11.01.17 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
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171
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4 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
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THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 5
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Aussie Roo
UK artist Roo Panes has announced he will be making his Australian debut in March. The singer-songwriter will headline three east coast dates, as well as appearing at Adelaide Fringe and Port Fairy Folk Festival.
Roo Panes
Happy Anniversary Quintessential Aussie folk rock outfit The Waifs are turning 25 this year. To celebrate a quarter-century in the saddle the trio have announced a massive tour through March and April, as well as new album.
The Waifs
Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Top 3 food vehicles: 3. Food truck 2. Ice cream van 1. Gravy boat @egg_dog
6 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Child Catcher Neil Patrick Harris goes from matinee idol to creepy old codger in Netflix’s highly anticipated new series, Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events. Stream from Friday and see the Baudelaire orphans kick Count Olaf’s butt.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Credits
Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd
Pre-Phoenix
Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast
National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen
In the lead-up to the release of forthcoming LP Stoicville: The Phoenix, US rapper T-Pain is set to make his return to Australia this month when he’ll perform DJ sets around the country.
Editor Bryget Chrisfield
Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon
T-Pain
Gig Guide Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au Editorial Assistants Brynn Davies, Sam Wall
Matrix & Futurebound
Future Trix Drum’n’bass royalty Matrix & Futurebound have announced their glorious return to Australia for four national dates. The tour kicks off at Royal Melbourne Hotel later this month and finishes in Brisbane in February.
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 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
3 The number of film soundtracks currently sitting in the ARIA top five albums – from Trolls, Sing and Moana. Obviously the school holidays are having an impact.
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THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 7
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Morish
Who Dares Wins
Australia’s already-rapturously received, impending debut run of performances for globally acclaimed musical The Book Of Mormon has been increased again with a further preview outing being added at the Princess Theatre this month.
Award-winning trio Ash Flanders, director Stephen Nicolazzo and musical director David Barclay are back with their totes hilar show about making it in The Biz. Playing To Win opens 27 Jan for Midsumma Festival.
The Book Of Mormon
Emma Louise
Main Event St Kilda Festival have announced the main stage line-up for next month and they’ve definitely outdone themselves. Emma Louise, The Aston Shuffle (DJ Set), Drapht, The Smith Street Band and Daryl Braithwaite are all on board.
6,868,642 Sing Out A new record number of global Spotify streams for Ed Sheeran’s new track Shape Of You in its first 24 hours – just over 2 million more than previous title holder One Direction.
8 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Best keep a night open somewhere between Tuesday and Sunday. A Night At The Musicals, UK drag icon Jonny Woo and Olivier-winner Le Gateau Chocolat’s “tortured love letter to the glorious genre of musical theatre” is on for Midsumma Festival.
A Night At The Musicals
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
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Music
Cyclone discovers that Neo Jessica Joshua, better known as “wonky funk” pioneer NAO, “writes from the soul, from the heart,” and you can’t outsource that.
ising Brit star NAO (aka Neo Joshua) has charmed fans of both throwback and avant-R&B with her “wonky funk”. Joshua’s debut, For All We Know, made key ‘Best Albums Of 2016’ lists. She’s excitedly hitting Australia for the first time over (our) summer, heading to Laneway (and side shows) with her band. And, post-fest, Joshua plans to “hang out”. “I hope to stay [for] around two weeks or something, just chilling in Australia and driving around,” she enthuses. The Hackney singer/songwriter/producer speaks softly, apologising for her “sleepy brain” this morning. Despite her early reserve with the media, Joshua is chatty. She was raised in East London by a single mother - music a constant. “I have a big family,” Joshua says. “I’m the youngest of five. All my brothers and sisters loved music and they played music from night ‘til day.” Envisaging herself as a new Nina Simone, Joshua was accepted into the distinguished Guildhall School Of Music & Drama to study Jazz Voice. She joined The Boxettes - a modish all-girl ensemble fronted by champion beatboxer Bellatrix. They performed at London Jazz Festival, and visited India. “We were just college kids trying to make a bit of money,” Joshua says. “We put together an a cappella group to do some gigs with and it took on a life of its own - it kinda got this weird cult following.” The Boxettes amicably split in 2014. “It wasn’t what anyone really wanted to do as a fulltime career.” Joshua also gigged as a backing vocalist, notably for Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp. Again, she downplays it. “I didn’t extensively tour with him, actually,” she corrects. “I think that was just one name that came up and then everyone ran with it!” Indeed, Joshua appeared at select “important” bookings including Pulp’s surprise Glastonbury show of 2011. Is Cocker aware of her solo success? “I’m not sure if he knows,” Joshua laughs. “I’m sure he does... Actually, I have no idea! I have no idea if he’s into the world that I’m in.” Meanwhile, she secured a day job as a music teacher. Ironically, when Joshua initially composed her own pop songs, that training proved a hindrance. “I had to unlearn a lot of things when I came out of music college. At the very beginning of my writing process, I was making things too complicated.” Joshua generated serious buzz as NAO in 2014 after uploading the single So Good on SoundCloud - she’d cut it with AK Paul, brother of the mysterious R&B prodigy Jai. Joshua was invited to open Little Dragon’s European tour dates on the back of her So Good EP. The next year, she performed at Glasto behind a second EP. In yet another coup, Joshua featured on Disclosure’s
Caracal. The soulstress placed third in the BBC Music Sound Of 2016 poll. Critics have compared Joshua to vintage Janet Jackson and Aaliyah, emphasising her roots in the R&B of the ‘80s and ‘90s. However, she holds that the NAO aesthetic is contemporary, hence her branding it “wonky funk”. “My music isn’t traditional R&B at all. It’s not as smooth as R&B was in its heyday - which was the ‘90s or early 2000s... It was smoother and it was a lot more wear-your-heart-on-the-sleeve and the lyrics were a lot more direct.” Nor does Joshua reference any one artist. “I just take influence from all the things that I absorbed as a little girl.” As such, while For All We Know borrows its title from a ‘30s jazz standard, Joshua is content for her synthesis to be classed as “indie R&B”. She is attuned to today’s R&B/hip hop, too. Still, her output has uniquely more bounce and boogie than most glitchy R&B. Joshua worked on For All We Know with predominantly underground producers - Brit DJ GRADES assisting on the singles Bad Blood and Girlfriend. But she also vibed with rare groove boffins Jungle (Get To Know Ya recalling Jam & Lewis) and reunited with the enigmatic Paul (the Princely Trophy). The ‘90s urban music boom saw the producer elevated to superstar status and now industry-types routinely obsess over album credits. Joshua herself mentions the myriad names listed on a curated Rihanna or Drake record. Nonetheless, in presenting For All We Know, she was determined to assert her artistic agency. Coincidentally, female auteurs like Bjork are challenging perceptions that they play a passive role to male studio cohorts. “I think I took away how powerful I could be within my own music,” Joshua ponders. “I noticed that actually when the album came out: the industry were very quick to talk about the producers on the album, where I had to keep saying, like, I produced
WELCOME TO LANEWAY
a lot of it, and most of it. I wrote all the songs, I came up with a lot of the production ideas, and I’d go in with the producers after I’ve laid down the beats and the chords... I was instrumental to it. But they weren’t really hearing that, which I thought was kind of weird... So I found the power in just telling people how much this album is a part of me, how much I put into it, in writing all the songs. There’s only ever two people on a track: me and the producer. I found so many skills within that, which I’m really proud of. I’m not shy to talk about it, either.” For All We Know is deeply personal, even if it’s not “direct”. “I write from the soul, from the heart,” Joshua shares. “They always say that I’m quite private when it comes to interviews and stuff, but it’s all there in the music, really - all the stories, the heartbreaks, all the confusion, all the good moments, all the shit moments...” Between albums, Joshua is seeking opportunities for further creative exchange. “One way that I would like to learn is by collaborating with more people and stepping outside of my own world into other people’s worlds to learn from them and learn how they write - learn their thinking process when it comes to lyrics and how they make their music. So I will be doing a project called NAO X, which will be a collaboration EP, I imagine, which does that.” In fact, Joshua already has had “one thought” about her follow-up album. She wants the prep to be less solitary and less production-based. “I’d like to jam with my band and see what we come up with all together and try it that way, which is quite old school, I think: to get in the studio with your band and set up the drums and the bass and just seeing what happens. I’ve got to give that a go. If it works, then I’ll probably use that idea running through the next album.”
I found the power in just telling people how much this album is a part of me, how much I put into it, in writing all the songs.
The 2017 Laneway roster is big on homegrown acts with exclusive appearances by Tame Impala and Nick Murphy (formerly Chet Faker). AB Original will be the festival’s hosts. Neo “NAO” Joshua is interested in Tame Impala - the band a cult fave in R&B circles, with Rihanna, Frank Ocean and Miguel down. But there are also buzz internationals - some, like NAO, making their Australian premieres. The must-sees? Precocious Norwegian singer/songwriter AURORA received glowing reviews for 2016’s debut All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend with its alternately euphoric and gothic electrofolk. Her stripped-down cover of Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy soundtracks the Alien: Covenant trailer. She’s touring with a band. New Jersey’s cloud rap pioneer Clams Casino (aka Michael Volpe) will perform a live tech show. Last year the onetime physical therapy student launched an expansive, experimental ‘artist’ album in 32 Levels - among its guests old ally Lil B and... Future Islands’ Samuel T Herring. Laneway’s most OMG headliner is a late addition being Atlanta (t)rapper Young Thug (Jeffery Williams), who cameoed on Jamie xx’s I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) alongside Popcaan. Thugger’s 2016 was huge, with contributions to Kanye West’s The Life Of Pablo and Chance The Rapper’s Coloring Book. Plus his mixtape Jeffery prompted memes and thinkpieces with its subversive cover art depicting him androgynously modelling a couture gown.
When & Where: 25 Jan, Howler; 28 Jan, Laneway Festival, Footscray Community Arts Centre THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 11
Music
Naked Heart Ahead of her upcoming tour, Amanda Palmer chats to Cyclone about making music with her dad and staying true to herself in the process.
A
manda Palmer, punk cabaret provocateur, is one of those artists other artists namecheck. The Motels’ frontwoman Martha Davis praised her grunge cover of Total Control – a fluke new wave hit for the Californians in Australia – which Palmer performed with former Bad Seed Hugo Race on RocKwiz. “It’s a great song!” Palmer enthuses. The Bostonian is heading to Australia for three months of gigs, starting with her inaugural Woodford Folk Festival. Palmer will then return to the Sydney Opera House, and also hold a residency at The Gasometer in
They’ve had to deal with [me]... literally naked on stage, pulling my heart out of my chest and going, look, look, look, look...
Melbourne. Palmer has promised spontaneous solo shows, with her singing, playing piano and ukulele, and bringing the cray. Palmer has “a real affinity” with Australians. She busked here ignominiously (as a living statue) even before touring with her fabled band The Dresden Dolls. However, another reason for this extended run is her desire to avoid the winter, with its “cold air”, Stateside. “I really like to be able to walk around naked all the time,” Palmer admits. “I don’t like having to put on clothes.” Palmer will miss Trump’s Presidential inauguration, something she feels guilty about. “I really wish that I could transport myself back for January 20th, because so many of my friends and fellow artists and musicians are all gonna be marching on Washington. I feel like I’m abandoning my comrades.”
12 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Coming up through a performing arts counterculture, “Amanda Fucking Palmer” found success in the 2000s with Brian Viglione as The Dresden Dolls – introducing dark cabaret to the indie scene. She went solo with 2008’s Who Killed Amanda Palmer. Yet Palmer realised that she was too subversively eccentric for labeldom. Indeed, she cut a set of Radiohead covers on ukulele. Determined to be autonomous, Palmer turned to Kickstarter to fund 2012’s Theatre Is Evil with her Grand Theft Orchestra, generating US$1.2 million. She wrote of exploring this new arts economy in her New York Times bestseller The Art Of Asking, itself based on a TED Talk. Palmer has since embraced Patreon, a crowdfunding subscription platform fostering rapport between creatives and fans, for her “weird projects”. “I’ve just been making music as I want.” She’s grateful. The communal Palmer is more prolific than ever. In 2016 she released an album with her father Jack, You Got Me Singing – “a bunch of sweet, easy folk covers”. Palmer refers to it as “the dad record”. The pair toured together, too. Says Palmer, “It was a wonderful experience.” The media has made much of the pair’s previous distance, but Palmer is anxious to correct any misapprehensions. “It actually bugs me that the press keeps saying that my dad and I were estranged, that’s just not true. It’s closer to say that we just didn’t have a close relationship when I was a kid, because my parents were divorced... But there was no battle. That being said, not being close with your dad is traumatic in itself... almost even worse than being estranged (laughs). It was like we had no relationship to estrange.” Palmer began building a relationship with her father as an adult. Jack is a singer/guitarist and she “semijoked joked” about their teaming for an album. He was “keen”. You G Got Me Singing was “liberating” – and restorative. The s singer can now empathise more with her parents. “My lilife has not been easy for them to understand. They’ They’ve had to deal with the daughter who, from the time s she was 24, was singing openly about her pain and agony and angst and abortions and relationships - you know, literally naked on stage, pulling my heart out of my chest and going, look, look, look, look...” N Next for Palmer is an album, I Can Spin A Rainbow, completed in London with Edward Ka-Spel – mastermind of cult ‘80s outfit The Legendary Pink Dots. He was her “teenage idol”. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever written. I absolutely love it because it really merges my songwriting voice with Edward’s. Edward’s ability to loop and produce electronic music and my very organic human piano sound are threaded together really beautifully. I’m incredibly proud of the record.”
When & Where: 12 & 19 Jan, 15 & 22 Feb, 2 & 9 Mar, The Gasometer; 10 Mar, National Gallery Of Victoria
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Music
Emotional People Moses Sumney tells Anthony Carew that the age of classification is dead. The only thing left is to be “honest and true and raw”.
W
hen Moses Sumney was ten years old, his life completely changed. He’d grown up in San Bernardino, in the ‘Inland Empire’ east of Los Angeles, but suddenly his parents — both members of the clergy — wanted to return to Ghana, to “contribute more to the society that they came from”. Sumney was transplanted to Accra; a “really insular child, very shy and very quiet”, suddenly thrown into another world. “It was really intense, and difficult,” says 26-year-old Sumney. “The cultural shock, the cultural change. I was a very American kid, and then suddenly I was living in Africa. Different accents, different cultural norms, different education system. I truly never [acclimatised], and I lived there for six years.”
People think they know me because I make intimate music, and they don’t. It’s important for people to understand that.
It was as a 12-year-old, riding the bus in Accra, that he started writing songs. “I didn’t know how to play any instruments, so I would write them all a cappella; just remember the melodies. And, had a notebook full of songs without instrumentation; but I could hear the instrumentation in my head,” he recounts. “I always knew I wanted to be a musician. It was the only thing I wanted to do, the only thing I fantasised about every hour of every day.” Sumney returned to California to go to college and, while studying creative writing at UCLA, taught himself how to play a guitar and use a loop pedal. “Writing songs
14 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
without music led me to looping, to creating songs with just the sound of my body,” he says; his compositions, still, centred around his voice. He started performing in 2013 and immediately got a hugely positive response, eager A&Rs imagining him as a budding soul singer. “It was very intense and overwhelming, because it all happened very quickly,” Sumney offers. “That’s the thing about making music in LA, you’re just naturally situated within the music industry. I was always into indie music: Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan Stevens, Dirty Projectors — stuff like that. I always envisioned myself as an indie performer, [and] was very naively married to the idea of being an artist; a dark, deep artist. And, the first year or two of me performing, there was a huge discrepancy between how I conceived of myself, and how other people perceived me. I just kept being told over and over how I’d make a great major label musician, a great pop star.” Sumney has had real flirtations with crossover — he appeared in the movie Creed, as part of Tessa Thompson’s band, and sang on the latest LPs by Solange and Corinne Bailey Rae — but he’s largely stuck to his own path. He’s self-released both of his releases, 2014’s Mid-City Island and 2016’s Lamentations, and tried to make his music “more interesting, and weirder”. After two years of work, he’s close to finishing his debut LP, due for release in 2017. The record pushes at his limits — “the songs are a little bit longer, the ideas a little bit bigger, things are a little more produced out, there’s more instrumentation” — and is about “toying with the idea of genre, or non-genre”. At this point in human history, Sumney says, “the lines are just so blurred; people need to get over it if they’re attached to genre, or they’re attached to the label you’re signed to. Classification, in general, is just fading away.” Sumney isn’t sure that the album is going to come out under his own name, though. “Every day I go back-andforth about whether I’m going to change my name; I think I might,” he says. He sees too much “cognitive dissonance” between his self-identity and the musical entity that now exists under his birth name. “People think that they own a part of the [artist], or that they’re entitled to it,” Sumney explains. “People think they know me because I make intimate music, and they don’t. It’s important for people to understand that: that they can’t know me, and that they don’t need to know me. As someone who pours my heart and soul into what I do, that’s enough of me.” Yet, it’s that level of candour that draws listeners devotedly to Sumney’s music. “The people who are at my shows are, typically, emotional people. We’re all just there to have a cry, and share that moment. People come up to me, crying. Or people post on the internet about how they relate to the songs. It’s really intense, actually; I just take the understanding that it’s not about me. When I make music and share it with the world, it’s not about me, Moses, the person, inside this bag of flesh. It’s about something much bigger than me... Being honest and true and raw about our feelings, I think that is what will push us forward as human beings; that is what will push the collective human consciousness forward.”
When & Where: 18 Jan, The Toff In Town; 21 Jan, Sugar Mountain, Victorian College Of The Arts
Thick as Theives presents
FRI 17/2
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SAT 31/12
TIGER ARMY
NYE W/ CARL CRAIG & BOOG$
w/special guest Fireballs and Pat Copocci TUES 21/2
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THUR 5/1
WED 25/1
BOOKA SHADE
REFUSED
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w/special guest SICK OF IT ALL + HIGH TENSION
TINIE TEMPAH
thurs 2/2 TUES 24/1
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THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 15
Music
The Last Departure In the lead up to their Last Dive tour, in which We Lost The Sea will perform their most recent album Departure Songs in its entirety for the last time, The Music asked the band to bid the record farewell and reflect on the emotional journey to record and tour it. Here, guitarist Brendon Warner says goodbye to not only the album, but as it turns out, the band itself.
to create something worthy of celebrating your mate. The bar is raised sky-high. With six fellas all carrying the same weight of duty it’s not hard to see how this became the hardest piece of music we’d ever had to create, and rightfully so. However, that doesn’t diminish the personal toll paid in pushing our ideas right through the process. It took us around two years to write. The luxury of months in the studio was unfeasible — so the pressure was on to get it done right and quick, and was expertly channelled by Tim Carr. Turtle’s stewardship of the concepts from musical frames to tangible imagery deserves full accolade; the artwork itself taking months to perfect. Every facet demanded our all. I’ll always be proud of what we’ve been able to create with Departure Songs. That being said, it will be my last collaboration with We Lost The Sea, at least for the foreseeable future. As the band stands on the precipice of European success I’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to step back and take time to reassess how and
T
he idea of belonging to a band of like-minded musicians carries the romantic notion of effortless collaboration and the good old “warm-and-fuzzies” you get from mates making great tunes together. The reality is often quite different. When you’re in this you’re in it because you have to be: there is no question. Your unshakable view is that everything you give to shape a piece of music — be it riffs, beats, words, themes, concepts — all deserve prominence having run the gauntlet of your own judgement. Sitting in the jam space chomping at the bit to share the few battle-hardened ideas with your peers, excitement reigns. But hold on! Some of the guys love it and others are not so sure. Or most love it but one guy thinks it sounds like a
Daryl Braithwaite rip-off. The reality is that the champion of your self-critique is not always so sound in the eyes of others. Despite the pain, it is this bureaucracy that separates the mediocre from the mesmerising. This is the challenge passionate musos face in a band of peers worth their salt. Now imagine you’re writing to express how much you love and miss your departed childhood friend; your chance 16 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
why I create music. My last show will be at Newtown Social Club. As that final gig approaches I find myself recalling moments of those last eight years I’d thought forgotten. From belting out Toto and chugging red wine out of plastic cups at the end of a 12-hour van trip to supporting some of our favourite bands at sell-out shows in some of the country’s greatest venues. We Lost The Sea has changed my life immeasurably and I wouldn’t change any of it. Stepping out onto that familiar stage in a few weeks’ time is going to be nerve-racking and bloody emotional, but the fellas and I intend to make the most of it. I want to thank my We Lost The Sea brothers (past and present) for having me in the fold all these years and send my sincerest gratitude to everyone who’s ever listened to our music — what a ride. Can’t wait to see what comes next!
When & Where: 14 Jan, Northcote Social Club
WED 11 JAN
SOFALA
DHANA BHUTAN FRANCESCA GONZALES 8.30PM
THU 12 JAN
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SAT 14 JAN
MASSES CABLE TIES
MORTE LENTA (SYD) YARBLES 8.30PM
SAM BOON SOUL SESSIONS 5.00PM / DOWNSTAIRS
SUN 15 JAN
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TUNES: MARCO I-RIE VIBE / MAXX. R 8.00PM
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store.themusic.com.au THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 17
Theatre
Weather With You Tim Finn has penned a touching love letter to his motherland in the “deeply personal” White Cloud, which, he tells Bryget Chrisfield, is dedicated to all mums. im Finn’s debut musical Ladies In Black is running at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre as part of Sydney Festival, before touring for return seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne. Finn is also performing in The Fiery Maze, his collaboration with poet Dorothy Porter, for Sydney Festival at the moment before another of his projects, White Cloud, opens in Melbourne the day after The Fiery Maze’s closing performance. Phew! Slow down already, Finn, ‘cause you’re making us feel like slackers! Talking us through White Cloud, Finn reveals, “It started as a one-man show. I now have a guitarist with me. But it’s sort of a performance piece that myself and
T
I guess. And also mother as in motherland, you know, mother country.” Some of Finn’s father Richard’s 8mm home movies were utilised by video artist Sue Healey when creating “a beautifully edited film” to accompany White Cloud. Healey’s film runs along “behind the whole show”, which Finn describes as “immersive”. “I think anybody who is interested in ancestry and family will relate,” he offers. On his own role during the performance, Finn explains, “I read from memoirs, old... things from the 1800s et cetera: little stories, little jewels that Ken found. I also read his poetry and then I sing songs that I’ve written.”
Identity is quite a hazy and confused thing for a lot of New Zealanders.
Finn is a celebrated and prolific songwriter as demonstrated through his Split Enz, Crowded House and solo output. Crowded House were inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame last year while Split Enz were inducted back in 2005. Finn’s songs were used in Poor Boy, a play starring Guy Pearce that was selected as the opening production for MTC’s Sumner Theatre back in 2009. On his “pre-existing songs” that were threaded through Poor Boy (“a play with songs”), Finn points out, “Not all the songs were well-known. It wasn’t, like, all the hits; it was some quite obscure stuff that the writer Matt Cameron dug out, ‘cause he’s quite aware of my back catalogue.” So Cameron was quite the fan then? “Well he’s a stalker, yeah,” Finn chuckles, “but he admits it.”
What: White Cloud When & Where: 13 — 15 Jan, Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
a New Zealand playwright Ken Duncum wrote. And he would write some prose and some poetry, and I would write a song, and we were sort of bouncing backwards and forwards for a year or so trying to create a show that spoke of identity growing up in New Zealand, ‘cause that was the one thing we had in common and we decided to start there. And identity is quite a hazy and confused thing for a lot of New Zealanders, so we just wanted to explore that territory.” When asked whether White Cloud incorporates some of his own family history, Finn responds, “Definitely. In fact, towards the end of the show, it becomes quite deeply personal... Mum’s no longer with us and, to some extent, I dedicate the show to our mum and all mums, 18 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 19
Music
Our Sound
Heat Save The mercury is set to soar this week, with meteorologists saying its likely to be “hot as balls” throughout January. Getting your strategy down for beating the heat is critical, so here are some top tips for keeping your cool.
Head to the bottle shop The chill-blasted cool room is the perfect place literally chill out. Remember to occasionally look ponderingly at a bottle of something to convince the proprietors that you’re actually a paying customer.
ALL the Zooper Doopers It’s a well-known fact that nothing kicks heat’s butt like Zooper Doopers. Invest in a plentiful supply of the multi-coloured ice poles: they’ll either cool you down or you’ll be so wired on sugar you won’t care.
Just move Let’s face it, we’ve gone and broken the planet, so face melting heat is gunna be a fact of life from now on. It might be time to do that travelling you’ve always talked about. We recommend Siberia for guaranteed heat-free hols.
20 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Between soundtracking hotels and mixing original songs in with their bossa nova covers of new-wave classics, Nouvelle Vague’s Marc Collins is starting to suspect people might not be listening to the lyrics, writes Anthony Carew.
I
n 2014, French outfit Nouvelle Vague — the crew famous for covering new-wave and post-punk jams in a bossa nova style — became the official sound of Le Meridien hotels, curating a constantly evolving 24-hour soundtrack to be played in the hotels, and periodically performing concerts at Meridiens around the globe. “It’s funny, because so many people have told us our music should be played in hotel lounges, or is like modern elevator music,” offers founding Nouvelle Vague producer Marc Collin. “And I’d say, ‘Yeah, it sounds like that, but can you imagine people in a hotel listening to Bela Lugosi’s Dead or Too Drunk To Fuck?’ And now they are playing in hotels, and I guess people don’t listen too closely to the lyrics.” When Collin first came up with the concept of covering Love Will Tear Us Apart in a bossa nova style in 2003, he “never would’ve dreamed” that he’d end up getting played in hotels. The crossover success of Nouvelle Vague’s self-titled 2004 LP was a “complete surprise”, as was the acclaim for its 2006 follow-up, Bande A Part. But after 2009’s 3 and 2010’s French-language LP Couleurs Sur
Paris, diminishing interest lead Collin to put the project on hold. “The question was: what to do next?” says Collin. “The concept is very strong, very simple: new-wave meets bossa nova is Nouvelle Vague. That’s why people responded to it. But, you can feel stuck, that you’re doing the same thing. People tell you that they want you to do something different, but then, it turns out, they don’t want you to change. You can’t really change.” So, Collin laughs, it took him “five years to realise that [they] should just do a new album”. On I Could Be Happy, though, they mix covers — of Cocteau Twins, The Ramones, The Cure — with a host of originals. “A lot of people always asked us: ‘Why don’t you write your own songs?’ And I was always like: I am! I do soundtracks, other projects, I write for other people. I’m not some frustrated songwriter stuck playing in a cover band, not really able to express myself. It’s not like that. But, I thought, it’d be interesting to see how the crowd would react, how the media would react, if we dared to do our own songs. To me, it’s tricky to say: ‘That was a song by Brian Eno, and now this is our song!’ “But a lot of people don’t know the original songs. Obviously, when you are playing a hit, people get it: ‘Oh, this is Just Can’t Get Enough by Depeche Mode, this is a cover.’ But, when you’re playing something more obscure, a lot of people don’t know the original, or even realise that it’s a cover. We just played some shows recently and people reacted equally to the cover songs and to our songs. It’s interesting. I think it means that people like our sound as much as anything else. We have a really strong sound. And it’s our sound.”
When & Where: 15 Jan, So Frenchy So Chic, Werribee Park
Music
Stormy Weather
Ane Brun tells Anthony Carew she “let go of a lot of fear” to create her latest set of songs.
“A
lot of people, through the years, have been surprised that I’m a very social, happy person, because [my] music is so sad,” says Ane Brun. The 40-year-old singer-songwriter is hugely successful in Norway, where she was born, and Sweden, where she’s based. But, to the outside world, she’s more of a cult act; listeners drawn to her sweet voice and sorrow-filled songs. “I remember an American journalist wrote that I was part of the Scandinavian suicide scene, which was really funny. My first albums are really, really sad. When I discovered music, it felt like I found a channel to put all the dark stuff in life into.” Brun considers herself a “latecomer” to music. Growing up in small-town Molde, Norway — “a really beautiful place, in the fjords, with lots of mountaintops” — she was obsessed with sports, even though her mother was a music teacher. It was only her “very confused” approach to her education — moving from Oslo to Barcelona, Bergen, Uppsala and Stockholm; studying Spanish, history, law, cultural studies — that eventually led to her learning music improvisation and theory. By then, she was recording her debut LP, 2003’s Spending Time With Morgan. “When I released my first album, I just on my way to getting my degree as a... cultural academic something,” Brun laughs. “I didn’t foresee that music would be my work. Because I discovered it so late, music was
like this precious treasure that I really had to guard, to protect. Gigs were so important, so serious. I remember another musician said to me, before we played a show, ‘This is going to be so much fun!’ And I was like, ‘Fun?!’ I couldn’t relate at all.” Brun remembers “those first years” fondly. “When you write your first songs, do you first performances, [record] your first albums — it feels electric. It’s almost like falling in love for the first time. Over time, it changes, like any relationship; your love becomes deeper, and wider, and there’s more substance.” For her latest trip to Australia — following a 2014 set at Womadelaide — Brun will be flying solo, and drawing from across her long-term relationship with music. “When I started playing, I played a lot on my own — this is going back to that,” she says. “Just me, on guitar or piano, playing songs from throughout my career. I’ve always felt that all my songs should be as good when I play them on my own as they do any other way.” Her stripped-down shows come in support of an album, 2015’s When I’m Free, that found Brun challenging that approach: its tunes discovered in the studio, its title reflecting the liberation she felt. “I felt like I had changed a lot of my restrictions, in both music and in life; had let go of a lot of fear,” says Brun. “I went through this really hard period of illness before writing these songs, so there was a really clear image of going through this stormy weather, and coming out the other side.”
When & Where: 11 Jan, Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre
Frontlash Who Let The Dogs Out? You could be a voice in the new Wes Anderson film, Isle Of Dogs! Head to crowdrise.com/wesanderson and enter the competition for your chance to fly to London and tour the set (as well as “barking, howling and whimpering”, which may be required for your ‘role’ in the film).
Justified & Ancient So The KLF are re-forming in August according to a statement of their Twitter. 2017 is lookin’ good already!
Peak Condition The Avalanches! For persevering with their live show, ‘cause now it SLAYS!
The Avalanches @ Melbourne Town Hall. Pic: Clinton Hatfield
Backlash Party Favour Is anyone else still finding glitter in strange places following New Year’s Eve celebrations?
Child Care Adults who hog chairs at galleries in areas specifically designed to entertain children. Maybe leave the spots free for actual kids?
Time’s Up Resetting phone back to “Alarm, every day” mode.
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 21
Music
HardWear
Calling all cyborgs! Wearable tech is the hottest gizmo trend with Kickstarters and tech entrepreneurs dreaming up ways to pimp your bod with cutting-edge gear. Here are some of our favourite products on the market.
Lief Smart Patch Work deadlines, bills to pay, overworked and underpaid: fuck me, life is stressful! But thanks to this handy wearable monitor, you’ll know when your stress levels are peaking. It tracks your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and vibrates when your metrics show you’re stressing out.
UPRight Posture Trainer A day in front a computer at the ol’ 9-to-5 can leave you feeling like the hunchback of Notre Dame. But worry not, the 21st century has got your back – literally. This handy gadget lets you know when you’re slouching with soothing buzz on the small of your back.
Muse This nifty gadget comes straight from the realms of sci-fi. A headset takes readings of your brainwaves to monitor your mood, stress and anxiety levels, sleep hygiene, and an accompanying app is packed with breathing exercises to chill you out.
22 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Super Friends
Troy Sanders, bass player and vocalist of Gone Is Gone, tells Rod Whitfield that throwing tags like “super” around doesn’t help you or the band.
G
one Is Gone is a collaboration featuring members of illustrious pedigree, including instrumentalists from such luminaries of the heavy music scene as Mastodon, At The Drive-In and Queens Of The Stone Age. However, speaking to bass player, vocalist and Mastodon main man Troy Sanders, it becomes apparent that labelling this new project a ‘supergroup’ is not a good idea. “I don’t care for the term,” he says plainly, “and I’ll tell you why: my band, and many other bands, they’re put together because we’re friends with one another. It’s not with the initial intent of being ‘super’. I understand the tag, but if your first introduction to a group of guys in a band has the term ‘supergroup’ attached to it, it sets the bar of expectation extremely high and I don’t think that’s fair for the band or the listener. “We don’t think we’re ‘super’,” he adds, laughing. The band’s debut album is entitled Echolocation and, while not a million miles from the members’ main projects stylistically, it definitely forges its own identity at the same time. Sanders has just a little difficulty in describing the band’s sound for the uninitiated, but is justifiably proud of what they have accomplished. “It’s a really good question,” he opines, “I would
hope that the avid music fan will have the opportunity to ingest it as a whole. I think it’s a really accessible listen, but it has interesting flavour and interesting sounds to offer. Just the whole ride, from start to finish, I’m personally in love with it.” Echolocation comes a short six months after the band released its debut self-titled EP. It verges on a miracle that these four musicians, who are extremely busy in their own right, have formed the band and written, recorded and put out two full-blown releases in the space of just 12 months. Sanders feels it’s all about making full use of the time they do have together outside their main projects. “We recognise that we just have to focus and find what’s meaningful to us,” he says. “We want to keep this momentum rolling, each and every opportunity we have to get together to collaborate, write and record. We really look forward to each time we can get together; we really appreciate and respect each other’s friendship. So it’s just the right ingredients to have a healthy band!” Although the band has two releases out and this is music that is begging to be played live, Gone Is Gone’s status as a possible touring entity is up in the air at this point. “We live by the calendar, months in advance,” he reveals. “We just try to find what we can, when we can and make it happen. We are definitely open to any opportunity that comes our way to play shows, but it’s just a bit early to tell right now.”
What: Echolocation (Black Dune Records/ Cooking Vinyl)
Eat / Drink Eat/Drink
ORIGINAL FUDE BOY
R
ecent ARIA and Victorian Music Award winners Melbourne Ska Orchestra have a new record to share, Saturn Return, and they’re doing it by firing up the grill. The SKA-BQ, a travelling minifestival with eats, “drinks, scooters [and] a whole lotta ska”, promises to be a skankin’ good time. “Our manager Anna Wallace remembers going to these types of things in the UK, where they have all the expats having a bit of a get together,” says bandleader Nicky Bomba. “There was a couple here, that used to happen in Sydney, but they all kind of went off for a while. “It just made sense for the band, as the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, just doing a tour but we wanted to do something different. We thought, well, let’s resurrect that vibe and give it our own slant.” You can’t fault the logic, if there are two things that are quintessentially about getting mates together and having a good time it’s ska and BBQs. Even the name is perfect. And with this SKA-BQ in particular, Bomba and co are going back to the roots with a Caribbean flavour.
“It’s all part of the big story, because the Caribbean culture, or the West Indian culture, when they moved to the UK in the ‘70s that’s how that second [ska] wave happened… And what a great gift. So I think celebrating that is a great vibe, and certainly celebrating that with the BBQ vibe and the whole multicultural kind of aspect of, really, what ska is. “Normally the SKA-BQs that happened in the UK were Australians putting on a BBQ there with Australian tucker and that kind of thing. So we’re kind of bringing it full circle here by bringing in the Caribbean BBQ, so it’s gone Jamaica to the UK back to Australia.” Although billed as Head Chef for the event, Bomba himself has promised to stay away from the grill: “Members of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra will happily say, and will reiterate, that when it comes to cooking you keep Bomba away from the kitchen... But I will be certainly sampling the culinary delights. “I’m certainly not going to be eating much before I get there put it that way.”
What: SKA-BQ When & Where: 28 Jan, Shimmerlands, University Of Melbourne
THE REAL JERK If you’re wondering who’s going to be providing all of this Caribbean cookery look no further than The Real Jerk. Authenticity and tradition are the name of the game and The Real Jerk import the ingredients and spices for their generations-old recipes straight from Jamaica – something you can taste in menu highlights like their baby back jerk smoky BBQ pork ribs and twice cooked jerk chicken burger. THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 23
In Focus O LY M P I A Pic: WILK
NGV Friday Nights bookings just keep getting better and better, have you noticed? It’s super-hard to work out who we want to see out of the awesome gigs they have lined up, but we’ll definitely be there for Brisbane trio I Heart Hiroshima this Friday (13 Jan), rising star Olympia (pictured) on 3 Feb, effervescent party-starters NO ZU (10 Feb) and Spanish genre-straddler El Guincho (17 Feb). Doors open at 6pm, so you can check out the exhibitions (David Hockney: Current and Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists) before the featured act performs in the Great Hall at 8.30pm. Get your culture fix stat!
24 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Music
Learning To Let Go Oliver Sim tells Bryget Chrisfield that “being rejected by an artist that you really like” when clearing samples, which happened twice while The xx were creating their latest set, is “the hardest part”.
To read the full interview head to theMusic.com.au
A
s Oliver Sim, from The xx, opens the door to one of Grand Hyatt Melbourne’s corner suites he immediately extends his other hand out for a handshake, smiling warmly. We sit on couches placed in a perpendicular configuration and admire the city skyline views from high up in the Paris End of Collins Street. Sim wears all black and his trousers with subtle zip detail look familiar. Are they from the Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2016 campaign Sim starred in early last year? “Yes, yeah,” Sim enthuses, before explaining how it all came about: “Well we did a show for Dior at the end of 2014 at the Guggenheim in New York and then it came through that... I did it for the free clothes,” Sim teases. That’s him sorted for stage clothes, then. Sim was just a teenager when he formed a duo — the beginnings of The xx — with Romy Madley Croft who attended the same school (Jamie xx joined later). “When we started playing gigs, there was bands in our school that would put up, like, posters for their gigs and be like, ‘Everyone come!’ We kept it top secret, didn’t tell anyone... because it was easier to play to strangers but, yeah! I think now we’re quite ambitious people.” There’s a knock at the door. “Sorry, I just ordered a coffee.” After offering to share his coffee, Sim double-checks (“Are you sure?”), before pouring himself a cup. According to Sim, the pair initially “had no ambition to play [the music] outside of the two of [them]”. Sim admits, “It took years of gigging for it not to be painful being up on stage.” Was this because he found it difficult to look out into the crowd? “Hard to relax enough to enjoy, like, playing with the idea of performing. Now I LOVE it, I love it a lot. I think I can speak for the three of us when I say we’re not natural born stage people, but we’re getting there,” he laughs. When asked how he thinks The xx’s songwriting process has evolved over the years, the bassist/vocalist offers, “[I’m] just working from a place of experience now. The first record [their debut, Mercury Prize-winning xx
I think I can speak for the three of us when I say we’re not natural born stage people.
set] was like an album of love songs and I hadn’t really experienced love firsthand... [there was] lots of, like, peering into other people’s lives around me. And now it’s very much like working off events, and people, and working through them [laughs]; it’s been helpful for life, writing these songs.” Recorded over two years, Sim says creating their latest I See You set was “technically” a lot of work: “we finished this album quite a few times and revisited it.” What Sim found “really hard” was “feeling like you’re finished, spending a bit of time away from it and then maybe realising you’ve got more work to do. And when the finish line feels so close and it’s pushed off into the distance, it’s like...” Sim sighs loudly. “Being on the other side of it definitely feels rewarding and I’m very happy with it,” he adds. On The xx’s two previous albums, Sim acknowledges his band wrote songs with the “mindset” that they should be able to be perfectly replicated live “as you hear it on the record”. For I See You, however, they relaxed the rules. Through “letting go of that limitation”, Sim observes, “We’ve been able to be a bit more adventurous in the creating of the songs.” Did we detect a Hall & Oates sample, I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do), in On Hold, the first taste from their new album? “You did, yes!” Sim confirms. On how he discovered this Hall & Oates classic, Sim shares, “I got introduced to it through The Avalanches; they put it on one of their mixtapes and I loved it.” When asked whether The xx ever come up against obstacles when approaching artists to clear samples, Sim reveals that the trio “had that happen twice on this album... where it didn’t work out”, “I think the hardest part is just being rejected by an artist that you really like,” he laments. A list of The xx’s syncs would need its own Wikipedia page so we ask Sim which ones he’s most chuffed with. “Working on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby was really fun. He is a real character,” Sim chuckles. “We had dinners where he wanted to talk about the film — about what he wanted — and we went in for all the strings being made, and Romy played guitar to the picture and, yeah! It was really fun and that was, like, a great experience. I would love to do that again or, like, an entire film... but, other than that, I think we got used on a David Attenborough TV show and he’s my childhood hero, so that was a cool one.”
What: I See You (Young Turks/Remote Control Records) THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 25
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
The xx
I See You
Young Turks/ Remote Control
★★★½
Album OF THE Week Bonobo Ninja Tune/Inertia
Gentlewoman, Ruby Man
★★★½
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Guido Farnell
Flo Morrissey & Matthew E White
Migration
Bonobo’s latest album Migration drifts across time and place with a subdued sense of wonder. The title track dials us into the vacuum of a departure lounge where pensive vibes contemplate leaving and loss as much as they do arrival. Minimal musings on a piano provide a structure for loose washes of sound and twinkling electronica. North American outfit Rhye help work the melancholy moods of dissolving relationships on Break Apart. The gentle, feathery-soft feel of this album demonstrates Bonobo’s mastery in producing seductive soundscapes that sooth as they massage. Perhaps we could blame globalisation for homogenising culture to the point where musicians from around the world understand Bonobo’s aesthetic? Artists like Nicole Miglis (who features on
It’s been four long years since the London trio’s last album and their latest seemingly shrugs off the cloud of drifting, subdued dreaminess associated with their previous work. All the familiar elements of their music are there, but The xx sound brighter than ever before. The trio embrace sweetly joyous tones as their brand of minimalism is jettisoned for a more maximal approach even though Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft are often singing introspective lyrics about the bittersweet sensations associated with love and relationships. Their breathy vocals intertwine to sensuous effect. The mood isn’t subdued. Much of this album embraces Jamie xx’s dance beats and suggests that the outfit are in the mood to hit the dancefloor. When the arrangements aren’t simply electronic, the outfit add plenty of orchestral detail to the mix. Dangerous, with its tight fanfare of horns, bumps along to solid house beats. The romantic thrill of Say Something Loving deals a carefree falling-inlove vibe that feels like cloudless blue skies. The gentle sway of strings and moody electric guitar support the drama of Performance, which highlights the vulnerability and intensity of emotion that The xx work into their music. The xx come at us with a fresh new sound but, more than ever, their music has less to do with chromosomes and delivers two gentle kisses onto listeners’ cheeks.
Glassnote/Liberator
★★½
Surface) from Melbourne, Florida and Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker, who features on No Reason) from Melbourne, Australia perfectly understands the deep grooves providing appropriately introspective vocals. Occasionally Bonobo stops over and more exotic influences are allowed to infiltrate the mix. The sun-kissed groove of Grains has a distinctive Middle Eastern feel while Moroccan musicians Innov Gnawa allow tribal rhythms to take control of Bambro Koyo Ganda. This album delivers gentle listening pleasure for contemplative moments spent staring at a flickering flame. Guido Farnell
Sure Gentlewoman, Ruby Man is an album of covers, but rarely can two people take such an eclectic mix of tunes and distil them into a singular sound. After the first two tracks, Little Wings’ acoustic Look At What The Light Did Now and Frank Ocean’s Thinking Bout You, are recreated sounding wholly different from the originals, it’s clear Flo Morrissey and Matthew E White are up for a challenge. There are limits, though. The beauty of Thinking Bout You and James Blake’s The Colour In Anything lie in their soulful, heartfelt delivery. And while White’s and Morrissey’s vocals impress (the latter’s in particular on the Blake track), they’re clouded by arrangements that overpower the frailty of the originals.
It’s surprising that while on some tracks Morrissey and White are happy to blaze their own trail, on others — not least their cover of Roy Ayers’ 1976 Everybody Loves The Sunshine — they deliver a rendition almost identical to the original. The arrangement on Sunday Morning, though, stays true to the Velvet Underground’s rambunctious original, making it a highlight. If nothing else, through Gentlewoman, Ruby Man Morrissey and White give listeners an excuse to explore some beautiful songs and artists. Dylan Stewart
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
The Flaming Lips The Molochs
The McClymonts Saviour
Oczy Mlody
Endless
Let Me Leave
Universal
UNFD
America’s Velvet Glory
Warner
Innovative Lesiure/Inertia
★★★
★★★½
★★★½
★★★½
Are The Flaming Lips secret synthwave fans? Moving on from the schizoid paranoia of The Terror, The Flaming Lips embrace hazy techno sounds - and to some extent revisit the day-glo mental disintegration found on parts of The Soft Bulletin. Oczy Mlody shuffles through oozing bass, gently undulating synths and plinky drum beats. There Should Be Unicorns and the occasional scrambled vocals of How?? exemplify the trippy sleepwalker vibe, but it’s hard to identify any emotion-charged anthems for their inimitable live shows, although it holds up well as a conceptual whole.
Young LA rockers The Molochs defiantly mine the past for inspiration. Their skeletal garage rock framework of guitar, ragged organ, harmonica and drums is offset by the droning vocals and mildly disaffected worldview of frontman Lucas Fitzsimons, whose lyrics examine the usual tropes of girl troubles and associated angst. It’s all lazily anthemic but blossoms amidst the up-tempo swagger of No More Cryin, the incessantly grooving You And Me and the proto-psych murmur of Little Stars. A modern spin on familiar sounds, instantly comfortable but with a fascinating new veneer.
Country singing sisters Brooke, Samantha and Mollie McClymont bring in the new year with album number five. Like We Used To, single House and first big ballad Nothing Good Comes Easy open the album with a new pop shine, a trend that runs throughout the album, and show the group’s range nicely. Lovers of a more straightforward style are also catered for with sweet love songs Endless and When We Say It’s Forever (feat Ronan Keating), while those wanting a bit of grunt also have Let You Down and Judge You. A healthy dose of contemporary country sounds indeed.
There are many soundalike metalcore/post-hardcore acts doing the rounds right now, but Saviour are not one of them. It’s a difficult sub-genre to put a different spin on, it has an extremely specific set of characteristics and a definite formula by which the songs must be written and presented. But this Perth six-piece shake things up like a James Bond vodka martini. The luminous presence of Shontay Snow, on both co-lead vocals and keys, gives this band a real point of difference. To the point where it’s actually inappropriate to label them metalcore. This band exists in a zone of their own.
Liz Giuffre
Rod Whitfield
Christopher H James
Steve Bell
More Reviews Online Sepultura Machine Messiah
theMusic.com.au
Chavez Cockfighters
Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 27
Live Re Live Reviews
Ausmuteants @ Shimmerlands. Pic: Naomi Beveridge
Ausmuteants, DJs Etta & Tilly, Parquet Courts, Terry, Tyrannamen Melbourne University 5 Jan
Tyrannamen @ Shimmerlands. Pic: Naomi Beveridge
Parquet Courts @ Shimmerlands. Pic: Naomi Beveridge
Parquet Courts @ Shimmerlands. Pic: Naomi Beveridge
Figures @ Corner Hotel. Pic: Clinton Hatfield
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Twelve Foot Ninja @ Corner Hotel. Pic: Clinton Hatfield
After wandering around Melbourne University in search of Shimmerlands, we eventually follow our ears and find the outdoor auditorium. The food truck section is separate, so we grab some sustenance first. Everyone obviously heard Terry were worth checking out (just like us) and arrive at exactly the same time, which causes a massive queue at the Shimmerlands entrance. Somewhat surprisingly, there are still limited tickets available at the door. There’s some rad people-watching on offer and we can’t believe the amount of hipsters doing the ‘ironic’ bogan haircut thing at the mo’! We get inside just as Terry finish, but they were fun to listen to in the queue and multiple cowboy hats on heads on stage could never be a bad thing. Some beers are more expensive in here than they were at the food truck section bar, which is a l’il baffling. There’s mist spraying down from the periphery of the bar structure and organisers have gotta be chuffed with this barmy evening. Ausmuteants present catchy guitar goodness with raw edginess, but their banter needs to stop: no banter unless you’re funny, ya hear? They’re at their best (read: awesome!) when shouty. Ian Dury’s Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is always welcome and DJs Etta have gotta be commended for their amazing between-set selections (I Can See Clearly Now is also lapped up by the crowd). Quality ‘celebrity’ sightings include Blake Scott from The Peep Tempel, Ambrose Kenny-Smith from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard,
Brendan Huntley (Eddy Current Suppression Ring) plus some guy who wants you to think he’s Tim Rogers. The guitar’s up way too loud during Tyrannamen’s opener. By song two, though, they sound absolutely smashing. Drummer
There’s a lot of geeky guitar tuning going on between songs, but it pays off. Chris Gray may look like Fabio, but he drums like an absolute demon. “Woooooow!” gang vocals sound shit-hot. “I’ve never been to university, but I hear it’s good,” says lead singer Nic Imfeld before adding, “and expensive”. Imfeld gestures toward Gray and points out, “They’re not his drums” — so the drummer is even better than we thought! I Don’t Want To Go To Jail is vitriolic brilliance and My Concrete is laid down with oomph. Tyrannamen’s energy throughout is sky-high, which is difficult to sustain, but sadly during their last two songs (including I Can’t Read Your Mind) they seem spent. DJs Etta & Tilly are back and Barry White’s Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe gets everyone limbered up for Parquet Courts. Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of al fresco dancing? “It smells like wood chips of some sort,” a random says after sniffing his beer. A cute Parquet Courts intro tape shares some fun facts about each band member and also includes the definition of an actual parquet court. We’re also warned that yelling out requests “is futile” via this voice-over. And although we’re encouraged to enjoy ourselves and get into it,
eviews Live Reviews
the voice points out, “This isn’t a bloody Hatebreed gig”. When the band eventually arrive on stage, they’ve adopted a drab colour palette (except for colead vocalist/guitarist Andrew Savage who dons a very bright green top). All Parquet Courts members look like they went to university (even if they didn’t graduate and the other co-lead vocalist/guitarist Austin Brown says stuff like, “Shit yeah, hey!”). Brown’s keys are pleasantly folktinged at times and we decide Parquet Courts are the Beastie Boys of indie rock. Playing the way they do is a sure-fire way to silence audience chit-chat — they absolutely demand your ears. There’s a lot of geeky guitar tuning going on between songs, but it pays off and Master Of My Craft (“ForGET about it!”) is a rollicking delight. Borrowed Time is a total highlight and when Parquet Courts lock in it’s with a pit-bull grip. Shimmerlands boasts many elevated vantage points around the quadrangle and up on the platform around the bar area. Some leaves are freed by the breeze and gently fall as we dance along to these glistening live versions of Parquet Courts’ songs. The vocals during Sunbathing Animal call to mind The Jam-era Paul Weller and rambunctious guitars thrill. We’ll be back, Shimmerlands — what a vibe! Bryget Chrisfield
Ecca Vandal, Figures, Twelve Foot Ninja Corner Hotel 7 Jan It is still 30 degrees when Melbourne’s Figures hit the stage at 9pm and, boy, do they fire up and increase the temperature in the room even more with their blistering brand of hot and heavy alternative rock. While their set obviously leans heavily on their recently released,
eponymous EP (including the superb Emoticonic), the band does treat the crowd to a brand new tune to close their set and what a joy it is! This track opens with an attention-grabbing, fishtailing guitar effect that explodes into a titanic groove and throat-splitting scream from frontman Mark Tronson. There’s also plenty of melody throughout, however, and this is fast becoming their acclaimed trademark: pounding heaviness with inspirational melody over the top. This scribe would love to hear them bring that melody out even more in a live setting with the addition of some soaring vocal harmonies. This band display incredible promise and are an ideal opener on this night. Ecca Vandal brings her hyperactive electro punk-pop to the Corner and maintains the
The band deliver musical orgasm after musical orgasm. fire started and stoked by Figures. The crowd definitely warms to her as she does to the task across the course of the set (after a slightly unconvincing start). Think Paramore or No Doubt on steroids. A little more depth, variation and dynamics in the vocal department would definitely not go astray, although this is punk music where the attitude and swagger take precedence over technique. Overall, Vandal and her band provide a scorching support set on a steamy night. The sheer exuberance in the anticipation from the crowd for Twelve Foot Ninja’s set is truly something to behold. This band has lifted itself from being an excellent band on the local scene to a truly world class rock
outfit over the last four to five years and they receive a godlike reception from the steaming, heaving capacity crowd tonight. A Twelve Foot Ninja show has also almost become a sexual experience these days, a ‘most fun you can have with your clothes on’ type of occasion. For starters, their music is dead sexy and, on this evening, everyone is hot (although far from bothered), sweaty and wearing fewer clothes. The bouncers at the photography-pit barrier squirt copious amounts of very welcome ice-cold water from bottles of Mt Franklin over the crowd to keep us cool, so everyone is wet. So, accordingly, the band deliver musical orgasm after musical orgasm from a setlist that is just about perfect. Opening with the pure intensity of Collateral, arguably the best cut from their latest Outlier album, we are treated to something from all four of their major releases, climaxing with blistering versions of Kingdom, Coming for You, One Hand Killing and new single Sick, and the release from the crowd is monumental. One of the reasons this band’s music works so beautifully is that, no matter how funky, how jazzy or how, err, reggae-y they get, you know there is a tsunami of powerhouse rock coming somewhere around the corner for the adoring crowd to lose their shit to. Another reason is the almost-impossibly catastrophic bass sound they generate, which threatens to happily crush everything in its path. We have not seen crowd reaction and participation for a band in the Aussie alt-rock scene like this since Mammal were at their peak in the late 2000s. A Twelve Foot Ninja show is one helluva way to start the giggoing year.
More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au/ music/live-reviews
The Avalanches @ Melbourne Town Hall Jamie T @ The Croxton AlunaGeorge @ Corner Hotel
Rod Whitfield
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 29
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
Edge Of Seventeen, but this tale of an awkward, angry teenager hilariously and heartbreakingly trying to find her place in the world is remarkable in its relatability. Even if your adolescent years are in the rear-view mirror, there’s a good chance you’ll recognise parts of yourself in the growing pains of Nadine, played by Hailee Steinfeld. But beyond its central character, The Edge Of Seventeen — written and directed by firsttime filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig — also delivers wise and witty observations about when to acknowledge and embrace what makes you ‘you’, and when you should try like mad to get out of your own way. Nadine has long been awkward and antisocial, with only the enduring friendship of bestie Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) keeping her from being a total high school outcast, but the untimely death of her beloved father a few years earlier has made her feel even more disconnected. Things get even more complicated when Krista hooks up with Nadine’s golden-boy brother Darian (Blake Jenner), leaving Nadine feeling more alone than ever. The charmingly clumsy advances of classmate Erwin (Hayden Szeto) provides some distraction, while the level-headed reactions of history teacher Mr Bruner (Woody Harrelson, wonderful in his underplaying) to her dramaqueen antics is a much-needed reality check. It’s testament to writer-director Craig’s commitment to honesty that while The Edge Of Seventeen is sensitive to Nadine, aware that her worst behaviour stems from sadness, self-loathing and confusion, the movie isn’t afraid to point out when she’s being wilfully selfish or needlessly cruel. This may make it sound awfully dour, but the movie is also terrifically, tartly funny (the to and fro between Nadine and Mr Bruner is priceless) and winningly sweet. Craig is definitely a filmmaker to watch, and Steinfeld is certainly back in the game, thanks to a performance that’s both incredibly precise and universally understandable. The Edge Of Seventeen
The Edge Of Seventeen Film In cinemas
★★★★ When it comes to movies, there’s something to be said for the middle ground. Big-budget blockbusters can provide wondrous flights of fancy; independent films often tackle topics with which many viewers may be unfamiliar. So, it can be easy to sideline stories exploring the highs and lows of everyday life by assuming they’re not about to reveal anything new. However, don’t forget that saying about how we tell one another stories to be reminded that we’re not alone in the world — that the troubles we face are often shared by others and that victories enjoyed by others are not beyond our reach. That may sound like a lofty way of praising the new comedy-drama The
Guy Davis
30 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
La La Land
La La Land Film In cinemas
★★★★½ The presence of the charismatic and very talented Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling goes a long way towards ensuring La La Land will find a big audience. It would be a mistake to stay away thinking the film is in the genre of cinematic versions of stage musicals, eg. Into The Woods, if you’re not into that sort of thing. La La Land is more like a Hollywood musical of old, with Stone’s and Gosling’s song and dance numbers reminiscent of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. One number could be straight out of An American In Paris. It’s also helpful to know that the film’s director is Damien Chazelle, from the Oscar-winning film, Whiplash. He brings the same inventive skills to La La Land, and it’s a joy. Which isn’t to say that it’s all sunshine and lollipops — it’s actually quite melancholy as it explores the ideals and dreams of Stone’s actress, Mia, and Gosling’s jazz pianist, Sebastian, and how those ideals are very different from the harsh reality of trying to make it in Hollywood. When Mia and Sebastian meet and inevitably are attracted to each other, they’re both struggling. Mia, a barista on the Warner Brothers movie lot, goes to countless humiliating auditions, while jazz traditionalist Sebastian has to compromise with the style of music he plays, touring with an electro band led by John Legend. While not traditional school holiday fare with its emotionally mature themes, La La Land would be a great film to take a young teen to as long as you don’t mind two casual F-words. Apart from that, it’s well and truly PG. Vicki Englund
Indie Indie
The In The Out
The Cornersmiths
Gibberish
Gettin’ Comfy
Have You Heard
Have You Heard
Answered by: Dallas Gale
Answered by: Dani Raulli
Answered by: Ciaran Keogh
What is it about the venue that makes you want to a run of shows there? Tago Mago has the dark vibe we like. Also, every time we have played there the band has sounded great.
When did you start making music and why? Separately all our lives, but as The Cornersmiths, a couple of years ago. When we realised we were four musos in one group of friends it seemed a waste not to start a band.
When did you start making music and why? Gibberish started making music on the street. Why? I was playing a techno tune in A flat and a cellist came out of nowhere and, with tonality, dropped in without discussing the musical key.
Sum up your musical sound in four words? Blues, folk, country, soul.
Sum up your musical sound in four words? Gib, ber, ish, ness.
If you could only listen to one album forevermore, what would it be and why? Personally I’d listen to The Definitive Collection by Stevie Wonder, but the guys’ tastes run from folk to death metal. Could we make our own mixtape? Please? It would save a lot of arguing.
If you could only listen to one album forevermore, what would it be and why? Steve Hauschildt and Andre Bratten’s latest albums. Why? ‘Cos we can’t remember the name of the albums, but we like them and if you’re forcing us to listen to them forevermore then at least they’re fresh as fuck.
Same set every week or mixing it up? We are in the middle of recording our debut LP at the moment so there will be lots of songs from that, plus a crackin’ cover of a Spaceman 3 song we like. Any special guests going to make an appearance during your tenure? Yeah, we have Fuzzsucker, Vicuna Coat, Clare Birchall & The Phantom Hitchhikers, Kit Warhurst (Rocket Science) and Stu Thomas (Dave Graney/Stu Thomas Paradox). Favourite position at the venue when you’re not on stage? We will be watching the other bands playing and having a few stiff drinks. When are you in residence? 6, 13, 20 & 27 Jan, Tago Mago. Website link for more info? theintheout.com
Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? We’d like to think that our greatest moments are still to come. Why should people come and see your band? Because there’s nothing like live music! And our eclectic style means they’re bound to hear something they like! When and where are your next gigs? 15 Jan, The Brunswick Hotel. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ TheCornersmiths
Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? When a five-year-old named Malu came and sang with us in key/in sync/ad lib and honestly expressed herself without a rehearsal or any prompting. Just because that’s what she wanted to do. Why should people come and see your band? In a world drenched with intellectualism one must know when to resort to gibberish. When and where are your next gigs? 11 Jan, Bar Oussou; 13, 20 & 27, Wesley Anne. Website link for more info? harmonic/ gibberish/facebook.com
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 31
OPINION Opinion
Trai ler Tra s h
Fragmented Frequencies
Joe Zawinul
Other Music
ast year’s Miles Davis biopic, Miles Ahead, a Don Cheadle fantasy with car chases and a fictionalised From The Other white Rolling Stone journalist, isn’t entirely what Davis deserved, but it did highlight his electric period. Listening Side With Bob to this music, it’s so forward thinking you can understand how earth shattering it was at the time. Not just for the Baker Fish listener, but also for his collaborators, many of whom would subsequently chase their own muse: jazz fusion. Keyboardist Joe Zawinul composed the title track and appeared on Davis’ 1969 album In A Silent Way, and would go on to much acclaim via Weather Report. But his 1971 solo album, simply titled Zawinul, which features his own gorgeous, atmospheric take on In A Silent Way and contributions from Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, is jaw-droppingly soulful. Many consider it the unofficial first Weather Report album. Keyboardist Chick Corea (Bitches Brew)’s fusion group Return To Forever, which also featured guitarist Al Di Meola, is often cited as the premier fusion ensemble. Like many in the genre they would subsequently get a little too clean and impressed by their own dexterity, yet 1975’s No Mystery is the balls-out Latin funk of four blokes strutting. English guitarist John McLaughlin (Bitches Brew) developed perhaps the most ferocious fusion in Mahavishnu Orchestra, yet I prefer his 1977 ode to Indian classical music, Shakti, with tabla legend Zakir Hussain that, with its acoustic guitar, is almost an antidote to the aggressive spirituality of Mahavishnu.
L
Converge
Wa ke The Dea d Punk And Hardcore With Sarah Petchell
I
think a lot of the negativity associated with 2016 has to do with mindset. Some things (David Bowie passing and Trump’s election win) were a bit upsetting, but I’m starting 2017 afresh and thinking about all the things that I have to look forward to. The biggest and most important thing for me is the announcement a couple of days ago that Converge (you know, my favourite band that I never shut up about) are
32 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Annihilation X
heading into the studio to start tracking a new album this autumn. It’s been a long time since All We Love We Leave Behind was released and it’s high time that I hear some new things from my most favourite of bands. I would presume, given interviews I’ve done with the band over the last couple of albums, that their increasing DIY ethic will see them record at God City Studios with guitarist Kurt Ballou producing. In the more immediate future, the bands that are here for Unify start touring this week. As much as I hate it when bands play farewell shows and then get back together within a couple of years, seeing Alexisonfire again is going to be wonderful. They’re a great live band who wrote two albums — Watch Out! and Crisis — that had a huge effect on me. I still can’t listen to Rough Hands without tearing up. But most importantly: Every Time I Die. Still one of the best live bands I have ever seen producing some of the most consistently awesome music. If you haven’t wrapped your ears around Low Teens do it now!
OPINION Opinion
Dives Into Your
A
s I write this, we’re Screens just under a week into 2017 And Idiot Boxes and nothing too disastrous has With Guy Davis occurred. Indeed, it seems as if the first high profile death of the year will be that of evil fucker Charles Manson and, while I’m not a big believer in omens per se, you have to admit that the long-overdue demise of a malignant son of a bitch sets the right tone. As always, however, we’ll wait and see where the next 365 or so takes us. Hey, maybe it’ll take us to the movies! After all, people keep making ‘em and people keep watching ‘em. But which ones, I hear you cry in desperation. There are so many! This is true, and this is why I’m here to provide you with something of a form guide to titles that could easily slip under the radar while blockbusters and arthouse favourites are hogging the cultural and commercial conversation. Suburbicon: Not long after the release of their debut feature Blood Simple, Joel and Ethan Coen penned a screenplay about a suburban husband and father who plots to kill his wife so he can be with his sister-inlaw, only to have everything go awry when an eight-year-old kid gets wind of the whole dirty scheme. Took a few decades for this one to get cameras rolling on this one but it might have been worth the wait — Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson are starring, while George Clooney is directing (and if you ask me, he’s more hit than miss behind the camera). Logan Lucky: You can’t keep a good Soderbergh down. Even though the director of Out Of Sight and the Ocean’s trilogy said he’s retired from filmmaking, he did helm two whole seasons of the excellent pay-TV drama The Knick while on self-imposed hiatus. And now he’s back on the big screen with an Ocean’s-style crime caper starring Channing Tatum and Adam Driver as brothers pulling a heist during a NASCAR rally. Dig the eclectic supporting cast: American Honey’s Riley Keough, Katherines Waterston and Heigl, Sebastian Stan (Bucky!), Seth MacFarlane (okayyy...), ‘Dancing Outlaw’ Jesco White (seriously, Google him) and a bleach-blonde Daniel Craig. Annihilation: I’m an easy mark for any story that has a team of experts entering a hazardous area where shit quickly goes fucking sideways and based on initial reports, that’s just what writer-director Alex Garland’s follow-up to his excellent Ex Machina is set
to deliver. Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, the most marvellous Tessa Thompson and Oscar Isaac star in this futuristic thriller, based on the first novel in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. The Beguiled: If we must have remakes, let them be as well-considered as this venture, which sees Sofia Coppola writing and directing this new take on the Don Siegel/ Clint Eastwood psychosexual drama about an injured Civil War soldier who seeks refuge in a girls’ school and sets the cat amongst the pigeons, so to speak. In an inspired piece of casting, Colin Farrell plays the soldier, and he’s surrounded by an array of top-shelf actors — Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning and talented youngsters Oona Laurence (Pete’s Dragon) and Straya’s own Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys).
theMusic.com.au: breaking news, up-to-theminute reviews and streaming new releases
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 33
OPINION Opinion
Howzat!
Local Music By Jeff Jenkins Here We Go Again It’s the Year of the Rooster, which had Howzat! thinking of that classic Rolling Stones lyric, “Once upon a time I was your little rooster/But am I just one of your cocks?” Not sure what that means for the coming year, but here are our predictions, hopes and wishes for 2017:
The Turnbull government reversing its decision and allowing Channel 31 to stay on air forever.
A new edition of Ian McFarlane’s seminal The Encyclopedia Of Australian Rock . Alex The Astronaut
A tonight show on free-to-air TV, showcasing live music. The triumphant return of Midnight Oil.
Nimmervoll and artists Normie Rowe, Lynne Randell and The Thunderbirds.
After the Civil Dusk comes the Brutal Dawn. And if Bernard Fanning’s sequel is as good as the original, it will be a classic.
A musical by one of our most intriguing pop stars, Darren Hayes.
A restored and resurgent Palais Theatre.
Stardom for Alex Lahey, Alex The Astronaut and Gretta Ray.
A Died Pretty tour with Radio Birdman.
The long-awaited second album by The Ronson Hangup. It’s been eight years since the band’s debut. Will it happen in 2017? “I promise,” singer Steve Pinkerton said at the band’s Christmas gig at The Workers Club.
Deluxe reissues and a Hall Of Fame induction for Mondo Rock, making Ross Wilson our first triple Hall Of Famer.
The return of The Espy. More homegrown hits in the charts, after just 12 Aussie singles reached the Top 10 in 2016 - the fewest in living memory.
The Australian Music Vault showcasing Melbourne pioneers such as DJ Stan Rofe, studio boss Bill Armstrong, journalist Ed
Nothing to do this weekend? Don’t worry, The Music has you sorted.
A new Michael Hutchence album, 20 years after his untimely death. It’s already been much hyped, with the 1999 posthumous album seemingly forgotten. What more can there be? Well, apparently there’s a new album, doco and book. The Nylex Clock switched back on by Paul Kelly, revealing it “says 11 degrees”. Plus new albums from Perry Keyes, Missy Higgins, Helen Shanahan, Kasey Chambers, Sophie Koh, Colin Hay, Ruby Boots, The Woodland Hunters, Tina Arena, Bad//Dreems and The Fauves.
All gig and music news at your fingertips.
Head to events.themusic.com.au to see what’s coming up. Search for ‘The Music App’ on
34 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
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Comedy / G The Guide
Wed 11
Daemon Pyre
Every Time I Die + Letlive + Counterparts + In Trenches: 170 Russell, Melbourne Bohjass: 303, Northcote
Lost Thylacines: Baha Tacos, Rye Gregory Porter
The Music Presents NAO: 25 Jan Howler Strangers: 28 Jan The Workers Club
Sofala + Dhana Bhutan + Francesca Gonzales: Bar Open, Fitzroy Mellowdias Thump feat. DJ Impede + Wolves In The Clear + Geezy + Skomes: Boney, Melbourne Tim O’Brien: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Bad Moon Born + The Credits: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Twelve Foot Ninja: 2 Feb Commercial Hotel; 3 Feb Chelsea Heights Hotel; 4 Feb Villiage Green Hotel
The Velvet Addiction: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Mother’s Cake: 17 Feb Evelyn Hotel
Open Mic Night: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
CW Stoneking & Nathaniel Rateliff: 9 Mar Seaworks Williamstown The Waifs: 14 Mar Eastbank Centre Shepparton; 15 Mar Albury Arts Centre; 28 Mar Ulumbarra Theatre Bendigo; 30 Mar Hamer Hall The Jerry Cans: 15 Mar Northcote Social Club; 16 Mar Sooki Lounge Holly Throsby: 26 Mar Northcote Social Club Roy Ayers: 9 Apr The Croxton Rhiannon Giddens: 11 Apr Corner Hotel Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: 11 April 170 Russell Gallant: 17 Apr Corner Hotel The Lumineers: 19 Apr Arts Centre Melbourne
Lubomyr Melnyk: Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Georgia Ginnivan + Alex Gilbert: Open Studio, Northcote The Woodland Hunters: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Heavyset Sydney’s Daemon Pyre have been tapped as tourmates for Sanzu’s The Savage Hunt run. You can catch the two heavyweights at The Tote Friday night with Deadspace, Zeolite and The Hazard Circular.
Open Mic Night: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Thu 12
Wine, Whiskey, Women feat. Emily Day + A Rioting Mind: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Dr Crask & His Swingin’ Elixir Band: 303, Northcote
Poppongene + 808s & The Greatest Hits + Doona Waves: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Black Bats + Boy Parts: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Don Bosco + Baptism Of Uzi + Euphoriacs: The Tote (Front Bar), Collingwood
Zoe Fox
The Record Company: 20 Apr Northcote Social Club
Clowns + The Burning Roaches + Spooked: The Loft, Warrnambool Max Chillen + The Kerbside Collective + Ferla + White Vans: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
All Ages Show with Every Time I Die + Letlive + Counterparts: Arrow On Swanston, Carlton
Well Known + Glovy + Secret Birds: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Found Heads with Laneous + DJ Manchild + DJ Clever Austin: Boney, Melbourne
Trash Talk + Father: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Oscar Key Sung: Boney, Melbourne
Truly Holy + Hearing + Pure Moods + Steph Brett: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood
Soul In The Basement with Fulton Street: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Half Moon Run + The Franklin Electric: Corner Hotel, Richmond
The Immortal Horns
Gwyn Ashton: Dogs Bar, St Kilda All Ages Show with Moose Blood + Harbours: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy The Oh Balters: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Sharon Shannon Band: Hotel Nicholas, Beechworth
Fox Hunt Zoe Fox is headed for Edinburgh Castle Hotel to play a run of January shows. Although often seen about town as Zoe Fox & The Rocket Clocks, this time she’s playing as a duo with Fabian Hunter.
Shimmerlands feat. Spartak + Aphir: Melbourne University, Parkville Lost Thylacines: Mornington Hotel (Room 10), Mornington Disco Volante feat. Hookey Dinobitch + Casey Leaver + Ruby Slippers + Bosco + more: Onesixone, Prahran Sol e Alma Quintetto + Terrasur: Open Studio, Northcote LSDoom + Electric Mud + Dowser: The Bendigo, Collingwood The Evening Cast + Pork Belmont + Old Feather + Run Rabbit Run: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Bloom + Tempus Sun + James Clark: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Dead Planet 1964 + Wilder Genes + Phlo + Yukumbabe: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Four in the Morning: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Amanda Palmer: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Zol Balint + Ju Ca + Nico Niquo: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
36 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Hornlander The Immortal Horns are packing up their trumpet, trombone, tuba and drums and returning to Wesley Anne for the second show of their January residency. Pop along Saturday for another gut-busting set.
Universal Outcasts + Andy Phillips: The Vineyard, St Kilda John Braka: Torquay Hotel, Torquay Married Man + Popolice: Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy
Gigs / Live The Guide
Bloom
Bullhorn
New Bloom Bloom is launching a new single from her upcoming EP at The Workers Club this Wednesday. As well as her full band, the young artist is being supported by Tempus Sun, James Clarke and DJ Jamo. Alister Turrill: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote Lovision + FgrHed Beats + Real Love + Mares + Heat Wave: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Fri 13 Metro Boomin: 170 Russell, Melbourne Meg Delos + Grace King + more: 303, Northcote Georgia Ginnivan: Babushka Bar, Bakery Hill Daryl Braithwaite: Barwon Club, South Geelong
Get The Horn Led by MC Roman Albert, brassy nine-piece beast Bullhorn are charging The Workers Club on Saturday. Joining in on the fun are blues outfit Dave Orr Band and Anthony Young & The Next Man Dead. Friday Nights at NGV feat. I Heart Hiroshima: National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Southbank Gamer: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Ron Basejam + DJ Hoops + Jay Ramon +
Sharon Shannon Band: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Knock Off Drinks with Chris Wilson: Cherry Bar (5.15pm), Melbourne
Ed Kuepper
Chillers + Tony Dork + Scraggers + The Hemusans: Grace Darling Hotel (Band Room), Collingwood UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Astro & Mickey Virtue: Hamer Hall, Melbourne The Bon Ton Rhythms: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Shimmerlands feat. Slippy Mane + Lalic: Melbourne University, Parkville Motherslug: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Darius Syrossian: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Bullhorn + Dave Orr Band: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Unify Gathering feat. Alexisonfire + Violent Soho + Northlane + Every Time I Die + The Getaway Plan + Letlive + Thy Art Is Murder + Luca Brasi + House vs Hurricane + Bodyjar + Moose Blood + Storm The Sky + Counterparts + Deez Nuts + Trophy Eyes + King Parrot + Ocean Grove + Saviour + Columbus + The Dirty Nil + Polaris + The Brave + Bare Bones + Justice For The Damned + Drown This City + Ocean Sleeper: Tarwin Meadows, Tarwin Lower
Elliot Smith ‘Either/Or’ 20th Anniversary feat. Sarah Mary Chadwick + Jack Parsons + Christopher Coleman Collective + Lisa Crawley + JP Klipspringer + JMS Harrison + Seagull + Whitley + Mcrobin + Mickey Cooper + Sophie Koh + Emma Heeney + more: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Moose Blood + Harbours: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
La Dance Macabre with Brunswick Massive: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
The In The Out: Tago Mago, Thornbury
Black Aces + The Casanovas + The Bitter Sweethearts: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Bowie Special with DJ Steve Wide + DJ Fee B-Squared: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Sol Nation: Penny Black, Brunswick
ReKuepperate Ed Kuepper is back on the road again for part three of his Lost Cities album tour, released last year. The tour pulls into Howler on Saturday where Keupper will perform as a duo with long-time collaborator Mark Dawson.
DJ Rowie + Adam Trace + DJ Matt Vecchio + Luke Vecchio + more: Onesixone, Prahran Henry Manetta + Adam Rudegeair: Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne
Maia Von Lekow: The B.East, Brunswick East Unbound + Morte Lenta + Internal Rot + Tactical Attack + Religious Observance: The Bendigo, Collingwood The Nicoteenagers + Seasloth + The Hadron Kaleidoscopes + Primm: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Miss Whiskey: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Dom Kelly + Slowcoachin + Brunga’s Band: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Richie 1250 & The Brides of Christ + Plague Doctor: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg Barefeet Sojourns: The Prince, 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 (Toff Ballroom), Melbourne Sanzu + Daemon Pyre + Deadspace + Zeolite + The Hazard Circular: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood Bleach Girls: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island Gibberish: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote Scott Boyd: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote Lunatics On Pogosticks + Trillionayers: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Fourteen Nights At Sea + So You Like Machines + Psychic 5: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford Gwyn Ashton: Young and Jacksons, Melbourne
Sat 14 Coffin’ Up: 303, Northcote
Pierce Brothers + Josh Cashman + Little Georgia: The Grand Hotel, Mornington
Tomas Ford’s Crap Music Rave Party: Bella Union, Carlton South
Blue Heat + Red Eagle + Luke Watt: The Loft, Warrnambool
Floating Pyramids + Benny Badge + Inkswel: Belleville, Melbourne
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 37
Comedy / G The Guide
Lost Weekend feat. Mount Liberation Unlimited: Boney, Melbourne
Australian Open feat. Missy Higgins + Archie Roach + Ben Abraham: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
Isaac De Heer
Feelin’ Groovy - Simon & Garfunkel Project with Helen Catanchin + Olivia Chindamo + more: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
Lost Thylacines: Mornington Hotel (Room 10), Mornington
Lagerstein + Atomic Riot + Ablaze + Skarlet: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
The Life of Riley: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Metal for Melbourne feat. Hobb’s Angel of Death + Ion Drive + The Bengal Tigers + Mass Confusion + Nothing Sacred + Depression + more: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + The Necks: North Gardens, Ballarat Ben Christensen: Open Studio, Northcote Bangers & Mash: Penny Black, Brunswick
Batpiss: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Dan Dinnen Trio: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
Josh Aubry: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
McKenna Faith + Amy Nelson: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Peter Vadiveloo: Farouk’s Olive, Thornbury Wominjeka Festival - TERRAIN 2017 feat. Frank Yamma + Gawurra + Leah Flanagan + Benny Walker + Alice Skye: Footscray Community Arts Centre, Footscray Mothers Ruin feat. Swidgen + Shinka: Gin Lane, Belgrave Lloyd Cole: Hamer Hall, Melbourne Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk: Hickinbotham Winery, Dromana
Pat Bruce & The Bacchanalians: Reverence Hotel, Footscray
Heer He Is Isaac De Heer is an eclectic purveyor of warm expansive folk and poetic landscapes. He’s supported the likes of The Temper Trap and Josh Pyke in the past, but Friday he’s the main event at Charles Weston Hotel.
Teresa Dixon: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Little Wominjeka Klub with The Bart Willoughby Band: Reverence Hotel, Footscray Sharon Shannon Band: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Steph Brett
Fresh Start Starting with Melbourne mainstay Steph Brett (Sugar Fed Leopards, Empat Lima), The Tote is putting on a standout night of local tunes Thursday night. Get down and see Pure Moods, Hearing and Truly Holy.
Ed Kuepper + Mark Dawson: Satellite Lounge, Wheelers Hill
Ninch Fest feat. CHILD + Sheriff + Zombitches + Stiff Richards + The Slugg + Redro Redriguez & His Inner Demons + The Grogans + Moonah Ripp + Dogs of Night + more: St Andrews Beach Recreation Hall, St Andrews Beach
Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird + Frida + Scott Candlish: The Toff In Town, Melbourne The House deFrost with Andee Frost: The Toff In Town (Toff Ballroom), Melbourne Slowly Slowly + Lincoln Le Fevre: The Tote (Front Bar), Collingwood Pierce Brothers + Josh Cashman + Little Georgia: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island Bleach Girls: Torquay Hotel, Torquay
Unify Gathering feat. Alexisonfire + Violent Soho + Northlane + Every Time I Die + The Getaway Plan + Letlive + Thy Art Is Murder + Luca Brasi + House vs Hurricane + Bodyjar + Moose Blood + Storm The Sky + Counterparts + Deez Nuts + Trophy Eyes + King Parrot + Ocean Grove + Saviour + Columbus + The Dirty Nil + Polaris + The Brave + Bare Bones + Justice For The Damned + Drown This City + Ocean Sleeper: Tarwin Meadows, Tarwin Lower
Spoonful + Lucie Thorne Trio: Union Hotel, Brunswick
Nekromantix + DoubleBlack + Udder Ubductees + Trauma Boys: The Bendigo, Collingwood
Sun 15
The Immortal Horns: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote 2AM Show with Clowns: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
Cut The Kite String + Sex Pills + Deep Scene: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy
Tinsley Waterhouse Band: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
The Nudgels: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
Paulie Bignell + The Tipplers: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Australian Open feat. Tkay Maidza + Mashd n Kutcher + Passerine: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
David Bowie Tribute Night with Nathan Jones + Tigers on Vaseline + more: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Shimmerlands feat. Brooke Powers + Wahe + Perno Inferno + Geryon + Bahdoesa: Melbourne University, Parkville
Bunker Open Air with Mary Velo + Various DJs: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Afternoon Show with The Mighty Boys + Lazertits + The Only Boys + more: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
The Diving Headbutt: The Loft, Warrnambool
Oveous: Howler, Brunswick
Swim Team + Lazertits + Parsnip + Heat Wave: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
The Dandy Jonestown Massacre: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy
Barry Tones: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
38 • THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017
Unify Gathering feat. Alexisonfire + Violent Soho + Northlane + Every Time I Die + The Getaway Plan + Letlive + Thy Art Is Murder + Luca Brasi + House vs Hurricane + Bodyjar + Moose Blood + Storm The Sky + Counterparts + Deez Nuts + Trophy Eyes + King Parrot + Ocean Grove + Saviour + Columbus + The Dirty Nil + Polaris + The Brave + Bare Bones + Justice For The Damned + Drown This City + Ocean Sleeper + Little Brother + Marcus Bridge (Northlane) + William Jarratt (Storm The Sky) + Shontay Snow + Alex Moses (Columbus): Tarwin Meadows, Tarwin Lower Semi Fiction + Scoot Molly + Polykite: The Bendigo, Collingwood Moonlight Broadcast + The Cornersmiths + Paul McManus: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Pony Face + Sime Nugent: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
The Foxy Morons + more: 303, Northcote
Ed Kuepper: Howler, Brunswick
BitterFruitt: Penny Black, Brunswick
Sharon Shannon Band: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Junior Fiction + Tam Vantage + Crystal Myth + Culte: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Sex Grimes + Myrtle Place + Slick 46 + Permanent Revolution + Wild Spears: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
We Lost The Sea + The Crooked Fiddle Band: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
Piknic Electronik #3 feat. John Jammin’ Collins + Matt Radovich + more: Sidney Myer Music Bowl (Southside), Melbourne
Summertime Blues & Roots Festival feat. John Dallimore + Kenny Miller + Blue Sunday + Buxom Blues + more: Barwon Club, South Geelong Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Cherry Blues with Andy Phillips & The Cadillac Walk: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Scott Boyd
Wait’s Over
Colourfields: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
The Glorious North: Labour In Vain, Fitzroy Ultrafox: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Roesy: Long Play, Fitzroy North
After taking some time out in 2015, Scott Boyd is back and playing at Wesley Anne on Friday. He’ll be launching I Will Wait, the second single from his latest EP Unbreakable, with support from Heart On Sleeve.
Gigs / Live The Guide
Moonlight Broadcast
Teeth & Tongue
Dancing With The Moonlight The Brunswick Hotel never sleeps, as evidenced by the lineup they have brought together for Sunday night. Repeat Brunny offenders Moonlight Broadcast are headlining, supported by The Cornersmiths and Paul McManus.
Let Us Pray
Irish Session: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
This week Teeth & Tongue are heading up Northcote Social Club’s regular (and free) celebration of the Melbourne music scene, Monday Night Mass. They will be joined by two more as-yetunannounced local outfits.
Australian Open feat. Jon Stevens + Daryl Braithwaite + Ross Wilson: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
Rosie Burgess Trio: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
Bench Press + Bad Vision + Mandek Penha: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Brooke Russell + Ben Franz: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote
Abbey Howlett: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Honey Badgers + Dogood + The Only Boys + Dave O’Connor: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Technologica in Town with Sunshine + Edgework + Ryan Haynes + Nick Biggins + Jack Owen + Rory Marshall + Luke Vecchio: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Mon 16
Xeno Genesis + Glovv + Callan + Whiskey Houston: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Yarra Banks: 303, Northcote
Mat McHugh: Torquay Hotel, Torquay
The Sunday Set with DJ Andyblack + Mr Weir: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne
The Liminanas: Barwon Club, South Geelong
Lithium - The Oz Nirvana Tribute Show: Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy
Zlanta + Batts + Niine: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Down The Rabbit Hole with Nigel Last: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room), Melbourne Hownowmer + Ute Root + Deep Scene: The Tote (Front Bar), Collingwood Tim Scanlan + Toshi Bodram: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island The Porch Sessions On Tour feat. Stu Larsen + Luke Thompson + Tim Moore: To Be Advised, Melbourne
Purple Duck + Rektest: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Inn House + Defects + The Marks: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
The Monday Bone Machine feat. T-Rek: Boney, Melbourne Jazz Party: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Australian Open feat. Birds Of Tokyo + The Belligerents + Rival Fire: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Monday Night Mass feat. Teeth & Tongue: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Charles Jenkins: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Funny at The Brunny Comedy Show: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Inxcisive: Torquay Hotel (Beer Garden), Torquay
Callum Padgham + Aaron Gocs + Jay Morrissey: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Davey Lane + Kit Warhurst: Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy
Intrinsic Light + Spasmoslop + Octave Pussy + more: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Moreland City Soul Revue: Union Hotel, Brunswick
Tue 17
So Frenchy, So Chic In The Park feat. Deluxe + The Liminanas + Bertrand Belin + Nouvelle Vague + So Frenchy, So Chic In The Park: Werribee Park (Mansion Grounds), Werribee South
Heath Brady: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
The Liminanas + The Pink Tiles: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
Peanut Noir Comedy: 303, Northcote Uncomfortable Science with Lachlan Mitchell: Boney, Melbourne Them Rumblin’ Bones + Stackhouse +
Sarah Mary Chadwick
XO It’s been 20 years since the release of Elliott Smith’s spectacular third album, Either/ Or. To celebrate, a huge list of artists including Sarah Mary Chadwick and Hollow Everdaze are playing a tribute show at Corner Hotel, Friday.
Alexisonfire + The Getaway Plan + Behind Crimson Eyes + The Dirty Nil: Festival Hall, West Melbourne Tom Tom Tuesday feat. Various DJs: Howler, Brunswick
THE MUSIC • 11TH JANUARY 2017 • 39
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