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2 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
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THIS WEEK
film carew IS FIFTY SHADES OF GREY THE WORST MOVIE OF ALL TIME? THE LATEST JUMPS AND DROPS IN THE ARIA CHARTS.
KEEP UP TO SCRATCH WITH ALL THE LATEST MUSIC THANKS TO OUR NEW RELEASES WRAP.
LANEWAY AFTERPARTY. PIC: ANDREW BRISCOE
live THE BEST PICTURES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY, CAPTURED BY OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS. 6 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
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CREDITS PUBLISHER
Street Press Australia Pty Ltd
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast
NATIONAL EDITOR MAGAZINES Mark Neilsen
ARTS EDITOR Hannah Story
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MUSO EDITOR Michael Smith
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Bryget Chrisfield, Steve Bell
CONTRIBUTORS Adam Wilding, Andrew McDonald, Anthony Carew, Ben Meyer, Ben Preece, Brendan Crabb, Brendan Telford, Cam Findlay, Cameron Cooper, Cameron Warner, Carley Hall, Cate Summers, Chris Familton, Chris Maric, Christopher H James, Cyclone, Daniel Cribb, Danielle O’Donohue, Dave Drayton, Deborah Jackson, Dylan Stewart, Guido Farnell, Guy Davis, Helen Lear, James d’Apice, Kristy Wandmaker, Liz Giuff re, Lukas Murphy, Mac McNaughton, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt MacMaster, Paul Ransom, Rip Nicholson, Ross Clelland, Sam Hilton, Sam Murphy, Sarah Braybrooke, Sarah Petchell, Scott Fitzsimons, Sebastian Skeet, Sevana Ohandjanian, Simon Eales, Tim Finney, Tom Hersey, Tyler McLoughlan, Xavier Rubetzki Noonan
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THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 18 FEB - 24 FEB 2015
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Nostalgia starts on Wednesday, with Whisky Jerx, the Wayne’s World-themed pop-up bar at Oxford Circus. Before you go ahead and diagnose yourself with mono, just ask: am I just really bored? If the answer is yes, then perhaps this is what’s been missing. End bad Wayne’s World jokes. Level one is going to be just like the basement, drinks will be served in red plastic cups and there’ll be bands until 3am.
Starting this Saturday, running for five consecutive weekends and exclusive to Event Cinemas, the Pixar Film Festival will give you one more chance to relive the experiences that moved and inspired, on the bigscreen. Relive the moment when Andy’s mum dug one last present out of the closet. Witness the married life of Carl and Ellie once more. The complete runlist will be Toy Story, The Incredibles, A Bug’s Life, Cars and Up.
ART DIRECTOR Brendon Wellwood
ART DEPT Ben Nicol
ADMIN & ACCOUNTS Loretta Zoppos, Niall McCabe, Jarrod Kendall, Leanne Simpson accounts@themusic.com.au
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CONTACT US PO Box 2440 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Level 1/142 Chalmers St Surry Hills NSW Phone (02) 9331 7077 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au
It’s kick-off time for Mardi Gras Festival this Friday. There’s so many amazing celebrations to attend. Perhaps drop by the HAPPY MARDI GRAS! photographic exhibition at the Surry Hills Library, or go see COCK by Mike Bartlett at the Old Fitz Theatre. Other notables include Jurassic Lounge: Mardi Gras, showcasing Australia’s best emerging queer DJ’s and performers at Australian Museum, there’s Fair Day on Sunday, and of course, the Parade on 7 Mar. SYDNEY
party
SAT FEB
21 SUN FEB
22 FRI FEB
27
5 MILE SNIPER + Stonemonks + Stone Fields
WEEKEND DETENTION [FRONT BAR]
JOHNNY
+ Chasing Giants + Velvet Chandelier
FRI MAR
MILES AWAY
FRI MAR
BELLUSIRA
6
13
[ALL AGES]
+ Stellar Addiction + Surrender The Sun
FRI MAR
CORPS
SAT MAR
BISTU
20
21
8pm
+ RUST + Stanley Knife + Rukus + more
4pm
8pm
$13
VIBRATIONS AT VALVE
WED 18TH 8PM
FREE $10
“VANDRAA”
THU 19TH 8PM
INDIE ROCK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM: “WOLVES IN FASHION”, “TAKING BERLIN”, “MONTES JURA”
BASEMENT
8pm
8pm
6.30pm
$18
FRI 20TH 8PM
$20
LEVEL ONE
FRI 20TH 9PM
$15
TIMBAWES, DJ-PRACTICE, D-ACTIV8, PSYCHO HUSTLERZ, DUPLEX , MECHAZAWA , ANTON VS TOMMOE , BRKDWN AND MANY MORE
EXCITING BAND COMPETITION, GREAT PRIZES
“TERRORENTIAL”
VENOM CLUBNIGHT ALTERNATIVE/METAL/ROCK CLUB NIGHT FEAT LIVE PERFORMANCE BY: “OUR LAST ENEMY”, “GRIM DEMISE”, “ACID NYMPH”, “CYNDUSTRY” AND MANY DJ’S OVER 2 LEVELS
SAT 21ST 8PM
METAL SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM: “JOHN DOE”, “BLACK REIGN”, “NO MORE FAITH” AND MANY MORE MUTILATE PRESENTS:
BASEMENT
100% PURE RAWSTYLE PARTY
SAT 22ND 1PM
HARD STYLE PARTY FEAT TOSHIR,
“GYPSY” ROCK SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM: “PIZZA GUTT”, “ELECTRIC LOBSTER”, “SECOND NATION”, “DISSOLUTES”
COMING UP
[EP LAUNCH]
+ Noveaux + The Abyss Collective + A Gentleman’s Agreement
8pm
$15
Wed 25 Feb: Vibration At Valve Band Comp; Thu 26 Feb: Psychedelic Rock Show with “Hippie Death Star”, “Ocean Of Eris”, “ART”, “Remmy Phillips”, “Face Command” and special guests; Fri 27 Feb: 8pm Basement: Hip Hop Show with “Triple One”, “Amy Iheakanwa”, “Spidey ‘ n’ Den”, “Tag Shai”, “Jimmy Hinks” and many more; 8pm Level One: Vent@Valve Hip Hop monthly hosted by Izzy and DJ Maniak feet: Saifi, Adam Rex, Risby & Tera Byte, Kaeoe, Ill Theory and many more; Sat 28 Feb: 8pm Basement: Rock’nRoll Show feat: “Chaos”, “Baddies”, “Sin4Me”, “Half Eaten Apple” and many more; 8pm Level One: One Foot In Hell Entertainment presents: Children Of The Grave, heavy/thrash/black metal and 70s rock played by a team of dedicated metalheads: Sun 1 March: 3pm Basement: Rock Show with “The Lightning Experience”, “Scarlet’s Revenge”, “Young Fella’s” and DJ A.C.C.L.A.I.M.
Thurs 19th Feb
sat 21st feb
Peking Duk
JAMES REYNE
+ Special Guests
Australian Crawl The Crawl Files + Special Guests
SOLD OUT fri 27th mar
Jurassic 5 + Special Guests
sat 4th apr
michael franti & spearhead + Special Guests
fri 10th apr
thundamentals + Special Guests
fri 5th Jun
Baby Animals & The Superjesus + Special Guests
www.towradgibeachhotel.com.au 170 Pioneer Road, Towradgi 2518 | 02 42833 588 THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 9
national news news@themusic.com.au COURTNEY BARNETT
CHARLIE PICKERING
IT’S WEEKLY SOMETIMES NOW
One of the most anticipated independent releases, Melbourne’s own Courtney Barnett releases her debut album, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, 20 Mar, which will give fans plenty of time to learn the words before she takes it out on a national tour when she gets back from the UK and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Supported by Teeth & Tongue, Barnett plays 2 May at The Bakery in Perth, 8 May at Metro Theatre in Sydney, 9 May at The Hi-Fi in Brisbane and 15 May at Forum Theatre in Melbourne.
BACKSTREET’S BACK
Backstreet Boys are coming back… and they’re bringing Kevin! Having reunited with original member Kevin Richardson in 2013, followed by a new album, documentary and sold out Europe and North America tour, all five Backstreet Boys are bringing the show to Oz (did the 2012 four-piece performances really satisfy fans? C’mon). Everybody (yeah-eah) head to Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, 8 May; Allphones Arena, Sydney, 9 May; Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 10 May; Perth Arena, 15 May.
STILL GOING STRONG
After a full year of being off-road, Boston melodic hardcore group Defeater are making their way to Australia for an extensive national tour, which will see them showcasing music from their upcoming fourth studio album, set for release at some point this year. They’ll be joined by fellow Bostonians, Bane, whose journey Down Under will be their last, having released their decidedly final album Don’t Wait Up last year. They’ll be bring their shows to Rosemount Hotel, Perth, 28 May; Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 31 May; Bald Faced Stag, Sydney, 4 Jun; The Small Ballroom, Newcastle, 5 Jun; and The Brightside, Brisbane, 7 Jun. More dates from theMusic.com.au.
NATIONAL PACES
The track he worked up with Tkay Maidza, Switch Lanes, made it into the triple j Hottest 100, he’s swing through the country on two national tours and finished last year signing with new label, etcetc, and releasing a new EP, On My Mind. Well, Paces, aka Mikey Perry, has a new single to celebrate, Nothing’s Forever, featuring Perth’s Kučka, which means another chance to tour this wide, brown land, playing 20 Mar at Mr Wolf in Canberra, 27 Mar at Jimmy’s Den in Perth, 3 Apr at The TBC Club in Brisbane, 4 Apr at Rattlesnake Motel on the Gold Coast, 5 Apr at Rabbits Eat Lettuce in Byron Bay, 11 Apr at Shebeen Bandroom in Melbourne, and 18 Apr at Goodgod Small Club in Sydney.
#KANYEWEST WAS LATER SEEN AT A ‘TODDLERS IN TIARAS’ BEAUTY PAGEANT WHERE HE ALSO INSISTED #BEYONCE SHOULD HAVE WON. I DON’T THINK THE PARENTS WOULD BE AS FORGIVING AS BECK WAS, @JACOBFHILL! 10 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
It’s 15 years since former lawyer, political junkie, gentleman, scholar and stand-up comedian Charlie Pickering kicked off a broadcasting career on triple j. Now he’s heading back to television – ABC television that is (don’t mention The Project!) – with his own combination of news comedy, tonight show and chat show – The Weekly With Charlie Pickering. Joining him every week will be fellow stand-up stars Tom Gleeson and Kitty Flanagan, The Weekly… kicks off in April.
BRRRR: THE VID, THE TOUR
Australia’s own metal pioneers and Tasmania’s biggest musical exports, Psycroptic, are releasing their self-titled sixth album 13 Mar and have just released the video for the second “single” off it, Cold. The accompanying national tour kicks off 12 Mar at Amplifier in Perth, followed 13 Mar by The Hi-Fi in Melbourne; 15 Mar, Karova Lounge in Ballarat; 18 Mar, Barwon Club in Geelong; 21 Mar, Wrangler Studios in Melbourne; 25 Mar, The Basement in Canberra; 26 Mar at Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle; 27 Mar at Factory Theatre in Sydney; and 28 Mar at Crowbar in Brisbane, sharing the bill throughout with Goatwhore.
A$AP FERG
MOBBING ALL DAY
Heading our way for Groovin The Moo, A$AP Ferg has now announced a headline Australian tour as well. The A$AP Mob member stepped out on his own with his 2013 debut solo album Trap Lord and hit single Shabba. Check out his impeccable hustle game when he heads to The Hi-Fi, Melbourne, 24 Apr; Villa Nightclub, Perth, 28 Apr; The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 30 Apr; and The Hi-Fi, Sydney, 1 May.
THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 11
local news nsw.news@themusic.com.au
FRONTLASH #EUROTISM
If TISM got up over the line to represent Australia at Eurovision, all that Euro-kitsch wouldn’t know what hit it with our multiple men in masks.
SLADE C/DC Drummer Chris Slade returns to the AC/DC fold. Remember the thumping on Thunderstruck? Will be good to hear that again and more.
TAYLOR SWIFT Makes a break-up song playlist for a fan coping with heartbreak, which also included Aussie act Montgomery.
DRIVING FORWARD
A TO Z
Legendary rockers The Angels are delving into their back catalogue for a special run of shows in 2015. Aptly titled the A – Z Tour, the band have dug out 26 tracks, one for each letter of the alphabet, and will be playing them back-to-back: Twin Towns, Tweed Heads, 2 May; Belmont 16s, 22 May; Factory Theatre, 23 May.
TOUCHDOWN TISM
BACKLASH #EUROTISM
While we would sit back and enjoy seeing whether Europe got the joke with TISM (if they represented us at Eurovision, mind you), we’re still not sure why we’d make an appearance there in the first place.
THE HI-FI The east coast venues enter administration. Hopefully they can sort any issues and be back to business as usual soon, ‘cause lord knows we don’t want to lose yet another live music venue.
GRAMMY WINNERS Once again we’re scratching our head at the full list of Grammy winners. Was Beck’s album really that good? Can Tenacious D really be called metal? And where were all the ladies in the major categories?
12 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
A WILHELM SCREAM
After heading north to Brisbane to record her new single, Ainslie Wills is ready to show Melbourne and Sydney just how well her time was spent in the tropical city. She’ll be showcasing Drive, which comes from her forthcoming EP Oh The Gold, at Newtown Social Club, 14 Mar.
They broke up 16 years ago, but on reuniting last year, the Chicago, Illinois three-piece American Football sold out three Webster Hall shows in New York City in less than 24 hours. The trio repeated that in LA and San Francisco as well as across the UK and in Tokyo, so fans have obviously been missing them. Now it’s Australia’s turn, and 5 Jul, American Football come to Oxford Art Factory.
SILLY POP SONGS
Twerps are heading off to tour the US for a month but are back to play 8 May at Newtown Social Club before heading for the UK and Europe.
SCREAMING
Massachusetts band A Wilhelm Scream have got a reputation for delivering one of the best live sets around, and are now set to come back for a headline tour. Get ready for the melodic punk rock slayers when they hit up Newtown Social Club, 27 Apr.
MARDI DA
The first batch of Mardi Gras performers have been announced. Nick Jonas, who we’ve been seeing a little more of lately (that magazine shoot, hey) will be performing tunes from his self-titled album. More acts on the line-up include Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears delivering his provocative dance moves alongside global drag superstar and Mardi Gras’ Global Ambassador Courtney Act. Jessica Mauboy will be performing at the Mardi Gras Party with fabulous drag superstar Destiny Haz Arrived. And following her Katy Perry support slot last year, Betty Who will join the Mardi Gras party. With more acts to be announced, the 15th Mardi Gras party happens on 7 Mar, Playbill Venues and Entertainment Quarter.
RAVIES PARTY
Sydney indie-poppers Day Ravies are playing a run of shows to celebrate the 7” release of Hickford Whizz through French indie label Beko Disques. It’ll be a raucous and distorted, fuzzed-out, whirly synth affair when they come to Union Hotel, 28 Mar, with Bear Hug and Weak Boys; and The Phoenix, Canberra, 9 Apr, with Black Springs and Mind Blanks.
BILL CULBERT, PACIFIC FLOTSAM. PIC: PETER MORGAN
BRITISH WOMBATS
Brit pop group The Wombats are partying with Channel [V] to do an exclusive launch their new album Glitterbug. It will be the first time the band will play Greek Tragedy and Your Body Is A Weapon along with other new tracks: 25 Feb at the [V] Island Party.
FREAKY DIE
South African bizarro rap group Die Antwoord will be bringing the freak this March. They’ve been made famous by their risk-taking, rapping in Afrikaans, their hardedge looks and provocative music videos. See ‘em in the flesh 5 Mar at Metro Theatre.
TWILIGHT ZONE
The National Art School is launching Twilight Sessions; art, music, workshops, talks and films held in the evenings at the old Darlinghurst gaol. On 25 Feb, at the first Twilight Session, see Bill Cuthbert’s largest solo project in Australia to date, dance to the chilled beats of DJ Mike Who, participate in a workshop or two, and sample food and drink at the pop-up bar. Twilight Sessions events will happen four times throughout the year to coincide with NAS Gallery’s 2015 exhibition program.
THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 13
local news nsw.news@themusic.com.au MOBB DEEP)
KATIE NOONAN
PLEDGE FOR KATIE
Peace Is My Drug, based around the Michael Leunig poem, Peace, is the title track of a new EP from Katie Noonan that’s being offered exclusively for every pledge made through her PledgeMusic campaign aimed at enabling her to record her next album. Also available are mentorship programs, personalised messages and videos and more, while 5% of all funds generated going to the charity, BeyondBlue. She’s also taking the EP on tour with her new band, Katie Noonan’s Vanguard, with special guest Sahara Beck, playing 18 Mar at Lizotte’s Dee Why, 19 Mar at Newtown Social Club, 20 Mar at the Heritage in Bulli, 21 Mar at Brass Monkey and 22 Mar at Lizotte’s Newcastle.
INFAMOUS 20 YEARS
Queens, NYC hip hop duo Mobb Deep are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of their seminal album, The Infamous, and that’s given them the opportunity to undertake their biggest Australian tour to date as they perform the album in its entirety. With special guest, fellow New Yorker DJ Skibeatz, 10 Apr they take over The Hi-Fi.
CHICK & HERB
Together and apart, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock have established long, lauded and prolific solo careers over five decades. Combined they can boast 34 Grammys between them and together the jazz/fusion giants are coming to Australia. They play 1 Jun at Sydney Opera House.
FIVE FOR FIVE
Currently on a world tour showcasing their fifth studio album, V, multi-platinum album and Grammy Award-winning American rockers Maroon 5 have announced that they’ve added Australia to that extensive world tour. That’ll see them play 29 Sep at Allphones Arena, joined by special guests, Dirty Loops.
DEATH EURO-STYLE
Two of the finest exponents of melodic death metal – Sweden’s The Haunted and Finland’s Insomnium – are teaming up to cross the planet and deliver their pulverising messages to Australians in person: Manning Bar, 16 May with guests Daemon Pyre.
ABOUT TO GO HOLOCAUST SOME AFTERWORK BEERS @ADAMBRERETON JUST RIFFING OFF ABBOTT’S COMPARISON OF THE HOLOCAUST AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
SOAK
DREAM WEAVER
Fresh out of Derry in Ireland, 18 year old singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson, who travels as SOAK, brings her debut album, Before We Forgot How To Dream, and latest single, Sea Creatures, to Australia: 15 Apr at Hibernian House.
14 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
B-BOYS, FLY GIRLS
The B-Boy World Champions tour have new tour dates, having been initially postponed. See the world’s best B-boys, B-girls, poppers and lockers in performances and battles: 30 Apr, The Hi-Fi.
LARKING ABOUT
The music New Zealand’s Tom Lark has just released the first track, Something To Tell You, from his forthcoming self-titled EP, and is following it across the Tasman to play 25 Feb at the Beach Road Hotel, 26 Feb at Goodgod Small Club, 27 Feb at Town Hall Hotel and 28 Feb at Captain Cook Hotel.
CREEPIN’ ALONG
Luke Escombe & The Corporation is embarking on a mini-tour to select parts of the country to launch their new EP, Creeper Vine. Hear it for yourself when they play Shaws Bay Hotel, 15 Mar; Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, 28 Mar; Lazybones Lounge, 4 Apr.
LOONY LADS
Melbourne rockers Loon Lake are back in action with a newly-recovered lead singer and brand new single. To celebrate, they’ll be playing at Brighton Up Bar, 27 Mar.
www.thebasement.com.au
The Home of Live Music Since 1973 THURSDAY 198FEBRUARY SATURDAY JUNE
THIS WEEK
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL:
DAVE FAULKNER W/ SPECIAL GUEST BRAD SHEPHERD BEST KNOWN AS THE LEAD SINGER AND PRINCIPAL SONGWRITER OF THE CULT LOVED INDIE-ROCK BAND, HOODOO GURUS, DAVE FAULKNER STEPS OUT FOR AN “UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL” EXPERIENCE OF HIS REPERTOIRE WITH SPECIAL GUEST AND GURU COHORT BRAD SHEPHERD. BUY TICKETS NOW!
JUST ANNOUNCED... FRI 10 APRIL SERENA RYDER – AUSTRALIAN STOMPA TOUR + SPECIAL GUEST MATT ANDERSEN THU 23 APRIL MARLENE CUMMINS: KOORI WOMAN BLUES TOUR + ISIAIH BRUNT FRI 08 MAY JOHNNY G & THE E-TYPES PERFORMING THE MEMPHIS SOUL REVUE FOLLOW US: ON FACEBOOK @ THE BASEMENT & ON TWITTER @ #BASEMENTSYD RESTUARANT OPENS AT 11AM, SERVING FOOD ALL DAY
Z-STAR (UK) + ROSIE & THE BEES
WED 18 FEB
LATE SUMMER SIZZLE
FRI 20 FEB
AFRO MOSES SPIRIT OF BOB MARLEY LIVE
SAT 21 FEB
FREDDIE GIBBS (US)
TUE 24 FEB
PICKPOCKETS & RASCALS
THU 26 FEB
FEAT. CROOKED FIDDLE BAND & RAPAPORT
THE BASEMENT BLUES SOCIETY PRESENTS
AUSSIE GUITAR LEGENDS
FRI 27 FEB
SHARON SHANNON BIG BAND (IRELAND)
SAT 28 FEB
FEATURING DAMIEN LEITH
THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 15
music
NIGHT CRAWLERS Godfathers Of Rave The Prodigy never court controversy “for the sake of it” as their fearless bandleader Liam Howlett tells Bryget Chrisfield: “To us, Smack My Bitch Up was never shocking.”
S
pewing out onto the street after The Prodigy played Melbourne’s Palace Theatre back in 2009, drenched, parched and panting, a passerby paused to ask whether there had been a fire inside the venue. It was still pushing 50 degrees outside and what The Prodigy officiated was a baptism of fire. The experience of being part of their congregation is equal parts terror and euphoria. “Yeah, that’s the look we’re going for,” The Prodigy mastermind Liam Howlett cackles. “Funnily enough, we’ve never ever discussed [it].” The outfit’s forthcoming album
turns my ears off when I hear a piece of music and I can hear what machine has made it, d’you know wha’ I mean?” he declares. “People need to, like, go a bit deeper into it and try and come out with some original sounds. It’s like: I perfectly steer clear of most kind of like plug-in computers synths, d’you know wha’ I mean? “I mean, me personally, I prefer to set up a few guitar pedals, set up an old synth and get some distortion through a guitar amp happening with a keyboard. It’s much more hands on, d’you know wha’ I mean? You can hear it; you can hear what you’re doing more.” Howlett
more original, d’you know wha’ I mean? You’ve really gotta try harder, really. It’s too easy for people just to do the same shit, you know.” Much discussion about courting controversy leads us through syringe-strewn alleyways to The Prodigy’s Jonas Åkerlund-directed video for Smack My Bitch Up. The killer plot twist is genius, albeit contentious, and the film clip was banned from television in several countries before massive demands on MTV eventually forced them to agree to add it to rotation, but only after midnight and following a warning. “I mean, it’s weird, really, because basically, like, to us, Smack My Bitch Up was never shocking,” Howlett confesses. ”The more it got banned, the more people wanted to see it and it’s basically our anthem so it didn’t ever detract from anything. And we just went out of our way to make a controversial video. We were sick and tired of being restricted and the restrictions put on our stuff. I mean, that’s a one-off; it’s not like we wanted to do that in all our videos, d’you know what I mean? “There’s a time and a place for stuff like that, d’you know what I mean? All the stuff we ever did was totally natural and we also pulled a lot of stuff that didn’t feel right. And, as far as controversy goes, I mean, you’ve gotta be real, d’you know what I mean? ‘Cause we don’t do it for the sake of it.
“I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SORT OF SANITISED FROM ANY KIND OF SHOCK. I THINK PEOPLE REALLY AREN’T SO SHOCKED ANYMORE AT STUFF... IT’S FINE IF IT’S GREAT AND IT WORKS AND IT’S SOMETHING ORIGINAL, BUT EVERYTHING’S SORTA BEEN DONE.”
The Day Is My Enemy contains 14 tracks, eight of which Howlett reveals will be premiered live in their upcoming shows. “When you’re doing a whole new record – we have to rehearse so we know what we’re doing. But, basically, we never rehearse hardly… It’s all totally natural. So we might have a conversation going, ‘Oh, fuck me! That’s great that. It really kind of was effective there’. Or more that there’s a bit in the song which kind of needs shortening or making longer to make it more effective, those types of things are quite common, but that just comes from playing a song. So, for example, like, there might be a bit we really wanna drag out, but we can do that live; I can do it live on the spot if we wanna make the songs kind of different and stuff. It’s really easy to do that with the equipment I use, you know.” Oddly enough, Howlett’s speaking voice sounds a lot like Neil from The Young Ones and his speech is regularly punctuated by “d’you know wha’ I mean?”. He explains The Prodigy worked through the witching hours to create The Day Is My Enemy, hitting the studio around 6pm and working through until morning. No interruptions as well as the creepy headspace one enters on a vampire’s watch are cited as benefits. Howlett expresses impatience toward beatmakers who use “the same kind of sounds as everyone else, because it’s what’s available”. “So I kind of rebelled against that and just thought, ‘Nah, fuck it! I’m gonna not go down that route at all, because it 16 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
reckons electronic beatmakers need to get more creative. “The internet’s made it easy for everybody, hasn’t it? And it’s made people lazy, actually… I think people in bands, like, guitar bands that don’t rely on compu’ers so much, they have to go down the old-skool route ‘cause, obviously, picking up a guitar – there’s no compu’er way to fast-forward yourself in learning how to play that, d’you know wha’ I mean? You have to go through the learning how to play it. But, I mean, anyone can pick up a compu’er, download some drum sounds and there can be a beat within, you know, 20 minutes. So that makes it harder for people to do something
And it’s kind of, like, it has to feel like it’s kind of spontaneous. I mean, Marilyn Manson is the king of being controversial and I think what he does is cool, it suits him, but at the end of the day I always get a bit suspicious like, you know, the public aren’t stupid, you know? They see through things if they’re too pushed, d’you know what I mean? My take on it is: doin’ it for the sake of it is just not – we’re not interested in that. But, um, yeah! I mean, I’ve got a lot of respect for Manson, for what he does, you know? That’s just on a different level.” Smack My Bitch Up dropped pre-internet and the music video subverted stereotypes in a trailblazing way. “People go on Google and basically look at far more shocking stuff,” Howlett opines. “I think people have been sort of sanitised from any kind of shock. I think people really aren’t so shocked anymore at stuff. I mean, I dunno, I’m not really interested in [courting controversy] anymore. It’s fine if it’s great and it works and it’s something original, but everything’s sorta been done.” If you could be transported back to any time in history for a night-following day-next night on the pingers, The Second Summer Of Love in Britain would have to be right up there. And hearing Howlett’s reminiscences will make you gurn with envy. “The whole London rave scene started in East London from Essex inwards, but we were from Essex, and,
HOUSE OF HORROR
basically, you’d literally get a flier with a phone number on it and the phone would be dead up until the point of two hours before. You’d ring the number and then it would be a message telling you where to go, and you’d just drive out. And sometimes you’re driving in the middle of nowhere, into fields and stuff like that, and suddenly it’ll be, like, in a barn in the middle of the country or it’ll be in a warehouse that someone’s broken into, d’you know what I mean? So there were a few of those going on, but obviously the police clamped down on those. But it was really exciting times and then basically, you know, the gangs sort of moved in – you got a lotta gang-led [raves] and money, there was a lotta big money to be had. And that kind of ruined it a bit and then it drove it back into the clubs. But by that stage we, the band, was already on its way. So when all the illegal rave scene started to die down, the legal ones started happening and they were good as well, d’you know what I mean? “This is, like, 1991: there was loads of massive outdoor parties that year – we did quite a few of them – and by the end of ’92 it had kinda worn a bit thin. I was certainly bored of it, it didn’t seem to be going anywhere, and so that was the start of when I started to write the second album [Music For The Jilted Generation], which was a bit different, you know. We thought, ‘Well, we like our band, we’re not gonna go down with this. We can either start a new band or carry on.’ And I just said, ‘Well, let me write some songs,’ and
I think what happened is: we spent some time in LA, I think we were in LA doing something, and heard Rage Against The Machine’s first album, Dr Dre The Chronic and I just got – I dunno, suddenly my mind opened up to, like, lots of different music. Because before I was just listening to rave music – pirate radio stations and rave music – and so I went back with a head full of inspiration. Then I just went BAH! in the studio and whatever came out still had a Prodigy feel, but it was a little bit more open to influences, d’you know what I mean? Guitar and stuff. I just sucked
it all in and that’s what happened. From that point – because then the rave parties were no more – we started again and started playing universities and stuff like that, you know. It was mega. It was really mega.” Can someone please hail us a time machine already? When asked whether he’s read any books on the early acid house culture that he would recommend, Howlett laughs, “Oh, fuck knows! I don’t read. But, I dunno how many stories that people could listen to of guys off their heads, d’you know wha’ I mean?”
WHEN & WHERE: 28 Feb, Future Music Festival, Randwick Racecourse; 11 Mar, Big Top Sydney
This year marks a quarter of a century since The Prodigy snarled onto the scene and into our nightmares and Howlett laughs in a somewhat satisfied fashion when told the Breathe video haunts this scribe to this day. It should come as no surprise then that Howlett is a horror film buff. “You can’t beat ‘70s horror, d’you know what I mean? It was an era when everything seemed lo-fi and I mean the classics, I mean The Shining [actually released on the cusp of the ‘70s, in May 1980]. It’s not horror, really, in my mind, it’s more psychological. But I watched it with my son [Ace Billy, aged ten] the other day and he laughed! He thought it was funny. I mean, I didn’t show him the naked bath scene – I shoved a bag over his head for that bit… That’s a great film, but the whole era of those films in the ‘70s – there was something really raw about them, even sor’ of the obvious ones, Halloween and stuff; I mean, they’re done on a tiny budget but they have much more terror about them than these new super-budget films that really are just remakes of all that stuff, you know.” Howlett loves Tarantino (“Tarantino’s a genius”), but laments, “I haven’t really seen anything recently that scares me – well, I don’t think anything scares me – but I still watch ‘em [horror movies], you know? I watch a lot of ‘em.” THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 17
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NIGHT MOVES
DZ Deathrays stumbled organically onto the formula that’s endeared them to so many, but drummer Simon Ridley tells Steve Bell that in their minds the party’s only just beginning.
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he last few years have been a wild ride for Brisbane-based duo DZ Deathrays, the friends – Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar) and Simon Ridley (drums) – having blitzed all-comers with their hyper-energetic brand of dance-punk. Just a few years back they were a fixture on the Brisbane house party circuit, now they’re just as likely to be found hobnobbing backstage at festivals in London or New York as they are in some beer can-strewn backyard. “I guess in the beginning we just wanted to make something for house parties where we could just play and it would be fun,” Ridley recalls. “But then after a while we thought, ‘Let’s try and go as far as we can with this,’ and after that it was just working jobs so
that we could go and play shows to nobody down in Melbourne or whatever. It was always that kind of progression from the outset.” This early ambition paid handsome dividends immediately, their hybrid of rock and dance earning global accolades pretty much everywhere they ventured. Having achieved so much traction Ridley sees little point altering this successful formula too dramatically. “I always hated bands when I was younger that changed their sound,” he smiles. “I think that DZ has always been a party band, so as long as it can exist within a party atmosphere we should be fine. [2014 second album]
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Black Rat was always written as a nighttime record – there’s thrashy moments for early in the night when everyone’s energetic, and then there’s slower songs for the end of the night when everyone’s kinda lethargic and boozed out and that sort of thing. In my mind, Northern Lights is like a 3am song, and that’s how we wanted it to flow – it has dance elements, it has rock elements. “Shane and I both like going to see crazy rock bands at the start of the night when you’re boozing hard, then you go to a dance club and just hang out, and then you go back to someone’s house and just listen to chilled-out music – that’s how we approached Black Rat. We always wanted it to be a nighttime sort of thing. So I think we’ll always keep it like that – music that’s appropriate for partying or nighttime.” Does all of the success achieved in such a relatively short time – such as winning an ARIA for Best Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal album for Bloodstreams in 2012, and Black Rat last year – add pressure to the creative process? “No, not at all,” Ridley laughs. “I still live with my girlfriend at her mum’s house – we’re not rockstars or anything. It’s still just us having fun. There’s no gigantic gains or losses to be made – I still just feel like it’s us making music for us and our friends to enjoy. That kind of sounds selfish, but it’s got to be – if we don’t enjoy the songs then why the fuck are we making them?”
WHEN & WHERE: 18 Feb, Beach Road Hotel; 21 Feb, Mountain Sounds Festival, Kariong; 11 & 12 Mar, Newtown Social Club; 14 Mar, Farmer & The Owl Festival, Wollongong
QUEER CINEMA
The 22nd Mardi Gras Film Festival starts this week. We ask Anthony Carew to give us a rundown.
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he standout film of the 22nd Mardi Gras Film Festival is, essentially, nothing resembling queer cinema. Lyle, Stewart Thorndike’s directorial debut, is pure Rosemary’s Baby homage, a spare, simple, 60-minute paranoia thriller in which young parents move into an eerie Brooklyn brownstone, its mounting madness derived from the loneliness, isolation, and sleep deprivation of new motherhood. The fact that the mother in question, Gaby Hoffmann (fresh off her heroic Crystal Fairy/ Girls/Transparent run), is makin’ babies with The Slope’s Ingrid Jungermann is presented matter-of-factly, and never informs the psychological horror; Lyle, in its own way, is a quiet cinematic push towards the new normal. For those seeking something more queer, there’s flicks like Do I Sound Gay?, a happily farcical, smirking documentary about the limits and stigmas of vocal affectation; and I Am Happiness On Earth, an “erotic odyssey” from Mexico that parades plentiful lithe flesh in its pretentious portrait of dancers, directors, and dames in ongoing congress. If all its screen sex sounds too simulated, try Peter De Rome: Grandfather Of Gay Porn, a sentimental portrait of the now geriatric, gentlemanly filmmaker and his cock-filled career. Couple that with a documentary chronicle of a far different photographer, Nan Goldin: I Remember Your Face. MGFF’s documentaries deliver the fest’s most unvarnished profundity; especially Alex & Ali, in which 18 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
a pair of lovers – one Iranian, one American – are brought together in Istanbul after 35 years apart, only for the cruelties of time, terror, and oppression to turn their romantic reunion tragic. Then there’s American Vagabond, which goes from a chronicle of homeless queer kids living in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to being a tale of one subject’s struggles with family, society, and legality. The fiction features cast a wider net; there’s some tired-feeling, bourgie American dramas – Last Weekend, one of those dreaded movies where a family gathers together over a long weekend and secrets come spilling out; Match, one of those also-dreaded one-
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room stage-plays in which an ‘interview’ (of Patrick Stewart! Bisexual ballet teacher and chewer of any and all scenery!) gets all Death And The Maiden-y – but there’s better stuff, too. Like Violette, Martin Provost’s companion piece to Séraphine, a doom-etched tonepoem to the life and times of self-loathing, selfdestructive author Violette Leduc that landed in John Waters’ Art Forum list of his favourite 2014 films. Or Lilting, which is shot like a BBC soap but features a bitter turn from Ben ‘Pingu’ Whishaw as a secret boyfriend communing with both the ghost of his dead lover and his cantankerous Chinese quasi-motherin-law. Or A Girl At My Door, an absurd Korean tragicomedy about small town oppression that’s both eerily minimalist and hysterically ridiculous. WHAT: Mardi Gras Film Festival WHEN & WHERE: 19 Feb – 5 Mar, Event Cinemas George Street
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NOW SERIOUSLY They never expected things to take off the way they have, as James Draper of Winterbourne tells Michael Smith.
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entral Coast duo James Draper and Jordan Brady started playing music together in Grade 8, when they had to perform at a school function. That was eight years ago, but it took a change of name, from Everything After to Winterbourne, to get the attention of the industry. Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, of course. “We didn’t really start taking it seriously until a couple of years ago,” Draper admits with a chuckle, “and we thought we’d better have a more serious name. Once we realised we wanted to play our own music to people, we started to actually write songs and put them on CD to sell to people and we just became of course obsessed with it and it took over our lives and wanted to do this for a living.”
Draper and Brady started busking weekends in Sydney’s Pitt St Mall and slowly built up the original song list. “It’s almost like a social experiment, busking. You literally just set up in the middle of the street and kind of say, ‘Well, if all these random people enjoy our music, we’ll do well,’ and if they don’t, you don’t do very well. So it’s a good way to find out if it’s worth giving it a shot.” Changing their name to Winterbourne, they put out an EP, All But The Sun, middle of last year and things started to happen. “We’d been busking playing originals for about a year and Mike Taylor from Universal saw us busk and then
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Sony Publishing as well, almost the exact same time, and once they were interested everyone wanted to know why these people were interested in some buskers. We were literally playing on a Saturday afternoon and we had a message on our Facebook page from Mike, and we originally thought it was a bit of a hoax but we googled him and sure enough, he’s the head of Island Records! So that’s pretty much how it went down,” he laughs. From busking, they started picking up support spots and then festival spots. “When we released the EP, it went to #9 on iTunes, which was a bit of a surprise,” Draper admits. “We didn’t really think anyone was going to jump on it that quickly. NME [UK music press] picking up on it was a surprise as well. We didn’t expect that to happen.” Nowadays Winterbourne are both the core duo and also a band, depending on the budget, which won’t be an issue when they play Mountain Sounds Festival. “That’s like five minutes away from me,” Draper chuckles. “I watched the festival from my roof last year in fact, so we’ll have the band for that. I didn’t actually know the festival was on and I got back and I just heard Ball Park Music coming from somewhere!”
WHEN & WHERE: 21 Feb, Mountain Sounds Festival, Mt Penang Parklands; 19 Mar, Moonshine Rum & Cider Bar; 21 Mar, Newtown Social Club; 22 Mar, Metro Theatre; 26 Mar, Lizottes Newcastle; 27 Mar, Rad Bar, Wollongong; 28 Mar, The Front Gallery & Cafe, Canberra; 11 Apr, 5 Church Street, Bellingen
MARTIAL ARTS EXPERT “Like Flight Of The Conchords” but with martial arts instead of singing, Maximum Choppage is the new kung-fu comedy from Lawrence Leung. He talks to Guy Davis.
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o one wants to let down their mum by bringing home, say, a lacklustre report card or an inappropriate date. But both of those scenarios pale in comparison to the heavyweight champion of parental disappointment: choosing the wrong career track. That, believe it or not, is the subtext of Maximum Choppage, the ABC’s new kungfu comedy starring comedian Lawrence Leung. After years of refining his fists of fury at a Beijing martial arts temple, Leung’s Simon Chan has returned home to the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta to fulfil his destiny by following in his late father’s footsteps as a fearsome but noble warrior. There’s only one problem: Simon has actually been studying at a Melbourne art school and can’t throw a punch to save his life. “We flip all those parental expectations of getting a proper job, like a doctor or a lawyer, on their head,” says Leung, who wrote a number of Maximum Choppage episodes in addition to playing the lead. And it all takes place in “a heightened universe that still captures the essence of Cabramatta”, he says. The suburb has had a rough go of things in the past, with news and current affairs reports, especially in the ‘90s, playing up what Leung calls the “dark and shady” reputation of the area. But Leung and the creators of Maximum Choppage wanted to showcase the neighbourhood’s culture, albeit in a somewhat 20 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
stylised way. “A local ghost festival lets us play with horror themes, and we’ll throw an action sequence into the middle of a food festival.” As you may have gathered, the spirit of Kung Fu Hustle’s Stephen Chow and Spaced’s Edgar Wright flows through Maximum Choppage’s veins, with the creators of the show ever-eager to maintain humanity and heart while raising the stakes by asking “Ok, how we can ‘Max Chop’ that?” whenever a funny or furious situation arose. “We think it’s going to appeal to action fans, comedy fans, even fans of a family drama,” says Leung. “It’s a bit like Flight Of The Conchords,
but instead of going into a musical number like they do on that show, we’ll transition into an action scene.” While he’s primarily known for his acclaimed standup work, which he’ll be taking around the comedy festival circuit next month in The Escapist, Leung is no stranger to acting, having appeared on the likes of House Husbands and Offspring. Taking on the central role in Maximum Choppage, however, gave him greater opportunities to “embody a character”, even to the point of undergoing a bit of training (from very nice martial arts experts “who could kill you with their bare hands... but never would”) for the show’s action sequences. Leung does admit with a laugh that he could slack off a little because, well, Simon kinda sucks at fighting. WHAT: Maximum Choppage 9pm Tuesdays on ABC2 WHEN & WHERE: 14 – 16 May, Sydney Comedy Festival, Factory Theatre
THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 21
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A DIFFERENT SCENT
Perfume Genius has been enjoying the fame since Too Bright’s release, which is good because there’s a worthwhile message there. Cam Findlay chats to the man.
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n 2012, Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius released second album Put Your Back N 2 It. It carried all the subtle panache of his 2010 debut, Learning, with Hadreas’ vocals and accompanying choral piano covering everything in a torch-song sophistication. But Put Your Back N 2 It had a little something else going on, an unmistakeable attitude, even an anger. With last year’s Too Bright, Hadreas has let that attitude come spectacularly to the fore. From the swirling power of Queen to the freakout rhythm of Grid, this is Hadreas making a statement. According to Hadreas himself, the
record is based on “An underlying rage that has slowly been growing since age ten and has just begun to bubble up.” “It’s been great, but I really just need to decompress,” Hadreas admits in a rare gap between festival, club and, poor guy, Late Night performances. “The last six months have been overwhelming, really, but it hasn’t meant that I haven’t taken it all on; it’s just I need to digest it all. I mean, it’s a weird feeling to go from doing so much to not doing anything. But I’ve been going to the dentist, and I guess just normal people stuff,” he laughs. The last six months for Hadreas has been the usual breakthrough record
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craziness, sure, but there’s an extra layer of identity that he’s had to take on in the same time. When Put Your Back N 2 It was released, Hadreas promoted it with a short YouTube clip: Hadreas and porno actor Arpad Miklas embracing in their underwear. There’s really nothing more to it, but it was enough to get pulled on the basis of obscenity. Hadreas has since been fairly outspoken on his desire for artistic freedom and, whether he meant to or not, gender equality, his clips seeing him playing various male and female characters. “I guess it was when I was ten or eleven that I started to notice that I was on the outside a little bit. It wasn’t just me; everyone else did as well. All my eccentricities and feminine qualities manifested themselves, and people started paying attention to that. And as I grew older, I started to gravitate towards people like me, like everyone does. All through that time, there’s constantly been people that range from being uncomfortable with it – which, you know, I’m like, whatever – to people who get really angry about it. I didn’t realise it at first, but I was really pissed off about it. As much as I moped around in my teenage years, I was pissed at the same time at the fact there’s this split. I felt angry at everyone for putting me in this situation: it was really victim-y and pitiful. And that shit’s constantly been a part of me, so this record was a lot of trying to channel that pity and victimisation into something that was actually productive. I don’t know, I didn’t really think that that would resonate with so many people, but I’m sure as hell glad it did.”
WHEN & WHERE: 18 Feb, Oxford Art Factory
SHINING BRIGHT
Perth artist Shameem found herself mastering her craft around the world and the musical partnerships on her new record come from the most weird and wonderful places. She talks to Kane Sutton.
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had my last album out in 2011, then I toured in 2012, and that was such a busy year; a lot of gigs and stuff. In 2013, it was like, ‘Okay, I need to start thinking about the next thing,’” Shameem, who dropped a new single, Beautiful Soul, towards the end of last year, begins. “I got invited to the Canadian Music Week, so that took up a lot of my attention, just trying to organise a Canadian and US tour. I’d actually already written all the songs [for the second album] by the second half of the year, so I decided I wanted to put together a crowd-funding campaign and record the album in the summer. The album was completely finished by March, so we were talking to the people we wanted to promote it and at the time I was thinking, ‘Now, let’s do it now,’ but they were like, ‘No, there’s timing, we have to think about when the big label artists are going to be releasing their things so you don’t have to compete because it’s hard as an indie artist,’ and all that sort of thing. I took their advice though, so it’s taken a little longer than expected.” Shameem ended up working with Grammy Award winner James Bryan (Nelly Furtado). “It was the weirdest thing ever. No joke, he found me on MySpace back in 2010, and he didn’t even find my original music, it was like demos of jazz songs I’d put up there,
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and he messaged me and was like, ‘Do you write your own songs? I really like your sound, you should come to the UK and we’ll write some music together.’ At first I was thinking, ‘Who is this hack who’s just found me of MySpace?’ But I humoured him and we began chatting and eventually I went to the UK and wrote some songs together. It ended up coming out really well. I sent around a few songs from the album for a few industry people and others I trust, and I said, ‘Which song sticks in your head after you listen to it?’ and they all said Under One Sun and Beautiful Soul, so they’re both on there.”
Shameem heads out on a national tour this month. “I have these big ambitions and I don’t like telling people about them because they sound so outlandish, so I try to take it as it comes, but you need to have a vision or you’re not going to go anywhere. I’ve found when you’re a self-managing musician, you need to be thinking three or four steps ahead at all times. I’m starting to think about 2016, and it’s scary, but it’s the truth. I’ve become a much richer person for managing myself, but that being said, I’m so busy that I’d really like to have my own manager now. I’ve been doing it for five years now, so I think that’s fair enough,” she laughs, a hint of pride in her voice. WHAT: The Second City (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: 20 Feb, The Basement, Canberra; 21 Feb, Gingers; 22 Feb, Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle; 23 Feb, Bar On The Hill, Newcastle
MOVING FORWARD
Not only is Falling In Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke’s past worthy of a feature film, it’s also been the reason he hasn’t been able to visit Australia. He discusses his dislike of modern music, doing favours for Travis Barker and the band’s new record with Daniel Cribb.
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aving been arrested numerous times and serving a two-year jail sentence in 2006, few know conflict like Falling In Reverse leader Ronnie Radke. He may be in the thick of album promo for the band’s new record, Just Like You, in Las Vegas when he answers his phone, but there’s another issue on his mind – the recent event of Blink-182
revealing their innerband turmoil to the public; something Radke, as a fan, can relate to all too well. “I’m never going to choose a side or anything because I love that band,” Radke comments. But a recent encounter with drummer Travis Barker might cloud his judge somewhat. “I didn’t know he was a fan of me. And now he follows me on Twitter, which is mindblowing. His daughter’s 15, and she came to my music video. He asked me for a favour so I told him to bring her down… [Blink-182]’s one of the bands that I actually still listen to. I don’t really listen to a lot of
bands these days who are new or anything, so it’s sad to see that they’re not going to make a new record.”
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It’s the “watered down” production of music today that’s turned Radke away from a lot of new acts, and with the band’s third album, Radke wanted to break the mould and throw people off. “These days, everything’s Auto-Tuned to the point where you can’t really hear the cadence in their voices, and it sounds the same because it’s so robotic… it’s just not my cup of tea anymore. Maybe I’m just getting older and growing up a little bit.” It hasn’t been an easy road for Radke, but his learned from his mistakes and being himself is finally paying off, with the release of a career-defining record, launching his own clothing label, Hood$, and he’s finally secured a visa to tour Australia for the first time ever hitting Soundwave. “I don’t think it’s Australia’s fault,” he says on past visa issues. “I think it’s America’s fault. With the help of my managers, who worked around the clock with lawyers, we got there. So that’s who I have to thank for that, finally. “I’m stoked, because everything we’ve ever wanted is coming true and it’s pretty amazing. Where I came from, from prison to now, it’s pretty wild. We complain about the dumb things, like, ‘Aw, man, I left my phone in the hotel! I’ve got to go back and get it!’ And I just kind of catch myself complaining about stupid things, like how everybody does. But I try to keep myself grounded that way. I can just pretty much wake up whenever I want and do whatever I want, all because I write songs and it reaches my fans and touches their hearts, you know, it’s crazy.” WHAT: Just Like You (Epitaph/Warner)
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IN HIS NATURE
José González explains to Kane Sutton why you need to find room in your life to play music for fun, not just to meet a deadline.
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he Swedish singer-songwriter released his first solo album, Veneer, in 2003, which featured his championed cover of The Knife’s Heartbeats, and in 2007, he released In Our Nature, a somewhat darker acoustic record focused on the human condition, which cemented him among the most relevant acoustic performers of the time. His newest record, Vestiges & Claws, is only his third solo album, but the man is also vested in his band Junip, which has released two full-lengths and four EPs to date. It’s been three years since his last album, but González still had songs he wanted to work with. “Some of the songs [from Vestiges & Claws] are really old – Open
Book and The Forest I’ve had for many years, actually – but mostly the songs were written within the year, from early ‘14, I started writing and early recording.” González speaks as he sounds on his records: quite slowly and rather delicately, “I was choosing from the demos that I’d been collecting and I decided to go with songs that only had one guitar, most similar to my previous two albums. I wrote a couple of newer songs: Carry You is totally different to my first two albums, and other songs have a more Western African vibe, which was fun.” González has certainly been having plenty of
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fun the last couple of years between albums – the soundtrack to 2013’s The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller was practically made up of José González songs, some older and some made exclusively for the film. “That was fun. The director had heard one of the Junip songs, and was searching for an artist to do most of the music, so we Skyped, and he told me how excited he was to start things straight away. I went to LA and New York, and worked with the guy in charge of the music score.” Songwriting’s a serious process for González, and he’s comfortable sticking to his signature sound from album to album. Whether he’s playing with Junip or solo, he’s careful not to overwhelm himself with possibilities. “No, I don’t get carried away. [Since In Our Nature] I would say I’m older and more relaxed as a person, and there was a calmness while I was writing those songs – a bit of frustration during mixing, but mostly calm. Part of getting carried away is the time between albums when I’m doing music just for fun. Writing music for albums is also fun, but the aim is always clear. When I’m on tour, it’s fun to play with big acts, but when I’m at home, it’s great to just play for fun, I meddle a lot with synthesisers. There’s a clear idea of what I want to do when I’m recording, and it’s important to have deadlines.” With the album having just been released, González is itching to share it with the world. “I’m super excited to start playing now – the album comes out and I head out on tour the day after. I’ll be touring throughout the year. I’ll be trying to get to Latin America and Australia and stuff, as well as Europe and North America.” WHAT: Vestiges & Claws (Shock)
CATCHIN’ THE WAVE
Surfer first, musician second, Donavon Frankenreiter has followed the sun like every other surfer, and that’s brought him to Australia. He talks to Michael Smith.
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alifornia-born Hawaii-based singersongwriter Donavon Frankenreiter was already a well known face in Australia long before he finally released his self-titled debut album here in 2004. Quite apart from having opened for Jack Johnson on a couple of tours, Frankenreiter had been here often as a pro-surfer. After all, he was sponsored by Australian clothing label Billabong. So there’s more than a soft spot for this country and he’s more than up for playing 19 shows in 24 days. “You know, four of the songs on [2013’s] Start Livin’ were written in Western Australia in one day in this hotel, finished in demo style,” Frankenreiter – who’ll be coming here via Brazil, Chile and Argentina – explains, talking about his most current album, “and I think, while in Australia in hotel rooms, when I’m not playin’ I’m gonna be writin’ songs. I get really inspired when I’m down there, things that happen and things that I see and that I hear”. Frankenreiter already has four songs ready for the next record, so is hoping to come up with another half-dozen before heading into a studio in Austin, Texas, for a fortnight. The studio has ten cameras installed which will allow him to stream the making of the album live, 24/7. “We’re gonna shoot a bunch 24 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
of photos first thing in the studio and upload those, and whoever comes up with the best album cover... and maybe [on] one of the songs [we’ll] leave the words off the bridge and let somebody co-write the song with me and write the words on the bridge and, I dunno, just gonna make it a real interactive album if people wanna get involved. I kinda like to change it up a bit.” Frankenreiter might take his wife and two sons along to the early part of the sessions too, since his eldest seems to be following in dad’s footsteps. “Hendrix is 12 and he’s
started his own band and his first show is at a sixth grade talent show March 6th here in Hawaii, so I’m really excited – three-piece band and he plays guitar and sings, he’s got a buddy playin’ bass and a buddy playin’ drums and the first song they learned was Tighten Up by The Black Keys – I was pretty impressed!” It’s looking like Hendrix Frankenreiter might just be the second act signed to his dad’s label, Liquid Tambourine Records. “Right now it’s easy ‘cause I’m the only artist signed to the label,” Frankenreiter chuckles. “There’s no pressure to get things out or do things or whatever. I decide when I put it out and sign distribution deals all over the world and try and get the music out there, you know?” WHEN & WHERE: 25 & 26 Mar, Lizottes Sydney; 27 Mar, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle; 28 Mar, Factory Theatre; 29 Mar, Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley; 3 & 4 Apr, Bluesfest, Byron Bay
PEARLS
Vestiges & Claws
Dot Dash/Remote Control
Shock
With the release of lead single Big Shot late last year, Melbourne trio Pearls provided a perfect little alt-pop gem to introduce their forthcoming debut long-player, teasing listeners by slotting sassily into summer radio playlists. With a thick, dark groove carved from Cassandra Kiely’s keys, drummer Ellice Blakeney’s vocal slinks in and out of guitarist Ryan Caesar’s calls with the magnetism of Debbie Harry. Instrumentally it’s a basic cut – carefully placed fuzzed-out riffs and fat, unhurried percussion fill the mix – but it delivers a confident, dirty charm. The title track and second single bookends the record with a similarly stomping groove as Caesar channels a Rock On era David Essex to lead into the payoff, an echoing, yearning chorus refrain. There’s certainly some ‘70s glam-rock influence at play here, though album tracks, including Me And My Girl and Part Timer, take a much
It’s been over seven years since Jose Gonzalez brought out his second solo effort, In Our Nature. That album was a thoughtful and oft-times dark collection of acoustic recordings, wherein he is troubled by the ugliness of war (How Low) and cautious of “the darkness” (Down The Line). On Vestiges & Claws, the airy-sounding Swedish singer offers a similar style but sounds more relaxed, more content with the world around him, as though he’s sitting back and simply admiring the view presented in his immediate vicinity. Gonzalez self-produced the record, and you can feel the rawness in each track, making for a wonderfully intimate listen – you can practically smell nature right from the opening chord in With The Ink Of A Ghost, while you could almost be standing alongside the musician admiring the landscapes on The Forest. A commanding beat
Pretend You’re Mine
★★★★ makes its way into the mix in Every Age, where Gonzalez proclaims that “Every branch of the tree has to learn/Learn to grow, find its way,” in a manner that is equal parts strong in message and delicately confident in delivery. Closing track Open Book could be the album highlight, a light and airy track with a gorgeous little guitar hook, some dainty whistling by Gonzalez and a wholesome expression – “Your love belongs to everyone” – it makes for a perfect summer afternoon track and rounds out another strongly reflective record for the singer-songwriter. It has certainly been worth the wait. Kane Sutton
★★★★
★★★★
DAN DEACON
FALLING IN REVERSE
Poison City
Domino/EMI
Epitaph/Warner
It’s hard to know how Melbourne-based outfit Clowns found the time to write and record their second album, what with their intensive touring schedule, but thank fuck they did! In similar fashion to 2013’s I’m Not Right, Bad Blood is an absolute rager, crammed full of ferocious guitars, demonic snarls and abrasive lyrics, before finishing with a more melodious 11-minute opus – Human Terror. While Bad Blood is a sensory assault through speakers, it’s sure to be amplified even further in the flesh as part of their forthcoming tour. Don’t miss it.
Opener and lead single, joyous pop rocker Feel The Lightning’s hooks and singalong chorus ease us into Deacon’s fuzzy sonic landscape before he opens more experimental portals. When I Was Done Dying exemplifies this album’s approach as Deacon dials back the orchestration of 2012’s America and pushes his vocal presence to the fore while still including that record’s sense of majesty and wry enchantment.
Falling In Reverse kick Just Like You off with a double-fisted opening barrage in Chemical Prisoner and (bar the selfindulgent guitar solo) God, If You Are Above. At the other end, Sexy Drug would be at home on Miley Cyrus’ next album (“Like O-M-G you make me come, come, come”). While singer Ronnie Radke embraces pop-tastic and classic ‘90s pop-punk moments (Get Me Out), when juxtaposed with the heavy moments (Die For You), there’s a distinct lack of consistency evident. Despite the contradictory sounds, Falling In Reverse’s massive following is a testament to their delivery and passion.
Jazmine O’Sullivan
Gliss Riffer
Constantly moving between the lush, the experimental and the poppy, for those with a passion for left-field pop or fuzzy electro beats, there’s a lot to love on Gliss Riffer. Andrew McDonald
Most importantly, the shared vocal approach of the three members serves the needs of each track across Pretend You’re Mine rather than being an exercise in diplomacy that can often leave a listener cold. Their interplay and the group dynamic as a whole are intriguing and magnetic, and a lustful undercurrent leaves one with an insatiable need for repeat spins. Tyler McLoughlan
★★★½
CLOWNS
Bad Blood
cleaner pop-rock approach. And Straight Through The Heart changes tack again, spiralling into late-at-night desire via affecting though fleeting melodic touches and just right percussive moves from Blakeney.
Just Like You
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
JOSE GONZALEZ
★★★★
album/ep reviews
★★★★
HARLEY YOUNG & THE HAYMAKERS Flinders Parade Independent Flinders Parade is a love letter to Harley Young’s native Brisbane suburb of Sandgate, a warts and all encapsulation of everything he holds dear about his hometown. The simple songs are recorded with no bells and whistles, but whether it’s the suburb’s physical locale (Margate GF, Spring Hill To The Gate), propensity for fights and Entertainment Centre burnouts (Balls Deep In Boondall) or general idiosyncrasies (Chook Raffle Lady), it’s a gorgeous and heartfelt reminder that home is definitely where the heart is. Steve Bell
Dylan Stewart THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 25
album/ep reviews
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★★★★
THEESATISFACTION EarthEE
Sub Pop/Inertia THEESatisfaction return with a long overdue second album, a confident production as much a club record as awE naturalE was a record for the street. Tunes float around in syrupy amber textures and the two women rap with restraint and finesse.
★★★★
THE BLACK RYDER
The Door Behind The Door The Anti-Machine Machine/The Orchard
★★★★
JIM LAWRIE Eons
Barely Dressed/Remote Control
If the heart ruled awE naturalE then the head rules this one. Where the first was all hot asphalt streets and loose trains of thought, EarthEE is a much smoother ride, richer production suggesting far more patience and introspection, personal agency and other ‘Big Questions’ still forming the bulk of their rhymes. Pithy prose never sounded sexier.
After a massive six-year wait, Sydney-turned-LA-based shoegazers The Black Ryder finally drop album number two. They waste no time getting into dreamy sonic landscapes with the gorgeously lush Seventh Moon. While the duo shares vocals, it’s Aimee Nash’s ethereal voice that haunts every song here, recalling Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser at their more immediate. The beauty of The Door Behind The Door lies in its insistence to not sit still; lush shoegaze and dreampop effects tie everything together, but each song feels like its own private world.
Welcome to the big league Jim. Yes, you’ve tasted success as drummer of Eagle & The Worm, and you’ve been on the scene a good few years, but Eons is fucking brilliant. Its arrangements are unhurried and inspirational (the horns on Falling Stars and Good Old Days are bliss), and although your voice strains at times, your delivery is impassioned and honest. A quintessential Australian twang flows through but doesn’t overwhelm your songs. Your narrative lyrics evoke your heroes Paul Kelly and Jackson Browne, but your arrangements are better and your future every bit as bright.
Matt MacMaster
Andrew McDonald
Dylan Stewart
26 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
Kid Rock – First Kiss Steve Earle & The Dukes – Terraplane The Avener – The Wanderings Of The Avener Scorpions – Return To Forever Natalie Prass – Natalie Prass Sonny & The Sunsets – Talent Night At The Ashram Texas – Texas 25
live reviews
THE SMITH STREET BAND, PUP, GREAT CYNICS, APART FROM THIS Metro Theatre 13 Feb Melbourne’s self-described “bummer-punk” band Apart From This aimed for a balance between down-tempo, strummy alt-rock and sludgy, chugging punk riffs, but the result felt sluggish. However, the songwriting, particularly the guitar parts, showed a knack for complexity and contrast not shared by all of their peers. No such problem with UK trio Great Cynics, whose first trip
met with rapturous applause from the sold out crowd. It was a warm reception which the band had more than earned after a huge 2014. The band didn’t stop to celebrate, instead ripping into Something I Can Hold In My Hands, kickstarting a hit parade that didn’t let up. The band then brought out their new record’s big hit Surrender, to which the audience knew every word. Fists pumped and lyrics were shouted from every corner of the room at the band’s enigmatic frontman, Wil Wagner. Up next was the band’s new single, Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face, and the song’s gravitas (which defies its title) wasn’t lost in the mosh, although the band weren’t keen to let sombre thoughts of Abbott spoil the vibe. Every time it
THE SMITH STREET BAND @ METRO THEATRE. PIC: CLINTON BRYANT
to Aus must be earning them their fair share of love, if this hook-laden set was anything to go by. The quick set packed in a fair amount of variety thanks to singer-guitarist Giles Bidder’s dexterity, as well as some nimble and powerful drumming from Bob Barrett, but when bassist Iona Cairns took lead vocal duty, the three-piece really shined, her voice cutting through the guitars with real raw power. Also making their Australian debut were PUP, a Torontobased punk four-piece who released one of 2014’s most promising debuts. Effortlessly breezing through the frantic time signature changes of opener Guilt Trip, the band continued to show off hardedged tunes with serious musical meat on their bones, Melbourne indie-punk icons The Smith Street Band were
yoga-fit and perennially young Sting are an inspirational pairing. Once living as neighbours in New York, they now share their music and comradery with the world. Starting with a trio of tunes, Brand New Day, The Boy in the Bubble and Fields Of Gold, sung by both, we were then treated to a tag team of sets from each artist. Sting’s sets combined The Police classics, such as Driven To Tears, Roxanne and Walking On The Moon with his solo work, Seven Days, Hounds Of Winter and Desert Rose. With an on-trend scruffy beard and simple T-shirt, Sting had the ladies swooning as he performed a truly memorable version of Message In A Bottle. Needless to say there were some people (this reviewer included) overwhelmed by the performance.
SARAH BLASKO @ TARONGA ZOO. PIC: ANGELA PADOVAN
seemed the band’s ultra-personal, heart-on-their-sleeve honesty was endangering the energy, they picked things up again. With the endearing Young Drunk as their closer, the enthralled crowd made it clear that these guys are more than welcome to keep touring every three or four months if they want to. Xavier Rubetzki Noonan
PAUL SIMON & STING Qantas Credit Union Arena 13 Feb Tonight we experienced two legendary musicians that have moved from their collaborative groups to become solo musicians with enormous success. The diminutive and charismatic Paul Simon matched with the
to see two artists together that have helped shape music on this planet. Mick Radojkovic
SARAH BLASKO, LULUC Taronga Zoo 13 Feb “Oh, look above you now/There’s a heavy cloud/Hanging over us.” The lyrics to Explain were an apt description of the weather on a rainy night overlooking Sydney Harbour, but spirits were high for a Valentine’s eve show as a crowd of young and old filed past screeching parrots and a restless young elephant to fill the amphitheatre with picnic blankets.
CHET FAKER @ HORDERN PAVILION. PIC: PETER SHARP
In comparison to Sting’s rocking sets, Paul Simon went about touching the hearts of the crowd, giving us beautiful versions of Dazzling Blue, That Was Your Mother and Hearts And Bones. His boppier numbers, Graceland, Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard and You Can Call Me Al inspired the sold out arena to stand and hand dance in time. The collaborative songs of Fragile, Mrs Robinson and The Boxer were the highlights of the sho. Sting’s voice carried strongly as the pair finished the main set with Bridge Over Troubled Water. Special mention must be made to the incredibly talented 15-piece band with instruments ranging from tuba to triangle, bongos to violin all adding stunning solos. This was truly a show for the ages and a rare opportunity
The night began with Luluc, a duo who divide their time between Melbourne and New York. Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett created very gentle, effortless acoustic folk brightened by their perfect harmonies and awkward banter. Sarah Blasko kicked off her set gently too with her inimitable husky voice on Down On Love, before launching into the sexy double bass-driven Bird On A Wire. A jaunty march rendition of Hold On My Heart followed, and a six-piece band including two violinists wove all these styles together expertly, a marker of how diverse an artist she has become over the last 15 years. Over And Over, from 2010’s As Day Follows Night suited the mood perfectly with jungle drums and marimba that surely had the nearby spider monkeys swinging, before Blasko THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 27
live reviews delivered a haunting rendition of All I Want using a double mic set-up – one of which rendered her voice part-Blasko, parttheremin – to spine-tingling effect. Explain, from her rich and frequently dark 2006 record What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have continued the feeling, beginning softly and descending into a warm, lush crescendo of organ and pounding drums. Amidst all this Blasko offered chirpy, self-aware conversation, acknowledging the crowd’s applause with surprise as though she had no idea her songs were so loved, welcoming “a possum in our midst” – apparently not a caged zoo resident – and pulling her delightful brand of dance moves that fall somewhere between interpretive and running man. Her version of Flame Trees was a perfect encore that had everyone singing, and her slower, thoughtful rendition heightened the emotion of the Cold Chisel classic. Not Yet rounded out the set leaving everyone wanting more, and you had to feel that the restless baby
elephant next door had danced it out by the end of the night. Eliza Goetze
CHET FAKER, ROLAND TINGS, GL Hordern Pavillion 13 Feb Chet Faker. The man, the beard, the legend. Having won countless awards for his latest album Built On Glass, Faker has been absolutely killing it over the past year, and Friday night’s sold out gig at the Hordern was no exception. The crowd was already surging from great performances by GL and Roland Tings, and the air was heavy with anticipation. As the proven music champion of the people, Chet Faker took the stage with confidence. Starting off slow with a cover of Van Morrison’s Moondance, Faker lent his unique tonal quality to the old tune, revitalising it
and getting the audience ready for a night of flawless production and synth beats. Classic tracks like 1998, I’m Into You, No Diggity and Talk Is Cheap were balanced with more emotional moments, like the pared-back Cigarettes And Loneliness and To Me. Faker possesses the rare talent of being able to create an atmosphere of intimacy with a crowd of thousands, and this was truly on show during this performance. The crowd absolutely lost it to Drop The Game – another moment where Faker shone. There is something really amazing about being part of an enormous crowd where everyone knows the words and isn’t afraid to let loose. People seemed to be really hanging out for his latest Like A Version, but he passed on playing the popular cover of (Lover) You Don’t Treat Me No Good by Sonia Dada.
played the way it was meant to be heard: loudly. Coming back for the encore with Gold, the crowd couldn’t get enough. Hattie O’Donnell
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LAMB @ ENMORE THEATRE. PIC: JOSH GROOM
Kasey Chambers @ Enmore Theatre Spoon @ Metro Theatre Richard In Your Mind @ Union Hotel
On the technical side of things, the lighting was inventive and complemented Faker’s set well. The sound was also top quality, and you could see that people really relished the bass being
arts reviews of its cast. Big name cast member, and lead alongside Helen Dallimore, Bobby Fox doesn’t sing a note until over an hour into the show.
BLOOD BROTHERS. PIC: KURT SNEDDON
BLOOD BROTHERS Theatre
Hayes Theatre Co to 15 Mar
★★★ ½
Written long before The Full Monty and Billy Elliott painted a picture of life in a Northern town as something you could endure or overcome, Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers presents a much bleaker outcome. The story of twins separated at birth and growing up, one privileged and one working class, Blood Brothers is a great vehicle to show off more than just the singing talents 28 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
But this cast is up for the task. Dallimore easily conveys Mrs Johnstone’s determination to pull her family up even while making the difficult choice of giving up one of her twins. And Fox, Blake Bowden and Christy Sullivan do a great job of taking mischievous eightyear-olds, Mickey, Eddie and Linda, through their teen years and into the early years of adulthood as the social divide between twins, Mickey and Eddie, finally takes its toll. After interval as the tension mounts the simple set and hidden musicians ensure the focus stays on the performances and Willy Russell’s rich music and lyrics. Once again Hayes Theatre has proven itself the essential destination for Sydney musical theatre fans. Danielle O’Donohue
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Film
In cinemas
★★★
Fifty Shades Of Grey gets the job done, and that’s about as much praise as this tepid adaptation of the bestselling novel deserves. Anyone complaining that it doesn’t delve deeply enough into the bondage subculture enjoyed by rich, handsome cipher Christian Grey ( Jamie Dornan) or depict in greater and more graphic detail the sexual relationship between Grey and naive, virginal Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) is advised to search elsewhere for their kicks. The knots, the spankings and the other accoutrements of Grey’s well appointed ‘playroom’ are a dash of spice designed to add flavour to an otherwise bland tale of an unworldly but emotionally open woman negotiating a relationship with a controlling dude who’s not down with any of that cuddling malarkey.
There’s not much of a story to speak of here – shy, clumsy Anastasia meets chilly, ‘charismatic’ Christian; sex, confusion and melancholy piano-playing ensues – but director Sam Taylor-Johnson presents it competently, with just enough flashes of eroticism and artistry (the abrupt ending is actually quite effective) to make the viewer believe some effort has gone into the whole thing. And Johnson is very good as Anastasia, conveying a sly wit and curiosity without winking to the audience that she’s better than the slight material she’s working with. (Dornan, a late inclusion after Charlie Hunnam pulled out, is a handsome blank, but at least he doesn’t overplay the smoulder.) Guy Davis
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
the guide
KIM KILLSPEED
Answered by: Andy Davies Role: Guitarist and band manager How long have you been together? Kim Killspeed is new. We have been writing, producing and performing our music for a year now. The band is really eclectic. We know everyone says that, but really, a female singersongwriter gets together with a commercial banker and a veteran pro rocker – we like the result of that. How did you all meet? I met Bruce through drum lessons. One day we started jamming and thought, hey, this might work. We auditioned loads of singers and finally found Candy. Then it turned out that we knew some friends in common, so it was a really easy but kinda unusual match. You’re on tour in the van – which band or artist is going to keep the most people happy if we throw them on the stereo? We would never agree, but we love that we all have different influences. Candy is into introspective, reflective songs and escaping with bands like Lamb and Portishead on long drives. I’m into messy guitar punk and Bruce is into anything, as long as it has a bluesy vibe. Would you rather be a busted broke-but-revered Hank Williams f igure or some kind of Metallica monster? Music for us is therapy. It’s an escape and allows us to use our left brains. Making loads of noise, bashing the crap out of the kit after work at rehearsal – it’s all part of it. Watch this space, you might see us supporting Metallica soon. What part do you think Sydney plays in the music you make? We make the most of what’s out there. Sydney has some great venues that are really supportive. Our UBERfest show on 21 Feb is at The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle. It’s a dream come true because we grew up seeing so many bands there, and it hasn’t changed in like 30 years. Is your band responsible for more make-outs or break-ups? Why? Kim Killspeed is definitely responsible for more make-outs. Bruce is our sage, our counsellor. He is always on hand to give worldly advice and ensure we are all peaceful and loving. So lots of encouragement to kiss and make up. What reality TV show would you enter as a band and why? The Apprentice. ‘Cause as a team we can make things happen and get things accomplished. And when we get in front of the boss for eviction, we can bullshit our way out of it, every time. What’s in the pipeline for the band in the short term? We are releasing our first EP in March, called Inside My Head. The inspiration is the fast-paced lifestyles that we all face and the desire to ‘get ahead’, making a mess inside our brains. There will be big shows to launch the EP, including interstate shows in the planning. Website link for more info? kimkillspeed.com
Pic: Josh Groom THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 29
eat/drink steph@themusic.com.au
DOUGHNUTS
MAKE ME, EAT ME Basic doughnut ingredients: 4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, vegetable oil for deep-frying.
Doughnut-making is an art. Evan Young explores a few companies at the top of the game. Photos Dina El-Hakim.
Vegan alternatives: sub milk for vegan alternative, butter for coconut butter, and an egg for ground flaxseed or 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
IN POP CULTURE Films/TV The Simpsons: Homer Simpson has singlehandedly made the plain doughnut with pink icing topped with sprinkles a cult icon all of its own. God bless. Wayne’s World: Who can forget when Garth Algar sticks doughnut together, and then jabs it incessantly with forks yelling, “Hey Mr Doughnut Head Man, who’s trying to kill you?”
Method: 1. Beat eggs, sugar, butter, milk and vanilla until thick before adding flour, baking powder and salt. Chill for two to four hours. 2. Roll dough to desired thickness on floured surface before cutting into desired shapes. 3. Pour oil, making sure it’s deep enough to allow the doughnuts to float with room underneath, and heat to 185 degrees Celsius. Fry two or three doughnuts at a time until golden brown, turning once. Remove them with slotted spoon, allowing excess oil to drain back into the fryer. Drain and let cool. 4. Decorate/coat with whatever you want; try glaze, powdered or granulated sugar or icing with flaked coconut, sprinkles or chopped nuts. Donuts should still be warm for optimal stickage. Mmmm, sticky.
Songs Adriano Zumbo – 114 Terry St, Rozelle It wouldn’t be a dessert list without something from Adriano Zumbo. Half-croissant, halfdoughnut, his special creation – the zonut – was huge from the get-go. Get a popcorn, mango sticky rice or piña colada one and revel in its grandeur. The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish – 1/105 Regent St, Redfern These guys haven’t forgotten the best things in life: milkshakes and doughnuts. Their doughnuts are beautifully balanced (not too sweet or too mild), while their ‘monkey balls’ – doughnuts filled with banana custard – are another highlight. Bertoni Casalinga – 281 Darling St, Balmain A cosy, familyowned gem serving 30 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
up traditional Italian fare, Bertoni Casalinga’s highlights include the spectacular Nutella ciambelle and their fluffy, lemon-scented ricotta creation zuccherati.
Pop-O-Pies – Fascists Eat Donuts: “Make those doughnuts with extra grease. This batch is for the chief of police.” The '80s punk group that helped link policemen to doughnuts.
Glazed Doughnuts
Burl Ives – The Donut Song. “Written on the rainbow is this philosophy… Watch the donut, not the hole.” Weird, eerie, Disney-style song about donuts. But what does it mean?
The Californian owners are bringing some of the US into Oz. You can find their goods in cafes like Reuben Hills, Tap, Sensory Lab, Kingswood, The Wedge and more. They’ve got flavours like Cereal Milk (cereal milk glaze with cinnamon toast crunch), Pina Colada (vanilla bean glaze with coconut and a seared Sailor Jerrysoaked pineapple ring), and Sticky Date (butterscotch glaze topped with chopped dates).
Books Slapstick – Kurt Vonnegut: The famous quote: “Why don’t you take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut? Why don’t you take a flying fuck at the moooooooooon?”
AROUND THE WORLD
South Africa: koeksister – the Afrikaner version is twisted or braided and coated in syrup, and the Cape Malay version is soaked in a spiced syrup and coated in coconut. China: yóutiáo – a long, fried doughnut stick that isn’t sweet but is often served with congee (rice porridge) or soy milk. Indonesia: donat kentang – a ring-shaped fritter made from flour and sweet potatoes, coated with powdered/icing sugar. Italy: zeppole – a deep-fried dough ball topped with powdered sugar and often filled with custard, jelly, a butter and honey mix, or cannoli-style pastry cream.
the guide nsw.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
CHART WRAP
EMERALD VOICES
PALMS FOR SALE
SMELL THE PERFUME
On Saturday at The Basement, The Celtic Tenors will arrive, direct from Ireland, for an exclusive performance that will stir even the most stony of hearts. The trio combine in beautiful harmony across a range of styles.
Having signed with US indie label Urinal Cake Records, Newcastle duo The Gooch Palms will relocate to the US soon. Before they leave they’ll play this Friday, The Small Ballroom, Newcastle; and Saturday, Newtown Social Club.
Fronting a four-piece band, Seattle singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas, better known to the world as Perfume Genius, is coming to Australia to bring his latest album, Too Bright: Wednesday at Oxford Art Factory.
DISCO DIVA
PUSHIN’ UP DAISIES
ROCKIN’ AND ROLLAN
Warm hypnotic disco pusher and producer Frames plays some extended original tracks and DJs some others. With special guests Chris Fraser, Sir Jonathan, Troy T, DJ Eko and Deckhead. Saturday, Beach Road Hotel.
Sydney-based five-piece rock act Daisy Cutters are playing for no pennies. Powerhouse lead vocalist Mel Power has come full circle from a gospel choir background to the current pop/rock sound. Playing Friday, Fitzroy Hotel.
Soothe your hankering for rockabilly with this free night, featuring Drey Rollan Band, rockabilly DJs, free dance lessons and the opportunity to win $50 star cards if you’re best dressed or the best dancing couple. Thursday, The Star.
BUDDING STARS
VRIENDLY RETURN
IT’S MOOMBAHTON TIME!
Daptone soul group The Budos Band channel the best bits of Afrobeat, soul, funk and rock into huge, hypnotic and cinematic soundscapes. The Brooklyn-based act will play Saturday, Oxford Art Factory.
Canadian performer Ann Vriend is following the release of her latest album, For The People In The Mean Time, with another tour of Australia. She plays Thursday, Camelot Lounge and Friday, Smiths Alternative Bookshop, Canberra.
Fresh out of the US and at the forefront of the trap/ Moombahton movement, Gent & Jawns are bringing their club-smashing sounds to Oz. Touting new EP, Faded, Friday the pair play Chinese Laundry.
SUN RISING
FIRST THINGS FIRST
IN THE MOOD
Socially conscious Perth soul singer Shameem presents songs from her second album, The Second City at The Basement, Canberra, Friday; Gingers, Saturday; Lass O’Gowrie’s, Newcastle, Sunday; Bar On The Hill, Newcastle, Monday.
For a band that only stuck together for three years between 1994 and 1997, and only released two albums, Mineral have made one hell of an impression within indie and emo music circles. They play at Oxford Art Factory, Monday.
Australian-born singersongwriter and founding member of The Wailin’ Jennys, Ruth Moody will be heading back here for the first time since 2006: Thursday, Camelot Lounge; and Friday, Milton Theatre.
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GRENADIERS
Fresh from their time as triple j’s Feature Album artists last week, Adelaide punk outfit Grenadiers have scored the highest debut spot for this week’s Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts, with their recent full-length, Summer, nabbing them #13 on the latest Albums ladder. They’re not the only newcomers for the week, however, with Juke Kartel — who’ve been operating under the moniker London Cries for at least the last year (and, confusingly, still manage two Facebook pages) — earning #14 for The Lost Songs EP. As with recent weeks, though, the new entries can’t quite upset the existing status quo in the top half of the charts, where Sia and Flight Facilities remain in the top two spots (for 1000 Forms Of Fear and Down To Earth respectively), while Chet Faker overtakes… himself… to see his iTunes Session (#3) outrate Thinking In Textures (#4). Old mates Sticky Fingers and their Land Of Pleasure LP round out the top five. As with the full-length bracket, the camera-shy Sia is still a top concern in the Singles stakes, with Elastic Heart and Chandelier both staying strong at #1 and #3 respectively, separated by Faker’s Talk Is Cheap (#2). The Gold scribe features a few times this week, with that song grabbing #6, 1998 taking #9, and Drop The Game, his collaboration with Flume, up three places on last week to #14. Hayden James and Something About You are also up this week, two spots to #4, while freshly minted Tonight Show alumni Sheppard maintain course with Geronimo holding fast at #5. THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 31
the guide nsw.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK’S RELEASES… DAN DEACON Glass Riffer Domino/EMI STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES Terraplane New West/Warner JOSE GONZALEZ Vestiges And Claws Shock HARLEY YOUNG & THE HAYMAKERS Flinders Parade Independent 32 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
SHOT DOWN
PUB ROCK
WHAT A STAR
Following the release of their debut album The Sound Of Trees, Melbourne based indie alt-rock group Five Mile Sniper are coming to Sydney. See them Friday at Tattersalls Hotel, Penrith and Saturday at Bald Faced Stag.
Aussie rock guitarist, singersongwriter James Reyne from the ‘80s hit band Australian Crawl will play The Crawl Files Live this Feb. It’s the closest thing to a reunion for fans. Friday, Waves, Towradgi Beach Hotel.
Z-Star has been called the female version of Prince. She’s definitely got the soul, guitar skill and energy necessary. Joined by special guests Rosie & The Bees and Alphamama she plays The Basement, Wednesday.
ALL I WANT FOR XMAS
A DECADE IN THE MAKING
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The McClymonts, after releasing a cover of All I Want For Christmas Is You, are keeping the spirit going for their shows. They play Castle Hill RSL, Friday; and Katoomba RSL, Saturday.
Detroit-raised techno prodigy MAGDA makes her first headlining appearances on this side of the world in over a decade. She’ll be showcasing the release of the BALANCE 027 mix, Saturday, Agwa Yacht Club.
A double-header of massive proportions is making its way Down Under in February, with heavy bass musicians Audio (UK) and Teddy Killerz (Ukraine) touring right across the country, playing Sunday, Gladstone Hotel.
DZ DOES IT
STONE ON THE STEPS
SUMMER OF MUSIC
DZ Deathrays hit up Beach Road Hotel this Wednesday, bringing with them The Belligerents, Skegss and Miami Horror DJs. If you’re after a party, well, here ya go.
Angus & Julia Stone will make collective hairs stand on end with their mesmerising tunes when they come to Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul, Wednesday; Sydney Opera House Steps on Friday; and Newcastle Panthers, Saturday.
Tkay Maidza, pictured, Olympic Ayres, Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup, Jawz, Lolo BX… does that sounds like a killer line-up or what? It’s real, for the MTV Summer of Music at Sydney Town Hall, Wednesday.
FEELING SUPER
GONE FISHIN’
ANGELS BROUGHT HIM
British supergroup McBUSTED – comprising of members of defunct groups Busted and McFly – are premiering their lead single Get Over It and forthcoming debut album at Metro Theatre, Sunday.
Scrappy Brisbane power-pop quartet Go Go Fish are hitting the road with their new single Gradutation Day, performing World Bar, Friday; The Great Northern, Newcastle, Friday.
Guy Sebastian, the ‘fro-rockin’ former Idol, is performing at Qantas Credit Union Arena on Wednesday, as part of his Madness tour. He’ll bring up-tempo bangers and emotive ballads; the whole she-bang.
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THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 33
the guide nsw.live@themusic.com.au
SINGLE FOCUS
SINGLE FOCUS
I really just wanted to capture that feeling we used to get when we heard new rap music on 411 skate videos back in the day. That was how we found new music back then.
from the forthcoming concept album, Mother Mourned, due for release later in 2015. What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? Both Ben and I cared for our mothers who had serious illnesses before they passed away. The inspiration lyrically was thinking about ourselves as children, before life was turned upside down and holding onto innocence.
We’ll like this song if we like... Rap music.
SETH SENTRY Single title? Run What’s the song about? Run is about me growing up and being a stoner/skater brat in a small coastal town called Sorrento. How long did it take to write/ record? I actually wrote the song quite quickly, once I had the topic it all kind of poured out. Recording was quite quick as well although it took a while to find someone for the hook.
Do you play it differently live? I guess I always eventually end up playing my songs differently live. This is the first time playing run though so I guess we’ll see how it goes! When and where is your launch/next gig? Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, 12 Mar; Metro Theatre, 13 Mar. Website link for more info? sethsentry.com
Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? Run is the first taste of my next album.
PIPERLAIN Answered by: Rebecca Knight Single title? Embrace
We’ll like this song if we like... Emotive songs with layers of depth and introspective lyrics.
What’s the song about? Embrace is about childhood innocence, embracing the inner child and holding onto that innocence in the face of adversity.
Do you play it differently live? We play it the same live. We have a keyboard player joining the band which will add to the sound.
How long did it take to write/ record? The acoustic intro was written by Ben as a teenager. It was then crafted over the past few years until we decided to incorporate it into the concept album.
When and where is your launch/next gig? We are launching the single Embrace at UBERfest, 21 Feb at The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle.
Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? Embrace is the first single
What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording?
JUST VISITING
Website link for more info? piperlain.com
HAVE YOU HEARD
What do you know about Australia, in ten words or less? Kangaroos, koalas, kookaburras, platypuses, wombats. Any extra-curricular activities you hope to participate in? I’d like to show my bandmates The Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles.
THE RUTH MOODY BAND Answered by: Ruth Moody Why are you coming to visit our fair country? We’re coming over to play shows – nine, to be exact, as well as two festivals. But let’s face it, we’re also coming over to grab some sun in the middle of our winter.
What will you be taking home as a souvenir? A tan, hopefully! Where can we come say hi, and buy you an Aussie beer? Camelot Lounge on 19 Feb! Website link for more info? ruthmoody.com
Is this your f irst visit? No, I have visited many times, and I also came over with my other band The Wailin’ Jennys in 2006.
Insomnia, simply because I could never get sick of it.
How did you get together? We all met at university, studying music, and we each perform for each other for different types of gigs.
Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? Can’t say I’ve had any, folk music is always pretty chill. The most rock’n’roll thing I’ve done is drink on stage. Not too exciting...
Sum up your musical sound in four words? Indie, folk, singer, songwriter. If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? Regina Spektor because her music is incredibly inspiring, would be pretty cool to have a drink with too.
How long are you here for? We are here in Australia from 18 Feb to 10 Mar, and we’ll be making our way from the east coast to the west coast, and back again! 34 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
KEELY DENHAM
You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? Megan Washington’s S U P P O R T I N G
I N D E P E N D E N T
Why should people come and see your band? Because you’re going to hear something old, something new, and maybe something a bit different. When and where for your next gig? 21 Feb, Uberfest, Bridge Hotel; 26 Feb, Lazybones Lounge. Website for more info? facebook. com/keelydenhammusic
A U S S I E
M U S I C
the guide nsw.live@themusic.com.au
BYE FOR NOW
YOGA FOCUS
When will you be back? We’re like the Terminator; we’ll always be back! You can’t beat Australian summers!
Will this be a refreshing change playing such a festival compared to a standard gig? Absolutely, an entire festival dedicated to mindfulness is something so uniquely special, it is a true honour to play such an event!
How will you be keeping busy during that time? Like most tours, driving, knitting, driving etc.
KING OF THE NORTH Answered by: Andrew Higgs Where are you going overseas and for how long? Our record Sound The Underground is being released by a French label. We’re keen to get over there and give it a crack, pretty much everywhere that will have us. What has convinced you to head over there? Besides the fact there is a strong market for hard rock (in particular of the Australian variety) in Europe, a lot of our mates’ bands are doing great things there, longer tours and more places to play; it sounds like a whole lotta fun!
What will you be missing most about Australia? Walking into a servo to pay for fuel and saying, “G’day mate how ya garn?” and being understood. How are you saying farewell to the local fans? With our Summer Shows tour where we’ll be playing some loud, highenergy rock shows! Newtown Social Club, 20 Feb; The Small Ballroom, Newcastle, 21 Feb. Website link for more info: kingofthenorth.com.au
S U P P O R T I N G
LADI6 The Wanderlust Festival combines live music performers, yoga and meditation instructors, speakers, artists and chefs, all trying to get a bit of peace and TLC for their mind, body and soul. Ahead of the chill event this Friday to Sunday at Cockatoo Island, we chatted to Ladi6. Will you be partaking of all the elements on offer at Wanderlust or just playing your set? I would love to stay for the duration and do some yoga sessions! I am so keen to check out Honza and Claudine, they always fascinate and inspire!
I N D E P E N D E N T
Do you actually practice yoga yourself? What’s your background with it? I do not have any background in yoga, I am a total newbie, but I am very interested and willing participant! Favourite yoga position and why? With the little experience I have, I do enjoy the child’s pose, it’s relaxing and reminds me of being a child in a wonderful way, that freedom you have, that unconscious flexibility. Do you think your music is good to do yoga by? I’m not sure, I certainly hope so! When and where are you performing? 21 Feb, Wanderlust Festival
A U S S I E
MUSIC M THE U S I C• 18TH FEBRUARY 2015 • 35
opinion MODERATELY HIGHBROW VISUAL ART WANK AND THEATRE FOYERS WITH DAVE DRAYTON In which we examine the manner in which children’s stories involving rabbits adapted for stage are seemingly multiplying like rabbits. One of the most exciting shows of the Sydney Festival that has just recently closed up shop for another year was Kate Mulvany’s adaptation of Masquerade, the children’s story by Kit Williams that helped her through an experience with cancer in childhood. Hidden within Williams’ book were clues as to the whereabouts of a jeweled golden hare hidden somewhere in England. More recently an adaptation of John Marsden and Shaun Tan’s picture book The Rabbits, a co-production between Barking Gecko Theatre Company and Opera Australia, had its world premiere at the Perth International Arts Festival. While I’m yet to see it, an assignment to adapt the book for stage in Year 9 Drama has given it a special place in my heart, and I eagerly await reviews and responses to the Perth season. Both productions have me thinking about rabbit-related childhood stories, and which of those I’d love to see adapted or remade in a new format. At the top of that list is just about anything from Brian Jacques’ Redwall series -- and at the top of that shortlist sits Salamandastron -- which I think would work wonderfully adapted for film by the team behind Fantastic Mr Fox – does anyone have an in with Wes Anderson?
THE HEAVY SHIT
OG FLAVAS
METAL AND HARD ROCK WITH CHRIS MARIC
URBAN AND R&B NEWS WITH CYCLONE
TENACIOUS D
Ah, so another Grammy Awards ceremony has come and gone. I, like most people, probably didn’t even know it was on until we saw some results start popping up online. As usual, metal is the butt of the industry’s joke with Tenacious D taking home the worthless trophy for their cover of Dio’s The Last In Line for the oh so good tribute album, Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life. They beat out Slipknot, Mastodon, Motorhead and Anthrax, who were also nominated for their cover of Neon Nights. Yep. Ancient bands and two covers, that’s what they believe was the best of 2014’s metal efforts. It’s a sleepwalk of course and some crusty old industry people who usually have their heads buried in film and TV scores or something like that are the ones that vote. I know ‘cause I’m on the list to vote in the WAM Awards for The West Australian Music Awards and the ARIAs. At least I know I listen to all the nominations before making an informed choice, but I can’t say everyone else on the list would. It’s stupid that you can vote for categories you have no idea about as you can vote on every category. Guaranteed they went ‘Oh yeah, Tenacious D, I know those guys, Jack’s funny’ and ticked the box. The curse of Jethro Tull strikes yet again, and they don’t even bother broadcasting it anymore as it’s part of the ‘pre-show ceremony’ – get fucked.
THE RABBITS
36 • THE MUSIC • 18TH FEBRUARY 2015
We say we don’t care but deep down we do. After Metallica was fucked over in ‘89 by that flute player’s mob but famously won on their next round with
the “Black” album, the door effectively swung open and out charged a million riffs to the uninitiated everywhere. Yes, gone are the days where the weeks following the Awards saw a major spike in album sales and career building boosts but you’d like to think all that effort should be rewarded fairly. Someone more metal than Tenacious D has won something mainstream though! Last week, Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and bad-arse producer fame, won a clean sweep on The Price Is Right in America. He won the car and then smashed his way through the rest of the segments to win a total of $US50K in prizes! Look up the clip and know that one of the great riff monsters of the last 15 years now owns a little yellow Honda, ha ha. Aaand it’s Soundwave time… Thankfully this year wasn’t as fraught with the same level of drama as previous years with bands dropping like flies and pulling out making timetables fall apart. With things spread over two days, you’ve got a really good chance to plan a solid schedule and see everything you want to see without as much clashing as before, trying to cram it all in on one day. It’s a first for Australia, this multi-day event thing. We’re a while off trying to do the onsite camping like they do in Europe though. I don’t think we are ready for that yet, just too many idiots with no commonsense ready to spoil it. Enjoy, pace yourself and get your arse in front of Ministry! heavyshit@themusic.com.au
It’s been a memorable summer for local hip hop heads. Run The Jewels toured behind Run The Jewels 2, for many critics 2014’s defining hip hop album, while Nas gloriously revisited Illmatic. This year the traditionally indie Laneway Festival, which brought out RTJ last summer, presented emerging acts New York posse Ratking, Chicago MC Vic Mensa (aka Victor Mensah) and Adelaide MC Tkay Maidza. Ratking – repped in Melbourne by Wiki and producer Sporting Life, but with second MC Hak strangely MIA – discharged boom-trap with few vestiges of their punk roots. But the charismatic Mensah, accompanied by the footwork DJ Oreo, really energised the crowd, finishing with his Chitown hip-house joint Down On My Luck. However, most intriguing was Atlanta singer/ songwriter Raury Tullis – who, leading a rockin’ band (whoa, Hendrixian guitar riffs!), hybridises hip hop, folk and psychedelia. At different points, Tullis channelled Cody ChestnuTT, Arrested Development and OutKast. Tullis has fuelled ‘Raurymania’ since airing 2014’s anthemic single, God’s Whisper (which Kanye West dug, conceivably as it’s akin to a kookier, ATLieny Jesus Walks) – and followed with the free download album, Indigo Child. In fact, his exuberant young fans are called ‘Indigos’. Tullis also sprang up on SBTRKT’s Wonder Where We Land and Lorde had him contribute to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 OST. He even cameos on Joey Bada$$’ B4.DA.$$. Tullis is now a priority signing for Sony.
RAURY @ LANEWAY. PIC BY JOSH GROOM
the guide nsw.gigguide@themusic.com.au OC (D.I.T.C) + Rodney P + Boogie Blind + Shan Frenzie + DJ Mathmatics + More Judgement: Civic Hotel (Underground), Sydney
THE MUSIC PRESENTS
Driven: Collector Hotel, Parramatta Jellybean Jam: Colonial Hotel, Werrington Red Slim: Coogee Diggers (The Bunker), Coogee
GIG OF THE WEEK THE GOOCH PALMS: 20 THE SMALL BALLROOM NEWCASTLE; 21 NEWTOWN SOCIAL CLUB
WET: 10 MAR OXFORD ART FACTORY Ann Vriend: 19 Feb Camelot Lounge; 20 Smiths Alternative Bookshop Canberra Guy Pearce & Darren Middleton: 19 Feb Lizottes Newcastle; 20 Factory Theatre The Gooch Palms: 20 The Small Ballroom Newcastle; 21 Newtown Social Club
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: 1 Apr Factory Theatre Bluesfest: 2 – 6 Apr Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm Byron Bay
MTV Summer of Music feat. Tkay Maidza + Olympic Ayres + Yolanda Be Cool & D Cup + Jawz + Lolo BX: Sydney Town Hall, Sydney Z-Star + Rosie & The Bees + Alphamama: The Basement, Sydney Leah Flanagan + Mick Daley: The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville
The Beat: 5 Apr Factory Theatre
Macy Gray + Special Guests: The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie
Chris Robinson Brotherhood: 6 Apr Metro Theatre
CW Stoneking: the Pelican Playhouse, South Grafton Vibrations At Valve: Valve Bar, Ultimo
Wet: 10 Mar Oxford Art Factory
Hunter Hayes: 8 Apr Metro Theatre
65daysofstatic: 10 Mar Manning Bar
Band Of Skulls: 9 Apr Oxford Art Factory
Billy Connolly: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
DZ Deathrays: 11 & 12 Mar Newtown Social Club
The Beards: 9 Apr Wollongong University; 15 Newcastle University; 16 Entrance Leagues Club; 17 Metro Theatre
Joseph Tawadros + Australian Chamber Orchestra : Wollongong Town Hall, Wollongong
London Grammar: 12 Mar Hordern Pavilion Seth Sentry: 12 Mar Cambridge Hotel Newcastle; 13 Metro Theatre; 14 ANU Bar Canberra Party In The Park: 14 Mar North Sydney Oval Farmer & The Owl: 14 Mar University Of Wollongong Ben Howard: 28 Mar Hordern Pavilion Beth Hart: 31 Mar Metro Theatre David Gray: 1 & 2 Apr State Theatre
WED 18
Mavis Staples: 10 Apr Lizottes Newcastle Groovin The Moo: 3 May University Of Canberra; 9 May Maitland Showground Peace: 8 May Oxford Art Factory sleepmakeswaves: 9 May ANU Bar; 16 Cambridge Hotel Newcastle; 23 Wollongong UniBar; 13 Jun Metro Theatre Supersuckers & The Bellrays: 23 May Manning Bar; 24 Cambridge Hotel Newcastle
Hinds + Julia Why?: Goodgod Small Club, Sydney
Angus & Julia Stone: Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul
Evie Dean: Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill
Musos Club Jam Night: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt
Tinashe + Thandi Phoenix: Metro Theatre, Sydney
Songs On Stage feat. Stuart Jammin: Balgownie Hotel, Balgownie DZ Deathrays + Miami Horror (DJ Set) + The Belligerents + Skegss: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Kylie Whitney + Lauren Ann + Matt Lyons: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Mitch Anderson & His Organic Orchestra: Coopers Hotel, Newtown
Suzi Quatro: Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Broadmeadow Gemma Glendenning: O’Malleys Hotel, Darlinghurst Songs On Stage feat. CJ Fairleight: Olympic Hotel, Paddington Mark Travers: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Perfume Genius: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst Infected Mushroom: Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Cleon’s Three: Foundry 616, Sydney
Guy Sebastian: Qantas Credit Union Arena, Haymarket
Bin Juice: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney
J Mascis: Street Theatre, Canberra
The Wall feat. Chiefs: World Bar, Potts Point
THU 19
Ben Salter: Arcadia Liquors, Redfern
Millions of Dreads + Trembling Giant + Jorja Carroll: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Em George + Forster Anderson + The Fiennes: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst
Ted Nash: Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale The Finer Cuts: Marble Bar, Sydney ‘Low Life’ & ‘Brotherhood’ performed live by Peter Hook & The Light: Metro Theatre, Sydney Joseph Tawadros + Australian Chamber Orchestra : Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle Point Lacey: Newport Arms Hotel, Newport Mikaela Dean Duo: O’Malleys Hotel, Darlinghurst Dave White Duo: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Kim Churchill + Boo Seeka: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst The Drey Rollan Band + Limpin’ Jimmy & the Swingin’ Kitten: Rock Lily, Pyrmont Billy Connolly: Royal Theatre, Canberra Songs On Stage feat. Mick Hambly + Chris Brookes: Ruby L’Otel, Rozelle Hot Damn! feat. Capture The Crown + Polaris + Azure Falls + Seconds Till The End: Spectrum, Surry Hills Elena B Williams + Non Profit: The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville CW Stoneking: The Pier, Port Macquarie
Ruth Moody + The Mae Trio: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Fade In Mona Lisa: The Unicorn Hotel, Paddington
Ann Vriend: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville
Bonez + Barefoot Alley: Transit Bar, Canberra
Musos Club Jam Night: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill
VanderAa + Wolves In Fashion + Taking Berlin + Montes Jura: Valve Bar, Ultimo
Wendy Matthews: Centro CBD, Wollongong Bunker Bluegrass: Coogee Diggers (The Bunker), Coogee Glenn Esmond: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Michael Wheatley + Charlotte Kerr + Friends: Foundry 616, Sydney Extension Cord: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney Songs On Stage feat. Phil Gray: Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale The Widowbirds: Golden Sheaf Hotel, Double Bay Songs On Stage feat. The Thirty Eight Special + Lucy B + Tulane + Tommy Pickett + Monica: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville Guy Pearce + Darren Middleton + Krista Polvere: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton
S U P P O R T I N G
Kicks feat. Various DJs: World Bar, Potts Point
FRI 20
Retro Night feat. Various DJs: Baker St, Gosford The Headliners: Bidwill Hotel, Bidwill Ray Beadle: Brass Monkey, Cronulla The Protesters: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville The McClymonts: Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill Original Sin - INXS Show: Cessnock Leagues Club, Cessnock Lj: Chatswood RSL, Chatswood Snails + Spenda-C + Hydraulix + Various DJs: Chinese Laundry, Sydney
I N D E P E N D E N T
A U S S I E
Hand Picked: Courthouse Hotel, Darlinghurst John Vella Duo: Crown Hotel, Surry Hills Cath & Him: Dee Why RSL (Scores Sports Bar), Dee Why Soundproofed: Dicey Riley’s Hotel, Wollongong Steve Edmonds: Engadine Tavern, Engadine The Veronicas + Dean Ray: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Guy Pearce + Darren Middleton + Krista Polvere + Greg Atkinson: Factory Theatre, Marrickville The Sugarcanes + The Venusians + Hannah Band + Maricopa Wells + Love Parade: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville Bill Kacir: Figtree Hotel, West Wollongong Ted Nash: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Nic Jeffries : Foundry 616, Sydney Songs On Stage feat. Red Shift + The Lightning Experience + Mass: Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale Maples + Alyx Dennison + Alex Hoax: Goodgod Small Club, Sydney Red Alert: Hornsby RSL (Frank Gill Lounge) , Hornsby Mandi Jarry: Jacksons on George (PJ Gallagher’s), Sydney Jayowenz: Jacksons on George (Temple Bar) , Sydney Rebecca Moore: Kareela Golf & Social Club, Kareela Back to Bacharach feat. Casey Donovan + Doug Williams + Darren Mapes + Hayley Jensen: Laycock Street Theatre, Woy Woy Songs On Stage feat. CJ Fairleight: Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham CW Stoneking: Lizottes Central Coast, Kincumber The Brothers, Angels & Demons with The Brewster Brothers: Lizottes Sydney, Dee Why Angelena Locke: Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale DJ Sam Wall: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly The Dominos: Marble Bar, Sydney Furnace & Fundamentals: Metro Theatre, Sydney Ruth Moody + The Mae Trio: Milton Theatre, Milton DJs From Mars: Mooseheads Pub & Nightclub, Canberra Glenn Esmond: Narrabeen Sands, Narrabeen
M U S I C
the guide nsw.gigguide@themusic.com.au King of the North: Newtown Social Club, Newtown Brendan Deehan: O’Malleys Hotel, Darlinghurst Reckless + Jonathan Jones: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Bowles Bros: Oriental Hotel, Springwood
OFest 2015 feat. San Cisco + The Kite String Tangle + The Aston Shuffle (DJ Set) + The Griswolds + Tkay Maidza + PHFAT + Nova & The Experience + Tropical Zombie + Shibbi: University of Technology (UTS), Ultimo
Loaded Six Strings: Overlander Hotel, Cambridge Gardens
Terrorential + John Doe + Black Reign + No More Faith: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
Hayden James: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
100% Pure Rawstyle Party: Valve Bar (Level One), Ultimo
Pink Chevys: Penrith RSL (Castle Lounge), Penrith
The Hot Teas: Warilla Hotel, Warilla
Drew: PJ Gallagher’s, Enfield
Mum feat. PHFAT + Own Rabbit + Harley Young & The Haymakers + March of the Real Fly + more: World Bar, Potts Point
Jimmy Bear: Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill Little Earthquake + The Indians: Rad Bar (formerly Yours & Owls), Wollongong Jody & The Executive: Ramsgate RSL (Lounge), Sans Souci Franky Valentyn: Revesby Workers (Infinity Lounge), Revesby The Nox + Sheena Wilbow + Albie Smiles + DJ Urby: Rock Lily, Pyrmont Songs On Stage feat. Stuart Jammin: Rosehill Hotel, Granville Songs On Stage feat. Sinsonnix + Planet Lilu + Emerald Scar: Ruby L’Otel, Rozelle The Gin Mill Social feat. Greg Poppleton & The Bakelite Broadcasters: Slide Darlinghurst, Surry Hills Ann Vriend: Smiths Alternative Bookshop, Canberra Angus & Julia Stone + Little May + Cloud Control + Jarryd James: Sydney Opera House (On The Steps), Sydney Benn Gunn: Tahmoor Inn, Tahmoor Twilight At Taronga feat. The Beautiful Girls + Caravana Sun + Twilight At Taronga: Taronga Zoo, Mosman Young Lions: Tattersalls Hotel, Penrith Shameem: The Basement, Belconnen Chocolate Starfish: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle Mar Haze + Aether Beach + Larkah: The Gaelic, Surry Hills Rowena Wise + Julia Jacklin: The Newsagency, Marrickville The Gooch Palms + Straight Arrows + The Sufferjets + Raave Tapes: The Small Ballroom, Islington Lolo Lovina: The Vanguard, Newtown Soft Kitty: The Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard Julia Why? + Saint Abbe: Town Hall Hotel, Newtown Nicky Kurta + Aleyce Simmonds: Town Hall Hotel, Balmain Smells Like The 90s: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi Ben Salter: Union Hotel, Newtown
Rob Eastwood: Yardarm Taphouse, Manly
Billy Connolly: Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Broadmeadow Songs On Stage feat. Russel Neal + Jack Bloak’s Jug Stompers: Old Fitzroy Hotel, Woolloomooloo UK Anthems + U2 Elevation: Orient Hotel, The Rocks Suite Az + DJ Nino Brown: Rock Lily, Pyrmont CW Stoneking: Street Theatre, Canberra
ANN VRIEND: 19 FEB CAMELOT LOUNGE; 20 SMITHS ALTERNATIVE BOOKSHOP CANBERRA
Andy Miles Night on the Prawn: The Gasoline Pony, Marrickville The Swamp Stompers: The Maclean Hotel, Maclean
Gang Of Youths: Goodgod Small Club, Sydney J Rocc: Goodgod Small Club, Sydney
Steve Edmonds: Sydney Harbour (King Street Wharf ), Sydney
Hinds + Julia Why?: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Rum & Cider Bar) , Manly
Twilight At Taronga feat. The Bamboos + Katalyst + Guests + Twilight At Taronga: Taronga Zoo, Mosman
Billy Connolly: Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park
Dirty Deeds - AC/DC Show: Lone Pine Tavern, Rooty Hill
The Celtic Tenors: The Basement, Sydney
5 Mile Sniper + The Stonemonks: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt
Katy Perry, P!nk & Lady Gaga Tributes: Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown
UBERfest 2015: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle
CW Stoneking: Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Bathurst
Linda Jenssen + Ray Antonelli: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly
SAT 21
Melody Rhymes: Bathurst Panthers, Bathurst Frames + Chris Fraser + Sir Jonathan + Troy T + DJ Eko + Deckhead: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Clowns + American Sharks: Black Wire Records, Annandale The Persuaders + Sinister Smiles: Brass Monkey, Cronulla Kittens: Cargo Bar, Sans Souci Iron Bark Rock: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill Back to Bacharach feat. Casey Donovan + Doug Williams + Darren Mapes + Hayley Jensen: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, Cessnock Detroit Swindle + Shiba San + Various DJs: Chinese Laundry, Sydney Joseph Tawadros + Australian Chamber Orchestra: City Recital Hall, Sydney Steve Edmonds: Coast Hotel, Budgewoi The Escalators: Corrimal Hotel (Lounge Bar), Corrimal The Acid Monkeys + The Dead Rats + Hoon + Cult Killers + UTI: Corrimal Hotel, Corrimal Pat O’Grady + Sam Newton: Crown Hotel, Surry Hills Lint + The Culture Industry + Overnight Rental + My Official Failure: Dicey Riley’s Hotel, Wollongong Lindsey Stirling: Enmore Theatre, Newtown J Mascis + Adalita: Factory Theatre, Marrickville White Male Dumbinance + Man Hunt + Internal Rot + Controlled + Inebrious Bastards + Primitive Blast: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville Shameem: Gingers, Darlinghurst
Jordan C Thomas Band: Marble Bar, Sydney Megan Washington + Montaigne + Greg Chiapello: Metro Theatre, Sydney The Big Daddys: Mona Vale Golf Club, Mona Vale Mountain Sounds Festival 2015 feat. Alison Wonderland + Carmada + Daniel Lee Kendall + DD Dumbo + DZ Deathrays + East + The Griswolds + Hatch + The Jungle Giants + Kilter + The Kite String Tangle + Luke Million + Northeast Party House + Pepa Knight + Safia + Tkay Maidza + Touch Sensitive + Tropical Zombie + Coda + Harper + Lemond + Ratlife DJs + PHFAT + Nova & The Experience + Dr Kong & The Stem Cells + Avivaa + Owen Rabbit + Colour Cage + White Walkers + Rookie + Via Alchemy + more: Mt Penang Gardens, Kariong Third Day + Needtobreathe + Levi McGrath: Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Broadmeadow Angus & Julia Stone: Newcastle Panthers, Newcastle West Renny Field: Newport Arms Hotel, Newport
Love Swagga: Funk 69+Various Artists: The Gaelic, Surry Hills AGWA Yacht Club feat. Magda + DJ Tennis: The Starship, Cockle Bay
The Bandits: Ramsgate RSL (Lounge), Sans Souci
S U P P O R T I N G
Gypsy + Pizza Gut + Electric Lobster + Second Nation + The Dissolutes: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo
MON 23
Frankie’s World Famous House Band: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney
SUN 22
Up Close & Personal: An Evening With Dave Faulkner + Brad Shepherd: Brass Monkey, Cronulla
The Monday Jam: Gingers, Darlinghurst Mineral + Garrett Klahn + Arrows: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Azadoota: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville
Tim Minchin + Special Guests: Sydney Opera House (On The Steps), Sydney
Offshore Sundays: Coogee Bay Hotel (Beer Garden), Coogee
Big Swing Band: Tattersalls Hotel, Penrith
One Day Sundays with One Day: Factory Theatre, Marrickville
Roxette + Boom Crash Opera: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Clive Hay: Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor Glenn Esmond: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks Zeahorse: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney Songs On Stage feat. Peach Montgomery: Garry Owen Hotel, Rozelle Audio + Teddy Killerz: Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale
Shameem: Lass O’Gowrie (All Ages / 12pm), Wickham
Ocean Alley + Alithia: Rad Bar (formerly Yours & Owls), Wollongong
Urban Guerrillas + The Smart Folk: Town & Country Hotel, St Peters
James Reyne: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Waves), Towradgi
Gemma Glendenning: O’Malleys Hotel, Darlinghurst
Darren Johnstone: Plough & Harrow, Camden
Vanishing Shapes + The 5 Lands Band: The Rhythm Hut, Gosford
Shameem: Bar On The Hill (All Ages / 12.30pm), Callaghan
Traditional Irish Music Session+Various Artists: Jacksons on George (PJ Gallagher’s), Sydney
The Budos Band + Wild Cat Falling: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst
Kurt Williams: The Mill Hotel, Milperra
Reckless: Town Hall Hotel, Balmain
The Gooch Palms + Straight Arrows + Los Tones: Newtown Social Club, Newtown
The Beatnix: Oatley Hotel, Oatley
Steve Edmonds: The Mark Hotel, Lambton
Steve Tonge + DJ Somatik + NAD: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly McBusted: Metro Theatre, Sydney FCxMCA feat. Redinho + Touch Sensitive: Museum of Contemporary Art (5pm), The Rocks
TUE 24
Songwriter Sessions with Karl Broadie: Coogee Diggers (The Bunker), Coogee Judas Priest + Dragonforce: Enmore Theatre, Newtown Chris Jarrett + Luca Ciarla: Foundry 616, Sydney Rock n Roll Karaoke with Dave Eastgate: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney Slash + Steel Panther: Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park ZED + John Kaldor + Broden Tadros + Katherine Vavahea: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe Lake Street Dive: Opera Bar, Sydney Tim Minchin: Sydney Opera House (On The Steps), Sydney Fall Out Boy + Twin Atlantic + Emily’s Army: UNSW Roundhouse, Kensington
Summer Dance feat. Moodymann + more: National Art School, Darlinghurst
I N D E P E N D E N T
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Teaching & performing 10yrs+ I have worked with many successful musicians including a student who has gone on to produce a number-1 album in the US. © Copyright Gigs-Waiting 16th January Newtown.0431797-414
Looking for a drummer in their 20s to join a new Heavy Metal band based in Western Sydney. Into bands like Metallica (old), Megadeth, Pantera to name a few. I’ll be playing guitars/vocals. mphi.music@gmail. com,0423709029
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