Drum Media Perth Issue #225 by TheMusic.com.au

GYROSCOPE THE HOLIDAYS HORRORSHOW HOUSE OF PAIN (USA) NINA LAS VEGAS (TRIPLE J) SAMPOLOGY (AV/DJ SET) TIM & JEAN UNKLE LIVE (UK) WASHINGTON THE WOMBATS (UK) TRIPLE J UNEARTHED & LOCAL ACTS

SATURDAY 14 MAY HAY PARK BUNBURY WA GATES OPEN AT 10.30AM

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IN CINEMAS MARCH 3 4 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

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Holly Throsby

TEAM OUT NOW ON SPUNK

RADIO NATIONAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK

“ A fragile, quiet joy.” MOJO

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INCLUDES

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Thu 10 Mar Prince of Wales BUNBURY Sat 12 Mar The Bakery PERTH tickets from www.oztix.com.au

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Sun 13 Mar Mojo’s FREMANTLE tickets from mojosbar.com.au

Also available:

M O G WA I HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE, BUT YOU WILL.

SMITH WESTERNS Dye It Blonde

SUFJAN STEVENS The Age Of Adz

ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs

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FOREWORD LINE KING OF THE CASTLE

Featuring one of, if not the biggest local lineup ever witnessed at the Leederville Hotel, the Drum Media-presented Kings Of Sound Festival plonks its royal arse down Sunday 3 April with a simply massive line-up celebrating Perth hip hop, drum’n’bass, breaks, dubstep, funk, soul, reggae and all manner of beats under the sun. There’s over 40 artists, three stages, three arenas (indoor and out), live shows, MCs and DJs representing Aussie beats big time. We hope you’re paying CHARLIE BUCKET attention because it’s a damn long and damn fine list: Dazastah & Layla; Shockone & Phetsta; Hunter & Mortar; Q-Bik & Seeka; Bitter Belief; Delta Force; Greg Packer & MC Assassin; Micah; Knowledge Bones; Philly Blunt; Rregula; Sardi; The Brow Horn Orchestra; Charlie Bucket; Nyquist Freaks; Ben Mac; Diger Rokwell; Armee; Selekt; Killswitch; Sempy & Stiltz; Vishnu & Ylem; Broken English; Complete; Dair; Rekab; Ekko & Sidetrack; Concept & Traction; Jazza; Dr. Space; General Justice; Mamma Trees; Carla; Saxon & Boy Prince; Accumulated Gestures; Pan Theon Vanguard; Nathan J; Dart & Devo; D.Y.P; J Felix & L Wood; Narkotik & Havoc and Arien & A-step. $40 plus-BF from Moshtix and Heatseeker for this unmissable showcase of the wild west’s best.

THE JOHN STEEL SINGERS

HERE’S JOHNNY(S)!

Teaming up and hitting the road are two of Australia’s most promising acts for the ‘Here’s Johnny’ tour, The John Steel Singers and Jonathan Boulet. Both acts have had very busy and exciting periods over the past year or so, with The John Steel Singers recently releasing their debut album Tangalooma. Boulet hasn’t been slouching either, touring with his other band Parades and working on his new record due this year. Purchasing tickets to their upcoming events also gives you two exclusive tracks – spinoffs of each other’s songs. Friday 1 April they play the Rosemount, Saturday 2 Prince Of Wales and Sunday 3 April the Newport. $20 plus BF from Moshtix and Heatseeker.

RADAR DETECTING

DARWIN DEEZ

The days leading up to Groovin’ The Moo (Saturday 14 May, Hay Park Bunbury) are getting jam-packed with sideshows and the latest announcement sees New York’s Darwin Deez heading to The Bakery Thursday 12 May. They’ll be bringing the lo-fi, kooky-pop stylings that so impressed crowds at Parklife last year in their fun-time show full of dancing and tunes that call to mind everyone from The Strokes and Beck to MGMT and The Flaming Lips. Tickets through civilsociety.com.au for this Street Press Australia-presented show. Tickets for Groovin’ The Moo are also now available.

In news sure to ruffle a few feathers whilst also helping many fly, Jam has announced that the Good Vibrations shows this weekend (inc Sunday’s show at Claremont Showgrounds) will now offer half price tickets from gvf.com. au and Moshtix, while they’re also keeping existing ticket holders happy by allowing them to bring a friend for free. From GVF CEO Justin Hemmes: “The first two shows of the tour were amazing! We… want as many of you as possible to experience this festival! As we still have additional capacity to fill for this weekend’s shows, we’re extending this offer as this show is too good not to share!” Fans of Maroon 5 will have to wait, Frontier announcing the LA pop rockers’ Perth and Adelaide concerts have been cancelled “due to unexpected scheduling conflicts.” Refunds available from point of purchase. With a typically low fuss message from the band of ‘thank you for waiting,’ Radiohead are taking pre-orders for their ‘newspaper’-packaged upcoming album The King Of Limbs. You can download it this Saturday. Applications for The Seed’s seventh year are open til April 8. With new categories this year, opportunities are available in the Management Workshop, Publicise It (for managers who’ve been through the workshop) and more. Co-founded by John Butler, check theseedfund.org. While organisers are tight-lipped on the ‘very special guests Brave & The Bird’ at the Gimme Shelter fundraiser at Fremantle Arts Centre this Saturday, strong rumours abound the duo may be John Butler and his wife Mama Kin. Whether accurate or not, one definitely confirmed is ex-PM and now Minister for Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd! $25 plus BF presale from Heatseeker or $35 on the door. The show is sold-out, but you can still listen to this Saturday’s Four Tet and Caribou Beck’s Music Box show when RTRfm 92.1 broadcasts the show live from 8pm.

TIMBALAND

MORE SUPER SUPAFEST

Joining Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Taio Cruz and Bow Wow at this year’s Supafest, going down Sunday 10 April at Arena Joondalup, is now none other than production superstar Timbaland – the man behind smash hits from the likes of Justin Timberlake, The Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West. Also joining the gang is the Grammy Awardwinning boat-rocker T-Pain, iconic rapper Busta Rhymes, global star-on-the-rise Ciara, California hip hoppers the New Boyz and Akon’s DJ Benny D. Local artists Israel, Miracle and DJ Nino Brown also jump on board the line-up, which will now treat Australian fans to over nine hours of live music by some of the world’s biggest urban artists. Tickets through Ticketmaster. 12 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

IN BRIEF

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Highlights of the 2011 Grammy Awards? Lady Gaga in an egg; Arcade Fire winning Album Of The Year; Mumford & Sons scoring an instant #1 album on iTunes USA following their performance; and Cee Lo Green’s muppet-inspired performance. The rest, as usual, was very ‘meh’.

BASEMENT BIRDS

ARTS BASEMENT

Now in its third season, Artbar promises to deliver another wonderful season of contemporary music, comedy and exhibitions after dark. Ticket holders have privileged access to the Gallery’s current exhibitions and can enjoy a selection of food and drink. Launching the 2011 season are local super group The Basement Birds. It all takes place at the Gallery Wetland stage in the Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge on Thursday 7 April. Picnic blankets and cushions are encouraged, doors open 6pm with Ben Witt (The Chemist) in support. Tickets $46 through BOCs or the Art Gallery Shop.

JUMPING AROUND

If the idea of heading to Bunbury to catch House Of Pain at Groovin’ The Moo (Saturday 14 May, Hay Park) doesn’t get you jumpin’, or you fancy a Jump Around not once but twice, rejoice because the Irish-American hip hoppers are playing Capitol Thursday 12 May as part of the ‘He Who Breaks The Law Tour’, doubling as their 20th Anniversary and presented by Street Press Australia. The group has crafted a legacy and are back to prove that it doesn’t matter your age, race, religion or whether you’re into hip hop, rock or metal, as long as you’re ready to raise the roof. Tickets through Moshtix.

WOLFE AT THE DOOR

After supporting Sneekers on Tuesday 22 February at The Charles Hotel, east coast roots artist on the rise Eli Wolfe will begin to build momentum as he heads over to Canada for their Music Festival/Week in March. You can catch him at the Norfolk Basement Friday 25 February, Settlers Tavern Sunday 27 February and the Nannup Music Festival Friday 4 til Sunday 6 March. He has an album coming out later in the year – 2011 is looking busy for this Australian roots troubadour.

BLAME IT ON FREO

Everyone is invited to join in the revelry, wear a mask, costume or dress, as the streets come alive for the 2011 Fremantle Carnevale from Saturday 19 February to Tuesday 8 March. Carnevale is set to blast off at an official opening conducted by this year’s King Of Carnival at 6.30pm, Saturday 26 February at the Fibonacci Centre. It all reaches a climax at the Masked Costume Ball at the Fremantle Italian Club on Saturday 5 March, with beats provided by the Gold Coast’s Latinoinfluenced live beat maestros Tijuana Cartel. Head to fremantlecarnevale.org for more info.

COUNTRY BOY

The intriguing story of John Denver, one of America’s most treasured musical icons, is brought to life in a brand new Australian written and produced show entitled The John Denver Story – Take Me Home Country Roads, starring renowned Australian performer Rick Price. The world premiere will take place in Perth at the Regal Theatre Tuesday 3 May, with shows running Wednesday 4; Thursday 5; Friday 6; Saturday 7 (2pm & 8pm); and lastly Sunday 8 May. Tickets through Ticketek.

SLYNKY BEATS

The name Chandler may evoke some ‘Friendly’ thoughts – but when it’s hitting you as Evan Chandler with the moniker Slynk, you need think nothing but broken beats. Brisvegas’ best breakbeat boy joins Japan 4’s ranks at Ambar Saturday 26 March. Naturally gifted in classical instruments, Slynk has gone on to become one of the country’s best breakbeat DJs and producers. Support from Tom Drummond, Black & Blunt and Ben Mac. $15 on the door.

SWEAT-SHOP

One of Australia’s most skilled mash-up maestros and head-man of dance label Sweat It Out, Ajax is getting set to make Ambar sweaty Friday 18 March. He’s placed in ITM’s Top 10 DJs every year since 2005, with two consecutive years as first place, and was one of the founding members of the Bang Gang Collective. Put simply, he knows how to party. You can too, with support from Bacich, Philly Blunt and Time Travel Agent. $15 on the door.

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Relative Magazine Launch. Live art and DJ action. Doors 7pm. Be early!

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FOREWORD LINE

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LOCAL BOWLS

The Coopers Barefoot Bowls series is approaching, and as such the supports have been announced. First, the Glenn Richards/Dan Luscombe show on Saturday 26 March will feature supports Grace Woodroofe, Sean Pollard (Split Seconds) and Tim Bott (One Tiger Down), then the Adalita show on Saturday 2 April will feature Amaya Laucirica from Melbourne, Ruby Boots and Wolves At The Door. Tickets through Moshtix for these cracking nights of bowls and beats at the ECU Bowls Club in Mt. Lawley.

GREEN MACHINE

In a way, you could call Melbourne party-punkers green green green, the sound track to a night of having good times and forgetting your woes. After three years of making ears bleed, beers spill, women swoon, and blood-alcohol levels increase, the thrash train once again returns, playing with The Trevallys, Like Junk, Clean Living on Friday 4 at the Velvet Lounge and Mongrel Country, Frozen Ocean and Seams on Saturday 5 March at The Bakery.

SIMONE & GIRLFUNKLE

LOCAL LOVIN’

There’s some mighty fine happenings going down right now in WA, and we don’t just mean that this may just be one of the god-damned finest weeks for musical experiences Perth’s ever conjured… Before heading east to share their wares, Simone & Girlfunkle will launch their new single Heart Goes Pitter Patter. Catherine Traicos will also launch her new single Beg For Love on the same night, with extra support from Billie Rogers at Rosemount Hotel on Saturday 26 February. Technique Recordings draw in the talents of Phetsta to deliver their first release of 2011. The Prism EP serves up full-throttle d’n’b alongside some quality dubstep excursions and launches Friday 25 February at Shape. Support from J.Nitrous, Dvise B2B Sempy, Ekko & Sidetrack and Arien B2B A-Step. $5 before 11pm, $10 after. Heytesburg prepare to launch their debut EP From The River I Come, To The Desert I Go. The five-track EP shows the band’s foray into Eastern music with a wide range of instrumentation, all blended with dark and post-rock influences. Support for this Drum Media-presented event from Apricot Rail, Sonspilo Circus and Shock Octopus at Amplifier, Saturday 5 March. Saturday 26 February sees Mojo’s change its stripes to become The Brow Horn Orchestra Experience – a massive night featuring said band along with a host of special guests including MC Rezide, Sam Perry, Ndorse, Obscotch, El Fox, DJ Tones, Minky G and more. A $25 ticket gets you entry, a free drink, free food all night long and a limited edition DVD version of two Brow singles. $10 just gets you in. Never has the Challenger Ready? night been more appropriate than for Ambar’s coming Fresh Produce edition, featuring a slew of up’n’coming DJs ready to battle it out it for underground supremacy. Friday 25 February sees Tom Drummond vs. DNGRFLD, M!SPRINT vs. Ogden, Mr. B vs. Tonic, Mr. Ed vs JS and Marko Paulo. $12/$8 loyalty. WA clubbing web-bible Teknoscape is throwing a huge boat party to celebrate their contribution to Perth dance for so many years. Sardi, Muller, Ekko, Sidetrack, Concept, Traction, D’Vo, Blend, Deflo, Render, Flip, Hivis and MCs Assassin and Stylee will provide the boat beats for $60 plus BF from Moshtix or DJ Factory. Friday 25 February, departing from Barrack St Jetty. Local Perth pop-rockers Paperfly celebrate the launch of their new EP Observatory Saturday 19 March at Rosemount Hotel. Support from local heroes Burgers Of Beer and Art In Algebra. $10 through Heatseeker. To help raise funds to finish the WA zombie film Perished, Mongrel Country, The Bible Bashers, Die Scoundrels and Slaughterhouse Five take to the stage while zombie face painting, zombie caricatures, a search for the Best Dressed Zombie and a special screening take in The Bakery on Saturday 26 February. Kickstart and Travis Caudle will be at Paddington Ale House Thursday 24 February for a rock‘n’roll fundraiser to help programs designed to prevent baby deaths and provide counseling support to families who’ve lost a child. $5 entry fee donated to SIDS and Kids WA, 7pm. Thursday night series ‘The Stream’ continues at Ya Ya’s tonight with a special indie-dance edition featuring the disco-pop grooves of Bastian’s Happy Flight and the tropical flavour of Scenic, with DJs filling the gaps. $8 from 8pm.

BREAK ON THROUGH

Coming into being in 1992 when five individuals decided there wasn’t enough representation of classic rock in the live scene, Absolutely Live The Doors Show went on to bring The Doors experience to crowds around the world. They’re dedicated to raising the energy of the room and sustaining that energy so crowds can open their own doors of perception and tap into that Doors vibe from decades ago. Catch them at The Eastern Friday 4 March and The Charles Hotel Saturday 5 March. Tickets from the venues or Heatseeker.

GURUS DOO ROTTO

Hotel Rottnest’s massive summer of iconic entertainment continues with the triumphant return of Aussie rock legends Hoodoo Gurus. After a sellout performance at the hotel last year, the band couldn’t resist the chance to return to the seaside stage on

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Andrew Mast Editor Aarom Wilson Front Row Editor Daniel Crichton-Rouse Fashion Contributor Meghan Hosie

ADVERTISING

Sales & Marketing Director Leigh Treweek Sales Executive Matt McMullen, Aaron Rutter

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PHOTOGRAPHERS Elle Borgward, Shane Butler, Beau Davis, Penny Lane, Jacqueline Jane, Cybele Malinowski, Anthony Tran

CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Archibald, Marisa Aveling, Paul Barbieri, Aleksia Barron, Steve Bell, Nina Bertok, Jackson Best, Tristan Broomhall, Rob Browne, Rick Bryant, Danica Caccamo, Anthony Carew,

Sunday 27 March. Joining them will be one Timothy Nelson & The Infidels. Tickets on sale tomorrow from Heatseeker, Mills, Planet and Hotel Rottnest, with same day ferry packages through Rottnest Express.

VICIOUS CAREY

Illicit Funk, Saturated Soul, Soul Providers - however you’ve known Ian Carey over almost twenty years, there’s no denying he’s a legendary player in the house scene. Involved in the graffiti scene in Baltimore early on, the lure of the ones and twos sucked him in before the street life could. He put down his spray can and commenced his career as a DJ and producer and hasn’t look back since. He hits Villa on Saturday 23 April in support of Vicious Cuts 2011, his mix featuring a typically tight selection from the likes of Deadmau5, Afrojack and Steve Aoki. $25 plus BF from Moshtix and Boomtick.

Travis Collins, Cyclone, Marcia Czerniak, Sebastian D’Alonzo, Kitt Di Camillo, Sam Fell, Kim Fisher, Tomas Ford, Shannon Fox, Rueben Hale, Stu Harvey, Simon Holland, Craig Hollywood, Jason Kenny, Angela King, Jo Lettenmaier, Troy Mutton, Gareth Richardson, Ted Schlechte, Megan Smith, Michael Smith, Aimee Somerville, Kate Stephens, Scarlett Stevens, Kristy Symonds, Nic Toupee, Chris Wheeldon, Anthony Williams

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FOAMY SLIDE

Two of the UK’s biggest and best-loved broken beat acts head to Villa Saturday 19 March in Foamo and Slyde. The former is one of the next generation of dance music’s elite – raised on a healthy diet of d’n’b, grime and garage, as he matured he was introduced to more housey gear, which has given rise to his bass-heavy 4/4 productions. The latter’s infatuation with funk, phat and well-produced breakbeat is matched only by Perth’s love for the stuff. Support from DNGRFLD, Marty McFly & Tee El and Mr. Ed. $30 plus BF from Boomtick and Moshtix.

COLLISION COURSE

After completing a sterling run of BDO shows, Children Collide headline their own shows to give a master lesson in frenetic performance. Flushed with the success of their best triple j Hottest 100 result ever (Jellylegs #22 and My Eagle #60), the trio have confirmed themselves as live faves. They’re hitting the road to support newest single Arrows, and walk wobble-y into Capitol Easter Holiday Eve, Monday 25 April, with support from Young Revelry and The Growl. Tickets through Oztix, Heatseeker and Moshtix.

ILLY-ADVISED

WA fans wondering what happened to Illy and M-Phazes not coming here on their latest tour, wonder no more. The MC-production duo combined to release Illy’s popular 2010 album The Chase, featuring hit single It Can’t Wait (feat. Owl Eyes), which charted a healthy 29 in the recent Hottest 100 poll for triple j. Chase them down Wednesday 25 May at Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Thursday 26 at Players Bar, Mandurah; Friday 27 at Studio 146, Albany; Saturday 28 at Amplifier; and Sunday 29 May at Norfolk Basement. Tickets through Oztix, Heatseeker and Moshtix next Monday.

EARLE OF TOWNE

For those yet to experience Justin Townes Earle, get ready to see, hear and feel the real deal. New record Harlem River Blues has been critically acclaimed universally, and he’s sharing it in March to make us all very happy once again. He swaggers in to Mojo’s Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 March, with special supports just being announced in Chicago pal Joe Pug and country-pop starlet Lanie Lane. Tickets through Heatseeker.

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

The twisted, brainfeeding sounds of Lorn will be warping through The Bird Friday 25 February as part of Move’s Rhythmatism night. Signed to Flying Lotus’ hugely influential Brainfeeder label, Lorn has been producing his own uniquely dark and melodic style of beat music for over a decade Releasing his debut LP Nothing Else in 2010, Lorn confirmed his place at the forefront of the LA, and now international, beat scene. Entry $10 from 8pm.

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FOREWORD LINE WEIRD RESOLUTIONS

AXXONN

ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S BRIGHTEST EXPERIMENTAL HOPES AXXONN TEAMS UP WITH NEW WEIRD AUSTRALIA FOR HIS LAST TOUR BEFORE CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM. IT’S A TESTAMENT TO THE LOCAL AUSTRALIAN SCENES AND A CASE STUDY FOR WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP THEM ALONG. SCOTT FITZSIMONS INVESTIGATES.

ith all the hope and anticipation for a big year of Australian music, the question has to be asked – where is it going to come from? And not those semi-established acts who are set to drop debut albums straight onto seemingly guaranteed triple j radio play, but the artists that are unheard of outside of their small local scene at present who will hopefully become one of those semiestablished acts this time next year. The underground scenes are often delicate, insular and hard to read, so it’s hard to really investigate them from an outsider’s perspective. Non-profit initiative New Weird Australia [NWA] has been working these scenes since 2009, releasing free digital compilations of experimental and electronic music chosen by its founder Stuart Buchanan. “In some ways it’s hard to define and in some ways I loathe to define it,” he says of his selections, “but I guess it’s whatever’s being made has a sound that is pretty uniquely new. How you choose to define that is open to interpretation but I’m not really interested in hearing what I’ve already heard before. Artists who may do an excellent imitation of some other sound or some other band are not really of great interest.” The compilations have been a success – as has Buchanan’s weekly radio show on Sydney community frequency FBi, a station he helped start up – and upon entering

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GIVEAWAYS

the new year the NWA scope has expanded. Having held showcase events previously, the upcoming tour for Brisbane native Tom Hall’s project Axxonn is the first to be presented by the organisation, NWA providing publicity and promotion as well as financial backing. Axxonn seems a perfect choice for the inaugural run, given his visibility and international respect currently. After releasing his debut album, Let’s Get It Straight, under the moniker last year – Hall is also prolific under his own name – this will be his last tour of Australia before an indefinite relocation to Los Angeles (it also marks the release of his remix album AXXONN – Remixed). It comes after prolific international touring, almost seven months of 2009 was spent overseas Hall estimates, and the album’s received a distribution deal for the UK, Europe and America for this year. As a result of his jet setting, comparisons to the Australian scene are invariably made. “It’s very different everywhere,” says Hall, “Europe is what they call the gold fields where you’ll get a guarantee at every event

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and it doesn’t matter how many people turn up you still get your fee and you get looked after very well there. And America is much the same I found except the pay is non-existent pretty much,” he laughs. “You play for the love of it. “Something I definitely realised – especially when my art and my artistic practise came to fruit in Brisbane – is that Brisbane, especially, has a very unique scene in that it’s in this middle ground between Melbourne and Sydney. It’s not quite big enough for people to split off into separate genres and it’s not small enough that there’s not a regular amount of stuff happening. There’s not a lot of room for ego either, you’ll soon find yourself without shows if you’re being a dickhead.” The local community is something that’s always championed by stakeholders and Buchanan mirrors the sentiment. “Certainly what I’ve heard from what happens in, not just Queensland but also in Canberra, Newcastle, Tasmania, Perth, that there are very strong localised scenes. But until you live there and live through it it’s difficult to say how real it is.” “Community and support are really important,” says Hall. “If you want to do it on your own I guess you can but it’s a lonely area being a musician and not being part of any community.” New Weird Australia often has its hand inside these proverbial jars of underground talent (usually sourced from the internet, Buchanan says that the well of information’s most effective when one can utilise “filers” appropriately) but it’s had to learn to take a tactful approach when promoting these acts. “There was certainly a sense for a long time that the underground wanted to remain underground and there are good reasons for that,” says Buchanan. “But I think the more that I worked with using a lot of online tools I realised there was a way to help expose the underground more readily without losing the essence of what it was.” WHO: Axxonn WHAT: AXXONN – Remixed (SONOPTIK) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 24 February, Manhattans, Vic Park; Injured Ninja’s CD Launch – Friday 25 February, The Bakery, Northbridge

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PLANET ASIA Californian underground MC Planet Asia and fellow hip hop purveyor Copywrite bring their supreme US west coast rhymes and beat shows to our own west coast. Between them they’ve worked with the likes of Sean Price, Talib Kweli, Tupac, Linkin Park and Ghostface Killah as well been nominated for and won Grammy awards along with the Jay-Z Roc The Mic battle. They take in Rosemount Hotel on Friday 25 February. To pick up one of TWO double passes, email giveaways@drumperth. com.au with “PLANET COPY” in the subjectline. The innovative and groundbreaking LTJ Bukem returns to Australia this month for what will undoubtedly be very special set to help launch the Mind The Gap nights. Bukem started in the drum’n’bass world, sat at the forefront of breakbeat evolution and firmly established his name with his Good Looking Records label. His partner in crime and one of the voices of Good Looking, MC Conrad joins him when they take on Shape this Friday 18 February. To pick up one of TWO double passes, email giveaways@drumperth.com.au with “BUKEM IN” in the subjectline. Since the show’s this Friday, be sure to include your phone number so we can get in touch with you Friday afternoon. One of the best-loved trilogies of the ’80s, Back To The Future has just been re-released. Feel like watching it now but it’s not on Channel 10 for another few months? Ever wondered what it was like on the set? And what about that Nuclear Test scene that they cut? Now you don’t need a Flux capacitor to know these answers – it’s all included in the 5 hours of extra footage in the Limited Edition Blu-Ray release. Great Scot! To pick up one of FIVE copies of the Blu-Ray Back To The Future trilogy, email giveaways@drumperth.com.au with “Where we’re going, we don’t need DVD players” in the subjectline. *All giveaway prizes must be claimed within two months and a max of one prize can be won by each entrant every two months.

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 17

FANTASTIC VOYAGE TRANSFORMING PLASTIKMAN FROM ANALOG TO DIGITAL Whilst the larger portion of Hawtin’s new live show consists of older material, the re-invention of it is not to be ignored. Surrounded by an enormous curtain of LEDs, he has somehow managed to retain a seamlessness which defies conventional expression. “There was a hell of a lot of work that went into figuring out what I wanted to use,” he explains. “It looks like a lot but it’s easier than it would have been doing this type of song 20 years ago, I don’t have all the old instrumentation like 909 drum machines… “I can program the old machines with my eyes closed, but as much as I’m using the newer technology, I haven’t spent as much time with it as in the early days when I was locked into the studio for four or five years not seeing the light of day.

AFTER TRAVELLING THE WORLD AS A DJ ONLY FOR JUST OVER HALF A DECADE, 2010 SAW RICHIE HAWTIN BLOW THE DUST OFF HIS MOST REVERED PSEUDONYM – PLASTIKMAN. DANIEL SANDERS QUIZZES THE TECHNO ENTREPRENEUR ON GOING BACK TO THE FUTURE AS THE WIZARD PREPARES TO BRING HIS SPECTACULAR LIVE SHOW TO OZ.

ithout decades of hype to form an impediment to their progress, second wave Detroit techno artists managed to neatly tailor a space for themselves alongside, and in some cases beyond, the progenitors of Motor City mech-groove. Aside from Carl Craig, only Richie Hawtin has managed to so consistently occupy page space, bytes and airwaves to remain musically active and, hence, more than a history book footnote. It’s fair to say he owes a debt of gratitude to The Bellville Three (Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson) for opening his ears and creativity to an utterly unique form of expression, yet Hawtin’s affinity for it has taken him further into artistic realms of his own imagination. Though we now take his all-conquering presence for granted, it is in fact, largely the result of mid to late ‘00s hard graft as a DJ rather than Plastikman. To explain the dark alter-ego is to invoke memory of an electronic dance music scene far removed from the somewhat corporate world in which it finds itself today, and it was with this firmly in mind that Hawtin – who’d not actively taken the mantle since 2004 – decided to bring his history to the fore. “I wanted to get back out there and see how far I could take my own creative ideas,” he enthuses. “I’ve been pushing and pushing the DJing, modifying the records I play, adding layers filtering, looping… you know, doing whatever I can to put my stamp on it. But, going into Plastikman live, you really can start from the ground up and build whatever you want. “I think most of the other live electronic acts who are doing shows on the scale of what we’re doing are a little more commercial perhaps… a little bit more understandable. Our show kind of goes up and down, left and right, and all over the place you know? As a DJ, for sure I have an idea of opening people to new music, but that’s always in a dance context. I feel that a Plastikman show can get away from that easier than during my DJ sets. At least with mine, I’m held hostage somewhat by the records that are being produced. I can go and produce and play my own records but

18 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

when you’re playing extended, long DJ sets, you’re still handcuffed a little bit. Yeah, you can go all over the place but if it’s not out there and it’s not being made, you can’t do it. With a live show you can tweak and twist and do exactly what you want.”

I THINK ELECTRONIC MUSIC, EVEN AS IT GAINS POPULARITY, IS STILL A BIT OF A WIZARD BEHIND THE CURTAIN, SMOKE AND MIRRORS TYPE ACT.”

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Shortly after the 2010 announcement of Hawtin’s return to the stage as Plastikman came another regarding his milestone Arkives box set release. The dauntingly large collection of raw studio session recordings, remixes, originals and videos is perhaps the most ambitious retrospective collection yet seen from any electronic dance music artist. However, though it incorporates a fresh remixes from Moby and Dubfire (amongst others), it wasn’t a release conceived to tie in with the Plastikman tour. “I can’t even remember anymore which came first,” Hawtin candidly admits. “There was definitely already an idea for this remix collection called Replikants lying around for a couple of years, but I didn’t really want to do a remix collection by itself – that just seemed like it was too typical. As I started going back through all this stuff I started to think about the live show and then reintroducing the whole project, with the amount of new fans I gained over the past couple of years with Minus and my DJ sets it seemed like you couldn’t go

half-assed on this. The scene has changed so much, there’s been such a huge influx of young people and new territories getting into it, this seemed like the only way forward – to bring everyone Back To The Future in a way.” Key to Hawtin’s Plastikman revival is his fixation with interactivity and bringing the audience closer to the stage; a gap bridged by his Plastikman Synk iPhone application. Whilst Hawtin believes this approach to be largely peculiar to himself rather than a wider electronic dance music trend, he feels it to be the way forward – for himself at least – nonetheless. “I’m very interested in the transparency of what I’m doing on stage and how I can break down the communication barrier between myself and the audience and what happens when you do that,” he explains. “We invite people closer on stage, not physically, to interact with the outcome of the show. I don’t think I’m building a new wheel here because that’s what has always made a great show a great show – interaction between the stage and the audience. The anticipation, the screaming, the shouting, people throwing stuff, whatever... I’m a big fan of using technology to explore these things in new ways and that’s exactly how I found myself creating the iPhone Synk application. “The application gives live real time feedback of what is happening on some of my systems, the tempos, what song I’m going into; it also at certain points opens up a conduit between the audience and myself with the computers on stage, to actually control some of the decisions that make the audio they’re experiencing. I like to challenge myself as much as the audience and kind of experiment. Sure you’re out there to entertain and put on some sort of show, but if you’re not kind of pushing, experimenting and playing with the audience, it gets boring pretty fast. “I think electronic music, even as it gains popularity, is still a bit of a wizard behind the curtain, smoke and mirrors type act. Now I put myself behind a curtain of LEDs it’s like, ‘where the fuck is Rich? What’s he doing?’

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“One of the challenges [was], how to gain access into all the different parameters [of my set],” he reveals. “That’s why in the end we started a company called Liine to turn one of the applications I use – Griid – into a commercial product. There’s always a lot of technical challenges in any of these projects… I don’t necessarily go out and look for these. I have a broad understanding of a lot of things, broad enough to think everything’s possible but not deep enough to think anything’s impossible.”

It’s trying to bridge that gap and give people a little bit of that connection – a virtual way of seeing me hit the drum and then hear the sound.” Whilst Hawtin has further matured as an artist in his own right, so too has the Minus family. Home to artists such as Magda, Marc Houle, Ambivalent, Click Box and Troy Pierce – whom Hawtin likens to his “kids who are taking the family car and getting up to crazy no good” – the label has consistently gone from strength to strength, only briefly losing momentum during shifting trends, all of which it seems to have absorbed with aplomb. Though originally (and unsurprisingly) identified mainly by Hawtin’s chilly brand of minimalism, Minus and its sub-labels now cover a great deal more musical ground than often given credit for. Now trending towards a 2011 release schedule full of artist albums, there’ll be plenty of varied treats to come from the Minus crew. “We’ve been bugging everyone for years to do albums and you keep telling people that’s where you’re going towards but there’s no specific timing as to when it’s right for an artist to make that plunge into an album,” Hawtin muses. “Last year and the beginning of this year it seemed like it became the right time for a number of people… it’s incredible to see the gang stretch their wings because an album project is completely different to getting into the studio to throw out a great single. “I think people look at electronic dance music as being just hit singles and things you want to hear at a club, but the success of dance music is in these long beautifully played sets by DJs that take you through different moods and dynamics and to me, a great DJ set is like a great album. That’s what we try to get our artists to do. Some people don’t see the difference.” WHO: Plastikman WHAT: Arkives (Minus) out February 28 WHEN & WHERE: Future Music Festival – Sunday 6 March, Arena Joondalup

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 19

WAY OF THE NINJA ANTHONY WILLIAMS HAS A SIT DOWN WITH LOCAL NOISE-ROCK RISING ASSASSINS INJURED NINJA AHEAD OF THE LAUNCH OF THEIR DEBUT LP, INJURED NINJA VS. SKY LAZER, TO DISCUSS THE GENESIS OF THE GROUP AND WHAT EXACTLY CONSTITUTES A ‘QUASI-CONCEPT’ ALBUM.

“M

an, let’s do something retarded! If we’re going to do this, man, let’s get up there and sing shit that fucks with people, that really goes off the handle.” That was the rallying cry and statement of intent that led four individuals to form the unique creative entity that is Injured Ninja. The local outfit has its debut album, Vs. Skylazer, set for an early-March release and is looking forward to an action-packed 2011, so the time seemed right to sit down with three-quarters of the band and catch up on the story so far. Of course, the path of the Ninja has been a rather unique one as well. “We were all working at Amplifier as bar staff and glassies,” explains Dominic Pearce, recalling the events of 2005. “Steve and I had been friends since grade seven, and we were learning to play music around that time and watching heaps of bands at Amplifier. We met Jake working there, and he told us that he made beats and we got to know him.” Vocalist-guitarist Steven Aaron Hughes wasn’t involved with the first incarnation of the band, which saw Pearce (bass/percussion/vocals) and Jake Steele (synth/electronics) team up with a DJ and MC for Injured Ninja version 1.0. The results were what Dominic describes as “a weird mix of lo-fi hip hop beats and turntablism, with dirty, shitty bass, random vocals and weird sounds over the top,” – sonic turf that was then augmented by the recruitment of Hughes, on guitar, and several other seemingly semipresent members. “We added another guitarist, and then it turned into this eight-piece band,” recalls Jake, with a chuckle. “But we never actually had a jam with everyone there at the same time.” “And then when we did it caused a fight,” adds Dominic. “And then the band split in two,” continues Jake. “It was a case of my style of guitar playing doing the other guitarist’s head in a little bit,” Steve reveals. “It was all stoner riffs and Fu Manchu over here, and My Bloody Valentine over there,” Dominic elaborates. “It wasn’t really gelling, so we split and it became just me, Jake and Steve, and we did that by ourselves for a while; writing songs to electronic beats and playing live with a laptop doing the drums.” “Yeah, we did a couple of gigs like that,” says Steve, “but we needed the balls of a drum kit.” Pearce’s cousin filled that instrumental hole for a time, but it was Matt Bairstow’s recruitment in 2008 that completed the four-piece puzzle, and saw the band set about establishing a reputation for intense, loud, and wildly energetic live shows. Instruments were destroyed, audiences were corralled into venues with strategically positioned (read: exit-blocking) speaker-stacks and blasted with improvised noise, and numerous additional drummers joined the band for its truly epic ‘Epic Of Gilgamesh’ performances. Injured Ninja were quite deliberately doing things differently, and seemed to revel in both defying expectations and

boldly redefining the notions of what a local band could do with a live show. “We would sit behind the bar [at Amplifier] watching these bands, night after night, and there were so few that would really break the mould and impress us,” Steve recalls. “When we started writing music, we always set out to do something different, and, even now, we always try to make each new song sound unique.” Indeed, the band’s rulebook-shredding approach to live performance was, and is, more than matched by its unique distillation of what is an expansive range of musical influences. The Injured Ninja website describes the outfit’s sound as ‘a blend of bent electronics, noise rock and dance music’, but you’ll also hear the influence of dub-reggae, futuristic drum’n’bass and psychedelic drones in what Dominic describes as “a constantly rotating cyclone of ideas.” “It’s about bringing in influences from different genres and putting them together in new ways,” says Steve, “which I don’t think we do consciously; it happens because of the wide range of music we all listen to… We’re all just really big fans of other music [and] we don’t listen to any one genre, so the stuff that we make – because we’re all influenced by what we listen to – comes out as a combination of different factors.” The influence of Japanese psych-noise-rockers Boredoms is apparent in the band’s aforementioned ‘Epic Of Gilgamesh’ performances. While the Ninja’s haven’t quite matched the scale of that band’s 77 Boa Drum and 88 Boa Drum extravaganzas (see YouTube for details), these local interpretations of the ‘Drum Circle’ experience have boasted a rhythmic power that’s undeniably powerful, perhaps even universally primal. “People have always responded really well to ‘Gilgamesh’ because, no matter what’s going on, you just look over and go ‘fuck yeah, that’s awesome!” says Dominic. “If I walk into a room and there’s that many dudes with drums, it’s like ‘fuck yeah!’” “Power in numbers man,” agrees Steve. “It’s an awful lot of fun; the amount of energy it generates. I love doing that stuff.” Power, energy and fun have also been vital to the creation of Injured Ninja’s soon-to-be-released debut long-player, the magnificent Vs. Skylazer. The 11-track ‘quasi-concept album’ was recorded with accomplished Perth engineer Kieran Kenderessy, whose talents had already appeared on the band’s IDDQD single; as featured on the WAMI Awardwinning, split 12”, released with fellow locals French Rockets in early 2010. Our three Ninjas all agree that working with Kenderessy was a real meeting of minds in the studio, collectively describing his contributions to the sound of Vs. Skylazer as “amazing”. “This guy’s an absolute genius at a [mixing] desk,” says Steve. “He was working in a studio, mostly with pop bands, Christian folk singers, string quartets and things like that. [But] he’s really into black metal; he’s into evil, incredibly brutal music that even I can’t stand,

and he was rapt to be able to work with something that was up his alley.” “I think we were all kids in a candy store for that week-and-a-half,” Dominic agrees. “He had a band that he could really run with, and we were working with a dude who had the tools and resources at his disposal to really take our sound and ramp it up to new levels.” With the intent of creating a truly memorable debut, the band also developed a loose narrative thread – inspired by the idea of an apocalyptic ‘skylazer’ – that connects the recording’s 11 tracks. That thread has led to the album’s ‘quasi-concept’ tag, and has also provided local visual artist Peter Long with the story for a comic that will accompany its packaged release. Such attention to detail and visual identity is typical of the hard-working Ninja approach; surely one reason why 2011 will see the four-piece supporting Gang Of Four on March 8, playing at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas nine days later, and attacking another 20 to 30 US dates in the month after that. “It’s a little surreal sometimes,” Dominic admits. “I know for a fact that we work our arses off to try and make these opportunities happen, but it’s still a little bit surprising when they do. I don’t expect these things to fall in our lap or anything.” “It’s been a lot of hard work to get here,” agrees Steve, “but this is the big Ninja push of 2011.” Dominic seals the deal with, ”Shock and awe!” The band’s WAMI Showcase gig of last year was instrumental in creating this path overseas for the Ninja, and was obviously delivered a few energetic shocks and plenty of musical awe. Visiting representatives from The Underground Management – a New York-based band-management group – caught the show and were seriously impressed with the Injured Ninja sound; practically demanding that the four-piece apply for South By Southwest in 2011. It’s an exciting time for the band, but, as Hughes demonstrates, it’s the way of the Ninja to keep things in perspective while daring to consider the possibilities: “South By Southwest is a huge thing. You’re one of 1,500 bands. Most likely there’ll be no one at your showcase and nothing’s going to happen, except you’ll have a couple of free beers. But, ideally, we can take this record [and] find a label that can pick it up, put it out in the US or maybe throughout the world, and that can allow us to make some money back to pay Scott [Bishop], the guy from Heartless Robot – who’s put in so much effort and money for us so far. If I could give him a big fat cheque and say, ‘There you go buddy, thank you for your work’ – that would be great.” WHO: Injured Ninja WHAT: Injured Ninja Vs. Skylazer (Heartless Robot Productions) WHEN: Album Launch – Friday 25 February, The Bakery, Northbridge

WHEN WE STARTED WRITING MUSIC WE ALWAYS SET OUT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, AND EVEN NOW WE ALWAYS TRY TO MAKE EACH NEW SONG SOUND UNIQUE.”

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FROM NIPPER TO NINJA Three members of Perth’s finest noise-rock/electronic/ dub-reggae/dance act talk about the formative events and experiences that inspired them to pick up instruments and envisage the genre-mashing marvel that is Injured Ninja… Dominic Pearce: “I grew up in Singapore and was really involved with the punk scene up there. I had a lot of friends in high school who played shows and did a lot of underground gigs and festivals. And while I learnt music in primary school, it was always piano teachers and nuns and stuff. It just wasn’t fun. But when I saw [those punk bands], it was like, ‘fuck, he’s only playing two notes… if he can do that, I can do that’. That’s how I got into it.” Steven Aaron Hughes: “I didn’t get into music until after high school, for the same reason – the music teachers at my Catholic school were just raping the life out of it. I remember seeing The Mars Volta at that first Big Day Out they played, in 2003; seeing Omar Rodriguez play guitar [and] going, ‘that’s how you fuckin’ entertain a crowd.’ That was really inspiring and so I picked up a guitar after that and haven’t looked back since.” Jake Steele: “I used to go to a lot of punk gigs… but also just going to the early [Sleepy Jackson] shows was just awesome. Luke [Jake’s brother and frontman of The Sleepy Jackson and Empire Of The Sun] was doing something a bit different and his early shows were just nuts; I remember at the EP launch, he had a TV and was smashing it. The other cool thing was going on the Big Day Out tour with the Sleepys around the country. I got to see The Mars Volta and Flaming Lips [from] side of stage, which was pretty awesome!”

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Presented by Michael Coppel I donavonf.com I coppel.com.au THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 21

IN FOR THE KILL KILLING TIME IS THE ALBUM THAT BAYSIDE HAVE BEEN WAITING 10 YEARS TO CREATE. ON THE EVE OF ITS RELEASE, BASSIST NICK GHANBARIAN EXPLAINS TO KATE STEPHENS WHY, DESPITE BEING ‘CYCLED’ BY THEIR PREVIOUS RECORD LABEL, THEY WOULDN’T HAVE HAD IT ANY OTHER WAY.

hile many young musicians are waiting for the day men in suits come knocking with a record contract in hand, New York’s Bayside have been waiting patiently for the day their four-album deal with Victory Records came to an end. “I’ve spent all my life waiting for a moment to come,” yells vocalist Anthony Raneri on the title track from their fifth studio album and debut release via Windup Records, Killing Time. From a freezing cold New York, bassist Nick Ghanbarian openly speaks about cutting ties with Victory Records and the freedom it permitted to write the album they’ve always wanted to write. “For the past couple of years, with our old record label, we kind of got cycled,” explains Ghanbarian. “Now, in retrospect, it wasn’t really conducive to the way we wanted to work. We just wrote the songs and didn’t have much time between writing and recording and release date. It was kind of hard to maintain our own criticism within the four of us about our song writing and a lot of the time we just felt rushed and didn’t have a lot of time to really question ourselves and what we were doing. At the time we thought we were doing the best we could, but I think we could have critiqued ourselves a little bit more. “With this album we had months upon months to write and re-write and really get to the bottom of every song and part and every instrument and just make sure it was exactly what we wanted. When we look back on a lot of songs and stuff like that there’s a reason why we don’t play a lot of songs live and I think that had a lot to do with how happy we were with the songs.” With a lack of self-criticism and their previous album Shudder failing most critics expectations it’s easy to assume that in the end, the albums became ‘fulfilling contractual obligations’, but Ghanbarian disagrees. He believes their previous releases can’t be put down to the four going through the motions, but rather feels the process and time taken when creating Killing Time allowed them to really see what they had buried inside, waiting to come out. “I’m probably not using the right words,” Ghanbarian ponders, “I don’t think that they were rushed in anyway… I won’t really say I regret any of the albums or anything like that, we just never had the time that we did in those previous albums as we did for this one to really just go into everything and really hone in on what type of band we want to be and what people like about us and really cater our songs to both of those things.” Despite the dissolving relationship with Victory Records Ghanbarian sidesteps any questions of bitterness towards the indie label. It hasn’t been the only difficulty in the Bayside journey with line-up changes and a car accident that claimed the life of their original drummer, John Holohan. Ghanbarian admits he’s looking at the positives in every situation and thankful for the journey that led him to his current frame of mind. “It [Victory] wasn’t a perfect situation by any means but I think it made us who we were as a band. And I’m very lucky that we went through the kind of trials that we did in the past five or six years of being on the label and putting out four albums. I think it turned us into a hard working band and we realised that we can’t really expect a label or anyone to do anything, that’s why we basically just write and tour all the time, anything else, any other positive thing that comes out of any other facet of being in a band is icing on the cake for us. I feel like we’re fully in control of our own destiny by just writing the songs we want to write and doing the tours we want to do and if we were on a different label from the start who knows if it would have gone that way.”

UK 1927

The Animals and Children Took to the Streets Trust no one! Suspect even your own Shadow!

WHEN Tue 1–Sun 6 March

When Agnes Eaves and her daughter arrive late one night at the infamous Bayou Mansions, does it signal hope in a hopeless place or has the real horror only just begun?

WHERE The Astor Theatre

Don’t miss the wickedly twisted new tale from the multiple awardwinning company behind Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

PRICE $41–$47.50

Welcome to the wicked world of the Bayou. It is a place of scabies and rabies, of skeletons and infected wounds, of underwear thieves and 21-year-old grannies, a place where the brothels are ‘ﬁlled with pubic lice and city bankers’. TIMEOUT SYDNEY ★★★★★ CRITIC’S CHOICE CO-COMMISSIONED BY BAC, MALTHOUSE THEATRE AND THE SHOWROOM, UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER. SUPPORTED BY CORN EXCHANGE, NEWBURY.

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Their positivity has seeped into their writing and is plastered all over Killing Time. While at a glance the lyrics and the music itself appears to be a rock based, angry album, focusing for Raneri on ex-labels and ex-wives, but Ghanbarian implores you to look a little deeper. “Lyrically Anthony always acknowledges the bad part of whatever the song is about but hopefully shows help is among the lyrics and a positive outcome in the lyrics… I think that we realised that there are a lot of negative things that come forth with life but we deal with them, we don’t wallow in pity or make things worse with negativity. We realised that there’s bad stuff out there that people have to deal with, and as a band and people who could have a lot of good influence, we definitely want to exercise that”. The rock influence that’s trickled it’s way back into the Bayside front and sits comfortably next to Raneri’s distinctive sing-songy vocals, is mostly due to producer Gil Norton. Having worked with The Pixies, Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World, Ghanbarian and Co saw Norton as their number one choice to have a real impact in the construction of Killing Time. “I think our songs were advanced enough and the ideas and the instrumentation to where he [Gil Norton] could hear something to be excited about and wanted to work with us. Everything was pretty much written as we went in and it was good to have our number one dream producer really just come in and really be like a fifth band member for us, live with us and come up with ideas on ways to make each part better and really just understand us as a band.” 2011 is set to be a massive year for Bayside having been quiet for so long. But while album launches and a Soundwave tour are currently on the cards for Ghanbarian, he’s already dreaming about something else. “The first thing I’m looking forward to, beside the shows, is just skipping out on this cold winter,” says Ghanbarian in a minus-three degree New York. Drum reminds him of the typically hot Soundwave temperatures, but it doesn’t seem to faze him. Instead, he can’t wait for the sweltering days and burning sun. “I’m not a winter person at all. It’s really depressing here, it snowed last night and I hate it. I’m 30 years old and I’ve lived here all my life and I’m officially over being cold and the snow.” WHO: Bayside WHAT: Killing Time (Windup/EMI) WHEN & WHERE: Soundwave – Monday 7 March, Venue TBA

22 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

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ANIMAL INSTINCTS WHEN HE’S NOT GEEKING OUT LISTENING TO MUSIC WITH HIS MATE MARK RONSON, MIIKE SNOW FRONTMAN ANDREW WYATT FINDS TIME TO SING ALONGSIDE BOY GEORGE AND PERFORM AT A FRENCH LINGERIE COMPANY’S FASHION SHOW, AS HE TELLS BRYGET CHRISFIELD.

“I

just got back from Paris,” Andrew Wyatt, frontman with the band people often mistakenly think is an individual, Miike Snow, shares. “I played at a fashion show in Paris and just got home yesterday afternoon.” Turns out said fashion show was actually for a French lingerie brand called Etam. Did Wyatt get a little distracted by the scantily clad models? “I tried to keep my eyes down,” he chuckles. “And, yeah! It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of bands [playing] and it wasn’t just me. It was The Kills and Mark Ronson, and I did that song with Boy George.” Not only is the song, which teams Wyatt up with none other that Boy George, one of last year’s sonic masterpieces, the accompanying Saam Farahmand directed video is a superb tribute to Boy George at his prettiest. “Yeah, he did a great job,” Wyatt agrees of Farahmand’s moving images. “So did Diane Kruger.” Kruger was cast in the role of Boy George in his prime and you would swear footage of the Culture Club singer himself had been spliced into the clip. Wyatt says of his connection with Ronson: “He and I have been friends for maybe the better part of ten years now – since we were kids – and kinda struggling up in the music business together. And then he wrote this song and our other friend Anthony Rossomando – who’s in Klaxons, he’s [also] in Dirty Pretty Things and he’s a good friend of ours – he came up these various chords and then Mark arranged it and then Mark and I locked ourselves in a room for about three days and just finished the song.

THERE IS A B S O L U T E LY NOTHING ELSE TO DO WHEN THERE’S REALLY, REALLY SHIT WEATHER AND THERE’S NO SUNLIGHT.”

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“And then Boy George came in as part of Mark’s kind of savant nature with, like, connecting different people from different backgrounds and he got the idea of having Boy George sing the chorus. So we sang him the song and he liked it and it all seemed to work. And it seemed to be somewhat – even though we didn’t write it with him in mind at all, somewhat autobiographical for him – ‘See the boy I once was in my eyes’ – even though we weren’t really thinking of Boy George. But it ended up being quite perfect. “I happened to be in London when they were tracking George’s vocals and so I got to seem him do his vocals. I had done my vocals in New York and I ended up playing some piano at the beginning [of the track].” The pair’s vocals blend together beautifully, which can be attributed to Ronson’s genius. “Yeah, he really is [a genius],” Wyatt gushes. “It’s also just the way he has his own way of seeing things, this kinda encyclopaedic knowledge of album credits and stuff.” Obviously Wyatt and Ronson indulge in shared listening sessions and geek out over music. “Of course,” he laughs. “When don’t we do that?” Although Wyatt is American, Miike Snow’s line-up is rounded out by the prolific Swedish production duo Bloodshy & Avant – Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg respectively – and the trio have been touring relentlessly off the back of their 2009 debut, self-titled album. On whether they’ve had a chance to get cracking on a follow-up, Wyatt ponders, “We’ve all been… I think individually coming up with ideas and putting things together in a loose kind of way and I think we’re in a good spot to start soon, but we haven’t officially started. We are officially starting right after the Australian tour. We’re gonna go to Sweden for a while and that’s where we’ll begin the process. Hopefully we’ll have something out before fall [our spring].” Sweden seems like a good place to knuckle down and get stuff done. “That’s a good way of putting it, thank you for reminding me of that! Putting it that way is really good because there isn’t that much going on outside of the studio, so it actually allows you to really focus on what you’re doing. I mean, I don’t like to [place] that much emphasis on external forces as a regard to your own creativity, but, in that case, there is absolutely nothing else to do when there’s really, really shit weather and there’s no sunlight and so you’re best off if you can just lose yourself in something adventurous musically, because you really have to find a way to escape in that moment. And sometimes work is a great escape.”

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Miike Snow’s maiden voyage to Australia included a rapturously received set at last year’s Splendour In The Grass festival plus a couple of sideshows. “It was really one of our best crowds that we’ve ever played for,” Wyatt extols of the Splendour In The Grass massive. “I mean, between that and Coachella. But [with] Splendour In The Grass I attribute the added affection of having it be a total surprise, because, when we came to Splendour In The Grass, we got the word that we were playing at about two o’clock in the afternoon and we’d never been in Australia before and we’d had no field report about how Miike Snow was doing in Australia. “And we just kind of showed up in a jetlagged haze and the band that were on before us, I don’t remember the name [Tijuana Cartel], but they were on around noon and there was a hundred and fifty people to see them play. So I thought, ‘We’ll probably have two hundred and fifty people’. And then we came back at two and there were about twelve thousand five hundred people and they all knew every word and everybody jumped up and down like mad. And it was just the absolutely perfect audience for… particularly that song Animal because it was written for white aboriginals to put it [laughs]. I mean, the song is like for – it’s European tribal music, because it’s got a disco beat to it and then it’s almost like a football chant or something. [The crowd] really got that tribal vibe going, which was awesome.”

CLAREMONT SHOWGROUND SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY 18+ only. Valid I.D. must be shown to gain entry. All tickets include FREE public transport to and from Claremont Showground.

gvf.com.au

WHO: Miike Snow WHEN & WHERE: Good Vibrations – Sunday 20 February, Claremont Showgrounds

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THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 23

STILL KOOL IT’S BEEN 46 YEARS SINCE ROBERT “KOOL” BELL STARTED THE EARLIEST INCARNATION OF KOOL & THE GANG, YET IN 2011 IT SEEMS AS IF THE GROUP ARE BUSIER THAN EVER. THE FUNK LEGEND TALKS DAN CONDON THROUGH THE MANY HIGHS OF THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER.

ool & The Gang’s place in the world of funk ought not to be understated; through the late ‘60s and early ‘70s they were one of the bands at the forefront of the post-soul funk explosion and over 40 years later they’re still hard at it. Founding member Robert “Kool” Bell admits he never considered the music he was making in his late teens and early 20s would go on to have such a strong place in annals of contemporary music. “No, not like it has been, over 40 years or more,” he ponders from his Florida home. “We were very young, playing jazz and funk back in New Jersey, we finally got a shot at getting a record out back in ’69. Before that we had various name changes – The Jazziacs, The Soul Town Band, Kool & The Flames, and then in 1969 Kool & The Gang and it’s been Kool & The Gang ever since and that’s how we’ve been rollin’.” Upon talking to Bell about the way they went from a ragtag bunch of young jazz players to one of the biggest bands on the planet, it’s not so much humility he exudes, but there’s no braggadocio either. It’s just what happened. “We [Kool and brother and fellow founding member Ronald Bell] were born in Youngstown, Ohio, but the band came together in Jersey City in 1964. We were young and had a love for music and things just started to happen. “In the early days we listened to a lot of jazz and had a chance to play with a few jazz musicians at a young age – people like McCoy Tyner and Pharoah Sanders – there was this place in Jersey City called the Coffee House and every Sunday they would have bands and we were just one of the young bands who were trying to do our thing.” The band’s 1969 eponymous debut was a minor hit, creeping into the Billboard R’n’B Top 50, but it wasn’t until 1973 that the band really made their presence known; their Wild And Peaceful album of that year spawning bona fide funk classics in Jungle Boogie, Funky Stuff and Hollywood Swinging.

IT’S GOING TO BE A HIGHENERGY SHOW. WE’RE GOING TO REPRESENT THE ‘70S AND DEFINITELY THE ‘80S IN OUR SET.”

“

They continued on their funk bent until the end of the decade, when they made a shift into the world of pop music. “We were just flowing with the music and what was happening at the time,” Bell says of the band’s move from hard funk to popular R’n’B. “Around the late ‘70s we kind of realised that the whole disco thing was dying and it was having a lot of problems, and we felt at that time it would be a good time to make a change. “One of the things that was happening around the late-‘70s was that you’d have groups like Earth, Wind & Fire who had Maurice White and Philip Bailey, they were their lead singers so to speak, and the Commodores had Lionel Richie, so we decided to get James “JT” Taylor and went on to record Ladies Night and Celebration and Get Down On It and Fresh and we had a lot of success in the ‘80s.” This newfound mainstream popularity also bode well for their early material, many listeners going back to discover the band’s funk roots as a result of their pop hits. But the new sound had its share of detractors too. “The ‘80s was the time of the bigger hits and of course international recognition but I would say that they went back and started listening to what we did in the ‘70s,” Kool says. “Also, we had some ‘70s Gangheads, as we call them, who wanted us to stay with the funk [laughs]… they said that we got too pop!” JT left the band in 1988 – an amicable split but one that undoubtedly had an impact on the band’s sound. “When your lead vocalist leaves, it kind of throws you back for a minute,” Bell says. “We didn’t do any recording after that for a while but we started to tour around the world. We went back to what the band was about in the late ‘60s to mid ‘70s where we were more of a band than a band with a lead singer.” With such a rich history, which chapter in the Kool & The Gang story is closest to Bell’s heart? “There are two periods,” he begins. “The ‘70s I enjoyed because the ‘70s was raw and funky with Funky Man, Funky Stuff, Jungle Boogie, Hollywood Swinging, Summer Madness and Open Sesame – that was a good run for us. I enjoyed the ‘80s too because we were dealing with a slightly different sound, more of a pop sound because we had JT, and we were doing more poppy records than funky records. They were two good times.” The band are working on a new record with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Color Me Badd’s Bryan Abrams called I Wanna Dance, a Las Vegas musical called Ladies Night and plenty of touring, including their first proper Australian tour for over a decade. “That’s a question I have too!” Kool says when asked why it has taken them so long to return. “That’s a question for the promoters. We’ve been waiting for their call! It’s going to be a high-energy show. We’re going to represent the ‘70s and definitely the ‘80s in our set.” When asked if he still enjoys performing as much as he did in the early days, Kool doesn’t hesitate for a second. “Oh yeah, we still have fun,” he utters with a relaxed conviction. “We love what we do.” WHO: Kool & The Gang WHEN & WHERE: Jungle Boogie – Sunday 20 February, Perth Zoo, South Perth 24 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

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REVENGE OF THE MUTANTS IT’S BEEN A LONG AND BUMPY RIDE FOR BRAZILIAN OUTFIT OS MUTANTES AND THEIR CRAZY MIX OF CHARACTERS. TED SCHLECHTE DISCOVERS FROM FOUNDING MEMBER SÉRGIO DIAS THAT, WHILE THE BAND COLLAPSED AROUND HIM IN AN ACID HAZE, HE JUST WANTED TO PLAY MUSIC.

t is the early evening in Henderson, Nevada (at the southeast end of the Las Vegas Valley) and Sérgio Dias quickly picks up the phone. His energy is palpable and so it should be. The man has undergone what could be considered three musical careers in one lifetime. Dias has released five solo albums, one with Phil Manzanera and is now part of a new collaboration with the French indie group Tahiti Boy & The Palmtree Family. However, he is also a founding member of Os Mutantes, a Brazilian psychedelic rock outfit that he started with his brother (multi-instrumentalist Arnaldo) and vocalist Rita Lee. Initially called Six Sided Rockers, they changed their name to what it is now, translated into English as “The Mutants.” The third stage of his career lies in the reformation of Os Mutantes. Os Mutantes were formed in 1966, not too many years after Dias quit school at the age of 13. “There was no other way for me. There was no struggle, nor has there ever been any second thought. My mother was an outrageous pianist and composer, so I used to see her practising for 12 or 13 hours a day. My father was a great tenor and poet, so it all came naturally. Arnaldo and I were in the best cradle we could be, at least artistically.

THERE WERE ALL OF THESE THINGS HAPPENING WITH ACID, FREE LOVE AND ALL OF THIS OTHER BULLSHIT THAT TOOK ITS TOLL ON THE BAND.”

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“I told my mother that I had to quit school because I was a professional, which was ridiculous,” Dias chuckles. “She said, ‘So you’re a professional, meaning you have to make money.’ In turn, I began teaching classes. Somehow I’d gathered some students, partly because at the time there really weren’t any music schools around. We all learned by ear, playing the records at half speed, getting everything note by note. “Of course she still supported me: I had a house and a place to eat, but nothing else. When she realised this was all real, she bought me my first electric guitar. Since then, I haven’t done anything else but play.” Despite Dias’ breezy manner, his path through the world of entertainment has been far from smooth. Os Mutantes has witnessed an alarming number of members come and go, and an array of problems encountered in the late ‘60s caused a break of nearly three decades. “Sometimes you don’t really choose these things. There were all of these things happening with acid, free love and all of this other bullshit that took its toll on the band, and then Rita left. Arnaldo got more and more into the acid and was a real mess. It was hard,” Dias admits. “I was in the middle of this crazy thing and all I knew was to keep playing. If you’re in the heart of a trench in a war, you keep on fighting – you don’t quit. Unfortunately, when 1978 came around, there wasn’t much that I could do anymore so I stopped the band to begin my own solo career. We had grown far enough apart that there wasn’t really much of a choice.” Os Mutantes were spawned from originality that was infused with influences ranging from The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix to fellow Brazilians such as Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé and Gilberto Gil, the former Minister Of Culture. But how the tables have turned. Bringing inspiration to the Flaming Lips, David Byrne, Beck (who Dias recently “jammed” with) and even Kurt Cobain, it was the latter that tried to get the cogs turning once again. “Kurt tried to get us to reunite in 1993 by sending a letter to Arnaldo. I had no knowledge about the letter until years later because the two of us weren’t in touch.” Thirteen years after the letter (on May 24, 2006), the fire was rekindled at the Barbican Theatre in London. As witty and humorous as ever, the brothers Dias – with Lee’s replacement, Zélia Duncan – took to the stage as if they had never left it. Reunion concerts can be sad and confused affairs, which is not the case here. However, the most spectacular facet is how the whole show came to fruition. “Totally out of the blue, somebody told the curator of the Barbican about some kind of Os Mutantes comeback and before you knew it, the press – worldwide – was onto it. We started to receive emails, phone calls and newspaper things. Everything had got twisted around and before we even knew it, we had reformed. “One month after agreeing, we were told that we had three months to rehearse. Dinho [Leme, drummer] hadn’t played in some 30 years, so when he was interested then we knew this was serious. We got together and the energy was there – it was fantastic. And it was around this time that we got offers to play at some of the most amazing places around the U.S. Just like how this beast originally grew and grew, the same thing began to happen again. It was déjà vu. “After we left the stage, it was the strangest feeling. It was like we hadn’t played. We were so in the moment that we had no recollection of the show. I remember going to the dressing rooms and someone coming up to me, telling me that the whole place was chanting, ‘Mutantes. Mutantes. Mutantes.’ I have no way to really describe it, except for comparing it to riding the perfect wave. You just ride it without thinking, but what made it even better for us is that we could look at each other while doing it.” Never one to shy away from politics, Dias expresses his discontent at the current situation in his homeland. “It’s much worse now. At least at the time, we knew who they bad guys were – they wore uniforms. Now we don’t know because they all dress the same. The Internet is helping to fix this, though. I believe that times are changing. The kids are finally regaining some sort of idea of history and identity.” WHO: Os Mutantes WHEN & WHERE: Perth Festival (Closing Night) – Sunday 6 March, Beck’s Music Box, The Esplanade, Perth

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THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 25

PINK MONSTER AS GOOD AS KANYE AND JAY-Z’S MONSTER WAS, NICKI MINAJ BLEW ‘EM OUTTA THE WATER WITH HER RHYMES AT THE END. SASHA PERERA ATTEMPTS TO GIVE THE US HIP HOPPER SOME LESSONS IN SPEAKING AUSSIE SO SHE CAN ADD TO HER OTHER THREE PERSONAS.

aparazzi mobs and crowds of screaming fans everywhere, it’s no wonder London’s prestigious Dorchester Hotel recently had no choice but to terminate accommodation and expel one of the US’ biggest new music stars from their rooms because they couldn’t contain the hysteria. It’s freakin’ Nicki Minaj, bitches! The larger-than-life female rapper and Urban Barbie has taken over the US, and now set her sights on international territories to promote her debut album Pink Friday. In 2010 Nicki Minaj created history and become the first rapper with the most entries on the Billboard 100 charts, with seven of the bestselling songs from the Top 200, all before she even released her own album. 2011 is setting up to be equally as big for the colourful and flamboyant rapper, with scheduled singles/videos from her album in the form of duets with Drake and Rihanna respectively. Sitting back on a couch in her newly appointed hotel, symmetrical blonde wig throwing angular shadows across the room, hip hop’s freshest and most exciting new exponent is riding high and feeling good about the international attention being thrown her way. Just a year ago, Nicki Minaj was a minor rookie with some notable guest spots; 12 months later, with a string of major collaborations to her credit, Nicki dem-a run tings. “Before the release of the album, definitely my favourite collaboration was Monster,” Nicki says. “To work with rap’s heavyweights was my dream come true,” she adds with a speaking voice that brings to mind another Queens, New York native – no, not Nas, but Fran Drescher from The Nanny.

It’s pretty much accepted all around that Nicki’s skilled verbal assault on Kanye West/Jay-Z joint blew her collaborators out of the water, although Nicki is more modest about the result. “I don’t know… I just felt great to be a part of it, doesn’t matter whether I slayed or not. The fact that they just trusted my brand enough to be on a record with me, because these are guys who don’t just jump on records with anyone – these are guys who are very picky – and I felt like the freakin’ queen of the ball. I was like, ‘Oh my God.” The fact that Kanye and Jay-Z would do a song with me, I was like, ‘Woah!’ It was a big deal.” What makes Nicki’s flow all the more exciting is her adoption of bizarre personalities. In much the same way Eminem created Slim Shady as an alter-ego, Nicki Minaj has created a split-personality dimension to her spitting. “Not a lot of personalities, but I do have Nicki who’s the regular rapping girl, and then I have Roman who’s the crazy rapping boy – he was on Roman’s Revenge, he did Monster and he was also on Trey Songz’ Bottoms Up – and he’s always growling and doing craziness. Then you have Barbie when I’m being all sweet and innocent. I just have those three [personalities] and they are usually incorporated in the record somehow. There’s more to come I think.” What about an Australian rapper, I suggest? “I’ve never attempted it because I think it would be so horribly wrong. Can you say something that I can try and imitate,” she asks me, before quickly dismissing me of all obligation: “But you don’t seem to have a really strong accent… so you can’t teach me. I need a really strong Aussie.” A whole new world has opened up for Nicki, especially in recent months, and the Pink ‘n Black Barbie makes no secret of the fact that she has her sights set on expanding her global offensive. “That’s the most amazing feeling. That feels like a dream because when you do things you tend to just think about your immediate circle, and you think about what the States are gonna think. You never really think of Australia, Germany or Barbados – when you realise that these countries on those continents know you, it makes you feel like, amazing. I wanna be aware of that; I wanna start representing the Aussie people. That’s why I’m not just shouting out where I’m from in Queens, because the world is so much bigger. When you start getting love and support from other places, then that gives you also material to be able to talk about.” From Trinidadian roots, it’s no surprise that Nicki sounds best when firing out her patois and reggae influences – best exemplified on her bonus album track Muny and on her appearance on Gyptian’s Hold Yuh single. I suggest to her now that she’s got her hip pop audience on lockdown, maybe she can now make a return to her more Island sounds. “A lot of my Island-heads love the Muny song because it just gives you that total reggae and calypso feel. Hopefully I’ll be able to collaborate with an artist from Trinidad soon because that’s special to me. I’ve been so influenced by Caribbean music and lifestyle, so I hope to be able to incorporate that and do it well one day.” Nicki Minaj is a true character; she’s over-the-top and larger-thanlife, but most importantly she also spits tight rhymes that’ll grab you by the nuts and flip you upside down. Crazy is just the beginning of Nicki Minaj – she’s on a mission to change the game. The USA is on board, and so is the UK, Europe, Japan and Australia… although she admits she’s still only learning about our fair shores.

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“I know Nicole Kidman… and I know she’s one of the great actresses of our time,” she attempts bravely when I question her on her knowledge of Australia. “I know kangaroos… does everyone say that? It probably sounds really, really ridiculous that I’m saying kangaroos. “You know what else though, in L.A. I always order from The Outback [Steakhouse] and they always talk in an Aussie accent. They say, “Welcome to The Outback, mate”! Oh my God, I just did my first Aussie accent here and now with you! And now that person has to have a name… why did you do this to me?”

CARLTON DRY SPECIALS ON THE NIGHT doors open at 8pm

WHO: Nicki Minaj WHAT: Pink Money (Young Money/Universal) 26 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

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SPARKS WILL FLY ALEXANDER COE – BETTER KNOWN AS THE DEIFIED DJ/PRODUCER SASHA – HAS MADE A CAREER OF SHIFTING DIRECTIONS AT WILL, AND BEN KUMAR LEARNS HE’S CONTINUING TO FORGE AHEAD WITH THE END OF A CELEBRATED PRODUCTION UNION AND A RELATIVELY NEW BEGINNING IN THE AUDIOVISUAL WORLD.

n the dance music world, Alexander Coe’s Sasha moniker is one of the most enduring, revered and pioneering names. Many other DJs are regarded as the best for various reasons. Many attract all sorts of claims about their prowess. Yet none have the Sasha mystique, which is legendary in dance music, and people often wonder why some worship this quiet, aloof Welshman as a deity. The myths surrounding his career are legendary – every person in the club lining up to shake his hand after he finishes, fans following him to every gig, tracklisting his every set from 1989 onwards, countless thousands of other DJs playing entire sets in the same order, plus stories and antics far past those suitable for publication. This inexplicable X-factor Coe has is magnetic, but it shouldn’t overshadow his massive talent. Coe’s has been the career of firsts: he was the first DJ in England during dance music’s initial boom to be carried to stardom by the media and he’s been associated with some of the finest moments in clubbing. Some of these include sets at vital UK clubs Shelly’s and Renaissance, sold out world tours with partnerin-crime John Digweed, his contribution to the Renaissance, Northern Exposure and Global Underground series of compilations and the long awaited Airdrawndagger album and Involver mix series.

“

I’M SO EXCITED TO BE DOING THOSE SHOWS BECAUSE I’LL HAVE LOTS OF NEW MUSIC THAT I’M WORKING ON NOW, READY TO PLAY.”

Coe is now set to return to one of his favourite destinations on the planet – Australia, for the Good Vibrations Tour – and he’s quick to give our country a wrap. “I love Australia,” Coe states succinctly. “The people are so friendly, I’ve made many close friends there and the food and weather are amazing. Last time when I did the club tour I played some great parties including a memorable gig outdoors in Sydney at Laundry.” His sets on the 2010 Big Day Out tour demonstrated the Sasha mystique amped up in power mode – absolutely devastating. They included a raft of specially edited tunes for the occasion, splicing Beatles a capellas alongside muscular German techno and the ambient refrain of his show-stopping anthem Xpander. Those sets also featured Coe’s first steps in working alongside a visual designer. In fact 2010 soon became the year of the Sasha festival set. His Glastonbury performance was released on the web, and the late switch into drum‘n’bass had Sasha sound-alikes suddenly scurrying for some rudeboy bassline business. For the first track of the set, his own Sparky Lives, he sat down with the lighting designer and worked out the programming of the lighting to correspond with the introduction of each individual element in the track. “I really wanted to work more on that side of things for Big Day Out,” Coe explains, “but it just wasn’t feasible, especially when I had a massive band like Groove Armada following me, with a limited time to set-up. I’ve been working with some amazing visual designers this year because I really want to push this visual element in my shows. We’re looking at how we can make it more focused for Good Vibrations.” Sparky Lives is the first original Sasha production for some time and he has plans to release a deluge of material, but be prepared for it to sound a bit different. “For these current productions, I’ve got a completely different production team in. I’m not working with Charlie May and the others on these tunes. That’s no slight on them – Charlie is now a solo star in his own right and is constantly touring. I think I’ve kind of gone as far as I want with that sound.” To catch Coe in 2010 in a club was to see him delve into a slightly deeper, yet still warm sound. It was a turn in proceedings from the festival smash-fests that characterised the first part of his year. Coe is also returning to the remix field after strong remixes for indie artists Kasabian and pop princess Little Boots cemented his ability to inject a remix with the killer Sasha touch. He explains that he’s been let loose on currently indie darlings, The Xx, with the project hopefully seeing the light of day soon. It seems 2010 was a year when dance music felt very nostalgic, and referenced its predecessors in innumerable ways. Coe’s occasional partner in crime John Digweed even dug up some of his early mixes and shared them with the world. Does Coe see things the same way? “There has been a lot of referencing older music,” he replies, “especially in some of the dubstep I’ve been listening to by artists like Clubroot. The atmospheric nature of the production is very similar to the sound I used to play. As for releasing mixes, I’m just about to revamp my website completely. If anyone’s been to it they’ll know that it’s pretty prehistoric. Part of that revamp is putting up a bunch of old mixes of mine. I’ve got nearly every gig from the last few years recorded so there should be a bunch of sets that I can put up for people to listen to.” Having a career of firsts has meant that Coe has needed to place himself at the forefront of new trends in sounds and technology. He effortlessly switched to using Ableton Live software for his live sets in 2004, a move that was first seen as controversial, yet started a trend worldwide. In 2009 however, he threw away the proverbial targeting computer and went back to something old, yet new – Pioneer CDJ 2000s. Debuting his skills on his Australian club tour in late 2009, Sasha’s record box became a USB thumb drive. Heads caved everywhere as Sasha proved he had the courage of his convictions to change direction and continue his pioneering ways. This time when he tours Oz, Sasha is coming off a well-earned holiday and coming straight to the Good Vibrations Festival. “I’m so excited to be doing those shows because I’ll have lots of new music that I’m working on now, ready to play,” Sasha remarks. “The line-up is diverse which is great too.” WHO: Sasha WHEN & WHERE: Good Vibrations – Sunday 20 February, Claremont Showgrounds

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THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 27

SOLER POWERED UK ELECTRO-POPPERS FENECH-SOLER ARE CURRENTLY EMBARKING ON THEIR FIRST EVER AUSTRALIAN TOUR, AND LEAD SINGER BEN DUFFY TELLS TROY MUTTON THAT, EVEN THOUGH THEY’VE BEEN PLANNING IT SINCE THE START, THEY COULDN’T BE MORE EXCITED.

“Y

eah we’re in Sydney, we got here last night,” says a rather chipper-sounding Ben Duffy, lead singer of UK electro-pop outfit Fenech-Soler. “We’re here mate and we’re relaxed.” Duffy’s relaxed tone quickly turns to animated when we begin to discuss what it means for the group to be touring here on the back of their debut self-titled LP, just released in Australia after receiving considerable critical and commerical success back home. “When we started the band the opportunity to come to Australia was something we had to do – one of those things, if we didn’t do it we’d just go mental. This has been booked for a few months and we’ve been counting down the days, it’s been great.” Even though the group recently signed a worldwide deal with Warner, it’s clear that it’s been the four-piece themselves (brother Troy on guitars, Andrew Lindsay on drums and Daniel Soler on bass) that have tried to put plans and structure in place that sees them where they are now. “In the UK we’ve slowly been building stuff up and the public... in a lot of ways we’ve been progressing with them. So every tour things will change, more will get added, and the rest of it. And I think the momentum that we feel that we’ve got... everything in the UK has been going a nuts over the last month or so, so we’re definitely feeling this momentum that we’re taking now into Good Vibrations.” You could say it’s been a long time in the making. They’ve been playing together since they were teens, but it wasn’t all groovey electro-pop and neon beats. “Well Ross, Dan and I used to play in another band that was terrible... With Andy eventually too and those guys must have been about 13 or 14, and we were trying to get into clubs and play gigs, lying about their age and all the rest of it. We were playing punky stuff, nothing really like what we’re doing now,” Duffy reflects. “What it did do though was gave us a taste of what playing shitty venues around the UK was like [laughs]. That was the main thing, and then we just continued that on.” The band’s whole attitude and how they got where they are now is something Duffy is actually rather proud of, in an industry where it might sometimes be easy for an artist to produce one hit with nothing to back it up. “Yeah, the whole basis of the band really has been DIY; we’ve been completely self-sufficient with it. We had it in our heads that we were gonna write some music at home and try and get an album’s worth of material and bring someone in as a producer to help us; have an overview and tell us what was good, what was bad. “But then we recorded Lies, which was the first track we kind of sat back and did and thought ‘Oh fuck it, we can just do this ourselves.’ So recording, producing and mixing we did at home. We got it mastered in London at a studio to make it louder and a bit fresher but generally it was really good.” The other important aspect of the writing and recording process for the album was to keep gigging. Where sometimes a band will lock themselves away for months at a time, Fenech-Soler sought out extra gigs to get comfortable with what they were doing. “[We] made sure that while we were recording our album we had a really heavy schedule of gigs so we could test new stuff out. It wasn’t a case of disappearing, or being a band that just had one demo that got signed to Universal and then had to make a record, you know. That’s where the problems come in really I think.” The Duffy family also has a strong background in music, and when it comes to writing he explains that he and his brother do the bulk of the work. “Ross and I take on a lot of the songwriting duties I suppose, ‘cause our dad was like a bluegrass musician in America in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s and was touring with people like Dolly Parton. So we grew up with instruments around us, so writing became quite a natural roll for us.” Duffy also reveals drummer Walker is the man they go to when it comes to much of the electronic element in a band based around synth-pop lines and four-to-the-floor beats. “But then Andrew, I suppose, really likes the science behind it and the technology behind it, and that’s his forté.” Along with their original music Fenech-Soler are slowlybuilding up a remix portfolio, most notably re-doing Marina & The Diamonds’ Hollywood early last year. It’s something, along with DJing, that Duffy explains the group is interested in exploring, just not quite yet. “For us it was an outlet that gave us the opportunity to maybe do something a bit heavier than as a band, and just ‘cause we wanted to make those tunes that you hear in a club at the end of a DJ set... those ones that can really ignite a dancefloor, and we were intrigued by that,” says Duffy. “Well we can DJ, to be honest we usually just DJ for mates at house parties. We have been getting lots of offers to do DJ sets but I think we’ve agreed between us and our management that we’re gonna just focus on our live aspect. One thing that really annoys me is when you see a band doing a DJ set and they don’t know what the fuck they are doing,” says Duffy, showing wisdom that perhaps a few other bands could pay attention to. “If we’re gonna go and do a DJ set we really want to do it properly, and we want it to be a DJ set where people go away saying ‘Actually, you know I’d really go out of my way to see a Fenech-Soler DJ set’. We really don’t just want to appear on a line-up to make up the numbers you know, we actually want to do it right.” In the meantime let’s look forward them doing it the right way, and the live way, this Sunday. WHO: Fenech-Soler WHAT: Fenech-Soler (Warner/Shock) WHEN & WHERE: Good Vibrations – Sunday 20 February, Claremont Showgrounds

28 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

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THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 29

EMPERORS’ NEW CLOTHES WAKING UP TO AMIINA AS GUITARIST GREG SANDERS REFLECTS, EMPERORS HAVE BROUGHT THEIR SONGS UP LIKE CHILDREN. SEBASTIAN D’ALONZO DISCUSSES THE BIRTH OF THE LATEST SEXTUPLETS.

or local rockers Emperors, praise and good reception came quickly after they had scored their first gig. It was only a few months later that they had locked in a spot at the Big Day Out, and as the months went on countless number of support slots went their way. From the outside it may look like a speedy debut but, speaking with guitarist Greg Sanders, he assures that it hasn’t all been happening so fast. “We had all sort of been working at similar things for quite a while so it doesn’t seem like it’s come quickly for us, but I can imagine it sort of comes across that way… I mean I think people heard Favourite Colours before they had seen the band live.” Favourite Colours, the first song of theirs to hit the airwaves, boosted the band’s reputation, as Sanders admits. “We were a bit surprised by the attention that the Favourite Colours song got when it got picked up by radio ‘cause we just, we just sort of gave it to them as a demo really.” The track was the result of the first of two stints at recording in the relaxed Blackbird Studios, the second, a few months later, laid down enough tracks for a release with locally acclaimed producer Dave Parkin. “I think his sort of theory is, the less stress in the studio the better the result, and I think he’s right because it’s definitely the least stressful recordings I’ve had.” He says, “If you sort of worry about meeting time, you know, deadlines and you know we’ve got to get this track done by today, we’ve got to get the guitars finished by three o’clock or whatever, then it puts stress on yourself and you put pressure on yourself. I mean and, the results just don’t turn out as good.” In the end the results were strung together in their new EP entitled Sam. Asked as to where the title originates, Sanders jokes that to the band, the songs were “like our children” adding the inspiration for the title came from a favourite 1985 Replacement’s album Tim. “It’s a great record and we, we were saying ‘why can’t we just you know, call our record somebody’s name?’ And the first

30 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR WORK WITH SIGUR ROS, ICELANDIC STRING BASED ENSEMBLE AMIINA ARE SLOWLY STARTING TO COME INTO THEIR OWN AS ARTISTS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. DRUMMER MAGNUS TRYGVASON ELIASSEN IS AWOKEN ON A FROSTY REYKJAVIK MORNING TO CHAT WITH KITT DI CAMILLO. name that came to mind was this guy Sam he’s, he’s a friend of ours. He’s almost like a band mascot in a way.” Inspiration for the band also comes from acts such as Pixies, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. who have all recently graced our shores for comeback tours. Sanders though, doesn’t see anything wrong with comeback tours, as a younger generation show appreciation for such influential acts, not just an adult contemporary audience. “I guess there’s hope for us that, doing sort of ‘90s sounding music you know, there’s an audience for it I suppose.” He says, “I mean there’s you know eighteen-year-old kids getting to see the Pixies which is insane.” With Australian bands such as Violent Soho and Children Collide honouring the decade within their sound, and already receiving growing audiences, any hint of a ‘90s revival seems overhyped rather than plausible for Sanders. “The way people were talking about it like it was going to be this you know, you know in the charts and all mainstream music was going to be grunge again, which would have been fine with me but I don’t, I don’t see it really happening”. But with their eyes firmly set on the future Emperors look to tour before another round of recording, this time aiming for an album. “We’ve already got, quite a few demos for the next recording which will be an album” he says “I’ve got this, this goal that’s been sort of eluding me of, yeah putting out a full length album which I’m, you know, really proud of so hopefully this is it this time”. WHO: Emperors WHAT: Sam (Sunday Ride/Gun Fever/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: EP Launch – Saturday 19 February, Amplifier, Perth

t’s easy to imagine the Icelandic capital city of Reykjavik as some kind of winter wonderland – a picturesque coastal paradise permanently sprinkled in gently falling snow, nestled comfortably amongst a backdrop of glistening hillsides and pristine forests seemingly manicured to perfection. It’s hard not to become caught up in rose tinted stereotypes when you look at the ethereal beauty of the music created by many of the artists that call the city home. From the ambient soundscapes of Sigur Rós to the angular eclecticism of the incomparable Björk, Reykjavik has a habit of producing internationally recognised musicians. Following a similar path to their predecessors, atmospheric six-piece Amiina look set to join the same musical pedigree their hometown is fast becoming known for. The band began its life as a string quartet recording and touring with Sigur Rós before releasing a series of recordings under their own name. A shimmering combination of ghostly acoustics and electronica, the string laden tonality of their work is gradually earning them rave reviews in places as far from home as Australia. Having been down under before with just a core group of Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir, Hildur Ársælsdóttir, María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir and Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir, Amiina return in March with the latest additions to the band – electronic artist Kippi Kaninus and drummer Magnús Trygvason Eliassen. Speaking from Reykjavik having only just woken up, a quiet and slightly dishevelled Magnus describes the initiation as a natural one. “I joined them live, and then we did a show in May 2008 with Kippi, our live sample guy,” he explains. “It went really well and we had a lot fun so we decided to write some music together.” Having only met Hilda of the four girls beforehand

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though, the drummer’s first live experience still took some getting used to. “I didn’t play the full show though. I just played like six songs in the beginning or something like that. But it was kind of new. And hard for me because I had never played with a string quartet before.” Now hardened live performers, Amiina plan to follow their show supporting Wildbirds & Peacedrums at Beck’s Music Box with a special appearance at the Perth Writers Festival creating a delicate score for the works of legendary animator Lotte Reiniger. The group’s gorgeous Animagica soundtrack has become the perfect accompaniment for Reiniger’s work, black and white animations that revolutionised the film industry in the 1920s to 1940s. “We just wrote some music for those movies and we did a couple of shows in the UK with that,” describes Magnus. “And you know, somebody saw that and asked us to come over to Australia.” The band’s live show has become a phenomenon all of its own, with members changing instruments through every track and constant live sampling providing an electronic edge that compliments the group’s more classical leanings. “We rehearse a lot actually, and also for the live shows we kind of have to scale it down in a way. On the new album that we recorded last year we played I think like a hundred instruments or something,” he laughs. “And we are very much not able to play a hundred instruments live. It’s kind of hard to scale down for all the songs. But you know, we manage.” WHO: Amiina WHEN & WHERE: Perth Festival – Thursday 3 March, Beck’s Music Box, Perth; Sunday 6 March, Octagon Theatre, UWA, Nedlands

WANDAFUL

WOWIE ZOWIE

ONE-TIME QUEEN OF ROCKABILLY WANDA JACKSON HAS RECLAIMED HER THRONE WITH HER NEW JACK WHITE-PRODUCED LP THE PARTY AIN’T OVER. MATT O’NEILL CATCHES UP WITH THE 73-YEAR-OLD TO DISCUSS HER LEGENDARY CAREER.

he career of Wanda Jackson is much harder to summarise than one would initially suspect. Often celebrated as a pioneer of the rockabilly genre, Jackson’s work as a musician over the past 50 years has nevertheless frequently ventured far beyond the limitations of that particular style. Depending on the decade, one could quite easily discover Jackson operating as a country artist, a gospel musician, a Las Vegas star or a rocker. She’s even had hits in German and Japanese. “You’re right – I began my career working in country music,” Jackson confirms. “After working with Elvis Presley, I got my feet wet and got into rockabilly – or ‘50s-rock, as I prefer to call it. I recorded a lot of songs in that style but they weren’t very successful because America couldn’t accept a teenage girl singing what they believed was ‘devil’s music’. You know, to them, this was the music that was sending their teenagers to hell – and that was hard to take. “I had to do something to sell records, so I started doing records with country on one side and rock on the other – just so that I could keep my airplay going and keep on getting work on the road. I had a band together at the time and the only way we were going to get gigs was if we sold records,” the singer explains pragmatically. “I’ve bounced back and forth a lot, though. You know, I went to gospel and then I went back to country and I came back to rock. It’s been quite the trip.” Upon speaking with Jackson, however, it becomes immediately clear what her priorities are as a musician. Jackson may have spent significant portions of her career away from the genre but there can be no doubting that her true musical love will always be rockabilly. If in need of proof, one need only look at Jackson’s recently-released The Party Ain’t Over long player. Produced by Jack White with the intention of

ZOE FLEURY REVEALS TO CYCLONE THAT, WHILE HER ZOWIE PERSONA HAS NO INTENDED CONNECTION TO ZIGGY, IT CERTAINLY DOES TO STAR DUST.

oe Fleury is a newcomer, but she already knows how to play the industry game. Previously going under the Bionic Pixie alias, Fleury adapted her first name to Zowie. That it seems to be homage to David Bowie, she says, is serendipitous. “It just kinda looked right.” re-invigorating Jackson’s career, The Party... is pure rockabilly. “I just gave him full rein, really,” Jackson recalls. “I said to him, ‘Look, I don’t know the market and I don’t know what my fans really want from me at this point in my career other than the classics’, and I just let him choose the material. He had a very definite goal in mind for the album. He said he didn’t want to change my style. He just wanted to give me a fresher sound with some newer material. I was so surprised by the final album. It was just unbelievable.” That being said, it also becomes immediately apparent that what style Wanda Jackson is singing has never really been relevant. Jackson hasn’t succeeded so much on account of her genre as the sheer potency of her personality. It was her personality which inspired Elvis Presley to encourage the younger Jackson to become the first female rockabilly musician, and it was that same personality that saw her inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame. One can still see it at age 73. “Not yet,” Jackson says in response to the idea of contemplating retirement. “I don’t know. I’m 73 but I’m having such a great time. It seems that the fans still enjoy seeing me and hearing my stories and hearing me sing my rockabilly songs. You know, when people retire, they retire to do the things they love but, for me and my husband, we already tour the world doing what we love. I don’t know what I’d do if I actually did retire.” WHO: Wanda Jackson WHAT: The Party Ain’t Over (Third Man/Warner)

Fleury has been described as “Joan Jett with a drum machine”, a hybrid of MIA and Karen O, and (unfairly) a Ke$ha wannabe. She won over uber-blogger Perez Hilton with her earlier Broken Machine, remixed by Saint Etienne’s ultra-cred Pete Wiggs. In fact, Fleury’s music is a combustion of arty synth-pop, (s)punky nu-electro and rock‘n’roll attitude. The Aucklander was intent on a music career – as a drummer. “I was brought up in the industry ‘cause my father’s a musician as well,” she starts. “He actually used to play in a band with us for a while, which was really fun. I was just always around the industry. There was nothing else I wanted to be. I was always so fixated on everything that my dad was doing – I was in the studio with him and his band, just watching and learning everything from when I was in the highchair. So that’s how I got into it. I just always loved it.” Fleury took possession of her first drum kit as a preteen. She gigged in bands through school. Later, Fleury attended MAINZ (Music And Audio Institute Of NZ), leaving with a diploma in Contemporary Music after she studied drumming and music business. Fleury has since picked up guitar, programming skills, and the necessary confidence to sing. Indeed, while at music school, she drummed and performed vocals (“screaming,” apparently) in a punk outfit. New Zealand is known for rock, reggae and hip hop, but now, between them, The Naked And Famous and Fleury are repping a new Kiwi electronica. But Fleury, whose ancestry is Indian, has traveled globally to gather album material – Bite Back was cut in Los Angeles with Ima Robot guitarist Timmy Anderson. She’s reluctant to divulge other collaborators just yet. “I’ve been working

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since early 2010,” Fleury says of her debut. “I went on a writing trip and started co-writing with a bunch of people – a dream team of people who I really wanted to write with. I’m still in the process of going backwards and forwards on some songs and laying down some drums and that kinda stuff back over here in Auckland, but it’s looking like some time this year it’ll be released – so I can’t wait! But it’s sounding good – it’s there. I feel really proud of it.” For Fleury, Zowie is “a character”. She’s developed a futuristic image with costumes. “I work closely with a really good friend of mine [up-and-coming designer Serena Fagence]. We design things together and then she’ll go away and sew them up. I’m really inspired and influenced by the likes of Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Grace Jones – generally, it’s the ‘future’ look that I go for with all the outfits.” But, though Fleury admires Lady GaGa, there will be no meat dresses. “I was just thinking – ‘Would it be super stinky?’” WHO: Zowie WHAT: Bite Back (Sony) WHERE & WHEN: Future Music Festival – Sunday 6 March, Arena Joondalup

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 31

THE 6TH AUSTRALIAN MUSIC PRIZE CONGRATULATES THE FOLLOWING SHORTLISTED ARTISTS:

BUY ANY OF THESE FANTASTIC ALBUMS AT ANY JB HI-FI AND RECEIVE A FREE AMP SHORTLIST COMPILATION ALBUM DOWNLOAD AMP SHORTLIST COMPILATION ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH ITUNES

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32 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

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Department of Culture and the Arts

D I G I TA L M E D I A S P E C I A L I S T S

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 â&#x20AC;¢ 33

THIS ! Y A D N U S

8.40

9.10 - 10.30

Boys Boys Boys!

Agent 86 & Aboriginal Dance

Tim & Jean

Agent 86

FenechSoler

Spenda C

Friendly Fires

Spenda C

The Ting Tings

Spenda C

Kelis

Spenda C

Faithless

1.20

1.45 - 2.30

2.30

2.55 - 3.40

3.40 - 4.10

4.10 - 5.25

5.25 - 5.55

5.55 - 6.55

6.55 - 7.25

7.25 - 8.55

8.55 - 9.25

9.25 - 10.25

Knowledge Bones

Koolism

Erykah Badu

Fat Freddy's Drop

Nas & Damian Marley

Ludacris

7.15

7.45 - 9.15

9.15

9.30 - 11.00

Ben Mac

Micah

Kill the Noise

Sidney Samson

Fake Blood

Sasha

Rusko

12.30

12.50

1.20

The Panda Band

12.30 - 1.30

STAR BAR

Marty McFly

Please note that all times are subject to change 34 â&#x20AC;˘ THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

1.45 - 2.25

2.25

Blud

2.50 - 3.35

3.35

4.00 - 4.45

4.45

5.15 - 6.00

6.00 - 6.30

6.30 - 7.30

7.30 - 8.00

8.00 - 9.00

9.00

9.30 - 10.30

Aloe Blacc

The Transients

Mike Posner

Bag Raiders

Miike Snow

DJ Nick Findlay

5.45 - 7.15

DJ Nick Findlay

4.15 - 5.45

DJ Nick Findlay

2.45 - 4.15

DJ Nick Findlay

1.15 - 2.45

Death Disco DJs

12.30 - 1.15

Aarin F

12.50

Aarin F

12.30

Samrai

7.40 - 8.40

Samrai

7.10

Samrai

6.10 - 7.10

Charlie Bucket

5.40

Charlie Bucket

4.40 - 5.40

DJ Junior

4.15

Black Poet

3.30 - 4.15

Death Disco DJs

MR J

3.05

Death Disco DJs

CHINESE LAUNDRY

2.20 - 3.05

DJ Adroc

ROOTS

1.45 - 2.20

Death Disco DJs

GOOD VIBRATIONS

1.00 - 1.45

Welcome to Country & Agent 86

11.00 12.30

Phoenix

1.30 - 2.30

2.30 - 4.00

4.00 - 5.30

5.30 - 7.00

Flex

Philly Blunt

Jus Haus?

Mind Electric

7.00 - 8.30

Shazam

8.30 - 10.30

Yolanda Be Cool

DOWNLOADABLE VERSION AVAILABLE FROM GVF.COM.AU

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 35

SINGLES/EPS

WITH BETH PARKER

cd reviews

ON THE RECORD

SINGLE OF THE WEEK BONJAH

The White Line Independent Slogging out over the local scene for years it looks like the time has come for New Zealand natives Bonjah to cement themselves in Australia. This track is such a fun tune that prickles in your ears and needs to be turned up. Those husky, one-of-a-kind vocals with the naughty lyrics give the song that special something and a bit of an old time funked- up feel.

TRACKSUIT

Where Have All The Good Times Gone? Independent If you can get over the most amazing mo on the front cover to actually open it and listen to the record you’ll find a fantastically created collection of tracks. With a rockabilly twist, the pop-rock tracks are given extra appeal and frontman Steve Hensby’s pleasantly twangy vocals provide extremely catchy choruses. With each song standing alone with its own sound and subject, the rest just falls into place. An impressive local release aching to be experienced live.

GIL SCOTT-HERON & JAMIE XX NY Is Killing Me XL Recordings I’m always baffled as to why one artist remixes another artist’s entire album. You’ve got two people doing great things on their own, it’s all a bit too much of a musical reach-around. “You’re amazing!” “No you are!” “You hang up first.” As for the track I’ll admit it’s pretty awesome. It demands your attention and keeps it for the whole six minutes with Scott-Heron’s vocals stretched out with a pared back dubstep sound, if he can pull it off over a whole album then it will be amazing, but then so was the original.

CATHERINE TRAICOS

BRAIDS

DAVID RODIGAN/VARIOUS ESBEN & THE WITCH Fabriclive.54

Violet Cries

Spunk/EMI

Balance/Fabric/EMI

Matador/Remote Control

“Dear Braids, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You’re the scum between my toes. ” (Little Rascals quote. And yes, childish taunts seem applicable for a band just out of high school). Braids is four best buds from Calgary, Canada. They took a year off after high school to get their band rolling and Native Speaker is the outcome. Though having so much faith in their music to take a year out is admirable, the result is set to divide people. For example, when I first put this album on in the car I had to stop a very aggravated passenger from throwing himself out of the moving vehicle.

Dancehall is often criticised for containing violent or homophobic lyrics, but legendary reggae/dancehall DJ David Rodigan’s compilation proves that this kind of criticism does not define the genre.

From the rocky shores of Brighton, England, come the foreboding sounds of indie three-piece Esben & The Witch. Debut album Violet Cries showcases the haunting vocals of Rachel Davies immersed in heavy, effects-laden guitar and underscored by relentless electronic beats. From the very first ominous note of the record it is clear the listener is in for it. A slow build up introduces the reverb-laden guitars and pounding drums, which pervade the album like a feverish plague and eventually reach a crescendo, in what seems to be the constant aim of the trio.

Native Speaker

Musically, the band makes some quite dreamy sounds and could have fared really well as an instrumental group but it’s impossible to get past their vocalist who sounds like some sort of Joanna Newsom/Amanda Palmer love child. That may sound like a winning combo to you, but for others that sort of caterwauling is torture. And looking at these lyrics briefly, like high school English poetry assignments, they squeeze big words into little spaces and try too hard to be ‘artistic’. Also, most of the tracks on Native Speaker sit above the six-minute mark, so there’s no quick relief between tracks. But if you let the long intro play, then skip to the next track just as the vocals begin, you could have quite a nice (though rather short) album to listen to.

Selecting 21 tracks from the emergence of dancehall in the 1970s up to today, Fabriclive.54 offers a bitter/sweet taste of Jamaican life. Beginning with the dub heavy original of Augustus Pablo’s King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976) and finishing with Swedish born Million Stylez’s rambunctious mash-up of John Holt’s Police In Helicopter (2010), the album positions renowned classics alongside fresh faces. Featuring the aggressive but unforgettable Ghetto Story by Cham (formerly known as Baby Cham) – which starts with the lyrics “I remember those days when hell was my home/When me and mama bed was a big piece a foam” – prominent reggae themes in the album include living with poverty and the struggle for freedom from police oppression. Notable tracks include female artist Etana’s retelling of police brutality in August Town, Cadenza’s gun-cocking re-make of Stop That Train, Alborosie’s Kingston Town and Chezidek’s uplifting Borderline. However it is Collie Buddz’s energetic Come Around (as in: “finally the ‘erbs come around”) and youngster Romain Virgo’s Live Mi Life that remind us of what is really important: friends, family and marijuana.

Violet Cries crawls over your skin, makes your hair stand on end, and invites you to get lost amongst its many layers, ultimately leaving you exhausted and unsettled. Exhausting actually seems the most appropriate adjective to describe the record; the band’s penchant for cacophonies of sound, ebbing and flowing climaxes and one hell of an echo effect tends to get to the point where it becomes overwhelming. Having said all this, the listener is occasionally offered a moment of reprieve with tracks like Marine Fields Glow and last track Swans. E&TW have really succeeded in creating a mood and conveying images to their listeners. The album artwork, song names and songs themselves all work together seamlessly to build this other world, like being lost in a creepy woodland at night.

David Rodigan’s long history of presenting and mixing reggae and dancehall shines through on this compilation presenting an enticing entree for the beginner or an afterdinner mint for the aficionado, and proving without a doubt why he belongs in the Radio Academy’s Hall Of Fame.

The band have truly achieved their aim of exploring new sonic territory with Violet Cries, hence the lack of comparisons to other bands. However, if I had to throw some out there, previous tour-mates Foals infused with the dark mood of the Horrors might come close. Listeners beware, it’s one hell of a ride.

SHANNON FOX

JESSICA TANA BANKOFF

ANDY SNELLING

HOLLY THROSBY

VARIOUS/CALVIN HARRIS/ OUR BROKEN GARDEN ACID JACKS/ANDY MURPHY Golden Sea

However, all this said, there will be kids all over who will go crazy for Braids. Others though, may find it will drive them crazy.

Beg For Love

An Ocean Awaits Records Recorded only on analogue equipment the tracks were a labour of love for Catherine Traicos, but the results vary. Beg For Love doesn’t do her voice justice and the music just isn’t enough to save it. Baby Don’t Cry provides redemption by putting Traicos’ breathy sound to better use in a slow tempo story of lost love. The alt-country sound to the track makes it a pleasant close-your-eyes-and-sway listen.

FOALS

Blue Blood Warner Music Foals are masters of repetition, they make it work without sounding like a dodgy remix of your favourite ballad. Delivering again with this track they’ve created a great danceable single from what is easily up there with the best releases of 2010. Building on a delicate foundation, Foals eventually let you have it with the simple beat and front man Yannis’ signature wail.

OKA

Kulcha Remedy Music “Phatt organic earth rhythms in a smooth hi-fidelity sound cooked over raw didgeridoo.” I wish I wrote that but I couldn’t. That’s how OKA describe their new single and it’s perfect. Get an aural of that and you’ve got an idea. Layers of sounds built up over each including didgeridoos, native Pacific Islander percussion methods and a range of woodwinds bring together the song about keeping indigenous language, customs and cultures alive.

APOLLO NATIONAL Apollo National Independent Suspended opens this EP with theatrical beginnings and sets the theme. Things stay epic for the millionth song in the world titled Breathe and it’s showing off what these guys can do with guitars in the last half. Karma goes for some lo-fi vocals while the song is a little more lyrically focused and does more favours for showing off the creativity of these guys. 36 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

Team

Spunk/EMI

Onelove Sonic Boom Box

Bella Union/Cooperative/Shock

Holly Throsby and her producer Tony Dupé seem to have a penchant for unusual recording locations. Throsby’s first two releases, On Night and Under The Town were recorded in a cottage in the mountains of NSW and as a result are characterised by quite a bare, raw sound; there are even interjections of background noise. Which brings us to Team, which was recorded in a church in the Southern NSW Highlands. And again, the recording location affects the album – there is a warmth and softness to it that resonates straight from those high ceilings and sandstone walls.

Onelove/Sony

Seen playing keyboard for Denmark indie group Efterklang, Anna Bronsted’s own project, Our Broken Garden, releases their second LP Golden Sea. Singing in English, Bronsted’s strikingly soft and excellent voice is where your attention is first focused. To compare to other alternative bands you could say at times it is a more classical version of Kazu Makino’s (of Blonde Redhead) vocals, often staying in the high pitches of her voice.

Throsby has toured and worked with the likes of José Gonzáles, Joanna Newsom, M. Ward and Andrew Bird, and she very much belongs to that category of musicians: soft and folky but experimental enough to develop a distinctive style of their very own. Team is another album that proves Throsby is not just some pretty female vocalist; she is a delicate and intelligent lyricist, an accomplished and thoughtful musician. Her voice is indeed lovely, but it’s one instrument among many, which in this case includes acoustic guitar richly woven among strings, piano and quietly complementary percussion. Team does suffer to some extent from the mushy middle, and it might not succeed in sustaining everyone’s attention span for the entire duration. The single, Here Is My Co-Pilot, is a bit of an anomaly in terms of its upbeat tempo; most of the tracks are pretty soft and slow and although they’re complex, some of them do get to sounding a little similar. This is a beautiful piece of work however, and one that puts a church to very good use. ZOE BARRON

If you’re wondering who wears the pants in this world class DJ threesome, Andy Murphy is first up for a reason with a set loaded with well-mixed chart toppers. First off the ranks is Tensnake’s Coma Cat. This early festival, organ-based head-bopper smoothly transitions into a remix of Mark Ronson’s Somebody To Love Me. Working with the more vocal tracks out of the three discs he manages to balance commercial house with a pinch of indie electro chucked in for good measure, and sees Deadmau5’s Animal Rights proving a highlight. Finishing with radio-raped Wynter Gordon’s Dirty Talk and Swedish House Mafia, he sets a very high standard for what should’ve come next. It was like finding a needle in a haystack when it came to quality dance tracks on Calvin’s mix. With Fatboy Slim Vs. Fedde Le Grand’s Praise You 2009 remix, The Squatter’s Monster and his own Flashback being the highlights, the rest flat-lines and isn’t worth mentioning when compared to his other sets. The sounds of summer turn into noise as Acid Jacks take over and the festival vibe transitions into heavier electro-house where Nelly’s Hot In Herre makes an unexpected but pleasant appearance. Bikini by Diskokaine feat. DJ Funk adds the groove that is missing from the Dutch house and electro dub-step noise that floods the rest of their set and it does what their entire mix should’ve in making you want to dance.

Bronsted describes the album as built upon visions of nature and it shows on a track like The Feral as you begin to focus on other aspects of the music. Strings and other slight ambience recreate a natural atmospheric sound, a mix between the ocean and a machine. It is tones like these which combine modern synth effects with strings and organs, creating a graceful and authentic listen. On the tracks Garden Grow, The Burial and Share indie-rock sneaks in a little bit. More rhythmic in bass and drum patterns, riffs are emphasised prompting a different taste to the rest of the album but definitely where the band shows its pop strength. The album inevitably finishes on eight-anda-half-minute The Dark Red Roses, a slow beating and lifting affair followed by a brief intermission and an outro with electronic touches amongst Bronsted’s deeply reverberated vocals.

If it’s quality over quantity that you’re wanting, Sonic Boom Box is a bit of a hit and miss. And with only one of the discs worth listening to in its entirety,

Most of the album comes across as quite slow and haunting, but in essence still powerful. Our Broken Garden utilise a lot out of their instruments but still could do more to create epic build-ups and changes. A dreamy collection of songs, Golden Sea is a worthy Scandinavian export but not one to entice too many repeat listens.

DANICA CACCAMO

SEBASTIAN D’ALONZO

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CD OF THE WEEK

MOGWAI THE GREENHORNES

THE PHANTOM BAND

TORO Y MOI

Third Man/Liberator

Other Tongues/Chemikal Underground

Mistletone/Inertia

Since 1996 The Greenhornes have worked their arses off. For anybody out there wanting a lesson on work ethic, take a leaf out of their book “How I busted my ass to make it in the rock’n’roll game” (book may, or may not, exist). While skin man Patrick Keller bangs the cans in The Raconteurs/Saboteurs, bassist Jack Lawrence lends his talents to both The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. When they reconvene with vocalist Craig Fox, do they take a break? No. They head back out on the road and crank out performances that leave your legs heavy and your heart happy.

There are headphone albums and then there are serious headphone albums, and The Phantom Band has certainly delivered the latter with their second release. Almost gothic in style, The Wants is one dense, guitar-heavy long player, where this Glasgow five-piece add layer upon layer of instrumentation on top of each other to create some epic soundscapes, ones which genuinely reflect their almost mythic Scottish homeland.

Despite dumping all of his electronic instruments in favour of live ones, the sophomore album of promising bedroom pop renegade Chaz Bundwick, aka Toro Y Moi, is not vastly different to his debut.

Four Stars

The Wants

Yes, they certainly have a penchant for the ‘60s, be it British invasion, psychedelic whimsy or straight-out guitar-driven rock’n’roll. What is so refreshing about The Greenhornes is just how well they pull it off. Where many have tried and failed, they know who they are and just how to get on with it. From poppy, jump-around numbers Saying Goodbye and Left The World Behind to the smooth velvety taste of Go Tell Henry and the razor raw licks of Under Estimator and Need Your Love, Four Stars is uncomplicated, unadulterated and unashamed.

Bringing all this together is frontman Rick Anthony’s resonant baritone, his voice sounding like a bit like The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin or, dare I say it, Nick Cave. With Anthony leading the way, they produce several big numbers here like The None Of One, which swings from folk to dark prog-rock with ease, and Into The Corn which is full of gory medieval imagery. The problem with this album though is that, while these boys can certainly create tension to great effect, there’s generally no pay-off at the end. As a result, the superb build-ups they craft are often wasted when a song comes to an abrupt finish without producing that melody or vocal line that really lets it take flight. The one exception is the quietest moment on the album, the tender, acoustic highlight Come Away In The Dark, where the band craft a song with a beginning, middle and end. One gets the impression though, that The Phantom Band were trying very hard to make an absolute classic here. If they can nail some quality finishes to their songs, I think they might go a long way towards achieving this down the track.

CRAIG EASSON

PAUL BARBIERI

All of this combined may explain why Four Stars is the band’s first original studio album in eight years. It’s pretty obvious from the get go that The Greenhornes aren’t ashamed to wear their influences on their sleeves. With tinges of The Who, The Beatles and the Stones, you may even hear the echo of Hendrix and, dare I say it, The Yardbirds.

Underneath The Pine

Firstly, what’s changed? Bundwick has learnt how to expresses his musical skills more freely. There’s a subtly lighter, more dexterous touch in his playing, and perhaps a little more confidence. The soporific swathes of keyboard remain, but the typical blurry, lo-fi production that has come to define the chillwave genre has been cleared up a shade. Drums that once thudded dully now skip along briskly and there’s deft sense of arrangement that suggests Bundwick has spent the last twelve months absorbing film scores. Most unexpectedly, his voice seems to have leapt an octave, morphing into an airy, Brian Wilson inspired siren call. Technicalities aside, the spirit of UnderneathThe Pine is virtually identical to his earlier work. Incurably laid back and throbbing with a psychedelic afterglow, the overall effect melts through time like one of Salvador Dali’s paintings of dripping clocks. Resorts and health spas aside, Underneath The Pine should not be played at work. Government labels should be attached: Warning! May Severely Damage Productivity, as after 40 minutes of submersion, most casual listeners will have slid from an alert standing or sitting position to a near horizontal slouch. If this was conceived as a chill out record, similar to his 2009 effort Causers of This, mission accomplished.

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will Spunk/EMI Now some 15 years into what has been a consistently strong presence, it’s rather interesting to look back on the career of Mogwai. This initially-brash quintet, resplendent in Kappa and fond of merchandise emblazoned with irreverent slogans, channelled their distaste for the British pop of Oasis and Blur into lengthy post-rock excursions that were occasionally beautiful and usually very, very loud. Then, with the release of 2001’s Rock Action they seemed to slip. Records have come and gone since and been good, certainly, but not great. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, however, changes everything. The 12 tracks across Hardcore... marry the finer points of Mogwai that haven’t really been witnessed since the epic Come On Die Young in 1999, but strives to take them further. San Pedro, for instance, rolls with great rhythm, its twin guitar lines cutting across each other and delivering a string of sonic punches. Follower Letters To The Metro is, put simply, a classic Mogwai beauty, the effective use of repetition has long been the band’s strong suit and here it is employed superbly. A simple piano chord progression is gradually joined, in turn, by deft drum brushes and slide guitar until they form an absorbing whole. The epic closer of You’re Lionel Richie is a nod to their brash, powerful past, and will no doubt turn live shows into sopping, distorted messes. This is Mogwai at their very best; it’s the band you knew, the band you fell in love with. RICK BRYANT

CHRISTOPHER H JAMES

New Weird Australia presents AXXONN National Tour 2011

Thursday Feb 24th Manhattans Bar, Perth AXXONN + Erasers, Craig McElhinney & Gilbert Fawn ‘Let’s Get It Straight’ (Useless Art Records) Available from axxonnband.com “one of the most interesting Australian records of 2010” DRUM MEDIA Full details & free downloads at newweirdaustralia.com

Supported By Sound Travellers and Street Press Australia Artwork & Design— madebyhk.com twitter.com/drummediaperth

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 37

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WITH SPECI A L GUESTS New album â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I Will Love You At Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; OUT NOW Featuring All These Things and ButterďŹ&#x201A;y Bones

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;DISCIPLINE IS DEFINITELY ONE TO LOOK OUT FORâ&#x20AC;? DRUM MEDIA

CAVEFIRE CINEMA ALBUM LAUNCH SUPPORTED BY

PROJECT MAYHEM THE SMILING ASSASSINS

MOJOS SATURDAY 19TH FEB @

Album due in stores February 11th via 38 â&#x20AC;˘ THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

LIVE

17 - 23 FEBRUARY 2011 live@drumperth.com.au

FEATURE REVIEW

GIG OF THE WEEK :

THE GETAWAY PLAN BY BEAU DAVIS

SWERVEDRIVER

SWERVEDRIVER @ BECK’S MUSIC BOX

While the night previous at Perth Festival features two very forward-thinking electronica artists, Sunday 20 February gives fans of the old school a chance to go shoegazing with UK alt-rockers Swervedriver. After going on an indefinite hiatus way back in 1998 (their final show at the time being in Margaret River, funnily enough), the four-piece made a triumphant return to the stage at 2008’s Coachella festival, reconnecting with their old fans and learning of quite a few new ones they’d picked up during the time off. After a series of record label troubles led to the group’s eventual downfall back then, they are now touring the world free of any of those old constraints, able to solely work on a cracking live show for swaths of fans old and new. Alongside the likes of Ride and My Bloody Valentine, the group were one of the early purveyors of the genre we have come to know as shoegaze, and with a set that digs through their extensive back catalogue, this Drum Media-presented gig is another of ridiculously plentiful number of quality shows to come at Perth Festival. Tickets through perthfestival.com.au.

FRONTLASH

BACKLASH

FESTIVAL FAVOURS

PARKING INSPECTORS

In less than a week we’ve already witnessed Sampology maximally grooving the ‘secret’ opening soriee, Roy Ayers leaving a completely amazed Beck’s crowd worshipping the official opening and The Manganiyar Seduction creating one of most visually spectacular shows this city’s ever seen. Ah yes, we’re glad Perth Festival is on again. Very glad indeed.

GRAMMY GRUMBLES

While bitching and moaning about the Grammy’s is easy fodder, it certainly inspired a highlight in the truly bitchin’ whoisarcadefire.tumblr.com. A Fire-y classic.

LANEWAY

Holy Fuck that was one Menomenally spectacular fest – no doubt a Savy Fav for an early bet on ‘festival of the year’.

Fight the p-power with this nifty app: parkpatrolapp. com. Mind you, it does require some effort on everyone’s part to actually be effective, plus it’ll only help to frustrate you further when you do actually get caught.

SIZE MATTERS

The ‘Ten newsreader’s awkward joke’ should go down in burn history. Shame the news presenter responsible will probably get burnt for it herself.

INCONCEIVABLY STARK

Dear Ben Elton, we love you dearly but what in the name of Blackadder’s hairy balls are you doing with Live From Planet Earth? We’d rather watch The Young Ones in reverse.

DRUM MEDIA PRESENTS : LLOYD COLE: FEB 17 Beck’s Music Box

JACK DE JOHNETTE: FEB 28 Beck’s Music Box

TAYLOR MAC: FEB 18 & 23 Beck’s Music Box

ARCHIE ROACH: MAR 1 Beck’s Music Box

CARIBOU, FOURTET: FEB 19 Beck’s Music Box

JOANNA NEWSOM: MAR 2 Beck’s Music Box

SWERVEDRIVER: FEB 20 Beck’s Music Box

WILD BIRDS & PEACEDRUMS, AMIINA: MAR 3 Beck’s Music Box

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT: FEB 21 & 22 Beck’s Music Box AXXONN FEB 24 Manhattan’s TUNNG: FEB 24 Beck’s Music Box PLANET ASIA, COPYWRITE: FEB 25 The Rosemount INJURED NINJA, AXXONN: FEB 25 The Bakery THE BATS, LAWRENCE ARABIA: FEB 25 Beck’s Music Box PUBLIC OPINION AFRO ORCHESTRA, NORMAN JAY MBE: FEB 26 Beck’s Music Box MARGARET RIVER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL: FEB 26 & 27; MAR 26 & 27 Colonial Brewery IMELDA MAY: FEB 27 Beck’s Music Box

BEST COAST: MAR 4 Beck’s Music Box NANNUP FESTIVAL: THE PIGRAM BROTHERS, CLARE BOWDITCH, PASSENGER, SHANE HOWARD, DARREN HANLON, ELI WOLFE, JEZ MEAD, BENJALU, OKA, ELANA STONE, HUSKY, ROSIE BURGESS, JACK CARTY and more: MAR 4-7, Nannup DARREN HANLON: MAR 5 Fly By Night OMAR SOULEYMAN, J-WOW, MC KALAF: MAR 5 Beck’s Music Box OS MUTANTES, RUSS DEWBURY: MAR 6 Beck’s Music Box FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: CHEMICAL BROTHERS, PENDULUM, DIZZEE RASCAL, MGMT,

MARK RONSON & THE BUSINESS INTL, KE$HA, THE PRESETS, LEFTFIELD, RICHIE HAWTIN, SVEN VATH, SANDER VAN DOORN, ETIENNE DE CRECY, PROFESSOR GREEN, ZOWIE, TAME IMPALA, GYPSY & THE CAT, FLIGHT FACILITIES and more: MAR 6 Arena Joondalup

MC ASSASSIN, MICAH, PHILLY BLUNT, THE BROW HORN ORCHESTRA, CHARLIE BUCKET, DIGER ROKWELL, ARMEE, SELEKT, YLEM and many more: APR 3 Leederville (upstairs, downstairs & courtyard)

KE$HA: MAR 7 Challenge Stadium

CHAOS DIVINE, TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING, BRUTUS & STATUES: APR 15 Rosemount Hotel

WAVVES: MAR 11 The Bakery

DISTURBED: APR 20 Burswood Dome

+ TIN CAN RADIO: MAR 15 The Bird; MAR 16 X-Wray; MAR 18 Prince Of Wales; MAR 19 Dunsborough Hotel

THE HOLIDAYS, GOLD FIELDS: APR 28 Amplifier

COOPERS BAREFOOT BOWLS: GLENN RICHARDS, DAN LUSCOMBE: MAR 26 ECU Bowls Club

KYUSS: MAY 11 Capitol

+ COOPERS BAREFOOT BOWLS: ADALITA, AMAYA LAUCIRICA: APR 2 ECU Bowls Club + KINGS OF SOUND FESTIVAL: DAZASTAH, LAYLA, SHOCKONE, PHETSTA, HUNTER, MORTAR, Q-BIK, BITTER BELIEF, GREG PACKER,

HUGH CORNELL (STRANGLERS): MAY 8 Charles Hotel UNKLE: MAY 11 The Bakery + HOUSE OF PAIN: MAY 12 Capitol + DARWIN DEEZ: MAY 12 The Bakery ONGOING: GIGNITION: Upcoming band showcases 5-9pm each Sunday at Swan Basement

THE GETAWAY PLAN AMPLIFIER, PERTH 09/02/11

After a brief, and honestly unnecessary hiatus, The Getaway Plan returned to Perth, continuing their habit of bringing with them some brilliant new talent. On this occasion, that title was bestowed upon Secrets In Scale, who in just their second visit west (ahead of a highly anticipated debut album) have accrued their fair share of fans. A band with a ridiculous amount of talent in their frontman alone, the minimalist approach of the rest of the band allows their strongest asset to shine, and shine he does. With a howl the would make Mr. Bixler-Zavala jealous, guitar chops that would impress Mr. RodriguezLopez and a moustache worthy of Mr. Zappa, this band appear only moments away from greatness. Main support for the night Tonight Alive arrived on stage to sooth the overwhelmingly young and anxious audience, and if imitation truly is the most sincere form of flattery, Paramore would be overwhelmed. However, the fans enjoyed their set and that is the only condition that really counts.

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As The Getaway Plan took to the stage, the air of optimism was palpable; appearing before us was a band that seemed overwhelmingly refreshed and content to be playing together again. The harmonic adjustments made to the old welcomed in the new, with a total of four new songs played, collectively pointing towards a more mature, almost stadium-rock sound (watch your back Temper Trap). Playing their most coherent set yet, the usual suspects were received as well as expected with particular highlights including closer Rhapsody On A Windy Night, Red Flag, Shadows and of course Where The City Meets The Sea, whilst the confidence to open with a newy was not unnoticed. The purpose of the tour: Reclamation, and it was definitely achieved, along the way reminding us of what we fell in love with initially, whilst whetting the appetite for what’s to come. LUKE BUTCHER THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 39

LIVE

17 - 23 FEBRUARY 2011 live@drumperth.com.au

DEERHUNTER

FEEDBACK

STORNOWAY

ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI. ALL PICS BY ANGELA KING

ST. JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL Cultural Centre, Perth 12/02/11

Boasting a tantalising line-up that mixed relative newcomers with more experienced acts in what looked like an indie kid’s wet dream on paper, this, Perth’s third installment of St. Jerome’s, was another blazing success. A slightly modified setup, including the recently acquired Spiegeltent playing host to one of four main stages, sacrificed none of the ease of mobility which makes the Cultural Centre such a wonderful venue. The newly added Francis St stage however, tended to suffer when its crowds were large, not only in the comfort stakes but also in the audio ones. There were no such problems early when Jenny & Johnny played a tight set of classic pop, their rich melodies being readily absorbed by a crowd that was starting to swell. By set’s end they’d seen off a fairly harsh afternoon sun and, during Committed from last year’s release I’m Having Fun Now, even going close to reprising Billy Ray Cyrus’ Achy Breaky Heart. Buoyed by one of the releases of 2010, Los Angeles-based quartet Warpaint drew a substantial attendance as they sought to justify some high expectations. They did so effortlessly with tracks like Undertow, the members’ voices melding together and soaring across a besotted crowd. Another outfit that came weighted under a sizeable reputation was Beach House, whose performance drew heavily from last year’s Teen Dream release. Extended to include a third member, there was no ignoring the fact that the band relies largely on the incredible vocals of Victoria Legrand (clad here in a rather ill-fitting blazer). Such is their strength, however, they can easily carry a performance; favourite Norway highlighted the octave depths she can plow, while epic closer 10 Mile Stereo was an exultant finale. Stunning though their music is, Beach House does hurt from a lack of diversity and excitement factor on stage. The aesthetics of the Museum Stage cemented it as the best location of the festival for many, particularly those looking for some shade. Menomena’s off beat pop hybrid and then Australia’s own Cloud Control provided perfect cover, CC proving why they are sure to blow up in 2011 and their Pursuit Of Happiness seeing the most joyous handclapping of the day thus far. As the twilight drifted away, Local Natives punched out the kind of set that careers are built on. Theirs was a performance that should have commanded a packed audience. Instead a half-healthy crowd witnessed a show of such energy and musical proficiency that it was impossible to fault. Wide Eyes, for instance, with all its musical turns, finished with the band members singing in such unified passion that it was truly joyous, while the roll and run of Sun Hands was similarly uplifting. It was a performance that left not only a stunned crowd, but also an exclamation mark on the festival itself. A line into The John Steel Singers proved both the popularity of the band and the Spiegeltent, the east coasters failing to disappoint and laying down a highlight set of the local love-in. Even Vanessa from Jebediah/ Black Black Smoke was looking extremely enthusiastic as she grinningly witnessed a John Steel jam morphing into a kicking version of Rainbow Kraut. It must also be mentioned Blud played the venue earlier. The next wave indie-electro kids arrived at the Spiegel at likely the hottest part of the day, making the bright yellow chicken suited guitarist less than happy. The rest of them got their shirts off and showed off their pre-pubescent chests and tracks to varying degrees of success, though their cover of MGMT’s Electric Feel left most of the audience feeling just a little awkward. Soon after, Blonde Redhead went about the task of seducing the crowd at the Pica stage, not a hard task 40 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

JENNY AND JOHNNY considering the pint sized frontwoman’s vixen-like swaying and hair flicking. Of course what was really so attention grabbing was her commanding and passionate voice, attributes that came to the fore more greatly as the set and tempo increased, climaxing in an aural orgy during a breathtaking rendition of 23. Two Door Cinema Club elicited a riot of air-punching and hand raising with a few of their songs at the Francis St. stage, the packed street going maximally crazy during I Can Talk. Yeasayer then brought their songs to life with great animation. Their success in 2010 resulted in a large turnout, though the amount of interesting material they actually have seemed a bit thin if left to watch for too long. Still, the crowd loved it, and the now dark setting worked in an air of mystery well suited to the hipsters of the hood. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti saw an undeservedly smaller, though no less devoted crowd take in a wild performance at the Museum stage. Ariel Marcus Rosenberg proved the epitome of cool, throwing himself around the stage like he was born for stardom. Yet the most likely reason their crowd was perhaps less than expected was because a decent crowd had swelled to bursting at the Pica zone as word spread of the Les Savy Fav frontman’s completely mental antics. While Ariel pink oozed cool, Les Savy’s Tim Harrington oozed excitement and bodily fluids. Wearing not much more than briefs, the ball of energy defied his body type as he ran maniacally through the crowd with what has to be up there in the world’s longest microphone lead stakes. Setting the groundwork with “Perth is above the law”, the non-stop frontman produced one of the most entertaining sets Perth has ever witnessed, complete with pole grinding, Sulo bin surfing, crowd mobbing and spit-swapping galore. Wow. Over at the Spiegeltent Felicity Groom managed to coax an impressive crew for a set of brooding, pulsating tracks. A new song had promise, if not polish, before closer Finders & Keepers punctuated a great performance. The future for Groom looks bright, and its success will depend as much on the depth of her vocals and engaging presence as it will her band mates who performed so wonderfully tonight, but are also busy with a bunch of other reenergized projects (including Fall Electric’s new track ruling). With time planning having many scratching their heads (why on earth didn’t the organizers stagger the act times more rather than having many start and finish at the same time?), one of the most severe clashes saw two of the most hyped acts competing for our attention – Foals and Holy Fuck. While Holy Fuck were the lesser known of the two, their fans certainly had high expectations and the electronic and live drum noodlers certainly met these with what was an intensely enjoyable experience, and one that pulled in more and more people as the set progressed. Over at the ridiculously packed Francis St stage, Foals were likewise keeping everyone happy with a set that brought to life their math rock ‘hits’ off Total Life Forever and Antidotes in magical ways. This was again most poignant when the hand claps came out as they played a heartstring-pulling version of Spanish Sahara. Beautiful stuff.

HOLY FUCK

FELICITY GROOM

CUT COPY

The night closed with an excellent set from Cut Copy, whose older tracks such as Hearts On Fire drew better responses than those from the recently-released album Zonoscope, though of course only time will tell with the new ones. A feverish performance from Canyons also saw some shady mixes combine with some saucy disco to turn the Spiegel into a fun tent to camp in, while the multi-talented Gotye had the masses chanting to Hearts A Mess and Eyes Wide Open to finish off the festival in warm and fuzzy ways.

LES SAVY FAV

While the enthusiasm of some of the coolsier acts was predictably bland (making for some uninspired stage performances even for the ones that sounded brilliant) and there seemed a higher level of violence and drunken bafoonery, the forward-thinking selection of boutique acts, the grand setting and facilities, and the people that these attractions naturally pulled in, combined to create what will be difficult to beat as the festival of the summer. AAROM WILSON & RICK BRYANT

MENOMENA

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BEACH HOUSE

LIVE

17 - 23 FEBRUARY 2011 live@drumperth.com.au

SUNDAY ‘HATS

FEEDBACK

From 1pm this Sunday 20 February Manhattans in Vic Park offers the perfect way to wind down the weekend with free live music and DJs. This edition is the first in the series with The Order Of The Black Werewolf, Bob Gordons and The Decline (unplugged), with DJ Jess Killoughby on the platters that matter.

Tonig oonnight BASTIAIAN’S HAPPY, FLILIGHT+SCENIC & GUEST DJ

FR DAY 18 H february

LIGHTNING STRIKE Bon Scott once said he was neither the AC nor the DC, rather the Lightning Flash In The Middle, and so it is the title of Fly By Night’s salute to Bon Scott Saturday 19 February. Hells Bells will deliver the authentic Acca Dacca tunes with support from Vamp and Splinta and Scott’s former bagpipe band the Coastal Scottish Pipe Band WA. $26.80 from flybynight.org or $30 on the door.

BIG FAKERS The Proletariate return with the release of single Faking Smiles from their debut self-titled album, launching Friday 18 February at The Den. Battletruk, Only Hope, Surrender, Statues and Dyatlov support. Playing between sets will be the pop-punk amazingness of Suburban & Coke, featuring members of Grim Fandango, Chilling Winston and Burning Fiction. All proceeds from the launch donated to the Queensland Flood Relief.

AUNTY JAZZ

TRICKY BY ANGELA KING

TRICKY Capitol, Perth 14/02/11 In 2010, Adrian Thaws – or Tricky to you and me – released his ninth studio album, Mixed Race. After years of diminishing returns on albums of varying quality, it was regarded as something of a triumphant bounce back to form. Its brevity apparently the source of a revitalised energy. Nobody bought the record, of course. His career launched spectacularly in the early ‘90s as part of the Bristol scene that also gave us Massive Attack and Portishead. (Just don’t mention “trip hop”). As all three artists moved quickly to distance themselves from that short-lived genre, Tricky became more adventurous, more difficult to pin-down. And that has always been his joy. When he’s good, he’s great. When he’s bad, it’s disappointing but you can’t ignore him. Such was the case for his appearance at Capitol, albeit for all the wrong reasons. It would be kind to regard it as shambolic, but as the set progressed, more and more punters headed for the door either dismayed or even insulted. Tricky was completely in a headspace of his own which made for erratic coordination, often bumping into vocalist Francesca Belmont, or completely missing his microphone altogether. Sometimes thinking his voice could be carried by holding it to his heart served only to expose the omnipresence of a backing tape. On one rare occasion he did connect with where his body was, he chose to pick a verbal spat with a female punter, choosing to call her “ugly” on Valentine’s Day and insulting her alleged capability of finding a dear heart. This escalated and became quite uncomfortable viewing, culminating in physical threats from the Tricky kid to her companion. Rousing the rabble with an overlong cover of Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades (again leaving Belmont to carry the vocals) and twice pulling up a stageful of the audience to dance with him also exposed another glaring flaw: Tricky doesn’t actually do much at his own gigs. His band were pretty tight, often let down by overuse of the backing tape, but there was zero chemistry between any of the four musicians. He didn’t even bother to be on stage for the final song of the encore. The highlights, for what they were, had little or no input from Tricky – the band carried a punchy Black Steel, with Belmont more than adequately filling Martina Topley-Bird’s shoes, along with a funky Daft Punk-channeling Early Bird that provided a little encouragement. Tricky has proven time and again he can write and produce a cracking song, but sadly as a performer, he simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Props to Naik though who, although he was missed due to an unusually early start time by this V-day diner, generated a fair amount of buzz, including some from Tricky who declared himself a fan and asked Naik whether he wants to be involved in one of his new projects. At least there was someone in the venue who marked up a win this night. MAC MCNAUGHTON

THE UNTHANKS Beck’s Music Box 13/02/11 The second night of the 2011 Beck’s Music Box season brought a stripped back show to the Esplanade.

SA URDAY 19 h FEBRUARY

Catherine Traicos welcomed the early comers with an assured performance. Her guitar playing was stark but effective and her breathy, but not weak, vocals worked well with her songs. The five members of The Unthanks made their way on stage and the band sat silent as the pregnant Rachel Unthank started with an a cappella song. The set worked through a range of pleasant folk songs with a light pop arrangement based on violin, guitar and grand piano, scattered with some other mesmerising songs that showed the strength of traditional English folk songs. The Testimony Of Patience Kershaw, the lyrics taken from a 17-year-old girl working in the coalmines, was one of these, leaving everyone spellbound. Along with the humour of the Unthank sisters, the tap dancing and sing-along kept the mood light despite the demanding subject of some of the traditional folk songs. The Unthanks made full use of the intimate nature of the Box and when the quintet left the stage after a rousing encore, they’d won over a swag of fans for a return they promised for next year.

Newly formed Fremantle roots band The Dublin Jazz Aunts are making their way out of the shire with a show at the Velvet Lounge in Mt. Lawley tonight. Doors open 8pm, $5 entry. Supporting them will be The Dirty Western and BURNhabbit for a night of rockin’ rootsy good times.

HIPPITY HOPPITY African American musician/dancer Steven Mitchell is bringing smiles to the choppers of Lindy Hoppers next Thursday 24 February. He aims to keep alive the irresistible allure of Lindy Hop (the dance, aptly described by Frankie Manning as “a series of three minute romances”, enables partners to improvise rhythmically and simultaneously, providing spectacular visual accompaniment to live jazz music). Catch him at one of the few remaining large local dance halls at 228 Oxford Street, Leederville, $15 from 9pm.

MONDAY 21s february

JUK EBOX GEMS

JASON KENNY

GIGNITION Swan Basement 13/02/11 Every now and then Gignition throws up a special edition featuring a selection of the heavier artists bursting out of Perth’s rehearsal rooms and this night saw three such groups, firstly a youthful quintet ominously named On The Wings Of Bloodshed. Even if there seemed to be some nervousness on stage it was quickly dispelled as they made fine work of songs that show signs of careful, yet elaborate songwriting. Plenty of time changes and ambitiously complex arrangements made each song a journey and as they worked through a set of metal/post-hardcore infused tracks, they warmed right up, nailing the final couple of songs and finishing on high. Valmara were no less ambitious, but looked a bit further back for the kick-off point. From the get-go the urgency of ‘80s thrash and the obvious influence of Metallica, Megadeth et al. filled the room. Nothing gets a metal fan’s feet tapping and ear’s ringing like thrash metal done right, and these four guys do it right while making it all their own. A pair of brothers handle the duties on guitars and do so with savagely astute precision. Brian, on lead, tears through unrestrained and brutally aggressive solos, while Dan powers away on rhythm and snarls out the vocals with all the attitude of his forebears. The quartet even thrashed out a truly admirable, note-perfect rendition of Master Of Puppets. The next act were definitely the most surprising and it doesn’t matter how I describe them, I guess you just had to be there. Were Pregnant Priest serious? Obviously not, and even though the theatrics, hilarious rants, posturing about Satan and Oprah hate rants were entertaining, musically there wasn’t a lot to get excited about. Graphic songs about feeding Corpsiclies to school children and a cover of Turbonegro’s I Got Erection give an idea about where these guys are coming from, but they left me a little confused and I actually think that’s what they set out to do.

wednesday 23rd febrUARY

DURAN DURAN Hungry Like The Wolf One of the most commercially successful singles of the ‘80s new wave, Duran Duran’s Hungry Like The Wolf reached the top five of the charts in the band’s home country of Britain, and hit number three in the US. Even today the song still holds its own, with a balanced combination of retro keyboard sequences and a Les Paul riff that miraculously refuses to sound (too) dated. The music video also attracted a large amount of critical acclaim upon its 1982 release. Lead singer Simon LeBon stalks through the jungles of Sri Lanka in search of animalistic sex with an exotic temptress, whilst the rest of the band roam various bars and bazaars clad in luxuriant, shining white linens. Cinematic narrative at its finest. As it turns out, Le Bon was a man not averse to suffering for his art; over the course of the video’s filming he contracted a violent stomach infection from un-sanitised water and spent several days in hospital.

hursday 24 h febrUARY

You can do your own rendition of this song and more at Devilles Pad each Thursday at Jon Madd’s Rock’N’Roll Karaoke.

TRISTAN BROOMHALL

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SINGLE STORY

BONJAH

HAVING JUST RELEASED THEIR NEW SINGLE, BONJAH MEMBERS GLENN MOSSOP AND REGAN LETHBRIDGE GIVES US THE STORY OF THE WHITE LINE.

GHOST YARD Continuing the high-quality acts to have played the Fremantle Arts Centre’s free courtyard music series, The Ghost Hotel, roll into the pleasant surrounds this Sunday 20 February from 2pm. The group are known for rough and ready guitar, acoustic twang and solid pop ideals, bringing the noise and the quiet for lovers of country-flavoured indie-rock. The band also plays at The Bird on Saturday 26 February 26 with Melbourne’s JJ Symons & The Monochrome, along with local friends The Jayco Brothers and Phil Barry (The Tricks). Doors 8pm, entry $10.

Perth up’n’coming grunge-rockers Emperors had a massive 2010 and are looking to do the same in 2011 with their anticipated debut EP Sam being launched at Amplifier Saturday 19 February with Sons Of Rico, Stereoflower and BudWeezer in support, along with MC Byron Bard. Doors open 8pm, entry $12.

Regan: The music literally came out of nowhere, to be honest I hadn’t worked on that chord progression before. I just really liked the sound of this old acoustic guitar and tried and countryish strum. The whole thing felt really effortless to write, the music was actually written in five minutes tops. I knew straight away we had the structure for a really good song on our hands as the good tunes always come from nowhere, completely unforced. We played along as a group and managed to get through the song. I remember yelling out the chord changes to Dave and he just played beautifully along. Literally the second run through of the song we pushed record and that was the demo we kept, when Moz starting finding his feet with the melody, which happened extremely quickly. When this happened there was magic in the song. Even though it was in its seedling phase I knew it would make it on to the record and be a front-runner as a potential single.

Heading to our much-neglected southern regions this weekend, Still Frame Mind roll into Collie and Dunsborough this weekend to continue their SW touring of their EP, following a couple of killer shows in Albany late last year. They play the Crown Hotel in Collie Friday 18 and The Dunsborough Saturday 18 February, with Crunge Inc. supporting this leg of the tour.

WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday 23 February, Indi Bar, Scarborough; Thursday 24, Mojo’s, North Fremantle; Friday 25, Settlers Tavern, Margaret River; Saturday 26, Royal Palms Resort Hotel, Busselton; Sun 27 February, Redcliffe On The Murray, Pinjarra 42 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

The first record I bought with my own money was Michael Jackson Thriller.

The record I put on when I bring someone home is… well, when my wife and I get home we like some Ray LaMontagne. The most surprising record in my collection is Brant Bjork Gods And Goddesses, ‘cause it’s so damn good.

36 CRAZYFISTS The last thing I bought/downloaded was the entire Led Zeppelin back catalogue on iTunes. Upcoming shows: Soundwave – Monday 7 March, Venue TBA

ON THE DOWNLOAD

MINDS EYE

LAUNCH PAD

THE STROKES – UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS The Strokes kept up with the cool kids (they’re still cool, just no longer kids) by offering the first single from their new album Angles up for free download last week and while that might be over now, they have it streaming on their YouTube channel. As expected from The Strokes, it’s pretty good. Maybe not their finest hour, but it’s perfectly poppy, catchy-as-hell, a little bit gritty and while it’s not really doing anything new, it sounds like The Strokes, so that’s good. [youtube.com/user/ thestrokes]

SCREECHING WEASEL – BEGINNINGLESS VACATION

Moz: It took awhile for the words to come but basically the song is based on an observation from one particular night out. The white line, apart from the obvious, is a reference to a society that tends to continue on a path that is familiar to a person’s past, in other words sticking to what you know and ignoring the fact that there is also either side to explore. It can also be seen as the tipping point for change, and not procrastinating until it is too late and that everything is an experience.

WHAT: The White Line (Independent)

The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was Kiss Destroyer.

MUST BE DREAMING Friday 18 February at The Bakery, Like Junk presents ‘Woke Up In A Dream’ to celebrate the release of AA-side single The Snyth & Agabago. The Painkillers, Taco Leg, Hootenanny, Pex, Zeks and the Kurbist Gong Band support, plus a live multimedia performance by Like Junk and VJ Melinda Tupling.

WHO: Bonjah

WITH BROCK LINDOW, VOCALIST FROM 36 CRAZYFISTS

The record I put on when I’m really miserable is Satchel The Family.

RED EMEPERORS

Moz: The song came to life after five days of doing demos for the forthcoming record. We were at a friends place up near Mount Bulla, (Fraser Montgomery) who was engineering the demos at the time. Regan came up with the initial tone and tempo of the song on an old rusty acoustic. Sure enough, one by one each of us all joined in, Fraser hit the big red button and there was the song.

Regan: When we hit the studio with our producer Steven Schram we wanted to change the acoustic country vibe and make it a little more New York and hard edged. After playing the song through for a couple of hours in the studio under the direction of Schramy we found some cool tones, a mint tempo and got the vibe happening. We were all in one room, pretty close to each other and really focusing on being relaxed, having fun and just getting the right take. We recorded a bunch of takes, I can’t actually remember which one we picked but it was the take where you listen back even though there are imperfections in the music there is a certain vibe and magic about it. Maj then nailed his percussion in an hour or two, I went over with an electric and two acoustics and boom, the music was down. Then Moz went in and belted out such a cool vocal take. I’m pretty sure we ended up keeping the whole first or second take, he had some serious attitude in his voice and it sounded fuckin’ awesome in the control room. We flirted with the idea of harmonies, Moz and I worked some out but in the end it was decided to keep a single-voiced venom take to lead the way. We are really proud of the song, how quickly it came about and how it scrubbed up recorded. Enjoy, and one request: play it loud.

TASTE TEST

ULTRA SOUND

ULTRA SOUND Give a brief rundown of the history of your band from day to now: Ultra Sound consists of long time song writing duo Shane Johnstone and Stevie D (Formally of Atmosfear and The Kaper) with a new rhythm section featuring Allister Aherne on drums and percussion and David Cooper on bass guitar. Tell us about your release: Self-titled debut nine-track track CD. Full of melodic harmonies and catchy riffs Ultra Sound’s new self-titled album is a great listen from beginning to end. The music is best described as commercial pop-rock with track after track of carefully crafted songs ranging from the soft acoustic number Sparks Fly to the heavier industrial sounds of Obsession. How did you go about recording it? Recorded at SLAM studio’s on Pro Tools over most of 2010. Lots of late night recording and mixing sessions. Tell us about your launch party: It’s going down at the Rocket Room tomorrow night with some rocking support from our friends Aztec Suns, Sleeping Giant and Hostile Little Face. What’s next for your band? Our CD launch and rehearsing hard til then, you can also catch us at The Paddington Ale House Wednesday 16 March. WHO: Ultra Sound WHAT: Ultra Sound (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 19 February, The Rocket Room, Northbridge

Pop punk legends Screeching Weasel are back! It has been 11 years since the release of their last album Teen Punks In Heat and 25 years since their formation in Chicago. Frontman Ben Weasel is the only member of the band who has remained constant throughout, but their sound hasn’t altered all that much from the early days. Beginningless Vacation, the first taste from their new record First World Manifesto, has surfaced online courtesy of Spin and unsurprisingly it’s a feast of power chords, sickly poppy melodies and the kind of snotty delivery that only Weasel could muster up. It’s pretty slick, but that’s been Weasel’s modus operandi for ages now – important thing is it’s a whole lot of fun. Their First World Manifesto album will be out on Fat Wreck Chords in March. [spin.com/articles/exclusive-punkstandouts-screeching-weasel]

LOVE CONNECTION – HOME ON THE WAVE Melbourne’s Love Connection had a big 2010, well and truly graduating from being a little Melbourne indie outfit to a well-respected part of the national scene. The band’s few visits up north were all incredibly wellreceived and now the band have thrown a brand new track up on their MySpace (they mustn’t have got the memo that it’s dead) that gives us a bit of an indication as to where they’re heading in 2011. It’s a beautiful piece of atmospheric pop that is driven by spasmodic drums and a brightly twinkling guitar motif. There’s something awfully comforting about it. [myspace.com/ loveconnect]

SAINT SURLY – LOFI EMPORIUM Saint Surly is one of the coolest cats in Brisbane hip hop, possessing that all too rare quality that makes him appeal to the indie nerds, hip hop heads and clubber kids all at once. Okay, maybe not everyone can get behind his work, but that’s their problem. He’s just released a new beat tape for free on his website made up entirely of beats made on the E-mu SP-1200 drum machine – a piece of technology that’s close to 15-years-old. It’s a cool little sample of what the machine can do when in the hands of someone like Surly and the blunted, downbeat tracks are all well worth your time. [saintsurly.com]

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WANG ZHENG-TING

ETHNOMUSICOLOGY East meets west in a musical journey from traditional to contemporary, cross-cultural and jazz. Ethnomusicologist, Wang Zheng-Ting, will give a brief introduction to Chinese music culture prior to a performance that promotes cultural understanding between our local Chinese community and wider society. The concert combine traditional Chinese instruments with the piano, and a sampled soundscape on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 February from 8pm at Kulcha in Fremantle.

GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF

THEMUSIC TV TEAM WERE ON GROUND TO GRAB FACE TIME WITH THE BIGGEST NAMES OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL: KID KENOBI BAG RAIDERS KOOLISM SOSUEME DJS ANNA LUNOE MIKE POSNER SIDNEY SAMSON RUSKO CASSIAN YOLANDA BE COOL • SATURDAY 12TH FEB, CENTENNIAL PARK, SYDNEY • SUNDAY 13TH FEB, FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE, MELBOURNE • SATURDAY 19TH FEB, PARKLANDS SHOWGROUNDS, GOLD COAST • SUNDAY 20TH FEB, CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS, PERTH

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DOM-UNIQUE

TEN THINGS YOU DTIDN’T K NOW ABOU

The City of Subiaco presents the return of stand-out musicians, The DomNicks who will rock the socks off the Subiaco summer crowd at the sunset@subi concert on Sunday 20 February. This awesome line-up is a combination of Perth garage-rock/power-pop legend, Dom Mariani, (The Stems, DM3), and the British punk attack of Nick Sheppard (The Clash, The Cortinas). As always it’s free from 5pm, at the JH Abrahams Reserve. You can also catch Dom Mariani with his band The Rippled Souls at the Gimme Shelter concert Saturday 19 February at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

BRIDE & GROOMS Perth songbird Felicity Groom will take to the Spiegeltent Stage at Fringeworld in the Perth Cultural Centre with eight iconic Perth musicians for a very special event – ‘An Evening With Felicity Groom & Friends’ on Monday 21 February. She’ll be joined on stage by members from bands such as The Silents, The Growl, Tame Impala, Fall Electric and Goodnight Tiger, for this very special one-off show.

THE NOVOCAINES

KATIE NOONAN & THE CAPTAINS

KATIE NOONAN & THE CAPTAINS 1. Katie can burp the alphabet. 2. Guitarist Cameron Deyell is flying back from New Delhi, India for this last big national tour for the Emperor’s Box album, hopefully we will make our new album in India – oh yeah! (as long as it has a Bollywood film clip) 3. We have plans for a mini captain’s band – made up of our renegade dinosaur loving sons – Dexter and Jonah (Katie’s sons), Tana (Cameron’s son) and Otis (Declan’s son). Stu, has the fifth band member gestating in his wife’s tummy at the moment!

HOLY ROLLERS Perth rockers The Novocaines have been selected to play the prestigious 2011 SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas. To celebrate, the lads are playing Rosemount Hotel Friday 18 February. It’s a Texas Fun Raiser with support from The Joe Kings and Split Seconds – fresh after a big few weeks including festival slots and Sufjan Stevens support. Tickets through Moshtix or on the door.

SNEEKY SOUNDSYSTEM

BLUES LABEL

Remember the old times and create some great new memories as WA blues legends Sneekers reunite for a special show at the Perth Blues Club at The Charles Hotel, where they last played in May 2006. Some of Australia’s greatest bluesicians have played in the band’s ranks over the last three decades, be sure to be on hand for this rare and exciting appearance, with support from Eli Wolfe and Murder Mouse Blues Band, Tuesday 22 February. Entry $20/$10 for members.

The Blue Label series at the Perth Blues Club kicks off this week with The Urban Cowboy Band. The altcountry outfit are a six-piece group seeming to transform the lost and un-redeemed who want to rise again through the spirit of southern rock, blues and gospel. They’ll be joined by special guests Empire Blues and Random Act for the first night in the Blue Label Series, Saturday 19 February at The Charles Hotel, 8pm.

THE LOVE JUNKIES

4. Our drummer Declan Kelly has his own project – Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun – check out his releases through Vitamin Records at declankelly. com.au.

THE LOVE JUNKIES Give a brief rundown of the history of your band from day to now: The band formed mid 2009 with Mitch McDonald on guitar and vocals, Lewis Walsh on drums and Robbie Rumble on bass. It was soon after that the band met up with Corey Marriot of The Novocaines and went into the studio to record the self-titled EP. The band had a busy 2010 supporting a cream of national indie acts including Ouch! My face, The Kill Devil Hills, Numbers Radio and New Zealand’s Die! Die! Die! Now after a long wait were finally releasing this EP, and moving onto the next record. Should be an exciting 2011 for The Love Junkies.

5. Keyboardist/bassist Stu Hunter won the Bell Award for Best Australian Independent album last year – check out his two beautiful albums The Muse and The Gathering through Vitamin Records myspace.com/stuthehunter. 6. This will be the last dedicated national tour for this album, the fifth tour for this release. 7. Katie’s next music project will be back with her trio Elixir, featuring her husband Zac Hurren on saxophones and Stephen Magnusson on guitars – elixirmusictrio.com. 8. Elixir’s music is inspired by great Australian poet Thomas Shapcott and features his beautiful words set to music. They are recording in April and plan to release new music in June and the album in August.

Tell us about your release: It’s our debut, selftitled EP with five tracks. How did you go about recording it? We recorded it in a little studio in Leederville. Corey pretty much ran the decks while we put everything down and helped us to twist the right dials to sweeten it up. It was recorded at the beginning of 2010 over the course of a week.

9. Katie loves working with creators from different art forms and up next is working with the Sydney dance company (led by Rafael Bonachela) and Italian composer Ezio Bosso.

Tell us about your launch party: The launch is at The Bird on on Saturday night with special guests Sonpsilo Circus and Hootenanny. Killer line-up we thinks and it should be a cracker of a night.

10. Whilst back in Australia Cameron will also be recording with his trio – The House Of Orange – featuring Phil Stack on bass/vocals and Evan Mannell on drums (myspace.com/ houseoforangeband). WHO: Katie Noonan & The Captains WHAT: Emperor’s Box (Sony Music) WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 24 February, Ellington Jazz Club, Perth; Friday 25 February, Kings Park, Perth

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LAUNCH PAD

What’s next for your band? We’re going to be laying low whilst working on new tracks for the next set of recordings. Hopefully have something out within the next three to four months.

ERASERS

YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH This Sunday 20 February the Arts Management Student Organisation (AMSO) will launch their first event of the year in the form of Youthless. Going down at The Bird in Northbridge, this free event is comprised of live music performances and a photographic exhibition. Providing the tunes will be exciting young local artists Sam Perry, Erasers, Seams and Loose Teeth. The exhibition opens at 2pm with DJs Viv G and Zul playing til the bands start at 5pm.

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WHAT: The Love Junkies (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 19 February, The Bird, Northbridge

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MARTIAL LAW

SINGLE STORY

After recent demo sessions in Melbourne with Tom Larkin of Shihad, Arts Martial return to the Indi Bar in Scarborough this Friday 18 February. Catch some of the new and revamped material before Arts head back into the studio to record their debut album. They will be joined by the talented likes of the Trigger Jackets and young up and comers Delusions Of Grandeur. $12 from 8pm.

NINJA SCROLL Ahead of launching their debut CD Injured Nina Vs. Skylazer, Injured Ninja are organising a massive music video shoot this Saturday 19 February for upcoming single Fallopian Tube Screamer. It’s going to be an epic apocalyptic shoot and the Ninjas need you. 8am til midday at 100 Daddow Rd, Kewdale, with BBQ, DJs and drinks provided – just bring a few sets of clothes for costume changes.

THE PROLETARIATE

RELEASING THEIR LATEST SINGLE FAKING SMILES THIS WEEKEND, THE PROLETARIATE’S ADAM DWYER GIVES US THE STORY BEHIND THE SINGLE.

HAVE YOU HE ARD...?

Faking Smiles came about after a mishap between friends got blown up much beyond what it should have been. People were talking behind people’s backs, and not approaching the problem like they should have. So we went ahead and did what anyone in a band would do in that situation, we wrote an angry song. The title refers to what happens when you have to see someone you’re not happy with, you ‘fake a smile’, and keep walking. Perhaps the most confusing line in the song “next in line, take a swipe” refers to the fact that after talking to them, the person involved felt like people were lining up to get angry at them for no real reason. So friends being arseholes, people lying, backstabbing, add some good music to it and it’s a good recipe for a song.

GRIM FANDANGO

QLD FLIGHT The 5hrflight Launch happening at The Civic Den this Saturday 19 February will be donating all proceeds from the door at the QLD Flood Relief Appeal. There’ll also be a raffle containing merch from local, national and international acts (signed also) and let’s not forget the up’n’coming punk rock bands on show at this two-stage event: Grim Fandango, The Decline, From Deep Within, The F.A.I.M! Project, Silver Lizard, Varial and Mom, Dad & The Kids. $10 from 7.30pm.

HOT SHOT LIKE JUNK

LIKE JUNK Next gigs: ‘Woke Up In A Dream’ – Like Junk AA-single launch, Friday 18 February, The Bakery Your sound: Schizophrenic nursery grime.

The line-up for the launch consists of bands we’ve happily made very good friends with over our time with the band. These are Battletruk, Only Hope, Surrender, Statues and Dyatlov. We’ve even been able to make some room on another stage for our good friends’ party band Suburban & Coke, who we are very stoked to have playing between sets.

Band’s name comes from? Dr. Benway. Around since: 2007. Band’s greatest strength? Madness. Band’s worst gig ever? The time Anetta pooed on stage, because it smelt really bad – yuck! Band’s best gig ever? Sharing a bill with Brian Hooper, J.P. Shilo and Mick Harvey.

WHO: The Proletariate

Fave hangover cure? Shrieking hysterically.

WHAT: Faking Smiles (Independent/Fashion Victim Records)

Fave Perth bands playing at the moment? Mongrel Country, Moonlight Wranglers, Gizzards, Painkillers, Hootenanny, Frozen Ocean, Cat Black. Best 3 bands EVER to come out of Perth? The Scientists, The Triffids, Rolf Harris. Our ultimate groupie would be… a naked Shane McGowen riding a rabid cassowary. Any releases out? Like Junk LP (2009). Any releases on their way? The Snyth & Agabago (AA-single) and The Creature’s Voice LP (mid-2011). More info: myspace.com/likejunk.

The sound we were after was modern style hardcore with a dirty rock’n’roll tinge. Mainly this was inspired by bands like The Ghost of A Thousand, Kvelertak, Gallows, The Bronx and Cancer Bats to name a few, and continues on what we’ve been aiming to achieve these past two years. The album that the track appears on was recorded in May 2011 and we have been taking our time with the mixing and mastering to make sure the sound is exactly what we want. We recorded with Ben Morris at Ampersonic Studios in Leederville over five rainy days, which made things difficult but in some aspects set up some of the dark, angry tones and moods we were going for. We were very lucky to get some of our close friends down for the last day to help us out with a few group vocals, which can be heard on some of the other tracks on the album.

WHEN & WHERE: Friday 18 February, The Den (Civic Hotel Bandroom), Inglewood JUSTIN WALSHE FOLK MACHINE

MUSTANG MACHINE After taking their Ancient Aussie tales deep into Tasmania in January The Justin Walshe Folk Machine are making a rare appearance north of the river this Thursday 17 February at The Mustang Bar. Mitch Becker supports from 8pm and entry is free. The Machine are in cracking form and they’re looking forward to injecting some modern Aussie folk-rock in this Yankee house of sin.

NO FADS

TONIGHT ALIVE BY BEAU DAVIS

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Launching a double-A side single this Saturday night at the North Freo bowling club, The Fags will be joined by an all star line-up including Hayley Beth, Abe Sada, Brown, Pigeon, Royal Vomit, Fur Chick, The Bloody Ramblers and White Chocolate Lions. BBQ and free lawn bowls from 6pm and then The Fags launch their debut album on Saturday 2 April at Mojo’s.

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WAM UPDATE

HAVE YOU HE ARD...?

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS WITH JUSTINE THORNLEY

WAM WORKSHOPS To celebrate the launch of WAM Workshops, WAM is presenting a series of engaging and action-provoking WA masterclasses by Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR (of New York) here in Perth, February 21-23 and Margaret River February 24. Hyatt is arguably one of the music industry’s leading experts on social media and online marketing and promotion. Make the most of the opportunity to learn from and network with Hyatt at one of her upcoming WA sessions. Entry is free for WAM members who register by 5pm Friday 18 February – non-members and unregistered attendees will pay $15 or $10 concession at the door. Get to wam.asn.au/ workshops and register now.

HURRICANE FIGHTER PLANE

CATHERINE TRAICOS

CATHERINE TRAICOS Next gigs: The Beg For Love Single Tour is heading down south with a solo show at The White Star Hotel, Albany (Sunday 20 February), before a joint single launch with Simone & Girlfunlkle, Billie Rogers, and my all-star band at the Rosemount, Saturday 26 February. Your sound: To quote a review: ‘…redolent in parts of the ragged, eerie oestrogen blues of PJ Harvey or the gaunt bluegrass sonnets of Gillian Welch’. Performing solo since: I played my first show in Perth in 2002 before being too scared to play again for about two years. I finally got my band together last year (which includes former Perth musos Darren Nuttall and Tim Day from the Tucker B’s and a couple of miscreants from NSW). What instruments do you play? Vocals, guitar and piano.

PLANES, TRAINS & HURRICANES

KISS MY CAMERA 2011

Fresh from recording their debut EP, Fremantle mods Hurricane Fighter Plane headline Heatwave, this Friday night at the Norfolk Basement. The soon to be released EP will feature many upbeat power-pop tracks from their live set, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, get on down. Support from NBT finalist James Teague, indie-folk rockers The Morning Night and DJs Kavebeat and Arnold Layne. $8 from 8pm.

Presented each year as part of the WAMi Festival and in conjunction with the WA Museum, Kiss My Camera is a music photography competition that culminates in a two-month exhibition at the WA Museum, Perth. Exhibited pieces feature either a WA act or location. The exhibition and competition is a great opportunity for both emerging and established music photographers to exhibit at the WA Museum and have their work seen by thousands of museumgoers. Artists selected for the exhibition also go into the running to win the Grand Prize or Peoples Choice Award. All ages are welcome to submit works – entry is free and closes 5.00pm, Friday 4 March. For more details visit wam.asn.au/kissmycamera or contact Claire Hodgson on 9227 7962.

MEGASOUND

JUNK IN THE TRUNK

Local independent pop-rock powerhouse Ultra Sound launch their debut CD Saturday 19 February at Rocket Room. The album took a year to write and record and is full of melodic harmonies and catchy riffs. $10 from 8pm, support from Aztec Suns, super-group newcomers Sleeping Giant and and alt-punkers Hostile Little Faces. Stay after for Everlong bringing the cover tunes live, with DJ Brett Rowe on the decks.

After a packed 2010, The Love Junkies bring in the New Year by launching their self-titled debut EP which captures The Love Junkies’ balance of brutal rock and psychedelia. Saturday 19 February at The Bird with Sonpsilo Circus and Hootenanny, $10.

THAT WINTON FEELING After picking up a guitar at age 15, Harry S Winton continued studying throughout high school before successfully auditioning for the contemporary course at WAAPA. Now a major in jazz performance, you can catch Winton this Monday 21 February at the Perth Jazz Society at the Charles Hotel. He’s playing with a full band from 8pm, $15/$10 for members.

GET SOME JAZZ KULCHA One of Australia’s most widely recognised modern jazz groups, The Jamie Oehlers Quartet, known for fusing elements of jazz, drum and bass, Latin and traditional folk music, will be playing Kulcha Saturday 19 February. There they’ll create a unique sound that has been featured at festivals and in jazz clubs from New York, to London, to Europe and everywhere in between. Doors open 8pm, $15.

Acts that have inspired your sound the most? Mazzy Star, Gillian Welch, Tom Waits and Beth Orton. Your worst gig ever and why? I once played a show in Brisbane in a pub bordering an eight-lane highway at what was promised to be a “great new venue”. There was no PA to speak of and a giant TV above the “stage”. Luckily the band I was touring in support of had brought an amp with them, which I used, and there was a karaoke mic. A row of people at a counter about five feet away were staring at the television and eating their dinner noisily throughout all the performances. To be honest, in the face of adversity we all managed to get a good sound, but it was just incredibly uncomfortable. Fave hangover cure? Olives – kalamata, whole jar plus the brine. Mmmm. Fave acts playing at the moment in your home state? As I’m in living in NSW at the moment, I’m going to go for The Jezabels and Bryan Estapa. From WA — there are just so many great acts but I love Simone & Girlfunkle and Big Old Bears.

ANONIMITY

Four-piece rockers Anonimity are a four-piece that’s been together a little over a year and love all love metal and hard rock but refuse to be constrained to only these genres for their own music. They’ve been busy writing and rehearsing and will look to get some public releases out very shortly. In the meantime they play Drum’s Gignition series Sunday 20 February, $5 from 5pm.

46 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

Monday 21 February sees the 2011 launch of the Song Lounge Program at the Ellington Jazz Club. No fewer than eight singers will grace the stage on the night, giving patrons a taste of what’s in store in 2011. David Lazarus, Minky G, Georgia Mooney, Darren Forster, Prita, Siboney Doglio, Bianca Jade and Mitch Becker, take to the stage for a jam-packed night of jazzy goodness from 7.30pm.

The supersonic soundz of The Johnny Nandez Hammond Explosion hit the stage this weekend at Devilles Pad with plenty of wild instrumental dancefloor mayhem as Johnny bangs those keys and creates a non-stop ‘60s party. He’ll be joined by the Mondo Inferno DJs, Les Sataniques GoGo dancers and Vintage Reds live on stage. Catch him Friday 18 and Saturday 19 February, $10 after 8pm, free before.

Your ultimate groupie would be… Shaun Micallef.

More info: catherinetraicos.com, myspace.com/ catherinetraicos

LOUNGE LIZARDS

NANDEZ CHICKEN

Your day job? Being a musician is my main job, but I do on occasion sell make-up and fragrance to people who don’t know any better.

Any releases on their way? My new LP The Love Inside will be out on vinyl (as well as all the other ways) via An Ocean Awaits Records/Fuse in July. I can’t wait for people to hear it.

“You’ve gotta be business savvy really, or else you get the piss taken out of you.” – Melanie B, (Spice Girls). Helping local musicians develop useful business skills is the West Australian Music Industry Association - a not for profit, membership based association, existing to develop the WA contemporary music industry. If you’re involved in the music industry in any way shape or form, your membership helps us help you and the local industry grow through events, competitions, workshops and industry advocacy. Membership starts from just $30, including the 4-disc Kiss My WAMi CD/DVD compilation, plus discounts from retailers and industry service providers. Visit wam.asn.au or call 9227 7962 (WA Regional Toll-free 1800 007 962) and join today.

GIGNTIONIMITY

Best 3 acts EVER to come out of Perth? The Holy Sea (that’s why I had half of them playing on my last album), The Tucker B’s (that’s why I have half of them playing in my band) and The Tigers (unfortunately they are too tightly knit for me to steal any of them).

Any releases out? Two albums – Gone (2008) and The Amazing (2009); Beg For Love single out now.

WHAT CAN WAM DO FOR YOU?

OLIVIA NEWTON JAMIE CAVEFIRE CINEMA

CAVEFIRE CINEMA CLUB Local four-piece Cavefire Cinema will be launching their debut album this Saturday 19 February at Mojo’s. With support from Project Mayhem and The Smiling Assassins, this will be a cracking night. The album is entitled Discipline and is available now. Entry to the launch is $15 or $20 with a copy of the CD. The bands kick off at 9pm and for all those looking to boogie afterwards a DJ will be be bringing the d’n’b to finish the night til 1am.

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Friday 18 February from 8pm multi-award winning artists Victoria Newton and Jamie Oehlers unite for an exciting concert featuring innovative arrangements of jazz repertoire at the Ellington Jazz Club. This sublime combination will showcase the talents of two of Perth’s finest musical exports and are sure to delight and inspire. Afterwards catch Amanda Dee’s Late Night Groove Tribute To Soulful Superwomen & Duets, 11.30pm.

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 47

LIVE

17 - 23 FEBRUARY 2011 live@drumperth.com.au

MC BOOTH

JAZZ CHILL-OUT For a special night paying tribute to Massive Attack, Moloko, Morcheeba and Portishead head to the Ellington Jazz Club tonight, Thursday 17 February. Riyanna Harman, Georgia Mooney and Melody Whittle will be performing the music of these diverse and creative bands. They’re joined by James Sandon (drums), Mat Bell (bass), Hans Fiance (guitar), Graham Wood (keys) and Satish K on percussion from 8pm.

SUNSHINE & DILIPOPS Fremantle’s best outdoors Sunday sessions continue over February and March with local dub royalty The Sunshine Brothers. Following a series of huge crowds at the Bob Marley birthday and the The Brow support events in the last few weeks, this weekends session heralds the return of Freo’s favourite reggae/funk dance band – Dilip N The Davs. For an idyllic outdoor Sunday sesh, best catch this show at the Railway Hotel, North Fremantle, $10 from 6pm.

GOOD LITTLE PANDA BLACK POET

BLACK POET Daytime name: Paul Callow. From: Geraldton, WA. How did you get your MC name? It comes from my Aboriginal culture/heritage. My aboriginal name is Marru Juma, which means Black writer/ artist. What you rhyme to... Anything and everything. Ya style? Positive hip hop for all generations and nationalities to relate to. What residencies do you have/crews do you belong to? Green Gross Productions, Black Majik, The Gathering. Career highlight: Winning the 2009 West Australian Music Awards Indigenous Category and recently winning the Good Vibes rising competition that will see me play at Good Vibrations 2011. First time MCing out, and what was most memorable for you? The response from the crowd was amazing at the Too Solid Music Festival 2010, everyone started dancing and singing when I hit the stage. Fave MCs and why? 2-Pac – Story telling and his leadership; Ice Cube, because he keeps it real; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony with straight fire; Suffa and Pressure from Hilltop Hoods – mad syllables; Downsyde – West Oz pioneers; and Chuck D – political views. Fave producers and why? Andrew Wright at Gold Dust Constructions, because both of us together are unstoppable; Lofty Beats, straight dopeness; Dr Dre, pioneer; and Timbaland, all skill. Best MCing session by a Perth talent and why? Hunter & Disaster – stage presence was off the hook. Funniest thing you’ve done when up on stage? Avoid my brother boy Moon, when he crashed the stage after a few too many. You MC like a… force of nature – unstoppable. In 2010 music will be… loved, liked, cherished and bring out all emotions. Perth club/dance/hip hop scene need more or less of? More gigs for the up and comers and more local artists performing at major gigs. Weirdest thing you’ve seen at a show/in a nightclub? A mosh pit and a boxing match on the dancefloor whilst performing. Best all time gig? 2010 Perth Naidoc Ball, the only act to get Norelda Jacobs dancing. Worst dummy spit on the mic? It never happens… I can hold my own. Funniest record you’ve ever MCed over? Slim Dusty Gunnamalla Fulla. How much is freestyled, how much is memorised? Most memorised, but if I forget I freestyle and only two people notice; my lady and my DeeJay. Worst MC performance you’ve ever seen? Princess & Flowers, Verses, PM and Baxter. In real life you: are a family man, mentor, leader, role model and a down-to-earth well reserved person. Production releases: Debut Album – Black Poetry. Unsigned, but have had offers, just weighing the pros and cons. More info? myspace.com/blackpoet, Facebook and triple j Unearthed. WHEN & WHERE: Good Vibrations – Sunday 20 February, Claremont Showgrounds 48 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

After a quiet period in recent times The Panda Band are getting back on the touring wagon, first stop: Good Vibrations this Sunday 20 February. You can catch them on the ‘Mr J’ Stage at 12.50pm where they’ll be playing all new tracks for their upcoming album and also debuting a new band member on drums.

TASTE TEST WITH COHEED & CAMBRIA GUITARIST TRAVIS STEVER The best record I stole from my folks’ collection was Black Sabbath’s first album. Funnily enough it was my mom’s, and if you met her you would never think she would have that record. But she did and she even saw them live around the time that record was released. As a kid I would always be freaked out by the witchy chick on the cover and one day I decided to stop staring at the cover and pop it on the turntable. I was hooked.

COHEED & CAMBRIA

The first record I bought with my own money was Iron Maiden Somewhere In Time.

had any sex records. I don’t need a soundtrack for fuckin’.

The record I put on when I’m really miserable is… I tend to become more creative with my own music when I am feeling misery or any other emotion at extreme levels. As for listening to someone else, I don’t tend to listen to music when I’m miserable. I just stew in it.

The most surprising record in my collection is… Bob and Doug McKenzie’s Great White North. Actually if you knew me it would be no surprise, but if anyone puts my iPod on shuffle they are up for some surprises.

The record I put on when I bring someone home is… bring someone home? First off I’m married, and before that I was no Casanova, but either way I never

The last thing I bought/downloaded was Cee Lo Green Lady Killer. Upcoming shows: Soundwave, Monday 7 March, Venue TBC

BILLBOARD TASTEMSAKER TOP 10 ALBUM 1. Kiss Each Other Clean IRON & WINE 2. The King Is Dead THE DECEMBERISTS 3. Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes SOCIAL DISTORTION 4. Pink Friday NICKI MINAJ 5. Brothers THE BLACK KEYS 6. Live Forever: September 23, 1980 * Stanley Theater * Pittsburgh, PA BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS 7. Sigh No More MUMFORD & SONS 8. Low Country Blues GREGG ALLMAN

ADRIAN WILSON & BESIDE LIGHT

9. The Party Ain’t Over WANDA JACKSON

SEE THE LIGHT Celebrating the launch of their debut single Hold On, Adrian Wilson & Beside Light will be rocking Devilles Pad Tuesday 22 February for a week night party to remember. The Sugar Blue Burlesque ladies will also be performing and DJ Eddie Electric will spin the tunes following their set. The group have a showcase at Canada Music Week coming up, and will be taking this chance to introduce themselves in their home time before they head off.

10. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy KANYE WEST

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Proudly supporting the local music scene

CD LAUNCHES and PRIVATE HIRE

WILL STOKER & THE EMBERS

FOUR TO THE FLOOR A new event at The Artrage Bakery is bringing four exhibiting artists (with works for sale) and four music acts together for a night of enriching culture. The first of many ‘Four By Four’ events is going down Friday 19 February featuring Will Stoker & The Embers, The Spitfires, Sugarpuss and Sam Perry bringing the tunes with DJ Likely Lads spinning music in between. The artist works come from David Collins, Matt de Koning, Allex Stelja and Paul, Michael & Liam. $12 pre-sale or $15 on the door from 8pm.

We are always looking for new up and coming bands and DJ’s send your demo’s or requests to: info@ya-yas.com.au

CCR REVIVED Saturday 19 February at The Indi Bar Proud Mary roll in to provide a night of authentically recreated Credence Clearwater Revival tunes. Featuring the internationally renowned ex-rhythm section from the ‘90s platinum recording act the Baby Animals, and with the front line being two of WA’s most talented young musicians, this band is rapidly gathering momentum as the country’s best CCR tribute and live act generally. Doors open 8pm.

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147 James St. Northbridge (Cnr of Lake & James St )

PHOEBE CORKE MANAGEMENT PRESENTS:

TOBY with

Hussy Hicks &

The Fancy Brothers

Saturday 26th February The Fly By Night, Fremantle Tickets $25 + bf in advance from www.flybynight.org and KUL KUL, 435 Hay Street,Subiaco $30 on door if available. Doors open: 8.00pm

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17 FEBRUARY

2011

FLOORED DE LA SOUL @ METRO CITY

DE LA SOUL BY DREW METTAM

12/02/11 Highly influential New York hip hop legends De La Soul are no strangers to Perth shores. For years they have blessed our hip hop community with their larger-than-life presence and engaging live shows; and Saturday night was no different. Considering the group’s socially conscious lyrics and jazz influenced beats, it seemed particularly odd that the promoters chose local lad Xzakt to support. Xzakt didn’t do a bad job, but his style and sound in no way complimented De La Soul’s; his set didn’t connect with the early crowd and hardly raised a cheer. The next support slot went to New York DJ and producer Prince Paul, who introduced himself as the producer of the De La Soul Is Dead album. Prince Paul immediately got the punters vocal and dancing as he dropped classics such as Jackson 5’s I Want You Back, They Reminisce Over You by Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Tiger Style by Wu-Tang Clan. De La Soul came out shortly after and played Potholes In My Lawn, however the lyrics were almost inaudible at times due to a poor job from the soundman. About a quarter of the way into their set the group stopped, and made sure the Perth crowd remembered the life of one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time; J Dilla. They then dropped the J Dilla-produced track Stakes Is High to a massive cheer from an unusually small looking crowd. De La Soul were visibly stunned at the lack of crowd participation for the majority of their set, so they proceeded to engage in a call and response until everybody in the building was “making noise”. The trio played Saturday, and then after a “De La Soul” encore-chant, played crowd favourite Ring Ring Ring. It was a little disappointing to see the venue half full and have poor sound quality for the evening, however De La Soul put on an amazing live show and really got the most out of the bland crowd. The New York group truly represents hip hop in its purest and finest form, it was just a shame to see them without the crowd they deserved. ROB BROWNE

MEL B YOUR STYLE? Big room house. WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKY TODAY? Some bangin’ loops and a grimy bass shake. WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE? For production – a family of Macs, Logic and just started with Ableton – and liking it. My studio has a few vintage pieces such as my Nord Lead. DJing – Love the pioneer CDJ2000s and if it was up to me I’d go for an Allen & Heath Mixer – love the sound. YOUR FIRST OFFICIAL DJ SET? Hmmm… Earthdance… I think it was 2002 down south in Injidup between Margaret River and Yallingup. Awesome first gig – back when I used to play vinyl and dirty breaks. Some Tibetan monks in their orange robes even made an appearance in the early hours of the morning. BEST DJ IN PERTH: So much talent to name just one – always have a rockin’ time with the Limelite crew. We have found some amazing new talent through our ‘Into The Limelite’ DJ comps. I think it’s really important to foster up’n’coming talent in the industry because it keeps it fresh and alive.

PHOTO BY ELLE BORGWARD WHAT DO YOU DO IN REAL LIFE? Creative Director/Marketing Manager at Limelite HQ – works well with DJing. THE BEST TRACK THAT NEVER FAILS ON THE DANCEFLOOR? At the moment would have to be Afrojack feat. Eva Simons – Take Over Control. MUSICAL INSPIRATIONS? Laidback Luke – his skills as a DJ are beyond words and I’m seriously thinking about buying some in-ear monitors after watching his set on stage and in the studio. Deadmau5’s at the top of his game for a reason and can’t wait for Creamfields 2011 to see his live show. WHAT DO YOUR FOLKS THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO: They like it a hell of a lot more than my last job… FAVE SET YOU’VE EVER PLAYED? Laidback Luke, Australia Day at Salt On The Beach 2010 – Sun setting, crowd starting to get amped for the awesomeness of Laidback Luke – best gig ever. WHAT CREWS/NIGHTS DO YOU BELONG TO/PUT ON? I’ve pretty much been a part of Limelite since

the beginning. We are also partners with Stereosonic, Creamfields and Club Paradiso…stay tuned ‘cause 2011 will be even bigger. ANY RELEASES OUT, OR IN THE PIPELINE? Been working in the studio on a collaboration with some like-minded producers and we were lucky enough to have Laidback Luke join us when he was here for Australia Day. BEST PLACE IN PERTH TO: A) ROCK OUT: If the Limelite crew has something to do with it, you know its going to rock. B) CHILL OUT: Love Clarence’s in Mt. Lawley. C) PASS OUT: Can’t beat my bed and my feather pillows. D) PICK UP AND GET OUT: Club Paradiso NYD – hot crowd – but I was working. GIGS YOU HAVE COMING UP: Limelite – Friday 18 February, Metropolis Fremantle; Broken Summer – Saturday 19, Broken Hill Hotel; Razar feat. Aston Shuffle & Mowgli – Friday 25 February; Limelite Fourth Birthday feat. Calvin Harris – Friday 11 March, Metropolis Fremantle; and Creamfields 2011 – Saturday 23 April, Claremont Showgrounds.

CUTTERS RECORDS PARTY @ VILLA 12/02/11 After a last minute change to ‘Official’ after party, Villa became the place to be following the awesomeness that was St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival. Billed with the thankless task of opening the night two hours before the festival itself actually finished, the Bastian’s Happy Flight’s Will Slade threw down plenty of discoboogie tunes to early arrivals, complimented by live saxophone. A line-up switcheroo then saw Nile Delta keep the smooth vibes going, although his interest levels so early weren’t of the highest order. The first artists from the festival rocked up, and Foals took over the now slowly filling dancefloor. The last time Edwin was here for a DJ set it was of the more indie-electro

variety, and while he tried to keep in the disco theme for the night, you got the feeling the slower-bpm stuff isn’t his favoured genre. The !!! crew then took the reigns with more aplomb, ramping things up a little with some more upbeat housier gear, something Les Savy Fav frontman and general crazy bastard Tim Harrington clearly enjoyed with some caterpillar-action going down. It was then over to hosts for the night, Dan & Tim from Cut Copy, and the duo were clearly in a festive mood, opting for a funkier set with more straight-up disco stuff, along with some of their own tracks, which were appreciated by the busiest dancefloor of the night. Das Moth finished out the night with some more up-beat house, but by that stage most were doneand-dusted, happy to go home after a long and excellent day of highquality tunes. TROY MUTTON

BIRTHDAY BOOTY AMBAR CELEBRATES THEIR TENTH BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK – NO MEAN FEAT! THE GANG GOES THROUGH A FEW MEMORIES. What’s happened with the club since your last birthday? We’ve signed a ten year lease, so you can expect to be entertained Ambarstyle for at least the next decade. What do you put the success of your club down to? Consistent music, consistent programming and an excellent culture derived from a dedicated support base. Has any one ever worn their birthday suit in your club? Not inside the club, but at the back gate (all captured on CCTV). What’s the weirdest thing in the last year you’ve found when the lights have come on? A pair of super sized ladies underwear. If your club was a stripper, what would your stage name be and why? Wristy: you’ll always leave with a happy ending. Who takes the cake for the best/ craziest set in your club in the last

year? James Zabiela. For all those who went that night, they got an up close and personal experience of the young Jedi – seeing first-hand what someone so skilled can do with a set of turntables. What’s the thing you’re most proud of that your club’s contributed to the music scene in the last year? The Fresh Produce nights. Ambar is such a hard club to break into, so this gives the new crop of talent an open door to Perth’s premier room. What gigs have you got coming up? boomtick.com.au has our long and extensive list for you to check out. What sort of celebration is in order? We’ve got Lady Waks from Russia with love. Ambar will be dressed to impress with some sweet giveaways – plus it’s the chance for our Ambarian crew to sign up for their Ambar Loyalty cards. WHEN & WHERE: Friday 18 February, Ambar, Perth

LADY WAKS

HIP HOP’S NOT DEAD AFTER FINALLY PINNING DOWN THE ELUSIVE MC BORN NASIR BIN OLU DARA JONES, RIP NICHOLSON AND NAS DISCUSS HIS LEGACY AND THE JOURNEY HE TOOK WITH DAMIAN MARLEY ON A PILGRIMAGE TO JAMAICA WHILE MAKING THE COLLABORATIVE ALBUM, WHICH TREKS THE ROOTS OF MUSIC AND LIFE ITSELF. Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones was discovered in 1991 by MC Serch (3rd Bass) and released Illmatic in 1994 – his debut album, which in the future would become heralded the Greatest Of All Time. Twenty years on and Jones is always found in further discovery of his cultural roots – roots that led him out to Jamaica and the Kingston yards that exported the godfather Kool Herc and the late reggae icon Bob Marley. In 2005 Nas and Damian Marley threaded their fibrous genes on the Road To Zion record for three-time Grammy winner Marley’s third LP Welcome To Jamrock – a hybrid strain of new era Trenchtown reggae and hip hop. A journey to rekindling that fire culminated in the long-awaited and much-speculated 2010 long-player Distant Relatives, a QB-meetsJamrock polymer is so well-spun it bonds together the origins of hip hop and it’s culture in perfect transfer. Where Hip Hop Is Dead’s title track paid homage to the first record spun at a Kool Herc jam, Escobar Caeser has returned to reinforce the cultural bindings of hip hop once again. After Road To Zion came out, was the reaction to make an album

NAS

together? I think it was we just liked each other’s work and we wanted to do a record. This is some time later, it wasn’t right then like ‘I wanna do a record’. It was an evolving process and later we got together to do the record. How was it travelling back with Damian to his hometown? Did you get the Marley family experience, meet everyone, learn the history of reggae? Yeah, I learned a whole lot. I learned a whole lot about Bob and what his life was like in Jamaica and growing up in Trenchtown. I’ve been to the house where he lived and recorded music and you know, got to experience what Kingston, Jamaica is like. And the culture. I got a chance to see some of Bob Marley’s belongings in a museum and his guitar, his clothes, where he slept. He was just a great story that some of the family members would tell about their father and the huge impact he had worldwide, coming from a small island, you know? Is there much history in Kingston of Kool Herc and the yard parties and toasting that brought about

PAUL MASTER

FILLING DANCEFLOOR GAPS

SLS

the first steps of hip hop? We talked about the connection, and while working on the project it’s very interesting that the godfather of hip hop is a Jamaican who came to New York City. There was a lot of talk about that and I found that a really beautiful part of the connection between hip hop and reggae. And it was one of the great reasons we felt good about doing this album basically. Most of your records are black history month – as well it should be, a tool of education – how far off are some of the teachings you rap on Distant Relatives to being classroom literature? I think it’s a part of something bigger, I think it may be helpful in some ways but it’s coming from a dude that’s from the street, it’s coming from a dude who has his own opinion also. So I’m not the best teacher, I can’t even say I’m that good of a teacher. I just say what I feel – based on facts but still my opinion of the matter is still woven in there. So I think it’s a cool beginning to a lesson, but it’s not everything that they need, it’s just the beginning. Will we get any Illmatic classics, any Jamrock joints from D on your Australian shows? Oh yeah, we do our thing! We do everything. Me and D we do our thing, yes. We do our album together, we do solo records, we just make it a party on stage. WHO: Nas & Damian Marley WHEN & WHERE: Good Vibrations – Sunday 20 February, Claremont Showgrounds

FRESH PRODUCE @ AMBAR

DE LA SOUL @ METRO CITY

LAUNCHING THIS WEEKEND WITH THE UNBEATABLE PAIRING OF BUKEM & CONRAD, MULLER GIVES THE LOWDOWN ON HIS NEW NIGHT MIND THE GAP. What’s the concept for the night? A forward thinking collective dedicated to delivering a panoramic musical vision to an already thriving drum’n’bass culture. With drum’n’bass and dubstep branching into some very heavy sub-genres these days, do you see now as being the time for the more jazzy and soulful sides of d’n’b to make a comeback? Absolutely! Not only drum’n’bass, but I think music in general these days can come across as a bit flimsy and preconceived with people caught up in perfecting their image rather than solidifying a product which will stand the test of time... I guess my inspiration for starting the night came a lot from my own experiences as a DJ. I’ve always tried to integrate a few, what would be considered, ‘left of centre’ tunes into my sets and received really positive feedback from punters and peers alike, so I felt there was a gap in the market which we could slide into nicely without treading on any toes! LTJ Bukem has long been the master of such sounds – what is it about him that you think keeps people still coming back for more? I guess for so many people outside of the devoted core, his music appeals on so many levels. He has stuck to his guns and gone against the grain for so many years to great success. The man is an absolute perfectionist and his working

LTJ BUKEM

relationship with Conrad has got to be one of the most solid pairings in the game. How often will Mind The Gap be happening and what other acts or themed nights have you on the radar? We will be roughly working around a monthly basis, including a big two room event happening at Shape on Friday 25 March featuring some of Perth’s smoothest selectors

upstairs and a great selection of original soul, funk and disco sounds downstairs. There’s even a rumoured b-boy demo taking place. Ladies and gentlemen, we ask you to mind the gap... WHEN & WHERE: Mind The Gap Launch – Friday 18 February, Shape, East Perth

LIMELITE – NU SKOOL RULZ @ METROPOLIS FREMANTLE

DEATH DISCO @ CAPITOL

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WEEKEND @ MINT

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 51

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2011 THURSDAY 17/2 ANTON MAZ

BASS CULTURE @ NEWPORT A brand new free monthly club night dedicated to heavy, heavy bass music. Your host and resident DJ will be Anton Maz who’s turning his attention to all things bass now, with a fresh mix of the old and the new. Free from 8pm. HAEZER

HAEZER @ FLAWLESS Bangin’ beats at Perth’s newest club, Flawless. South Africa’s Haezer will be supported by New Noize, Time Travel Agent, Mr. Ed and MUV. Entry free to kick off the first of some big Thursday nights in Subiaco.

DANCEFLOOR OF THE WEEK CARIBOU & FOUR TET @ BECK’S MUSIC BOX

The Perth Festival officially kicked off last week, which means Beck’s Music Box has now taken over most musically tasteful people’s lives. For many the beat awesomeness begins with the special double-header of Caribou and Four Tet on Saturday 19 February. Both acts released stellar albums last year and this show has easily been the most anticipated of our short year. Caribou a.k.a Dan Snaith’s 2010 LP Swim announced him to a much larger audience thanks to a sound that is instantly more accessible than his previous works, yet no less genius or enjoyable. Likewise Four Tet, a.k.a Kieran Hebden’s early 2010 album There Is Love In You saw him also garner more attention throughout the world, TILIY easily surpassing his previous efforts in terms of chart positions and radio play. These two artists are at the top of the game right now, making this Drum Media-presented show a must for lovers of quality beats/electronica – a fact proven merely by the show having sold out a good couple of months ago. The {Move} gang have you covered for the free after party from 10pm.

(Illegal Cargo Records) with support from DL resident DJs CEE, and Adam Kelly. Entry $10, 6 til 11pm.

NJE @ ROCKET ROOM

The local crown prince of electro showmanship Tomas Ford spins tunes and general craziness in the garden. Free from 8pm.

Tonight NJE celebrates the release of his latest release, Life’s Scripturez, with live musicians. He’ll be supported by MC Red, Complete, Students Of Scripture and Knew Eyes from the UK, from 8pm.

PUNCH @ MANHATTAN’S

FUSS @ CONTACIOS

PLEASUREDOME @ ROSEMOUNT

The lost fashion and style of 1970s tennis clubs is returning with Punch! The Brow Horn Orchestra’s Ndorse will be DJing with other guest Hornsters. Dress in white for cheap drinks – the tighter the shorts, the cheaper the drink. $5 from 7pm.

CULTURE CLASH @ NEWPORT This week Culture Clash sees the Extended Play DJs hitting the decks from 8pm til midnight. Free entry.

FRIDAY 18/2 MC CONRAD

Bringing you the best in indie-rock, pop, dance and electro every Friday with tunes from the likes of Crystal Castles, The Drums, Tame Impala, The Rapture and Cut Copy courtesy of Perth’s finest indie-dance DJs.

VOLTAIRE TWINS @ BECK’S MUSIC BOX

Mind The Gap are kick-starting their presence on the d’n’b scene and they’ve invited none other than LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad over from the UK to show us what they’re all about. Local support comes in the form of Sardi, Mercenary and P Sharp. $25 from shapebar.com.au.

KING TITO’S DD@EAST END BAR King Tito is throwing a back to school Dirty Disco special featuring western suburbs wunderkinds Scenic live, plus Perthquake DJs, Bastian’s Happy Flight (DJ Set), Cooker, Sparklehaus, Relms, Odim, Joe Macc and the Tito’s debut of DJ Kez.

B’DAY – LADY WAKS @ AMBAR Another birthday approaches for Ambar and to help celebrate they’ve invited the First Lady of breaks, Lady Waks. The best thing to come out of Russia since Smirnoff and the driving force behind ‘In Beats We Trust’. Support from Tee El, Ben Mac, Blend, Micah and Mono Lisa for only $15.

DAVE MILLER @ DOUBLE LUCKY Full Circle and Double Lucky present an exclusive three-hour set from Perth DJ/Producer Dave Miller 52 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

hits; Sneakhouse will see electro and from Maxwell, Kastel and Paul Scott; and Sneakyfunk discos to Adroc and Dazz K.

PINEAPPLE LOUNGE @ VELVET LOUNGE

CHALLENGER READY? @ AMBAR

Providing tunes at the next edition of Nu Skool Rulz will be Jus Haus?, the Props Box lads, Pearly White-man Mo Fly, Zelimir and Mel B. 9.30pm, $10.

Packed with more punch than Ryu, Challenger Ready? is back in a birthday suit for some Ambar celebrations. Featuring DNGRFLD vs Marty McFly, Rikache vs Oli, Dead Easy vs Micah, Bulk China vs Philly Blunt and Bob Noceros vs Blend, entry is $12/8.

The only night dedicated to the ladies of the dance music scene, focusing on a good atmosphere, great beats and lots of ladies with DJs Simone Tempone, Pushpaw, Lizness, Carla and Jewel – free entry all night from 10pm.

UPTOWN TOP RANKIN@BAR 138 For everyone who loves their dancehall inna uptown style, get down for a great vibe, mad dancing, nice price drinks, and some of the best tunes from dancehall artists courtesy of The Empressions and DJ Tutomath with guests, free 8pm til midnight.

PURE POP @ AMPLIFIER Eddie Electric spins indie classics and alternative sounds. $10 from midnight.

SCOSSA @ GEISHA

DEATH DISCO @ CAPITOL

Fat and broken, electro-glam-discowonky house mayhem packed full of heavy breathing and naughty stompin’ genre bustin’ robot lovers with Mario Taveli, Jus Haus?, Dave Hanks, Peter May and Flex, $15 from 11pm.

Indie dance and disco banging from the best in such a biz – Death Disco DJs, plus DJ Ryan spinning ‘80s indie classics upstairs. $10 entry.

CLUB RETRO @ MINT Chris McPhee and guests unleash ‘80s/‘90s party hits and retro classics each Friday at Club Retro. Free before 10pm or $10/5 thereafter.

FRIDAYS @ AMPLIFIER Jamie Mac has all your indie needs covered from midnight til late.

SNEAKY @ THE LIBRARY The Sneakypop room see DJs Angry Buda, Headayke, Moe Steez and Master Dash play pop and party

LOFT @ GEISHA The coolest indie and alternative music jam packed into four wee small hours from 8pm til 12 am. Tonight is all about the Bowie, so Let’s Dance! $5 before 9pm, $10 after.

MONDAY 21/2 MIAMI HORROR

POP LIFE @ MINT House, electro, dance, retro, R&B and Top 40 from DJ Darren Briais. Free before midnight for Pop Life, $5 before 12am, $10 thereafter.

SATURDAYS @ TIGER LILS DJs Adam Kelly and Charlie Bucket drop house, funk, soul, breaks and beyond. Free entry.

SUNDAY 20/2

UPCOMING TOURS & EVENTS ASTON SHUFFLE, MOWGLI @ METRO FREO Limelite’s dark and twisted brother Razar is preparing for another night of misbehaviour with the help of Aussie nu-ravers The Aston Shuffle and Italian tech-houser Mowgli. The Shuffle lads are a force to be reckoned with, smashing it out all over the world and dominating the 2010 ITM50 poll as Australia’s #1 DJs. $20 on the door, $15 on a guestlist before 11pm.

BOOMBOX BOAT PARTY @ BARRACK ST BoomBox Old Skool Boat Parties bring the second journey, taking you back a few fine years for a night of funky house delights with Sirius B, Chiari, Nathan Francis and Aaron Richards. Tickets from the DJs, Moshtix and the usuals. Friday 25 February at Barrack St Jetty.

JUGGERS DJS @ VARIOUS Midnight Juggernauts are back for a series of cosmic boogie DJ sets. Get your dance on Thursday 24 February at Newport Hotel; Friday 25 at Bar 120, Hillarys Boat Harbour; and Saturday 26 February at Players Bar in Mandurah. Tix through Heatseeker.

PLANET ASIA & COPYWRITE @ ROSEMOUNT

MIAMI HORROR @ PARAMOUNT

LIMELITE @ METRO FREO

BABY BEATS @ SHAPE

Get Wet returns for more chillaxing Sunday afternoon beats from 5pm with residents dishing out dubstep, hip hop and drum’n’bass, all for free. Angry Buda, Ylem and Mash are your sonic hosts for the day.

COTTONMOUTH

The summer-shine dance party lights up the music box, with performances by Voltaire Twins, Dressed As A Grrl and Rex Monsoon. Doors at 10pm, free entry.

Join the Mondo Inferno DJs as they spin the grooviest vintage dancefloor grooves plus live music, roaming magic and ‘60s A GoGo with the Les Sataniques. Doors open 5pm, $10 after 8pm.

GET WET @ ROSEMOUNT

SATURDAY 19/2

Pineapple Lounge celebrates their first birthday with another eclectic bunch of beat-masters featuring the UK’s Cottonmouth, Lo-Key-Fu, D.Y.P, Pineapple Collected and VJ Shoes & Socks. Free from 8pm.

FRIDAY @ DEVILLES

LTJ BUKEM @ SHAPE

FOURTET

years, Good Vibrations is headlined by French pop geniuses Phoenix, legendary UK dance outfit Faithless and DJ/producer extraordinaire Sasha. Nas & Damian Marley, Cee Lo Green, Kelis, Ludacris and Erykah Badu. Add The Ting Tings, Friendly Fires, Miike Snow, Fake Blood, Rusko, Sidney Samson, Janelle Monae, Mike Posner, Yolanda Be Cool, Koolism, Kill The Noise, Fenech-Soler, Tim & Jean plus Bag Radiers, Fat Freddys Drop, Agent 86, Spenda C, Samrai and Nick Findlay, you’ve got yourself something to seriously look forward to! Tickets $144 plus BF from www. gvf.com.au, Live and 78s.

Carlton Dry’s Thank God It’s Monday industry nights return with a new venue and new act to give all the weekend workers out there something to look forward to. Monday features Melbourne indiedisco fiends Miami Horror. Track it down on Facebook for full info and to get your name on the list for free.

WEDNESDAY 23/2 VANDALISM

Californian underground MC Planet Asia teams up with fellow hip hop purveyor Copywrite for an Australian tour showcasing their fine talent and lyrical expertise. Support from Laylah, Dazastah and Complete plus DJs Armee and Lstreet. Tickets for this Drum Media-presented event through Moshtix or mistrustmusic. com.au.

MICKEY AVALON @ VILLA Following three successive sold-out east coast tours since 2007, LA’s Mickey Avalon is fast becoming a regular visitor down under. This time though, the controversial rap/rocker is pleased to confirm his first ever visit to Perth, playing Villa Thursday 3 March. His unique and edgy rhyming style about sex, drugs and a crazy life have been featured in several films and television shows, and he’s currently working on a new album.

CALVIN HARRIS @ METRO FREO VANDALISM @ NEWPORT Electro/house demigod Andy Van with his partner, sexy songbird Cassie Van, comprise Australian grown spectacle Vandalism. Before they head overseas, they’re bringing their in-your-face performance to the Newport for free, with DJs Tom and Chad in support.

CENSORED @ FLAWLESS With the night being labelled appropriately we are not going to reveal too much! Featuring quality headliners plus Perth locals Perth locals Yon Jovi, JMC, Alex Tate and Rob Morgan playing a mix of house along with some d-floor hip thrusts.

WING IT @ METRO FREO Now that summer is in full swing, Metro Freo have a new mid-week party bringing nothing but quality beats and Perth’s finest DJs each and every Wednesday. House, funk, disco, electro, indie, tech, breaks, mashups and bootlegs pump through the speakers with cocktails and shish pipes flowing all night.

STUDENT NIGHT @ ROSEMOUNT DJ Shannon Fox brings you postpunk, indie-pop, rock and electro goodies in the courtyard. Free entry.

GOOD VIBRATIONS @ CLAREMONT SHOWGROUNDS Returning with its best line-up in

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To celebrate Limelite at Metropolis Fremantle’s Fourth Birthday they’ve arranged a massive special guest to blow out the birthday candles; Calvin Harris will be throwing down a big room DJ set whilst on a little break from his support slots with Rihanna. After deciding to call it quits on the whole live aspect of the Harris experience, he’s turned his attention to DJing. Anyone who caught him at Stereosonic last year will attest to good times. Support from Zelimir, Mind Electric, Jus Haus? and Mel B, Friday 11 March.

GROOVIN’ THE MOO @ HAY PARK BUNBURY Last year the first ever WA version of GTM was a roaring success. This year is set to be no different, with a stellar line-up featuring UK electronica act UNKLE (Live); hip hoppers House Of Pain; Brit-poppers The Wombats; US surf-rock outfit The Drums; pop-rocker Darwin Deez; computer camp lovers Datarock; New York’s AC Slater and The Go! Team. There’s also the Aussie contingent featuring Architecture In Helsinki, Art Vs Science, The Aston Shuffle, Birds Of Tokyo, Bliss N Eso, Cut Copy, Drapht, Gotye, Gyroscope, The Holidays, Horrorshow, Nina Las Vegas, Sampology, Tim & Jean and Washington, plus locals and triple j Unearthed acts TBA. Moo indeed. Tickets through Moshtix and gtm.net. au – check there for other outlets.

UPCOMINGS FEBRUARY + HAEZER: FEB 17 Flawless MIND THE GAP: LTJ BUKEM & MC CONRAD: FEB 18 Shape LADY WAKS: FEB 18 Ambar + COTTONMOUTH: FEB 19 Velvet Lounge ASTON SHUFFLE: FEB 19 Karratha Tavern CARIBOU, FOUR TET: FEB 19 Beck’s Music Box GOOD VIBRATIONS: FAITHLESS, PHOENIX, SASHA, NAS & DAMIAN MARLEY, THE TINGS TINGS, KELIS, FAKE BLOOD, RUSKO, SIDNEY SAMSON, MIKE POSNER, KILL THE NOISE and more: FEB 20 Claremont Showgrounds MIAMI HORROR: FEB 21 Paramount MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUT DJS: FEB 24 Newport Hotel; FEB 25 Bar 120; FEB 26 Players Bar AXXONN: FEB 24 Manhattan’s + LORN: FEB 25 The Bird ASTON SHUFFLE, MOWGLI: FEB 25 Metropolis Fremantle PLANET ASIA, COPYWRITE: FEB 25 The Rosemount BASS KLEPH: FEB 25 Ambar PUBLIC OPINION AFRO ORCHESTRA: FEB 26 Beck’s Music Box COOLY G: FEB 27 Ya Ya’s

MARCH MICKEY AVALON: MAR 3 Villa CHASING SHADOWS, DZ: MAR 4 Shape MOUNT KIMBIE, SEEKAE: MAR 4 The Bakery DUBSTEP INVASION: KID KENOBI: MAR 5 Ambar FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: CHEMICAL BROTHERS, PENDULUM, DIZZEE RASCAL, MGMT, MARK RONSON, LEFTFIELD, RICHIE HAWTIN, SVEN VATH, SANDER VAN DOORN, STEVE AOKI, LOCO DICE, COSMIC GATE, ZANE LOWE, JAMES HOLROYD, ETIENNE DE CRECY, DON DIABLO, THE SUBS and more: MAR 6 Arena Joondalup KE$HA: MAR 7 Challenge Stadium + FOAMO, SLYDE: MAR 11 Villa FRAIS: KRUSE & NUERNBERG: MAR 11 Geisha CALVIN HARRIS: MAR 11 Metroplis Fremantle DEAD PREZ: MAR 12 Villa RIHANNA, CALVIN HARRIS, FAR EAST MOVEMENT: MAR 12 Burswood Dome USHER, TREY SONGZ, THE POTBELLEEZ: MAR 15 Burswood Dome BASSNECTAR: MAR 16 Shape + AJAX: MAR 18 Villa RTRFM FULL FREQUENCY PARTY: MAR 18 Connections + STATE OF MIND, DBS: MAR 25 Rosemount Hotel MF DOOM: MAR 25 Metro City TIM HEALEY: MAR 25 Ambar CLUBBERS GUIDE 2011: GOODWILL, TOM PIPER: MAR 25 Royal Palms; MAR 26 Villa + SLYNK: MAR 26 Ambar

APRIL JS1, RHAZEL, SUPER NAT: APR 8 Villa SUPAFEST: SNOOP DOGG, NELLY, TAIO CRUZ, BOW WOW, TIMBALAND, T-PAIN, BUSTA RHYMES, CIARA, NEW BOYZ, BENNY D, ISRAEL, MIRACLE, DJ NINO BROWN: APR 10 Arena Joondalup BRUNO MARS: APR 12 Astor Theatre

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THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 53

gigguide@drumperth.com.au

GIG GUIDE THU 17 Double D Bally’s Bar Lloyd Cole Ensemble Beck’s Music Box Howie Bennys Groove Night Avenue Burswood Casino Wrighteous Clancys Canning Bridge Jon Madd’s Rock’n Roll Karaoke Devilles Pad Riyanna Harman Ellington Jazz Club Nathan Gaunt FUSE Bar Bex’s Open Mic Night Indi Bar Rhys Wood JB O’Reilly’s Open Mic Night Karratha International Hotel Chris Murphy Kingsley Tavern Steve Hepple Legends Bar Riki, Roger Smart Leopold Htl Bicton Karry Harper, The Brow Horn Orchestra Manhattan’s Suffer, Drowning Horse, Helta Skelta Mojos Nth Fremantle The Fix Moon Cafe Justin Walshe Folk Machine, DJ James MacArthur Mustang Bar Ben Merito Paddingtion Ale House Dr Bogus Paddy Hannan’s, Burswood Samuel Spencer Players Bar Mandurah Kapitol P Queens Htl, Mt Lawley The Morning Night, Shimmergloom, Buffalo Everything, The Jephasuns Rosemount Htl Clayton Bolger Rosie O’Gradys Fremantle Fenton Wilde Rosie O’Gradys Northbridge Big Lovin’ Bowful Settlers Tavern Margaret River Chris Martin Sheraton Htl David Fyffe Sovereign Arms Greg Carter Springs Tavern Lewis The Burrendah Sambalicious The Deen The Healys Woodvale Tavern Jack Dopel Quartet X-Wray Cafe

FRI 18 Midnight Rambler 7th Avenue Bar 50 Lions, Blkout, Word Up, Into the Sea, Refrain Amplifier Bar Like Junk, Melinda Tupling, The Painkillers, Taco Leg, Hootenanny Bakery Northbridge Copy Cat Bally’s Bar Taylor Mac Beck’s Music Box Faces Bennys J Babies Black Bettys

Audacity Breakers Bar (Geraldton) Tod Johnstone & Peace Love Burswood Casino Bullzeye Castle Boogie Clancys Tip Top Sound, DJ Al Como Htl Good Karma Craigie Tavern The Johnny Nandez Hammond Explosion Devilles Pad Redstar Dusk Lounge Bar Little Tim, John Carter, Loki, Janoek East End Bar Victoria Newton, Jamie Oehlers, Amanda Dee Ellington Jazz Club Tom Haran Fenians Pub Groove Karaoke FUSE Bar Raw Deal Hale Rd Tavern Arts Martial Indi Bar The Healys JB O’Reilly’s Neil Collis Leisure Inn Aaagh Bats, Matty Trash & The Horribles, Montage Of Jesus Manhattan’s Homebrewe, Serial Killer Smile, The TN’s Mojos Nth Fremantle Full Circle Mt Henry Oz Big Band, Swing DJ, Cheeky Monkeys with DJ James MacArthur Mustang Bar Milhouse Newport Htl Hurricane Fighter Plan, The Morning Night, James Teague Norfolk Basement Courtney Murphy Osborne Park Htl Blue Gene Paddy Hannan’s, Burswood Flyte, DJ Morgan, DJ Jordan Paramount The Damien Cripps Band Players Bar Mandurah Everlong Rocket Room The Novocaines, Split Seconds, The Joe Kings Rosemount Htl Dilip & The Davs Settlers Tavern Margaret River Billy & The Broken Lines Springs Tavern Piano Donkey, Soma, Gunnboy, Shock Swan Basement Mod Squad The Boat Keith McDonald The Burrendah Chris Murphy The Deen The Proletariate, Only Hope, Break, Surrender The Den Kickstart The Shed The Shallows, Dynoysis, Farthing Woods, Kucka & Gombo Velvet Lounge Ivan Ribic, Tip Top Sound Victoria Park Htl Pearse Ward Wanneroo U2ME Woodbridge Htl

54 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

17 - 23 FEBRUARY 2011

Dr Bogus Woodvale Tavern The Lady Bugs X-Wray Cafe Steam, Bastian’s Happy Flight, Scenic Ya Ya’s

SAT 19 Emperors, Sons of Rico, Stereoflower, BudWeezer Amplifier Bar Will Stoker & The Embers, The Spitfires, Sugarpuss, Sam Perry Bakery Northbridge Tip Top Sound, DJ Real McCoy Bally’s Bar Flyte Bar 120 Chris Murphy Belgian Beer Cafe Redstar Black Bettys Audacity Breakers Bar (Geraldton) Nat Ripepi Broken Hill 50 Lions, Blkout, Word Up, Turning Tides, Resistance Bunbury Vineyard Auditorium Hi Nrg Burswood Casino Urban Cowboy Band, Empire Blues Charles Htl Amanda Timler Chime Restaurant Book Of Lilith, Caprycon, Beltane Fire, Seed Of Eternity Civic Bandroom Zarm Clancys Fremantle Tip Top Sound, DJ Al Como Htl The Johnny Nandez Hammond Explosion Devilles Pad Trent White, Empire Ellington Jazz Club Hells Bells Fly By Night Fremantle Twisted Cowboy JB O’Reilly’s Mantra Left Bank Swinging The Pig Leisure Inn Greg Carter Leopold Htl Bicton Kasey Chambers Mandurah Performing Arts Centre Goodnight Tiger, The Big Old Bears, Sidewalk Diamonds Manhattan’s Cavefire Cinema Mojos Nth Fremantle Milhouse Moon & Sixpence Passionworks Morley Ale House Aaron Woolley Mt Henry Marco & The Rhythm Kings, Rockabilly DJ, The Damien Cripps Band with DJ James MacArthur Mustang Bar Gravity Newport Htl Live Relative Magazine Launch Norfolk Basement Felix, DJ Morgan, DJ Jordan Paramount Everlong Players Bar Mandurah Amanda Power Queens Htl, Mt Lawley Ol’ Bougainvillea,

Ozmonaut, Born On The Bayou, Smokin’ Aces Railway Htl Nth Fremantle Ultrasound Rocket Room Cash, Jzza, Gracie, Sempy, Assassin Rosemount Htl Blue Gene Rosie O’Gradys Northbridge Toby Settlers Tavern Margaret River Tip Top Sound, DJ Red Springs Tavern Freddie Grigson Band, Essence Subiaco Htl The Love Junkies, Sonspilo Circus, Hootenanny The Bird Booty Juice The Deen The Decline, F.A.I.M. Project, From Deep Within, Silver Lizard, Varial The Den Chris Murphy The Principle Micro Brewery J Babies The Whale & Ale Samuel Spencer, Mr President Toucan Club Soul Corporation Universal Bar Tod Woodward Wanneroo The Shinkickers Woodbridge Htl Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove Woodvale Tavern SOL-R, Agnes X-Wray Cafe

SUN 20 Good Karma 7th Avenue Bar Greg Carter Bally’s Bar Damien Cripps Belmont Htl Chris Murphy Broken Hill 2che, Tod Johnstone & Peace Love Burswood Casino Acoustic Inc Como Htl Graham Wood Trio, Explorations Ellington Jazz Club The Ghost Hotel Fremantle Arts Centre Courtyard Everlong High Wycombe Hotel David Fyffe Lakeside Shopping Centre Ivan Ribic Leisure Inn The Order Of The Black Werewolf, Bob Gordons The Insinnerators Manhattan’s Undercover Acoustic Merriwa Tavern Paulo Gonzalez Mojos Nth Fremantle Mia & Good Company Moon & Sixpence Brian Kruger, Arms In Motion, Chrism Moon Cafe Pete Busher & The Lone Rangers, DJ Rockin Rhys Mustang Bar Day Of The Dead Newport Htl The Sunshine Brothers, Dilip N The Davs Railway Htl Nth Fremantle Open Mic Night with Turin Robinson

UPCOMING TOURS

Rosemount Htl Toby Settlers Tavern Margaret River Ivan Ribic Sovereign Arms Steve Hepple Springs Tavern Kevin Conway Stamford Arms Anonimity, Skinflint, The Milkmen Swan Basement Tony Munnings The Boat Neil Collis The Corner Stone Alehouse Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scout The Principle Micro Brewery Retriofit Universal Bar Nat Ripepi Victoria Park Htl Damien Cripps Wanneroo The Select Few Woodvale Tavern 50 Lions, Blkout, Word Up, Battletruck, The Others YMCA HQ

MON 21 Song Lounge Ellington Jazz Club Wide Open Mic Mojos Nth Fremantle Marco & The Rhythm Kings Mustang Bar Karaoke Settlers Tavern Margaret River

TUE 22 Howard Levy Ellington Jazz Club Ben Waters, Travis Betts, Jon Madd Mojos Nth Fremantle Danza Loca Salsa Mustang Bar Mixed Tape Tuesdays Newport Htl Open Piano Night hosted by Stu Orchard X-Wray Cafe

WED 23 Quiver Divers Tavern, Broome Death & A Cure Ellington Jazz Club Cranky Fenians Pub Joe Camilleri & The Black Sorrows Friends Restaurant

CHILDREN COLLIDE LLOYD COLE: FEB 17 Beck’s Music Box 50 LIONS, BLKOUT: FEB 18 Amplifier; FEB 19 Vineyard Auditorium; FEB 20 YMCA HQ TAYLOR MAC: FEB 18 & 23 Beck’s Music Box GIMME SHELTER: THE LAST KINECTION and more: FEB 19 Fremantle Arts Centre CARIBOU, FOURTET: FEB 19 Beck’s Music Box KASEY CHAMBERS: FEB 19 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, FEB 20 Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, FEB 22 Albany Entertainment Centre, FEB 24 Esperance Civic Centre, FEB 25 Goldfield Arts Centre, FEB 26 Elmars In The Valley, FEB 27 Queens Park Theatre CATHERINE TRAICOS: FEB 20 White Star Hotel Albany; FEB 26 Rosemount AN EVENING ON THE GREEN: JOE COCKER, DIESEL, GEORGE THOROGOOD, THE DINGOES: FEB 20 Sir Mitchell Park SWERVEDRIVER: FEB 20 Beck’s Music Box GOOD VIBRATIONS: FAITHLESS, PHOENIX, SASHA, NAS & DAMIAN MARLEY, THE TINGS TINGS, KELIS, LUDACRIS, ERYKAH BADU, FRIENDLY FIRES, MIIKE SNOW, ALOE BLACC and more: FEB 20 Claremont Showgrounds JUNGLE BOOGIE: KOOL & THE GANG, DJ NORMAN JAY: FEB 20 Perth Zoo MARTHA WAINWRIGHT: FEB 21 & 22 Beck’s Music Box BONJAH: FEB 23 Indi Bar; FEB 24 Mojo’s; FEB 25 Settlers Tavern; FEB 26 Royal Palms; FEB 27 Redcliffe On The Murray TUNNG: FEB 24 Beck’s Music Box

Redcliffe On The Murray; MAR 15 Charles Hotel; MAR 16 Indi Bar; MAR 17 Gypsy Tapas; MAR 19 Dongara Hotel.

THE BROW HORN ORCHESTRA, TAME IMPALA, GYPSY & THE CAT and more: MAR 6 Arena Joondalup

IMELDA MAY: FEB 27 Beck’s Music Box

SOUNDWAVE: IRON MAIDEN, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SLAYER, PRIMUS, SLASH, SOCIAL DISTORTION, THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM, ROB ZOMBIE, PENNYWISE, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, 30 SECONDS TO MARS, STONE SOUR, GANG OF FOUR, NEW FOUND GLORY, SUM 41, ANBERLIN, THIRD EYE BLIND, DEVILDRIVER, SEVENDUST, LESS THAN JAKE, THE BRONX, MONSTER MXPX, PROTEST THE HERO, MELVINS, 36 CRAZYFISTS, ILL NINO, THE ATARIS, THE STARTING LINE, BAYSIDE, MAD CADDIES, THE MAINE, TRASH TALK, MAYDAY PARADE, FOXY SHAZAM, NEVER SHOUT NEVER, THE BLACKOUT, ALESANA, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, ALL THAT REMAINS, HIGH ON FIRE, KYLESA, A SKYLIT DRIVE, THERE FOR TOMORROW, BREATHE CAROLINA, TAKING DAWN, I SEE STARS, RISE TO REMAIN, NONPOINT, VEARA, ONE DAY AS A LION and more:: MAR 7 Bassendean Oval

JACK DE JOHNETTE: FEB 28 Beck’s Music Box ARCHIE ROACH: MAR 1 Beck’s Music Box CECILIA BARTOLI: MAR 2 Perth Concert Hall JOANNA NEWSOM: MAR 2 Beck’s Music Box WILD BIRDS & PEACEDRUMS, AMIINA: MAR 3 Beck’s Music Box OKA: MAR 3 Mojo’s; MAR 4 Prince Of Wales; MAR 5 New Earth Festival, Denmark; MAR 6 Nannup Festival; MAR 7 Indi Bar + ABSOLUTELY LIVE THE DOORS CLARE BOWDITCH: MAR 4 Fly By Night BEST COAST: MAR 4 Beck’s Music Box + GREEN GREEN GREEN: MAR 4 Velvet Lounge; MAR 5 The Bakery TIM MINCHIN VS WASO: MAR 4 & 5 Kings Park OLD MAN RIVER, PASSENGER, DANIEL LEE KENDALL: MAR 4 Amplifier, MAR 5 Mojo’s, MAR 6 Nannup Festival MICHAEL BUBLE: MAR 4 & 5 Sandalford Wines Swan Valley, MAR 6 Sandalford Wines Margaret River

DONOVAN FRANKENREITER: MAR 10 Settlers Tavern; MAR 12 Fly By Night;

OMAR SOULEYMAN: MAR 5 Beck’s Music Box

RIHANNA, CALVIN HARRIS, FAR EAST MOVEMENT: MAR 12 Burswood Dome

DARREN HANLON: MAR 5 Fly By Night

AXXONN: FEB 24 Manhattan’s

Benjamin Glynn Left Bank

ROSIE BURGESS TRIO: FEB 24 Settlers Tavern; FEB 26 Indi Bar; FEB 27 Dunsborough Tavern; MAR 3 Mojo’s; MAR 4-5 Nannup Festival

THE WAIFS, TINPAN ORANGE: MAR 5 Old Broadwater Farm; MAR 6 Castelli Estate; MAR 8 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre; MAR 9 Fremantle Arts Centre; MAR 10 Astor Theatre

THE BATS: FEB 25 Beck’s Music Box

NIKOLA SARCEVIC: MAR 6 Rosemount

DAME KIRI TE KANAWA, KATIE NOONAN: FEB 25 Kings Park

OS MUTANTES: MAR 6 Beck’s Music Box

Wizard Sleeve, Bulls & Bears Manhattan’s Goose, A Beggars Second, Simone Taylor Mojos Nth Fremantle Diokno, Sean Thomas Moon Cafe Entourage, DJ Giles Mustang Bar Zeks, Hootenanny, Kucka & Gombo Rosemount Htl Acoustic Open Mic Settlers Tavern Margaret River Dave Pensabene, Tessa Davis, Quick Brown Fox X-Wray Cafe

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BURIED IN VERONA, RESIST THE THOUGHT: FEB 25 Amplifier; FEB 26 YMCA HQ HUSSY HICKS: FEB 26 Fly By Night; MAR 3 Settlers Tavern; MAR 4 & 5 Nannup Festival; MAR 9 Mojo’s; MAR 13

FUSED: MAR 10 Fremantle Arts Centre

NANNUP FESTIVAL: THE PIGRAM BROTHERS, CLARE BOWDITCH, PASSENGER, SHANE HOWARD, DARREN HANLON, ELI WOLFE, JEZ MEAD, BENJALU, OKA, ELANA STONE and more: MAR 4-7, Nannup

Bonjah Indi Bar

One Island East Llama Bar

GANG OF FOUR: MAR 8 The Bakery

THE PLATTERS: MAR 6 Fly By Night INNES & THE PRESENT COMPANY: MAR 6 Fremantle Arts Centre FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: CHEMICAL BROTHERS, PENDULUM, DIZZEE RASCAL, MGMT, MARK RONSON & THE BUSINESS INTL,

WAVVES: MAR 11 The Bakery HOLLY THROSBY: MAR 12 The Bakery; MAR 13 Mojo’s

SAL KIMBER & THE ROLLIN’ WHEEL: MAR 13 Fremantle Arts Centre SANTANA: MAR 13 Sandalford Wines Swan Valley REBIRTH BRASS BAND: MAR 13 Perth Concert Hall + TIN CAN RADIO: MAR 15 The Bird; MAR 16 X-Wray; MAR 18 Prince Of Wales; MAR 19 Dunsborough Hotel CHRIS ISAAK: MAR 16 Kings Park STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, GRINSPOON: MAR 16 Challenge Stadium BJ THOMAS: MAR 16 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, MAR 18 Regal Theatre

7 days: mon+sat 4-12 tues-fri 2-12 sun 2-10

THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 55

frontrow@drumperth.com.au

FILM

FREAKS AND CHEEKS

REVIEW

UK VARIETY PERFORMER MAT FRASER HAS TEAMED UP WITH US STRIPTEASE SENSATION JULIE ATLAS MUZ FOR A SHOW LIKE NO OTHER. HE EXPLAINS THE INEXPLICABLE TO ALEKSIA BARRON.

CERTIFIED COPY

CERTIFIED COPY It would be easy – and unfortunate – to mistake Certified Copy as an emission from the pits of coffee-table arthouse hell. Yes, it stars Juliette Binoche as a Tuscany-dwelling antique dealer, and an opera singer (William Shimmell) making his acting debut as a British author, in town for a lecture on his book of the same title as the film, which questions the value of artistic ‘originality’. And yes, it prominently features the two of them walking around picturesque Tuscan locations, engaged in an extended discussion of marital woes and questions of artistic authenticity. But then, this is also a film by Abbas Kiarostami, the Iranian maverick who has for his extraordinary 40-year career created grand artistic expressions using the simplest means. As such, Certified Copy begins as a standard-issue entry into the highbrow talkfest genre, in

the vein of My Dinner With Andre or Linklater’s Before Sunrise/Sunset diptych, before morphing into a story of gamesmanship, as Binoche and Shimmell discuss the subject of the latter’s lecture. Putting his ideas about the ‘value of the fake’ into practice, the two begin playing out scenes from a marriage – their own, or are they making it up on the spot? And does it matter to the spectator, i.e., us? From thereon the film becomes rich with emotional resonance, as questions of art and the power structures of relationships are conflated. Only occasionally does the dialogue creak – a common casualty of a filmmaker working outside their native tongue. Otherwise, it’s an uncommonly powerful film; beguiling to watch in its visual splendour and stimulating to contemplate, both before and long after the framewithin-frame final shot. WHERE & WHEN: Screening in cinemas now IAN BARR

at Fraser talks a mile a minute, which isn’t surprising for a guy with so much on his plate. After all, anyone described as a “performer/broadcaster/stand-up comedian/film and TV actor/ punk/martial artist/disabled rights campaigner” understandably has quite a bit to say. At the moment, he’s keen to talk about The Freak And The Showgirl, a cabaret variety show that he’s put together with US neo-burlesque artist Julie Atlas Muz. Having worked together over the years, Fraser explains that The Freak And The Showgirl came about when they were contemplating a very different project. “We were actually working on another piece, a reworking of Beauty And The Beast, which we’re going to be doing in 2012 now,” he says. “It’s quite an involved theatre piece, and we were saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to do a cabaret show, to let off all this steam?’” As a result, they came up with their current show, which Fraser describes as “mixing sideshow, burlesque, and comedy.” The Freak And The Showgirl found immediate acclaim. “We first did it in Berlin, where it went really well as a concept.” They then took the production to the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, where Fraser was blown

away by the eager reception. “The whole run at was sold out, which was extraordinary, because neither of us are used to that kind of interest. So far, it’s been brilliant.” Now The Freak And The Showgirl is in Australia, where Fraser is particularly excited about performing. He describes himself as a “freak”, referring to the unusual appearance of his arms, which are particularly small due to his mother taking the drug Thalidomide in the ’60s. The nature of his performances with Muz, which venture into incredibly sexual territory, have gotten strong reactions from some audiences. “We have found that mixing disability and sexiness, and the celebration of the freakish, in that sense, disability [seems like] the new black, gay, or feminist. People are still shocked by much of what I do, but to me, it’s completely normal – even though I

know I’m kind of weird.” However, Fraser has always been impressed with Australian attitudes towards disability and diversity, and has high hopes for the upcoming tour. “We’re just really looking forward to playing Australia, because some of the places we’ve played, they’ve been a little more conservative, culturally. What we’re doing is pretty full on, so they’ve not really responded as crazily as we’d like. We’re hoping Australia will be a bit different.” So what exactly can people expect from the show? “Do you guys have the cartoon on TV, Family Guy?” asks Fraser. “Well, [the show] starts with a song, like the beginning of Family Guy – all showbiz, razzamatazz, tells you what you’re going to get.” What follows is a stand-up routine, and then a burlesque act from Muz. “Julie’s style is very skewered from

FRINGE BENEFITS

THIS WEEK IN

THE TENT’S BEEN PITCHED AND ALL THE DELIGHTS ARE ON SHOW IN THE LATE NIGHT TREATS, AS FANNY LA RUE TELLS JASON KENNY.

THURSDAY 17

erth’s full of contradictions and the latest is that the newest addition to the skyline is older than most of the buildings. Yes, the Spiegeltent might be the latest addition to Perth but it’s been around since the first decade of the 20th Century. And for the last few weeks it’s played host to a variety of devilish good times. “It’s beautiful,” says Fanny La Rue, who co-hosts the Late Night performances with the much moustached Baron FrauHausen. “It’s perfect for the type of shows that are on there. It’s a really wonderful space and it’s been really fun for Perth. There’s been all sorts of nutty people about, all sorts of performers and lots of different types of performers as well that Perth hasn’t seen.” The divinely enchanting Ms La Rue is best known for her work with Sugar Blue Burlesque, who will take over the tent main shows on Tuesday 22 February and Wednesday 23. “It fits in with Sugar Blue perfectly,” she explains, “and when we first heard about it we were creaming ourselves, basically. It was perfect.” 56 • THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011

Magic Matt’s Magic Slam – Perth’s top magicians cross wands for one night only. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World, 8:30pm.

FRIDAY 18

“It’s basically a big after-show party with some surprise acts thrown in throughout the night. We had Amanda Palmer there on the opening weekend, which was amazing. “I was wondering whether Perth audiences would embrace it or not, or think it was all a bit weird, but many shows have sold out and the audiences have been really full and really enthusiastic. I’ve been to shows on my nights off and they’ve just been amazing. The calibre of acts there has been amazing and they are world class acts.” As well as the shows and the Late Night Treats, Fringe World also offers an outdoor bar to take in the best views the Cultural Centre has to offer. “There is so much going on. This is just a taste test of what its going to be like next year and it’s a pretty good idea of what it’s going to be like next year. It is exciting to just walk

around Northbridge. There’s so much going on and the festival as well starting. It’s a good vibe.” Before next year’s Fringe festival proper, there’s still much to take in with the latest addition to the Perth skyline. “Each night’s different,” La Rue explains. “They are programmed, but secretly. It’s mainly a lot of bands and DJs and things like that and then surprise acts popping up. So the idea is for everyone to be having a raucous time and then be like, ‘Oh, did you see that lady in a cage dressed as a snake popping up over there?’ It’s a pretty nutty kind of vibe.”

So secret are the nights that she can’t actually give teasers about what’s coming up because she simply doesn’t know. “No, I actually can’t do that. It’s all under wraps. It’s usually something kooky, especially on the weekends. And if there’s a star in town, like Amanda Palmer was the other weekend, then they might just end up at the tent.”

Piff! The Magic Drago in Pifftacular 2: Get Rich Or Die Trying – Piff! returns to try and become the greatest magic performing dragon of all-time. Deadpan humour, not for children. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World until 22 February. Zack Adams: Love Songs For Future Girl – what happens if the girl you think is “The One” turns out not to be? Dumped, depressed and slightly drunk, actor/comedian Zack Adams figures that if you can’t laugh at yourself, you may as well let an audience do it. A cross between a rock concert and group therapy. Opening night, 7pm. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World.

WHO: Fanny La Rue

SUNDAY 20

WHERE & WHEN: The Spiegeltent at Fringe World until Saturday 26 February

The Freak & The Showgirl – burlesque, cabaret, magic tricks, freak-show, striptease; an orgy of

WHAT: The Freak And The Showgirl WHERE & WHEN: The Spiegeltent, Fringe World until 20 February

ARTS

Fuppett! – improvisation and puppetry, a 50-minute play made up on the spot from one-word suggestions from the crowd. Final night. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World, 7pm.

While there’s a lot promised of the Sugar Blue shows – two of the three shows have already sold out – it’s the Late Night Treats that take place after the various nightly shows that has La Rue’s attention.

what we call the ‘classic’ burlesque style. It’s much more New York postmodern post-political post-feminist kind of stuff, rather than just trying to look like a pin-up housewife from the 1940s.” Then, audiences can expect some vaudeville, sideshow, and a part where they “...rip the piss out of the local culture. That’s the bit that we have to change every time we do it.” If this sounds good, get ready, because it only gets better. “After that, we have a beer-drinking competition with the audience, and we end with a really quite rude song, which people say is really shocking, and the rudest thing they’ve ever seen.” Fraser pauses. “But I would contest that.”

flesh, flippers, and fun; sex, song, and sweat. Featuring Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World until 20 February.

TUESDAY 22 Sugar Blue Burlesque: Burly-Q & Ballyhoo – an evening of vaudeville madness, from striptease to comedy, dance to circus, jazz to cabaret, speakeasy to sideshow. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World until 23 February.

WEDNESDAY 23 The Space Cowboy: Mind Bending – Guinness World Record holder The Space Cowboy swallows swords, and reads minds. The Spiegeltent at Fringe World until 26 February.

ONGOING Fanny La Rue’s Late-Night Treats – late-night free-for-all show featuring off-the-cuff performances from Fringe acts. Free entry with ticket to any other show on the night. Spiegeltent until 26 February. ZACK ADAMS

frontrow@drumperth.com.au

SPACE BALLS

SWORD SWALLOWING, MIND READING, AND TAKING ON HARLEYS IS ALL IN A DAY’S WORK FOR THE SPACE COWBOY. THE DISBELIEVING JASON KENNY LOOKS ON.

‘U

nique’ is one word to describe The Space Cowboy. Over years of performing in 30 countries, he’s built up a show to push your boundaries and get inside your mind. “If people don’t speak English then the stunts I do sort of speak for themselves,” the Space Cowboy explains. “The show I’m going to do in Perth, there’s a lot of mind reading and psychological persuasion sort of stuff and a lot of mind games and a lot of linguistic deceptions and things which require people to understand English. When I travel around, luckily I’ve got lots of different routines and more physical things I can do.” The Fringe World show will also incorporate his record-breaking stunts. It is not for the weak stomached. “In Perth I’ll be recreating some of the world record stunts,” he says modestly. “I’ve got seven Guinness

World Records. The latest one was for swallowing 19 sword blades at once. I had to stretch my throat with hoses for three days and then use meditation to focus on the muscles, which are usually involuntary. I do a weight lift sword swallow where I lift up a beer keg with the swords down my throat and I’ve juggled chainsaws on a three-metre unicycle.” The Space Cowboy will make the trip to Fringe World’s Spiegeltent during a break in the Adelaide Fringe. While there he’s not only performing but hosting his freak animal exhibit featuring a double faced piglet with three eyes and a double bodied duckling he found as a kid. “My friend had it then it died so I put it in my freezer and then had it taxidermied two years later,” he explains with a sense of childhood nostalgia. “It has two bodies and one head. That started off my curiosity

with the bizarre and unusual. I’ve collected more on my travels and now I have the largest collection in the southern hemisphere.” The animals will stay in Adelaide but straight afterwards he’s attempting his eighth world record. “I’m going to Italy straight after the Adelaide Fringe finishes and I’m going to get run over by a Harley Davidson motorbike gang while I lay on a bed of nails. I send them lists of ideas and stunts I can do and they decide which ones they’d like on their TV show and they invite me to whichever country they’re making their next TV show.” Most of The Space Cowboy’s stunts grow out of smaller stunts he’s already done. Still, to be run over by 12 motorcycles, there’s got to be some sort of preparation. For that he looked to the local Hogs in his hometown of Byron. Just how he would have asked them to run

over him remains unclear, as does how he’d broken it to his family that he’s going to Italy to get run over. He insists his family have been supportive since he began performing mind reading tricks at local markets at the tender age of eight. His love of the circus drew his attention next. “I love circus and I love performance but the traditional circus has been around a long time and I like to push what people think and people’s boundaries, open then up to new possibilities. I like to perform the kind of things I like to see, pushing boundaries and pushing their bodies into new ground.” WHO: The Space Cowboy WHERE & WHEN: The Spiegeltent at Fringe World Wednesday 23 February to Saturday 26

MODEL EXAMPLE

the movie] and she looked at me and said, you’re white, what do you know about my country? And I said that’s a good point, but I’m a woman and I’m a mother.”

Part of Desert Flower was shot in Northern Somalia, which brought its own problems. As well as having to import everything down to the last light bulb, the subject matter of the film met with some resistance. “There was a big discussion in the country because we come from a different cultural background and we were saying this is a wrong tradition,”

WITH JASON KENNY Now that it’s mid-February, all is good in Perth. The fires are out, the weather is temperate, Fringe World is rocking, and, with the official launch last Friday night, Perth Festival is underway. Oh, what joy the PIAF brings with its wide range of music, theatre, arts, and film. Last year’s highlights of Dean & Brita’s performance of Andy Warhol’s 13 Most Beautiful and the brilliant satire of The Society set the bar high for memorable performances this year. For those who missed the opening, or who had trouble interpreting it, here are some of the highlights. The social commentary started early in the evening, actually during the Welcome To Country ceremony, when the state government-built, shipshaped bell tower rung its bells and tried to drown out the didgeridoos. No, the symbolism did not start subtly.

Unfortunately the ceremony suffered from the lack of decent sound and so the narrative of the performance, and its message, may have been lost on the crowd. Allow me to recap:

Hormann did her own interviews with Dirie and other people involved in her story to make up the basis of the film. But there were other requirements Dirie demanded of her. “After that first meeting she said you have to make me a promise. You have to talk about female genital mutilation, don’t skip that topic. I said why would I, that’s the main story. She said yes, but I also want people to laugh.” Hormann pauses. “I was really debating how this could work and then I found out that often when it gets very sad we have a tendency to laugh, just to over come the bitterness. So I added that role of Sally Hawkins.”

CRINGE

The actual performance piece to mark the opening of PIAF 2011 drew quite a crowd at Supreme Court Gardens. The spectacle was magnificent with the athleticism of the performers, the floating stages drifting through the crowd and the blasts of fire from strategically placed poles around the Gardens. As well as being entertaining to watch, it carried some pretty heavy ideas and social commentary.

FILMMAKING CAN BE AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE, DESERT FLOWER DIRECTOR SHERRY HORMANN EXPLAINS TO JASON KENNY. he story of Waris Dirie captured many imaginations when her memoir Desert Flower went to the best sellers list. The tale of a Somalian nomad who fled an arranged marriage in Africa, discovered by a photographer cleaning fast food restaurants in London, and then shot to fame as a model is miraculous enough. On top of that is the story of the Somalian tradition of female circumcision affected her, and her subsequent role for human rights at the UN. After reading the book, German based filmmaker Sherry Hormann knew she wanted to make the film. The first step was meeting the woman behind the book, sensing that if they didn’t get along then there was no point in making the film. The initial meeting was a little frigid. “We were sitting in the restaurant and not talking for 20 minutes,” Hormann says. “She was very critical because a woman like Waris Dirie is approached several times during a day with people saying ‘I want to make a movie’ or ‘I want to make an interview’ so they build up a protection wall. I was sitting there thinking, ‘She wanted to meet me, what’s going on?’ So then I said okay, maybe it makes no sense [to make

C U LT U R A L

Upon bellhop styled carts, our heroes drift out and above the audience, symbolising the tourism industry in Western Australia. The sight of the performers drifting out on the stages through the crowd was an ingenious use of the space and kept the action happening around the audience.

Hormann explains. “There was a time when we shot in the market place and little Waris is searching for her grandmother; the people threw stones at us. There were also moments when people were happy that the message gets out to the world that there’s the atrocity of cutting.” Some of the crew left the film fearing the violence. Eighteen months after the premiere the film is still screening around the world and drawing attention to the issue of female circumcision. The emotional journey continues for Hormann because the

The blasts of fire clearly symbolised the industrial nature of our state and in particular the oil rigs off the North West coast. This came to play later when, after a futuristic representation of catastrophic climate change damage left the performers stranded on the poles in the middle of the audience. The fireworks and mournful damage done after the explosion spoke volumes for the protest against mining off the coast of Margaret River. Both thought provoking and entertaining. Now that the opening is out of the way, there’s a whole lot of amazing events to take in over the next few weeks. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes has enjoyed many performances around Perth in the last few years and the UK’s Kneehigh Theatre bring their own take on the classic tale as they blend music, mime, and dance. A WA premiere of My Bicycle Loves You and world premieres of Waltzing The Wilarra and Boundary Street ensure the PIAF audiences stay ahead of the rest of the theatre world. Waltzing The Wilarra, put on by Yirra Yaakin, draws on the history of 1940s Perth to look at the deeper meaning of reconciliation. With a cast led by Ernie Dingo and a mix of the musical, the comical, and the political it’s sure to be one of the theatrical highlights of the year. The LotteryWest film season brings another set of international features to both Somerville Auditorium and Joondalup Pines. Beck’s Music Box again takes pride of place on the Esplanade. Even if you can’t get down to any of the shows, the venue is a great place to sit back for a drink and enjoy the free after-show entertainment. On top of this is classical and avant garde music, visual arts, and the dance programme. Sure, it’s a lot to take in over just a few weeks, but no one’s ever suffered from too much culture.

filmmakers are supporting the child actors from the film and ensuring they get an education amongst other things. “The main crew knew at the start of the film that they wanted to get the message out,” she says. “It was a very emotional journey for everybody on this movie.” WHAT: Desert Flower WHERE & WHEN: Somerville Auditorium until 20 February, Joondalup Pines Moonday 21 February to Sunday 27 THE DRUM MEDIA 17 FEBRUARY 2011 • 57

frontrow@drumperth.com.au

FILM

UNDER THE TUSCAN SPELL

REVIEW

OPERA SINGER WILLIAM SHIMELL MAKES HIS FEATURE FILM DEBUT OPPOSITE JULIETTE BINOCHE IN ABBAS KIAROSTAMI’S LATEST, CERTIFIED COPY; THE BRIT TAKES SELFDEPRECATION TO A NEW LEVEL WITH IAN BARR.

“I INSIDE JOB

INSIDE JOB Many consider Charles Ferguson’s 2006 documentary No End In Sight to be the definitive film account of the Iraq war. Likewise, his latest doco Inside Job will be hard to beat for its meticulous account of the events leading up to America’s great financial crisis of 2008, a wholly avoidable economic meltdown in which millions of Americans were put out of employment as result of the careless, vain, and criminal activity of a handful of Wall Street elites – none of whom have since faced imprisonment. The human toll is limited to only a few glimpses of poverty (the images of a Floridan ‘tent city’ are especially sobering), but even under Ferguson’s rational, largely unmanipulative approach, it all registers as an epic horror film. Narrated by Matt Damon, we begin in Iceland with an abstract outlining the former prime minister’s neglect of

the economy. It serves to distinguish the culpability as not being limited to American leaders alone, and it’s with this foreknowledge that Ferguson universalises his subject. Rigorously structured into linear chapters, it’s also lucid in its presentation of a flood of banking terminology. Of course, it’s this complexity and level-headedness – a few questionable interview tactics aside – that will likely deter those after the entertaining agitprop of a Michael Moore film. And the end-credit sequence of last year’s Will Ferrell vehicle The Other Guys (detailing the statistics of corporate crime related to the crisis) will be sufficient movie treatment for many viewers. But those seeking a thorough cinematic investigation should rush to see this masterfully assembled, infuriating, and altogether riveting tome. WHERE & WHEN: Screening in cinemas now IAN BARR

f you were thinking of somebody to be in a film, an opera singer would probably be at the bottom of your list. Acting in opera is not the best preparation for film work, really.” That’s British opera singer William Shimell, taking a self-depreciating view of his screen debut in Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, opposite arthouse goddess Juliette Binoche. He goes further: “Can you imagine, this poor woman, who has worked with the greatest actors and the greatest directors in the world, working with someone who doesn’t know anything.” Despite his lack of formal experience, Shimell was unphased about his participation in the project, and collaborating with Kiarostami. “You have to go back a few years, 2008 I think it was. I was in the South of France doing Così fan tutte and Abbas Kiarostami had been asked to direct the opera. We got on very well, and it was only the second day and he asked me, ‘Have you ever been in a film?’ I didn’t know what he had in mind, but I said ‘Yeah’.” Binoche won the top prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival

for her characteristically electric performance, but contrary to what his modest attitude suggests, Shimell more than holds his own as her male counterpart, a British author arriving in Tuscany to give a presentation on the value of artistic frauds; the ‘certified copies’ of the film’s title. There, he meets Binoche, playing antique dealer, and the two discuss the subject of his lecture, before testing the universality of some of those concepts in increasingly fascinating ways. Throughout the film, constantly asked to call in question the reality of the relationship we’re witnessing blossom. The nature of Shimell’s character – a man playacting a character assigned to him by Binoche – was something of an entry point for the non-professional performer into his character. “In the very first scene, I’m giving a lecture. So in a way, I was presenting myself. And he’s playing the role assigned to him by Juliette Binoche.” He credits much of the success of his performance to both Binoche and Kiarostami, the latter perhaps the most reknowned of Iranian filmmakers, and a legendarily astute director of non-professional actors.

“I didn’t know anything,” Shimmel says. “In a way, it was better than knowing a bit. One of the reasons I accepted was that I knew [Kiarostami] was used to working with non-professional actors, so he wasn’t going to be phased by my complete incompetence. He would’ve had to find ways around it.” On Binoche, he effuses: “She was so kind, and she was so helpful, and she really worked hard to give me the opportunity to work to the best of my abilities. I’m not saying it was any

good, but it was the best I could do.” Rest assured, Shimell’s beating up on himself is largely flippant, and has even spoken to his director about future film collaborations. “There are possibilities. I keep going on to Abbas about making another one, but I’m not sure if that’ll happen, he’s a very busy man. There are other possibilities, but I don’t want to jinx them.” WHAT: Certified Copy WHERE & WHEN: Screening in cinemas now

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MASTERING CUTTERHEAD MASTERING. The best price for the best result. $66 per track! This is not some new kid on the block service. International quality results from an experienced Mastering Engineer with the best equipment. www.cutterheadmastering. com email:cutterheadmastering@ me.com 0422 808 803 iFlogID: 10775

Mr Moon Alien? 100%Austr-alien, since Earthtime 92 mr Moon Alien has been creating the craziest sci-fi soundtrax & imagery ever! its Weirdits Crazy - its...Totally Space Out! prepare to blow your mind!! www. youtube.com/digitalfiction3000 iFlogID: 10833

MUSIC PUBLICITY: Got the music but need it to be heard? Need more people at your shows? Take your band to the next level with a publicity campaign designed to put your band in front of music lovers. www. aaaentertainment.com.au

Can work on most styles. Prices charged on hourly rate. Visit www. nathaneshman.com for audio examples or email info@nathaneshman. com iFlogID: 11057

DRUMMER Quality Drum programing available. Great sounds & awesome groove. Able to do all styles. Check out the audio at www.nathaneshman.com or call 0403 498 103 iFlogID: 11059

iFlogID: 11257

RECORDING STUDIOS Affordable, high quality audio production. Recording/Mixing/Mastering and more. Over a decade of experience, working with award winning artists. Visit www.simonpaul.com for rates and details. iFlogID: 10944

Have you got a hit song, but no production skills to match??? Get world class production without blowing your budget. Radio quality - EVERY TIME! Don’t sing? We’ll provide session vocalists and any musos needed. www.nathaneshman.com or call 0403 498-103 iFlogID: 11053

REPAIRS --------SYNTH SERVICE MELBOURNE--------Specialising in sales and repairs of pre 90’s analogue synths. Complete recalibration/tuning, sliders and keys refurbish only $130. Visit: www. synthservicemelbourne.com.au Call or Text Luke: 0424 420 605

MUSICIANS WANTED BASS PLAYER Atmospheric electro-acousticpsych-surf-swamp-kraut-indie-rock band with an upcoming album release seeks friendly bass player. Call or text Danny on 0407226667 check out our songs www.transatmusic.com.upcoming LP and gigs in March iFlogID: 11334

GET SIGNED TO A 360 DEAL! You MUST be an outstanding male bassist! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers etc. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Phone Will: 0413 772 911 iFlogID: 11346

GUITARIST

iFlogID: 10928

Mastering by Wayne Lotek (UK), award winning producer of Roots Manuva and Speech Debelle. From $50 per track, online service available or come into the Melbourne studio. All styles catered for, reggae, hip hop specialist. Email: wayne@ lotekproductions.com Phone: 0394170760 iFlogID: 11132

GET SIGNED TO A 360 DEAL!

TRANSPORT Harriet the TOURBUS Free Coffee and Tea when touring with me. I come with a driver so you arrive alive’r. 11 passengers and loads of gear and we take you from there to here. rolf.schonfeld@gmail.com iFlogID: 11145

OTHER

TUITION

ATTN METAL BANDS! We’re looking for acts to feature on our Valleyarm Absolute Metal compilation to be sold on iTunes internationally with royalties paid to each act. Contact marta@valleyarm.com to submit your track for consideration.

DRUM LESSONS! Learn how to play the Drums and be a musician with experienced teacher Ben Lanzon through his renowned syllabuses and teaching style. See www.ben. lanzon.org for more information or contact Ben on 0401335159 now! FIRST LESSON is FREE!

iFlogID: 10857

Have your music handed out at SXSW and Canadian Music Week to the world’s top music industry professionals with Valleyarm! Contact info@valleyarm.com for more information on how to be included in our American Music Industry Sampler. iFlogID: 10855

iFlogID: 11317

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE BASS PLAYER Quality Bass programming avail.

Rhythm guitarist and lead guitarist wanted. You MUST be an outstanding male rhythm guitarist or lead guitarist! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers etc. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Phone Will: 0413 772 911 iFlogID: 11350

Lead Guitarist Wanted:busy original band Novakayn,are looking for an easy going, peacelovin’ person 2 join us. Must be reliable, creative and professional attitude. Soft Rock, catchy songs. Email: novakayn@ y7mail.com or ph. 0403777532

Grand prize is a paid trip, accommodation and recording time in Nashville or Sydney - the choice is yours. Each contestant through to the finals receives professional recording gear. www.ozsong.com. au for more info. iFlogID: 11205

ROCK BAR LOOKING FOR ACTS!!! Melbourne’s newest original live music venue located in Melbourne Central, is currently looking for artists to perform. Please email Trager at johntragernoiseprojects@hotmail. com for more information. iFlogID: 11120

We’ve revamped and renamed soundornot.com, we’re now online @ www.indiemunity.com! Artists, upload your music and receive 100% commission on all sales. Promote your music even more with a featured ad! www.indiemunity.com! iFlogID: 11242

SINGER 90s Influenced Frontman in Brisbane - Originals band with vintage sound of funk, grunge, heavy, experimental looking for UNIQUE frontman with energetic stagecraft, lyrics, crooning, singing, rapping & aggressive capabilities. 11 songs written. Very serious. Ages 18-27. 0423378506. jordanbleiberg@gmail.com.

iFlogID: 11340

SERVICES

OTHER Boutique T-shirts in Monstrosity Gallery. Hand-printed, unique tees for the fashion evangelist from $45.00 amandawest.com.au/shop iFlogID: 11201

Get your Band or Business Online Cost effectively - About Us, Photogallery, Videos, Audio Jukebox, Gig Dates, Links, Contact Us, Forums and much more from $399 including Hosting! Contact info@bizwebsites. com.au or see www.bizwebsites. com.au iFlogID: 10871

GRAPHIC DESIGN GIG POSTERS Professional Posters at a great price. nicole.a.reece@gmail. com or 1200 Design on facebook

WANTED BUSINESSES

iFlogID: 11251

Seriously Good Design. Website design ranging from only $100 $400. Free domain hosting and email included. Check out our website for all the information www. seriouslygooddesign.com.au iFlogID: 10987

WIN A T-SHIRT for your valentine! Go to amandawest.com.au/shop Just choose your ink colour and we will hand-print it for the winner. Usually $45! ENTER NOW! iFlogID: 11219

STALL HOLDERS WANTED FOR NEW SATURDAY PUB MARKET IN BONDI $30 INC TABLE 0426275655 ANDY FOR DETAILS iFlogID: 10961

OTHER BANDS & DJ’s GET YOURSELVES ON RADIO! Come and play at the Royal Hotel in Bondi for ABM & we’ll showcase you and your music on our network of Radio Stations for a month! Call Andy 0426275655 for details

iFlogID: 11291

GET SIGNED TO A 360 DEAL! Get signed to a 360 deal! You MUST be an outstanding male singersongwriter! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers etc. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Phone Will: 0413 772 911 iFlogID: 11348

Singer wanted 4 busy original band Novakayn. Harmonies and shared lead vocals required. Must be a peacelovin’, easy going person with a profession, creative, reliable attitude. Soft Rock with catchy tunes. email novakayn@y7mail.com or ph. 0403777532 iFlogID: 10973

SONG WRITER

OTHER

Acoustic Open mic nite in Footscray at the Plough Hotel starts Feb 17th Thursday contact nsound@live.com. au for bookings Great Pa and equipment, great atmosphere. All instruments welcome Covers and orignals welcome

OzSong International is Australia’s newest songwriting competition.

GET SIGNED TO A 360 DEAL!

iFlogID: 10971

You MUST be an outstanding male singer-songwriter! Rehearsing at Wetherill Park N.S.W. Drummer is forming a fast paced original rock band to get signed to a 360 deal. Must be ambitious, self-motivated, committed, reliable and have a lot of drive. Musical direction: Muse, The Killers etc. Age: 18-30. Only contact me if you want to get signed to a 360 deal! Phone Will: 0413 772 911

iFlogID: 11096

new & preloved vinyl • tapes vintage clothes • posters books • record players • cd’s OPen 10.30am - 5pm (wed-sat) 37 barrack st. perth t: 08 9221 8014

www.beatrouterecords.com.au

LG & West Cape Howe Wines present

LIMITED PREMIUM SEATING JUST RELEASED ticketmaster.com.au 136 100

PLEASE NOTE NEW EARLIER PLAYING TIMES

3:30PM GATES OPEN 6:30PM GEORGE THOROGOOD 8:00PM JOE COCKER

THIS SATURDAY 19 FEB

ELLAM ST END OF SIR JAMES MITCHELL PARK SOUTH PERTH

adayonthegreen.com.au mellenevents.com

MOUNT BARKER

IN STORES NOW