The Music (Melbourne) Issue #164 by TheMusic.com.au

09.11.16 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Issue

164

Melbourne / Free / Incorporating

Face The Music G E T T I N G S C H O O L E D I N M U S I C AT T H E S TAT E L I B R A R Y

The Needle Drop: ANTHONY F A N TA N O

Music: ZOLA JESUS

Roskilde Festival:

KIM AMBROSIUS

introduces THE LAST WALTZ REVISITED S VI ER NK BRIAN NA • EDDI READER (IRE)

EN THE WAIFS • PAUL KELLY & CHARLIE OW STELLA ANGELICO & COOKIN ON 3 BURNERS with TEX PERKINS LLAGE BAND (POLAND) VI VIKA & LINDA • GAWURRA • THE WARSAW TY and many more YIRRMAL • MELODY POOL • KARMA COUN

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2 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

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Secret Sounds Presents

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4 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

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THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 5

Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Lemony Snicket’s A Series Unfortunate Events

Legen…

Netflix have released a first look of their new series Lemony Snicket’s A Series Unfortunate Events, which depicts Neil Patrick Harris as the exceptionally creepy Count Olaf. The series is set to drop on Netflix on 13 Jan.

Twelve Foot Ninja

Mars

I See Red Combing modern science and good telly, National Geographic Channel’s new mini-series MARS is a docu-drama set in 2033 that follows our (hypothetical) first manned journey to the Red Planet. It premieres on 13 Nov.

Sick Assassins Twelve Foot Ninja just straight up refuse to rest on their laurels. The curveball throwing five-piece have just released a video and new single Sick, as well as announcing a three-month tour starting January.

23,591 The number of alternative Star Wars realities created by artists after a competition was set up by Industrial Light & Magic (the visual effects company that did Star Wars).

6 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

The Smith Street Band

Lads Beware The Smith Street Band have released their latest single, and accompanying video clip, Death To The Lads. The announcement come with news the band will be heading back on tour later this month.

Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Credits

Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd

Balloon Wars

Golden Age Of Ballooning

Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast

National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen

Brisbane psych-rock-folk collective, Golden Age Of Ballooning return with their new single Love & War as well as an extensive tour to go along with it, hitting up venues around the country.

Editor Bryget Chrisfield

Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon

Gig Guide Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au Editorial Assistants Brynn Davies, Sam Wall

Katy Steele

Senior Contributor Jeff Jenkins Contributors Bradley Armstrong, Annelise Ball, Paul Barbieri, Sophie Blackhall-Cain, Emma Breheny, Sean Capel, Luke Carter, Anthony Carew, Uppy Chatterjee, Daniel Cribb, Cyclone, Guy Davis, Dave Drayton, Guido Farnell, Tim Finney, Bob Baker Fish, Cameron Grace, Neil Griffiths, Kate Kingsmill, Tim Kroenert, Pete Laurie, Chris Maric, Fred Negro, Danielle O’Donohue, Obliveus, Paz, Sarah Petchell, Michael Preberg, Paul Ransom, Dylan Stewart

Human Music Celebrating the release of her long-awaited debut album Human, Katy Steele has revealed she will be touring the country with a 13-date stint across seven states in February and March next year.

Senior Photographer Kane Hibberd Photographers Andrew Briscoe, Cole Bennetts, Jay Hynes, Lucinda Goodwin Advertising Dept Leigh Treweek, Antony Attridge, Braden Draper, Brad Summers sales@themusic.com.au Art Dept Ben Nicol Felicity Case-Mejia vic.art@themusic.com.au Admin & Accounts Loretta Zoppos, Ajaz Durrani, Meg Burnham, Emma Clarke accounts@themusic.com.au Distro distro@themusic.com.au Subscriptions store.themusic.com.au Contact Us Tel 03 9421 4499 Fax 03 9421 1011 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au Level 1, 221 Kerr Street Fitzroy Vic 3057 Locked Bag 2001 Clifton Hill VIC 3068

Have You Heard About This?

Jerry Seinfeld

Beloved comedian Jerry Seinfeld has announced he’ll be hitting Australia in August for his first comedy tour of the country in nearly two decades. Seinfeld will take to the stage in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

— Melbourne

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 7

Lifestyle Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

We Lost The Sea

Final Call

We Lost The Sea have announced a select few headline shows along the east coast in January and February marking the end of an era, playing their album Departure Songs in its entirety for the last time on Australian shores.

Throwing Shapes Beloved New Zealand drum’n’bass act Shapeshifter have announced a run of six dates in Australia from March to April to coincide with the recent release of sixth record, Stars.

PVT

Son, your father and I have something to tell you - you were adopted. Your new parents are waiting outside in the car. @Manda_like_wine

8 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

e / Cultu Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

BAR

It’s The Little Things

Neurosis

Veteran post-metal trailblazers Neurosis have announced a brief run of Australian headline shows in February with dates in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, their first since first visiting Australia in 2014.

WED 9 NOVEMBER

OPEN MIC

Show The Boogie Man What You’ve got!

Shapeshifter

Process That

FRI 11 NOVEMBER

Sampha has announced a February release date for his debut album Process, the follow-up to his two successful EPs Sundanza and Dual. In support of the album Sampha will perform a run of east coast shows in May.

COSMIC RAIN THE BALL BOYS JOHN WILLIAMS DOUBLE SHOT SAT 12 NOVEMBER

Sampha

GAYLE CAVANAGH & THE MIXED COMPANY BAND SUN 13 NOVEMBER

CRAFTY ANNE SHARON DAVIS That’s The Spirit Experimental trio PVT have announced their fifth full-length album New Spirit, due for release 17 Feb. PVT will be heading out on shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to support the release the same month.

Parcels

Postage Up-and-coming Byron Bay five-piece Parcels may have relocated to Berlin, but it’s not too late to get on board. They are coming back Down Under for a series of headline shows this December and early January.

AFTER WORK HAPPY HOUR FROM 5PM

$5 DRINKS WED, THURS & FRI 160 HODDLE ST ABBOTSFORD

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 9

Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Just… Fantastic

Harry Potter fans and fanatics were in uproar and downright disappointed at the news Johnny Depp has been cast in the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them sequel (due November 2018), taking to the internet to express their displeasure to JK Rowling and Warner Bros.

Johnny Depp

Lime Cordiale

Babylon

Wake Me Up Sydney indie duo Lime Cordiale are spoiling their fans in a big way, announcing a further ten dates on their recently wrapped-but-now-unwrapped Waking Up Easy tour staring this month and carrying through to January. Kylie Auldist

Big Three This January marks David Bowie’s birthday and the 40th anniversary of The Berlin Trilogy. To celebrate, music director Mick Harvey and guest vocalists like Kylie Auldist are touring the works as Bowie In Berlin.

10 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

/ Arts / L Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Haello

Haelos

London-based trio Haelos have announced their debut headline Australian shows this January to coincide with their Lorne and Byron Bay Falls Festival appearances. They’ll be joined by Yeo, Christopher Port and BUOY.

Bangin’ Gardens The veil’s been dropped on March’s massive dance festival Babylon, an electronic-music mecca in the middle of the Australian wilderness. The line-up’s got everyone from Magda and Infected Mushroom to Planetary Assault Systems.

The Music is taking a break over summer to get some sunshine. Don’t worry, we won’t be gone for too long.

Final Edition: 21 December 2016

Methyl Ethel

Unstop-ethyl Beloved WA larrikins Methyl Ethel are looking to start their new year with as much momentum as possible, announcing a seriously impressive world tour alongside a handful of local warm-up dates for this coming February.

First Edition: 11 January 2017

The number of Legion Music Fest events next year, after it was announced the festival had been cancelled.

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 11

Face The Music

TOP PICKS OF Face The Music

hen you’re faced (ha, geddit?) with the monstrosity that is this year’s Face The Music conference line-up, and only two days in which to absorb ideas like the information sponge you are, it’s understandable to experience feelings of overwhelm/ excitement/mild panic. Here’s our top picks – take ‘em or leave ‘em, but let’s see how well you do fending for yourself among all the greatness.

BANDCAMP WITH ANDREW JERVIS Streaming services are on the rise and there’s never been a better time to get clued up. Catch chief curator Andrew Jervis, who also hosts the Bandcamp Weekly show online, in conversation with broadcaster, Bandcamp enthusiast and artist Tim Shiel about what’s on the horizon at Bandcamp HQ, the future of streaming services, the increasingly globalised musical landscape and the platform’s recent growth announcements – like being counted towards ARIA sales. 18 Nov, Queens Hall, 1.15pm

IN CONVERSATION WITH ROBERT FORSTER Here’s a keynote speaker you can’t miss out on: Robert Forster, founding member of The Go-Betweens, he has recently published a memoir centred around his friendship and creative partnership with fellow bandmate and writing partner Grant McLennan. With nine GoBetweens albums, five solo albums, an international music criticism award and more to his name, catch Forster with broadcaster Woody McDonald for an intimate conversation. 17 Nov, Queens Hall, 1.15pm

YOUTUBE: A MIND-BLOWINGLY BIG MUSIC PLATFORM Think YouTube was sooo 2008? Well, with more than a billion watchers, it’s an ever-growing platform for artists and entertainment personalities to reach the broadest global audience possible. Hear from Vader Fame of Ditto Music, Emma Barnes of Emma Jane Management, Henry Compton of The Orchard and Anthony Fantano (USA… The Needle Drop guy!) speak about how the platform works, content creation and monetization, making a name for yourself, audience stuff like increasing views and subscribers, plus all you need to know about new sites YouTube Music and YouTube Red. 18 Nov, Queens Hall, 11.30am

IN CONVERSATION WITH ZAN ROWE When the j’s collide: catch triple j legend, the one and only Zan Rowe and double j’s Myf Warhurst in conversation at RMIT. Although Rowe has been in music radio for 15 years – joining triple j in 2005 – this is her debut Face The Music appearance! 18 Nov, RMIT, 3.55pm

Vader Fame

MUSIC FESTIVALS: THE NEW LIFESTYLE BRANDS Bye bye mega-fests, hello boutique events. No longer is live music enough to satiate the roadtripping, glitter wearing, craft beer drinking masses. Contemporary festivals can become their own micro-cultures when done well – how does one create such an experience? Chat with some of the most innovative creators of music festivals in Australia – Katie Stewart, Kim Ambrosius, Tig Huggins, Tim Harvey and music journo Mikey Cahill – about booking, branding and all the extra stuff that goes into creating the ‘time of your life’. 18 Nov, Experimedia, 11.30am

12 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Anthony Fantano VS. AUSTRALIA

“T

he internet’s busiest music nerd” Anthony Fantano seems to be plotting menacing retribution on Australia as indicated by the title of his imminent Anthony Fantano Vs. The Internet — The Australian Revenge Tour. Speaking at Melbourne’s contemporary music summit Face The Music, along with Sydney and Brisbane dates, Fantano feels good about coming to hang with his tribe. “These shows are the only place I can get up on stage and drop a Smashmouth joke and get wall-to-wall laughs, and that’s a cool thing,” he says. “When I’m in that space, that’s where life is the least awkward and I’m sure that’s why everyone else is there too.” Along with a break from the awkwardness, Fantano will offer insights gained courtesy of his seven years talking shit about music online. First discussion point: ‘Memes in the music industry and how they intersect’. “In the internet age, promotion and PR aren’t what they used to be,” explain Fantano. Exhibit A, Canadian rapper Drake. “Drake is an example of a guy who’s been redeemed through memes. The fact he was a constant object of ridicule helped him. With pop music, even if you hear a song and you hate it, once you hear it a few times it gets stuck in your head. The constant exposure turned a lot of haters into fans.” ‘The destruction of music discovery through streaming’ is also high on the agenda. Despite all the great songs to be found on Spotify and Soundcloud, Fantano wants everyone to keep their options open. “We need to come out and acknowledge that what’s being handed to us as a ‘recommendation’ is just an algorithm,” he states. “Personal recommendations from DJs or record store owners or friends have always been an essential part of music culture. And music culture is human culture, not algorithm culture.” Humans, Fantano poses the following idea for you to ponder: “There’s so many conversations streaming services can’t have with you. Do you like

Internet music nerd Anthony Fantano talks memes, ‘algorithm culture’ and sets low expectations for support act Cal Chuchesta on his upcoming Aussie tour. By Annelise Ball.

it? Do you hate it? What does it sound like, who does it remind you of? There’s so many avenues to go down. That conversation doesn’t happen when you write an artist’s name in Spotify.” Fair call Fantano, tru dat. Urging people to look for other avenues to find tunes, Fantano champions the good old-fashioned ways like “talk to people, walk into a record store or read online music writing.” As well as posing thought-provoking reflections on the state of human culture, Fantano hopes to give everyone the shits early — courtesy of his alter-ego opening ‘act’ Cal Chuchesta. “Cal will open up with a short musical performance that I hope people say is ‘cringe-y’” says Fantano, setting the bar high. “I’m hoping it just sours the tone of everything afterwards.”

These shows are the only place I can get up on stage and drop a Smashmouth joke and get wall to wall laughs, and that’s a cool thing,

When & Where: 17 & 18 Nov, Face The Music, Queen’s Hall

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 13

Face The Music

Frontlash #Nospoilers

Big Picture

Any fears that Black Mirror would lose its bite with American money have been quelled. Season three has been scary, sweet, dark, sad and totally re-ignited our phobia of technology.

Boots & Billy Gotta love the photo of Ruby Boots sleeping on Bill Murray’s shoulder that’s circulating on social media. And no, it’s NOT Tom Hanks.

Lashes

Shhhhhhhh!

Is it immature of us to love attending events at the State Library just coz it means we can be noisy in there?

Ruby Boots and BIll Murray. Pic via Facebook

Backlash Boreworld

How did HBO make robots so dull in their revamp of fun sci-fi movie Westworld? Even last week’s orgy scene was a snooze – how does that happen? Thankfully the fun robots of Humans are back on ABC2.

And The President Is... We are sad the US election is over coz now there won’t be anything funny about Saturday Night Live.

Xmas Albums We’ve only just got past Halloween playlists and now we’re hearing R Kelly Xmas songs. MAKE IT STOP, PLEEEEEASE...

14 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

New Roskilde Festival booker Kim Ambrosius tells Steve Bell how she landed her dream job through a combination of diligence and objectivity.

he’s one of the newest members of the team responsible for booking the incredible line-ups which make Denmark’s Roskilde Festival the biggest such bash in Europe, and Kim Ambrosius explains how she got the gig via a combination of immersing herself in music she loves, but also keeping an eye on the bigger picture. “I’ve been writing for a Danish music blog for five to six years, and then later I just started doing promotion in Copenhagen, and I think all of that got me on the radar of the bookers for Roskilde,” she explains. “Copenhagen is tiny and I met one of the Roskilde team and had a long chat — I met him at South By Southwest as well — and then last year he called me and asked me if I wanted to come to the festival and work as an observer. All of the bookers would put down bands that they wanted me to see but weren’t sure they could actually make it, which meant daily meetings with them all to discuss what I’d seen the day before — it was very objective but still with a very subjective spin to it. “I’d tell them how many people were there, if the time of day was right, if the stage was right and stuff like that, and then I’d always give my own opinion on that booking

and what I thought could have been better. It’s hard when you really love an act to not be subjective at some point, but I think they appreciated that I had opinions but was also very humble to the fact that Roskilde is so big that you just can’t book any obscure band you like, you have to constantly have in mind not only the festival but also the people that attend it.” From this already enviable position things just kept getting better for Ambrosius. “After the festival they invited me to do an evaluation day where they asked for my opinion and I really just got to tell them what I thought,” she continues. “Then about a month later they called me and said, ‘We’re really impressed about how much you know about underground stuff but we feel that you also have Roskilde and it’s ideologies in the back of your head.’ They asked me if I wanted to be involved during the year, which meant that they invited me to a couple of festivals in Europe where I’d help scope out bands, then later a woman who’d been part of the booking group doing the smaller alternative and indie acts was leaving and they asked me to take her place! “We decide all of the acts for Roskilde so we’re constantly emailing back and forth and it’s a matter of keeping my list of interesting bands that I think could be viable updated to contribute to the conversation.”

When & Where: 18 Nov, Face The Music, Experimedia (State Library Of Victoria)

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Music

Meeting Expectations Expressing her true self as an artist made fans of Zola Jesus, aka Nika Roza Danilova, question what was real. By Anthony Carew.

ika Roza Danilova isn’t the most obvious person to speak in public. But, four years after her last Australian tour, the 27-year-old — who’s made five LPs as Zola Jesus — will both perform with a string quartet for Melbourne Music Week, and hold a talk as part of the Face The Music conference. She isn’t sure what she’ll talk about — “I don’t know, I guess whatever they ask me,” she laughs — but the conversation will be far more difficult, for her, than the performance. “I’m very much an introvert, so trying to make conversations with people is very taxing,” says Danilova. “I’m very private; I don’t have really many friends, at all.

People will create this version of you that they think you are, and then demand that you live up to that.

Relationships with people sometimes stress me out. My personality is to want to make other people comfortable, so it takes a lot of energy for me to figure out what it is that will make this other person super-comfortable.” After years living in Los Angeles, Danilova has returned home to Wisconsin. She grew up on a rural property in Northern Wisconsin, amongst back-to-thelanders, playing in the snowy forests in which her father hunted deer and pheasant. The self-sufficiency she was surrounded by blessed her with a staunchly DIY approach to music making. So, after a childhood of operatic training, she threw herself into the local noise-scene in Madison as a teenager. “I was this little girl with a shitty keyboard I bought at a big-box store, and I was plunking 16 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

out little pop songs. That was very different from what everyone else was doing,” she recounts. Her early records came thick and fast — in 2009 she released two EPs, a split, and her debut album, The Spoils — and thick with tape-hiss. “I did that, at the beginning, just out of necessity,” Danilova says, “but I really ended up loving the texture of noise, and distortion, and lo-fi. When things are destroyed, it creates a different sound from it, in a way that doesn’t sound real. You have all these overtones, so, sonically, it becomes like this patchwork quilt. I got really into that — weaving these noisy threads through these sonic tapestries, which always had a song at the centre, holding it together. Now that I’ve become more hi-fi, I miss that plane of textures that I used to use so much.” Currently writing her new album, Danilova is out to rediscover her old “unrestrained creativity”. But, she confesses, “it’s been really hard” after her last LP, 2014’s Taiga, was governed by structure. “It was very much ‘how can I fit everything I believe in and stand for as an artist into a very digestible pop song that could be played on the radio?’” Danilova offers. “Pop music is very concise. It’s very plain in a beautiful way, and it’s very minimalist in a beautiful way. I was working within a framework that was very tried and tested — verse/chorus/verse/ chorus/bridge/chorus — and then seeing what I could do within that. Trying to work out how I could make something accessible yet experimental, see how many unsuspecting people I can get to question things that they’ve never questioned before.” So, how many people did she? “Honestly, not as many people as I thought. If anything, I think I just confused my existing fans,” Danilova says. “When Taiga came out, I was very surprised that people had perceptions of me that I wasn’t meeting. You don’t really think about that, you’re just doing you; I’d never considered that I had this responsibility to people to uphold their perception of me. To be honest, it was a little scary. It’s scary because people are, in a way, pressuring you to not be you. It’s like you’ve failed the test of being you. I had people say to me ‘we just want you to be you!’, thinking that I was trying to be this pop star. But I was just being me! It just goes to show that people will create this version of you that they think you are, and then demand that you live up to that. It’s part of putting stuff out into the world: the more things you put out, the more it creates this character of who you are. And then that [character] becomes a different person.” Given the rise of social media, this ‘character’ is something most citizens are hell-bent on creating for themselves; Danilova calling the daily online performance “trying to manicure a corporate personality”. Fittingly, as introvert — and artist out to subvert the trope of pop starlet — she’d rather not be a participant in it. “It’s difficult, because it’s such a huge part of being an artist — or, even, just a person — in the world at the moment. It’s not just about the art. It’s about who you are. People don’t just want to buy your record, they want to buy you as a person.”

When & Where: 12 Nov (in conversation) & 14 Nov, Melbourne Recital Centre; 18 Nov, Face The Music, Queen’s Hall

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THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 17

Music

An Honest Approach With The Audreys on a short hiatus, Taasha Coates took the opportunity to record her debut solo album. Ahead of USA shows and an Australian tour she spoke with Chris Familton about the musical journey - from Afghanistan to a love affair.

“I

just want to be the dirty old granny of Australian country music - Lucinda Williams-style!” That’s Taasha Coates recalling her reply to producer Shane Nicholson when he asked her how she wanted to see herself on her solo album Taasha Coates & Her Melancholy Sweethearts. With a well-established and multi-ARIA Award winning musical partnership with Tristan Goodall in The Audreys, Coates found herself facing the exciting yet nervous prospect of writing and recording her first solo album: an alt-country-tinged collection of personal experiences and emotions.

In March I went to Afghanistan to sing for the troops and that was so different and outside my experience and comfort zone. That made me feel brave and possibly a little bit crazy.

“I started planning the album late last year because Tristan said he wanted to take some time off from touring in 2016. I started planning and arranged to use Shane Nicholson (producer). Then in January and February my personal life hit the shitter and I thought it wasn’t going to happen,” explains Coates. “In March I went to Afghanistan to sing for the troops and that was so different and outside my experience and comfort zone. That made me feel brave and possibly a little bit crazy and I came home thinking, ‘I can do this! There’s no reason why I can’t do a solo record!’” That emboldened attitude kickstarted a process that involved songwriting behind closed doors and testing out the freshly penned songs in front of live 18 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

audiences. It was an approach that paid dividends and quickly produced the batch of songs that comprise the new album. “It was just poor old lonely me writing the songs, which was a bit depressing,” laughs Coates. “It was hard to get started but once I did they came out pretty easily. I just had to get my momentum up. I went to the Grace Emily pub in Adelaide - where we used to play a lot in the early days of The Audreys - and said I wanted to play some shows and try out my new songs. I booked a weekly residency though April and for the first one I had five and a half songs and had to fill out the set with covers and and then by the last gig I had fourteen songs - so I just wrote them all in that month. The Monday after the last gig Shane and I went into the studio and got started,” Coates marvels. Digging deep into personal songwriting inevitably opens up good and bad emotions, and Coates was determined to let the songs remain in their original form as much as possible. “I didn’t go back and do a lot of editing, I just left them quite raw and honest. It’s personal and uncensored and I like that about it. I was at a place in my personal life where I couldn’t help going there. I had to open up some old wounds but there were some freshies as well. It just came out as it did.” Stepping out of an established writing and recording partnership meant Coates had to forge new working relationships, particularly in the studio. In Shane Nicholson she found a producer who shared similar musical tastes and could realise and enhance her vision for the album. “We’d never really met many times, just here and there over the years as touring artists. When we got together in the studio the first time he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and suggested we crack that open and talk about the album and I said, ‘I like you already!’ We really hit it off and had a great time! Shane and I tried to serve the song and we thought about what best worked for each one. Some needed a straight country vibe, others went weird and Crazy Horse. One got quite Portishead-y. If we started out trying something we could both feel quite quickly if it wasn’t working.” For some people music is a job, for others it’s a hobby, or a necessary emotional outlet. For Coates it’s something she is clearly passionate about and which helps her deal with the joys and trials that life throws her way. “In order to call it a job music would have to support me which it clearly doesn’t so I’d have to say it’s my love affair, my boyfriend – because I’m pretty crap at having real boyfriends!” she laughs. “Music is my lover.”

What: Taasha Coates & Her Melancholy Sweethearts (ABC/Universal) When & Where: 12 Nov, Northcote Social Club

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THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 19

Comedy

Wild Life Touring nonstop for the past 20 years, there’s one thing keeping British funnyman Bill Bailey sane as the world slowly unravels. He takes a break from juggling projects to chat with Daniel Cribb.

t’s a warm and muggy morning in London when Bill Bailey picks up the phone at his Glassbox Productions office, and while a hot cup of coffee might not sound like an enticing pick-me-up in such conditions, it’s necessary when you consider just how many projects he’s juggling. “I’ve written a book on British birds,” a fittingly chirpy Bailey begins on his October Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide To British Birds release. “I’ve written a sitcom pilot for the BBC and they accepted it so we’re doing pre-production for that,” he quickly adds — but it doesn’t stop there. “And I’m curating a Museum Of Curiosity in a maritime museum in the north of England; just usual sort of things.”

The politicians are still just as dodgy as ever.

Anyone who has seen Bailey in action during his 20 years as a touring comic will know his definition of ‘usual’ differs to the conventional means. His unique brand of humour was first introduced to many Australians in the early 2000s during his stint as Manny Bianco in UK hit Black Books and quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks, so the prospect of seeing Bailey back on TV with his own show is an exciting one. “It’s based around a wildlife park, and I’m the aristocratic, slightly baffled curator and owner of the park. It’s set in the West of England,” he reveals. “It’s probably not a huge stretch for me. You have a lot of 20 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

shenanigans with the animals; I think that’s a lot of the fun we’re going to have with it, a lot of the animals comment on all the humans in a slightly philosophical way so we’re just figuring out how to shoot that and it’s looking good.” The theme of wildlife is front and centre, which is something the 52-year-old has been passionate about most of his life, stemming from trips to wildlife and bird reserves with his parents while growing up. Spending the past two decades taking his comedy to every corner of the planet, he’ll often spend his free time checking out the local scenery. “It’s kind of reassuring — you realise, almost on another level, how interconnected the world is and how artificial the borders that we’ve imposed on ourselves are,” he explains. “When I was in Indonesia earlier this year, I was on a dive trip and I was looking out over a rocky shore at these little wailing birds, sandpipers, and these are the same birds that I see in my local reserve here in West London... you do get a sense of a wider view of the world.” Wildlife is one of the constants Bailey has noticed during his travels, but he’s also noted some drastic changes. “The biggest change I think is development; I mean, we’re constantly encroaching on the natural world, that’s something I’ve noticed hugely. I’ve noticed an increase in population and the way that impacts on the environment in terms of building and traffic and people in general using resources, but some things don’t change, the politicians are still just as dodgy as ever,” he laughs. Politicians (among others) took a beating during his last Aussie tour, Limboland, which fused music and more into one of the more engaging and diverse comedy sets going around. Bailey brings his new set Larks In Transit Down Under this time — almost a live, comedic memoir of sorts; a way for him to mark the impressive milestone that is 20 years of touring. “I think it’s quite important to do that along the way,” he says. “It also struck me that when I first came to Australia I’d only just started doing stand-up — I mean, I’d probably been doing it maybe a year or less. I’d done comedy before in a double act and sketch comedy, I’d been an actor and a musician but just doing my own thing was a relatively new adventure and so the time playing in Australia really encompasses virtually my entire standup career. “It’s partly a retrospective of all of that travel tales, stuff that you learn along the way, a bit of philosophy you’ve picked up, some stories and a lot of music. I’ve thought, ‘Okay, here’s a good point to collect a bunch of thoughts and stories and we’ll have music and lights and stick it in one show.’”

What: Larks In Transit When & Where: 14 Nov, Geelong Performing Arts Centre; 16 — 18 & 20 Nov, Hamer Hall

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 21

Caberet

Why are all these rich, white people paying money to see these stories on stage?

Crying With Laughter Aboriginal actor and playwright Nakkiah Lui has taken cult filmflop Showgirls and transformed it into a political parable about Indigenous discrimination. She tells Maxim Boon why comedy is sometimes the best way to communicate tragedy.

here’s a famous saying: you have to laugh, or else you’ll cry. It’s a sentiment that playwright and actor Nakkiah Lui knows well. As one of the writers and stars of the ABC’s Aboriginal sketch show, Black Comedy, she has used her knife-edged brand of humour to explore and needle the complexities of Indigenous identity in contemporary Australia, and the sociopolitical tensions that persist between first-nationers and the country’s colonial past. Premiering this week at Malthouse Theatre, Blaque Showgirls — Lui’s campy musical satire based on the cult ‘90s grindathon, Showgirls (which she proudly admits is one of her all-time favourite films, despite its reputation as one of the worst movies ever made) — brings her trademark combo of laugh-out-loud wit and political firebranding to the stage. “I think issues need to be accessible and for me. As an actor and a writer, what I want to do is make room for the conversation,” Lui explains. “I don’t have any answers, but I do have a lot of questions. I strongly believe that action comes from thought, so getting my thought process out there, in a way that can be easily understood, is a way of creating a space for those questions to exist. What I particularly like about comedy is that it’s very intuitive. It goes beyond cold logic and reaches for the heart, without wanting to sound too cheesy about it. I think that’s why Black Comedy and my stage works have had such a great reception because ultimately people do want to engage with these issues, they want to questions things and look for change.” When I speak to the former Law student turned award-winning theatre-maker, an unlikely focal point for the debate about Aboriginal reconciliation has been on her mind. A campaign to move triple j’s Hottest 100 from its traditional fixture on Australia Day, in recognition of the date’s devastating significance for Aboriginal Australians, has been building momentum. Lui believes that anchoring this fraught and confronting subject to something mainstream, makes accepting the cultural cataclysm of white settlement a less difficult process. “There’s a whole group of people — not just the Aboriginal community, but people who have values that are inclusive — who want the date changed. It

22 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

would be such a clear signifier that as a country we want a future without discrimination,” Lui shares. “Australia has a huge issue with acknowledging its past, so changing the date would also be a simple way of us consciously recognising that history.” Using comedy as an inroad to subjects that are undeniably bleak isn’t a new premise, but Lui’s approach, using humour to unpick the story of contemporary Aboriginality, has offered a refreshing perspective on the topic. Blaque Showgirls is a perfect example of Lui’s talent for infusing a political message into a laugh riot. “The gaze of the movie is beautifully strange. Elizabeth Burkley is acting for her life and I love how ridiculously but unconsciously camp it is while being so heterosexually extravagant. But there are also some interesting observations about cultural appropriation, so I thought there was real potential to adapt it. Plus it felt like a kind of an F-you to those big companies wanting me to do an Aboriginal adaptation of some serious work from the traditional canon.” Using social injustice to get some laughs could be viewed as trivialising serious issues, but being funny doesn’t devalue the subject; it repositions its context, Lui believes. “I’ve written plays about tragedy, but I found myself asking, why are all these rich, white people, who have benefited from white privilege and Aboriginal oppression, paying money to see these stories on stage? And it also made me think about the power dynamic of the theatre: is observing Aboriginal oppression on stage going to result in change? Comedy, on the other hand, lets you talk about sticky, inconvenient truths that aren’t retrospective or historically distant. With Blaque Showgirls, I wanted to write a play that didn’t have Aboriginal death at its core. I wanted it to talk about authenticity without actually having to represent anything authentic and that has kind of resulted in this dance play that’s like Bell Hooks does South Park. It’s a bit mad.”

What: Showgirls When & Where: 11 Nov — 4 Dec, Malthouse Theatre

Indie Indie

Alister Turrill

or his new EP, Queensland blues extraordinaire Alister Turrill looked to his past for some retrospective inspiration. “I’ve always loved songs that represent a certain point in time,” he muses. “Each song on the EP is a little story about some of my happiest days, hence the title, A Toast To Better Times.” Eschewing the traditional studio, Turrill and friends decided on a more wholesome approach to recording the new EP. “We took some recording equipment out to a beautiful little bluestone building in The Old Paper Mills, Fyansford [Geelong]. It’s a perfect spot for recording acoustic instruments. Our producer, Andrea Ficara, did an amazing job and we finished up with an EP where the songs sound

JAMATAR

elbourne producer Jamatar aka Jam Nawaz adds an element of nostalgia to his music, but not in the usual way. His style of “retro electronic, featuring live Game Boy and guitar” has astonished audiences around the world. “I’ve always been a fan of chiptunes and making music using old video game systems,” he says. “I was experimenting with writing my own material, and I found a tutorial online about building a circuit that would let you use your Game Boy as a synth. From there I had discovered my sound!” Nawaz’s latest single, Interstellar, marks a new place in the musician’s recording and producing style. “I’m starting to refine the bit-crushed sound that melts the instruments

very natural and full of life.” Turrill also took the opportunity to create what he calls “honest, flawed, gravel-throated folkin’ blues”, saying, “The take we used for a each song was the one that best captured the themes put forth in the lyrics and music. Occasionally, you’ll hear an imperfect note and even light rain, it will sound like I’m sitting in front of you and playing.” Turrill continues, “Sometimes a lot of thought went into possible changes, other times I’d just try something new on the spot and go with it. It’s my way of making sure it’s ready to record.” A Toast To Better Times has been a long and delicate journey since Turrill’s 2013 debut with Reverence & Resonance, but the payoff, he says, is definitely worth it. “I’ve written many songs since the first album, but these songs best fit the EP’s theme and title. It’s definitely made to be listened to a whole.”

When & Where: 11 Nov, Wesley Anne; 12 Nov, Oscar’s Ale House; 18 Nov, The Workers Club Geelong

together with the Game Boy, so it was good to have control.” Along with the single, his latest EP followed a similar suit. “I loved discovering new sounds and melody lines,” he continues, “I go through a few songs in the writing process, so if something doesn’t jump out at me straight away, it gets shelved.” This new EP, entitled Journeys, continues Nawaz’s penchant for audio-visual, multisensory experiences. “This EP got me really excited to take it out in front of an audience,” he recalls. “I took the set on the road for five months before [recording] to get a good feel for the songs and to test audience response. It helped me learn how to build the songs dynamically.” As his second release this year, Nawaz was sure to keep the creation process new and exciting. “It’s so important to get fresh takes and even a day away from a song brings it back in to focus so much clearly.” The final product? “It’s an exciting new set of songs and I can’t wait to get on stage with them.”

Also, Dragons

EP Focus Answered by: Robbie Smith EP Title? Pucker Lips How many releases do you have now? Three. This is the most in-depth and considered thing we’ve done. The compositions are rich and the riffs are silly. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Inspiration comes from the differences between us. We all have separate interests and lifestyles, and this creates a healthy kind of tension when we make music together. We push and pull until we’re all satisfied. What’s your favourite song on it? The Apocalypse On Wurundjeri Land deals with being a white supporter of Aboriginal rights, and has three different time signatures. We’ll like this EP if we like... Fun music that demands too many adjectives: Longdistance lovesick hip-hop, new-crush excitement Motown soul, nostalgia-fuelled punk-disco, late-night ambient poetry for weird Tuesdays with your cousins. Music for ambitious bad dancers. When and where is your launch/next gig? 17 Nov, Grace Darling Hotel. It’s our drummer Dave’s last gig before he pursues solo experimentations, so it’s gonna be a banger for the ages! Website link for more info? facebook.com/ alsodragons

When & Where: 10 Nov, The Workers Club THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 23

Music

Damage Control Jimmy Barnes invites readers to learn about his traumatic upbringing, which he’d never even discussed with his wife and kids before, through his first memoir. By Bryget Chrisfield.

“M

y parents didn’t beat us, right... But every time they hit each other — every time my dad punched my mum in the face, he might as well have been throwing us across the room or hittin’ us with a baseball bat, because it did as much damage.” Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes is a heavy read. “It was certainly cathartic,” Barnes admits of the writing process, “but, I mean, literally every time I wrote a paragraph I’d feel as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, you know?... But you’ve gotta remember... most of the stuff in this book I had never spoken to

The book is as much as I could let out at the moment, but there is more.

anybody about. Anybody. [Not] my siblings, certainly not my wife or my kids. And then, on top of that, there was stuff in this book that I’d completely wiped from my memory... And I honestly believe there’s still stuff that’s blocked there.” We wonder whether he’s considered hypnotherapy. “I see a therapist once a week,” Barnes reveals, “and I’ve spoken to him and he said, ‘Look, dude, I think there’s something more still there.’ But, you know, he said it comes out when you’re ready to deal with it.” Barnes laughs, as if demonstrating how instrumental humour has been to him over the years as a coping mechanism. “And I guess I was ready to deal with all this stuff right now. And literally I do feel like a better person for getting 24 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

it out and I do feel like, you know, better prepared to deal with the issues around it at this point in my life.” Barnes chose not to consult with his siblings while writing this book, because he “didn’t want to be influenced by other people’s interpretations”. “My brothers and sisters and I were in the same room while mum and dad fought and we’ve all seen it differently,” he points out. “This had to be the book from my perspective and it had to be from my experience.” After Barnes finished writing Working Class Boy, however, his publishers recommended he check in with his siblings to let them know they feature quite heavily throughout its pages. “I remember I rang, like, John [Swan], my brother, who’d been very supportive and who’s like my hero, you know? I rang up John and I said, ‘Hey, John, I’ve put this in the book,’ and he went, ‘It never happened.’ And I went, ‘What are you taking about? I was there!’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, it never happened,’ and this was an incident about him and my sister fightin’ when they were 12 or something and he’s going, ‘I’ve never raised my hands to a woman.’ And I’m going, ‘John, you were kids!’... and he’s going, ‘Nope, never happened.’ I went, ‘Alright, John, I’ll take that out then. Okay? Okay?’ Then I said, ‘Okay, what about when we were in gangs when we were teenagers,’ he said, ‘I was never in a gang.’” Barnes then stresses, “He’s since read it and he’s sort of come around a bit more, but basically it was confronting for him to read this stuff about himself... because it’s so against his principles as an adult now, you know?” Another of his siblings who features throughout his memoir is Linda, one of his older sisters. “So I ring Linda, you know — I’m in a bad mood by this point, I’m thinkin’, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be like John, she’s gonna say nothin’ happened,’ and I ring Linda and I told her some of these horrible bits that were written about what we went through and she went, ‘Absolutely, that was right,’ and I said, ‘Oh, good, really?’ and I told her more and she went, ‘Well actually, it’s worse than that!’ [laughs]. And in the end, she’s read the book now and she said to me, she said, ‘Jim, I’ve wanted to write this book for, you know, 50 years.’ And she said, ‘It has been killing me’. My sister she’s in a wheelchair, she’s had drug problems and alcohol problems... She was damaged, you know, from day one, the poor thing. She’s wanted to write this and then she said, ‘Everything that you’ve written in the book, I think you’re being nice. I think it’s actually worse than it was’.” Of those family members who have read the book, Barnes tells, “My wife and, like, my kids and that all read it and said, ‘Oh, we’re so sorry it was so bad,’ and I said, ‘Look, guys, I have sugarcoated it a bit, because I didn’t want people to think I was makin’ it up.’... So I think the reality of the book is as much as I could let out at the moment, but there is more.”

When & Where: 15 Nov, Wendouree Centre For Performing Arts; 17 Nov, Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool; 18 Nov, Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo; 19 Nov, Regent Theatre; 20 Nov, West Gippsland Arts Centre

Music

Big Lee Kate Kingsmill and Ben Lee cover the universe’s most complex questions, and we’re very glad he wrote his big ideas into Freedom, Love & The Recuperation Of The Human Mind rather than “become a monk or something”.

en Lee doesn’t do small talk. Twelve seconds into conversation with him and he’s already riffing on the notion of freedom, “a misunderstood word overall” says Lee. “But it’s such a beautiful ideal and I think that we should strive for freedom, like the quest for liberty, even if it’s just financial freedom, like, that’s a noble goal to be self-sufficient, to be able to look after your family. Then we move into these higher philosophical realms, the urge to be free of certain kinds of intellectual strangleholds that systems can put on us. It’s so noble.” Lee is a man of big ideas and big actions. The name of his new record is Freedom, Love & The Recuperation Of The Human Mind, a long title with, Lee admits, “A hint of an epic quality to it, only that stretching the human mind gives some context that there are many levels of reality and many minds we could be speaking about. You can live in a very free society and still not have developed the ability to think outside of whatever level of conformity you’re dealing with. So the freedom that I’m talking about is definitely much more psychological.” While addressing big philosophical ideas of freedom and love, the album has a very personal, family-oriented feel. And that, says Lee, has always been his strength, tackling universal concerns but grounding them in extremely personal details. “For me that has been the journey that my life has been on. Perhaps easily I could have gone and become a monk or something, and just retreated from the world into a life of contemplation, but I’m really glad that wasn’t the path for me because there’s been a whole host of lessons that have to do with intimacy and family and connection and responsibility that have been huge growth accelerators for me. When I look at this idea of liberation or enlightenment or psychological health, these are ideas that used to be principally spoken of in these places that were removed from society. And for me that’s not my reality and that’s not my life and I’m interested in seeking liberation within the family home.”

Perhaps easily I could have gone and become a monk or something and just retreated from the world.

The epic quality to the way Lee speaks is reflected in the way he lives his life, and no matter what you may think of him, there’s no doubt he leads an interesting one. Now, at the age of 38, he has been making music for 25 years, having started out in Noise Addict in Sydney at the age of 14, selfproducing a four-track demo which led him to be signed to Steve Pavlovic’s Fellaheen Records. Pavlovic’s connections brought him to the attention of Thurston Moore and The Beastie Boys, who put out several of his releases on their own Grand Royal Records. Lee is now married to Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz’ ex-wife, actor Ione Skye, and they live together in LA with their seven-year-old daughter Goldie. Punk kid, Beastie Boy darling, actor, philosopher, pop kid, Ayahuasca expounder, The Voice judge — Lee has gone through some very distinctive, very public phases, all driven by a seemingly unshakeable self confidence and creative ambition that has, at times, rubbed people up the wrong way. Not surprisingly, Lee has his own philosophical take on it. “That is definitely one of the interesting aspects of having a long and public history of being an artist, that there are all kinds of assumptions and narratives that people bring to meeting you. It doesn’t happen as much anymore, certainly after Breathing Tornados, when I was going through such a volatile public persona, I’d meet people with assumptions about me, and that was a little heartbreaking at times. But that’s also how you learn your lesson. To some degree you have to take responsibility for your past actions and the ramifications of them, in a more real way than a lot of people do.” “It’s been a really interesting life so far. And you can pick these moments that you can pull out to make it look more glamorous or sensational, and there are glamorous moments, but overall what I’ve been is a musician and someone really hungry to learn. That’s been probably my most defining factor of my personality and of this life. So yeah, there have been moments where like, the Beastie Boys said, ‘Do you want to put out records on our label?’ That was great. But more than anything I’ve been someone reading books and taking classes and doing weird things, and meditating and praying and trying to understand what is this human mind thing that’s on my shoulders here? So the story from the outside and the story from the inside can be a little divergent when you start looking at them in detail.”

What: Freedom, Love & The Recuperation Of The Human Mind (ABC/Universal) When & Where: 18 Nov, Caravan Music Club THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 25

Eat / Drink Eat/Drink

i could murder a burger

Dude Food Man

Buckley St, Essendon Aside from this joint’s awesome name (we’re a sucker for a rhyming couplet) these manwich masters aren’t afraid to load up a burger with so much tasty matter that its structural integrity is pretty tenuous before your lips touch the bun. These are burgers in the American style with grade-A produce: Wagyu beef pattie, classic American cheese (the very yellow kind), salad, pickles and tomato, plus relish. If it aint broke, don’t fix it friends.

8bit A beautifully set table complete crisp white table cloth, gleaming silver cutlery, and an attentive waiter to do that weird decrumbing thing after a basket of artisanal breads. Plate after dainty plate of exquisitely crafted haute cuisine, prepared with incredible skill and with microscopic attention to detail. What could be better than fine dining at a top class, swanky-pants restaurant? A massive, juicy, grab-it-with-both-handsand-get-it-in-ya-face burger, that’s what. When that glorious marriage of bread, meat, salad and condiments is just right, nothing beats it. Here are some of the best to sink your teeth into in Melbourne.

Droop St, Footscray or Swanston St, CBD Cute, arcade-inspired design meets made-to-order and genuinely fast fast-food at this personality-packed diner. You’ll find all the familiar staples here, but there’s also some culinary flare in play with Sriracha Mayo, house-made slaw and crumbed mushroom also on the menu. Those with room to spare should check out the milkshake menu, which includes peanut butter, salted caramel and chocolate bar flavours available.

Pic: Felicity Case-Mejia

Danny’s Burgers St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North The grills at this Fitzroy institution have been firing up since the mid-1950s, so you better believe the cooks at Danny’s know what they’re doing. Forget any pretentious affectations like brioche buns or wasabi-infused aioli. Here, the burgers are classic and home-style, served up with an air of no-nonsense nostalgia. Traditional, delicious and filling, they may not be fancy by god they taste good.

Ziggy’s Eatery Carlisle St, Balaclava There’s plenty burger-shaped genius on offer here, but one mighty creation stands out. The Recovery Burger — a mammoth tower of mouth-watering deliciousness comprised of two 150g patties, cheese, bacon, caramelised onions, salad and Ziggy’s special sauce — will make you jealous of snakes who can dislocate their jaw: getting the whole thing in your gob in one bite is pretty much impossible. Veggies don’t miss out either, with a halloumi option, or for the less health conscious, an artery-clogging mac ‘n’ cheese patty.

26 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Music

Why Don’t You Visit?

James are finally on their way Down Under and, as lead singer Tim Booth tells Paul Ransom, they certainly never planned it this way.

ince forming in Manchester during the heyday of that city’s burgeoning indie scene back in 1982 (think New Order, The Smiths, The Fall, Factory Records, etc) James have improvised their way to more than 25 million album sales and enduring, if intermittent, cult status. However, only now, on the back of album number 14, are they set to tour Australia. “At fucking last, hey?” quips lead singer and band talisman Tim Booth from his home outside LA. The obvious question is, why so long? Why not when Laid was all over triple j back in 93/94? Booth chuckles softly to himself before revealing that their then record label (Fontana) didn’t tell them that they had a hit here. “We didn’t know we had a following in Mexico either and we booked 2,000-seaters, but by the end of it we were playing to 12,000. Nobody told us were big in Greece or Peru or Chile. The focus was all on the US back then.” But of course that was back in the pre-internet era. These days James deal far more directly with fans and play to them more often than ever. Indeed, they recently completed their biggest ever UK tour and watched their new record, Girl At The End Of The World soar to #2, only to be held off top spot by Adele. What’s more, as Booth is

pleased to report, the predictable cohort of older fans has been joined by a swathe of much younger punters. For an act that has always been left of centre, in practise as much as anything else, this represents some kind of vindication. Their organic approach to songwriting and performing is part of the James appeal. As Booth says, “Every single song we’ve written has been written through improvisation, so when you have that you can’t control the song. It has a life of its own and it’s always greater than the sum of its parts; rather than if I were a songwriter just writing to the limits of my own capability.” Far from being lazy or merely convenient, it’s core business for the band. “We create music from the unconscious, and the unconscious is far more original than the conscious mind,” Booth explains. “I often write things where I go ‘what the fuck is that?’ and I only work out what it is later. A year later sometimes. I also write lyrics that come true.” So, having successfully predicted that the band would one day be involved in car crash; does Booth ever try to reign in the free flow? “There are some songs that are as tight as a kangaroo’s anus but a lot of them we know they’re open; and we’re looking at each other going, ‘What the fuck are we gonna do here?’” Come November, antipodean fans will at last be able to participate in the serendipity. “We’ve noticed audiences prick up their ears when they see a band having to be present,” Booth notes. “Y’know, and fucking up.”

When & Where: 14 Nov, 170 Russell

What We Learnt From The Trainspotting 2 Trailer

The whole Gang Is Back Mark “Rent Boy” Renton (Ewan McGregor), Daniel “Spud” Murphy (Ewen Bremner), Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson (Johnny Lee Miller) and Francis “Franco” Begbie (Robert Carlyle) all return.

The Visual Metaphors Go Big Budget Boyle came up with some jaw-dropping ways of communicating the distorted reality of an addict. He’s taken this to the next level for the sequel, with Spud falling from the top of a tower block easily standing out.

Drugs Aren’t The Only Addiction Heroine is sooo 1996. Sex and social media come under the microscope. “You’re an addict. So be addicted – just be addicted to something else.” Tru dat bro…

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 27

Indie Indie

Cash

DFFDL

Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Getting to bed before midnight. Why should people come and see your band? It’s good. When and where for your next gig? 15 Nov, The Brunswick Hotel.

Have You Heard

“T

he notion of creating a femmefronted pop rock project has culminated in Cash,” explains guitarist and singer Cassie McCawley. The Melbourne duo, channelling Chrissy Amphlett, a lil’ Gwen Stefani and a lotta classic rock’n’roll (think KISS, Queens Of The Stone Age and Deep Purple) consists of McCawley and drummer Acid, with Alex Gawly in support on bass. Their kickass single Lightning Striking was recorded in St Kilda. “We chose this studio as it has the renowned Neve desk and shit-hot gear. We worked with a Melbourne-based producer there who produced one of Acid’s favourite records as a teenager. There is also a dog there, which is cool,” explains McCawley. “We played Lightning Striking at several shows before deciding to record it. It has attitude and a killer riff, with punchy drums. We think it’s a song that is fierce and holds its own ground.” Cash are working on releasing an EP or an album: “[We] can’t say yet,” she laughs. “We have recorded another song or two, though. The next single will be more pop. I think our fans will really fall in love with this one.”

When & Where: 10 Nov, The Brunswick Hotel

Answered by: Anthony Cooley When did you start making music and why? Over a decade ago, it seemed like a good idea. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Hex era earth worship. If you could only listen to one album forevermore, what would it be and why? Probably Hex (by Bark Psychosis) or The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull (by Earth).

The Deadlips

Have You Heard Answered by: Rhys Brennan When did you start making music and why? Late in 2013, out of frustration from lack of fellow musicians’ commitment to start a gigging band. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Heavy, groovy fuzz rock. If you could only listen to one album forevermore, what would it be and why? Fuzz - self-titled album. One of the best stoner rock albums of all time. It covers all the bases we like: catchy vocal melodies, huge roomy drums, brutal guitar tone.

28 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Website link for more info? facebook.com/klltrn/?fref=ts

Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Either us playing a DIY show in [singer] Madi’s backyard at the St Kilda Festival to people on the street or - [Bassist] Anth doing a Spinal Tap and getting us lost in Sydney before a show. Why should people come and see your band? We blend stoner and heavy rock influences with Madi’s blues rock-inspired vocal melodies in a high energy show. When and where for your next gig? 11 Nov, The Brunswick Hotel. Website link for more info? facebook.com/thedeadlips/

LIVE

music in our city

at Station Place SAT 19 NOV

LACHLAN BRYAN & THE WILDES THE WEEPING WILLOWS

SAT 17 DEC TRACY MCNEIL & THE GOOD LIFE MICHAEL SPIBY (SOLO)

STATION PLACE WERRIBEE 5PM - 10PM wyndham.vic.gov.au/arts

#wyndhamarts

arts@wyndham.vic.gov.au

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 29

Film

Rise And Fall Celebrated as a visionary director, vilified as an alleged sex offender, the life and work of Roman Polanski occupies a difficult duality. As ACMI prepares to open a major survey of the filmmakers work, Anthony Carew takes a look at Polanski’s contentious talent.

n Marina Zenovich’s 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired, the infamous director’s 1977 court case, where he was tried for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, is chronicled in fastidious detail. She doesn’t, however, speak to the subject himself, but that becomes the film’s angle: Polanski’s effective (and ongoing) trial in absentia and the simultaneous trialby-media, with the muckrakers of the gossip mill hooked on a case thick with celebrity obsession. In the documentary, Richard Brenneman, an LAbased reporter who covered the hearing, says of the press coverage at the time: “How can this same man be The Fearless Vampire Killers

European reporters looked on Polanski as this tragic, brilliant, historic figure... the American press tended to look at him as this malignant, twisted dwarf.

two different things to two different sets of press? The European reporters looked on Polanski as this tragic, brilliant, historic figure... who had survived the Holocaust, who had survived the gassing of his mother, and then had come [to America] and maintained his integrity against the power of the Hollywood machine. And the American press tended to look at him as this malignant, twisted dwarf.” Four decades on and the divisive opinions about the director persist. At a time in which social media has conflated art with the artist and has empowered Twitter mobs in piques of (self-) righteous protest, the -let’s use the word- ‘problematic’ nature of Polanski’s filmography has never been more apparent. 30 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

So, it’s notable that the cinematic retrospective Roman: 10 x Polanski doesn’t just feature his films, but Wanted And Desired, too. Even when celebrating his own works, it seems imperative to screen a documentary about Polanski. Whilst his run of classic ‘60s and ‘70s films long ago meant that the filmmaker ascended into the ranks of auteurs known mononymically by their surnames, evoking his name is never so simple. If we’re to go just by his films, Polanski is one of cinema’s definitive directors: a filmmaker who remains influential to this day. Born in Paris in 1933, he survived the Holocaust in Poland and was inspired to make films after seeing Snow White. Where other mid-20th-century filmmakers took a while to find their feet, Polanski’s genius was apparent early. His 1958 short, Two Men And A Wardrobe, is a work of invention and delight, and his debut feature, the unsettling 1962 thriller Knife In The Water, was nominated for an Academy Award (and, years later, rippedoff wholesale in Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm). Knife In The Water screens as part of 10 x Polanski, and its tale -a young husband and wife invite a charismatic drifter onto their boat, sexual power games and paranoia blossom- sets the tenor for the program. An accompanying visual essay by Adrian Martin calls Polanski’s work the ‘Cinema Of Invasion’. In so many of his films, a bourgeois life falls apart as outside forces enter enclosed spaces -boats (as with 1992’s Bitter Moon, too), houses, theatres, or, most famously, tenements- that grow to feel increasingly like prisons. This includes -and is defined by- Polanski’s run of legendary paranoia thrillers, especially his ‘apartment trilogy’: 1965’s Repulsion, 1968’s iconic Rosemary’s Baby, and 1976’s The Tenant. Each of them finds a figure (Catherine Deneuve, Mia Farrow, and Polanski himself, respectively) becoming increasingly unhinged, spooked, and delirious; and these films are unsettling when contrasted with the real-life death of his second wife, Sharon Tate, who was infamously murdered, whilst pregnant, by the Manson Family in the Hollywood Hills in 1969. Polanski’s 1974 film, Chinatown, in turn, depicted Los Angeles as a cesspool of toxic corruption; the film a clas classic noir-movie in which a PI sinks slowly into the mire and justice remains unserved. 10 x Polanski touches on other elements of Polanski’s oeuv oeuvre, from his early knockabout UK comedies (1966’s CulCul-de-sac, 1967’s The Fearless Vampire Killers) to his later Hitc Hitchcockian thrillers (1988’s Frantic, 2010’s The Ghost Writ Writer). With only one film from the past quarter-century, the program is built around ‘classic’ Polanski, but the filmmaker is still active. However, at 83, it’s unlikely the director has many more movies left in him. As 10 X Polanski shows, his status as a cinematic legend was long ago consecrated. Of course, so, too, was his place in infamy. The debate between these two sides of Polanski will be stirred up by this program, come into the mass consciousness with his eventual death, and continue on long into the future.

What: Roman: 10 x Polanski When & Where: Until 20 Nov, Australian Centre For The Moving Image

Arts

Wonder Women Gender inequality is alive and well in the Australian music industry, but in their new exhibition, Michelle Grace Hunder and Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore are celebrating the women coming out on top. They share their stories with Maxim Boon.

Pic: Oli Sansom

he way women are treated and respected has been a hotbutton topic of late, focused by Donald Trump’s infamous p-bomb and the ensuing reports of sexual and emotional abuse at his hands. The eye-watering misogyny of the Presidential hopeful may have grabbed some recent headlines, but for photographer Michelle Grace Hunder and filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, the issue of gender inequality isn’t just a passing fad. “This is the reality of our lives as women. We live this every day,” Hunder says. “People can claim it’s no longer a big issue, but that’s because, past a certain point, you’ve just got to get on with it. It doesn’t mean we’re not aware of the problems. It just means we’re motivated to overcome them.” This irrepressible sprit, in the face of entrenched inequality, is celebrated in the duo’s upcoming exhibition Her Sound, Her Story. Two years in the making, this combination of photographs and video interviews featuring 40 leading female musicians, offers an inspirational survey of the women reshaping Australia’s music scene. Hunder began the project after a photo documentary she was creating revealed a glaring disparity. “I spent a couple of years shooting hip hop artists, and of the 182 people I photographed, only 10 were women,” Hunder explains. Partnering with Sangiorgi Dalimore, the pair set out not only to capture images of Australia’s best female talent, but also the stories behind their success. “We wanted to give these women a voice, and talk to them about their experiences in the Australian music industry. We didn’t go into it with any specific agenda or goal in mind, we just wanted to hear them out and let them lead the conversation.” As the project developed and more high profile artists added their names to the impressive roll call of subjects including Kate Ceberano, Tina Arena, Montaigne, Vera Blue

Some of the women we approached were like, ‘Do we still have to be having this conversation?’

and Missy Higgins - Hunder and Sangiorgi Dalimore made a conscious decision that the eventual exhibition should be an uplifting tribute to female accomplishment, rather than an act of protest. “The project was never about saying, ‘Poor us’. We wanted to talk to the women who had broken through and for the work to say, ‘these are the women who are making music, and this is how they achieved that.’ We wanted it to be inspirational, so younger generations could look at these trailblazers and learn how to be more confident and proud of who they are,” Hunder reveals. Making the galvanizing theme of the show a point of pride rather than anger or frustration was key to attracting Australia’s biggest female acts, Sangiorgi Dalimore believes. “Some of the women we approached were like, ‘Do we still have to be having this conversation?’ In fact, some were quite hesitant to be involved because they are just so sick of this discussion,” she shares. “So rather than talking about gender specifically, we asked, ‘What are your stories? What are you doing as individuals, as artists, that has allowed you to be successful?’ This show is about celebrating the achievements of these women, rather than going into the reasons why it’s harder for women to make it, because we want it to inspire other people to come through.” During the exhibition’s development, the pair were struck by how candid some of the interviews were. “I think sometimes they surprised themselves with the things they said, but I think that’s because they felt really comfortable with us and able to talk to us. Their responses were really raw,” Sangiorgi Dalimore observes. “You so often hear in the music industry that you have to look a certain way, and style yourself in a certain way, but what I found talking to these women was kind of the opposite. They are so secure in themselves and their identities as musicians and as people, which goes to show that allowing the honesty of your identity to shine through is more important than trying to fit a cookie cutter look. They know themselves, what they want creatively and where they are headed professionally.”

What: Her Sound, Her Story: A Celebration of Women in Music When & Where: 11 & 12 Nov, Melbourne Music Week Hub, State Library of Victoria THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 31

Arts

Seeds Of Change Australian artists are facing an unparalleled funding crisis, but as Philip Hayden, director of the Poppy Seed Theatre Festival, tells Mick Radojkovic, the corporate sector may be the arts’ best hope for rescue.

s funding for the arts has become dangerously scarce in Australia, Philip Hayden, director of the Poppy Seed Theatre Festival in Melbourne, is looking to give emerging artists a leg up. Entering its second year, this boutique festival provides four hand-picked projects with a stage and support, including financial, logistical, artistic and marketing backing. “We’re taking even more responsibility away from the producers of the shows and putting it on us, so that they can really focus on making the best art or theatrical production possible,” explains Hayden, who is himself a veteran actor, boasting gigs with major What’s Yours Is Mine: PIc: Jules Tahan

It’s also about coming together and using the fact that we’re a community to bargain.

Australian companies amongst his credits, as well as appearances on the West End, TV and in feature films. The reward is invaluable, particularly for independent theatre groups that are just starting out with young participants and untried concepts. The Poppy Seed Festival in 2016 will feature a rich variety of productions. Four acts have been chosen from around 50 applicants, by the Festival’s artistic panel. “We’ve got really experienced people and we’ve got people that are recent graduates in this festival,” Hayden shares. The City of Melbourne, a major sponsor of the Festival’s successful inaugural year, has been joined this year by a number of corporate businesses providing creative services, media partnerships and design assistance. “We’ve pooled the resources so that we can

32 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

go and make deals on the behalf of the four shows. We’ve made deals with marketing firms and publicists, but it’s also about coming together and using the fact that we’re a community, to bargain.” The projects selected for this year’s festival are hugely diverse not only in content but also in the range of experience and the ages of the performers involved. Blessed from lauded indie company, Attic Erratic, is the only traditionally scripted work out of this year’s crop of shows and portrays a brutal love story that asks the question: “Where does love end in the face of much larger vresponsibilities?” The other three are all devised pieces. A female trio, Three Birds Theatre, will perform LadyCake, described by Hayden as a “...beautiful, daring, bold and funny” story born out of the ‘rock star’ mythology of Marie Antoinette. As part of the application process, a live pitch is required. What’s Yours is Mine from the young and “blissfully unconventional” company, Hotel Now, gave a “hilarious” live pitch which sold their performance to the panel. “If their production is half as funny, lively and energetic as their live pitch, then it’s going to be brilliant”, exalts Hayden. “I could not stop giggling!” The final production take an interesting turn. Simply titled F., the troupe, Riot Stage, use a combination of anonymous online surveys, candid conversations and gutsy improvisation to discuss topics ranging through sex, fetishes and porn-desensitised teenagers in a postinternet world. Hayden says their live pitch was “really funny and extremely touching but also really bold and confronting. Not confronting in that it’s lewd or rude, but just like, ‘so that is what people are doing now!’” Utilising corporate sponsors to promote local theatre is something that Hayden is passionate about and Poppy Seed is one of only a couple of organisations that have embraced this model of fundraising. “It’s a bold claim but I think we’re maybe one of two organisations left that do this for artists and I can see that it might become even more rare, just because of what has happened in the funding landscape.” Despite the great support of The City of Melbourne, it’s the issue of federal funding for the arts that dismays Hayden and the arts community as a whole. It is expensive for a company to promote themselves. How many ideas have been sparked but never reach their full potential due to a lack of funds? Hayden indicates he would be “impressed and pleased if similar operations sprung up in other places”, as we discuss the challenge of creating this organisation from scratch four years ago. When asked about touring or performing the Poppy Seed Festival around Australia, Hayden gushes. “Totally! Absolutely! We’ve had that conversation. We’d love to do that. Once you’ve got the work made and rehearsed, it’s really sensible for it to have another life outside of its initial season.” For now, Philip Hayden and the Poppy Seed Festival are concentrating on developing their grassroots in Melbourne, to ensure it not only provides a great platform for independent theatre but also “...helps artists survive in the industry.”

What: Poppy Seed Theatre Festival When & Where: Until 11 Dec, Malthouse Theatre, Victorian Trades Hall, Butterfly Club

Music

No Man Is An Island

Max Fotheringham tells Sam Wall about jerry-rigged garage studios, the beginning of Amber Isles and their debut album together Running.

perikope, pronounced perri-co-pee, we’re kindly informed - “everyone calls it Peri-cope” - is an extract of text that can be read as a whole in and of itself. In Amber Isles’ singer-songwriter Max Fotheringham’s case though, it’s the name of his solo album. Or his ex-solo album - the project has grown some in recent years. “I had a lot of solo material that I - I wanted to sit down and see what I could do on my own just entirely within my own limits, with a view to presenting the ideas to a full band at a later date... I wanted to keep everything solo at the beginning and then expand it, or evolve it, into a band.” Fotheringham relocated to find the right people for the job. Having grown up for the most part in Belgium, he’d “always wanted come and try and live in Australia”, so he quit his job and looked south. “I put [the album] out under my own name and then we formed the band to play those songs. So Amber Isles got together and we started playing songs from Perikope while starting to write new stuff. So it sort of evolved into Amber Isles.” The evolution included a marked shift from folky post rock to something almost shoegaze, a richer, deeply layered sound and a new co-written full-length, Running. “Part of me wasn’t sure where it would

go and that was kind of what was interesting to me was in presenting a loose idea for sound to other people and then making it something that belongs to all of us and we’d just run with that sound.” The band now includes a bit of “a rotating roster”, orbiting “four or five core members”. But there is another, more literal, architect behind Amber Isles sound Fotheringham’s longtime collaborator and sound engineer, Wouter Gordts, who relocated to Australia From Belgium for a year to help record Running. “He arrived and we had the luxury of this very huge garage in our new house and he sort of walked around and pondered a little bit and he said, ‘We’ll just do it here. We’ll build a sound booth,’ he said. So he did, and he’s very technical like that. I mean we helped him, but he built it... it’s this big cube, which he built with frame wood, and then we put some doors on it and we treated and insulated all the walls. And so pretty much the whole album was tracked in our garage.” Partly as a result of Gordts construction skills Running came out “pretty moody, pretty dense”. “’Cause we had a lot of time to just - we didn’t have any of the usual stresses of studio time and money. So we had a lot of time to make everything really dense and smooth out all the detail.” The DIY method is close to the band’s heart. They’ve been gigging independently for two years now, even organising their own upcoming national tour. “We just like to do whatever we can in-house with our resources... we try to do as much DIY as possible, ‘cause you know it feels good. It’s rewarding. It’s a lotta work, it’s a lot of work, but it’s definitely rewarding.”

Nation’s Finest

Midnight Oil

The National Film & Sound Archive, a national registry that celebrates the country’s sound and identity, have announced ten new songs are joining the lists. 1912 - When Father Papered The Parlour by Billy Williams 1937 - Life Without Love by Frank Coughlan’s Trocadero Orchestra 1968 - Skippy The Bush Kangaroo by Eric Jupp 1971 - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Bogle 1978 – C’mon Aussie C’mon by The Mojo Singers 1982 - Power & The Passion by Midnight Oil 1985 - Sounds Of Then (This is Australia) by GANGgajang 1992 - Antarctica: Suite For Guitar and Orchestra by Nigel Westlake 1995 - Island Home by Christine Anu 1998 - Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car by The Wiggles

When & Where: 1 Dec, The Workers Club Geelong; 3 Dec, The Golden Vine, Bendigo; 17 Dec, Ding Dong Lounge; 19 Jan, Howler THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 33

OPINION Opinion

Trai ler Tra s h

Wa ke The Dead

Bad Brains

Punk And

’m torn about the importance of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Do the punk and hardcore communities need Hardcore to be validated by them? Do we care that an institution recognises the important impact that our genre has had With Sarah on music? Some days it’s a resounding NOPE. Other days, I think it would be nice. Petchell This week has been one of those weeks, with the news that Bad Brains - along with Pearl Jam, Kraftwerk and Tupac - have been nominated for a place in the Hall Of Fame in 2017. It’s decided by a public vote; you can go online and vote right now. Bad Brains are a hugely important stepping stone in the development of hardcore. They were one of the first bands, if not the first band, in the seminal Washington DC scene. Bands like Minor Threat, The Faith and Youth Brigade were their contemporaries. More accurately, these bands probably wouldn’t exist if Bad Brains did not step out on a stage in the late ‘70s. If the Bad Brains make it into the Hall Of Fame, they would be the first hardcore band in the list. They join the likes of The Clash, Ramones, and Sex Pistols. The fact that the only other “punk” band on the list, Green Day, made the list before Bad Brains (or any other punk or hardcore band) is somewhat objectionable. And not just because Green Day’s last albums have sucked pretty hard. Ian MacKaye has put it best: “If the members of the Bad Brains, if this is something they want, I’m happy for them.”

The Get Down

Inkswel

Funky Shit With Obliveus

o I really need to hype Melbourne-based Inkswel, who is turning it up to 11 on the dope release front. His new album Unity 4 Utopia on BBE features collaborations with folks like Steve Spacek and Mark de Clive-Lowe and is sick from start to finish - with beyond this world intergalactic space go-go funk boogiemonster disco vibes that will have fans of the Georgia Anne Muldrow off-centred production style salivating.

34 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Ash vs Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell

The title track features MDCL and Misumami on a minimalist hip hop journey that is equal parts moody and upbeat and he’s created an album that’s not hip hop, but it is; it’s not disco, but it is and it’s not future, but it is. If that hasn’t confused you, I suggest you hit up his SoundCloud for your own take. Also worthy of a hype is Adam Scrimshire, who dropped a nugget of greatness recently with his edit of Rare Earth’s (I Know) I’m Losing You, the track that was bastardised for the vocals (not the horrible AutoTuned part) in Kanye West’s Fade. Fortunately, we get much more of the original’s upbeat ‘60s Motown feel with an extended breakdown so I suggest you hit him up electronically to get on his list. Also, much hype is needed for the upcoming De La Soul gig that the boys from Funkdafied have assisted in bringing to Melbourne Town. It’s in Elwood, they always bring the goods, Carl Cox is also playing and I plan on being front and centre. With that, I am out.

OPINION Brendan Gallagher

Opinion

Dives Into Your

f you get to spend a little time in the Screens company of cult hero Bruce Campbell, And Idiot Boxes as I was fortunate enough to do during With Guy Davis the actor’s recent trip to Australia, you get a front-row seat to The Bruce Campbell Show. That’s a good thing, by the way — Campbell has astutely and adroitly constructed a public persona that is connected to his best-known character, Evil Dead’s “groovy” Ash Williams, and it’s a persona that, I found at least, draws in admirers while keeping them at just enough of a distance. Like Ash, and to some extent the other characters he’s played onscreen for his friends, director Sam Raimi and producer Robert Tapert, Bruce Campbell — and I’m talking about the persona, not the actual person — is an amiable blowhard whose charismatic charm is offset by a smidge of showbiz smarm. And that’s what the people love, it seems. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sledging Campbell in the slightest here. Watching him interact with the three dozen or so fans who’d won seats at a special Melbourne screening of the latest Ash Vs Evil Dead episode last week (and got a little photoand-autograph time with him as well), there was an undeniable warmth underpinning the let’s-keep-this-moving professionalism of the process. Someone would come in, pose for a photo (most popular stances: the twin fingerguns or the clawed ‘Boo!’ hands) and get 15 or so seconds of banter with Bruce, during which he’d compliment their outre fashion choices or exhort them to “Be cool”, “Be wonderful” or “Be awesome” as they posed. And I’ll tell you, for a few seconds the majority of them lit up and were cool, wonderful or awesome. It was a treat to behold. When I said earlier that I was fortunate, I meant it. I was very lucky that I was asked to host a brief Q&A with Campbell prior to the screening of the episode at a Chapel Street cinema, and that gave me additional time to catch The Bruce Campbell Show up close and personal. Although I was supposed to be providing the Q section of the proceedings, I was really there as a straight man for Campbell’s combination of old showbiz schtick (in cream slacks, gold-buckled loafers and a sky-blue Italian jacket, he looked like a slightly seedy ‘50s movie star) and crowdpleasing trash talk.

“Superman is stupid,” he declared as he ripped into superheroes to big-up the ballsy bravado of the alltoo-human Ash (but let me say, at the risk of betraying a man-crush, Campbell has the look and stature to play an elder-statesman Superman if they ever put that story onscreen — dude’s in good nick for an older gent). And don’t even get him started on Val Kilmer’s line in Batman Forever about how ladies love the Batmobile. “Chicks dig the car?” he moaned in disgust. Nah, give Campbell his degenerate demon slayer any day of the week. “Ash smokes angel dust this season!” he exclaimed to the audience’s — and his own — delight. I was inclined to dig Campbell going into this experience, having liked the guy since my first viewing of the original Evil Dead as a preteen gorehound. But seeing the way he interacted with people who got starry-eyed in his presence, the candour and good humour he displayed, I’m inclined to have even more time for the fella. Give him some sugar, baby — he’s earned it. (Oh, and check out Ash Vs Evil Dead, now streaming on Stan!)

Sonofobituary EP LAUNCH FRI 18 NOV • THE RETREAT • BRUNSWICK SAT 19 NOV • LABOUR IN VAIN • FITZROY www.brendangallaghermusic.com

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 35

Album / E Album/EP Reviews

Album OF THE Week

Sleigh Bells Jessica Rabbit Sinderlyn/Remote Control

★★★★

On album number four, Sleigh Bells have embraced pop. The most compelling evidence is I Can’t Stand You Anymore, in which Alexis Krauss’ divine vocals ride a raft of power chords and handclaps into a singalong chorus. But take that with a grain of salt. Opening track It’s Just Us Now arrives with a reassuring, skittering burst of Derek Miller’s trademark fuzz guitar: Sleigh Bells have evolved, but haven’t abandoned the mix of heavy and heavenly we’ve come to expect. And there’s plenty of pleasure in Jessica Rabbit’s less radio-friendly moments. Loyal For sees Krauss purring over a sludge of keyboards. Titles like Unlimited Dark Paths and I Know Not To Count On You suggest songwriter Miller has embraced his inner emo, and the anger and angst of his lyrics find perfect expression in Krauss’ versatile voice. She roars in hard rocker Throw Me Down The Stairs, while in Rule Number One she chants: “Mostly okay but I’m bleeding profusely / Mostly okay, but only on Tuesdays.” (The “other six days” are a litany of furies.) There’s a freedom of form here, too, that refreshes without reinventing Sleigh Bells’ sound. There are as many shifts in tone and tempo as your typical prog-rock epic, often within the space of a few fleeting minutes. No sooner have you settled into a particular groove before you’re upended, without a firm idea of where you’re going to land. It’s disorientating and exhilarating. Tim Kroenert

Martha Wainwright

Illy

Goodnight City

ONETWO/Warner

Two Degrees

★★

Inertia

★★★★ Opener Around The Bend is the best type of typical Wainwright — hilarious, dark and gloriously delivered. Throughout the rest of the album this style remains; satisfying the already faithful while leaving lots for newbies. Traveller, for example, references the Wainwright/McGarrigle dynasty beautifully. Clearly aimed at her late mum Kate and a touching continuing story, even without this background it still works so well — soaring chorus and cheeky lyrics provided. Wainwright’s heritage and pedigree also emerge with the French break in Look Into My Eyes — supported by a weeping sax, dramatic percussion and a wailing cameo from brother Rufus (a compliment — no one wails like a Wainwright). Convention is broken later in the album with more experimental 36 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

tracks like Alexandria, while So Down unleashes a sweaty and drum-kit-heavy rock track — a nice tangent. Take The Reins is kinda poppy and eases the pressure of the earlier tracks, but to bring it on home, and if you’re feeling sentimental, it’s hard to go past the intensity of Somehow. The song lets Wainwright pine for a thing that got away, even though that thing is never really quite articulated, making for an ending to the record that’s heartbreaking but in the right way. And, like any really good song, it’s almost impossible not to go back and hit ‘repeat’ as soon as it’s over. Liz Giuffre

Instrumental in transforming the sound of Australian hip hop over the past five years, Melbourne MC Illy (along with regular collaborator M-Phazes) has consistently brought an increased technical facility to the genre’s mainstream with a combination of cutting-edge production, fluid vocal hooks and precise rhyming skill. But he struggles to make an impression with his fifth album — the almost irritatingly competent Two Degrees. The album is a comprehensive showcase of skill. M-Phazes’ position as one of Australia’s premiere beat exports remains unsurprising. The producer’s backdrops effortlessly split the difference between commercial precision and artistic individualism. Illy, similarly, continues to establish himself as one of the most

technically gifted MCs operating in the Australian hip hop mainstream. With equal grace, he can smoothly settle into a groove on cuts like Lightshow and pirouette over internal rhymes and triplet rhythms on joints like Looks Could Kill. Unfortunately, Two Degrees rarely seems anything other than technically impressive. It’s a lovely package but, there’s little of substance or idiosyncrasy to the record. The songwriting is competent, but rarely genuinely striking or memorable. Illy, similarly, offers plenty of technique — but few of his lines or ideas seem to really land with a sense of weight or resonance. Matt O’Neill

EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews

Archie Roach Let Love Rule Liberation

Freya Josephine Hollick

In Flames

Zeahorse

Battles

Torana Dreamin’

The Unceremonious Junking Of Me

Nuclear Blast

Independent

Heart Of The Rat Records

★★★★

★★½

★★★½

There’s a heaviness to Archie Roach’s songwriting. A certain heavy weight of beauty. Let Love Rule, while thematically driven by the sustaining power and expression of genuine love, is something of a triumph for the veteran songwriter, in no small part, because of that weight. While in a lesser artist’s hands songs as sweetly optimistic as those compiled on Let Love Rule could risk over-earnestness, Roach’s work is inescapably genuine. With arrangements that are simple enough to be effective and distinctive enough to lend definition, his rocksolid songwriting is beautiful, uplifting, eloquent and sincere. Thoroughly recommended.

At first pass, the Melbournebased country practitioner’s new album feels purpose built for nostalgia, shaped by the bones of bygone artists and couched in a rustic delivery, but Hollick ultimately follows her own reflective journey. Sprawling and simple, Hollick’s tales shine above the sparsity of instrumentation. The decision to capture the tracks live in Ballarat’s Main Bar brings a raw sense of place to the album and highlights the vital intimacy of the vocals. Darkly saccharine, painful and poignant, The Unceremonious Junking Of Me is a rich and textured release that reshapes the landscape of country to suit itself.

Some will consider it reinvention, but for many seasoned metallers In Flames’ recent past has captured little of the vitality they formerly exuded in spades. The Swedes have nonetheless continually shrugged off nay-saying, and soldiered on with a new sound. There’s memorable moments (keyboard-laced Through My Eyes) scattered throughout here too. The Truth, revisiting a hook from POD’s Youth Of The Nation, represents an unexpected nadir, though. Other passages border on Bullet For My Valentine’s tepid pop-metal, and several tracks don’t carve distinctive identities. Those favouring latter-day excursions should be satisfied; anyone who gave up on In Flames eons ago won’t be returning.

It’s been a while between drinks for Sydney grunge act Zeahorse. 2013’s Pools was a hulking sludge-fest, a brooding monster that owed a lot to In Utero. Torana Dreamin’ sees the band climb the stony, cragged peaks of power rock, upping the tempo and flexing some muscle in the process. Opening track Torana is a chugging beast that is at odds with the laid-back content (“check the oil, check the boot”, “choccy milk” etc). The rest of the album is much of the same. It’s a group of guys pretty stoked at life, but who have decided to communicate that as gruffly as possible. More power to ‘em.

Nic Addenbrooke

Matt O’Neill

Matt MacMaster

Brendan Crabb

More Reviews Online Luke Temple A Hand Through The Cellar Door

theMusic.com.au

Pavo Pavo Young Narrator In The Breakers

Romare Love Songs: Part Two

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 37

Album / E Album/EP Reviews

The Griswolds

Heart Beach

Emeli Sande

Darren Middleton

High Times For Low Lives

Kiss Your Face

Long Live The Angels

Lightning Halos

Spunk

Virgin/EMI

Independent

★★

★★★½

★★★★

Frontman Chris Whitehall has stated explicitly that “Rap and R&B” are genres The Griswolds are tapping into this time around. Opening salvo Role Models delivers on that promise/threat, sharting out a tepid Maroon 5 tribute (that admittedly raises a faint pulse at the halfway mark during a funky cowbellinfused verse). From there it’s a bumpy ride through some of their traditional maximalist pop (Out Of My Head), sharp ‘80s synth funk (You Don’t Love Me), ‘90s pop jams (Rufio, Feels So Right), and even some digitised troppo pop (Get Into My Heart). It’s all completely disposable, but at least they’re trying to engage with an impressively broad palette.

Bringing together the best elements of contemporary Australian music - laconic guy/ girl harmonies, jangling guitar and bass lines and just the right amount of fuzz - Tassie three-piece Heart Beach return with their quick follow-up to last year’s debut. It’s charming yet far from saccharine, and the ten tracks vary enough to keep the listener consistently guessing. Kiss Your Face stays within the lines, Heart Beach not trying to be anything more than they are. They’re still finding their feet, but heading in a very sound direction.

Following up world-beating debut album Our Version Of Events, Emeli Sande’s Long Live The Angels offers a very different experience to the first record’s widescreen-pop craftsmanship. Ghostly and stripped-back, Sande’s second album finds the singer-songwriter exploring a more delicate and textured sound. There are no dancefloor anthems. Outside of the very occasional detour (Hurts, Garden), drums of any kind are avoided. Instead, songs like Happen ride swathes of synth, strings and wandering guitar Sande’s songwriting taking on a curiously weightless air. It’s undeniably less immediate than her previous works but, with time, it may actually prove even more rewarding.

Powderfinger guitarist Darren Middleton was never to be found resting on his laurels during the Brisbane band’s heyday. When he wasn’t writing and releasing music with side project Drag he was penning his own work. After 2013’s Translations EP comes another carefully crafted four-song collection in Lightning Halos. The title track swells with guitars and strings around Middleton’s croon and gospel backing, Brisbane chanteuse Sahara Beck adds her round tones to Where Were You and Melbourne songstress Talei Wolfgramm stamps her sass on sultry highlight Fly Away to wrap things up. It’s a teaser from a deft hand who knows how to craft a song.

Independent

Dylan Stewart

Matt MacMaster

Carley Hall

Matt O’Neill

More Reviews Online Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Weekly Mansions

38 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

theMusic.com.au

Handsome Young Strangers The Battle Of Broken Hill

Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on

THE MUSIC AND BARBECUE FESTIVAL

The DElta RigGs THE FUMES SKYsCRAPEr STAN

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THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 39

Live Re Live Reviews

Slipknot, Lamb Of God, In Hearts Wake Rod Laver Arena 31 Oct

Slipknot @ Rod Laver Arena. Pic: Geoffrey D’Unienville

Tkay Maidza @ 170 Russell. Pic: Clinton Hatfield

40 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Tkay Maidza @ 170 Russell. Pic: Clinton Hatfield

It’s hard to take In Hearts Wake seriously when they’re dressed as the Australian cricket team, bat and all (yes, Jake Taylor admits this was his band’s dress-up inspo). But still, they continue to impress and landing on this bill speaks volumes. This promising Byron Bay metalcore outfit are a shining jewel in our crown and do us proud once again tonight. A circle pit forms in the darkness to welcome Lamb Of God and they’re off to a screaming start with Walk With Me In Hell. We’d probably walk anywhere with Randy Blythe, his dreads make amazing helicopters. “Happy Halloween, muthafuckers!” They’re beautifully brutal, largely due to Chris Adler’s heel-toe double bass (drum) technique. That pulsating lower end! Lamb Of God are called back for an encore and Blacken The Cursed Sun causes mosh mayhem. You know that tar-like substance in Under The Skin that Scarlett Johansson lures unsuspecting blokes into? That’s how dense Lamb Of God’s sound is. It’s like they play in quadruple time - ridiculous. Blythe, sporting camo cargo shorts, goads us: “What, did they give you guys a Valium before the show or something?” He then takes a look around. “I can see from your outfits and facial hair that some of you are here to see Slipknot!” Before teasing, “’Cause it’s Halloween, they’re gonna dress in their street clothes.” During Laid To Rest, it looks like there must be a trampoline hidden in one of those rostra Blythe gets so much air in his jumps. A “giant circle pit” is summonsed by Blythe for Redneck and that’s exactly what

occurs. Their bassist John Campbell looks like Father Time while keeping perfectly metronomic time. A dude wanders along the front row of the first tier of seats eyeing off the GA section, hands a punter a beer (“That’s

All is right in the world this Halloween when Duality kicks in. for you”) and then jumps over the railing, lands and flees into the crowd. A security guard notices, attempts to make chase but then stumbles on the stairs before returning to his post, shaking his head. Slipknot successfully freak us out on Halloween with footage of a mannequin totem pole burning outdoors in the snow. Sometimes these mannequin faces look human. Is it only us that saw that? And there’s rotating drum kits bookending the stage that rise up and down into the bargain. Okay, now there’s footage of dry ice burning through what appear to be private parts, which is a little alarming. Then the drum contraptions become cherry pickers, rising up in unison. Of course the neck of Alessandro Venturella’s bass lights up. “I’ve been waiting to say this all fucking week, Happy Halloween Melbourne,” frontman Corey Taylor admits. Respects are paid to Shawn “Clown” Crahan in his absence and Taylor conjures our applause as a communal outpouring of love before dedicating the next song to his bandmate who sadly needed to return home due to a family emergency. Clown’s percussion setup remains stage left, complete with his signature clown mask and flowers as a

eviews Live Reviews

tribute to his recently deceased father-in-law. It’s kinda weird that these kits are synchronised as we watch the empty station rise, spin and fall. Although these book-ending cherrypicker percussion setups are undeniably cool, and very helpful with visibility for the vertically challenged in GA, Clown’s empty contraption does obstruct the view of Sid Wilson, Slipknot’s DJ/dancer; his moves are pretty impressive up on stage when he’s not required behind the decks. “Halloween is Slipknot’s fuckin’ Christmas!” Taylor announces and in comes their Grammy Award-winning Before I Forget. There’s too much surgery on the screens for the squeamish, though: this is your official warning. If you struggle watching American Horror Story, don’t go there! Then some newish shit, Killpop, edges its way in, dropping in on our wave with a vibe-killing “She loves me” chorus. “Some of you have been with us since the very beginning... Does any one of you have a record called fucking Iowa?” Taylor barks, before acknowledging this is the first time the band’s spent Halloween outside of the US. From up on the stage-right percussion riser, Chris Fehn’s gimp mask with the zipper mouth and long nose protrusion calls to mind Mr Squiggle. Jay Weinberg’s drumming precision leading into Skin Ticket (“Come see my cage”) smokes collective noodles. Taylor winds up on top of an onstage cage. Slipknot then take us back to 1999 with Wait And Bleed. “These are all their old songs when they sounded way better,” a nearby bloke observes, delightedly. It’s 10.59pm and we score an extra encore, complete with visuals of slimey skin, innards or perhaps a caterpillar being operated on. GA punters buck and sway; all is right in the world this Halloween when Duality

kicks in. We swear we spy visuals of maggots crawling in shit - major gross-out factor! Spit It Out closes Slipknot’s oneand-a-half-hour set with a final rumbling statement. What a way to spend Halloween! All treats no tricks. Bryget Chrisfield

Tkay Maidza, Midas. GOLD, Sable 170 Russell 4 Nov After both Sable and Midas. GOLD’s formidable attempts to warm up a near capacity room, it quickly becomes clear that the crowd were hot as soon as they entered. Not even the set 20-minute break between Sable’s exit and Tkay’s arrival seems to discourage the audience and the longer the wait time draws on, the louder the buzz in the room becomes. Tkay Maidza promptly arrives on stage an entire four

No frivolous tradition will get in her way of delivering an intense, dance heavy night. minutes early. Perhaps she didn’t get the memo that arriving early is taboo - but Maidza is here to deliver a show, and no frivolous tradition will get in her way of delivering an intense, dance-heavy night. Donning what can only be described as a fancy yellow raincoat, it takes seconds for Maidza to become the person everyone wants to be best friends with. Her dancing is infectious and mesmerising,

as her waist length hair whips about with a mind of its own. It’s not until the Martin Solveig produced Do It Right belts out over the speakers that both Maidza and the room lose their collective minds. Despite a heavy reliance on a backing track for most of the singing components, Maidza shows off her impressive skills during fan favourite MOB, where her ability to rap with a smooth coherence shines through. For a 21-year-old, the subtle confidence she exudes is on another level, often making it hard to believe that Maidza only released her debut LP a week ago. After a seamless transition from Tennies to Monochrome, the night is transformed into a full-blown rave, minus the free bottles of water and zoned-out faces. As the room continues to pulsate in approval, Maidza introduces herself to the crowd as Tkay, which is assumingly directed at those who are unable to see the giant TKAY emblazoned on the wall directly behind her. The night is wrapped up with an energetic performance of Brontosaurus, followed by an incredibly intense percussion outro. Non-singing appears to be a non-issue for the average concert-goer - everyone here seems like they would be more than content to fork out ticket cost numerous times over solely to see Maidza’s amazing rap ability and single-handed dance party. Maidza herself still seems so incredibly humbled to be where she is, which may just be the biggest takeaway from the entire night.

More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au/ music/live-reviews

Sex On Toast @ Howler Regurgitator @ The Prince

Louis Costello

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 41

Arts Reviews Arts Reviews

dense lamination of competing ideas and references, superimposed one on top of the other, that the refinement of individual ideas is lost in the metaphorical sludge. Hamlet (Mark Wilson) is at the bottom of the food chain, a manicdepressive, closeted leftie anarchist with masochistic leanings toward suicidal hate-fucking. His old friend Ophelia (Natascha Flowers) is a talented academic, who wants to change the world with her blue-sky optimism. Hamlet’s mother Gertrude (Natasha Herbert) is a disinterested lush — caught hook, line and sinker by the manipulative Claudius (Marco Chiappi) and his skeezy political hackery. At the top of the tree is Edward Bernays (Charles Purcell), an American silver-tongued spin master. Who better than the father of psychoanalysis, the indestructible Sigmund Freud (Brian Lipson), to offer some much-needed therapy to this collection of basket cases — shame he’s a deviant himself, pushing Oedipal diagnoses to get his kicks. One strong endorsement of Wilson’s skills as a playwright, dramaturge and director, is the calibre of the cast he has assembled. These are top-shelf talents and each brings an astonishing level of commitment and detail to their accounts. Indeed, they often go way above and beyond in their duty to Wilson’s vision, jaw-droppingly so in some instances (I won’t ruin the surprise with spoilers). As a performer, Wilson is blisteringly engaging and there is plenty within this production for him to be proud of. A lean, insightful work of satirical chutzpah is ready to be excavated from this mammoth text. But, in its current incarnation, Anti-Hamlet is overwritten, overwhelming, and by it’s overdrawn and overbaked conclusion, some three hours after curtain up, the audience — this critic included — were over it.

Anti-Hamlet. Pic: Sarah Walker

Anti-Hamlet Theatre Theatre Words to 13 Nov

★★½ Mark Wilson’s helter-skelter response to the Bard’s tortured Dane, Anti-Hamlet, is a bit of a headscratcher for a critic. In some respects, it is a wild, complex, defiantly unrestrained accomplishment, while in others, it is curdling, tryhard and wincingly overcooked. This is a production that holds absolutely nothing back, and this is both its strength and its weakness. Those who came seeking Shakespeare will have left disappointed. Only the faintest whiff of the source material remains, overpowered by the pungency of Wilson’s geopolitical satire. Not that that’s a problem necessarily, but there is such a

Maxim Boon

42 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge Film In cinemas now

★★★★ Hacksaw Ridge is probably the most gruesome propacifism film you’re ever likely to see. Bringing to the screen the true story of American medic Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who was eager to serve his country during WWII but refused on religious principle to carry a weapon, director Mel Gibson vividly presents war as hell...and drops the angelic Doss smack in the middle of it. Violence is in Gibson’s blood — that’s obvious from his most distinctive work as both an actor and a filmmaker, from Mad Max to The Passion of the Christ — but he’s also a true believer in suffering as the path to salvation, and Hacksaw Ridge allows him to tackle both topics with ferocity. As Gibson is so in step with the material, the result is a movie that is thoroughly sincere and genuine when it comes to the best qualities of humanity coexisting with the worst. When America goes to war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Doss, played with winning, guileless charm and understated grit by Andrew Garfield, is keen to do his part, even though he has just fallen head over heels in love with Dorothy (Teresa Palmer). Doss shows courage under fire, and then some, when his infantry division is dispatched to a desolate battlefield dubbed ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, standing atop a steep cliff. Facing the Japanese enemy, Doss sees his comrades literally torn apart by gunfire and grenade blast. The men that aren’t killed are wounded beyond belief. And with no gun in his hand, Doss ventures into the war zone to rescue whoever he can. Then he goes back for another, and another, and another. Hacksaw Ridge may prove confronting and even confounding at times (the sincerity I mentioned earlier can sometimes come off as square to the point of parody), but it’s a terrific story, firm in its beliefs and clear in its message. Guy Davis

OPINION Opinion

Howzat!

Local Music By Jeff Jenkins Raze The Roof “I was born and raised with the drumsticks in my hands ...” So starts Kings Of The Sun’s new album, Razed On Rock. Clifford Hoad is the greatest rock drummer Howzat! has seen. “The opening track is the story of my life,” he says. “And the story of a lot of people’s lives.” Cliff and his brother, Jeffrey - who is no longer a part of the band - were raised on rock. Of course, there are many sub-genres: classic rock, pub rock, prog rock... and Razed On Rock celebrates pretty much every one. “All I can say is I tried to go back into an 18-year-old’s body when I wrote the songs,” Cliff told Howzat!’s buddy RRR’s Neil Rogers, a long-time champion of the band. “That naive love of rock... you’re hearing these bands and you feel like something’s going to happen in your life.” Razed On Rock - available at kingsofthesunband. com - comes nearly 30 years to the day since the Kings’ debut single, Bottom Of My Heart. And it follows Cliff’s comeback album, 2013’s Rock Til Ya Die. The new album showcases a new band, featuring keyboards and female

backing vocals. “After Rock Til Ya Die, we went to Europe and under the pressure of everything, the band sort of fell apart. I came home with my tail between my legs, wondering what I was going to do.” A mate gave Cliff a Bowie biography. “I discovered that every time he did an album, he basically had a new band. As long as he had the ideas and the style in his head, he could convey it to the musicians, and that’s how he kept inspired and fresh.” The new album features a cautionary tale called Fallen Rockstar. But Cliff is a survivor. A Melbourne fan, Craig Crawford, posted this message on the Kings’ Facebook page after hearing one of the new songs, Struck By Lightning: “Wake up call to all pretenders. THIS is what WE want! Rocking riffs and a great tune. No computer

crap. Real people playing their instruments to breaking point.” Indeed. If rock is dead, nobody bothered to tell Clifford Hoad. Remembering Tracy The Birthday Party’s bass player Tracy Pew died 30 years ago this week, aged 28, after an epileptic seizure. Nick Cave called Tracy: “The one male genius I’ve ever met.” Hot Line “This rock’n’roll’s gone to my head” - Kings Of The Sun, Razed On Rock.

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 43

Comedy / G The Guide

Wed 09

Olympia

Vengaboys + Tina Cousins + DJ Sammy + Whigfield + Sonique + Crystal Waters + Joanne: 170 Russell, Melbourne

Bohjass + Bitter Almond: 303, Northcote

Dan Sultan

Neighbourhood Riots + King Stag + Dandecat: Bar Open, Fitzroy Nick Cody: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne

The Music Presents Taasha Coates & The Melancholy Sweethearts: 12 Nov Northcote Social Club A Day On The Green: 12 & 13 Nov Mt Duneed Estate Drysdale

ScHoolboy Q: Festival Hall, West Melbourne Tanzer + Tetrahedra + Tiaryn + Karen From Finance: Grace Darling Hotel (Basement), Collingwood Open Mic Night: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford

Dan Sultan: 13 Nov 170 Russell

The Songroom with Jess Ribeiro + Leah Senior: Northcote Social Club, Northcote

Tourists

Kylie Auldist: 17 Nov Sooki Lounge Belgrave

Charles Jenkins: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick

Head down to Howler on Saturday and catch Olympia on the Melbourne leg of her Different Cities national tour alongside Myd Ayr and Darling James. These are the art rocker’s last headline shows for the year.

Ben Lee: 18 Nov Caravan Music Club Oakleigh Ne Obliviscaris: 25 Nov 170 Russell Bell X1: 2 Dec The Prince Golden Age Of Ballooning: 8 Dec The Old Bar; 9 Dec Mynt Werribee The Avalanches: 3 & 4 Jan Melbourne Town Hall Highasakite: 4 Jan Corner Hotel Parcels: 4 Jan The Gasometer Hotel

Open Mic Night: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Scout + Scraggers + Weatherboards: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood My Elephant Ride: The Loft, Warrnambool Hollie Joyce + Baked Bean + Luke Brennan + Tali Mahoney: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Tech N9ne + Krizz Kaliko + Stevie Stone: The Prince (Bandroom), St Kilda Big Gay Trivia: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda

Grouplove: 6 Jan Melbourne Town Hall Twelve Foot Ninja: 7 Jan Corner Hotel; 2 Feb Commercial Hotel; 3 Feb Chelsea Heights Hotel; 4 Feb Villiage Green Hotel

Shrapnel

CW Stoneking & Nathaniel Rateliff: 9 Mar Seaworks Williamstown

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: 11 April 170 Russell

Shrappers This Friday Shrapnel, The Shifters and Blank Statements make up the unbeatable lineup preceding Chook Race at The Tote. The band have just returned from a month-long US tour and are set to launch album Around The House.

The Finks + Domini Forster + Mcrobin + Mickey Cooper + Hannah Blackburn: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Klara Zubonja + Forever Son + Alana Wilkinson: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Spit + Shrimpwitch + Chips Calipso + Real Love: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford

44 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

Late Nights + William Maxwell + Rian KF + more: 303, Northcote

Black Sheep: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East

Ah Trees + Going Swimming + The Football Club + Blyolk: Bar Open, Fitzroy

Silly Fools + Dax Rock Rider: Max Watt’s, Melbourne

Casey Bennetto + Suzannah Espie: Bella Union, Carlton South

Impavid + Her Majesty’s Hangover + Edit the Empire: The Bendigo, Collingwood

Osaka: Boney, Melbourne

The Crookeds + The Bond Street Vandals + Maverick + Gee Seas: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick

Vika & Linda Bull: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh

Summer Flake

Pugsley Buzzard Trio + Adam Duffy: Charles Weston Hotel (Front Bar), Brunswick

Roy Ayers: 9 Apr The Croxton

The Lumineers: 19 Apr Arts Centre Melbourne

Andy Phillips: Laika Bar, St Kilda

Suburban Haze + Chores + Jo Neugebauer + Miyazaki: Catfish, Fitzroy

NAO: 25 Jan Howler

Gallant: 17 Apr, Corner Hotel

Thu 10

Soul In The Basement with The Sugarcanes + Vince Peach + Pierre Baroni: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Nick Cody: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Allysha Joy: Edinburgh Castle Hotel (Beer Garden), Brunswick

‘Tis The Season

Good Nature feat. WVRBVBY + So.crates + Zol Balint + Lionel: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy

This Saturday is set to be another huge night at The Tote when Summer Flake is joined by Big White and Jade Imagine in supporting The Ocean Party for the launch of their sixth fulllength Restless.

Vengaboys + Tina Cousins + Crystal Waters + DJ Sammy + Whigfield + Sonique + Joanne: Festival Hall, West Melbourne Busby Marou: Grace Darling Hotel (Band Room), Collingwood Itsokman + The Safety Word + Seasloth + The Fluffs: Grace Darling Hotel (Basement), Collingwood The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards: Hamer Hall, Melbourne

The Hard Rock Show’s End of Year Extravaganza 2016: The Croxton, Thornbury

The Cherry Dolls + Jurassic Nark + Horace Bones + Dumb Dog: Howler, Brunswick

Benoit James + Zack Grace: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne

British India: Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Gigs / Live The Guide

Wolf & Willow

My Elephant Ride + Plastic: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy

Deftones + Karnivool + Voyager: Festival Hall, West Melbourne

Winternationale + Great Earthquake + Mares: Grace Darling Hotel (Band Room), Collingwood

WW Local two-piece Wolf & Willow recently released their debut EP Born To Be. To celebrate they are playing an acoustic showcase of the songs with Luke Biscan, Miller and Furneax at Wesley Anne, Thursday. Papa Chango + Sugarfed Leopards + Cassawarrior: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Floyd Cox + Dom Kelly + Dog Cuntz: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Tech N9ne + Krizz Kaliko + Stevie Stone: The Prince (Bandroom), St Kilda Moreton: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Midnight Express with DJ Prequel & Edd Fisher + The Neighbourhood Watch: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Dead End + Nun Of The Tongue + Soft Edges + Fuzzsucker: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood

Atomic Death Squad + Maniaxe + Counterattack + Drain Life + Primitive: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Crvena Jabuka + Nesa Galija: The Croxton, Thornbury Apes + DIET. + Fountaineer: The Curtin, Carlton

The Velvet Lounge feat. Mardi Love + more: Howler, Brunswick

Jean Claude Sam Dan: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne

Crystal Cities: Long Play, Fitzroy North

Shining Bird + SM Jenkins + Solid Effort: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood

Destroyer 666: Max Watt’s, Melbourne Cosmic Rain + The Ball Boys + John Williams’ Double Shot Of Blues: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford Friday Nights at NGV feat. Custard: National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Southbank

The Ruminaters: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood

The Boys: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote

Alister Turrill: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote

Betty & Oswald: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Michael Beach + Low Talk + Pregnancy + The Quivers: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford

Sat 12 Beacons + Bottlecaps + Public Liability + Sarge & The Nuked + more: 303, Northcote Afternoon Show with Pugsley Buzzard: Bar Open, Fitzroy

British India

Laura Jean + Two Steps on the Water + Seagull: Northcote Social Club, Northcote The Disco feat. Mihai Popoviciu + Various DJs: Onesixone, Prahran Kim Wilde + Howard Jones: Palais Theatre, St Kilda La Dance Macabre with Brunswick Massive: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Mick Thomas & Roving Commission + Rich Davies and the Low Road: Saints & Sailors, Portarlington Imperial Broads + Richard Cuthbert: Some Velvet Morning, Clifton Hill Shihad + My Echo: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave Don McGlashan: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick La Tropa Vallenata: The B.East, Brunswick East

Jamatar + Oolluu + cTrix: The Workers Club, Fitzroy

It’s Who You Know Continuing on their impressive year and the massive tour for their latest single I Thought We Knew Each Other, British India will pull into 170 Russell on Friday. Horace Bones and High Violet to support.

Boy & Bear: Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo Mr Alford: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote

Lowtide + Mt Mountain + Contrast + The Zebras: The Old Bar, Fitzroy

Go-Go Gorilla + DJ Simon Laxton + Coco Brown + Dusty Stylus: Bar Open, Fitzroy

Wolf & Willow: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote

Shiny Coin + Piss Factory: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg

The Earthmen + Autohaze + The Zebras: Bella Union, Carlton South

Nathan Carter: The Prince, St Kilda

Corin + Air Max ‘97 + Nico Niquo: Boney, Melbourne

Fri 11

APES

British India: 170 Russell, Melbourne Hollywood Models + Bittersweet + Box Crunch + Discotears: Bar Open, Fitzroy

Monkey Magic

Play On - Classical/Electro Music Nights with The Penny Quartet + Jennifer Loveless: Collingwood Underground Carpark, Collingwood

APES have announced an east coast tour to celebrate their new single If You Want It, which is taken off of their debut album, due out next year. Kick off is this Friday at The Curtin.

Nick Cody: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Hannah Ashcroft: Compass Pizza Bar, Brunswick East Holy Holy + I Know Leopard + Alex L’Estrange: Corner Hotel, Richmond Meniscus + Toehider + Oolluu: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Will ds + Gibberish: Edinburgh Castle Hotel (Beer Garden), Brunswick

Chillers + Benifer Rhodes: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda Sleazy Listening with Arks + Richard Kelly + Hysteric + K. Hoop: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Poprocks At The Toff with Dr Phil Smith: The Toff In Town (Ballroom), Melbourne Sow Discord + Justin Fuller + Regional Curse + Dire Ears + Papaphilia + Compound: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood Chook Race + Shrapnel + The Shifters + Blank Statements: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood

Honours Joe Cocker +Doug Parkinson: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Wounded Pig + Odiusembowel + Bog + Maggot Bath + Internal Nightmare: Catfish, Fitzroy Neeko: Charles Weston Hotel (Front Bar), Brunswick Atomic Riot + The Lockhearts + Darcee Fox: Cherry Bar, Melbourne The Paul Kidney Experience + Sun Blindness + MC Filth Wizard + Intrinsic Light + Frostcock: Coburg RSL, Coburg Nick Cody: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne

Super Flu: The Bottom End, Melbourne

Chango Tree: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island

Mick Daley’s Corporate Raiders: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine

The Pigs: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury

T.K. Reeve: Compass Pizza Bar, Brunswick East

60th Birthday with Marty Rose: Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak

Citizen + Deafcult + Slowly Slowly: Corner Hotel, Richmond

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 45

Comedy / G The Guide

Snuff + Amelia Arsenic: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne

An Audience with (Elvis Tribute Artist) feat. Jack Gatto: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury

Klara Zubonja

DJ Steely Ann + New$hoes: Edinburgh Castle Hotel (Beer Garden), Brunswick

Creedence Clearwater Recycled: Torquay Hotel, Torquay

Figurehead + Dianas + The Honey Badgers + James Seedy: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy

We Love the 90s feat. Sash: Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak

O’Stranger Tang + The Chops + Griya + Mickey Coops: Gin Lane, Belgrave

The Detonators + Roz Girvan + The Miserable Little Bastards: Union Hotel, Brunswick

The Dare Ohhs + Trillionayers + RAThammock + Good Morning: Grace Darling Hotel (Band Room), Collingwood

Super Flu: UNO Danceclub, Geelong Water Bear: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote

Olympia + Mid Ayr + Darling James: Howler, Brunswick Wax Nomads: Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Delsinki Records + Brooke Taylor: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote

Spotting + Miss Destiny: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy

Togetherapart + Nonagon + Lacuna + Andos Robe: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford

Glenn Skuthorpe Band: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East

Stuck In

Rosie Waterland: Yarraville Club (7.30pm), Yarraville

Shaka Cheviot + Various DJs: Loop, Melbourne

Songstress Klara Zubonja has wrangled a new band together and is performing at The Workers Club on Wednesday to launch her album Stuck Between. Forever Son and Alana Wilkinson are billed to support.

Rosie Waterland: Yarraville Club (9.30pm), Yarraville

Disturbed + Twelve Foot Ninja: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Furnace & Fundamentals: Max Watt’s, Melbourne The Book of Daughters feat. Sonic Flock + Shhhh + Slow Riven Whirl + Drum Drum Solo: Meat Market, North Melbourne In Conversation with Zola Jesus: Melbourne Recital Centre (Salon), Southbank

Dan Sultan + Caiti Baker + Morgan Bain: 170 Russell, Melbourne Taasha Coates & The Melancholy Sweethearts: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Joe & Caspar: Palais Theatre, St Kilda Dos Boy: Penny Black, Brunswick Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk: Pistol Pete’s Food n Blues, Geelong

The Cherry Dolls

The Peeks: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Shaky Stills: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Terrestrials + Moonshifter + Once Were Lost + Elemanda + Lord Ragnar: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Matinee Show with Dynamo: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Dynamo: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

All Dolled Up The Cherry Dolls have been absolutely killing it lately, fresh off their Lone Palm EP tour and from sell-out shows with Gideon Benson and The Delta Riggs. You can see them in the act at Howler, Thursday.

Neil Young - Revolution Blues with Chris Wilson + Lisa Miller + Gallie + Rob Snarski + Nick Barker + Rebecca Barnard + Tracy McNeil + more: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda A Day On The Green with You Am I + Something For Kate + Spiderbait + Jebediah + The Meanies: Mt Duneed Estate, Drysdale

46 • THE MUSIC • 9TH NOVEMBER 2016

SUN 13

Smalltown with Nina Kraviz + Marcel Dettmann + Bjarki: South Beach Reserve, St Kilda Limelight: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick The Tarantinos: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Hanksaw: Surabaya Johnny’s, St Kilda Iaki Vallejo: The B.East, Brunswick East The Dead Love + Kill Dirty Youth + Danger & Plastic: The Bendigo, Collingwood Goodtimes Forever feat. Poison Fish + Library Siesta + Mannequin Death Squad + Junkyard + Peter Dickybird + Mind The Machine + Clawhawk + Team Vom + RAThammock + Huntsman + Tropical Deadbeats + The Cooks Music: The Brunswick Hotel (Indoor & Outdoor Stages), Brunswick

Waz E James + The Tipplers: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Hideous Towns + Way Dynamic + Tropical Snakes + Robot Fox: The Eastern, Ballarat East Chatterbox with Prequel + DJ J’Nett + Rambl + Brooke Powers + Danny Hotep: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood

Afternoon Show with Opal Ocean + Hey Mammoth + EEO + Erika Fedele: 303, Northcote All Ages Show with Citizen + Deafcult + Better Half: Arrow On Swanston, Carlton Sunday Sessions with General Men + Closet Straights: Bar Open (2pm), Fitzroy

The Pretty Littles + Horace Bones: The Loft, Warrnambool The Burnt Sausages + Made Austria + The Girl Fridas + Piss Factory: The Old Bar, Fitzroy

I Know Leopard

Bitch Diesel: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Go Get Mum + Bill + Danika Smith: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg The King Louie Collective: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda In The Carriage with Jimmy James + Danny Hotep: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Broads + Baby Blue + Matt Wicking: The Toff In Town, Melbourne The House deFrost with Andee Frost: The Toff In Town (Ballroom), Melbourne The Ocean Party + Summer Flake + Big White + Jade Imagine: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood

New Spot Having only just released their own new single, Rather Be Lonely, I Know Leopard are headed to Corner Hotel with Alex L’Estrange to support Holy Holy as part of their Darwinism tour.

Loobs + Polo + Powerlines: The Tote (Front Bar), Collingwood Don McGlashan: The Who Club, Warburton Matinee Show with Postcodes + Dal Santo + Late Nights: The Workers Club, Fitzroy

Immigration Union + Perch Creek + Leah Senior: The Curtin, Carlton

Kalacoma + Yollks + Abraham Tilbury: The Workers Club, Fitzroy

New Lease feat. Bodies + Scumwitch: The Curtin, Carlton

Holy Holy + I Know Leopard + Alex L’Estrange: The Workers Club Geelong, Geelong

Echolyte + The Pope’s Assassins + Origami Roadkill + Men with Hats: Bar Open, Fitzroy Melbourne Music Week: Music Safari feat. Legends Of Motorsport + Baptism Of Uzi + Saint Jude + Closet Straights + Howl At The Moon: Bella Union, Carlton South Vika & Linda Bull: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh

Gigs / Live The Guide

Pheasant Pluckers: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy

Davy Simony

A Day On The Green with You Am I + Something For Kate + Spiderbait + Jebediah + The Meanies: Rochford Wines, Coldstream Matinee Show with Dynamo: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Dynamo: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne The Band Who Knew Too Much: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick

Simony Says Alternative rootsy, folksy singersongwriter Davy Simony is going to be performing at Compass Pizza Bar Sunday. Simony uses uses guitar, foot percussion, live loops and endless energy to rock an awesome ‘one-man band’ vibe.

The Swamp Stompers: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island

Matinee Show with Hollywood Real Thoughts + Mosaicz + Fierce Mild + What Did You Do With Mom: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Moreland City Soul Revue + Sarah Carroll: Union Hotel, Brunswick The Slipdixies: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote

Mama Alto: The B.East, Brunswick East

Crystal Cities: Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East

Malcura + Cosmic Kahuna + Kill The Darling + Tux + Creek + The Wandering Minstrel: The Bendigo, Collingwood

Mon 14

The Deja Vus + Reii + Las Eaglemont: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick

James: 170 Russell, Melbourne Recitals: 303, Northcote

Tue 15

Make It Up Club feat. Joe Talia + Marco Fusinato + more: Bar Open, Fitzroy Shewolf + The Crookeds + Cash: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Way Dynamic + Totally Mild + Pregnancy + An Evening with Snowy: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Irish Session: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Melbourne Music Week: Hush - An Evening of Quiet Music feat. Dan Kelly + Teeth & Tongue + Melody Pool + Sui Zhen + Jess Ribeiro + Grand Salvo + Man Made Mountain + The Grand Magoozi + Davey Craddock: Parliament House, East Melbourne

Twerps + Small World Experience + Whipper: The Curtin, Carlton Sean McConnell + Jo Meares: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Broads: The Eastern, Ballarat East

Aquapuncture: Catfish, Fitzroy

DJ Skatebard + Pelvis DJs: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood

Cherry Blues with Phil Para Band + DJ Max Crawdaddy: Cherry Bar, Melbourne

The Rechords: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg

Hugh McGinlay: Compass Pizza Bar, Brunswick East

The Sunday Set with DJ Andyblack + Mr Weir: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne

DJ Let Them Eat Baklava: Edinburgh Castle Hotel (Beer Garden), Brunswick Rigidy Rourke & The Love Dogs + Werewolves of Melbourne + Fresco: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Acoustic Session with Mike Rudd + Steve Lucas + Billy Miller + Steve Hoy + Joey Amenta + Chris Stockley: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick

Down The Rabbit Hole with Nigel Last: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Neue Grafik + Silentjay + Raaghe + Kaya Kalpa + more: The Toff In Town, Melbourne

Neeko

Neato Destroyer 666

Afternoon Show with Lazertits + Parsnip + Crop Top + DJ Grace K: Grace Darling Hotel (Band Room), Collingwood Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk: Heritage Tavern, Balnarring

Melbourne-based songstress Neeko complements her straightforward poetry with lush chords and floating melodies, emphasised by a strong connection to rhythm. Catch her set down at Charles Weston Hotel on Saturday.

Holy Holy + I Know Leopard + Alex L’Estrange: Karova Lounge, Ballarat

Cherry Jam: Cherry Bar, Melbourne

The JVG Guitar Method: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy

Magic Is Happening + So.crates + Zol Balint + Splendidid: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy

Brent Parlane: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East The Mission: Max Watt’s, Melbourne Melbourne Music Week: Love Live Music feat. The Delta Riggs + The Pierce Brothers + Woodlock + The Pretty Littles + The Vanns + Masco Sound System + Gena Rose Bruce + Reuben Stone + Harrison Storm + Maya + Brooke Taylor + Coby Grant + James Franklin + Hugo Bladel + The Mad Hatters + more: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Richmond Melbourne Music Week 2016 feat. The Drones + Grand Organ + My Disco: Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne Devil Goat Family Band: Open Studio, Northcote Dionne Warwick: Palais Theatre, St Kilda

Brutal Described as dangerous confronting and unrelenting, Destroyer 666 put on a good show. The Melbourne expats are back on home soil for the Australian Wildfire tour and you can see them at Max Watt’s, Friday.

Zola Jesus: Melbourne Recital Centre (Elisabeth Murdoch Hall), Southbank Monday Night Mass feat. Liam Halliwell Trio + Big White + RVG + Cyanide Thornton: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Tall Shores + Arun Roberts: Open Studio, Northcote Melbourne Music Week feat. Shihad + The Pretty Littles: State Library Victoria, Melbourne Passionate Tongues Poetry: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick

Bitch Diesel + Chelsea Bleach + Doona Waves + Deep Scene: The Tote (Front Bar), Collingwood Wounded Pig + Odiusembowel + Pissbolt + Grudge + Ash Mouth: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood

Call It In with Instant Peterson + Dylan Michel: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne

Melbourne Music Week: Valve Sounds feat. Elliphant + Yeo + UV Boi + Young Tapz + Nasty Mars + Alice Ivy + Big Words + Junor + more: State Library Victoria, Melbourne Expire + Born Free + Broken + Locked: The Bendigo, Collingwood DFFDL + Green Mules + Opal Ghost: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Swooping Duck + Uncomfortable Sciences: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Now.Here.This with Royalty Noise + Ike’s Eyes n Hour + DJ Justice: The Toff In Town, Melbourne One Thousand Promises + Anton Charles + Carmen Main + Brendan Bonsack: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Jimmy Barnes: Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts, Wendouree

Keggin + Palmerslum + Hunting Dogs: The Workers Club, Fitzroy

THE MUSIC 9TH NOVEMBER 2016 • 47

FACE MUSIC

TH E

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SUMMIT THU 17 & FRI 18 NOV State Library Victoria

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