16.09.15 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Issue
106
Melbourne / Free / Incorporating
C F
H A
E K
M A K I N G M U S I C J U S T M O N E Y I S N ’ T G O O D F O R
TOUR
SAD GRRRLS ALBUM OF THE WEEK
ROBERT FORSTER FESTIVAL
OUR GUIDE TO THE MELBOURNE FRINGE
E T O T H E
T R M A K E S O U L
2 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
THE TH HE M HE MU MUS MUSIC US C • 16TH USI 16 H SEPT SEPTEMBER E TE EMBE M R 201 MBE 20 2015 0 5•3
4 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 5
6 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 7
Credits
Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen Editor Bryget Chrisfield Arts Editor Hannah Story Eat/Drink Editor Stephanie Liew
Music Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Maiden Heaven
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden will be visiting Australia as part of their world tour in support of new album The Book Of Souls. Bruce Dickinson is flying the band, crew and stage production over on the Ed Force One in May 2016.
Gig Guide Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au
Moon B
Senior Contributor Jeff Jenkins Contributing Editor Steve Bell Contributors Annelise Ball, Sarah Barratt, Sophie Blackhall-Cain, Emma Breheny, Sean Capel, Luke Carter, Anthony Carew, Oliver Coleman, Daniel Cribb, Cyclone, Guy Davis, Dave Drayton, Simon Eales, Guido Farnell, Tim Finney, Bob Baker Fish, Cameron Grace, Neil Griffiths, Brendan Hitchens, Kate Kingsmill, Baz McAlister, Samson McDougall, Tony McMahon, Ben Meyer, Fred Negro, Danielle O’Donohue, Josh Ramselaar, Paul Ransom, Ali Schnabel, Michael Smith, Dylan Stewart, Kane Sutton, Simone Ubaldi, Genevieve Wood, Evan Young, Matthew Ziccone Interns Dylan Van Der Riet, Hannah Blackburn, Elizabeth Watt, Lillie Siegenthaler, Brad Summers, Samuel Wall, Xavier Fennell, Emma Dempsey Senior Photographer Kane Hibberd Photographers Andrew Briscoe, Dina El-Hakim, Holly Engelhardt, Jay Hynes Advertising Dept Leigh Treweek, Tim Wessling, Matthew Feltham sales@themusic.com.au Art Director Brendon Wellwood Art Dept Ben Nicol vic.art@themusic.com.au Admin & Accounts Loretta Zoppos, Jarrod Kendall, Leanne Simpson, Bella Bi, Niall McCabe accounts@themusic.com.au Distro distro@themusic.com.au Subscriptions store.themusic.com.au Contact Us Tel 03 9421 4499 Fax 03 9421 1011 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au Level 1, 221 Kerr St, Fitzroy VIC 3065 Locked Bag 2001, Clifton Hill VIC 3068
— Melbourne 8 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Redbull Treats Clubs The Red Bull Music Academy are sending two of the US’s most prolific funk fusion producers, Benedek and Moon B to play free shows at a handful of Aussie clubs in October. Man About The House
Rosso’s Modern Life Starting this week, comedian Tim “Rosso” Ross is taking his show Man About The House around the country with muso mate Kit Warhurst. The shows will be held in architecturally unique venues not usually open to the public.
c / Arts / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
On The Sabbath
The Australian promoters for Black Sabbath have confirmed that this is, indeed, The End. The British metal juggernauts are calling it a day with The End world tour, which will take in national Aussie dates starting mid-April.
Black Sabbath
Walk The Moo
Moonwalkin’ Just ahead of their 2015 east coast dates, Ohio’s Walk The Moon have confirmed they will return to Australia for a fourth time in January 2016 to play a national tour showcasing latest album Talking Is Hard, with guests The Griswolds.
3,562,878 Reid Cycles
On Yer Bike
WIN
Thanks to Reid Cycles, we’re giving away a bike! Just in time for spring - the sun’s finally coming out to play, which means you can go on picturesque bike rides again. Visit theMusic.com.au/win to enter.
The amount of YouTube followers that helps you get to #1 on the ARIA album charts, as displayed by Troye Sivan.
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 9
Lifestyle Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Lordi
Sound It Out
UK metalcore heavyweights Bring Me The Horizon are the latest act to be added to the Soundwave bill, joining Lordi, Northlane, Refused, Failure, Dead Letter Circus and Bullet For My Valentine. January 2016 keeps getting closer.
Airling At Air The tenth annual Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards will once again showcase the diversity of some of Australia’s best. Airling, Bad//Dreams and Dead Letter Circus are locked in to perform at the awards, held on 22 Oct at Meat Market.
Airling
Mono
Catching Mono Japan’s very own sound sculptors, Mono have announced their 2015 tour of Australia and New Zealand. Their otherworldly post-rock will wash over Aussie band rooms throughout December.
10 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
e / Cultu Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Meet Kev
Kevin Smith
Visit theMusic.com.au/win for a chance to score a meet and greet with legendary cult filmmaker Kevin Smith while he’s here for An Evening With Kevin Smith nationwide. Bring stuff to sign.
THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER RESIDENCY
ARTHUR PENN AND THE FUNKY TEN UP UP AWAY // ALEX LAHEY $2.50 POTS OF DRAUGHT $5 VODKA
FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Fat Freddy’s Drop
ALBUM LAUNCH
BURIED IN VERONA When The Drop Hits Stalwart Kiwi septet Fat Freddy’s Drop are visiting Australian shores for yet another extensive national tour in February in the wake of their forthcoming new album Bays, due for release next month. Supports will be Hiatus Kaiyote and Thomas Oliver.
HAND OF MERCY VOID OF VISION POLARIS ATLANTIC 5PM - 7PM - $3 POTS/$6 PINTS
SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER ALL AGES
BURIED IN VERONA HAND OF MERCY VOID OF VISION POLARIS PRIDELANDS AMBLESIDE
SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER
FOREIGN BROTHERS MATINEE
BIG STRONG BRUTE BEN SALTER W/ BAND HALF/CUT
MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER RESIDENCY
JARROW
FOREVER SON RAD ISH DAVID O’CONNOR $10 JUGS OF DRAUGHT!
2.2
Laneyay St Jerome’s Laneway Festival has announced its venues and dates for its 12th edition. They include Brisbane Showgrounds on 6 Feb, Sydney College Of The Arts on 7 Feb, and Footscray Community Arts Centre/The River’s Edge on 13 Feb.
MILLION
TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER RESIDENCY
KOOYEH
KARATE BOOGALOO JAMIL ZACHARIA $10 JUGS OF DRAUGHT
WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER RESIDENCY
TETRAHEDRA
OLIVER PATERSON BEAT PROJECT DHANA BHUTAN SAMETZ (DJ)
The amount of Australia aged 14+ with access to Netflix according to August video-on-demand household subscription data from Roy Morgan Research.
COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU OZTIX:
THE LALIBELAS - EP LAUNCH - (SEPT 25) BANE OF WINTERSTORM ALBUM LAUNCH - (SEPT 26) RENEGADE JOE - EP LAUNCH (SEPT 27) AS IT IS (OCT 1ST) TAPE DECK FESTIVAL AA (OCT 10) OWEN RABBIT - SINGLE LAUNCH (OCT 8) KINGFISHA - SINGLE LAUNCH (OCT 10)
St Jeromes Laneway Festival. Pic: Peter Sharp
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 11
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Holy Moly
To launch their new album, Panorama, In Ten Pieces (which includes 60-minute film made by the cinematic instrumental Sydney fourpiece themselves), Dumbsaint are hitting the road this month and next on their first headline east coast tour in two years.
Dumbsaint
A Future Classic
Arj Barker
Classical piano is reinvigorated with youth and talent as Julia Hastings takes on the next instalment of Kew Court House’s Future Classic series in Fame, Fortune and Lies: The Life And Music of Eileen Joyce on 9 & 10 Oct.
Tugging Heart Strings The Heart of St Kilda Concert delivers another dazzling line-up. The eighth Sacred Heart Mission fundraiser hits Theatre this week, 22 Sep, featuring comedy and music from the likes of Kasey Chambers, Arj Barker and many more.
That dude wearing his bedazzled faux nudie suit is still strutting round the valley like he’s king dick #bigsound #bigsound15 BIGSOUND may be over but the memories will linger on, hey @meowlings?
12 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Loc It In
The Murlocs
Having dropped new single Rolling On, Geelong indie-rockers The Murlocs have announced a tour to support it this October/ November. The boys’ headline shows will cover Adelaide, Fremantle, Hobart, Ballarat, Sydney, Melbourne and Geelong.
Boy & Bear
Julia Hastings
There’s A Limit After playing over 170 shows across three continents in 2014, Boy & Bear will be hitting the road yet again in January for a national tour in support of their forthcoming album, Limit Of Love, kicking off in Tasmania. Zakk Wylde
Get Wylde Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society has announced an extra Melbourne show after the first one sold out. It’ll happen on 30 Nov at 170 Russell and tickets are on sale now. THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 13
Lifestyle Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Bambi Johnson
Don’t Sleep
Brunswick Street Gallery is launching its new exhibitions at an opening event on 18 Sep. They include the inaugural exhibition of feminist group Sleepover Club, plus exhibitions from Georgia Matthey, Wendy Bennett, Bambi Johnson and more.
Favouring Our Nation Genre-diverse sun-pop trio, Favored Nations have announced their first ever tour Down Under to coincide with the release of their debut album, I Can See You. Kicking off in late October, the tour visits Sydney, Geelong, Melbourne and Adelaide.
French Connection Without showing any sign of plateau, French export, Darius continues to rise and consequently sets his sights on Melbourne, his unique mixture of disco, house and funk to fill Northcote Social Club on 2 Nov.
14 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Darius
e / Cultu Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Skipping Girl Vinegar
In Awe-ME
The Australasian Worldwide Music Expo (AWME) have added more to their lineup for 12–14 Nov, including Skipping Girl Vinegar, HOWQUA, Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, The Audreys, Pirra, Jess Ribeiro, John Bennett, Yirrmal, Latinaotearoa, The Meltdown and The Seven Ups.
Favored Nations
Crowd-Sauced
The Bar That Jack Built
The world’s first crowdsourced bar (built by handy whisky fans) was created in Sydney last year, and this year it’s happening again and also travelling to Melbourne, stopping by Federation Square, 18 – 20 Sep, to celebrate Jack Daniel’s birthday.
Chicken Run Melbourne band Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk are showing no signs of slowing down with news that they’ll be hitting the road yet again from 1 Oct in anticipation of their forthcoming album, Drive.
Tash Sultana
Ground Control To Penny Black The Penny Black will undergo a sonic overhaul through the installation of $60,000 worth of Martin Audio, QSC and Heath & Allen sound equipment. Tash Sultana is joining them to celebrate with an intimate show, 18 Sep.
Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 15
Game Plan Music
When performing, Nick Murphy (aka Chet Faker) doesn’t really worry too much about the crowd. “If they don’t like the music that’s their problem,” he tells Bryget Chrisfield.
16 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
H
e’s in LA “in the middle of a US tour” at the time of our chat and Chet Faker (Nick Murphy to his mates) has to check what day it is. “I think - is it Saturday or Sunday? Saturday. So I’ve been here for about two days now.” Since Built On Glass came out on April 11, 2014, Murphy has been touring the globe. When asked whether there are any particular tracks that have morphed into completely different beasts live, he shares, “Talk Is Cheap has totally taken on a whole new life. I just play it solo mostly now, which is my favourite part of the set because I just kinda get to ad lib, you know?” As well as feeding off “the vibe in the room”, Murphy tends to tweak his performance of this song according to how he’s “feeling on the night”. “I might be feeling a little tired so it might be something a little more moody, it’ll flow out,” he explains. “I might be energetic, so it’s funky but, yeah! Those are the key moments to a good live show.” This recent Stateside touring stint saw Chet Faker warming up D’Angelo’s stage on one occasion. “To watch him from side of stage; it’s one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen,” he gushes. We discuss observing the crowd from the stage and Murphy confesses, “I don’t really worry about the crowd too much. You know, if they don’t like the music that’s their problem [chuckles]. That sounds ridiculous but, especially at festivals, most people are just drunk and on drugs so they don’t even know what good music is.” And, let’s face it, most of the time punters are too busy trying to take the perfect selfie. “Well, it’s interesting because I think everyone over the age of I guess, like, 25 - those are the last generation ever that knows what it’s like to go to a gig without phones.” One thing you may not know about Murphy is that he was an excellent runner. When asked whether this is something he still does, Murphy laments, “I actually can’t anymore. I miss running so much. I broke my foot about three years ago in a skateboarding accident and I’ve got metal plates in my foot. But I’ve got surgery at the end of this year, after the Australian tour, to get the plates taken out, which is sort of like why that’s the final tour for this album. So I’m kind of hoping once I get the plates out I might be able to run a bit more again. My foot’s just completely shot; it’s not aligned properly so it’s putting out my legs and then I get back problems... I’m not using my
body properly because my foot’s out, you know? And your foot’s where it all begins. “The tour before this one, I had to cancel two shows because I had a bulged disc and it was because of my foot, which is funny: you don’t think you have a bad back ‘cause your foot’s sore.” Post-surgery, Murphy needs to schedule in “six weeks recovery”. “I haven’t had six weeks off since 2013. So I’ve kind of just been waiting to get these plates taken out.” There will be no catching up on DVD box sets for Murphy, however. “I’m not very good at sort of sitting still so much,” he admits. “I kinda always need a little project. I was thinking about maybe going for a drive with my dad or something.” When Murphy was 18 he actually “ran in the nationals for Victoria”. “I did have a running coach who wanted me to train fulltime and commit fully to doing that, but, like, I just always liked running as a personal thing, not as competitive.” And this was around the same time Murphy realised he “couldn’t live without” music, “after [he’d] been making it for about three or four years”. “I got into music when I was 15. I think it was,” Murphy estimates. “I mean, there was a teacher at school who rang up my mum and said that I should start singing, ‘cause he thought I had a good voice or whatever. I’ve since worked out he was just calling a bunch of people anyway, but I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, maybe I can.’” Although we’re rewinding about 12 years, Murphy still remembers he “started singing in the shower”. In terms of performing outside of his own bathroom, he reveals, “Weirdly enough, I didn’t mind singing in public straight away, which is funny; I must have thought I was better than I was ‘cause I know I wasn’t very good back then. I was just a kid trying stuff out, you know? “I remember one of the first things that sort of struck me about music, was it being socially okay to talk about really big things via music. And I remember having a lot of things that I wanted to talk about that I didn’t necessarily know how to talk about. Especially, you know, in your teens when you sort of first start to realise that the world isn’t fair and that’s, like, it’s a bit of an emotional time for most. And I just remember kind of noticing that if I just spoke to someone about some things that I was thinking about they didn’t necessarily give a shit, but if I wrote a song about it - for whatever reason people seemed to pay more attention. And it felt more - it was more expressive, I guess. It just seemed like a better way of expressing big things. That’s why the arts exist.” Songwriting’s obviously a very personal exercise for Murphy. “I like writing music for me and as long as I play the game a little bit I get to do that more,” he says. On whether he
Especially at festivals, most people are just drunk and on drugs so they don’t even know what good music is.
Dancing In The Street
thinks it’s possible to approach songwriting purely to make money, Murphy opines, “I think it does work. I think there’s heaps of people in the industry who make music just to make money, but, I don’t think it’s good for the soul.” So does he also think one can achieve a career with longevity this way? “If you’re backed by enough money, sure, ‘cause you don’t have to do the work; you can get someone else to produce the music, and someone else to pick your clothes, someone to pay for the best director in the world, someone to pay for the best choreographer, you know? Then you can be around forever. That’s [with] major labels, but at a normal level? No, I don’t think so.” But it would be fair to say Chet Faker has a supportive team and is left to his own devices, yes? “Um, it’s fair to say that I don’t have any of the things that I just listed,” he allows. “But, yeah, I mean I’m just doing it the way I want it done and I’m lucky to have got this far.”
When & Where: 30 Oct, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Chet Faker (aka Nick Murphy)’s atmospheric tunes incorporate intricate, swirling melodies with complex beat patterns - one might even suggest they’re a choreographer’s dream. Does he have endless requests from dance companies/choreographers wishing to use his creations? “I haven’t had anyone get in touch, but you don’t have to ask permission to use the music,” he says. “But I have seen - like on Instagram - lots of dance companies who’ve done pieces and stuff to it, which is really cool.” The rhythmic rollerskating ballet choreographed by Ryan Heffington for Gold’s official music video is one example. And if you haven’t yet seen the video for Flume & Chet Faker’s Drop The Game, what the hell are you waiting for? It features Storyboard P, a Brooklyn dancer, pulling some impressive shapes using damp, deserted pavements and streets in lieu of stage or studio. “He’s a hell of a dancer that’s for sure,” Murphy enthuses. “He’s got an Instagram.” Is he worth following? “If you wanna see more of his dancing, for sure.” THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 17
Music
Frontlash Sounding Out
Where The Heart Is
Melbourne bands ruled at last week’s BIGSOUND with Gold Class, High Tension, Pearls and Dorsal Fins among the most buzzed. However it was Jessica Hopper’s keynote about sexism in the music industry that was the biggest talking point.
Are You The One?
Lashes
SBS are sending 28 Australians over to China to appear on If You Are The One for an Australian special! The recording will take place in Nanjing, China over three to four days in early December 2015 (exact dates to be finalised). To be considered, fill out a questionnaire on sbs.com.au to that should take at least half an hour (because “true love cannot be rushed”).
Forces To Be Reckoned With The Forces remix of Black Cab’s Ender. Swoooooooooooon!
Crawl This Way
Backlash
Because It’s Like That… So Cotton On Kids have Run-DMC T-shirts in stock. We demand every toddler who dons one must learn how to breakdance.
Health First Worrying practices such as “sun eating” and “waist training” as weight loss alternatives to healthy eating and exercise.
Word Up Overuse of the word literally. Literally.
18 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Amid a whirlwind year of collaborations and touring, transient singer-songwriter Dustin Tebbutt found the time to write and record a new “mini album”. He tells Carley Hall it’s finding a sense of place in the chaos that lends inspiration.
“I
t’s like a full-on spring vibe today,” singer-songwriter Dustin Tebbutt begins. “I want to maybe get out and do some gardening. But I don’t have a garden. I’m going into the neighbour’s and dig around in there. Get some herbs.” The desire to raid and tinker with a stranger’s garden bed is kind of symbolic of the importance environment holds for Tebbutt. The Sydneysider proved that with his debut, The Breach, in 2013, which saw him lauded for its title track, claiming an impressive #44 in triple j’s Hottest 100. The EP was penned during Tebbutt’s sojourn to Sweden, where the bleak winter inspired the woody, minimalist folk under his falsetto croons. His latest, Home, is again a product of his surroundings, this time back on Australian soil. “The environment was a very big part of my imagination as a kid I think,” Tebbutt explains. “My brain has always been very adherent to responding to things in that kind of way, and then when I started writing music it was kind of inevitable. And moving to Sweden I was just overwhelmed, really, in a nice way, with all the different colours and
sounds and the snow. “I feel like I can’t really escape the effect it has. When I do try and write something that’s not about that, I do find it hard to find as powerful ways to say things. It just doesn’t feel as authentic to me. So I think in one way it has put some bounds on what I’m doing at the moment, and at the same time it just feels natural.” While Tebbutt’s acute understanding of his surroundings has an anchoring trait in his music, the production of Home was physically adrift. Between tours with Missy Higgins, Hozier and The Kite String Tangle, various collaborations and playing at this year’s Splendour In The Grass, the troubadour wrote, recorded and produced the seven-track “mini album” in his parents’ house, grandparents’ house and his Sydney home. “Which is kind of strange because it’s all about this idea of home, and it’s kind of the only thing I haven’t really had over the course of the recording,” he laughs. “Coming back to Australia and writing all those tunes about that concept was one thing, putting it all together in a state of not being in a home was pretty weird.” Tebbutt credits the more celebratory sound of Home with his upheaval, and some of it to songstress Thelma Plum, who lends her forceful but fragile voice on Silk. “This song came up and it just felt like I was trying to tell two people’s stories. When I was singing it didn’t quite feel like all the words I’d written were mine. And so I started thinking about whose voice would say that part really well and her voice fits in really well with mine. So we did it and it was beautiful. It’s amazing to record her. I’m used to spending a whole day doing vocal takes and she just walked in and smashed it. It was good fun.”
What: Home (Eleven) When & Where: 18 Sep, Corner Hotel
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 19
Music
The Best Of BIGSOUND Live
Number One Love
Mitch Knox – Editor, theMusic.com.au Tiger Choir Hands down, the biggest surprise of the showcase for me. Watch them closely.
Morning Harvey If there’s a more charismatic frontman getting about these parts than the spectacularly mulleted, deliciously mobile Spencer White, I don’t even want to know about it.
Avaberee They played to a criminally small crowd at the Brightside Outdoor stage, but that just gave the ascendant Brissy act’s performance - flawless as it was - an added dimension of hypnotic intimacy. Beautiful, bold tunes, and wonderment for days.
Polish Club Yeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssss ss. Seriously, that is all. So. Much. Yes.
Rainbow Chan Another revelation. Quirky, glitchy electropop delivered by Chan with confidence and candour, ably assisted by beats man Moses MacRae, all wrapped up in an evocative, danceable package. A true delight. Honorable mention: Koi Child. Just have to mention them because holy hell, that group is stacks of fun.
Polish Club. Pic: Bobby Rein
20 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
It took writing a play to get The Snowdroppers all fired up to cut their third album, as Jeremy Davidson (aka Johnny Wishbone) tells Jonty Czuchwicki.
T
here’s plenty going on for blues band The Snowdroppers. Their new release Business was recorded on the Central Coast north of Sydney, utilising both Grove Studios and Ivory Lane Studios. “It was produced by our friend and long-time live engineer Ryan Hazel,” begins Snowdroppers frontman Johnny Wishbone - real name Jeremy Davidson. “His studio is the Ivory Lane studio but he was adamant that he wanted to track some of it at the Grove just because it’s a really nice atmosphere there.” As it turns out there were certainly some benefits in tracking at Grove. “It’s just got this big live room!We had the space to shed up and really spread out, stretch our wings and fly away!” Certain elements were then taken back to Ivory Lane for over-dubbing, but the majority of the record was tracked live. “There’s one track on the album that is a completely live cut.” Davidson explains. “Hold On. It’s actually a Tom Waits cover. That was kinda last minute. We didn’t muck around with it until we went into the studio and sorted floated the idea of doing a cover. We sorted of started jamming that and it worked!” This is typically how The Snowdroppers have worked in the past; capturing the essence of their live sound
is an important element. “We were really conscious this time around. This time around we have come the closest to getting that energy than we have before.” It’s about 18 months since The Snowdroppers last toured. “I wish I could say it’s because we have all been windswept and interesting and jet setting across the globe... but we haven’t,” admits Davidson. In truth Davidson and guitarist Pauly K originally took four months off to work on a play for the Sydney Theatre Company. “It kind of made me realise how much I truly love music and love performing music!” admits Davidson with sincerity of the experience. “Music truly is my number one love. It definitely sent us back into the writing process and into the studio with sort of a new vigour.” Joining The Snowdroppers on tour for most of the dates is Food Court. “Food Court, man, they are so good! They are one of the best bands going right now. They just have that ragged, garage, pop, jangle thing going on, which is awesome!” As for other bands on the Australian scene, Davidson has nothing but good words for Royal Headache and High Tension. “I went to see Royal Headache the other night and they are just phenomenal. I also went to see High Tension the other day. They really impressed me! She [Karina Utomo] has a phenomenal voice, absolutely phenomenal frontwoman!” “I wish I could say it’s because we have all been windswept and interesting and jet setting across the globe... but we haven’t.”
What: Business (FOUR | FOUR/ABC/Universal) When & Where: 19 Sep, Northcote Social Club; 27 & 28 Nov, Queenscliff Music Festival
Music
Buried, Not Dead
A year ago, Buried In Verona were encountering enough rock’n’roll woes to fill an AC/ DC song. Instead of calling it quits, they turned their frustrations into their best album to date, vocalist Brett Anderson tells Tom Hersey.
“A
year ago we were all ready to give up,” Brett Anderson of Buried In Verona says straight off the bat. It’s the type of statement that in most cases would be followed a resigned sigh and a protracted explanation of what comes to be the beginning of the end. But Anderson is sounding positively cheery. That’s because he’s reflecting on the process that resulted in the Sydney metalcore outfit’s fifth album, Vultures Above, Lions Below. Beleaguered by a litany of financial and personal problems, the band managed to slog through to arrive at their most passionate, and powerful, album to date. “We were at the end of our ropes,” he continues. “Then I was writing about these experiences. But it wasn’t until we put it together that we realised this whole album was kind of about this massive transition, personally and as a band, that we all had to go through to be where we are now. So that was an awesome surprise at the end of it. That one big fluid story could come out of Buried In Verona’s personal battles that we had to deal with. Depression, alcoholism, all that sort of stuff that came about as a
direct result of the hardships Buried In Verona had to face.” Those hardships gave Anderson and the band a machine to rage against. And rage they did. Vultures Above, Lions Below comes across like a visceral gut-punch, and fans have immediately responded. Since its release, the album shot up the ARIA charts and critics have fawned over it. Which raises the question: if all this hardship led to such a great album, does that make Anderson and his cohorts kind of appreciate everything that went down? “Yes, we’ve been through some shit. And we’ve written songs about that shit. One hundred per cent, if we weren’t there, we couldn’t be here. But you can’t look at it like that. Because then it becomes this revolving cycle and I have to go through more shit to write the next album.” That’s why Anderson’s approaching the band’s upcoming tour with a positive mindset. “I’m going to use this tour as my version of therapy. Obviously I’m going to be thinking about these situations - it’s impossible not to relive a lot of the negativity when I’m singing these lyrics - but I’m going to try my best not to focus on what happened, but me expressing myself and getting those feelings out there. And using it as a positive thing to get it all off my chest... Me and the band, we just want to make things positive from now on. We want to take these negative and heavy songs from our personal lives and get that out as a means of moving forward from all this shit. “We’ve had enough negatives,” he adds cheerily. “We’ve gotta move on from all that shit. We can’t deal with any more negatives, we’ve lived it a little too long. We’ve gotta focus on the positive.”
The Best Of BIGSOUND Live Steve Bell – Editor, The Music Cosmic Psychos Young ‘uns definitely showed their promise with possibly the most distinctly Australian set of heavy rock ever delivered at BIGSOUND, then mooned us to show their appreciation.
The Goon Sax Super young Brisbane trio seem to strip back time with their jangly brand of indie rock, woozy and emotive and simultaneously fragile and robust. So compelling.
Polish Club Sometimes hype is aimed at the wrong targets and other times it’s utterly justified, and this Sydney duo belong unreservedly in the latter camp as they stun all and sundry with a polished set of soul-heavy blues rock, and that voice.
Gold Class Some lucky punters endured a face-full of invective from the frontman of this Melbourne outfit, who souvenired a lot of hearts and minds with their austere postpunk and smooth invective.
High Tension If any fool ever tries to say that women can’t rock sit them down in front of this thrashy Melbourne outfit and let them get their face melted off by Karina Utomo’s incredible scream. A lot to love.
What: Vultures Above, Lions Below (UNFD) When & Where: 18 & 19 Sep, Evelyn Hotel THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 21
Music
Pearls Before Swine The day after recording vocals on a song inspired by Roxy Music’s Mother Of Pearl, Chris Baio saw Bryan Ferry in a London restaurant and thought, “That’s a decent omen,” he tells Bryget Chrisfield.
B
aio is the solo project of Chris Baio, and the Vampire Weekend bassist is already seated at the boardroom table of Mushroom HQ, Albert Park when this scribe enters the room. Looking and dressing like a dapper Oxford scholar, Baio expresses a desire to check out the Bowie exhibition at ACMI during a “little break” he has today. “I can go maybe for, like, an hour and a half. I’m gonna do that,” he decides. “I mean, him and [Bryan] Ferry are my two favourites.” Sister Of Pearl, the latest single to be lifted from Baio’s debut long-player is actually an overt reference to Roxy
That time in my life is where a lot of my taste formed that this album is kinda ultimately the expression of.
Music’s Mother Of Pearl. “For me the turn of phrase came and it sounded like a song that had already been written,” Baio explains. “It would seem like someone in the 1950s or something would have written a pop song called Sister Of Pearl.” Then Baio tapped into “more traditional pop songwriting” and “very deliberately referenced a lot of [his] favourite Bowie and Ferry tracks” in the lyrics to complete the song. Although he’s never met his aforementioned heroes, Baio had a Ferry sighting. “After writing and making Sister Of Pearl my lawyer sent it to [Ferry’s] management, ‘cause I wanted to be sure, and apparently he heard it and was cool with it. So it was nice. And there’s a credit in the liner notes saying that Sister Of Pearl was inspired by Roxy Music’s Mother Of Pearl, by Bryan Ferry 1973. But, before that, the 22 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
kinda like key point where the record came together was last summer. I spent three weeks working on vocals with an engineer - in London at the XL studios, they have a studio in their office there - and on maybe the Wednesday of the first week we recorded the vocals for Sister Of Pearl. And then the next night, Thursday, my manager was in town for one night and had this big group dinner at a restaurant in London that’s kind of like a more of a hang out-type place. I hadn’t been before - I haven’t since - but [when we were] walking into the restaurant, at another one of the tables was Bryan Ferry with three people having dinner! So I thought, ‘That’s a decent omen’.” He moved from New York to London two years ago and Baio opines, “London is the closest, I think, to New York in terms of style of city, and obviously there is a world of differences between them, too. But, for me, working on this record, and writing lyrics, it gave me both a new environment, and a new life, to be excited about, and also a new perspective; to look back on sort of growing up and living in New York.” Back in New York, Baio was involved in “college radio” (“I would play at, like, 2am to maybe three listeners on the internet”), which he reveals was “much more for [him] than for anyone else”. “They had this really awesome library in the studio and, you know, I came from suburban New York and, living in the city for the first time as an adult, it was so fun. It just exposed me to so much more music that I didn’t know. Like, the breadth of stuff I listened to from when I was 19 - it’s insane!... To just go and pull CDs off the wall, import them into my computer and then, like, get to listen to Can for the first time when I’m 19, you know? That time in my life is where a lot of my taste formed that this album is kinda ultimately the expression of.” The Names is a multicultural feast for the ears and something about the tone of Baio’s album, which is established pronto through opener Brainwash Yyrr Face, calls to mind DJ Shadow’s You Can’t Go Home Again. Shadow’s track invites Russian folk dancers into your imagination and, interestingly, Baio majored in “Russian regional studies” at university. “I guess [the banjo intro] could be a little bit like a balalaika or something,” Baio ponders. “That’s interesting, yeah, I didn’t make that connection but I had a balalaika - my mum gave me one for Christmas, like, ten years ago when I was a student, but I could never get a good sound out of it. And so maybe [I’m] just doing a computerised impression of it. “When I was working on [Brainwash Yyrr Face] I had 28 years of my life, of listening to music and loving music, and, when you actually sit down to work on something, you’re working your way through and you’re kind of trusting your intuition. And what you’ve listened to over the course of your life and what filters through, it can be, like, a very subtle process... So that’s a cool thing, and I think that’s definitely true that that’s something that filtered through that track. I finished it a year ago and I never thought about it until you brought it up right now. So it’s funny, yeah.”
What: The Names (Liberator Music/Glassnote Records)
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 23
24 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 25
In Focus Friday Nights At Ngv
After-hours evenings of art and music return during Masterpieces Of The Hermitage: Catherine The Great, NGV from 2 Oct to 6 Nov. A couple of the awesome line-ups we’ve dog-eared are Jaakko Eino Kalevi (Finland, pictured) with a DJ set by Banoffee (9 Oct) and Laura Jean (pictured) with Klo on DJ duties (30 Oct). For the first time, there will be interactive events in the exhibition space including drawing with Melbourne artist Kenny Pittock (like an Australian David Shrigley!) and art history experts sharing fascinating facts about the artworks in just a few short minutes for Minute Masters. Book early to avoid disappointment at ngv.vic.gov.au
Jaakko Eino Kalevi. Pic: Harley Weir
Laura Jean
26 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 27
Film
There’ll Be Spectacle Despite the rigours of an intense media schedule, Guy Davis finds Hugh Jackman just as amenable and approachable as he’d imagined.
A
two-day media junket, where the talent is subjected to an ongoing barrage of nine-minute interrogations by an unbroken stream of reporters, is enough to test the patience of the most even-tempered performers. So it speaks volumes about the legendary and seemingly limitless affability of Hugh Jackman that the Australian actor is able to maintain good humour and laid-back charm during his recent press commitments for Pan, the upcoming re-imagining of the Peter Pan story, in which he portrays the pirate Blackbeard, the original nemesis of the boy who never grew up. If the berserker rage Jackman regularly unleashes in his signature role as surly, steel-clawed superhero Wolverine is at all simmering, he’s doing a great job
Joe showed me a picture that had my face, a Marie Antoinette wig, a Louis XIV costume and all this bling. And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in.’
of keeping it from reaching boiling point. There is, of course, more to Jackman than his star-making role in the X-Men franchise. Over a two-decade stage and screen career, he’s proven himself adept in challenging dramas and charming romantic comedies. And then there are his talents as a song-and-dance man to be reckoned with. Strangely enough, his role in Pan - directed by Joe Wright of Pride & Prejudice and Hanna fame - gives him the opportunity to showcase many of these skills, with Blackbeard emerging as a fearsome villain, a flamboyant showman and a melancholic veteran of many, many battles. “It was an embarrassment of riches,” smiles Jackman, recalling the role. “It was a lot of scenerychewing, playing to the back rows and having the time of my life, and then Joe randomly comes up with this idea 28 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
at rehearsals where he handed out lyrics to Smells Like Teen Spirit and I make my entrance to a Nirvana song. There were no rules!” In Pan, which, as you can imagine puts a few new twists on the origin of Peter Pan (played by young newcomer Levi Miller): “Adults had to be as children see them - ridiculous and frightening in equal measure,” says Jackman. So while the actor’s Blackbeard is torn between between vanquishing this young upstart and “almost wishing him to fulfil his greatest fear” he also had to a cut a larger-than-life figure. And that’s where Wright had a few innovative ideas. “I thought we were going to use the historical version of Blackbeard, which is quite theatrical and amazing, by the way - he used to put sticks of incense in his beard and light them so there was a cloud of smoke around his head as he emerged with his cutlass,” laughs Jackman. “But no, Joe showed me a picture that had my face, a Marie Antoinette wig, a Louis XIV costume and all this bling. And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in.’” Jackman has collaborated with the likes of Woody Allen, Christopher Nolan, Baz Luhrmann and Darren Aronofsky, and says he’s come to realise that film is very much a director’s medium. “Actors can make three movies a year; a director makes a movie every two or three years. A great director knows that if they’re lucky they can make ten movies in their life, so these great directors make tough choices - they don’t go into things lightly. So whatever is on the page, the director may even be more important. That’s been guiding me over the last ten years. Joe Wright is a director of the highest order and I was really keen to work with him.” Still, the stage frequently beckons Jackman, who believes that “being on stage makes me better on film and vice versa”. “After Pan I did a Jez Butterworth threehander, a very poetic piece called The River,” he says. “And it had a six-minute period in the middle of the play wher where I just prepared a meal with no dialogue and no one else on stage. It was just that for six minutes! I do like to go back and forth between stage and film, it’s where I get tthe best out of myself, and I think I now enjoy film as muc much... but I’m most at home on a stage.” H He’ll get to feel very much at home later this year when he takes his stage show Broadway To Oz to five capit capital cities around Australia. “I obviously want the show to be fun and entertaining - a bit of a party - but at the th same time, like Pan, it has moments of intimacy. I like to create an atmosphere, even though we’re in an arena, of being in my living room, where people get to understand who I am and what I love. “I’ll sing songs from things I’ve been in and things I haven’t, share stories about my life, make fun of myself and play with the audience. No two shows will be the same. And there’ll be spectacle - I have an opportunity to do what I haven’t done before, which is have a 35-piece orchestra, 20 dancers and incredible lighting. When there are moments to put on a show, I really want to put on a show.”
What: Pan In cinemas 24 Sep
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 29
Eat / Eat/Drink
Agathe Patisserie. Pic: Joyce Wong. Instagram: @ms_jwong
n a d n Pa
e s i d Para
Some call pandan the ‘Asian vanilla’ but it’s so much more than that.
P
andan leaves are used heaps in Southeast Asian cooking (mainly in rice dishes and desserts), and its distinct kind of floral aroma comes from the same compound that’s found in white bread, jasmine rice and basmati rice. It’s like, you know it smells delicious but you can’t quite put your finger on why exactly. If you haven’t tried it yet, here are some pandan desserts to get you started (or if you’re a pandan enthusiast, see how many of these you’ve sampled already!).
Nelayan - 265 Swanston St, CBD The best kept secret in Melbourne CBD, Nelayan is a no-fuss Indonesian restaurant where $10 will get you rice and three delicious options from the buffet. They also do awesome sweets, including three rolls of kuih dadar (pandan pancakes with coconut filling) for $3. 30 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Agathe Patisserie - South Melbourne Market/ Prahran Market Agathe Patisserie might be French, but they make a mean pandan croissant (as well as heaps of other flavoured croissants, too). The buttery layers of pastry and the fragrant pandan flavour are just dreamy together.
Magic Mountain Saloon 62 Lt Collins St, CBD Wanting a sweet brekky? Check out Magic Mountain Saloon’s spread, which includes fairy toast
with pandan and coconut cream. You’re an adult so you can do what you want.
Sugar Prawn - 230 Smith St, Fitzroy
Another breakfast option: pandan sago pudding with black sesame, seasonal fruits and a side of rose syrup at the fairly new Malaysian modern hawker restaurant Sugar Prawn.
Luxbite - 38 Toorak Rd, South Yarra If you’re still trying to get your head around the pandan taste, a macaron could ease you into it. Luxbite’s one is made with fresh pandan infused coconut cream and white chocolate filling, and enhanced with pink salt.
Shakahari Too - 225 Clarendon St, South Melbourne Shakahari Too is famous for its nutritious and tasty vegetarian/vegan pan-Asian fare - and you’d do well to finish off a meal there with their kueh sago dessert: steamed pearl sago, thread coconut, and palm sugar in a cake pudding, served with pandan coconut cream sauce.
/ Drink Eat/Drink
Review:
Arnott’s Twisted Faves
We tried two of Arnott’s Twisted Faves range, the Monte Carlo Salted Caramel and the Shortbread Cream Strawberries & Cream, to find out if the classics are superior or the modern updates reign supreme.
Monte Carlo “The Trojan Horse of biscuits - ok on the outside, nasty in the middle...” Sarah Duggan, journalist. “Luckily the classic crumbly Monte Carlo biscuit masked whatever this filling was meant to be imitating.” Andrew Mast, Group Managing Editor. “Not quite caramel-y or salty enough to beat the original.” Matt Feltham, Sales Executive. “Actually rivals the le original Monte Carlo via stiff caramel hit. I’m plussed.” Tim Wessling, Sales Executive.
milkshake only cruuuunchy. Kingstons are way better.” Bryget Chrisfield, Melbourne Editor.
Shortbread Cream “It tastes like shit and I feel like I am coming down from a sugar high.” Leigh Treweek, Managing Director. “The fake strawberry smell was overwhelming. The lack of taste was underwhelming.” Andrew Mast, Group Managing Editor. “Tastes like everything I never had before.” Tim Wessling “Ruins the ultimate teetotaling biscuit.” Loretta Zoppos, Accounts. “It’s exactly what I expected: dry, crumbly, sweet and fairly crap.” Xavier Fennell, intern. Verdict: Yeah, nah.
“Smell like kiddie Lip Smackers taste like a salted caramel
Check Out
Hot Spot
Wasshoi Beer Sake & Sumibi The newest addition to Prahran Market is Wasshoi, a cosy little sumibi bar serving up charcoal grilled meats in pattie and skewer form (chicken, pork belly, beef), Kirin on tap and sake. The grill items come with sesame marinated veggies or kimchi salad, and are complemented by teriyaki sauce or spicy soy and fruit sauce. The kitchen is headed by the friendly head chef Ikuei Arakane (Kin San), who has previously worked at Koko, Taxi, 100 Mile Cafe and The Glass House in Tasmania. ‘Wasshoi’ is a sound of encouragement that essentially means ‘unifying together’, which is quite fitting for this cheerful 29-seater. Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra
Shit The Bed Hot Sauce
Renae Bunster from Perth makes this hot sauce called Shit The Bed. She’s currently crowdfunding to pay for the first large commercial batch of sauce so she’s been promoting that on Facebook lately. Turns out someone shared a photo of her hot sauce with UK DJ Danny Howells, because he’s a massive
hot sauce fan, and he in turn has been helping Bunster promote the STB sauce. One of his Facebook mates happens to be DJ John Digweed - who also shared a pic of the sauce with the caption: “I always used to joke to #dannyhowells that if he called me before midday that he must have s**t the bed - trust him to discover this product!” So that was certainly a serendipitous turn of events! Entertaining anecdotes aside, you can head to bunstersfresh.com.au for info on how to help Bunster’s STB sauce go
commercial. Also, if you post a photo of the STB sauce and get 500 shares on Facebook you get a free bottle of sauce.
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 31
Rockin’ The Hair
Pic: Jelle Mollema
Culture
The Schorem Barbers are kinda rock stars in the hairdressing world. Dylan Van Der Riet chats to one of the two, Bertus Barbier.
C
oncealed within the centuries-old streets of Rotterdam, Schorem, the Netherlands’ most notorious barber shop - famous for their pompadours, quiffs and flat-tops - is keeping the culture of rock’n’roll in men’s hair and fashion alive and well. Schorem, quite literally the Dutch translation of ‘scumbag’, has become synonymous with the classic style of 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s pop culture. The Schorem barber shop opened in 2010 and bikers, punks and greasers from all around the globe quickly became desperate to make an appointment at Rotterdam’s finest barber shop. Since then the brand has expanded into one of the foremost barber shops in Europe, establishing its own barber academy, line of specialty hair products and an international cult following. Schorem founders and brothers Bertus and Leen Barbier have just completed a small run of live hair shows Down Under, giving Australian fans the opportunity to see their signature cuts performed live, to learn the tips of the trade and to banter with the men themselves about the finer aspects of the barber trade. “We want to do haircuts you can show your grandchildren without making them laugh,” explains Bertus Barbier. The Schorem barbers are not interested in trends instead, they believe the philosophy that style is timeless. “You can watch a movie with Humphrey Bogart or Gary Grant in a hundred years and they will still be style icons... We cut the classics, and the classics will never go out of style.”
We want to do haircuts you can show your grandchildren without making them laugh.
32 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
For the brothers, Australia was an obvious place for the Dutch men to come and show off their decades of experience, and to also meet people who are as “enthusiastic and passionate” about the job as they are. “We follow a lot of barbers and hairdressers in Australia and New Zealand on Facebook and Instagram. There’s g stuff coming from Down Under... We some amazing mor curious about the growing barber became more and more community so when we had the chance to tour we really didn’t need a second to think about it.” The Schorem Live Hair Show travelled through Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and was unlike what you would ever expect from a typical hair show. “We’re barbers, o stage,” says Barbier. “We [wanted] we don’t really belong on the whole thing to be lik like we’re in the shop, drinking beer, cracking a few jokes. “We did a tour in Ca Canada which turned into mayhem, people getting really dr drunk but having a ball! We had so that’ all that matters in the end, right? much fun as well - that’s Have a fun night, get a little wild and rock’n’roll.” The Schorem barbers barbe wear their influences on their sleeve (quite literally in the case of heavily tattooed Bertus and Leen). “The most in influential haircut is the pompadour - 99% of the haircuts we do are inspired by that all time b the Schorem style has evolved classic,” says Barbier, but inspirat with and drawn inspiration from the development of rock f cultures. “We love the fact that so many kids are reinventing the rock’n’roll style, from rockabilly to psychobilly, but also exam punk and ska for example. Some of these music styles just need new blood, right? It’s a good thing to see so many kids want[ing] to become a barber. We do hope they realise it takes lots and lots of p practice to become a good barber.” Witnessing the strength of rock’n’roll subcultures globally has been an important part of the touring experience for the brothers - not that they ever doubted the popularity of their craft. “There will always be people keeping those cultures alive... We’ve been doing these kind of haircuts for over 25 years; there has always been a large group coming from different subcultures who have been sporting these cuts.” Finally, some parting advice from the barbers for anyone thinking of rocking a pomp or flat-top themselves: “It’s important to understand that it’s not the hair, it’s the way you rock it. As long as you feel confident and relaxed with your haircut, it’s a haircut that suits you.”
Pic: Jelle Mollema
The Schorem barbers’ hair product, Reuzel Pomade, is available from selected barber shops nationwide and online. Visit reuzelpomade.com for more information.
Music
Ok To Be Sad
While debates rage about the gender imbalance of festival bills, the Sad Grrrls Club is mounting its inaugural national tour plus a Sydney fest, with all acts comprising at least one female-identifying member. Cyclone talks to founder Rachel Maria Cox.
I
t may seem remarkable but the Sad Grrrls Club collective only coalesced this year, with Newcastle-based alt-pop artist Rachel Maria Cox as founder. “It started off as a couple of friends of mine and a little sort of running joke that we were all these sad female musicians - and we’ve just done our own little ‘sad grrrls’ club,” Cox says. ‘Sad Grrrls Club’ sounds like a kinda Lana Del Rey meta-emo pop song one might play when reading Sylvia Plath’s subversive feminist novel The Bell Jar - and that’s not far off the mark, says Cox, who’s majored in composition at the University Of Newcastle’s Conservatorium. The fold takes its name from a cultural project initiated by Los Angeles visual artist Audrey Wollen, who theorises that female melancholia is a manifestation of patriarchal resistance. Notably, Wollen has praised Del Rey. “Everything’s very beautiful and very tragic and very dramatic,” Cox suggests. “It’s all over the top. There is a value to that, but part of it as well is accepting that sadness and anger and these emotions that a lot of the time we don’t even allow women to have culturally are not always gonna be glamorous and theatrical - but they are very real. And they are something that we should allow women to express.” Cox will front the 12-date Sad Grrrls Club tour alongside Sydney freak-folkie Ess-Em, the pair joined by different acts in each city.
Significantly, the run will culminate in Sydney with October’s two-day DIY Sad Grrrls Fest, featuring an expanded curated roster. The first day, ‘90s-referencing punk-popsters Stellar Addiction will headline, the second indie combo Missing Children. “I just thought it’d be good to do something that brings everyone together,” Cox explains. Imagine an even more genderdiverse, yet intimate, Lilith Fair. Cox, who self-applies non-binary (or genderqueer) pronouns like ‘they’ over ‘she’, admits that Sad Grrrls Club is responding to disquiet about Australian festivals’ maledominated programming. “There’s a new festival in the States called Burger A-Go-Go - that’s another all-female festival. You read the comments on that [online] and it’s just a bunch of dudes having a bit of a whine about why are we putting together these all-female festivals - that’s just as bad as an all-male festival and stuff like that. Everyone’s complaining and talking about this ideal world where we have an equal representation on line-ups - [but] if no one’s doing anything about it, then everything just stays the same. I guess, if [Sad Grrrls Club ] works on some level - it doesn’t have to be a huge success or make it to the same level as those big festivals with the international acts, it’s a way of trying to send the message, not just to the mainstream music industry, but to female musicians and to all musicians, really, that you’re not shooting yourself in the foot to give women a go.” After lately airing the Home EP, the singersongwriter will perform Sad Grrrls-themed songs on the road. “A lot of my new material is a bit more involved in this kind of gender and sadness [milieu], and that ‘Sad Grrrls’ vibe, because I’ve been working so much on this that it’s informed my music.”
The Best Of BIGSOUND Live Uppy Chatterjee – Editor, theMusic.com.au Dorsal Fins The nine-piece on stage genuinely looked like they were friends having a musical dance party, with a brass section. Special props to the percussionist who was having a blast while playing his beer bottles and sample pads.
Harts Just, wow. Already emanating rock god vibes and wouldn’t be surprised to see this guy slay a festival main stage very soon.
High Tension A wretched banshee scream and live show like no other.
Mojo Juju Dressed to the nines, Mojo Juju’s voice is brassy, bold and fills an entire fucking room with no effort at all.
Stonefield Bring back the all-girl axe-wielders! These girls were kickass. Harts. Pic: Bobby Rein
When & Where: 17 Sep, Reverence Hotel; 18 Sep, The Old Bar
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 33
Music
The Best Of BIGSOUND Live
Pajama Party
And things are slightly different for all band members since catapulting onto the scene in 2010 with With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear. Amid the global tours, countless chart entries, signing with Rise and their recent move to Epitaph, the boys have built families and relationships back home. Keeping one foot in the band’s world and the other in the family realm is a challenge Martin says can be
Andrew Mast Group Managing Editor, The Music/theMusic.com.au Big White Three strong songwriters supplying a variety of indie sub-genre bliss. And those keys - there’s nothing else like them at this point. And cannot shake their wonderful You Know I Love You.
Pearls Everything that is good about rock music is here: stompy wompy glam, grimy garage, indie cool and even an angry Runaways-esque moment.
Gold Class Intense troubadour, dare we say ‘angular’, indie rock. Equal parts scary and joyful.
The Goon Sax Heart-breaking tales of heart-aching teens in the rawest indie pop form.
All Our Exes Live In Texas Pure country goodness littered with wicked onstage banter. Surely their breakthrough is soon. Plus: Polish Club (of course), Totally Mild, Immigrant Union, Shocking Pinks, Aldous Harding. All Our Exes Live In Texas. Pic: Bobby Rein
34 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
“How I used to travel and party when I was 21 versus now when I’m 32 are two completely different things,” Sleeping With Sirens guitarist Nick Martin tells Carley Hall.
T
o say Nick Martin is excited to tour Australia for the first time since joining post-hardcore miscreants Sleeping With Sirens (SWS) in 2013 is an understatement. But his excitement is pegged on something from completely out of left field. “The one thing I do want to do is go and see quokkas - is that how you say it?” he asks, back home in California after a tour of South America. “They’re like little furry animals on an island outside of Perth. I’ve held a koala, I’ve hung out with the kangaroos, I’ve done those quote-unquote typical Australian things, but I want to go see quokkas.” It’s not something one typically expects to hear from a guitarist, especially one whose punk/hardcore band credits prior to SWS include Underminded and DRUGS. But as the oldest in the five-piece - he’s 32 touring these days has become less about quantity and more about quality. “I’ve been doing this since I was around 18, 19 years old,” Martin explains. “How I used to travel and party when I was 21 versus now when I’m 32 are two completely different things. When you’re older you tend to want to enjoy the other things. Like, I want to enjoy the local culture and check out new things, and the cities and the people.”
overcome with effort. “You kind of have to consider it a longdistance relationship. And it is difficult because you live in a different world to your partner. For us we’re in a different city every day, experiencing life in completely different ways, so it becomes difficult. Over the years it’s hard to find the individuals that understand it, who are compassionate and backing what you do every day. So when you do have that, you cherish it a lot.” Enlisting the god-like guidance of John Feldmann (Panic! At the Disco, The Used, All Time Low) for latest album Madness steered the band’s pop-punk flavour towards a tighter, more mature direction. Each and every band member agrees that future SWS albums will be touched by none other than Feldmann, even if Martin admits the man can be a bit intense. “Intense is an understatement!” he laughs. “John’s just like this very eccentric, crazy motherfucker - he gets out of his mind. He’s able to come into a room and if we come in and we’re not feeling it that day, somehow he can come in and spark something. He’s so high-strung but in the most positive way ever. To have someone that is equally at a level ten, or at a level 100 like John Feldmann - it’s nice to have. I wouldn’t want to break away from that.”
When & Where: 22 Sep, 170 Russell
Indie Indie
John And Jen
Wyall Style
Wallflower
The Naysayers
Theatre Focus
Event Focus
Single Focus
Single Focus
Answered by: Brenton Cosier
Answered by: Darvid Thor
Answered by: Henry Waldren
Answered: Gordon Holland
Hopestreet Recordings is well established on Melbourne’s funk and soul scene. What has inspired the Wyall Style imprint? We’ve all been huge fans and heavy listeners of indie/ electronic/hip hop/alternative music over the years, so when we started writing and producing in those genres, we wanted to have a medium to release it.
Single title? Soliloquy
Single title? Passing By
What’s the song about? It’s a song about being sad and the pointlessness of losing sleep over that.
What’s the song about? It’s a story about a someone addicted to drugs who’s using to escape, and they remember their lost love...
How long did it take to write/ record? It was actually one of the first songs we wrote. We made it into a dancey tune but the way the song is now feels a lot more natural and what we intended musically.
How long did it take to write/ record? We recorded a demo of ourselves jamming one day and didn’t touch it for weeks - we almost forgot about it. We later recorded it over two brilliant sessions with Max Ducker at Cellar Sessions.
Describe your show in a tweet? John And Jen is crushingly intimate. It is a stunning story about family, living up to expectations and letting go of the past. When you first read this show what stood out to you about the character? I get to play two very different characters, both named John. They are both honest, raw characters; full of life. Both Johns are loving, kind, generous characters, but their flaws are also on display in the play which, as an actor, is a fantastic challenge. As a performer do you have a pre-show ritual? I obviously always warm up and steam before a show. I can’t go on stage without brushing my teeth. I feel disgusting if I don’t. I’m always super early to the theatre before a show as well. I can’t handle being rushed. No real rituals though. What excites you about Australian theatre? I love the fact that actors are being given the opportunity to do these small, amazing pieces of theatre that the big producers would never touch. The network of small indie theatre companies is growing and some are putting on some brilliant theatre. You just have to look at how well the Hayes Theatre in Sydney is going. Fantastic model. When and where is your show? 18 - 27 Sep, Chapel Off Chapel. Website link for more info? chapeloffchapel.com.au
What are you doing to celebrate the launch of the imprint? On 18 Sep, we’re hosting a massive launch night at The Gasometer Hotel to release Frida’s single on 7” and launch the label! We’ll like Frida if we like... Dreamy and ethereal indie-pop with smokey undertones of soul music. We take our influence from Mac DeMarco, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tame Impala, Twin Peaks... What can we expect next from Wyall Style? You can expect a bimonthly mixtape curated by us, and some new music from some of our solo/side projects. Website for more info? wyallstyle.com
Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? Soliloquy is the opening track of an EP we’re currently working on. What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? Depression and selfishness mostly. I’m not in as bad a headspace as I was but I really like these songs that we’re doing. It’s like a musical photograph of the shit times. We’ll like this song if we like... Bibio or Coldplay. I drew inspiration from Bibio’s Carosello Ellittico for the vibe of the opening notes. Do you play it differently live? We try to do everything recorded live. Basically we just want to blow people’s brains out of their buttholes. When and where is your launch/ next gig? At The Workers Club, 20 Sep. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ wearewallflowertheband
Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? Yes, it’s our third release in the Photo Singles series, which we’ve been doing with artwork from Polish photographer Rafal Karcz. What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? Definitely late ‘60s psychedelic music as well giving ourselves time to experiment with different sounds and instruments in a studio setting. Do you play it differently live? Not particularly; a little heavier and more hectic, which is usually how we do things live. And we’ve been known to extend the noise outro for an uncomfortably long time. When and where is your launch/ next gig? The launch is 18 Sep at Ding Dong Lounge. Supporting us are Uncle Bobby, Lieutenant Jam and The Solicitors are spinning tunes for the night. Website link for more info? thenaysayers.com
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 35
36 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Fringe Festi Fringe
Randy’s Guide To The Music’s Melbourne Fringe Festival Guide
Circus
Ah, September in Melbourne. The Botanic Gardens are alive with the terrifying sound of flying-foxes giving birth to their pups, legions of football fans are testing positive for finals fever, and you’re holding a copy of The Music’s Fringe Guide wondering how to choose between a postapocalyptic contemporary dance piece or an experimental glee club that reinterprets the songs of Tom Waits by hurling their own excrement at a brick wall. Don’t panic, Randy’s here to help you decipher the guide in a thinly veiled attempt to promote his own show. Huzzah!
This is your multiple-disciplinary mixed-media category where performance art is truly unrestrained and deeply cryptic political themes are heatedly discussed on the 57 tram after the show. The festival goes for 19 days and there’s only six shows in this category so go see at least one, you narrow-minded arsehole.
Comedy There’s a lot of super high quality comedy shows in the festival this year and I could list a whole bunch of comedians that you should see (several of them are definitely reading this hoping I will plug their show), but it’s probably best if you head straight to melbournefringe. com.au and purchase several tickets to see Randy Writes A Novel. It’s on from 18 - 25 Sep at the Lithuanian Club in North Melbourne. See it heaps.
See it all. Seriously. It might not be the best circus show you’ve ever seen but the people in it spend the majority of their lives practicing really hard tricks that you’ll never have the self-discipline to master yourself, so show them some respect and buy a freakin’ ticket.
Live Art
Performance “Hang on Randy, isn’t every show in the Fringe a performance?” Good question, champion. No. This category is anything that qualifies as theatre but is loose enough to encompass people that don’t want to be referred to as theatre because it summons images of a troop of overacting 22-year-olds in bad wigs and musty suit jackets yelling contrived dialogue at each other for 90 minutes. It’s not like that. I promise.
Visual Art Often overlooked by Mr and Mrs General Public, this category is one that deserves your attention. Visual artists isolate themselves for months at a time obsessing over the intricacies of their chosen medium and the very least you can do is wander politely through their exhibition making little positive noises through your nose and respecting their choice to avoid getting an actual job.
Dance If you’ve never seen a dance piece before, Melbourne Fringe is the perfect introduction to this oft-times underrated form of artistic expression. I was in a dance piece once. I writhed around in the alleyway next to the North Melbourne Town Hall inside a Lycra sack for 45 minutes and then had to have a knee reconstruction. It got two-and-a-half stars in MX.
Cabaret People often avoid cabaret because it conjures images of theatrerestaurant-style Peter Allen tribute shows where camp men in enormous shirt sleeves sing duets with women in sequin cocktail dresses sprawled across grand pianos in uncomfortably small venues. And to be fair, it’s mostly like that. But there’s also a massive pool of musical talent in this town and if titles like Torte e Mort: Songs Of Cake And Death and Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom don’t motivate you off the couch, there’s little I can do for you.
What: Randy Writes A Novel When & Where: 18 - 25 Sep, The Ballroom, Lithuanian Club
Fringe Fest Top 10 Picks
A BLOODY GOOD LAUGH
Heard the news? The tampon tax is here to stay, which is why Loani Arman’s worked out some ways for you to get value out of that extra 10% you’re paying.
Bling On A String Fashion tampons into earrings; tie them together to make a show-stopping necklace; or weave them into a wreath for that on-trend boho look. The colour scheme can be red or white - so versatile. Don’t worry if the weather’s looking like rain: tampons are super absorbent.
Panty Liner Notes Forgot to buy milk again? You need to write yourself a reminder note. Take a panty liner, write “Buy milk” on it, peel the adhesive backing off, stick it to the fridge and problem solved. If you plan on wearing the pad after you’ve written your note, then you may encounter some ink transference where it’s not wanted. This shouldn’t be a problem if your note is “I love you” - however, “Buy cat food” and “Call your mum” appearing on your vagina might be a buzz kill in romantic settings.
38 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
F(YUCK.SEXY?
23 – 26 Sep, Feck Art
Old Tech New Decks 18 Sep – 3 Oct, The Grand Caravan
tival 2015 Top 10 Picks
6 Degrees Of Ned Kelly 30 Sep – 4 Oct, The 86
Love, Loss And Lattes 29 Sep – 3 Oct, The Clover Club, Gasworks
A BLOODY GOOD LAUGH CNTD.
I don’t know yet 26 Sep – 4 Oct, The Jury Room, Courthouse Hotel
Artland 4 Oct, RMIT Brunswick Campus
Sanitary Pad Slippers
Luke Ryan: A Funny
Been a while since you took a holiday? Miss the luxury of a hotel? You can have that back in a few simple steps. Take some maxi pads, stick them to the souls of your feet and like a genius, you’ve made yourself some hotel slippers. Don’t be surprised if you start to stick hundreds of pads together to make yourself a hotel robe, too.
Thing Happened On
Menstrual Cup Shots
All The Animals We Ate 18 – 24 Sep, Rehearsal Room, North Melbourne Town Hall, Arts House
The Way To Chemo 18 – 25 Sep, The Ballroom, Lithuanian Club
As Much Again
Combat PMS and period pains by doing some fun party shots from your menstrual cup. Give it a rinse, then fill it up with a “Bloody Mary” shot to really celebrate that period theme! Red jelly vodka shots would also go down a treat.
30 Sep – 3 Oct, Upstairs Studio Theatre, Dancehouse
Stephen K Amos: Welcome To My World 24 Sep – 3 Oct, Main Theatre, Lithuanian Club
What: Loani Arman: Period When & Where: 26 Sep - 4 Oct, The Dock, Courthouse Hotel THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 39
Fringe Fest Fringe
Divining Love
Can love, life and our journey through it be divined from the toss of three coins? Pianist Danaë Killian and her husband, cellist and flautist Gotthard Killian explore the possibilities in their contribution to the 2015 Melbourne Fringe, The Flame And The Rose Folded Together. Killian explains.
What: The Flame And The Rose Folded Together When & Where: 18 - 22 Sep, Bluestone Church Arts Space
“T
he Flame And The Rose Folded Together artistically transmutes and distils my research experience engaging with Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes and the I Ching during a half-year sojourn in China as an Endeavour Fellow. The performance is the third creative outcome of my research project Transformations And Initiations: Sylvia Plath In Flames, In Performance, which explores the human potential for spiritual transformation through art... The Flame And The Rose Folded Together works with the transformative processes of creative inner alchemy to illuminate the initiation structure of Plath’s poetry and life, as it crosses flaming thresholds between biography and art, existence and death, potential and actual selves. “The Flame And The Rose Folded Together burns toward the eudemonial marriage of yin and yang in a creative epistemology of truth and trust, kissing and betrayal, freedom and passion, and the Dao. A performance in music and poetry, The Flame And The Rose Folded Together is an alchemical initiation journey from the I Ching of China toward the Rosicrucian embrace of Beethoven’s distant beloved, inspired by the poetic life and death partnership of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.” Boston-born poet and novelist Sylvia Plath married future UK Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, in 1956 when she was 24, and committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in 1963 at the age of 30. The Flame And The Rose Folded Together follows Sylvia Plath In The Domestic Sublime (Melbourne Fringe 2012, Sydney Fringe 2013) and The Dove’s Annihilation (Melbourne Fringe 2014) in Killian’s Transformations And Initiations series.
The Teachings Of... Born with Athetoid cerebral palsy, Thane Pullan uses his persona The Grumpy Cripple to educate as well as to make people laugh.
T
hane Pullan started performing stand-up comedy in 2014, having maintained a number of comedy blogs for years. The Grumpy Cripple is also Pullan’s comedic meme-based Facebook page, The Teachings Of A Grumpy Cripple the title of his book, but as stand-up The Grumpy Cripple Live draws on plenty of other themes. “Despite the name, the show contains humour in other subjects too such as being gay and religion. Of course a large part of it pokes fun at the experiences you encounter having a disability. The show mostly is about being a gay cripple.” To many, the show’s concept may seem confronting, but Pullan’s work emphasises that people ought not to think like that. “When you’re in a wheelchair people treat you ridiculously, because they don’t know how to treat me. They think that they need to treat me different so they they do things like pat me on the head and speak slowly.” Of all the shows taking place at Melbourne Fringe festival, one could argue this particular show is one of the most unique. While Pullan’s show is of the stand-up variety, he won’t be opening his mouth to talk. “Most people [on stage] talk, I do not. I created my own speech synthesis software that allows me to deliver lines. People 40 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
will say having a disability makes me different but most people make fun of their own experiences, I just happen to be in a wheelchair for my experience.”
What: The Grumpy Cripple Live When & Where: 20 & 21 Sep, Hares & Hyenas
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 41
Fringe Fest Fringe
Phantasmagoria
f ra c t u red
When & Where: 15 - 20 Sep, Club Voltaire Gallery
When & Where: 15 - 19 Sep, The Big House, Gasworks
Answered by: Adam Miller
Answered by: Jon Allingham
Describe your show in a tweet: Visually stunning and inspired by media coverage of children in detention, this powerful work explores how we all try to make sense of an irrational world.
Describe your show in a tweet: Phantasmagoria explores and warps traditional circus, shown through memory and trinkets as a daydreaming usher explores an old, disused storeroom.
Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: Written by Adam JA Cass and directed by Peta Hanrahan, this multi-award-winning team leads a cast of exciting emerging actors. The cast consists of Amy Firth, Nicole Morgan, Natalie Pillar, Josh Vasilev and Danelle Wynne. Having been integral to the creative development of the play, each actor brings a wide range of experiences and skills to the production, enhancing the narrative and depth of characterisation. All of these elements are brought together under Canada White’s exquisite lighting design, which makes use of the unique space at Club Voltaire Gallery.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? We were inspired by images of the Phantasmagoria Magic Lanterns from the mid-1800s, and wanted a reason to build a show around it. Fringe applications had just opened, so off we went! In a fantasy world, who would you be the love child of and why? A traditional travelling circus and an ‘80s music video, thanks to the contrast of our lead usher character and our classic circus acts. Website link for more info? affinitycircus.com
Bits Of Us
B a d Eg g B oy s When & Where: 17 - 26 Sep, The Atrium, Tuxedo Cat
When & Where: 26 Sep - 3 Oct, The Improv Conspiracy Office
Answered by: Johnno and Simmo
Answered by: Laura Buskes
Describe your show in a tweet: Bad Egg Boys is immersive sketch comedy so good it’s criminal. We are Johnno and Simmo, we bust in and hold the audience captive with our five-star show! Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Mate, us Bad Egg Boys do what we want. We’re busting outta prison to unload our creative brain bullets onto Fringe venues across the country! We’ve got a history with the boss dog that needs resolving so watch out! *wolf howls* Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: Well we have these two ‘friends’ named Nadia Collins (Perth) and Fran Middleton (Sydney), so-called “fabulous comediennes who follow through and hit every mark” who helped us get out, but whatever man, they probably haven’t even done crime ever so they better not get too cocky or we’ll egg the tits off ‘em!
Describe your show in a tweet: As the audience you will play voyeurs to the memories of two people. It’s like taking a trip down memory lane, while on acid, and your bike is a Luck Dragon. Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? It was ‘time’. I needed to produce something that I could look back on and say, “Hey, I did that thing.” I mainly do improvised theatre so I wanted to create something that I could edit and fine-tune into something new and exciting. In a fantasy world, who would you be the love child of and why? Bill Hicks and Amy Schumer. Bill is a cynical bastard who tells it like it is and doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and Amy has a similar, fierce attitude that demands attention. But Amy is more playful, curious and actually has faith in humanity. I think I’m a mix of those two.
42 • THE MUSIC • 9TH SEPTEMBER 2015
tival 2015 Fringe
The Wolf Did It
We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and we all know the Wolf is the bad guy of the story, right? Or was he? Writer George Franklin explains how his Scrambled Prince production, How Came That Blood, provides some unexpected answers.
What: How Came That Blood When & Where: 19 - 26 Sep, New Ballroom, Trades Hall
“H
ow Came That Blood is a mesmerising meld of theatre, music, movement and song that explores the psychological truths behind the Red Riding Hood story: who is the victim? Who is the beast? It is a subtle exploration of the physical and emotional exploitation of the young within workplaces and institutions, and the way the exploited reconstruct their world through story.” Franklin explains that a “soup of influences” led to the creation of the work. “This performance began with an opportunity to work with Jesse Rasmussen, writer-director from the award-winning Four Larks (The Temptation Of St Antony, The Plague Dances), one of Melbourne’s most important independent theatre creators of the last five years. Jesse was a member of our ensemble in the early ‘00s, and we’re thrilled to be reunited with her. We knew we wanted to explore that Four Larks aesthetic, and to challenge ourselves to reimagine the possibilities for youth theatre. We were fascinated by the many iterations of the Red Riding Hood story, starting with the French story The Red Cap, from the 17th century and moving through to the present day. We were playing with traditional Irish and Appalachian tunes, and with the narrative possibilities of music layered over and within theatrical performance. We were playing with group movement disciplines from the Berliner Ensemble, exploring our ability to do rather than act. We were working on all this while the revelations from the Royal Commission into child abuse filled the news. And from this soup of influences, through many hundreds of hours of work, we created our show.”
Thar She Blows! Tales of the bad old days of whaling are contrasted with the youthful optimism of a granddaughter who sees a better future for the creatures of the deep in an inspiring production, Peta And The Whale, being presented by Puppetvision as part of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe. Philip Millar explains.
“I
’m fascinated with the amazing huge creatures in the ocean, particularly the great whales. The ocean defines our planet. The creatures within the ocean face enormous challenges from humanity’s urge to conquer and plunder the natural world. Peta And The Whale tells the story of a little girl fascinated with the creatures of the deep and her relationship with her sailor grandfather. His history of conquest and peril on the sea contrasts with Peta’s optimistic vision for all life in the ocean. “The history of human interaction with these magnificent creatures has been bloody but our relationship has been changing in a positive way. I think the story of the demise of the whaling industry and the mindset which propels it mirrors our current reliance on energy sources which are destructive and finite. For Peta, whaling is a dark part of history. Her positive vision for the future is required.” Puppetvision, which aims to produce distinctive puppet
productions designed to offer visually exciting stories, presented a work-in-progress version of Peta And The Whale earlier this year at the Melbourne Festival Of Puppetry at La Mama, but the show has evolved to incorporate large puppets, a layered soundscape and projection. “Our shows are defined by sophisticated puppetry, and high production values for family audiences. Peta And The Whale gives a childlike perspective on a challenging and difficult part of our recent history, the history of our attempts to conquer the ocean.”
What: Peta And The Whale When & Where: 22 Sep - 3 Oct, Rehearsal Room, North Melbourne Town Hall, Arts House THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 43
Fringe Fest Fringe
Bringing It Together
Hip hop, physical theatre and song dominate A Touch Of Grace: Shadow Warrior, which follows Demi Sorono’s journey from the Philippines to Australia. We get the lowdown from director Gerard Veltre.
What: A Touch Of Grace: Shadow Warrior When & Where: 18 - 26 Sep, Main Theatre, Lithuanian Club
F
or A Touch Of Grace: Shadow Warrior, Demi Sorono draws from her personal experience of moving to Australia as a young girl who knew not a word of English. Using dance as a medium, the show demonstrates the importance of the arts. “[It] provides the opportunity for other sectors to engage with the arts for positive social change,” Veltre says. “[The project] utilises hip hop dance and music to creatively explore the contemporary immigration experiences of young women. “[It] presents women in a positive and empowered role in the hip hop scene. It adds to the quality and diversity of this genre and highlights equality and inclusivity.” A diverse creative team helped piece together the production, including a big name in Australian hip hop production. “The project was designed to be presented in partnership with Victorian Immigrant & Refugee Women’s Coalition MOSAIC Festival, a women-led multicultural festival for young people and the wider community. With the support of MC Julez and Phunktional, Demi has developed a physical theatre performance with an original score by MC Julez, one of Australia’s leading hip hop music producers.” The importance of other sectors engaging with the arts to create social change is what Veltre believes makes Melbourne Fringe the best platform for A Touch Of Grace: Shadow Warrior. “Melbourne Fringe is the perfect fit to premiere this show. Both Phunktional and Fringe hold similar values which focus on connecting communities through creative arts practices. We decided to produce an already successful show under the Fringe banner to open up our audience reach and develop new partnerships with the Fringe community... The best thing about Fringe festival is that it showcases a wide range of shows that can make any boring night into something never before experienced.”
On The Wagon In her one-woman show, REHAB, Nadine Sparks gets in the heads of eight characters stuck in a drug rehabilitation centre where the staff are as twisted as the patients and dole checks are the premium currency.
A
talented performer, comedian and storyteller, Sparks is a student of Chicago-style long-form improv and has appeared at major festivals such as Adelaide Fringe and Perth Fringe World as a key member of The Improv Conspiracy. Now she’s going solo, combining all her experience and skill with her one-woman comedy bonanza, REHAB, which debuted at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “It is always really nice to work with other people, but this is my story and I needed to tell it on my own. “I wanted to do a show where I played a range of characters because I really enjoy character work. I thought rehab was a fantastic back drop for this kind of work, because I have personal experience to draw from and it is a story that not everybody gets to tell. Most people who find themselves in rehabs are so marginalised that putting on a show for a major festival about their experience would not be possible. So I am using this format to tell their story and my own.” The scripted performance may seem a departure for Sparks, but
44 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
her process is still improvisational. “ I use improv to develop my work. I don’t sit down and write. I get up play, record, write of big bits of paper and workshop ideas... I really like the devising process because it is organic and there is always room to move with ideas even when the show is on. “It means that my shows are living and breathing, which is how I like it.”
What: REHAB When & Where: 26 Sep - 3 Oct, The Improv Conspiracy Office
tival 2015 Fringe
Think Bogart And Becall
A private eye, a femme fatale, charming gangsters and jazz: the perfect formula for a classic 1940sstyle crime thriller. That’s what you get with Shoot From The Hip, pulp fiction delivered to you in the style of a live radio broadcast at the 2015 Melbourne Fringe, as director Jeremy Rice explains.
“T
he inspiration was my collection of over 2000 vintage paperback covers, mostly crime fiction, collected and read over the past 20 years. We wanted to bring the lurid cover artwork to life: the tough-jawed men, the seductive women, the knife-inthe-back corpses, along with the punchy book titles and taglines. The collection had already inspired a short animation - Shooting From The Hip - that won People’s Choice at the 2003 Darwin Fringe Film Festival. Twelve years later, we’re reinterpreting the content for a live performance. “What make the show different is a bebop jazz soundtrack, composed and played live by a trio of musicians from Melbourne’s jazz music scene: Leith Dixon on keyboards, Ivan Rosa on bass and Jon Chidgey on drums. Then there’s an original script, loaded with wisecracks, plot twists and sex scenes (well, one sex scene). And then there are animated projections of vintage pulp fiction cover art that spookily mimic the action on stage. So Shoot From The Hip possesses all the features of the genre - a private eye, a femme fatale, charming gangsters, killings and torch songs - with contemporary touches such as complex female characters, post-modern irony and Melbourne jazz.” Rice’s company, Always Working Artists, produced Improvilicious: The Improvised Guide To High School, for this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Written by Justin Cheek, Shoot From The Hip stars Ivy “The Woman Of 1000 Voices” Latimer, who was a 2012 RAW Comedy national finalist, Charlie Sturgeon and Cassie Vagliviello.
What: Shoot From The Hip When & Where: 16 - 25 Sep, The Jury Room, Courthouse Hotel
Family Man Inspired by his father, who came to Australia from Italy by boat, Dan Pavatich has learnt the importance of not giving up and staying true to oneself, a central theme in Big Strong Boy.
“I
think our lives are just one big attempt to work out who we are, which is inherently funny. And if you don’t think so, that’s ok, you can come laugh at me.” Family is also an integral part of the performance, and it’s fair to say Pavatich is by no means short of material. “There were lots of stories I knew had to be in the show. How my family went bankrupt, and the details surrounding it, and some key relationships. My grandfather stealing the door off of a refrigeration truck and others.” That said, talking about people you’re close to on stage can be tough.”There are things that my family and I have never discussed after the fact, and I’m putting them out on stage. That’s meant I’ve had to go back to my family and ask them about times in our life that weren’t all rosy, but the result has been I’ve learnt a lot about my family. Got told a lot of new stories about my grandfather and father.” More than anything though, the process has made Pavatich a more well rounded human being. “It’s a funny show, but it’s also very honest. I’m proud of who I am. There’s some life lessons I
wish I didn’t need to learn, but they all put me where I am right now, which is great.”
What: Dan Pavatich: Big Strong Boy When & Where: 18 - 25 Sep, The Improv Conspiracy Office
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 45
Fringe Fest Fringe
TwitchPlaysChris
Whack
When & Where: 18 - 25 Sep, Warehouse, North Melbourne Town Hall, Arts House
When & Where: 16 - 27 Sep, The Bowl, Tuxedo Cat
Answered by: Chris Chua
Answered by: Jo Zealand
Describe your show in a tweet: Bring your smartphone to the show, press buttons to send commands to the performer. See what happens when those commands are combined with everyone else’s.
Describe your show in a tweet: A comedy cabaret set in a surreal karaoke bar. Heartfelt, funny, provocative and weird, Jo Zealand’s characters sing tunes and act out their inner dysfunctions.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? This is a show where audience participation is a central concept. It will work best if there are many people in the audience, and those people have diverse backgrounds. Fringe 2015 gives the show the exposure necessary for this.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Melbourne Fringe is an opportunity to further develop my craft, this show, and to keep finding comic gem moments. The show’s themes are about liberating the soft part of ourselves and quieting the critical, judgmental mind that sometimes takes over. It’s about integrating and honouring our sensitivity, all the while dealing with the noise and chaos of the ‘whack’ that frequents our lives.
Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: This is a solo project. Chris is currently in his final year, studying Creative Arts at Deakin University. He likes to jump between computer programming, physics, and contemporary dance.
Website link for more info? jozealand.com
Website link for more info? tpchr.io
99 Schnitzels
Pose Band
( Veal Aint One)
When & Where: 29 Sep - 3 Oct, Studio 2, Northcote Town Hall
When & Where: 16 - 27 Sep, The Atrium, Tuxedo Cat
Answered by: Rebecca Jensen
Answered by: Joshua Glanc
Describe your show in a tweet: Alongside aura exchange, expressive scarf-dancing and live cloning, iridescent unison and photogenic dances unfold over and over, each time slightly different.
Describe your show in a tweet: Find it hard to describe my show so instead, I’ll describe this apple on my desk: round, green with a thin streak of yellow, sensible.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Pose Band is a work about the present as we zoom toward a somewhat daunting near-future. Our perception of time is shifting and attention spans decreasing. Pose Band reminds us how influenced we are by what we see and how we label what we see. We are saturated and there is no such thing as doing nothing, everything is multiplied instantaneously without a concern with what might be lost in the process of replication: meaning, auras and value. Jpegs are deteriorating; humans are blurring out of focus and becoming bionic!
46 • THE MUSIC • 9TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? The show sold out during Melbourne International Comedy Festival and developed a bit of a cult following, so there are lots of people still wanting to see it. Also, I love performing the show because it’s whacked-out fun. In a fantasy world, who would you be the love child of and why? Myself and myself. Not that I’m particularly narcissistic, but that combination is bound to produce something pretty fucked up, right? Website link for more info? facebook.com/JoshuaGlanc
tival 2015 Fringe
True Grit
Pour a shot of whisky and settle in for The Dirty Cowboy, a play that combines original country and western songs with storytelling in an account of one man’s fall from grace. We talk to actor Tim Solly.
What: The Dirty Cowboy When & Where: 18 Sep - 3 Oct, Upstairs At Errol’s
A
ward-winning actor Tim Solly channels the spirit of The Man In Black, Johnny Cash, with a touch of Australian musician Paul Kelly to create Sheriff Talley, a man with violent past and a broken heart. Made in collaboration with some of Australia’s best independent theatre-makers (Sally Richardson, India Mehta, Mark Storen and Joe Lui) The Dirty Cowboy creates a brutal atmosphere reminiscent of HBO’s Deadwood. Solly says that the foundation for this gritty western was the music. “I spent six months writing a collection of songs and when I felt I had enough good material on hand I got together with director/dramaturge Sally Richardson and we did a couple of three-day workshops. Together we looked at all the themes, ideas, emotions, characters and questions coming out of my songwriting.” The Dirty Cowboy premiered at Perth Fringe World earlier this year, where it was First Runner Up for the Best Theatre Award, and Solly believes it has only matured since then. “[I] have a new creative team including director of the show Syd Brisbane, and he has really strengthened the play with his wisdom from the actor’s perspective. He has fine-tuned my performance so beautifully and I feel very privileged to have such a respected statesman working with me on this show.” Now Solly is looking to consolidate the play before taking it overseas.”I want people to be talking about The Dirty Cowboy in their cars on the way home from the show, in cafes the next morning, and possibly weeks later when they are lying in bed at night...”
All Fun And Games After taking part in Fringe World earlier this year with two debut shows, Shannan Lim is getting ready to perform at Melbourne Fringe for the first time with his show Asian Ghost-ery Store.
L
im’s show revolves around Asian-Australian identity, but makes its point in a comical way. Lim admits that his characters might “miss the point of what they are doing at times”. “The characters are versions of myself and Vidya Rajan, who co-wrote and performs with me. So that part’s easy. Asian Ghost-ery Store came about because I think people suppose that two Asian artists working together might want to make work about culture and race. We do. But sometimes we are nothing more than frivolous and self-involved, like everybody. We didn’t have a fixed idea of how Asian Ghost-ery Store would turn out. So it’s ended up somewhere between a play and a comedy act.” Lim and Rajan are both involved in Only The Human, a young comedic ensemble from Perth, and Lim acknowledges a lot of Asian Ghost-ery Store’s aesthetic and humour stems from their work with the group. As they’re based in different cities, it was a challenge for Lim and Rajan to compile everything for the show. “The trickiest part is arranging time to write and rehearse together in the same room. There was a lot of online messaging and cutting and pasting things from the internet, and I’d say that comes across in the show.”
Despite only being “Fringe babies”, both Lim and Rajan are already planning on performing at more festivals, and they’ll be drawing inspiration from a number of other performances from Melbourne Fringe this year in the process. “Balls Deep. Erotic physical comedy? That sounds like everything I’m interested in.”
What: Asian Ghost-ery Store When & Where: 18 - 25 Sep, Upstairs At Errol’s THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 47
Fringe Fest Fringe
An Ode To Frodo
If hobbits, JRR Tolkien and precious jewels are your thing, One Show To Rule Them All will ascend your elfin soul to a whole new level of fandom. Don Jordan explains.
What: One Show To Rule Them All When & Where: 1 - 3 Oct, St Stephen’s Anglican Church
48 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
D
on Jordan and his Windjammer Brass Ensemble will this year perform a musical representation of The Lord Of The Rings, one that’s more than just a Hollywood triage of battle scenes, elves and mystical landscapes. “I read The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings back in the ‘60s,” Jordan begins, “when they were very new, and attended the launch in London in 1967 of a recording of some of the songs set to music by Donald Swann where I met Professor Tolkien. I’ve wanted to share these songs, in their lyrical and poetic settings, with audiences-and at last I’ve found a chance to.” The excerpts from the trilogy, comprised of songs and poems, are conveyed acoustically to enhance the simplicity and lucidity of words. “I’ve heard settings by others that make the songs sound Irish, or swamp them in ethereal, synthesised sounds,” explains Jordan, “There’s none of that in our show - just people, brass instruments, my big gong, and two lovely singers [Robert Dora and Samantha Frazer.” Despite the unembellished nature of the performance, the creative process involved an abundance of planning, organising and, well, devouring a bucketload of Tolkien’s books. “I went through [them] and chose sections about Frodo, Sam and the other hobbits; Tom Bombadil and Goldberry; the Elves Galadriel and Legolas; Treebeard the Ent; King Theoden, the Rohirrim and Aragorn; and Sam’s discovery of Frodo in Cirith Ungol. Then I wrote a script.”
tival 2015 Fringe
Still Relevant
Roslyn Dobelsky’s Melbourne Fringe Festival show No Exit is in fact an adaptation of Jacqueline Audry’s 1954 film interpretation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1944 play noir of the same name. Dobelsky explains adapting an adaptation.
A
former student of Philosophy, Dobelsky felt a real connection to Sartre’s work. “I was always intrigued by the existentialist philosophers who helped shape the way we think about life and death,” she explains. “Jean-Paul Sartre, the most famous of the French existentialists, was also a playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer and literary critic. His vast intellectual contribution to literature has stood the test of time and his ideas remain as relevant today as they were more than 70 years ago. The themes presented in No Exit, such as self-deception, shame and identity, are central to his philosophy.” That said, Dobelsky had little idea that Sartre had actually written a number of plays until a few years ago. “When I discovered No Exit, it was only a matter of when I would produce and direct this play. The opportunity arose one week before the closing of registration for the Fringe festival. A swift phone call and the decision was made.” Having participated in the Melbourne Fringe festival a number of years ago directing a series of Sam Shepard plays, Dobelsky believes the event is the perfect platform to launch No Exit, as it forces performers to delve into their creative resources. “The greatest challenge of being a part of the Fringe festival is to create quality productions on small budgets in unconventional settings. Artists are challenged to step outside of the box and pool their resources and talents to come up with solutions that do not require money but rather inspiration and imagination!”
What: No Exit When & Where: 16 Sep - 4 Oct, Cave Theatre, Scratch Warehouse
It’s All In The Form Presenting itself as part-podcast, part-musical thriller, and with an entirely original soundtrack, POP|PRESS is a show unlike any other you’ll see at Melbourne Fringe. Director Will Hannagan explains.
P
OP|PRESS tells the story of Heath Row, former member of supergroup Se7en Moments Of Malibu, as he tackles slander in the press. Will Hannagan, who directs the show and performs a number of the original tracks, was first and foremost fascinated by the concept of the podcast as a medium of presentation, drawing inspiration from Sarah Koenig’s Serial. “It just seems to take true crime to a whole new level with this unhashing of a cold case, dug into with meticulous detail. For me the subject matter was rather theatrical. Then I thought, what if I transpose this concept onto narcissistic celebrity youths? So it became about mixing my love for a good mystery with that of awards shows and thumping pop tracks.”After writing the script in “relative isolation”, Hannagan enlisted the help of good pal and DJ Thibaud Mateos, who lives in France. “He’s a music producer and the songs are created two ways: either I write a song and send him it - just piano and voice - and he creates a banger, or, alternatively, he creates a track, sends it to me and I create the top line. We knew we wanted seven songs that sort of extrapolated the themes of the show, in full pop pastiche, without advancing the narrative.”
Hannagan couldn’t be happier having his show performed at Melbourne Fringe festival. It’s always been a favourite of his. “[I] adore the vibe at the hub. The little pop-up bars and all that jazz. Also Fringe time is early spring and when you’re waltzing home you can smell jasmine on the air. It’s just stunning.”
What: POP|PRESS When & Where: 18 - 25 Sep, The Ballroom, Lithuanian Club THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 49
Fringe Fest Fringe
Who Are You?
Role models come in all shapes and sizes, from saints to sinners, reality TV personalities to sportspeople and beyond. In her 2015 Melbourne Fringe contribution, [THE UNHOLY BODY OF] Ignatius Grail, writer-director Madeleine Ryan explores the impact of role models and more.
“T
his is a story about power and the woman who will do anything to get it. Run. Starve. Eat. Fight. Dance. Laugh. Die. Sparkle. It’s a performance work that unites the beautiful and the beastly and deals with non-verbal communication, sexuality and power. The main inspiration behind the show is the impact certain role models have had upon women (and men) through history. It’s like a montage of gilded cages across the centuries. The show isn’t directly about Sandy (from Grease) or Marilyn Monroe or Rocky or Cleopatra. It’s more about the legacy that they’ve left behind. That legacy is Ignatius Grail. “Another inspiration was a book called A Course In Miracles, which encourages the idea that we’re more than our bodies, or any constructed idea we or society may have of us. Other inspirations include Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra, Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers and music video clips like Huse Monfaradi’s Call On Me.” Supported by a successful Pozible campaign, the creative team working on the show includes artists from across many different disciplines: music, painting, fashion, theatre, dance, illustration, writing and film, as well as actors Kristina Andersen, Madeleine Ryan and Lois Scott. “Together, we’ve created a whole world for an audience to enter into. Step through the door and you’re in the temple of Ignatius Grail. Every seat, every beat of music, every drop of paint, every flicker of a light and every costume piece has been tailored to the world we wanted an audience to enter into. It’s really special.”
What: [THE UNHOLY BODY OF] Ignatius Grail When & Where: 15 - 27 Sep, Second Story Studios
Going Stag The Last Great Hunt theatre collective isn’t gunning for squirrels; they have much bigger game in their sights. Now they’ve come to Melbourne with shows FAG/STAG and Minnie & Mona Play Dead. Kathryn Osborne explains.
T
he Last Great Hunt aims to create theatre that explores contemporary stories while remaining accessible, revealing society’s darker facets with intelligence and sharp humour. It’s something they’ve proved themselves adept at with their previous works, including the multi award-winning The Adventures Of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, and this year’s offerings from the Perth based theatre-makers will be no different. “FAG/STAG takes the audience on an entertaining and emotional journey of break-ups, hook-ups and knockdowns and explores the plight of the modern privileged man who seems to ‘have it all’, but is ultimately lost and alone,” director and producer Kathryn Osborne begins. “Minnie & Mona Play Dead was created to explore the epidemic of mental health issues in our society. We approached the work with a sense of humour to connect with our audience and unpick the taboo around depression and suicide. Both the works we are bringing are funny, sharp and moving.” Osborne says it hasn’t always been easy delving into such sensitive topics. “Turning up to rehearsals every day and delving into
50 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
material that was personally challenging was... well, challenging. We also had a huge amount of fear that audiences would think that our use of gruesome humour would be offensive. However, we stuck to our guns and knew that the work we wanted to make about depression needed some irreverence to overcome the taboo and disarm our audience. The response to the work in the end has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from people who have had experience with mental health issues or have lost someone to suicide.”
What: FAG/STAG + Minnie & Mona Play Dead When & Where: 18 Sep - 3 Oct, Rehearsal Room, North Melbourne Town Hall, Arts House
tival 2015 Fringe
Thinking Person’s Piano Man
He says he decided to get involved in the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival to meet girls, but there’s much more to the story of Oliver Downes: At The End, as the man himself explains.
What: Oliver Downes: At The End When & Where: 18 Sep - 3 Oct, Ruby’s Music Room
“I
t’s a late night lounge act that’s overdosed on the red cordial led by a street-preaching doom singer who’s been given a $15 suit and a $100,000 Steinway to play with. “[The show] presents a collection of original songs that respond to the various preoccupations of the times - financial crisis, the challenges of spiritual belief in a scientific world, casual sex, domestic violence, climate change denial, ‘indefinite detention’ - written on piano in an indie-pop idiom a la Ben Folds, that also taps into the spirit of chaps such as Leonard Cohen and Philip Glass, offered in a sit-down-andlisten-type situation with audience interaction turned up to an even seven. But Downes wont be taking to the stage on his own. “I wanted to put a band together and create a unique sound just for Fringe and found an amazing couple of bandmates by asking around. They are the ebulliently fire-bearded prankster Callum Moncrieff, who is a Churchill fellowship-winning percussionist and probably the best drummer I’ve ever worked with, and Matt Dixon, who’s more usually found wielding his electric guitar in indie-space-pop outfit Wallflower. Developing their parts and solidifying our sound as a fundamentally indiepop trio with some jazz licks on the side has been an absolute pleasure and easily my favourite part of the whole process. I was keen for an excuse to spend some time in Melbourne, get to know some local musos and put my set of original songs through their paces before recording later in the year. I’ve never participated in a Fringe festival before, or presented a run of shows in one spot but thought that it might be a fun and productive challenge.”
The Struggle Is Real While novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn withstood torture, imprisonment and a murder attempt, director Vlady T has added another dimension to his life with his play, Destroy Solzhenitsyn.
I
t would not be difficult to become absorbed by the concept of a play surrounding events in Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s life. Luckily for Vlady T, the script was already written. “Destroy Solzhenitsyn is written by an internationally acclaimed playwright John Joofor Lee. John wrote the play, hoping that the story of Solzhenitsyn will inspire people around the world. The reason I agreed to direct the production was that I was fascinated by the idea of one man standing up to so many powerful political forces and ideologies. The tagline of the show is “Can one man save the world by changing it?” and I think it describes the core of the play incredibly well.” While the play is technically fiction, Vlady T considers it to be an honest account of Solzhenitsyn’s struggles, including life and death battles against Nazism, communism and capitalism. “Destroy Solzhenitsyn tackles history, philosophy, politics and religion, rather than going the light and fluffy pathway some other shows do. A fair few shows at the moment certainly have a ‘me too’ feel about them, trying to join the popular trends of the moment or carbon-copying popular shows. Destroy Solzhenitsyn was not designed to be trendy.
Rather, it was created to be an interesting, deep, thought-provoking piece of theatre. “To me a good play is something that makes me think. If a few days after the show I am still pondering about the themes, motives, characters - then to me that’s a good show.”
What: Destroy Solzhenitsyn When & Where: 22 Sep - 3 Oct, The Clover Club, Gasworks THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 51
Fringe Fest Fringe
A Picture Is Wor th
Mur ti
1000 Likes
When & Where: 1 & 2 Oct, The Blender Studios
When & Where: 16 - 27 Sep, The Atrium, Tuxedo Cat
Answered by: Devika Bilimoria
Answered by: Steve Burton
Describe your show in a tweet: A lifesize phallic statue, the symbol of life, sits awaiting its consecration by layers of thick and glossy paint poured by you, in an ode to an Hindu ritual.
Describe your show in a tweet: After three deadbeats go viral how will they ever live up to the HYPE? #1000Likes is the show that lets you keep your phones on so you wont miss any of your RT.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Being a part of Fringe is a great opportunity to contribute to the colour and variety of Melbourne’s perpetually boiling creativity. This year I wanted to take the first step into sharing my interactive exhibition, Murti, with the public.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? I don’t go to the gym, so I can’t take selfies at the gym. So really I just needed something to impress my Tinder matches.
Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: Murti is a contemporary adaption of a Hindu ritual, where I create an installation for the viewers to participate in a creative process. Without the participation of the viewers there is no art. On the night, we are all the creative team.
Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: Steve: blurb writer for pornos (no... seriously); Amy: naked clown - fully clothed; Andrew: actual comedy writer - kind of the odd man out here. In a fantasy world, who would you be the love child of and why? Benedict Cumberbatch and a labrador: I just want to be a labrador... but with killer cheekbones.
Mucky Melb ourne MEN/M ACHINE
Walking Tour When & Where: 16 Sep - 4 Oct, Meet At Tram Stop 4
When & Where: 26 Sep, Loop
Answered by: Reverend Grebo
Answered by: Michael Mildren
Describe your show in a tweet: Pulling back the stained bed sheet of Melbourne to reveal its filthy history. A walk exploring the places that were popular for all the wrong reasons.
Describe your show in a tweet: Men/Machine: a father and son play music of and inspired by Kraftwerk on analogue music machines. Just like Kraftwerk only krunchy.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Because these stories need to be told out loud instead of being whispered and giggled at. The old farts in charge like to pretend history is boring with the occasional spurt of joy, when in reality history is more like bukkake: filthy and grimy with lots of spurts of joy that end up being a big mess that no one wants to admit they find fascinating and sickening at the same time.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Existential archiving.
In a fantasy world, who would you be the love child of and why? The Antichrist and the second coming of Jesus. My teenage years would’ve been really confusing, but epic.
52 • THE MUSIC • 9TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: Max and Michael Mildren, son and father. Max plays electronic percussion on analogue drum pads and percussion synths. Michael plays analogue synths and sings words through a vocoder. Object_State supply computer-generated and live infrared visual imagery. Michael has played at Big Day Out and appeared on ABC TV. Max was raised in the shadow of his dad’s keyboardstands and produces music under the name Max Gene.
tival 2015 Fringe
Opening Up
With society’s awareness of mental illness slowly growing, Daley King presents a raw performance, i’m not alright, at Melbourne Fringe this year.
What: i’m not alright When & Where: 28 Sep - 4 Oct, The Atrium, Tuxedo Cat
D
aley King, a Perth performer and visual artist, will be tackling the desperate thoughts of a suicidal person with his new show, i’m not alright, complete with “physical theatre, a jazz soundtrack, and a puppet”. “I want to allow Fringe audiences to step inside the mind of one in five Australians who experience suicidal thoughts, and to allow those people to know they are not alone. I want to bring to life my anecdotes, in darkly funny ways, which still confront the issue head on. It’s not a piece for the faint-hearted or the close-minded, but if you’re either of those, I’ll fix that soon enough.” King has built the entire solo show from the ground up. “I’ve designed everything from my set to the lighting I’ve brought over with me. I know what I want this show to present, and represent, and that’s something extremely visceral which hides inside me, yet is audience-friendly. Most of the development involved talking to myself, which has now manifested as a puppet, experimenting with anecdotes, and simply placing myself back in time and reliving those memories.” Given the nature of the show, opening up to himself was vital and proved a huge challenge for the performer. “I’ve blocked a lot of the less-happy memories from the last few years, so I’ve had to reopen some pretty unfriendly wounds. Trying to encapsulate what it’s like to be in that mindset is something I’ve always struggled with; it’s very hard to put into words.” It will all be worth it though if the audience can walk away feeling something - anything. “I want the audience to feel something, whether it be joyous, sad, curious, confronted, or uncomfortable. I don’t believe that any audience should just be entertained, but that’s also a plus!”
Mixed Bag Inspired by Orson Welles’ iconic 1947 film of the same name, The Lady From Shanghai suits Melbourne Fringe perfectly, says Nikki Nouveau.
T
he Lady From Shanghai features live vocals, cabaret, sensual theatre and exotic costumes performed to music from the original motion picture, plus music from artists including Nick Cave, Bauhaus, The Cure and Florence + The Machine. Performed in film noir style, cabaret entertainer Nikki Nouveau has been lucky enough to work with a big industry name throughout the process to make this show happen. “Our director and choreographer is James Taylor, who has trained with the Royal Ballet and worked on successful Sydney productions such as El Circo, Risque Revue and Voyeur. James and I have worked together on many productions and developed an incredible working relationship. I bring him my creative new concepts and he helps me to realise them and together they become more than either of us imagined.”The show was produced last year and played for the first time at Gingers Cabaret in Sydney, but Nouveau believes the The Lady From Shanghai suits Melbourne Fringe perfectly. “I thought that Fringe would be a great introduction to the Melbourne art scene and venues. I have previously toured my show Bordello Blues to Edinburgh and Sydney Fringe festivals performing to sell-out audiences which was amazing! I have also toured to
Adelaide Fringe with my production Burlesque Assassin which had a similar success.” Nouveau is certain there’s just as much to enjoy about Fringe as an audience member as there is a performer. “As an audience member I look for an engagement with the performer on stage... I love the vibrant buzz around festival time and meeting both established and aspiring new artists.”
What: The Lady From Shanghai When & Where: 2 & 3 Oct, 24 Moons THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 53
Fringe Fest Fringe
Minnie & Mona
HOMME
Play Dead
When & Where: 29 Sep -3 Oct, Studio 2, Northcote Town Hall
When & Where: 18 Sep -- 3 Oct, Rehearsal Room, North Melbourne Town Hall, Arts House
Answered by: Matthew Adey
Answered by: Arielle Gray
Describe your show in a tweet: HOMME is a performance art work exploring the reframing of contemporary masculine culture through abstract and kinaesthetic performative structures and images.
Describe your show in a tweet: Minnie wants to play cheeky unicorns, Mona the #hamface wants to play dead, like, really #properdead.
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? It’s an opportunity to try out new and bold ideas, to create a work that is a slight departure from my earlier philosophical approaches to performance and to keep up momentum, a rigorous process, since just finishing my first major work, MONO. Tell us a bit about the creative team working on the project: Rebecca Jensen is my collaborator, a performer and choreographer, a superstar and inspiration. Website link for more info? houseofvnholy.com
54 • THE MUSIC • 9TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Why did you decide to do Fringe 2015? Fringe has such a lovely energy, there is an enthusiasm about theatre and art, and audiences hold the power over what to see. It’s a great challenge for a show to be presented at Fringe because you are really taking that baby that has been protected and nurtured and throwing it out of the nest to see if it will fly. In a fantasy world, who would you be the love child of and why? My character Mona is the lovechild of Miley Cyrus and fictional character Wednesday Addams. Miley because she is gross and loud and Wednesday because she is obsessed with pain and death.
tival 2015 Fringe
Story Time
On the surface, Nico concedes that Boys Boys Boys reads like a show “about me sleeping with boys and stealing their T-shirts. And, yes, in hindsight it is.”
What: Boys Boys Boys When & Where: 22 - 26 Sep, The Wilde
R
eally though, there’s a lot more to it. “It’s really about how the stories unfold. I’m pretty sentimental and most items that I own or hold onto for long periods of time are the ones that have a great story (or emotion rather) attached to it. I’ve clearly been specific when choosing the moments to retell, and when you condense all the stories and tell them one after the other, I think it makes for an entertaining story.” Nico has been lucky enough to brainstorm ideas with the “cabaret power couple” Melissa Langton and Mark Jones, who share nine Green Room Awards for cabaret between them. “Mark has taught me a lot about musicality and how to change the mood or the direction of the story just by changing the tempo, or slightly rearranging the music. Melissa has taught me a lot about stage presence, telling the story, and technique. Both of them together have helped me turn the show into a production and figure out what works and what doesn’t work.” As a music theatre graduate, a big challenge for Nico was trying to avoid the “music theatre trap, where the entire show has a beginning, middle and an end - ‘a mini musical’. The stories then become over the top, unrealistic, and full of cheap laughs. You don’t need to state the obvious.” Having taken part in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year, Nico is feeling optimistic about this Melbourne Fringe - her first. “I think festivals are a great platform for any producer, artist, writer. They provide you with tools that teach you how to turn your art into a business.”
Crank The Organ Home Organ Party Experience is more than a show, it’s a party. We get the lowdown from star and director Barry Morgan aka Stephen Teakle.
S
tephen Teakle, who goes by the character of Barry Morgan, is animated from the start. “[HOPE is] a home organ party experience. I’m bringing a little hope to Melbourne Fringe. Like a tupperware party but with a lot less plastic and a whole lot more organ.” Music has been a huge part of Teakle’s life since he was young, and his passion for the organ in particular has been unwavering. “It was my dear departed mother Nancy who first introduced me to the organ of a family friend when I was just a tiny little boy. And I’ve been very passionate about recreational music where everyone can be involved.” Teakle’s love for the instrument is in fact so strong, he runs an organ store in Adelaide. “The phones have been running hot at my superstore The World of Organs in the Sunnyside Mall, Adelaide, with megastars from around the globe such as Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue and Gotye asking for advice, so I thought it was time to get out there and share the joy.” Those who attend the show can look forward to numbers on instruments dating back over 40 years. “I’ll be debuting the Lowrey Tenie Genie and the Lowrey Wandering Genie organs. The
beats on the Lowrey Tenie Genie, fresh out of the 1970s, are as modern as tomorrow and will get audiences in the Moog!” While Teakle admits the biggest challenge was “getting my organ safely transported and fit into the room”, he assures us it has its place at Fringe. “My organ parties are being requested not only in Australian Fringes but around the world. Everyone knows you play better organ with a moustache.”
What: Barry Morgan’s World Of Organs: Home Organ Party Experience When & Where: 18 - 25 Sep, The Ballroom, Lithuanian Club THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 55
OPINION Opinion
The Weeknd
OG F l ava s
Urban And R&B News With Cyclone
he Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) has done it: his second album proper, Beauty Behind The Madness, is a triumph, despite its commercial concessions - more uptempos, more hooks and glossy, flossy collabs... It should mitigate the (mild) disappointment of 2013’s Kiss Land. Last year the Canadian-Ethiopian illwaver (controversially) duetted with R&twee doughnut-licker Ariana Grande on Love Me
T
Harder. He then crossed over with the ornate ballad Earned It, off the Fifty Shades Of Grey OST. But, while Tesfaye has popified his darkwave R&B, he’s sacrificed none of his subversiveness - or enigma. Beauty... is no ordinary reinvention. Songs such as the absorbing The Hills (a reunion with longtime co-conspirator Illangelo) evoke Tesfaye’s mixtape sleepwalker soul. He often sounds like a phantom Michael Jackson - there’s even eerie Thriller-era electric guitar (Real Life). Tesfaye has hired Swedish hit machine Max Martin (Britney Spears!) for some numbers, including the disco mega-hit Can’t Feel My Face - very Off The Wall - which nevertheless allegorises cocaine. Again, on In The Night - retro MTV social-pop - an unusually empathic Tesfaye sings about a victim of abuse. Indeed, the guy who put the subliminal into sub-bass is still writing about decadence, ambivalence and estrangement. The star contributions to Beauty... have received much coverage. The most successful is Labrinth’s Losers - a post-dubstep waltz that eclipses Kanye West’s ol’ soul-sampling Tell Your Friends. Incredibly, that incongruous Ed Sheeran hook-up, Dark Times, isn’t an A&R hot mess, but bare urban blues. However, like Madonna and Prince’s ‘80s Love Song, Prisoner, Tesfaye’s seductively destructive duet with Lana Del Rey, risks being mutually annihilating - if not too obvious.
of kuduro, which means that there is great quality material. I hope that This Is Kuduro is the bridge to change the course of things.
DJ N.K.
How big is Kuduro in Europe? I think because of Buraka Som Sistema, kuduro is well known in Europe, now has to be more focus on the kuduro.
Business Music When Your Club Needs A Boss With Paz
T
he Angolan Kuduro sound now has roots in Portugal, and net label This Is Kuduro is its new vessel. The recent 1Y compilation is 100% bouncing at 140bpm. I sent an email to find out how it’s going: Is Angola still represented in the recent release? Yes, the Kalekiri born in Angola. SP Deville (producer of Kalekiri track) and DJ N.K. have Angolan roots. Does Kuduro cross over into mainstream radio? Unfortunately very little. No there are so many producers
56 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Biggest highlight from your first year of operation? This Is Kuduro - 1Y so far was the one that drew the most attention (sites/blogs). The Dutch producer Munchi was also responsible for the returns that the compilation had. Who is this year’s biggest name in Kuduro? DJ Marfox, no doubt. What sort of software is most common in Kuduro production in Portugal? FL Studio is what brings greater consensus between the producers of kuduro. Does Portugal have a nightclub or event that captures the DJ side of the Kuduro sound? Yes, better than before, appearing more producers, more quality in music, I think it will soon take care of nights in Portugal.
Frankey And Sandrino
Dance Moves New Currents
B
ack, way back, circa With Tim 2005-06, the Innervisions techFinney house sound was it, or at least it was in the slightly middlebrow circles that I intermittently moved through. Of course, there was Ame’s creepy snob-trance classic Rej, all scintillating cold-fingers-up-your-spine arpeggios and Druidic atmosphere, but also the orchestral opulence of Henrik Schwarz and Dixon’s by turns lush and driving DJ mixes. The German label stood, and still stands, for a certain best-of-all-possible-worlds tastefulness, carefully balancing the music’s high art (or at least high- rama) ambition with an awareness of mainstream club dynamics, and managing to sound both minimal and maximal at the same time - but most of all, expensive.
OPINION Opinion
Innervisions had receded from the head of the pack by the end of the decade as tastemakers turned to slightly grittier forms of house, techno and (post) dubstep, rediscovering the maxim that true sophisticates have a bit of dirt under their fingernails. But Innervisions’ hyper-cleanliness never really went out of style, indicative of what you might call the equatorial rule of tech-house: the closer you are to the absolute centre of Anglo-European dance music’s pendulum, the more likely you are to sound “of the moment”, no matter what moment it happens to be. Combine that phenomenon with the more general trend towards “long tails” - the fact that no style of music really goes out of style anymore, we just keep splitting audiences and tribes into ever smaller populations - and it’s not really surprising that this sound keeps on keeping on. Still, I was slightly surprised to discover that rather obvious truth when I checked back in after about three years of benign indifference. That meant I’d missed entirely Ame’s last single, 2013’s excellent, paranoid Tatischeff, but Innervisions and likeminded labels feature a host of lesser lights able to keep the wheels spinning while their flagship act goes AWOL. Of these, I’ve found myself perversely fascinated by the absolute genericism of the relatively new-jack German duo Frankey & Sandrino. “Perversely” because, well, there’s nothing actually fascinating about it: these guys take the basic Innervisions blueprint - eight-minute tracks of swelling atmospherics, multi-tiered percussion, stirring strings and quietly unnerving synth arpeggios that unfurl Mandelbrot-like into EQ’d climaxes in torturously drawn-out iterations, like a steelier Lindstrom - to a relatively greyscale logical conclusion, shorn of any idiosyncrasy or surprises. This undersells it though: on tracks like 2014’s Save and this year’s Acamar the singleminded largesse of their space explorations can begin to seem almost noble, so fixated on a particular notion of slowburn-climax that its lack of surprises feels like a conscientious sacrifice, a monkish commitment to
depersonified dancefloor transcendence. Not so much “generic” as “gen-epic”, then. Best of all in my opinion is last year’s The Edge, whose slightly carnivalesque rotations and deviations feel so expertly constructed it’s like dancing with the Rolex-equipped one per cent from a Wall Street hundreds of years from now. For even more so-tired-it’s-fresh fun, check Sandrino’s recent free DJ mix Momentaufnahme, which takes the duo’s basic sound and adds some ambient, even new agey bells and whistles. It’s the most ludicrously (but enjoyably) “deep” European tech-house DJ mix since Wighnomy Bros’ 2008 effort Metawuffmischfelge (which shared some of the same “Lisa Gerrard on ketamine” vibes). Just as Beach House raise the polite regurgitation of dream-pop circa 1990 (Loveless, Heaven Or Las Vegas) to the level of art, Momentaufnahme sounds like Sasha & Digweed’s Northern Exposure and Michael Mayer’s Immer had a lovechild so universally agreeable it’s almost hateworthy. And yet here I am cueing it up again. So who’s unfashionable now?
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 57
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Album OF THE Week
Robert Forster
Songs To Play EMI
★★★★½
That striped sunlight sound is back. The first solo album in seven years for erstwhile The Go-Betweens frontman Robert Forster finds him once again exploring the sunny upbeat terrain that’s so aurally representative (and cognisant) of his hometown Brisbane, and this tranquil approach suits this strong batch of songs down to the ground. Forster enlisted the help of locals Scott Bromley and Luke McDonald (of The John Steel Singers) - as well as his drummer Matt Piele and violinist/vocalist Karin Baumler - and while they mesh perfectly it’s unsurprisingly the songs themselves which define Songs To Play. It’s a diverse batch (albeit never straying too far from Forster’s long-established template), covering classic pop (Learn To Burn), meandering indie rock (Disaster In Motion), and even vague bossa nova (Love Is Where It Is). Gently cascading acoustics and beautifully languid melodies define Let Me Imagine You, the funtastic I Love Myself And I Always Have is tongue-in-cheek but contains kernels of truth (“I march to my own beat”) while I’m So Happy For You is indelibly positive. It’s wonderfully sparse - space is imperative to the appeal - and Forster is at the top of his game both vocally and lyrically. The routinely strong narratives - and the rich imagery that he summons so effortlessly - are delivered in that inimitably grandiose-yet-laidback manner which has long served him so well, fostering that begrudging wisdom. The inspiring sounds of a great songwriter relaxed, confident and subtly stretching his substantial wings. Steve Bell
Baio
Dustin Tebbutt
The Names
Home
★★★½
★★★★½
Chris Baio is an intelligent man with clever rhythms and an acerbic writing style. The Vampire Weekend bass player has been making electronic music for a number of years now, but The Names is his debut full-length release. Graduating from Columbia University with the other members of the aforementioned band, the 30-year-old is thankfully still in touch with his theatrical side. He swoons with the melodramatic flair of Bryan Ferry on the Roxy Musicinspired Sister Of Pearl, warbling “Like a sentimental crook it’s tough to get away,” in his affected accent over an anachronistic harpsichord melody. While his stage antics are skilfully matched with an equally playful variety of sounds throughout the record, there’s also a strong thematic undercurrent to the album. Drawing its title from the seventh novel by American writer Don DeLillo, The Names was largely influenced by Baio’s relocation to
Reclusive singer-songwriter Dustin Tebbutt is the latest fragile gentlemen to lay his soul bare for the masses, weaving his feelings into delicate melodies on this debut mini-album. While he didn’t hole up in a woodland cabin to make this record, it’s no surprise he’s previously spent time writing in Scandinavia given the sheer breathtaking scope Home encompasses. The NSW singer simultaneously sounds intimate while maintaining an expansive and expanding sonic landscape, threading an aural tapestry of spectacular detail. The composition of this album explores the synchronicity between notes, as every acoustic instrument imaginable is employed to create a rich and floating effect. Tebbutt’s voice itself becomes a part of the music at its best moments, soaring alongside high-strung guitar notes and gliding strings on Life In The Middle. The writing across these
Glassnote/Liberator
58 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Eleven Music
London two years ago. Like the book, its subject matter addresses the intersection of culture, perspective and identity. Despite this intellectual background, his writing stays firmly grounded in the personal. “When I look into a mirror the man I see is a version of the person I want to be,” he relates on Needs. The record is split roughly in half, with instrumental tracks dispersed throughout and providing a bookending of sorts to the two sides. These songs unfortunately tend to disturb its flow and seem better served in another setting. What coherence is sacrificed is more than compensated for by the strength of the music, making The Names a compelling and enjoyable listen. Roshan Clerke
seven songs of devotion reflects this interconnectedness, focusing on intertwined personalities and converging lives. “We’re becoming home,” he sings on the title track in an expression of commitment that’s reminiscent in its sincerity to Van Morrison’s early pastoral spirituality. Far from retreading the same brokenhearted sentiments other songwriters might fall back on, Tebbutt devotes this album to dedication. “When you say those words it’s only to me,” he sings on Plans as he traces his lover’s palms in the breaking dawn. While the breached heart he sang about with his first single may never be fully mended, he seems in the meantime to have found a way to fill it with some beauty. Roshan Clerke
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
Metal Allegiance
Metric
Battles
Metal Allegiance
Pagans In Vegas
La Di Da Di
Nuclear Blast/Caroline
Create/Control
Warp/Inertia
Motion City Soundtrack Panic Stations Epitaph/Warner
★★
★★★★
★★★
★★★
A vast circus of thrashorientated metal talent, Metal Allegiance is essentially Alex Skolnick (guitars, Testament), David Ellefson (bass, Megadeth) and Mike Portnoy (drums, Dream Theater) plus 18 other contributors. Ordinary folks might question whether the likes of Let Darkness Fall really needed three bass players; four if you include Mastodon’s Troy Sanders, who contributed vocals only. If your answer is “yes,” then you’ll fall head over heels for Triangulum and its six additional lead guitarists. Others will wonder where this hypnotically directionless shred-athon is meant to be heading.
Glitchy and glitzy synth pop, Pagans In Vegas blurs the line between robots and humans. Locking us into an arcade-game soundscape, Metric’s sixth album is encoded with dark truths about our digitised world. Menacing synths are released in riotous track Fortunes and hurtle us into The Shade’s neon grooves that dance with Emily Haines’ electric vocals on the grid. Synthesised lasers power up again in Cascades until we defeat the dark guitar riffs in final battle: Too Bad, So Sad. Futuristic synth-pop that explores the sinister side of the internet age.
While many missed the gloriously nonsensical vocals of the departed Tyondai Braxton on Battles’ last album, Gloss Drop, the void was filled somewhat by a menagerie of guest singers drawn from a range of disciplines. Haters will presumably have a field day with Battles’ new, entirely instrumental album. From start to finish, La Di Da Di is packed with the pulsing, dynamic rhythms you’d expect, is flawlessly executed and depressingly familiar. For a band with all their combined talents, who would’ve thought Battles would release such a predictable album?
Motion City Soundtrack have made the epitome of harmless pop punk fun on Panic Stations, which is filled with soaring guitars, tight harmonies and flighty keyboards. Inoffensive, rule-abiding and not interested in challenging anyone’s expectations or going beyond any comfort zones, this record will change no one’s mind for better or worse regarding this band. There’s a perfection to every note and every beat that keeps the album from ever feeling real, or heartfelt, or lived in. Motion City Soundtrack definitely know how to craft a melody, but Panic Stations would just be better if that craftsmanship wasn’t always so meticulously precise.
Cara Oliveri
Christopher H James
Christopher H James
Pete Laurie
More Reviews Online Darwin Deez Double Down
theMusic.com.au
Lucero All A Man Should Do
Rob Hirst & Sean Sennett Crashing The Same Car Twice
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 59
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Gay Paris
Jess Glynne
Chris Cornell
Glen Hansard
Ladies And Gentlemen, May We Present To You The Dark Arts
I Cry When I Laugh
Higher Truth
Didn’t He Ramble
★★★½
★★★
★★½
★★★½
After months of teasing, Gay Paris have finally bestowed upon us the birth of evil child number three - and it’s been well worth the wait. Stacked with grooveriddled doom riffs and the charismatic growl of Wailin’ H Monks, Gay Paris have exceeded expectations with a record that is just as hard, fast and brutal as it is dripping with explosive energy, funky bass lines and dirty dancing jams. A sure-fire hit for your next goat sacrifice or keyswapping soiree.
English singer-songwriter Jess Glynne has one of the biggest voices in pop music, so it’s hardly surprising her debut album rides the thin line between exhaustion and exhilaration. Despite the themes of hope and optimism about which she sings, it’s difficult to sit through the entire thing when her voice is constantly turned up to 11. The dance tracks mostly fair well, with the majority of the production work being covered by fellow English artist Starsmith. While it’s not shattering any boundaries, you could definitely do a lot worse when choosing a pop record this year.
With 2009’s Scream now thankfully a distant memory, Chris Cornell has made a distinctly organic return in Higher Truth. Drawing inspiration from his recent acoustic tours, Higher Truth pulls back to a simplistic nature and shifts the focus onto Cornell’s biggest strength in songwriting. While there are still some tracks, such as album opener Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart and Our Time In The Universe, that go heavy into production with a disjointed result, Josephine, Dead Wishes and Circling uphold the alt-folk basis of the record much to the listening pleasure of Soundgarden and Cornell fans alike.
Glen Hansard doesn’t mind striking while the iron’s hot. Just on a month after his regular band, The Frames, released a 25-year best-of compilation, up pops a solo record. Luckily it’s a pretty good one for the Irish folk crooner, packed full of what we’ve come to expect. There are plenty of acoustic guitars, neat melodies and thoughtful lyrics as Hansard takes another haunted trip down memory lane. Although some tracks are too understated for their own good, big songs like Winning Streak, Her Mercy, My Little Ruin and single, Lowly Deserter, deliver the goods and make this well worth a listen.
Atlantic/Warner
Universal
Anti
MGM
Mark Beresford
Roshan Clerke
Paul Barbieri
Mark Beresford
More Reviews Online Ainslie Wills Oh The Gold
60 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
theMusic.com.au
Drunk Mums Gone Troppo
Troye Sivan Wild
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
Joe Mande
Dance Of The Bee
Comedy The Toff In Town, 9 Sep
★★★★ Joe Mande doesn’t want me to write this review. I’m leaving money on the table ($100USD!) to deliver what is apparently a uniquely Australian concept: the comedy review. Midway through his opening observations on Australian culture - a prerequisite for comedians visiting from the United States Mande made an impassioned plea (and bribe) to any reviewers in The Toff crowd to not review his show. In the latter half of his set, after straying
Dance Of The Bee. Pic: Lucy Spartalis
Theatre North Melbourne Town Hall, Arts House (finished)
★★★★ This is probably the first ‘interspecies’ collaboration you’ll see. Dance Of The Bee starts with the amplified hum of bees inside a hive coming from the middle of the room. The lights are slowly brought up to reveal a chorus of singers from the Astra Choir, then three grand pianos begin a four-part piece composed by Martin Friedel. Lead pianist Michael Kieran Harvey brings the piece to life, beginning with light, melodic tinkering reminiscent of Flight Of The Bumblebee, barely touching the keys. As the set moves into Imitation And Elaboration and especially Transition From Darkness To Light, the voices of Astra become more haunting, the playing becoming purposefully discordant and chaotic before it reaches a resolve. All the while, you’re staring at a live video stream of the beehive, watching hundreds of bees vie for space. At times it feels as if you’re watching a monumental accompaniment to a post-apocalyptic film. The work is a dramatic, experimental journey into sound and a creative commentary on the anthropogenic era. Harvey introduces the namesake pieces with a slew of other titles, some of which are being played for the first time. The evening as a whole is executed in a genuinely original way, provoking much broader questions about globalisation, consumption and the human impact on life on the earth.
into humorous ISIS observations (Mande warned us beforehand this part can go either way with audiences, but it went down well with us), he asked once again. Sorry Mande, a job’s a job. The Parks And Recreation and Kroll Show alum’s set - which touched on a wide range of local topics, from Tony Abbott to our nation’s apparent milk addiction - deserves to be praised. Mande himself lamented that he would struggle to bring much of this material home after a particularly spirited bit surrounding the disappearance of former Australian Prime Minister Howard Holt. Other material included a childhood anecdote about irritable bowel syndrome, dick pics, his ethnic ambiguity, being introduced to new ways of smoking weed as an adult... all interspersed with appropriate sound effects courtesy of an iPad. Mande delivered it all with just the right balance of nonchalance and anxiety, confidence and self-deprecation, resulting in consistent giggles (and more than the occasional roar of laughter) from the crowd. Stephanie Liew
Joe Mande
DJANGO UNCHAINED
SAT 19TH SEP
7.30PM
TOMORROWLAND
ANT-MAN
THE EVIL DEAD
7.30PM
GUNDOWN
7.30PM
FRI 18TH SEP
THE BIG
THU 17TH SEP
CARRIE
Sarah Barratt
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 61
Live Re Live Reviews
The Preatures @ 170 Russell. Pic: Clinton Hatfield
The Preatures, Rolling Blackouts, The Creases 170 Russell 11 Sep
The Preatures @ 170 Russell. Pic: Clinton Hatfield
The Preatures @ 170 Russell. Pic: Clinton Hatfield
Walk The Moon @ Howler. Pic: Michael Prebeg
Walk The Moon @ Howler. Pic: Michael Prebeg
62 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Walk The Moon @ Howler. Pic: Michael Prebeg
Starting the night are indie-rock outfit Rolling Blackouts. They’re not what you’d expect for The Preatures’ opening band, but they’re good either way and rapidly draw members of the audience from the back of the room to the front. They’ve got a slight country twang to their music, which puts some people off, but for the most part everyone enjoys them. Up next are band-ofthe-moment, The Creases. Immediately you notice their Blur-esque haircuts and pastel guitars as they stroll on stage, their British-inspired aesthetic ringing true. “Hey, we’re The Creases, we’re from Brisbane. We’re very nervous but very excited to be here,” says lead singer Joe Agius. They start off with Gradient - the room is packed by this point and we’re all dancing around to their boppy Brit-pop-esque jams. They slip in a cover of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance and close with Static Lines, leaving us excitedly waiting for The Preatures. Finally, the time comes, the lights go down and the Sydney five-piece open with hit song Somebody’s Talking. Immediately, you notice that unfortunately The Preatures aren’t as good live as they are recorded. The vocals are scratchy and screechy and it just doesn’t sound right. You also notice that the lead guitarist Jack Moffitt and lead singer Isabella Manfredi are all loveydovey (so much so that unaware punters start questioning if they’re a couple or not right off the bat) and it’s really distracting. That aside, the vocals are just really lacking tonight; there’s none of that deep vocal line we’ve become accustomed
to (and this isn’t helped by Manfredi taking large breaks from singing in-between songs to lie on the ground). A few of us start to wonder if The Creases might have actually outdone The Preatures. Halfway through, Manfredi says to us, “Are you
After that they’re back to the Manfredi and Moffitt show and no one’s really that into it. gonna talk? Are you gonna talk through my song?” and it’s super weird and awkward. A few tracks later they play the one we’ve all been waiting for, Is This How You Feel? which absolutely goes off, but after that they’re back to the Manfredi and Moffitt show and no one’s really that into it. They keep the best for last - Take A Card. Hopefully the next time The Preatures come back they’ll be better. Taylor Yates
Walk The Moon, Yukon Blonde Howler 10 Sep A line extends all the way from Howler’s bandroom and snakes around beside the car park as fans queue up to secure their spot for this sold-out show. Yukon Blonde rile us up early on with their danceable pop-rock grooves filled with catchy hooks delivered at an energetic pace. Having just released their new album On Blonde, the Canadian group are excited to share some of their new material with us tonight. Saturday Night and
eviews Live Reviews
Como are instant crowd-pleasers and I Wanna Be Your Man has us singing and bouncing along to the alluring, ‘70s, glamrock sound. Walk The Moon are next to charge in with their energetic, uplifting vibes. They assure us that, just like breakfast, their first song Jenny is an important start to the day and it sets the powerful upbeat tempo. Different Colors sums the band up perfectly - they’re loud, vibrant and fun; neon paint across their faces, rainbow tattoos on their arms and lead vocalist Nicolas Petricca’s pink mohawk shine bright to capture our attention. Their soaring indie pop-rock anthems are bursting with positivity to make us feel alive and in the moment. Walk The Moon empower us with a meditation exercise to trap
Work This Body is their liveliest performance and turns up the energy when tribal drumming and French vocals are brought in. It’s the band’s first time playing their new songs to an Australian crowd and they receive a great reaction, which makes them feel very welcome. An older track Lisa Baby is dedicated especially to their long-time fans. We do them one last favour and sing the words to their infectious hit Shut Up And Dance. A surprise encore - a superb cover of The Killers’ track All These Things That I’ve Done tops off the night before the band end with the emotional Anna Sun. Walk The Moon let us know we won’t have to wait too long to see them again with their planned return Down Under scheduled for early next year.
down urban beats that shift from hip hop to drum’n’bass, while their MC certainly can flow. They add inner-city relevance, whether the horns are blowing their way through passages of jazzy indulgence, dub explorations or straight-out retro New Orleans funk. The energy coming from the stage is infectious and those not completely awestruck are pulling shapes. While a fan of The Cactus Channel bemoans the fact that tonight’s show is strictly 18+ on the group’s Facebook page,
Retro charmers in the nicest possible way.
Michael Prebeg
Walk The Moon empower us with a meditation exercise to trap our negative feelings and push them out and up towards the ceiling. our negative feelings and push them out and up towards the ceiling - in doing so we are initiated into their tribe of fans. After this, we’re not afraid to pump our arms up into the air in support of I Can Lift A Car. Up 2 U is an impressive live track that starts off slow with keyboard synths and builds to an erupting chorus with distorted vocal shouts and a throw-down of trilling guitars that cut loose.
The Cactus Channel, Bullhorn Shebeen Bandroom 11 Sep There’s nothing quite like learning the hard way that the internet is full of incorrect information than by placing one’s faith in advertised set times and arriving to find that everyone is starting their sets an hour earlier. What looked like being a late night is now an unexpectedly early one and the disco nap you took now means missing the first support, Raw Humps, and part of the second, Bullhorn. It’s disappointing, as Bullhorn, all the way from Brisbane, are an energetic big brass band that surprisingly reimagines the brass band format into something compellingly contemporary and relevant. These lads are onto something special and their unique sound separates them from the rest of the pack. There’s a vibrant energy about a band that features a drummer that throws
we find ourselves enjoying beer from Ethiopia as the band take to the stage. A young band seemingly following in the footsteps of acts like The Bamboos, it feels like big funk and soul bands featuring a horn section are a very cool thing in Melbourne. Despite their relative youth, these guys have studied all the funky styles of the ‘70s and deliver a tight blend of instrumental, mid-tempo funk that seamless blends lounge, blaxploitation and porno soundtracks, jazz, funk, soul and even a little surf-rock, dealing out a 60-minute set comprising tunes from their albums Haptics and Wooden Boy. Of course their latest single, Cobaw, gets a spin too. The mind-blowing thing about The Cactus Channel is their capacity to do the time warp and nail an authentic ‘70s sound. The crowd gets down and works up a sweat as they put their pack into it. Retro charmers in the nicest possible way, The Cactus Channel’s records are the stuff future crate
diggers will most definitely be sampling on their urban grooves. Guido Farnell
Loose Tooth, Girl Crazy, Pure Moods, Cable Ties The Old Bar 11 Sep The air is THICK tonight; somebody has flipped the smoke machine from incense to forest-fire. The only thing visible in the bar as Cable Ties start setting up are the vague outlines of a couple of glowing orange crucifixes framing the stage and a few neon halos floating on the dance floor. Mixed with the tight, arched space and the red walls and lighting, it creates the feeling of watching some negapulpit in an abandoned cellar turned church. Cable Ties become selffulfilling prophets by predicting “a fuckin’ ripper evening” and then delivering a fucking ripper set. They’re clever garage punk
These guys make the fourfoot-deep stage sound like a cavern.
with catchy riffs, but they really hit their stride when the bass takes the weight, giving the guitar a chance to let loose. “I’m aware that I’m a’ wasting time,” they sing. That could be true but it certainly isn’t the crowd’s time they’re wasting. Things change up with Pure Moods. They play the kind of dreamy harmonious pop that convinces you you’re
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 63
Live Re Live Reviews
More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au/ music/live-reviews
Toni Braxton @ Hamer Hall The Whitlams @ Corner Hotel Thursday
either 20,000 leagues under the sea or floating out past the Horsehead nebula, and despite a couple false starts they deliver spectacularly. An overheard punter likely put it best when he said, “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in... phhhht...” It is absolutely wall-to-wall in here by the time Girl Crazy hit the stage, something made more noticeable by the frenzy they kick up on the floor. It’s easy to see why - they’re having fun and so is everyone else. MC Kate Boston Smith starts chanting “Are you ready?”, adding the reverse church vibe in here, before pushing head first into the crowd singing Will You and Loose Tooth start their show. It’s pretty clear these guys have already been celebrating their single launch. There are lots of shots “for nerves” and cheeky banter between songs - mostly about whether there should be more shots, what MD really stands for and guitarist Nellie Jackson’s glitterfilled knickers. Though they’re joyously loose they never get sloppy. These guys make the four-foot-deep stage sound like a cavern. Drummer Etta Curry’s reverb-soaked vocals especially seem to be coming from (and filling) somewhere much bigger than the available space. Throw in fuzzy guitar, clean bass, and harmonies from Jackson and bassist Luc Dawson and you get echoey pop that’s a joy to hear. A two-women choir joins the band for their last couple of songs, and they wrap everything up with their banging debut single Everything Changes. It would have been easy to get overshadowed by the quality of the support acts but Loose Tooth nail it, and they do it smiling. Sam Wall
64 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
The Jungle Giants, Art Of Sleeping, Hockey Dad Corner Hotel 12 Sep
Arriving at Corner Hotel before the advertised doors open time, we see there’s already a large queue wrapping itself around the building. Hockey Dad kick the night off with their chill vibes and surfy tunes. Running us through triple j faves Lull City and I Need A Woman, they finish on Seaweed, the most requested track, soon inviting Art Of Sleeping to the stage. Art Of Sleeping prove they can hold their own and capture
We’re lost in the moment and the band take complete control.
anticipated Kooky Eyes and everyone throws their bodies around in celebration. We’re lost in the moment and the band take complete control. Just as soon as the party peaks, that’s it - it’s over - and they leave the stage. But, of course, as expected, they
The Jungle Giants @ Corner Hotel. Pic: Joshua Braybrook
the whole crowd immediately. With lasers flying and crowds begging for more, you don’t ever want to miss an opportunity to see this band. Then finally our headliners arrive. The Jungle Giants have changed their sound since emerging three years ago and triple j has had their latest track, Kooky Eyes, which completely contrasts the sound of their previous songs, on high rotation. As a band, they’ve obviously grown and matured, settling comfortably into their newfound sound. The Jungle Giants offer the old goods, then subtly transition into their heavier rock material. Before we know it, they’re belting the much-
return for an encore, immediately diving into their classic, You’ve Got Something. Absolute banger. This venue captures their sound phenomenally, the crowd enthusiastically participating and the band delivering. Couldn’t have asked for anything more. Hannah Blackburn
OPINION Opinion
Howzat!
Local Music By Jeff Jenkins Aussie, Aussie, Aussie If it’s good enough for Baz Luhrmann, it’s good enough for Billy Miller. The former Ferret has called his new album Australia. Billy’s fourth solo album follows 1993’s Yarraville and 1998’s Victoria. “I’ll continue the sequence of album titles with Earth, Solar System, Galaxy, Universe,” Billy laughs. “It’ll keep me writing, singing, playing and recording until the end of my days.” Australia is as grand and as unpredictable as the land itself. Opening with an 11.42-minute epic, We Are Everywhere (Howzat! has always said that Billy should write a rock opera), the album also features the soul gem Sold, an ode to the western suburbs called Footscray, a strangely hypnotic piece called Amnesia, and two cracking songs Billy wrote with Paul Kelly during rain breaks in the cricket, Rising Moon and Don’t Let A Good Thing Go. Billy, one of the great blokes of Australian music, made Australia in his living room in Yarraville with some help from his old buddy Tony Cohen and a band featuring bass player Bill McDonald and Model Andrew Duffield. Billy Miller &
The Love Brothers are launching Australia on 20 Sep at Caravan Music Club with special guests including Paul Kelly, Rebecca Barnard, Andrew Duffield and James Black. Billy dedicates the album to his wife, Lucy, who died a year ago this week. Billy and Lucy were married for 32 years, together for 43. “Lucy was my wife, best friend and a constant source of knowledge and inspiration,” Billy says. Australia is very much a family affair, with the album also featuring Billy’s son, Eddie, on vocals and guitar.
Not So Grand The West Coast Eagles are a good chance to make this year’s Grand Final. Imagine Ross Wilson performing Eagle Rock on the big day. Can you believe Ross has never performed at the Grand Final? If you think the AFL should spend more than $500,000 on entertainment when
Ross Wilson the crowd doesn’t really want it, it doesn’t sell a single extra ticket, and it looks and sounds ordinary in a huge stadium in broad daylight, then surely the day should showcase local talent? Seven other Aussie legends also yet to appear at the AFL Grand Final: AC/ DC, Cold Chisel, James Reyne, Hoodoo Gurus, Icehouse, Rick Springfield and Kylie Minogue. ps. We remember the great Slim Dusty (who sang at the 1984 Grand Final). Slim died 12 years ago this week. Hot Line “All of the hearts I’ve held in my grasp, but I only break them” - Dan Lethbridge, Love Is The Only Thing Left.
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 65
Comedy / G The Guide
At The Dakota
Wed 16
Jack Colwell
The JC Little Big Band: 303, Northcote Muddy’s Blues Roulette with Justin & Nardia: Catfish, Fitzroy
Palace Of The King + The Vendettas: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Dave O’Neil: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne
The Music Presents An Evening With Kevin Smith: 21 Sep Palais Theatre At The Dakota: 9 Oct Grace Darling Hotel The Phoenix Foundation: 22 Oct Max Watt’s Bad//Dreems: 24 Oct Northcote Social Club
Tetrahedra + When We Were Small + Tiaryn: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Bat Country: Grace Darling Hotel (Basement), Collingwood Thirsty Merc: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda Telek + Charles Maimarosia: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Revolver Wednesdays with Dan San + Arks: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran
Rebel With A Melbourne Show
Mumford & Sons: 12 Nov Sidney Myer Music Bowl
The New Savages: The Curtin (Public Bar), Carlton
Australia’s next musical rebel, Jack Colwell is set to play an intimate show at Melbourne’s new venue Empty Gallery on Sunday. The show follows the release of his new EP Only When Flooded Could I Let Go.
Mullum Music Festival: 19 – 22 Nov Mullumbimby
Wine, Whiskey, Women feat. Slim Dime + Leisha J: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Thu 17
Mew: 3 Dec Max Watt’s Bully: 10 Dec Howler Father John Misty: 10 Dec Forum Theatre Bluesfest: 24 – 28 Mar, Byron Bay
Blue Eyes Cry: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Roviana Lagoon + The Peeks + 1891 + New Melbourne Jangle: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Slowly Slowly + Sans + Elliot Friend: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Miss Miss + Pale Trip + Astruds: The Public Bar, Melbourne Shit Sex + Tankerville: The Tote, Collingwood
Bohjass + Tim Pledger’s Sandwich Jesus: 303, Northcote Plural: Bar Open, Fitzroy The White Tree Band: Big Mouth, St Kilda Good Manners #3 feat. Broadway Sounds + Wabz + CC:Disco! + Misty Nights + more: Boney, Melbourne A Rioting Mind + Trees For Ruru + Prairie Wessman: Carters Public House, Northcote
Pink Harvest + Spiral Arm + The Black Heart Death Cult: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar), Footscray The Neighbourhood Youth + Barry Tones + Reika + Yasumo: Shadow Electric, Abbotsford Koi Child + Esese + Henry Kissinger: Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne Strings For Belts + Cosmos + Tex Natives + Slim Pickens: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Club Catty: Catfish (Upstairs), Fitzroy
The Engagement
Kylie Auldist: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Next feat. The Playbook + Sonder + Once Were Lost + Sean Dunlop: Colonial Hotel, Melbourne Dave O’Neil: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Kimba Griffith
Mt Warning + Aquila Young: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Swingin’ Kimba
Arthur Penn & The Funky Ten + Up Up Away + Alex Lahey: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Following the release of her first venture outside of husband/wife duo Kimba and Ryan, Each Time The First Time, Kimba Griffith Septet will swing into Paris Cat Jazz Club for a live launch on Saturday.
Another Batch + Allysha Joy + Oliver Paterson Beat Project + Tiaryn Griggs: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Housemate Of Mine + Noah Earp + Kevin Murphy: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Gretta Ziller: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Xavier Rudd & The United Nations + Bobby Alu: Kay St, Traralgon The Writers Block #7: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Vintage Ruin + Massacre Of Innocence + Twisted Fate + False Prophet: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford Luna + Sand Pebbles: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Disco Volante feat. Funklr + Oliver Winton + Luke Vecchio: Onesixone, Prahran Busy Kingdom: Penny Black, Brunswick
Whole Lotta Love Engagement Celebrating the launch of their new single, Angels, Melbourne electro-pop outfit The Engagement have a special show locked in at Whole Lotta Love on Saturday.
Kinematic + The Claremont Street Singers: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Ern Malley: The Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North Soul Revue with The Stax Brothers + DJ Roy: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
66 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Gigs / Live The Guide
One Girl Fundraiser feat. Little Lamb & The Rosemarys + Camp Cope + Pepperjack: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Closet Straights + Shores: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Kings & Queens feat. Coffin Carousel + Evolution Of Self + Mushroom Giant + Roxy Wifi + Conjurer + Sideways: The Prince, St Kilda
Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk: Black Hatt Hotel, Geelong Average Rap Band + Eno x Dirty: Boney, Melbourne
Lucha Libre: Brown Alley, Melbourne The Rolling Stones ‘Some Girls’ Revival: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Jules Boult: Catfish (Front Bar), Fitzroy Jayne West: Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick Fox Company + Three Quarter Beast + Wild Violet + Twin Ages: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Ben Fester + Preacha: Lounge, Melbourne Tijuana Cartel: Max Watt’s, Melbourne
The Suicide Tuesdays + Luke Seymour + Gladstone + The Flying So High-O’s + Brodown: The Public Bar, Melbourne
Rae Howell + The Sunwrae String Quartet: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda
Poprocks At The Toff with Dr Phil Smith: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Roymackonkey + V1 + Whoopie Cat: Mr Boogie Man Bar (7.30pm), Abbotsford
Sean Molloy + BJ Morriszonkle + Lovers of the Black Bird + Richie 1250: The Tote, Collingwood
Breach: New Guernica, Melbourne The Bamboos + DJ Chris Gill: Northcote Social Club, Northcote La Danse Macabre with Brunswick Massive: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
Millon Dollar Pony Club feat. Passerine + Back Back Forward Punch + Kids At Midnight + Rachel By The Stream: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Hownowmer: Victoria Hotel, Brunswick
Dave O’Neil: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Thirsty Merc + Busy Kingdom: Commercial Hotel, South Morang Black Aces
Danger! Danger! Danger Fest ‘15 hits The Bendigo on Saturday, featuring Dangers favourite local bands – Black Aces, Doubleblack, Kill Dirty Youth, Hypermania, Murder Rats, Organ Donor, The Balls, Zia Electric Burlesque and DJs. $10 on the door.
Dustin Tebbutt + Jesse Davidson + Caitlin Park: Corner Hotel, Richmond Captain Spaulding: Customs House Hotel, Williamstown The Naysayers + Lieutenant Jam + Uncle Bobby: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne DJ Knave Knixx + Cold Irons Bound: Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Brunswick Buried In Verona + Hand Of Mercy + Polaris + Void Of Vision + Atlantic: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy The Naysayers
Soul Sacrifice - A Tribute To Santana: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick DJ Trompe Le Monde: Gin Lane, Belgrave
Kitten Club + Bull Dog Radio: The Public Bar, Melbourne
The Starks + Dave Larkin + Oolluu + Lorikeet: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Davy Simony + Amistat + Jayden Reid: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Haywyre feat. Angus Green + JPS + B2B + Kodiak Kid + Ripple: Howler, Brunswick
Yay, Nay Garage rockers The Naysayers celebrate the release of their new single Passing By at Ding Dong Lounge on Friday. Supported by Uncle Bobby and Lieutenant Jam with tunes provided by The Solicitors DJs.
Mick Turner + The Electric Guitars + Caroline No: The Tote, Collingwood Plastic
Young Poets + Mild Manic + The Gordons: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Uptown: Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak Anna’s Go-Go Academy: Victoria Hotel (6pm), Brunswick Thirsty Merc + Busy Kingdom: Werribee Plaza Tavern, Hoppers Crossing Jackson McLaren: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote The Tried + Genghis Can’t Swim + The Traitors: Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East Hypno Sex Ray + Woo Who + The Young Saviours: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Alice Williams: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Fri 18 Cosmic Psychos + The Peep Tempel + High Tension + Wod: 170 Russell, Melbourne Lower Plenty + Sweet Whirl + Mirage: Bar Open, Fitzroy Matt Dwyer & Magnatones: Big Huey’s Diner, South Melbourne 2up feat. Mimi + D’fro: Big Mouth, St Kilda
Gravey + Bottlecaps + The Shorts + As a Rival + Northwood: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray
The Flaming Mongrels + Owen Thomas: Wesley Anne, Northcote
Darcy Baylis + Leisure Suite + Amateur Dance: Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne
Calamity Lane + Rosie & The Mighty Kings + The Lovelies + Josh Novak: Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East
Gradual + Dirt River Radio + Carolyn Oates: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Chris Wilson: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
Minibikes + The Scouts: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Claire Birchall & The Phantom Hitchhikers + James McCann & The Vindictives + Gary Grey & The Sixth Circle + Drongo & The Drongos: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
Plastic Nightmares
Maricopa Wells + Sans: The B.East, Brunswick East
Melbourne five-piece altrockers, Plastic taking their dynamic guitar and synth styled endeavours to The Gasometer Hotel on Friday. The gig celebrates the launch of their new EP Nightmares.
Miss Whiskey: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
The Harmaniax + Max Teacle: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Dark Flow - A Techno Experiment: Loop, Melbourne
Frida + Plastic + Tully On Tully: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood The Stiffys + The Fire Alive + Hyperdrones: The Loft, Warrnambool Pitt The Elder + The Girl Fridas’ + Rachel Maria Cox + Ess-Em: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Sun God Replica: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg Watt’s On: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda Hippie Death Star + Cosa Nostra: The Public Bar, Melbourne
Paul McManus & The Mayblooms: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Sat 19 Josh McDonald & Royal Parade + The Lost Woods + The Tealeaves: 303, Northcote Lama + Purple Tusks + Dave Adams Trio: Bar Open, Fitzroy Oscar Jimenez Quartet: Belleville, Melbourne Lost Weekend: Boney, Melbourne Evil Twin: Catfish (Front Bar), Fitzroy Van Walker: Charles Weston Hotel, Brunswick
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 67
Comedy / G The Guide
Midnight Alibi + Sisters Doll + Darcee Fox: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Zoe Ryan
The Smith Street Band + Andrew Jackson Jihad + The Sidekicks + The Sugarcanes: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Seb Mont: Big Mouth, St Kilda
The New Melbourne Jazz Band: Blackburn Hotel, Blackburn
Fistful of Soul with Fulton Street + Vince Peach + Jeremy Robertson + DJ Lady Soul: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Billy Miller: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh The Experience (45th Anniversary of the death of Jimi Hendrix): Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Buried In Verona + Hand Of Mercy + Polaris + Void Of Vision + Pridelands + Ambleside: Evelyn Hotel (All Ages), Fitzroy
The House Wreckers + Miss Whiskey: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Maldon Folk Festival feat. Claymore + Co-cheol + Janette Geri + Nicolas Lyon + Sadie Mustoe: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick
The Smith Street Band + Andrew Jackson Jihad + The Sidekicks + Flour: Corner Hotel, Richmond
John Gunn + Friends: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy Yolanda Ingley II: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East John Dowler’s Vanity Project: Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea Katchafire: Max Watt’s, Melbourne Martha Wainwright: Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan Gayle Cavanagh & The Mixed Company Band: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Michelle Gardiner: Customs House Hotel, Williamstown
Just Dandy Zoë Ryan & The Dandy Lion will be coming out of hiding to play their first headline show for 2015 at The Workers Club on Saturday arvo, following on from their debut EP release and Australia tour last year. Supports are Rachel Clark and Jennifer Kingwell.
Danger Fest ‘15 feat. The Black Aces + more: The Bendigo, Collingwood Dr Ric’s Dishonourable Discharge: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Fields Of Gold Kerryn Fields is launching her new album Rascal at Spotted Mallard on Sunday. Doors open at 4pm and she’s joined by her band The Dudettes with support from Brooke Taylor and special guests.
The Snowdroppers + Food Court + Tooth & Tusk: Northcote Social Club, Northcote The Large Number 12s: Pint on Punt, Windsor Luke Escombe & The Corporation: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Internal Rot + Sick Machine + Culture of Ignorance + Midwife + Desperate Pigs + Impact Zone: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray Bang feat. Ambleside + The Evercold + Disasters: Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Saint Jude + Howl At The Moon + Ali E: Shadow Electric, Abbotsford
68 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Easy Rider Soundtrack with Ding Dong All Stars + Brian Nankervis: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Big Strong Brute + Ben Salter + Half/Cut: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Momentum feat. The Coretet: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Onomatopeia: Ferdydurke, Melbourne
Slum Sociable: Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne The Twoks + The Cactus Channel: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Kerryn Fields
The Streamliners: Big Huey’s Diner, South Melbourne
Kids In Control + The Innocence + Stuck Out + Dear Laura: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Cosmic Psychos + Boxthorn + The Desmonds: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island Zoe Ryan & The Dandy Lion + Rachel Clarke + Jen Kingwell: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Bowie Unzipped feat. Jeff Duff: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury
Dreamboogie: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Big Seal & The Slippery Few: Union Hotel, Brunswick
Sean McMahon & The Moon Men + Simon Bailey: The Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North
Thirsty Merc: Village Green Hotel, Mulgrave
Oh The Calamity!
Melbourne City Ska Collective: Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East
Calamity Lane, alt-rock band from Melbourne, are celebrating the launch of their debut music video clip at Whole Lotta Love on Friday. Supports will be Josh Novak, Whales and Rosie & The Mighty Kings.
DJ Geardy: Yacht Club Hotel, Williamstown The Offtopics + Red Eagle + Crossfire Hurricane + Funk Rabbit + That Gold Street Sound: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
Tuxedo + CC:Disco! + EMRSN + Mz Rizk: The Prince (Band Room), St Kilda
The Birds and The Bees + The Sensational Hurricanes: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
The Tiny Giants + White Bleaches + Gonzo + The Dare Ohhs: The Public Bar, Melbourne
Sun 20
The House deFrost with Andee Frost: The Toff In Town (Stage Room/11.30pm), Melbourne Ruins + Vyrion + Graveir + Mar Mortuum + Agonhymn + Abre Ojos: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood
Calamity Lane
Jukai Forest: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote
Hugo Race & The True Spirit: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Esc + Leisure Suite + The Galaxy Folk + Jamil Zacharia: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
John Dowler’s Vanity Project: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy
LQ Saturdays: Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak Moreland City Soul Revue: Union Hotel, Brunswick
Laura Palmer + Fear Like Us + Summer Blood + Maricopa Wells + The Shadow League: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Thirsty Merc: Karova Lounge, Ballarat
Nico Ghost + Kwasi + Malesh: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
New Lease II feat. The Dead Heir + Gorsha + Pines: The Curtin (Front Bar), Carlton
Jamacia Jump-Up #6 feat. Jesse I + Mohair Slim + Stryka D + Pat Powell + more: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Annan Blix + Duoux + Frank Society: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Circa Survive + PVRIS: 170 Russell, Melbourne Pat Bruce & The Bacchanalians + Bob Hutchinson Trio + Ciaran Boyle + Spacemonkey Mafia: 303, Northcote James Mark: 303, Northcote The Ether + Assetstripper + Skim The Rim: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Ken Maher & Tony Hargreaves + Kelly Auty : Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Celtic Woman: Melbourne Park (Margaret Court Arena), Melbourne The Ska Vendors + MC Dr Pump: Memo Music Hall (Memo Lounge), St Kilda Sammigold + Ace Bricklaying: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford Chris Wilson: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 69
Comedy / G The Guide
Average Rap Band
Kevin Smith + Jason Mewes: Palais Theatre, St Kilda Slum Sociable: Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne
Marlo Eggplant + Rosalind Hall + Carolyn Connors + Fjorn + Aux Assembly: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Declan McKinnon & the Knockabouts + Altitude + Plotz: The Public Bar, Melbourne Call It In with Instant Peterson + Dylan Michel: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Masco Sound System + Peter Lubulwa: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Tue 22 So Average
Sleeping With Sirens + Storm The Sky: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Come vibe with Average Rap Band at Boney on Friday supported by good friends Eno x Dirty (NZ). Doors open 9pm. There will be cow bells involved. There will be no laptops.
The Slipdixies: 303, Northcote Super Saloon + Stone Revival + Wild Violet: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Kooyeh + Karate Boogaloo + Jamil Zaccharia: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
The Luau Cowboys: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Happy Wanderer Festival Residency feat. Matt Glass + Jane McArthur + Cat Canteri: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Heart of St Kilda Concert feat. Joe Camilleri & The Black Sorrows + British India + more: Palais Theatre, St Kilda
Mallee Songs + Zig Zag + Sleep Decade: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Never Cheer Before You Know Who’s Winning: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran
Revolver Sundays: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran
Sime Nugent & The Capes: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Lakyn: The Gasometer Hotel (Front Bar), Collingwood
Field, See & Mason: Royal Oak Hotel, Fitzroy North
Daryl Roberts + Elwood Blues Club All Stars: The Prince (Front Bar), St Kilda
Kerryn Fields + The Dudettes + Brooke Taylor: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Sarah Mary Chadwick + Guy Parkman Band + Sweet Whirl: The Public Bar, Melbourne
Lilith Lane + Emil Ulman + Jemma & The Clifton Hillbillies: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar), Footscray
Down The Rabbit Hole with Nigel Last: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Good Morning feat. Crepes + Ciggie Witch + Gregor & Reuben + River Yarra + Pauly C Pauly Do + Jamesy C: The Tote, Collingwood
Wallflower
Wallflower + Nonie + The Twoks + Emilee South: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Sean Molloy
Ahoy, Molloy Sean Molloy is releasing his debut album! To celebrate, he will unite BJ Morriszonkle, Lovers Of The Blackbird and DJ Richie 1250 for an evening of musical discombobulation upstairs at The Tote on Friday.
Martha Wainwright: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury Fenn Wilson + The Sideshow Brides: Union Hotel, Brunswick Oscar Lush: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote Hugh McGinlay & The Recessive Genes: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Mon 21 Circa Survive + PVRIS: 170 Russell (under 18s/1pm), Melbourne Quick Bites Comedy with Timothy Clarke: Boney, Melbourne
The F.A.Q.s + Beyond Vegas + Whir: Tago Mago, Thornbury
Jarrow + Forever Son + Pigeon Boy + David O’Connor: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Ian Collard + Jimmy Dowling: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Monday Night Mass feat. Breve + Hideous Towns + The Zebras + Jimmy Chang: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
Kimba Griffith Septet: The Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North
70 • THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Spring Time Tunes Check out the tunes of Wallflower when they debut their dreamy new single Soliloquy at The Workers Club on Sunday. For fans of Bibio and Coldplay.
Thirsty Merc: The Loft, Warrnambool Sherlock + Dark Fair + Cable Ties: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Ghost Dick + Dicey’s Pizza House Band + Hunting Dogs: The Public Bar, Melbourne The Senegambian Jazz Band + Amadou Suso + Stav: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Gilligan Smiles + Bears + Sun Bazel: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Comedy Crushes with Kirsty Webeck: Wesley Anne, Northcote
THE MUSIC • 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 • 71
72 7 2 • THE MUS M MU MUSIC USIC US IC • 16 16TH 16T 6T 6 T SEPT SEPTEMBER TEMBE EMB MBE MBE BER R 20 2 2015 015 5