The Music (Sydney) Issue #186

26.04.17 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Sydney / Free / Incorporating

WHY WE ADORE

Issue

186

From your first day at SAE, you’ll start creating in world-class facilities, on the latest software and equipment, all under the guidance of our expert lecturers – discover how you could bring your creative career to life at our Info Night.

REGISTER TO ATTEND - sae.edu.au/events 1800 723 338

INFO NIGHT. SYDNEY CAMPUS. THUR 4 MAY 6PM – 8PM. 2 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 3

AN AMERICAN

WEREWOLF IN LONDON COUNTRY

GOD’S OWN

MAUDIE

The horror-comedy classic howls into Sydney in all its blood-drenched glory.

Come and watch this delirious mix of gore and gags outdoors, while a full moon hovers over the city.

A sexually explicit romance about two sheep farmers in remote England that’s earned favourable comparisons to Brokeback Mountain. Winner of the Directing Award at Sundance.

Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke shine in this true story of gifted, arthritic Canadian folk painter Maud Lewis and her unlikely romance with the reclusive Everett Lewis.

MOUNTAIN

MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI

WINNIE

An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between Sherpa filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind’s fascination with high places.

An Oscar-nominated Swiss-French stopmotion family animation that’s realistic and life affirming, dealing with real issues in a way that doesn’t patronise or traumatise its audience.

Winner of Best Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival, this is a fascinating portrait of South Africa’s ‘mother of the nation’ Winnie MadikizelaMandela.

7–18 JUNE SNEAK PEEK! EXPLORE THE FIRST 28 FILMS

SFF.ORG.AU

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TREAT YO’SELF PRESENTS:

BASEMENT

WED 26TH 8PM

CHARITY SHOW AT THE VALVE

“THE RESIGNATORS” PRESENT BASEMENT

FEAT: “BROTHER BRAD” , “FOX HOLMES” , “WORLD CHAMPION BUTTERFLY SWIMMERS”

BASEMENT

THU 27TH 8PM

“CITY AT MIDNIGHT” INDIE ROCK SHOW SUPPORTED BY “OCEAN STREET”, “ PARAVELLE” AND SPECIAL GUESTS FRESHLY PICK’D HEADZ PRESENTS:

BASEMENT

FRI 28TH 8PM

SAT 29TH 8PM

BENJI “I’M NOT DONE” ALBUM LAUNCH

SAT 29TH 10PM

SAT 22ND 10PM

LIT FRIDAYS

THE NO REVERSE TOUR

FEAT: “BIG T AND ZANDA ELWOOD WITH DJ DENNO” , “JOHNNYPEE” , “HARVEST WITH DJ RELS ONE” , “MITUS & ZACCY P WITH DJ MAC DA VILLAIN” , “ANGUS YONGA, SCOTT SKILLS & DJ ELEV8” , “XRSIZE” , “SHOK REVOLVA” , “IVY MICS” AND GUESTS “MONICA & THE EXPLOSION” PRESENTS

LEVEL ONE

DJ TICKELZ IN ASSOCIATION WITH WIRADJURY PLATINUM MIXERS PRESENTS

IN THE NIGHT OF SKA, SUPPORTED BY “CHRIS DUKE AND THE ROYALS” , “SKA’D 4 LIFE” ONE HUNDRED PRESENTS:

LEVEL ONE

FEAT: BENJI PK, KAOE, DSEEVA, SCUM CITY, BIGG LISTIC, DUKES OF ALL, BIG GIBO, DJ MYME AND MANY MORE

LEVEL ONE

“LOS KUNG FU MONKEYS” (-MEXICO)

SUN 30TH 5PM

HIP HOP, RNB NIGHT WITH DJ’S I SIGHT, TICKELZ, BAWLINN, C-LO, STAN, DJ T-ROCK, SUPREME M

FRANGLED SUNDAY PUNK & ROCK AT THE VALVE

WITH SUPPORT FROM: “FRENZY” , “MADAM WONG” , “THE VIOLET STONES”, “NEW FRIDGE”

COMING UP

Wed 26 April:Thu 4 May: 8pm Basement: “Big Rat Stu” presents May The Fourth Be With You, Garage Punk Show supported by many special guests; Fri 5 May: 8pm Basement: Deaf To All But Metal presents: The Return! feat: “Fatigue” , “Enfield” , “Hazmat” , “Fenrir” DJ’s Gary Grim, Tain, NatrizF; 10pm Level One: Roots Odyssey & Free Range Roots (UK) presents: Party B (UK) and 420 Sound (Byron Bay) with many special guest selektas; Sat 6 May: 8pm Basement: “Sewercide” , “Tombsealer” , “Dead River Runs Dry” , “Horrisonous” , “Avian Terror” in night of Death, Black, Doom and Grind”; 10pm Level One: Future Events presents: Neo Tokyo: Anime, Gaming, J Trance, JDnB, UK Hardcore, Industrial with DJ’s Jadeabella, Kenaz, Little Raven, Dave Psi, Danejer, Acidtrixx; Sun 7 May: 5pm Basement: Introducing “Ryan Thomas Band” supported by “Gnifey Spooney” , “Broken Knees” , “Modern Minds” and special frineds

42 KING ST NEWTOWN

WED 26th

BILL CHAMBERS

+ RAECHEL WHITCHURCH

THU 27th

W W W. TH E L E A D B E L LY. C O M . A U

SUN 30th

ON A SUNDAY JAZZ SERIES FT VIRNA SANZONE + PHIL STACK

THU 4th

DIREWOLF

SATISFACTION

+ CAITLIN HARNETT

FILTH FILM DISCO PARTY

FRI 28th

FRI 5th

E FOR ECHO + SUIIX + TINSMITH

SAT 29th

CYRIL B BUNTER SPECIAL GUESTS

WIFEY

ALBUM LAUNCH

SAT 6th

THE TALL GRASS

ADAM GIBSON & THE ARK ARK BIRDS

COMING UP ... JOHN SAFRAN AUTHOR TALK, MICK THOMAS (WEDDINGS PARTIES ANYTHING) CHRIS CAIN, BUSBY MAROU, UNDERGROUND LOVERS, FRANK SULTANA, TAASHA COATES (THE AUDREYS) HITMEN, THE PIGS, BLACK EYED SUSANS, THE TURNER BROWN BAND, WILLIAM CRIGHTON, TIMBERWOLF, MICK THOMAS, JEFF DUFF, CROOKED FIDDLE BAND, THE RADIATORS AND MORE ...

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 5

Lifestyle Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Heart Of An Android

Japandroids

Celebrated Canadian two-piece Japandroids will return to Aussie shores this July for a five-date headline tour around the country. The pair are coming hot off the release of their third album Near To The Wild Heart Of Life.

Where and when? For more gig details go to theMusic.com.au

Back At The Drive In

14

With their first new album in 17 years set to drop in just over a week, Texan icons At The Drive In have announced Australian headline dates for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in September and October.

Years Richard Kingsmill was triple j Music Director, now replaced by Nick Findlay, as Kingsmill steps into the new role of Group Music Director for the triple j group of music networks.

Delayed Escape With word last year that the metalcore kings would be going on “extended hiatus”, New Jersey’s The Dillinger Escape Plan have made plans to bring their swansong to Australia one last time with a tour this October.

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The Dillinger Escape Plan

e / Cultu Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Credits

Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd

Problems I Want To Know

Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast

Melbourne hip hop act Baro is embarking on a May headline tour in celebration of his forthcoming EP, Just Problems You Need To Know, due for release on 19 May. Along with the tour and EP announcement, the rapper has also dropped new single, Pretty.

National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon

Gig Guide Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au Contributing Editor Bryget Chrisfield

Baro

Editorial Assistants Brynn Davies, Sam Wall

At The Drive In

Mix It Up

KLP

Back on the road after successful tours in 2015 and 2016, KLP is bringing her new Mix Match tour to cities across Australia from May to July.

The Sydney artist continues to bring a polished blend of club beats and live vocals.

Contributors Anthony Carew, Ben Nicol, Brendan Crabb, Carley Hall, Chris Familton, Daniel Cribb, Chris Maric, Christopher H James, Cyclone, Daniel Cribb, Dave Drayton, Dylan Stewart, Guido Farnell, Guy Davis, James d’Apice, Liz Guiffre, Mac McNaughton, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt MacMaster, Matt O’Neill, Melissa Borg, Mitch Knox, Neil Griffiths, Mick Radojkovic, Rip Nicholson, Rod Whitfield, Ross Clelland, Sam Baran, Samantha Jonscher, Sara Tamim, Sarah Petchell, Shaun Colnan, Steve Bell, Tanya Bonnie Rae, Tim Finney, Uppy Chatterjee Photographers Angela Padovan, Cole Bennetts, Clare Hawley, Josh Groom, Hayden Nixon, Kane Hibberd, Munya Chawora, Pete Dovgan, Peter Sharp, Rohan Anderson, Simone Fisher Advertising Dept Georgina Pengelly, Brad Edwards sales@themusic.com.au Art Dept Ben Nicol, Felicity Case-Mejia, Alex Foreman

Ariana Grande

Admin & Accounts Ajaz Durrani, Meg Burnham, Emma Clarke accounts@themusic.com.au Distro distro@themusic.com.au Subscriptions store@themusic.com.au Contact Us PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Suite 42, 89-97 Jones St Ultimo Phone (02) 9331 7077 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au

Hey Geronimo

— Sydney

Dropping In Brisbane pop rockers Hey Geronimo have been hard at work of late on their second release, announcing that they’ll be debuting a bunch of new tunes on an east coast tour this June and July.

A Grande Tour Worldwide pop icon Ariana Grande is bringing her Dangerous Woman tour to Australia this September, performing chart-topping hits from her 2016 album of the same name and more..

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 7

Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

For a regular hit of news sign up to our daily newsletter at theMusic.com.au

FRIEND: have you heard the new Kendrick album?

Alcest

ME: yeah it’s okay, not as good as *looks at smudge on hand* Peter Pablo @notacroc

Cest The Ticket French post black metal group Alcest have touched down in Australia for their Kodama tour. Each show will be a unique electrifying and sweat-drenched event as they are supported by different supporting act at each gig.

Meet Your

Kreator

Artbar

Kreator Kreator have announced a new tour to bring their brand of Teutonic thrash-metal back to Australian audiences in September. The German group are returning for the first time in three years to sate their fans needs for fistpumping, sweatdrenched ecstasy.

8 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Artpop An innovative gallery experience, MCA’s Artbar is a blend of art and music. Transforming the appreciation of art into an act of performance art, the next Artbar is after dark on Friday, curated by Bhenji Ra..

Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone

Accio Orchestra

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra are performing the magic of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone In Concert. Fans will watch the film accompanied by a full orchestral performance of John Williams’ iconic score from Thursday to Monday at Sydney Opera House.

Frontlash Patti Smith

Finally wound up her farewell lap of Australia with a speaking engagement at the Opera House and from reports at every stop on her tour, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Alice Cooper

X still marks the spot It’s been announced that The X-Files will be back for another season with the main principals.

Samuel Johnson

Lashes

The best part of his Gold Logie win is its association with cancer charity Love Your Sister and how their campaign got him over the line and will hopefully bring attention to the cause.

Alice In Under Land March 1977 was the very first time music icon Alice Cooper toured Australia and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his debut trip, Cooper has confirmed he return this October for a headline tour.

Patti Smith pic by Josh Groom

Backlash

Gone With The Wind

Vale Newtown Social Club We’ll Always Have Ritz To celebrate turning 80 in July, Randwick’s Ritz Cinema is putting on a Classic Hollywood Series from April to September. The list of films has been carefully curated to showcase the golden age of cinema. This Wednesday it’s Gone With The Wind.

And Sydney bids farewell to another live venue.

Still Life

While it’s amazing some new pics from Season Seven of Game Of Thrones have been released, it just reminds us we still have to wait nearly three months to see it.

Logies Down The ratings were down for the Logie Awards – was it just an off year or are we suffering from Awards fatigue?

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 9

Music

THE PRICE OF BEING

Under the cover anonymity, Amy Shark became used to dissecting her personal life in her songs.

Now, everyone does the same. She opens up to Brynn Davies about struggling under media and public scrutiny, when everyone wants an explanation. Cover and feature pics by Kane Hibberd.

J

ournalists often walk a fine moral line during interviews. It doesn’t matter if you’re in investigative or music media, the conundrum remains the same — how far are you willing to push an interview subject on personal matters in order to get your story?

To most, Amy Shark is known simply as the next big thing. Her 2016 breakout single Adore hit #2 on triple j’s Hottest 100, and has surpassed ten million streams on Spotify, peaked at #3 on the ARIA chart, #1 on the Australian iTunes chart, was shortlisted for the APRA Song Of The Year... the list seems infinite.

But remove the accolades and you have Gold Coast local Amy Billings, who, after years of writing songs inspired by her most vulnerable moments, feels a little caught in the headlights with all the attention.

“It was hard because I’ve never had to talk about my songs over the years — I just had the same four people that would listen to my songs and know what I was talking about and wouldn’t ask any questions,” she explains. “I got really comfortable with writing so much shit that was really personal, and it was great because it’s like therapy for me, it’s such a relief.

“Now, I’m trying to keep that rawness, but also I’ve been through all the promo with Adore and everyone wants to know every single thing about that song, and every single word they highlight: ‘Why did you write this? What was it about?’” she says, sounding a touch exacerbated. “It’s scary because I have to be prepared to give people answers on this stuff that I’m not overly confident talking about, you know? Like, a lot of this stuff is really heavy. There’s songs on this EP that are so heavy and it’s like, how am I going to manoeuvre myself around this?

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Would she feel more comfortable sitting face to face having these conversations, rather than baring her soul to a string of strange voices on the end of a phone? “Mm, this one’s good though, you sound 100% totally interested and like, you’ve got a voice that’s easy to talk back to,” she laughs, loosening up. “I’ve had some people where it’s like, man, I don’t even think you know what you wanna get out of me! But this is not like that, but it would be nice to be able to sit and have a coffee and just unleash stuff.”

Her six-track debut EP Night Thinker does indeed cover some truly soul-baring moments, moving through anger, passion, love, heartbreak, admiration — considering that she’s married, it’s a relief to hear that “it’s almost never about what I’m going through now.”

Billings is surprisingly light-hearted when exploring the themes driving her work — those she’s comfortable revealing. She’s both affable and brazen, with a strong Queensland accent, dialogue smattered with swears and colloquialisms, (on more than one occasion she calls me ‘man’). She’s also got this wry sense of humour — you almost have to pause before laughing just in case she’s being serious.

“Yeah like, what I do is I break up with my husband every now and then when I need to write, and then we get back together,” she says, totally deadpan. There’s a pause, and then she cracks up. “I’m totally joking. No. Basically, there’s such a massive story behind me and my husband... There’s a massive story that came with a group of friends that I used to have; there’s a massive story about my childhood and my family. Obviously I’m not going to talk about all this, but there’s certain things I can cherry pick, moments from all those years and all those situations and scenarios I was in.”

“To be fair, Adore was written about me thinking about one night.

This certain party that I went to and I was overthinking everything.

Zoning in on all these tiny little things that I may have said to this

Music

A lot of this stuff is really heavy.

There’s songs on this EP that are so heavy and it’s like, how am I going to manoeuvre myself around this?

person that I liked, what he may have said to me. I subconsciously fall into writing about things that I don’t even know I’m about to write about. But it’s always shit that’s happened to me, that I’ve felt or I’ve been through, it’s hardly ever about what I’m going through now. I could write a million songs about a million different things, because I zone in so much on them, you know?”

There’s a line in one of her first singles, Spits On Girls, that’s always been a source of fascination. “If you like your life, stay off the drugs/ If you like the drugs, share them with celebrities.” Is she comfortable talking about that one? “Yeah, of course. I mean, I asked for this, right?”

“So Spits On Girls, I remember when I put that on triple j, and the comment from Richard Kingsmill was ‘I really like this song, but I have no fucking clue what she’s talking about.’ And the reason he had no idea what I was talking about is because that song is so personal — I’m talking about my family, I’m picking apart everyone in my life. It’s hard to follow that song emotionally.

DIY SHARK

Here’s a piece of Amy Shark trivia: she directs and edits her own film clips. “I kinda knew that it was never going to be like it used to be with the big film clips, the big Mariah Carey budget, or anything really,” she says.

“Golden Fleece is a funny one because literally I had no budget.

I’m like ‘Okay, what can I do to make it still look intriguing but I don’t have to pay for shit?’”

“That line in particular, I was hanging around with bad dudes at the time. It was the same thing every weekend: they’d do a bunch of drugs and they’d sit there thinking that they were God’s gift, and it’s like, you’re in a shitty rental, and it’s sorta like me just taking the piss — if you’re gonna do all these drugs, do them next to Kanye! I dunno, do it somewhere cool. You guys are just total losers sitting here thinking you’re so cool, and I was never a big drug user or anything, I was just exposed to it a lot, and I guess it was just me having a dig at people who thought drugs were cool.”

Throughout the chat she’s made a number of references to childhood and family, and she’s mentioned in previous interviews that she intentionally performs under the moniker Shark to protect her family’s identity.

This is the aforementioned line.

“No, it’s okay, yeah it’s...” she begins to answer. Although she does end up sharing a little here, it’s more important to set an example, hopefully, for future interviewers, and to leave her personal life personal.

“I don’t want [these questions] to ever stop me from being who I am or stop the songs I write, because I know people are relating.

People are connecting, and all the messages I get online — ‘This is helping me through this’ — and I don’t wanna change the songwriter I am... Obviously I can sort of say ‘Oh, it’s not about me’ even though it is. It’s a tough one man, it’s a tough one. I’m still learning, it’s just hard for me because I write for myself and not to sell music or to be successful. I dunno, I just write.”

What: Night Thinker (Wonderlick/Sony) When & Where: 29 Apr, Groovin The Moo, Maitland Showgrounds; 7 May, Groovin The Moo, University Of Canberra

Her clips are filmed locally, from her old school hall to a local dance studio. She even uses the same group of dancers between clips. “I’m utilising people I know and what I can create for a very minimal budget. I’ve always really loved theatre and stage shows, I always have, so the more theatrical I guess.” But she’s careful to keep her clips as minimal as their budget —

“Sometimes in music videos, if there’s too much happening... I feel like they’re disguising the song. Like, they gotta make up for this shitty song by having this really good film clip to match it. With my songs I’m like ‘This song is so good, I don’t want people to be taken by the video, I want them to listen to the song.’”

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TV

Left Behind When it comes to his plots, legendary screenwriter Damon Lindelof is a next-level secret keeper. Guy Davis grills the cult TV-maker on this latest hit show, The Leftovers.

“I

t was always leading been here.” That’s what Damon Lindelof, creator of the acclaimed, provocative HBO series The Leftovers, claims when he talks about the show’s relocation to Australia for its third and final season.

Speaking to The Music last year in Melbourne, where the series had established its base camp while filming in locations in the city, around Victoria and interstate, the screenwriter and producer said he didn’t want to “talk specifically” about how the story of The Leftovers brought its characters Down Under but he did state that “the beachhead of The Leftovers has been here for some time”.

“One of the characters — Kevin Garvey, Sr, played by Scott Glenn — left for Australia sometime during season

Damon Lindelof, The Leftovers

This season is about a journey from one place to another, and that journey takes place in Australia.

two of the show,” says Lindelof, whose credits include Prometheus, Tomorrowland and, of course, co-creating the TV series Lost. “He’s been wandering the continent, and his journey culminates in the Melbourne area at around the same time the rest of the show is colliding with him.”

“But I don’t really want to get into the specifics of how and why that happens,” he adds with a smile.

That may be frustrating, but fans of The Leftovers have perhaps come to expect a little mystery from the series, mainly because it poses some thorny questions about human nature and behaviour in the face of unimaginable change. In many instances, the show leaves it up to the viewer to determine their own response

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to the action, rather than offering an easy answer or tidy resolution.

The series explores the aftermath of the Sudden Departure, an unexplained event that saw 2% of the world’s population vanish without a trace. The people left behind must carry on, all the while wondering where these people have gone, why they’ve gone and what it all means to the people who have remained. Needless to say, things get complicated — emotionally, psychologically and metaphysically.

Season two of The Leftovers saw the show relocate from New Jersey to Texas, a move that enabled the introduction of new characters, a change in the show’s visual palette and a tonal and thematic shift in the storytelling. The even greater relocation in season three allowed for an even greater leap, but one that was in keeping with the overarching ideas at play in the series.

“One of the really interesting things we’ve had is that when we were talking about moving the show to Texas in season two, we were also talking about how we wanted the show to feel,” says Lindelof.

“I think The Leftovers built a reputation — one it deserved — for being sad and intense and sometimes depressing and despairing. We didn’t want to apologise for that but we did feel there were other flavours we could start working into our central ideas. And that led us towards Australia. This season is about a journey from one place to another, and that journey takes place in Australia. The characters are moving to a common destination.”

Part of the reason for The Leftovers’ shift to Australia stemmed from the show’s creative team drawing inspiration from a variety of Australian films — The Last Wave, Walkabout, Picnic At Hanging Rock and Wake In Fright were a few name-checked by Lindelof.

“There’s something about those movies that asks, ‘Am I losing my mind? Is that even a bad thing?” he says. But something else the shift in location enables is an exploration of how the world outside America has perceived and reacted to the Sudden Departure — if it’s even called that elsewhere.

“We always assumed it was a global event and one that had repercussions in the same way but there may be different permutations of that,” says Lindelof. “It’s in the global collective consciousness. But there’s a running joke that the Americans all refer to it as October 14th and the Aussies are, ‘Actually, it’s the 15th”. Or, you know, the Sudden Departure is called something different in France.”

Still, the focus remains squarely on the characters through whom the audience has experienced the dizzying, disorienting feeling of life in a changed world, and Lindelof says there’ll be a resolution. “The challenge we’re facing, in addition to what the ending of this story feels like, is that we’re doing it in eight episodes, and we already have this amazing ensemble,” he says. “We couldn’t introduce any new characters too much. The first four episodes are designed to set the story we’re telling; with the final four, they’re like curtain calls for these characters.”

What: The Leftovers When & Where: 8.30pm Thursdays, Showcase on Foxtel

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 13

Dance

Political Movement Award-winning choreographer Rafael Bonachela has a story to tell in his latest piece, Ocho. Maxim Boon gets political with the Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director.

T

he choreography of Sydney Dance Company artistic director Rafael Bonachela doesn’t deal in traditional narratives, but that’s not to say the Spanish-born dance maker isn’t a skilled storyteller.

While there may not be any tutu-clad swans or starcrossed lovers in his productions, Bonachela’s movement tells a human story through the ineffable potency of emotion. His work resounds with the echoes of age-old questions about who we are and where we’ve come from. “I’ve always been motivated by a desire to move an audience, to touch them in some way. I think that’s why any artist creates. We want to make connections.

I’m not going to lie, this was new territory for us, but it just made sense.

We want to make people think,” Bonachela shares. “It’s about discovering how to communicate aspects of our humanity. It’s a gut feeling, living in that moment, acknowledging what’s going on around us, and then exploring how those emotions can be interpreted through dance.”

Navigating the space between boundary-busting innovation and easily accessible drama has become a hallmark of Bonachela’s choreography, producing a canon of works that have cemented his reputation as the nation’s most important dance maker. However, the inspirations behind his award-winning productions have almost unanimously remained in a timeless hinterland, unattached to any specific historical or cultural anchor.

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Until now, that is. For his latest work, Ocho - being presented as part of part of Orb, a double-bill with Taiwanese choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung’s Full Moon - Bonachela has joined the ever increasing number of artists around the world who are responding to the turbulent geopolitical climate. By his own admission, this new work, which marks his eighth year leading SDC, is still “very abstract”, but at its core is a subtext about the rich, multicultural makeup of Australia, under threat from the dog-whistle isolationist rhetoric creeping its way into mainstream politics.

But rather than being an enraged act of protest, Ocho is a celebration of the power of unity. Set to an original score by Bonachela’s regular collaborator Nick Wales, the music features a combination of surging electronica and indigenous vocals. Performed by celebrated Mangalili singer Rrawun Maymuru, this bold fusion of polarised styles poetically links Australia’s ancient past with its cosmopolitan present.

The eight dancers who will perform the work come from a range of cultural backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of our modern society. “I’m not going to lie, this was new territory for us, but it just made sense,” Bonachela admits. “It was a beautiful, very organic process. In our choices of the music and the set, the way the dancers exist in that space, it’s all very connected to what’s happening today in the world, and how people are reacting to those situations. There are many ways you might read it - for some people it could be connected to the refugee crisis. For others, it could be connected to how cultures are being displaced or taken over. There are so many meanings to it; they’re subconscious but still so important to the way this work communicates.”

Bonachela’s creative practice is highly collaborative, working closely with his dancers through a process of improvisation and gradual refinement in the studio. Given the inescapable media coverage of the unfolding political maelstrom, both in Australia and overseas, the influence of odious figures like Donald Trump and Pauline Hanson was inevitable, Bonachela says. “I don’t force narratives on my work, but this piece is full of meaning. We didn’t set out for it to make those statements, but even without making a choice when we began making this piece, the fact that we wake up every day and we read the news and are bombarded by frightening headlines, those things become unavoidable I think. We just couldn’t ignore those elements when they were everywhere we looked.” Far from projecting a specific political message, Bonachela hopes the uncluttered honesty of Ocho’s symbolism will prompt a range of responses. “All eight dancers have different backgrounds and outlooks. They’re not representing characters or ideologies - they are just people,” Bonachela explains. “I think there’s real humanity in this work because ultimately it goes to a positive place - a place of acceptance and togetherness.”

What: Ocho, part of Orb When & Where 29 Apr - 13 May, Roslyn Packer Theatre

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 15

Music

When Size Matters At The Dakota weren’t using their heads when they stuck the lead singer’s girlfriend in a cow costume during Darwin’s hottest month. Paul Brandis tells Brynn Davies about being a budding band in a tiny city, and about their EP Melt (P.S. it’s not named for the heat).

A

t The Dakota hail from the steamy NT capital Darwin. As locals, you’d think they’d be smart enough to film an outdoor video clip away from the hottest time of the year, right?

Wrong.

“The hottest time in Darwin is October-November when it’s sorta not raining too much and it’s really, really humid, and that was when we decided to do it,” keys player Paul Brandis laughs. “It was raining on the way out and it started off cool, but because we were in

the bush and it had been raining it just got ridiculously hot and humid. You’ve probs been to Bali or Thailand right? Like, real thick humidity.”

The lead singer’s girlfriend was pressured into the toughest job — wearing a full-coverage cow costume and acting as the runaway protagonist who steals the band’s beer. “We pressured her into it, I’m not sure how happy she was. You can imagine it would have been hard to do anywhere in Australia, let alone up in the Darwin heat, it was pretty chaotic.

“So we’re running around in the bush and every time the camera’s not rolling everyone just ripped everything off. I think Dylan [Podsiadly] put the suit on

16 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

at the end of the day and he lasted about five seconds before he tripped over.

“It’s a bloody miracle that we didn’t injure ourselves. I got the closest — there’s a shot where I’m jumping over a log but I failed to actually make it over. I face planted real bad. It was one of those funny cartoon moments where you land but you know you’re gonna fall over — I think I stumbled about four steps before I ended up just accepting it and falling over,” he laughs.

Formed from a number of Darwinian bands, At The Dakota have continued on after losing their co-founder Steve Lees — “he followed his heart down to Sydney with his soon-to-be-wife” — to release their EP Melt, “based on the idea of your brain melting due to stress,” he explains, “not the heat!”

“It’s a bit of a dark record to be honest, about mental health issues and all that... It goes from the point of [Dylan] leaving his last relationship and dropping out of love to feeling lost, and then to the end of that journey finding the girl he’s with now.”

The only problem with Darwin is that because it’s so small, if you’re playing a gig every weekend, you’re trying to draw the same crowd in and they’re gonna get sick of ya.

While the music scene in Darwin is tight-knit, the lack of venues is an issue. “There’s not a huge amount of venues, probably only got about three, so it does make it hard... I think everyone keeps an eye out and makes sure they try not to book at the same time if it’s too similar with the same crowd.

“Getting out of Darwin into the rest of the country is crucial in terms of taking it further as a band. The only problem with Darwin is that because it’s so small, if you’re playing a gig every weekend, you’re trying to draw the same crowd in and they’re gonna get sick of ya. We try to space our gigs out every few months to make sure we give people a chance to miss us, I suppose.”

What: Melt (Independent) When & Where: 29 Apr, Captain Cook Hotel

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THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 17

Sydney Comedy Festival

HEADSTRONG STAND-UP Mae Martin may only be 29 years old, but she’s already experienced more than most do in a lifetime. She tells Joel Lohman why she’s finally ready to bare her soul on stage.

C

anadian Mae Martin was a comedy prodigy, getting her first laughs on stage at the age of 13. She says that having been at it for over 15 years - more than half her lifetime - means she needs to go further and dig deeper to stay interested.

This leads to shows as hilarious, honest and intensely intimate as her latest, Dope.

“I’ve been doing stand-up so long,” Martin says. “And I still love it, but sometimes it doesn’t give me an adrenaline rush. But this show is so new and fresh and I feel so strongly about it, so I look forward to doing it.” Aside from two preview shows in Martin’s adopted hometown of London, these Melbourne and Sydney dates are the very first performances of her new show.

Dope delves into drug addiction, teenage fanaticism, and adult relationships while making a larger point about the similarities between all three. Martin even explains some of the neurochemistry behind these phenomena, describing dopamine and what it does to our brains. “I have a very tenuous grasp on the science - like, I’ve watched a couple of TED Talks - but I try to get it in there.”

18 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Most of Martin’s show is focussed on one specific brain which she’s been trying to explain for decades: her own. “It’s super personal,” she says. “And it’s definitely stuff I’ve wanted to talk about for ages but I haven’t felt like I had the comedic chops to do dark stuff and feel confident that I can keep it funny and bring the audience out of the darkness again. When I was younger I was so afraid to be dark or sardonic. It’s been fun to be a little more acidic.”

Does publically sharing such private stories from her life feel therapeutic? “Yeah, like a worrying amount,” she says. “It’s so cathartic. It’s also stuff that a lot of my friends don’t even know, and stuff that I’ve kind of blocked out or kept from my parents.

I wonder if that’s a conversation that’s around the corner.”

Martin is keeping extremely busy, as she works on a BBC radio series, a sitcom, and a live DVD. Would she consider putting standup on the backburner to focus on her many other creative pursuits? “I don’t think I would ever stop doing stand-up,” she says. “I just have this itch. There’s no better feeling. I’m sure there’re lots of better feelings, but not for me anyway.”

Despite the traumatic experiences explored in her show, Martin’s life is in a far more stable place these days, which has both pros and cons for the comedian: “It’s a very healthy place to be, I think. It’s good to feel more in control of my ups and downs.

But it’s boring as fuck.”

What: Dope When & Where: 27 - 30 Apr, Enmore Theatre

STUPID IS AS CUPID DOES Daniel Sloss tells Cyclone that if he ends your relationship with his new show So?, he might just be doing you a favour.

T

he swaggering Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss has long been on a mission to expose the hypocrisy underlying political correctness. But in his incisive new stand-up show, So?, he takes a shot at romantic love - revealing his own “bullshit relationships”. This anti-Cupid is even tallying the break-ups he’s instigated, or “lives saved”, on Twitter.

“I never intended, when I wrote the joke, for it to have that effect - but it’s definitely something that makes me laugh,” Sloss admits. “A lot of people get upset by how proud I am of the number. I always have to point out, one, if a 26-year-old can break up your relationship in 75 minutes, maybe it wasn’t that strong to begin with and, two, I’ve had far more positive messages. People after the show have been like, ‘You made me realise that the person I am with is the one I love.’ But I’d never mention those on stage because those aren’t funny.” Sloss is slyly subverting the self-help idiom. “I’ve always thought there is an arrogance that people in relationships have. They look down on people that are single as if it’s a bad thing and I’ve always enjoyed being single.”

The Kirkcaldy, Fife native premiered So! at 2016’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he consistently sells out. Sloss has now performed it across Europe and in New York.

Sloss experienced tragedy in childhood with the passing of his sister Josie, who had cerebral palsy. His family used black humour to manage grief. Attending The Fringe with his dad, Sloss determinedly took to writing stand-up routines. His alter ego then diffident, he was precociously gigging at 16 and hailed a ‘next big thing’.

Over time, Sloss’ subject matter has become darker - and more controversial. In 2015, he introduced a show entitled Dark, dealing with “disability and death”. The comedian isn’t purposely sensationalist.

Sydney Comedy Festival

INCREDIBLY FABULOUS Alannah Maher speaks to award-winning comedian Joel Creasey about being a Poser.

Ultimately, Sloss’ jokes are reflexive - being about himself and his (approving) family.

In person, Sloss is thoughtful, candid and, surprisingly, gracious. “My stage persona is obviously confident and arrogant - and I understand that sometimes it might come across as genuinely that. I’d hate for the audience to actually believe that I was as arrogant as I’m pretending to be.”

Sloss’ humour centres on his “exaggerated views”. And, Sloss says, his ironic comedy only works because he projects supreme confidence - and “conviction”. “I find there’s more funniness if you tell the audience that it’s funny - especially ‘cause my jokes are ‘taboo’.”

Provocateur status aside, Sloss is enjoying growing mainstream recognition - notably Stateside. He’s guested on Conan O’Brien’s talk show Conan a record seven times. But, despite talk of sitcoms, Sloss remains dedicated to stand-up. “I just wanna be the greatest comic of all time - that’s it.

In 20 years’ time, I want to be in the same breath as Louis CK and [George] Carlin and Chris Rock... I want comics to sort of look up to me in the same way that I look up to those comics.”

A

s Australia’s 2017 comedy fest season hits its peak, Joel Creasey is adamant he doesn’t want to be another comedian vying to tell their best Donald Trump joke. But he’s not afraid to dispel some “fake news” (about himself) and dish the dirt about the mortifying experience of accidentally sleeping with some of old mate Donald’s supporters.

“Some comics do great political comedy and some really thought-provoking comedy, and they’re just martyrs to me, I can’t do that,” the 26-year-old comedian shares. “I’m just going to tell you some embarrassing stories I’ve gotten up to, some celebrities I’ve had run-ins with, and some terrible people I’ve had sex with - and you can laugh at all of my misfortunes and you can feel better about yourself!”

The last year hasn’t been totally taken over with misfortunes for Creasey, however.

In addition to whoring himself (in the best possible way) across Aussie TV screens, he’s been packing out comedy venues as far-flung as New York and Montreal, rounding out the year by taking home the coveted award for GQ’s Comedian of the Year.

Creasey says that with newfound recognition comes newfound confidence, something no one would have ever accused him of lacking: “I feel like this

exposure has given me the confidence to go, ‘you know what, people think I’m funny’.

And I’m not going to try to change the face of comedy, I’m just gonna do what I can do. And that’s telling funny, silly pop culture stories.”

A decade on from his first appearances on comedy line-ups as a 16-year-old wearing “terrible, cute cartoony-type like shirts on stage”, his wit only seems to gets riper with age. While his knack for insult humour has earned Creasey a reputation as a card-carrying bitch, he also isn’t hesitant to make himself, his identity or his place within the frivolous world of celebrity, the punchline. “Ultimately the jokes do come back on me a lot of the time, because I am ridiculous. But also incredibly fabulous.”

He reassures his audiences that they’ll be safe: “If you buy a ticket to come see my show, you are so safe. Anyone outside of the theatre, they’re in trouble.”

What: Poser When & Where: 21 & 27 May, Enmore Theatre

What: So? When & Where: 6 May, Enmore Theatre

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 19

Culture/Lifestyle Culture/Lifestyle

Red Alert Mission Sydney You might want to cover up your necks for this one. Enter Vampire Castle (handily located between a phone store and a TAB Vamp’s got class!) and with only three clues to help you, make it out before you’re sucked dry! If Dracula ain’t your jam, you can also take on the mad scientist,

Dr M, work out the mysterious significance of the purple crystal in the The Lost Mine, or outsmart a kidnapper to free your family in Mission Sydney’s hardest room, The Last Order.

Next Level Escape Rooms

Where: 2/332 Pitt Street, CBD

Calling all codebreakers and puzzle pros. If you reckon you’re an undiscovered super sleuth, if you live for solving problems, and if you refuse to crack under pressure, then it’s about time you tested your mettle at an escape room. Interpret the clues and crack the case if you want to escape, but be warned, the clock is ticking. Here are best of the bunch in Sydney.

Plucky games masters Daniel Thomason and Aaron Hooper have put together a nerds’ paradise, with a lot more human interaction than most escape rooms. For those really wanting to make a day of their escape room experience, you can take the “warm up” 15-minute Blitz room before the 75-minute main event Ex Libris, a literary-inspired room perfect for bookworms and wordsmiths alike.

Where: 2/37 Bligh Street, CBD

The Cipher Room Reckon the infamous WWII Enigma Code looked like a doddle? Then take a trip back to 1945 at the Espionage room and crack the code left for you

by Agent M, before enemy spies arrive on the stroke of midnight.

If the spy game isn’t for you, try your hand at the serial killer themed The Cabin, a must for true-crime aficionados who don’t mind digging out clues in a dank, rusty cabin.

Where: 640 King Street, Newtown 20 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Paniq Room Located in a historic property in The Rocks area of Sydney’s CBD, co-owners Akos Viktor Oldal and Martina Oldal-Horvath have laid on two hardcore escape scenarios to keep even seasoned escape room pros occupied. Blindfolds, handcuffs and thoroughly realistic settings will get the adrenaline pumping and the mind whizzing with an incredibly diverse range of challenges and brain-teasers to solve in an hour or less.

Where: 40 Gloucester Street, CBD

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Thursday 27th April TICKETS: The Brass Monkey Box Office, 115a Cronulla St Cronulla Ph: (02) 9544 3844

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 21

Music

Into The Light Lovably pompous rockers The Darkness are headed back to Australia. Vocalist/guitarist Justin Hawkins tells Brendan Crabb about hiding his Queen tattoos from Roger Taylor and just how serious the band really are.

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he Darkness singer/axeman Justin Hawkins is “in the middle of England” during a break from recording album number five. The more modest studio circumstances described seem far removed from the exorbitant budget and rampant excess which surrounded the creation of the retro hard rockers’ 2005 second LP, One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back. “[The] second album we spent a lot of money and time on it. But there’s really no need to do that, because if you’re tight, well-rehearsed and the songs are good then it’s better to make an album quickly, because then it’s

DC, those were always the two bands we were most often compared to. Some people said we were the gay AC/DC, and other people said we were the straight Queen. I’m happy with either of those. We’re somewhere in between I think.”

In one of their first Aus outings, their 2004 Big Day Out appearance; their flamboyant, glammed-up delivery and aesthetic visibly confounded many festival-goers.

Nowadays, the reactivated British outfit’s self-awareness and sense of humour still seems to continue straddling a fine line with some rock fans who ponder if they’re an outright piss-take.

“I’m glad about that,” Hawkins says of this reaction, “because when you think about AC/DC, you’re talking about a bloke in a school uniform, you know? I can imagine that they inspired the same response in the early days. And I think the longer you do it, the more obvious it becomes that you’re taking it seriously,” he laughs. “If

Some people said we were the gay AC/DC, and other people said we were the straight Queen.

anything we take it too seriously. I think we take ourselves more seriously than a band like Coldplay. Actually, I don’t think that’s true at all — Coldplay are right up their own arses. I think when you get to five, six, ten albums, that sort of thing will stop hopefully.

“I think a lot of rock is just really average... There aren’t that many extraordinary rock bands that are doing something totally different. So there’s always a chance, there’s always an opportunity. You’ve just got to be the best that you can be. It would be nice to think we were household names,” he laughs again. “I think we’ve got a bit of work to do to get that back really. But I’m up for it.”

more of a snapshot of where the band’s at. I think we’re quite proud of where we’re at, at the moment. Even if we spend a month or so on drum tracks, it’ll still sound the same,” the jovial main-man laughs. “It’ll still sound just as awesome I think. This is definitely a cheaper option. The [new] stuff’s more progressive, it’s a bit harder, the riffs are getting bigger. We don’t feel like old blokes yet anyway, let’s just say that.”

Hawkins waxes lyrical about recent recruit, “super talented” drummer Rufus Tiger Taylor, son of Queen sticksman Roger. “We did most of the writing at one of his father’s properties, so it’s like a dream come true for me. I had to hide the tattoo of his father’s face to avoid any embarrassment. Everyone used to say Queen and AC/ 22 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

When & Where: 29 Apr, Groovin The Moo, Maitland; 7 May, Groovin The Moo, Canberra; 10 May, Enmore Theatre

Music

Party Hard, Get Ska’d

Steve Douglas of The Resignators says that the band is venturing into new territories for their upcoming release. By Rod Whitfield.

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here is a bit of a story behind the brand new single Party Dates from Melbourne ska/punk act The Resignators, besides simply being a selfdescriptive thing.

“We all agreed unanimously on the title,” says guitarist and vocalist Steve Douglas, “it really suits our ‘party style’ philosophy, and it is a shouted gang vocal in the first line of the song. I wrote that song as a true story about our trumpet player, Jeremy Meaden. He told me about his wild partying days, and the song starts there but goes through his life up to this point, getting married and having babies and all that stuff.”

It is the first single from an upcoming album of the same name, and while they very much maintain their up-tempo vibe on the record, existing fans of the band may also be a little surprised some of the album’s content. “We are always high energy, but this album will be our most adventurous to date,” he reveals, “it’s more cross-genre. There is a big nod to New Orleans jazz on the album, as that is where a lot of the ska horn style came from.

“The Jamaicans used to be able to pick up New Orleans radio, and it had a huge effect on the use of horns in ska. But there is also some salsa, some latin influence, which also played a big part in the formation of

ska. Of course, there are some straight up punk rock slammers as well.”

The band have also done something pretty wildly different for the B-side of the single, a cover of seminal ‘80s underground punk act God’s classic track My Pal. “[Lead singer] Francis [Harrison] had that song on CD while we were driving through Canada and after listening to it over and over on long rides between shows I thought that it would be a great cover,” he recalls, “It is such a simple iconic riff that it left a lot of room for interpretation. The whole concept of teenagers writing a song that epic really appealed to me, but a bit sad they didn’t last long. We love the fact that they were Melbourne boys, of course!”

They’re heading out on an extensive tour of the nation in support of the album and Douglas has very high hopes for that jaunt. “It is going to be the greatest tour,” he predicts, “mainly because we have a bunch of new songs to play for our friends around Australia. We don’t get to see our fans in Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane that often, but it is always a pleasure when we do. We have a big Toyota Coaster tour bus that makes life on the road relatively easy, and we all just love to travel.”

When & Where: 29 Apr, Valve Bar

NIMAs Update

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) have opened nominations for their 14th annual celebration this August. It’s open to any Indigenous artist from Australia and the Torres Strait.

It follows a big year for Indigenous music, with the likes of AB Original winning the Australian Music Prize, Troy Cassar-Daley winning Album Of The Year at The Golden Guitar Awards and Jessica Mauboy and Busby Marou topping the ARIA charts.

This year will also see a National Indigenous Music Awards double album released, featuring some of the best Indigenous music from the past 12 months or so, coupled with some of the best-known and loved songs from Indigenous artists over the past half-century (so expect to see the likes of Jimmy Little, Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Christine Anu and more).

The timeframe is no coincidence, as it comes in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the national referendum to recognise Indigenous people.

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 23

Music

New Beginnings Ahead of new solo album Rock N Roll Consciousness, iconic guitarist Thurston Moore tells Steve Bell that these days he’s making music for all the right reasons.

S

ince his uber-influential art-rock outfit Sonic Youth pulled up stumps in 2011, legendary guitarist and songwriter Thurston Moore has had no problem keeping busy. Moving primarily in underground noise rock and improvisational circles, in the intervening years he’s worked on numerous projects and collaborated with countless musicians, but it’s only now that he’s revisiting more commercial realms with his new solo album Rock N Roll Consciousness.

“We recorded it I guess in late 2015, I did the mixing in early 2016 and then all last year I worked on how I wanted to present it, with the artwork and how the

That’s what I tell people: ‘Take this record, put it on your boombox and just blast it at the Trump Tower

sequence was going to flow. I sort of didn’t want the record to come out in a year of political campaigning in the USA, because it was so contentious. It was so heinous that I was like, ‘I don’t even want to be active in a culture that’s just overwhelmed by this inanity.’ As it is I feel really happy that it’s coming out in the springtime of 2017, in a way it works because the songs are very beatific and it works as like an elixir to the reality of what has happened with the USA being so poisoned.

“To me, it’s a token of promise and springtime and awakening and new energy, like, ‘Let’s get up there and gather our amplifiers and surround Trump Tower and blast them as loud as we can with noise and stuff until it crumbles into the fake gold dust that it is.’ That’s kind of

24 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

the idea,” Moore deadpans before dissolving into peals of laughter. “That’s what I tell people: ‘Take this record, put it on your boombox and just blast it at the Trump Tower.’”

For his fifth proper solo album, Moore regathered The Thurston Moore Band who worked on his previous solo album The Best Day (2014) - Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, My Bloody Valentine bassist Debbie Googe and guitarist James Sedwards - and recorded it at The Church in London (where Moore now lives). At the helm was pop producer Paul Epworth (Adele, Florence & The Machine), but for that experimental edge the album was mixed in Seattle with Randall Dunn (Boris, Sunn O))), Earth) resulting in a nice balance of the accessible and avant-garde. “[The Best Day] was made just finding out what people sounded like, and there were some songs on the record that were just me playing acoustic guitars and everything on the track, so it’s a bit of a pastiche that record,” Moore reflects. “Then we released it on Matador and ended up doing shows without announcing who we were, so people would end up coming to see the shows to some degree thinking, ‘It’s Thurston, so he’s either going to play some noise guitar or some acoustic guitar, or he’s going to be juggling chainsaws’ - they didn’t know what I was going to do then. Then they would look at the band come out and go, ‘Oh it’s Steve Shelly! Wow, it’s Deb Googe!’ I still think people thought that maybe it would be some transitional thing, but we realised as we were touring that we were really happy as a group.

“We’ve all for the most part been through the wars together as far as being in groups that were high profile during the late ‘80s and into the ‘90s, so we feel at this point that we kind of did that and we’re not really looking to replicate that, or wave our hands in the air and try to draw attention to ourselves. We just felt like we’re kind of liberated to just enjoy being creative, and people kind of know who we are. For this record I wanted to focus on the group as I know how they can play, because I don’t think that on The Best Day I was able to let them breathe so m much, it was just, ‘Here’s the song, let’s play it.’

“Now it’s like I wrote these songs knowing who the mus musicians were, that’s why the songs are so lengthy bec because I really wanted these players to play. I really wan wanted James Sedwards to just shred on guitar, so I wou would allow these sections on there for him to go out and do that, and also for Deb and Steve to really get thei their feet wet. That was kind of on my mind doing the songwriting, knowing who this group is and wanting them to sort of have their say, and it’s really cool right now because we’ve established ourselves as a working group and it’s not just some dalliance.”

What: Rock N Roll Consciousness (Ecstatic Peace/Caroline)

Music

Es Are Good Joe Goddard talks to Bryget Chrisfield about falling asleep standing up in clubs and thinking The Shamen “were actually singing about someone called Ebeneezer Goode” before he was a lad.

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ou’ll probably recognise Joe Goddard from his collaborative musical projects such as Hot Chip, The 2 Bears and About Group (to name just a couple). On his second solo record Electric Lines (the follow-up to 2009’s Harvest Festival), Goddard somehow references all of his musical identities while taking the listener on a magical mystery tour through the history of clubland. And, to this pair of ears, Electric Lines is a personal best from his complete discography. When told this scribe was reminded of discovering, and becoming obsessed with, various styles of dance music through the decades while listening to Electric Lines (on repeat), Goddard offers, “It’s the same for me, it’s just kind of going back through a lot of the different things that I’ve loved over the years and just trying to bring that all in together into a record. So, you know, I’m obsessed with hip hop and with disco and with garage and with house music, and so I wanted to represent all of that stuff.”

We’re curious to know which clubs Goddard frequented back in the day and he singles out “jungle, drum’n’bass clubs”.

“That was the big thing in London at the time,” he continues, singling out The Blue Note as a regular haunt. “And we wouldn’t be allowed in every time because we were underage, but sometimes you’d get in, sometimes you wouldn’t.”

Goddard estimates he was around the age of 15 or 16 when he first started hitting the clubs. “Obviously that’s a steep learning curve when you first gain entry to a club,” he points out. “I didn’t know anything about drug taking, really, at that point, so I was kind of wondering why everyone had so much energy at, like, three o’clock in the morning. And I was kind of falling

I didn’t know anything about drug taking, really, at that point, so I was kind of wondering why everyone had so much energy at, like, three o’clock in the morning.

asleep in front of the speakers sometimes. Like, I remember literally falling asleep standing up a couple of times, waiting for Squarepusher or Aphex Twin to come on at like four or five o’clock in the morning, and maybe just drinking a little bit, but not doing any drugs. And just not being able to keep my eyes open, but really wanting to stay and try and make it through the night to see those people,” he laughs.

Goddard remembers that “there was a massive outcry” when The Shamen’s Ebeneezer Goode dropped the “Es are good” chorus lyrics. “I remember when I was at school, we were 13 or 14, something like that, and there were some people going around - I don’t think many of my friends really knew what ecstasy was at that point, not fully. Maybe some of my friends’ big brothers would tell stories about ecstasy or something and people would go ‘round the playground, like, ‘Do you this song by The Shamen is actually about drugs?!’ And I don’t think I believed it at the time; I thought they were actually singing about someone called Ebeneezer Goode!” he laughs.

“It certainly took me a long time to work out what it was about!”

What: Electric Lines (Domino)

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 25

Music

Helmet’s On Page Hamilton, heavy rockers Helmet’s riff-meister, tells Brendan Crabb why they still owe grunge’s superstars a fruit basket.

P

ropelled by the record label pursuit for the next Nirvana, alt-metallers Helmet somewhat inexplicably landed a lucrative deal with Interscope prior to second album, 1992’s Meantime. This was despite their no-frills aesthetic and more minimalist approach hardly being easily marketable. Irrespective, vocalist/ guitarist Page Hamilton recalls inking a three record deal worth $1.3 million.

“The big thing about it was that it was guaranteed money. It was three firm, meaning that had never been done before in the music business. I said this many years

kowtowed to external demands. “We weren’t looking for a major label deal, so it wasn’t like I was coming up with the Unsung riff and thinking, ‘This is going to be a huge hit.’”

After already performing Meantime in its entirety in Australia, 1994 follow-up Betty would go on to be afforded the same treatment. “When we put Betty out, someone said, ‘I was kind of expecting another Unsung’.

I’m like, ‘No, that song’s done. I’m not going to try and rewrite something just because it was successful.’ I don’t think it’s healthy as a musician to recapture something just because there was some accidental success or whatever. I think you have to keep pushing forward.

“Betty is probably a little more ‘fuck you’ than Meantime, because there was something about the success of Meantime that, I don’t mean to sound like a dick or whatever, but it kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

We did (1990’s) Strap It On, which is a really good record.

Then we did Meantime which is a natural extension, but all of a sudden we had all these fans we didn’t have before because there was an MTV buzz clip.”

Although allowing devotees to embrace nostalgia via aforementioned heritage tours, Hamilton continues creating. 2016’s Dead To The World was Helmet’s first record in six years, while the main-man’s additional

I don’t think it’s healthy as a musician to recapture something just because there was some accidental success.

Xx

ago, but we should send Nirvana a fruit basket, because they... An indie band had never been given a deal like that before, and Nirvana wasn’t given that deal because nobody thought Nevermind would sell six million copies or whatever.

“We were buddies with Nirvana, had played together and Sub Pop was inspired by Amphetamine Reptile (Helmet’s label). So I think everybody was thinking all these indie bands are going to sell millions of records.

It’s hilarious to me that people would ever call us grunge, or compare us to Nirvana. We were a New York City band, they were a Pacific Northwest band, completely different styles of music obviously.” Despite any commercial expectations, Hamilton insists Helmet never 26 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

endeavours include production and film soundtracks.

“I work on jazz music every single day when I wake up.

I listen to a lot of orchestra music and jazz stuff. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I think there’s kind of an endless supply of inspiration if you don’t get stuck in a musical rut. Helmet’s never been a mainstream thing as far as I’m not trying to please anybody. To me it has to be a musical thing and come from a musical place.”

When & Where: 29 Apr, Manning Bar

Music

Postgraduate Panic Maggie Rogers tells Anthony Carew of her transition into adulthood and dealing with her rising stardom.

I

n February 2016 Maggie Rogers was just another music student at NYU when Pharrell Williams conducted a master class where he listened to — and critiqued — student work. Williams fell in love with Rogers’ song Alaska, and when video of this hit the internet, Rogers became an instant hot name. Since then, everything that’s happened — signing deals, endless touring, releasing her EP Now That The Light Is Fading — has been a whirlwind.

“It’s felt pretty crazy, pretty overwhelming,” says Rogers, 22. “My life has changed a lot. Mostly, that’s being on tour all the time, but there’s also this real natural transition. I just graduated college. That [year after] is a real crazy time for every postgraduate I know. It’s such a change, figuring out how to be an adult. It’s a weird thing... But, the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do with my life is make music, and now I have the opportunity to do that.”

Rogers grew up “on the eastern shore of Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay”. Her family wasn’t musical, but she learnt harp and piano at eight years old, guitar and banjo at 13. That’s when she started writing her own songs “as a way for [her] to process all the emotions of middle school”; by 16, she was producing them. Long before she was a Next Big Thing, Rogers released two albums of folkie singer-songwriter material, 2012’s The Echo and 2014’s Blood Ballet; the first coming out when she was in high school, the second in university. “Music was just something I always wanted to do, that always felt incredibly urgent to me. Songs have always been the way that I’ve understood and catalogued my life.”

Alaska was written about a hiking trip in America’s wildest state; Rogers, having grown up in “the middle of nowhere”, spending her summers camping in Maine, is a proud “long distance hiker” (“being outside,

My life has been changed by people behind computer screens, totally anonymous people that I’ve never met.

without electricity, means a lot to me”). She sees parallels between her experiences hiking and her new form of travelling: endless touring. “The bus and the road feels a lot like a fancier way of hiking to me: you have a small group, not so many things, you’re moving every day, and you have a great sense of purpose.”

In the middle of a five-month-long tour, Rogers is looking forward to sleeping and recording, but is tight-lipped about her forthcoming LP. “I think of making a record as creating a body of work, a whole artistic statement,” she offers. “Until that statement is complete, I don’t really feel comfortable talking about it.”

Touring has allowed Rogers — after finding fame in ‘viral’ fashion — to humanise her experiences as a rising musician. “My life has been changed by people behind computer screens, totally anonymous people that I’ve never met,” she offers. “It’s been really gratifying to go places — in America and Europe — that I’ve never been before, and to actually get to see the people who like my music, the people who changed my life.”

What: Now That The Light Is Fading (EMI) When & Where: 21 Jul, Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands; 25 Jul, Metro Theatre, Sydney

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 27

Musical

Diva Debut Pop star Paulini Curuenavuli is channelling her inner diva for her starring role in The Bodyguard The Musical. She talks love, getting show fit, and stepping into Whitney Houston’s shoes with Cassie Tongue.

F

or decades, R&B popstar Paulini Curuenavuli has had a perfect, vivid memory.

It’s of Kevin Costner as Francis ‘Frank’ Farmer, watching a small TV. In tight close-up on screen is Whitney Houston’s face. The camera pulls back to reveal her draped in white and behind her, a glimpse of sky.

It’s a music video for Run To You, and as he watches it, the cold, businesslike bodyguard leans slowly forward in his chair. He is transfixed. The camera lingers on his face; there’s a change in his eyes. A new softness. From above, Whitney Houston watches him watch her recorded

To debut in musical theatre and have this type of role, a role that was played by my musical inspiration when I was a girl, is a dream come true.

visage, both woman and superstar, both close to him and a universe away.

To Curuenavuli, this is the essence of The Bodyguard, the 1992 film starring her idol, Whitney Houston. The romance/thriller became one of the most cherished blockbusters of the ‘90s, capturing Houston at the height of her talents. Two of the songs from its smash-hit soundtrack - I Have Nothing and Curuenavuli’s cherished Run To You were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. (They lost to A Whole New World from Aladdin).

“It’s stuck with me throughout the years,” Curuenavuli says as she talks warmly about the scene. “When the movie came out, I was ten years old; I wasn’t allowed to watch it.

But my sisters were, and I heard the music and saw [the Run To You scene] and it really stood out to me. I remember it perfectly. When Kevin Costner is sitting there, watching 28 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

her on screen... I’ve gotta say, it’s one of my favourite movies of all time.”

Exactly one week after speaking to The Music, Curuenavuli was due to begin rehearsals for The Bodyguard The Musical - an onstage revival of the movie. Starring as singer/actor Rachel Marron, Curuenavuli will appear opposite dancer and recent Neighbours star Kip Gamblin as Farmer, the bodyguard sent to protect her from a dangerous stalker.

The characters couldn’t be more different (“they butt heads a lot,” Curuenavuli says, not without delight), so of course they’re attracted to each other. The musical captures the romantic clash of opinion between diva and professional - and it’s packed with even more Whitney songs than the original movie.

Curuenavuli didn’t watch musicals or go to shows growing up, but in the last few years, she says she’s really gotten into them. “The first musical I ever saw live was The Lion King, and I remember walking out going ‘Wow! I can see myself doing something like that.’”

It’s a new challenge for Curuenavuli, a solo artist who made a splash on the first season of Australian Idol back in 2003. Ever since her Idol days, Curuenavuli - armed with her indomitable five-octave range - has enjoyed a solid recording career. She’s picked up two ARIA awards along the way and has been nominated for more, including nods for the Australian/New Zealand Urban Music Awards and Poprepublic IT List Awards. She’s collaborated with Ronan Keating, performed with the Young Divas and Guy Sebastian, and even tried her hand at TV acting - but musical theatre has, until now, been uncharted territory.

She has a lot on her mind as she stares down a stage debut that will inevitably draw comparisons with the legendary singer who first brought the role to the screen.

She needs to channel her inner diva - she laughs when I ask her if she is anything like Whitney’s famous character - but her most important preparation for the role has been getting show fit.

‘Show fit’, Curuenavuli says, is a “musical theatre term.”

She’s learned the professional lingo from her new industry peers. “It’s making sure you’re fit, that you’re exercising every day, watching what you eat, sleeping well and being prepared.

“It’s gonna be awesome being on stage with the whole cast. That’s not something I’m used to. I won’t be up there on my own. It won’t feel like ‘all eyes on me.’ I’ve heard that you become a family up there, and I can’t wait to feel that feeling.”

But Curuenavuli is already feeling a lot of feelings. “To debut in musical theatre and have this type of role, a role that was played by my musical inspiration when I was a girl, is a dream come true. I think a lot of who I am and who I’ve become is because of [Whitney].”

Later, when I ask Paulini what romance means to her, she says, “I guess it means letting your walls down and just falling in love. Just letting yourself be exposed.” It sounds a lot like what might have been going on inside Frank Farmer’s mind as he watched Rachel Marron sing Run To You from his television screen.

What: The Bodyguard The Musical When & Where: Until 25 Jun, Sydney Lyric Theatre

OPINION Opinion

The Heavy Shit

Moderately Highbrow

Nick Veljanovski, Artist:Diego Patino

Visual Art Wank

It’s a common cliche in critical parlance to describe something — a new book/film/show/album — as And Theatre “unmissable”, the (often hyperbolic) implication being that this contribution represents something like the Foyers With pinnacle of the particular creative pursuit. Overuse of the term in this context has lessened its impact somewhat, Dave Drayton but a new initiative is making unmissable things a powerful force in the arts again.

The Unmissables is an online tool from the Missing Persons’ Advocacy Network that reimagines the Missing Persons’ Poster as something more present, personal and alive than a fraying A4 flyer at the bus depot or a greyscaled portrait on one panel of a milk carton. Pairing families of long-term missing people with artists and writers, The Unmissables seeks “to re-engage the public with their stories — to help make the missing, unmissable.”

With the initiative now launched there are a number of ways to get involved — families of missing persons can register a missing loved one, artists and writers can register their interest to use their skills to assist these families, and anyone can donate a wall of their residence or workplace to be used for a mural of a missing person.

O G F l ava s

Kendrick Lamar

Urban And R&B News With Cyclone

Kendrick Lamar surely has the hip hop album of the year in DAMN. Even before it dropped, the cover art had prompted memes. Days after, Lamar’s headline slot at the desert Coachella, streamed online, became a global event.

Praised by President Obama, the Compton MC’s status is now such that inevitably some heads are disputing it. Contrarians will say that Joey Bada$$’ ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ is superior. Yet K-Dot is in his

30 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Chris Maric with Rod Smallwood

own league.

Lamar’s fourth album, DAMN. is less obviously ‘conceptual’ than 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly — which manifested the #BlackLivesMatter movement. He’s evolved beyond the jazz-hop that inspired David Bowie’s Blackstar. The DAMN. vibe is psych-soul filtered through trap. Lamar has again worked with Top Dawg Entertainment’s in-house producers, but also James Blake (the strange ELEMENT.).

DAMN. thematises temporality, revealing (Lamar’s) shifting perspectives on race, success and destiny. Lamar renders the rapper as a sphinx posing philosophical riddles. One word song titles, like HUMBLE., play off associations. A parable, BLOOD., might be the most intriguing hip hop album intro ever. Produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, DNA. recalls Run The Jewels’ Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck). Lamar mocks an absurd dissection of Alright on Fox News.

The big guests are Rihanna (the wavy anthem LOYALTY.) and... U2. Mercifully, Bono’s presence on the suitey XXX., about America, isn’t bombastic. Bookended with BLOOD. is the riveting Sliding Doors narrative of DUCKWORTH. — named for Lamar’s father. Beatmaker 9th Wonder flips Hiatus Kaiyote’s Atari. DUCKWORTH. belongs to the tradition of Nas’ 2001 Rewind — and Organized Konfusion’s literary hip hop. DAMN. is an epiphany.

OPINION Opinion

Metal And Hard

I

’m sure if you’ve been reading this Rock here column for a while, which I hope With Chris is the case, you’ve no doubt heard me Maric ramble on about the time I went to the UK last year and rode a bike for three days from London to Download Festival to raise money for a few children’s charities.

Well, I’m doing it again! This is the fifth year Heavy Metal Truants will be taking place and the metal nerds in charge of it in merry old England have dubbed it Revenge Of The Fifth. Essentially we ride out of London on our trusty (or not so trusty) two-wheeled steeds and for the first couple of hours you think, “Hey, this is fun,” then the hills start and you begin to re-think your decision. Day one — 80kms, day two — 140kms and the final day is an easy 50kms into the festival — well, easy once you’ve knocked out 220kms already!

My fundraising page is at www. justgiving.com/australiantruants and if you’d like to donate some spare coin to the fundraising efforts please do via that link!

You can do it via PayPal too, all you need to do is select to pay in British pounds (GBP) and the PayPal link will pop up. Easy! The first day of the ride is 7 Jun, which happens to also be my 40th Birthday. So if you would like to donate, think of it as buying me a couple of beers to soothe my sore-saddled ass ha ha.

Of course, Heavy Shit will be littered with tales of my European escapades as we report in from the goings on during the ride and Download. We’re also returning to the mighty Hellfest! If I can swing it, I’m hoping to get up to Copenhell in Denmark too! The northern summer beckons!

Heavy Metal Truants is the brainchild of former Metal Hammer editor and ridiculously nice guy Alexander Milas and Iron Maiden’s eternal manager Rod Smallwood, who is an inspiration to ride beside. When you feel tired and sluggish he comes steaming past you, nearly 30 years your senior, and gives you a pep talk like only an old school Brit can. It keeps you going another 30 kilometres.

In other news, the tours keep on coming.

In the last week or so, some amazing things have been announced. The Dillinger Escape Plan are calling it a day and will come through town one last time, Teutonic titans of thrash (which so should’ve been the name of the tour) Kreator and Vader

have announced a massive double header, Entombed AD are coming and Daemon Pyre have been locked in as main support, making it even better, and even At The Drive In have announced they are coming. I saw them at BDO around 2000 or so and it was incredible. For the players, Richie Kotzen will be making his debut appearance in Australia in August.

Did you know he has released 22 solo albums?! His stints in Poison and Mr Big hardly rate a mention in his mammoth catalogue!

Local action is all around too.

Brisbane pirates Lagerstein have now relocated to Europe for the foreseeable future to plunder the motherlands and are appearing at Mammothfest in the UK in October.

Taberah, Harlott, Somnium Nox, Flaming Wrekage, Hollow World, Sanzu, Desecrator: plenty of metal that doesn’t have a whiff of breakdown anywhere.

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THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 31

Album / E Album/EP Reviews

Album OF THE Week

Gorillaz Humanz Warner

★★★★★

We were floored when Hallelujah Money (ft Benjamin Clementine), the first taste from Humanz, was released in January to coincide with Trump’s inauguration. This song is funereal, Damon Albarn/2D’s bridges act as pleas for humanity; classic Gorillaz, none of us could possibly have anticipated a SpongeBob SquarePants outro!

Then another four songs dropped in March: pogoing belter Ascension ft Vince Staples (“The sky’s falling baby drop that ass ‘fore it crash (higher)”); Saturnz Barz ft Popcaan (via animated video) containing how-low-can-you-go bass that makes us fear the brown note; the sultry Andromeda ft DRAM, which could be a companion piece for previous Gorillaz track Doncamatic; and the rabble-rousing We Got The Power ft Jehnny Beth with Albarn’s Britpop nemesis Noel Gallagher on BVs presenting love as the answer (“We got the power to be loving each other no mat-ter what hap-pens”). But this scribe’s highlights include the robotic, De La Soul-featuring Momentz and the understated horniness of She’s My Collar ft Kali Uchis.

Albarn is the mastermind and glue that binds this extraordinary roster of guests (Grace Jones!) together; when singing as 2D he somehow reveals a more human, vulnerable side. Of the album’s 20 tracks (six are Ben Mendelsohn-narrated skits), there’s zero filler.

Gorillaz remain the embodiment of their own interlude The Nonconformist Oath. Transcendent.

Bryget Chrisfield

Airling

Bliss N Eso

Hard To Sleep, Easy To Dream

Off The Grid Illusive

★★★

Pieater/Inertia

★★★½ Back in 2014, Airling captured the imagination of many with the luscious vibes of Love Gracefully.

It’s taken a couple of years but Airling’s (aka Hannah Shepherd) dream pop project blossoms with the release of her debut album. Featuring Big Scary’s Tom Iansek and Graham Ritchie in the credits, the trio have crafted an album of sweetly understated vibes that combines Shepherd’s cool and almost crystalline clear vocals with gently rocking beats and breezy electronica. The spoken word introduction is an invitation to meditate, close your eyes and swim down into the depths of the mix. It is just so easy to drift away to these songs which have been produced to achieve maximal light and fluffy dreaminess. The arrangements are spare and tend towards the

32 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

minimal allowing Shepherd’s vocals to occupy the very centre of the mix.

It is easy to see how some of these tunes would rock dancefloors with bigger more demanding beats. Emma Louise, Fractures and Iansek turn in guest spots, but for the most part everyone featured builds on Shepherd’s aesthetic.

Airling doesn’t quite achieve otherworldly etherealness, but so much of this mighty debut pushes out solid feelgood pop vibes.

Guido Farnell

Bliss, Eso and their DJ Izm have a settled style. It doesn’t change with this, their sixth record.

Rhythmic, pulsing flow occasionally shifting into hyperdrive; consistent delivery with space to get a little cahrazy; big hooks; approachable beats; literal raps with jokes and surprising pop culture references thrown in. We know what we’re in for with Bliss N Eso. Tear The Roof Off is the clearest evidence here, tickling the pleasure centres our hosts have helped us develop over their tenure at the top. Coolin’ does the same. There’s more complexity with the subject matter on this record, though.

Eso’s confrontation with alcoholism, and his triumph, are set out straight. Believe is earnest. Travelling Band is a heartfelt victory lap.

Whatever Happened To

The DJ, though, is problematic.

Without DJs, you see, rap music is not real hip hop. There’s discomfort hearing this from white Australians; an element of La La Land awkwardness; white people claiming to do black culture more authentically than black people do.

Off The Grid is aptly named for a couple reasons. Bliss N Eso have never fit neatly into an established subset of Australian rap, and some of the themes here are well outside of the comfort zone. The way we get it, though — the sound — is precisely what we’ve come to expect.

James d’Apice

EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews

Tim Rogers

BNQT

Feist

Mary J Blige

An Actor Repairs

Volume 1

Pleasure

Strength Of A Woman

FOUR | FOUR/ABC

Bella Union/PIAS

Interscope/Universal

★★★½

★★★½

★★★½

★★★

You’ve never had to scratch deep into Tim Rogers’ often self-deprecating rock star swagger to find the soul of an old-style theatrical.

It’s no surprise this album started out planned for the stage — mostly a musing on the muse as the title character ponders more opening nights behind him than ahead, on a stroll home after that couple of backstage clarets. The Bug for the applause remains, but the use by date is close. As Youth has it “...(it’s) not wasted on the young, but it’s wasted on me”, delivered with a knowingly arched eyebrow, but still with a glint in a slightly jaundiced eye.

There’s many curtain calls left in Mr Rogers yet.

Midlake’s Eric Pulido convoked an enthralling line-up of alt-rock ramblers for, in his own words, “poor man’s Traveling Wilburys”, and sets the pace with his fuzzy, psychedelic stomper Restart.

From there it’s an eclectic, engaging spin: on Unlikely Force, Band Of Horses’ Ben Bridwell finds his twangy croon allied with soulful piano and horns; Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle’s 100 Million Miles has epic orchestration and an eerie, Dr Who-esque synth; Fran Healy (Travis) goes Americana on Mind Of A Man; Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) is Jim Morrison in a whimsical mood on oddball Hey Banana. Volume 1 lacks a certain in-the-room warmth (most of the vocals were recorded remotely), but it’s a fun diversion.

Pleasure is like that surly friend of a friend you know, not immediately likeable but if you’re patient you’ll find there’s plenty going on beneath the surface.

After six years of near-total silence, Leslie Feist’s return comes in the form of a harsh, stripped down album. With no obvious radio fodder, Pleasure won’t appeal to everyone. But Feist’s committed performance on these patently personal musings, often with no other accompaniment than a sparsely struck acoustic guitar and a distant snare drum, will make connections and pull at the heart strings in curious and unusual ways.

Why does a Mary J Blige record matter in 2017?

The short answer might be the lead track Love Yourself, a mesmeric opener punctuated by glorious drums and a throwback Kanye verse. But that gem aside, when Blige was at her peak ab-rocking self, pretty boys dominated the game. She now finds herself in a genre that celebrates some of the darker shades of human emotion, rather than just who to love, how to love. Does the searing clarity of her sound make sense in these hazier times? It’s Me would be haunting in the hands of contemporary R&Bers. In Blige’s it’s a powerful statement of self.

Clearly, the passion remains. The strength is beyond question. The only question is relevance.

Ross Clelland

Christopher H James

Tim Kroenert

James d’Apice

More Reviews Online Thurston Moore Rock N Roll Consciousness

EMI

theMusic.com.au

Toe To Toe Rise Up

Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 33

Live Re Live Reviews

Gareth Liddiard @ Newtown Social Club. Pic: Clare Hawley

Gareth Liddiard, Ela Stiles Newtown Social Club 23 Apr

Gareth Liddiard @ Newtown Social Club. Pic: Clare Hawley

Gareth Liddiard @ Newtown Social Club. Pic: Clare Hawley

Vera Blue @ Factory Theatre.

Pic: Simone Fisher

Vera Blue @ Factory Theatre.

Pic: Simone Fisher

34 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Peking Duk @ Enmore Theatre. Pic: Josh Groom

And so it goes.

Newtown Social Club is done.

Roughly three years after opening, the old Sandringham Hotel site is vacant once more, soon to be replaced with a mini-golf theme bar. ‘Sad’ is an understatement, but to moan about ‘end times’ is folly. What we should focus on here is what NSC has given us: hundreds of shows, by first class artists from around the world, playing metal to country to drone to hip hop and beyond. The NSC tapped into, and contributed to, a vital and progressive music scene, one that hums and bristles beneath Sydney’s slick, lobotomised surface, rewarding anyone with curiosity or ambition.

What the NSC was capable of in such a short space of time should be a valuable lesson for those wanting to pick up the torch.

The NSC was different. It had its own thing going on. It didn’t compete with the Oxford Art Factory, or try to replace the Annandale (RIP), much less the Sando, in terms of what they offered and who they offered it to. What started as simply the Sydney arm of a Melbourne outfit ended up feeling like a legitimate Newtown local. The refurb never really felt finished or fully functional, but it was also young.

Bars like the NSC need many years to settle into themselves.

What the NSC did was nothing less than attempt to create an iconic Sydney music venue. It failed. Not because they didn’t know how, or because they didn’t have the numbers, but because they fell victim to an indifferent system.

The NSC hosted a particularly analogue set of players over the years, whose ranks favoured modern, young talent. Acts like White Lung, Shining Bird, We Lost The Sea and Methyl Ethel found packed houses waiting for them.

The constant roster of vibrant, talented internationals meant

that making the NSC your weekly venue of choice seemed easy on paper. Thee Oh Sees, Majical Cloudz and Daniel Rossen played incredible sets, and the tiny stage hosted many local heroes as well - Gold Class and Hockey Dad come to mind, and the wonderful Emma Russack may have saved the whole thing entirely if she was booked on the reg.

Sending the Club off in suitably shaggy style was the incorrigible arch-cynic Gareth Liddiard. His songs are black as coal, with embers of wry humour burning deep down at their heart. His rough provocations to “Fuck shit up” belied his talent for putting together cryptic and complex ballads about haunted people. Highplains Mailman was evocative and grim, with levity, in the form of Liddiard fucking up half way through, breaking like the sun at dawn. Shark Fin Blues was a cracked and broken thing, this solo rendition revealing details hidden by its full-band counterpart. Did She Scare All Your Friends has lost none of its power. His guitar strings were throttled like galley slaves, each chord and melancholy riff tearing and straining, pleading with the

‘Sad’ is an understatement, but to moan about ‘end times’ is folly. mute crowd. The memory at the heart of the song, that of Anna and her beauty, was heart breaking.

Support duties fell to Ela Stiles, who offered a droney, hypnotic set full of gauzy atmosphere and restless energy.

It was a worthy addition to the evening, one that she, and the Club, should be proud of.

The end of the show was

eviews Live Reviews

interesting. In between beers being pulled from the few taps left, murmurs about inevitability and real estate floated about.

People were likely thinking about the green-shirted staff about to take over when Holey Moley bumps in. A feeling of hopelessness seems appropriate, but really, like a baseball pitch in the middle of an Iowa cornfield, if you build it, they will come. The question now is: who will build it, how soon can they do it, and what will ‘it’ be?

Matt MacMaster

Vera Blue, Mammals, PLGRMS Factory Theatre 20 Apr As early arrivals began filling the Factory Theatre in Marrickville, Sydney-based duo PLGRMS performed some of their electronic indie tracks including the new single Dream You Up which they’d released the day before.

Four-piece Mammals took to the stage and overcame several technical difficulties - the levels were all wrong, frontman Guy Brown’s guitar stopped working, then his mic stopped working, then his strap came undone with Brown just managing to catch his guitar before it hit the floor.

The clearly frazzled singer and multi-instrumentalist commented it was the most exciting gig he’s ever had because he was shitting himself the whole time. Despite the sound issues, Mammals admirably powered through their set.

Vera Blue (aka Celia Pavey) was then welcomed onto the stage by the very excited sold out crowd, who were immediately captivated by her mesmerising, angelic voice. The Sydney-based singer-songwriter, who came to prominence as a contestant on The Voice, danced around the stage playing tambourine on Fingertips before picking up her guitar for Patterns.

Whilst her band played a lengthy interlude, the songstress,

who was initially dressed in a long white skirt and lace top, ran off stage only to return minutes later to perform Private wearing all black - a kind of visual representation of her transition from folk music to edgier electronic.

Pavey was clearly excited to perform with her friends and family in the audience, noting that it was the most amazing way for her to start the tour. She played a few new songs from the forthcoming album she’s working on, all extremely well received by the audience. She played a couple of covers too, getting the entire audience to help her sing the riff of MGMT’s Kids and performing her rendition of Jack Garratt’s Breathe Life.

Immediately captivated by her mesmerising, angelic voice.

Although no one wanted it to, her set came to a close Vera Blue performed fan-favourite Hold before leaving the stage to roaring applause.

Madelyn Tait

Peking Duk, Ivan Ooze, Mallrat Enmore Theatre 22 Apr Plenty of people arrived early to the Enmore Theatre to catch Brisbane teenager Mallrat sing, rap and deliver her seriously catchy tunes. The newly 18year-old got people dancing with tracks from the EP she dropped last year and a cover of Drake’s Pop Style before closing her set with Uninvited, getting the whole crowd to sing the song’s hook.

Melbourne rapper Ivan Ooze did a great job of getting the crowd hyped up with an energetic, air

Their explosive live show was enhanced by its high level of production.

horn-heavy set, performing tracks like Hooligans and Fire.

Aussie cricket legend Shane Warne appeared on a large screen and asked the crowd to make some noise for Peking Duk as Canberra’s Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles took to the decks.

The DJs mixed their own tracks in with recent hits and some throwbacks like The Killers’ Mr Brightside and Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name. By that point, the room temperature had been raised a few degrees by the dancing, sweaty crowd. Their explosive live show was enhanced by its high level of production - seven screens with crazy visuals, smoke, streamers and confetti.

They got sentimental, reflecting on the songs that sparked their love affair with dance music. Then they got political, expressing their hatred for Donald Trump as the crowd chanted “Fuck Trump” over and over. They premiered a new song, made with AlunaGeorge that will apparently be released in about a week.

Peking Duk had a few special guests join them on stage, including SAFIA’s Ben Woolner, who sang their collab Take Me Over and Jess Kent, back from Japan just in time to sing Stranger with them.

They met demands for an encore with their hit High, joined on stage by all of their special guests as confetti rained down and the approving crowd roared with applause.

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

The Lumineers @ Sydney Opera House Michael Kiwanuka @ Oxford Art Factory Billy Bragg & Joe Henry @ Sydney Opera House Gretta Ray @ Newtown Social Club Booker T @ Metro Theatre Mindsnare @ Bald Faced Stag Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever @ Newtown Social Club

Madelyn Tait

THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 35

Comedy / G The Guide

Sigur Ros

Wed 26

Joseph Tawadros

SACHI + Mezko + Sideboob: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

Sydney Comedy Club feat. Katie Burch + Jonas Holt + Mick Meredith: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point

Andy Zaltzman: Comedy Store, Moore Park Romesh Ranganathan: Comedy Store, Moore Park

The Music Presents At The Dakota: 29 Apr Captain Cook Hotel The Cactus Channel & Sam Cromack: 26 May Hudson Ballroom Jeff Lang: 13 May Hotel Gearin Katoomba; 18 May Lizottes Newcastle; 19 May Hardys Bay Club; 27 May The Basement; 16 Jun State Theatre Canberra Mick Thomas & Roving Commisission: 2 Jun Leadbelly; 3 Jun Lizottes Newcastle Horrorshow: 16 Jun ANU Bar Canberra; 17 Jun Enmore Theatre; 7 Jul University Of Wollongong; 8 Jul Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Orsome Welles: 30 Jun Factory Theatre; 1 Jul The Basement Bello Winter Music Festival: 6 - 9 Jul Bellingen

Sydney Comedy Festival Cracker Night 2017 Various Artists: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Romesh Ranganathan: Factory Theatre, Marrickville The Hodgetwins: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Bill Chambers + Raechel Whitchurch: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival Cracker Night 2017 Various Artists: Riverside Theatre, Parramatta Brother Brad + Fox Holmes + World Champion Butterfly Swimmers: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

Thu 27 B Wise + Tapz + Manu Crook$: Albion Hotel, Parramatta

Luca Brasi: 1 Jul Metro Theatre

Bill Chambers + Raechel Whitchurch: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Two Door Cinema Club: 21 Jul Hodern Pavilion

Rich Davies and the Low Road + Hana & Jessie-Lee: Camelot Lounge

Oud & Proud Trekking from London to perform at Camelot Lounge Thursday, Joseph Tawadros and his oud (and the remainder of his trio) will be putting their technical abilities on full display. Listen out for some numbers from his latest album, World Music.

Dave + E4444E + Over Under: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington

Tanya Sparke + Friends: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Andy Zaltzman: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Major Leagues: Golden Age Cinema & Bar, Surry Hills

Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase Various Artists: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Twin Fires + Creo: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Bar), Manly

Des Bishop: Comedy Store, Moore Park Sydney Comedy Festival presents David Smeidt: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Direwolf + Caitlin Harnett + Carl Manwarring: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Simon Taylor: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

The Lemon Twigs: 22 Jul Oxford Art Factory

Black Rheno

Sigur Ros: 25 Jul Hodern Pavilion

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Emily Tressider: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Kuah Jenhan + Douglas Lim: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents David O’Doherty: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Brother Brad

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Mae Martin: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

All Aboard The Metal Express Self-professed heartbreakers Frankenbok are just one of the bands in the line-up for Under The Southern Cross 9, set to hit Bald Faced Stag Hotel Saturday.

Other bands slated to play are Silent Torture, Truth Corroded and Black Rheno.

(Django Bar), Marrickville Joseph Tawadros Trio : Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

36 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Madeleine Eden: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Al Del Bene: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Pajama Men: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Anne Klinge: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Peter & Bambi Heaven: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival - Best of the Fest with Various Artists: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Seaton Kay-Smith: Factory Theatre (The Container), Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Gillian Cosgriff: Factory Theatre (The Terminal), Marrickville

Get Around It The sibling-founded Sydney band Brother Brad will be continuing their dominance at Valve Bar Wednesday. The four-piece will be joined by Fox Holmes and World Champion Butterfly Swimmers.

Alcest + Germ + The Veil: Manning Bar, Camperdown Pez: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst Banjo Sessions with The Button Collective + Jimmy Daley + Narrownecks: Petersham Bowling Club (Green Room), Petersham

Gigs / Live The Guide

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Al Del Bene: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

The Griswolds + Lime Cordiale: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Various Artists: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Jason Byrne: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

LTR ON feat. Hook N Sling: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Troy Kinne: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Phill Jupitus: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Christopher Port: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst

Sydney Comedy Festival Club with Various Artists: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Sachet + Possible Humans + Garry David + Owen Pallett: Petersham Bowling Club (Green Room), Petersham

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Simon Taylor: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Des Bishop: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Pajama Men: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Furnace & The Fundamentals

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Anne Klinge: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Hannah Gadsby: Spiegeltent, Wollongong

Fiery Furnaces Furnace & The Fundamentals are continuing their residency at Soda Factory Thursday.

The versatile cover band will (assumedly) be belting out some Beyonce after fellow cover band The Looped Up Kicks take the stage.

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Peter & Bambi Heaven: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Jarrow + Good Boy: The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Emily Tressider: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Kuah Jenhan + Douglas Lim: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Sydney Comedy Festival - Best of the Fest with Various Artists: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Bill Chambers Sydney Comedy Festival presents Seaton Kay-Smith: Factory Theatre (The Container), Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Gillian Cosgriff: Factory Theatre (The Terminal), Marrickville Queen Porter Stomp: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Furnace & Fundamentals: The Soda Factory, Surry Hills Deep Space Supergroop + Slow Turismo + Vauxhall Outlaws: Union Hotel, Newtown City at Midnight + Ocean Street + Paravelle: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

El Grande + Space Monk: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Bar), Manly Running Touch: Hudson Ballroom, Sydney Lo Five + Natalie Slade: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville

Clive of India + The Decimals: Vic On The Park, Marrickville

E for Echo + SUIIX + Tinsmith + Goodnight Japan: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown

Fri 28

Mike McClellan: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton

Daemon Foetal Harvest: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt

The Opiuo Band + Japanese Wallpaper DJs + Goosebumpz: Metro Theatre, Sydney

Chambers Of Secrets The multifaceted Bill Chambers will be taking the stage at Leadbelly Wednesday, a plethora of guitars undoubtedly in tow. Joining Chambers is alt-country musician Raechel Whitchurch.

Yeeves + The Tambourine Girls + Snape: Bank Hotel (Waywards), Newtown Mid Ayr: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst

El Grande

Keyim Ba: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

Freshly Pick’d Headz with Benji + Kaoe + Dseeva + Scum City + Listic + more: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

The Sauerkrauts: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville

LIT Fridays with Various DJs: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Craig Hill: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Cosy Bosom + Cosy Flanders: Vic On The Park, Marrickville

Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase Various Artists: Comedy Store, Moore Park Des Bishop: Comedy Store, Moore Park Sydney Comedy Festival Club with Various Artists: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents David Smeidt: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Simon Taylor: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Emily Tressider: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Kuah Jenhan + Douglas Lim: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Muy Caliente Childhood friends and bluesy band mates El Grande are heading to Hotel Steyne’s Moonshine Bar Friday with the energetic Sydney four-piece Space Monk. An electric night is all but guaranteed. `

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Mae Martin: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

OKA + Leonard Sumner + DJ Vuli: Metro Theatre (The Lair), Sydney

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Madeleine Eden: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Cath & Him: Minto Mirage Hotel, Minto You Am I: Narrabeen RSL, North Narrabeen

Sat 29 Under The Southern Cross 9 feat. Various Artists: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt Yours feat. Hook N Sling: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Hip Hop Hooray with The Ying Yang Twins + Bubba Sparxxx + Twista + Trina: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point Sydney Comedy Club feat.

Christina Van Look + Keith Scott: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point Clap Clap Riot: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst At The Dakota + The Zilzies + Lume Etiquette: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington Toby Martin: Carriageworks, Eveleigh

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Mae Martin: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Stephen K Amos: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Eli Matthewson: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Jack Gow: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Phill Jupitus: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Pajama Men: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Anne Klinge: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Peter & Bambi Heaven: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival - Best of the Fest with Various Artists: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Gillian Cosgriff: Factory Theatre (The Terminal), Marrickville Frida Deguise: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Screamfeeder: Frankie’s Pizza

Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 37

Comedy / G The Guide

The Resignators + Los Kung Fu Monkeys + Chris Duke & The Royals + Ska’d For Life: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

Bill Chambers

Big T + Zanda Elwood + more: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo

Horns Of Leroy + The Hi Tops Brass Band: Venue 505, Surry Hills Shirley Crescent + Love Drunk Hearts: Vic On The Park, Marrickville

Indie

Sun 30 Dennis Val: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills The Starr Sisters + Regent Street Big Band: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

Have You Heard

When did you start making music and why? At about 16 years old.

It was 1966, The Beatles and The Stones were huge but I really wanted to be Bob Dylan.

Sum up your musical sound in four words? Dirty vocals, clean guitars.

If you could only listen to one album forevermore, what would it be and why? Southeastern by Jason Isbell.

Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Playing Dobro for Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller.

Why should people come and see your band? Because it’ll be nothing like you think it’ll be!

Planet Des Bishop: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Tight-knit Sydney crew Planet are set to simultaneously invigorate and mildly sedate audiences with their unique flair for pop-rock.

Garage enthusiasts The Dolphin Show will be joining them at Selina’s Friday.

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Simon Taylor: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Emily Tressider: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Kuah Jenhan + Douglas Lim: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Screamfeeder: Frankie’s Pizza

By The Slice, Sydney

All Ages Matinee Show with Dylan Rass: Metro Theatre (The Lair), Sydney

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Mae Martin: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

The Awesome: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Rock City Saints + Codju: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Stephen K Amos: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Rare Finds 2nd Birthday feat. Hey Geronimo + Major Leagues + more: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Eli Matthewson: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Matthew Druery & the Imperial Orchestra + Oscar Joe: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville The Cyril B Bunter Band: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown

Beatnix - Beatles Show: Parramatta RSL, Parramatta Mezko

Evie Dean: Penrith Panthers (Squires Terrace Bar), Penrith The Kamis + Jazz Express: Penrith RSL (Castle Lounge), Penrith

When and where are your next gigs? 26 Apr, Leadbelly; 27 Apr, Brass Monkey.

Cosmic Boogie with Tom Studdy + Cosmo Jones: Play Bar, Surry Hills Clive Hay: Smithfield RSL (Imogen’s Lounge), Smithfield

Website link for more info? billchambersmusic.com

Rove McManus: Spiegeltent, Wollongong

Raring To Rave

Sydney Comedy Festival presents Jack Gow: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Sydney Comedy Festival presents Pajama Men: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Peter & Bambi Heaven: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival - Best of the Fest with +Various Artists: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Sydney Comedy Festival presents Gillian Cosgriff: Factory Theatre (The Terminal), Marrickville

Boom Crash Opera: The Basement, Sydney Mark Cashin: The Beach Hotel, Merewether

Sydney duo Mezko will be transforming Beach Road Hotel into a full-blown dance-a-thon Wednesday as they’re set to support Kiwi powerhouse Sachi.

Groovin’ The Moo feat. Against Me! + Allday + Amy Shark + Architects + The Darkness + Dillon Francis + George Maple + Hayden James + The Jungle Giants + K Flay + L-FRESH The LION + Loyle Carner and more: Maitland Showgrounds, South Maitland

38 • THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017

Troy Kinne: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Seaworld

OKA

Los Monaros + DJ Boo Boo Muck: The Bearded Tit, Redfern The All Seeing Hand: The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale The Best of the Eagles: The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie Will + Michelle Issa + Nicole Issa + Lazy Byrd: The Louis (formerly Lewisham Hotel), Lewisham The Foreday Riders: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle Slow Turismo + Slumberhaze + Capes + Video Breezy: The Phoenix, Canberra

Helmet: Manning Bar, Camperdown

Mihka Chee: The Record Crate, Glebe

Seedy Jeezus + The Neptune Power Federation + Buffalo Trio: Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville

Hex + Sounds Like Winter + Fingermae: Town Hall Hotel, Newtown

A-OKAy OKA are heading down to The Lair at Metro Theatre on Friday to give us a taste of their electric (dreamtime) feel. Leonard Sumner and DJ Vuli will be lending a helping hand.

Gigs / Live The Guide

Frida Deguise: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Anthony Hughes: Oatley Hotel, Oatley

Doggin It : The Merton Hotel, Rozelle

The Velvet Addiction: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney

Bobby Benton’s Classic Sixties Show: Penrith RSL (Castle Lounge), Penrith

The 5 Lands Band + Chaika + Steven Jakson: The Rhythm Hut, Gosford

Gas Acoustica feat. Various Artists: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

The Galilee Blockade Resistance Campaign with Alannah Russack + Leah Flanagan + Steph Miller + Ricky Pann + Mark Lucas: Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham

Miss Fortune: The Small Ballroom, Islington

Jen Buxton: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington

Twin Fires

David Knight: The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield Mason Rack Band : Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi

Selahphonic

Katey Brookes + Lola Sola + Hollie Col: Upstairs @ Fred’s, Camden Monica & the Explosion + Frenzy + Madam Wong + Violent Stones + New Fridge: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo DJ Jack Shit: Vic On The Park, Marrickville Floyd Vincent & The Temple Dogs: Wickham Park Hotel, Islington

A Little Bit Country Twin Fires are bringing their seamless fusion of American South and Aussie rock to Moonshine bar at Hotel Steyne Thursday. Fellow Sydney band Creo will be bringing their own flavour of rock’n’roll to the occasion.

Death By Stereo: The Hideaway Bar, Enmore

Fun With Phonics Indie-pop trailblazers Selahphonic are coming to Brighton Up Bar Thursday in celebration of their upcoming EP, Therapy. Joining in on the festivities are Queensland natives and surf-rock connoisseurs Shag Rock.

Funk Engine: Hotel Blue, Katoomba

Galilee Blockade Fundraiser feat.

Alannah Russack + Leah Flanagan + Steph Miller + Ricky Pann + Mark Lucas: Petersham RSL, Petersham

The Strides: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Bar), Manly Stephanie Lea: Jamison Hotel, Penrith On A Sunday with Virna Sanzone + Phil Stack: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown

Death By Stereo + Topnovil + Disparo + Raised As Wolves: Rad Bar, Wollongong

The Resignators

Undoubtedly The Resignators are intent on rejuvenating ska music at Valve Bar Saturday. They’ve also thrown in Los Kung Fu Monkeys, Chris Duke & The Royals and Ska’d For Life for good measure.

Utzon Music Series feat. Mahan Esfahani: Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Afternoon Show with Flowertruck + Nocturnal Tapes + Brightness: North Wollongong Hotel, North Wollongong

Dio Driver + The Australian Deep Purple Show: The Basement, Sydney

Tue 02 The Urban Chiefs + Monica & the Explosion + Melancholy Flowers: LazyBones Lounge (Level One), Marrickville Kye Brown: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Hans Zimmer + Lebo M + Lisa Gerrard: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park The Whitlams + SSO: Sydney Opera House (Concert Hall), Sydney Death By Stereo: The Basement, Belconnen

Troy T + Suite Az: Rock Lily, Pyrmont

The Sauerkrauts: Metropole Hotel, Katoomba

The Bootleg Sessions feat. Wesley & The Crushers + An Inconvenient Groove + Slagatha Christie + Cat Ridgeway: The Phoenix, Canberra

Mon 01 Musos Club Jam: Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield James Brennan: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

The Humm: The Beach Hotel, Merewether

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THE MUSIC • 26TH APRIL 2017 • 39