plenty of surprising twists. ‘Feeling’, which includes the lyric “Take what you do and make it beautiful,” somehow avoids being cheesy at all. Their latest release, ‘Queen’, sounds like a modern incarnation of Hall & Oates soul – new technology providing a clean, crisp production that wasn’t possible two decades ago. thebrag.com

skyzone.com.au BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 35

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

club pick of the week Kristian Nairn AKA Hodor

THURSDAY AUGUST 28 The Hi-Fi

Rave Of Thrones Hodor DJ Set + EGO

Ultimo. 9pm. $10.

CLUB NIGHTS

Cakes World Bar, Kings Cross.

8pm. $10.

Dysney - Feat: Captain Franco + Baby.Face.Thrilla + Bautz + 1Fm1 Ching-a-lings, Darlinghurst.

8pm. free.

El Loco Later - Feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

El’ Circo - Feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst.

7pm. $109.

Frat Saturdays - Feat: DJ Jonski Side Bar, Sydney. 6pm. free.

Jägermeister Spice Presents Mike Witcombe + Sam Francisco The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. $25.

Lndry - Feat: Zombie Nation + Cassian + A-Tonez + Baytek + Samrai + Fingers + Tom Budin + Nightwalkers + Ra Bazaar + Coda Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

9pm. $22.60.

Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

Pacha Sydney - Feat: J-Trick + Tonite Only + Glover + Baby Gee + Chris Arnott + Fingers + Jace Disgrace + Sushi + Just1 + Devola + Eko + Samrai + Heke + Deckhead + Stu Turner + Trent Rackus + Pat Ward

Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney.

6:30pm. $37.90.

Picnic Presents (More) Fun - Feat: Marc Jarvin + Kali + Adi Toohey + Valerie Yum Secret Location, Sydney.

8pm. $15.

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.

The Chop - Live Beatmaker Night - Feat: Tigermoth + Monastry + Audient DJs + Raine Supreme + Benny Hinn Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free.

Uberjak’d Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

SUNDAY AUGUST 31 HIP HOP & R&B

One Day Sundays Vic On The Park, Sydney.

1pm. free.

CLUB NIGHTS

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

8pm. free.

S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Alexis Raphael + Gabby + Toby Neal + Cassette + Illya + Aboutjack + Rod Lee Winters + Jake Rashleigh + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

Sunday Sessions - Feat: Cadell + Tom Kelly + Ocky Goldfish, Kings Cross. 4pm. free.

Sunday Spice 31.08 - Feat: Kato + Nikolai + Onn The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Sundays In The City - Feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 CLUB NIGHTS

Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free.

Mashup Monday - Feat: Resident DJs Side Bar, Sydney. 8pm. free.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2 CLUB NIGHTS

Chu World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

7:30pm. $50.50.

Sam Francisco

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27 CLUB NIGHTS

DJ Tom Kelly Goldfish, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

Morning Gloryville Sydney - Feat: Tommy Franklin + Dr Cat + DJ A.S.K Paddington Uniting Church, Paddington. 6:30am. $24.20.

Sosueme - Feat: DJ Butcher + Linda Marigliano Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm. free.

The Wall World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5.

Whip It Wednesdays Whaat Club, Kings Cross.

9pm. free.

THURSDAY AUGUST 28 HIP HOP & R&B

Hip Hop Thursdays - Feat: The Tongue + DJ Lopez + Waza Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 9pm. free.

Joyride Lo-Fi, Darlinghurst. 6pm. free.

CLUB NIGHTS

Favourites At The Flinders (Marcus Whale DJ Set) Flinders Hotel, Surry Hills.

8pm. free.

Fear Of Dawn Goldfish, Kings Cross. 8pm. free.

Full Up! - Feat: Mikey Glamour + Nick Toth + Jimmy Sing + Prince Andrew 36 :: BRAG :: 577 : 27:08:14

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney.

8pm. free.

Goldfish And Friends - Feat: Regular Rotating Residents Goldfish, Kings Cross. 10pm. free.

Hot Damn Spectrum, Darlinghurst. 9pm. $10.

Loopy - Feat: Drty Csh + Daschwood + Generous Greed The Backroom, Kings Cross.

10pm. $12.

Pool Club Thursdays - Feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Rave Of Thrones - Feat: Hodor DJ Set + EGO The Hi-Fi, Moore Park.

7:30pm. $50.50.

The World Bar Thursdays World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

Thursday Spice 28.08 Feat: Mantra Collective + Jack Fuller + Antoine Vice + Space Junk + Whitecat The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

9pm. free.

FRIDAY AUGUST 29 HIP HOP & R&B

Hustler Fridays - Feat: MC Shaba Hustle & Flow, Redfern. 7pm. free.

Chinese Laundry, Sydney.

9pm. free.

Dandy Warhols Official After Party - Feat: Zia (Dandy Warhols) + Zero Likes DJs + Dandelion + I Oh You DJs Bank Hotel, Newtown. 8pm. free.

El Loco Later - Feat: DJs On Rotation Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills.

10pm. free.

Factory Fridays - Feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills.

5pm. free.

Feel Good Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free.

Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Loco Friday - Feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free.

Soft&Slow 29.08 - Feat: Astral DJs + James Cripps + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney.

10pm. $15.

Thank Funk It’s Friday The Ranch, Eastwood.

9:30pm. free.

Voodoo Sydney Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 8pm. $25.

ZeroCool Marquee, Pyrmont. 8pm. $18.40.

SATURDAY AUGUST 30

CLUB NIGHTS

Argyle Fridays - Feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free.

Bassic - Feat: Arcane Echo + Spenda C + Ribongia + Blackmale + Samrai + Deckhead + Turnt Up

HIP HOP & R&B

Vent @ Valve - Feat: Izzy + DJ Maniak + Lee Monro & Ello C + Nhostic And DJ Riley Jm + 612 + Riff Mc + D.Minor + More Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel,

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27

SATURDAY AUGUST 30

Sosueme - Feat: DJ Butcher + Linda Marigliano Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach. 8pm.

Free.

Jägermeister Spice Presents Mike Witcombe + Sam Francisco The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

Morning Gloryville Sydney - Feat: Tommy Franklin + Dr Cat + DJ A.S.K Paddington Uniting Church, Paddington. 6:30am. $18.

Lndry - Feat: Zombie Nation + Cassian + A-Tonez + Baytek + Samrai + Fingers + Tom Budin + Nightwalkers + Ra Bazaar + Coda Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $22.60.

FRIDAY AUGUST 29

Picnic Presents (More) Fun - Feat: Marc Jarvin + Kali + Adi Toohey + Valerie Yum Secret Location, Sydney. 8pm. $15.

Bassic - Feat: Arcane Echo + Spenda C + Ribongia + Blackmale + Samrai + Deckhead + Turnt Up Chinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. Free.

Soft&Slow 29.08 - Feat: Astral DJs + James Cripps + Pink Lloyd The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $15.

ZeroCool Marquee, Pyrmont. 8pm. $18.40.

Uberjak’d Marquee, Pyrmont. 10pm. $28.60.

SUNDAY AUGUST 31 S.A.S.H Sundays - Feat: Alexis Raphael + Gabby + Toby Neal + Cassette + Illya + Aboutjack + Rod Lee Winters + Jake Rashleigh + Matt Weir + Kerry Wallace Home Nightclub, Darling Harbour. 2pm. $10.

thebrag.com

Off The Record Dance and Electronica with Tyson Wray

Stimming

J Dodger Stadium (AKA Jerome LOL of LOL Boys and Samo Sound Boy) have locked in an Australian tour. Last month the LA stalwarts dropped their debut LP Friend Of Mine, an eclectic album of ethereal house and curveball techno and one of the highlights of the year thus far. They’ll hit Sydney on Friday September 19 for a one-off show at Goodgod Small Club.

D

Already announced for Victoria’s Strawberry Fields festival, Stimming has added a show in Sydney to his tour itinerary. Last here in September 2013, the German native is a regular on seminal labels such as Pampa, Diynamic Music and Perspectiv Records, with his most recent release The Southern Sun (Pampa) seeing him at the top of his game with a meticulous blend of house and techno.

He’ll hit Sydney on Sunday November 23 at The Spice Cellar.

Other confirmed tours: Samuel Kerridge will hit The Red Rattler on Saturday September 6, Peter van Hoesen will be at The Imperial Hotel on Friday October 17 and Powell will descend on The Imperial Hotel on Friday November 28.

on Mood Hut, Stump Valley’s Hollywood EP on Off Minor is a stormer, while Lazar Cezar’s Om Vedea (Understand), Zipcode’s Untitled (L.A. Club Resource) and Randomer’s Stupid Things I Do (Clone Basement Series) all come with my coveted seal of approval.

As you’re reading this, over 50,000 revellers are experiencing arguably the most intense festival experience of their lives at the 2014 incarnation of Burning Man, which is taking place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The week-long festival this year is taking place from Monday August 25 – Monday September 1 and you can stream it all at ustream. tv/burningman. As always, the festival never announces its lineup or set times, so you’ll have to tune in to experience the ultimate festival FOMO and see what big names take part in the 2014 extravaganza. Lie down. Try not to cry.

Burning Man Festival

Tours soon to be announced: Melbourne institution Summer Series at Revolver Upstairs has locked in a slew of international talent for its 2014/2015 edition – meaning you can be certain the majority will also be coming to Sydney.

Expect to see headline tours from &ME, Adam Port, Fur Coat, Sidney Charles, Laura Jones, Gavin Herlihy, Mickey, Finnebassen, Patrick Topping and Detroit Swindle announced in the next few months.

Best new releases this week: Jack J continues his blistering run with his latest cut ‘Looking Forward To You’ / ‘Take It To The Edge’ / ‘Something (On My Mind)’

RECOMMENDED SATURDAY AUGUST 30

Astral People

Astral People’s 3rd Birthday Goodgod Smallclub

SUNDAY AUGUST 31 Alexis Raphael Home

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6 Robert Babicz The ArtHouse

Samuel Kerridge The Red Rattler Tommy Four Seven Chinese Laundry

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19

Xxx

DJ Dodger Stadium Goodgod Small Club

SATURDAY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 20 NOVEMBER 23 Butch Chinese Laundry

Stimming The Spice Cellar

FRIDAY OCTOBER 17

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29

Peter van Hoesen The Imperial Hotel

Âme TBA

Powell The Imperial Hotel

OutsideIn Manning House, Sydney University

Got any tip-offs, hate mail, praise or cat photos?

Email hey@tysonwray.com or contact me via carrier pigeon. thebrag.com

BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14 :: 37

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PICS :: AMT

up all night out all week . . .

23:08:14 :: The Spice Cellar :: 58 Elizabeth St Sydney 9223 5585 38 :: BRAG :: 577 :: 27:08:14

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PICS :: AM

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23:08:14 :: Marquee :: The Star Sydney Pyrmont 9657 7737

24:08:14 :: Home :: 101/1-5 Wheat Rd, Darling Harbour 9266 0600 OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHER

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Pick Bradfield Senior College.

Open day

4.30–7.00pm Thursday 4 September Visit bradfieldseniorcollege.com.au Call 9448 4200

CRICOS Provider Code 00591E / RTO Provider Number 90011 / 140305 JULY 2014

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