05.1 10. 0.16 16 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Cul ultu ture re
Issue Iss ue
159
Sydney / Free / Incorporating
fostering diverrrsity tour: kylie auldist
tv: yael stone
tour: gwenno
RENAE TITCHMARSH
2 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
RALLY 2 MAKE SYDNEY GREAT AGAIN! Let's end the lockouts and bring excitement back to our global city.
SUN 9 OCT 12pm, Belmore Park near Central Station
facebook.com/KeepSydneyOpen
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 3
4 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
BASEMENT
THU 6TH 8PM
“VOMVELLIS”
BASEMENT
ROCK SHOW SUPPORTED BY “MASTA GRAVITY”, “TRAPYARD” AND MANY MORE
SAT 8TH 2PM
CROOKED FRAMES PRESENTS BASEMENT
FRI 7TH 8PM
LEVEL ONE
FRI 7TH 10PM
“TROUBLE IN PARADISE” EP LAUNCH
INDIE ROCK SHOW SUPPORTED BY: “VALEN”, “CROOKED FRAMES”, “THE SEVEN ELVINS”, “MAGIC BEANS MERCHANTS” TIME TO TRACK AND SOUND SOMETHING PRESENTS
LEVEL ONE
SAT 8TH 9PM
ALL NIGHT LONG WITH ANDREW WOWK
BASS MUSIC FREE PARTY SUPPORTED BY ATHLON AND FEATURING EXTENDED PERFORMANCE BY ONE OF SYDNEY’S FAVOURITES ANDREW WOWK AKA THE BIRTHDAY BOY
JOSH ARENTZ PRODUCTION PRESENTS:
SYDNEY PUNK ROCK FEST
FEAT: “THE DECLINE”, “LAURA MARDON”, “LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE”, “TIM HAMPSHIRE”, “BATFOOT!”, “YVETTE VIALS”, “WASTERS”, “JOSH ARENTZ”, “51 PERCENT”, “A-ROCK NEWMAN”, “KANG”, “WHISKEY JEFF”, “COLYTONS”, “JONO READ”, “ANGUS AND JULIA STONED”, “RAISED AS WOLVES” THE ELEMENTS OF TRANCE PRESENTS
PSY/PROG/ UPLIFITNG/TRANCE
WITH DJ’S THOMAS KNIGHT, XAN MULLER, THIERRY, TERABYTE, CAPITOL E NOPATIENCE RECORDS PRESENTS:
BASEMENT
SUN 9TH 6PM
DARK POSTPONE/ DARKWAVE SHOW OF THE YEAR
WITH “BELGRADO” (SPAIN), SUPPORTED BY “DEATH CHURCH”, “MUSCLE MEMORY”, “MORTE LENTA”, “LA SUFFOCATED”
COMING UP
Thu 13 Oct: 8pm Basement: Space Rock Show with “Spaceboys” supported by many special guests; Fri 14 Oct: 8pm Basement: Sooth Sayers Collective presents: Submersion V.2. feat: Dub Princess, Xsetra, Sooth Sayers and many more; 10pm Level One: Elektrocute presents Halloween 2016! with DJ Matt of Biomechanimal (UK), Spookies party of the year feat DJ’s Team Rocket (One Seventy), Atomic Theory (Rocket Science Club), Jenetik (Asylum), Danejer (Sugoi as F#=K) playing Industrial, Happy Hardcore, Psy Trance, Dark Electro; Sat 15 Oct: 8pm Basement: yes Rave presents: Yes Rave Social #1 Ft. Bilbo (mixtape launch) feat: “Bilby”, “Marky Vaw, Moonsign, Old ate DJ from SCABZ, DJ Wildstylez, DJ Toot, Yes Rave DJ’s, “Cat Lyf” and many more ; Level One: Pitch presents Resonant Evil - 2 Parts Dubstep, 1 Part JumpUp DnB feat: DJ’s Rompa, Mischief, Dilbert, YMAS, Samsquamch, Polar, Pitch; Sun 16 Oct: 5pm Basement: Red Velvet presents: Indie Rock Show with “Red Velvet” supported by “Lorenzo”, “Dizzies” and many special guests
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 5
Credits Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon Gig Guide Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au Contributing Editor
Music Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Call Me
The Calling have unveiled plans to head to Down Under in November for their debut Australian tour, 15 years after their debut single, Wherever You Will Go, blew up the charts worldwide.
The Calling
Bryget Chrisfield Editorial Assistants Brynn Davies, Sam Wall Contributors Adam Wilding, Anthony Carew, Brendan Crabb, Cameron Cooper, Carley Hall, Cate Summers, Chris Familton, Daniel Cribb, Chris Maric, Christopher H James, Cyclone, Daniel Cribb, Danielle O’Donohue, Dave Drayton, Deborah Jackson, Dylan Stewart, Eliza Berlage, Guido Farnell, Guy Davis, James d’Apice, Jonty Czuchwicki, Liz Guiffre, Mac McNaughton, Mark Beresford, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt MacMaster, Mitch Knox, Neil Griffiths, Paul Ransom, Mick Radojkovic, Peter Laurie, Rip Nicholson, Ross Clelland, Sam Baran, Samuel J Fell, Sarah Petchell, Sean Capel, Sean Maroney, Steve Bell, Tanya Bonnie Rae, Tim Finney, Tyler McLoughlan, Uppy Chatterjee, Xavier Rubetzki Noonan
Carlos Santana
Photographers Angela Padovan, Cole Bennetts, Clare Hawley, Jared Leibowitz, Josh Groom, Kane Hibberd, Pete Dovgan, Peter Sharp, Rohan Anderson Advertising Dept Georgina Pengelly, Sammy Blades-Moore sales@themusic.com.au Art Dept Ben Nicol Felicity Case-Mejia 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) 9311 7077 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au
Your ‘Los After just announcing some more Mary J Blige-level heavies, Byron Bay Bluesfest have welcomed legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and iconic US rockers The Doobie Brothers aboard its 2017 line-up, and they’re still not done yet. Jackass
— Sydney
Jackass 4D It’s been awhile since we’ve seen the Jackass boys together but Aussie fans are getting a nostaglic dose of everyone’s favourite group of idiots, as four of the cast members embark on a national tour next month. 6 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
c / Arts / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Got Wood?
Melburnian rock outfit Kingswood are capping 2016 in big’n’boisterous style with a national run of metro and regional shows that will take across five states, including to some venues they’ve not visited in several years, this November.
Kingswood
Nouvelle Vague
Frenching in The Park So Frenchy So Chic In The Park is back for its sixth year this January. It’s a day that’s all about friends, food, wine and, of course, music - with performances from Deluxe, The Liminanas and more.
6,250 Frantic
The Caesar Of Cinema This November ACMI and Palace cinemas are presenting a touring film season called ROMAN: 10 X Polanski. It will featuring ten key films selected from Franco-Polish director Roman Polanski’s groundbreaking filmography.
The amount in English pounds (about A$10,500 for us) that a ceramic pigshaped statue of Ed Sheeran sold for at a charity auction in the UK.
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 7
Lifestyle Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Welcome To The Show
Eric Andre
Eric Andre has been perplexing and provoking audiences with the late night cult hit The Eric Andre Show since 2012 and now he has announced his debut Australian stand-up shows this December.
Cash In The Bank
Melbourne singer-songwriter Josh Cashman has released Wishful Imagery, the new single from his upcoming EP. To celebrate he’s launching the track with shows this October, as well as joining Tash Sultana on her tour.
Band Of Skulls
Tiger Army
Rollin’ Bones Off the back of their Disconnect Festival slot in WA, British indie rockers Band Of Skulls have unveiled a run of headline shows for their fourth record, By Default in November. John Course & Mark Dynamix
Sound As A Pound November through to January Ministry of Sound OGs John Course and Mark Dynamix are hitting the road for the Ministry of Sound Reunion Tour: The Annual 2001-2004, with heaps of local supports. 8 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Josh Cashman
e / Cultu Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Houses Always Wins
Tiny Little Houses
Melbourne quartet Tiny Little Houses are having an absolute cracker of a year with their second EP out Friday, a new music video last week and their first ever national tour of Australia in November/December.
Frontlash Gagabowl
Regardless of whether you like her music or not, you’ve got to admit Lady Gaga at the Superbowl will surely be a performance of epic proportions.
Falling into TV
The Fall TV schedule is well underway in America, which means more and more quality programming is returning to our screens.
Tiger Army, one of the best acts to come out of the Californian punk scene 20 years ago, will hit Australian shore, after not touring around these parts for a long eight years, this coming February.
Footy!
Lashes
Time To Enlist
‘Twas the weekend of the underdog as droughts were broken in both the NRL and AFL grand finals.
Lady Gaga
Backlash Donald Trump
100 Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer
Weapons
MILLION
Of Choice Vancouver’s Shawn ‘The Harpoonist’ Hall and Matthew ‘The Axe Murderer’ Rogers are headed to Australian shores this November with their mouth-harps, foot stomps and telecasters to embark on their maiden Australian tour.
This many US Dollars (and possibly more) have reportedly been spent on Netflix’s upcoming series on Queen Elizabeth II, The Crown.
Surely American can’t want a president who goes on late night twitter rants? Imagine the subjects he raves on about being implemented as national policy?
Burke Ramsay
The Dr Phil interview with Burke Ramsey, the brother of JonBenet Ramsey, who was murdered nearly 20 years ago, was just downright creepy to watch after it finally aired here. Who smiles like that when being asked about their sister’s murder?
Extending lockouts Just as another Keep Sydney Open rally is planned for this weekend, a report from La Trobe university in Melbourne suggested restrictions be put in place across the country.
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 9
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Keep Sydney Open
Keep Sydney Open
The Callinan Review revealed what anyone with a mild grip on reality already knew, Sydney’s lockout laws do more harm than good. This Sunday there’s a Keep Sydney Open rally at Belmore Park to fight the ridiculous curfew.
The Laurels
Laurel & Party With their highly anticipated second album, Sonicology, set to drop in a matter of weeks, Sydney rockers The Laurels have locked down an extensive Aussie tour in support. The tour kicks of later this month.
Ship Shapes This 20 Oct, Sculpture By The Sea returns for the 20th year running. Lasting until early November, the popular annual event sees weird and wonderful modern sculptures pop-up along the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach.
Sometimes I think “this country deserves better” but then remember half the time I use a public toilet there’s already poop floating in it. @shutupmikeginn 10 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Sculpture By The Sea
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Big Week
Taasha Coates
The Cronulla precinct’s Australian Music Week conference in November have announced their final artist line-up. Acts like Taasha Coates, Chris Cain and Ray Baedle are set to join the already massive list.
Here’s a wrap of who’s just announced a new release:
Honeyblood
Tycho announced a surprise album Epoch (Inertia), which is out now digitally, but if you have a hankering for physical product, that won’t be available until closer to when they hit town for Laneway, with a 20 Jan release date. 21 Oct sees the release of Everything Is My Family ([PIAS]), the new album from Crystal Fighters, described by the band themselves as “more dancefloor, more psychedelic, more tropical, more rave, more sunshine, more pretty much everything” than anything they have done before.
Boozapalooza Wine lovers are in for a treat this weekend when Pinot Palooza kicks off at Carriageworks. Get a snifter of the southern hemisphere’s finest Pinot Noirs from more than 60 vineyards.
Glasgow two-piece Honeyblood release their second album Babes Never Die (FatCat/Cooking Vinyl) this 4 Nov. Glam rockers Steel Panther release their new album Lower The Bar (Kobalt/Inertia) on 24 Feb. Also known for his work with The Libertines and Babyshambles, Peter Doherty delivers his second solo album Hamburg Demonstrations (BMG/ Liberator) on 2 Dec. Already on his way here in December, Frank Carter has announced a new album from his combo The Rattlesnakes will follow 27 Jan, titled Modern Ruin (International Death Cult/Kobalt).
For all gig and event details check out theMusic.com.au.
NZ born, Gold Coast-based The Koi Boys will release their debut album Meant To Be (Universal), featuring nine covers and three originals. In the lead up to an Australian tour in early 2017, Simple Minds release a new album called Simple Minds Acoustic (Caroline) which features, yep, you guessed it, acoustic reinterpretations of their back catalogue. THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 11
Music
t a ke action “I
MCs Sally Coleman and Erica Mallett of Coda Conduct, Le Pie aka Sarah Fenn and Brynn Davies discuss whether or not we should be having the conversation about ‘women in music’ ahead of Sad Grrrls Fest. Cover and feature pics by Cole Bennetts.
t’s usually the first question of the interview. Like, ‘How does it feel being a woman?’ And I’m like, ‘I dunno, how does it feel wearing underpants?’” Sally Coleman has just hit the elephant in the room on the head during our interview for Sad Grrrls Fest, which celebrates gender diversity and showcases non-male musicians. For half an hour, in the spirit of the festival, we’ve been discussing — and at times debating — questions surrounding the gendered music industry: why aren’t women as well represented as men in music? How do we change it? Whose responsibility is it? And the most convoluted question of all — should we even be talking about it? Gendered identification is rife in music journalism, whereby an artist will be introduced or described on the basis of their sex or sexual orientation — the catch: it’s something that is unique to women and non-binary musicians. It’s Sarah Fenn — who you know as Le Pie — who first raises the topic while we’re joking about their experiences with 12 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
bad interview questions — “What do you feel like being called a ‘female musician’, ‘cuz I know that debate’s coming up at the moment?” she asks the table. “I think the only test would be like — would you say ‘male musician’ in the same context? If you wouldn’t, why is that necessary?” rationalises Coleman. “But some females would like to be defined as that because that’s their image,” suggests Erica Mallett. “But ‘femcee’ — femcee is the worst term,” she cringes. “But that’s the thing — if someone wants to use it, power to them,” counters Coleman. Fenn is on the fence. “I don’t know how I feel about it... I feel like the use of ‘female musician’, or not using that term, is in some ways kinda just semantics or something. If you really care about that being the cause and you want that not to be a thing anymore, then maybe stop going on about the word choice and just do what you can to make that not be an abnormal thing.”
“I mean everyone’s tired of talking about it, females and males combined. Obviously there’s a problem, obviously there’s a conversation that we’re all having and it’s in the public consciousness, but I think what will really raise it up is everyone agreeing that it’s a problem and then doing something about it and making those efforts,” suggests Coleman. “And not making the problem a problem that women need to solve. It’s everybody’s responsibility,” Fenn agrees. That’s where Sad Grrrls Fest comes in. 2016’s event is Australia’s biggest female-fronted line-up, promoting gender diversity and fighting against the under-representation of female and non-binary musicians at festivals. In March, triple j’s Hack found that only 26 percent of acts on festival line-ups sported at least one non-male member. The same report found that only one in five APRA members were women, and yet girls make up the larger proportion of students pursuing music in high school. “To be honest, [growing up] I found most of the women in music were superstars. They were divas, they were glamorous,” explains
We’re kinda at the whim of the industry right now — people want female line-ups, people want females on their radio shows, it’s a trendy thing to do, but it can’t just be a trend.
Coleman. “I think what’s really important in music at the moment is seeing not just women in music but also a really diverse range of women in music — people who dress differently, speak differently, look different, talk about different things, so you don’t have this one superstar diva mould of what it means to be a female musician. “What I’d like to see is — obviously festivals like [Sad Grrrls] that create space for women and promote women are really great and really essential — but on the flip side I’d like to see spaces that encourage men to talk to women and encourage men to come on board and feel like they’re included. I feel like a lot of the time guys want to help but
bling in da haus
The rad Sad Grrrls necklace you see in our shots was made especially for us by Haus Of Dizzy. Here’s Kristy Dickinson to tell us all about it. What is Haus Of Dizzy? My name is Kristy and I’m a Indigenous designer from Newtown in Sydney’s inner west. I created Haus Of Dizzy about two years ago. I was between jobs and really wanted to do my own
they’re really scared of putting their foot in their mouth, they don’t know what to do.” The barrier we often face is the stigma surround the feminism tag: “The ‘F’ word,” Fenn laughs. “I think because it has connotations of women being opposed to men, which is not what the feminist movement is even about — obviously it’s about inclusivity and gender quality — but it’s a term that [can be] known as a threatening sort of thing; women trying to get in front of men or get power over men. Which is not accurate,” she muses. “That’s so true,” Mallett agrees. “I hate the fact that it has such man-hating connotations. And I have met a few people who define themselves as a feminist who do hate men, and that’s not it at all.” “We need a balance of those two kinds of feminism — the one that’s like, ‘Women need a space as well, guys have had their own space for so long’, and the type of feminism that’s like, ‘Hey, we’re all in this together’,” Coleman sums up. “And by that token, I’m super aware that we’re young, skinny white girls and we have a perspective as well that’s super informed by another kinda privilege, and I think the conversation that’s happening at the moment in the industry isn’t just about gender — it’s about fostering diversity. Always [be] conscious: whether it’s your line-ups or your playlists, if you’re a curator, if you’re a music producer, if you have anything to do with the industry you just have to be aware of where you’re coming from as an individual and how your own perceptions influence the people you choose to engage with.” We’re slowly seeing an increase in the number of women billed for festivals and receiving high rotation airplay, as well as a movement within individual genres. “Are there many other women in your genre?” Fenn asks Coda Conduct. “Thirty years ago there were more women in hip hop than there are now. It can always go backwards,” Coleman answers. “I think the culture changed; people got complacent about it and it got to the point where it wasn’t cool anymore. And I think we have to get to the point where it’s not about being cool or trendy, it’s just normal... and until we get to that point where it’s really normalised, it’s always got the potential to go backwards. We’re kinda at the whim of the industry right now — people want female line-ups, people want females on their radio shows, it’s a trendy thing to do, but it can’t just be a trend.”
When & Where: 8 Oct, Sad Grrrls Fest, Factory Theatre
thing. I jumped in head first and put what ever little money I had into it and started to make jewellery, drawing inspiration from my local area. I wanted to make statement jewellery but still wanted to keep it affordable. What is your process? I start by designing my jewellery by simply drawing it and then it gets run through the laser cutter. I then assemble it and hand paint on
some of the pieces. It’s a long process and takes me up to three days to make a piece. Give us the wrap: Haus of Dizzy is fun, bold and cheeky statement jewellery that adds a little pizzazz to any outfit. They make really great conversation starters too!
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 13
Music
No More Nanna Music When Kylie Auldist was interviewed by Channel 7 News, Cyclone discovers they focused purely on the soul diva being a mother from Glenroy: “It’s never about the music, is it? They’ve gotta find another angle.”
K
ylie Auldist has long reigned as Melbourne’s premiere soul diva — performing with The Bamboos, Cookin’ On 3 Burners and solo. This year she found herself charting across Europe as the voice of This Girl — a Cookin’ On 3 Burners track remixed by the French house DJ Kungs. But now she’s busting out with her boldest project yet in the electro-funk Family Tree — presaged by 2015’s single Sensational. “I love dance music,” Auldist says. The neo-soulstress is in Marios, the iconic Fitzroy cafe, enjoying a late lunch and beer post-rehearsal. Auldist has experienced a new level of fame since This Girl blew up — to her amusement. She tells of an interview with Channel
I don’t wanna be Engelbert Humperdinck
7 News: “We talked for an hour and the only thing they concentrated on was that I was a mother from Glenroy! It was like, ‘Well, what about the music?’ But it’s never about the music, is it? They’ve gotta find another angle.” Hailing from Hay, NSW, Auldist escaped to Melbourne to pursue just that — music. She sang backing vocals for Renee Geyer and Jimmy Barnes. Auldist also gigged in bands, eventually joining Lance Ferguson’s The Bamboos. The group’s UK label, Tru Thoughts, secured her as a solo act — and Auldist debuted with 2008’s Just Say. Meanwhile, she moonlighted with Cookin’ On 3 Burners — then a Bamboos spin-off. They issued This Girl as a single in 2009. After teen DJ Kungs remixed the dormant song, it topped the charts in countries like France and reached #2 in the UK. However, the remix doesn’t credit Auldist as
14 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
vocalist, nor is she in the video. “I don’t complain about anything that happens to me,” she says. “I think life has been good to me, and this career’s been good to me. I’m completely happy for my friends Cookin’ On 3 Burners — they wrote it. I’m rapt for them. We all wish for something like this to happen, you know?” Regardless, Auldist rolls her eyes at Kungs’ promotion of This Girl — the DJ hiring nondescript vocalists for live PAs. “They can’t even sing in tune!” But, she sighs, “Kungs doesn’t really speak to us.” Meanwhile, Auldist herself is singing This Girl in European nightclubs. What’s more, she’s capitalising on its success to launch Family Tree, her first dance album. “The serendipitous thing that happened was that I’d already made an album [and] that it was ready to come out just the very minute that this all happened. So I could follow it up with like, ‘Well, here’s something I prepared earlier!’” On Family Tree Auldist recreates classic electro-boogie — channelling Chaka Khan, Teena Marie and Gloria Estefan (circa Miami Sound Machine). “That was the sort of music that I’d loved in the ‘80s.” The genre was due for a revival — Mark Ronson flirting with it on Uptown Special. Auldist initially raised the idea of producing a “disco” album with Ferguson. The Bamboos might “tease” Auldist for “liking Sneaky Sound System”, but Ferguson, a sometime DJ, was up. Still, the input of Graeme Pogson, boogie aficionado, ensured Family Tree’s viability. “He gave it that flavour.” The songs “flowed”. Australia’s soul music scene has flourished in recent times with acts like Hiatus Kaiyote and Ngaiire. Ironically, Auldist feels constrained. “I’m done with soul,” she declares. “I’ve always been a lot more of a funk girl. Soul was a fashionable thing. And, because I was offered a record deal to do it, I was like, ‘Sure, let’s do it’ — and then, ‘cause I’m in The Bamboos, it all sort of fit me.” Nonetheless, she “got a bit sick of doing nanna music.” “I don’t wanna be Engelbert Humperdinck,” Auldist laughs. She sought to record something “current” — “even though it’s kind of like going back for me.” Family Tree is Auldist’s most candid work thematically, too. “It is close to my heart.” The album is “a tribute” to her late father. “My family is important to me.” (She jokes how they “infuriate” and “inspire” her.) Auldist maintains that she’s into “all different types of music”. And, here, Family Tree reveals another twist — Auldist turns Cold Chisel’s Saturday Night into a roller-rink jam. “It was an anthem of my childhood.” She doesn’t know if Barnesy has heard it. The new disruptive Auldist may be too OTT for soul purists. Curiously, Tru Thoughts declined Family Tree — and so the Aussie switched to Freestyle Records, home of Cookin’ On 3 Burners, the deal inked before This Girl hit. “So it was like, ‘Oh, you get rewarded!’” Auldist quips. The singer is “excited” to embark on her Dancefloor Diva Tour, with a new live band centred around computers and synths (plus horn section to placate ol’ skool punters at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues). “I don’t have a drummer and a bass player on this tour,” Auldist says. “I miss them, I miss them badly, but you just can’t do all those crazy sounds.”
What: Family Tree (Family Tree Records/ The Planet Company) When & Where: 13 Oct, Beresford Hotel; 14 Oct, The Newport
Č
ORLD FAMOU EW S TH
SHOWCASE
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 15
TV
Unravelled Orange Is The New Black actress Yael Stone tells Guy Davis about the real “shock” in dredging up the past for SBS’ new drama, documentary and multimedia experience Deep Water.
“I
t’s about wading into the deep water of the past so we can understand what’s going on now, and in the future.” You have to give Australian actor Yael Stone her due respect. Not only does she provide a neat precis of what the upcoming SBS multimedia event Deep Water is about, she deftly manages to slip the very title of it in there as well. Not that marketing is on the mind of the acclaimed Orange Is The New Black star; her work on stage and screen, and the way she conducts herself away from the audience or the camera, gives every indication that
...by pulling the thread, she exposes some much larger issues about the policing that went on in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
straightforward sincerity is her style. Primarily based in the US, Stone returned to Australia this year to take a lead role in the four-part crime drama Deep Water, which is only one section of an overall multimedia ‘experience’ that also includes a 90-minute documentary and a sizeable online component, all working in conjunction to reveal the harrowing truth behind a spate of hate crimes, including murder, against gay men throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. The documentary Deep Water - The Real Story will feature police investigators, crime victims and relatives of the men murdered as it presents the facts and tries to shed light on aspects of the case that remain hidden, while the interactive hub Deep Water - Online 16 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Investigations provides a wealth of additional material related to the crimes. For many viewers, however, the likely entry point to this story will be the miniseries. It has a strong supporting cast that includes William McInnes, Wentworth’s Danielle Cormack, Craig McLachlan and Stone’s husband Dan Spielman, with Stone and Noah Taylor taking the lead roles as police detectives Tori Lustigman and Nick Manning, whose investigation into a brutal murder in Bondi takes an even darker turn when connections to a string of unexplained deaths and disappearances from decades earlier start to appear. “Basically we have a present-day homicide, and Tori starts to see links to an even greater problem,” says Stone, speaking on the second-last day of Deep Water’s 32-day shoot. “She starts pulling the thread, and the thread leads all the way back into some cold cases labelled as suicide or misadventure. And by pulling the thread, she exposes some much larger issues about the policing that went on in the late 1980s and early 1990s in New South Wales.” While the miniseries is fictionalised, it uses actual events as its point of origin, something Stone calls a “real shock to the system”. “It’s something most Sydneysiders may not know about but probably should know about,” she says. “And the quality of the victimhood is something we have to ask about. When the victimhood is couched in a community that was viewed as ‘lesser than’ at the time, it’s not valued in the same way as what you might call a mainstream victim. What we’re looking at in this story is a comparison between the treatment of the people who perpetrate the crimes, who were given a second chance when the authorities looked the other way way, and the victims who were interrogated as if they had com committed crimes themselves.” As Lustigman and Manning delve deeper into the case, they find that some of the initial suspects hold little-to-no guilt for what they consider immature indi indiscretions, others are haunted by their involvement in w what Stone calls “a terrifying picture of packmen mentality violence”. Even more disquieting for Stone’s sec second-generation cop, though, is the seeming com complicity shown by previous generations of police offi officers in keeping these cases cold. “There are two maj major conflicts driving Tori here, and they’re personal and professional,” says Stone. “Tori wanted to do things the right way, and she finds it very confronting when she learns about the old-school way. She doesn’t accept the status quo; she doesn’t accept the stories she’s been told. And then there’s the battle of looking within the force you work with - asking greater questions about that is deeply uncomfortable if you want to keep your job.” It’s clear that Stone’s sympathies lie with the victims of these crimes; people disregarded or failed by a system designed to provide them justice. “I had no idea that this had gone on,” she says of the crimes depicted in Deep Water. “So it’s important that this story comes to light.”
What: Deep Water When & Where: 8.30pm Wednesdays on SBS
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 17
Music
Oral Health Teeth & Tongue’s Jess Cornelius didn’t wanna admit to Rookie magazine that she was “really drunk” at 11am, she tells Bryget Chrisfield.
“I
t’s always a bit of a weird thing with Teeth & Tongue,” Jess Cornelius muses, “’cause people are always like, ‘Is it solo or is it a band?’ And, you know, there’s press photos with the band and there’s press photos of just me and it’s just a really strange situation; it’s kind of ever-evolving.” Sitting in an airy Brunswick cafe, Cornelius wears a snug-looking houndstooth jacket and cradles a cup of chai tea (with soy) in her hands. There’s a hair elastic around her right wrist. “We did just recently replace the keyboardist-slash-backing singer,” Cornelius adds, before clarifying that Teeth & Tongue have been a four-piece for two years now. “Damian [Sullivan] the bass
I ended up saying something like we’d had heaps of sugar, ‘cause I didn’t wanna say that I was really drunk On songwriting, Cornelius observes, “You’re the only one who can fix it, but someone else can help you identify that a part’s not working.” After being accepted for a NES Artist Residency, Cornelius spent some time in Iceland hoping to work up some material for her latest album. “It didn’t necessarily produce the kinds of songs that I wanted to be doing for the next record, so it was interesting,” she admits. Although Cornelius “didn’t have all [her] normal resources”, she did “get access to the church... so there was all these, like, really bad piano ballads that came out,” she laughs. The motivation behind securing a residency for Cornelius was to see what would happen if she focused entirely on music “for two months”, although her initial urge was “to go somewhere warm”. “I was like, ‘I wanna go to Turkey or something and sit by the Mediterranean Sea and write songs’.” Dianne is a standout album track, and Cornelius commends, “Laura actually had a big part [in] that, she helped me with that one”. This song’s music video sees the band dancing around crazily in a bedroom and Cornelius confesses, “I felt really weird talking about it in interviews. I did this kinda interview with Rookie magazine in the US when they premiered the video... They were asking all about it and I think I ended up saying something like we’d had heaps of sugar, ‘cause I didn’t wanna say that I was really drunk. It was, like, 11 o’clock and I was wasted - I wasn’t wasted, but I had [to] be all jumping around. I was like, ‘I can’t say that’.” So does Cornelius ordinarily eat Fruit Loops straight from the box as depicted in said video? “Sometimes,” she chuckles.
What: Give Up On Your Health (Dot Dash/Remote Control) When & Where: 7 Oct, Brighton Up Bar player’s been playing with us for three years and Marc [Regueiro-McKelvie]’s been playing with me since 2011 so, you know, it’s essentially longer than that for a lot of the members.” For Teeth & Tongue’s latest Give Up On Your Health album, Cornelius acknowledges, “The band were incredible, they were a much bigger part of the arrangement process than they ever have been before... They had a huge influence, I think, on the way the album sounds.” Before Cornelius took the songs to the band, she “had a bit of a songwriting workshop thing going on with Laura Jean”. “We met when we were both studying writing together... we both did the RMIT Professional Writing & Editing course,” she explains. The pair would “bring each other songs” since Jean was “writing at the same time”.
18 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
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Music
Don’t Panic Go To Hell, Hangovers
Water and aspirin, you’ve been a true friend. But we won’t be needing your services for much longer. According to Professor David Nutt, hangovers will be a thing of the past by 2050. It’s all thanks to synthetic he’s patented called ‘Alcosynth’ which replicates the positive buzz of alcohol without the crappy side effects. Don’t get too excited and start throwing out your cellar – the compounds are still in testing phase. So for those of us who booze and loose, here are the hangover remedies you need to know.
The Greaser This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Grease. Lots of it. $1 hash browns are a must, as are B&E rolls and hot chips and gravy.
The Yogi Your body is a temple, and you’ve just trashed it. For the guilty few who need a holistic remedy, try a green juice – cucumber, lemon, ginger, kale, green apple and ice.
The Old School Those looking for a little old world charm in their hangover cure should try a Prairie Oyster: a raw egg, hot sauce and black pepper.
20 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Five years since their last album, The Panics return with Hole In Your Pocket — more in control than ever, but just enjoying what they do. Singer Jae Laffer ponders life experiences and the creative process with Ross Clelland.
Y
ou get the feeling The Panics are the kind of band who’d sit around the kitchen table with a few glasses of red, and discuss the meaning of life — among other things. Back through their catalogue, along with songs dealing with the usual matters of the heart and mind, there are less likely subjects covered — Majesty’s musing on the republican debate, the pros and cons of anti-depressant use in Cruel Guards, the new album’s lead single Weatherman and its global warming philosophising. Jae Laffer conditionally agrees: “Yeah, we can be those guys, but maybe it’s that couple of bottles of red in a studio — or at least somewhere with our instruments plugged in.” During the between album downtime, members indulged in a range of projects, musical and otherwise. Laffer did the seemingly obligatory lead singer’s solo record. “I think we’d just run that part of our creative course,” he explains. “I wasn’t coming up with stuff that I’d go running to in the morning to get excited by. Some bands will break up at that point, but I just went for something different — to do something just out of love again. And collaborate with some of those people I’d met along the way. Just to
do things differently.” Suitably recharged, The Panics reconvened. But didn’t hurry into anything. Thus, Hole In Your Pocket emerges self-produced by the band, mostly from a shed in the back lanes of Melbourne’s inner-north. It was a determinedly relaxed process. “Some of the guys in the band have become really good with the computer stuff. You just accumulate things, and knowledge — it made the environment more comfortable,” Laffer explains. “You’re not on the clock, and when we felt a song coming on we’d just get together and hang out — which we do semi-regularly anyway — so set up a space, and just started recording things.” “We all live fairly close, and it was not far off Brunswick Street — so we’d work a bit, go have a meal, walk for a coffee — it was all very natural.” The process recalled their early days when the band relocated from their native Perth and ended up sharing a rambling Collingwood terrace. “We lived together — not knowing anyone, not having any money. You know, doing what every group of 20something boys out on their own should do.” The new record also shows the band perhaps embracing technology a bit more, or maybe not. “It was more we were in a very confined space and would just get a drum machine going — then jumped onto different instruments, and we kept a lot of that — so no, this is not really ‘The Panics Go Synth-Pop’,” Laffer laughs. “We really just want to make music from the heart. Aching to be credible? Nah, we like the idea of just getting our songs on the radio — whatever radio station — for people to hear. No, we’re not making big Beach Boys pop — but I’ve got nothing against it.”
What: Hole In Your Pocket (Dew Process/Universal) When & Where: 14 Oct, Oxford Art Factory
SHINING BIRD Black Opal
THE OCEAN PARTY Restless
Four years in the making. Mixed by Russell Webster & Tim Whitten (Go Betweens). Includes “Helluva Lot” & “Rivermouth”. Launch Nov 16 at Newtown Social Club.
Sixth album in six years. Including “Back Bar”. Touring nationally. Epic reviews! 4/5 -The Music, 4.5/5 -Beat, 4/5 -BMA, 4/5 -Ripe
HEART BEACH Kiss Your Face Tasmania scuzz pop trio. Album out Nov 11. Launch Dec 2 at Vic on the Park.
JULIEN BAKER Sprained Ankle “Sad songs that whisper & howl”- NY Times Playing 23 & 24 Nov at Newtown Social.
BIG THIEF Masterpiece “Twinkles gorgeously”- Pitchfork Including “Paul”. Touring early 2017.
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 21
Music
Sublime Survival The Jezabels’ Hayley Mary goes in-depth with Anthony Carew about the existential questions that drove Synthia, when the band faced illness and death, but also the sublime.
“T
ry and get as much deep existentialism in the article as you can,” suggests Hayley Mary. The 29-year-old singer of epic Sydney indie rockers The Jezabels once, infamously, told music critics to “get a real job”, and confesses that her instruction is partly motivated by the fact that she finds “music journalism a bit boring.” But, there’s also been plenty of deep existentialism in our conversation. In a coffee shop in St Peters, Mary has talked about everything from population limits (“it’s part of our evolution, our survival instinct is no longer going to be based on procreation”),
You can’t separate the time in which you made the record from the record.
to information-age overload (“sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind”), to abandoning monogamy (“there’s something problematic about this ‘forever’ model of relationships that removes you from the moment”). But, mostly the conversation has charted the contrast between the bleakness of life - the horrors of the modern world, the dark future of the planet, the inevitable death of everyone you’ve ever known and loved - with the miracle of being alive. Given what The Jezabels have been going through during the past two years, it’s no surprise the conversation is tinged with life, death and the philosophical. During the making of 2014’s The Brink, Mary was battling a deep depression and keyboardist 22 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Heather Shannon was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The latter fact remained private until earlier this year, when the band were forced to cancel tour dates in support of their third album, Synthia, due to Shannon’s ongoing treatment. “Because it came from such a negative thing, from illness, at first it felt really sad, and horrible,” says Mary. “But, because it’s such an intense situation, you’re forced to look for a silver lining. Heather’s quite good at that. You end up appreciating what you had a lot more, and then really looking forward to doing it again. That’s a big positive: I’ve looked back on the last ten years of the band, where we’ve toured the world, played to thousands of fans; it’s actually been quite a blessed life. Playing on stage is a magical experience, yet if you do it enough, you start taking it for granted. You don’t really think about how lucky you are until something shit happens.” Shannon’s recovery - “she’s currently in the clear, so it’s all as positive as it could be at this current moment” - has allowed for The Jezabels to reschedule their tour dates, undertaking their first full tour in two years. Mary is keen to return to stage, because she’s spent the past year “floating”, unsure of what to do with herself. Having wanted to be a singer her whole life, at first she didn’t know what to do with her newfound time. “It’s not like I had a back-up plan, something else I could do if this band didn’t work out,” she offers. “I did feel quite lost, like I was wandering, wondering if we were ever going to play again.” Mary has spent much of this year living in London, working on an “ideologically-driven” electronic project with two brothers that’s currently “all very under wraps, shrouded in mystery”. She also, in the time off following The Brink, travelled, including a trip across Death Valley in a Mustang convertible that inspired the single Pleasure Drive. “I sort of went a bit mad, I’ve gotta say. I love touring, I love moving, I love that nomadic lifestyle. I’m kind of addicted to it. So, I ended up travelling a lot,” Mary says. “It was kind of like a spiritual journey, but not through yoga or anything, more through partying and sex. A rock’n’roll kind of spiritual awakening.” Born in a time in which The Jezabels weren’t touring, and Shannon was undergoing treatment for her illness, Synthia captures the conflict of this period. The album’s epic sound and scope is, Mary says, representative of a band “in touch with larger questions at the time”. “You can’t separate the time in which you made the record from the record,” she offers. “Illness definitely figures into the themes of the album, but also the sublime. Which is something you definitely do ponder when you ponder illness and death, and the shortness of life: you start noticing the beauty, and the sublime, in everything.” “When you’re faced with someone close to you being in that situation, you question everything. I’d been more of a negative person in the past, but there comes a point where you realise that’s unsustainable. You need optimism to survive.”
When & Where: 8 Oct, Enmore Theatre; 21 Oct, ANU Bar, Canberra; 22 Oct, Bar On The Hill, Newcastle; 1 Jan, Falls Festival, North Byron Parklands
Music
House Fire
Logan Bell talks to Brynn Davies about the two men that drive Katchafire Bob Marley and his father.
W
hen Logan Bell answers the phone we can hear someone madly strumming an acoustic guitar in the background. “Dad’s playing a bit!” he laughs, and yells over his shoulder: “I’m doing an interview in Australia at the moment Dad, she can hear you!” The Bell family live in Hamilton, New Zealand, where Katchafire formed in 2000 between Logan, his brother Jordan and their Dad — Grenville Bell. “The mainstay is that the family has been there since the start — [Dad] pretty much moved out of home away from Mum and the comforts of home to live in an apartment where we could pretty much jam and make noise ‘til all hours of the evening,” he laughs. “We owe a lot to him... I can remember band practices when I was around eight or nine, and then that kinda stopped — I think Mum knocked it on the head because it probably wasn’t bringing in enough money!” Little did she know that the small Bob Marley tribute band would, by 2016, become one of New Zealand’s most prolific reggae supergroups. The now eight-piece all-Maori collective taps into the mentality that drives Maori culture’s strong identification with reggae and ska music. “Maori as Indigenous can identify a lot with reggae’s messages. I think it’s really geared towards Maori and identifies the struggle that other Indigenous have been through as well,” Bell explains.
“We’re pretty Bob Marley-centric here... I definitely think he was part of a lot of people’s inspiration — their rock, their support system, there’s no one else talking about what they were going through in those times, and still present today.” While a lot of Katchafire’s music is joyous — at times adhering to “authentic” reggae and at others pushing the boundaries of the genre — it’s a style that goes hand in hand with a socio-political or religious undercurrent. Bell reminisces on 2006’s Frisk Me Down — a track written during an arrest. “Being oppressed, being a Maori growing up was tough, you know? I was out with some friends and I got arrested for breaching a liquor ban I didn’t even know there... I walked out of a club with a bottle and I was arrested about 50 meters down the road, and I was with a mate — my pakeha [white] mate — and he was drinking as well and he didn’t get arrested. I spent a night in the cells... It pissed me off, raw motivation.” Their latest offering Burn It Down brings the good vibes in spades, recorded by Stephen Rev Maxwell from Jamaica while the band were spread over the globe. “That’s the challenge of recording while trying to play 120 dates a year,” Bell chuckles. “Our families have to share us with the rest of the world.” And what’s his dad up to these days? “He has earned his right to hang up the boots — he’s retired — and now Mum gets to have him home all to herself while we go off all ‘round the world. But he’s still very much the chief of the band.”
LAST CHANCE SALOOON All good things must come to an end but we’re here to protect you from the FOMO. Catch these must-see shows before they close this week.
Gloria
Gloria Marta Dusseldorp gives a performance that’s earned rave reviews in this playful examination of the cult of celebrity. When & Where: until 8 Oct, Griffin Theatre
4 Minutes 12 Seconds This hard hitting play reveals the darker side sex in the digital age when a sex tape goes viral and tears apart some young lives. When & Where: until 8 Oct, Old Fitzroy Theatre
Hidden Sydney This immersive production by Lucas Jervies celebrates the seedy past of Sydney’s original red light district, Kings Cross. When & Where: until 9 Oct, World Bar
Sonic Blossom When & Where: 12 Oct, Uni Bar, Wollongong; 13 Oct, The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle; 14 Oct, Max Watt’s; 15 Oct, Rooty Hill RSL; 16 Oct, The Rhythm Hut, Gosford
The MCA combines art and music in an intimate, opera-infused performance where you can hear a live one-on-one performance of the songs of Schubert. When & Where: until 9 Oct, MCA
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 23
Film
Here’s Stanley When a director’s work is so unanimously awesome, showing every film in their canon is the only way for a festival to go. Guy Davis takes a look at why legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick was one of cinema’s greatest geniuses. To read the full interview head to theMusic.com.au
E
ven among the filmmakers whose surnames have become adjectives — Hitchcock, Spielberg, JeanLuc Godard, increasingly Terrence Malick — Stanley Kubrick stands apart. The precision of his methods, the technical innovation and brilliance he displayed, the mystique surrounding his personal life, the obsessions many viewers have with what lies within his films — they all come together to create something that feels more like a legend than a life story.
Everyone has a favourite Stanley Kubrick film but there are undoubtedly films that even true fans have yet to experience on the big screen
Kubrick is beloved by fellow filmmakers — “Inevitably, you’re going to end up doing something that he’s probably already done before,” There Will Be Blood director Paul Thomas Anderson glowingly said of him — and by film buffs, who can watch his work over and over again, finding something previously undiscovered or unheralded. While he wasn’t prone to taking hiatuses as long as the aforementioned Malick, Kubrick worked deliberately and at his own pace. He didn’t churn them out, and as such a Kubrick film was an event. In addition to this, he had what appeared to be carte blanche with a major Hollywood studio, Warner Bros, to develop and make whatever he pleased. Sometimes this resulted in a project seemingly in step with the zeitgeist,
24 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
such as an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining (semi-dismissed at the time, and notoriously despised by its author, but now widely regarded as a classic of the horror genre); sometimes it resulted in something highly idiosyncratic, like the period piece Barry Lyndon, which saw Kubrick and his collaborators employing innovative visual techniques that gave the film the appearance of 18th century artwork. (Many critics now regard it as one of the filmmaker’s finest.) What do we know about Kubrick’s own tastes, and how they affected or influenced his own work? Top 10 lists are all the rage now, with both critics and filmmakers regularly offering their favourites for public scrutiny, but it’s understood that Kubrick only ever submitted one such list — he did so in 1963 to a new film magazine titled Cinema, with his list topped by Federico Fellini’s I Vitelloni and containing a diverse array of filmmakers, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Michelangelo Antonioni and WC Fields among them. But Kubrick’s own body of work is fairly diverse as well, and even though there are points of commonality in all his films — both technically, such as the formality of his shot composition, and thematically, such as social constructs and conditioning — he explored them in a variety of genres. He looked at war as a blackly comic game of brinksmanship in Dr Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb and as a hellish, dehumanising conflict in Full Metal Jacket. He looked at sex and obsession in his adaptation of Lolita (a noble but flawed attempt to bring Nabokov’s ‘unfilmable’ novel to the screen) and his final film, Eyes Wide Shut (it speaks volumes about Kubrick’s reputation that he was able to attract Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, two of the biggest stars in the world at the time, to such an against-type project). He looked at violence, physical and psychological, in The Shining and A Clockwork Orange. Now film buffs in Melbourne and Sydney have been given the magnificent opportunity to view all of Kubrick’s filmography in a comprehensive retrospective — the first of its kind in the world. From 6 — 13 Oct at Melbourne’s Cinema Nova and 6 — 19 Oct at Sydney’s Hayden Orpheum, The Complete Features of Stanley Kubrick Film Festival will screen all 13 of the filmmaker’s features, including a rare big-screen presentation of his 1953 debut feature Fear And Desire. In addition to the films directed by Kubrick, the festival will also screen A.I. Artificial Intelligence, long developed by Kubrick but eventually directed by Steven Spielberg. “Almost 20 years after Kubrick’s death, his films still invite fresh consideration and assessment,” said Kristian Connelly, General Manager of Cinema Nova. “Everyone has a favourite Stanley Kubrick film but there are undoubtedly films that even true fans have yet to experience on the big screen. As much as we expect all-time classics like A Clockwork Orange to prove popular, we also anticipate that less-revered features will find new admirers, particularly the lavish costume drama Barry Lyndon.”
What: Stanley Kubrick Film Festival When & Where: 6 — 19 Oct, Orpheum Cinema
Music
From Vegas To Wales From Riverdance in Las Vegas to performing with Elton John and Pnau, Gwenno Saunders has finally gone back to her Welsh roots, she tells Kate Kingsmill.
G
wenno Saunders is used to occupying an extremely niche place in the world. She was brought up speaking Welsh and Cornish — two of the oldest and uncommonly spoken languages in the UK. “My dad (Cornish poet Tim Saunders) did Celtic studies at university, my mum (singer and activist Lyn Mererid) did Welsh, and they were both quite passionate about Welsh and Cornish cultures, and Celtic cultures in general,” she explains. As a teenager, Saunders remembers “really loving really tacky R&B, and it was pure rebellion against this sort of earnest, folky-driven culture that my parents were really passionate about.” Saunders became an accomplished Irish dancer — even becoming part of the Riverdance troupe in Las Vegas, and later went on to be a member of manufactured British indie-pop girl group, The Pipettes, “because it was the most English thing that I could find and that was really interesting to me.” After The Pipettes dissolved she did a stint as synth player for Pnau, even flying to Australia for one memorable gig alongside Elton John. Moving back to her hometown of Cardiff saw her begin to work on her own material. Back in Wales, and looking for inspiration, she “re-discovered lots of my own culture that I hadn’t been been aware of, due to probably my own ignorance and not having access to everything, in particular with music and literature. It was really about trying to do something that I felt challenging and that I was unfamiliar with.” There was a lot to draw on in Welsh culture, “because it’s a really interesting language. And I also needed to confront what my parents had given me, which was very particular. I think that you naturally want to rebel against it but actually I almost felt like you confront it and then you can own it as well. It’s making peace with who you are and what you’ve been given.” Approaching the album Y Dydd Olaf with the decision
Welsh language... There was a point for it to be political because actually it was about a voice just wanting to keep on existing, political in itself.
to sing in Welsh, Saunders says, “I wasn’t sure how the words were going to fit with the music and things like that.” But it wasn’t just a creative decision, it was by default a political one. “I think historically, Welsh language music has been political by its nature, you know? And so that really fed into it, because I think with minority cultures they’re fighting to survive and so that fed into it quite naturally, then. There was a point for it to be political because actually it was about a voice just wanting to keep on existing, political in itself.” The end result is a visionary exploration of synth-pop soundscapes, blended with field Welsh field recordings, and with Saunders’ evocative, breathy vocals conveying much depth and meaning despite the language barrier. The album was released on her producer and husband Rhys Edwards’ Peski record label in October 2014. Saunders did a UK tour supporting Gruff Rhys, the album won the Welsh Music Prize, and Heavenly Recordings snapped it up, re-releasing it in July 2015, exposing it to a much wider audience. As a live experience, the material, she says is “an open-ended conversation, trying to create some atmosphere, a lot of electronics on tables and things.”
When & Where: 13 Oct, Newtown Social Club
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 25
In Focus Aus t ra l i a n Ballet
The nation’s premier dance troupe has just announced its 2017 season and it’s a selection that’s en pointe. Artistic director David McAllister has revealed a year of “wonders” headlined by the Australian premiere of a Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and a revival of last year’s opulent new production of The Sleeping Beauty. For dance lovers who like their choreography a little more contemporary, Faster is a triple bill of modern masterpieces including works by Wayne McGregor, David Bintley and Australian Ballet resident choreographer Tim Habour. Check out full details of the 2017 season at australianballet.com.au
26 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Music
Lucifer Songs
Enjoy being overpowered by waves psychedelic doom? Well, Italian maestros Ufomammut have you covered. Mark Hebblewhite asked main man Urlo what we can expect on the band’s first Australian tour. ven though The Music is subjected to the world’s worst ever phone line and vocalist/bassist Urlo’s thick Italian accent, there’s no doubting how excited the venerable trio are to be visiting our shores. “We’ve always been fans of Monolord but have never played with them so that’s going to be great,” says Urlo about his upcoming Swedish tour mates. “And of course coming to Australia for the first time in our band’s history is amazing. Fans there have wanted us to come for a long time, and I love Australian bands like Buffalo - to finally get down there is a dream come true for this band.” Ufomammut have not only been around since 1999 they’ve also managed to keep the same line-up - no mean feat in an age where band members come and go with great regularity. How have the trio done it? “Well, we’re just too old to fight with each other I think,” laughs Urlo. “We’ve always got on very well because this band is a democracy. We decide on what we want to do together and where we want our music to go. For example, we decide on set lists together. When we come to Australia we’re going to focus on our last album - Ecate - and
E
of course play some of the older stuff on top of it because many people in Australia would not have had the chance to hear these songs before.” Italy’s metal scene has always been small by European standards. While the country does boast some very diverse acts - Rhapsody, Death SS and Lacuna Coil all come to mind the scene remains dwarfed by their northern cousins in Germany, France and Scandinavia. The Music wonders whether Italy’s staunch Catholicism has hindered the local scene’s development? “No I don’t think it’s really an issue,” says Urlo. “I mean - sure the Vatican is in Italy, and the country has a reputation for being religious. But really I think Italy is the same as many other countries where people go to church on Sundays but don’t [let] religion run their everyday lives. I think the bigger problem for metal in Italy is that pop music and dance music is very strong.” “The commercial styles of music rule everything here - you hear it from every car window, from houses as you pass. But of course that doesn’t really matter in the end. The underground scene here is very strong and there are many diverse metal bands in Italy that don’t sound like each other. I mean compare Ufomammut to say Rhapsody - we are completely different to them.” “I’m not complaining about metal being pretty underground in Italy - that’s the way it is. The scene we do have is very creative and has a lot of talented people in it who are really dedicated to what they do. I’ll always take that over having a larger scene just for the sake of it.”
When & Where: 7 Oct, Bald Faced Stag
SUMMER Little Creatures Dog Days
SUDS Summer is on the horizon and a cold beer goes down best after a day spent in the surf. But with so much choice, your bare feet are going to end up stuck to the freezer floor of your local bottlo while you decide. We’ve done the hard work for you –just chill, sip, chill, repeat.
Little Creatures – Dog Days Named after the brightest star in the summer sky, this crisp, hoppy brew is the perfect salve for sunburn or board rash.
Young Henry — Heilala Vanilla Witbier This wheat craft beer fuses Tongan vanilla with hints of orange peel and coriander. Plus, it comes in the biggest stubby you’ve ever seen – a 2L ‘growler’.
Finch’s Beer Co — Sungasm The name of this Belgian Pale Ale says it all – Sungasm has tropical written all over it — a hazy, golden hue with a hefty white head and a tingly aroma of mango.
Mountain Goat – Steam Ale A certified organic ale for those wanting to stay au naturel, Mountain Goat have added a slap of wheat malt in the grist make-up and ferment it cool.
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 27
Eat / Drink Eat/Drink
DISCOVER YOUR CITY
Parrama a
With its famous harbour and more than 100 pristine beaches, it’s easy to understand why Sydney’s waterfronts hog all the glory. But for those in search of another side to the NSW capital, a trip inland is a must.
Bo oms Up Located 23 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD, Parramatta is the city’s second CBD, but it’s also fast becoming a major cultural destination. A surge in residential developments has led to an explosion in recent years in the number of bars, cafes and restaurants in the area. Here are some of the reasons why you should check out this often underrated corner of Sydney.
Parramatta has a fantastic bar scene, perfect for lazy afternoon beers or kicking up your heels after dark. At the Bavarian Bier Cafe, every day is Oktoberfest. A range of hearty bar food options can be washed down by a vast array of draft and bottled beers, including exclusive imports and small batch craft specialities. Mixology Lounge has got cocktail lovers covered with a range of classics, modern twists and experimental tipples on offer. With its handsome position overlooking the Parramatta River, The Port Bar is a must for wine lovers looking to sip a crisp white or delicious rose al fresco on a hot summer afternoon.
Parrama a On A plate
Cafe Culture
For those looking for a reliable bite on a budget, Parramatta has you well covered. The main drag on Church Street boasts a number of franchise favourites including Bondi Pizza, Grill’d and San Churro, but there’s also some great local eateries to discover such as ElPhoenician for authentic Lebanese cuisine (and belly dancing at the weekend). Courtney’s Brasserie is a perfect option for card-carrying carnivores, or Lachlan’s Old Government House is a great all-rounder serving up a seasonal, modern Australian menu. Those in search of fine dining should head to The Emporium, by day a fantastic coffee shop and bakery and, by night, a sophisticated eatery with Mediterranean-inspired food.
Parramatta can easily compete with Newtown and Surry Hills with its fine brunch offerings. The baristas at the Mars Hill Cafe are coffeemakers at the top of their game, boasting a unique house blend, Jumping Llama, made from organic Latin American beans - a must for any coffee connoisseur. Dessert fans should make a pilgrimage to Sea Sweet, a traditional Lebanese bakery featuring deliciously exotic treats such as maamoul and ghraybeh shortbreads served with fresh fruit. Even the most discerning hipster will feel at home at Three Ropes Espresso. Run by the same team as the trendy Circa cafe, it’s a hangout buzzing with all the laneway cool of Melbourne.
28 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 29
Indie Indie
Festival Of Dreams
Green Mohair Suits
Josh Cashman
Have You Been To
Album Focus
Answered by: Rosie Shalhoub, Owner/Director
Answered by: Jason Mannell
Single title? Wishful Imagery
Album title? Evans Street
What’s the song about? Feeling moments of want and wishfully gazing at somebody who by nature and pride, I should not be.
Why should punters visit you? It is more than a mind body spirit event, it is an experience! Boutique, high end, classy, elite exhibitors, professional psychics. Total ambience, fun and time out to recharge — a three-day retreat for just you. What’s the history of the event? It began in 2010 under Embrace Festivals in Westfield Miranda. It got so big in the shopping centre that we changed the name and went to a bigger venue in 2014. Any advice for first timers who want to visit the event? Keep an open mind and be ready to have your life transformed and walk out knowing that dreams come true. Who’s performing this time around? Lisa Messenger of Collective Hub, celebrity psychic medium Harry T, Melli O’Brien (known as Mrs Mindfulness), Therese Kerr (Miranda Kerr’s mother), Christina Stevens (award winning film producer who worked with Mother Theresa), Alana Fairchild. Do you have any plans for the event in the future? We plan to change the theme every year. We plan to become the leaders in the whole mind, body, spirit concept through not being a commercial enterprise, but rather a business that comes with soul and love. When and where for your next event? 7 — 9 Oct, Hordern Pavilion. Website link for more info? festivalofdreams.com.au
30 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Where did the title of your new album come from? We recorded the album in a little house in Lyons, Colorado. Guess the name of the street it was on? How many releases do you have now? This is our fourth album. How long did it take to write/record? The songs accumulated over a year or so. The recording took place in ten days. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? The 100-year-old floorboards of the living room sounded great. The borrowed vintage instruments were amazing. Looking up at the Rocky Mountains was pretty cool too. What’s your favourite song on it? I’m sure we all have different favourites. Currently I’m quite fond of Direction Of Home. Will you do anything differently next time? It’s unlikely we’ll go overseas again to record — fun as it was. I’m thinking dirty electric guitars next time. When and where is your launch/next gig? 14 Oct, Gasoline Pony; 16 Oct, Modus Operandi Brewery; 25 Nov, Camelot Lounge and loads more on our website. Website link for more info? greenmohairsuits.com
Single Focus
How long did it take to write/record? It came quickly melodically and lyrically, but I struggled to find an all ‘round vibe of soundscape to fit the track. Day one in the studio, that vibe came to us naturally. Is this track from a forthcoming release/ existing release? Yes. My upcoming EP. I recently spent time in the studio with Jan Skubiszewski (John Butler Trio, The Cat Empire, Illy) and it’s sounding great and set for release later this year. What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? I hit a dry patch in music I wanted to listen to, so prior to writing and being in the studio I was able to focus solely on my own creations. We’ll like this song if we like... The Rubens, Matt Corby, Boo Seeka. Do you play it differently live? I like to keep things similar, but I also love to add subtleties of weird and spacey sounds to add soul to the live vibe of the song. When and where is your launch/next gig? 20 Oct, Grace Darling; 28 Oct, Brighton Up Bar. I’m also touring with Tash Sultana in October. Website link for more info? joshcashman.com
IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:
ANTWON (USA)
AUSTRALIA · BERNIE DINGO CLUELESS · DRELLER
FISHING SETDJ · THE GOODS HAANS JOB · JENNIFER JENNIFER THE JIM MITCHELLS · KRISSY JAMAN
LADYHAWKE SETDJ
SLIM SET · SLIPPERY TROUT DJS SOFT HANDS · SPORTS · WILD HONEY WINSTON SURFSHIRT · VIBERIA W W W. B E A C H R O A D B O N D I . C O M . A U
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 31
Music
Lessons From Greats
RIP Hollywood
The Golden Age of Television seems to have heralded the Fucking Awful Age of Cinema. We’ve got Stranger Things on Netflix, and Suicide Squad in the theatres. It’s enough to make you give up on the entire medium of film and cancel your Hoyts Rewards Membership – free popcorn does not make up for Zoolander 2. Here are a few of the Hollywood horrors defiling a silver screen near you soon.
Fruit Ninja Yes, the app. Vinson Films are turning it into a movie. How you turn a game that involves slicing exotic fruits quickly with your thumb into a movie is anyone’s guess.
Britney Blonde highlights will be hitting big screens in 2017 in this Britney Spears/ Justin Timerlake Lifetime biopic. Maybe Justney were getting fed up of Brangelina getting all the headlines?
Tetris Not one, but three Tetris-based films are on the horizon. An entire sci-fi trilogy dedicated to one of the most archaic games in existence. 32 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
As star-studded rock maestros The Aristocrats make their inaugural trek to Australia, bassist Bryan Beller tells Brendan Crabb what he learnt from Cliff Burton.
A
n instrumental prog-rock/fusion act comprised of true virtuosos, multi-national outfit The Aristocrats — whose line-up consists of bassist Bryan Beller, guitarist Guthrie Govan and drummer Marco Minnemann — perhaps redefine the term “power trio”. “The songs are the songs, but once we honour the framework of the song, anything can happen at any time,” Beller explains of their live performances. “We’re constantly trying to throw little things in there, communicate amongst each other, allow room for spontaneity... At the end of the day we’re all fans of Frank Zappa. We’re not trying to be like Frank Zappa, but we want to honour the ethos.” Beller’s extensive CV includes playing alongside Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Dweezil Zappa. There’s also his participation in Dethklok, the metal band spawned from animated phenomenon Metalocalypse. The series was cancelled last year, resulting in creator Brendon Small continuing musically under the Galaktikon II moniker. “I can just tell you what Brendon has already said publicly, which is he is working on a new album, and it’s not a Dethklok album, but it is a Dethklok album, kind of. It’s under the Galaktikon name, but its purpose is
partially to complete the Dethklok story. The whole Dethklok thing and whether or not there was ever going to be another season of the television show or another official Dethklok record — that stuff’s all above my pay grade. I’m just the bass player in the band,” he laughs. “But I do know Brendon’s working on something, I can tell you that Gene Hoglan [drums] and I recorded it, and I think the music is badass.” On the heavy metal front, The Music converses with Beller the day prior to the 30thanniversary of perpetually influential Metallica bassist Cliff Burton’s death. Beller saw Metallica on the Master Of Puppets tour, aged 15, mere months after the tragedy. “I do very few special technique things. I’m not an extended technique bassist at all, even though I’m playing with a couple of extended technique monsters. But one of the few things that I did — I picked up from Cliff&#133; is that flicking technique so you can go really fast. He didn’t play with a pick, he played with his fingers and so if I want to go,” he says, humming to illustrate the point, “I just flick my fingers back and forth across the string, which is something he did. “And I use a distorted wah [pedal]... Other people have done it, but I think in the modern age he was like the guy who just brought it into the mainstream. That solo he did on Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) — that was huge. I knew that whole thing when I was a kid. So now, when I solo, that’s part of my soloing voice. I don’t necessarily use it like Cliff did in a pure metal sense. I kind of use it more in a ‘bass being a guitar’ kind of sense, but it’s a big part of my solo voice and I owe that really directly to Cliff.”
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THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 33
OPINION Opinion
O G F l ava s
Usher
T
oday, following a quiet revolution, future R&B rivals thenot-unrelated trap as urban music’s dominant sound. And, more than the waywardly arty Frank Ocean, The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is its commercial exemplar. Even Britney Spears, that pop cipher, coUrban And R&B News opts the Canadian’s aesthetic on Glory. Ironically, Tesfaye worked with With Cyclone Spears’ original hitmaker Max Martin on Can’t Feel My Face. Now Usher Raymond IV, ‘90s R&B survivor, has repositioned himself as avant-soul on Hard II Love (HIIL) — his much-delayed, and reconfigured, eighth album. Raymond has no reserves about embracing trends — previously going crunk, then EDM. Indeed, he has the voice, and instincts, to adapt. Still, Let Me, with PartyNextDoor’s input, is a Weeknd rip. Raymond — who premiered at 14 with the presumptuous single Call Me A Mack — analyses male indiscretion on HIIL, playing out a psychological drama of contrition and intractability. It opens with Need U — unexpectedly produced by Brit Paul Epworth (Adele), it’s like Michael Jackson’s neo-soul Butterflies, but Leah Purcell
Moderately Highbrow
I
n which we examine droves of The Drover’s Wife adaptations. Wank And With the premier season Theatre of Leah Purcell’s chilling new play, The Drover’s Wife Foyers With (for which she won the 2014 Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Dave Drayton Playwright’s Award), well underway at Belvoir, it seemed like the perfect time to have a look at some of the other works of art Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story about a mother, her dog Alligator and a snake that threatens her
Visual Art
34 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
four children. In Purcell’s new play, the threat in the yard is no longer a snake, but a man. And Purcell herself is playing the drover’s wife. Extensively anthologised since that first publication, the story inspired Russell Drysdale’s 1945 painting of the same name, which in turned inspired Murray Bail’s 1975 ekphrastic short story, also of the same name. In 1991 Damien Broderick took his turn with the tale, turning it into a story from the dog’s point of view titled The Drover’s Wife’s Dog. On Seizure’s website Ryan O’Neill has published a suite of remixes ranging from an ‘Amazon Customer Review’ to ‘A Year 8 Essay’ (cruciverbalists will enjoy seeing the story in the form of a cryptic crossword, and the agony column version is amazing) under the title The Drover’s Wives.
illwaved. Yet, shrewdly, Raymond keeps things street. The single No Limit is a trap ‘banger’ featuring the ubiquitously lit Young Thug that, in referencing Master P’s once notoriously gaudy stable, extols consumerism. Crash, solely an Australian mega-hit, is Climax-mode hyper-balladry. HIIL’s apotheosis is Tell Me — an atmospheric boudoir jam. Meanwhile, Tesfaye is reinventing himself, uniting with Daft Punk for his new postBalearic single Starboy. He’s showing up Ocean, too. Only a year on from Beauty Behind The Madness, Tesfaye has announced his third album, also entitled Starboy, for November — conventionally confirming details in a press release rather than circulating digital red herrings.
The Heavy Shit
We Lost The Sea
Metal And
O
n the weekend I Hard Rock witnessed a bit of a tipping point With Chris in the fight against apathetic turn-outs Maric at shows. On Friday I saw Melbourne proggers Circles and Orsome Welles put on stellar sets at Bald Faced Stag to a more than half-full room. Something I’ve not seen for quite a while. Sitting in the middle was guitar genius James Ivanyi who totally blitzed it.
NION OPINION Opinion
The next night I saw a 90% full Metro Theatre stand in awed silence while We Lost The Sea captivated them for half an hour. The indifferent din of the crowd was silenced about five minutes in when everyone realised what they were witnessing. A sublime, pure, musical catharsis. This was after Hemina gave a kick-ass performance in front of probably 600 people, the biggest crowd a local Sydney band has played to in quite a while and then the main course of Finland’s finest, Apocalyptica sent the place into meltdown. The sheer brilliance of the musicianship on display was incredible. Talking to a friend a few days later, we reached the conclusion that people are actually hungry for quality again. The rise of things like Progfest in Melbourne and fantastic bills like those I mentioned above are drawing crowds. People are invigorated by watching inhuman feats of musicology, and that is awesome. Who could ever have guessed that a band who began as a progressive death metal band would one day sell out the Opera House? Opeth playing the grandest of all places speaks volumes not only about their incredible rise out of the blackwater but also metal’s longevity and growth. While it’s not going to suddenly open the door to metal bands in general, them playing there is akin to Metallica releasing the black album. A whole group of outsiders are suddenly aware of us and what we do. Are my doubts dissolved? Not entirely. Both main bands on Friday were from Melbourne and while Hemina did play to a huge number of people, they were first on — a major drawcard. Can these numbers spill over into smaller, locals-only shows? Let’s hope. The invigoration continues... An article was published as I was writing this about Triple M closing down their digital station as it was detracting from the actual FM Triple M station, because the digital version was offering seemingly more choice in music without the totally overbearing sports banter that works its way into every single talking point. So instead of the programmers actually taking note of the fact that less and less people want what they are offering, they decide to kill the digital station dead and ask (rather politely) that everyone hop back over to their FM dial and pick up where they left off — ugh.
I was once told by someone at the station that the average Triple M listener is a 40-yearold tradie with a paint-speckled radio in the corner, happy to listen to the footy scores and songs he knows while working (like Chisel). Sure, that 40-yearold is now 65 and listens to talkback and probably reads The Fin Review. The average 40-year-old I know grew up on Pantera and Slayer and is on their fifth iPhone. Check out the Team Rock app and be blown away by a UK station that can play The Stones, Lamb Of God, Pink Floyd and Rob Zombie in a row with absolutely zero fucks given. RIP to the Major Rager on the fourstring motherfucker. 29 Sep saw the 30th Anniversary of the passing of the great Cliff Burton.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
And we know everyone.
On sale now. Go to store. themusic.com.au to get your copy today.
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 35
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Album OF THE Week
D.D Dumbo Utopia Defeated Liberation
★★★★½
There seems to be a lot of tinkering that still occurs in the Victorian Goldfields. While Jimmy Snaggletooth and his mining buddies from the 1850s might have long since perished amid the rough landscapes that surround Castlemaine, Oliver Perry — aka D.D Dumbo — is picking up the slack. The tinkering that appears at the start of Walrus, the opening track of Utopia Defeated, drives its eccentric and kinetic sound. Recorded in London yet delivered with an undeniable antipodean exuberance, Perry worked for months with producer/engineer Fabian Prynn to capture the many layers that goes into a D.D Dumbo song. While his voice occasionally veers into the territory of Ezra Koenig, Chet Faker or even Sting, such as on lead single Satan, it at all times remains captivating. What’s more, he is not afraid to take risks on the record, with a resultant highlight being the acoustic, City & Colouresque Toxic City. Still, even in slower moments, there are glimmers of colour that appear. Oboe phrases, lines of chimes and even a recorder that makes an appearance on Brother, show that Perry is not content to deliver a straight-up pop record; the tinkering must continue until it’s fully complete. And although the ethereal percussion of King Franco Picasso steers him too close to the sun, it’s a small criticism against an otherwise excellent debut album. Look for more tinkerers making their way to the town they call North Northcote. Dylan Stewart
Green Day
Paul Kelly & Charlie Owen
Revolution Radio Warner
Death’s Dateless Night
★★½ If 2004’s American Idiot was Green Day’s first great album since Dookie ten years prior, the punk rock stalwarts have failed to repeat that success timeline. 21st Century Breakdown matched American Idiot for ambition, if not execution; more recently the trilogy of ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! was, by Billie Joe Armstrong’s own admission, unfocused, and “prolific for the sake of it”. By contrast Revolution Radio is solid and concise, but proves that sometimes you really can’t teach an old rock dog new tricks. There is a certain irony in a trio of 40-somethings releasing an album whose title spruiks ‘revolution’, especially in a genre that historically has been the realm of youthful cynicism and exuberance. Armstrong says the album seeks to grapple with the culture of violence in the US,
36 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Gawdaggie/Universal
★★★★
with blunderbuss single Bang Bang — “Daddy’s little psycho and Mummy’s little soldier” — providing the most strident treatment of the pandemic of mass shootings. The album plays to band’s strengths: Still Breathing merges an affective pop melody to ecstatic punk-rock energy; as a hook, “Too scared to dream, but too dumb to die” (Too Dumb To Die) is vintage jokey-cynical Green Day; while the unsettling Troubled Times sees Armstrong at his prophetic best. On the whole though, it’s pretty paint-by-numbers. Anyone hoping for a late-career classic is bound to be disappointed. Tim Kroenert
Somewhat strangely, Australian rock veterans Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen had never made an album together until now. But a shared bereavement found them conceiving the union en route to a funeral and ultimately recording a clutch of songs that they’d played at funerals over the years to pay their respects to passed friends. It’s a sombre affair without being mired in sadness, Kelly’s expressive voice perfect in this construct and offset seamlessly by Owen’s symbiotic sensitivity on guitar, synth, lap steel, dobro and piano. Townes Van Zandt’s To Live Is To Fly soars, while Leonard Cohen’s Bird On The Wire drips with gravitas and Cole Porter’s Don’t Fence Me In tugs heartstrings with its wide-skied simplicity - sweet vocals from
Kelly’s daughters Maddy and Memphis adding a welcome feminine touch, as they do on the beautiful rendering of The Beatles’ classic Let It Be. Kelly’s own Nukkanya proves short but sweet, while old jazz-blues standard Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor (recorded by Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch among countless others) also shines in its stark minimalism. The collection closes with Hank Williams’ Angel Of Death, which hammers home the solemnity of the collection and ties it all together wonderfully. A beautiful way to contemplate our inevitable demise. Steve Bell
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
Thigh Master
Kate Tempest
Kaiser Chiefs
The Panics
Early Times
Let Them Eat Chaos
Stay Together
Hole In Your Pocket
Coolin’ By Sound
Fiction/Caroline
Fiction/Caroline
Dew Process/Universal
★★★½
★★★★
★★★½
★★★★
After a pair of tantalising EPs and a smattering of singles, Early Times feels a little overdue, but strangely immediate. While it teeters on the fringes of shoegaze and dolewave, like an old tourist commercial for Queensland as directed by the disillusioned and destitute, it is at its best exploring rocky terrain. The vocals are slightly more washed than a pair of boyfriend jeans and often operate like an underlying beat rather than an accompaniment, leaving the guitars to take the narrative lead. But what shines through is surprisingly canny, intimately droll, and some of the most quintessentially Brisbane sounds on offer.
British performance poet Kate Tempest’s extremely knotty 2014 debut album Everybody Down was a rewarding listen. Its follow-up is simultaneously neater, more expansive and even more rewarding. Equally conceptual as her lauded debut, Let Them Eat Chaos nevertheless finds Tempest and main collaborator Dan Carey working with greater subtlety — Carey content to step back and let Tempest’s words carry the rhythm on epic cuts like Europe Is Lost; Tempest leaning into the eerie musicality on melody-driven material like Pictures On A Screen. A rich, dynamic album from an exceptional artist.
For rock bands chasing relevance, a dance album can be a good idea on paper and a disaster in practice. Kaiser Chiefs’ partnership with production team Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes) has paid dividends. The trademark larrikin spirit is present, but Stay Together draws deeply from the well of ‘80s and ‘90s pop for a sound that is both retro and utterly contemporary. Single Parachute offered the first glimpse of this new direction, which hits its apex on centrepiece Press Rewind, whose darkly funky instrumentals and “it feels like we went back in time” catchcry epitomise the way the band is looking back to move forward.
There are many contradictions in The Panics’ fifth album, but somehow they work. Allowing for a five-year hiatus, they’ve settled back into a comfortable intricacy and intimacy — the sound still so identifiably theirs. As a band who exchanged coasts a decade ago, there’s glances back through the heat haze recalling growing up in Perth’s scrubby suburbia, even if viewed through memory and distance. They look outward and inward — Jae Laffer’s individual warble is emotional whether musing if a relationship is Not Apart, Not Together or pondering the global warming debate through a personal prism in Weatherman. The Panics still make records that seep into you.
Matt O’Neill
Nic Addenbrooke
Tim Kroenert
Ross Clelland
More Reviews Online Placebo A Place For Us To Dream
theMusic.com.au
The Wytches All Your Happy Life
Holy Serpent Temples
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 37
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Meshuggah
Julia Jacklin
Goat
Alter Bridge
The Violent Sleep of Reason
Don’t Let The Kids Win
Requiem
The Last Hero
Rocket
Napalm/Rocket
Nuclear Blast
Liberation
★★★★
★★★★
★★★½
★★★★
Extreme metal trends can shift quickly; media darlings one day can be relegated to the scrapheap the next. These eightstring guitar-wielding Swedes may spawn fads but, nearly 30 years in, they continue to shape and tweak their polyrhythmic attack with tunnel vision. Ivory Tower’s slow-burn sludge and Monstrocity’s titanic riffs are highlights, but suggesting the whole affair is sledgehammer-heavy and dense would be akin to claiming 2 Broke Girls contains a few terrible jokes about stereotypes. Utilising entirely live takes aired via real amps and speakers breathes a modicum of humanity into an act renowned for such machine-like precision, too. Another triumph.
Don’t Let The Kids Win brings the cosiness, warmth and suburban intimacy of Jacklin’s creamy voice and knee-high socks to the studio. On this debut LP, the blue mountains local shows off her debt to Angel Olsen’s dark Americana and Fiona Apple’s lithe storytelling — the result is equal parts lovely and disquieting. These are stories about “getting older”, as she sings on the eponymous final track, but this is an album about loss and the tricks of memory. Everything from Jackin’s consciously retro guitar to her doo-wop rhythms are designed to play tricks on the mind.
Goat — the interview-shy band from Arctic Sweden — avoid the mistake of trying to repeat the crackling riffs and orgiastic pagan fun of their debut, as they did on the lukewarm Commune. Opening with a flute riff and chirping birds, Requiem is an album of transcendental folkie jams with no sign of electricity until track four. Some might miss Goat’s earlier wildness, but longer jams like Psychedelic Lover and Goatband uncover something within their collective psyche that makes Requiem a worthwhile exploration of another side to this mysterious collective.
With each record Alter Bridge edge fractionally closer from critical darling/festival midcard status to globe-conquering hard rock juggernaut. Aided by a taut rhythm section, the partnership of turbo-tonsilled Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti’s monstrous riffage has more chemistry than a periodic table on their fifth LP. The pair also trade sterling leads effortlessly. Island Of Fools and The Other Side’s metallic crunch faintly echo Tremonti’s recent solo affairs; Poison In Your Veins and Crows On A Wire bristle with incisive hooks. My Champion errs too far into twee territory, but Kennedy soars with such gusto some will embrace it. Executed with characteristic self-assurance and melodic sensibility.
Christopher H James
Samantha Jonscher
Brendan Crabb
Brendan Crabb
More Reviews Online The Growlers City Club
38 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
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THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 39
Live Re Live Reviews
Hockey Dad @ Yours And Owls. Pic: Peter Dovgan
Yours & Owls Festival
Stewart Park, Wollongong 1 Oct
Vera Blue @ Yours And Owls. Pic: Peter Dovgan
Kilter @ Yours And Owls. Pic: Peter Dovgan
Little May @ Yours And Owls. Pic: Peter Dovgan
Tkay Maidza @ Yours And Owls. Pic: Peter Dovgan
40 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Remi @ Yours And Owls. Pic: Peter Dovgan
The day began with a gorgeous coastal walk along the beach to Stuart Park — where Nicole Millar completely illuminated the main stage. She ploughed into her track Signal, which is effortlessly catchy while also being somewhat soothing. She performed her version of Peking Duk’s High (on which she features), with a slower intro that really drew the Yours & Owls audience in. Thelma Plum brought her little acoustic ditties to life — her usual acoustic vibe transformed to a more electronic frequency in anticipation of a new release. Her luscious vocals appeared so much richer with the added drums and loops, especially on Dollar. REMI kicked off with XTC Party — a real banger that brought the energy of the whole festival up a notch. His set was packed with crowd-pleasing tempo stops, starts and buildups — his raps aggressive and hounding. Kilter killed it, switching up the energy even further as he dropped Odesza’s All We Need. It’s hard to resist Kilter’s reggae electronica and multifaceted performance skills - he mesmerised the crowd. Client Liaison took to the stage as the sun started to set. They managed to outshine the sun’s shimmer with their glittering ‘80s-inspired outfits and general flamboyance. Their set was filled with costume changes, outrageous dance moves and clean and polished musicianship. World Of Our Love was their set standout - it seemed to reflect everything the band expressed visually
and created a real marriage of the concepts. Hockey Dad stunned the crowd. Their huge sound filled the grounds, even though it only emerged from two Wollongong locals. The audience during this set were a mix of wild, friendly
Tkay Maidza was easily the standout act of the festival. and chatty as they danced it out to Laura from their debut album Boronia. They ended the set with the tune I Need A Woman — the set finishing way too early as it was such a jam! These guys really make you want to flip your hair around in the mosh. When The Jezabels proved themselves truly seasoned musicians with Endless Summer. The band’s playing was so tight that we could have been listening to the recorded versions of the tracks. The quality and expression of lead vocalist Hayley Mary was particularly impressive. Ball Park Music closed the night, the band showing off just how many absolute genius tunes they’ve made in the past couple of years. They opened with Everything Is Shit Except My Friendship With You — a really relatable ditty for the audience to latch onto. Their harmonies and exploding energy never died throughout the show as the audience sang along. Ball Park Music are one of those timeless indie-pop bands. They sped through tracks such as Surrender and It’s Nice To Be Alive with ease — teasing the audience with extended
eviews Live Reviews
instrumentals and surprise acoustic singalongs throughout. Sunday was even more scorching than Saturday at Yours & Owls. This became obvious while having a boogie to Bec Sandridge’s groovy tunes. Her band where all wearing white, looking very fresh but sweaty as they ploughed through a heap of smashing new songs such as High Tide. Sandridge’s track You’re A Fucking Joke took the crown as her vibrato really shined. Despite technical difficulties Little May still played a very short but sweet set full of wonders. Their harmonies flowed effortlessly over the acoustic-based chords creating a soothing environment, which the crowd loved. They maintained this mellow and majestic state for their tune Hide, with its gorgeous acoustic guitar strums and haunting harmonies. Vera Blue’s music is a fusion of electronic and acoustic, the whole set smooth and really ear-catching. Her opening tune Fingertips was a perfect example, the genres fused effortlessly while blending with her high falsetto and folky tone. Beach rockers Skegss opened with their tune FUN. The audience was really jamming out and singing along as the band transitioned into the track My Face from their recently released EP. The boys had a really magnetic effect on the audience, ploughing through the set with such ease while also radiating good vibes that spread around super quickly. Tkay Maidza was easily the standout act of the festival. The whole crowd were on their feet in some kind of trance, zoned out but also zoned into her frequency. Maidza’s stage
presence was so electric as she performed the Martin Solveig tune she features on (Do It Right) without a hitch. Everything about the whole set was just illuminating and not one person stood still as she finished with MOB. Hermitude proved the perfect act to end the show with their booming electronic reworks. They just ploughed through hit after hit and kept the crowd up on their toes, jittery and not wanting the night to end. They incorporated classics like The Lion Sleeps Tonight, then flipped out HyperParadise (that one Flume remixed), which scored an unreal reception from the crowd. Yours & Owls really killed it this year! Until next time. Sara Tamim
Alex Lahey, Hot Spoke!, Jody Brighton Up Bar 30 Sep The Brighton Up Bar is a unique venue. The stairs in the middle of the room create a split dancefloor preventing an optimal viewing point, except if you’re right up front. The lounges in the corner, however, offer a comfy location from which to watch the supports. JODY, with their garagerock ethos, slacker vocals and jangly guitars entertained the early audience. Sometimes comparisons could be made to Urge Overkill, but there are some nifty ‘60s-esque chord changes in there. Worth catching on their upcoming tour. Hot Spoke brought the mood back to a glassy and ethereal level for their set. Ness Muir on vocal duty danced over squalling guitars that surround you in their warmth. They never really pushed into dance
territory with their pacing, but that relaxed folky vibe was fun. The bad banter between songs (definitely better than no banter, BTW) highlighted the casual dynamic of a group that are doing all the right things. One year from obscurity to stardom is one way to describe Alex Lahey. With the recent release of her B-Grade University EP, showcasing five songs of differing early-20s topics, we have been exposed to a burgeoning uber-talented songwriter. The songs speak for themselves, but when Lahey performs you are immediately drawn to her.
Catch her in a small room while you can. Throwing her axe skyward and belting out her songs on stage revealed Lahey to be a dynamic and enigmatic character. We got all of the tracks from the EP plus a taste of what’s to come. Everyday’s A Weekend was a definite starter for next single and we were given a garage-pop-tinged cover version of Torn. The band are top-notch but it’s Lahey with her confident and relaxed personality that really builds on the attraction of her well-crafted songs. This was Lahey’s first, of what will no doubt be many, sold-out gigs. Catch her in a small room while you can. Mick Radojkovic
Big Scary, Dreller Metro Theatre 1 Oct
It’s clear from tonight’s events that the headliners are now operating within a new scope of ambition and accomplishment - expanded line-up, larger audiences, tightly choreographed lighting displays. It was a massive event. In the future, it’s not impossible to imagine London-based Sydneysider Dreller operating in a similar sphere of influence. Blending experimental electronics with live instrumentation and widescreen melodies, Dreller’s style sits halfway between latter-day Muse and Thom Yorke’s solo material. However, it’s a formula that is clearly still in need of refinement. Tonight’s set saw moments of transcendent power, but was just as often bogged down by extraneous layers - often in the same song. Everything came together in the verses of Control, however: tight grooves, electronics and live instrumentation all working in tandem. Then, it just fell apart with every chorus; too many tricks and flourishes overcomplicating a simple idea. From the very moment their five members took to the stage, Big Scary showed how it was done. Throughout their set, bandleaders Tom Iansek and Jo Syme occasionally made comments about how they’d never played a headline show of this scope before but, watching their performance, you’d never have suspected as much. It’s astonishing to think how far the pair has come from their origins as an indie duo. The sheer amount of styles and ideas covered by their set was dazzling. From the tom-heavy
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 41
Live Re Live Reviews
More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au/ music/live-reviews
The Wilson Pickers @ Lazy Bones Travis Scott @ Metro Theatre Into It. Over It @ Oxford Art Factory
...their only arguable misstep was Syme sincerely devoting a celebratory The Endless Story to the Western Bulldogs.
percussive funk of opener Oxygen, to the stripped-back balladry of Bad Friends, to the stadium-sized choruses of final encore number Twin Rivers, their catalogue has become staggeringly diverse. Beyond that, their set showed a mastery of the visual showmanship of true world conquerors. Over Matter’s glacial new-wave cool arrives bathed in oceans of blue tones
Big Scary @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
and cascading spotlights. Savior Add Vice’s colossal wallof-noise intro bursts on stage with the fury of burning reds. When the band cut to silence, their lighting follows suit enhancing every dynamic shift. Really, their only arguable misstep was Syme sincerely devoting a celebratory The Endless Story to the Western Bulldogs (the crowd was seemingly not in the mood to echo her enthusiasm). Matt O’Neill
Big Scary @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
42 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Big Scary @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
Side Show. Pic: Kurt Sneddon
The
Magnificent Seven Film In cinemas
★★★½
Side Show Theatre Hayes Theatre to 16 Oct
★★½ Audiences who have chosen to spend their hard-earned dollars on a ticket to a show should not have to sit through crackling microphones and technical glitches; sound is a problem that has plagued Hayes Theatre from the beginning. The balance between band and the amplification of voices has rarely been spot on, but in the second half of this performance of Side Show, crackling, thumps and mics cutting in and out frustrated the audience almost beyond their tolerance. Despite the gremlins in the system, the talent onstage still managed to shine through. After her near show-stealing stint in Les Miserables, Kerrie Anne Greenland gave a charmingly nuanced performance as the more reserved sister, Violet, of the conjoined Hilton twins. Laura Bunting didn’t have as much to do playing the brash twin, Daisy, but made the most of a couple of second half duets with Greenland. Timothy Springs, playing the girls’ long-suffering minder Jake, shone during his ‘declaration of feelings’ song You Should Be Loved — hopefully Australian audiences get to see him in a more substantial role in the near future. Not as joyously silly or as poignantly substantial as some of Hayes Theatre’s other recent offerings, Side Show just didn’t match the standard Hayes has gotten us used to. Danielle O’Donohue
Magnificent is perhaps too complimentary a term to describe The Magnificent Seven, a remake of the much-loved 1960 western starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen (itself an adaptation of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai). But neither could you call this new version mediocre — it’s too capably made and entertainingly performed for that. So let’s split the difference and use another M-word: moderately entertaining. The story of this Magnificent Seven is essentially the same as the original’s but with a few 21st century updates. The main difference is the multicultural make-up of the title team. For one thing, Denzel Washington is leading the charge as bounty hunter Sam Chisholm, who is drawn to defend
The Magnificent Seven
the people of Rose Creek from ruthless bandits, partly because it’s the right thing to do and partly for more personal reasons. “I’ve been offered a lot for my work, but never everything,” he says when he’s approached by desperate widow Emma Cullen (feisty Haley Bennett), whose husband was gunned down by cold-blooded robber baron Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard, looking and acting like greed has corroded his soul). But Chisholm can’t take on Bogue and his army of hired goons alone, so en route to Rose Creek he assembles six comrades to stand by his side. First to sign up is Faraday (Chris Pratt), quick on the draw and quicker with a quip. Then there’s the wonderfully named Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), a sharpshooter haunted by his Civil War bloodshed, and his partner Billy Rocks (Korean superstar Byung-Hun Lee), a whiz with knives. Bearish mountain man Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), “Texican” outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), a Native American archer, round out the septet. It’s a bit of an issue that these seven magnificent men don’t make their motivations for joining the fight all that clear. The movie makes up for it somewhat with some good-natured in-fighting among the gang, quickly and smartly creating a believable camaraderie between these guys. Despite a few modern trappings, The Magnificent Seven remains very much an old school western, one that will appeal to fans of straight-shooting and slightly tongue-incheek macho swagger. Guy Davis
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 43
Comedy / G The Guide
Wed 05
The Belligerents
Antwon: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach
Escape The Fate + Dream On Dreamer + Of Divinity: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West TAFE Music Showcase feat. Girls on the Avenue: Foundry 616, Sydney
Emma Louise
The Music Presents Drapht: 8 Oct Metro Theatre Sad Grrls: 8 Oct Factory Theatre Emma Louise: 13 Oct Street Theatre Canberra; 14 Oct Uni Bar Wollongong; 15 Oct Cambridge Hotel Newcastle; 4 Nov Metro Theatre Kylie Auldist: 13 Oct Beresford Hotel; 14 Oct Newport Arms Newport; 15 Oct Civic Centre Wagga Wagga; 16 Oct Canvas, Coffee & Providore Barham Lisa Mitchell: 22 Oct Newtown Social Club Taasha Coates & The Melancholy Sweethearts: 28 Oct Heritage Hotel Bulli; 29 Oct Newtown Social Club; 30 Oct Lizottes Newcastle
BRFT + Roses for Jack + El Bravo: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney 5 Seconds of Summer + Hey Violet: Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park Hammerhead: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville Spare Pages feat. Emily Rex: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton Manouche Wednesday feat. Gadjo Guitars: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe Cate Le Bon + Felix Lush + Body Type: Newtown Social Club, Newtown Montaigne: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Bridge Club with I Am Apollo + Polarheart + Wishes: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst Black Tiger Sex Machine: Proud Mary’s, Erina Shining Bird: Transit Bar, Canberra City
A Day On The Green: 5 Nov Bimbadgen Winery Rothbury
SF Spin Off Five-piece Brisbane band The Belligerents are bringing their new single Caroline, from upcoming debut album Science Fiction, to Newtown Social Club, Saturday. Wild Honey and Allan Smithy are billed to support.
Gary Moore Remembered feat. Kevin Borich + Mal Eastick + Phil Emmanuel + Peter Northcote + Steve Edmonds + Randall Weller + more: Factory Theatre, Marrickville
Hockey Dad: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Blues Jam: Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor
Kill Dirty Youth + Zombitches + Blaand: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Ben Lee: 10 & 11 Nov One Space HQ
Ted Nash: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks
Mullum Music Festival: 17 - 20 Nov Mullumbimby
Bridie King & the Boogie Kings: Foundry 616, Sydney
The Calling: 18 Nov Big Top Sydney
Simon Kinny-Lewis Band: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney
Caligula’s Horse: 19 Nov The Small Ballroom; 20 Nov Newtown Social Club
The Stepfords + Terry Serios Half Truth: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
Dan Sultan: 19 Nov Manning Bar Ne Obliviscaris: 1 Dec Manning Bar; 2 Dec Cambridge Hotel Newcastle West Fairgrounds Festival: 2 & 3 Dec Berri Bell X1: 3 Dec Factory Theatre Grouplove: 3 Jan Enmore Theatre The Avalanches: 5 Jan Enmore Theatre Snarky Puppy: 10 Apr Enmore Theatre The Lumineers: 17 & 18 Apr Sydney Opera House
Dream On Dreamer
Dream Run Melbourne’s Dream On Dreamer have been punching around the country with Las Vegas crew Escape The Fate. Catch them at Manning Bar with local support Sienna Skies on Thursday night.
44 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Hi-Tops Brass Band + The Brassholes + Beastside: Slyfox, Enmore No Regrets - The Edith Piaf Show with Nikki Nouveau: The Basement, Sydney
Deniz Tek
Mick Fryar: General Gordon Hotel, Sydenham Sad Grrls Fest feat. Bandintexas + Hey Lady! + Jen Buxton & The Slaughterhouse Five + Codi Kay + Aitah: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Zack Martin + Chris Brookes: Harbour View Hotel, Dawes Point Kinky Friedman: Harmonie German Club, Narrabundah Lime Cordiale: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Rum & Cider Bar), Manly Rig: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
Thu 06
Escape The Fate + Dream On Dreamer + Sienna Skies: Manning Bar, Camperdown
Maple Moths: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst
Larger Than Lions: Marble Bar, Sydney
Sean Kingston: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West
Ned Alphabet + Jasmine Beth + IONIA: Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks
Caravan Slam: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
All Ages Show with Hey Violet: Metro Theatre (The Lair), Sydney
Spring Comedy Carnival: Comedy Store, Moore Park
Sugar Bowl Hokum: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe
Wild Honey: Coogee Bay Hotel (Selina’s), Coogee
Fugitive & the Vagabond: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst
The Coathangers + Bloods + Body Type: Newtown Social Club, Newtown
New Tek Founding member of Radio Birdman Deniz Tek released solo album Mean Old Twister just last week. Now he’s headed for Factory Theatre with The Dark Clouds and The Undermines on Friday.
Antwon: The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale The Stiffys: The Phoenix, Canberra Stonefield + White Bleaches + Rackett: The Small Ballroom, Islington
Gigs / Live The Guide
Adrian Joseph: Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee
DJ Brenny B Side: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
Paco Pena: Enmore Theatre, Newtown
Enslaved: Manning Bar, Camperdown
Catherine Grace Duo: Entrance Leagues (Eastern Deck), Bateau Bay
Brown Sugar: Marble Bar, Sydney
Beccy Cole + Libby O’Donovan: The Bradford Hotel, Rutherford
All Ages Show with Mayday Parade + The Early November + Cambridge: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Glenn Shorrock: The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie
Oliver Thorpe: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe
Lucky Luke & His Shooting Stars: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle
The Snowdroppers + Persian Drugs: Newtown Social Club, Newtown
Disco Dub Time Machine with Dubba Rukki: The Phoenix, Canberra
Yesterday Once More: Classic Carpenters with Dami Im: Orange Ex Services Club, Orange
Geoff Davies: The Push, The Rocks
Thirsty Merc: Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville Ridge
Comacozer
Coma Dose Local psyche rockers Comacozer are supporting two mammoth heavy bands at Bald Faced Stag on Friday. See them there with Italy’s Ufomammut and Sweden’s Monolord to get your ears pinned back.
The Levellers + Round Mountain Girls + Paper Thin: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Deniz Tek + The Dark Clouds + The Undermines: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville Blake Wiggins: Figtree Hotel, West Wollongong
Big Mama’s House of Blues & Burlesque: The Basement, Sydney
Claude Hay: The Rhythm Hut, Gosford
James Rietdijk: Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor Montaigne The JP Project: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Charlie Parker with Strings with Michael Griffin: Foundry 616, Sydney Low Down Riders: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
Little Lovers + Dick Pix: Union Hotel, Newtown
Hexis + Staunch + Disparo: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Vomvellis + Masta Gravity + Trapyard: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Irish Mythen: Heritage Hotel, Bulli
Fri 07
Achtung Baby - U2 Experience: Jamison Hotel, Penrith
Michael Fryar: Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill
Brendan Gallagher & his SOBs: 505, Surry Hills
Diesel: Katoomba RSL, Katoomba
Marc Crotti: 99 On York, Sydney
Afro Moses & The Spirit Band: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville
Montaigne In The Membrane
Rackett: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
Montaigne has been getting rave reviews all over the place on her Because I Love You tour, the single from her recent album Glorious Heights. This Saturday you can see her yourself at Oxford Art Factory.
Stonefield + White Bleaches + Rackett: Academy, Canberra Ufomammut + Monolord + Comacozer + Dawn: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt The Bottlers: Bald Faced Stag (Front Bar), Leichhardt
Ali Barter
Visions feat. Telegram + Matrick Jones + Hair Die: Bank Hotel (Waywards), Newtown Spaced Out with Barry Morgan: Blue Mountains Theatre, Springwood Never Ending 80s: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Teeth & Tongue: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst Local Resident Failure + The Decline: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West Kavalo: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville Mitch King: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington The Stiffys: Captains At Mariners, Batemans Bay Michael Kopp: Chatswood RSL, Chatswood Funtcase + Goreway + Gomu + Kahl Page + Infamous + Brandon Jonak + Artinium + BVSIK: Chinese Laundry, Sydney Ted Nash: Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly
Ali & Jeza On top of releasing awesome new single Girlie Bits, Ali Barter snagged the special guest slot for The Jezabels’ SYNTHIA album tour. The two are performing at Enmore Theatre on Saturday night.
Daniel Muggleton: Comedy Store, Moore Park
Rockin’ for West Papua feat. Blakboi + The Humans of Lismore + Atomic + Monkey Chunks: Lismore City Hall (Studio), Lismore
Spring Comedy Carnival: Comedy Store, Moore Park
Stephanie Lea: Manly Leagues Club (Menzies Lounge), Brookvale
Smokin’ Willies: Oriental Hotel, Springwood
Unleash: The Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard
The Superjesus: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
031 Rock Show: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi
Who’s Your Daddy: Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham
The Black Sorrows: Twin Towns, Tweed Heads
Afrobrasiliana feat. XS.if + El Chino + Tom Studdy + DJ Jon + Raphael Ramires + more: Play Bar, Surry Hills
Montaigne + Bec Sandridge + Woodes: Uni Bar, Wollongong
The White Bros: Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill
Trouble in Paradise + Valen + Crooked Frames + The Seven Elvins + Magic Bean Merchant: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Ellie Goulding + Years & Years + Asta: Qudos Bank Arena (formerly Allphones Arena), Sydney Olympic Park
All Night Long with Andrew Wowk + Various DJs: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo
Wharves + Selaphonic + Elki: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Jonny Gretschs Wasted Ones + The Missing Link: Vic On The Park, Marrickville
The Kamis: Revesby Workers (Infinity Lounge), Revesby
Hits & Pieces: Winmalee Tavern, Winmalee
The Best of the Bee Gees: Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill
Sat 08
Dr Zoom Duo: Seabreeze Hotel, Nelson Bay
Wartime Sweethearts + Hinterlandt: 505, Surry Hills
Kaurna Cronin: Smiths Alternative, Canberra Eightball Junkies + The Grand Union + Black Knuckles + Madhouse: Sweaty Betty’s, Miranda
The Old Brown Boot Band: Bald Faced Stag (Front Bar), Leichhardt Rocktober feat. Arrowhead + Molly & The Krells + Gypsy: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt
Dave Anthony: Tahmoor Inn, Tahmoor
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 45
Comedy / G The Guide
Crystal Cities: Beyond Vintage, Leura
Never Ending 80s: Brass Monkey, Cronulla
Joe Avati: Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill
Drapht
Pandora Warehouse feat. Seth Sentry + Ladyhawke + Nicole Millar + The Griswolds + Ecca Vandal: Secret Location, Sydney
Rapaport: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst Floyd Vincent & The Temple Dogs: C.Ex Coffs, Coffs Harbour
Trio Matiz: Smiths Alternative, Canberra Soundproofed: St Marys Rugby League Club (Ironbark Terrace), St Marys
The Superjesus: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West Baby Et Lulu: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Freedom to Dance: A Tribute to Kwame Nkrumah: The Basement, Sydney
Chris Gudu: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
Logan’s Heroes: The Beach Hotel, Merewether
AJ Dyce: Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown
Benj Axwell: The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney Dave Anthony: The Bourbon, Potts Point
Soulsville: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington Australian Trilogy: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle The Mad Hatters: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill Moksi + Friendless + Ludovic + Propaganda + Blackjack + Andy Bird + Micky Price + Scrubby + Aron Chiarella + Jermaine Jones + DJ Just 1 + Callum Duncan + King Lee + Mike Hyper: Chinese Laundry, Sydney Glenn Shorrock: Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Mezko + Buzz Kull: The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills
Reflections Head to Metro Theatre on Saturday night to catch Drapht. The Perth MC is on the national trail for the Seven Mirrors album tour, his recently released and lyrically deft fifth full-length.
Pacha feat. Zac Waters + Slice n Dice: The Ivy, Sydney Boston Blue: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle Stephen Kiely: The Push, The Rocks
Glenn Esmond: Clovelly Hotel, Clovelly Cath & Him: Club Central Menai, Menai
El Bravo
Sad Grrls Fest 2016 feat. Le Pie + Coda Conduct + Twin Caverns + Missing Children + Julia Why? + Bad Bitch Choir + Bow & Arrow + Dawn Laird + Ego + Jackie Brown Jr + Morning TV + Astrid Zeman + more: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville Whelan & Gover: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Blues Point Vocal Group: Foundry 616, Sydney Finn + Irish John: Garry Owen Hotel, Rozelle D Henry Fenton: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
TeRIFFic Alternative grunge two-piece El Bravo are joining rocking local quartet Roses For Jack at Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice this Wednesday night to support BRFT. Head down for some tasty tunes.
The Coathangers: Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Eightball Junkies: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Angelena Locke: Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill Stonefield + White Bleaches + Rackett: Imperial Hotel, Erskineville Fleur Wilber + Jungle Bird: Janes Wollongong, North Wollongong Claude Hay: Katoomba Family Hotel, Katoomba
Spring Comedy Carnival: Comedy Store, Moore Park Yianni Agisilaou: Comedy Store, Moore Park Ted Nash: Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee Roscoe James + Phil V: Coogee Diggers, Coogee Short & Horny: Corrimal Hotel, Corrimal Diesel: Dee Why RSL, Dee Why The Jezabels + Ali Barter: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Leah Brett Duo: Entrance Leagues (Eastern Deck), Bateau Bay The Headliners: Epping Hotel / Tracks, Epping
46 • THE MUSIC • 5TH OCTOBER 2016
Rumblr: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
All Ages Matinee Show with Mitch Gardner & David Taylor: Metro Theatre (The Lair), Sydney Joseph Tawadros: Milton Theatre, Milton Disco Inferno with Marcia Hines: Mounties (Showroom), Mt Pritchard Kaurna Cronin: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe The Belligerents + Wild Honey + Allan Smithy: Newtown Social Club, Newtown No Troubles: Oatley Hotel, Oatley Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal: Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield
Brian McKnight + Nathaniel: The Star Event Centre, Pyrmont Jez Lowe: Troubadour, Woy Woy Sydney Punk Rock Fest feat. The Decline + Laura Mardon + Local Resident Failure + Tim Hampshire + Batfoot + Wasters + Josh Arentz + more: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo Elements of Trance with Thomas Knight + Xan Muller + more: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo Monts Jura + Maple Moths + MVRKS: Vic On The Park, Marrickville
Sun 09
Montaigne: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst LTR ON feat. Black Tiger Sex Machine + Dabin: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Sing the Blues feat. Mal Eastick Band + Friends: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt
Wharves: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst The JP Project: Panania Hotel, Panania Blake Wiggins: Peachtree Hotel, Penrith K Groove + Greg Poppleton’s Bakelite Dance Band: Penrith RSL (Castle Lounge), Penrith Stephanie Jansen: Plough & Harrow, Camden
The Decline
Killer Queen: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
The Stiffys + The Zilzies + Going Swimming: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Kelly Hope: Long Jetty Hotel, Long Jetty
Going Swimming: Rad Bar, Wollongong
That’s How You
Soul Tattoo: Manly Leagues Club (Menzies Lounge), Brookvale
Ocean Grove + Reactions + Graves + Staunch: Red Rattler, Marrickville
Get Pink Eye
DJ Brenny B Side + Murray Lake: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
Taylor Henderson: Revesby Workers (Whitlam Theatre), Revesby
The Aristocrats: Manning Bar, Camperdown
Whooshka: Revesby Workers (Infinity Lounge), Revesby
Perth punks The Decline are playing at Valve Bar on their Pink Eye Part II tour. Get there on Saturday to see them with Laura Mardon, Batfoot!, Josh Arentz, 51percent and more.
DJ Luck & MC Neat + The Artful Dodger + Cup & String: Max Watt’s, Moore Park Richard Murphy: Merrylands RSL, Merrylands Drapht: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Glenn Esmond: Rocks Brewing Company, Alexandria Swingshift - Cold Chisel Show: Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill
Gigs / Live The Guide
Yes, I’m Leaving + Imperial Broads + Narrow Lands + General Men: Black Wire Records, Annandale
Laura Mardon + Jamie Hay + Spencer Scott + Bofolk Ballico: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Claude Hay: Brass Monkey, Cronulla
Floyd Vincent & The Temple Dogs: Harrington Hotel, Harrington
The Umbrellas: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville George Doukas: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
Stuey B + DJ Alex Mac: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
Round Mountain Girls
Satellite V: Marrickville Bowling Club, Marrickville
Out Of Abingdon: Hotel Blue, Katoomba
All Our Exes Live In Texas: Metropole Hotel, Katoomba
Kallidad: Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
Michael Dimarco: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe
Jez Lowe: Humph Hall, Allambie Heights
James Lyon: Oatley Hotel, Oatley
Michael Kopp: Hunters Hill Hotel, Hunters Hill
El Duende + Even As We Speak + D Henry Fenton: Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham
Drowning Atlantis: Janes Wollongong, North Wollongong
Hexis + Siberian Hell Hounds + MSV BCP + Loather Night Goat: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Angelena Locke: Crown Hotel, Surry Hills Jesse O’Neill-Hutchin: Entrance Leagues (Eastern Deck), Bateau Bay Glenn Esmond: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks
Matt Toms: Rocks Brewing Company, Alexandria Holly Wilson: Seabreeze Hotel, Nelson Bay
Nikki Nouveau
D Love: The Beach Hotel, Merewether Steve Crocker: The Bellevue Hotel, Paddington Marc Crotti: The Bourbon, Potts Point
Round & Round Catch Round Mountain Girls, Australia’s pioneers of “Celtabillyrootsgrassfolk”, this Friday at Factory Theatre along with Paper Thin. They’ll be there to support UK’s 27-year vets Levellers, who are playing classic Levelling The Land in full.
Hucker Brown: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle Pat O’Grady: The Mill Hotel, Milperra
Mon 10
JJ Hausia: The Push, The Rocks
Joseph Tawadros Quartet: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Finn + Friends: Town Hall Hotel, Newtown Steve Edmonds: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi Belgrado + Death Church + Muscle Memory + LA Suffocated: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Art Nouveau
DJ Owen Penglis: Vic On The Park, Marrickville
Melbourne vocalist Nikki Nouveau is bringing her latest show to The Basement. This Thursday the venue will host No Regrets – The Edith Piaf Story, which tells the Parisian’s turbulent history through her most classic songs.
James Muller David Theak Organ Transplant: Foundry 616, Sydney Frankie’s World Famous House Band: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney SongQuest feat. Russell Neal + Luke Collings + Geoff Drover + more: Kellys on King, Newtown Sonic Mayhem Orchestra: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville
Steve Edmonds Band
John Maddox Duo: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe The Monday Jam: The Basement, Sydney
Tue 11 General Men + Picture Perfect + Going Swimming: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney
Becky & The Pussycats: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville
Old School Funk & Groove Night: 505, Surry Hills
Montaigne: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton The Next Wave Band Comp: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt
Gas Acoustica: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville Blake Wiggins: Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown
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Stevie Licks
Steph Grace + Harvey + GC O’Connor: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington
A history tearing strings for acts like Jimmy Barnes and Billy Thorpe has earned Steve Edmonds a reputation as one of Australia’s best rock and blues guitarist. See him and his band at Towradgi Beach Hotel, Sunday.
Open Mic Night with Champagne Jam: Dundas Sports Club, Dundas Rock n Roll Karaoke: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney Songs On Stage feat. Charli + Russell Neal + Warren Munce + Richard Bevins + Pauline Sparkle: Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill Songs On Stage feat. Stuart Jammin + more: Kellys on King, Newtown Live & Originals feat. Jonathan Holmes + Matt Fletcher + Fleur Wilber: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe
q u otes@madcds.com.au
( 0 2 ) 95579622
PO Box 190 St Peters NSW 2044
Unit 10, 2 Bishop St, St Peters NSW 2044
THE MUSIC 5TH OCTOBER 2016 • 47
Sydney Dance Company
18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;29 October
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N TA M Visual Design by Clemens Habicht Director of Flume, Bloc Party and Tame Impala film clips Book Now roslynpackertheatre.com.au #UntamedSDC
Vivid colour and wild physicality
E D Supported by Sydney Dance Company Commissioning Fund. Dancers: Josephine Weise and Todd Sutherland. Photo by Peter Greig.