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2 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 3
CREDITS PUBLISHER
Street Press Australia Pty Ltd
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast
NATIONAL EDITOR MAGAZINES Mark Neilsen
EDITOR Daniel Cribb
ARTS EDITOR Hannah Story
EAT/DRINK EDITOR Stephanie Liew
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kane Sutton
GIG GUIDE EDITOR Justine Lynch wa.gigs@themusic.com.au
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 24 JUN - 30 JUN 2015
Bryget Chrisfield, Steve Bell
CONTRIBUTORS Aarom Wilson, Adam Germano, Adrienne Downes, Amber Flynn, Andy Snelling, Annabel Maclean, Athina Mallis, Bailey Lions, Cam Findlay, Chantelle Gabriel, Christopher James, Claire Hodgson, Eli Gould, Emilie Taylor, Gareth Bird, James Hunt, Jeff Kit, Jeremy Carson, Joseph Wilson, Josie McGraw, Jessica Tana, Kane Sutton, Kershia Wong, Kitt Di Camillo, Liv Gardner, Lukas Murphy, Luke Butcher, Mac McNaughton, Marcia Czerniak, Mark Neilsen, Matthew Tomich, Michael Caves, Michael Smith, Rachel Inglis, Rebecca Metcalf, Rob Nassif, Renee Jones, Ross Clelland, Scott Aitken, Simon Holland, Tess Ingram, Tom Birts, Taelor Pelusey, Zoe Barron.
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PHOTOGRAPHERS Ebony Frost, Elle Borgward, Jacinta Mathews, Paul Bartok, Ashley Westwood, Kieren Chew, Rhys Machell, Ted Dana
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ART DIRECTOR
Listen up, nerds. After a successful run of shows during Fringeworld this year, the first local Nerdlesque show, The Supa Mid-Year Edition, comes to Four5Nine Bar this Friday. Geek yourselves out.
Brendon Wellwood
ART DEPT Ben Nicol wa.art@themusic.com.au
ADMIN & ACCOUNTS Loretta Zoppos, Niall McCabe, Jarrod Kendall, Leanne Simpson accounts@themusic.com.au
DISTRO Anita D’Angelo distro@themusic.com.au
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CONTACT US Tel 08 9228 9655 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au Cnr Fitzgerald & Angove St Rear of The Rosemount Hotel, North Perth WA 6006 PO Box 507 Mount Lawley WA 6929
PERTH
The week after The Beach Boys announce an Australian tour, Love & Mercy, the story of former frontman Brian Wilson, begins screening this Thursday at Luna Cinemas.
Batman: Arkham Knight comes out today on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. It’s your turn to play at being Christian Bale and defeating Scarecrow and the super criminals of Gotham.
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 5
national news news@themusic.com.au ART SIMONE & PHILMA BOCKS
STONEFIELD
BIGSOUND’S FIRST 50
FROCKS IN THE DESERT It had to happen and what better place than the infamous Palace Hotel in Broken Hill to host the inaugural Broken Heel Festival, the ultimate celebration of all things Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, 11 – 13 Sep? To quote the press blurb, “twinks, bears, fauxmosexuals and thrillseekers” and pretty much everybody else are invited to enjoy the Let’s Go Shopping Girls community market, the Drag on Drag, Bloody Mary MooMoo Morning, the Snitzel Crawl and a Q&A with the man behind Priscilla, writer/director Stephan Elliot among a squillion sequinned fun stuff with your hosts (hostess?) drag divas Philma Bocks and Art Simone.
RAIDERS RETURN
It’s five years since the last major missive from Jack Glass and Chris Stacey, aka Bag Raiders. It that time they’ve relocated to Los Angeles and it was there they recorded their first non-club release, Vapour Trails, which they’ll be presenting alongside a stack of other tunes old and new when they return home for a national DJ tour. Bag Raiders take to the decks 10 Jul at Metropolis in Fremantle, 11 Jul at Chinese Laundry in Sydney, 16 Jul at The Helm on the Sunshine Coast, 18 Jul at The TCB Club in Brisbane, 24 Jul at Mr Wolf in Canberra, 25 Jul at Anyway in Melbourne and Uno Dance Club in Geelong, and 2 Aug in King Street Hotel in Newcastle.
FAR AND WIDE
Following a completely sold out national tour in February, Megan Washington has now announced her Tangents tour, which will see her covering every state and territory across 26 shows. She will be making her way to Ellington Jazz Club, Perth, 14 Aug; Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, 28 Aug; Lizotte’s Newcastle, 4 Sep; The Basement, Sydney, 11 Sep; and Solbar, Sunshine Coast, 18 Sep. More dates from theMusic.com.au.
FLEXING MUSCLES
Fresh off the back of the release of his club-banging new single Unicorns, party maestro Muscles has announced that he will be bringing out his addictively feel-good electronic anthems to stages around the country with his I Believe In Unicorns tour this August. Get ready to jump, chant and sweat yourselves silly when the one-man party makes his way to Goodgod Small Club, Sydney, 21 Aug; Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane, 22 Aug; Shebeen Bandroom, Melbourne, 28 Aug; and Jimmy’s Den, Perth, 29 Aug.
“THERE IS LITERALLY NO WAY TO PROVE YOU AREN’T BANKSY.”
BANKSY WOULD SAY THAT, @WEISMANJAKE ... 6 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
The organisers of Australia’s biggest festival of new music, Brisbane’s very own BIGSOUND, don’t muck about. They don’t just announce the first round of acts performing – they announce 50! Obviously there’s not enough room to run them all, but among the 140 acts performing over two huge nights across 14 different venues 9 & 10 Sep are – drum roll – Stonefield, Muscles, Gang of Youths, Holy Holy, Katy Steele, City Calm Down, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Grenadiers, Ayla, Jesse Davidson, Cosmic Psychos, High Tension and The John Steel Singers, just for starters. The official BIGSOUND closing event happens 11 Sep at The Triffid, and of course BIGSOUND Live is all part of the threeday BIGSOUND industry conference, with exclusive industry parties, local, national and international speakers, including Peter Garrett and US rapper/activist Brother Ali, and more.
ALONG THE NILE
US death metal group Nile present their new album What Should Not Be Unearthed this November with special guests around the country including Feed Her The Sharks, Unearth and Whoretopsy. Their new tracks resemble the mysticism that their sound and lyrics are known for. 19 Nov, Max Watts, Brisbane; 20 Nov, Manning Bar, Sydney; 21 Nov, Corner Hotel, Melbourne (Nile not performing); 22 Nov, Capitol, Perth.
ALISON WONDERLAND
NOW LISTEN
Listen Out 2015, Australia’s national dance music event, has announced its sick line-up: Childish Gambino, SBTRKT (DJ set), Joey Bada$$, Alison Wonderland, Odesza, Rae Sremmurd, Golden Features, Dusky, Ryan Hemsworth, Ilovemakonnen, George Fitzgerald, Lido, Hayden James, Client Liaison, Roland Tings, Halfway Crooks, Jordan Burns, whoever is this year’s triple j Unearthed winner and more. 26 Sep, Catani Gardens, St Kilda; 27 Sep, Ozone Reserve, Perth; 3 Oct, Centennial Park, Sydney; 4 Oct, Brisbane Showgrounds.
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 7
local news wa.news@themusic.com.au
FRONTLASH REWIND
Although it’s a clunky and impracticable method of listening, we take music in whatever format it’s on offer, so bring on Cassette Store Day in October.
ROARING SUCCESS WA four-piece Tired Lion have scored a slot on the Splendour In The Grass line-up through triple j Unearthed. You can catch them playing songs for us live on Periscope this Thursday, 3pm.
FREQUENT FLYER Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson is launching a new airline through his aircraft maintenance organisation, Cardiff Aviation. It will operate as VVB and have three aircrafts by September.
HATCHED!
DOUBE DATE
WAM nominee Riley Pearce will be playing a handful of gigs with Sydney’s Dylan Wright this July. These gigs are sure to whet your appetite for the release of Pearce’s long-awaited EP this October. He’ll kick things off at Blinco St. Café on 2 Jul, before playing a fullband show at Indi Bar on 3 Jul, and wrapping things up at HyperVision Art Show on 6 Jul. Head to rileypearce.com.au for more details.
HELPING HAND NANCY CARTWRIGHT
BACKLASH NO REST
The Simpsons’ Nancy Cartwright has had to withdraw from this weekend’s Supanova Pop Culture Expo due to the show requiring Bart Simpson on set. Still plenty of talent on offer, though. We’ll see you there!
POOR FORM Footage has surfaced of a man standing on a rare whale shark and attempting to surf on it while being towed by a boat full of laughing friends. Let’s see the idiot try it with a great white shark.
UP IN SMOKE The cancellation news continues, with US comedy act Cheech & Chong calling off their Aussie tour following news that Tommy Chong has been diagnosed with cancer. “The good news is I now have to use more marijuana to treat the cancer,” he said.
8 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
HELEN SHANAHAN
Clancy’s Fish Pub City Beach is bringing out a groovy new songwriters night on Tuesdays in winter. Joining forces with local company Hatched Records, both parties are presenting Hatched From the Sea, which will see acoustic acts performing by candle light as the waves crash on the beach in the background. It all kicks off 7 Jul, with the line-up still to be announced. Watch this space!
The news just got better for those heading to Cold Chisel’s concert at Perth Arena, with the announcement that the hugely popular and successful The Living End will be joining the show as special guests. It all goes down 14 Nov, where you’ll be both bands performing hits from their extensive catalogues.
NOTHING CRUEL ABOUT IT
STOPPING BY
After winning the Songwriter Of The Year Award at Telstra Road To Discovery, Perth acoustic folk artist Helen Shanahan has a new single out, titled Across The Sea, which comes from her third EP Finding Gold, due out in Jul, and she’ll be showcasing it all when she makes her way around the country, including a stop at Mojo’s Bar, 9 Jul; Caves House, Yallingup, 12 Jul.
A TEENAGE DYLAN
Fraser A Gorman is touted as the next Dylan. His debut album Slow Gum, mixes together Gorman’s flair for lyrics with country, soul and rock. The album includes collabs with Davey Lane (You Am I) and Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard). He comes to Perth 3 Jul for Music On The Hill, Red Hill Auditorium.
MEMORY TURNS TEN
It’s been ten years since Motion City Soundtrack released their celebrated second album, Commit This To Memory, and so, to celebrate, the Minneapolis five-piece are heading down under to perform the album in its entirety. Motion City Soundtrack play their most successful album to date at Rosemount Hotel, 3 Sep.
HELLIONS
Having stolen hearts at Vivid LIVE and Dark Mofo, Sydney quintet The Preatures have just announced that their final tour of the year will kick off late August and round up early October in cities all around the country. They’ll be taking their latest single Cruel, from last year’s Blue Planet Eyes out for a spin, stopping by Art Gallery Of Western Australia, 20 Aug.
X2
Breakout Brisbane performer Conrad Sewell has added a second night, 10 Oct, to his visit to Jimmy’s Den.
HELL IS COMING
Sydney hardcore-punk band Hellions have announced a national tour set for this August to coincide with the release of their latest video for the track Nottingham. They’ll be bringing along US acts Capsize and ’68 for the ride before they head to Europe as the support act for fellow Sydney act Northlane on their headline tour. Hellions come to Civic Backroom, 29 Aug; and YMCA HQ, 30 Aug (AA).
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THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 9
local news wa.news@themusic.com.au THE GETAWAY PLAN
LUNAR CIRCUS
THE CIRCUS RETURNS
Preparation for the Western Australian Circus Festival is officially underway, with applications for the Lunar Circus Summer School opening on 1 Jul, plus your chance to win a free week of circus training through the 2016 scholarship program. This year’s spectacle was a huge success, and next year promises to be bigger and better. The event will be taking place 23 – 25 Jan, Karridale, Margaret River. Head to lunarcircus.com for more information.
BIGGER & BIGGER
With their latest national journey and showcase for single Landscapes a resounding success, The Getaway Plan have added a bunch more tour dates around the country for September and November as part of their Dark Horses album tour. The new dates stretch the tour out to a staggering 32 shows, which include performances at Leisure Inn, Rockingham, 18 Nov; Prince Of Wales Hotel, Bunbury, 19 Nov; Rosemount Hotel, 20 Nov; Mojo’s Bar, 21 Nov; Dunsborough Tavern, 22 Nov.
A PORN SITE IS PLANNING TO MAKE THE FIRST ADULT FILM IN SPACE. IT’LL BE CALLED “ENTER STELLA.”
CINEMATIC FOLK
Released in March, Short Movie is the fifth studio album from much-loved UK folk artist Laura Marling, self-produced and more electric than anything she’s previously release. The three-time Mercury Prize nominee and Brit and NME Awards winner brings that album and favourites from her back catalogue to the stage 16 Oct at Astor Theatre. Presented by The Music.
STEVE WINTER, TIGER MOTHER AND CUB
NOOOOOOOO, @CONANOBRIEN.
RED ENGINE CAVES
THE BEACH BOYS
SHOOTS, SCORES
One of the world’s most prolific wildlife photographers, Steve Winter will be sharing tales of his intense encounters images of the big cats of Africa, Brazil and Hollywood with Australian audiences on his first trip down under this winter. The two-time first prize winner of the World Press Photo nature category will be making his way to Heath Ledger Theatre, 10 Aug.
10 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
SAVE BEELIAR
Save Beeliar Wetlands, with support from Rethink Perth Freight Link – groups who exist to save Fremantle, North & Bibra Lakes, Palmyra residents and North Fremantle from death-by-trucks and tollways – are hosting Swamp Tang 2, a music and stalls showcase taking place at Mojo’s Bar on 8 Jul. Red Engine Caves will be headlining the event, and they’ll be joined by The Wilds and Timothy Nelson. It’s all happening from 8pm.
SURF’S UP
California icons The Beach Boys are bringing high water mark classics to Australia in a national tour this November. One of the most influential pop bands in history, they’ll be playing through all their greatest hits, including the likes of California Girls, Good Vibrations, Surfin’ USA, God Only Knows, Sail On Sailor, Wouldn’t It Be Nice and so many more. Get ready to beach-groove hard when the boys make their way to Kings Park & Botanic Garden, 21 Nov.
WED 24 JUNE
PING PONG PARTY THU 25 JUNE
TIME FOR A SCOTCH? FRI 26 JUNE
HIDEOUS SUN DEMON - VINYL LAUNCH SAT 27 JUNE
SUGAR SHACK 50S & 60S SOUL & ROCK N ROLL TUE 30 JUNE
TEQUILA! 9 NORFOLK ST FREMANTLE
THEODDFELLOW.COM.AU
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 11
music
RE-FUSED RE-PROGRAMMED In 1998 Refused released the idiosyncratic cult classic, The Shape Of Punk To Come, and promptly imploded. Fast forward 17 years and they’re somehow very much alive. Mark Hebblewhite sat down with frontman Dennis Lyxzen to hear about one of the most improbable resurrections in punk rock history.
“I
t was indeed an unlikely resurrection,” laughs Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzen on being asked just how Refused went from being the most broken-up band on the planet to touring and recording a new record. “It’s one of those deals where it’s hard to point to a single occurrence and say ‘that’s what it was’. Instead there were a number of smaller things that led to everything falling into place. One of the most important things was that when we got the offer to do Coachella back in 2012, we were all
to come out and play again that expectations would be really high. We knew we had to be fucking good. I’d always been playing but some of the other guys hadn’t played live in like twelve years. For Kris – he hadn’t played live since our last show in 1998.” And how did things go from playing shows to writing a brand new album? “It was a slow-burning process,” Lyxzen admits. “Of course we were playing together again – so that helped. But also Kris, David and Magnus had their project together on the side. They were writing these weird instrumental songs and recording stuff even after Refused started playing shows again. Then Kris
some guy came up to Kris – I think he was the touring drummer with Ugly Kid Joe or something – and says ‘you guys are just playing shows right and not writing new material?’ Kris said yeah and the guy told him that was the right thing to do and to keep it that way. Kris got so pissed off about it that night that he was determined we write at least one new song. All these weird little things happened and here we are talking about a new Refused album in 2015 (laughs).” It’s fitting that Lyxzen mentions The Shape Of Punk To Come. The band’s 1998 swansong has long been hailed as one of the greatest hardcore albums of all time and has been embraced by successive generations of fans, many of whom wouldn’t know Black Flag from Agnostic Front. Accordingly, any new material created by the band would be judged against this classic set of tunes. Were Refused worried that they could damage their legacy by making a new album? Or even worse, did the members fear being labelled sell-outs for their sudden conversion on the road to Coachella? “Look, everything people think they thought about our band we thought about it ten times before they did. This is our band, this is our reality, we understood all the implications of doing a new record,” spits an animated Lyxzen. “If we wanted to really cash in I’m pretty sure we could have just continued to tour the Shape songs for another three or four years. That would have been the safe way to do things.
“IF PEOPLE DON’T LIKE THE NEW RECORD THAT’S FINE”
living in the same city at the same time – and that hadn’t been the case for years. Also, Kris (Steen) hadn’t played guitar for ten years, and David (Sandstrom) hadn’t played drums for ten years. But those guys had started playing together again – just jamming – and they also had Magnus (Flagge – bass) with them. At the same time David and me had started a hardcore band together called AC4 – so we were all just hanging out. Then we got the Coachella offer – and it’s an offer we’d had before but had always knocked back because it seemed like too much of a leap for us. But now the circumstances were right. I remember we got the offer by email but David was like ‘don’t reply, let’s just wait.’ I actually didn’t think it was going to happen, but he phoned me up a couple of weeks later and just said ‘I’ve talked to the other guys – we’re doing it’ (laughs). And I was like – ‘but we haven’t practiced’ – and he just said ‘we’ll make it happen!’” But even at this stage Refused had no real plans to embark on a fully-fledged reformation. “It was meant to be ten shows – Coachella and some other festivals – and that was going to be it. But we took things seriously and we practiced hard. Because the Coachella offer was so good we had the opportunity to do what most bands our age can’t do – just practice. We literally all took two months off from our lives and jammed every day for three months from eight to five. We knew that if we were going 12 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
started thinking maybe Dennis should sing on one of these songs. So one day I got a call to meet the guys in a bar and when I got there they were all grinning like little kids and they said ‘We want to do a new Refused record: are you in?’ (laughs). And I’ve got to admit I was sceptical at first. I thought it was over. I knew the legacy we had with The Shape Of Punk To Come and I had a band of my own. But as soon as they played me some of the riffs they had I knew we could be onto something.” Lyxzen then goes on to reveal a completely left-field element in the band’s decisionmaking process. “We were backstage at the Download festival and
“As for sullying our legacy, yeah the thought occurred to us. It’s a weird thing to have a legacy hanging over you – to be defined by other people’s expectations of what you are – or at least what people want you to be. I think what upset people the most about Refused writing new material was that our arc in history was supposedly already written. These people could say ‘yeah they broke up: the cops came to their last show and they never got the recognition they deserved – and I love Refused.’ So when we come along and say we’re making new music – we’re still here – that upsets people because it fucks with their perception of what Refused is supposed to be. “But you know what? We are the only people that are allowed to fuck with our legacy. We are the only people that should define the direction of our band. If people don’t like the new record that’s fine, but it’s our prerogative to make that record. I’m not going to allow what people may say on Facebook to dictate what I’m going to create.” Refused are not stupid people. Even a cursory listen to Freedom reveals they never had any intention of trying to create The Shape Of Punk To Come part deux. “We weren’t interested in making Shape… part two because we knew that was impossible. It was a time and a place that created an influx of madness that in turn created that record. Instead we wanted to know what Refused could do in 2013
and beyond. That said we did consciously set out to make a Refused record – even though we were very different people who listened to different music compared to the band who made Shape back in 1998. We actually wrote a lot of songs – but only some immediately felt liked Refused songs. Other songs we wrote and worked on for ages but when it came down to it they didn’t feel like Refused songs so we didn’t include them in the final record.” Freedom is definitely a considered record but it also surprises with left-field excursions into funk and pop amidst the explosive bursts for which the band have always been known. Somehow the band even partners with pop supremo Shellback (Maroon 5, Taylor Swift & Pink) for the tracks Elektra and 366. “Well there were a couple of reasons for that,” explains Lyxzen. “First we met at some awards show and it turned out that he was a huge Refused fan who taught himself to play drums listening to our records. Second, while we were working on the record we didn’t really let anyone listen to what we were doing – we were quite secretive. But at the same time we did want some feedback. Someone mentioned Shellback, sort of as a joke, but then we thought it would be interesting to see what he thought of the songs. So we sent him some demos expecting we’d get feedback on whether a chorus was good enough or something simple like that. But what he sent back was a three-
minute version of the song Elektra we’d been working on. Our version was seven minutes long but we all realised that Shellback’s version was way better than ours. We tried melding the two versions but then just decided to record his version with his arrangements. Sure, the guy is a pop producer with a great ear, but what he did for that track actually made it sound more like Refused. This is a band that will take risks. On paper working with Shellback sounded ridiculous but it worked – and that’s all that matters.”
WHAT: Freedom (Epitaph/Warner)
THE SWEDISHAUSTRALIAN ALLIANCE One of the most menacing moments on Freedom comes in the opening refrain of Francafrique when a children’s chorus chants ‘exterminate the brutes/ exterminate all the brutes’, giving the song a downright eerie vibe. As it turns out, the youngsters who comprise that choir live right here in Sydney. Lyxzen explains: “Yeah – the Aussie kids’ choir came about because of our producer Nick Launey who used to live in Australia for years. He’s produced albums from great Australian bands including Silverchair and Midnight Oil and
he done something like the last seven Nick Cave records. So yeah – Nick still has kids in Sydney and at the beginning of the year he went down there to see them. So while he was there he took the opportunity to record a kid’s choir for Francafrique. The results of adding that have been great – I think the chorus they did really added a lot to the song – gave it a whole new dimension and took it to a place that we didn’t really think it would originally go. It’s symbolic of what this band is all about – being willing to take creative risks.” THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 13
music
NEVER GROW OLD Legendary Aussie rockers Cosmic Psychos are still doing things as they please, and founding frontman Ross Knight argues to Steve Bell that you can’t teach old yobs new tricks.
B
anging out dirty rock’n’roll has certainly never been akin to brain surgery, but surely there’s got to be more to it than getting your mates around to your farm, knocking back a few coldies and yelling some Aussie colloquialisms over dumb, brutal ruffs? Not if you’re a member of Oz rock veterans Cosmic Psychos, whose brand new long-player, Cum The Raw Prawn, was created in exactly this ad hoc manner, and sounds as fun and vital as anything they’ve put their name to over their long and storied career. “Look, it’s just a fucking hoot, that’s all it is,” offers frontman Ross “Knighty” Knight. “It’s just meant to
music
be a bit of fun, and I think the fun we had recording it came out in the recording really – it’s just three fucking knobs getting pissed and coming up with bad ad-libbing on the spot crap. It was great! “[When we first set up to record] Dean [Muller]’s doing his line-check for his drums and I thought, ‘Shit, I’d better go into the shed and write some songs!’ Because we were struggling a bit – I had a couple of rough riffs worked out but I didn’t know how they’d go. We’d just make ‘em up on the spot and go, ‘Yeah, we’ll do something with that one day,’ but then we never did anything with
‘em, so we had to scramble around a bit. I didn’t even have any words for what I had going around in me head so we had to work on that pretty quick.” Of course, the Psychos being the Psychos this isn’t their first recording conducted in such an ad hoc manner. “Yeah, [we do it like that] most of the time,” Knighty laughs. “The most organised we ever were was when we went over and recorded Blokes You Can Trust with Butch Vig in the early-‘90s, but even then the night before we flew out to the States the record company bloke from Sydney rang me up and he goes, ‘Oh, how many songs have you got? You’d want to take over at least twenty or twenty-five songs,’ and I’m thinking, ‘Fuck, twenty songs? I think I’ve got one!’ So I had a few beers and decided to come up with some songs. At least they were fresh in my mind, so we sorta had something worked out then. “I think the recording process works better when you just do everything off the cuff. You put yourself under a bit of pressure – which we love, because it just means you drink quicker. I like building on top of the basic things. I know how something’s going to sound. As soon as we’ve got the basic riff going, I go, ‘Ooh, we could put something over there, or perhaps Macca’s guitar could sound like this or that.’ I probably have a pretty big input as far as producing goes, but songwriting takes the blink of an eye.”
WHAT: Cum The Raw Prawn (Desperate Records) WHEN & WHERE: 26 Jun, Settlers Tavern, Margaret River; 27 Jun, Rosemount Hotel To read the full interview head to TheMusic.com.au
LOVE ON THE ROCKS Alpine get constant “Come to Brazil!” requests via social media, but have only visited vicariously, through their Foolish video clip (‘set’ in Rio), vocalists Phoebe Baker and Lou James tell Bryget Chrisfield.
A
lpine’s two vocalists Lou James and Phoebe Baker have both had radical changes in hair colour since we last met to discuss their debut album, A Is For Alpine: James (from brunette to platinum blonde), Baker (from red to brunette) – different from pictured. Baker admits she’s feeling a little fragile this morning having indulged in, “Enough grasses of wine [laughs]. Grasses of wine? Glasses of wine,” the night prior. Back then, the duo said they had noticed, through social media, that Alpine attracted a large South American following. Have they managed to slot in a tour over there yet? “It’s still a dream,” the pair respond, almost in unison, before James adds, “Every message, it’s like, ‘[puts on an accent] Come to Brazil!’ We get that a lot, too.” Baker then shares that Foolish (the first single lifted from the band’s latest Yuck set) “was inspired by a lot of 1960s sort of South American popstars”. “It was kind of like an ode to them,” she explains, “and a friend of ours was laughing ‘cause he always notices all this, ‘Come to Brazil!’ on our social media and he was like, ‘Oh my god, they probably think that you’ve gone to Brazil and didn’t tell them’.” Laughter all ‘round since Alpine’s Foolish video clip is ‘set’ in Rio. 14 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
Baker reveals, “Someone actually said to me the other day, ‘Oh, I really love the clip!’ and I was like, ‘Oh great, I got to go to Rio,’ and they were like, ‘Oh really?’ And I was like, ‘No, but it must look that amazing’. I was hanging with crocodiles and flamingos’,” she jests. Upon the suggestion that there’s a recurring theme, relationships, throughout Yuck, Baker responds immediately, “Oh, yeah. We both had break-ups so both of those just got into the music, I s’pose.” “I’d never felt heartbreak and that was the first time I felt it,” James reveals, adding she found her
break-up particularly “traumatic” because her mum is “living in England at the moment” so wasn’t around to give her daughter a hug. Baker reckons there’s “also lots of songs about being alone” on Yuck, quickly adding, “But not so much that it’s like, ‘Oh, no! I’m alone at the close of a relationship’… [more like] looking after yourself, so you can go out and do as much for yourself, or as little, as you want to.” She also details there was “lots of thinking about vanity” throughout the songwriting process. “With the band, there’s a lot of focus on image and looking good, and it’s quite exhausting,” Baker offers. “We’re not, you know, we’re not…” James finishes her sentence: “We’re not models.” WHAT: Yuck (Ivy League) WHEN & WHERE: 3 Jul, The Triffid; 4 Jul, Metropolis To read the full interview head to theMusic.com.au
FIRE’S STILL BURNING Canadian actor and all-round suave beast Nathan Fillion remains eternally surprised – and humbled – by the ongoing legacy of the shortlived cult sci-fi, Firefly, he tells Mitch Knox.
“T
here’s nothing I have ever done, for so short a time, that has lasted so long,” Nathan Fillion admits emphatically.
At the time of our chat, the renowned actor is only a short time away from heading Down Under for Supanova Pop Culture Expo, and those outside the community probably expect Fillion to be focusing on his past seven years working on runaway crime drama/ comedy Castle – but those people would be wrong. “What I find so amazing about Firefly fans is that they don’t go away. Just more and more of them just keep coming. I talk to people and they say, ‘Oh my god, I
just discovered that show two weeks ago. I didn’t know anything about it, someone said ‘you have to see it’ and now I can’t believe there’s no more!’ – and that was 13 years ago! That’s a long time!” He’s not wrong – in the ensuing decade-and-abit since Joss Whedon’s beloved sci-fi series bit the dust after a single season, the world of television has almost totally transformed as tastes and trends have given rise to online streaming services and heightened viewer engagement through social media. It gives a man time to think on what was, what could have been and whether the series’
short lifespan – punctuated by equally beloved feature, Serenity – was actually a blessing in disguise. “I always wonder about that, but I find the one fortunate thing, I think – or one of the few fortunate things – about being cancelled so early is that Firefly never had a chance to suck. We never had that, ‘Oh, season two was very slow,’ or ‘They didn’t really do anything about this particular storyline in season three’… We got out of the gate, we were having a great time, and then – snuffed out. So it shone quickly, and it shone brightly, and then it was extinguished. But it was always bright. I always wondered, would social media, had it been more prevalent, as it is today, would that have played a larger role in the survival of Firefly? But there are shows… that have all the advantages of today and still shows are being cancelled… so you never know.”
culture
With an eighth season of Castle looming under the guidance of new show-runners (but old hands) Terence Paul Winter and Alexi Hawley, it’s all academic anyway – and, besides, Fillion is thrilled to just have the chance to engage with fans of any ilk. “I love this part, because when we film the show, it’s almost like we’re in prison; there are no windows, there’s no sunlight coming in, we’re on a set, we’re locked in, and we are so removed from the fandom when we actually make the show. So… I’m very excited to get to an entirely new continent and see where people’s heads are at, and see what’s burning in their minds, what drives them, why do they watch, what do they like – I’m very excited.” WHEN & WHERE: 26 - 28 Jun, Supanova Pop Culture Expo, Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre
COUNTRY BOY
music
Corey Baker’s music isn’t as brutally iconoclastic as his Kill Paris handle suggests, Cyclone discovers.
K
ill Paris music is less an eruption of post-dubstep EDM and more like the glitchy, housey, bassy melotronica of ODESZA and Slow Magic – only sexier. Indeed its creator, Corey Baker has been identified with lovestep. And he’s actually cheekily dubbed his style “pantydropstep”. He’s headlining Major Bass with his “entertaining” hybrid live/DJ set – he even jams on a keytar, the DeLorean of the instrument world. “It’s just old enough to be cool again,” Baker laughs. This improbable future funk star comes from Indiana, raised on a lake, off a gravel road, in “a very small town”. In his teens Baker learnt to play guitar, then bass, piano and drums, envisioning a future for himself in bands (he sings too). He’d head to Tampa, Florida to study recording. Baker, into Björk (and Incubus), discovered electronic music “from just luck and chance” – and by experiencing the Ultra Music Festival. “I had listened to more, like, bands and singer/songwriters for a long time and had no idea what electronic music was and thought that everything’s just techno. Then you finally hear it and you’re like, Oh, this is a much deeper area of music and there’s a lotta different things going on. That’s when I opened up my eyes and ears to it.” At college Baker, who’d messed around making music on a Windows computer back in Indiana, was introduced to Ableton Live by a friend. Baker taught himself how to use it, becoming a certified teacher (check his online tutorials). “I feel like I learned a lot from my students – sometimes
more than I feel like I’m teaching them, which is a kinda weird thing.” Baker circulated his productions online before issuing two EPs, notably last year’s Foreplay, through Skrillex’s OWSLA. He’s also remixed Rudimental (and, unofficially, the Ghostbusters theme). After living briefly in the EDM epicentre of Los Angeles, the nomadic Baker moved to picturesque Boulder, Colorado. “I guess growing up, I wanted to live in a city. Then, once I did live in the city, I was like, ‘Argh, I don’t really like this!’” Here, he completed his debut album, Galaxies Between Us, which, with the “heavy chill” single, Space Forest, reinvents cosmic disco.
“I think Colorado’s really helped me evolve my sound. It should definitely be a lot more vibey and a little bit more like natural sound and not too harsh.” The producer released Galaxies… via his fledgling label “collective”, Sexy Electric – all music available for free download. “Everybody who we’ve signed, we’re trying to really help them build up their own fanbase in their own space, as opposed to taking the approach that a lot of labels do today where they sign a hundred thousand different people and just keep putting stuff out – because I feel like that kinda waters it down.” Baker is planning a special vinyl edition of Galaxies… The muso cares little for corporate streaming platforms (he boldly challenged deadmau5 about TIDAL on Twitter!) – Baker is “DIY”. “I make enough money to be able to do music for a living, so I’m pretty much happy where I’m at. Now I’m just trying to continue to be creative and everything.” WHEN & WHERE: 11 Jul, Major Bass, Villa THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 15
tv
FAMILY MATTERS Doco Blood & Thunder examines the Albert’s music empire and its incredible contribution to the Australian scene. Former CEO Fifa Riccobono explains to Steve Bell that it’s not that far to the top if you have the tight team behind you. n the title of Blood & Thunder – Paul Clarke’s twopart documentary about the rise of the Albert’s music empire in Australia from the ‘60s and beyond – the term ‘blood’ refers to the familial bonds (both literal and figurative) between the people in the organisation, and the term ‘thunder’ relates to the primal rock’n’roll they produced en masse for decades. Ted Albert may have been born into a musical dynasty, but as popular culture morphed and Australia suddenly found itself bereft of its own musical voice, it was his vision and determination that paved the way for bands such as The Easybeats, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and The Angels to not only forge a national sound but
I
GEORGE YOUNG, TED ALBERT, FIFA RICCOBONO & HARRY VANDA
podcast
also drag it kicking and screaming to the world. “He was a visionary, but I think the beauty of the man was that he was so understated, and he was always behind the scenes,” explains Fifa Riccobono, who started at Albert’s as a secretary in her teens and eventually became one of the first female record label CEOs. “He never went to business lunches and didn’t socialise really, but he was really dedicated when he was in the office with everyone that worked there with him and all of the artists that were signed to him. He was always approachable but in
a very, very honest and sincere way – there were never any airs about the man at all.” Blood & Thunder portrays Albert as a suit who loved music much more than money. “I think if he’d loved money we wouldn’t have ended up with the company that we had,” Riccobono laughs, “but he loved music so we ended up with fabulous music and money so it was more than a win/win situation.” Naturally the broader strength of Blood & Thunder lies in its portrayal of a succession of bands nurtured by Albert’s to the top of the charts, and Riccobono was there alongside them every step of the way. “I probably had the longest stretch with AC/DC – I loved working with the boys in the early days, and we did a lot of travelling together. There were some really hard yards that they did. As it got bigger and into the ‘80s with the success of Back In Black so many doors opened and it was huge for them, so I probably experienced more with AC/DC [than any other band]. There were some real highs and lows – losing Bon [Scott] obviously was the worst – but then going over to Rock In Rio and performing to so many people, and then doing the Moscow gig, which was them playing to a million people on the tarmac in Moscow, that was amazing. There were some real gems, but I enjoyed all of the performances whenever I’d see any of the bands, whether it be Rose Tattoo or The Angels, as long as they were giving it their all onstage.” WHAT: Blood & Thunder: The Sound Of Alberts 8.30pm Thursdays, ABC TV To read the full interview head to theMusic.com.au
LOST AT SEA Everyone loves a good mystery. Writer/director Aden Rolfe chats to Stephanie Liew about the ups and downs of serialising one.
I
n 1872, the crew of the Mary Celeste disappeared at sea. The ship didn’t sink, the cargo was untouched, and there were no signs of foul play. The mystery has never been solved, but the characters in A Thoroughly Wet Mess – ABC Radio National’s inaugural podcast-first drama – are set to recreate the Mary Celeste’s journey to attempt to find out what really happened. The story will unfold over eight 12-minute-long episodes. “From a dramatic stand point, an unsolved mystery has a built in drive,” explains the podcast’s writer and director, Aden Rolfe. “You already wanna know what happened to the Mary Celeste and what’s going to happen in the series.” Rolfe had the Mary Celeste mystery pocketed as an idea for a project, and was just waiting for the right one to come along; as he was pitching some radio ideas, he thought it would be perfect for an audio series format. The creative process was not exactly smooth sailing (sorry) though. “Yeah, there were a lot of challenges,” laughs Rolfe. “A bit before half way through writing it, I had the realisation that the whole project would’ve been heaps easier had I written a mystery before, or worked on a series before. Serialising a story obviously is different to writing a well rounded story that sits into a one-off broadcast. That’s where my experience is – I’ve had a couple of other radio dramas on Radio National before
16 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
[including Dying Words and Like A Writing Desk] but they were all just one-off things. I’m really happy with how the series turned out, but it is quite difficult to advance a story – particularly a mystery story that requires a lot of exposition that you have to disguise as action – in every episode sufficiently. But I think we did it, it’s a pretty enjoyable show.” Listening to A Thoroughly Wet Mess really feels like watching a film – the acting is there (featuring the voice talents of actors you’ve seen on Aussie TV), the sound effects and the music, too – except you just have to conjure up the
imagery yourself. Co-producer Jesse Cox provided direction from a sound point of view – “like are we getting the right levels, do we wanna get them a bit further away from the mic so they sound like they’re across the room” – while Rolfe took care of the script - and story-based direction. “Because of the nature of the project we had to record out of sequence, which is fairly common, but within a mystery, with a group of actors who haven’t spent weeks and weeks with the script, it was really useful having me on hand to basically give them a briefing before each scene about what they know, and what they don’t yet know, who knows what and when...” What is it about mysteries that can cause people to obsess over them? “I do think that the value in a mystery is in its not being solved. But that value certainly expresses itself by the desire to solve it – and that’s kind of what we play with in the series a bit.” WHAT: A Thoroughly Wet Mess 11am Fridays Radiotonic, ABC Radio National
AN AUSSIE’S FIRST TIMER’S GUIDE TO BONNAROO
From an outside perspective, the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is a uniquely mythical experience – an incomparable, mind-bogglingly expansive celebration of creativity and camaraderie. The truth is, that’s a pretty much bang-on assessment from an inside perspective too. Words and photos by Mitch Knox. DAY ONE:
RADIATE POSITIVITY Without meaning to sound conceited, I consider myself something of a young veteran of the Australian music festival scene. Over the past 11 years of my legal show-going life, I’ve pretty much seen it all at almost every major music event that has graced our shores. However, within minutes of arriving at the 284-hectare farm at which Bonnaroo is held, just outside the nearby town of Manchester, Tennessee, it swiftly becomes apparent that I actually know nothing. At least, nowhere near as much as I thought I did. Firstly, when you’re used to local events, the sheer size of the festival is overwhelming. Last year’s event brought more than 90,000 people to The Farm and I’m making my way through the pop-up city that’s passing for a campsite – seriously, there are street names and golf-cart taxis and tents and vehicles and vendors as far as the eye can see.
Upon entering Centeroo, the oversized rainbow Arch that marks the entrance to the main festival grounds, obvious comparison points stand out – it’s basically Splendour In The Grass on steroids, in Big Day Out weather, with a Glastonbury-grade line-up – Bonnaroo is not Just Another Festival; it is a force unto itself. Near the middle of the grounds, in a central communal area called Planet Roo (think Splendour’s Global Village), there is a cornerstone structure known as The Fountain, a large,
culture
mushroom-shaped water spout/cooling-off facility emblazoned with the words, “Radiate Positivity”. If there is one aspect in which the event palpably falls short compared with local alternatives, it’s in its absurd stage-naming conventions: This Tent, That Tent, The Other Tent, Who? Stage, Which Stage and the big kahuna, the What Stage. It doesn’t take long for confusion to set in: “Is Courtney Barnett at that tent?” “No, This Tent.” “Right, so that tent.” “No, This Tent.” “Yeah, no, I mean… screw it.” Along with the Pedestrian At Best hitmaker, who plays to a simply massive crowd at, yes, This Tent from 10.45pm, the day sees sets from artists such as Sydney buzz act Little May on the tucked-away Who? Stage, and DMA’s, who open proceedings in curiously inert fashion at The Other Tent, though the crowd doesn’t seem to mind too much. Other standout performances for the day come from the likes of This Tent closer and 2015 Laneway drawcard Mac DeMarco, the prodigious Benjamin Booker, and up-and-coming young rapper Raury. All up, it’s an incredibly encouraging start to proceedings.
DAY TWO:
HEAVEN ON EARTH It’s only the second day of Bonnaroo and, already, I have never smelled so much marijuana at a music festival in my life – nor seen so much marijuana being openly consumed at a festival. I raise this point THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 17
because, as a punter would later put it to me, “For the amount of drugs being taken here, you’d think they were all legal in the US.” Indeed, the immense amount of blazing going on around me seems to be directly inversely proportionate to the amount of beer and other alcohol being consumed and, as a result, the level of aggression that hangs in the air (which is to say there’s basically none). This broad, evident freedom is not why I choose an allusion to the religious concept of heaven, however. Rather, I’m trying to convey to you the sense of idyllic refuge that permeates the festival. For starters, there is a hub of hammocks near a small central performance space called the Solar Stage, and I never see them empty.
Rapper come out on stage for a collaborative bash on-stage with the veteran act. I head out into the early morning satisfied once more with all that has crossed my path today.
My real work begins today. I head out to do the journalism thing and spend time with a couple of artists for some interviews, and first off the rank are UK-based face-melters Royal Blood. I’ve caught them just a few weeks out from their next jaunt to Australia, to play at Splendour In The Grass, and following the meteoric rise of their self-titled 2014 album to #8 on the iTunes Chart following a highprofile appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show. Even in the face of such swiftly growing renown, the band – frontman Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher – convey a wonderfully dry, British sense of humour about their situation, with Kerr saying of their impending southern journey that they’ll “be better than all the other bands” at Splendour.
It may just be the cumulative effects of having spent two full days in 35+ degree heat, but JESUS HORATIO CHRIST, IS IT HOT TODAY. But, thankfully, I don’t have long to dwell on the fact, as I’m due to meet Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, the brother duo at the core of LA folk rock act Dawes. They’ve played the festival twice previously, having graduated this year to the hallowed confines of the What Stage. “People have always really responded well to our music at this festival,” Griffin says of their past experiences, before turning to this year’s showing. “Having such a giant stage with so few people on it is eye-opening, but I think it went well. It’s fun to have that much space; everything sounds big and great.”
After we wrap our chat, I swing via The Other Tent to lend some home-country support to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (who, according to a nearby American, are “psychedelic bush rock”, and, according to me, just freaking nail their set) before running back to watch Royal Blood’s set at Which Stage to see if Kerr’s just blowing his own trumpet, but the duo more than live up to the hype afforded them by their recorded works. I head back to the media tent to meet Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, collectively known as Odesza. The electronic duo have only just arrived at the festival ahead of their 1am set at This Tent tonight, and are unbelievably nice, though just a little confused about my use of the term “punters”. Once I say my goodbyes to Odesza, I head back out into Centeroo to take in some more music for the night, with Ben Folds & YMusic offering some classically-tinged piano-pop joy before I venture to check out elder statesmen Tears For Fears, get within squinting distance at the ant-sized human on the What Stage that the booklet tells me is Kendrick Lamar and forgo Run The Jewels to check out Earth Wind & Fire, where I end up getting a slightly better view of Lamar anyway when he and Chance The
18 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
DAY THREE:
STAY HYDRATED
Bonnaroo seems to be a place where specialness thrives – amid my travels throughout the grounds, I happen upon a small tree decorated with miscellaneous wares for Slayer, who perform tonight. At
“IT’S BASICALLY SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS ON STEROIDS, IN BIG DAY OUT WEATHER, WITH A GLASTONBURYGRADE LINE-UP.”
the base of the tree, there is a little commemorative card with a photo of a man called Mike Batts, who (I am told by a man hanging around near the tree) was a dedicated fan of the band who sadly passed away last year, and so his friends have planted a tree in his memory. It’s a beautiful monument and yet another demonstration of the genuine, indomitable human spirit that has so far defined every corner of this festival. On the music front, I’m kept busy across the entire grounds by an eclectic array of enticing artists, from the incredible Rhiannon Giddens; the ever-reliable The War On Drugs; the twinkly inoffensiveness of Belle & Sebastian; the pulse-raising guitar work of the freakishly talented Gary Clark Jr; the sheer oversized spectacle of My Morning Jacket; and the heaving sonic crushes of Childish Gambino.
Dun, aka Twenty One Pilots, who are due in Australia for a sold-out headline tour in just a matter of weeks, before heading back out into the throng to watch their first-ever mainstage set at Bonnaroo, an achievement they have racked up after only appearing at the festival once before.
After three solid days of unrepentant partying amid 35to 40-degree heat, swirling dust, sweaty people and the still-inescapable haze of pot smoke hanging over the festival, nobody would begrudge a tired soul for tapping out. But this is day four of Bonnaroo. We did not come this far to simply give up now. So we pick ourselves up – we puke and we rally – and we soldier on determinedly.
Says Dun on their premain stage days, before they had ever even fathomed their career would take off: “We did just random stuff; I don’t even know… At the time, I worked for a moving company, I valeted cars for a little bit, I worked at a music store… because that’s, to me – I didn’t go to college, and I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, so I’m like, ‘How do I play music?’ and I was like, ‘I guess musicians come into music stores, so I can maybe try and figure that out,’ so I worked there for a little bit.”
I start the day off conducting an interview with the sharply rising US-bred duo of Tyler Joseph and Joshua
It is great; in fact, their set is nothing short
As much as I’d love to stick it out, with a nearhour-long trip ahead of me back to my hotel, three days behind me and one to go, I make the heartbreaking call to depart and prepare for the final stretch of this arts-and-music marathon.
DAY FOUR:
PUKE & RALLY
of remarkable, the seemingly boundless audience on tenterhooks for every word and command sent our way – when frontman Tyler Joseph tells us all to “get down”, everyone listens. When he tells us to get the fuck up, there’s no dissent. When he tells us to find a partner and get on someone’s shoulders, the entire sea suddenly doubles in height. It’s as memorable and polished a performance as you could hope for at an event like this, and will stay with me as a genuine highlight of my festival-going career. Also on tap today are Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters, whose audience is so voluminous that if you weren’t there well in advance, you have no hope of getting anywhere close to a meaningful distance from the stage. Fortunately, the sound carries all the way over the thousands of heads between me and the stage to allow me to still enjoy their tunes. Once it hits 9pm, at the What Stage the legendary Billy Joel rounds out the festival with the kind of aplomb you could only expect from someone who has been performing for as long as he has, at the level he is renowned for. All of this is, only a slice of the full Bonnaroo experience. With magic and surprise around every corner, even the most meticulous of plans can be derailed by something to steal your attention and take you somewhere you never thought you’d find yourself. Hell, I guess I’ll just have to come back next year. To read the full article head to theMusic.com.au Mitch Knox attended Bonnaroo courtesy of Warner Music Australia. THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 19
★★★★
album/ep reviews
THY ART IS MURDER
REFUSED
UNFD
Truth be told Refused are a complete one-trick pony. Sure, they were together seven years and produced three full-lengths and a handful of EPs. But really, it’s their 1998 pre-meltdown swansong, The Shape Of Punk To Come, that ensured they’re still talked about in hushed tones all these years later. It was certainly a landmark LP, one that took a grab bag of disparate influences and turned them into a powerfully cohesive and utterly individual statement in the world of hardcore.
Freedom
Epitaph/Warner
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Holy War
From the brutal end breakdown in Light Bearer to the funky fresh riffing and solo in the title track, or the ridiculous drum speed on Absolute Genocide, above it all CJ McMahon’s voice is cavernous and vastly encompassing, sounding apeshit over the fresh breakdown that accentuates the song Coffin Dragger. Holy War shows Thy Art Is Murder moving away from their origins – at least in terms of composition – and amping up the comparisons available to grindcore and black metal. Fur And Claw is a manic track, and densely satisfying, combining a strong and driving intro, again with the sassy groove, powering along with seriously quick blast beats, creating a tag team with following track Deliver Us To Evil. Immersing yourself in the album, its power grows on you
as ominously as the slow pull of quicksand. Violent Reckoning is a brazen death metal track where the riffing changes focus from blunt breakdowns to a faster and more intricate lead work. Production on the record is really tight too. Child Of Sorrow has a real European feel at times, and you can tell that Thy Art’s penchant for touring has had a profound effect on the writing on this album. Ultimately, Holy War sees Thy Art Is Murder epitomising their intentions and opening themselves up to a more mature audience. You’ll want to turn the record back over. Jonty Czuchwicki
★★★★
Wisely, the now reformed Swedish quartet hasn’t tried to make The Shape Of Punk To Come Part II. Instead, Freedom, their first album since 1998, is a calmer offering that at times flirts with a pop sensibility. Take Servants Of Death for example, a funky, almost danceable offering. Then there’s the acoustic-edged gothic melodrama of Useless Europeans and the rocktastic Destroy The Man. That said,
★★
★★★½ Refused do take time to prove they haven’t lost their ability to create visceral hardcore. Although there’s nothing here as explosive as, say, New Noise, or Refused Party Program, the Shellback-penned (I know – go figure) Elektra hits hard, as does the acerbic Dawkins Christ. Lyrically, frontman Dennis Lyxzen channels his anger towards more specific targets such as colonial oppression (Francafrique) and First World privilege (Useless Europeans). Refused do nothing on Freedom to destroy their legacy but instead offer up a challenging set of tunes symbolic of a band determined to never tread water. Mark Hebblewhite
★★★½
★★★
BATPISS
BREAKING BENJAMIN
FRENCH ROCKETS
JUAN WAUTERS
Biomass
Dark Before Dawn
Arc
Who Me?
Poison City
Hollywood/Universal
Independent
Spunk
Melbourne’s favourite sons of maniacal mayhem Batpiss return with another slab of scabrous sludge. Not much has changed – the alternation between a monolithic deathmarch rhythm (The Store) and a more insistent intensity (Death Will…), the vocals from lurking monotony to growled gravel swill to howled force. Biomass delves deeper into the cesspit of human survival than predecessor Nuclear Winter, yet the feverish brutality of Daredevil and Spiritually Challenged are enhanced by a clearer and direct production. Biomass tears a hole in the darkness with a delirious grin.
Breaking Benjamin’s first studio album in almost six years sees the group compensating for a new line-up by holding firm on their sound. Four new band members would typically mean a shake-up in sound, but Dark Before Dawn is hardly unexpected. Benjamin Burnley’s endless clean vocal layers swamp the chugging riffs, redemption lyrics dominating every track. With the exception of a few moments such as Angels Fall, the album feels incredibly recycled. While it’s hard to fault a band sticking to a formula that obviously works, it’s also hard to appreciate musical laziness.
Brendan Telford
Mark Beresford
What a welcome surprise! There was always a sense that Perth shoegazers French Rockets hadn’t reached their potential, having scored a WAMI for their infinite-groove-surfing 1x1 split EP before seemingly vanishing without trace. Their resurgence five years later finds them stronger than ever, having mastered a tactical array of drones, feedback and industrial beats. Transitioning from the intense focus of Hypersigil to the melt-in-your-eardrums ambiance of Dream Cycle, Arc consistently achieves a higher state of consciousness and is the culmination of years spent fine tuning their art.
The laissez-faire braggadocio of Juan Wauters has been both energising and enervating – somehow providing rollicking songs and albums that don’t last in the memory for long. Wauters continues to wade in these waters on this second solo record, going into a rustic nostalgia montage, taking the paisley pop fringes of The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel lore and injecting Jonathan Richman daydreams and anecdotal whimsy. This Is I, I’m All Wrong and I Was Well indicates Wauters’ tempered wellspring of introspection, and it’s all a lot of fun, if fleeting and lightweight.
Christopher H James
Brendan Telford
20 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
album/ep reviews
MORE REVIEWS
themusic.com.au/music/album-reviews
★★★★
★★★½
★★★½
THE STRESS OF LEISURE
LA PRIEST
ROCKY VOTOLATO
Inji
Hospital Handshakes
Achievement
Domino/EMI
No Sleep/Shock
TSOL Recording Co.
Some may remember Sam Eastgate, aka LA Priest, from UK dark indie band Late Of Pier. That group hasnಬt been active for quite some time but has contributed somewhat to Eastgate dusting off a side project he’s had in the pipeline a while. Taking inspiration from a trip to Greenland (and Peter Gabriel, surely?) where he did some research into electro-magnetic sound manipulation, Inji is a mixed bag of emotions, sounding like everything that ever came out between 1981 and Daft Punkಬs Discovery era. Although not to everyoneಬs tastes, itಬs an abstract adventure that’s a small delight nonetheless.
The eighth solo album from Texas-bred, Seattle-based troubadour and former Waxwing frontman Rocky Votolato arrives after a terse period of self-doubt and recrimination, and these existential musings form the cornerstone of Hospital Handshakes. Votolato’s casual charisma remains intact and he’s assembled a talented cast – his brother Cody (The Blood Brothers) adds axe while production is handled by Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie) - numbers like The Hereafter and Royal are buoyed by cruisy grooves and deft lyrics that emote without becoming tiresome.
Adam Wilding
Steve Bell
This massively underrated Brisbane quartet continue to craft their brilliantly off-kilter art-synth-funk-pop in their own bathysphere on Achievement, untainted by midlife trials and mainstream trends. From the Graney-attitude funk of No Idea Is The New Idea, the mischievous-yet-dark fauxdisco melter, Girl On A Lilo, to the Dunedin rush of Goodyear Blimp, Ian Powne and co. succeed in marking out their own world, one that is garish, knowing, self-deprecating and absurdly laconic. You’re staring mad genius in the face. Brendan Telford
Palace Of The King – White Bird/Burn The Sky The Pretty Littles – Gospel Lehmann B Smith – Thank God For My Body Jenny Hval – Apocalypse, Girl Institute – Catharsis The Pink Tiles – Snax, Spirits, Classic Hits Our Man In Berlin – Spirit Down Girlpool – Before The World Was Big
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 21
live reviews
ART OF SLEEPING, JESSE DAVIDSON, BEDOUIN SEA Amplif ier Bar 20 Jun The belting rain didn’t hold many back as a sizable room greeted local act Bedouin Sea, who quickly hit their stride with their indie folk shuffling more than enough listeners’ feet. The band seemed eager to please, teaching the room lyrics and bringing the punters in from the back. It wasn’t a hard target for them to hit with the stomping chorus and plucky licks of Dancing In The
Of Sleeping engaged instantly with the sweeping sounds of Empty Hands. Frontman Caleb Hodges dominated the stage, powerful rising vocals, lost in the moment performance and wonderfully dynamic playing, all bringing together a showing that was understandably met with roaring applause. As the band stated themselves, despite arguments with their management about flying over west and the band telling them to ‘get stuffed’, Perth has certainly made the trip worthwhile, happily reciprocating the feeling with sharp tone highlights of Jefferson and Voodoo along with the twinkling guitars of Burning Bright. It was hard to compete with the enthusiasm shown for favourites Above The Water and set closer, Crazy. The weather
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER @ CAPITOL. PIC: CAPITOL SIMON HOLLAND
Dust setting the mood just right for the second band. As Jesse Davidson took to the stage, the warm bopping bass line of Big Bois Gotta Eat wove its way through the crowd, seemingly taking the room slightly by surprise, that crowd quickly moving towards the stage. Davidson appeared at complete ease with his performance. The trio are perfectly harmonious and fed through track after track of blissful indie-pop, with a brilliant and rather special cover of Elvis Presley’s Love Me thrown in for good measure. It may just be the warm delivery and no halts performance but the set felt incredibly short, a quick one-two of Flaws and Laika and the three lads were done, having gained an audience of new fans. With the floor now well and truly shoulder to shoulder, Art 22 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
as US death metal titans The Black Dahlia Murder made their return trip to our shores. Earth Rot opened the show, fresh of their debut international tour as a part of the Hammersonic crew, showing the spit and polish of a band that simply loves playing live. The Power In Blood set the tone – deep chugging, fist in the air material. Perhaps the most brutal gore style of the night belonged to newcomers Iconoclast with their deeply down-tuned sound and particularly guttural vocals. Born Of Malice formed the centrepiece of their set. The very dark and malevolent Malignant Monster demonstrated why they’re regarded one
GHOSTDRUMS @ THE BIRD. PIC: CAITLIN SCHOKKER
may have been completely shit, but three great bands delivering on a small local stage makes any expedition worthwhile. Mark Beresford
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, MALIGNANT MONSTER, ICONOCLAST, EARTH ROT Capitol 18 Jun The doors of Capitol were thrown open to a host of septic entertainment from the good citizens of Waterford, Michigan on Thursday night
Equilibrium, both of which contain thunderous kicks to intro, the relatively new skinslord Alan Cassidy demonstrating that his inclusion in the band powered a new take on old material as he added a speed and precision to an act that was perhaps lacking on their last Australian tour. Twentythirteen album, Everblack, featured heavily – a real treat with so many killer songs translating perfectly to the live setting, Raped In Hatred By Vines Of Thorn the highlight – setting the kill circles alight. The flatout pace of BDM exposed a severe lack of cardio amongst Perth death metallers, as the circles quickly petered out. The relentless death attack continued as shirtless
RAT COLUMNS @ THE BIRD. PIC: CAITLIN SCHOKKER
of Australia’s premiere extreme metal acts, tweaking their stage show to include an even darker and more tortured feel. Until It Withers, off the incredible Yours In Murder album, set the tone and standard for the night with the corpus of the Malignant Monster feel; dark, suicidal and mercilessly heavy. The quintet unleashed Embracing Hell, one of their newer tracks, thick, heavy, chugging riffs and the trademark banshee shrieks of Cain Cressall. Blood Glutton was the twisting of the knife, with death throws slowing to an almost grind. The Black Dahlia Murder’s version of death metal is a particularly violent strain, blasting out of the gates with In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me and Moonlight
frontman Trevor Strnad offered to delve into the back catalogue with blistering renditions of Miasma and Funeral Thirst to close the show on the band’s debut album, Unhallowed. Simon Holland
GHOSTDRUMS, RAT COLUMNS, GILBERT FAWN, DJ JIMMY’S CHOICE The Bird 19 Jun On an unfortunately rainsoaked Friday night, The Bird provided the perfect opportunity for music lovers to escape the cold
live reviews and enjoy a great mix of music by some fine local talent. Despite being somewhat hampered by a bandaged right hand, DJ Jimmy’s Choice warmed the place up a bit with an upbeat and energising selection of dream-pop and post-punk tunes from the likes of Haunted Leather, Wet Hair, U2 and Lowlife. The first of the live acts, Gilbert Fawn came onstage armed only with a Macbook full of samples and a bouzouki (a traditional Greek plucked guitarlike instrument for those not versed in European folk instruments). The young artist performed a fantastic set that saw him play against a backdrop screen showing footage from Chris Marker’s experimental documentary, Sans Soleil, while fusing eclectic samples of Russian Ital Disco, A$AP Rocky and the Ship To Shore theme with rich, dreamy
melodies and chords Fawn looped while playing his bouzouki. Much of the set was devoted to songs from Fawn’s upcoming new release, which included Mouthful Of Birds, Endakis, In Excess, Russian Salad, Triple P and Virtue AP.
Time’s No Vessel. The band followed with She Loves The Rain before finishing strong with Dream Tonight, which featured some brilliant ‘80s-inspired guitar work from West over a swell of airy synths and fast, frenetic drumming.
DJ Jimmy’s Choice returned on the decks while Rat Columns scribbled out the setlist for the show and got ready. The four-piece started with the chill-chorus-laden sounds of New Romans and Someone Else’s Dream, which unfortunately featured some slight sound issues that were eventually resolved by the time the band got to their fourth song, Don’t Have To Try. After that they were in fine form, continuing with Astral Plane, which showed off the great dual vocals of frontman David West and bassist Amber Gempton, before more of an audience gathered from outside for the spacey soul jam of
After another set by Choice that included Keni Burke and Nicolette Larson alongside Chris Isaak and Seal, Ghostdrums arrived to a small yet loyal crowd. Setting up his kit and sample pad before announcing he was just going to play for a bit and hope everyone enjoyed the set, he capped off the night with a strong set that saw him mix live drums with samples and reverbladen synthesisers with great performance of Red Thread and Morning Sun.
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arts reviews
BLOOD & THUNDER: THE SOUND OF ALBERTS - PART ONE
BLOOD & THUNDER: THE SOUND OF ALBERTS PART ONE TV
8.30pm Thursday ABC1
★★★★ ½ Writer/director Paul Clarke’s two-part documentary looks at how a small cabal of families and associates came together
in the ‘60s and ‘70s and took Australia’s primal rock’n’roll to the world. Unassuming businessman Ted Albert has visions of forging a national musical identity using the platform of his family’s publishing business, while at Villawood Migrant Hostel a group of teenage European immigrants – notably the Scottish Young family, English kid Stevie Wright and Dutchman Johannes van den Berg (soon to be known as Harry Vanda) – are using music to escape the drudgery of their new life. When these disparate worlds collide, the teen migrants now The Easybeats, the results are immediate and seismic. Ted Albert himself is the hero of this story, the man equally at home in the boardroom and recording studio but who was driven by a passion for music. With interviewees including Tim Rogers and Peter Garrett, the first part of Blood & Thunder documents the Albert’s crew taking the Aussie scene by the scruff of the neck. Steve Bell
LOVE & MERCY Film
In cinemas 25 Jun
★★★★ The Beach Boys – most people immediately recognise their iconic tunes. Less known is the tortured story of their creative centre, Brian Wilson. Love & Mercy sees two distinct periods in his life, the 1960s and the 1980s. In the ‘60s, Wilson (Paul Dano) leads The Beach Boys to ever greater creative heights, while steadily becoming mentally unstable. In the ‘80s, Wilson ( John Cusack) struggles with his illness under the overbearing care of psychiatrist Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti) but soon meets car saleswoman Melina (Elizabeth Banks), creating a relationship that may help him. Director Bill Pohlad’s absorbing approach seamlessly
passes between time periods, contrasting young Wilson, colourfully saturated in The Beach Boys sound, and his older version in sterile, Beach Boy-less settings. Dano and Cusack portray Wilson outstandingly. Dano carries the ‘60s scenes with creative eccentricity, while Cusack barely touches the music but embodies an oddly charming, quietly suffering man. It’s a great representation of Wilson’s life that’ll leave you scrambling to listen and admire his music. Sean Capel
LOVE & MERCY THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 23
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the guide EP FOCUS EP title? Embryonic How many releases do you have now? Two singles, our debut Discontention and our new single The Shield, both from the forthcoming EP.
13 CIRCLES
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? The fact that we were in such a creative environment as Debaser Studios, and working with Andy Lawson, was sufficiently inspiring in itself. That and we fed off each other creatively as well. What’s your favourite song on it? Embers is probably the most indicative of our overall sound and has become a live favourite. We’ll like this EP if we like... Tool, Muse, Pink Floyd, Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus... anything a bit dark and atmospheric. When and where is your launch/next gig? We’ll be launching our EP Embryonic at Rosemount Hotel on 26 Jun with support from Graphic Characters, September Sun and Dead End Brawler. Website link for more info? facebook.com/13Circles
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 25
eat/drink steph@themusic.com.au
FAIR TRADE/ ORGANIC ALCOHOL Sarah Barratt suggests some bottles that’ll let you drink responsibly. FAIR Quinoa Vodka Made in France, this multi awardwinning vodka is double brewed and distilled from organic Bolivian quinoa seeds. The first vodka in the world that’s certified Fair Trade, it sits at 40% and is cork sealed. Highland Harvest Organic Scotch Whisky Made from solely malted barley, grain and water, the Highland brand applies traditional Scottish methods; they only use single malt and they mature it for at least nine years in oak barrels. Juniper Green Organic Gin Juniper is produced in London at the Thames Distillery. Compared to other gins, this one uses no stabilisers, no artificial fertilisers on the grain and uses juniper berries, botanicals, water and barley. Papagayo Organic Spiced Rum When you’ve had enough of Captain Morgan’s for a lifetime, give Papagayo a try. Made in Paraguay, it is certified organic and Fair Trade certified, distilled from cane sugar, aged in wood barrels and spiced with chilli peppers and vanilla. Dulce Vida Organic Tequila Certified organic tequila made in Los Altos in Mexico, this tequila will set you back a cool $120 for 700ml. Dulca Vida grow their own agave plants, harvest and roast agave piñas, ferment the syrup with yeast, distil and age in wood barrels for 11 (for the Repasado tequila) or 24 (Añejo) months. All of these are available from Dan Murphy’s. Nice. 26 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
YOU CAN WHAT? You can make alcohol out of the following things... Carrots: peel, chop and boil carrots to a mush. Strain the liquid, add lemon and orange grind, tannin, sugar and yeast, leave to ferment and you’ve got carrot wine.
MEOW NOW Following Sydney and Melbourne’s lead (who followed Japan’s lead, really), Perth will soon have its very first cat cafe, thanks to cat fans and an Indiegogo fundraising campaign. Cat lovers Chris Mewburn and Terps Platritis, both 24, launched the campaign last month and managed to raise $154k to establish Cat Cafe Perth; they’ve narrowed down possible locations and are currently awaiting council approval. The cafe will be designed for the cats (Mewburn and Platritis are both architects) and will also serve as a sanctuary for about 30 rescued cats, as well as of course a place for cat lovers who are unable to keep a feline of their own to visit when they’re in need of critter cuteness.
Bananas: in Uganda they grow ‘beer bananas’; they stomp on the ripe, unpeeled fruits to extract the juice, which is put through a grass filter and fermented for two days. Snake: snake wine is made by infusing whole snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol. Beets: Boil peeled, quartered beets until tender. Add (lots of ) sugar and pepper to the beet water and boil, then strain through a cloth into a clay crock. Spread yeast onto a thoroughly dried slice of bread and place in the liquid. Ferment for ten days.
PIC: SWONG95765
FOODIE NEWS
A study led by Professor Charles Spence, a pioneering experimental psychologist of Oxford University, has found that you can ‘sonically season’ your food; listening to a country’s music while eating its cuisine enhances the flavour (for example, French accordion for a French dish, Puccini for pasta). The study also found that listening to slow music while eating makes the flavour last longer, while up-tempo tunes have the opposite effect; the more you like a piece of music, the more you’ll enjoy what you’re tasting; too much bass makes food taste bitter; classical music makes wine taste more expensive; and piano enhances sweet flavours. It’s interesting to note that the research was commissioned by Sony.
the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
CHART WRAP
LOCAL LOVIN’
FRACTURED
MELT IT OFF
An all local showcase is making its way to Clancy’s Fish Pub Fremantle this Saturday. Dark indie-poppers Villain headline on the evening, with Howling Bones, High Court and Lunar Whales playing support.
West Australian playwright Lucy Clements is bringing the moving stage play Fracture to Blue Room Theatre this week. It’s on every night this week until Saturday from 7pm.
A face-melting belter of a gig is making its way to Mojo’s Bar tonight (24 Jun) to get you past hump day. Red Engine Caves, SpaceManAntics and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets will be taking to the stage.
READY TO LAUNCH
GET TO THE LOFT
ALL ABOARD
Perth prog-rockers 13 Circles launch EP Embryonic this Friday, following the release of their debut single Discontention a few months ago. Rosemount Hotel with support from Graphic Characters, September Sun, and Dead End Brawler.
Joy Division and New Order is the theme at The Loft, which is an event taking place at Amplifier Bar this Friday night. Lady Libertine, Eddie Electric Vs Jamie Mac, Panda Vs Kaila and Volatile will also be performing.
Unamped Sessions is back this Wednesday at Choo Choo’s Bar. Four local artists play acoustic, while punters can indulge in food from That Naughty Food Truck. Aaron Gwynaire, Conal Savins, Mr E. Mann and The Low End Theory play tonight.
WINTER WONDERLAND
SWEAT IT OUT
DOUBLE DATE
RTRFM’s Winter Music Festival is taking place Saturday, with Dianas, Dream Rimmy, The Floors, Tired Lion and more performing across Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Bowls Club, Railway Hotel, Swan Basement and Swan Hotel.
You may have listened to Hideous Sun Demon’s brilliant album Sweat on CD already. They’re launching their vinyl of the album at The Odd Fellow on Friday with Nicholas Allbrook, Hamjam and The Darling Rangers.
Heading around the country on a co-headline tour are two of Australia’s leading electronic acts, KLP and Gold Fields, who have collaborated together to produce a track named Make Me Feel. They bring the party to Capitol, Saturday.
MAKE A SPLASH
GET THE BLUES
BALLIN’ OUTTA BOSTON
The Big Splash Band competition makes its way to The Bird this Thursday night for heat #4, which will see Agamous Betty, Figurehead, Shit Narnia and The Methamphetaqueens battling it out for a spot in the semi-final.
Blue Shaddy are bringing pure, Aussie-tinged blues Indi Bar this Saturday night, one of the band’s favourite venues to play. $20 on the door.
Straight out of Boston, JSTJR is taking to the stage at Ambar on Friday night, bringing his African and Latin-inspired bass to the floor. He’ll also be bringing resident DJs Jordan Scott, Jai Twentyman, Micah Black, and Genga along for the ride.
COSMIC PSYCHOS
He just missed out on claiming top spot on last week’s ARIA Albums Chart but Seth Sentry couldn’t be denied the #1 position on this week’s Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts. The Aussie hip hop artist’s latest album, Strange New Past, topped the indie charts in its debut week, dethroning electro duo Hermitude, who were bumped down to #2 for the first time since the release of Dark Night Sweet Light. Sentry’s new work joins his 2012 album, This Was Tomorrow, which is still holding strong after an impressive 110 weeks in the top 20, on the charts, jumping up six spots from last week to clinch #6. Pop sensation Sia again holds the #3 spot with 1000 Forms Of Fear, while Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit moves down two places to #4. Also debuting on the charts this week are Melbourne punk band Cosmic Psychos with Cum The Raw Prawn, which comes in at #14. On the Singles Chart there are very few changes, Hermitude again holding the #1 spot with The Buzz while Aussie producer Flume moves one spot down to #3 with his song Some Minds featuring Andrew Wyatt, switching direct places with Sia’s Big Girls Cry. Sentry also makes a debut in the Singles Chart with his latest track, Run, coming in at #19.
FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 27
the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
ALBUM FOCUS
PERSONAL BEST RECORDS
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? We were in the US in the forest during fall so it was an amazing time to be there. Really amazing scenery, although the music does not represent that one bit. What’s your favourite song on it? Hell Comes Your Way is my favourite of recent times. It’s going down well live.
KING PARROT Answered by: Matt Young Album title? Dead Set Where did the title of your new album come from? Just an Australian expression that we though would be suitable for an album title. It’s half serious and half taking the piss so we thought that was a reasonable representation of the band. How many releases do you have now? This is our second album. How long did it take to write/ record? We jammed every day for three weeks and got it written, and it took about three weeks to record too.
Will you do anything differently next time? Maybe take a little more time in the preparation and marketing side of things. Although it always seems like a rush when doing these things. When and where is your next gig? We are heading to the US in July and will be following up with some regional Australian dates and a few city shows in August and September... Website link for more info? facebook.com/kingparrotband
ERIC STUART BAND
White’s Greatest Hits. If Barry can’t help you set the right mood you need serious help!
Answered by: Eric Stuart Best record you stole from your folks’ collection? The original cast recording of the rock musical Hair.
Most surprising record in your collection? The many Enya albums I own. Surprise! Last thing you bought/ downloaded? AC/DC’s Black Ice. Rock ‘N Roll Train, crank it up!
First record you bought? Kiss’ Destroyer. I still own all my Kiss LPs. I would save up and buy one every month... since Kiss seemed to release an album every month! Record you put on when you’re really miserable? Only You by Yaz. That song is so bittersweet. Simple but very powerful. Record you put on when you bring someone home? Barry
arguably say that a lot of Aussie dance acts went on to have huge success internationally after this album blew up!
Is it a one-off, permanent, or see-how-it-goes? It’s a one-off. Thank god. How does the live scene now compare to your heyday? It was pre-digital, and Perth was a very isolated cottage industry. It lent itself to a certain level of healthy esotericism, but it also meant bands would fall over themselves to get signed to major labels as the only way out… For us, it meant a real focus on independence and DIY autonomy. Now that model has all but fallen over, and bands again need to be self-sufficient, but they have greater access to tools enabling them to selfproduce and distribute.
Who’s the act everyone will be talking about in 12 months? The Aston Shuffle because we’re about to drop a whole heap of new music!
Answered by: Mikah Freeman When did you know DJing was the gig for you? I used to play drums in a rock band and one night a friend took me to a dance party and I was completely mesmerised by the DJ who had complete control over the room. What’s your most memorable musical moment? Debuting our live set in front of 20,000 people at Shore Thing, NYE.
What can punters expect to hear when you’re in control of the dancefloor? Just like our own music, it’ll be all over the place, but the one thing that’s guaranteed in an Aston Shuffle DJ set is that it will be quality dope tunes no matter what genre or tempo! When and where are your next gigs? 26 Jun, Villa Nightclub. Website link for more info? facebook.com/theastonshuffle
What release should everyone have in their collection? The Presets’ Beams because it brought Australian dance music back into focus... You could 28 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015
S U P P O R T I N G
Website link for more info? ericstuart.com
DID YOU HEAR
DJ BOOTH
THE ASTON SHUFFLE
When and where are your next gigs? Eric Stuart acoustic Australian tour featuring Kevin Hunter: 25 Jun Defectors Music Bar; 26–28 Jun, Supanova, Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre.
BEAVERLOOP Answered by: Brad Coleman What would people remember you for (and when)? Turning failure into an art form. Over and over and over again... What caused the split/ hiatus? It’s still too raw… We’re not ready to talk about it. That, and the nondisclosure agreements. What inspired the reformation? Brad needed the money, it’s kind of like a benefit show for a nasal reconstruction... and a warning to young people: ‘Don’t put green smoothies up your nose!’ He’ll tell you it’s cosmetic, we’re not convinced. I N D E P E N D E N T
When and where for your gig? Astor Theatre, 28 Jun, supporting Jebediah. For more info see: facebook. com/beaverloop
A U S S I E
M U S I C
THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015 • 29
the guide wa.gigguide@themusic.com.au
THE MUSIC PRESENTS
THE FLASH’S DANIELLE PANABAKER
JEBEDIAH: JUN 26 - 28, Astor Theatre
MARK RONSON: JUL 22, Metro City
MAJOR BASS FEAT. KOAN SOUND: JUL 11, Villa Nightclub
BLUR: JUL 30, Perth Arena KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS: AUG 5, Rosemount Hotel
THE CHURCH: JUL 16, Settler’s Tavern, Margaret River; JUL 18, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; 18 JUL, Rosemount Hotel
OH MERCY: SEPT 18, Mojo’s Bar; SEPT 19, Rosemount Hotel KEVIN SMITH: SEPT 26, Riverside Theatre
THE WOMBATS: JUL 23, Metro City
EVENT OF THE WEEK SUPANOVA POP CULTURE EXPO: 26 – 28 JUN, PERTH CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE
WED 24
Low End Theory + Mr E. Mann + Aaron Gwynaire + Conal Savins: Canton Lounge Bar, Perth Open Mic Night with Shaun Street: Carine Glades Tavern, Carine Glades Unamped Sessions: Choo Choo’s Small Bar, Perth Ajay Peni + Amanda Merdzan: Clancys Canning Bridge, Applecross Trivia: Clancys Fish Pub, City Beach Manteca: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Big Tommo’s Open Mic Variety Night: Herdsman Lake Tavern, Wembley Club Acoustica: Indi Bar, Scarborough Howie Morgan: Lucky Shag, Perth Red Engine Caves + SpaceManAntics + Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle
JEBEDIAH
Slums + AJ Wigwams: Moon Cafe, Northbridge Kickstart: Mustang Bar, Northbridge
CLUB GUIDE
WED 24
Cactus with Various DJs: Ambar, Perth
DJ Grizzly + Lab Rat: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge Newport Wednesdays Student Night: Newport Hotel, Fremantle
FRI 26
JSTJR: Ambar, Perth
Various DJs: Brass Monkey Hotel (2 levels), Northbridge The Loft Session: Jimmy’s Den, Northbridge DJ Neil Viney: Public House, Perth
SAT 27
Japan 4 feat. Noy + Bezwun + DNGRFLD + Philly Blunt + Tee EL: Ambar, Perth Various DJs: Brass Monkey Hotel (2 levels), Northbridge Will Sparks: Metro City, Northbridge Felix: Paramount Nightclub, Northbridge Zel + Paradise Paul + Klean Kicks: The Aviary, Perth
MON 29
Monday Madness Backpacker Night: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge
The Gaslight Club feat. David Gillam + Steve Garde + Dom Mariani + Dave Johnson: Victoria Hall, Fremantle Keith McDonald: Wanneroo Villa Tavern, Wanneroo
THU 25
Songs In The Key of Motown: Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley
Teischa + Nic Brown + Annick Phan + 3ble Clef: Canton Lounge Bar, Perth Thierryno: Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge), Burswood Hi-NRG: Crown Perth (Groove Bar), Burswood Fiona Lawe Davies 4: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Open Mic Night: Indi Bar, Scarborough Howie Morgan: Lakers Tavern, Thornlie James Wilson: Lucky Shag, Perth
Daniel Rata: Universal Bar, Northbridge
Make Them Suffer: Capitol, Perth DJ Boogie: Clancys Canning Bridge, Applecross The Fling: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle The Vanguard Sessions with Ian Shaw + Chelsea Cullen: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Sundowner Fridays: Gosnells Hotel (Beer Garden), Gosnells
David Craft: Moon Cafe, Northbridge
Hells Bells - A Salute To AC/DC: Indi Bar, Scarborough
Rock n Roll Karaoke with Magnus Danger Magnus: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Libby Hammer Trio: The Laneway Lounge, Perth
K-OS: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah
Ragdoll: Geraldton Hotel, Geraldton
RAW: Splendour feat. Latehorse + Chelsea Jones + Penny Purr + Howling Bones: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Mining Tax: The Bird, Northbridge
Acoustic on the Balcony: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge
Turnstyle + The Long Lost Brothers + Ursula + Treestump Almighty: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle
Luke Minness Trio: Public House, Perth
James Wilson: Swinging Pig, Rockingham
Jebediah + Turnstyle: Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley Acoustic Fridays: Balmoral, East Victoria Park
DJ Anton Maz: Rosemount Hotel (Backyard), North Perth
Energy Comission + Sexy Robot + House Arrest + Jez Watts + more: Rosemount Hotel (Four5Nine Bar), North Perth
FRI 26
The Loft Alternative: A Joyous New Order feat. Eddie Electric + DJ Jamie Mac + KLa + Panda + Lady Libertine + Volatile: Amplifier Bar, Perth
Stevie M: Lakers Tavern, Thornlie
Monty Cotton: Rubix Bar & Cafe, Perth Comedy @ Settlers: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Big Splash Band Comp #4 feat. Agamous Betty + Figurehead + Shit Narnia + The Methamphetaqueens: The Bird, Northbridge AG + The Catz Meow: The Laneway Lounge, Perth Secret Mystery Band: The Odd Fellow, Fremantle
Father feat. Stooki Sound: Metro City, Northbridge Loadstar + Hewson + De.Bug + Darren D + Rivers + Ritual + Ellictt: Metropolis, Fremantle Nineties To Noughties feat. Andrew Sinclair + Aslan + Catlips + more: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle In The Now + The Corner + Ultra Sound + more: Players Bar, Mandurah Facegrinder + Borc + Constructs + Sexpiss: Railway Hotel, North Fremantle
Off the Record: Universal Bar, Northbridge
Klean Kicks + NDorse: The Aviary, Perth
S U P P O R T I N G
I N D E P E N D E N T
A U S S I E
M U S I C
the guide wa.gigguide@themusic.com.au Live! Nerds! Nerds! Nerds! + Dollar Dazzler + Lady Malice: Rosemount Hotel (Four5Nine Bar), North Perth
DUNE RATS
One Trick Phonies: Swinging Pig (3pm), Rockingham Retrofit: Universal Bar, Northbridge
13 Circles + Graphic Characters + September Sun + Dead End Brawler: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
MON 29
Machine Head: Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley
Yambeque: Rosie O’Gradys, Fremantle
Seether: Capitol, Perth
Acoustic Royale: Sail & Anchor, Fremantle
Trivia: Clancys Canning Bridge, Applecross
Cosmic Psychos + Dune Rats + TRS: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
Chamber Jam: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Wide Open Mic: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle
Bead: Swan Lounge, North Fremantle
5 Seconds of Summer + State Champs: Perth Arena, Perth
Greg Carter: Swinging Pig (3pm), Rockingham Frenzy: Swinging Pig, Rockingham Where’s My Hoverboard +Baskervilles + Apollo’s Son + LM Clean + Henry Maxwell: The Bird, Northbridge Rock Scholars: The Fly Trap, Fremantle Hideous Sun Demon: The Odd Fellow, Fremantle Nightmoves: Universal Bar, Northbridge Rock Scholars: Victoria Hall, Fremantle Rock Candy: Whale & Ale Tavern, Clarkson
SAT 27
Gold Fields + KLP: Amplifier Bar, Perth
Jebediah + Red Jezebel: Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley Villain + Lunar Whales: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle Fifi Mondello Trio: Clancys Fish Pub, City Beach Decoy: Crown Perth, Burswood Both Sides Now - The Music of Joni Mitchell: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Blue Shaddy: Indi Bar, Scarborough Outlook Festival 2015 Launch: Jimmy’s Den, Northbridge
Trivia: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
COSMIC PSYCHOS + DUNE RATS: 27 JUN, ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Zarm + Trojan John + Aaron Gwynaire + DJ Flex: Leisure Inn, Rockingham End of Semester Cops and Robbers Party: Metropolis, Fremantle Leon Osborn + Mudlark + Ourbonic Plague + Sam Atkin + Spirit Level + more: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Hi-NRG: Moon & Sixpence, Perth Fremantle Winter Music Festival 2015 feat. Datura + The Floors + Huge Magnet + Old Blood + Stoney Joe: North Fremantle Bowling Club, North Fremantle Fremantle Winter Music Festival 2015 feat. Sugar Army + French Rockets + Tired Lion + Dianas + Koi Child: Railway Hotel, North Fremantle Cosmic Psychos + Dune Rats + Leeches! + Emu Experts + Ray Finkle: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Shiny Joe Ryan + DJ Sandy: Rosemount Hotel (Backyard), North Perth Deluxe: Rosie O’Gradys, Fremantle One Trick Phonies: Sail & Anchor, Fremantle
V12 Cadillacs: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
Brayden Sibbald: Clancys Fish Pub, Dunsborough
Fremantle Winter Music Festival 2015 feat. Dream Rimmy + Golden Slumbers + Jimmy Chang + Mt Mountain + more: Swan Basement, North Fremantle
Limelights Jazz Trio: Clancys Fish Pub, City Beach
Fremantle Winter Music Festival 2015 feat. Edie Green + Flooded Palace + Hayley Beth + Laurel Fixation + Patient Little Sister: Swan Lounge, North Fremantle Easy Tigers: Swinging Pig, Rockingham Tsvoim + Liberation + Erasers + Makee: The Bird, Northbridge Rock Candy: The Craftsman, Cannington Soul Corporation: Universal Bar, Northbridge Golden Features + The M Machine: Villa Nightclub, Perth
SUN 28
Jebediah + Beaverloop: Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley Cider & Jam Sundays: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah Dr Fish: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle
S U P P O R T I N G
TUE 30
Open Mic Night: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge Trivia: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle
Acoustic Sundays: Como Hotel (Courtyard), Como
Freddie Grigson Quartet: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Aquinas College Jazz: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Collections: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle
MVMNT: Flyrite, Northbridge
Bex & Turin’s Wide Open Mic: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Stephan Bodzin: Geisha Bar, Northbridge The Rogues: Indi Bar, Scarborough Brett Hardwick: Last Drop Tavern, Warnbro
Barefaced Stories: The Bird, Northbridge Child’s Play: X-Wray Cafe, Fremantle
Gold Fields + KLP: Newport Hotel, Fremantle Riley Pearce + Julius Lutero: Northbridge Piazza, Northbridge Live! Nerds! Nerds! Nerds! + Dollar Dazzler + Lady Malice: Rosemount Hotel (Four5Nine Bar), North Perth Get Down with Aslan + Klean Kicks + Pawel: Rosemount Hotel (Backyard), North Perth Graeme Dickinson: Settlers Tavern (Verandah), Margaret River
I N D E P E N D E N T
A U S S I E
M U S I C
32 • THE MUSIC • 24TH JUNE 2015