10.08.16 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
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151
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4 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
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THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 5
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Smoking Pistols
Charming Man
Beloved Melburnian punk outfit Clowns are gearing up to take their killer new single, Destroy The Evidence, on the road this month, unveiling three east coast tour dates alongside the track’s hectic new video clip.
We reported last week that iconic British musician Morrissey had announced a string of Australian headline shows this October and now the tour has officially (if it wasn’t already) been confirmed.
Clowns
Brian McKnight
Batter & Better R&B heavyweight Brian McKnight has announced his return to our shores with news of a national tour in October. He’ll present new album Better with a full backing band.
School Excursion Celebrated Aussie producer Basenji is heading out to reams of tertiary institutions around the country on his Homework tour – which is totally free. The ten-date run hits the road in September.
King Of The Road
For all gig and event details check out theMusic.com.au.
Recent Cooking Vinyl signee Mike Noga has announced a seven-show run of tour dates to celebrate the release of his third solo album, King. It kicks off in Sydney this September.
Mike Noga
6 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Morrissey
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Credits Publisher
Singin’ Dirty
Dallas Frasca
Stalwart Melbourne rockers Dallas Frasca have come out of the woodwork to announce the September release of their new EP Dirt Buzz, which comes with a tour from October through to December.
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The Get Down
Get Down On It
Burnham, Emma Clarke
Baz Luhrmann’s music-driven drama The Get Down tells the story of a group of talent and soulful kids in New York in the late 1970s. The series will premiere exclusively on Netflix this Friday.
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THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 7
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Roughin’ It
The Rumjacks
Sydney rockers The Rumjacks have released their third studio full-length, Sleepin’ Rough, and to commemorate the work’s arrival, the five-piece are hitting the road for an absolutely massive national tour from October through February.
Ya Get Me? Australian hip hop duo Horrorshow have released new single If You Know What I Mean, as well as its accompanying video clip ahead of an 11date national tour in support of the new work this October.
6 Horrorshow
The number of years Ozzy Osbourne has apparently been dealing with sex addiction.
Childish Gambino
Child’s Play Falls Festival have announced dates and first headline act, Childish Gambino. The festival runs in Lorne , 28 - 31 Dec, Marion Bay, 29 - 31 Dec, Byron Bay, 31 - 2 Dec and in Fremantle 7 & 8 Jan. 8 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Sticky Fingers
Shine & Grime
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Indie outfit Sticky Fingers’ new full-length Westway (The Glitter & The Slums) is out in September. The band will be showing off the new goods with a six-date run around the country in October/November.
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Tongue Turner Teeth & Tongue have premiered new single Turn, Turn, Turn from their latest album, out in September, and announced dates for the Give Up On Your Health album tour in September/October.
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THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 9
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Beam Me Up
Sky Light
Melbourne Fringe Festival invites you to ‘look at the world in a new light’ this September and October , announcing events and installations like White Beam and Sky Light, which will connect iconic buildings with lazers.
Kylie Auldist
Listen Up Outspoken muso and political activist Ezekiel Ox has a new EP called Proper Ganda up his sleeve for release this November, and to give each song the spotlight he’s announced an east coast run the same month.
To The VICtors… In its 11th year, The Age Music Victoria Awards (16 Nov) fall within Melbourne Music Week this year and the afterparty – featuring performances by Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Camp Cope, Tash Sultana and Kylie Auldist plus more – is open to the general public.
Ezekiel Ox
Glow Winter Arts Festival
800 Light Up The number of cinemas worldwide you’ll be able to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ film One More Time With Feeling, out the day before the new album.
10 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Glow Winter Arts Festival will run from this Thursday through to 21 Aug, filling Stonnington with events like Greville Projections and Flicks ‘n’ Feasts, which combines pop-up outdoor cinema and tasty cuisine.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
BAR
Never Too Late
Archie Roach
True Australian legend Archie Roach released a single It’s Not Too Late with an accompanying video and announced album launch shows in Sydney and Melbourne for Let Love Rule this October.
WED 10TH AUGUST
OPEN MIC
Show the Boogie Man what you’ve got!! THURS 11TH AUGUST
Kate Foxx
Killing It November’s Queenscliff Music Festival have announced their third line-up additions, with heaps more acts including Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Alpine and Urthboy as well as Killing Heidi’s reunion performance – their first in ten years.
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Take A Trip Melbourne Festival returns in October with dance, theatre, circus, music and more from Paul Kelly reinvigorating Irish poets to Triptyque, which reimagines choreography.
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THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 11
“N
Comedy
laughing
matters Trevor Noah chats with Guy Davis about life dedicated to stand-up and the correlation between his boxing background and comedy. Cover pic by Trunk Archive/ Snapper Media.
o stress” are the first words we hear from Trevor Noah, and he’s sounds surprisingly convincing uttering them. That’s not to suggest that the South African stand-up comedian and host of The Daily Show (he replaced previous host Jon Stewart last September after joining the program as a correspondent in 2014) should be stressed personally. However, given that not just America but the world seems to be reaching new flashpoints on a regular basis, and that it’s part of The Daily Show’s - and by extension, Noah’s - job to help defuse the most incendiary of current affairs with a few well timed gags and well lobbed truth bombs, one could easily assume that Noah might be feeling a bit of pressure. Nope. No stress. Noah is even-tempered, good-humoured, affable to the point of professional and polished. Maybe it’s because we’re talking more about his first love, stand-up comedy, than his Daily Show day job (which he also loves, by the way). Noah is bringing his stand-up act to Australia in August, performing shows in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. It’ll be his “third or fourth” visit to Australia, a location he regards as “genuinely electric” when it comes to comedy punters. “Australian audiences have this unhindered joy - they’re not afraid to enjoy themselves - but they also have a real appreciation for material that is dry or even scathing,” he says. But it’s not only Australian audiences Noah holds in high regard, it’s Australian comedians. After all, a couple of them helped him muster up the courage and drive to take his act beyond the borders of South Africa (where, admittedly, he was one of the nation’s most popular and high profile comedians) and take a shot at the world stage. “I got to do a lot of shows in a short space of time in South Africa, and I got to work with some really great comedians,” he says. “One of those comedians, who became a friend and mentor to me, was from Australia - it was Kitty Flanagan. She was one of the first people who said to me ‘You should come to Australia; you should perform in other countries.’ She was in the UK at the time and said I should do my act there, which was something I’d never thought of doing before. But once I did I never looked back. “Carl Barron said the same thing - we were doing shows together in South Africa and he said I should come perform in Australia. So over time I came to realise that even if I didn’t believe in myself at the time,
there were other comedians who did. That’s how I started touring the world doing stand-up.” Even before landing The Daily Show hosting gig in 2015, which skyrocketed his profile, Noah was already becoming well known for his comedic prowess; his understated, stealthy style, which humorously and intelligently tackled the everyday, the absurd and the provocative, won him fans worldwide. Noah himself views stand-up as an intimate exchange between himself and the audience, and he feels that relationship hasn’t really changed, even if the crowd numbers have risen somewhat. “It still feels exactly the same,” he says. “There’s a strange connection that takes place automatically between you and the people, and luckily that’s something that doesn’t go away when you’re doing a stand-up show, regardless of how big your audience has become. “The stage provides me with a space where I can communicate with people more intimately; I can communicate with people I’ve built a relationship with over time. So that’s why I love getting out and getting on stage - it’s a totally different experience [from The Daily Show] when I get to explore a different side of my comedy.” The mechanics of Noah’s style as a stand-up have links to his youthful training as a boxer, he says. “Boxing influenced my comedy in terms of my mentality and the way I tackle
things. With boxing, you learn to be calm, you approach situations holistically and you prepare yourself for your purpose. And that extends to my comedy as well - I come in to a venue thinking ‘What am I trying to do? How am I trying to do it?’ and I then try to stick to that as I do my performance.” But while a boxer’s aim may be to knock out their opponent, Noah has something a little more inclusive in mind. “What makes comedy such a fantastic tool is the ability it has to connect people,” he says. “That’s what I’ve always seen it as. It’s a beautiful platform for sharing with people and making people feel good. I’ve had people come up to me after shows and talk about how they were suffering from sadness or having a tough time with their family and how comedy made them feel better.” And re-engaging with live audiences, adjusting the tenor of a set by gauging the mood of a crowd or drawing energy from their approval, is something Noah looks forward to doing when he’s away from the The Daily Show desk. “It can be very difficult with television because you don’t have that direct connection with the audience,” he says. “The challenge for me is figuring out how to calibrate my energy so it comes across on screen. But I’ve never struggled with that on stage because I can feel whether or not the people are connecting with me. When you’re doing a TV show you have to recreate that magic without feeling their presence right there with you, so that’s what I’ve been working on it. It’s actually something I really enjoy.” He does admit, though, that clips of The Daily Show segments going viral via social media almost immediately provides a similar sort of feedback. “How we receive and share information has changed so completely, and in ways good and bad,” he says. “Social media is an incredible tool for disseminating information - just look at the overthrowing of the Egyptian government, where it played a big part. But we’re also obsessed with the hot take, aren’t we? We’re all trying to be the first person to get anything out there. I don’t think before Twitter people were in quite such a hurry to share their condolences about the death of a celebrity.”
So over time I came to realise that even if I didn’t believe in myself at the time, there were other comedians who did.
What: The Daily Show With Trevor Noah 11.25pm Tuesday to Friday on Comedy Central When & Where: 31 Aug & 1 Sep, Palais Theatre
noah’s
notes Seemingly not content with dominating the stand-up stage and the medium of television, Noah is also conquering the publishing world with the November release of his first book. Titled Born A Crime, it’s a collection of essays about growing up in South Africa “during the last gasps of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that came with its demise”. “I don’t like to think of it as a memoir,” he says. “It’s just me telling my stories up to this point, stories I haven’t been able to share on stage. Stand-up for me has to have a purpose, and some stories I have may not be great for the stage but they’re good to share with people - they don’t fit in one format but they work in another.” Born A Crime has been described as personal stories in the traditional of acclaimed essayists like David Sedaris. So why put these particular pieces down on paper? “I couldn’t find a good book about myself so I decided to write one,” Noah said in a media statement. “And just like me, this book doesn’t have an appendix.” Boom-tish.
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 13
Music
Car Boot Soap Box The crazy things happening in the world lately have punctuated the seemingly quiet, domesticated life of Kevin Mitchell, aka Bob Evans. He tells Carley Hall his new album was not immune to some political commentary either.
L
ife is a busy one for Kevin Mitchell. The 39-yearold is about to hit the road in support of his latest release Car Boot Sale, under the guise of his muchloved alter ego Bob Evans, so it’s a good thing he got in a quick trip to Thailand a few weeks before the curtain goes up on his first show. Still, back home in Melbourne, it ain’t all satay sticks and daiquiris by the poolside when he phones in. “I’m in my garage and this massive storm has just gone through,” he laughs. “I’ve been out of the country the last few weeks in more tropical climes, sipping cocktails, so I’ve been lucky to have a leave pass lately from the weather.”
A lot of people don’t want hear about politics in their music any more than at the dinner table.
From the carefree days of touring with his alt/grunge band Jebediah during late-’90s Australia’s musical glory days, to forming and recording with Basement Birds alongside Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe), Steve Parkin (Vinyl) and Josh Pyke, while chalking up his fifth Bob Evans release, it’s been a long and progressive journey for Mitchell. “I think I’m probably just as critical of myself now as I ever was in the beginning,” he admits. “I think I probably hold myself to higher standards now. I’m still learning so much about writing songs and records. One of the things about starting off really shit is having the room to grow.” That growing process has also been reflected in his personal life. In between his musical projects, Mitchell, to 14 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
all appearances, lives a relatively quiet, domesticated life with his wife and two little girls on the Bellarine Peninsula. But far from living like a recluse, the world around him and the crazy things it increasingly throws into the arena have seeped into the commentary running through Car Boot Sale. On the subject of Australian politics, the quiet life of Mitchell is punctuated by some harsh truths. “I’m just like a lot of people, my social media feed is full of whatever fucking bullshit is going on in the world at the time,” he argues. “I try not to get too deeply engaged with whatever this week’s outrage is. But I think that we’re all witnessing some weird cycle that just becomes a reality after a while. But as far as what’s going on in Australian politics, the last few years have been incredibly awful. “A lot of people don’t want hear about politics in their music any more than at the dinner table. But look, I think maybe with age you realise that a lot of things are really fucked up. There are a lot of things going on in Australia recently, and the world of course, that should not be happening. And the only reason they are happening is because we’re letting them happen.” Despite the many political ills that has Mitchell fired up, they weren’t the soul inspiration behind Car Boot Sale. After heading off into a new territory on previous album Familiar Stranger in 2013, Mitchell came back to his trusty acoustic guitar for his latest. “Car Boot Sale started germinating pretty soon after the last record,” he explains. “I’m always writing but when I first start writing I guess I’m not really writing with a purpose. It’s only after that the songs start to gather up that I see a pattern starting to emerge, and I start thinking okay, well maybe this is the beginning of the record. “So with this record it was really all about coming back to the acoustic guitar and finding new ways of putting songs together on it. I’ve played it for a long, long time and it can be difficult to find different ways of doing things, you know. In a way I think I’m returning a little bit to the style of my earlier albums.” We’re lucky there’s even a new Bob Evans album to be toured at all; during our chat Mitchell admits that he had come close to retiring the name. Thankfully, there’s still music to be made under Bob’s name yet. After releasing music for about two decades under various monikers, has he ever asked himself what a Kevin Mitchell album might sound like? “I think what’s happened over time is that Bob Evans has become a Kevin Mitchell record. If I was to ditch Bob and do a record under my own name, the only reason I could think of doing it is if I was going to do something really different. I thought about retiring the Bob Evans name after the third album. After that I did a record with Basement Birds, Jebediah got back together and made a record. I ended up coming back to Bob Evans I think because I don’t think I was ready to let go of it. But who knows, maybe by the time I make different music I’ll be able to let go of the name.”
What: Car Boot Sale (EMI) When & Where: 13 Aug, Howler
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PLUS HE A PS MORE AT W W W.NORTHCOTESOCIA LCLUB.COM THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 15
Music
Amity Addiction Carousing was once first priority for Aussie metalcore favourites The Amity Affliction. Bassist/ vocalist Ahren Stringer tells Brendan Crabb how recent events necessitated re-evaluation.
A
s stirring as their achievements are both here and abroad, even The Amity Affliction have humbling moments occasionally. Such as their recent appearance at Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting festival, where The Music confesses to being among the masses who eschewed their set, which clashed with main stage heavy-hitters like Iron Maiden. “I can’t fault you for that,” bassist/vocalist Ahren Stringer laughs. “We noticed we were up against someone big because it was probably the smallest festival show we’ve played.”
Playing the shows came second and getting pissed was number one priority half the time. But I think as we’ve gotten bigger as a band and older and wiser as humans that’s definitely dawned on us.
“That was honestly the only time [we’ve clashed] though, but it was still an amazing show.” Outwardly, said obstacle may seem an anomaly for an outfit whose previous record, 2014’s Let The Ocean Take Me, registered platinum sales in Australia despite the industry’s free-falling state. That LP was accompanied by extensive international touring and burgeoning popularity. However, rigours of the road were consuming screamer Joel Birch, whose grapples with depression and anxiety are well-documented. Following completion of new record This Could Be Heartbreak, Birch, 34, and now a father, began attending AA meetings.
16 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
When Birch presents his latest lyrical purging, does it take time for band-mates to process the emotional depths depicted? “He’s been giving me dark lyrics like this since day dot, so it’s nothing really new to me,” Stringer reflects. “I might even be a little bit desensitised by it. But the darker they are, the more I enjoy reading them, think they’re great lyrics full of passion. But I’m not his counsellor, so I’m not going to be like, ‘is there something you want to tell me?’ kind of thing. I think his way of letting out the demons are on paper. So once he’s written these songs he’s already, almost opened up to the world, and it helps him through whatever he’s going through in his head.” It concerned Stringer that touring was exacerbating Birch’s turmoil. “I would definitely be an enabler as well. It’s just been kind of like that since the start. We’ve always gone on tour and just got pissed every night. Eventually that does come to a head, and you’ve got to go, ‘alright, we’re getting old now. Something’s got to give’. I think definitely for him it was around the end of the recording process and it all kind of unfolded. He was, ‘enough’s enough, I’ve got to clean myself up’. We’ve all kind of taken that on board. That last tour he was completely sober and seems a lot happier. If you’re struggling with depression or clinical depression like he does, you’re just throwing gasoline on the fire by drinking... It’s just part of the lifestyle we lead, it’s hard to stay away from that. But he’s got to eventually because you can’t just get pissed every day forever or you’re going to be headed to an early grave.” Meanwhile, 30-year-old Stringer and other members have seemingly made a concerted effort to take a more measured approach to partying. “I guess now, yeah. Back in the day... Playing the shows came second and getting pissed was number one priority half the time. But I think as we’ve gotten bigger as a band and older and wiser as humans that’s definitely dawned on us. It definitely inspires you to take the job more seriously whe it hits you, ‘fuck, we’re quite big, and playing big, when imp important shows’.” There’s plenty at stake, including a new record that cou elevate them a few additional rungs up the heavy could mus ladder. This Could Be Heartbreak has massive music cros crossover potential, particularly the title track. The Music que queries if it has consciously entered Amity’s mindset c to craft a track that could introduce them to a broader aud audience. “Not on purpose, no, but me and Dan [Brown, guitar] are huge pop fans... Dan’s a huge pop-punk fan. It wasn’t intentional, it wasn’t our sell-out song by any means, ‘cause it’s still very heavy in the verses. I doubt we’ll get much commercial radio play out of it anyway.” What exactly entails “selling out” nowadays confounds anyway - the term seems nigh on redundant. “Who knows? When rap stars make it, they start putting out garbage and making money, everyone’s like, ‘yeah, he made it’. It’s applauded, whereas in this genre it’s definitely not.”
What: This Could Be Heartbreak (Roadrunner Warner) When & Where: 31 Aug & 2 Sep, 170 Russell
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THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 17
Music
Frontlash Miffled
World Wide ORB
Big crowds hitting MIFF this year and great buzz around films such as Tickled, Christine and Down Under. Now if only they’d stop using the Comedy Theatre...
Stick It To ‘Em Streets Ice Cream has announced singleserve Viennetta on a stick is coming to Australia following a social media uproar that we promise we didn’t start.
On The Catwalk
Lashes
The resurgence Modelling Poses Done Better By Cats is everything. Some of the likenesses are uncanny!!!!
Nom Nom Nom
Backlash Metrohmygod
Friday night’s train meltdown was something else. It was an unfortunate incident that led to it but really - how is a modern city so unprepared? Can we blame Pokemon Go?
They See Me Rollin’... Sighted: a dude on roller skates, chatting on his mobile phone, using the bike lane and expecting cars to give way to him. What even the FUCK!?
Game On We’re already bleary-eyed from late-night Olympics seshes. Any chance we could all ‘work’ from home for the duration?
18 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Jamie Harmer, Zak Olsen and Daff Gravolin of ORB are an impossible band to Google, but easy to tag, Brynn Davies finds out.
I
t’s a serious struggle to find ORB on the internet. There’s a UK DJ duo dubbed The Orb that comes up in most rudimentary searches, and it poses a bit of an issue for the Geelong boys. “Someone bought The Orb’s records. Oh wait, they bought an ORB record sorry, thinking it was The Orb, and complained to us about that. They sent the record back and everything,” laughs Jamie Harmer. “What an idiot,” someone pipes up in the background. Harmer, Zak Olsen and Daff Gravolin are sounding off their names every time they answer a question due to a bad phone connection, but it doesn’t often work. It turns out that the name ORB was chosen because it’s “three letters, three band members, sounds powerful” someone starts to explain, but a loud “and it’s easy to tag everywhere!” drowns out the answer. Growing up together, “we all used to skate together, and old skate movies kinda introduced us to cool punk music and stuff,” explains Gravolin. As similar as their influences may be — you’ll hear a lot of doom, psych rock, prog and garage on their debut LP Birth — Harmer’s musical education varied slightly from that of Olsen and Gravolin. “Well, I guess I didn’t sort of automatically hear all the music,” Harmer starts off tentatively. Both of his parents are deaf, and it was his older brother who first
got him hooked. “My older brother was pretty into hip hop, he was like a rapper and stuff. So I was real into hip hop when I was in like primary school. But then, yeah. I just got into skating and got into music through skating, as a bunch of music people do.” He’s nonplussed about his parents being unable to hear the result of his work with ORB, “It’s sort of the norm to me. But they do talk about the fact that they’d like to hear it. And they sort of are real interested in what it would sound like. I showed them the clips and they really like the clips.” It’s taken almost a year since completing the album to release Birth, which dropped on 1 Jul and sports just five tracks — albeit five tracks that average six minutes long, with Electric Blanket clocking a stellar 16:03 minutes. “When we did it, we didn’t have a label to put it out. We didn’t know if someone was going to or who was going to do it and we wanted to wait to see if we could get someone from overseas to get it out. It worked out in the end,” explains Olsen. The day was saved by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s own label Flightless. “It wasn’t like a big thing, we’ve known those guys for a little bit and they wanted to put out some of our older band’s stuff — the Frowning Clouds — but that never really happened. It just seemed like a good one to do with them. So it didn’t seem like this big ‘oh my god we signed with King Gizzard’ or something. It was just sort of our friends helping us out,” muses Olsen. “We’re allowed to do what we want to do [with our music], and we wouldn’t do it with them if we weren’t!”
What: Birth [Flightless / Remote Control Records] When & Where: 12 Aug, The Tote; 13 Aug, Real Music Records; 14 Aug, The Easter, Ballarat
WEEKDAY HAPPY HOUR 5.30PM - 7.30PM $12 JUGS and FREE TAPAS WED 10 AUG
THE ARASHI HORNS THE PO’ BOYS, DANDECAT 8.00PM
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FRI 12 AUG BALKAN BEATS & TURKISH TREATS # 2
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THEE GRAVY TRAIN FOUR KILLERBIRDS 8.00PM
THE BIG & EASY BAND 5.00 - 7.00PM
SUN 14 AUG
NEW MANIC SPREE THEM HIGH SPIRITS THE DEAD AMIGOS 7.30PM
MON 15 AUG
SCREEN SECT FILM CLUB 7.00PM
TUE 16 AUG
MAKE IT UP CLUB 8.00PM 317 BRUNSWICK STREET FITZROY PH: 03 9415 9601 BAROPEN.COM.AU BOOKINGS: BOBB@BAROPEN.COM.AU
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 19
Music
Port Of Call THE BIGSOUND BUZZ STARTS HERE Alice Ivey
And so we begin our list of notto-be-missed acts for this year’s annual BIGSOUND showcase. Remember, we are never wrong about these things.* Alice Ivey If this young Melbourne soul singer is not yet on your radar then your radar needs a tune-up. Ivey’s Almost Here jam with RaRa is already in our Best Of 2016 list. Take a listen.
West Thebarton Brothel Party A few years back Bad//Dreems made everyone at BIGSOUND take notice. Can these fellow Adelaide garage rockers repeat history? We think they should.
Allan Smithy We love Smithy. A LOT. The Melbourne singer’s indie-Australiana is timeless and we have his Four Letter Reason track on high rotation here. *Sometimes we’re wrong
20 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
When Cash Savage walked into a go-go dancing class in a pub to kill some time and escape the rain, she sat at the bar, pulled a notepad out of her back pocket and wrote a song. By Bryget Chrisfield.
W
hen asked how often she gets back to her hometown of Port Albert these days, Cash Savage replies, “Not as often as I’d like, but as often as I can,” before admitting two of the songs on her new album were inspired by the coastal town. “One of them is about the town itself [Port] and the other one [Run With The Dogs] is about a ghost that lives there,” she laughs, as if realising this probably sounds odd, before elaborating, “I like to think that that’s where the spirits of my family all hang out. My cousin died last year and I sort of just like to think that. I don’t really believe in ghosts, but I guess that that’s where I feel she hangs out.” Savage’s late cousin also informed the album’s title, One Of Us. “When my cousin died we, you know, we were like, ‘Well, one of us is gone now,’ so it was just sort of like, ‘What does ‘one of us’ mean? What is that?’ For me that was the only song that I really forced, the others just sort of all came quite naturally... Usually the inspirations for songs are in moments. I have a little notepad I keep in my back pocket.” Fortunately, Savage had a notepad and pen handy when she “had an hour to kill” one evening and wandered into The Victoria Hotel, because what transpired inspired Do You Feel Loved. “I did actually walk into a go-go dancing class at The Vic Hotel and it was raining,” she recalls. “And I sat down and
wrote the lyrics to [Do You Feel Loved].” Anna’s Go-Go weekly class was in full swing and Savage chuckles, “Everybody in the whole place was dancing except me and the guy next to me eating chicken wings... We were both sitting at the bar. It was a really strange night... I’m pretty sure there was a cat in the bar.” Musical genius runs in the family, but Savage feels nervous about being compared to the great Conway Savage (her uncle), declaring, “It’s a big shadow”. “I put it out there because people used to think Conway was my dad and I still spot that around; someone put that on Facebook the other day that I was Conway’s daughter.” Last year was a busy year for Savage, who also married her girlfriend at “a big ceremony” in Port Albert surrounded by “family and friends”. “Of course that’s not legal or recognised by our government,” so points out. They also tied the knot in Vegas and Savage is baffled that “the trashiest wedding you could have in Vegas [is] recognised by the US government” and “legally binding”. “If we hadn’t have had our original ceremony, the Vegas one would’ve been, like, heart-breaking. It was so trashy! [Laughs] I just felt so sorry for all the brides and grooms who were coming in for their wedding, the wedding, you know? The one they’re gonna remember.” Cash Savage & The Last Drinks toured Europe in 2015 and Savage marvels, “We had one fan actually who followed us around a bit.” He even “made his own” merch: “It was the cover of our first album on a T-shirt and then it had the name of the album on a sleeve, like, he’d gone all-out!”
What: One Of Us (Mistletone) When & Where: 13 Aug, The Croxton
R o u n d h o u s e , A A M I & Sun sup e r p r e se n t
GARBAGE
p a r T r e p m e The T with special guests
Saturday 26 November Valley Rochford Wines Yarra tickets ON SALE NOW » adayonthegreen.com.au FOR GARBAGE OR THE TEMPER TRAP SIDE SHOWS VISIT FRONTIERTOURING.COM
Music
Seedy Beasts Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts tells Anthony Carew about their “disgusting and sloppy” new record Boy King.
“T
his is going to sound cheesy as fuck, but I think I’ve got an Australian heart,” says Hayden Thorpe. The 30-year-old Wild Beasts singer has an Australian mother, who lives in Byron Bay, and his brother lives in Melbourne. He spent the first six years of his life in Perth, and when his family relocated to the North of England, he experienced his first-ever taste of culture shock; feeling out of place for the rest of his childhood. Given the glorious, melodramatic racket Wild Beasts have made over five increasingly synthy LPs - with Thorpe’s sky-high falsetto a key element to their sound - surely Australians would welcome him back, here, with open arms. The only problem? “When I’m in Australia, by appearances and sound, I’m just a bloody pom,” Thorpe laughs.
Wild Beasts’ latest album, Boy King, finds the English quartet out to reinvent themselves. After 2014’s Present Tense set the “difficult task of trying to make authentically joyous music”, the banded wanted to rebel against what they felt was a “meticulously designed... music-by-maths” approach. “It felt like this very clean, considered, photoshopped version of self,” Thorpe offers, “whereas this record is disgusting and sloppy, it reveals a more seedy version of self. It’s like photoshop crashed and you’re left with a pockmarked, not-always-beautiful vision of self; a truer reflection in many ways.” Boy King is, in part, about masculinity in all its darkness and neediness; something forever percolating
22 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
It’s like photoshop crashed and you’re left with a pockmarked, not-alwaysbeautiful vision of self; a truer reflection in many ways. in an all-male rock band. “Projections of masculinity are always to scale: the projection is only ever as big as the insecurity it’s covering up,” Thorpe says, sagely. Its title refers to a small being with a grand projection, charting the “swing between” the “boyish, insufficient figure and the all-commanding, all-conquering figure.” These are things that Thorpe has been dealing with; obliquely referring to “the collapse of much of [his] life” when talking about the downfalls of living out the myth of the artist. “You can yearn to be this Byron-esque character,” he says, “you can have a youthful, romantic hang-up of the way an artist’s life should be; can assume, naively, that beautiful art makes for a beautiful life.” The dissonance between Thorpe as human and as artistic projection - boy and king - leads to a record conversant in the contemporary “crisis of identity” playing out in the digital realm. “It’s about the division between the authentic and the digital self. Here’s me online, behind a digital filter, smiling, posing in exotic places around the world; and then there’s the me that is behind that,” Thorpe offers. “Previously, it was the privilege of the artist to create personae, but we each have an alter-ego now through social media. As the internet breaks down expectations of how we should socially interact these different parts of us leak out.” The album bio calls Boy King “a record for the Tinder generation”; Thorpe having dipped his toes into the online dating pool. “I’ve swiped,” he admits. “Everyone wants to transcend themselves. For me personally, I don’t wanna just hang out with artists. There’s something slightly nauseating about me being in a relationship with someone who is overly familiar with what I do. There’s something nice about being to just introduce myself as Hayden, without needing to add ‘from the band...’”
What: Boy King (Domino/EMI)
Music
Accidentally Awkward Brynn Davies realises too late that the great love that inspired Dustin Tebbutt’s debut album First Light is done and dusted.
I
t’s raining, so Dustin Tebbutt’s interview takes place in the only common indoor space of The Music’s office — the gym. “We should totally conduct the interview with me on the treadmill and you on the cross trainer,” he laughs, rearranging his limbs on the floor. Exercise is something we both need considering our recent winter diets. He has this theory about new-fangled chocolate combinations: “If it should be on a sandwich, it shouldn’t be in a chocolate. Like, do you put fruit and nuts in a sandwich? No. Ok, put it in a chocolate. Do you put vegemite on a sandwich? Yes, don’t put it in chocolate.” Moving reluctantly on from debating about food — Tebbutt laughing that his music “is relatively more boring to all the other things I have to talk about” — the subject matter of his debut album First Light almost stops the conversation in its tracks. Since The Breach threw him “unexpectedly” onto Australia’s music radar in 2013 — “I wasn’t ready... I’d never been a singer publicly before. I had no idea what I was getting in to” — Tebbutt feels he’s never had “enough songs to add [to his EPs]. I didn’t wanted to put fillers on there, I wanted to make a statement”. And then inspiration struck in the form of a girl from Melbourne. So, of an album dedicated to a single great love, one must naturally ask — who’s the girl? “I know this record, they’re gonna want to hear about this woman,” he says after a moment’s hesitation, obfuscating. So after the heartbreak that inspired The Breach, Dustin Tebbutt, Love Song Extraordinaire is officially taken? “No. No, it’s done,” he laughs. Oh dear. “I don’t know, I have nothing to hide. I’ll just be really honest about it. I think it’s amazing that so much music came out of it. [It ended] a bit before the album was
I don’t know, I have nothing to hide. I’ll just be really honest about it. I think it’s amazing that so much music came out of it. [It ended] a bit before the album was finished.
finished. There’s a few tracks towards the end that are a little darker; some of the lyrics as they were getting finished off became a little more introspective and stuff.” There’s a few ideas in the air for next time ‘round: “I’ve been really obsessed with space recently,” he laughs at the tangent. “There’s so many fascinating things in the universe to delve into. My brain always wants to lock things into a concept... these grand concepts: ‘It’s going to be an album about the critical moments of biology and evolution!’ And them I’m like... ‘I can’t write that, what am I doing?’ Some things just don’t translate.” Space odysseys aside, one thing’s for certain. “Last week a piano arrived on my doorstep which my grandmother had left for me when she passed away,” he says excitedly. The plan is to write “little musical vignettes... having something that’s more ‘bang bang bang’ would be really nice”.
What: First Light (Eleven) When & Where: 11 & 12 Aug, Northcote Social Club; 13 Aug, The Workers Club, Geelong
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 23
Eat / Eat/Drink
The Big County Brownie. Pic: Felicity Case-Mejia
The Big County
Brownie (Mint &
Chocolate Brownie)
Andrew: Even the wonderfully fresh brownie adornment couldn’t make this mint gelato interesting. Mint is for suckers. Bryget: If you eat a chunk of brownie with it the flavours totally make sense — a taste sensation. Flick: I would use this instead of toothpaste if it didn’t mean cavities... still might. Having it with the brownie really complements the mintiness. Sam: Mint’s mint (meh), but the brownies are sensational. Heaps chewy. Zoe: Good, but doesn’t really offer anything a mint slice biscuit or your average chocmint flavoured gelato offers. Travis: Refreshing, light and the crumbly chocolate slice component evokes its packaged biscuit counterpart.
Taste Test: Gelato Fiasco Log Cabin
Portland-based Gelato maestros Josh Davis and Bruno Tropeano are running a Gelato Fiasco Log Cabin pop-up in Fitzroy until mid-September. The Music thought we had better test out the self-confessed “best gelato created and served anywhere”.
The Log Cabin (Whiskey, Chilli & Chocolate)
The Log Cabin. Pic: Felicity Case-Mejia
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Andrew: I’m drunk and my tongue is burning. This is possibly the greatest iced dessert experience ever. Bryget: Can’t even taste the whiskey. Get AA on speed dial. Flick: It is like creamy whiskey and that’s not a bad thing. Then there is the chilli afterkick; a neat little surprise. When you have it in big mouthfuls with the chocolate and the cone, it’s actually really great.
Sam: Pretty unique, but I reckon it’s a taste I won’t be acquiring. Zoe: I generally avoid chilli. Not bad, but I don’t know how I feel about this combination of hot and cold together. Travis: Complex. It hits initially with conventional chocolate before its boisterous friends whiskey and chilli emerge from beneath and start slapping your mouth around. You’d have to be really into both of those flavours, but if you are it’s probably the best.
Drink Eat/Drink
Pic: Felicity Case-Mejia
Maine Munchies
(Peanut Butter & Pretzels)
Mastie: Americans can do no wrong working the food world’s greatest spread into desserts. This is no exception. Bryget: Pick of the bunch. Peanut butter was invented to be consumed this way. Flick: Who doesn’t love peanut butter? I don’t think you can go wrong with this flavour. I would eat so much of this. Also it came with cookies and pretzels, which were also excellent. If I say more good things will they give me more for free? Sam: We have a winner. It’s a cone full of Reese’s Pieces innards — creamy crackcocaine with a cookie on top.
Zoe: Considering I’ve had to avoid the chocolate aisle in the supermarket due to an unhealthy addiction to peanut butter chocolate, the salty-sweet peanut butter flavour hits home for me. Brad: I feel like I need a jar of smooth PB now. Travis: Delicious; rich, smooth but not too sweet. Could’ve used a bit of salt.
Verdict: Creamed. Wake N’ Bacon (Popcorn, Maple Syrup & Bacon) Mastie: Bacon popcorn. Let that sink in... Bacon. Popcorn. Bryget: The bacon one nearly made me throw up in my mouth. Don’t go there. Sam: It’s a ball of pure maple syrup with bits of bacon and popcorn in and I have no problem with that. Zoe: WOAH! BACON! Flavours of toffee and popcorn follow, then it’s back — more bacon. Strangely appealing. Brad: It’s true love. Travis: Crunchy sweet and kinda mediciney, but I can deal.
Pic: Felicity Case-Mejia
Pic: Felicity Case-Mejia
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 25
Comedy
Talking The Talk From podcast to TV sensation to the stage, Comedy Bang! Bang! founder Scott Aukerman tells Steve Bell about the show’s core philosophies.
U
S comedy sensation Comedy Bang! Bang! began its life as a podcast before morphing into a hit TV show, with both formats finding funnyman/ creator Scott Aukerman hosting some of today’s funniest comedians in faux talk show scenarios (augmented by sketches and regular segments). Now on its way down to Australia for its debut run of live shows in the country, Aukerman explains how the whole Comedy Bang! Bang! premise actually has its foundation in the live realms. “I was producing a live comedy show here in LA — I did it for ten years — but it wasn’t really the format of
And it turned into, in my opinion, the funniest part of the show, him getting frustrated by having to answer so many questions about this coat. talking about how be bought a heavy coat because he wanted to walk into the ocean to commit suicide — and I’d seen him doing this character on stage a lot so I sorta knew the beats of it — so I started asking him a lot of questions about where he bought the coat, just because he’s a great improviser and I thought, ‘Oh, let’s see where this goes’. And it turned into, in my opinion, the funniest part of the show, him getting frustrated by having to answer so many questions about this coat. I remember leaving the studio that day going, ‘Oh wow, that was what I think the show could be’, and that’s what it turned out to be.” Inherently, the laughs are often reliant on the chemistry between Aukerman and his guests. “It’s sort of like putting together a mix tape, or a mix CD or Spotify playlist or whatever it is these days: what I mean to say is that it’s a lot like putting together a Spotify playlist,” he laughs. “Sometimes you want people who will vibe really well together, like when we’re doing the tour we’re coming to Australia with Paul F Tompkins and Lauren Lapkus, and there’s something about the three of us when we get in a room that’s so much fun. “But I also like producing shows where I’ll have someone that I’ve never met on with two people who have never worked together before. I’m always trying to find a new way of doing the show — I don’t want to just get into a comfortable rut.”
When & Where: 26 Aug, Athanaeum Theatre
what the podcast turned out to be. It was really just a stand-up and character and sketch showcase show that I didn’t really always perform on,” he tells. “I just produced it and got to know a tonne of comedians and built up a lot of friendships and a lot of relationships. “So when I first started doing the podcast it was just supposed to be a radio show or a podcast to advertise the live show where I would interview comedians about how they started in comedy. Then that got a little boring so I started having comedians as characters on, and that’s really where it all clicked. For me it was then I realised, ‘Oh, this is the show — me speaking to improvisers in a talk show format.’ “I remember the show that it clicked on was [when] I had Andy Daly on and he was doing a character who was 26 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 27
Indie Indie
Cat Power Tribute – ‘The Greatest’ 10 Year Anniversary
Edinburgh Castle
Dear Monday
Have You Been To
Have You Been To
Have You Been To
Answered by: James Harrison, organiser
Answered by: Grace Turbott, Band Booker
Answered by: Rhea Caldwell, Booker
Why should punters visit you? These album anniversary shows are fantastic, as a celebration of a milestone and a chance for punters to reflect. Cat Power songs will be played off this album plus others over two stages!
Address: 681 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, Brunswick
The Event: Dear Monday
What’s the history of the event? There’s been a few of these anniversary shows — a PJ Harvey one in November, one for The Smiths in April — and they’re a massive hit. A positive vibe and celebration. Any advice for first timers who want to visit the event? It’s like a great big game of ping pong. Two stages at the Corner Hotel, prepare to soak lots in! Who’s performing this time around? Over 20 acts including: Lisa Crawley, Hannah Cameron, Emma Russack, Laura Macfarlane, Anna Cordell, Jess Locke, Freya Josephine Hollick, Hana Maru, J M S Harrison, Dogood, Ayleen O’Hanlon and Rich Davies. Do you have any plans for the event in the future? Yes, there’s a 30-year anniversary show for The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths happening in Sydney. The Melbourne show sold out the Corner so it’s spreading around the country. It features Steve Kilbey (The Church). When and where for your next event? Cat Power Tribute is Friday 12 Aug at Corner Hotel. The Smiths Tribute is Saturday 24 Sep at Factory Theatre.
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Capacity: 300+ Why should punters visit you? The EC is a welcoming pub with strong community vibes. Come on a weeknight to take advantage of our ridiculously cheap meal specials, or on weekends for quality live entertainment. What’s the best thing about the venue? It’s an all-round box ticker! Quality pub grub, a huge tap selection and a full music calendar brings the cats to the courtyard. What is your venue doing to help the local music scene? We put on free live music every week! Catch a set or two in the front bar over dinner, or come join us out the back later with DJs in the old shipping container. What have been some of the highlights at the venue? We find magic in the mundane and take pleasure in creating good vibes and a laidback environment for you to sink a frothy or two in. Everyday is pretty spesh to us. What are the plans for the venue in the future? We’re going to be putting on lots more events! We’re planning music, comedy and games nights... But mainly we’ll just keep doing our thing! Website link for more info? edinburghcastle.net.au/
Why should punters visit you? In Melbourne there’s an endless flow of new talent arriving on the scene. Every Monday at Open Studio, Northcote, Graceland presents four acts that represent some of the most exciting emerging talent we’ve seen. What’s the history of the event? Dear Monday was an event created to facilitate new and emerging artists and get them out into the scene. It is a night where the songwriting community can come together weekly. Any advice for first timers who want to visit the event? Dear Monday is a comfortable space where four artists will make you swoon. Get ready to be inspired. Who’s performing this time around? Vladdy B, Alexander Francis, The Man Who Wasn’t There, STAV. Do you have any plans for the event in the future? Continue on every Monday, create a community event. When and where for your next event? Open Studio, every Monday, 7pm. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ dearmondaymelbourne
Music
Name That Tune
Trace Bundy will have taken his show to 28 countries after this upcoming Antipodean visit, for which the guitarist tells Bryget Chrisfield he’s prepped some Crowded House.
S
peaking to us from Colorado, Trace Bundy is a self-described jet-setter: “Since it’s just me and my guitar, I fly everywhere. I fly a lot on one airline so I build up tonnes of status [points], so I’m, like, the first one on the plane with my guitar — I always bring my guitar on the plane [laughs].” So he hogs the overhead locker space then, huh? Bundy chuckles, “Yeah, I’m that guy.” According to his presser, Bundy’s act “must be seen, not just heard”, so he tells us a little bit about the development of his distinctive style. “You know, it kind of first happened by accident. My brother and I bought a guitar when we were pretty young and I started playing the normal stuff; I think the first song I learned was by Metallica.” Which one? “Exactly, the song One!” Bundy laughs, acknowledging our word-selection coincidence. “I got pretty good just in the normal stuff. And then I remember I was sitting on my bed one day and I started playing this guitar riff with one hand, and I remember looking at my right hand and thinking, ‘I’m not even using this hand,’ you know, ‘What could I do with it?’” Once Bundy discovered he “could kind of incorporate some rhythmic things at the same time”, the evolution was complete. “When you’re
listening, you might hear the melody, the bassline and some percussion, but it’s just me doing it by myself on the guitar,” he observes. There’s a lot of Bundy content on YouTube and, when asked whether he noticed his audiences increasing thanks to the global videosharing service, the guitarist admits, “Oh, completely! I think I can credit a whole chunk of my musical career to YouTube,” he laughs “’cause I think I got on YouTube at the right time, you know, it was early and there weren’t a lot of videos of guitarists doing that kind of thing and, yeah! Just social media in general, like, has changed the whole face of the music industry and I’m a part of that for sure.” One YouTube video shows Bundy performing Sweet Child O’ Mine and the audience seems a bit slow on the uptake in identifying the Guns N’ Roses classic. Bundy laughs, “I know exactly the video you mean... My assumption is they knew what it was and then when I kinda got into the classic riff someone started clapping, and then they all started clapping.” After this upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand, Bundy will have taken his show to 28 countries. “The first time I came to South Korea, like, 200 people showed up and they all were calling out song names, and kids were playing my songs in the lobby, and I’m like, ‘How in the heck did this happen, like, halfway across the world?!’” Word’s travelled fast on the bush telegraph: Bundy has readied a Crowded House song to play at these Antipodean shows. The guitarist reveals: “I’ve just kinda finished it up, and tried it out at a show a couple days ago and, yeah! I didn’t say what it was and just played that opening riff, and everyone, like, instantly knew what it was.” So has Bundy specially prepared songs for specific audiences before? “To be honest, I don’t think I ever have until this tour,” he tells.
RELEASE WATCH Here’s a wrap of who’s just announced a new release: Lisa Mitchell
Lisa Mitchell has announced her third studio album, Warriors, set for release on 14 Oct. Heads Up, the third studio album from Warpaint, will drop via Rough Trade Records/Remote Control on 23 Sep. Jamie Lidell’s sixth studio album Building A Beginning will be out on 14 Oct via Lidell’s Jajulin Records. Airbourne’s fourth studio record Breakin’ Outta Hell will be released through Spinefarm Records and Caroline Australia on 23 Sep. Country queen Kasey Chambers will drop a new EP Ain’t No Little Girl on 26 Aug before releasing a new LP Dragonfly in 2017 via Warner. Trophy Eyes have announced the release of their new album Chemical Miracle for release on 14 Oct via Hopeless Records/Unified. The Midnight Sun – C Duncan’s latest instalment – is out through FatCat Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia on 7 Oct. The debut LP from Boston Manor Be Nothing is out 30 Sep on Pure Noise Records/Sony. Bashka will release their debut album Fihi ma Fihi on 27 Aug.
When & Where: 14 Aug, Memo Music Hall THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 29
Pic: Greta Parry
In Focus Friday Nights At NG V
NGV are allowing late-night access to the 2016 Winter Masterpieces Exhibition Degas: A New Vision on Fridays 6 - 10pm with the added bonus of a live music program! Catch The Painted Ladies this week; the heart-swelling, hazy country-rock of Jess Ribeiro on 19 Aug; or Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds (12 Sep), because that name is simply irresistible, plus many more. For the full program and to purchase tickets to Friday Nights at NGV head to ngv.vic.gov.au/
30 â&#x20AC;˘ THE MUSIC â&#x20AC;˘ 10TH AUGUST 2016
Music
iPhones In The Womb Gabe Witcher of NY’s nongenrefied quintet Punch Brothers shares his fatherly concerns with Brynn Davies about the world our children will grow up in.
W
e are the last generations to be born into a world without modern communication technology. Our children are the first to come out of the womb knowing how to swipe right on an iPhone and take a selfie. So how do we know how to teach our kids right from wrong when it comes to technology if we ourselves were never taught? “Oh boy, I’ve never really thought about it like that, we’re just going to totally screw it all up! Then maybe our kids will be able to teach our grandkids how to do it better,” laughs a concerned Gabe Witcher, who is facing this battle with his two-year-old son. “From birth it’s the thing that they do, like, this is not amazing technology to you... My son knows how to swipe on a phone, he knows who Siri is — it’s really cute ‘cuz he’ll go ‘Siri, pictures of sea turtles please!... But gosh, it’s so frightening. Like, what is he going to be subject to?” For Witcher and his fellow Punch Brothers bandmates, technology’s impact on communication and their families takes number one priority. It’s a theme that ties together their fourth record The Phosphorescent Blues. “Especially us who travel so much... we have the ability to be constantly connected to each other in a lot of ways... Every day I’m gone, it breaks my heart to have to leave [my son] to go on the road, but at least now we can FaceTime. If he wants to talk to daddy he can call any time... But there’s another side to it where it’s really easy to — in a quest to stay connected to every one and everything around you — to become quite disconnected from your immediate reality. End up living in this virtual space that you create for yourself that can actually be devoid of real personal connection,” Witcher explains. His concerns about technology extend from interpersonal break down to the negative impact on the overall quality of musicians and their performances — “Oh yeah, don’t get me started... You don’t have to be at
I’m not hearing the performance, I’m not hearing the humanity coming out of the artist, I’m hearing the technology.
your peak while you’re recording to get the absolute best performance that you have in you. Now you can do a pretty good job and fix it up later... What I’m hearing now is a diminishing of performance, we’re so enamoured with this technology that that’s all I hear now — I’m not hearing the performance, I’m not hearing the humanity coming out of the artist, I’m hearing the technology. It’s a really dangerous place to be in... We’ve lost the other side [of perfection], which is a thing call ‘feel’” he laughs. While conceptual focus unifies the Punch Brothers sound, you couldn’t categorise them by genre if you tried. “We all kinda think genre is kinda a fabrication that is used to help people talk about music. We always say that there’s more in common between, say, the greatest symphony ever written and the greatest tango ever written than there is between the greatest tango ever written and the worst tango ever written,” Witcher illustrates. “When you break it down, all music is built upon the same basic elements... I think now when people talk about genre, they’re mostly delineating different pieces of music by orchestration, you know?”
When & Where: 13 Aug, Melbourne Recital Centre
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 31
Film
caRtoons Sausage Party is already being dubbed as the adult Toy Story — a rude, crude and hilarious comedy about living food with thoughts and feelings. Craig Robinson tells Neil Griffiths about the craziness of the film and working with the man behind it, Seth Rogen.
H
aving already worked with Rogen on a few popular comedy films in the past such as This Is The End and Pineapple Express, Craig Robinson says signing up for Sausage Party was an easy decision. “It’s always incredible,” Craig Robinson says of teaming up with Rogen to play the character of Mr Grits — (yes, an actual box of grits). “Even more so this time because it’s like you got to go to another level because it’s a cartoon.”
Sausage Party
There’s no way kids are going to be able to see this movie and they’re going to want to see it.
Sausage Party tells the story of various groceries living in a supermarket with the one goal of being bought by a human and entering “the great beyond” — that is, until Frank the sausage, played by Rogen, finds out the horrible truth of what humans do with the food (you can guess that part). The film boasts some massive names including Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Edward Norton, Bill Hader, Salma Hayek, Paul Rudd and James Franco to name a few, Robinson says that he never got to work closely with his fellow cast members as all the voice work was done individually. “Everybody had their own separate times and, you know, me and Seth or whoever was reading, we’d just 32 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
bounce stuff off of each other,” Robinson says. “Anytime you’re doing that solo stuff, you get to get bigger and play more and if you get to halfway through recording and let’s say you don’t find the character until then, you can go back and record it. It’s a nice format. And we were just in there cracking each other up so it was awesome.” Though Rogen very often calls his friends up to be involved in his projects, Robinson says he needed no convincing to get on board and was sent a script with his name on it. “They pitched This Is The End. This one they were like, ‘Hey, we got this part for you, here’s the script,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah! Thank you’.” Filled with more expletives than probably any other animated film in recent memory, it’s not surprising it took a while to get the project in front of the right people and convince them it needed to be made. Robinson doesn’t deny the fact that Sausage Party will shock and potentially offend some audiences. “It’s out of this world. It’s absolute craziness. I’m happy to be a part of it,” he says. In June this year, a US cinema largely made up of parents with their children were caught off guard when a red band trailer for Sausage Party was accidentally screened before a session of Finding Dory. Rogen tweeted shortly after that the story “made his day”. “I don’t know whose accident it was, but it was kind of mind blowing because there’s no way kids are going to be able to see this movie and they’re going to want to see it,” Robinson laughs. “It was a tease to the kids and it was a blow to the parents!” Looking forward, Robinson will next serve as host for a new Spike TV-game show, entitled Caraoke Showdown, in which he will drive around in a taxi to pick up random passengers who quickly discover they are participating in a karaoke competition. Set to begin filming soon, the program has already received criticism for being similar to late night host James Corden’s hugely successful carpool karaoke segments. However Robinson insists the two products are “completely different”. “They’re regular people and contestants. A lot of them are not as talented as the ones on James Corden! They get in and they don’t know I’m driving and then they get in and here I am!” Robinson was set to perform live comedy shows throughout the country this past June but was forced to reschedule to December due to some filming commitments. “I have been to Australia but, yes, this is my debut tour,” he says excitedly when asked about his upcoming trip Down Under. “I came to Melbourne one time...and I had a great time but I was only there for like, two and a half, three days. This time we’re going to be bouncing around and seeing what’s up. All I hear is good things about Australia.”
What: Sausage Party
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 33
OPINION Opinion
Jose Marquez
Business Music When Your Club Needs A Boss With Paz
B
usiness Music interviewed LA producer Jose Marquez during his recent trip to Melbourne, specifically about his Beto Kele remix for Peruvian band Novalima (Wonderwheel Recordings). On the Nickodemus (Label CEO) connection: “I Met Nickodemus not long ago, about five, six years ago... we both played this festival in Mexico called Con Mi Casa...
O G F l ava s Urban And R&B News With Cyclone
F
he was playing a lot of my tracks there, we just really connected.” On Novalima: “I was already a fan of their music... Nickodemus just contacted me and he goes, ‘Hey are you familiar with this group?’... and he offered me the remix opportunity.” On collaborating with Alberto Lopez and Eduardo Martinez: “I used to DJ for a band Quetzal Guerrero & The Warriors, actually Quetzal is a recent resident here in Melbourne... I met Alberto through
ind today’s urban soul too abstractly weird? Some artists are making music that sounds modishly wonky but still recognisably ‘R&B’. No one does this variant better than breathy UK newcomer NAO, aka Neo Joshua, who’s just dropped her debut For All We Know. Her music is funky, bouncy and radiates warmth - the antithesis of so much avant&B. The self-described “’90s girl” is all about the jam. A sometime jazz student, Joshua previously gigged as a backing vocalist and was a member of the a cappella girl group The Boxettes. In 2014 she shared So Good, cut with AK Paul - brother of the hypermysterious (and infamously unprolific) Jai. This led to NAO EPs - and a cameo on Disclosure’s Caracal (Superego). The East Londoner placed third in the BBC Music Sound Of 2016 poll, with Jack Garratt the winner. For All We Know actually harks back to ‘80s dance-funk - Prince’s proteges Vanity (and Apollonia) 6 and classic Janet Jackson - but Joshua also fits in with Solange and Lion Babe. She has worked alongside mostly lesser-known producers, particularly GRADES, a DJ and Bastille affiliate. Rare groove troupe Jungle assist on the boppy synth-funk of Get To Know Ya. The lead single, Bad Blood, with GRADES, slays Joshua singing about lemonade, pre-Bey. The taut Trophy, another collab with Paul, is a bit When Doves Cry. The clubbiest number, We Don’t Give A, flirts with house. At 18 tracks, the LP is long. NAO
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him... he’s a great studio engineer as well... We just traded files, I showed them the original song, I told them about the idea I had.” On testing the recording: “There’s a great party that’s been happening for many years in LA called Deep - Marques Wyatt’s party... great sound system, so that [is] an awesome place to always test out my music.” On Novalima’s feedback: “Actually it’s a great story... a couple of their members are DJs... they actually invited me to go do a party with them in Lima... Nico first contacted me... and within 24 hours I got an email from one of the guys in the band and they were like, ‘Hey we love the remix you did’.” On choices when remixing: “The tempo has to be in the right kind of range and the energy and vibe of the vocal... having the original already at a decent BPM range makes it a lot easier.”
Dance Moves New Currents With Tim Finney
A
s revivalist cycles spin ever more tightly, the question of whether music sounds “like the past” begins to lose its meaning: in the mid-’90s you could contrast openly nostalgic scenes like Britpop with such bastions of futuristic modernism as jungle, but today popular music feels simultaneously marinated in the past and yet almost oblivious to it. In a world where all material is secondhand, the idea of a second-hand trade loses its meaning; artists ‘revive’, but obliquely or inadvertently, because all other options are foreclosed.
OPINION Opinion
Late last year I fell in love with Rose, the debut album from Atlanta alt-R&B singer Abra, whose sound struck me as being what people imagine they mean when they talk about how much they love Aaliyah: mysterious and veiled, intimate yet reserved, physical but ghostly. Princess, Abra’s new six-song EP, doesn’t exactly expand on or alter the aesthetic presented by Rose so much as colour in between its lines. Rose felt deliberately sparse and even desiccated, its stuttering drum machines and somnolent basslines creating a sense of space and spaciousness that made Abra sound more like an outsider (vis-a-vis typical R&B) than she really is. By contrast, the faster tracks on Princess quickly build to a frenetic pace, all chattering 808 beats and synth vamps and sighing backing vocals; the songs feel chromatically denser and more rich, albeit
also less cavernous than before. These tracks recall the rhythmic end of ‘80s R&B than before - perhaps more happy coincidence than deliberate decision, Abra pursuing a logical extension from her own sound and realising it leads past the houses of old friends. So, Vegas resembles SOS Band hits like Just Be Good To Me, with long stretches of synth colour creating a simultaneously inviting and ominous atmosphere that matches Abra’s gambling/seduction lyrical metaphors. Meanwhile, if “the ‘90s are back” everywhere, you’d expect this to be felt in the world of rap too. California rapper YG’s 2014 debut, My Krazy Life, already heavily emphasised his stylistic nods to early ‘90s G-Funk (see tracks like Bicken Back Being Bool), but more as a kind of surprise complementarity emerging from its DJ Mustard-helmed, basslineheavy ratchet bounce. On Still Brazy, the resemblance shifts into overdrive: DJ Mustard is out and the sound has retreated further into a kind of slouching lassitude somewhere on the sleepy side of up-tempo. There are no “bangers” in the vein of Left, Right, but tunes like single Twist My Fingaz possess a cruisy party vibe that recalls early Snoop Dogg. YG himself doesn’t quite fit the Snoop mould, too fixated on violence and revenge and (occasionally) politics to be the host of the party. He’s more like a fascinating gatecrasher, by turns funny (see Gimmie Got Shot) and unnerving (the blunt Don’t Come To LA). In the album’s final stretches he shifts into full-blown socio-political critique: while the sour FDT (“Fuck Donald Trump”) may go after an easy target, the closing double-hit of Blacks & Browns and Police Get Away Wit Murder Abra offers perhaps the most focused examination of African American disadvantage to emerge from gangsta rap since the ‘90s; again, you could call that revivalism if you want, but in 2016 it feels tremendously current.
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 35
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Hockey Dad Boronia
Farmer & The Owl/ Inertia
★★★★
Album OF THE Week
Lush production values, emotional complexity and refinement aren’t elements you associate with surf rock, but Hockey Dad challenge that - and have turned in a handsome debut record as evidence. Boronia is a ripping album, boasting songwriting chops and production know-how usually found in bands with far more experience. Surf rock is a genre known for its energy and positivity, and it’s fantastic that they’ve championed its core attitude and aesthetic while hoisting it up head and shoulders above others in terms of quality and accessibility. I Need A Woman is a jangly wonder, a long lost doo wop song slathered with guitars and a chunky back beat. It’s engaging, catchy and thanks to a smart mix has plenty of depth. It invites you in and it gives you room to breathe (garage often has a bludgeoning effect, whereas Hockey Dad’s approach is more subtle and congenial). Dylan’s Place is a valiant attempt at real atmosphere. It has a chugging DIIV-like quality that is executed well and breaks up an admittedly repetitive tone late in the album. Closing instrumental Grange caps off a great album on a wistful note, eyes firmly on the horizon, looking for the next set to roll in. Boronia is an ambitious record that really nails the upbeat vibe of the best surf rock and combines that with exciting ability and panache, and points to band poised for great things. Matt MacMaster
The Amity Affliction
Of Montreal
This Could Be Heartbreak
Create/Control
Innocence Reaches
★★★
Roadrunner/Warner
★★★
“We’re always the band that gets burned and criticised for not changing drastically,” bassist/ vocalist Ahren Stringer told this scribe recently. Stringer’s evidently prepared for the Aussie metalcore favourites’ latest to be afforded similar treatment. He’s also surely conscious of its hefty commercial potency. They have at least five potential ‘hit singles’ here. The infectious title track, for one, bridges pseudo-pop/ rock riffage with a lunging breakdown and choral touches like they belong together. Screamer Joel Birch continues his lyrical catharsis throughout Tearing Me Apart and grandiose I Bring The Weather With Me, counterpunched by Stringer’s uber-slick clean
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choruses. Hooks in the likes of Nightmare are so shiny they’re blinding, but others feel as generic as Times New Roman. Acoustic-laced ballad All Fucked Up injects a modicum of freshness, albeit fleetingly. Fight My Regret punishes, while Blood In My Mouth concludes the record on a suitably bleak note. The gold and platinum records on their walls certainly validate the formulaic tack, ensuring This Could Be Heartbreak borders on criticproof. It ticks the boxes, is immaculately produced and will satisfy many without challenging them musically. Brendan Crabb
“How do you identify?” It’s a bold, simple question. Kevin Barnes has been asking it for a while now, but never this directly. And it may not be a question directed at us all, even though he certainly wants us to be a part of the answer. Fourteen albums in, Of Montreal sound just as mercurial as ever, and it feels like Barnes is simply more concerned with discovering who he is after a tumultuous year rather than trying to define who his listeners are. This is a record about identity, and it feels playful, like a kid describing a dream using Lego - it’s not really cohesive, but it’s a fun exercise in pastel-coloured abstraction. Let’s Relate throws you. It’s a glam-disco opener that might seem too broad for many, but the genius lies in the lyrics. Broad strokes transform into efficiency and honesty, and it’s
hard to maintain cynicism in the face of such brazen humanity. It’s Different For Girls slips, but again, a strong, well-written message carries the weight when the song craft wanes. Just when you start to get restless they blow everything open with a great Supergrass homage called Gratuitous Abysses, a compact, fizzy little number that sounds like it arrived late, drunk and not the least bit apologetic from a completely different record. From there it’s an undulating road through funk, guitar rock, and a solemn march into the sunset that leaves us with the same question we began with. Matt MacMaster
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
Health&Beauty
Savior Adore
Blind Pilot
Katie Dey
No Scare
The Love That Remains
And Then Like Lions
Flood Network
ATO Records
Joy Void Recordings/Run For Cover/Cooking Vinyl
★★★
★★★½
★★★½
★★★½
Brian Sulpizio’s Ohio trio Health&Beauty are in no hurry to add any spit and polish to their sixth album of fuzzy basement scuzz-outs. Call it post-rock, psychrock... bloody anything that doesn’t preface any sort of predictable formula. Here are seven musings of varying lucidity that see Sulpizio’s angelic observations meander Sufjan Stevens-like among Tame Impala-ish psych wankery giving the frisson of one-take studio recordings. A rampaging rhythm guitar on No Scare and the mourning of late internet activist Aaron Swartz on Im Yr Baby strike hardest with intoxicating danger.
This is not the same Savoir Adore that brought us 2013’s sprawling LP Our Nature. With Deidre Muro having departed in 2014, Lauren Zettler (I Am Lightyear) joins Paul Hammer for an album that is as bombastic as its predecessor, but commendably more concise. Recalling the psychedelic dreampop of MGMT and M83, The Love That Remains piles drifts of glittering synths and evocative beats against big guitar sounds and wistful vocals, to create something that’s all shades of upbeat. Ebullient single Giants stands out, but Paradise Gold with its dancefloor stomp and earbusting climax has ‘hit’ written all over it, while the moodier Lovers Wake and Night Song add texture.
There’s nothing better than a break-up album overflowing with fragile, bittersweet emotions to tug at the heartstrings and induce quiet tears. In delicate shades of hazy folk, frontman Israel Nebeker deals with the death of his father and the end of a 13-year relationship. Confronting loss and coming to terms with the past while staring down an uncertain future, this album deals honest, tender lyrics that lay bare a heartbreaking sadness born from experience. Unlike some of the falsettoed crybabies doing the rounds these days, there’s a dignified majesty to this album that lifts the weight of these emotions.
Katie Dey might say she’s from Melbourne, but her music says she’s from another dimension; some kind of musical twilight zone where conventional ideas about harmony and sound don’t exist. Flood Network might just be the most surreal thing you’ll hear all year. At times Dey appears to be stretching for something that she hasn’t quite figured out how to grasp yet. But when it all falls together, such as on the outro to Debt, her brain-rewiring songs plug into emotional levels other artists probably aren’t even aware of.
Wichita/[PIAS] Australia
Nettwerk
Mac McNaughton
Christopher H James
Guido Farnell
Tim Kroenert
More Reviews Online Metal Allegience Fallen Heroes
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Hieroglyphic Being The Disco’s Of Imhotep
Holy Balm Activity
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 37
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Hugo Race Fatalists
Young The Giant
Cody Jinks
The Superjesus
Home Of The Strange
I’m Not The Devil
Love And Violence
24 Hours To Nowhere
Fueled By Ramen/Warner
Thirty Tigers/Cooking Vinyl
Golden Robot
★★★½
★★★
★★★½
★★★½
The read through of Hugo Race’s musical history identifies him as part of that black-suited Melbourne milieu of which Nick Cave remains the spirit animal. Although actually spending time as a Bad Seed, Race has led bands here and in Europe from the approachable to the discordant. 24 Hours To Nowhere has him in dark crooning mode, Gainsbourg and Cohen obvious touchstones as the cello and violin pine. But there’s room for surprises: the title track has Angie Hart as unexpectedly downbeat duetting vocalist. Titles like No God In The Sky and Beautiful Mess further suggest the terrain. It’s a red wine by candlelight thinking melancholy thoughts kinda record.
Californian five-piece Young The Giant came bursting out of the blocks with 2011 single Apartment, bringing the sultry croons of singer Sameer Gadhia to our attention with some raw guitars and an upbeat garage band vibe. Things have changed slightly on third album Home Of The Strange. While Gadhia continues to impress with his charismatic warble throughout, but more particularly on sharp, atmospheric opener Amerika and the sparse, noodley Titus Was Born, there are times where their recent lean towards a more polished, electro sound flips the tender, warm moments of Elsewhere, Repeat and Art Exhibit a tad cold.
Ross Clelland
Carley Hall
Cody Jinks is the latest outlaw country artist to emerge from the road-worn bar scene of the US to start making waves with a wider audience. Possessing a rich country baritone in the style of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard (he covers Haggard’s The Way I Am), he could be viewed as the flipside to the more progressive Sturgill Simpson - similar in voice but firmly in the traditional country realm of heartache and redemption. Jinks has a tough exterior but he invests a fair amount of vulnerability and emotional weight. There are cliches aplenty on show here, but for the most part Jinks convinces as a genuine country talent.
Unlike many of their contemporaries, The Superjesus brand name retains a lot of goodwill. That pretty much comes down to Sarah McLeod’s energiser bunny enthusiasm and energy, and her neat trick of displaying a little vulnerability among the rock-chick swagger - even as the guitars divebomb around. That’s all there in the need of The Setting Sun, then McLeod adds some empathy as she watches the working ‘girls’ from a St Peters Lane window. Her parallel solo singersongwriter work has developed her lyricism, but when the live version of Come Back To Me kicks in, you know they can still do the big swinging rock thing when required.
Glitterhouse Records
Chris Familton
Ross Clelland
More Reviews Online ZHU GENERATIONWHY
38 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
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Blues Pills Lady In Gold
Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 39
Live Re Live Reviews
Jen Cloher @ National Gallery Of Victoria. Pic: NGV Photographic Services
Jen Cloher @ National Gallery Of Victoria. Pic: NGV Photographic Services
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis @ Rod Laver Arena. Pic: Lucinda Goodwin
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis @ Rod Laver Arena. Pic: Lucinda Goodwin
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis @ Rod Laver Arena. Pic: Lucinda Goodwin
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis @ Rod Laver Arena. Pic: Lucinda Goodwin
40 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Jen Cloher
National Gallery of Victoria 5 Aug
The Great Hall of National Gallery of Victoria fills to the walls with bodies of all ages. Seven to 70year-olds are ready to dance the night away thanks to tonight’s fearless leader, Jen Cloher. Cloher, dressed in the apparent uniform of skinny jeans and a black tee, coolly wanders onto the stage along with her backing band of fellow Milk! Records alumni. Tonight she’s brought along drummer Jen Sholakis of East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Courtney Barnett’s bassist Bones Sloane, and Barnett herself on lead guitar. The diehards in the crowd erupt with excitement as the tunes fill the room. Cloher’s opening number is an ambient cacophony of bass and drums, with the now internationally famous Barnett taking a backseat while Cloher shines in the spotlight. With no hesitation, the band dive into the electrifying David Bowie Eyes and Mount Beauty, with Sholakis in her element as she pounds the drums with expert precision. Her intensity, however, is nothing on Cloher’s; hissing and biting at the strungout vocal sprawls of her tracks. It’s the perfect juxtaposition for a night at NGV — being engrossed by the kind of loudness that’s simultaneously soothing, immersive and laced with anger. “This is pretty sweet,” Cloher coyly declares at around the 20minute mark, gesturing toward the vast beauty of The Great Hall. There is a unique sense of professionalism to Cloher and co’s performance. The quartet are note-perfect and miss no beats, but the camaraderie is unsurpassable. Eventually it almost feels perverse to watch the group of friends perform together, as if the crowd is peering through a crack in a
Cloher smirks as she sings ‘aren’t you just a work of art’, while Barnett does the same.
doorway. The multitude of faces watch unblinkingly like entranced snakes to a piper as the backing band exit the stage for Cloher to deliver her classic track Red Room solo. Cloher’s delivery is poignant and beautiful, crooning “don’t make me beg” to an audience that heeds her request. The band return for a final blow of gut-punching indie tunes. Cloher smirks as she sings “aren’t you just a work of art”, while Barnett does the same. More delight for the diehards comes in the form of Famously Monogamous — a track released in the annual Milk! compilation of 2016. In her final moments on stage, Cloher declares the night to be “very rock’n’roll” to the cheering crowd, before blasting into the impossibly tremendous closer, Name In Lights. Joe Dolan
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Thundamentals Rod Laver Arena 5 Aug Devoted fans gather close to secure a spot for Macklemore as the rapper XP takes the stage solo. Thundamentals have complete control of the general admission area; arms wave side to side, up and down. Those of us in the stands remain seated, but impressed. They belt out their triple j Like A Version cover of Brother by Matt Corby, which
eviews Live Reviews
receives a warm response. A great moment is when the rapping duo yell “I say four, you say...” and the young children sitting next to their parents scream back, “20!” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hit the stage with guitarists, percussionist, trumpeter, dancers and a spectacular projection show. All those seated are now standing. There’s no room for music snobbery here, this is a cheesy show for young and old. Macklemore sucks you in quickly with his funny stories and likeable personality. He tells us that today he took his one-year-old daughter for a walk down the streets of Melbourne city and when he stopped to tie her shoelace she looked at him and spoke her first words, “Thrift Shop”, (the
Macklemore sucks you in quickly with his funny stories and likeable personality. title of one of his hit singles). He laughs and pulls on a leopard print jacket and dances to the song. He also has a serious side and drops powerful Black Lives Matter-inspired White Privilege II under a bright red light that looks like a distress signal. He talks about the mass shootings and attacks in the US, Europe and the Middle East, saying that the media and politicians push hate and fear out into the masses. He says, “I don’t care about the colour of your skin, your sexual orientation, who you pray to, which bathroom you use or what your passport says, I only care about what your heart says.” And then the crowd sing along
to marriage equality tune, Same Love. He looks like a PC, familyfriendly Eminem. All leave the stage and we watch a clip that tells the absurd story of a child born to Samuel L Jackson and Lady Gaga who grew up to create the best dance party in the world. Macklemore then returns to the stage in a white sparkly jumpsuit and purple sequined cape, with a spiky blonde ‘80s mullet wig for Europop track And We Danced. The night ends with a song that even those who usually avoid mainstream radio would know: Downtown. This is a show all about fun and entertainment. They put on a highly entertaining show and share some important political messages. Respect.
almost all can be seen absorbing and appreciating the quality of the music. Instantly, everything about this set is jaw-droppingly beautiful and engrossing. From the first few tracks you don’t have to look as far as Twerps to see the influence that this band has had on independent music in Australia. The beefy
Instantly, everything about this set is jaw-droppingly beautiful and engrossing.
Maxine Gatt
Panel of Judges, Twerps Yarra Hotel 5 Aug Twerps begin in a bit of a different fashion, quite quietly/ subtly as a result of both the mix and the fact that most audience members are still topping up their beers and finishing cigs. But it’s not long before awkward glances are exchanged with the people we’re crammed next to. Unfortunately, the sound doesn’t pick up much and with beers flowin’ and jaws consequently flappin’, the chatter does not aid the quiet mix. Another issue is that, for a band with such an established back catalogue, they are not going to be able to satisfy all; ‘wish they played X’ becomes the talk of the beer garden after their set. In saying that, Twerps remain timeless and moments like the charming irony-pop of closer Back To You prove their worth with almost no effort. The atmosphere in the room for Panel Of Judges alone can be commented on as a point of beauty. The packed room stops their chatter and looking around;
14-song set sees the core three-piece line-up expanded upon periodically throughout with guitarist Martin Frawley also making an appearance. Technically, it is not perfect with some songs having to be restarted due to technical issues and a few bumbles here and there, but this is really all forgiven and, if anything, embraced as the band’s connection with their audience is paramount. Dream Satisfaction goes down as an unquestionable highlight. The combined repetitive guitar/drum sound (also coming across a little psych) is the perfect bedding for Alison Bolger’s walking bass line, all becoming hypnotic. Dainty Vagabond is also up there. When it comes to the conclusion of the set, the response from the audience requesting more is a heartwarming experience as a punter and fan of live music, and surely the band feels humbled as well. Ultimately, tonight’s set by Panel Of Judges gives us another reason to respect of our local music scene.
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Ecca Vandal @ The Gasometer Hotel Selena Gomez @ Margaret Court Arena Sweet Jean @ Caravan Music Club The Screaming Females @ The John Curtin Hotel
Bradley Armstrong
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 41
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
Suicide
Jasper Jones. Pic: Jeff Busby
Suicide Squad
Squad Film In Cinemas
★★½
Jasper Jones Theatre The Sumner, Southbank Theatre to 9 Sep
★★★★ The first thing that will impress audiences about the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Jasper Jones is its extravagant set. Both the fictional regional Australian town of Corrigan and a murky bushland dam are ingeniously recreated on stage. Kate Mulvany has adapted Craig Silvey’s now-classic 2009 young adult novel — oft-compared to Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Remarkably for an Australian play, this is its third production — Sam Strong directing. Charlie Bucktin (Nicholas Denton) is an awkward, pensive, bookloving 13-year-old who aspires to write “the great Australian novel”. He narrates a story unfolding in the mid-’60s that centres on his friendships — with the titular Jasper Jones (Guy Simon, as seen in Redfern Now), a street-smart Indigenous kid routinely cast as Corrigan’s scapegoat; gifted and resilient Vietnamese migrant Jeffrey Lu (Harry Tseng); and gawky, daydreaming crush Eliza Wishart (Taylor Ferguson). Jasper embroils Charlie in a suspenseful mystery, the pair investigating the shocking death of Eliza’s older sister (and Jasper’s girlfriend) Laura (Ferguson again). Jasper Jones is atmospheric Australian gothic. The themes of rural racism, xenophobia, sexual subjugation and social fissure hum like cicadas in summer. But any grimness is countered by the play’s abundant charm, humour and... cricket. Jasper Jones manages to be simultaneously feel-good and topical entertainment.
When it comes to 21st century blockbusters, there’s only so anti an antihero can be. Especially in comicbook movies, which prove increasingly reluctant to hone anything resembling an edge. So it’s a tad misleading when Suicide Squad regularly refers to its motley crew of wrongdoers, pressganged into taking on villains everyday heroes can’t handle, as “the worst of the worst”. Sure, they have chequered pasts, but for the most part ‘Task Force X’ come across as just a bit rowdy and a little misunderstood — larrikins more than loose cannons.
Cyclone
WED 17 AUG 7:30PM
DELICATESSEN + THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN 42 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
If that was Suicide Squad’s only problem it could be worked around. But this movie is rife with problems - some of which feel like the result of re-shoots and some of which feel built-in from the beginning. Worried about the emergence of possibly hostile ‘meta-humans’, cold-blooded government shot-caller Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) forms a plan: you don’t send someone good to fight someone bad, you send someone worse. And so the squad is assembled, and, under the command of tough-as-nails soldier Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), they’re off to the generic mean streets of Midway City to save the world from a poorly defined threat. Psycho-crim The Joker (Jared Leto) is also lurking around, angling for a reunion with his beloved Harley Quinn. Let’s just say Heath Ledger’s incarnation isn’t going to fade from anyone’s memory. Something that will fade from memory fairly quickly, however, is Suicide Squad. Every creative decision made by writerdirector David Ayer is hackneyed and dull, from the banal action sequences to the blindingly obvious soundtrack cues. And while the actors work hard to liven things up, the majority of them are hamstrung by a lack of good material or screen time. Guy Davis
THU 18 AUG 7:30PM
ANNIE HALL + CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
FRI 19 AUG 7:30PM
RAN
OPINION Opinion
Howzat!
Local Music By Jeff Jenkins Palace Of Dreams The Age EG editor, Martin Boulton, knows his rock. As soon as he heard Palace Of The King’s debut album, he was buzzing. His four-star review praised a “mighty sound hellbent on rattling the rafters”. The band’s second album, Valles Marineris, is just as impressive, with thundering riffs and Tim Henwood’s Axl Rose-like voice. The band has managed to capture its live vibe in the studio. “Aside from a couple of overdubs and vocals, all instrumental bed tracks are recorded live with all of us standing in the same room,” guitarist Matthew Harrison tells Howzat! Many critics have been quick to write rock’s obituary. This record screams, “Not so fast!” What does Matt say to those who reckon rock is dead? “Dig deeper! Rock music may not be as prevalent in mainstream culture in 2016 but there’s an amazing community of rock’n’roll bands all over the world. You only need to cast an eye over any European rock/metal festival to find your new favourite band. Hundreds of thousands of people who attend those shows can’t be wrong.” Locally, Matt says, “it’s awesome
to see our friends The Lazys, King Of The North, Dallas Frasca, Dead City Ruins and countless others taking their music to the world”. Palace Of The King are also digging Devil Electric and Smoke Stack Rhino, who’ll be on the bill when they launch Valles Marineris at the Northcote Social Club on 10 Sep. Before then, POTK are returning to their spiritual home, Cherry Bar, this Saturday to launch their latest single, Beyond The Valley. The album also features Mahalia Barnes. Barnesy’s daughter pops up singing Black Cloud. “We always had an early funk/Betty Davis vibe in mind,” Matt explains. “And when the idea to add a female vocal came up, it made perfect sense to reach out to Mahalia. She jumped into a Sydney studio almost immediately to track her vocals. With a couple of emails back and forth, it was done!”
Palace Of The King
Hip Hip The youngest Farriss brother, INXS drummer Jon, turns 55 today (10 Aug).
Wilde Night Hey Hey star Wilbur Wilde was in two big bands in the ‘70s - Ol’ 55 and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons. Ol’ 55 are releasing a two-disc anthology, Time To Rock ‘n’ Roll, on 26 Aug, and an Ol’ 55 and Falcons gig is planned for the Palais in November.
Hot Line “Who could say their hands are clean these days?” - Bernard Fanning, L.O.L.A.
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 43
Comedy / G The Guide
Liz Stringer
Wed 10
Lisa Crawley
Muddy’s Blues Roulette: Catfish, Fitzroy King Lucho: Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Brunswick
Dumb Punts + Great Places + Scraggers: Grace Darling Hotel (Basement), Collingwood Kelly Auty + Melissa Main + Darryl Roberts: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
The Music Presents Bob Evans: 13 Aug Howler Dead Letter Circus: 19 Aug 170 Russell Liz Stringer: 17 Sep Howler, 18 Sep Beechworth Town Hall, 21 Sep Ararat Live, 22 Sep Sooki Lounge Belgrave, 25 Sep Caravan Music Club Michael Franti & Spearhead: 28 Sep The Croxton
Open Mic Night: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford Don Bosco + Dave O’Con + Deadbeat Club: The Bendigo, Collingwood Open Mic Night: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick A Night With Uncle Jack Charles: The Curtin, Carlton
Gregory Porter: 30 Sep The Croxton
Apes + The Democratic People’s Republic of Surf + DIET: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Emma Louise: 7 Oct The Workers Club Geelong, 8 Oct Corner Hotel
Hownowmer + Thug Mills + Slim Willy: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Bell X1:2 Dec The Prince
Trivia: Wesley Anne, Northcote
The Rumjacks: 28 Oct Sooki Lounge Belgrave, 29 Oct Pier Hotel Frankston, Spirit Bar & Lounge Traralgon, 31 Oct Cherry Bar, 15 Dec The Loft Warrnambool, 16 Dec The Eastern Ballarat East, 17 Dec The Golden Vine Bendigo, 10 Feb The Workers Club Geelong, 11 Feb Reverence Hotel
Power Players Cat Power’s The Greatest is turning ten this year, and to celebrate 15 acts from Lisa Crawley to Mightiest Of Guns are taking over two stages at Corner Hotel Friday night to sing its praises. Dirt Hand: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
The Velvet Addiction: The Workers Club Geelong, Geelong
Thu 11
Mel Searle + John Montesante Quintet: Leroy Espresso, St Kilda
Laneous: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Michael Meeking & The Lost Souls: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
Cracker La Touf: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote
Inquisition: Max Watt’s, Melbourne
The Glorious North: Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East
Leonardo’s Bride: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh DJ Knave Knixx: Catfish, Fitzroy
Long Holiday
Moogy + James Mark: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Alexis Nicole: Wesley Anne, Northcote
Hi Tec Emotions: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Dustin Tebbutt + Robbie Miller + Woodes: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Boogie Beat Takeover: Onesixone, Prahran Josh Kelly + Jess Palmer + Nick Hermanus: Open Studio, Northcote Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers + Luke Peacock: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Ella Hooper + Gena Rose Bruce: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Take A Break Long Holiday are taking over the second floor of The Tote with a sick list of special guests this Friday Night. The three altgrunge rockers are being joined by OHMS, Jungle Breed and Cracker La Touf.
Weekender Fest 16 Under 18s Matinee Show feat. The Bennies + Pity Sex + High Tension + Rozwell Kid + Cayetana + Horror My Friend: Corner Hotel, Richmond Lionel + Stazvangundy + Ra Ra Raj: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Michael Winslow: Gateway Hotel, Corio Captain Gino’s Jam Night with Julian Ross Clarke + Ethan Leversha: Gin Lane, Belgrave 44 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Kyrum + Flying Dutchman + The Commonly Insane + The Attention Seekers: The Bendigo, Collingwood Napier + The Lachlan Bruce Band + Palo Alto + Lion Lungs: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Tommy Castles + Alexandra Pye: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Aeora + Au Dre + Blyolk: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Tram Cops + Barcelos + Scout: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Resistance + Restraint - Nerve + Sow Discord: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg Emily Soon + The Royal Parks + Eaglemont: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Order of the Oblique + Sundr + Fuzzsucker: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood Mount Defiance + The Football Club + Alexander Biggs: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Moses Gunn Collective
Get The Whole Set Brissy band Moses Gunn Collective are pulling in at Northcote Social Club Saturday as part of their east coast tour for new single Dream Girl. They’re joined by Mid Ayr and Neighbourhood Youth.
Fri 12 Meteoriots + Joe Guiton + The Miyagis + Late Nights + Jo Neugebauer + more: 303, Northcote Balken Beats & Turkish Treats feat. Kozmik County + Babaganoush: Bar Open, Fitzroy Axel Tosca: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne
Gigs / Live The Guide
Deeds
Thee Gravy Train Four: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy
Yaurout + Mild Manic + Future Static: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Flamingo + Guests: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Bluestone Junction + Max Teacle: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
The Harmaniax: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Electric Mary: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda
Tim Richmond + Palm Springs + Roller One + Sarah Mary Chadwick: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Tapestry - Carole King, Carly Simon, Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell with Gabrielle Parbo: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury
Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers: Memo Music Hall (Upstairs), St Kilda He Who Seeks Vengeance + This Life I Live + Amberyse: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Need For Deeds Brisbane rockers Deeds have been out touring the title track from their upcoming EP Exile and the last stop is The Brunswick Hotel. Head down Saturday night to see the fourpiece do their thing.
Friday Nights at NGV feat. Vic Simms + The Painted Ladies: National Gallery of Victoria, Southbank
Brian El Dorado + The Tuesday People + Vicuna Coat + Ativandal + Spike The River: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Danny Ross: Wesley Anne, Northcote Bossa Brunswick: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote Lunatics On Pogosticks: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
HTML Flowers
Dustin Tebbutt + Robbie Miller + Woodes: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Lady Oscar: Open Studio, Northcote The Moonee Valley Drifters: Pascoe Vale RSL, Pascoe Vale Ben Whiting: Penny Black, Brunswick La Danse Macabre w.+Brunswick Massive: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
Otis High + Clue + MiniCoop: Boney, Melbourne
Riflebirds: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Ella Hooper + Gena Rose Bruce: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
The Resignators + The Kujo Kings + AADD + Morbidly O’Beat: Reverence Hotel, Footscray
The Offtopics: Catfish, Fitzroy Chris Wilson: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Water Bear + The Dead Amigos + Barcelos: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran
Transience + Figures + Last Living Thing: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Michael Winslow: Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster
Cat Power Tribute feat. Anna Cordell + Lisa Crawley + Hannah Cameron + Jess Locke + Laura MacFarlane + The Mightiest Of Guns + Hanna Maru + Andrew McCubbin + JMS Harrison + Cabin Inn + Claire Birchall + Dogood + Slowly Slowly + Ayleen O’Hanlon + Rich Davies + Dash + Emma Russack + Casimir: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Luke Sassafras Band: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Greazefest Kustom Kulture Festival feat. The Detonators + TJ & The Twinspinners + The Strays + Flyin Saucers: The Luwow, Fitzroy
DJ Dexter: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Sentia + Chasing Lana + Sharrow + Terrestrials + Enlight: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Tom Baker’s Kosmic Kickflip feat. 6AM at The Garage: Ferdydurke, Melbourne Hugo Race Fatalists: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick Sammy Owens: Forester’s Hall, Collingwood Soviet X-Ray Record Club + Fierce Mild + Luna Ghost: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Mount Defiance
Derby Day This Thursday night at The Workers Club pop-rockers Mount Defiance are launching their EP Learning Derby. Folkpunk crew The Football Club and Alexander Biggs are coming along to support the four-piece.
Lost Animal + Jacky Winter + Sweet Whirl: Howler, Brunswick Gunnar Haslam: Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne Destrends + Horris Green + Mourning + Electric Mud: Karova Lounge, Ballarat Ben Wright Smith: Kay St, Traralgon
It’s time for another Tom Tom Tuesday at Howler. This week features HTML Flowers, I O, Pillow Pro and Helena Plazza for a night of hip hop, vintage pop, electronic grooves and synths from ambient to rampant.
1927 + Pseudo Echo: The Grand Hotel, Mornington
Smooth + Light Force + Risky + JMC + DJ Hoppa + Dance Mission DJs: Dance Mission Club, Melbourne
All The Animals + Black Dog + Tux + Vega Van Amsterdam: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Electrose
Dub Princess + Quantum Milkshake + Copperhead Brass Band: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Karate Elvis: The B.East, Brunswick East A Basket Of Mammoths + Witch Fight + Merchant + Swamp: The Bendigo, Collingwood
Club Derange with Awesome Wales + Jess Sneddon: The Mercat, Melbourne Shrimpwitch + Chelsea Bleach + Crop Top + Piss Factory + Crystal Myth: The Old Bar, Fitzroy The Australian Bee Gees Show: The Palms at Crown, Southbank The Lalibelas: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg Barely Standing: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda Sleazy Listening with Richard Kelly + Hysteric + K. Hoop: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Poprocks At The Toff with Dr Phil Smith: The Toff In Town (Toff Ballroom), Melbourne
Plague Doctor + Actor/Model + Latreenagers + Skyscraper Stan: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford Prince - Celebrating the Life & Music: Yarraville Club, Yarraville
Sat 13 Funkalleros: 303, Northcote Plum Green + Siren Song + Zarah: Babushka Bar, Bakery Hill Draught Dodgers + Thee Gravy Train Four + Killer Birds: Bar Open, Fitzroy Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers: Barwon Club, South Geelong Richie 1250 & The Brides of Christ + Sugar Fed Leopards + Tek Tek Ensemble + Empat Lima: Bella Union, Carlton South Axel Tosca: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne Lost Weekend feat. Pocosmos: Boney, Melbourne Kylie Auldist: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
Orb + Phlo + Barbiturates: The Tote, Collingwood
Immortal Horns: Catfish, Fitzroy
Long Holiday + Ohms + Jungle Breed + Cracker La Touf: The Tote, Collingwood
Michael Winslow: Chelsea Heights Hotel, Aspendale Gardens
THE MUSIC 10TH AUGUST 2016 • 45
Comedy / G The Guide
Palace Of The King + Atomic Riot + The Hustle: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Australian Institute of Music - Student Ensembles: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Amberyse
1927 + Pseudo Echo: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Latreenagers + Biscotti + Hospital: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Running Young: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Residual + Revolution + Big Creature: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Destrends + Tooth & Tusk + The Shakes: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Tue 16
Canopy feat. Julien Mier: Ferdydurke, Melbourne
Toby Graham + Peter Clynes + Aarti Jadu: 303, Northcote
Vince Jones: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick
Make It Up Club feat. James Rushford + Lovers of the Black Bird + Absent Outfit: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Catfish Voodoo: Forester’s Hall, Collingwood
Milonga: Bella Union, Carlton South
Mother’s Ruin feat. Winter Moon: Gin Lane, Belgrave
Tim Crossey + Hank Green: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Banff + Caitlin Park + Braille Face: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Chugs In Amber
Hugo Race + Michelangelo Russo: Grandview Hotel, Fairfield
Get your heavy fix for the week at Mr Boogie Man Bar Friday. He Who Seeks Vengeance and This Life I Live are playing with Geelong metalcore crew Amberyse, who recently dropped new single Lydia.
Bob Evans + Melody Pool + Jim Lawrie: Howler, Brunswick Cleopold: Hugs & Kisses, Melbourne
Danny Ross
Anthony Young & The Next Man Dead: Penny Black, Brunswick
Patrick Wilson & The Bare River Queens: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote
Harry Coulson’s Raindogs: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
Saltwood + Mandy Connell: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote
Orb: Real Music Vinyl & CDs, Geelong Rick Hart & The Sweet Addictions: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Ross Goss
Greazefest Kustom Kulture Festival feat. John Lewis + The Rhythm Shakers + DoubleBlack + The Three Kings + Twang + Paulie Bignell + Longhorns + Hanks Jalopy Demons + Cold Heart + more: Sandown Racecourse, Springvale Sunshine: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Danny Ross will be commencing his east coast tour within the bluestone walls of Wesley Anne, performing songs from the upcoming LP release, Aquamarine. The tour and subsequent single launch kick off this Friday.
Luke Daniel Peacock + JMS Harrison: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy Yolanda & The Fireflies: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Lukas Graham + Xavier Dunn: Max Watt’s, Melbourne Punch Brothers + The Phosphorescent Blues: Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank Tinpan Orange + Gabriella Cohen: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda Moses Gunn Collective + Mid Ayr + The Neighbourhood Youth: Northcote Social Club, Northcote The Riot Squad + Hornstars: Open Studio, Northcote
46 • THE MUSIC • 10TH AUGUST 2016
Winter Cajun Dance Party: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Residual: Tap House, Bendigo Slim Dime & The Prairie Kings: The B.East, Brunswick East
Sun 14
Night Of The Unholy Legions 2 with Cemetery Urn + AK-11 + Winter Deluge + Adamus Exul + Maniaxe + Hellspit: The Tote, Collingwood Drunk Elk + Half High + Skim The Rim + more: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood
Now.Here.This with Core-Tet + Claddy + Manchild + more: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Melbourne Polytechnic Showcase: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote
Trace Bundy: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda Southbound Tram + Powerhouse Blues Band: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Them High Spirits
Karl S Williams: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Greazefest Kustom Kulture Festival feat. Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers + The Flattrakkers + Stripped Black + Scotty Baker + Itchy Fingers + Atomic Hi-Tones: Sandown Racecourse, Springvale
Australian Institute of Music - Student Ensembles: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
The Shelley Winters Ball with Whiskey Houston + Mr Weir + Various DJs: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Sun God Replica + Green Tin + The Gun Barrel Straights: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Slim Whittle & The Country Killed: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
Black & Blue: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick 5pm
Terrible Truths + Loose Tooth + Wet Lips + Primo: The Curtin, Carlton
Mihra + Frida + Sunny Side: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
The Girl Fridas + Woo Who + Pleather Purrs + Polykite: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Big Jumanji + Penny & Moses + Furneaux: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Cash Savage & The Last Drinks: The Croxton, Thornbury
Alice Ivy + No Local + Chelsea Bleach: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Billy Talent: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Magrudergrind + Whitehorse + Shackles + Headless Death + Christ Crusher + Split Teeth: The Bendigo, Collingwood
Deeds: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Crooked Space + Secret Scoundrels + Black Market Limbs: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Thee Loose Hounds + The Naysayers + Woo Who + Latreenagers + Thee Cha Cha Chas + Tropical Snakes: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood
Mon 15 Grim Rhythm + Jumpin’ Jack William + Neil Wilkinson: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Danika Smith + Mel Taylor & The Sun Chasers + Mitch Power + Will Povey: Open Studio, Northcote Gin Club Two: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Funny at The Brunny Comedy Show: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Trip-tych There’s more than one way to skin a Sunday and Bar Open’s got three of ‘em lined up in rhythm and booze crew Them High Spirits, indie-rockers New Manic Spree and The Dead Amigos.
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