30.08.17 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Issue
204
Melbourne / Free / Incorporating
B GS BI GSOU OUND N : Ou ur ti tips p for ps or th he e fes e ti t val val va
Thea Th atr t e: e A ge An gels ls l s In Am Amer eric ic ca
Tour To ur r: The Th ex xx x
“I don’t wanna be Rage Against The Machine”
From your first day at SAE, you’ll start creating in world-class facilities, on the latest software and equipment, all under the guidance of our expert lecturers - because at SAE, we believe to be job ready, you need to know the job. With classes starting in September, it’s not too late to kick-start your creative career in 2017.
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94
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THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 5
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Surf’s Up
Right On
Sydney’s Winston Surfshirt have dropped their new single Same Same and announced their debut album Sponge Cake is coming in September. They’ll tour nationally in November/ December to celebrate.
Morning TV are ramping up to their second EP Sun with the release of their boppy, breezy new single Get It Right and the announcement of an east coast tour in November.
Winston Surfshirt
sleepy Time Revered Australian instrumental rockers sleepmakeswaves have announced a national tour with stalwart US post-metal outfit Rosetta in December to cap off what’s been an already massive year of live performance.
sleepmakeswaves
[skipping stones on lake] DATE: it’s such a beautiful evening ME: *whispering* take that you fucking lake @trojansauce
6 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
Big Thief
Listen To Thieves Ascendant US band Big Thief have announced a run of headline dates hitting both the west and east coasts to complement their upcoming Australian sojourn for Meredith Music Festival this December.
Morning TV
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Credits
Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast
The National
National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen Editor Bryget Chrisfield
interNational
The National have confirmed a 2018 headline tour of the east coast. The US indierockers have locked in shows for February/March in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in support of their forthcoming album, Sleep Well Beast.
Gordi
Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon
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Big Pond Gordi has just dropped her debut LP Reservoir and now she’s taking it on a national tour. After touring Europe in October/November with Asgeir, she returns for a headline Australian run through November/ December.
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Green Ps With her debut EP in the works, Ruby Fields has announced a debut national run for her new single P Plates. The tour will take in eight dates around the country in November with tour support from Totty. THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 7
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Ben Ely
Story Time
Black T-Shirt Collection
Regurgitator bassist Ben Ely is heading out solo on the Strange Tales tour with his new album Strange Tales Of Drugs And Lost Love. Ely will make stops throughout Qld, Vic and NSW in September and October.
Big Heart
Family Matters Written by Patricia Cornelius and directed by Susie Dee, Big Heart explores multiculturalism, racism and love through the lens of a very atypical family. See it at TheatreWorks from 6 Sep.
90,000 The Kings
The amount of new voters added to the electoral roll between when the marriage equality postal plebiscite was announced and the deadline before the roll closed – a number expected to be higher as more transactions are processed. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
8 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have revealed an impressive Melbourne lineup for Gizzfest, 2 Dec at Melbourne Showgrounds, including Kikagaku Moyo, Mild High Club, The Murlocs, ORB, Leah Senior and many more.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
[ Formerly The Hi- Fi Bar ]
Brotherly Love
Game-changing British-Nigerian theatre-maker Inua Ellams is bringing his hit one-man show about two very different Nigerian brothers, Black T-Shirt Collection, to Arts Centre Melbourne from 5 - 10 Sep.
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PEVEN EVERETT USA - LIVE
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NZBZ
Where and when? For more gig details go to theMusic.com.au
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ARCTURUS NOR
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George Clinton
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Legendary funk musician George Clinton and his iconic back-up, Parliament Funkadelic, have added extra Sydney and Melbourne 50th Anniversary shows to complement their appearance at Queensland’s Caloundra Music Festival this September.
THE ULTIMATE MICHAEL JACKSON EXPERIENCE WED 08 NOV - SOLD OUT
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MONO
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GZA - THE GENIUS USA - (of WU TANG CLAN )
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MISS MAY I
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BABY ANIMALS
History Of Dance
Bennelong
From 7 - 16 Sep the highly acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre is coming to Melbourne Arts Centre with Bennelong, the full-length work by Artistic Director Stephen Page telling the extraordinary story of Eora man Woollarawarre Bennelong.
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THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 9
To read the full interview head to theMusic.com.au
Music
Calling Out Muthafuckers Cedric Bixler-Zavala has “always known shit was broken”. He chats with Bryget Chrisfield about our right to “call bullshit” on misogynistic lyrics and how At The Drive In owed it to their kids to re-form.
C
edric Bixler-Zavala is in Austin, Texas at the time of our chat and says he’s spent the last couple of days “hanging out with [his] kids and just being a dad”. On whether becoming a dad has made him more conscious of the type of music he wants to put out into the world, Bixler-Zavala muses, “It just sort of made me wanna put out even more of the kind of stuff that, I guess, rubs people the wrong way [laughs]... Having kids, I know that when they get old enough I want them to look back at what dad was doing at 42 years old so that they understand that being young is just a frame of mind and that, even at 42, I had a bone to pick with the world, hahaha.” When asked whether he feels a sense of responsibility, as an artist, to address injustice and call out bullshit, At The Drive In’s lead singer posits, “I think lately there’s an overflowing sort of funeral march of armchair coaches that are really chiming in
10 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
after the battle is lost, politically speaking, and I guess I’m just part of a group of people that has always known shit was broken. “You can’t travel America without noticing that racism has always been there, you know? I always use the term, ‘Never get off the boat,’ just like in Apocalypse Now when the chef gets off to take a leak and he gets attacked by a tiger — that’s the South, you know? And that’s certain parts of America, and it’s broken... But sometimes there are days where shit gets to you, and you say something, and you want people to wake up, you know? But then you always run the risk of saying some of the important things that are not very popular, and then you’re not very popular and you’re considered a conspiracy theorist — or you’re considered part of the Right... In no way do I condone or promote the current status quo with running the country, but we live in a very dangerous age where the Left seems to be very irresponsible in their rhetoric, and doesn’t wanna really listen to what the fuck’s going on, and it can be disheartening. And it can be really soul-shattering, you know, when people wanna fuckin’ namecheck George Orwell knowing full well that if you actually READ 1984 it was about how the Left was in charge and how shit got fucked up on their dime. So I just want to be able to have moments where I can provide a little bit of sanctuary for somebody who feels alienated by any fuckin’ political view.
“If someone’s out at our show and they’re transgender or they’re gay, I want them to know that they’re more than welcome to be at our show.” After pointing out that “some serious weirdos” have always come to At The Drive In shows, Bixler-Zavala quickly clarifies, “They’ve always been called weirdos and I don’t see them as weirdos”. Circling back to the original question regarding issues he typically feels compelled to tackle through song, Bixler-Zavala states, “I don’t wanna be Rage Against The Machine, that’s Rage Against The Machine, you know? I don’t wanna be Los Crudos, Los Crudos did a good job of doing that shit, you know? And, for the most part, I like to write cryptic riddles that’ll affect you years down the line.” When told about the Camp Copespearheaded It Takes One campaign designed to improve safety and encourage audience members to speak up and call out antisocial behaviour at gigs, Bixler-Zavala extols, “Thank god, that’s an important thing to have”. “I particularly have a bone to pick with shit like that and so I hope no one acts up like that at one of our concerts, because if I ever found out I would probably be very violent to the person [laughs]... My wife has gone through some crazy shit with sexual assault and so it hits home really, really close. And so I really try to look out for my fellow audience members and my fellow band members... I see a band like War On Women play at the Warped tour and at first I think to myself, ‘Why
the fuck would you play the Warped tour?’ And it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s actually genius! You’re not gonna go and tour on your own and preach to the converted, you’re gonna go to the heart of the lion’s den and you’re gonna call out muthafuckers; and muthafuckers like that need to be called out.’ “So you have a band like The Dickies playing and The Dickies who, you know, for all intents and purposes have made a career out of, like, you know, adolescent humour and it’s funny when you’re 14, it’s funny when you’re 13, and then you kinda grew up and grew out of it. And you always see like, ‘Oh, okay, it’s The Dickies!’ And if a girl calls out The Dickies and The Dickies end up calling her a cunt, because she’s speaking her voice, then that’s fucking wrong. It’s like a grown man can’t have a fucking woman call out his fucking age-old bullshit and misogyny, and so that issue really hits home to me; you know, it’s not even an issue of whether you’re being politically correct, it’s like, ‘Can’t someone speak up without you losing your shit and being a fucking asshole?’” After considering what the future holds for bands such as The Dickies and Steel Panther, Bixler-Zavala concludes, “I don’t think you should ever outlaw it, I don’t think you should censor it, but I do think you should have the right to be able to call bullshit on it, you know? Like, if you’re gonna play some fucked-up shit and have a fucked-up message then you’re gonna have to expect someone to challenge you on it... People need to grow on their own, you know; no one likes to be told what to like or what to listen to — that makes it even more alluring.” Bixler-Zavala puts forward Geto Boys as an example of a band he “absolutely loved” back in the day, before admitting, “Now when I listen back to it I cringe at some of the fuckin’ shit that they’re saying, you know? But we live in a time and age where they should be able to handle if a woman comes up and says, ‘Why are you talkin’ this stoopid fuckin’ shit? Why are you making rape funny?’ you know? That should be a legitimate conversation
Fire Walk With Me
without someone feeling like,” he pauses to laugh, exasperated, “hurt over it. That’s what’s amazing: there’s a lot of males who just can’t handle a woman talking back to them, you know? And that’s what’s amazing to me, is: that’s when you see the mark of a true man is to see ‘im crumble under any kind of a — just being challenged, really.” After announcing their re-formation back in January 2016 via a banner on At The Drive In’s website, the band barged back into our eardrums with Governed By Contagions, a brand new song and our first taste of new material from the fivesome since their Relationship Of Command album (2000). When asked whether there were any offers that came knocking during At The Drive In’s extended break that actually tempted the band, Bixler-Zavala reveals, “People always came up to us and did offers, you know — soft, sort of, person-to-person offers — and we would always kind of get, like, insulted in a way, like, ‘You gotta talk to five of us and, you know, b) we’re doing this band currently called Mars Volta,’ you know,” he laughs. The At The Drive In lead singer continues, “Then [in] 2015, 2016 we were just finally — us — being like, ‘WHY is it so fucking difficult? Like, we’re 40! These problems, these imaginary problems, are such bullshit.’ We had kids, like, we owe it to our kids — not even financially, but yeah that’s part of the trickle-down effect — as an adult to lead by example and be like, ‘See? Dad can be a grown-up and get along with his friends,’ haha, you know? And put stoopid issues to the side and understand that life is very short.” Regarding inter-band beefs, Bixler-Zavala opines, “It may just sound very ephemeral, or just not a big deal, like, ‘Oh, you looked at me a certain way on tour’ — it’s not! You’re a gang that grows up and gets discovered, and thrown into the spotlight... I mean, imagine being 25, or even 30, and magazines throwin’ some fuckin’ bullshit trip, like, you’re supposed to be somewhat near something like Nirvana... You back away even though other people are tellin’ you like, ‘Noooo, you worked so hard to
At The Drive In performed at the House Of Vans event at this year’s South By Southwest, about which Cedric Bixler-Zavala enthuses, “I haven’t done a South By Southwest in a while and then to do [the show] there at The Mohawk was really great, because we had played... around six years ago there and I remember fucking around on stage, and grabbing the fire extinguisher and shooting the audience with it. And I should’ve
If a girl calls out The Dickies and The Dickies end up calling her a cunt, because she’s speaking her voice, then that’s fucking wrong. get here!’ And it’s like, ‘No, this is the human quality about the band that you like, is the fact that at any moment... we can pull the trigger on it and say, ‘Fuck you all. NO!’ So, if anything, we kept to our promise to each other that if shit was funky in the band that we needed to take six months off... You just gotta follow your heart. Because fatigue can fuckin’ get the best of you when you’re 30, or even 25, and people are puttin’ such a stoopid, heavy trip on a rock band.” Having risen to prominence pre-internet, Bixler-Zavala bemoans its “shitty kind of cheating elements”. “I see people being like, ‘I’m just gonna post a weird little Instagram flier and then if people don’t come then they’re the problem’.” Bixler-Zavala then shares some sound advice he intends to pass on to his kids to drive the point home: “You have to eat shit before you ever taste caviar, because eating shit is amazing and it builds fucking character and, you know, puts hair on your fuckin’ chest and, you know, toughens up those calluses. And it makes you a true pirate of the I-10 highway.”
When & Where: 28 Sep, Festival Hall
instantly been jailed for that, but the people that run The Mohawk are so down to earth and I think they’ve just gone way back with our band and were just like, ‘Hey man, it’s fucking Cedric, I guess.’ And so then when we played again, that’s the first thing I told all the stage hands was like, ‘Thank you for being understanding and not callin’ the cops on me, because that could’ve been really bad, you know.’ And then we played and it was SO much fun! I was tryin’a
get people in for free ‘cause it’s such a clusterfuck when it comes to those things. And so I remember walking into the back and just grabbing people, left and right, like, ‘Walk in with me, walk in — just go! Go! Go!’ ‘Cause I always like doing that for people.”
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 11
Theatre
Of Gods & Men Tony Kushner’s Angels In America was a landmark story humanising victims of the HIV epidemic in the ‘80s. Director Gary Abrahams tells Stephen A Russell about tackling this modern masterpiece.
T
here is a great sense of horror at the end of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, at the overwhelming loss of life, love and happiness. A semi-autobiographical account of his co-founding HIV advocacy group the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York, it premiered in 1985 at the height of the crisis in the US. President Ronald Reagan’s administration and big pharma companies dragged their heels as so many fought for survival. Coming six years later, Tony Kushner’s two-part epic Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia On National Themes,
I’m fucking sick of seeing straight actors play gay men.
also howled for justice, but was a very different beast, says Gary Abrahams, director of a new production staged at Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs over a quarter of a century later. “Whereas The Normal Heart was more of a docudrama, Angels... took a much more poetic turn,” he argues. “When drama started, with the Greeks, conversations between mortals and the gods were par for the course. As society advanced, that fell away, but Angels... was one of the first contemporary works to bring that back.” It was also a vision filled with hope despite the grim odds. Prior Walter (Grant Cartwright), a New York City WASP, may have been abandoned by his Jewish 12 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
lover Louis Ironson (Simon Corfield), but he’s soon visited by The Angel (Margaret Mills returning to the role she inhabited for the Australia premiere by MTC back in 1994). Sure, heaven is in disarray, god has left the building and the message conveyed is thoroughly confusing, but it fundamentally rewrote the tragic narrative of HIV-positive men. “The fact that your main protagonist is an HIVpositive gay man and he was the one who was granted access to heaven, the sort of Jesus-like status of being a prophet, I think that was really startling,” Abraham says. “And in some perverse, subversive way, it also humanised him and his status.” This tackling of religious symbolism, illuminating naturalism with bursts of magical realism, also marked Angels out as something quite remarkable, as does its “high-octane sexuality”. Authenticity was vital for Abrahams when it came to capturing that erotic charge animating Kushner’s masterpiece. “One of the things that I was very keen to make sure of when putting it together, was the casting of actors who identify as queer because I’m fucking sick of seeing straight actors play gay men. I know actors can play anything, it’s not about that argument, but when it comes to the sex, there’s always a slight level of uncomfortability when heterosexual men are pashing on.” Abrahams feels an incredible pressure to get it right. Not just because the much-loved text, adapted for TV by HBO and recently staged by the National Theatre in London starring Andrew Garfield and Russell Tovey, demonstrates a “mastery of storytelling that is very rare and has sustained its place in the contemporary canon”. Without the National Theatre’s budget, Abraham and set and costume designer Dann Barber had to get creative, drawing on another seminal queer text, Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning. “We took our design impulse from that very underground, self-made magic of those drag balls. Putting on such a big show on an independent budget was always going to be a massive challenge and that’s how we resolved it.” Angels... may have changed the narrative, and living with HIV is no longer a death sentence, but Abrahams says the spectre of Reaganism has returned to haunt us. “It’s still so fucking topical when you look at the conservative politics sweeping the world at the moment. We’re back at square one with the fucking postal vote. It isn’t a period piece. It’s vital and immediate.”
What: Angels In America When & Where: 1 - 18 Sep, Fortyfivedownstairs
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Music
The xx Factor When Oliver Sim was a teenager, he wanted to be Josh Homme when he grew up. The xx singer/bassist also tells Bryget Chrisfield he accidentally swam with a shark while in Byron Bay recently.
A
t the time of our chat, Oliver Sim is in Byron Bay enjoying a couple of days off before The xx take the Splendour In The Grass Amphitheatre stage. “I was in the water yesterday and some guy started waving at me to get out,” Sim shares, “and I got out and he said he spotted a shark, like, a few metres away! [laughs].” When asked whether he ever gets to see other bands play at festivals when The xx are on the line-up, the vocalist/bassist admits, “That’s my favourite part of festivals, is being able to kind of hang out and see other bands play. So we’re playing tonight here at Byron Bay
When I was a teenager, Josh Homme was my absolute, like, pin-up of what I wanted to be when I was I older.
and we’re here tomorrow, so we’re gonna come back into the festival and see Queens Of The Stone Age play. I’m so excited. When I was a teenager, Josh Homme was my absolute, like, pin-up of what I wanted to be when I was I older. I still am a massive fan.” Sim estimates The xx are currently “playing two thirds” of the band’s latest I See You record in their live sets, as well as “quite a lot of songs from the first and second” albums, before concluding, “We don’t wanna get bored of our own set, so we try and change it as much as we can”. On whether The xx have ever tried to work out how to play a song live, but have had to abandon the idea ‘cause it just didn’t work out, Sim offers, “We’re kind of having that issue right now with one of my favourite 14 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
songs from I See You called Replica; we’ve performed it in, like, four or five different versions and it hasn’t quite been right. So we’re still feelin’ it out. I hope it makes its way into the set.” The music video for On Hold, the lead single from The xx’s latest record, is an absolute masterpiece so we’re curious to find out how much of the concept can be credited to the band. “Well, we got in contact with Alasdair McLellan who we’d worked with before - he’s a fantastic photographer, but he had never really done a music video before - and, you know, we knew what we wanted from this kind of album campaign... We wanted it to be a lot more light and to be, I suppose - you know, what we’ve done in the past has always been very, um, I hate to use this word, haha, but very moody. We wanted something a lot younger and a lot brighter with a lot more positivity and, you know, we were making mood boards of things that we wanted, with images, and we had pulled up so many of his images without even realising. “And we knew we also wanted to come back to Marfa in Texas where we recorded a large part of this album, and it was a place he had never been to before so, yeah! We kind of headed there and spent a week there filming, and came up with that music video - it was a lot of fun.” There’s a nostalgic wash over the clip that gives viewers the impression they’re flicking through treasured old photographs and Sim praises, “I think that’s something Alasdair does SO well; everything’s kind of reallyy golden.” To recruit extras for their clip, Sim reveals, “We sent out an invite, basically, to local kids in Marfa and a kind of neighbouring town, and said, ‘Do you wanna be in a music video?’ And most of them didn’t know who we were, w they were just kind of super-excited to come to a party par and be filmed... It was amazing. ““All we did was - you know, ‘cause they were all d underage - we just gave them fizzy drinks and put on some good music, and they were up for dancing!... When I was that age, I’d be waaaay too self-aware to dance and be filmed, but they were awesome.” If you’re yet to view The xx’s Night + Day documentary, you can do so on YouTube. “That was just amazing,” Sim gushes of his band’s eight-night stand at Brixton Academy, which Night + Day documents. “That was our fourth Night + Day and to do it back home - not only in London, but in our end of London, in Brixton was amazing... It was a real homecoming.” As well as collaborating with local Brixton businesses, The xx also collaborated with artists including Robyn, Jehnny Beth, Cat Power and Florence Welch on the Brixton Academy stage utilising “existing tracks”, and Sim admits, “It’s one of the things that I’ve been most proud of that we’ve done”. Singling out Welch as “a good friend” of The xx as well as “one of [his] favourite performers in the world”, Sim gushes, “I think she’s one in a million”. When it’s suggested that Welch’s voice needs no amplification, Sim agrees, “No, no, 100%. Like I was stood next to her while she was doing full belt and, haha, she did not need a microphone. She’s amazing.”
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THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 15
Music
Express Yourself Frontlash Vote Yes It was awesome to see so many people (and sausage dogs) at the marriage equality rally on Saturday. Love your work folks.
Bo-Yeah! Our fave pretend-comedy is back! He’s BoJack, BoJack the horse (don’t act like you don’t know).
Lashes BIG Sleep
Only six more sleeps ’til BIGSOUND.
Bojack Horseman
Backlash GoT Gone
Season seven is officially wrapped. What the hell are we supposed to illegally download of a Monday now?
Ding Ding
We have a winner. It was Mayweather. Now we never need to hear about it again.
BIG Sleep
Still six more sleeps ’til BIGSOUND.
16 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
US alt-rockers Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, Brian MacDonald and Alex Babinski of PVRIS chat with Emily Blackburn about empowering LGBTQ youth to embrace their true identities.
E
verything is happening at once for PVRIS right now; tour support with the legendary Muse and Thirty Seconds To Mars, popping down to Oz to support The Amity Affliction in between - all while preparing for the release of second record All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell. Lead guitarist/keyboardist Alex Babinski reflects on the three years since their 2014 debut White Noise (“What didn’t change!?”). Their ages ranged from 19 - 20 when writing their debut record, but the band members are now in their early-to-mid 20s. And there’s a lot going on behind closed doors during touring life that people don’t witness. “So much has changed with us just as people,” frontwoman Lyndsey Gunnulfsen (aka Lynn Gunn) expresses, before adding, “For us, it’s very gradual, but maybe from an outside perspective [the change is] very abrupt.” Known to have a very dark aesthetic, often taking on metaphors of ghosts and possession when describing Gunn’s struggles with mental health, PVRIS’ latest LP takes a more mature stance on issues from the past. “Emotionally, it’s definitely just as heavy as White Noise,” Gunn reflects on their previous work, which she describes as “kids stuff” and observes time has brought her out from behind the metaphors. “This record is a lot more transparent... this is coming from myself and only myself and
taking ownership of the shit in [my] head,” she adds. The band’s latest single What’s Wrong had fans worried that the album was taking on a mainstream vibe because of its poppy production. “It’s drenched in cynicism and irony,” Gunn smirks, revealing that, on the contrary, the album is “actually really fucking dark” lyrically, and stating that it’s up to fans to individually interpret the new material to develop “their own personal connection”. So how do these young guns survive touring non-stop across crazy time zones? “Food”, Babinski states without hesitation. Gunn claims she really hasn’t figured it out yet, but offers, “I’m awful at keeping in touch on the road. I’ll text my parents maybe once every two weeks.” She then asserts that PVRIS have always been heavily involved in working with the LGBTQ community. As such, the trio are particularly passionate about their latest endeavours with Ally Coalition. “They set us up in Nashville to go meet up at a youth centre for LGBTQ youth,” Gunn explains. As an openly gay woman, Gunn’s appreciation for the organisation speaks volumes. “I never had that when I was coming out and, figuring out my sexuality. I never had anybody to look up to,” she bemoans. “There are kids that don’t have a voice and are not comfortable being who they truly are,” MacDonald laments. “Us having that platform and being able to let them know that we’re here for them is a cool thing.” The last two Aussie appearances being support slots, the band have started to get a good vibe for Australian audiences. So, would a headline tour be on the cards soon? “Hopefully next time we’re over here!” Gunn smiles. We’ll take that as a yes.
What: All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell (Warner Music)
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 17
Music
Oh My Gordi Miffed Swift
Well, it seems like pop antihero Taylor Swift is done with subtlety and subtext, and has decided to use her sweet bangers as a place to vent some spleen. Or at least that’s the case with her latest single Look What You Made Me Do, a salty-sweet diss track that seems pretty unequivocally aimed at arch nemesis Yeezy, although any number of double crossers could be in Swifty’s firing line. And this seems to be an omen of things to come. The fact that her new album is titled Reputation, coupled with her reclamation of the snake imagery (sorry smiley poop emoji, you’re about to get knocked off the most-used top spot by old mate snake), seems to be an indication that Swift is kicking ass and taking names. Let us cast our discerning eyes towards the vid for Look What You Made Me Do. It’s not so much symbolic as it is downright blatant. Zombie Swift clawing her way out of a grave marked Taylor Swift’s Reputation… well, like we said, subtlety is off the menu. But, to her credit, the whiff of scandal swirling around this track has definitely worked to super-charge its drop. So, next time you’re thinking of releasing a single, make sure you get some juicy beef up and running with one of the Kardashians. And you can have that tip for free.
18 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
Singer-songwriter Gordi opens up about her boarding school days, and how gaining and losing intimate friendships gave her a deep Reservoir to draw from for her debut album. Anthony Carew dives in.
W
hen Gordi - 24-year-old Sophie Payten, who records under her childhood family nickname - was cutting her teeth making music, she loved Sigur Ros, Asgeir, Soley, and Mum; dreaming of making folkie songs blown out with widescreen orchestral and electronic elements. So, when the opportunity arose to record with Alex Somers in Iceland, it was a teen dream come true. “We recorded a string quartet out at the old Sigur Ros studios,” Payten beams. “It was everything I ever imagined it might be.” Her initial arrival, though, wasn’t so auspicious. “When I was flying into Iceland, I thought, ‘This can’t be it,’” Payten recalls, laughing. “I couldn’t see any life, or any cities, it was just like a big iceberg. Then we landed, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is actually it.’ I caught a bus into the city, and it was like being in a snow-globe: everything was white, there were no trees, just white on the ground, white in the sky. The bus driver dropped me into [the wrong] town... so, then I had to walk for 20 minutes, carrying all my instruments, in the middle of a snowstorm.” Reykjavik is a long way from Canowindra (say it: ‘Cuh-NOUN-dra’), the tiny NSW town from which Payten hails. She was raised on a farm called Alfalfa, built by her great great
grandfather, lived in by her family for generations. She “was a massive tomboy” obsessed with soccer and cricket, but who also performed at Eisteddfod. “My mum would accompany me on piano. Probably my shining moment was when I sang a song from The Little Mermaid dressed as the Little Mermaid. I was probably slightly too old to be in a sequined crop-top, but, hey, I was in character!” Payten left Canowindra to attend boarding school in Sydney, and it’s those years that fed her debut Gordi LP, Reservoir. Recorded on three continents with five producers (including Somers, Ali Chant, Tim Anderson, and Payten herself), the songs are steeped in Payten’s six years at boarding school. “When you’re in an environment like that, the friendships that you make are quite intense,” Payten offers. “They become like your family because they have this frontrow seat to you growing up. Then, all of a sudden, you’re in your early 20s, [and] these people that’ve known you so intimately for so many years suddenly drift to the periphery of your life. I’ve been struck by how sad that is, and how you just watch it happen. There’s so many songs about romantic relationships, but those relationships are not that complicated: one person doesn’t want to be in it anymore, and then it’s over. But, the slow dissipation of long-held friendships is [different].” These feelings are amplified, of course, by how little time Payten spent in Sydney since the release of her Clever Disguise EP in 2016. “When you’re a solo artist, you can feel so self-involved. Everything you’re doing is to further your career, and you feel like you’re
What: Reservoir (Liberation) When & Where: 25 Nov, Howler
In Focus Muki
Pic: Camilo Bustamante
Together with Total Giovanni, Sydney’s Muki is supporting Client Liaison on their A Foreign Affair world tour. You’ve probably already heard Muki’s popping electro sound thanks to her smashing debut single Sassaparilla, which, instrumentally, sounds like cracking open a soda can with delicious bubbling vocals on top – you’ll immediately detect Muki’s influences that include Spice Girls, Whitney Houston and Grimes. Get there early to ensure you don’t miss Muki’s sets at Forum Theatre on 30 & 31 Aug. Show starts at 7.30pm sharp.
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 19
Culture
Check Your Privilege As the marriage equality postal ballot appears on the horizon, Maxim Boon explains why this debate is about more than whether same sex couples should have the right to marry.
“R
espectful and reasoned debate,” is what was promised. But from the outset of the costly and entirely avoidable marriage equality plebiscite, it was obvious that respect and reason would be scant. Abject hate was to be expected. Indeed the attitudes of homophobes is something many of us in the LGBTQI+ community have to live with every day. But apathy and ignorance are far harder foes to counter. When a case made with deeply personal passion is flippantly dismissed as a shrill and stubborn rant, there’s very little room left for any debate at all, reasoned and respectful or otherwise.
Freedom of speech should never equate to freedom of persecution.
It seemed Dr Katherine Harper’s rationale for voting “no” in the upcoming marriage equality survey, as outlined in an article published last week in The Age, could have been edited to a single sentence. “In my experience, the debate in the lead up to this postal plebiscite has been characterised by this sort of prejudice by the ‘yes’ voters and their intolerance of genuine discussion,” the good doctor claimed, apparently oblivious to the irony of bemoaning intolerance and prejudice while promising to impose both on her fellow citizens when her postal ballot eventually arrives. Underpinning every sentiment expressed in this article — written by a heterosexual, affluent, university educated, 30-year-old, white cis-woman — is the blinkered incomprehension of someone who has lived a life of total
20 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
privilege: someone denied no rights under law, who has never had to reconcile the crushing reality that they are deemed lesser by the Government. Dr Harper, I too have been extremely fortunate in my life. As a white cis-male from a comfortable, distinctly average middle-class home, I grew up in the Goldilocks zone of western society. And while, as a gay man, I am part of a minority, a childhood nurtured by unconditionally loving parents, and adult years spent in the insulating attitudes of cosmopolitan cities, has largely shielded me from overt discrimination. But I haven’t escaped entirely unscathed. I was 18 years old, just starting my music degree in London, crossing Southwark Bridge in the heart of the city. As I ambled across the Thames, chatting with a friend, I was naive to the kind of mentality I was about to encounter. As we passed a random man, a stranger to us both, he hissed just one word: “faggots.” The man never broke his stride and never looked back. His attack was delivered by stealth, but the damage he casually inflicted was far from insignificant. In the wake of such unprovoked hostility, self-surety shatters, leaving a void instantly filled with questions. How did he know? What was I doing? How should I alter, or moderate, or contort my behaviour or myself to better fit in, to keep myself hidden? Bigots rarely question themselves; their victims can do little else. It’s been 15 years since that experience, yet the sting of that moment is captured in amber, an unaltered artefact in my memories, never too far away. And always, with more questions. It’s a thought that has been particularly preoccupying in recent months, but whereas in the past it might have prompted some private introspection, it has now taken on an increasingly ominous resonance. I cannot say for sure, but that man, who felt empowered enough to spit a slur under his breath at two passing strangers but self-conscious enough to skulk away from any direct altercation, seemed aware that openly brandishing such hateful views in public could be an unwise gamble. How many people on that bridge would share his opinion? How many might turn on him in our defence? If that man wanted to play those same odds today, he’d need only turn his gaze to Trump’s American carnage. In Charlottesville, the world was offered a nauseating glimpse at what happens when political legitimacy emboldens bigotry. Swastikas — the ultimate symbol of humanity’s capacity for evil — were proudly worn by those who insist that their calls for discrimination have a right to be heard. Klansmen took off their hoods for the world to see that they are no longer held back by any pesky repercussions. And so, the questions keep coming. What if, 15 years ago, the man who called me a “faggot” had been made bold like James A Fields Jr, the driver who ran down and killed civil rights activist Heather Heyer, and injured 19 others, when they refused to listen patiently while hate slogans were being hurled at them? Ultimately, the issue of marriage equality is about more than whether same sex couples should be allowed to marry. It’s about refusing to let hateful alt-right senitment be vindicated by giving it an absolving sheen of political process. Freedom of speech should never equate to freedom of persecution. If our society is complicit in actively regressing the progress of civil liberties in Australia, where will it lead? And this question should surely give everyone, straight or gay, pause for thought.
Eat / Drink Eat/Drink
you matcha me crazy
The Mixer
Cross-contamination is usually a reason to run for the hills — or at least the nearest rest room. But when it’s a culture cross, you get matcha affogato. The MA combines the best of two worlds to put a pep in your step - a shot of pure and good matcha green tea dripping down creamy swirls of organic softserve ice cream is a simple yet indulgent treat that won’t piss your PT off.
Fellow foodies, don’t be frightened when your waffles, pancakes or even burger bun is served up to you as green as a Dr Seuss’s eggs. No, it’s not a freaky kind of mould, it’s just matcha-madness giving your meals their leafy hue. By Bree Chapman.
The Sweet-Tooth Spend ten minutes on Pinterest and you’ ll find that matcha treats are all the rage. It’s all been health-Hulked; pretzels, scones, cookies, doughnuts, even the fluffy foundation of any Aussie gathering — the pavlova. Parties, birthdays, holidays — all are made more bearable by the creamy cloud-like dessert. But just ‘cause the pav’s a national treasure that doesn’t mean you can’t spice it up a little — for your next shindig don’t stop with just a nice fruit pattern, take it one step further and go green.
The Early Riser Looking for a way to achieve that Instagram-perfect morning routine? Here it is — the green matcha and quinoa coconut bowl. Sound like a mouthful? Indeed it is, a mouthful of the healthiest (and perhaps blandest) grains and seeds that can be pulled from the earth. This dish is not for faint of heart health hobbyists, so don’t feel inadequate if the uber-healthy brekkie bowl has you thinking “how much matcha is too matcha?” Sure does make for a good photo, though.
The Boozer With the spring fast approaching everyone has fun in the sun on the brain. But how do you get your matcha fix in the heat? Matchainfused alcohol that’s how. From sangria to a nice cold beer, it all tastes better green. So on your next beach trip, ditch the ginger beers and instead throw cucumber and apple slices into some white wine with just a dash of green tea and vodka. As for the beer, it might look a bit like a glassful of pond, but matcha makes for a tasty, mildly bitter draught that’s just a little bit creamy. THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 21
Music
A Weighty Process
High Times
Stream giant Netflix are already, overwhelmingly so, the preferred option for streaming TV. But not content to rest of their considerable laurels, the TV juggernaut has only gone and co-created its very own strains of the sweet Mary J, the magic herb, the good green weed! That’s right folks, Netflix is peddling drugs – but this specially produced marijuana will only be available in West Hollywood, will only be available to people with a medical marijuana card, and will only be in limited supplies. If the fact we won’t be getting a taste of the goods Down Under isn’t sad enough, Netflix has taken this inspired marketing plan to the next level, by creating strains tailored specifically for its original programming. That’s right people, TV themed weed. “Each strain was cultivated with the specific shows in mind, designed to complement each title based on their tone. For example, sillier shows may be more indica dominant, while dramedies will be more sativa dominant to help the more powerful scenes resonate,” Netflix said in a statement. So there you have it, the future of TV isn’t 3D or ultrahigh-def, but getting stoned off your chops before even flick on the goggle box. It’s a great time to be alive! 22 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
For Kim Churchill, his fifth album was all about shedding the excess and creating an album that focused on honesty and authenticity. He shares the process with Jessica Dale.
A
lot of people know Kim Churchill for his 2014 hit, Window To The Sky. It came in 42nd position in the Hottest 100 and was all over the radio that summer. Chances are most people would know at least the chorus, and equal chances are that a lot more people may not know that the ‘overnight success’ was the result of Churchill having released three albums previously before Silence/Win broke through. “It was kind of a nice payoff after so many years of work to have a song that just really stood up on its own legs and just walked off into the sunset, taking my career with it, in a good way,” laughs Churchill. “So that was really cool. It was nice and it was a good confidence builder for me, like to know that I could write songs that resonate like that. I definitely felt a bit of pressure coming into this next album.” “I think that you know, when a song does something like Window To The Sky did, or what any single/hit/whatever you want to call it has, it’s a life of its own, it’s its own little micro-environment and there are so many variables that will never happen again and are totally enigmatic, so there’s no point trying to sit down and construct that. It just
happens if you’re lucky and if the stars align. But it took me a while to [realise that], and that’s why this album took me so long, because it was just kind of getting over trying to top that. Or trying to build some idea in my head that Window To The Sky was somehow better than a lot of other stuff that I’ve done, and it’s not, really. Like I didn’t even think it was the best song on the album, it just got picked up.” The new album Churchill refers to is his latest, Weight Falls. It was an interesting process for Churchill; he wrote an entire album, over an 18-month period, then at the last moment decided to scrap it and start over - he re-wrote, reworked and re-produced what would become his fifth studio album in just on a week. “I was feeling the pressure, and it was coming through in the music a bit. That other album is just very big, very grand, very powerful and bold for sure, but I just wanted something a bit more calm, I think, just trying a little less. It was very liberating, very odd, turbulent time to can an entire album like that, but it felt good and I wrote a new album in a week,” he explains. “I think if you’ve been lying to yourself for long enough, when you finally tell yourself the truth, you can really connect with honesty for a bit. You know, you can see everything clearly... You just interact with it with a deep sense of honesty with everything you do for a little bit, because you’ve been deprived of it for so long. And I wrote a lot of those songs in the week following that and I was really lucky; a very liberated little time.”
What: Weight Falls (Warner) When & Where: 29 Sep, Corner Hotel; 30 Sep, Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 1 Oct, Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Music
Face Time Try Not To Freak Out, but Norway’s Slotface are making their debut trip to Oz with their debut LP. Rod Whitfield makes plans with singer Haley Shea.
N
orwegian band Slotface appear to like pop and punk music in pretty close to equal measures, if their music, attitude and general aesthetic are anything to go by. And when this concept is put to explosive frontwoman Haley Shea, she is quick to agree. “Yes, I think that’s definitely fair,” Shea says, speaking from her home in Stavanger, Norway. “Musically, we’re obviously more of a pop band and a rock band, but we’re very inspired by, and try to take part in, the punk ethos of the DIY attitude, doing things yourself and standing up for things you believe in. “So we like to think that our lifestyle is more punk and our actual music is more pop.” The band have only been together for about five years and they are just about to release their debut album Try Not To Freak Out. Many bands go to extraordinary lengths to complete their first record, and Slotface is certainly one of these. “We’re all still at university, so we all took six months off and moved back in with our parents,” she says with a mock shudder, “just to be able to finish a full album. We were very strict with ourselves about wanting to write as much as possible and then keep cutting it back.” And this plays into the title of the record. “The album deals with the anxieties of being in your mid20s,” she reveals, “and not knowing what you’re going to do with your life. So it’s pretty much just our mantra to ourselves, that hopefully other people can relate to, too, just reminding yourself to keep it all together. But we also thought it was kind of a cheeky first album title, we’re self-deprecating enough to think that Try Not To Freak Out is a good joke.”
It’s pretty much just our mantra to ourselves, that hopefully other people can relate to, too, just reminding yourself to keep it all together.
Slotface will be here in Australia for the first time in early September. It will be the first time for any member of the band to visit our shores in any capacity and Shea has a philosophical way of looking at the fact that they will spend approximately 35 hours in transit just getting here. “We’re consoling ourselves with the fact that it will be on an aeroplane, because we’ve done drives that have been that long without stopping or sleeping. At least on a plane you can lay down, watch movies, someone serves you food and so on,” she laughs. Shea tells us that the band plans ahead and sets longer term goals for themselves to a certain extent, while still being flexible and allowing things to unfold the way they will. “Right now we’re operating on one- to two-year plans,” she says, “where the next six months are super-specific and then it gets a little bit vague after that. This is the life of a musician: you have superdetailed plans for a few months and then it’s a bit of a black hole, because you hope that everything works out the way you want.”
When & Where: 7 Sep, Howler
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 23
Industry
VIC ACTS SET TO
BLOW UP AT BIGSOUND Good Morning Amyl & The Sniffers
Okay, so we slept on the jangly prettiness of Cab Deg back n 2016, but we’ve more than made up for it with repeat listens this year and reckon we won’t be the only ones waking up to Good Morning at BIGSOUND.
Didirri
Amyl & The Sniffers Every music industry type in Melbourne is falling over themselves to drop this selfdescribed “Pub Punk Sharpie Rock” band’s name. Post-BIGSOUND that buzz is set to spread nationwide.
RVG With this year’s A Quality Of Mercy album making them a solid hometown favourite it’s time for the confessional post-punk/ new-wave songs of RVG to find an even wider audience.
Didirri
Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird
Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird
Billy Davis
Making clever pop that’s not so clever that it’s annoying, Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird are already being whispered about by fellow Melbourne players as ones to watch.
Sharp funk faves who are so close to blowing up you can smell the nitroglycerin.
Total Giovanni Really, if the rest of the country hasn’t yet realised why TG are this city’s favourite party band then they probably just don’t know how to party. We expect them to be festival hopping around the globe soonish.
Beating Panels There is a treasure trove of speakers and panels at this year’s BIGSOUND, and here we highlight a few of the must-sees.
24 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
The voice. It’s all about that voice. Once heard, never forgotten. This Warrnambool wunderkind could be the sleeper hit of BIGSOUND ‘17.
Colour-Coded: Culture, Creativity & Categorisation In The Music Industry For all its self-professed aspirations of diversity, the music industry remains a white male-dominated space. This panel will undoubtedly raise some incredibly important - and necessarily uncomfortable - discussion about addressing this racial and cultural imbalance, and what can be done to achieve greater equity across the board.
The Beautiful Monument A LOT of folk think The Beautiful Monument might be THE break-out heavy band of BIGSOUND ‘17.
The Changing Future Of Music: AI, VR, Robotics & Blockchain The technological landscape is undergoing some of the most exciting, and rapid, changes in decades, and contemporary music is not immune to its forces. Learn where the future lies for modern artists, and how they can best capitalise on new and emerging technologies to stay ahead of the pack in a crowded, competitive field.
Top Tips For BIGSOUND Delegates
NON-VIC ACTS WITH BIGSOUND BUZZ
We here at The Music have weathered many a BIGSOUND, so here we pass on a few life lessons we’ve picked up along the way.
Pace Yourself Clea
Caiti Baker
We’ve had this Bris singer’s Bright Blue on high rotation since it dropped earlier this year. When a quality voice is matched with songwriting this bright we expect big things.
There’s a reason Caiti Baker is a go-to for collabs. She’s got the chops that count. She also won the NT Song Of The Year in July. Now is her time.
Haiku Hands
Holiday Party
While a lot of Australia’s indie-electronic acts are working to a formula that guarantees airplay on a certain radio station, Sydney three-piece Haiku Hands hark back to a time when dance music played by no one’s rules.
It’s one Little Scout with one of The John Steel Singers. You know you have to be in the room for this Brisbane act.
Cub Sport
Maddy Jane Just a few weeks ago everyone was suddenly talking about this Tassie singersongwriter. Hit play on No Other Way and the song will be stuck in your head all the way to BIGSOUND.
Winston Surfshirt
Cub Sport Okay, this QLD combo don’t belong on a buzz list as they have gone way beyond buzz. But with O Lord seriously heading toward Song Of The Year status, their showcases are gonna be the hottest tickets in town.
Gender In Music: Quotas & Bridging The Confidence Gap Nearly two decades into the 21st century, we’re still a long way off achieving gender parity in the music industry. Expect a wideranging exploration of everything from the effectiveness of quotas to the importance of multi-gender representation on aspiring artists to come to the fore in this socially conscious conversation.
Living under a rock? No? Then you already know that this Sydney stoner-soul outfit are riding the biggest Next Big Thing wave of any other act on their way to this year’s BIGSOUND.
Polaris The buzz on this metalcore band from Sydney is almost as loud as the band themselves. Watch them explode post-BIGSOUND.
BIGSOUND is bigger than ever this year, and you don’t want to be the person too hungover to take meaningful part in panels and meetings by day two.
Explore The Nooks And Crannies BIGSOUND is as much an experience of discovery as it is about seeing things you already know you’ll like. Live a little. (But not too much; see point one.)
Sidewalks Not Sidetalks For Brisbane locals, there is nothing more frustrating than dodging a million industry types having Brunswick Street discussions about nothing that couldn’t be said at one of the many nearby cafes.
Please Have Loud Conversations In Public Yes, we know what we just said, but you’re going to ignore it anyway, and this just really makes our ‘Overheard At Bigsound’ pieces a lot easier to write, honestly. Help us help you.
Keynote: Tina Arena
Keynote: Archie Roach
One of the nation’s most decorated performers, Tina Arena has experienced it all in her extensive career. This talk promises to be a true eye-opener for both the fanatical and the merely curious as she discusses the state of the music industry and her remarkable journey through it over the past several decades.
Archie Roach is nothing short of an Australian music industry legend, having given a voice to countless marginalised people over a career that has spanned almost 30 years. Made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015, he’ll open up about the role music plays as a healing and empowering force, and you don’t want to miss it.
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 25
Theatre
Future Drama Playwright Josephine Collins and director Penny Harpham have some bleak predictions for Australia’s future. They introduce Maxim Boon to the world of The Way Out.
T
he year is, well, we can’t say for sure. In a country where all resources are controlled by the Government, it’s impossible to be certain of anything. Life in Australia since the civil war is a grind, and an uneasy peace is holding between the northern and southern states. But the rivers in the Murray-Darling basin have been dammed, faceless corporations have taken control of food production, and the people must now live off the meagre aid the State provides. With a choke-hold on its populous, the post-war Government maintains its power by keeping its people in a state of total obedient dependence. Alternatives are scant: it’s either subsist on the handouts or brave the dangers of the black market. The Way Out
I think collectively, we feel like this kind of future is inevitable.
Australia is now a country in economic lock down, a country where life is not so much about living as it is about just surviving. This dystopian vision is the world of writer Josephine Collins’ debut play, The Way Out. Commissioned as part of Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre’s INK scheme — a program that supports the development of new works by emerging playwrights — it’s a story of familiar family drama set against the bleak Orwellian backdrop of a war-ravaged, State controlled future Australia. Collins’ premise is strikingly original, set in the years following a civil war between Australia’s North and South, driven by an ecological catastrophe. However, the ‘disaster epic’ is an extremely well-populated genre. As 26 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
such, it’s a model fraught with cliches and threadbare tropes that require careful negotiation to avoid any corny pitfalls. These inherent difficulties haven’t put off leagues of storytellers, who continue to pen dark portents of humanity’s impending doom. So what is it that makes narratives exploring these desolate scenarios, pitting mankind against overwhelming forces, so enduringly fascinating? “I think it’s our own anxieties about the state of the world writ large,” Collins suggests. “But I also think they’re cathartic in some ways. It’s an anxiety that we carry with us all the time, so exploring them offers us a chance to find some answers to our questions about the future.” “I think collectively, we feel like this kind of future is inevitable,” director Penny Harpham adds. “I think right now, as opposed to maybe ten years ago, we largely understand that we’re on the cusp of something majorly destructive. That’s especially true for stories that are politically motivated or connected to the environment. They really don’t feel beyond the realm of possibility.” The universe Collins has conjured in The Way Out is impressively rich, almost operatic in its scope. But such a wealth of detail can have its drawbacks when it comes to theatre. Harpham, who has worked with Collins to develop this play since its inception, has been instrumental in taking such complex ideas and marshalling them for the stage. “It’s been a process of refinement, taking this epic, novel-esque story and focusing it into something dramatically taut on stage,” Harpham explains. “It’s taken a couple of years to hone those ideas and to figure out what can be achieved theatrically without the need for explanation or dialogue. That’s where the collaboration between director and writer is really important.” It’s a partnership that has proven to be uniquely simpatico for Collins and Harpham. “I grew up in a town of 600 people, eight hours west of Brisbane. Josephine grew up in rural Victoria, so we shared a major geek out over the country aspect of this play. We’ve been able to say, let’s let this story be unashamedly fucking country. We’re embracing it in a way that might not work in another context. But this is a sci-fi country and western. That’s what we’re making, so let’s go there,” Harpham smiles. “Here in Melbourne we eat brunch and sip lattes, but actually, the soul of Australia is tough and unsentimental, and that’s what we’ve tried to capture.” Collins and Harpham may be taking their audience to an ominous place in Australia’s far flung future, but at the heart of this narrative is a reassuring note of optimism. “We have to survive in this world and in its future. And we will,” Collins insists. “We’re humans. Wherever there are humans there are families, there is love, people laugh and have a good time and find ways to celebrate and come together. Humans are always going to be funny. They’re always going to try and cheer each other up, even in the worst possible conditions. So this kind of dystopian story becomes about trying to understand how we maintain our humanity under these circumstances.”
What: The Way Out When & Where: Until 24 Sep, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre
Music
The Way Of The Blade
Metal Blade Records is commemorating its 35th anniversary via a new tome penned by founder/CEO Brian Slagel. By Brendan Crabb.
P
ursuing commercial success was immaterial to Brian Slagel when he founded the Metal Blade label as a one-man operation in 1982, working in his mother’s garage. Now 56, he insists that swift cash-ins on fleeting fads weren’t part of the metal mainstay’s mission statement. “We never tried to be too much into one specific scene, and the last thing we would do is go like, ‘This thing is really big, we need a band like that.’ I think that’s ridiculous and it’s not what we try to do here. We’re always actually trying to find whatever the next thing is, and I’d much rather be way out in front of something like that than try to chase something around. It was the same from day one until now. There’s really nothing we’re specifically looking for. If something comes in that I like, I’ll want to work with it.” Growing up in California, Slagel became enamoured with metal, starting a fanzine and trading tapes. He eventually met a few fellow new wave British heavy metal fanatics, including Lars Ulrich (who wrote the foreword to Slagel’s new book, For The Sake Of Heaviness - The History Of Metal Blade Records). Slagel granted Ulrich’s fledgeling band Metallica a spot on the first Metal Massacre compilation. Many fans reach middle age and the passion for heavy metal dissipates
for various reasons, as real life responsibilities supplant seeking out fresh music. That’s not the case for Slagel. “I’m still into the music as much as I ever have been. I’m probably more excited about new bands coming out these days than I have for a while. I don’t ever want to retire. I want to keep doing this for as long as humanly possible.” Their roster now includes flagship bands like Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth and The Black Dahlia Murder. As the traditional music industry format remains in a parlous state, Slagel notes in the book that there “is a move away from the concept of music ownership and towards the concept of music access”. “Last year the music business overall was up 9%, and this year for the first half of this year it’s up a little bit more than that,” he says. “Clearly a lot of that is pop and hip hop stuff, but we’re starting to see even in our world now, the Spotify numbers [are] way better than they thought they were. “You still have vinyl that’s doing really well and CDs are not going to completely go away, although obviously there’s going to [be] less than they were before. It seems the industry is poised for several good years of growth now, and growth where there’s going to be income for not only the labels but more importantly the artists. So I feel we’re in a really good spot now moving forward, and we have such a big catalogue that... 53% of all the Spotify streams and the same thing with all the other streaming services are catalogue. So that definitely bodes well for us, and certainly for the artists. It seems like we should hopefully have some good times ahead.”
What: For The Sake Of Heaviness - The History Of Metal Blade Records (BMG)
The Ones That Got Away
Throughout Metal Blade’s 35-year tenure, there have been sliding doorslike moments when the label narrowly missed out on signing major acts. “I got this really nice letter from Dave Mustaine when he was forming Megadeth, back in the day of handwritten letters,” Slagel laughs. “He was like, ‘Hi, I’d love to work with Metal Blade.’ We ended up making an offer for Megadeth of $7000, and a label called Combat in New York, they made an offer for $8000. That was a lot of money back in 1983/’84. So we lost out on that. “We were offered Cowboys From Hell by Pantera for quite a bit of money. Which we probably could have made happen if all the things came into place, but we didn’t do that one.” There have also been unexpected success stories. Namely, Goo Goo Dolls, who Slagel believes boast the highest-selling album in Metal Blade’s history. “We’d started this subsidiary punk label called Death Records... They started out as a really cool punk band, and kind of eventually morphed into a band that had a ballad that was almost an afterthought to come out on that record. It became massively huge and they went on to this huge career. It’s pretty amazing; you just never know what twists and turns bands will take.”
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 27
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Album OF THE Week
Hearts That Strain
And with that, Jake Bugg has completed his transformation to mature songwriter for mature listeners. Just 23 and now with four records under his belt, the Englishman has checked the swagger that accompanied him on his earliest releases at the door, instead channelling Paul Simon and Donovan to brilliant effect on Hearts That Strain. Once the listener comes to terms with the fact that there’s nary a distorted guitar to be heard, it quickly becomes evident that Bugg is an excellent songwriter. “In the event of my demise, pull a penny from my eyes/Heads you get my gold, tails you get my debt” (In The Event Of My Demise) is The Decemberists-esque, and the slight vibrato in Bugg’s voice is eerily similar to that band’s singer, Colin Meloy. And while Bugg’s songs are not as sweeping in scope as those of The Decemberists — the 11 tracks come in at just over 35 minutes in total — the structure of the album’s highs and lows make it a great way to spend that time. Relatively straightforward production is utilised, arrangements are guided but always leave plenty of room for the stars of the show: Bugg’s lyrics. Hearts That Strain is far from dance-worthy, but thoroughly rewarding nonetheless.
EMI
Dylan Stewart
Jake Bugg
★★★★½
Cloud Control
Mogwai
Zone
Every Country’s Sun
Ivy League
Spunk/Caroline
★★★½
★★★★
The third album from the Blue Mountains trio was four years in the making and has stepped away from the dream pop that soaked their much-lauded albums Bliss Release and Dream Cave. Having lost a bass player but gained production skill (lead singer Alister Wright recorded and mixed the album) Zone reveals a band that have grown up. Returned home following a couple of years based in London, it’s no surprise that each song reflects different moods. Lead single Zone (This Is How It Feels) is retro-fitted with a wink to Kid Cudi, Treetops seems influenced by the score in Hunt For The Wilderpeople and there’s a definite New Radicals anthem sound to Rainbow City. Heidi Lenffer takes lead vocals on Panopticon and the
Historically, Glaswegian postrock icons Mogwai have built their reputation on angst-ridden arrangements of sparse, looped, guitar-driven melancholy. They turned a corner in 2011 with Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, a triumphant record of sun-drenched powerrock blearing down from the upper atmosphere. Their new record — their ninth, and their first since 2001’s watershed album Rock Action working with producer Dave Fridmann — is not as commanding, but is perhaps more cosmic, with strange sci-fi textures bleeding in. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will was a blown-out spectacle, and their follow-up, Rave Tapes, saw Mogwai pulling their sound apart for a closer look (with mixed results). Every Country’s Sun is the sound of a band consciously detached from
28 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
result is a funky romp through psychedelic town. The bass lead Lacuna is perhaps the closest to ‘old’ Cloud Control, lamenting the days prior to jetting away. If you try hard enough you get a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past, which is all the rage right now, but as has been the case in albums past, the Cloud Controllers never feel as if they deliberately push this theme. Rather it’s something that occurs naturally, which maintains album three’s charm. Adam Wilding
their high-browed rock-oriented past and simply enjoying themselves. The last few minutes of Crossing The Road Material is the best example of this: it’s an extended blast from rocket jet guitar chords, with a soothing ambient drone coasting along underneath, and skittish little digital sparks blooming here and there. AKA 47 could’ve been a collaboration with Boards Of Canada, with its warped edges and woozy key patterns, and Battered At A Scramble is a giddy, down-tuned Smashing Pumpkins B-side. This is Mogwai’s most thoroughly enjoyable release in a long time. Matt MacMaster
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
Saatsuma
Tony Buck
Contrive
Bicep
Overflow
Unearth
Slow Dissolve
Independent
Room 40
Independent
Bicep
★★★★
★★★½
★★★½
★★★½
The often engrossing soft collision of Cesar Rodrigues’ sometimes-retro synth noises and Memphis Kelly’s so-human voice does convince as it speaks of its needs and doubts across an entire album. In songs like the elemental Crescent, Kelly both shivers and ponders, but there’s a weight of belief there. There’s a tension through much of it — sometimes wise beyond their years, but still asking questions. With You and Isolate are songs with some solitude in them, her voice skipping, but the background electronic buzz could be the war in the protagonist’s head. Saatsuma make assured music of sincere, sometimes uncomfortable, feeling.
It’s very good — but almost indescribable. The first solo recording of The Necks’ Tony Buck in over a decade, Unearth is a single 51minute work threaded together from tiny, abstract details; with live percussive strikes rattling arrhythmically beneath swells of radio static, gongs and gurgling sub-bass (and so much more). As its title suggests, it’s an evolving and exploratory piece. But, that abstract aesthetic veils a remarkably considered structure (albeit a less linear one than casual devotees of The Necks’ live swells would expect). With a singular vocabulary, it still conveys different moods of tension, peace and growth. Again — it’s very good. But, ultimately indescribable.
It’s been a long time between drinks for the Haug brothers and their band Contrive, but with Slow Dissolve, they have pulled out a cracker. The album finds them in experimental form, untethered by the usual restrictions of heavy metal. The overriding vibe is that of groove-based old-school heavy rock and metal, but they have chosen to take a large step out into left field, exploring some interesting soundscapes amid the pounding grooves and enormous guitars. Check out mid-album instrumental The Human Game as an example. Slow Dissolve was well worth the seven-year wait.
Irish duo Bicep flex some serious muscle with the release of their eponymous debut album. They have released many 12”s over the years, but this release feels like a shift up and out of underground dance. Bicep take us back to the ‘90s with textbook examples of the classic tech house sound of the era. Insistent four-on-the-floor beats provide a framework for the nebulous synth sounds and simple melodies that dreamily weave their way in and out of the mix. It’s a chill vibe, reminiscent of Orbital, but the insistent grooves suggest killer remixes are in store for us.
Rod Whitfield
Guido Farnell
Ross Clelland
Ninja Tune/Inertia
Matt O’Neill
More Reviews Online Citizen Kay Belly Of The Beast
theMusic.com.au
Gogol Bordello Seekers And Finders
Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 29
Live Re Live Reviews
Kehlani @ Forum Theatre. Pic: Michael Prebeg
Kehlani, Joy. Forum Theatre 27 Aug
Kehlani @ Forum Theatre. Pic: Michael Prebeg
DJ Noodles @ Forum Theatre. Pic: Michael Prebeg
The Jungle Giants @ The Croxton. PIc: Yana Amur
Joy. @ Forum Theatre. PIc: Michael Prebeg
Heaps Good @ The Croxton. PIc: Yana Amur
30 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
It’s clear that a fair amount of people have been waiting here for a very long time, some are even overheard saying they’ve been queuing for a couple of hours. With the massive line of eager fans winding all the way around the corner of the venue, the hype for tonight is evident. The inside of Forum Theatre is always a sight for sore eyes. Dim lights illuminate the Romanesque statues that look down on the punters who are double fisting drinks and settling into prime viewing/dancing spots at the front of the stage. Joy. (aka Olivia McCarthy) looks angelic as ever seated at her keyboard tonight. White lights beam down from the royal blue ceiling, straight onto the top of her head. Drenched in the spotlight, she sings her heart out accompanied quite simply by a drummer and guitarist whose head is adorned with some humungous headphones for the entire set. He’s so into each song, his enthusiasm sucks us in. McCarthy’s recent releases seem to take on a more ambient, electro-pop approach in comparison to the slight R&B vibe heard on earlier work. Some of her vocal phrasing and chord selection — especially in earlier tracks — are really beautiful and we hope to hear more of this in future offerings. It’s a large stage and difficult crowd to hold since McCarthy provides a more sombre vibe compared to what the majority of punters are keen for tonight, but she does grab the attention of a fair few with some even seen viewing the Joy. Facebook page, to note her name down for a later listen. Kehlani’s tour DJ Noodles kicks it off as the room goes dark just in time for the bangers to get everyone buzzing. She plays everything from Princess
Nokia and Khia to Beyonce and even, strangely enough, Panic! At The Disco. It doesn’t take long at the decks before Noodles gets the crowd totally wired and it’s completely electric as Kehlani, who’s rocking an Aboriginal flag T-shirt, struts onto the stage for Keep On. Cue the incessant snapchatting, which is borderline insanity tonight. There are a couple of punters that definitely spend most of the evening looking at the stage through the screen of their phone, rather than with their own eyes. A sea of screens and arms flail around in the air to grab a wonky 30-second video of their favourite track. Kehlani’s vocals are flawless throughout the entire set, even during the choreographed parts as she effortlessly moves together with her two back-up
With a flick of her hair, smile and mic pointed out to the crowd she gets us all rapping along louder and louder to The Way. dancers accompanied by the spicy fills provided by her ridiculously tight drummer. Her ability to engage the entire room is amazing. With a flick of her hair, smile and mic pointed out to the crowd, she gets us all rapping along louder and louder to The Way. Her warmth and genuine humility can be felt during her speech that follows — addressing empathy and self-care in a beautifully articulate and relatable way —
eviews Live Reviews
before Piece Of Mind, leaving a fair few clutching their mates while belting out the lyrics with teary eyes. After a shout out to the LGBTQI+ community and supporters in the crowd, Kehlani takes a quick moment to encourage young people to vote in the upcoming postal survey on same sex marriage, which is met with ear-shattering applause. We don’t think it can really get any louder than this until a fan is called up by Kehlani herself. After the fan’s partner is asked to make her way to the stage, what follows is a sugarysweet marriage proposal that, of course, has the entire crown losing their minds. Maintaining the high, Kehlani powers on with Undercover and Personal, before saying, “Ok, last song. Who can guess it?” and of course, fans know it’s sure to be CRZY. What is crazy is that this girl is just 22 years old. She’s got the heart of an old soul, the voice of an angel, moves to shut down any D-floor with ease, the energy and drive of a powerful woman and the attitude of the absolute 100% boss that she proves to be. Natasha Pinto
The Jungle Giants, Lastlings The Croxton 26 Aug Brother and sister duo Lastings have included a drummer to their live set for this evening’s performance, which adds an extra layer of density and depth to their dreamy electronic-pop. “My second concert was The Jungle Giants, when I was 13, so it’s pretty exciting to be supporting them tonight!” exclaims singer Amy Dowdle. They share songs from their debut Verses EP, released earlier this year, plus a few old favourites that are amped up with an even bigger sound
Green lasers shoot out in all directions, reflecting off the disco balls, and it feels like we’re standing in the middle of a giant rave cave.
production. Dowdle’s luscious vocals fit perfectly within the euphoric, pulsating electronics that are equal parts expansive and enchanting. “There’s something in the air, it feels right so let’s pump this motherfucker!” shouts The Jungle Giants frontman Sam Hales. They launch into She’s A Riot and the audience loses their shit. By the second song in, there are already crowd-surfers and the room is absolutely heaving. Anyone who’s ever seen this band perform before knows exactly how energetic they can be, but tonight The Jungle Giants certainly outdo themselves. The band notch their performance up tenfold to celebrate the release of third album Quiet Ferocity and it’s anything but quiet, but most certainly ferocious. They’ve taken creative risks with the soundscape of their new album and it works in their favour as they bring it to life in a live setting with captivating results. “Anybody here have two legs? Then let’s dance!” Hales commands as the band launch into their predominantly instrumental track In The Garage. It’s the most experimental track on the new record and also the peak of the show tonight. The swirling high-pitched synth and momentous drumming gets everybody’s heartbeats racing as we groove along to the
increasing tempo. “The party is ripe and I want to pluck it!” says Hales enthusiastically. Green lasers shoot out in all directions, reflecting off the disco balls, and it feels like we’re standing in the middle of a giant rave cave. Some band members from fellow Brisbane band Confidence Man can be spotted partying nearby and we admire their dance moves. We use every last bit of energy left inside of us, go nuts and party during their last few tracks including On Your Way Down and Feel The Way I Do. Hales makes his way out to the centre podium with his guitar held up high to really get the crowd excited. We throw our hands up in the air to express our appreciation for this truly unforgettable set by The Jungle Giants. Michael Prebeg
More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au/ music/live-reviews
The Courtneys @ The Curtin Anna Of The North @ Northcote Social Club Batpiss @ The Tote Pete Murray @ Forum Theatre Kylie Auldist @ Caravan Music Club Senegambian Jazz Band @ Northcote Social Club ABRA @ Corner Hotel
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 31
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
of American ballet, known for the glossy vim and vigour of his aesthetic, was a choreographer able to command a stage on every conceivable scale, from a pas de deux to a vast ensemble, and both those scales are on show in this work. Aside from the modern-ish vibe of its almost wantonly economical set merely a sky-blue backdrop with three lavish chandeliers hanging overhead - Balanchine’s tutu’ed women and crushed velvet clad men evoke the most sacred traditions of the 19th-century form. And yet, the sharpness of the lines, the concertinaing cascades of the flowing extensions, and the sheer ambition of its colossally populated conclusion, remind us that this is a work of the modern era, and from a country that had perfected the industrially mass produced, shamelessly coveting excess and luxury above all things. Before the interval, some classical palate cleansers were presumably included as buffers for the two new works on the bill. Ironically, these formal divertissments were the most jarring elements of the evening, sitting uncomfortably next to their contemporary counterparts, although the performance of the Diana And Acteon pas de duex by company principals Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo was breathtakingly well executed, showcasing some utterly astonishing and gasp-worthy technique. Two new works, by Australian Ballet dancers Richard House and Alice Topp, offered a glimpse at ballet’s future, with dance as beautifully lyrical and sublime as any of the 19th-century examples on offer. House’s From Silence delivered a highly theatrical performance, under pinned by a sensual language of flowing and serpentine lines. However, for my money, the highlight of the entire program was Alice Topp’s Little Atlas. Illuminated by a halo of light, a body twists and unfurls within a cage of light. A trio of dancers then muse on the complexity of our interpersonal connections, the fluency of this physical dialogue astutely captured by Topp’s superb skill at transmuting the nuance of human emotion into movement. I, for one, cannot wait to see more from this talented dance maker.
Symphony In C, Australian Ballet
Symphony In C Theatre Until 2 Sep, Arts Centre Melbourne
★★★½ Programming contemporary work is a tricky business, especially where the arch conservatism of ballet audiences is concerned. Traditionminded punters come in search of fabulous grace and heart wrenching beauty, not the angular angst found in some modern choreography. A tried and true tactic for sneaking this apparently odious work past unwilling patrons is to program it alongside a draw card, and this is certainly the tack taken by the Australian Ballet in its latest program. The afore mentioned carrot on the contemporary dance stick is of course George Balanchine’s audaciously grand ode to classical form and technique, Symphony In C. The undisputed modern-day father
Maxim Boon
32 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
American Made
American Made Film In cinemas now
★★★½ For someone who seems to have spent their long screen career cultivating a persona as a winner or a success story, Tom Cruise has a lot of flawed and faulty individuals on his resume. Sure, the Cruise characters who are selfcentred, cowardly or just plain weird inevitably straighten up and fly right. But there’s something genuinely interesting about seeing a handsome, charismatic type like him push his luck, fail to live up to expectations or make bad decisions. Cruise gets to do all of the above in American Made and it’s the contrast between the star’s trademark cocky, controlled presence and his character (Barry Seal)’s risky, reckless, greedy and foolhardy actions that give this stranger-than-fiction true story an additional kick. That’s not to downplay the glib, cheeky tone of Gary Spinelli’s screenplay and especially the freewheeling energy of Doug Liman’s direction, both of which keep the engagement and entertainment levels high. But whether it’s by design or not, American Made doesn’t delve too deeply into the murkier aspects of its story, undercutting its potential impact as a result. It’s absolutely not a bad movie. But it regularly feels like it’s on the verge of being a better one — sharper, smarter, maybe even crazier. Having said that, the story of Barry Seal, played by Cruise, is pretty crazy as it stands. There’ll be the odd scene or sequence in American Made that arrestingly depicts the thrill in flouting legal or ethical standards or the sick feeling of suddenly being way out of one’s depth. And Cruise frequently does a smashing job of showing how Seal’s cunning and bravado sometimes curdles into desperation and fear. (He also subtly, cleverly, conveys that Seal isn’t necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed.) It’s times like these, when the movie takes a more grass-roots approach to telling its larger-than-life tale, where it really connects. Often, however, American Made makes big, obvious statements about corruption and greed that already feel too familiar. Guy Davis
OPINION Opinion
Howzat!
Local Music By Jeff Jenkins Planet Duffo Australia was never going to be big enough for an artist like Melbourne’s Jeff Duff. Indeed, the world is not enough for Duffo. When he left for London in January 1978, his mum said: “You know, Jeffrey, I will always encourage you to explore the universe, but promise me you’ll let me know which planet you choose.” He travelled with a blow-up doll named Doris, armed with some demos done in Sydney, with Icehouse as his backing band. The titles included Tower Of Madness, Hole In The Head, Let Me Fuck Your Mind and Don’t Let Them Tell You You’re Mad. “Crazy came naturally to me,” Duffo explained in his book, This Will Explain Everything. He shopped the songs in London, pretending to be a manager named Tom Epstein — a name combining Colonel Tom Parker and Brian Epstein. “I represent a sensational new artist from Australia,” ‘Tom’ told the record companies. “I’m only in town for a 48-hour stopover on my way to New York... When can I see the boss of your A&R department?” Duffo landed a deal with
Beggars Banquet, and hit the UK charts with a single called Give Me Back Me Brain. To celebrate the deal, Duffo was arrested, “naked”, outside Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s residence and threatened with deportation. Duffo ended up staying nearly ten years in the UK, doing his first London show with Gary Numan, partying with Paul McCartney, Andy Warhol and Britt Ekland, and appearing on Page 3 of The Sun, wearing only Glad Wrap, next to a topless blonde model. When he performed on the BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test, next to a dwarf and a giant, the host Annie Nightingale called him “a strange being from Down Under”. A silly Duffer? No, he’s one of the sweetest and most talented people in the music business. Duffo now calls Sydney home, but he’ll be back in Melbourne
Jeff Duff
this week, telling tales about his times in London with “A Duff Odyssey” at the Caravan Club on Friday and the Spotted Mallard on Saturday. And he’ll be doing his Bowie show, “Bowie Unzipped”, at the Satellite Lounge on Sunday afternoon.
Hip Hip Happy Birthday to The Vines singer, Craig Nicholls — he’s 40 on 31 Aug. And the great Ted Mulry would have been 70 on Saturday.
Hot Line “When I found you it was beautiful like a song / Something bigger than love came down, I never knew that it could be so strong” — Raised By Eagles, Night Wheels.
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 33
OPINION Opinion
A$AP Ferg
O G F l ava s
R
Urban And R&B News With Cyclone
emarkably, the mixtape has endured in the digital age. The format lends itself to streaming and stealth drops, after all. As the world awaits A$AP Rocky’s third album, his industrious (and underrated!) A$AP Mob cohort A$AP Ferg (aka Darold Ferguson, Jr) has aired a second mixtape — the stopgap Still Striving. The mercurial Harlem, New York MC broke out with the song Work off the Mob’s 2012 Lord$ Never Worry mixtape. Ferguson debuted officially with Trap Lord, trademarking his East Coast take on Southern trap. But, last year, he presented an artier — and more introspective — follow-up in Always Strive And Prosper. It had EDM, jazz and Missy Elliott. Alas, aside from the Future-blessed New Level, Ferg fans weren’t down. With Still Striving, Ferguson defaults to club and street bangers. It launches with the gothic odyssey Trap And A Dream (featuring
Ahadadream
Business Music When Your Club
O
ne of drum house’s Needs A Boss leading exponents With Paz is London’s Ahadadream. In an email Q&A, we discuss cultural influences, internet radio and his future move to OZ. Through Logic software he builds “130 bpm, drum-focused percussive club music influenced by UK funky, Afrobeats, kuduro, GQOM, baile funk and more”, and the result is his Movements EP on More Time Records. 34 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
An early introduction to Pakistan’s dhol drum inspired the percussive nature of his production style. “Some of my first exposure to any type of drums was at weddings when I was younger and there would be live dhol being played and sung along to. I still think that’s where my affinity for drum-focused music comes from.” Fast forward and it’s London’s “pirate radio” ideology that connects the dots to his current love of drum music. “I used to listen to Marcus Nasty on Rinse FM, Roska’s Essential Mix on Radio 1 was another early influence, and then eventually I started doing a show on an internet station called Nasty FM.” Those early days of radio spurned an initiation into DJ-centric internet streaming. His Radar Radio show and career at Boiler Room make us keen to hear his big tips for 2017. “Make Money — Mina ft Bryte... and De Grandi’s music is really great — I liked it so much that I had to get him over from France to play a show for me in London.” Ahadadream is moving to Melbourne in summer ‘17 (”love, innit”). Does he love our producers? “The homie Strict Face. Been supporting Coldpast for a while, also recently played music from Lowparse and Lewis CanCut on my show.”
Drake’s Philly nemesis Meek Mill). The mixtape is heavy on guests — with the likes of Harlem vet Cam’ron (the grimy Rubber Band Man), Atlantan mumble rap prince Lil Yachty (the melodic Aww Yeah) and, fresh from blazing Lana Del Rey’s Summer Bummer, Playboi Carti (the trap-NRG Mad Man). Ironically, the single Plain Jane is one of few solo cuts — Ferguson (mischievously) namechecking Rihanna. Ferguson also brings his signature posse remixes. Having lately teamed with the Terror Squad’s Remy Ma on the DJ Khalil-helmed East Coast, here he touts an all-star remix — shedding Remy (boo!) for, among others, a welcome Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and A$AP Rocky himself. And Ferguson knowingly raps, “I get a feeling they want the old Ferg / ‘Cocaine Castle’, ‘Hood Pope’ Ferg.”
Dance Moves
Wizkid
I
t’s Wizkid’s moment, and doesn’t he know With Tim Finney it. The Nigerian singer’s appearance on Drake’s One Dance was a crossover opportunity unrivalled by other African pop artists, despite a seven-year or so purple patch of amazing music under the general rubric of ‘afrobeats’. So for his follow-up to his excellent second album, 2014’s Ayo, Wizkid takes no chances. Sounds From The Other
New Currents
OPINION Opinion
Side, confusingly billed as an album, an EP and a mixtape, is a calculated stab at US and international crossover, and sounds like it, its smooth surfaces scrubbed free of the kind of percussive strangeness that might put off first-time listeners of afrobeats. Which is not to say that it’s all weak sauce. First single and opener Sweet Love is marvellous, a reggae meets afrobeat (no ‘s’, as in the music that Fela Kuti used to make) fusion that puts Wizkid’s sighing vocals to their best use over a groove that’s part booming bass line, part lilting African drums, part horn workout. After that, though, things quickly get very, shall we say, transatlantic. Come Closer is mellifluous and sparkling, pseudo-dancehall so nutrasweetened it sounds like a looped verse from a Chainsmokers tune — so it’s hardly surprising when Drake turns up with his flattened drawl. It’s still a tune, but its deracinated internationalism represents a slightly unnerving new development in afrobeats’ shift towards the mainstream. The issue is not that afrobeats is trying to cross over, and more that when it does so it doesn’t sound particularly different to the last decade or so of crossover-minded dancehall. All of which sounds like criticism, and on one level it is, but for the most part Sounds From The Otherside is a remarkably enjoyable album: to its credit, Naughty Ride (produced with Major Lazer) doesn’t even bother to try to pass itself off as an uptempo track, instead offering a super-smooth ballad with an appealing islander lilt; African Bad Gyal is pleasingly hectic despite its 2014-ish rave synths, at least until Chris Brown shows up. My favourite tune here, though, is All For Love, a duet with South African singer Bucie, and an unabashed house tune whose lilting groove equally recalls Kwaito and UK funky, and doesn’t sound like it’s trying to please any target market. Still, it’s hard to shake the sense that something is missing. Wizkid’s best tracks — I’m thinking of tunes like 2013’s Love You with its intricate, compulsive tribal rhythm, 2014’s Jaiye Jaiye with its histrionic afrobeat (in the Fela Kuti sense) influenced arrangement, or the tense but catchy pop of the same year’s Show You The Money — are kinetic, percussive affairs, the music driving forward even as Wizkid nimbly skips around the beat.
High-pitched, almost yelpy, Wizkid comes across as eternally boyish, which makes for a great sense of frisson when he sings over decidedly adult-sounding arrangements. By comparison, Sounds From The Other Side’s tunes like Picture Perfect are so manically bright that they struggle to capture any sense of sex or danger. As enjoyable as its cross-cultural fusions are, Sounds From The Other Side can’t help but feel like a missed opportunity: afrobeats is so energetic, so effortless right now that it feels like a crossover success could happen without pandering to the close minded ears of most listeners around the world. But under the circumstances, it’s hard to begrudge Wizkid’s refusal to take chances. Let’s hope next time he can do so more full-throatedly.
the
with Maxim & Sam
introducing your new podcast obsession
the best and worst of the week’s zeitgeist. new episodes streaming every wednesday
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 35
Comedy / G The Guide
Wed 30
Wily: 303, Northcote
Coloured Clocks + Lorikeet + The Faculty: Bar Open, Fitzroy Sam Keevers Trio: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne
Raised By Eagles
The Music Presents Ali Barter: 1 Sep Theatre Royal Castlemaine; 8 Sep Corner Hotel Dan Sultan: 1 Sep Wool Exchange Geelong; 2 Sep Forum Theatre Vera Blue: 10 Sep, 170 Russell
Muddy’s Blues Roulette with Jesse Valach: Catfish (Front Bar), Fitzroy Tom Gleeson: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird + Why We Run + Francesca Gonzales: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Lost Talk + Dead + Error Margins: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Bleeding Knees Club
Mew: 12 Sep Max Watt’s
Junior Danger + Black Bats + Piggie: Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar, Melbourne
Three’s Company
Raised By Eagles: 16 Sep Caravan Music Club Oakleigh; 17 Sep Torquay Bowls Club
Lomond Acoustica feat. Dan Hall + Naomi Campbell + Marty Kelly: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
At The Drive In: 28 Sep Festival Hall
Dr Hernandez + Moses Carr + more: Open Studio, Northcote
Head over to The Curtin this Thursday to see Bleeding Knees Club playing the tunes from their latest EP Chew The Gum alongside Colleen Green and Harlem as part of the ridiculously good Triple Trouble Y’All tour.
Caligula’s Horse: 30 Sep Max Watt’s Mono: 10 Nov Max Watt’s Alt-J: 7 Dec Sidney Myer Music Bowl sleepmakeswaves: 7 Dec Howler
Rebetiko: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Public Liability + Supa Suplex + The Kat-O Army + I Have a Goat: The Bendigo, Collingwood
Morning Morning + Low Talk + Home Ownership: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood
Wine, Whiskey, Women feat. Peny Bohan + Freya Hanly: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Junior Fiction + Swim Team + Spit: The Tote (Front Bar), Collingwood
Artist Proof + Ruby Jones + Junior Under The Moon: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Salad Boys + Lucida + The Faculty + Dag + Primo: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood Olly & Scuzzi: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island Tex, Don & Charlie: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury
Brooke Russell
Charlie Bedford + Russell Morris: Hume Blues Club, Fawkner Benny James & The Blue Flames: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Fiona O’Loughlin + Chris Wainhouse + Demi Lardner: McKinnon Hotel, McKinnon Tex, Don & Charlie: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda Frank Bell + North Side Story: Mr Boogie Man Bar, Abbotsford
Michael Beach + Bitumen + New Band: Woody’s Bar, Collingwood UFO Go + The Meeseeks + Frayhound: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Thu 31 Kickin The B at 303 feat. The Putbacks: 303, Northcote
Red Instead Leading up to the release of Brooke Russell & The Mean Reds new album The Way You Leave Brooke Russell will be performing a residency at Charles Weston Hotel. So head over Saturday to hear her country-pop blend.
Atticus Street + Flying Bison + Stav: Bar Open, Fitzroy The Angels Book & Album Launch with John & Rick Brewster + Raymond Hawkins: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne Tom Gleeson: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Hawthorne Heights + River Oaks + Sienna Skies + Mark Rose: Corner Hotel, Richmond Easy Browns Truckstop Chicken Jam Band + The Deadpans + Gonzo: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Fed Square Live with Umlaut: Federation Square, Melbourne
Ogopogo + Toothbrush + Crazy Comfort: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Chicken Wishbone + On-ly + Monique Shelford: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Client Liaison: Forum Theatre, Melbourne Arj Barker: Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC), Geelong HYLA + Busy Kingdom + Leadj + Kodiak Galaxy: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
36 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
Brooke Taylor
Take Two Brooke Taylor is back with a new EP Two and you can catch her performing at Wesley Anne. So head over to the front bar this Thursday to hear her folky, country-pop mix.
Jade Imagine + Jess Ribeiro + RVG + Closet Straights: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Disco Volante feat. Nick Reverse + Troy Beman + more: Onesixone, Prahran Ben Charnley + Kevin Dolan + more: Open Studio, Northcote
Gigs / Live The Guide
The Weary + Peach Noise + Cherry Pool: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Fri 01
City Calm Down + The Cactus Channel: 170 Russell, Melbourne The Cooks + Gavin Styles + Steph Mang + Jack Robson: 303, Northcote Hideous Sun Demon
Sunny D Hideous Sun Demon will be performing at The Gasometer Hotel for Innocent World’s Weeknight Shindig along with Vacations, The Tiny Giants and plenty more. Head over Thursday to catch the lot.
Devil Electric + Redro Redriguez & His Inner Demons + Lonefree + The Grogans: Baha Tacos, Rye
Sagamore + Girlatones + Skivvy: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Miss Whiskey: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Arj Barker: Horsham Town Hall, Horsham
Openshouse #3 with Demuja + Colette + Princess Donkey: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
John & Rick Brewster presents The Angels Book Tour with The Angels: Hysteria Lounge, Lilydale
Thighs High + Grandpa Kano + Rosa Strega + Angela Baker + Syndicator: Joey Smalls, Brunswick Batpiss + Bench Press + The Second Sex + The Electric Guitars: Karova Lounge, Ballarat
Allume + Take Your Time + Leafy Suburbs + Culte: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Alex Lloyd: The Grand Hotel, Mornington Blind Man Death Stare + Kill Dirty Youth + Flour + Wet Pensioner: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Malcura: Bar Open (Front Bar), Fitzroy Revenge of the Synth feat. Oolluu + Dear Plastic + DXheaven: Bar Open, Fitzroy
HYLA
School Damage + The Stroppies + Traffic Island + Bananagun: Barwon Club Hotel, South Geelong In Store with The Dusty Millers: Basement Discs (12.45pm), Melbourne Soul Cupcake: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne
Unspoken Rule: Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Twin Haus: Penny Black, Brunswick Grand Pine + Fenn Wilson: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Bearfoot: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave Peter Bibby: The B.East, Brunswick East Gretta Ziller: The Croxton, Thornbury Harlem + Bleeding Knees Club + Colleen Green: The Curtin, Carlton Kev Walsh: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne Hideous Sun Demon + Vacations + The Tiny Giants + Psuedo Mind Hive + more: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
The Black Sorrows: Burvale Hotel, Nunawading A Duff Odyssey - From London to the Moon feat. Jeff Duff: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Jesse Valach & Blues Mountain: Catfish (Upstairs), Fitzroy Tom Gleeson: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne Masters Apprentices 1965 + Mike Rudd’s Spectrum: Corner Hotel, Richmond Tempus Sun + Koda + Birdhouse: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
The Hello Morning + Angie McMahon + James Ellis: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
The Flaming Mongrels
Hot Dawg
Tim Guy + Fleshed Out + JMS Harrison: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood
Local rock dogs The Flaming Mongrels have created a unique mix of outlaw country, down-home blues and swinging rockabilly. Catch them howlin’ down at Edinburgh Castle Hotel this Sunday.
Brooke Taylor: Wesley Anne, Northcote Jess Parker & The Troubled Waters + White Lightning + Julian James: Wesley Anne, Northcote Junior Danger + Black Bats + Palmerslum: Woody’s Bar, Collingwood Trash Boat: Wrangler Studios, West Footscray
Boat Show + Hideous Sun Demon: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Red Bull Music Academy: Road To Weekender feat. Peven Everett: Max Watt’s, Melbourne
Time For Dreams + DIM + Golden Syrup + Middle-Aged in the Middle-East in the Middle-Ages + Venetian Blinds + more: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood
Fazerdaze + Jess Locke + Hachiku: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Santa Taranta: Open Studio, Northcote
Double Trouble with DJ Jank Facques: The Toff In Town (Ballroom), Melbourne
Tim Crossey + Cal Walker: Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy
No Fixed Address + Max Teakle: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
NGV Friday Nights feat. Lupa J: National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Southbank
Nina Buchanan + Necking: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
Love Games + Turn South + Flogs: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Continuing their first national headline tour, HYLA pull into Melbourne this Thursday to celebrate the release of their new single Fraction. Catch their indie-rock vibes at Grace Darling Hotel.
The Russell Morris Band + Joshua Batten: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick
Sons of Rico + Ferla + Gumboot: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Red Bull Sound Select feat. NO ZU + Various Asses + Corin: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Going HYLA
The Preatures + Polish Club + Hair Die: Forum Theatre, Melbourne
Scott Darlow: Penny Black, Brunswick La Dance Macabre with Brunswick Massive: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Oceans To Athena + The Bright Side + Just About Done + Flipside + Terra: Reverence Hotel, Footscray
Sophisticated Dingo + Cakefight + Gymnastics In The Seventies + Pozer: The Tote (Upstairs), Collingwood Shaun Kirk: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island Evan Klar + Retro Culture + Charlz: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Ali Barter + Coda Chroma + Smoke Rings: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine Pierce Brothers + Asha Jefferies: UNO Danceclub, Geelong
Remembering Dutch Tilders with The Blues Club Revival: Satellite Lounge, Wheelers Hill
Maja + The Hip Streets + Nitida Atkinson: Wesley Anne, Northcote
Alleged Associates + Zerafina Zara: Smokehouse 101, Maribyrnong
The Boys: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote
King Arthur: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Horace Bones + Friendships + Sugar Teeth + Latreenagers: Woody’s Bar, Collingwood
The Fckups + Murderballs + 3/4 Beast + Cyclone Diablo: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Dan Sultan: Wool Exchange, Geelong
Josh Wade: Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC), Geelong
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 37
Comedy / G The Guide
Batz + Heavy Lids: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy 2AM Slot with Jacky Winter: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
Sunifest 3 feat. Cable Ties + Hideous Sun Demon + Peter Bibby’s Dog Act + These New South Whales + Zombitches + Hi-Tec Emotions + Boat Show + Lazertits + Heavy Lids + Bench Press + Spacejunk + more: The Tote, Collingwood
Jade Imagine
The Indigo Children + Zockapilli + TUG: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Olly & Scuzzi: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island
Sat 02
Matinee Show with Gecko Theory + Phoenix Day + Tell Amarosa + 4 Letter Sign: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Maja: Babushka Bar, Bakery Hill El Moth + Bearfoot: Bar Open, Fitzroy The Bittermen: Bar Open (Front Bar), Fitzroy
Circles + Orsome Welles + Dyssidia: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Glitter Gang: Barwon Club Hotel, South Geelong
The Bombay Royale: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
Nina Ferro: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne
Alana & Alicia + Michael Waugh: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury
Baldwins + Bonewoman: Boney, Melbourne The Dusty Millers + The Collingwood Casanovas + Lucky Oceans: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Pseudo Mind Hive + Old Etiquettes + Bermuda Bloom: Catfish (Upstairs), Fitzroy Stationary Suns + V + Qwerty + Cunting Daughters + Rosie Haden + Team Epsilon: Coburg RSL, Coburg
Singer-songwriter Jade McInally is taking her beloved four-piece Jade Imagine up north so they’re holding a BIGSOUND fundraiser show at Northcote Social Club this Thursday to help get there. Support from the wonderful Jess Ribeiro.
It is set to be a night of classics when Mike Rudd’s Spectrum support 1965 Masters Apprentices at their Corner Hotel show on Friday.
Trophy Eyes + The Hard Aches + Trash Boat + Rumours: Corner Hotel, Richmond Gatecrasher - The Return of the Lion feat. DJ Scott Bond + Mauro Picotto + Indecent Noise + Factor B: Crown Melbourne (Studio 3/Showroom), Southbank My Echo: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne White Bleaches + Hollie Joyce + Plastic: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Fiona Boyes + Anna Scionti: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick Dan Sultan: Forum Theatre, Melbourne
Liam Linley + Dogood: Gin Lane, Belgrave
Sun 03
Garrett Kato: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
Latin Jam + Sebiticas: Station 59, Richmond
Destrends + Trucks + Mourning + Dewey & The Panel Beaters: Karova Lounge, Ballarat
Hanksaw: Surabaya Johnny’s, St Kilda
Arj Barker: Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool Steve Boyd’s Rum Reverie: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Tex, Don & Charlie + The Ahern Brothers: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda Purple Revolution - A Tribute to Prince with Andrew De Silva: Musicland, Fawkner
Shol Quintet + Slipper: Open Studio, Northcote Echo Drama: Penny Black, Brunswick Sammy Owen Blues Band: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Broken River: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Loose Ends + One More Weekend + Distracted By Pink + Beyond Royal: Reverence Hotel, Footscray Cam Butler + Miles Brown: Richmond Theatrette (upstairs from Richmond Library), Richmond Bang feat. As Paradise Falls + Mirrors + Trash Boat + Between Me & You: Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Trash Boat + Between You & Me: Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne
38 • THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017
On Diamond + Denim Owl + Warplane: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
From London to The Moon! - A DuffOdyssey - Retrospective with Jeff Duff: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Alex Lloyd + Tommy Castles: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
Tom Gleeson: Comic’s Lounge, North Melbourne
Strangers: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
The Chantoozies + Tomgirl: Yarraville Club, Yarraville
Blaine Stranger: Korova Lounge, Ballarat
Full Spectrum
Roxy Lavish & The Suicide Cult + The Happy Lonesome + Black Bats + Bush League: Woody’s Bar, Collingwood
Rock n Roll Women of the 80s feat. Party Girls: Satellite Lounge, Wheelers Hill
2 Worlds Festival feat. Archie Roach + Jeff Lang + Neil Murray + Shane Howard Trio + Chris Wilson + Yirrmal + The Miliyawutj + more: Fyansford Paper Mills, Fyansford
Mike Rudd’s Spectrum
Dan Lethbridge: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote
Generous Imagination
Wildlife Fundraiser feat. Japan For + Body Parts + Diploma + Where’s Grover? + Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge + more: The Bendigo, Collingwood Afternoon Show with Black & Blue: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Tim Wheatley: The Curtin, Carlton Moosejaw Rifle Club + Stephen Kennedy: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne School Damage + Terrible Truths + Spotting + Tropical Snakes: The Eastern, Ballarat East
Samassin + Imogen Pemberton: 303, Northcote Jazz High Tea with Pam Wachira: Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Adam Simmons’ Origami: Bar Open (Front Bar), Fitzroy Resonant #3 with Various Artists: Bar Open, Fitzroy Urbanity: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne The Borderers: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Bill Barber: Catfish (Front Bar), Fitzroy
Sienna Skies
Stranger in Paradise + Simona + Post Percy + more: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Divide & Dissolve + JFDR + Sui Zhen: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Batpiss: The Loft, Warrnambool Going Swimming + Dear Thieves + Melbourne Cans: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Afternoon Show with Georgia Smith + Joy Heng: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Baptism Of Uzi + Spiral Perm: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg Au Dre + Koda + DXheaven + Positively Positive DJs: The Toff In Town, Melbourne All Night with Moopie: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Sienna Thriller Be sure to check out Sydney six-piece experimental posthardcore outfit Sienna Skies supporting Hawthorne Heights at their upcoming Corner Hotel show this Thursday.
Gigs / Live The Guide
OTA + Dreamcoat + Paris Plan: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
The B# Big Band: Copacabana, Fitzroy
Trophy Eyes + The Hard Aches + Trash Boat + Rumours: Corner Hotel, Richmond Off The Leash: Evelyn Hotel (Front Bar), Fitzroy
Romeo Moon + Rahu: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Tory Lanez: Forum Theatre, Melbourne
The Unbelievable Truth + Seasons Tomb + Shareef Blackstar: The Bendigo, Collingwood Chris Harold Trio + Ajak + Teqsta: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Funk Dancing for Self Defence + Creature Fear + Danitchy + Ozergun: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Homesick Rays Mild Bunch + Gallie: The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
Sunday Jazz Session with Various Artists: Wesley Anne (Front Bar), Northcote
Mon 04
Bird’s Basement Octet: Bird’s Basement, Melbourne Lake Minnetonka + Ogopogo + Skyrocku: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Wind It Up with Salad Boys + Swim Team + Maureen + Bloody Hell: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Adam Dwyer + Jess McMahon + Mike Tilbrook: Open Studio, Northcote Fat Cousin Skinny: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Ariana Grande: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Jazz Party: The Curtin, Carlton Bakers Eddy + Social Skills + Black Alpine: The Old Bar, Fitzroy Kooyong + Cosmos + Eaglemont + Cold Cloth: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Tue 05 Klub MUK: 303, Northcote Maja
Make It Up Club feat. Various Artists: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Right Treat
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses: Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Stella Donnelly + Frances Fox + RVG: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Brent Parlane: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
You’re Looking At Country #5 feat. Laura Imbruglia + Mightiest Of Guns + Brooke Russell & The Mean Reds + Max Savage + Jim Lawrie + Emily Ulman + Liam Linley + Freya Josephine Hollick + Karen From Finance + more: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Chris Wilson: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Trouble Peach: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Large No 12s: Royal Oak Hotel, Fitzroy North Bowie Unzipped feat. Jeff Duff: Satellite Lounge, Wheelers Hill
Face Face + Jeffers Limit + Hots: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Fathers Day Special with Broderick Smith: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
The Senegambian Jazz Band: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
The Terry McCarthy Special: The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy
The Moonee Valley Drifters: St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews
Trouble in Melbourne feat. Ausmuteants + Deaf Wish + Chook Race + The Shifters + Dag + Parsnip + more: The Tote (Band Room), Collingwood
Shir Madness - Melbourne Jewish Music Festival feat. Alma Zygier + Angie Hart + Clare Bowditch + Dave Graney + David Bridie + David Krakauer’s Ancestral Groove + Deborah Cheetham + Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier + Emily Lubitz + Glenn Richards + The Grigoryan Brothers + Jessie Lloyd + Jess Ribeiro + The Klezmatics + Kram + Paul Dempsey + Pugsley Buzzard + Renee Geyer + Russell Morris + Stiletto Sisters + Tinpan Orange + more: Temple Beth Israel, St Kilda
Catch dynamic singersongwriter/bassist Suzanne Kinsella performing her beautiful indie-pop tracks at Compass Pizza Bar on Friday. And keep an ear/eye out for her upcoming EP Surrender while you’re at it.
Little Brother + Between You & Me + The Playbook: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Rya Park: Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy The Moulin Beige: Wesley Anne, Northcote
Ariana Grande: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Rachel Caddy + Dalli + Taylah Carroll: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood The Stranger Suite: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Squeak Lemaire
Afternoon Show with Merk + Hachiku: The Old Bar, Fitzroy
Rare Olive: Sooki Lounge, Belgrave
Bataola: Station 59, Richmond
Suzie K
Anti-Violet + Dom Kelly + Subshrub: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Brisbane-based singer-songwriter Maja will showcase her raw, soulful vocals and passionate brand of folk and blues at Wesley Anne on Friday. And she might even play her latest single Treat Me Right.
Tex, Don & Charlie + The Ahern Brothers: Memo Music Hall, St Kilda
Suzanne Kinsella
Small Town Romance: The Westernport Hotel, Phillip Island
Squawk Le Squawk Melbourne-via-Byron Bay musician Squeak Lemaire’s album Scared Of Silence emulates the laidback lifestyle of his coastal background. Check him out at Edinburgh Castle Hotel on Friday.
Matinee Show with Jacker Seeds: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Fromtwomxn Fundraiser Part 3 feat. The Belafontes + Cracker La Touf + Slow Job + Erin Will Be Mad: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Robert Champion + Emily Chen: Tramway Hotel, North Fitzroy
THE MUSIC • 30TH AUGUST 2017 • 39
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