14.06.17 Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Issue
193
Sydney / Free / Incorporating
release: royal blood
tour: bliss n eso
release: london grammar
2 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
with special guests
Sat 9 Dec ICC SYDNEY THEATRE ON SALE NOW
NEW ALBUM RELAXER OUT NOW
ALTJBAND.COM FRONTIERTOURING.COM THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 3
JASON ISBELL THE NASHVILLE SOUND The follow up to “Something More Than Free” which won 2 Grammys & 2 Americana awards! “Isbell’s extraordinarily pure, sincere, and just f*cking magnificent passion and craft seems intact” – THE MUSIC “Always poignant and profound in his storytelling this time around Isbell has also injected a hearty dose of contemporary realism into his tales” – RHYTHMS MAGAZINE
OUT JUNE 16 BIG THIEF
CAPACITY
Includes Mythological Beauty & Shark Smile. “On Big Thief’s debut, Masterpiece, guitarist/vocalist Adrianne Lenker gracefully examined the intricacies of her personal relationships, from childhood conspirators to objects of affection. She digs even deeper on ‘Mythological Beauty’” – PITCHFORK (best new track)
OUT NOW
ALSO AVAILABLE
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY BEST TROUBADOUR
BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE HUG OF THUNDER
CORNELIUS MELLOW WAVES
SINCE 1999 OUT NOW
4 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
BONNY DOON BONNY DOON
OUT JUNE 30
OUT JULY 7
OUT JULY 21
BASEMENT
THU 15TH 8PM
“PÄNIK” AND “REAPER” PRESENTS
METAL MAYHEM AT THE VALVE BAR
BASEMENT
SAT 17TH 8PM
WITH SUPPORT FROM “ACROLYSIS”, “SNÖW LEOPARD” BASEMENT
FRI 16TH 9PM
THE ELEMENTS OF TECH AND BASS PRESENTS NIGHT OF
DRUM’N’BASS/ JUNGLE
LEVEL ONE
SAT 17TH 10PM
FEAT: OZZO, TRIREME, THIERRY D, EKZIK, DILBERT, MC’S MECCA AND JAY SMITH LEVEL ONE
FRI 16TH 10PM
LET’S GET STUPID PRESENTS:
FREEFORM ONLY
BASEMENT
FEAT COUNT & WON WITH SUPPORT FROM SC@R, ROSS FADER, TELEPATHYT
SUN 18TH 5PM
DEAF TO ALL BUT METAL PRESENTS
METAL MATRIARCHY
WITH “TEMTRIS”, “WEB CITY LIMITS”, “DAWN”, “THE DIRTY EARTH” AND DJ’S NATRIZ, KATE GARDNER, BETTIE BANDIT GARRY GRIM, TAIN DROP ZONE PRESENTS
RAVE OF ORIGIN
FEATURING DJ S3RL & DAVE PSI, TELEPATHY & VENDETTA 7, BREADMAKER & ROYALS, KONVERTERZ & TONIQ, ROSS FADER, SC@R, CATZYEZ HOSTED BY MC NIGHTWIZARD AND MC WEASAL “THE DESERT” PRESENTS
WINTER SOUND
WITH SUPPORT FROM “ROGUE COMPANY”, “RIGHTFUL LONERS”, “SWINE FEVER”
COMING UP
Thu 22 June: 8pm Basement: “Breaking The Waves” presents Night of Indie Rock with support from “Just Breathe”, “As We Fall”, “Damsel In Dismay”; Fri 23 June: 8pm Basement: Hard & Heavy with “Acrolysis”, “Vodvile”, “Reaver”, “Noisetank”; 10pm Level One: Mutilate presents: Night of Hardcore feat DJ’s; Sat 24 June: 8pm Basement: “Reaver” presents night of pure Trash Metal with support from “Metanoia”, “Hand Held Human” and many more; 10pm Level One: Swarm presents: Hive Sonic Studio Launch featuring Syndrome, supported by Mookie, Vic Zee, Heretic, Qu-Zen, Analogue Resistance (Live); Sun 25 June: 5pm Basement: Alpaca My Shades Tour feat: “”Elm Tree Circle” (Germany), “My Official Failure”, “Operation Ibis”, “Mumbofish”, “Joshua Arentz”
MUSIC VENUE | COCKTAIL BAR | DINER TUE 13
TERRY SERIOS HALF TRUTHS
+ CHARLIE OWEN (TEX, DON CHARLIE) + OH REACH
THU 22
CARUS THOMPSON + NATHAN GAUNT
WED 14
FRI 23
GREEN MOHAIR SUITS
CHRIS CAIN (USA)
+ THAT RED HEAD
2 BIG SETS, NO SUPPORT
FRI 16
SAT 24-
TAASHA COATES
THE SAFFRON BURLESQUE CLUB
SAT 17 & SUN 18
SUN 25
(THE AUDREYS) + CALLUM WYLIE
CAB SASQUATCH PRESENT
SOUND + VISION DAVID BOWIE CABARET
42 KING ST NEWTOWN
BURLESQUE + VARIETY
DANIEL CHAMPAGNE + TIM WINTERFLOOD
W W W. TH E L E A D B E L LY. C O M . A U THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 5
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Praise The Lorde
Lorde
New Zealander Lorde has announced her own headline tour. Her five-date Melodrama tour will commence in November, move fast though as the tickets will sell like hotcakes.
Are You Cere-ous? Since collaborating with Wil Wagner on single Stretch Your Skin, the emo punkers in Ceres are taking their latest creations across east coast Australia this August. They’ve said it’ll be their last shows for a while so catch them quick.
Ceres
Does anyone know if TLC has relaxed its policy on scrubs? @PFTompkins
6 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
You Me At Six
Hitting For Six British punk rock outfit You Me At Six are bringing their Night People tour to Australia, returning for the first time since 2014. Relive some of your high school soundtrack tunes and some new additions when they land late September.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Credits
Publisher Street Press Australia Pty Ltd Group Managing Editor Andrew Mast
London Grammar
National Editor – Magazines Mark Neilsen Arts & Culture Editor Maxim Boon
Truth Will Out
The captivating sounds of UK trio London Grammar are coming back to Australian shores in celebration of their latest release Truth Is A Beautiful Thing. They’ll be serenading Aussie venues through late September.
The Jungle Giants
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 Advertising Dept Georgina Pengelly, Brad Edwards sales@themusic.com.au
A Jungle Out There Hot off the release of their third album, Quiet Ferocity, The Jungle Giants are embarking on an Australian and New Zealand headline tour. Kicking off in August, the band will play both all-ages and over-18 gigs.
Art Dept Ben Nicol, Felicity Case-Mejia, Alex Foreman Admin & Accounts Ajaz Durrani, Meg Burnham, Emma Clarke accounts@themusic.com.au Distro distro@themusic.com.au Subscriptions store@themusic.com.au Contact Us PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Jessica Says
Suite 42, 89-97 Jones St Ultimo Phone: (02) 9331 7077 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au
He Said She Said
— Sydney
Melbourne pop superstar Jessica Says has announced a launch tour for her latest album Do With Me What U Will. Catch the classically trained cellist’s open and honest new material when the tour kicks off in July. THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 7
Music / Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
SupaSydney
Supanova has landed in Sydney with a stream of guests including the legendary Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future). Put your final touches on your costumes and prepare for the three day weekend of comic and gaming fun this July.
theMusic.com.au: breaking news, up-to-the-minute reviews and streaming new releases
Christopher Lloyd
Saskwatch
Sk-watch This Space Indie-soul groovers Saskwatch have dropped a new single Then There’s You off their upcoming album. Skip the FOMO and head down to a sneak peak of their new material when they play some lovely intimate shows this July.
Alley Cats Off the back of some wicked 2017 support slots, the psychedelic Ocean Alley have announced their own headline tour. As with previously sold out Australian shows, it’s bound to go right off. The tour runs from August through September.
90 The percentage audience increase in the New York production of Kinky Boots since Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie joined the cast.
8 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Camp Cope
Can’t Cope Before heading off to the US for their first time ever, Camp Cope are touring Australia with their mates Worriers for a five-stop extravaganza. Unsurprisingly, some of their gigs are almost sold out, so time to enter panic mode.
Arts / Li Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture
Frontlash
Milk Mania
Alison Wonderland
Holy crap. The line-up for Spilt Milk has just been announced, and it’s chock-a-block with major acts. Alison Wonderland, Lorde, Vance Joy, Tash Sultana, and Cashmere Cat are just a handful of those slated to perform this November.
Sigur Ros
Are addressing the issue of the Margaret Court controversy by coming out in support of marriage equality in Australia and issuing a special t-shirt to support the cause.
The Lansdowne Rhys Darby
Great to see one of the former mainstays of the Sydney live scene come back online this week.
In A Knot
Lashes
Corey Taylor told The Music that Slipknot could be looking to bring their heavy festival Knotfest to Australia.
Chuckle Central
Ocean Alley
The line-up for Just For Laughs has been announced and it’s sure to attract audiences in droves. Among those billed is Rhys Darby, Scottish comic Kevin Bridges, Gad Elmaleh and My Favourite Murder podcast hosts Georgia Hardstark & Karen Kilgariff.
Sigur Ros
Backlash Up And Away
Time to bid farewell to digital editor Uppy Chatterjee from The Music. Happy trails and we will miss you!
Ainslie Wills
Scalpers Part 3524 Running Wild After a 20-date tour trek across the UK, Melburnian singersongwriter Ainslie Wills has revealed a stunning live video for new single Running Second. To accompany this she’s taking the stage back home this July to show it off.
Another example of scalpers sliding to a new low – the latest gig to fall victim is the Playing It Forward benefit show for Noiseworks’ Stuart Fraser, with resale sites offering tickets at inflated prices – of which no money will obviously make it to Fraser direct.
No Sense Fans were already outraged when Sense8 was cancelled after a cliffhanger ending, but now Netflix have shot down calls wanting to bring it back for a resolution.
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 9
Music
Brynn Davies sits down with the three Englishmen of Alt-J, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Green, and decodes their third record Relaxer. Cover pic by Josh Groom. Feature pics by Peter Sharp.
“I
was born with a rare genetic condition,” says Alt-J drummer Thom Green, as he settles into the couch. “I lost my hearing when I was six.” Green is explaining what it’s like to be a professional drummer living with Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that has rendered him without 80% of his hearing. It can also cause kidney failure. “I knew I would be going on dialysis, I knew that my kidneys would fail, but I didn’t know when; I didn’t know that it would be that soon — I was 19.” While Green is talking, bandmates Joe Newman and Gus Unger-Hamilton are listening quietly; having conducted most of the interview between them, it’s Green’s turn to hold the floor. It’s not that he’s seemed uncertain or shy — certainly that might come into play — but mostly he just appears
10 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
content to let his friends do the talking. It feels strikingly intimate that the few words he shares are of such a personal nature. “It happened very quickly. I’ve been on dialysis for about four years now, and I had a transplant from an anonymous donor in Plymouth — it was 2008, so it’s been about nine years. I still don’t really understand it, I kind of have to live with it every day. It’s odd, because it’s forever; it’s not going to go away. I’m not going to... there’s no cure. “I’m not shy about it because there are young people who are experiencing it and it’s important that they know that it can get better, because when you’re going through it, you think you’re going to die, you’re kinda like ‘This is it’, and for some people it is if you don’t get a transplant — especially in America where you can’t afford it, you have to stay on dialysis... I do what I can, I have to take a lot of medication — if I fuck up that then it’s a big mistake.” Alt-J owes a large part of their success to Green’s inventive drumming, stemming from an untrained background in metal and grunge. If you’ve ever caught the band live you would have glimpsed his strange set-up, usually consisting of a parallel formation, a suspended tambourine, a complete absence of cymbals, and a cowbell packed out with newspaper. Back when they had band practice while they were studying in Leeds, he’d tie a saucepan to his leg in place of a high hat. “I don’t ever really think about playing drums as the way it sounds at all,” he explains. “I can’t tune a drum kit... For me, it’s how it feels; how the rhythm feels. My drums are quite dead actually when I play them live I use tape and stuff to make it more packed.” Alt-J, named after the keystroke for rendering a delta symbol, came together while the three were at university. “I can’t remember the jamming process, I just remember you playing along to what I was doing and it
working very quickly,” Newman says to the others. “We had very basic equipment,” Unger-Hamilton remembers. “I think Joe had a guitar which you’d borrowed from your dad, I was using keyboards which you’d borrowed from a friend and gave to me, and Thom had a few bits of drum stuff that he was bringing home from his dad’s house on the train. It was very basic.”
There were so many people, they couldn’t stand up. We were side of stage waiting to go on, just going ‘What the fuck’s that?’
Unger-Hamilton takes us back to the moment they realised that Alt-J was not just another uni band — at Reading Festival in 2012. Check out the poster: if you can tear your eyes away from what looks like the ultimate line-up of headliners: The Cure, Kasabian (for whom this was their debut festival headline slot), Foo Fighters, Florence & The Machine, The Black Keys, The Shins, Crystal Castles, The Vaccines, Paramore... and then down through the tiers; passed Two Door Cinema Club, Miike Snow, Of Monsters & Men, Foster The People, Santigold; nope, even further, below Azealia Banks, Grimes, Bastille... and then you’ll hit the fine print, finding Alt-J buried in the micro-mentions. “We were playing at like 3pm in the afternoon in one of the smaller tents and it
was fucking packed. Unbelievably packed,” he remembers. “The crowd kinda moving left and right, because there were so many people, they couldn’t stand up, we were side of stage waiting to go on, just going ‘What the fuck’s that?’” adds Green. Now on to their third album, Relaxer, Alt-J have solidified themselves as true raconteurs, capable of weaving stories of strange worlds and rich characters brought to life across eight immensely intricate tracks. The multitude of individual influences play into the album’s diversity — signature choral and classical compositions intertwined with falsetto harmonies, and a broadened scope into electronic filters (Deathcrush), experimental rock vibes harking back to Led Zeppelin, The Doors and The Velvet Underground (Hit Me Like That Snare) and even an appropriation of folk classic House Of The Rising Sun, as Newman tells, based more on the Woody Guthrie version than The Animals’ classic. “The second verse is all original lyrics, the chorus is original, so us as kind of folk artists in a way are picking up an old folk song and playing with it, and then passing it on in that tradition,” he explains. Deathcrush is about “if we were to have a ‘dead crush’ who would it be?” offers Green. “The first verse is about Lee Miller, which is Joe’s pick; second verse is about Anne Boleyn, which is my pick, so that’s the dead crush,” continues Unger-Hamilton. “What was Henry the VIII like? How big was Henry the VIII? Did he stink? How bad was his gout?” “Bad,” everyone laughs. And then there’s lead single 3WW — “Three Worn Words”. “I think it’s about the use of the phrase ‘I love you’ and it being overused, and occasionally [being] quite trite,” Unger-Hamilton explains. The track’s lyrics take a particularly jaded view on love and sex: “Was this your first time / Love is just a button we pressed.” Are they actively trying
to bring a cynical view into their music’s sexual overtones? The three burst into gales of laughter. “I thought you were saying ‘are you really active?’ Unger-Hamilton chokes out. “I’m just thinking about how sexually active I am,” Newman joins in. “Currently, pretty bad. It’s just us,” laughs Unger-Hamilton. “We just have sex with each other,” Newman jokes. “Oh, you can print that, it’s fine. I don’t think we’ve said anything too...” “Oh no, no no no, just that we have sex with each other,” Unger-Hamilton cuts him off with the last snicker. “Wouldn’t that be amazing if it actually became a thing?” Newman calms down and continues. “Actually, it’s a big part of my life, sex, and I like to talk about it.” Coming from the man who penned the line: “In your hoof lies the heartland / In your snatch fits pleasure,” this makes a lot of sense. “I think people just love talking about — and enjoying — sex. It’s a big part of our culture, it’s the way that people are sold things, and we don’t do it cynically, but we are aware that it’s a great way of getting over a message because sexual attraction is the cornerstone of what makes us tick. “I feel like it’s good to have an open dialogue talking about sex and how sex comes in many different forms, and there are different ways of having sex with different people.... We don’t take advantage of it because we know it can sell, I think it’s just what is intrinsic within all of us.”
00110011 01110111 01110111 Alt-J’s Facebook initially teased Relaxer with an incomprehensible string of numbers. A cluey fan decoded it and commented the message’s announcement. Playing with binary code and mathematical references seem almost as integral to the band’s aesthetic as artistic linguistics — see: Fitzpleasure, Breezeblocks, Tessellate. Are they huge number-nerds? Apparently not. “That was all our label, yeah, it wasn’t us,” admits Newman. “We have a song that just talks a bit about binary in the beginning. Beyond that, there’s no other meaning other than it sounds good.” “We’re not really as geeky as people think we are,” Unger-Hamilton laughs. “I think we just know what sounds good. It’s as shallow as that, it’s not very well considered beyond ‘it sounds good.’” Their website, riffing off the coding theme, has been turned into an antiquated web game styled on a weird bit of art Thom Green stumbled on in his Twitter feed. It was a still from a 1998 Japanese PlayStation game called LSD Dream Emulator created by Hiroko Nishikawa, and if you have the time, head to altjband.com and have a look around their own 360-degree universe. We gave it a crack — trust us, there’s plenty of Easter eggs to find. Weirdly enough, “We’ve never played the [original] game before!” says Green.
What: Relaxer (Infectious/Liberator) When & Where: 9 Dec, International Convention Centre
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 11
Music
Break On Through London Grammar was one of 2013’s big break-out stories. The band recast epic Bristolian trip hop for millennials with their debut. But can they build on that success with their new album? Cyclone discusses with vocalist Hannah Reid.
L
ondon Grammar - singer-songwriter Hannah Reid, guitarist Dan Rothman, and drummer/percussionist/ electronics guy Dominic “Dot” Major - should be confident. With Truth Is A Beautiful Thing, they’ve maximised their sound, shedding any comparisons to The xx. Reid delivers melancholy hyper-ballads, out-Adele-ing Adele. There’s more of that sublime wintriness - London Grammar’s electronica the antithesis to tropical house. The symphonic Hell To The Liars may just clinch them a Bond theme.
With the first album doing well, it gave us that opportunity to work with people that are really experienced.
In the past, London Grammar’s members have freely admitted to feeling overwhelmed by fame and relentless touring. Today a reserved Reid assures that they did have sufficient time out - even as she conducts 8am interviews. “We had a couple of months off, I’d say, ‘cause, after the first album, we toured it for two-and-a-half years. So we did need some time off when we got home, which we had - [and] which was really, really nice. Then we were just straight back into the studio, really.” Reid, Rothman and Major formed London Grammar as students at the University Of Nottingham. Gigging around London, they generated buzz the old-fashioned way - signing to Ministry Of Sound. Reid strategically collaborated with Disclosure on Settle and London Grammar were especially successful in Australia with debut album If You Wait. Between projects, they cut a 12 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
haunting cover of INXS’ Devil Inside that soundtracked a Game Of Thrones trailer. Still, London Grammar mainly toured - embarking on their inaugural Australian run with Falls Festival in late 2013. In fact, the trio shared their comeback single, Rooting For You, while here again on New Year’s Day. London Grammar recorded If You Wait with Tim Bran, of Dreadzone notoriety, and Roy Kerr. Yet, for Truth Is A Beautiful Thing, they’ve hired such big guns as Paul Epworth (Florence + The Machine, Adele), who guided Rooting For You. The band had writing sessions, too, with American popsmith Greg Kurstin. “I think, with the first album doing well, it gave us that opportunity to work with people that are really experienced,” Reid explains. “[But] we were a little bit apprehensive about going in with [other] writers - it doesn’t always work at all.” Most credibly, London Grammar connected with Jon Hopkins, melotronica auteur, for Big Picture - the song evoking an atmospheric Texas. “He’s done a lot of work that basically we all really like,” Reid notes. “His own music is quite different, but he’s also really talented at taking the sound of a band or an artist and playing with it.” Truth Is A Beautiful Thing reveals dramatic song titles Hell To The Liars, Non Believer and Leave The War With Me. Though Reid’s lyrics are oblique, they might be construed as political songs about Brexit - and the state of the world. Only, Reid says pointedly, London Grammar aren’t necessarily making ‘woke pop’. “I’ve been asked that a lot, actually. I’ve never written a political song sort of in mind. But I do think that what does happen is that obviously, as an artist, you do just absorb everything around you. So I can see why people have taken that interpretation. But I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly politically-driven. There’s one song on there that is a bit about climate change and the world, but there aren’t songs specifically about Brexit.” Her “happy sad” songs are personal. “I think, really, it’s my own experiences - it is quite stream-of-consciousness. If I write a song, it will just tend to come out. It’s only sometimes when I look back on lyrics that I’ve written in hindsight, that I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s funny that I wrote that then’, I didn’t realise I was feeling that way, but obvio obviously I was. They’re very autobiographical.” L London Grammar are themselves influential. Belgium’s 2017 Eurovision Song Contest entry, Blanche’s City Lights, was a London Grammar bite - down to the husky vocals and Bran’s production credit. When probed about it, Reid is un unaware but surprisingly chuffed. “That’s so funny!” she responds. “I haven’t seen it. I’ll have to watch it.” London Grammar are yet to impact the US as fellow Brits Adele or Sam Smith have. They’re not preoccupied with global domination, however. “Just whatever happens, happens,” Reid philosophises. “As long as we can carry on making music and buy dinner for ourselves and afford living in London... We try and not think about that side of things too much. We leave that to other people, the business side ‘cause, if you think about it too much, I do think that in a way you actually drive yourself mad... I just think it would change your creativity a bit.”
What: Truth Is A Beautiful Thing (Dew Process/Universal) When & Where: 25 & 26 Sep, Sydney Opera House
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 13
Music
Rapping It Up MCs Eso and Bliss reflect with Brynn Davies on the turmoil of the years between 2013’s Circus In The Sky and Bliss N Eso’s sixth LP Off The Grid, whose messages become increasingly, uncannily relevant with every new challenge.
A
nother truck rattles passed our wind-swept seats at a cafe in Sydney’s Surry Hills, and MC Eso (aka Max Mackinnon, who goes by ‘Macca’) raises his voice as he waxes lyrical for our interview. Actually, he’s rapping it. “Look, I’ll tell you the bottom line / It’s a cess-poolof-shit / We need to get out / get out right now / find that exit sign and bounce / quick. He stops rhyming here... sort of. Chatting to Mackinnon and MC Bliss (Jonathan Notley) reveals the result of their expansive 17-year hip hop career — they
We’ve been through the war in a lot of senses of the word.
don’t actually realise that they speak in verse and rhyme, almost freestyling, when caught on the energy of an idea. “Waking up, before I do a poo or a wee, I look at my phone bro, and I seen two fights, a motorbike accident, I seen rappers I don’t even care about beefing with each other — Soulja Boy, who are you mate? Get outta there! I’m subliminally pushing this shit into my mind, let alone the bloody news at 9am that needs to feed me full of fear, and um... ah fuck, where was I?” Mackinnon stops. “We were talking about social media and how crazy it is,” assists Notley through a mouthful of eggs. “Right. We need to unplug. And Denzel Washington was sayin’ ‘What is the effect of too much information?’ We don’t know? Well we’re about to fuckin’ find out.” 14 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
This is the bridging discussion between touching on 2014’s social media fiasco, in which Eso posted misogynistic photos of himself posing provocatively with wax figures of Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Raquel Welch — “It was never intended to promote violence in any way... It is amazing how far things can get taken out of context... I look at it as a huge learning curve,” — and the title of their long, long anticipated sixth LP Off The Grid. The cover art — their signature hooded figure, shrouded in darkness holding a scull birthing a golden rose — has never seemed more pertinent given the battles faced by the trio since 2013’s Circus In The Sky. “I think there’s a bit of a theme — beauty grows from darkness — throughout the album, and in the time period of making it a lot of shit has happened,” explains Notley. “But...” and they both pause to reflect, “Little things, like when the Johann [Ofner, who was fatally shot on the set of their film clip in January] incident happened, which shook us to our core... To be able to do little things like a dedication show, get his daughter up on the turntables smiling and scratching, the whole family and all the friends rockin’ out to Friend Like You right at the end, the vibe was electricity in the air, that was a little ray of sunlight through the clouds.” Off The Grid has become a continuing catharsis for the Sydney MCs. Beginning as a conscious decision to reveal themselves in the present moment — from Mackinnon’s recovery from alcoholism to their experience of a fan’s lost battle to cancer. Yet as new challenges arise, each track takes on a new, even more relevant meaning, long after it was sent to press. “It’s funny how everything all turns out,” reflects Mackinnon. “With the situations that we’ve gone through recently it seems like the front cover makes more sense. And even the song Friend Like You, that song was made and created way before that incident. But you listen to that song now, it’s like those lyrics can help you deal with that situation. It’s really uncanny.” “We’ve been through the war in a lot of senses of the word, the shit that we’ve had to deal with, the demons that we’ve had to tackle. I guess this album, like Macca said, was the first time we decided to really open up — show a bit more of Jonathan and Max, not just Bliss N Eso,” explains Notley. “Now it’s time to give them something a bit more personal.” “For an artist, for a human, to come to terms with their problems or their addictions, that’s huge in itself,” Mackinnon adds. “It’s kinda funny — once you start, the floodgates open and it get easier,” Notley agrees. “That raw honesty is that human connection... If [fans] can get something from your story and it’ll help them, man, that’s the bee’s knees of music.”
What: Off The Grid (Illusive) When & Where: 15 Jun, ANU Bar, Canberra; 28 Jun, Enmore Theatre; 30 Jun, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 15
Music
Crossing Paths Ahead of their national co-headlining tour Radio Birdman frontman Rob Younger and his Died Pretty counterpart Ron Peno recall to Steve Bell some of their early meetings at the rock’n’roll coalface.
I
Radio Birdman
n the annals of Australian rock’n’roll you don’t get too many bigger names than legendary outfits Radio Birdman and Died Pretty. Both bands forged unique and groundbreaking careers at a time when there were no real antecedents for what they were doing, blasting into their own orbits with only incendiary and atmospheric music (respectively) as their guide. Now both bands are turning back the clock and teaming up for a co-headlining national tour, and while their actual careers may not have physically crossed over — Radio Birdman’s original tenure lasted between 1974 and 1978 while Died Pretty didn’t kick into life until 1983 — there was still plenty of overlap in the distinguished pathways they would eventually travel. Speaking to the bands’ respective frontmen in Rob Younger (Radio Birdman) and Ron Peno (Died Pretty), The Music starts by transporting back to the legendary days in the late-’70s when Birdman was running the Darlinghurst venue which they’d christened Oxford Funhouse (name-checking The Stooges, naturally). Peno’s first band The Hellcats supported Birdman a few times in this era, a pretty heady start to one’s career no matter how you look at it. “Yeah, we played some shows with Birdman,” Peno recalls. “They took us under their wing and we played quite a few shows with them. I think The Hellcats only lasted about three or four months, but in that time we played shows with Radio Birdman, yeah. It was special seeing them in full flight, they were a fantastic band and I loved to go and see them. It was very exciting and wild and heady and great.” History even tells that Younger was actually Died Pretty’s first ever drummer, although his recollections of this are somewhat hazy. “I don’t even know if it was just twice, but I remember going along to some little space.
Died Pretty on the road is like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin without the money.
16 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Died Pretty
I think they used to keep mushroom spore in there or something, it wasn’t an actual rehearsal room but they tried to clean it out and make space for people to make some racket in there,” Younger tells. “I guess they didn’t have a drummer at the time and wanted to go through some songs. I’ve always wanted to be decent on the drums but actually, I’m not — and I certainly wasn’t back then — but I must have tapped away and someone remembered it, so thereafter I’ve always been the original drummer.” In time Younger would eventually produce Died Pretty’s first single (1984’s Out Of The Unknown), first EP (1985’s Next To Nothing) and first two albums (1986’s Free Dirt and 1988’s Lost), and Peno admits that despite the two bands’ different sounds, Birdman was very much an influence. “Very much so, I was always very influenced by Radio Birdman,” he explains. “And still am, and always will be.” “Died Pretty doesn’t sound anything like Radio Birdman though,” Younger offers. “The reason I was involved in it was being a mutual friend and being associated with their manager too, John Needham. But I also fell into that because [at the time] I was one of the few people around who had actually been in a band that had made a record in that scene. So suddenly it was, like, ‘Hey, you could produce our record!’ and that’s how it all started. “With the Died Pretty recordings I was just learning on the spot really, and just judging the performances in the studio more than arranging the songs and pulling all that stuff apart. My level of involvement wasn’t like that and I wouldn’t have had the confidence anyway. “Mind you, none of those songs needed much done to them really, it just needed a good performance. The band had so much personality and such a great sense of atmosphere. And a great melodic sense as well, so it was a really good group and I was lucky to hook up with that because it got me other work as well.” For now, the two bands are mainly just looking forward to this shared stroll down rock’n’roll memory lane. “It should be good,” Younger enthuses. “I wish we could carry on and go around the world.” “That would be wonderful,” Peno concurs. “Maybe another time,” Younger smiles. “Mind you going around the world with the Died Pretty might be more than we could handle ourselves. Died Pretty on the road is like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin without the money. Their behaviour is appalling, John Needham has told me in minute detail about the things that used to go on when they toured Europe and so forth, and I was incredibly impressed.”
When & Where: 16 Jun, Enmore Theatre
Moonshine free + live music
THU 15th JUNE
THUNDER FOX + Tyne- James Organ
FRI 16th JUNE
LOS TONES + sundown state
SUN 18th JUNE FREE
8PM
THE STRIDES HOTEL STEYNE
The Hotel Steyne
FRIDAYS VIBES AND STUFF
75 the corso, manly www.hotelsteyne.com.au |@moonshinebarmanly
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 17
Music
Blood Brothers Royal Blood vocalist/bassist Mike Kerr tells Steve Bell how backing up after their stellar debut album was all about keeping things insular.
A
s far as debut albums go, you don’t get many more successful opening gambits than that of UK rock duo Royal Blood. Despite having only been a band for a touch over a year at the time of its 2014 release, their self-titled long-player debuted atop the UK album charts and found them honoured with a BRIT Award for Best British Band — bestowed by legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, no less — as well as countless other awards and accolades. And while they managed to shrug off any pressure when striving to concoct new follow-up effort How Did We Get So Dark? — which steers Royal Blood’s robust
I don’t care if it takes ten fucking years, we’re going to make an album that we think’s really cool, and that’s it.
band dynamic into new and rewarding places — to hear frontman Mike Kerr talk about it, they weren’t even convinced until recently that a second album would even be viable. “Fuck, we didn’t even think we’d make back the 500 quid we spent on recording our demos first time around, so even contemplating a second album seemed hilarious,” he laughs. “I dunno, I guess towards the end of touring the first one I kind of felt like we could make another album for sure. “I think I was just so stoked that we managed to get an album out of such little in the first place, so the idea of making another one was, like, ‘I dunno if that’s even possible’, to be honest. But towards the end of it, we had a lot more ideas coming together, and I was more
18 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
comfortable in my shoes as frontman and as a bass player, and it kind of felt like we had another one in us.” They spent the best part of two years after Royal Blood touring the world — gaining huge new fanbases everywhere they played — but when time came to create new material they basically just pushed all that success out of their minds. “It’s a weird one, I think it’s just about switching off really,” Kerr reflects. “You have to make music for yourself, and I think the moment you stop doing that you lose everything that was cool about you in the first place. “So when we got back home it was about switching off from the world and abiding to no schedule and having no expectations, and I think we both decided that this record will take as long as it takes: I don’t care if it takes ten fucking years, we’re going to make an album that we think’s really cool, and that’s it. And we’re just going to shut the world off. “So we just went back into our own little world and it was me and Ben [Fletcher — drums] in a room staring at each other, kind of riffing off each other and coming back up with ideas again. That’s how it works, we don’t let anyone in really, and that’s when the ideas come together. And I think that in the future when we continue to make music it will stay like that, I really don’t believe in music being like homework you’ve got to hand in on time. Fuck that.” Now Royal Blood are already on the verge of their third Australian sojourn during their short lifespan — announced at the pointy end of the Splendour In The Grass line-up as well as conducting a lone Sydney head headlining gig — a fact especially weird to Kerr given that he spent nine months bumming around Down Und Under immediately prior to returning home and starting the b band. “It’s quite a cliche thing to do but I just wan wanted to do a year out in Australia,” he chuckles at the reco recollection. “I’m from a very small town called Worthing, just outside of Brighton, where no one really leaves it, so the th idea of going to Australia at the time just seemed so exotic e to me. I lived on the Gold Coast for a bit, did som some travelling and all of the things like a Brit would do in Australia. Au “It was a great time, so it’s weird coming back to Australia and doing shows and gigs and stuff, because at the time I felt so far away from home — it felt like I was in the middle of nowhere — and to come back and have fans in Australia is really mind-blowing for me. Probably more so than to Ben, I’ll say [to him], ‘You don’t understand, I used to eat in that cafe!’ It’s weird: imagine going somewhere on holiday, and then going back to that destination and you’re famous there. It does my head in.”
What: How Did We Get So Dark? (Warner) When & Where: 20 Jul, Metro Theatre; 22 Jul, Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands
Theatre
Selfie Esteem A 17th-century libertine icon for the selfie age is making a return to the Sydney stage. Sport For Jove Artistic Director Damien Ryan tells Maxim Boon about the inner beauty of Cyrano de Bergerac.
H
It’s exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s such an adventure.
as there ever been a species as uniquely vain as the human race? No other creature that is or was has ever been more preoccupied by the minutia of its appearance. Mankind’s obsession with its looks is an evergreen truth that has existed since time immemorial, but arguably in our current epoch — a world of duck-faced selfies, face-tuned filters, and butts that break the internet — our pursuit and worship of superficial beauty has reached its zenith. But what does any of that have to do with a 17thcentury libertine icon? Quite a lot, according to Sport For Jove Theatre’s Artistic Director Damien Ryan. As he prepares to revive the company’s award winning 2013 production of Edmond Rostand’s courtly rom-com, Cyrano de Bergerac, the way our contemporary society values an attractive exterior over a poet’s soul offers a telling resonance with this play’s central themes. “If he were around today, I doubt Cyrano would have a Facebook profile. Or if he did, it certainly wouldn’t have a picture. It would probably be a continuous commentary on other people’s posts,” Ryan smiles. “It is pretty uncanny how much of this narrative could very comfortably fit within the context of social media. We have characters who are obsessed with the aesthetic, obsessed with physical beauty and essentially obsessed with the selfie. You also have a character who hides out of sight, but who still wants to put something of himself out into the world, and so seeks anonymity. As Cyrano himself says, ‘I’ve spent my life prompting others from the darkness.’ There’s definitely a brilliant, modern take you could give this narrative in our digital age of absolute self-obsession.” Sport For Jove’s production — featuring a translation of the original French verse by Ryan, who will also star in the title role — is more faithful to Rostand’s intended period setting, but this does little to dull the potency with which this story connects with a contemporary audience. Written in the late 1890s, it is a bravura biopic, amplifying the story of the title character’s life and loves to the level of an extravagant caricature. Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac is a man of supreme wit and talent. He is a brave and noble soldier, a gifted poet and a virtuosic musician. Sensitive, charasmatic, and chivalrous, he is the very model of the perfect gent. But despite these impressive credentials and his burning desire for his distant cousin, the exquisite Roxane, his self-confidence is dashed by a cruel twist of
genetic fate: Cyrano has an astonishingly large nose. Believing this abnormality makes him far too ugly to stand a chance with the woman he dearly loves, he agrees to secretly assist another suitor, an exceptionally handsome yet woefully dim cadet named Christian, to woo Roxane. It is an undertaking of both ecstasy and agony, as he vicariously confesses the depth of passion he feels, while simultaneously destroying any hope that Roxane might one day look past his vexing features and see the beauty within. It is indeed easy to superimpose this narrative onto today’s bittersweet struggle to fine-tune and control the way we are perceived and admired — who among us hasn’t agonised over an unflattering photo or a poorly judged tweet? But it isn’t just our 21st-century milieu who have found themselves reflected in this story’s universal dilemmas. Rostand’s genius, Ryan believes, is in the subtle complexities beneath the crowd-pleasing spectacle of this story, which has consistently struck a chord with generation after generation since it was first performed a little under 120 years ago, including in no less than ten film adaptations. “It’s such a complete theatrical experience. I think what he [Rostand] managed to achieve was a very rare thing. He was writing this play at the same time that Ibsen and Chekhov and Shaw were changing the whole nature of theatre, moving away from those grand, pictorial melodramas and moving into realism and naturalism, exploring really convincing portraits of humanity’s physiological detail. But Rostand achieves all of that as well — everything in this play is very psychologically true — but he does so through a vernacular of pure entertainment,” Ryan notes. “There’s nothing flippant about these characters — in fact, he makes every character flawed in their own perception of themselves. This play looks at humanity’s sense of self and how we can be so disproportionately poisoned by one aspect of ourselves. It’s the same as the greatest tragedies — he achieves exactly what Shakespeare achieves in Hamlet or what Sophocles achieves in Oedipus. But it’s done in a way that is undeniably mainstream entertainment. It’s exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s such an adventure. And that’s why it has worked again and again and again: because it’s very true, very honest, and very, very charming.”
What: Cyrano de Bergerac When & Where: 15 Jun — 24 Jun, Seymour Centre, 28 Jun — 1 July, Canberra Theatre Centre THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 19
Music
Top Of The Bops Taylor Hanson reflects with Rod Whitfield on Hanson’s early days and their love for Australian crowds.
M
any bands who have a massive hit out of the blue (from the audience’s perspective) have difficulty backing that hit up, and then fall completely in a hole. The whole ‘burn brightly, burn out’ syndrome. That is simply not the case with ‘90s sensations Hanson. Although they had arguably the biggest worldwide hit of the year back in 1997, the pop classic MMMBop, the band have very much been alive and kicking, releasing and touring, ever since. Twenty years after those heady days, and no less than a quarter of a century after their actual formation, frontman Taylor Hanson has one overriding feeling looking back over their sparkling career.
When MMMBop first broke, and we had suddenly gone from literally a garage band to playing arenas, I remember just genuine excitement. MMMBop. “When MMMBop first broke, and we had suddenly gone from literally a garage band to playing arenas, I remember just genuine excitement,” he recalls, “genuine adrenaline that was rushed into your system as you’re suddenly standing in front of 30,000 people in Australia or in a shopping mall in front of 10,000 screaming people. “But even at that moment, I remember, having watched The Jackson Five, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, the rock’n’roll artists that were our heroes, thinking to myself ‘this is something like what we’ve observed ourselves as fans, this must be similar to what those people must have felt.’” The band have indeed not been strangers to our shores over those last twenty years, having toured here at least five times, and we are one of the first cabs off the rank as they head out on their marathon, aptly titled ‘Middle Of Everywhere’ tour which celebrates those two different milestones, 20 years since the release of MMMBop and 25 since their inception. “We have a long history of coming to Australia, going all the way back to the very first record,” he says, “just really fond memories of coming there for the first time. It’s a great place for us, in fact we always see Australian fans in other parts of the world too.” And just as exciting is the fact that much of the tour is already sold out, well ahead of them arriving here. “There are so many cities where the tickets have just gone, Melbourne and Sydney have always been great places for us. We’re seeing this as a time to reminisce, but also to kick off our next chapter.”
When & Where: 21 & 22 Jun, Enmore Theatre
“For one thing, we feel tired,” he laughs, “it’s just a mix of tired, and we just feel kind of humbled and lucky to do something that you love. It’s not just about having hits or having the words ‘sold out’ beside every show, it’s about the years committed to something you really care about, and the fact that we’ve really been able to connect with people in a way that’s meaningful to us and hopefully to others as well.” Hanson has some very clear and specific memories of those heady days when they had a number one song basically across most of the planet, and the night and day contrast between the before and the after of 20 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
In Focus Lansdowne Hotel
Pic: Uppy Chatterjee
Word got out a few months back that the Lansdowne Hotel was to return to being a live music venue – and the time has finally arrived for its opening after extensive renovations. Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham from Mary’s Newtown have teamed up with music booker Matt Rule (who helmed the Annandale Hotel during its glory years as a live music venue from 2000-2013) to create a venue with food downstairs and live music upstairs. Things kick off this Thursday, with the special guest bands over the opening weekend only announced an hour before they play. And the best thing is it’s outside the lockout zone.
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 21
WILD
Music
Brigg It On LIFE Once upon a time, you only needed to worry about a bull in a china shop. But now, with reports of Baboons in Airbnbs and Peacocks in liquor stores, it seems the animals are finally out to get us, friends. Radical headline of the week: ‘Airbnb rental destroyed by baboons after bloke left door open’. Yep, someone’s getting a big fat 0 on their customer review for sure. Tanzanian man, Neil Cave is the hapless Airbnb’er responsible for the carnage that followed opening the patio door of his rental home. The resulting seven-monkey party lasted over an hour, as the hairy home invaders treating themselves to just about everything that wasn’t nailed down, including some bubble blowing soap left out by Cave’s son. In Cave’s words: “They’re on the roof burping bubbles.” Sounds like a party and a half. After being chased away by local policemen, the damage has been estimated at 850 South African rands ($88.36 AU) but the lifetime memories and the ripping pub yarns (bubble blowing Baboons, for Pete’s sake!) are surely priceless. But if you thought that was bad, try having $500 worth of liquor trashed when a stray Peacock (technically a Peahen being female) casually wanders into your Californian liquor store. Apparently, the bird went unnoticed by the 21-year-old store manager until a Spanish customer asked about “el pollo” (the chicken) in the store. Pretty big thing to overlook mate. The pretty peacock jumped on the top shelf and knocked over bottle upon bottle of grog until an Animal Control officer came, and after a brief struggle, managed to remove the presumably shitfaced chook.
22 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Bishop Briggs tells Rod Whitfield what to expect from her very first Australian tour.
B
ishop Briggs is an artist who has achieved worldwide success in a very short time and at a very young age. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that she has been able to develop a very unique, indefinable sound that is very much her own very early on in her career. And much of that can be put down to the fact that she has a very worldly background, having lived in England, Japan, Hong Kong and now the US. “It’s kind of a writer’s rite of passage, that as soon as you land in Japan you have to go to a Karaoke bar!” She laughs, “And so that’s what my family did. That was where I first saw my dad go up and sing Frank Sinatra. He was actually really good, but for him it was just a hobby. But when I saw him with this light in his eyes, there was something about it that I was just so drawn to, and ever since then I’ve just had this tunnel vision, hoping that this would be my reality.” Now, at the ripe old age of 24, Briggs, who is actually yet to release a full-length album, is experiencing global notoriety and is about to tour Australia for the very first time, and no one is more surprised than she, herself. “I honestly cannot believe it,” she says, “I wish I could express how much of a dream it’s been of mine to play in Australia, but words don’t do it justice. I really just can’t wait.” Her live show promises a highly intense, cathartic experience for uninitiated Aussie
audiences. “Our show is high-energy, there’s a lot of sweat going on,” she describes, “It’s really an emotional roller coaster to be honest, because these were songs that were written straight out of my diary. So there’s some moments in the show that are very intimate, and then there are other moments that are just about empowerment and aggression, and I just can’t wait for the Australian crowds to be a part of that with me.” And Briggs expects such openness in return from our crowds. “I can only hope that they are along for the ride with me,” she says, “From what I gather from my Australian friends, they’re not afraid of vulnerability, and I think that’s what’s really refreshing.” Such a whirlwind has her career been so far, she simply hasn’t had a spare moment to sit down and plan out her career, or set any longer term goals for herself. “It’s so interesting,” she states, “There are things that have happened, just in this past year alone, that I honestly could never have even dreamt of in my wildest dreams. There’s no sitting down and trying to predict things, only because we have had so many blessings that we didn’t know we would encounter. The only thing I can do is just write every day, record as much as I can and put my all into every single performance.”
When & Where: 20 Jul, Oxford Art Factory; 23 Jul, Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands
Eat / Drink Eat/Drink
Mother’s Ruin
Gin lovers of the world, rejoice! World Gin Day is upon us again, on Saturday 10 Jun, and if Melbourne knows anything, it’s how to make the most of a mutha luvin’ gin! Here are four of the best locally made bottles to stock up on before the long weekend. Canberra Distillery Gin
Dasher
In our nation’s humble capital, gin making is “equal parts science and art.” And like any good scientists, this deliciously refined gin is the product of much experimentation to ensure the perfect balance of smooth, tight-cut spirits and heady, complex botanicals. In their tireless endeavours, the distillers use a vapour-infused production at low temperatures to protect the delicate flavours of citrus and wild berries. They also boast a cracking triple distilled Vodka, that’s carbon filtered to ensure the cleanest possible palate.
Take a short hop over to Tasmania and you can find some of the best gin this side of the equator. Made at the Southern Wild Distillery in Davenport, this uses nothing but snowmelt water filtered through the hinterlands of the island’s north-west. Their classic London dry, so named the Mountain Gin as it only uses ingredients found among the foothills of nearby Cradle Mountain, is a copper pot distilled variety with 11 botanicals that champion the native pepperberries and other indigenous herbs. And how best to enjoy this perfectly crafted drop? They suggest a G&T garnished with a fresh sprig of lavender.
The Melbourne Gin Company Another hometown hero takes the craft of small batch distilling to new heights. With eleven botanicals, both locally sourced and imported exotics, a huge amount of skill goes into every bottle. To compliment and tart sweetness of the juniper berries, the clever gin masters at MGC use coriander seeds and rosemary as the foundation of their distilling process. The final component is water - big deal, you might say. But this H20 doesn’t come from a tap. They only use rainwater from the Gembrook in the Yarra Ranges. Fancy!
Four Pillars Gin It’s hard to single out just one top gin by this Melbourne-based distillery when such a brilliant range is on offer. More unusual varieties include their Bloody Shiraz Gin, a blended type spiked with Shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley, or the Spiced Negroni Gin, made especially to work perfectly in the much-loved cocktail. But for a surefire hit at gin o’clock, you can’t go wrong with Four Pillars’ Rare Dry Gin, which boasts rich, fruity tones cut with accents of star anise and Tasmanian pepperberry leaf for added warmth.
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 23
Music
Optimists? YAAASSS GHOOOOST!
It’s official – the “B” in LGBT stands for Babadook. The Australian horror monster has become an unlikely gay icon after a glitch on the American Netflix streaming service listed the movie of the same name in its LGBT Films section. The film, released three years ago, has been one of the most successful Australian horror flicks of recent years, but while most of us will have been blind to the apparently obvious signs, the internet, in typically wonderful fashion, was quick to point out why The Babadook is absolutely, definitely a gay icon. One Reddit user posted the comment: “Whenever someone says The Babadook isn’t openly gay, it’s like, Did you even watch the movie?” Another added, “It’s canon basically. I mean, he created a pop-up book of himself just for the drama of it all.” So prepare yourselves Mardi Gras goers 2018 – the must see look is going to involve a top hat and a lot of black.
24 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
With The Optimist Liverpudlian legends Anathema have delivered yet another diverse twist in an ever-changing career. Mark Hebblewhite got hold of main man Vincent Cavanagh in an effort to find out what makes the group tick.
T
here are some metal bands that cop grief from their dedicated fans for even minor stylistic changes. Metallica were roasted for having (shock horror) a ballad on Ride The Lightning and Iron Maiden had to go into witness protection after introducing guitar synths to Somewhere In Time. Anathema have never really had that problem because from day one they’ve done what they wanted, when they wanted. How else do you explain a band that started life as an underground doom death act, drifted into gothic metal territory and subsequently morphed into a transcendent prog rock outfit that even dabbles in pop and electronica? “It’s a big misconception that we listened to the kind of music that we were making. To this day we don’t listen to any band that sounds like us.” “By the time people started talking about doom death and the ‘Peaceville Three’, we’d moved away from that sound with Eternity and Alternative 4. I also think people need to realise that even on the really early stuff you’d hear things like long ambient pieces, spoken word sections and female vocals. We never really conformed to what the genre
was ‘supposed’ to be about.” True to form the band’s latest record The Optimist shifts from the transcendent, almost joyful vibe that permeated 2014’s Distant Satellites, to deliver a stark, often cold set of tunes. “This album reflects one person’s struggle; it’s a night time record, a lonely person’s record,” agrees Cavanagh. “The irony to the whole thing is that the character at the heart of the story is called The Optimist — but he’s a guy who’s gone through a horrible time. We wanted to give the listener someone to identify with, but also so we don’t have to talk about ourselves in interviews,” he laughs. “Also we recorded the album live and I think that gives the record a really authentic feel.” Despite a long career, Anathema only made it to Australia in 2014. According to Cavanagh it was a tour he’ll never forget. “I really didn’t know what to expect, and to be honest I didn’t want to expect anything, but we were all blown away by the response we got. I mean the people who came to the shows really knew the band and what we’ve done. It was incredible. A real moment for the band, an ambition fulfilled after so many years.” “After that response we knew we had to come back and stay on top of it. So we were able to tour again, this time to show people the acoustic side of the band, and now on our next tour we’re going to get the chance to show the bigger side of the band if you will. We’re going to offer up a more visual experience for the Australian fans, the full production we put on here in England and in Europe. We’re going to do the show in two halves. The first half is The Optimist in full and then during the second half we’ll play the big songs from the rest of the catalogue.”
What: The Optimist (KScope) When & Where: 8 Dec, Metro Theatre
Music
Puberty Blues
British singer-songwriter Lewis Watson chats to Brynn Davies about YouTube fame, the state of his hair and being ID checked when ordering alcohol on flights.
L
ewis Watson is chilling out in the conference room, running his fingers through some pretty bedraggled-looking blonde locks. “I’m going to chop it off soon,” he shrugs. “I mean, we’ve pushed it pretty hard, this is our fourth time bleaching it and it’s started breaking.” It’s a far cry from the emo fringe the world’s teenie boppers fell in love with in 2010 during young Watson’s YouTuber heyday. “I chose that hairstyle when I was 14 and late for maths. And, like, six years later I still looked like I was 14 and late for maths — I got fed up with people saying, ‘No way, you’re 20?’ Actually, on one of the flights here I asked for a gin and tonic and the flight attendant laughed at me! And I was like, ‘Okay seriously can I have that now?’ and she’s like ‘No, love, you have to be 18.’ I got my passport out like; ‘Look, I’m almost 21’. It was so degrading... Now I don’t look like a toddler anymore.” Of his online beginnings, Watson acknowledges, “I was so lucky with timing. I never really wanted anybody to listen to my music. It terrified me, the thought of anybody hearing me sing. At the time, YouTube was so new and none of the videos were music videos; it was people wrestling in the garden or ‘How To Fold Your Clothes In Four Seconds’.” Yeah, but he made one of those,
too: How To Make A Grilled Cheese. “That was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made,” he grimaces. “When people started watching, I wanted to delete my account straight away. “ After being hounded with requests for originals, Watson finally pieced together enough tracks to self-release an EP — it’s got four sad songs on it BTW — in 2012, and after shooting to the top of the iTunes charts he inked a deal with Warner. “I was 18 years old and I thought, ‘Shit, this is it!’ It sounded perfect. I was so excited, and honestly it started like that.” But by the time he released his debut album the morning in 2014, things turned sour. “I think with the record — because we’d done five EPs — I’d never done an album before, and I think they were very aware of that and they just decided to take the reins... The guy who signed me, my A&R, got fired — or, well, I still don’t know whether he got fired, he left the company six months before the album came out. So Matt my manager and I were basically A&Ring it... The first record was a real Frankenstein of an album. I love it, you’ll only ever have one first album, but this album [midnight] — it’s been a real joy.” While he’s hoping to head back to his roots with more covers on his channel HolyLoowis, he’s conscious of the fact that, if he was to do it all again from scratch in 2017, he probably wouldn’t have the same success. “Personally I don’t think that I’d be able to make it in this climate,” he states. “Subconsciously at the start I thought, ‘I’ll just pretend I never did it and hope people don’t check up’... I think people just struggle to get taken seriously when they’ve done that, like, ‘You’ve come from YouTube, they can’t be a real artist,’ kinda thing.”
What: midnight (Cooking Vinyl) When & Where: 15 Jun, Factory Theatre
Map Attack
The collosal snarkathon with tennis great and die hard homophobe Margaret Court is showing no signs of slowing down, and public outcry for a name change has duly turned the internet feral with suggestions of who might be a more worthy dedicatee. An early front runner was none other than Australia’s sweetheart, Tina Arena, for no other reason that the Tina Arena Arena is just so much fun to say. I mean, half the name’s already there – it’s a no brainer, right? Apparently not. In an exclusive chat to The Music, Arena was quick to reject the idea stating “it doesn’t have the right ring to it.” (Actually having the right ring to it was literally the only reason people were barracking for it, but fair doos Tina, no dramas). Nonetheless, Tina Arena has still managed to spearhead a name change, suggesting her sporting mate Evonne Goolagong as a candidate. The internet did what the internet does best and took it on board, in the only way they knew how. Hovering over where the arena stands in Google Maps was a very blatant name change to ‘Evonne Googlagong Arena’. It seemed constantly reporting the arenas name as incorrect tricks the Google servers into updating information to whatever the public has suggested. Nice move internet, nice move. Yet all good things do come to an end, and the name was changed back within a few hours, yet you can still type in ‘Evonne Googlagong Arena’ to be directed to where Court’s arena still stands.
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 25
Music
Rising From The Ashes Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars explains to Rod Whitfield how their latest album was born amid some dark angst within their home country.
F
abulous French indie pop-rock act Phoenix are about to release their sixth album, Ti Amo. The record is a joyous ride into fun, funky pop heaven, and frontman Thomas Mars, speaking from New York City, uses a very interesting analogy to sum up how the new opus differs from their previous releases. “When a kid draws a picture, it’s always beautiful, it’s always innocent,” he explains, “then, when an adult tries to re-create a kid’s picture, it won’t have that innocence, you can tell it’s an adult. So, like some of the artists that I love, who manage to take the best of the adult world
Musicians tend to write the best songs when they are heartbroken. to write the best songs when they are heartbroken. You’re in opposition to what’s going on at the time.” So from hard times comes great art? “Yeah. Well, I hope so!” He laughs. French pop, rock and metal music has become amazing in the last 10 or 15 years or so, although Mars acknowledges that it wasn’t always that way. Again, he has a couple of interesting theories as to why it has turned around. “The truth is, it wasn’t always great,” he admits, “we felt a little isolated, due to language barriers and so on, but now there is a generation of artists who can make music in their bedroom, with their own equipment. We felt the frustration of all these teenagers who couldn’t make music before, but now the technology has followed. “And when you come from France, whether you speak English or not, you tend to see things in a different way, we see things in our own way. There’s a strong vision when it comes to bands that make music in France, and I don’t think it comes from anyone else.” The band has a list of tour dates longer than guitar necks stretching out ahead of them, that takes them virtually up to the end of this year. At this point, Australia is not on that list, but Mars is confident that we will figure prominently in their plans next year. “Yes,” he states, “I don’t know exactly when, but I would say early next year. The sooner the better!”
What: Ti Amo (Glassnote/Liberator)
and still be a child. So that’s what we’re trying to do, streamline, and go back to something that’s very simple. There’s actually a lot in it but it looks and sounds simple.” For Mars, the creating of the album and the music itself provided a strong contrast and some relief from the terrible things that were going on across their home country at the time. In fact, in some ways the album was actually a product of those times. “We felt a little disconnected from what was going on in France at that time,” he recalls. “The place was dark and full of angst, but here we were in the studio making this hedonistic, joyful simple music. “At the same time, it makes sense that you would make such an album in those times. Musicians tend 26 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Music
feel like you need more time to settle in. And, of course, we’ve made our home in Liverpool, but at the same time, none of us are really from here either, so there’s this kind of sense of displacement.” Rather than shying away, the band have tried to address this directly with their new album. “We decided to put this change in direction and do something really honest that was coming from the heart, and I guess that’s what you’re hearing on Sunny Hills,” O’Flynn says. “It’s this way of expressing ourselves and saying that it’s ok not to belong and that you can just be honest and be yourself, and there is a sort of sense of belonging in that kind of displacement.” The band had already written a follow-up to their debut before recording Sunny Hills, but a change of scenery was the final step that brought out a new a style of music from the band, which they found when writing in an old warehouse in the south-east of England. “At the end of the week, we realised that we’d had this kind of epiphany. The stuff we’d written was really resonating with us, and helping us find this cathartic release, you know; we were feeling this anxiety or darkness within us, and we found catharsis through this more direct music. So, we decided to scrap all the songs and rewrite the album, and that’s what you’re hearing on Sunny Hills; there was a shift towards playing this sort of faster, harder, more direct music, and we’d all feel much better after it.”
Change Of Heart
It’s early morning in Liverpool when Roshan Clerke calls Rich O’Flynn from All We Are to talk about the sense of anxiety and displacement that inspired the band’s latest album.
S
unny Hills is All We Are’s sophomore effort and marks a surprising shift away from their laconic, self-titled release. “The first album was coming from a really beautiful, languid, relaxed place,” O’Flynn explains. “We had just signed, the band was new, and we wrote in more isolated places for that album, like cottages in Wales with beautiful surroundings. I think that definitely influenced that sort of languid and lush psychedelia of the first record.” Their follow-up threatens a departure from the fan base they established with this sound, and instead features a more abrasive selection of songs that differ greatly in style and substance. This time around, the band members wrote song lyrics individually, and aimed to engage with their shared experiences of feeling out of place while they currently live together in an abandoned school in Liverpool, where they rehearse and record together, being respectively born in Norway, Ireland, and Brazil. “I think one of the things that we feel really keenly having left our countries is that there’s always something you relinquish,” O’Flynn explains. “You grow apart from your friends, and when you go back, you start to
Please Explain?
This is the one kind of automated call we won’t hang up on. Residents of Queensland and NWS’ Hunter region have been flooded with anonymous calls featuring secret recordings of One Nation senator Pauline Hanson and her chief of staff, James Ashby, saying some pretty incriminating stuff. What did these super suss recordings say? In a nutshell, it shows One Nation aren’t the legit political institution they claim to be, with Ashby stating “There is an opportunity for us to make some money. I will deny I said this.” which is from a larger recording released by ABC News only last month. If things couldn’t get worse from there, Hanson herself features in the recording referencing a dodgy donation received from a millionaire property developer “We always kept it very, very quiet”. Super suss right?
What: Sunny Hills (Double Six/Domino/EMI)
Despite a court-ordered gag slapped onto disgruntled former One Nation party president Ian Nelson, he presses that he has “4000 recordings” from various party team members and “[Hanson is] not stopping me from talking.” As Shakespeare once said, “Truth will out”.
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 27
OPINION Opinion
Bryson Tiller
Get It To gether
B
Hip Hop With James D’apice
ryson Tiller’s solid second album True To Self went to #1 on the Billboard charts. Listening to Tiller’s excellent, though unheralded debut Trapsoul in the distant past of 2015, that occurrence seemed about as likely as Trump getting the Republican nomination but here we are. Tiller’s stunning achievement is a comment about a lot of things. Interestingly, if you take a sniff over the Billboard data, you’ll see that this result is as much about how we consume our music as how much we consume. Like, Tiller got a Billboard number one with 47,000 traditional album sales. 47,000! Those are Hilltop Hoods type numbers in Australia! True To Self is not only notable for being vastly more successful and marginally less good than Trapsoul, nor that its cover art is appalling; but the speed with which an artist can emerge from relative obscurity. The web can be seen to be democratising,
pic: Jodie Downie
Wa ke The Dead
I
was having a conversation the Hardcore other day (that had no bearing on With Sarah punk or hardcore at the time) about Petchell how people come to feminism. But this concept of beginnings has been bleeding into a lot of aspects of my life — how did I become interested in food and cooking? How did I develop a passion for punk and hardcore music?
Punk And
through that there’s lingering cynicism about algorithms picking our culture’s winners. Did this get to number one by affecting our hearts and minds, or is it the work of some clever ones and zeroes with a few guiding hands? On one view it doesn’t matter. If we are getting jams we like — whether by our own free will or by the guidance of The Machine — we’re still dancing. This week Tiller faces stiff competition from Carly Rae Jepsen for space in my heart. If the future isn’t self-made Louisvillians going toe-to-toe with earworm generating pop songstresses, then I don’t know what is. Who knows what will get to #1 in 2019?
28 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
One of the questions that came out of this discussion was should we vilify people for how they come to something. Is there a right path and a wrong path? Is my passion for punk and hardcore any less because I found it myself rather than through a cool, older sibling? So here’s my take. I came to punk first then hardcore later. I was in my mid-teens and listening to a lot of triple j. It was the era of Fat Wreck bands, Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtracks, blink182 and Green Day in their heydays and an older friend at school who loaned me the Big Day Out 1998 compilation. But I was more of an alternative rock obsessive — Radiohead, to this day, are still my all-time favourite band. There was a brief flirtation with the Roadrunner catalogue, before Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Thursday and their ilk hit my attention, and that moved me into hardcore and punk. The moral of this story is that everyone has their paths of how they come to find things, and no one should be judged for that. It’s a better late than never scenario.
Logan Noir
Trailer Tra s h
L
ately it feels as if Trailer Trash has become Screens a bully pulpit for me to gripe about And Idiot Boxes the current state of With Guy Davis culture or mourn the passing of artists I admire. And don’t worry, I’ll probably do at least one of those things before we reach the conclusion of this column. But before business as usual, here’s something positive
Dives Into Your
OPINION
- a recommendation! If you’re the bookish type, I suggest you head to your bookseller of choice and snap yourself up a copy of The Hot Guy, the debut novel from movie reviewers Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris. My open and honest nature dictates that I inform you both Mel and Anthony are friends of mine, but if they’d written a crap novel I’d certainly tell you that as well. (I wouldn’t say it to them, though. Not to their faces anyway.) Guess what, though? The Hot Guy - the tale of a wise-cracking single gal whose fling with the eponymous Hot Guy, a movie nerd with no idea how scorchingly attractive he is, is complicated by both actual feelings and the legions of women who lust after the dude - isn’t crap at all! It’s a fun, frisky read, populated by interesting, likeable characters and jam-packed with gags that run the gamut from razor-sharp to knowingly dopey. And the movie-centric milieu means it’s right up the alley frequented by Trailer Trash readers. From the black and white of ink on the page to a bit of black and white on the screen (ain’t gonna lie, pretty proud of that silky segue), let’s talk about the home-video release of the Hugh Jackman hit Logan, which if you’re so inclined you can check out in glorious B&W thanks to the bonus Logan Noir release that’s available for digital download or on Blu-ray through certain outlets. It’s become a little bit of a trend lately for particular titles to go all monochromatic - Mad Max: Fury Road released a separate ‘Black + Chrome’ cut, and if you go back a few years Frank Darabont paid tribute to the ‘50s monster movies that inspired his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist by adding a black-andwhite version to the homevideo release. It’s moody and atmospheric, for sure, but does it add anything to the sensory experience? For mine, The Mist minus the colour worked pretty well but neither Fury Road nor Logan are especially enhanced by their B&W versions. Fury Road in particular benefited from its vivid colour palette, and while the B&W version was striking in sections it didn’t really make me view the film in a new way. And Logan Noir is much the same - there’s effective use of shadow in certain parts, especially the bloodbath showdown in the midsection, but the sun-baked feel that gave the colour
version its raw feel is absent. Not to worry, though, because Logan remains one of the best actionmovie experiences of the last decade no matter what colour lens you see it through. It may be a little early for me to stack it up against Die Hard but I am confident in saying it could take pride of place alongside, say, Aliens or Predator. Check it out at home, through the fine folks at Fox, and you may be inclined to agree.
BONDI WAVE Conference Connecting local musicians to music industry professionals
}
Opinion
Friday 23 June 10am—4pm
Bondi Pavilion THEATRE
Matt Mason, DMA’S Lynne Small, PPCA • JANA Gibson, APRA • Gab Ryan, Inertia Music • Henry Compton, The Orchard • Andrew Stone, Chugg Music • Mark Butterworth, Music Partnerships, YouTube d Google Play • Leon Rogovoy, Falcona • Niriko McLure, Wonder Management d 1825 Records • Phillip Mortlock, Origin Music • Bondi WAVE Alumni Performance
Free! ŽŽŬŝŶŐƐ ĞƐƐĞŶƟĂů Ăƚ ĞǀĞŶƚďƌŝƚĞ͘ &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ĚĞƚĂŝůƐ͕ ǀŝƐŝƚ waverley.nsw.gov.au/youthmusic
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 29
Album / E Album/EP Reviews
Album OF THE Week
Beth Ditto Fake Sugar EMI
★★★★½
Former Gossip lead singer Beth Ditto has hit it out of the park with her first solo album. Energetic, catchy and tight as hell — as the ol’ cliche goes, this is all killer, no filler. Opener Fire gets you right in the pop feels — familiar but not derivative, with follow-ups In And Out and Fake Sugar delivering similar joy. We Could Run is a slower singalong with a soaring chorus (get your lighters, or rather, your light apps out), while those wanting the punkier edge of Gossip are served mid-album with Oo La La, a sexy heavy track that plays more than the iconic Standing In The Way Of Control, but still has the (metaphoric) balls-out delivery. Oh My God moves almost into country or blues — a ballad that has heartbreak at its core, but with a satisfying twist. When Ditto wails “I don’t care what anybody thinks of me” it’s a call to arms rather than defiance — and her leadership as an artist and icon should be celebrated. Meanwhile, Love In Real Life is just straight-up fine songwriting and delivery. Towards the end Ditto asks Do You Want Me To with a sultry dance backing — and it’s only a cold heart that could refuse. Liz Giuffre
Major Leagues
Fleet Foxes
Good Love
Crack-Up
Popfrenzy/Caroline
Nonesuch/Warner
★★★½
★★★½
Brisbane daydreamer pop outfit Major Leagues’ debut album Good Love paints a lovely picture of a sunset drive around the coast with its simple melodies and reverb-soaked vocals. Yet after a while, it can get a little monotonous; the first half of the album can fade into the background if you’re not careful. The pace does pick up with songs like Nono Jojo and Holiday with the highly distorted, low-fi sound fans have come to love. They maintain their light guitar plucks and surfy vibes from previous EPs and don’t differ far from what they know, and prove that they’re good at it too. The songwriting is sweet and simple - “If you wait / Good love is on the way”, even though repetitive choruses usually sound overworked and annoying - “Total bummer” is repeated four times each chorus in Mess Up
After six years of waiting, Robin Pecknold and band return for the much-anticipated third album. Crack-Up continues seamlessly from 2011’s Helplessness Blues with their trademark harmonies and layering techniques that the band turned into their own sub-genre of folk over a decade ago. Lead track Third Of May / Odaigahara’s uplifting melody is not indicative of the rest of the album, which takes its time to sink in, but this is another superb effort from Seattle’s finest purveyors of Gregorian chant. One can’t help shake the feeling that On Another Ocean (January/ June) was somehow influenced by the success of the band’s former drummer, and vice versa and notwithstanding, the record was well worth the wait. Fool’s Errand’s minimalist approach reminds us what a choir of men can achieve with
30 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
- in the case of Major Leagues, you find yourself singing them long after they’ve concluded. Major Leagues’ vocal harmonies, trance-like production, and relatable lyrics (“I want you right now / To be my friend and not pretend”) provide a nice soundtrack to an endless summer of ups and downs full of love, loss and longing. Emily Blackburn
nothing more than some voices and a lap-steel, and despite being toward the second half of the album, continues the quality from the first half. Similarly, the title track and final song (at six minutes plus) neatly summarises that although the band aren’t willing to compromise their style, they are masters of a type of music that is difficult to replicate and is a reminder that this is still a quintessential Fleet Foxes album through and through. Adam Wilding
EP Reviews Album/EP Reviews
Belle Haven
The Drums
Mere Women
You, Me And Everything In Between
Abysmal Thoughts
Big Skies
Anti
Poison City Records
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit The Sound Of Nashville
Greyscale Records
Southeastern/Spunk
★★★★
★★★½
★★★½
★★★★
There’s never a dull moment on the second release from Melbourne post-hardcore fivepiece Belle Haven. You, Me And Everything In Between is riddled with the gents’ knack for melody amid neat structures, coupled with singer David Vernon’s alternating vocals, as was their 2015 debut; but this time there’s a truckload more to be had in the way of interesting motifs and transitions. HighfLIAR weaves some atmospheric keys into its arrhythmic chugs, The Carving Knife lets rip with the rampant screamo call to arms, and Burn The Witch ramps up to an epic anthem-like chorus. It’s an album that continually rewards.
The album title says it all, really. The Drums’ leading man Jonny Pierce has yet again filled an album with forlorn tales lamenting love and loss masked in sunny surf rock ditties, and the juxtaposition proves to be a winning formula for a fourth time. There’s just something about jangly guitars and a wistful vocal that strikes a chord and Abysmal Thoughts is riddled with this. Single Blood Under My Belt is classic Drums — a playful guitar line, sparse kit work, offset by lyrical dejection in “What did I say to make you run away?” — and while it’s not an album of wide variety, tracks like this make it shine.
Carley Hall
Carley Hall
For album number three for this Sydney quartet (previously a trio), the addition of bass guitar adds another layer of rhythm and movement to their sound as they tackle the experiences of women over different generations via their dark and swirling post punk. It can be a claustrophobic listen at times, the guitar acting like mesh and gauze with its washes of distortion and clanging reverb, while Amy Wilson sings in a stentorian manner, the obvious comparison being a tougher Siouxsie Sioux shapeshifting with the fluidity of Warpaint. Drive and Numb are two high points on a very strong album that manages to simultaneously sound sweeping and intimate.
Bringing the band back into the title billing after his two towering ‘solo’ records of redemption almost suggests Jason Isbell and his combo as something akin to an Americana Springsteen and the E-Streeters. There’s a bigger — perhaps more open — approach to the songs here while retaining their confessional candour. Like His Bruceness, Isbell can look both inward and out. Songs like Hope The High Road address America’s current state, while If We Were Vampires honestly faces down love’s mortality. But the centrepiece is the near-seven minutes of Anxiety, where he still admits his human doubts and worries as few others can. Ross Clelland
Chris Familton
More Reviews Online Songhoy Blues Resistance
theMusic.com.au
Ride Weather Diaries
Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 31
Live Re Live Reviews
KLP @ Sydney Tower Eye. Pic: Angela Padovan
KLP
Sydney Tower Eye 9 Jun
What better way to kick off the long weekend than with some tunes delivered by Sydney producer, DJ, singer-songwriter, vocalist and radio host KLP — and what better vantage point to view Vivid from than Sydney Tower Eye. Punters ascended a few hundred metres to be welcomed with 360-degree views of the city lights and music from Sydney DJs and partystarters Mowgli May and Shantan Wantan Ichiban.
Clowns @ Imperial Hotel. Pic: Jodie Downie
KLP @ Sydney Tower Eye. Pic: Angela Padovan
Clowns @ Imperial Hotel. Pic: Jodie Downie
Kirin J Callinan @ Oxford Art Factory. Pic: Clare Hawley
32 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Kirin J Callinan @ Oxford Art Factory. Pic: Clare Hawley
The combination of altitude, views and pumping music had created a real buzz. The Sydney Tower Eye is a bit of a strange venue for a gig — its round shape means that when at capacity, everyone squishes around to one side as they try to get in front of the small stage. The night was a showcase of Australian talent featuring Gold Coast electronic producer and drummer Commandeur and the incredible voice of Thandi Phoenix. KLP, known for bringing out surprise guests, did not disappoint, with rappers Coda Conduct taking the mic and hyping up the crowd as well as Tasmanian singersongwriter Asta. The combination of altitude, views and pumping music had created a real buzz in the room
and KLP’s set was full of energy and had everyone moving. She topped off the night by playing her brand new, catchy single Changes, which the crowd absolutely loved. There’s no doubt that the incredibly multitalented KLP definitely knows how to throw a party. Madelyn Tait
Clowns, Hard-Ons, Night Birds, The Neptune Power Federation Imperial Hotel 11 Jun The Neptune Power Federation were an absolute blast. They looked like a cross between Siouxsie & The Banshees and Motörhead, and sounded like Jess & The Ancient Ones discovering old Buffalo LPs while Bloody Hammers knocked on the window, demanding to be let in. There’s nothing like these guys, and their set — part performance art, part musical tour de force — was refreshingly unique. Night Birds are often (and rightly, this writer might add) hailed one of the greatest new punk-rock bands in the world today — and their superb live show simply reinforced that, for once, a band can live up to the hype. Blasting off with Born To Die In Suburbia, the quartet was relentless, ripping through the highlights of a superb back-catalogue with ease. With a surf-rock-on-steroids sound that brought to mind the early majesty of Dead Kennedys, a welcome sense of urgency, and not a shred of pretension or ego, Night Birds tore the place apart and left everyone wanting more. Although there was no way they were going to top that
eviews Live Reviews
set, the Hard-Ons rocked out hard, as they travelled back and forth through an impressive discography. Quite simply, these guys don’t play bad gigs and, like the hometown heroes they’ve long been, the boys enjoyed a rapturous response from a room full of people who grew up on their records. To finish up proceedings, Clowns delivered their trademark brand of live chaos including a decent chunk of
Clowns delivered their trademark brand of live chaos. their universally acclaimed new LP, Lucid Again. With their fuzzed-out waves of punk-rock goodness, and a live attack honed by appearances across the globe, the Melburnians had clearly left their sloppy early days behind, without sacrificing any of the spontaneity and passion that made them so good in the first place. Clowns’ success has been well earned, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. Mark Hebblewhite
Kirin J Callinan, Spike Fuck, Hviske Oxford Art Factory 10 Jun Sydney has produced a number of forward-thinking songwriters/musicians in recent years who blend differing levels of theatricality into their performances. From Jack Ladder to Alex Cameron and Mossy, they all cultivate a persona and carefully consider
an image as part of their creativity. Kirin J Callinan, though, is out on his limb of kaleidoscopic eccentricity. Hviske were cruelly given low volume as the first act and it was a disservice for their industrial-tinged techno style, which requires an immersive sound for full effect. Augmented by the buried vocals of Kusum Normoyle, which acted as another instrument rather than a lyrical tool, they showed enough (at low volume) to suggest they strike a nice balance between headphones and the dancefloor. Spike Fuck is another emerging enigma, from the challenging moniker to an ambiguous fashion sense. She sang over laptop backing tracks, peppering the songs with Alan Vega-style whoops and an emotionally battered yet righteous blend of Las Vegas croon, country pastiche and melancholy-drenched synth music. There was plenty to like in her performance, though
An audience member tore Callinan’s leather cod-piece from his person, exposing him literally and figuratively.
The unmistakable figure of Kirin J Callinan had arrived, taking the audience from the first and owning them until the final parting clang of heavily treated guitar. Callinan and band mixed it up, digging into both the Embracism and Bravado albums. Like Bowie taking his stage cues from Lindsay Kemp, Callinan has created a distinct stage manner of grand gestures, quirky dance moves and facial expressions that run the gamut from knowing sleaze to innocent glee. Many of the new album tracks worked even better live, stripped of their production sheen and layers. My Moment was epic EDM, Callinan playing the build and drop to the hilt. Living Each Day was a perfect twee pop song. From the audience’s response, S.A.D. felt like a hit single, while Family Home showed at the heart of the pomp and primp it’s the strength of songwriting that holds everything up. An audience member tore Callinan’s leather cod-piece from his person, exposing him literally and figuratively, yet he embraced the moment and made the most of the opportunity to test and titillate his audience. This was a magnificent return home for Sydney’s singular pop provocateur.
More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au/ music/live-reviews
Sarah Blasko @ City Recital Hall Food Court @ Chippendale Hotel
Chris Familton
adding a backing band would really allow her music to shine in the live sense. One microphone, bathed in a sea of blue light. A static image delayed for minutes before a large-brimmed, heavyjacketed figure strode on-stage.
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 33
Arts Reviews Arts Reviews
of Frankenstein, Invisible Man and others in one big monstrous mosaic. Based on The Mummy, the whole enterprise is off to a perfectly competent but frankly uninspiring beginning... which means things can only get better, right? Let’s hope so. But rather than judge this movie as the first ingredient in an ongoing monster mash, let’s instead see how (and if) it works by itself. It starts strongly enough, with Cruise’s Nick and his sidekick Vail (Jake Johnson) shirking their military duties in Iraq to loot local antiquities, a scheme that goes wrong when a missile strike uncovers a subterranean tomb. It’s the resting place of Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), whose lust for power led her to conjure up and collaborate with dark forces. As punishment, she was mummified and entombed alive for millennia. Now she’s awake and none too pleased about it. And while she searches London for an ancient relic that’ll enable her to rule the world, Nick - who has been, shall we say, changed by his encounter with Ahmanet - must do all he can to stop her, with a little help from comely scientist Jenny (Annabelle Wallis). Oh, and also providing assistance is a nice doctor named Jekyll and his nasty alter ego, Hyde, both played with thick, tasty slices of hamminess by Russell Crowe. Once The Mummy leaves the desert and touches down (or rather crash-lands) in London, it doesn’t so much go off the rails as start spinning its wheels. There’ll be a chase or a fight (usually between Nick and a bunch of Ahmanet’s undead, unthreatening minions), followed by a stretch of Jekyll explaining a bit of background history or whatever, then the chasing and/or fighting resumes. It’s all staged and performed professionally enough, but there’s precious little about it that thrills, chills or captivates, and that doesn’t bode well for the next instalments in the saga. The Mummy
The Mummy Film In Cinemas Now
★★ Lately, it seems that expectations for big-ticket movies are even greater. The Fate of the Furious had to keep a successful franchise motoring along at top speed, for instance. Wonder Woman had to change the perception of female-led superhero movies, which it seems to have pulled off. And now we have The Mummy, which can’t simply be a supernatural action-adventure pitting Tom Cruise against the blackmagical Egyptian princess he accidentally raised from the dead. No, it has to launch a whole new ‘Dark Universe’ series of spooky stories that’ll supposedly tie together tales of Frankenstein’s Monster, Bride
Guy Davis
34 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
House of Cards
House Of Cards TV Now Screening on Netflix
★★★½ As filming for the fifth season of House Of Cards was already well underway, the show faced a big problem. Donald Trump, despite all conventional wisdom, has somehow made it to the White House. This novice politician and reality TV star, who had made every conceivable gaffe, cock-up and misfire in the book, had still managed to charm enough of the electorate to inch his way past the post ahead of his far more qualified opponent. It’s the apparent ease with which Trump managed to steal the Presidency, despite a litany of scandals and setbacks, that posed a quandary for this Netflix political drama. As the megalomaniacal Underwoods, virtuoso politicos able to bend the democratic process to breaking point with their ingenious manipulations, worked their power hungry socks off to retain control, the level of apparent effort displayed on screen seems totally removed from the reality. Having followed the plot of the British-made 1980s original fairly closely in its opening seasons, the show has now plotted its own course through a turbulent political present. What was an American remake of an existing narrative is now a show of fresh creation, and whereas the murderous, physically dangerous, sexually formidable Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) of the first seasons had an almost Shakespearian nature in his quest for power - more of modern day Richard III fantasy than an attempt at political realism - the President Underwood of season five is altogether less bombastic, seeming veritably pious in counterpoint to Trump’s clown car America. It may not have the same clout as the first three seasons of the show but this isn’t to say House Of Cards isn’t still entertaining. The added prominence given to Robin Wright as Lady-Macbeth-on-steroids, Claire Underwood, is the highlight of this season, and given the spine-tingling cliffhanger we’re left with by the final episode, it seems House Of Cards has just about managed to survive the curse of Trump. Maxim Boon
the
with Maxim & Sam
introducing your new podcast obsession
does it grind your gears or earn your cheers? new episodes streaming every wednesday
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 35
Comedy / G The Guide
Wed 14
DD Dumbo
Comedy with Matt Okine + Andrew Barnett: Bank Hotel (Waywards), Newtown SOSUEME feat. Riff Raff + Muki + DJ Sports + Deckhead + DJ Jaman + Hobophonics: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach
Cameron Avery
The Music Presents Horrorshow: 16 Jun ANU Bar Canberra; 17 Jun Enmore Theatre; 7 Jul University Of Wollongong; 8 Jul Bar On The Hill, Newcastle Cameron Avery: 16 Jun Brighton Up Bar Orsome Welles: 30 Jun Factory Theatre; 1 Jul The Basement
The Spooky Men’s Chorale: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville Craig Calhoun: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney eush + Grace Turner + Ahlia Rain: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville Asylum Seekers Centre Fundraiser - This Charming Quiz: Giant Dwarf, Redfern Ray + Treasuretroves + Party Ov One: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington
Luca Brasi: 1 Jul Metro Theatre
The Green Mohair Suits + That Red Head: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
Bello Winter Music Festival: 6 - 9 Jul Bellingen
Live & Local feat. Silhouettes + Bree Young + Anyerin: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
Two Door Cinema Club: 21 Jul Hodern Pavilion
John Chesher + Gavin Fitzgerald + Paul B Mynor + Paul McGowan + more: Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo
The Lemon Twigs: 22 Jul Oxford Art Factory
Mark Travers: Orient Hotel, The Rocks
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 Dan Sultan: 28 Sep The Academy Canerra; 29 Sep Bar On The Hill Newcastle; 30 Sep Metro Theatre
Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Pauline Sparkle + Our Friend Barbra + Merilyn Steele + Perikles: Paddington RSL, Paddington Dave + Pals + Space Boys + Papaya Tree: Rad Bar, Wollongong Glenn Esmond: Surly’s, Surry Hills
D-D-D Defeated (pic:) DD Dumbo (aka Oliver Hugh Perry) is currently powering through a six-date tour for his debut album Utopia Defeated. Metro Theatre will be hosting Perry and his acclaimed LP on Thursday and Friday, along with Sydneysiders Jonti.
Thu 15
Larger Than Lions: Marble Bar, Sydney
Bliss N Eso: ANU Bar, Canberra
D.D Dumbo + Jonti: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Cath & Him: Balgowlah RSL, Seaforth
Michael Fryar: Observer Hotel, The Rocks
Mystic Brew with King Colour + Easy Street + more: Bank Hotel (Waywards), Newtown
Matt Jones Duo: Orient Hotel, The Rocks
YG: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point Daniel Champagne + Rita B + Jorja Carroll + Tim Winterflood: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Reuben Stone + Tom Ward: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst
At The Drive In: 29 Sep Hodern Pavilion
John & Yuki: Osaka, Potts Point Emma Davis + Georgia Mulligan: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst
Horrorshow
Riff Raff: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West
Vintage & Custom Drum Expo: 8 Oct Factory Theatre
The Spooky Men’s Chorale: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Alt-J: 9 Dec ICC Sydney
Dave Warner: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville Green Mohair Suits
Suit Up To tide you over until their next album (which is rumoured to be in the works), Green Mohair Suits are getting electric for a night at Leadbelly. See them on Wednesday night with support act That Red Head.
Jamie Ray: The zourbon, Potts Point Bon But Not Forgotten: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle John & Yuki: Waverley Bowling & Recreation Club, Waverley
Sydney Comedy Festival Encore Showcases: Comedy Store, Moore Park Soul Roots Revival Band: Coogee Diggers, Coogee All Ages Show with Lewis Watson + Winterbourne + Mike Waters: Factory Theatre, Marrickville Ross Ward + The Zilzies: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney The Bean Project + Josh Deeble: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville Vivid Music presents Terza Madre: Golden Age Cinema & Bar, Surry Hills
Hip hop duo Horrorshow are currently taking their impressive fourth album, Bardo State, for a cheeky spin around Australia. They’ll undoubtedly be smashing out tracks from their latest release when they stop by Enmore Theatre on Saturday.
Zack Martin + Tim Walker + Monica + Kenneth D’Aran: Harbour View Hotel, Dawes Point Sex On Toast: Hudson Ballroom, Sydney Dr TAOS + Alison Avron + David Mark: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville Taasha Coates (The Audreys) + Daniel March: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
36 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Oh, The Horror!
Yungbloods feat. Archy Punker + Grouse + Totty + Space Boys + Cheyne Howard: Rad Bar, Wollongong Errol Renaud + Carribean Soul: Rock Lily, Pyrmont Nick Saxon: Smiths Alternative, Canberra
Gigs / Live The Guide
Thunder Fox
Beth Orton: Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra
July Morning + Library Siesta + Doll Holiday: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington Soundproofed: Castle Hill RSL (Terrace Bar), Castle Hill
Unlocking The Doors - Doors Tribute Band: Central Hotel, Shellharbour City Centre James Heathwood: Chatswood RSL, Chatswood
Fox & The Sound Sydney sextastic six-piece Thunder Fox are teaming up with Melbourne singer-songwriter Tyne-James Organ this Thursday. Prepare for a night of ditties, dancing and debauchery when you mosey on down to Hotel Steyne.
Night Kite + Lishi + Santino Salvadore + Archie: Staves Brewery, Glebe
The Life & Music of Stevie Wright & The Easybeats with Scott McRae: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton Darren Johnstone: Lynwood Country Club, Pitt Town The JP Project: Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown
DJ Ben Morris: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly Alice Fraser: Comedy Store, Moore Park Brown Sugar: Marble Bar, Sydney Sydney Comedy Festival Encore Showcases: Comedy Store, Moore Park
D.D Dumbo + Jonti: Metro Theatre, Sydney
The Kamis: Revesby Workers (Infinity Lounge), Revesby DJ Kitsch 78 + Soul Nights: Rock Lily, Pyrmont
Stephanie Lea: Rooty Hill RSL (Corona Terrace), Rooty Hill Daniel Champagne: Royal Hotel , Braidwood Michael Dimarco: Ruby L’Otel, Rozelle Jeff Lang: Street Theatre, Canberra Satellite V: Surly’s, Surry Hills Thandi Phoenix + DJ Samurai: Sydney Tower Eye, Sydney Michael Fryar: Tahmoor Inn, Tahmoor
Boo Seeka: Commercial Hotel, Milton Ted Nash: Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee The Owls: Coogee Bay Hotel (Selina’s), Coogee
Big Scary
Red Slim: Coogee Diggers, Coogee Sam Lyon Duo: Coolibah Hotel, Merrylands West Blaming Vegas: Crown Hotel, Sydney Dragon: Dee Why RSL, Dee Why
Vivid Music with+Phil Slater Quintet: Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney
Radio Birdman + Died Pretty + Kim Salmon: Enmore Theatre, Newtown
Aversions Crown + Boris The Blade + Alpha Wolf: The Basement, Belconnen
Paul Grabowsky Trio: Foundry 616, Sydney
Steve Crocker: The Bourbon, Potts Point
Equa Hey + Samba Choro Quartet: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
Bon But Not Forgotten: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle
Nicholas Conners + Ahlia Rain: Grand Junction Hotel (The Junkyard), Maitland
Those Who Wait
Dirty Cash: The Soda Factory, Surry Hills Mark Lucas: The Temperance Society, Summer Hill
Taasha Coates (The Audreys) + Callum Wylie: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
Tigerilla
Panik + Reaper + Acrolysis + Snow Leopard: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo Phil Slater Quintet: Venue 505, Surry Hills
Almost a year after the release of their third album, Animal, Big Scary are finally ready to show off to Australia with a national headlining tour. Catch them at Metro Theatre on Saturday with Cub Sport and CC: Disco.
Dirt Picnic + Spoonbender + RPM’s: Vic On The Park, Marrickville Stephanie Lea: Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville
Fri 16 Horrorshow + David Dallas + Turquoise Prince: ANU Bar, Canberra Secret Headliner: Bank Hotel (Waywards), Newtown Role Modelz: Snoop Dogg Edition with Various DJs: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach All Our Exes Live In Texas + Ports: Brass Monkey, Cronulla
Tuned In Tigerilla is heading down to Beach Road Hotel on Saturday in support of his latest single, MerryGo. The latest release from the J Award nominee features Florida rapper Dominique Young Unique, making for one hectic tune.
Cameron Avery: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst Dirty Deeds - AC/DC Show: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills KLP: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West Lloyd Spiegel: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville Wes Pudsey & The Sonic Aces: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
The Loom of Time + The Stranger + Five Survive + Chillaum: Hamilton Station Hotel, Islington Cheyenne Murphy Duo: Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
KP: Minto Mirage Hotel, Minto
James Morrison: The Basement, Sydney
The Wildbloods: Miranda RSL, Miranda
Brutalcoustic feat. Silentia + Stu Tyrrell + Tundrel + Jonathan Devoy + Georgia Davis: The Basement, Belconnen
Blake Tailor: Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla Peter Gabrielides + Michael Gorham: Observer Hotel, The Rocks Skegss + Good Boy + Pist Idiots: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst RJ Music Duo: Pittwater RSL (Distillery), Mona Vale Phat Play Fridays with Leeroy Brown + Nofuss Russ + fm: Play Bar, Surry Hills PM Fridays feat. Swindall + Moonbase (FKA Moonbase Commander): Proud Mary’s, Erina
The Illustrators: The Beach Hotel, Merewether Benj Axwell: The Bourbon, Potts Point Choirboys: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle Creo: The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale Johnny Cash The Concert: Walk The Line feat. Daniel Thompson + Stuie French: The Concourse, Chatswood Lowdown Dirty Shame: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle
They Call Me Bruce: Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill
Rastaman Fridays with Errol Renaud + Caribbean Soul: The Palace Hotel, Haymarket
Mammals + Stay At Home Son + Flower Drums: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Mikelangelo + The National Capital Allstars: The Phoenix, Canberra
Next Best Thing: Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci
Geoff Davies: The Push, The Rocks
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 37
Comedy / G The Guide
Magpie Diaries + Lyle Dennis Express: The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield
Shows on Stage feat. Cassidy Rae-Wilson + Steve Tulinsky: Paddington RSL, Paddington
Kuren
Binalong Road: The Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard
Makoto + Dusty Allen + DJ Benny Hinn + more: Play Bar, Surry Hills
Hits & Pieces: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi
Kris McIntyre: Plough & Harrow, Camden Dom Dolla: Proud Mary’s, Erina
Sex On Toast: Transit Bar, Canberra City Finn: UTS Haberfield Club, Haberfield
Pride Tide with India Sweeney + Fingermae + Farming Waves: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Drum n Bass Jungle with Various Artists: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Everyday People Band: Revesby Workers (Infinity Lounge), Revesby
Freeform Only with Count & Won + Sc@r + more: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo
Johnny Cash The Concert: Walk The Line feat. Daniel Thompson + Stuie French: Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
Cumbiamuffin: Venue 505, Surry Hills Rock The Rivers feat. Butterfingers + Regurgitator + Custard + Diana Anaid + A Somerset Parade + Satellites + Valhalla Lights + Galaxy Girls + Noah & The Sweet Little Army + Baltimore Gun Club: SCU Unibar, Lismore
The Vacationists + Ainsley Farrell: Vic On The Park, Marrickville Jimeoin: Windsor RSL, South Windsor
Young & Peerless
Sat 17
Musician and producer Kuren will be showcasing his buzzworthy talent at Klub Koori Inner West Festival this Sunday. The upcoming Splendour In The Grass act will be joined by Bow & Arrow and Lucky Luke.
D.D Dumbo + Jonti: Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul Bort + Isotopes + Last Credit + Squawk! + Baltimore + Whiskey Smile: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt Yours feat. Tigerilla: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach
Stevie: The Life & Music of Stevie Wright & The Easybeats: Centro CBD, Wollongong
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Tribute Show: Brass Monkey, Cronulla
Beatnix - Beatles Show: Club Kirrawee, Kirrawee
Jimeoin: Hornsby RSL, Hornsby
Bullhorn: Coffs Harbour Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Green Buzzard + Sloan Peterson: Hudson Ballroom, Sydney
Sydney Comedy Festival Encore Showcases: Comedy Store, Moore Park
Vivid Music presents Painting With Light 2 Palace feat. Roland Tings + Dro Carey + Kato + Elijah Something: Imperial Hotel, Erskineville
Matt Toms: Harts Pub, The Rocks Chris Cain: Hawkesbury Hotel, Windsor
The Owls
Big Merino: Coogee Diggers, Coogee South Beach Boogie: Corrimal Hotel, Corrimal
KP: Kellys on King, Newtown
Sam Lyon Duo: Cronulla RSL, Cronulla
Take The Wheel With a shake-up of management and a brand new single, Jesus Let Me Fly, The Owls are bursting back onto the scene with an east coast tour. The five-piece will be out in full force at Selina’s on Friday.
Anubis + The Stranger + Highview + Chillaum: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst No Troubles: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills Monsieur Camembert: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville Vivid presents Miriam Lieberman: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville Dustycloud + BVNTR + Mitch Williams: Candys Apartment, Potts Point One World: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill
38 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017
Michael Dimarco: Crowne Plaza Terrigal (Florida Beach Bar), Terrigal The Wildbloods: Dicey Riley’s Hotel, Wollongong Horrorshow + David Dallas + Turquoise Prince: Enmore Theatre, Newtown
Zambezi Sounds: Smiths Alternative, Canberra Whispering Jack - A tribute to the music of John Farnham: St Georges Basin Country Club, Sanctuary Point Out of Nowhere: Staves Brewery (The Malt Room), Glebe Heaps Gay: Sydney Tower Eye, Sydney
Iron Horses: Lass O’Gowrie, Wickham
Michael Gorham: Crown Hotel, Sydney
SIMA feat.Jeremy Rose Quartet + Phil Stack: Seymour Centre, Darlington
Sound + Vision - A David Bowie Cabaret with Cabaret Sasquatch: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown ABBASBACK: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
New Black Shades: The Beach Hotel, Merewether James Heathwood: The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney Chantal & Cesar: The Bourbon, Potts Point Zeahorse + Coffin + SUIIX: The Gaelic Club (1st Floor), Surry Hills Ministry of Sound Club with John OO Fleming: The Ivy, Sydney Nikki Steinfield + Love Drunk Hearts + The Water Runners + Napoleonic: The Louis (formerly Lewisham Hotel), Lewisham
Jacinta: Long Jetty Hotel, Long Jetty DJ Graham M + DJ Oh?: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
Sex On Toast
Cavan Te & The Fuss: Marble Bar, Sydney Soundbird: Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville Ridge Dynamic Hepnotics: Factory Theatre, Marrickville TAAKE + Grave Miasma: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville Michael Gorham: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Sally Cameron: Foundry 616, Sydney Pony Folk Festival feat. The Button Collective + Queen Porter Stomp + Toot + more: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville The Headliners: Georges River Sailing Club, Sandringham Vivid Music presents Jack Colwell: Golden Age Cinema & Bar, Surry Hills The Arcades + Lions: Grand Junction Hotel (The Junkyard), Maitland
Big Scary + Cub Sport + CC:Disco!: Metro Theatre, Sydney The Pinheads: Metro Theatre (The Lair), Sydney Metro Social with All Our Exes Live In Texas + Ports: Metropole Hotel, Katoomba Elton John Tribute Show: Oatley Hotel, Oatley Blake Wiggins + James Brennan + The JP Project: Observer Hotel, The Rocks Songs On Stage feat. Lance Aligannis + Astrid Munday: Orange Grove Hotel, Lilyfield Women In Electronic Music Showcase Feat. Uniiqu3 + Kucka + Linda Marigliano + Alta + Okenyo + Annie Bass + Mookhi + Andy Garvey + Miss Blanks + Various Asses + DJ Sports: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Sex 4 U Sex On Toast are never ones to play it low-key, so to accompany their latest single, 4U, the band are embarking on a four-date headline tour this month. Catch the rowdy ten-piece at the Hudson Ballroom on Thursday.
Gigs / Live The Guide
Dream Boogie: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle
Jayden Sierra: Crowne Plaza Terrigal (Florida Beach Bar), Terrigal
Darren Johnstone: Pittwater RSL (Distillery), Mona Vale
Klub Koori: Inner West Festival feat. Kuren + Bow & Arrow + Lucky Luke: Factory Theatre, Marrickville
Drowning Atlantis + Meridian Theory + Hails From Infinity + Lowgazer: Rad Bar, Wollongong
Melancholy Flowers + Syntax Error + Forenzics: The Record Crate, Glebe
Josh Deeble: Flow Bar, Old Bar
Kirk Fletcher + Chris Finnen: The Basement, Sydney
The Bootleg Beach Boys: Twin Towns, Tweed Heads
Glen Esmond + Ted Nash: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks
Metal Matriarchy with Temtris + Web City Limits + Dawn + The Dirty Earth + more: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Grim Rhythm + Topnovil + The Fvckups + Vodvile: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney
The Last Exposure + Slagatha Christie + Earache + Heti + Sleeping Dogs: The Phoenix, Canberra
Rave of Origin with Various DJs: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo Feel Good Jazz Session +Various Artists: Venue 505, Surry Hills
The Western Distributors: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
Misbehave: The Beach Hotel, Merewether Kiara Taylor: The Village Inn, Paddington Mick Hart: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi
Papa Pilko & The Bin Rats: Grand Junction Hotel (The Junkyard), Maitland
Winter Sound with Rogue Company + Rightful Loners + Swine Fever: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Imogen Clark: Hawkesbury Hotel, Windsor
DJ Jack Shit: Vic On The Park, Marrickville
Mon 19
Kim Salmon
Taasha Coates
James Muller David Theak Organ Transplant: Foundry 616, Sydney Frankie’s World Famous House Band: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney
Solo Sweetheart The Audreys’ founder and lead vocalist Taasha Coates is venturing outside of the ARIA award winning group to promote her debut solo album, Taasha Coates & Her Melancholy Sweethearts. You can catch Coates taking the stage on Friday at Leadbelly.
Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Michelle Benson + Paul Ward + Kenneth D’Aran: Kellys on King, Newtown
Skegss
Slagatha Christie + Dalmacia + Semen & Garfuckle + Boots Byers: The Phoenix, Canberra
Tue 20 Open Mic Night with Champagne Jam: Dundas Sports Club, Dundas
Floating Upstream
Skegss & Kegs
Veteran rocker Kim Salmon is slated to support Radio Birdman and Died Pretty’s latest team up. They’ll be sharing headlining duties at Enmore Theatre this Friday, so prepare yourselves for quite the spectacle.
Blake Tailor: Wallacia Hotel, Wallacia Dragon: Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville Cath & Him: Wentworthville Leagues Club (Wenty Lounge), Wentworthville
Sound + Vision - A David Bowie Cabaret with Cabaret Sasquatch: Leadbelly (formerly The Vanguard), Newtown
Catering for young fans by adding a slew of underage gigs to their Holiday Food EP tour, Skegss will still be slumming it with the over-18s for a hectic night at Oxford Art Factory with Good Boy and Pist Idiots.
Rock n Roll Karaoke: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Monica + Pauline Sparkle: Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill The Laugh Stand with Gearard McGeown + Gary Eck + more: Harold Park Hotel, Forest Lodge Songs On Stage feat. Stuart Jammin + Jenny Hume: Kellys on King, Newtown
Lloyd Spiegel: Macquarie Arms Hotel, Windsor DJ JC + DJ Elchino + DJ Adverse: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
Sun 18 Taasha Coates (The Audreys) + Tim Richards + Jason Kearney: Brass Monkey, Cronulla
All Our Exes Live In Texas + Ports: Metropole Hotel, Katoomba Arna Georgia: Oatley Hotel, Oatley
Matt Jones Duo: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills
Bryn Douglas + Nathan Cole: Observer Hotel, The Rocks
Janet Seidel: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
Spaghetti Fest feat. Skegss + Good Boy + Pist Idiots + Baxter + Flowertruck + Fritz + Los Scallywaggs + Ruby Fields + The Pinheads + Totty: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Ted Nash: Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee Raoul Graf: Coolibah Hotel, Merrylands West Jared Baca: Crossways Hotel, Strathfield South
Matchbox Band: Penrith RSL (Castle Lounge), Penrith Tony McManus + Fiona Ross: Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham
on gloss = $30 on gloss = $35 on gloss = $40 on gloss = $80 call for heaps more deals: 02 9264 4776 100 300 100 100
A5 A6 A4 A3
colour colour colour colour
THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017 • 39
40 • THE MUSIC • 14TH JUNE 2017