05.07.17 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Issue
196
Sydney / Free / Incorporating
Albums: 2017’s Best (So Far)
Tour: Cable Ties
Theatre: Harry Greenwood
&
2 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 3
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THE NEW ALBUM
The Canadian group includes Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Feist & members of Stars & Metric. Includes the singles “Halfway Home” & “Hug Of Thunder”. Produced by Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, The Strokes)
4 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
JULY 7
BONNY DOON
JASON ISBELL
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THE NASHVILLE SOUND
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BASEMENT
THU 6TH 8PM
“RIDE FOR RAIN” SINGLE RELEASE
SANCTUARY NIGHTCLUB PRESENTS: BASEMENT
WITH SUPPORT FROM “SCUM SHUVIT”, “DOWN FOR TOMORROW”, “DISCLAIMER”
BASEMENT
FRI 7TH 9PM
SAT 8TH 8PM
HARDCORE PUNK NIGHT
WITH: “TWO FACED”,”THE CRAPENTERS”, “DIRTBAG”, “STRAIGHT TO A TOMB”, “SPEEDBALL”, “DECRIER”
LEVEL ONE
SAT 8TH 10PM
SANCTUARY IN JULY
SYDNEY’S PREMIER ALTERNATIVE CLUB NIGHT FEATURING BEST ALTERNATIVE DJ’S AND PERSONALLY RECOMMENDED BY IAN ASTBURY OF “CULT”
STEPH’S 21ST MOULDY MEME PARTY WITH DJ’S DANEJER, KENAZ, ALTERCATE, LITTLE RAVEN, ACIDTIXX
DREAMTIME EVENTS PRESENTS: LEVEL ONE
FRI 7TH 10PM
THE OFFICIAL NAIDOC AFTERPARTY
BASEMENT
WITH DJ’S TIKELZ, PETER GUNZ, AYCUZ, MC SUGA SHANE
SUN 9TH 5PM
NO QUARTER ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS:
STONE DEAF SUNDAYS
WITH “METAK”, “BLACK KNUCKLES”, “WILDHEART” (BRISBANE)
COMING UP
Thu 13 July: 8pm Basement: “We Are Not Robots” presents Rock Show with support from many special guests; Fri 14 July: 8pm Basement: “COFFIN” presents 11.5 Years On The Gronk with support from “White Dog”, “Flight To Dubai”, “Ebolagoldfish”, “The Culture Industry”, “The Darrens”; 10pm Level One: Freaquency Events presents Launch Party, Hardstyle, Reverse Bass, Raw, Hardcore, Psystyle, Freestyle, Hard dance, Psy trance with DJ’s Activist, Linxar, Rockit, Vendetta7, Darth Faderz, ToniQ, Re-Code, Kaptcha, Ajay, Telepathy; Sat 15 July: 8pm Basement: The Elements Of tech And Bass presents: The Elements Of Thierry, Drum’n’Bass/ Jungle party not to be missed; 10pm Level One: DeepSpace Sydney and ESF Records presents; Secret Obsessions feat: Renegade DJ (South Africa), Camila Concha (Columbia), DJ Batz, Professor Purn, Zac Slade, Penumbra; Sun 16 July: 5pm Basement: Generic Pop Punk with “Banter”, Oaks”, “Sixteen Days”, “Holding”, “Skank Daddy”
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COMING UP ... TRUE VIBENATION, O’SHEA, DENI HINES, LETTERS TO LIONS, HUGO RACE, DRAGON, MARK OLSEN & MUCH MORE... THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 5
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
McLeod Nine
ARIA Award-winning Sarah Mcleod has a new album brewing, Rocky’s Diner, and a Australian headline tour has just been announced to celebrate. It’s been 12 years since Mcleod’s latest solo effort, so August cannot come soon enough.
Sarah McLeod
Come On Down Power-pop trio The Courtneys are coming to Australia in August. After already conquering Europe and the UK, the Canadiannatives have set their sights Down Under to promote their second album, The Courtneys II.
The Courtneys
Mitski
Sex so good you forget to close the Web page when your boss walks back into the office. @mostunladylike
6 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
A Bit Of Mit Australia is about to welcome Japanese-American artist Mitski for two headline shows at the end of the year. The songwriter has already played Glastonbury and Coachella, so this shall be a walk in the park.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Credits
Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast
Culture Club
National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen
Culture Chameleon
UK supergroup Culture Club are embarking on another tour Down Under, making it their third Australian run in two years. The tour will kick off at the end of the year, accompanied by Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins) and Eurogliders.
Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon
Gig Guide Justine Lynch gigs@themusic.com.au Contributing Editor Bryget Chrisfield
Editorial Assistant Sam Wall, Jessica Dale Contributors Anthony Carew, Ben Nicol, Brendan Crabb, Carley Hall, Chris Familton, Daniel Cribb, Chris Maric, Christopher H James, Cyclone, Daniel Cribb, Dave Drayton, Dylan Stewart, Guido Farnell, Guy Davis, James d’Apice, Liz Guiffre, Mac McNaughton, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt MacMaster, Matt O’Neill, Melissa Borg, Mitch Knox, Neil Griffiths, Mick Radojkovic, Rip Nicholson, Rod Whitfield, Ross Clelland, Sam Baran, Samantha Jonscher, Sara Tamim, Sarah Petchell, Shaun Colnan, Steve Bell, Tanya Bonnie Rae, Tim Finney, Uppy Chatterjee Photographers Angela Padovan, Cole Bennetts, Clare Hawley, Jodie Downie, Josh Groom, Hayden Nixon, Kane Hibberd, Munya Chawora, Pete Dovgan, Peter Sharp, Rohan Anderson, Simone Fisher
Big Pond In A Small Fish
Pond
Pond have confirmed the dates for their September national tour, following the release of their latest album, The Weather. The WA favourites have recruited Body Type and Reef Prince for the entire run.
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Katy Perry
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— Sydney
Swish Swish Bish Pop superstar Katy Perry has unveiled her Australian tour dates for 2018. The US singer will be heading to most of Australia’s major cities (including Adelaide!) to support her most recent release, Witness. THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 7
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Gratifying Graffiti
Australian Graffiti
Sydney Theatre Company is shedding light on the migrant experience with their latest play, Australian Graffiti, which premieres on Friday. Written by the talented Disapol Savetsila, the show will put a humorous and touching spin on a crucial topic.
Girl Power
NAIDOC Aboriginal Bush Food Experience
An all-female line-up takes the stage at this year’s Klub Koori which vibrantly showcases Indigenous live music performances. The night takes place at Carriageworks this July featuring the likes of Casey Donovan and Mi-Kaisha Masella.
Bush Tucker The National Aborigines And Islanders Day Observance Committee are hosting an Aboriginal Bush Food Experience. Ticket holders will meet at The Learning Centre on Saturday, where they will then be given deeper insight into Aboriginal heritage.
Mi-Kaisha Masella
25 The number of days, at the time of printing, until we get new Rick & Morty. 8 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Rhys Nicholson
No Really, He’s Fine The hilarious Rhys Nicholson is in such high demand, encore shows are the norm for the comedian. Nicholson will be bringing his critically acclaimed show, I’m Fine, to the Comedy Store again this Saturday.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Frontlash
Modern You Glad It’s Not Butter?
Wizards
The Art Gallery Of New South Wales is temporarily home to the O’Keeffe, Preston, Cossington Smith: Making Modernism exhibition. The spectacle runs from early July.
Making Modernism
Mew
Melbourne’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s new album Murder Of The Universe has cracked into the UK charts at position #94.
iPhone This week marks ten years since the iPhone hits stores and the palms of our hands, changing the way we communicate and listen to music forever.
Crash Bang!
I Choose Mew
Lashes
Just when you thought the ‘90s nostalgia trend couldn’t get bigger, Crash Bandicoot is back for a 2017 revisit.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Danish alt-indie rockers Mew are returning to Australia in support of their newest album Visuals. Catch the trio’s visually stimulating set when they trek all over the country this September.
Backlash Annie Lennox
Despite a 30+ year long career, Annie Lennox was ‘discovered’ this week by a radio talent scout, who told her she has ‘potential’ and could get into rotation on their station #awkies.
Penalty Rate Cuts Sweet Street Treat
Anna Polyviou
The Rocks’ Shangri-La Hotel will be home to Sweet Street Dessert Festival this July, where a slew of sweet creators will showcase their most tempting desserts on offer. Those with a sweet tooth will be in sugary heaven.
Penalty rate cuts officially kicked in from 1 July, affecting retail, hospitality and pharmacy workers across the nation by reducing Sunday penalty rates from double-time to time-and-a-half.
Paul McCartney
Everyone was ready and waiting for the Paul McCartney pre-sale to kick off on Thursday - until the PM fan club sale caught out everyone with launching on Wednesday, seeing tickets being scalped for hundreds extra by the afternoon.
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 9
Music
Anthony Carew chats to Two Door Cinema Club’s Alex Trimble about the then and the now, and the influence of the internet on their game plan.
T
he last time Two Door Cinema Club were scheduled to play Splendour In The Grass, they didn’t make it. In 2014, with the Irish pop combo booked for their second Splendour appearance, they had to cancel, after frontman Alex Trimble collapsed at the Seattle Airport and ended up in hospital. “That’s when everything came to an end,” says Trimble, 27, from London. Prior to that unexpected break -Trimble’s hospitalisation billed as a ‘stomach ailment’- the trio had never taken a break, not since starting Two Door Cinema Club as a trio of teens in County Down. “The first five, six years were so full-on, we didn’t really have time to process what we were doing. And we nearly killed ourselves in the process. Which is surprisingly easy to do, when you’re doing this kind of thing. It was one city to the next, one day after another, for years and years.” Trimble attributes his hospitalisation to “various things”, the gathered effect of years on the road. “Without taking time out to process what’s going on, to relax, to put things in perspective, you drive yourself crazy. You don’t eat properly, you don’t sleep properly, you end
10 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
up exhausted. I wasn’t looking after myself very well. I was partying a little bit too much. It’s a lot of cumulative behaviour, and it takes its toll after five years.” “It’s a terrifying thought,” he continues, “that you’re slowly destroying yourself. So, it’s not something that I gave too much thought to. You just put it out of your mind. Ultimately, it ended up with me in hospital. That’s the point it took for us to put our hands up and say ‘maybe we need a break, now’.” The band — Trimble, guitarist Sam Halliday and bassist Kevin Baird — were ambitious from the beginning. After finishing high school, in 2007, they deferred from their university enrolments and set out touring. “The pressure we put on ourselves was intense,” Trimble recounts. “Once we got on the road, and discovered how much fun it was, how rewarding it was, each little nugget of success spurs you on. We were working our asses off. And we still are. You can’t let that slip. It doesn’t matter how much creativity and talent you have, if you don’t have that drive, that ambition, you’re not gonna take it anywhere.” In their early days, Two Door Cinema Club were entirely DIY. Their first EP, 2008’s Four Words To Stand On, was self-recorded and self-released. They found fans through MySpace, booked their own tours, managed themselves. “It took a long time for us to gain any kind of attention in the media or the wider world,” Trimble recounts. “We weren’t getting played on the radio. Magazines weren’t writing about us. Looking back on it, now, it feels exceptionally rewarding, and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way; all that struggle and heartbreak and exhaustion, all that shit along the way. There’s nothing comparable to that feeling that you’ve achieved your own success. Of course, once we did get any kind of recognition, as far as the media was concerned, we were an ‘overnight success.’” The band broke out with their debut LP, 2010’s Tourist History, which went Platinum in the UK behind its five singles. The album was filled with three-minute bangers, their new-wave pop brightly mixed by French house producer Philippe Zdar, and released by French cult boutique Kitsune. “From the very beginning,” Trimble recounts, “we were always focused on making good pop music. As teenagers, we’d been in rock groups that were more progressive or self-indulgent, but that wasn’t really us. We wanted to make music that was accessible, and open, and relatable, and fun. For us, it’s always been important to have a good melody, to make something memorable, to be catchy.” 2012’s Beacon refined the Two Door Cinema Club formula, its songs ready-made to boom out at summer festivals and arenas; the
People are able to pick and choose and get more much faster. That’s starting to make us re-think how we create and release our music. record hitting #1 in Ireland, #2 in the UK, and #4 in Australia. But, after Trimble’s battles and their subsequent time away, the band’s goals for their third LP, 2016’s Gameshow, involved matching their lightness of melody with weightier subjects. “What inspired the latest record was the internet,” says Trimble, simply. “It’s changed our world in so many ways. We don’t live in the same place we did ten years ago, even five years ago. As a band, we were starting out in the infancy of the internet’s influence on the world. It might be cheesy to say, but it felt like a simpler time. Humans have become very confused by what the internet has done to our world and our lives. We interact with one another in a very different way. We see each other and ourselves in a very different way. The way we consume so many different things, music and art and television, and how we buy products, how we get information, it’s completely different to generations before us. And generational gaps are closing. You can call five years a generation now, with the rate that things are changing. That’s something that’s been on my mind a long time.” Thinking about the internet, and the changing tides of the digital climate, Trimble realised an irony in this endeavour: as Gameshow was to be an album about modern life, the very institution of the album was losing its lustre. “The concept of an album is just not as important anymore; it’s not,” he says. “Things are consumed much faster, and in smaller quantities. Singles are more important than creating a whole body of work. It’s starting to feel, to me, like spending a year making a record, and then 18 months touring it, is becoming less and less viable. People want things faster, they want things fed to them over time. With the rise in streaming services, the accessibility of the entire history of recorded music, people are able to pick and choose, and get more much faster. That’s starting to make us rethink how we create and release our music.” The band were also concerned that, having taken time away following Trimble’s hospitalisation, that the world would’ve moved on without them; four years, in the digital age, is an eternity. “That fear really started to creep in,” he admits. “As the world gets faster,
The Door On The Left
you worry about getting lost, and you worry that if you stop and take yourselves out of the picture, that no one will remember you when you come back.” Instead, Gameshow debut at #5 in the UK, and the band picked up where they left off. Including, finally, returning to actually play at Splendour In The Grass after their 2014 cancellation. Two Door Cinema Club made their Australian debut at Splendour in 2010, and have long to return since. “To be able to travel to the other side of the world and play to people who were digging what we were doing, it was so great; so, you’ve always had a special place in our hearts, and in our memories,” Trimble says. “After ending up in hospital last time, I’m so excited that it’s actually happening now. I can’t wait.”
When & Where: 21 Jul, Hordern Pavilion; 22 Jul, Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands
Like so many bands circa 2017, Two Door Cinema Club haven’t remained silent in the increasingly conservative political climate. While their Twitter account is filled with the standard promotional bulletins, there have also been recurring critiques of the British government. “Like sheep, the British people, regardless of whether they support Brexit, are being herded off a cliff,” came a pair of 26 Mar tweets, “duped and misled by the most irresponsible, least trustworthy government in living memory.” “Our bassplayer, Kev [Baird], runs the Twitter account,” explains frontman Alex Trimbel. “Even though he takes charge, [political expression] is something that’s important to all of us. Obviously, the world has become a
very confusing, very dark place. It’s difficult for a lot of young people to navigate... If there’re things that we think are important to pay attention to, especially politically — which is such a fucking minefield these days — we can use the platform that we have to hopefully explain our side, and get across what we think is important.” The “very depressing, scary, if not fucking terrifying” rise of Trumpism and right-wing fearmongering is “a classic battle of good vs evil”, Trimble says. “There’s a spirit not just of defiance, but banding together... when the forces of division rise to the top, you see people come together to fight. That’s where you can find encouragement: in the hope that the good will prevail.”
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 11
Music
Ready & Cable Cable Ties’ Jenny McKechnie, Shauna Boyle and Nick Brown cover the basics with Sam Wall. Pic by Kane Hibberd.
“S
o, do you know Shrimpwitch?” asks Cable Ties singer/shredder Jenny McKechnie. Turns out both bands had their first show together at Wetfest, the mini-fest that McKechnie organises with her other outfit Wetlips. “‘Cause Wetfest was just in our backyard it was a pretty casual affair, we both just jumped on first and uh, had a hit out, played like five songs.” “It was a good impetus to get the thing happening,” adds bassist Nick Brown. “’Cause we’d sort of had a few jams and then, like, a backyard gig is a pretty low bar to clear, as far as feeling competent goes. But it gives you the opportunity to go, ‘Alright, second week in March. We need to be able to play four or five songs.’ Then you kind of, get it together.”
Suddenly you’re getting offers to play for about 5% of the total door cost of some fucking touring band. And they’re like, ‘The exposure!’
And so they did. Two years and a regimen of relentless gigging later, playing with everyone from The Peep Tempel to The Kills, and the trio have developed a sound that could peel an apple. “We played, just, heaps of shows,” says McKechnie, “We had September I think of that year where we played at The Old Bar like seven times or something ridiculous.” “Well, it was at least four times,” suggests drummer Shauna Boyle, “’cause I know we were calling it our unofficial Old Bar residency.” It’s a period the band miss, admits McKechnie. “That’s what I love about playing. It’s just, playing with all your mates at the Oldie on a bloody, Tuesday night, and not
12 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
having to worry about all the music industry bullshit. Which we have to deal with a bit more now,” laughs the singer. Despite reservations about the wider functions of the music machine, the band have found the perfect environment in Melbourne’s thriving live scene, which led to signing with Poison City Records ahead of the release of their self-titled debut LP. Now, with the album out (and attracting rave reviews), the band have embarked on their debut national tour. It’s a fairly gruelling seven-week schedule — maintaining their regular work week while jumping interstate each weekend. “I think that’s just the reality for bands, you know?” says Brown. “In Australia the distances are too vast, the audiences are too small... You can’t just knock out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday nights. Especially not outside of three largish cities.” The real challenge isn’t just logistical, however. It’s the also the band’s first major step away from the community that they’ve built on their Melbs home turf. “It’ll be a big learning experience for us when we go on our national tour,” says Boyle. “And to see how we are received outside of our bubble.” Entering the national arena is an exciting but daunting proposition. From ‘pay to play’ shows to getting lowballed on support slots there are myriad ways to get the shit end of the drumstick making music, like a recent opportunity to play support slots out of state at a massive loss. “And for a band that has completely opposite values to us,” says Boyle. “I don’t know,” considers Brown. “There’s some level of ‘whatever’ associated with bands that people want to buy into and take advantage of. They wanna, you know — it looks good to have a diverse line-up on your bill when you’re a fuckin’, dude punk band. And so, if you can offer people fuckin’, bullshit money to come and play with you...” “And then get rewarded for having a diverse lineup,” finishes an exasperated McKechnie. “But you know, exploiting them. The bands that are playing with you — great.” “The thing that I love about music is like, the music community in Melbourne,” says McKechnie. “And that’s, com putting on events like Wetfest, and having a music putt community with pretty strong political values... About com people’s identities and how you treat each other. And peo then you sort of move outside this nice Melbourne bubble that you’ve created for yourself with all these bands and suddenly you realise that the music industry itself is the sud opposite of that. It’s this hyper-exploitative, capitalist thing. opp “Suddenly you’re getting offers to play for about 5% of the th total door cost of some fucking touring band. And they’re like, ‘The exposure!’” they It’s a clever business model, and not one that’s limited to the h music scene. If you can convince young artists across the creative spectrum that only way to get work is to undercut each other for nothing, and have them thank you for the pleasure, you’re laughing. “[It] means that people who can’t afford to spend their time doing free work aren’t going to get into creative industries,” says McKechnie. “You’re making these creative industries a lot more boring. And the people who should, whose voices should be being heard through art aren’t because they can’t.”
What: Cable Ties (Poison City Records) When & Where: 6 Jul, The Edwards, Newcastle; 7 Jul, Factory Theatre
ORLD FAMOU EW S TH
SHO WCASE
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 13
Music
A Time And A Place Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut Guide To Better Living with a re-issue and touring the album in full, Grinspoon vocalist Phil Jamieson, guitarist Pat Davern, bass player Joe Hansen and drummer Kristian Hopes reflect to Mark Neilsen on how it could have started Guns N’ Roses style. To read the full interview head to theMusic.com.au
P
hil Jamieson: It was all the songs we’d ever written in our lives to that point. The way the writing would work is Joe would bring a riff into the rehearsal room in South Lismore, Sound Solutions. Joe or Pat would bring in a riff and then we’d try and meld it together in a sort of a jammy kind of way. I might write a riff. But there were never writing sessions, we were just rehearsing...
We wanted to give people value for money.
Pat Davern: ...To do gigs... PJ: To do gigs, so we could buy weed. Well, so I could buy weed. We met at a jam night so... we wouldn’t call them writing sessions — that would have seemed too presumptuous. Joe Hansen: Yeah, yeah, that’s a bit highfalutin probably for the situation at Sound Solutions. I guess it was like a pretty dodgy little rehearsal room. PD: It was a shithole. There were cockroaches all over. JH: It had drapes around the walls for sound, so if you moved the drapes to try and find a power point or something, there would just be cockroaches scattering everywhere. I think one time half the ceiling fell out. PD: Yeah, like asbestos came down. JH: It just collapsed, fell in and there was a lot of dust everywhere and we decided to take a break at that point. PJ: I think we recorded the 16 songs that were on Guide To Better Living, 17 with the hidden track, and then 14 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Busy, Explain and Green Grass Meadow, which has just been released now. So all up we tracked like 20 songs or something. But then Champion, PEA [Post Enebriated Anxiety] and Sickfest were already recorded, so do the math. It was all the songs we’d ever written. Nothing ever got kind of thrown out, except maybe Water. But maybe that came later. Remember that 5/4 piece of shit? Kristian Hopes: They were all pretty short [songs]. We wanted to give people value for money. PJ: It was what everyone did back then. I think Frenzal... you just put lots on songs on the record. KH: Spiderbait. PJ: Spiderbait had 17 at least. JH: We didn’t think too much about it, we just put them all on. And also, I think at the time, Universal wanted to actually make it into a debut double album. PJ: Use Your Illusion. Guide To Better Living I, Guide To Better Living II. PD: We should have probably done it. JH: That would have been a statement, wouldn’t it? Yeah we had all these songs, I don’t think we thought about paring it down too much. We just put them all on. PJ: If the songs were good live, then we’d record them. We’d go from Sound Solutions and play a gig at the Richmond Tavern and if it worked, then we recorded it. PD: I like [Guide To Better Living]. It captures a time and a place. When things were simpler. JH: There’s a few overdubs and extra stuff, but there’s not a whole lot of it. It’s pretty raw, it’s like a lot of probably debut albums in that it’s just the band... PD: Honest. JH: Yeah, honest recording, not too much extra frills. When we thought if you’re going to play an album front to back, you want all the songs to be good. Because if you get to having to play all this filler and stuff... and I think it is all good. I enjoy playing these songs. PJ: We wouldn’t be doing this tour if we didn’t like it, I don’t think. It’s testament to the fact that I think 20 years is enough time as well for us to go back and... KH: ...forget [laughs]... PJ: ...not be part of it. I haven’t listened to the record in ten years or more. And I’ve got a lot of affection for it and I can’t wait. It’s a really fun record the way it goes from start to finish. It would be really disingenuous of us to do a tour if we hated it. So the reflections are fond.
What: Guide To Better Living (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (Universal) When & Where: 6 & 7 Jul, Enmore Theatre; 31 Aug, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle; 14 Sep, Entrance Leagues; 15 Sep, Waves, Wollongong; 16 Sep, UC Refectory, Canberra; 23 Sep, Newcastle Exhibition & Convention Centre
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 15
Theatre
Silver Linings Actor Harry Greenwood is crossing boundaries of time, gender and race for Sydney Theatre Company’s new production of Caryl Churchill’s colonial countercommentary Cloud Nine. By Maxim Boon.
F
ew playwrights command the same level of reverence as Caryl Churchill. The British dramatist has been on the bleeding edge of experimental theatre since the late 1950s, consistently setting the benchmark for stylistic innovation and originality. Despite boasting more than fifty plays to her canon, she rarely, if ever, charts the same territory twice. Her work is dynamic, bold, fearlessly complex, progressive yet rooted in a thorough knowledge of the history of theatrical forms. In short, Caryl Churchill is a living legend. It’s little wonder then, that an actor tasked with
The sense you’re left with after you see one of her plays is that brilliant mind opening feeling.
performing one of her characters approaches this challenge with a mix of heartfelt respect and mild panic. “With most plays, you might do a reading around the table on the first day of rehearsals, and you kind of get a pretty immediate idea of the kind of psychology of the role. But with Caryl’s plays, you just can’t do that. There’s a multiplicity of different layers to any character,” explains actor Harry Greenwood. “They’re thinking multiple things at one time, they have contradictory desires, wants, loves, pains. And that complexity is really what makes her theatre so brilliant because it reflects true humanity, where we do have all those conflicts and questions happening all at one time. To capture that on stage is a very difficult thing for an actor. You kind of have to just trust the words, think through it, break it down and build it back up again.”
16 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
As Greenwood prepares to star in Sydney Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Churchill’s 1979 play Cloud Nine, he already has some valuable experience under his belt. Not only does he boast a recent turn in the Churchill play Love And Information, staged by STC in 2015, this latest production is also being helmed by the same director, STC’s new AD, Kip Williams. “He’s a very collaborative director and that’s really the only way to approach this kind of theatre in rehearsal — by trying things out and experimenting with different solutions,” Greenwood shares. “He has a very generous approach, but all the while he has an acute sense of where things need to be in the end, and an incredible eye for detail — his instinct for visuals is incredible. It’s a real gift to work with someone like that — you feel confident in their vision but you’re also able to offer your own creative thoughts.” Even by Churchill’s experimental standards, Cloud Nine is a strange beast. Set in British colonial Africa in the Victorian Era, the first act offers a kind of consciously hackneyed farce satirising the buttoned-up social norms of the period. The second act blows the doors off this period set-up as it radically toys with sexual agency and taboo language, including a toe-curling number of expletives. The cast drift through roles regardless of gender as Churchill’s ultimate message, calling for acceptance of people who are different without fear of stigmas or expectations of conformity, reaches its fractious conclusion. Playing both male and female roles, while oscillating between historical pastiche and contemporary drama, turning on a pin head between shifting tonalities and characterisations calls for a rock-steady level of craft. “You always look to approach a character from a place of truth, so that’s always a key place to start. But in the first half I’m playing the housewife, so there’s a certain comedic value and a more farcical style that’s required,” Greenwood notes. “There’s a very quick, very precise use of language, and these big ideas underneath it all about society and identity, what it is to be a man, what it is to be a woman. So everything I do on stage has to be in service to those ideas.” The son of Aussie acting legend Hugo Weaving, Greenwood’s attention to detail and precision of technique follows in his father’s footsteps. Much like his dad, who is as celebrated on stage as he is on screen, perfecting his abilities in the arena of live theatre has been of vital importance to Greenwood: “Great acting comes from your observations of life, of yourself, of other people. And theatre is an extremely collaborative art form — you test things out in front of others constantly. I think that really helps you to hone down to that kernel of truth more authentically. But it’s also a challenge, and I really relish coming to work every day, surrounded by such incredible, inspirational, driven people, especially working on a piece like Caryl Churchill’s. The sense you’re left with after you see one of her plays is that brilliant mind opening feeling that we seek for in the arts, where you’re left wondering about the world and ourselves.”
What: Cloud Nine When & Where: 7 Jul — 12 Aug, Wharf 1 Theatre
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Music
boundaries and really made an example. We look up to them, we see them as our inspiration and it allows us to continue on what their legacy has set.” “They start off from where we virtually left off, so to speak,” says Willoughby. “It’s like passing a pendulum on.” For Willoughby, it’s hard to pick a favourite from the compilation, with each track and artist offering something from the next. “I just love the way people put their version down,” he says. “I just love the way they create their own character because it’s really, really hard to do that.” “It’s just amazing to see a diversity and different age groups and genres on the CD,” adds Wurramara. “Every song pretty much resonates because in a way it tells a certain journey and tells its own story.” When asked if there is anyone among her contemporaries that she thinks is creating particularly important work, Wurramara thinks each offer something special. “I think we have a variety, not to pick anyone out, but everyone in their own way is sharing their journey and sharing their story and it makes them so unique and we each have our own thing that sets us out from the rest,” she says. “We’re all very different from another but it’s amazing to see how we’re coming up and we’re having no shame to talk and speak about issues that are affecting our people through music and through instruments or through storytelling or however but it’s really beautiful to see that.” “What I love is the imagination of how they put the music down,” says Willoughby. “That’s what I’m fascinated by because then you can hear their spirit and their character. The young kids, they just blow me away because I think us old fellas did our job right,”
Sounds Of Then And Now
12 Years Strong 2017 marks the 12th year of the National Indigenous Music Awards, hosted in Darwin’s historic amphitheatre. Musicians like Yothu Yindi, Saltwater Band, The Tableland Drifters and Gurrumul have all performed and taken home awards. This year, Emily Wurramara will be taking to the stage with the likes of AB Original, Dan Sultan, Paul Kelly and 2016 NIMA winner Gawurra. The privilege of sharing the stage with such talent isn’t lost on Wurramara. “I’m super honoured and very grateful for the opportunity to be able to play there, because growing up in the Northern Territory I’ve always been to the NIMAs and watched all these amazing, iconic performances,” she says. “I never thought when I was younger, that today I would be getting up on that stage and performing amongst all these legends and it’s just such an amazing opportunity and I’m just so super grateful for the chance to do it.”
18 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Jessica Dale caught up with Bart Willoughby and Emily Wurramara to talk Indigenous music, past and present, ahead of this year’s NIMAs and the release of The Sound Of Indigenous Australia.
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head of the 2017 National Indigenous Music Awards, the NIMAs have partnered with Festival Records and Warner Music Australia to celebrate the best of Indigenous music, both past and present, with the release of The Sound Of Indigenous Australia. Broken into two parts, Now and Before, the compilation includes the likes of everyone from Thelma Plum, AB Original and Dan Sultan to Yothu Yindi, Christine Anu and Kev Carmody, bringing together a variety of styles and talent to showcase the best on offer from different generations of musicians. Bart Willoughby and Emily Wurramara both feature on the album and represent the ‘then and now’ that the album refers to. Willoughby is known for his work in iconic groups No Fixed Address and Yothu Yindi, and Wurramara is an up-and-comer who’s recently released her Black Smoke EP. When chatting with The Music, it was apparent both are pleased to be sharing the billing; Wurramara adding that the music she creates has been directly influenced by Willoughby and his contemporaries. “For me, being a young Indigenous upand-coming singer-songwriter, Uncle Bart [and his contemporaries] have set the path for us to follow and have unrestricted those
What: The Sound Of Indigenous Australia [Festival Records/Warner Music Australia in Association with the National Indigenous Music Awards]
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A SUITABLE GIRL OUT NOW THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 19
Music
Cable Ties – Cable Ties
sleepmakeswaves – Made Of Breath Only
The Smith Street Band – More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me
Top Albums Of 2017 (So Far)
Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.
2017 has been big so far. We’ve lost legends like Chuck Berry and Chris Cornell; Beyonce and Jay-Z have bought two (surely to be) musical prodigies into the world; Lorde’s finally released her Pure Heroine follow-up after the pressure of David Bowie calling her ‘the future of music’ — and we’re only six months in.
Cable Ties — Cable Ties
e’ve taken a tally around The Music’s offices and compiled our top 30 albums of the year so far — covering everything from classic artists to newcomers, alt to hip hop. Emily Blackburn, Sam Wall, Andrew Mast and Jessica Dale share why these are the albums you need to add to your collection.
Gorillaz – Humanz
Saint Etienne – Home Counties
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This year saw Kendrick Lamar acting as the musical Easter Bunny, dropping the ‘just-as-delicious-as-an-Easter-egg’ DAMN. over the long weekend.Just try not to be transported to the street Lamar paints in opener BLOOD., and just try not to be shocked with its twists and turns. There’s appearances from Rihanna, U2 and Zacari, and a whole lot of that Kendrick magic you were waiting for. DAMN. has proven Lamar to be the consummate storyteller.
We’re not too sure how many mid-2017 ‘Top Album’ rundowns are doing the rounds, but if any of them are missing Cable Ties’ self-titled debut avert your eyes — that list is wrong and dumb and wrong. When it dropped a month and bit ago early flagship Same For Me was our fave. Right now, it’s three-act punk epic Paradise. In between, every track’s had a turn being flogged on repeat and next week it’ll probably be Fish Bowl or Wasted Time (again). The point is it’s rock solid through and through. We could talk about how they’re killing it on their national tour or how their live show melts faces and buckles braces, but it’s kind of extraneous. Cable Ties is just a sick album, one of 2017’s best.
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sleepmakeswaves
Lorde — Melodrama
”Does perfection exist?”This is what reviewer Rod Whitfield pondered as he reviewed the latest offering from Sydney’s sleepmakeswaves. Lacking nothing, filled with an abundance of vivid imagery and ambience, the four-piece push themselves to the limits of their musical ability and it pays off dividends. It’s not one song, it’s every song.
Probably the most hyped, most awaited and most talked about album of the year so far, Lorde’s Melodrama is living up to all of it. The second album from the New Zealand native, Melodrama has already hit #1 in the US. Lorde’s own lyrics probably describe the reaction best; “Blowing shit up with homemade dynamite” — she actually is.
— Made Of Breath Only
Halsey — Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Halsey’s bio reads simply — “I am Halsey. I will never be anything but honest. I write songs about sex and being sad” — it’s an apt description for her second offering, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.Taking on a Romeo & Julietinspired story and theme, Halsey creates an engaging and enchanting pop album, bringing in the likes of Cashmere Cat, Quavo and Lauren Jauregui to help weave her story.
Music RVG — A Quality Of Mercy
The xx — I See You
A Quality Of Mercy is an eight-track collection of some the best post-punk/retro-pop you’ll hear in a while. Lead Romy Vager treats the lyrics as a confessional booth, bringing down scathing remarks on those that dare to deserve it. Featuring a wunderkind blend of members, RVG’s Reuben Bloxham, Angus Bell and Marc Nolte all get a big kudos from us. If you’ve been looking for a mix of the Psychedelic Furs, Soft Boys and The GoBetweens, look no further.
The xx have embraced a brighter sound for their latest, I See You, drifting away from the dreamy, subdued elements of their previous works. Don’t fret, they haven’t completely walked away from their signature sound; they’re just erring on the side of maximum rather than minimal. Solid beats, gentle strings and moody electric guitar, along with the perfect harmonies they’re known for, make this an easy feat for The xx.
SZA — Ctrl
Saint Etienne — Home Counties
SZA’s Ctrl is an album divided amongst both the public and The Music team; some loved it for its interesting production takes, some hated it for its lyrical style, some are utterly indifferent. When reviewed, Ctrl was described as “decent considering all the hype — but it’s ultimately superficial.” Nonetheless, Ctrl is fun and something different, and SZA and her debut should be celebrated for breaking the male-only mould at Top Dawg Entertainment. We rate it, you may hate it, but give it a run anyway.
What a stellar year it has been for heritage alt-pop acts. The likes of Blondie and Alison Moyet have delivered albums that stand beside the best of their earlier careers. And then there’s Saint Etienne who, unlike Blondie and Alison Moyet, have never once produced a dip in quality in nearly three decades of musical output.The British trio colour their pop brightly even while dabbling in topics that are as grey as a London winter’s day. And hey, the new pop kids could learn a thing or two from how thoroughly Saint Etienne explore all of pop’s sub-genres. No Swedish-producerfor-hire song template repeated over and over for this outfit. Plus, Sarah Cracknell’s voice is more dynamic than ever.
The Smith Street Band — More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me Melbourne’s own The Smith Street Band are some of the hardest workers on the circuit. After what seems to be unrelenting touring of 2014’s Throw Me In The River, the band went back to the studio with producer Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb The Music Industry!, Antartigo Vespucci) for More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me; an album that narrates the life and death of a relationship, from exciting beginnings to a tumultuous ending to a much-needed fresh start. If you’re a fan of The Smith Street Band, you’ll love it. If you’ve never tried them before, this is the album to start with.
Gorillaz — Humanz As always, Damon Albarn and co impressed. Casually dropping tracks over the space of a few months before the release of Humanz, fans were primed and ready. Expect zero filler tracks and the unexpected — there’s six Ben Mendelsohn narrated tracks to be found along the way, and everyone from Grace Jones to Vince Staples to De La Soul features.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Flying Microtonal Banana Psych-rock overlords King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Flying Microtonal Banana is the band’s first offering for 2017, having slated themselves to release five studio works in 2017 alone.Technically, the band experimented more with the guitars, basses, keyboards and harmonica modified to play ‘microtones’, notes that are less than a semitone apart. Opener Rattlesnake will grab you with its bass line and before you know it you’ve fallen down the King Gizz rabbit hole and ended up in Wonderland.
Run The Jewels — Run The Jewels 3 Ok, ok, we know that technically Run The Jewels 3 came out in the final days of 2016 (the digital download anyway) but by that point everyone had wrapped up their best albums lists and this one could have easily slipped through the cracks, we think it’s just too good to go unrecognised. Run The Jewels have been celebrated for their artistic triumph and ever-growing popularity over the past three years, and their third album deserves nothing less than to be celebrated in the same breath. Edging its way as a near-classic, make sure you give it a few spins to fully appreciate its multi-layered charms.
The Courtneys — The Courtneys II Four years on from their self-titled debut, The Courtneys are back for round two with the appropriately titled The Courtneys II. Hailing from Vancouver, The Courtneys are the first-ever international act to sign with longstanding NZ tastemakers Flying Nun. Bringing along their own blend of scuzzy indie-pop, The Courtneys add in elements of dreamy lo-fi bubblegum garage punk to create a truly infectious follow up.
Polish Club — Alright Already Polish Club hit the ground running. The Sydney duo waste no time on their longplayer debut, with Where You Been? grabbing your attention immediately with its short, sharp hooks. Alright Already has just the right amount of rockabilly sensibility and will surely be the one to launch them into the stratosphere.
Japandroids — Near To The Wild Heart Of Life Remember that feeling when you were an angsty teenager and you found the perfect album to sum up all your ‘me-against-theworld’ type feelings? Japandroids have handed you the grown-up version, with tracks like the eponymous Near To The Wild Heart Of Life and North East South West knocking it out of the park. Put the album on, crack open the beer you’re now old enough to buy and enjoy all on those great memory lane feelings it’ll bring.
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 21
Music Ali Barter — A Suitable Girl There’s no doubt that Ali Barter is a badass, and this year she brought out an equally badass debut album A Suitable Girl with its strong sense of vulnerability, paired with sweet, poppy melodies. The album encapsulates the feeling of being a female in the entertainment industry, as well as in daily life, and approaches it with sass, angst and grit.
London Grammar — Truth Is A Beautiful Thing
Thundamentals —
It would be seemingly sacrilegious to not include Truth Is A Beautiful Thing and Hannah Reid’s voice. Four years since the release of If You Wait, time and touring have helped deliver a warm, vibrant and mature sound. Head for the deluxe version and you’ll be rewarded with seven extra tracks and a hauntingly beautiful version of The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony.
Everyone We Know
Wet Lips — Wet Lips
Maturity is what comes to mind when you first listen to Thundamentals’ Everyone We Know. Reflection and nostalgia can be found throughout, but there are also points of sugary, commercial goodness with tracks like Think About It and Wyle Out Year. Everyone We Know seems to be a fitting name since just about everyone makes an appearance (Hilltop Hoods, Mataya, Wallace, Peta & The Wolves, Laneous), but the album is all the richer for it.
”Punk is about getting angry, turning up to 11 and kicking out the jams. Wet Lips do it pretty damn well.” Our reviewer Evan Young nailed it with that sentence alone. If you need further proof that Wet Lips self-titled work is worth your time, just look to their fuzzy power chords, tempered screams and their satirical approach to the patriarchy. Wet Lips kill it every inch of the way.
Songhoy Blues — Resistance
Part companion album, part follow up, Salutations is the reimagining of Oberst’s 2016 Ruminations. While Oberst had always intended to release Ruminations as a full band album, he took a detour and chose to go it solo, resulting in rave reviews from both fans and critics alike. Salutations is the album that Oberst had always intended Ruminations to be, just amplified with a reworked track listing, seven new songs and the support of other musicians.
Hailing from Bamako, Songhoy Blues formed back in 2012 after they were forced to leave their homes due to civil conflict and the imposition of Sharia Law. Described as a desert blues band, their second album improves on the greatness of their first, Music In Exile, in every way. Look out for the surprise guesting from Iggy Pop and prepare your dancing shoes.
Joe Goddard — Electric Lines As a part of Hot Chip, Joe Goddard did some great work. As one-half of The 2 Bears he created even greater work. It’s no surprise then to find solo Joe Goddard is his greatest work. Classic house, electro and retro-futurist disco beats are explored with a deep understanding of the genres and an immense amount of joy. And that’s a vital ingredient, Goddard doesn’t forget to have fun.
22 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Ali Barter – A Suitable Girl
Thundamentals– Everyone We Know
Conor Oberst — Salutations
Joe Goddard– Electric Lines
Goldfrapp– Silver Eye
Goldfrapp — Silver Eye Chances are you’ll be enchanted by Goldfrapp’s Silver Eye from song one, Anymore, a shoulder-swaying number with just a touch of Shirley Manson-edge on the vocals. Silver Eye is lush, buzzworthy and Alison Goldfrapp’s vocals will keep you captivated throughout. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana
Music
The Menzingers – After The Party
The Menzingers — After The Party If you’re feeling the stress of your impending 30th birthday, maybe hold off listening to After The Party until you’re actually past the party. If Japandroids’ latest work touches on growing up, then The Menzingers give you a blow by blow of their full quarter-life crisis. Taking you on a journey of feeling uncertain about growing up, The Menzingers still manage keep the party alive with their heavy riffs, rumbling drums and lyrical integrity.
Sleaford Mods — English Tapas
Jessica Says – Do With Me What U Will
The first thing you’ll notice is the punchy, repetitive bass. The second is the punchy, punctuation of Jason Williamson’s lyrics. Quintessentially English and unashamedly searing, English Tapas will eat you up if you let it. You can’t help but feel pissed off listening to Williamson’s thick East Midland’s accent — definitely not at him, just at the world — and that’s exactly what Sleaford Mods want you to feel.
Methyl Ethel — Everything Is Forgotten Art-pop, psychedelic eccentricities and big ‘80s synths take over Methyl Ethel’s second offering, Everything Is Forgotten. After the catchy Ubu wins you over, go further and you’ll be drawn into Jake Webb’s world where the surreal and the absurd aren’t all too far removed.
Kingswood — After Hours, Close To Dawn The new one from Kingswood was a challenge; not for the band, but for their longrunning fans. Taking a step back from their traditional blues rock sound, Kingswood reassessed by taking on everything from laid-back ballads, country and bluegrass, and even a little soulful pop. What results is an album that is their most radically different yet, and it has paid off splendidly.
Jessica Says — Do With Me What U Will
The Courtneys – II
Pop noir darling Jessica Says is back with Do With Me What U Will, her first album in eight years after a devastating fall back in 2010 saw her fracture her spine and pelvis. Tackling the topics of girlhood, mental illness and desire, Do With Me What U Will takes clear influence from Kate Bush, Debbie Harry and Lady Gaga, resulting in an album filled with a wonderful mix of theatrical minimalism.
To read the full list head to theMusic.com.au
Sorority Noise — You’re Not As ____ As You Think Polish Club – Alright Already
Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 3
Firstly, we’ll flag that this isn’t an album to venture into lightly. If you’re having a great day and think nothing can bring you down, don’t listen. Having said that, if you’re feeling less than great and want to hear from someone who can relate, then Sorority Noise’s You’re Not As ____ As You Think is your album of the day. You’re Not As ____ As You Think is important, filled with bereft and heartfelt lyrics that will surely help a lot, for a lot. Cameron Boucher and co can certainly expect to have many a crowd singing this back to them night after night.
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 23
Music
Loud Affections As the Canadian collective returns from a lengthy hiatus, Broken Social Scene co-founder Brendan Canning tells Steve Bell why having too many cooks doesn’t spoil their distinctive broth.
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anadian indie ensemble Broken Social Scene have been living up to their name in recent years. The band’s 19 members (when at full contingent) have been scattered to the wind, following their own muse and working on different (often high profile) projects. It was never a split as such — they’ve reconvened for the occasional gig and festival spot during the hiatus — but their newly-minted fifth album Hug Of Thunder is their first new music in seven years, and multi-instrumentalist mainstay Brendan Canning explains that it was easy to slip back into the collective mindset.
You just have to trust your instincts and also trust everyone else’s instincts, because this band is just full of ideas. there’s a lot of big voices and a lot of people who like to sit in the captain’s chair, and when you have six captain’s chairs all pointing in slightly different directions the waters can get a bit murky,” he smiles. “You just have to trust your instincts and also trust everyone else’s instincts, because this band is just full of ideas. Some of them are going to be great, and some of them are going to be not quite as great.” Hug Of Thunder is rife with the band’s trademark joyousness, but there’s also an element of sadness permeating certain songs. “I just think it’s a real reflection of where the band is at and was at during the making of this record,” Canning reflects. “We had three different parents die during the making of this record and one child got diagnosed with an illness — people were just going through shit, as you do at any age I guess but specifically with this group as you get older and different aspects of life’s frailty get in the way. You just have to contend with it, and I think that’s reflected in certain songs. “Then with other songs there’s that buoyancy that’s helped build this band’s career over the years, that jubilation that people have come to expect and appreciate. I think you’ve got to have a little bit of the darkness to even get to the positive aspects, otherwise you’re just in some kind of strange bipolar universe.”
What: Hug Of Thunder (Spunk)
“I came back to it on a personal note just trying to be the best individual that I can be for this group, and for understanding my role or how I could provide the best things for the band,” he offers. “Everyone wears different hats for different songs. You could be playing a different instrument on a different track, that’s kind of how this band operates — if you hear something missing, then maybe you have the missing ingredient. Maybe it’s early enough in the morning or late enough at night, and maybe you’re in the right balance or the right frame of mind.” Canning explains that with so many contributors, it’s just a matter of leaving your ego at the door. “It’s an interesting band to get something done: 24 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
In Focus
Pic: Jenny Watson – White Horse With Telescope, 2012
Jenny Watson: The Fabric Of Fa n t a s y
The Museum of Contemporary Art has just unveiled its largest, most comprehensive exhibition of the work of leading Aussie artist Jenny Watson. Curated by Anna Davis, this bold survey brings together more than 100 paintings, prints and drawings spanning 45 years of Watson’s extraordinary practice.
Through a quirky, whimsical mix between autobiographical and fictional storytelling, her work features a recurring cast of characters, including self-portraits and alter egos. In addition to painted works, many of Watson’s pieces incorporate materials and objects found on her travels, adding another
layer of intimate intrigue. Witty, fantastical, moving and magical, this exhibition is both stunningly cerebral and touchingly accessible. Catch the exhibition from 5 Jul – 2 Oct at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 25
Music
Bowen Bonanza NSW native Clare Bowen tells Anthony Carew of her childhood in Zimbabwe, her battle with childhood cancer and the evolution of her music career.
ountry music soap Nashville has proven popular enough not just to last for five seasons, but for its songs to be taken on tour. Clare Bowen, one of its stars, lives in Nashville, but hails from the NSW South Coast, and admits to being “a shy, introverted person” off-stage. So it’s interesting to consider the relationship between actress and character. When Bowen is performing under her own name, she’s herself. When she’s performing on the TV show, she’s her character. What about when they’re touring the songs of Nashville?
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...I can’t count very well, but I know what a thylacine is.
“Whenever we’re on tour, I’m myself,” says Bowen, 33, “but in those moments people do see Scarlett in me. They get a little bit of both. It’s refreshing to perform [those songs] as myself, because poor Scarlett has so much drama going on in her life, I don’t know if I can cope with bringing along all that.” Bowen’s own life has been not without drama. At three, her family lived in a Zimbabwean village next to an elephant orphanage; leaving due to mounting civil unrest. On her fourth birthday, she was diagnosed with a rare form of early childhood cancer; and, under doses of chemotherapy and morphine, the “real elephants became pink elephants”. “It definitely shaped me,” Bowen says, of her threeyear battle. “I grew up with things that the average four26 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
year-old shouldn’t see.” In the absence of school, her dad would take her to the zoo, aquarium, or museum. “So, I can’t count very well, but I know what a thylacine is.” This meant that Bowen “felt more comfortable around animals than other people”, and struggled to adjust when she was “finally able to go to normal school”; astounded by the kids who “had all their arms and legs, weren’t bandaged up [or] in a wheelchair”, and who would judge others by the way they looked. She took respite in her parents’ record collection — ”everything from Vivaldi to Gilbert & Sullivan, Sondheim, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Edith Piaf” — and singing. She started writing poems, and fell into acting when cast in the Australian film The Combination, which led to more local movies (The Clinic, Not Suitable For Children), and a stint on Home And Away. As Bowen found fame on Nashville, she worked at turning her poems into songs (“like my character on Nashville,” she admits), with country vet Buddy Miller serving as a mentor (“he taught me how to use a microphone,” she laughs). Her forthcoming debut LP was written during “the little pockets of time in between shooting the Nashville show”. Co-writers range from music-biz vets (like Ed Sheeran supplier Amy Wadge) to her fiance Brandon Robert Young and brother Timothy James Bowen. “It’s quite a humbling experience, writing with [others] to find your own voice,” Bowen says. Her album, she thinks, is a “love letter to the world” whose songs are “rooted in Americana, folk music, Celtic music”. But she’s happy to wait for others to define it. “I think I’m going to let other people decide what kind of album it is. To me it’s just important that I’m me.”
When & Where: 7 Jul, Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul; 9 Jul, Enmore Theatre; 10 Jul, Civic Theatre, Newcastle; 11 Jul, West League’s Club, West Tamworth
Music
At Their Flyest
Spit Syndicate MC Nick Lupi reflects with Cyclone on the years of clothes swapping that translated into One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly.
S
ydney duo Spit Syndicate, members of the super-crew One Day, chose a fun title for their fourth album - One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly. But, beneath the rockin’ beats, it reveals profound subject matter. “The title stems from a teenage ritual, or custom of sorts, that we had when we were growing up - but it’s by no means unique to us,” explains MC Nick Lupi. “Basically, if one of our friends or somebody in our crew had a particularly fly item of clothing - a shirt, a jacket, a pair of kicks - then we would take turns in rocking it. Everyone would share these items of clothing around in a collective effort for everybody to shine.” Lupi and co-rapper Jimmy Nice signed to Obese for 2008’s debut Towards The Light - which received an ARIA nom. In 2014 - over a year after their third outing, Sunday Gentlemen - they enjoyed unprecedented crossover success with One Day’s Mainline. But, now in their late 20s, Spit Syndicate found themselves reflecting on those years of sharing get-up. Today they’re less impressionable, and less materialistic, but the communalism remains. “It’s been a big part of this album coming together, in terms of it being such a collaborative record. I guess, in the last couple of years, this One Day crew thing that we’ve been really flying the flag for has reinforced this ethos of: if one person shines, then we’re all shining.” Still, Lupi says, hip hop is about competition - and Spit
Syndicate have been spurred on by their homies’ artistic achievements. Importantly, One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly has a figurative aspect, with Spit Syndicate redefining what constitutes “fly” - challenging the (self-)destructive “toxic masculinity” underlying modern Australian culture. Says Lupi, “We kind of feel a bit of a responsibility, in some ways, to kick some game.” One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly is bold musically - transcending boom bap. In fact, it was influenced by the fluid vibe of the One Day Sundays parties. Above all, Spit Syndicate followed their instincts, rather than calculatedly cutting, say, radio songs. Providing beats are Styalz Fuego, Horrorshow’s Adit, Sticky Fingers’ Freddy Crabs, and Left.’s Jono Graham. However, Lupi jokes, Spit Syndicate were hands-on as “backseat” producers. “There was no picking a beat off a beat tape for this record.” Again, Spit Syndicate approached friends to guest. One Day’s Solo and Joyride blaze the single Hold On Me. Remi shows on the deeply groovy Houdini, which, produced by Styalz, sounds like Kaytranda joining A Tribe Called Quest. “We were fans of Remi a couple of years ago and then we became friends with him to the point that, when he would come up to Sydney, he was crashing at my place.” Other ‘features’ include Thelma Plum and the Indigenous power-soulster Radical Son. If Spit Syndicate’s presser touts One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly as their “definitive work”, then Lupi calls it “an arrival”. “I feel like everything that we’ve done - all of the ups and the downs, and the triumphs and the failures, have led us to this particular point.” He adds, “It is us at our sharpest; at our flyest.”
What: One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly (Inertia) When & Where: 6 & 7 Jul, Oxford Art Factory
Don’t Play With Fyre
The man behind the big, fat, smouldering car wreck that was Fyre Festival, has finally fallen foul of the fuzz. Twenty-fiveyear-old Billy McFarland was arrested for Wire Fraud after an FBI investigation and if found guilty he could be facing up to 20 years in the slammer. Taken into custody late Friday, McFarland spent the night at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn before being released on a bail bond of a whopping $300,000. Until his trial his bail conditions state the ill-fated entrepreneur is not permitted to travel beyond the southern and eastern districts of New York, or beyond the limits of New Jersey. Details have also emerged from the FBI report into Fyre Festival, which show that McFarland misrepresented his company’s revenue to secure funds as well as exaggerating his personal net worth to potential investors. So far, Ja Rule – real name, Jeffery Atkins – who worked with McFarland on organising the Fest, has not been arrested, nor has he been approached by any legal body in relation to McFarland’s arrest, although a statement issued through his attorney said he still “believed and believed in” old mate Billy. Might want to re-evaluate that Ja Rule…
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 27
OPINION Opinion
Statue
The Heavy Shit
Moderately Highbrow Visual Art Wank And Theatre Foyers With Dave Drayton
W
ith Jai Courtney appearing in MTC’s production of Macbeth, we play a guessing game — are the quotes below spoken by the doomed Scot, or by one of Courtney’s cinematic characters? 1. Do you go looking for trouble, or does it always find you? 2. Why is it always a knife fight every single time you open your mouth? You know, outside you’re amazing. But
Hellfest
inside, you’re ugly. 3. And now one road has become many. Though questions remain, we’ll search for the answers together. But one thing we know for sure. The future is not set. 4. Out brief candle. Life’s but a walking shadow. 5. I know how time travel works. 6. You were some help princess. Answers 1) Jack McClane in A Good Day To Die Hard. 2) Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad. 3) Kyle Reese in Terminator Genysis. 4) Macbeth. 5) Kyle Reese. 6) Captain Boomerang.
OG F l ava s
Vince Staples
Urban And R&B News With Cyclone
Vince Staples - sardonic Long Beach, California MC shared fans’ tweets on dropping his art-rap album Big Fish Theory. Many contained the word “weird”. Indeed, Staples has fully embraced IDM (‘intelligent dance music’) - the ‘G’ in G-funk now denoting ‘glitch’. But is it so surprising? Staples collaborated with James Blake on 2016’s Prima Donna EP. He also blessed Flume’s Smoke & Retribution and Gorillaz’ Ascension. And both Flume and
28 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Damon Albarn appear in the credits of Big Fish Theory (the latter as a vocalist). Flume co-produces the abrasive future bass - and, notably, Kendrick Lamar-featuring - Yeah Right alongside Banoffee’s Ripe cohort SOPHIE. Detroit’s Jimmy Edgar steers the robo-funk 745. Staples - successor to New York urban-goths Mobb Deep (#RIPProdigy) as much as gangsta pioneers NWA - conceivably feels that left-field electronic beats complement his nihilistic lyricism (Party People is an anti-club banger). After all, he’s long lauded Joy Division. Yet Staples is actively defying Afrofuturist tropes. The key track on Big Fish Theory is the social allegory Crabs In A Bucket - UK proto-grime broken beat co-produced by Justin “Bon Iver” Vernon. Hip hop and experimental electronica are intertwined - Staples himself citing Afrika Bambaataa’s Kraftwerkinspired Planet Rock in his recent Reddit AMA. In 2000 OutKast aired the drum’n’bass BOB (Bombs Over Baghdad) - and Big Boi’s new Boomiverse has that same ravey Southern bounce. Today Staples isn’t even the only hip hopper subverting IDM. DJ Khaled, hypeman supremo, samples Blake’s pal Mark Pritchard on Grateful’s On Everything. Still, with his post-techno manoeuvres, the usually lowkey Staples has actually eclipsed Young Thug’s Drake-supervised country-trap debut Beautiful Thugger Girls.
OPINION Opinion
Metal And
H
ow to fit the last two weeks into Hard Rock 600 words... Mmm that’s not possible With Chris so let’s see what I can do... Maric After the epic journey to Download and back and then the Golden God Awards, I took off to Clisson in France a few days later for Hellfest. Easily the best metal festival on the planet! 120,000 mostly French metal fans on the most user-friendly site ever. It’s dead flat, shaped roughly like a giant rectangle and with six stages blasting metal until 2am for three nights in a row, it’s ‘one hell of a ride’ (which is their tag line this year) A huge party was thrown by the boss of the Season Of Mist label the night before which raged until dawn (about 3am during the Euro summer) and with this year’s accom just a mile walk through the gorgeous old town of Clisson, complete with castle and cathedral, the daily journey to the fest was a peaceful start to the mayhem ahead. The VIP area can only be described as metal mecca, with a 50-metre wide bar decorated in skulls and assorted metal stuff that made wanting to leave and check out the bands quite difficult, although with 100 bands playing, you can’t stay for long! A cruise around the site before checking out Subrosa with their twin violin attack was followed by a spot of Behemoth, who raged in the afternoon sun on the main stage. It was brilliant but didn’t do much for their pyro show unfortunately. It was hilarious watching from where I was standing, which was in front of the other main stage as older rock fans endured Nergal’s hymns to Satan while waiting for Deep Purple, who were amazing! With a big weekend ahead, I left around midnight and could still hear Rob Zombie belting it out from my bed a mile away, those poor locals!! Day two, well, festival food as done by the French is something else! Full gourmet stuff to go with your metal! Nails were crushing and Chelsea Wolfe was sublime. The highlight had to be watching Wardruna give a mesmerising performance of their Old Norse, Pagan folk music to the roaring approval of a totally packed Altar Stage. Spellbinding! Equally mesmerising were Alcest, and to completely change pace, a bit of Steel Panther evened things out. I caught a glimpse of Apocalyptica doing their full set of Metallica songs and watched
Aerosmith redeem themselves with a much better set than they gave the week before at Download. Wandering the grounds that were literally on fire with every stall, beer, merch and food spurting out fire from their rooftop, it was like being in a metal Mad Max video and you didn’t want to be anywhere else! Day three, well, it was all about Emperor and their perfect set of classic black metal. Meeting Ihsahn was the frosted icing on top! From there up to Denmark where Copenhell was taking place on the outskirts of Copenhagen. In stark contrast to the metal city that was Hellfest, CPH holds 23,000 Nordic warriors, a lake of beer and some killer bands. Then a week of recovery in Malmo at the bottom part of Sweden before a week of catching up with friends in London. Word count is drying up so all I can say is save your pennies and visit Hellfest whenever you can! By the time you read this I’ll be back in Sydney and planning my return trip for next year. Anyone interested in joining me for Heavy Metal Truants Part 6 (66) get in touch. It’s something you’ll never forget!!
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 29
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Album OF THE Week
Haim Something To Tell You Polydor/Universal
★★★★
The Haim sisters — Este, Danielle and Alana — are back with Something To Tell You, their second album that’s every bit worth the four year wait. The Los Angeles trio have enhanced their driving, percussive, rhythmic music with a maturity and confidence whilst retaining all that made their debut Days Are Gone so successful — the brilliant melodies, production (they’ve stuck with producer Ariel Rechtshaid) and songwriting — not to mention the insane talent of all three multiinstrumentalists. Their music has an ability to transport its listener to a different time, certain electronic sounds or processing are the only thing to signify the songs aren’t straight out of the ‘70s or ‘80s. The Fleetwood Mac influence is even more evident this time around with the significance of drums and percussion, Este’s melodic bass lines, the vocal harmonies and retro synth/keys (Nothing’s Wrong, You Never Knew). The group demonstrate a greater range — slow burner Kept Me Crying has a lo-fi sound and a heavily distorted guitar solo, Found It In Silence is uplifting with a four to the floor kick and the processed beat fills that characterise much of Haim’s music whilst slow, emotive album closer Night So Long shows a different side of the band all together. Something To Tell You is proof that good things take time, though hopefully it’s not another four years before we get another instalment of Haim. Madelyn Tait
Broken Social Scene
The Jungle Giants
Hug Of Thunder
Quiet Ferocity
Spunk
Amplifire Music
★★★½
★★★★
How do you grapple with the logistical difficulties of rebooting a band that used to have 17 members? By their own admission, Hug Of Thunder wouldn’t have sounded bona fide unless everyone had been involved as it had been seven years since Forgiveness Rock Record, a bombastic hodgepodge of grand themes and experiments that didn’t always hit the mark. Yet, despite that three of the band members’ fathers died during the recording and the global climate of doom, Hug Of Thunder remains optimistic and in the spirit of the band we know. Halfway Home sets the pace early on as a high energy, fuzz-bass driven hymn in the vein of 7/4 (Shoreline). The contradiction of Broken Social Scene though is that despite
The Jungle Giants are back for their third album, Quiet Ferocity, and let’s just say, it’s anything but quiet. Sam Hales and co have created a fun, jangly release that surely holds hits that will see you through to the warm summer months. Opener On Your Way Down is solid, with its catchy beats and riffs, and a chorus you just won’t be able to get out of your head. Feel The Way I Do finds some of that ferocity mentioned in the title, a tight number that you can already picture crowds bopping their head to. Quiet Ferocity marks a change in concept for The Jungle Giants, with Hales taking to the producers chair for the first time. What results is an album that focuses on quality over quantity, choosing to build
30 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
their numbers, the band are often at their most effective channelling intimate grooves, very much evidenced by the title track, a glorious ode that transforms from hushed longing to a serenely soaring chorus. Mouth Guards Of The Apocalypse is another winner that morphs from blissful ambience into an off kilter fuzz-bomb outburst. Yet, for its successes, there’s not enough here to elevate Hug Of Thunder to the levels of You Forgot It In People or their eponymous triumph. Christopher H James
the record through their musical ability rather than a multi-layered approach that is so often hard to translate into a live environment. Tracks like People Always Say and Time And Time Again show maturity and growth in The Jungle Giants sound and it’s easy to hear that producing the works themselves has influenced their updated sound. Look out for Used To Be In Love and the eponymous Talking Heads-eque Quiet Ferocity, they’ll be with you for days. Jessica Dale
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
Melvins
Over-Reactor
A Walk With Love And Death
Cocaine Headdress Bird’s Robe
Ipecac
Usurper Of Modern Medicine
Toro Y Moi Boo Boo Mistletone/Inertia
Everything Is Nothing MGM
★★★
★★★★
★★★½
★★★★
A two part, two hour, concept album-soundtrack hybrid, A Walk With Love and Death is a strange schismatic mess, purposefully abrasive, lashingly discordant and, in its way, a straightforward vanity project delivered with avant-garde disdain... typical Melvins really. The soundtrack portion, Love, consists of layers of aural antagonism, like listening to the inner thoughts of a Lovecraft protagonist in the last chapters of madness. The LP portion, Death, while being expectedly dark is unexpectedly lacking any of the hellish erraticism that saturates not just the first half but their entire career, yet it’s still some of their finest music to date.
If you don’t have an open mind about music, don’t listen to this album. If you only like hard rock and metal, or hip hop, or electro-pop, or experimental, or dance, or industrial, avoid Cocaine Headdress. However, if you like all of the above and more, this album is for you. This Melbourne duo is jack of all of those trades and master of them all - and that mastery is on display in all its glory here. There is literally something for everyone on this album. And above all, it’s just shitloads of fun to listen to. This is very likely to be the coolest thing you will hear this year.
Steadily developing their reputation for dazzling spacerock, Perth’s Usurpers Of Modern Medicine continue to stretch for the stars. Giving new meaning to the term “career high,” House Of Reps lifts Everything Is Nothing into the stratosphere with superhuman ease. Mercury In Motionless Space sustains the momentum with undulating electronic riffs, while Singularity spells out their anti-gravity manifesto in the plainest terms. The peak intensity comes early on in a flighty first half, but Everything Is Nothing still represents the peak of their flight trajectory to date.
After a fairly conventional outing in previous album What For? Chaz “Toro Y Moi” Bundick returns to his retro-futuristic ‘80s roots on the electronics heavy Boo Boo. Without wishing to spoil Bundick’s reputation as the chilled, lackadaisical Californian at the party, it’s surprisingly bleak at times, not least on the quietly despairing Don’t Try and Girl Like You, which bleeds blue with loneliness. But there are many moments of genuine beauty amid the sadness, as well as Bundick’s patented hazy west coast vibes, which makes for possibly his strongest record to date.
Christopher H James
Christopher H James
Rod Whitfield
Nic Addenbrooke
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Washed Out Mister Mellow
Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 31
Live Re Live Reviews
Ali Barter @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
Gretta Ray @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
Bec Sandridge @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
Jack River @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
Rackett @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan
Luca Brasi @ Metro Theatre. Pic: Peter Dovgan
32 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
X @ X. Pic: X
Electric Lady Metro Theatre 30 Jun
It’s fitting that Sydney’s Rackett christened the Metro’s stage for Electric Lady. Dressed in wedding white (although far from feminine) the all-gal punk four-piece set the tone for the evening ahead: they were loud, they were energetic and they were in total control of their music and their set. Things reached fever pitch when vocalist Bec Callander said goodbye to her long blonde locks and received a choppy shave from an electric razor mid-song — she looked straight ahead and didn’t miss a beat. It is full on drama and one of the most rock’n’roll things I have ever seen. By the time that Jack River’s set came up, the Metro was heaving. Her set of jangly rhythm-heavy highway ballads hit the mark. She also trotted out a new cover of Lorde’s delicate Writer In The Dark. River’s rendition lost the song’s operatic drama but the melodies slid comfortably into her sound. Bec Sandridge may not be top of the bill, but she was, as always, the star of the show nonetheless. Drama and charisma define her as a performer and seeped out of everything from her bleach blonde bob to her rich voice as she skipped across (and got lost in) her melodies. Melbourne’s Alex Lahey was clearly a crowd favourite. The audience knew all of her lyrics and triumphantly shouted them back at her in loops with her music. She took a sober moment towards the end of her set to address the evening’s purpose: “If you identify as female and you have something you are thinking about doing, you should just do it. Whether it’s playing the guitar or bingo!”
Bec Sandridge may not be top of the bill, but she was, as always, the star of the show nonetheless.
Ali Barter rounded the night out with a set of her indie pop-rock. Her classical training shone through and she nailed every single one of her technically demanding hooks. She didn’t quite carry forward Lahey’s energy, but her set made for a mesmerising nightcap. Samantha Jonscher
Mike Noga Golden Age Cinema & Bar 2 Jul With a couple of exceptions, Sydney is still working out the ‘small bar’ thing. That’s partly due to the ongoing cage match between a council trying to keep some culture in the inner-city and a state government intent on selling off not only any building with human activity, but the park opposite as well, and even the bus that got you there. And some blame could be sheeted to the bars themselves, where the musical entertainment provided is often just to be background music to decide which single-origin spiced pilsener you want with your artisan cheese platter. But sometimes you want more than old mate yowling Dylan covers, or noodling like George Benson. Someone to entertain and engage. Someone like Mike Noga. The random nature of a Saturday night meant there was a crowd where some knew all the words from his genuinely terrific solo work, a portion had
eviews Live Reviews
to be told he used to be the drummer in The Drones, and a few who may have needed explaining that “See, there’s a band called The Drones...”. But armed with only the guitar his dad bought him, a five dollar harmonica (“Yeah, really should have got the $30 one...”), and a tambo on the floor to add
Sometimes you want more than old mate yowling Dylan covers, or noodling like George Benson. Someone to entertain and engage. Someone like Mike Noga.
occasional percussion, Noga was chatty from the little mirrored box with a disco ball that is The Golden Age stage. He offered samples of his often downbeat muse: the mortal regret of I Will Have Nothing silences the chatterers, chunks from his churning latest album King like the sadly jaunty All My Friends Are Alcoholics — always striking as an interesting choice to play in licensed premises — and “Irish murder ballad by a guy from Tasmania”, Eileen. There’s also the danger and delight of such intimate venues: the punter at one of those almost-on-the-stage tables had a hiccup attack right in the quiet section of M’Belle. Noga stopped, laughed with her, and soldiered on. Or the lady further back who asked for something a bit more upbeat, and was
rewarded with the swing of Down Like JFK, as the 35th president considers taking the convertible may not have been the best of ideas. He finished with King’s closer, the human need and longing of This Is For You, and mostly everybody — even those who had no idea of who or what was on offer — considered this a good way to spend a Saturday night. Ross Clelland
Luca Brasi, Pianos Become The Teeth, Maddy Jane, Speech Patterns Metro Theatre 1 Jul The Metro Theatre was a fitting venue choice for Luca Brasi to wrap up their Australian tour — a seemingly fabled venue for the Tassie four-piece. Speech Patterns kicked things off for the early arrivers, before Maddy Jane and her brilliant gold flares took to the stage. Including a stellar rendition of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, Jane and her crew certainly won over some new fans during the space of their set. Pianos Become The Teeth are the only non-Tassies on the bill, and the US group certainly bring in a crowd of their own. Frontman Kyle Durfey impressed with both his vocal and body contortions and it was apparent the group have enjoyed their time spent with Australian music lovers. Luca Brasi took to the stage with a roaring cheer as they burst through Aeroplane, and it wasn’t long before frontman Tyler Richardson greeted fans warmly and fondly. “Thanks for making us feel so welcome in a stupidly big venue like this for Luca Brasi,” he said, clearly chuffed.
They played through a mix of their back catalogue, and threw in the newly released Got To Give. It’s not long until Richardson was back at the mic, again regaling his wonder at playing at the Metro. He dedicated the next song to anyone who came along to early Luca Brasi shows and shared that “If you had of said three to four months ago that we’d be headlining the Metro, you can get fucked mate.” Clearly this show and tour has meant a lot to the boys from Tassie.
Clearly this show and tour has meant a lot to the boys from Tassie.
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Ruby Fields @ Hudson Ballroom All Our Exes Live In Texas @ Heritage Hotel
Continuing through their older songs, like Theme Song From HQ and Two Snakes, they closed out the first part of the set with newer track Anything Near Conviction, which received the biggest cheer of the evening. Just when proceedings seemed to be wrapped, they arrived back on stage after a short break, joking how they had bamboozled the audience with their apparent end to the show. Closing out with the crowdpleasing Isaac Bowen and Count Me Out, it’s easy to understand how and why Luca Brasi continue to pack out rooms, even ones the side of the Metro, all around the country. Jessica Dale
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 33
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
fucking good.” What’s left out of this sales pitch is that these animals are intelligent, sweet natured, loyal and gentle. One of these remarkable creatures is Okja, raised on a simple homestead in the Korean mountains as part of an international farming initiative. For ten years her days have been shared with 14-year-old Mija (played with astonishing nuance by An Seo Hyun), a young girl raised on the farm by her grandfather following the death of her parents. Mija and Okja have grown up together and are devoted to one another, so when the Mirando Corporation, which has ownership of the animal, comes to claim Okja, Mija refuses to give up hope of rescuing her four-legged friend. So far, so cheesy, but director Bong Joon-ho refuses to allow saccharine sentimentality to dull the razored edges of this dystopian fable about the realities of the meat industry and the horrors livestock face so that consumers can get their steaks, rashers and chops for cheap. There are nods to the kind of cinematic tropes this film might be likened to, a ripping urban caper with car chases and daring rescues. But it’s punctuated with moments of brutal reality, such as when Mija emerges from her desperate rescue attempt battered and bruised, or when Okja is horrifying forced into serial-mating. A powerhouse cast featuring Jake Gyllenhaal as crazed TV naturalist Dr Johnny Wilcox, Tilda Swinton as the quietly cut-throat Mirando sister, and Paul Dano as eco-warrior and Animal Liberation Front leader Jay, cement this beautiful, powerful, sobering film as Netflix’s first bona fide movie blockbuster. Okja
Okja Film Streaming via Netflix
★★★★ Cute animals are easy pray for moviemakers aiming to tug on the heartstrings, especially if those cute animals happen to have a cute kid for a bestie. But rarely have those fauna been destined for the abattoir - it’s here that Okja breaks new ground while surpassing many of its cinematic cousins for pure, soul-shaking heart. Heralded as a new and entirely organic form of livestock, the super pig is big, easy to raise, and most importantly, “tastes
Maxim Boon
It Comes At Night
It Comes At Night Film In cinemas now
★★★★ It Comes at Night, the second feature from American filmmaker Trey Edward Shults after his acclaimed microbudget debut Krisha, is the work of someone confident and in control - there’s a certainty when it comes to setting up and pulling off genre conventions like the jump scare and the slow burn (a few of the former, a fair bit of the latter) but also, it seems, an understanding of their limitations. Writer-director Shults keeps things lean and spare with this film - it has a handful of locations and a handful of characters - and one gets the feeling he has done so in order to hone his edge as a storyteller and a technician, and it pays off. It Comes at Night works terrifically as a device designed to whiten the knuckles of the viewer as the tension mounts but it also simply but effectively depicts the actions and reactions of people placed under increasingly intolerable levels of pressure and duress. There’s a virus. It’s contagious, incurable and deadly. And we can speculate that it has crumbled the fuck out of civilisation. Paul (Joel Edgerton), Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and their teenage son Travis (Kelvin Harrison, Jr) have embedded themselves in a remote rural house, isolating themselves from whatever horrors lie in the outside world. When Will (Christopher Abbott) tries to break into what he believes is an empty house, searching for food and water for his wife Kim (Riley Keough) and little boy Andrew (Griffin Robert Faulkner), Paul at first holds him captive, then agrees that the young family can take refuge with them. It’s a compassionate move, and a smart one - there’s safety in numbers, after all. It may also doom them all. The two families may be sheltered from the virus (or maybe not) but other diseases slowly begin to spread through the house - distrust from the possibility of a lie, tension stemming from repressed sexuality - and paranoia takes root. Shults doesn’t overplay it, instead creating atmosphere through long silences, muffled noises and shadowed, half-visible shots, and nor do the actors, with Harrison, Jr doing incredible work as a young man trapped between childhood and adulthood and Edgerton consolidating his position as an understated but wholly magnetic lead. Guy Davis
34 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
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Wednesday 12 July, 8:30pm Lazybones Lounge 294 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville NSW $15 Doors & Dinner from 7pm
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www.jodimartin.com THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 35
Comedy / G The Guide
Wed 05
Wildheart
SOSUEME feat. Philadelphia Grand Jury + Ebony Boadu + Gasper Sanz: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Clare Bowen: Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
The Lemon Twigs
Australian Chamber Orchestra: City Recital Hall, Sydney
The Music Presents
2017 Sydney Reclink Community Cup Launch with Mikey Robins + Craig Quartermaine + more: Golden Barley Hotel, Enmore
Orsome Welles: 30 Jun Factory Theatre; 1 Jul The Basement
The White Tree Band: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
Luca Brasi: 1 Jul Metro Theatre
Live & Local feat. Finnian Johnson + Skinny & Awkward + Dan March + Amy Vee + Jason Lowe: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
Bello Winter Music Festival: 6 - 9 Jul Bellingen Horrorshow: 7 Jul University Of Wollongong; 8 Jul Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Two Door Cinema Club: 21 Jul Hodern Pavilion
Perikles: Paddington RSL, Paddington Grouse + Totty + Capes + Logan The Band: Rad Bar, Wollongong Oliver Downes + Pocket Fox: Smiths Alternative, Canberra
A Wild Start Valve Bar is not prepared for what’s to come on Sunday. Wildheart will be chewing the venue up as they open for Metak, who will then proceed to spit it out.
The Lemon Twigs: 22 Jul Oxford Art Factory Sigur Ros: 25 Jul Hodern Pavilion Vera Blue: 28 Jul The Academy Canberra; 29 Jul Metro Theatre; 31 Aug UniBar Wollongong; 1 Sep The Beery Terrigal; 8 Sep Bar On The Hill Newcastle Sydney Guitar Festival: 23-27 Aug, Various Venues Dan Sultan: 28 Sep The Academy Canerra; 29 Sep Bar On The Hill Newcastle; 30 Sep Metro Theatre At The Drive In: 29 Sep Hodern Pavilion
Thu 06
Gordi: Giant Dwarf, Redfern
Fri 07
Bay City Rollers feat. Les McKeown: Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul
Cable Ties: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Bello Winter Music Festival Opening Night feat. Husky + Hello Tut Tut + Epizo & Bangoura + Jack Carty + Shanteya & Jo + more: Bellingen Memorial Hall, Bellingen
Russell Neal + Kenneth D’Aran + more: Harbour View Hotel, Dawes Point
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Geoff Turnbull + Leah Senior + Sara Tindley + Jo Jo Smith + Shanteya & Jo: 5 Church Street, Bellingen
Golden Vessel + Elkkle + Mookhi: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst Klub Koori feat. Casey Donovan +
The Ruminaters + Sun Sap: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Bar), Manly Saskwatch: Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Michael Fryar: Observer Hotel, The Rocks Joe Moore: Orient Hotel, The Rocks
Cable Ties
Vintage & Custom Drum Expo: 8 Oct Factory Theatre
John & Yuki: Osaka, Potts Point Merpire + Elizabeth Hughes + Georgia Mulligan: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst
Alt-J: 9 Dec ICC Sydney
Clare Bowen: Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul TRAPT: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Archer + The Barkers Vale Brothers + Little King + Mat Brooker: Bellingen Brewery & Co, Bellingen Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Shake DJs + The Ninth Chapter + The Teskey Brothers + Madeline Leman & The Desert Swells + Low Down Riders: Bellingen Golf Club, Bellingen
Spit Syndicate + Jackie Onassis: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Jane Irving + Kevin Hailey: Smiths Alternative, Canberra Cecillia Brandolini + Jeffrey Chan + Fox Heaven: Staves Brewery, Glebe
Cut The Cord Melburnian three-piece Cable Ties are busy touring their selftitled album, which dropped late May, and Factory Theatre has the pleasure of hosting them next. Imperial Broads are coming out to make the night that much sweeter on Friday.
Steve Gunn + Angie: The Basement, Sydney Ben Ottewell (Gomez) + Buddy: The Bunker (FKA Coogee Diggers), Coogee Cable Ties + Special Guests: The Edwards, Newcastle West Victor Bravo + Arna Georgia: The Louis (formerly Lewisham Hotel), Lewisham Ride For Rain + Scum Shuvit + Down For Tomorrow + Disclaimer: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo The Thursday Shuffle: Venue 505, Surry Hills
Jess Beck + Mi-Kaisha Masella + Thaylia: Carriageworks, Eveleigh World Famous Comedy Store Showcase 2017: Comedy Store, Moore Park Grinspoon + Hockey Dad: Enmore Theatre, Newtown
36 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Clare Bowen
White Knuckle Fever + Minor Surgery: Vic On The Park, Marrickville
Bow-en Down Nashville star Clare Bowen is sneaking to Australia in between her filming duties for a headline tour. The NSW-native will be hitting up Enmore Theatre on Sunday, after dropping her single Love Steps In earlier this year.
Gigs / Live The Guide
Hey Geronimo: Hudson Ballroom, Sydney Spenda C: King Street Hotel, Newcastle West
The Meanies + Front End Loader + Stiff Richards: Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale The Tall Grass + Adam Young + Kid Cornered + The Ice Chest Orchestra: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville
Nick Nuisance & The Delinquents
Nick-Compoop Petersham’s own punk rockers Nick Nuisance & The Delinquents are joining The Undertones for their first ever Australian tour. Get a first glimpse at the Metro Theatre on Saturday, where feedtime are also slated to support.
Jo Fabro: LazyBones Lounge (Level 1), Marrickville
Amber Lawrence: The Bunker (FKA Coogee Diggers), Coogee
Jonval + Ruby Run + Donna Amini: The Gaelic Club (1st Floor), Surry Hills
Andy Baylor: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle DJ Frenzie + DJ Somatik + DJ Mike Dotch + Duan & Only: The Newport, Newport The Ians + AMPon + H. + Dalmacia: The Phoenix, Canberra
Sat 08
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Mat Brooker + Hussy Hicks + Buddy + Ukulele Death Squad + Luke Escombe + Tyler Nakoa Parkes + Eastern Brown + Titan Sky + Yhan Leal: 5 Church Street, Bellingen Primordial + Vomitor + Nocturnal Graves: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt Horrorshow + David Dallas + Turquoise Prince: Bar On The Hill, Callaghan
Cookin’ On 3 Burners + Stella Angelico: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown NAIDOC After Party with DJ Moto + DJ I Sight + DJ Tikelz: Manning Bar, Camperdown Brown Sugar: Marble Bar, Sydney Kris McIntyre: Minto Mirage Hotel, Minto Hard-Ons: Miranda Hotel, Miranda Just A Gent + Moza: Mr Wolf, Canberra James Brennan + Michael Gorham: Observer Hotel, The Rocks
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. 30/70 + Tinpan Orange + Joe Pug + Jack Carty & Gus Gardiner + The Satellite Strings + The Vaudeville Smash: Bellingen Memorial Hall, Bellingen Alice Ivy + Ninajirachi + Chymes: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst Liza Ohlback + Jazzmania + Bek Jensen: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville Flamin’ Beauties: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Ukulele Death Squad + Courtney Marie Andrews + Lucie Thorne & Hamish Stuart + Mandy Nolan + Sali Bracewell: Cedar Bar, Bellingen Australian Chamber Orchestra: City Recital Hall, Sydney
Reckless + Jonathan Lee Jones: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Spit Syndicate + Jackie Onassis: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Back To The 90s - New Jack Swing feat. DJ Mo Funk + DJ Saywhut!? + DJ Benny Hinn: Play Bar, Surry Hills Jinco + Johnny Third: Proud Mary’s, Erina The Attics + Velvet Bow + Elke & The Jandel + Ducks: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Philadelphia Grand Jury
Jury Adjourned Philadelphia Grand Jury have currently been in hibernation while they write their new record, but they’re finally resurfacing to take their new tracks for a test run. Head down to their free gig at Beach Road Hotel’s Sosueme on Wednesday.
Parlae + DJ Kitsch 78: Rock Lily, Pyrmont
Sun Sap
Jimmy Mann: The Push, The Rocks Oliver Downes + Lee Moon + Niq Reefman: The Rhythm Hut, Gosford
Rhys Nicholson: Comedy Store, Moore Park World Famous Comedy Store Showcase 2017: Comedy Store, Moore Park
Boneman + William John Jr Band + The Girlfolder: The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
IV League + The Ruiins + Big Creature: Coogee Bay Hotel (Selina’s), Coogee
Australian Trilogy: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Hello Tut Tut + Tullara + King Curly + Guyy & The Fox + Ben Wilson: Diggers Tavern, Bellingen
Horrorshow + David Dallas + Turquoise Prince: Uni Bar (Hall), Wollongong
Sun Slop Sap
All Ages Show with Touche Amore + Turnover + Endless Heights + Rumours: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Cable Ties + Imperial Broads: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Gold Member + Hussy Hicks + The Long Johns + Ladyslug + Kaya Boom: Federal Hotel, Bellingen Esmond Selwyn + Sandie White: Foundry 616, Sydney
Sydney’s Sun Sap are continuing their support for The Ruminaters, who are currently busy completing their Summer Vacation tour at Hotel Steyne. Head down this Thursday for a night of uninhibited fun.
Dashville on The Road #1 feat. James Thomson + Baghead + Melody Pool + Magpie Diaries + more: Royal Federal Hotel, Branxton
John & Yuki: Hotel Blue, Katoomba The Strides: The Basement, Sydney Billy Fox + Marvell: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine), Manly
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Senegambian Jazz Band + The Long Johns + Juzzie Smith + Epizo & Bangoura + Lucie Thorne & Hamish Stuart + The Brothers + The Coconut Kids + Juice Box: Bellingen Golf Club, Bellingen
Two Faced + The Crapenters + Dirtbag + Straight To A Tomb + Speedball + Decrier: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Salmonella Dub + Bec Sandridge + The Vaudeville Smash + Mama Kin & Spender + Joe Pug + Ben Ottewell (Gomez) + Jo Jo Smith + more: Bellingen Memorial Hall, Bellingen
Official NAIDOC After Party with DJ Tikelz + DJ Peter Gunz + more: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo
Allday + Japanese Wallpaper + Nicole Millar + more: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point
Nativo Soul: Venue 505, Surry Hills
Jimeoin: Blacktown Workers Club, Blacktown
Glenn Esmond: Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain
Ill Prepared: Dundas Sports Club, Dundas Grinspoon + Hockey Dad: Enmore Theatre, Newtown
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Gold Member + Guyy & The Fox + Archer + Dustyesky + Walrus & The Carpenter + Low Down Riders + Sara Tindley: Bellingen Brewery & Co, Bellingen
The New Savages + Michigan Water: Vic On The Park, Marrickville Banquet feat. Sun Sap: World Bar, Potts Point
Dashville on The Road #1 feat. James Thomson + Baghead + Melody Pool + Magpie Diaries + more: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Clea + Nice Biscuit: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst Kavalo: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017 • 37
Comedy / G The Guide
Stormcellar
Monsieur Camembert: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Masco Sound System + Fuzzy Lips + Funk Engine + Marrickville Sound: Rad Bar, Wollongong
SCNDL: Candys Apartment, Potts Point
Mesa Groove: Revesby Workers (Infinity Lounge), Revesby
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Guyy & The Fox + Dustyesky + Jack Carty + The Barkers Vale Brothers + Miles & Simone + Leah Senior + Archer + The High & Lonesome + Sohum Women’s Choir + more: Cedar Bar, Bellingen
Indie
Australian Chamber Orchestra: City Recital Hall, Sydney
Album Focus
Answered by: Michael Barry Album title? Defiance
Where did the title of your new album come from? The vibe we felt when touring the US heartland during the 2016 election season.
Rhys Nicholson: Comedy Store, Moore Park World Famous Comedy Store Showcase 2017: Comedy Store, Moore Park Captain Bob’s Station House Seven: Corrimal Hotel, Corrimal Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Teskey Brothers + 30/70 + The Strides + Courtney Marie Andrews + Dancing With The Star + Dose Guise + Little King + Hussy Hicks: Diggers Tavern, Bellingen
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Hearing US country, blues or folk artists finish their night with a rock song, no matter how they started. Defiance is the sound of the US Heartland during the Trump election year. What’s your favourite song on it? Jo Fitzgerald’s acoustic version of Audioslave’s Like A Stone with Flugelhorn player PJ from the Bob & Tom Show Band. Will you do anything differently next time? Hopefully we’ll continue to take risks. When and where is your launch/ next gigs? 8 Jul, Coogee Diggers. We’ll launch the album in Indy. Website link for more info? stormcellar.com.au
SIMA feat. Judy Bailey + Jane Irving + Kevin Hailey: Seymour Centre, Darlington
Dizzying Heights
Tom Woodward: Smiths Alternative, Canberra
Endless Heights have snagged the supporting slot for American post-hardcore band Touche Amore. The Sydney five-piece, Turnover and Rumours will be joining them at Factory Theatre for an all ages gig on Friday.
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Ladyslug + Madeline Leman & The Desert Swells + King Curly + Greg Sheehan + Hello Tut Tut + more: St Margarets Hall, Bellingen Cass Greaves: Surly’s, Surry Hills Never Ending 80s: The Basement, Sydney Toxicon: The Basement, Belconnen
Oliver Downes + String Theories: Humph Hall, Allambie Heights
Stormcellar: The Bunker (FKA Coogee Diggers), Coogee
Spy V Spy + Urban Guerillas: Kahibah Sports Club, Kahibah
DEN: The Gaelic Club (1st Floor), Surry Hills
Cath & Him: Kellys on King, Newtown The Meanies + Front End Loader + Stiff Richards: Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale Furnace & The Fundamentals
Crazy Fun Furnace & The Fundamentals are bringing their brilliantly named Furnapalooza to Enmore Theatre on Saturday, so there’s literally no excuse not to party the weekend away. Discovery, a Daft Punk tribute show, will round out the night.
Big Mama & The Hanged Men + Ali Penney & The Money Makers: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville Pat Capocci + Rosa Maria: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown Mental As Anything: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton Kelly Hope: Long Jetty Hotel, Long Jetty
Furnace & Fundamentals + Discovery (Daft Punk Tribute Show) + Pluto Jonze: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Ninth Chapter + The Coconut Kids + Then Jolene + Tullara + The Teskey Brothers + Ben Wilson + The Stained Daisies + Soar: Federal Hotel, Bellingen Michael Kopp: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Afternoon Show with Paul Hayward & his Sidekicks: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville Andy Baylor: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
Get Down Rosie + The Dopes: Heritage Hotel, Bulli Sam Buckingham + Eagle & The Wolf: Hibernian House, Surry Hills Bliss N Eso: Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Jack Beats: The Grand Hotel, Wollongong Ministry of Sound Club feat. Jack Beats + Jordan Burns + Kinder: The Ivy, Sydney The Pat Powell Band: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle DJ MK-1 + Gian + DJ Phil Toke + Ines: The Newport, Newport Cable Ties + Moaning Lisa + Slagatha Christie: The Phoenix, Canberra The Autumn Hearts + The Marquis + Lenny Tranter & the Bagism Revelation: The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
DJ Stuart B + DJ Murray Lake: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
Michael Fryar: Twin Willows Hotel, Bass Hill
Soul Empire: Marble Bar, Sydney
The Pinheads + Los Tones + Solid Effort + Crocodylus: Uni Bar, Wollongong
Kilter + Feki + Alta: Max Watt’s, Moore Park The Undertones + feedtime + Nick Nuisance & The Delinquents: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Michael Gorham: Harts Pub, The Rocks
38 • THE MUSIC • 5TH JULY 2017
Benj Axwell: Ruby Hotel, Rozelle Endless Heights
The Black Sails: The Beach Hotel, Merewether
How many releases do you have now? Defiance is our ninth, and the third album in our MidWest Triptych. How long did it take to write/ record? Defiance is part of a four-year project but only took ten days for tracking.
Soul Sonic + DJ Jesse James: Rock Lily, Pyrmont
Golden Vessel
James Heathwood + Nathan Cole: Observer Hotel, The Rocks Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Paul McGowan + Andrew Denniston: Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield Panorama + Tom Trelawny: Orient Hotel, The Rocks All Ages Matinee Show with Jai Waetford: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Gold Shoulder
Tom Stephens + Spirit Faces + Bonniesongs: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Golden Vessel’s east coast Shoulders tour will give him the chance to showcase the new single in all its glory. Elkkle and Mookhi will be accompanying him when he heads to Brighton Up Bar on Thursday.
GL + Fortunes: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Shows on Stage feat. Hannah Matysek: Paddington RSL, Paddington Blake Tailor: Plough & Harrow, Camden
Gigs / Live The Guide
Sanctuary Club: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Lachlan X Morris + Grace Turner: Vic On The Park, Marrickville
Sun 09 Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Miles & Simone + Mat Brooker + Shanteya & Jo + Hussy Hicks + The Barkers Vale Brothers + Ukulele Death Squad + Katie Crane + Sali Bracewell: 5 Church Street, Bellingen
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Daughters of the Rum Rebellion + Ben Wilson + Buddy + Jo Jo Smith + Bread & Butter + Sara Tindley + Yhan Leal: Cedar Bar, Bellingen Bliss N Eso: Club Forster, Forster
Peter Byrne + The White Bros: Orient Hotel, The Rocks
Under 18’s Only Matinee Show with Bec Sandridge + The Vanns + Ninajirachi + Moaning Lisa + IV League + Throw Me To The Wolves + Candy Air + The Lazy Eyes + Haze Trio: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Stormcellar: Coast Hotel, Budgewoi Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Madeline Leman & The Desert Swells + Tullara + The Coconut Kids + Gold Member + Geoff Turnbull: Diggers Tavern, Bellingen
Ashtray Boy + Lobsterman + A Blunt Modern: Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham Moondance: Pittwater RSL (Distillery), Mona Vale The Zilzies + Pacific Avenue + Seven Suns + Loki Hines: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Cookin’ On 3 Burners
Proton Shake feat. Twin Caverns + Golden Orbs + Anomie + Outskert: Red Rattler, Marrickville The JP Project: Rocks Brewing Company, Alexandria Jayden Sierra: Rooty Hill RSL (Corona Terrace), Rooty Hill Masco Sound System: Smiths Alternative, Canberra Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Hussy Hicks + The Brothers + Lucie Thorne & Hamish Stuart + Epizo & Bangoura + Juzzie Smith + The Vegetable Plot + more: St Margarets Hall, Bellingen Utzon Music Series feat. John Bell + Simon Tedeschi: Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Fixin’ For A Mixin’
Australian Chamber Orchestra: Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Lab Experiments Vol 1: Mixin’ is the latest concoction from Cookin’ On 3 Burners, and the trio are keen to share it with the masses. Stella Angelico is joining the musos at Leadbelly this Friday.
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Hello Tut Tut + Ukulele Death Squad + Guyy & The Fox + The High & Lonesome + Dustyesky + Titan Sky: Bellingen Brewery & Co, Bellingen Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Vaudeville Smash + Greg Sheehan + Jack Carty + Dustyesky + Madeline Leman & The Desert Swells + more: Bellingen Golf Club, Bellingen Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. The Strides + Radical Son + The Teskey Brothers + The Ninth Chapter + Ben Ottewell (Gomez) + Mama Kin & Spender + The Spangled Drongos + The Senegambian Jazz Band: Bellingen Memorial Hall, Bellingen Jacob Sartorius: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point Souci Maq + Charlie Don’t Surf + Scum Dog Zillionaire: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Hello Cleveland: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills Baci Da Fellini: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville On The Stoop + Dr Kong & The Stem Cells: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
The Pinheads
Michael Peter: The Beach Hotel, Merewether Dashville on The Road #1 feat. James Thomson + Baghead + Melody Pool + Magpie Diaries + more: The Bearded Tit, Redfern
Clare Bowen: Enmore Theatre, Newtown
DJ Alex Mac + Rob Edwards + DJ Cool Hand Luke + Paper Parade: The Newport, Newport
Hoodoo Gurus + You Am I: Entrance Leagues, Bateau Bay
Mark Crotti: The Push, The Rocks
Bellingen Winter Music Festival feat. Ladyslug + Rear Wheel Drive + Low Down Riders + Archer + South Arm + King Curly + The Long Johns: Federal Hotel, Bellingen
Electric Zebra: The Record Crate, Glebe
IV League
Glenn Esmond: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks
DJ Frenzie + DJ Meem + DJ Paris Groovescooter + DJ Hobar Mallow: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly Quintino: Oatley Hotel, Oatley Dan Mullins + Chris Stretton: Observer Hotel, The Rocks
Oliver Downes + Hollie Matthew + Ainsley Farrell: Union Hotel, Newtown Metak + Black Knuckles + Wildheart: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
MON 10 Clare Bowen: Civic Theatre, Newcastle Songs On Stage feat. Michelle Benson + Chris Brookes + Paul Ward + Kenneth D’Aran: Kellys on King, Newtown In Stereo + Marcelo: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Bliss N Eso: Panthers, Port Macquarie The Bootleg Sessions feat. The New Savages + Betty Alto + James Montgomery-Wilcox + Sophie Edwards: The Phoenix, Canberra
TUE 11
Songs On Stage feat. Stuart Jammin + Jenny Hume + more: Kellys on King, Newtown
Adam Gibson + Dog Dirt + Aitah: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Lazy Sunday Lunch with Van The Man - A Tribute To Van Morrison: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
Charlie Harper Band: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi
Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Pauline Sparkle + more: Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill
The Slowdowns: Grand Junction Hotel (The Junkyard), Maitland
Black Bird Hum: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine), Manly
The past few months have been massive for The Pinheads, as the Sydneysiders have commenced their tour shortly after dropping their self-titled debut LP. Clamber down to Uni Bar this Saturday for a cheeky squiz.
The Wedding Present + Babaganouj + Sachet: Factory Theatre, Marrickville
The Villebillies + Slim Dime + Golden Whistler: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
The Raduga Trio: Hotel Blue, Katoomba
Pin It To Win It
League Of Legends
Joe Pug + Courtney Marie Andrews: Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale
IV League have just wrapped up their tour with Ali Barter and are jumping right back into it this Friday. The alt-pop outfit will be jamming out at Selina’s with brother-esque duo The Ruiins and fellow Melburnians Big Creature.
Chesterfield + LEO + Swansea Hit & Run + more: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville Paul Winn: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Lulo Reinhardt + Bart Stenhouse: The Basement, Belconnen
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