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themusic 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
“WE’RE A BIT SMARTER AND WISER ON HOW TO GO ABOUT THINGS NOW.”
#026
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Panic! At The Disco Richie Sambora
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I Killed The Prom Queen ††† (Crosses) Clutch Korn Soundwave Map & Set Times Naughty Boy
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IN THE WAKE OF NEVER TEAR US APART, THE MUSIC CHATS WITH INXS MANAGER CM MURPHY TO GET HIS TAKE ON IT. READ IT AT THEMUSIC.COM.AU
IN THE LEAD UP TO SOUNDWAVE, WE PREVIEW SOME OF THE BIGGEST – AND NOT SO BIG – ACTS ON THE BILL. ON THEMUSIC.COM.AU
Beck The Dames The SideTracked Fiasco
REVIEWS Album: Beck
Live: The National Arts: Wolf Creek 2
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Brisbane becomes Australia’s funny bone between 25 Feb and 23 Mar, with the Brisbane Comedy Festival wheeling out a cavalcade of jokers. The likes of Stephen K Amos, Wil Anderson, pictured, Sam Simmons, Cal Wilson and Felicity Ward will all be treading the floorboards at the Brisbane Powerhouse, with loads more gems to be found on the 2014 bill. Head to briscomfest. com and the Powerhouse website to get amongst the fun.
Our great city is chockers full of culture right now, and Clancestry, A Celebration Of Country only adds to the varied flavour. An annual celebration of the world’s First Nations people, there are a range of free events happening along the Cultural Forecourt of Southbank and at other locations around the city with music, dance, visual arts, markets, workshops and more on offer until Sunday. For the full program see qpac.com.au/clancestry.
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BRISBANE
The Australian Ballet will be staging two productions in Brisbane from this Friday, with Manon, pictured, a dramatic story about love and money, and the dazzling double-bill mixing Parisian chic and New York style, Imperial Suite. Six performances of Manon will happen between 21 Feb and 1 Mar, while you’ve got two chances to catch Imperial Suite, 26 – 27 Feb. All shows will feature the formidable skills of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and will take place at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC – tickets through the venue website.
dance
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 11
national news news@themusic.com.au RUFUS
JULIAN CLARY
RAISING THE RUFUS
FAVOURITE POSITION
Back by popular demand, international comedy treasure and self-proclaimed ‘Lord of the Mince’ Julian Clary will return for his eighth Australian tour in April with a brand new show, Position Vacant: Apply Within. It sees the sharp-tongued comedian and Celebrity Big Brother winner welcoming a selection of eligible bachelors on stage to win his hand in marriage. It’ll be a flamboyant and hilarious night out at Astor Theatre, Perth, 17 Apr; Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, 19 Apr; State Theatre, Sydney, 22 Apr; and The Tivoli, Brisbane, 24 Apr.
BE CULTIVATED
New York indie duo Cults will be hitting stages across the country for their own headline tour dates while in the country as part of Groovin The Moo. This is their second visit, after wowing Laneway audiences in 2012. See the two talented 24-yearolds when they perform at Metro Theatre, Sydney, 29 Apr (all ages); Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 30 Apr; The Zoo, Brisbane, 6 May; and The Bakery, Perth, 9 May.
OVERJOYED
It’s only mid-Feb and Vance Joy’s already nabbed the #1 spot in triple j’s Hottest 100 with Riptide, made the top ten in the UK singles chart, played Laneway festivals for the first time and been announced as part of this year’s Groovin The Moo. Oh yeah, he’s also headed to the UK and Europe, then supporting Young The Giant around the US as well as appearing at SXSW. Way to overachieve, mate. Vance Joy will play headline shows as he goes around Australia with GTM. See for yourself why he’s done so well for himself at the following dates, on which he’ll be supported by Gossling and Teeth & Tongue (except Perth): The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 6 May; The Bakery, Perth, 8 May; Metro Theatre, Sydney, 16 May (all ages); and Forum Theatre, Melbourne, 23 May.
THE WRITING ROOMS
To write their new record, Rooms Of The House, Michigan post-hardcore band La Dispute rented a cabin in a remote area in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula so they could write every single day and not do much else. The resulting concentrated efforts will be released on 18 Mar through the band’s newly established label, Better Living, and then La Dispute are set to bring their passion to stages around Australia, with support from Balance & Composure. The tour takes in Rosemount Hotel, Perth, 7 Jun; YMCA HQ, Leederville, 8 Jun (all ages); Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 12 Jun (over-18) & 14 Jun (under-18); The Basement, Canberra, 15 Jun; Metro Theatre, Sydney, 18 Jun (all ages); Trinity Hall, Brisbane, 19 Jun (all ages); and The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 20 Jun.
“I SNEEZE LIKE I’M TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU OF SOMETHING” THAT YOU’RE BEING DISGUSTING @MARYKOCO? 12 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
Indie-dance trio RÜFÜS have announced their Worlds Within Worlds national Australian tour. This tour aims to amplify the escapist quality of their gold-selling debut record, Atlas. Head along to the following shows, supported by Hayden James, to find out how RÜFÜS will achieve that goal: 9 May, Coolangatta Hotel; 10 May, The Tivoli, Brisbane; 15 May, Palace Theatre, Melbourne; 16 May, Wool Exchange, Geelong; 30 May, Players Bar, Mandurah; 31 May, Fremantle Arts Centre; 6 Jun, Panthers, Newcastle; 8 Jun, Beach Hotel, Byron Bay; 19 Jun, ANU Bar, Canberra; 20 Jun, Waves, Wollongong; and 21 Jun, Enmore Theatre, Sydney (all ages).
STRIPPING TO THE TOP
New Zealand’s very own electro-rock quartet The Naked & Famous showed us they know how to draw a crowd at their recent performances at the Big Day Out. Proving they can’t get enough, they’re coming back for Groovin The Moo and have announced a national tour around that to showcase their bold second album, In Rolling Waves. For their headline tour they’ll be joined by Brisbane’s young gun, singer-songwriter, Vancouver Sleep Clinic. Check out the hype on 30 Apr, 170 Russell, Melbourne; 5 May, The-Hi-Fi, Brisbane; 11 May, Astor Theatre, Perth; and 13 May, Metro Theatre, Sydney.
RUSSIAN CIRCLES
RUSSIAN AROUND
Russian Circles return to our shores this April/May in support of their latest release, Memorial. The instrumental trio from Chicago have spent the last decade perfecting their atmospheric and entrancing heavy sound, and continue to push boundaries on their latest and fifth record. They’ll turn up the volume at their shows at Crowbar, Brisbane, 29 Apr; The Hi-Fi, Melbourne, 1 May; Rosemount Hotel, Perth, 2 May; and Manning Bar, Sydney, 3 May.
www.thenorthern.com.au
JONSON STREET BYRON BAY FRI 21 FEB THE BABE RAINBOW, THE FURRS, THE SALVADARLING, THE MOUNTAINS SAT 22 FEB THE OWLS, THE RUMOURS, TELEVISION CHILDREN FRI 28 FEB GARRETT KATO, LUKE MORRIS, HAILEY – MARIE SAT 1 MAR TIJUANA CARTEL FRI 7 MAR DEAD BEAT BAND SAT 8 MAR ELEGANT SHIVA THURS 14 MAR JON CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN 14 & 15 MAR THE SUNNYBOYS FRI 21 MAR BILLY BRAGG SUN 23 MAR
SHAPESHIFTER SAT 29 MAR THE DARK HAWKS SUN 30 MAR DUB FX & OPIUO
TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 13
local news qld.news@themusic.com.au
DIZZEE RASCAL
BASSLINE JUNKY
SALLY SELTMANN
HIT THEM SKINS
DARE TO DREAM
Sally Seltmann will play some headline shows to celebrate her new album Hey Daydreamer, released on 28 Feb. The tour will see Seltmann return from her new home in LA for a series of intimate performances along the east coast, with Wintercoats opening all shows. Get along to Black Bear Lodge, Apr 10.
GETTING REACQUAINTED Back in the country after cutting his debut Land Of No Roads at Rick Rubin’s Shangri La studio in LA, South Australian Liam Gerner will bring his Residency Tour to The Scratch, where he’ll play every Tuesday in March from 8pm.
HAPPY TO HANG AROUND Eager to make up for lost time, Grammy Award-winning hip hop/singer-songwriter Everlast will be touring Oz for the first time in well over a decade, bringing his acoustic guitar and not much else to stages around the place. Hear all his hits stripped back – yes, even Jump Around – 5 Mar, The Zoo; 6 Mar, Solbar, Maroochydore; and 7 Mar, The Brewery, Byron Bay.
GET YOUR HAND OUTTA THERE
A new show from the other side of the worldfamous Jim Henson Company (creators of The Muppets, Sesame Street, Labyrinth, in case you didn’t have a childhood), Puppet Up! – Uncensored wowed audiences at the Edinburgh and Toronto Fringes last year, and makes its debut in Brisbane at the Powerhouse for three shows only: 24 – 26 Apr. Strictly ages 16+, tickets through the Powerhouse box office.
EDITOR’S CORRECTION
Due to a production issue, an old interview with The Angels ran in The Music last week, making the timely nature of certain facts incorrect. We apologise to the band and their fans for this mistake; you can read our most recent chat with founding member John Brewster online at theMusic.com.au.
MAY IN MARCH WITH MIKHAEL
The wonderfully weird folk-pop Fin Mikhael Paskalev is a legitimate superstar in the making and he’s debuting in Australia to tie in with the release of his debut album What’s Life Without Losers. He’ll play Alhambra Lounge, 4 Mar, with Sydney trio Little May just announced as support. Proudly presented by The Music.
If you’re an aficionado of smacking skins with sticks, then you’ll be falling over yourselves with news that The Drum Cartel will be holding a clinic hosted by none other than The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Billy Rymer. Get a taste of the Soundwave five when Rymer belts it out on Friday – tickets $35.
AFRICAN PRINCE
Kora player and singer Bajaly Suso is headed to Kulchajam, Byron Arts & Industry Estate on Saturday to bring the African vibes to Brissie, playing an illuminating solo show of traditional and classical kora music, as well as some of his own songs.
DO YOU WANNA
We All Want To will test out some new material and rekindle old friendships at a series of intimate, fre -entry shows: 28 Feb, Eat Street Markets; 6 Mar, The End; 8 Mar, The Scratch; 26 Mar, Campfire Test, New Globe Theatre; and 28 Mar, The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba.
PUT THE BOOKS DOWN
The Trainspotters team are taking over QUT for the second year running, hosting Unipalooza as part of Welcome Week 2014. At Gardens Point campus you can catch Hound and The Bacchanales, 24 Feb, and The Good Sports and Love Sign, 25 Feb, while all the Kelvin Grove crew get the same gear 26 and 27 Feb, the only difference being Babaganouj replacing Love Signs.
“I SNEEZE LIKE I’M TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU OF SOMETHING”
THAT YOU’RE BEING DISGUSTING @MARYKOCO? 14 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
Dizzee Rascal’s coming over for Groovin The Moo festival, and he’s bringing the dirty stuff to a few headline shows, too. The grime MC was last here for Future Music Festival 2013, and between then and now has released his fifth album, aptly titled The Fifth. He’ll have you going bonkers at Eatons Hill Hotel on 24 Apr.
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
GRAND GCFF
The Gold Coast Film Festival have announced their opening night film for the season starting on 3 Apr and running until 13 Apr: a special preview screening of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring Bill Murray, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton and many more of Anderson’s regulars. You’ll be able to catch the feature at Birch, Carroll & Coyle Cinemas, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre.
MUSIC - ARTS - CULTURE
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19 OCEAN ST. MAROOCHYDORE ............................................................................................
FEBRUARY ..............
EVERY WEDNESDAY ..............
SOLBAR OPEN MIC WOLFMOTHER SONGWRITERS CIRCLE .....
..................
WED 12th FEB
....................
THURS 13th FEB ....................
JAC STONE ZAC GUNTHORPE JIMMY DAVIS
....................
FRI 14th FEB
....................
KOOYEH
+ THE FLUMES .......
SAT 15th FEB
....................
THE ASTON SHUFFLE PACES + THIEF
....................
SUN 16th FEB ....................
FREE ENTRY 2-7pm
.................... THURS
CLINT FRANCIS
20th FEB ....................
SYREN
+ TEMPLE STEP PROJECT ....................
FRI 21st FEB
....................
HIS MERRY MEN
PLAYING MICHAEL JACKSON’S “OFF THE WALL” ALBUM .....
..................
SAT 22nd FEB
MAJOR LEAGUES THE OCEAN PARTY + THE GOOD SPORTS
....................
SUN 23rd FEB ....................
FREE ENTRY 2-7pm
THE BRODIE GRAHAM BAND .....
THURS 27th FEB ..................
D AT SEA
+ BY ELANOR ....................
FRI 28th FEB
....................
....................
SAT 1st MAR
....................
MASON RACK BULLHORN
+ CHELSEA WILSON ....................
SUN 2nd MAR ....................
FREE ENTRY 2-7pm
PAT TIERNEY ............................................................................................
solbar.com.au Solbar
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 15
local news qld.news@themusic.com.au IMPRESS PRINT MAKERS
IMPRESS REGENERATES And by regenerates, we mean they’ve moved home base to old Kedron Tram Sub-station No. 8 (hereby known as the Kedron SubARTstation). To welcome the change of scenery, Impress Print Makers Gallery & Studio are opening their Regenerate exhibition this Friday. It’ll continue until 30 Mar, showcasing prints from Impress artists revolving around the themes of new beginnings and growth.
NOT TANGLED
ST LUCIA
SAINTS COME MARCHING IN
Fronted by South African Jean-Phillip Grobler, St Lucia, head back Down Under in April for a run of sweaty synth-pop shows. It’s like watching an ‘80s pop band in an underground club. You can get a taste of their 2013 debut When The Nights, where they’ll be joined by Sydney indie-pop quintet The Griswolds, at The Zoo, 4 Apr.
Melbourne’s much-loved folk five-piece The Paper Kites have enjoyed a whirlwind six months since the release of their highly anticipated debut album, States. Following on from a successful national tour, the band embarked on a sold out headline tour of the USA and Canada. They hit the road here again, stopping by The Northern, Byron Bay, 13 Jun and The Hi-Fi, 14 Jun.
“LEMME GET A GIRAFFICA, A HOMEMADE CHERRY DANISH, SOME O’ THEM PRE-FRIED PEPPER’S... OH! N’ A LITRE OF COLA!”
FRONTIN’
Orchestral/folk/rock band Western Front will play the New Globe Theatre to launch their new single Town To Town. Head down Friday to see them perform with Flavour Machine, Jarrah and Houses supporting.
@AXLROSE DOESN’T TWEET MUCH, BUT WHEN HE DOES IT’S MAINLY LIKE THIS.
CELLIN’ OUT
A HOME IS FOREVER
CRYING LIGHTNING
THAT’S TERRIFYING
HEAVY HITTERS
BULDING BRIDGES
Michelle Xen + The Neon Wild hit up Alhambra on Friday to launch the new video for My Cells from Xen’s new EP On For You. Melbourne’s electro-rock heroes 8 Bit Love and Brisbane’s synth/glitchwizard Motion Picture Actress support.
MICHAEL FRANTI
THE FRANTI CHASE
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, philanthropist and Bluesfest favourite, Michael Franti & Spearhead, along with the dynamic, spiritual and moving Nahko & Medicine For The People will be in Brisbane for a special, oneoff Bluesfest sideshow at The Tivoli, 23 Apr. Franti will be bringing his tenth studio album All People with him, a record that has seen him look back at what first influenced him as a young muso. Tickets through Ticketmaster. 16 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
Those Jakarta Criers lads who won a spot on the Big Day Out 2013 line-up may have gone into hiding for a little while, but they’re back with a vengeance with their new indie-rock single, Alright For Me. They launch the track at Oh Hello!, 7 Mar and The Loft, Gold Coast, 8 Mar.
The second announcement for Hits & Pits ‘Round 3’ has just dropped, with California’s Unwritten Law playing their breakthrough self-titled ‘black’ record and supergroup Implants joining the likes of Strung Out, Face To Face and Ten Foot Pole. The fest hits The Hi-Fi, 9 May, before landing at The Northern, Byron Bay, 10 May.
Architecture In Helsinki will release their highly anticipated new album NOW + 4EVA on 28 Mar, and are sure to warm the hearts and expand the minds when they drop into The Hi-Fi, 12 Apr, with Melbourne favourites World’s End Press.
In case you aren’t already moshed out from Soundwave, you can sink your teeth into this huge Sidewave, featuring Los Angeles pair Terror and Letlive., as well as the UK’s soon-to-be-departed Your Demise. Catch this night of hardcore heaven at The Tempo Hotel on Tuesday.
Having performed all around the globe, Scotland’s favourite stand up comic Kevin Bridges tours Australia for the first time in March. He brings his observational, cutting edge comedy at The Tivoli on 23 Mar and the Sit Down Comedy Club on 24 Mar.
BAY STREET BYRON BAY (02) 6685 6402 www.beachhotel.com.au
THIS WEEK: WED 19TH FROM 7:30PM
RAW SHOWCASE THUR 20TH FROM 9PM
BROADFOOT FRI 21ST FROM 5PM
LUKE & SEBASTIAN 9PM
THE NINTH CHAPTER SAT 22ND FROM 8:30PM
RHYTHM & CUTLOOSE
SUN 23RD FROM 4:30PM
LATE FOR WOODSTOCK 8:30PM
THE DELTA RIGGS 10PM
DJ LONGTIME MON 24TH FROM 8PM
‘HIT THAT HIT’ MUSICAL BINGO
FREE ENTRY, GREAT PRIZES TUES 25TH FROM 7:30PM
OPEN MIC NIGHT WED 26TH FROM 8:30PM
2 IN A GROOVE COMING SOON: THUR 27
TIGER AND ME FRI 28
CARAVANA SUN SAT 1
DJ DISCROWE SUN 2
OKA YACHT CLUB DJS, STONEFIELD, BLUESFEST BUSKERS COMP THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 17
music
A TOUGH ONE Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie has had a whirlwind 12 months: getting married in April, releasing a new album in October, and heading on tour starting August without founding member Spencer Smith. He talks to Hannah Story.
P
anic! At The Disco are not a band who shy away from the spotlight, or controversy. Their live show is often described as a spectacle, and since they hit the airwaves in 2004, they’ve been nothing if not candid about their relationships and with each other. After recording the debut that saw them skyrocket to fame (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out), the former Blink182 cover band kicked out original bassist, Brent Wilson, who then threatened the remaining members with a lawsuit. Then in 2009, after dropping the exclamation point, and having recorded and toured their second album, Pretty. Odd. in 2008,bassist Jon Walker and founding member Ryan Ross departed the band, saying
that we had to come to. It was a tough one. You know when your friend’s personal and business [lives] collide, it’s kinda tough. Everything is moving forward positively and I’m glad that it is, because a lot of times it doesn’t for a lot of bands.” Their fans too, have shown their support. “It’s been kind of amazing, their support for him, just going through this tough time. It’s really nice to see that when they make shirts that say, like, ‘Team Spencer’ or they say ‘We will support you’ and ‘Love you’ – it’s really nice, it’s really good. But he definitely understands that we want to move on, as this time is with the record. We definitely didn’t want to cancel any shows, so
so long that I didn’t wanna betray myself by not doing it, by just giving up, so that was really a huge decision to make, and ultimately a tough one, but important.” The changes in line-up may also be to blame for the evolution in their sound: from cabaret-style pop-punk to ‘60s-inspired guitar-pop, back to pop-punk, and then to the synth-heavy songs like Miss Jackson on Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die. The changes have meant that Urie has had to take the songwriting reins, but he doesn’t like to get too comfortable, he says. “I get bored pretty easily, which I think is a good thing. It’s fun to kind of surprise yourself with the work that you do, especially when it’s something creative, when you’re creating art, you’re making music or you’re painting or whatever it may be. I think it’s fun to step outside of your comfort zone and see just what you can accomplish in that regard. Trying to find ways, like a conscious effort to find ways to do that is always a fun time. Especially because I love all kinds of different music so there’s an endless range of stuff that we could do in the future, so that’s exciting as well.” His habit of getting bored easily meant that this time around he spent time experimenting with production and using synthesiser to expand the depth of their sound. “I’ve been a fan of a lot of synth, y’know, electronic dance music, for a very long time. For the last couple of years I’ve been trying to get better as a producer,
“I WAS ACTUALLY REALLY IMPRESSED TOO, THAT HE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THOSE STEPS.”
they had “creatively evolved in different directions”. This left just Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith to, exclamation point back intact, write the band’s third, Vices & Virtues. By the fourth record, last year’s Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die, they had recruited a new bassist, Dallon Weekes, but in time for the tour lost original drummer, Spencer Smith, who left the group to battle the alcohol and prescription drug addiction he’d struggled with since 2008. That left only charismatic vocalist Brendon Urie to carry the Panic! At The Disco moniker. As it stands, Smith is still not ready to be back on the road and will be missing Panic! At The Disco’s Soundwave stint, but Urie says that they will be working together again, just as soon as Smith is ready. “He is still back home getting all the help that he really needs. I was actually really impressed too, that he was able to take those steps. I’ve never been in that position, but as a friend, just watching him over the years, I know that that was a really difficult decision, but we’re all really proud of him. “We didn’t want to cancel tours, that was a big deal, and he understood that, and he didn’t wanna impede on that progress as well, so it was really a mutual decision 18 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
we have our friend Dan [Pawlovich] who’s filling in for him for the time.” But Urie likes to put a positive spin on all the line-up changes. “Every drummer’s different, every musician is different, every artist is different. I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing, it’s just different. I like changing dynamics, I like change a little bit, I like to be thrown into an uncomfortable position. It’s a huge learning experience when you’re thrown into something out of your comfort zone. My first love is just music; I’ve loved it for so long and I’ve been doing it for
just working on computers. My set-up at home is very primitive I guess; for lack of a better word, it’s pretty barbarian… So hopefully it’ll evolve in the future, I’m hoping to build a studio in the near future, but in the last couple years I’ve just been using a keyboard and whatever synths I could get from friend.” The lastest album takes a quote from Hunter S Thompson’s 1971 book Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas as its title, as a kind of ode to the city in which Urie and his current and former bandmates grew up. “It kind of worked out because a lot of the songs were about growing up in Vegas. About things that I went through. I felt comfortable now being able to talk about it because I felt that I had grown and I was a different person. I was changing, kind of growing up and growing out of some phase in my life. And I was changing and I wanted to be able to touch on that stuff, like growing up in Vegas and how it affected me, and trying to tell my story.” “I was watching that movie. It kind of makes sense because I was struggling with that album title for quite a while, and when Johnny Depp’s character [Raoul Duke] says it I laughed… I’m a huge visual learner, I’m a huge movie fanatic. I love films, and I love cinematography,
OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE In October Panic! At The Disco released the video clip for their single Girls/Girls/Boys in which Urie is naked – a homage to D’Angelo’s 2000 song Untitled (How Does It Feel). “For me personally, I’m honestly like naked most of the time I’m not in public. I go home and I’m just like walking around nude. So it was fine for me; I guess the weirdest part was there’s like 30 strangers behind a camera in a dark room, just watching me. So I guess that was kind of strange but honestly I’ve wanted to do that kind of video as an homage to D’Angelo for a few years now. I’m glad that it worked out with that song and I thought it came out great, but it was definitely a shocker to some I’m sure.” Aside from D’Angelo, Urie admires a number of musicians, from Sublime’s Bradley Nowell to artists like Kendrick Lamar.
I love the way that a lot of movies are presented: Coen Brothers films like The Big Lebowski and stuff like that are some of my favourites. I watched a lot of those while I was writing for this record, and they’re really inspiring to me, with dialogue, lyrics and stuff, and just situational awareness, and plots, and how you build a story, and it kind of challenged me to do that with each song.” And despite all of their troubles, Urie is really looking forward to heading to Australia again. “I love it. I love it all. I love Australia. From the first time we went, I’ve always been a fan. There’s just something about it, the people are just amazing, the shows have always been really amazing. It’s just a really good time, and overall a really good vibe. “There’s so many bands I want to see, and it sucks because some of them, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to. I looked at our schedule and I’m gonna try to ditch out on some stuff to watch the bands. I think it’s going to be awesome. And my wife’s going to be coming up too, so we’re gonna spend some time; she’s never been to Australia before, and I always brag about it. I keep saying ‘We’re gonna retire there’ so she’s really excited too. It’s going to be a lot of fun. “
WHAT: Too Weird Too Live, Too Rare To Die (Fueled By Ramen/Warner) WHEN & WHERE: 22 Feb, Soundwave, RNA Showgrounds
“I’m a huge fan of hip hop, really, and there’s a lot of really good new hip hop out right now: Danny Brown, Action Bronson, Kendrick Lamar. I think it’s a really exciting time for music too, hip hop aside. There’s a group of these three sisters called Haim and they’re just awesome; their record, Days Are Gone, is really good. I wish I wrote that record, actually. It’s just a really fun time for music.” THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 19
music
IT’S HIS LIFE Richie Sambora stepped away from one of the biggest bands in the world. On the eve of his Soundwave visit, he tells Dan Condon why.
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ichie Sambora will always be known as the man who co-wrote some of the biggest rock songs in history as guitarist in Bon Jovi, but last year, after 30 years, he decided not to rejoin the band on tour. “It was my daughter and my family,” he says of his reasons for leaving the band. “I missed so much of my daughter’s life and my heart was breaking. “I know [leaving Bon Jovi] wasn’t a popular decision that I made, but… thirty years is a good run. It’s almost unheard of. I had to make a pretty unpopular decision, but I had a chance to go to my kid’s parent teacher night, her sweet sixteen birthday party, I got to go and watch her cheerlead – honestly, that bond needed to be done. I missed it. “I missed so much of her life and she’s all I got. My wife [actress Heather Locklear] and I are obviously divorced, and I want to be a dad.” The workload was also extreme, Sambora admits, with the band keeping up a schedule that didn’t allow him to have a sufficient balance in his life. “I said very openly it should have been a bit longer [between tours]. We had just had two massive tours back to back. I needed a little more time home to be with the family, but the guys wanted to go, so that’s cool. I don’t think it’s the end of the organisation or the end of the band at any point. People grow at different speeds and they have different desires.
“When you’re in a band it’s a compromise, but this is my solo project and, if you listen to [2012 LP] Aftermath Of The Lowdown, I’m talking about my life explicitly and it was pretty deep. I got a list of stuff that I don’t do well – if somebody asked me to cook dinner, that
He’s now coming to Soundwave as a solo artist, something he says he finds liberating. Performing as the leader of the band is something of a liberating experience for Sambora. “It’s nice to say ‘I’m not perfect’. I’m just like everybody. I’m not trying to pretend that I don’t have struggles in my life. Look, I’ve got a very blessed life, but everyone goes through emotional stuff; you lose parents, you lose people, you get divorced – and that freaks you out – it’s just life.
Sambora says Australia has always been a particularly special place for him. “Obviously I’ve had a love affair with Australia for a long, long
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As for Soundwave itself, he admits the invitation to be a part of it was a surprise, but accepting it was a no-brainer. “It’s a little bit baffling to me, but, look, I’m ready to get out and play. I’ve been gigging a lot and it’s been a lot of fun. It was a resounding ‘yes’ from me. Before they got the sentence done I was like, ‘Yeah!’ “I’m gonna bring down a bunch of great musicians and we’re gonna jam. The essence of this festival is rock and
“I’M NOT TRYING TO PRETEND THAT I DON’T HAVE STRUGGLES IN MY LIFE.” wouldn’t be good; if someone asked me to build a house I couldn’t do it – but if someone asked me to write a song… After working on that craft for such a long time, I think I’ve got a leg up on it. I decided to bare my soul on this; if they listen to the lyrics they’ll get to know me better as a person.”
“But I have no malice whatsoever. And I think at some point we’ll make some more records and go out and tour again, but it’s time for a break, man.”
time. You guys opened your arms up to me from the moment I set foot on the shore. Honestly, it’s ridiculous, you guys just got us, man; it was a great, great thing.”
that leads to improvisation. I just want to get out there with great musicians and put them in the architecture of really great songs and let the wild horses run.” It was at a New Year’s Eve jam on the Hawaiian island of Maui with his old buddies Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar and Steven Tyler that Sambora met 28-year-old, Adelaide-born guitar gun Orianthi Panagaris; now he’s bringing her over for Soundwave. “I gotta tell you something,” he whispers. “I don’t know a better guitar player – and that includes me! She’s got everything, man, and she’s such a sweet person, but fierce. There was some kind of chemistry there that was natural and unsaid in a way. It’s killer, man. It’s just one of those things. ” WHEN & WHERE: 20 Feb, The Tivoli; 22 Feb, Soundwave, RNA Showgrounds
THE BOYS ARE BACK
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Post-hiatus, rejuvenated Australian metalcore royalty I Killed The Prom Queen returns to claim their throne. Mainstay guitarist/clean vocalist Jona Weinhofen tells Brendan Crabb. Pic by Kane Hibberd.
“I
’ve gone off and had my experience with two other bands that I’ve joined, and this is my band that I started, fresh out of high school. So it’s always been a bit more of a sentimental kind of band to me. I’ve always been kind of steering the ship, and it’s a good opportunity for us to see if we’ve still got it,” Jona Weinhofen laughs. “‘It has been a long time since the last release, and granted I’ve been busy in the interim with my other bands, but it still is a different kettle of fish coming back to I Killed The Prom Queen. We’ve had a couple of line-up changes recently, so really I think we’re most interested to just see how this record is received. We don’t really have any sort of expectations, we just have hopes I guess.”
The new album he references, Beloved, is the Australian metalcore crew’s first studio LP in eight years, following up 2006’s wildly popular second album, Music For The Recently Deceased. Since their 2008 (ahem) breakdown and subsequent reconvening three years later, their latest incarnation, featuring new vocalist Jamie Hope of defunct death metallers The Red Shore, has accommodated the principal songwriter’s hectic itinerary. During their hiatus, Weinhofen moonlighted with American heavyhitters Bleeding Through and later Brit superstars Bring Me The Horizon, an initially bitter split from the latter (the guitarist since revealing he’s settled any differences with former bandmates) enabling him to focus energies entirely on his passion project. Co-founding member/drummer JJ Peters successfully established hardcore/hip hop party-starters Deez Nuts during Prom Queen’s downtime. The tub-thumper ultimately proved unable to commit to two bands fulltime, a notion the guitarist respects before offering assurance that his 2013 departure was on a positive note. Now boasting fresh recruits Shane O’Brien (drums) and Ben Coyte (bass), Weinhofen is enthused about the future. Appearances at this year’s Soundwave Festival, plus US and European tours are scheduled. “The interesting part is we actually auditioned Jamie back in 2007, right before the tour we went on, which is the one we split up on. So we did audition a couple of vocalists right after Ed (Butcher) left, and Jamie was probably our top pick at that time,
but he was committed to The Red Shore at the time, and he also had a holiday with his girlfriend booked, which he couldn’t get out of, so that ran over the top of the tour we wanted to bring him on. So we ended up bringing a different guy in… Everything on that European tour kind of
now to be able to apply that to I Killed The Prom Queen and hopefully it’ll give us a bit more longevity. We’re a bit smarter and wiser on how to go about things now.” The Music witnessed firsthand the band, clearly viewed as interlopers, being treated with utter hostility and contempt by purist metal audiences, opening for The Haunted and Exodus in 2006, and their slot at the much-missed Metal For The Brain festival. Weinhofen suggests that in the current climate, this record could be more palatable to those who formerly proudly afforded them the middle-finger salute.
“THE INTERESTING PART IS WE ACTUALLY AUDITIONED JAMIE BACK IN 2007” began to point towards the fact that maybe we did need a rest. Even the longtime members of the band were getting a bit tired, and sick of struggling. “I got the offer to join Bleeding Through during that tour, and that was around the time when the guys were getting a little bit over it, and I just said, ‘What do you think about this?’ And we all just decided to have a rest… We’ve all learnt from the experiences that we’ve had since then. We’re hoping
“The last time we released an album was eight years ago now. We were a very young band, and back then it was very easy for more traditional metal fans to kind of boo and stick their thumbs down at bands like I Killed The Prom Queen. Whereas fast-forward eight years, the metalcore genre is far more popular. I do think that times have changed a fair bit, and maybe we could do a tour with Killswitch Engage or Lamb Of God, and not get booed because we wear tight jeans. Metalcore in general – the fashion, the look, the sound, everything overall – is a far bigger thing these days. So I think people who didn’t like it once upon a time, I would hope are a bit more open and accepting to it nowadays.” WHAT: Beloved (Epitaph/Warner) WHEN & WHERE: 22 Feb, Soundwave, RNA Showgrounds THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 21
music
NATURAL CROSS Having stepped off a plane from Australia with Deftones less than 48 hours prior, Chino Moreno tells Tyler McLoughlan about his approach to the †††’s debut album.
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ossessing a vocal technique that could just as soon soothe a baby as frighten a ghost, Chino Moreno can move between gentle and hostile territory by shaping melody, rhythm and timing like no one else in the heavy rock world. Honing his inimitable style as the frontman of Deftones, the highly revered Californian alt-metal outfit established in 1988, Moreno now turns his focus to the “beautiful gloom” of †††. “We didn’t actually have an idea to make a record and to go on tour or make a band or anything like that. It was just more or less, ‘let’s see how many songs we can knock out’,” Moreno explains the process that led to forming ††† with childhood friend and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez and producer Chuck Doom. Initially roped in for vocals on just one track, the pair were so pleased with Moreno they suggested he sign up for the project. “We ended up doing, I think, somewhere between twenty and twenty-five songs, which was a lot of songs. I mean, it was done over a period of time and the cool part about it was that we didn’t have a record label, we didn’t have any expectations; people, the fans, no one knew that we were actually doing this project, so it was very under the radar. I think that lent itself to just be something that happened very organically.” Released quietly online in 2011, EP † did the rounds without the pre-release hype and leaks that had taken the fun out of Moreno’s Team Sleep side-project. Packaged together with 2012’s EP †† and with the addition of five new tracks, the trio’s just released eponymous debut long player is proof that one doesn’t need a barrage of guitars and hard-hitting drums to be heavy. Both points excited Moreno greatly. “I felt like I was in a really good creative space when we started working on this. The Deftones had just got done releasing our Diamond Eyes record which, you know, at that time I think there was this real resurgence of creativity with me and even with Deftones as a band – I was just in a really creative place and I wanted to create as much as possible in my downtime. It wasn’t a preconceived idea that I was gonna try this different or
do that different [with †††]. Honestly, I just reacted to what was put in front of me and really that’s what I do with Deftones too. I didn’t put on a different hat… It’s me pretty much doing what I love to do, and that’s just sort of weave in and out of
because it was one of the more ‘upbeat’ songs, I guess you could say. It was also an experiment in trying something that I’d never really done. I mean, there’s no guitars in that song really – it’s not a rock song by any means, but it’s not this delicate electronic thing either. It’s got this almost dancehall kind of rhythm to it and, I dunno, just vocally the way I approached it was to me interesting because it was like nothing I’d ever done, but yet it’s very catchy,” Moreno explains how it cleverly depicts the themes of the album as a whole and reveals much about his evolution as a vocalist. “I feel that way about a lot of the songs on this record; without trying to be pop or to steer in that direction, I think there’s a pop sensibility that runs through a lot of this music that just sort of happened. It really fell into place. As opposed to taking a left turn when things were just sort of naturally guiding me away, I kind of just went with the flow instead of trying to make everything really weird or whatever. I really just felt comfortable with singing along with the songs and going where they took me naturally… If something seems like it’s
“THE MUSIC SPEAKS TO ME AND THEN I SPEAK BACK AND A LOT OF THE TIMES IT WORKS OUT”
what’s put in front of me… The music speaks to me and then I speak back and a lot of the times it works out – it’s as simple at that.” With dark synths, fuzzy bass and electronic percussion, This Is A Trick was the first glorious taste of †††. “It stood out from a lot of the other ones
too easy then I go, ‘Well, there’s a reason why it’s too easy, so I need to take a left turn here and try something difficult.’ And I think that’s good for a lot of the stuff that I do. I think it’s the reason why I’ve maintained a career in music for this long, because I don’t just take the easiest road all the time. But with some things I’ve learnt to relax a little bit.”
WHAT: ††† (Sumerian/ADA) WHEN & WHERE: 22 Feb, Soundwave, RNA Showgrounds
TRIMMING THE FAT
“From experience, I can get attached to ideas for the wrong reasons, and everyone sees thing differently, but it’s a band, not an individual act – you’ve got to be able to compromise.”
Neil Fallon and Clutch removed all the excess on their latest record, and as Benny Doyle uncovers, we’ve got Lemmy from Motörhead to thank.
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ince emerging from Germantown, Maryland way back in 1990, Clutch have been a tough act to pin down. They can roar at you loud and fast, draw back to create layered music with great depth, and just as easily beat you into submission with their chugging, blues-anchored riffs and grooves. In recent years the band have been extending themselves with their recorded output, spoiling their own wants with full-lengths Strange Cousins From The West (2009) and From Beale Street To Oblivion (2007). With their tenth studio album, 2013’s Earth Rocker, they went the opposite way, constructing a concise master-class in dangerous rock’n’roll, the quartet not so much alive and kicking as wild and screaming. Frontman Neil Fallon is on the tour bus in Illinois discussing the year gone. It’s been a monumental one for Clutch: a fantastic reaction to Earth Rocker, louder crowds than ever before. He tries to put his finger on the reason behind the record’s success. “Machine did a really good job of pointing out our strong suits,” he states, referencing the well respected producer who Clutch returned to for the first time since 2004’s Blast Tyrant. “We’re one of those bands that sometimes want to do different things, just out of sheer curiosity. And that’s all well and good, but sometimes in that process you can overlook the strong suits that got you there in the first place. For example, [Machine] asked us to make a setlist of songs that we play at festivals, like a short 40-minute set, and he listened to those songs and created a bit of an abstract aesthetic template for the record. I know that sounds like a really highbrow description of it, but he was able to point out things that I don’t think we would have been able to notice.” And once recognised, the mission for the album was simple – rediscover the riff. Widely known for his extreme approach to making records, Machine was the straight talker Clutch needed back in their corner.
“The way I look [at a producer] is sort of like a dictator,” relates Fallon. “And a band like us, we’re a democracy, and that’s great, but you can chase your own tail forever. You want to do whatever you want to do, and then
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Encouraged by Machine, Clutch got their shit together before entering the studio for once, knocking out a complete demo version of Earth Rocker during preproduction. This allowed the quartet to figure out tempos and hammer it out quickly when Machine hit record. Fallon chuckles when admitting that for once he even wrote his lyrics beforehand, though he adds that he felt the entire process “very odd”. “It sounds like a really live record but the fact of the matter is that I didn’t even see JP [Gaster – drums] in the studio,” he reveals. “I’ve known these guys forever and I have every bit of faith that they know what they’re doing. Nevertheless, when I did hear all the things put into place I breathed a sigh of relief.”
“AND A BAND LIKE US, WE’RE A DEMOCRACY, AND THAT’S GREAT, BUT YOU CAN CHASE YOUR OWN TAIL FOREVER.” you get the producer in who’s blunt enough to tell you that that idea’s rubbish, and hopefully we’re mature enough now to acknowledge things and swallow pride for the good of the whole.” Fallon admits it hasn’t always been that easy to take negative feedback on board, but as he’s gotten older he’s been able to separate the constructive from the criticism.
The path towards Earth Rocker first started being paved in 2011, when Clutch found themselves on the road with two hard rock legends: Thin Lizzy and Motörhead. The bearded frontman found clarity during this time, and after getting deep conversationally with the infamous Lemmy Kilmister the foundation was set for the Clutch of now. “To be able to do it as well as he has, you have to know your limits and be dedicated to some fundamental things that a lot of bands lose sight of very quickly,” he stresses. “I remember one conversation that we had, and he said, ‘You have to keep it simple – you’re not trying to storm a castle, it’s only rock’n’roll’. [And it’s] true, the simpler the better.” WHEN & WHERE: 21 Feb, The Zoo; 22 Feb, Soundwave, RNA Showgrounds
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 23
music
PUNISHMENT TIME After a decade alone, James ‘Munky’ Shaffer has been reunited with his partner in riff, and Korn sound all the better for it. The guitarist tells Benny Doyle about the positives of friendship and why we still should be following the leaders.
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hen Brian ‘Head’ Welch denounced Korn and announced his newfound passion for that lord and saviour character in 2005, you couldn’t help but think the split was going to send the Californian band into a conclusive spiral. The departure of original drummer David Silveria a year later did nothing to dispel this expectation either. But Korn have long been a band that have defied general belief – that’s why the nu-metal trailblazers are still standing, still creating, and after a ten-year sabbatical Welch is shoulder-toshoulder with them once more, returning just in time to cut the band’s 11th studio album, The Paradigm Shift. “To me it’s a very fresh version [of Korn],” begins fellow guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer. “I wouldn’t say we made huge leaps as far as creating some revolutionary new sound – it still sounds very Korn to me. But we definitely wanted to play off our strengths, which is the back and forwards guitar thing. Jonathan [Davis] came up with some great melodies on this record, some very catchy choruses, and of course you have Fieldy’s bass rumbling in the mix and Ray [Luzier] just did a phenomenal job on tracking the drums. It feels like a live band – with The Path Of Totality, where the drums are electronic, it felt a little constrained. This one feels like a train that’s about to come off the tracks.” Considering the flash-in-a-pan touchstones that nu-metal held (awful fashion, throwaway social commentary, immediate oversaturation), Korn have done pretty damn well, not only to emerge from the drop-D heap but to continue challenging themselves and their fans. But even with a new record to plug, undoubtedly the most thrilling prospect for long-time Korn fans heading to Soundwave is the chance to see Munky and Head trading riffs together again. Shaffer admits that their complementing playing styles gives him an unmatched confidence. “He has a way of making me sound better than I actually am, and I’m really good at covering up some of his mistakes and making them sound like he was supposed to do that,” he smiles. “And it works when we’re writing – if he’s making a mistake and doesn’t realise it, Fieldy and I
or Ray and I, we tend to say, ‘That’s cool’, and we point out those things and I think everybody becomes better, especially when we’re in a room together, because it’s those inconsistencies that make
it well. But when the guys talked about bringing in another guitar player I totally refused. It was a process man, the whole thing was super heartbreaking and a real rollercoaster of a time. It took some maturing on my end, to step back and go, ‘Wow, this wasn’t all about the band and it’s not my fault he left’, and a lot of that goes on, like, ‘Could I have helped him not leave?’ but now he’s just a better person on so many levels I’m glad he went through what he had to go through – he might not be,” he laughs. “We still have our personal issues, we’re human, we still get on each others’ nerves. But I’m willing to accept that we all have our shit.” After two decades which have seen offensively high highs and stomach-twisting lows, Korn now seem balanced – like they’ve rediscovered the joy of their existence. But far from thinking complacently, Shaffer stresses that the band are still playing like everything is on the line, and urges the masses to rediscover that passion with them.
“THE WHOLE THING WAS SUPER HEARTBREAKING AND A REAL ROLLERCOASTER OF A TIME.” us human, and when we start to feel insecure about a riff or something there’s that reassurance from just being friends for so many years.” Clearly hit the hardest by Welch’s departure, Shaffer became something of a mediator in the years following, valiantly trying to maintain the peace as his bandmates tore strips off each other in the press. “It took me a longer time to bounce back from it than everybody else,” he laments. “I didn’t process
“I think people are going to be really surprised by how much of a great show we put on. People haven’t seen us in a long time – sure there are pictures on the internet but you really don’t know if [a band’s] still got it until you see them live. And for new listeners, that’s what keeps us pumped up, is that we still want to impress some of the newer generation. And that goes for our peers too, we’re still out there to prove that we have a great catalogue of songs that fucking demand their attention.” WHAT: The Paradigm Shift (Prospect Park/Caroline) WHEN & WHERE: 22 Feb, Soundwave, RNA Showgrounds
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 25
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WINNING PLAY
the noughties. Khan thought she’d be perfect for Hollywood. “I needed someone who’s kind of seen it all – ‘cause that song deals with the rise and fall...”
Emeli Sandé is yet to tour Australia, but her chief cohort Naughty Boy, AKA Shahid Khan, will hit the Future Music Festival. He talks to Cyclone.
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hahid Khan, the Brit R&B/hip hop producer who goes by Naughty Boy, has enjoyed huge solo success with his garagey La La La (featuring Disclosure singer Sam Smith), a UK #1 and multi-platinum here. His eccentrically conceptual album, Hotel Cabana, also taking in the earlier Wonder with Emeli Sandé, is populated by other illustrious guests: Tinie Tempah, Gabrielle, Bastille, Ed Sheeran and token American Wiz Khalifa (who partners Ella Eyre on the current single, Think About It). The inspiration came from an old job. “I used to work in a five-star hotel – I was a waiter there
for two years in 2004,” Khan explains. He’d observe the rich and famous in the “luxurious” surrounds. “I became a bit obsessed with it, in a way. I wanted to be able to afford to go there myself. But then I started thinking, as I spent time working there, the guests seemed a bit lonely and depressed. They had money, but not many friends. I just started to see the other side of it.” For Khan, Hotel Cabana is an allegory for fame, its artists really like guests – “they check in and they check out.” Gabrielle was a big name in the ‘90s, best remembered for the classic Dreams, but, disillusioned, she ‘retired’ in
A sometime business student, raised by Pakistani immigrant parents in Watford, Khan was determined to crack the music industry, finding enterprising means to kit out his garden shed studio and establish a company. Not only did he receive a grant from The Prince’s Trust, Prince Charles’ youth initiative, he also signed on as a Deal Or No Deal contestant – Khan scooped £44,000. “I kept my cool throughout the whole thing. I didn’t get out of my chair, I didn’t hug anyone, I didn’t do anything like that. I just stayed calm and I was just trying to trust my instincts – and I beat the banker, so it worked out really well!” Along the way, he connected with Sandé, then an aspiring singer/songwriter, and they created Chipmunk’s 2009 hit, Diamond Rings. Khan was heavily involved in Sandé’s mega Our Version Of Events. Khan, these days producing for US acts like Rihanna, has been attached to various blockbusters, including the upcoming MKS (former Sugababes) album. “There are rumours,” he admits coyly. Khan is “so busy” promoting Hotel Cabana he’s had to decline offers. Nevertheless, work has begun on Sandé’s second. Khan will be joined by his band at FMF. “I’m bringing Hotel Cabana to Oz,” he enthuses, referencing La La La’s Wizard Of Oz-themed video. “Basically, I’m gonna be like the Wizard and I’m gonna bring all the different characters – and there’ll be some surprises... I want it all to feel like you’re coming into this world – so my band members might be dressed like hotel workers.” WHEN & WHERE: 1 Mar, Future Music Festival, RNA Showgrounds
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26 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
In association with
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film
SHORTS ON PARADE
OUR PICKS
Now in its 23rd year as an international film festival for all films short, Bronwyn Kidd, Flickerfest’s director, speaks to Matt Ziccone about this year’s exciting program.
“T
he thing I really love about short film is that they are innovative, it’s entertaining, it’s very contemporary, it’s immediate, it’s stories that are happening now, unlike feature films that may take seven years to get a budget up, people are making stories that are immediate to them and that they are passionate about.” In the realm of the internet and the renaissance of television and home cinema, Kidd stands by the art of the short film. “Handpicked away from the noise of the internet I guess. It is really hard to find this kind of work and the filmmakers give it to the festivals exclusively because they are going on the career path journey for their film and they really want it to be accepted into an Academy- and BAFTAaccredited short film festival like Flickerfest that will hopefully get them noticed in the industry and get them on the pathway to a successful career.”
Sapphires, which is a really lovely film that points to a process now and that in the constitution Indigenous people still haven’t been recognised. We have Tango Underpants screening, which is a wonderful comedy which I think people have been really enjoying at the festival here in Sydney. It stars Emma Booth and it’s all about a girl who goes on tour; she is a backpacker through Argentina that learns the delights of
WE KEEP ON DANCING
WE KEEP ON DANCING Written by Rhys Mitchell and directed by Jessica Barclay Lawton, this is a comedy-drama about human connection during a strange meeting and even stranger dance between Danny the mechanic and Alan the sensitive sculptor, who are two very different people.
WOODY From writer and director Stuart Bowen comes a stop-motion animation about the story of Woody, who has big dreams about playing piano. The only problem is that he has wooden paddles for hands.
KUSH LEFT TO RIGHT: BUTTER LAMP; NO BUDGET; KUSH
The festival itself has a rich history for Australian filmmakers, from the screening of Adam Elliot’s Harvie Krumpet to David Michod’s earlier shorts like Crossbow, this festival really encompasses cinema away from the mainstream big names, as Kidd explains, “It’s devoid of the commercialism that is such a part of the feature film commercial market place. These are all films made out of passion, love for a story, innovation, with a range of emerging filmmakers that will be defining the story of cinema in the future.” While not every film in the festival makes this year’s tour around the country, there are definitely some incredible films in the line-up, Kidd recommending a few to look out for. “Stand-outs for me that are on the tour are The Fence, which focuses on the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney and when it was a hostel back in ‘92. All of sudden our policy changes, the fence is built and it became a detention centre. Vote Yes, which focuses on the 1967 referendum and stars Miranda Tapsell from The
the tango as well as the importance of having the right underwear. “In the international program they are all pretty amazing really. There are some great works on tour there. One of the films that has been a festival favourite has been Butter Lamp. It’s a Chinese-French co-production and that one looks at a young photographer and his assistant who suggest that Tibetan nomads take their picture against more or less exotic backgrounds.”
WHAT: Flickerfest WHEN & WHERE: 27 Feb to 1 Mar, Judith Wright Centre 28 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
Written and directed by Shubhasish Bhutiani, Kush was inspired of the true story of the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards, sparking anti-Sikh riots across the country. A teacher struggles to protect Kush, the only Sikh student in her class of 10-yearolds, from the growing violence around him.
BUTTER LAMP Hu Wei’s film explores cultural identity through photographing Tibetan families against various landmark backgrounds. The photographer weaves links and creates a subtle commentary through the visual juxtapositions.
NO BUDGET Written, directed and produced by Christopher Stollery, this meta piece sees Hugo Weaving and David Wenham crashing a debate between two cineastes about how to make a film with no budget. FLICKERFEST DIRECTOR, BRONWYN KIDD
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 29
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FLOATING ON OKAY The success of The Kite String Tangle might seem like a bright explosion, but as Danny Harley clears up for Benny Doyle, it’s been more of a slow burn.
W
hen it comes to music, Danny Harley never stops. Even when The Music calls, he’s still sitting in his bedroom practicing paradiddles. Such is life for the young producer and multiinstrumentalist, who’s enjoying the burgeoning success as The Kite String Tangle, his solo sidestep from his regular gig as part of Brisvegas live electronic quintet Pigeon.
“[The two projects] are pretty separate in my head, apart from the basic thing that they’re both largely made on my computer. Pigeon is very much a collaborative process between five guys, and Kite String is just the stuff that I do myself. It’s not like I write a song and then don’t know if it’s going to be used for Pigeon or Kite String, it always starts with a very clear vision,” he explains. Although Harley has been ‘officially’ releasing music under his Kite String solo guise since 2012, it was last year that the project really found legs, the massive success of single Given The Chance propelling the 25-year-old onto festival stage, in
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front of sold out club crowds, and even pushing the track into the upper echelon of the latest Hottest 100. Many would see this ascent as whirlwind, but Harley is quick to dismiss that idea, explaining that eight years of tinkering now sits behind him. “It seems very new, but it’s actually been a long development process,” he clarifies. “But whatever I’ve done I’m going to leave behind and progress and only release new stuff; it’s the whole process of developing my sound. But yeah, it’s been going on for a while, it just doesn’t appear that way.” Following his lauded performance at the inaugural Byron Bay Falls Festival, an experience he admits was the ideal culmination of a breakthrough year, and before he jets off to SXSW, Harley will launch his debut EP with the biggest club shows of his career. For a gent who originally built his tracks around nature samples recorded on his parent’s property, it’s an incredible journey – one which he can’t wait to continue with a retuned stage show designed to reward those that have danced with him. “I’ve been building a light globe with my housemate this whole month that I’m going to be touring around with,” Harley reveals. “Last time I went on tour it was just me playing my songs, this time it’s going to be much more of a show. This time there is going to be synchronised lights and hopefully some projections; it should be a noticeable step up from last time. I want it to feel much more like a headline show, and I want it to be memorable and to reward people for showing so much support so early on.” WHEN & WHERE: 22 & 23 Feb, The Zoo; 4 May, Groovin The Moo, Townsville Cricket Grounds
SEASONAL SHIFT As Major Leagues prepare for their first national headline tour, Vlada Edirippulige spoke to Brendan Telford about the heady evolution of the band.
M
ajor Leagues have only been in existence for little over a year, but have already ticked off some lifetime goals. Endless Drain, their sunny second single, took the airwaves by storm, featured prominently in many end-of-year best of lists around the country, and saw them collect support slots for the likes of Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils and Violent Soho. Now comes the release of the band’s debut EP, Weird Season, however, which bassist Vlada Edirippulige feels is a perfect representation of the evolution of the band thus far. “We have really got a push out of Endless Drain, but I don’t think we realised what would happen when we put that out as a single,” Edirippulige admits. “[Final track] Creeper was one of the first songs we wrote as a group, and that seemed like what we as a band wanted to do. So when Endless Drain came along we were like ‘No, this is not us, there is no way this can work!’ When we were recording I remember Anna [Davidson, guitar/vox] saying ‘No, get rid of it!’, but Jake [Knauth, drums] really stood behind it. I’m glad he did, because we’ve grown to really love it, but we did not see the Best Coast comparisons coming at all.” Yet the pop element that’s endeared Major Leagues to their fans is only one facet of their influences. The new single, Silver Tides, shares pastel shades of shoegaze, predicating the band’s love of the likes of Slowdive. 30 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
“[Weird Season] is essentially summing up the year that we’ve had. Teen Mums was the first song that we put out, just to show that we were doing something, whilst Feel is effectively the newest song, so it feels like a natural progression, and it feels natural to show that on one recording, the broad spectrum that is Major Leagues. We’ve all played in our own strange bands, and it was refreshing to come together with these three other people and it be so easy, to have a similar taste in music and be able to sit down together. That level of democracy is rare. “In Endless Drain, you can hear Jaimee [Freyer, guitar/vox] in that guitar;
it’s her all over! Even the cover and poster art, the photos come from a little bag I found in my dad’s garage. My dad was studying in Ukraine in the ‘80s, because it was cheaper to study in the Soviet Union than it was in Sri Lanka. I was born in St Petersburg, so these photos of my father’s friends and classes really captured something that I think works really well with Major Leagues.” This year promises headier heights, starting with a national headline tour with The Ocean Party. “It’s so exciting.” Edirippulige exclaims. “And we were so stoked when The Ocean Party agreed to tour with us – those guys just don’t stop! Their album has been burning a hole in my record player. So yeah – it’s going to be so much fun, we can’t wait.” WHAT: Weird Season (MGM) WHEN & WHERE: 20 Feb, Alhambra Lounge; 21 Feb, The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba; 22 Feb, Solbar, Maroochydore
EVERYTHING FLOWS John Waters tells Danielle O’Donohue he’s ready to step back into John Lennon’s shoes.
M
usic may be the universal language but when veteran actor and musician John Waters first moved to Australia he found his love of music wasn’t always helpful in making new friends. “I know that the Australians who were into music like I was had a little a bit of jealousy that I grew up in South West London which had this massive music scene,” Waters says. “I saw The Rolling Stones live and I was directly affected by the Beatles. “England was radically changed by the Beatles. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that. There was a complete sociological change in the ‘60s. The Beatles weren’t the only ones in it but they were a big part of it.
I think the fact you can now come from Liverpool or Huddersfield and you can appear as a BBC newsreader or someone who has intellectual credibility is because those prejudices were done away by the Beatles.” The Beatles and John Lennon, in particular, are a topic than John Waters had been exploring for over 20 years when he first started performing Looking Through A Glass Onion, a show using Lennon’s music to explore his enigmatic and endlessly fascinating life. Waters says he’s still learning about the man behind the myth. “More and more seems to emerge with every new documentary or piece of writing that comes out,”
Waters says. “I saw something recently on ABC [Rock ‘N’ Roll Exposed: The Photography Of Bob Gruen] that was about one of the photographers that worked a lot with Lennon and Yoko [Ono] in New York. Lennon emerges as a far gentler character, certainly during those years. The thing was he was sarcastic, arrogant and violent. There was a lot of anger inside him as a lot of children who are deserted at the age of three or four tend to have so being that complex and having that complex a past there are so many facets to John Lennon that there’s always plenty more to learn.”
theatre
It’s the many facets of Lennon’s personality that Waters says keeps his performance fresh after all these years. “I carry certain thoughts with me onto the stage and I’ll do an aggressive show one night and a slightly mellower show one night. It’s what I love about the show. It is a fluctuating thing even though it’s the same material and the same script that I follow every night. Live performance is such a magic thing in ways that are hard to pin down. “I’m really looking forward to getting back to doing it this time because these songs were written with an acoustic guitar or a piano and that’s what we do now onstage. We don’t have a full band. We do it the way it was intended it to be and our audiences are hearing the lyrics a lot better for the first time. I have this feeling that this latest incarnation which is a return to the original, we’ve got a lot more satisfaction yet to get from it.” WHAT: Looking Through A Glass Onion WHEN & WHERE: 25 Feb – 2 Mar, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Cremorne Theatre
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 31
music
WHERE HE’S AT It’s been a tough few years for the formerly unflappable Beck, but he’s emerged from the darkness clutching a gorgeous new album. He explains to Steve Bell the benefits of stepping back and working with friends, and how his 2012 trip to Australia for Harvest Festival helped reignite his passion for creativity. S indie folk icon Beck’s 2002 album Sea Change was a dramatic change of pace for the singersongwriter, even by his own chameleon-like standards. An intensely personal suite of string-laden ballads documenting a failed relationship, it was a sombre and relatively organic addition to a catalogue more often used to start parties then to reflect on life’s complexities.
U
Now, a dozen years later, Beck has compiled a new album, Morning Phase, which reunites the same band that worked on Sea Change – chiefly Justin MeldalJohnsen (bass), Joey Waronker (drums), Smokey Hormel (guitars), multi-instrumentalist Roger Joseph Manning Jr and even his own father David Campbell back arranging the strings – and perfectly captures the ambient feel of its predecessor in the process.
Gainsbourg really helped him overcome the career doubts which had been plaguing him for years, his conundrum abetted by the serious and debilitating back injury that he’d also been battling for the duration. “I think it’s helpful in just getting on the other side of it, and helping somebody else push that car up the hill,” he smiles. “It’s quite an
“I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN A BAND – ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A PART OF A GROUP OF CREATIVE PEOPLE.” BECK @ HARVEST FESTIVAL, WERRIBEE PARK 2012. PIC: JAY HYNES
Morning Phase is a mildly conceptual piece that tonally, and often lyrically, is set at the break of dawn, as the doubts harboured by the previous night’s darkness start to recede into the recesses of memory. There are still hints of sadness and despair present throughout but these are dwarfed by a more prevailing sense of optimism and hope – in many ways it’s the complete antithesis of Sea Change, although both records are united by requisitely strong songwriting and their creator’s unabashed sincerity. “While I was making this record I spent a lot of time trying to step outside of it and look at it from a distance to get a perspective of how {the songs] all fit together,” Beck muses. “I’ve had a lot of experiences [in the past] where I make a body of songs and at the end just throw them together in sequence, and then you can kind of hear, ‘Well these three songs don’t really need to be on the record – or they may not fit with all these other ones – but we worked really hard on them and now we’re done with the record it’s not like we can go back…’ So I spent a lot of time being immersed in it and then stepping back. “I had commitments that took me to Paris and London for two months, so I ended up taking my work along with me and I ended up using any time I had free – a free day or a free night – as time to work in the studio on the record, and being over there I think I could view the songs in a different light.” It’s been six years since Beck’s last long-player Modern Guilt, and he believes that the production work he did in that intervening time for high calibre contemporaries like Stephen Malkmus, Thurston Moore and Charlotte 32 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
effort making a record, there’s a lot of details, but I’ve spent a lot of time making records – it’s what I’ve dedicated my life to – and I think I’ve had points where I wonder, ‘Well, are you overstaying your welcome? Should I be doing something else now? There’s new bands coming in, should I be getting out of the way?’ All these things, but I think that I finally realised that I’ve put tens of thousands of hours into recording and working on songs – this is what I’ve dedicated my life to – so I thought if anything I can at least help others. “I’ve always wanted to be in a band – always wanted to be a part of a group of creative people – and I like that process. A lot of times I’ve felt kind of alone or isolated creatively – you know, you create a certain kind of
individual sound or feeling to the music. And this new record I recorded with the band but 95 per cent [of the time] I was on my own with an engineer. It was crazy, like a long journey into night. A lot of time with nobody there to work off of – it’s just you and the music – which has its value, but I think being able to produce other bands or work with other artists is like a vacation from all that introspection and working on your own thing.” It’s hard to believe that someone with such an illustrious career as Beck’s behind him would be subject to such an existential dilemma – did the doubts recede after he’d once more created a body of work as beautiful as Morning Phase? “No, I think it had already receded before I made this record – I don’t think I would have made this record if I was feeling that way, you know?” he chuckles. “I think it was really helpful coming to Australia [in 2012] – I hadn’t been on a real tour in years, and just coming there when I did, I just felt that I got to step out of things a bit and see that it’s just music and that you’re just contributing to a conversation that thousands and thousands of people are contributing to, and certain songs find homes in different people’s lives. “And occasionally a song will be the kind of emblematic piece of music for that moment in time – these huge songs which just kind of speak for the moment – but it doesn’t have to be about that. I can just kind of be contributing to the whole stream of it.” WHAT: Morning Phase (Capitol/EMI)
GRAND DAMES Clare Moore is bringing her new band The Dames to Brisbane for the first time. She tells Chris Yates about writing the selftitled debut album with co-Dame, Kaye Louise Patterson.
“I
started working with Kaye quite a few years ago when she put out a solo album,” Moore says of how The Dames became an entity. “I was playing drums with her and eventually we got around to talking about how it might a good idea to put out an album together. I put out a solo album years ago too [The Third Woman] and we just thought it might be an idea to pool our resources and have a band that revolved around two singers instead of one, and with the added thing that
I play drums and she plays piano, which in itself is kind of unusual as well. We decided to collaborate in that way because we thought it would be interesting and that our music actually works well together.” For the debut album, Patterson and Moore have taken turns writing songs, but Moore says they’re interested in the idea of working on the songwriting together. “We haven’t done that yet but we might do it for the next album, but for this one it was definitely us writing separately. It takes a while to work out how to do that with another musician I suppose. Kaye works in a different way to me; she tends to sit
down at the piano and write a whole song and play it over and over and she also sings and plays piano at the same time when we record. I’m definitely more of a ‘MIDI or Pro Tools in the studio’ writer. I write verses and choruses and chop them all up and rearrange them.”
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It’s a style of composition that’s seen her have success with another style of musical production, steadily building her reputation as a soundtrack composer, beginning with her work on the score for Tony Martin’s hilarious Bad Eggs, alongside her partner Dave Graney. “I’m not that good at playing a piano but the problem with being a drummer is you can’t really accompany yourself. I can play bits of songs [on the piano] and that’s the way I write, which is sort of how you work with soundtrack writing – you just write bits of songs.” The Dames’ album was produced by an old friend with a remarkable musical history, Barry Adamson of Bad Seeds infamy. “We met him when he started playing with Nick Cave and he was playing in the Bad Seeds, and Dave and I were in London playing with The Moodists,” she remembers. “They actually supported us believe it or not! We met him back then and we used to hang out with him a bit in London. We’ve been friends with him for quite a long time, and when he came out for a tour last year The Dames actually supported him, and he so was blown away by our act he asked if he could mix the album, which was fantastic. We’re very pleased to have that kind of support from someone that we really respect.” WHEN & WHERE: 21 & 22 Feb, Queen Street Mall; 23 Feb, Brisbane Powerhouse
KEEPING AMUSED
music
Unpredictable yet always entertaining, The Sidetracked Fiasco are set to shock and rock you as they head out on tour once again this month. Co-founder John O’Donnell gives Jazmine O’Sullivan a glimpse into the logic behind their madness.
I
f you’re at all familiar with the work of Sydney-based freaks The Sidetracked Fiasco, you’ll know they’re a bit of a mixed bag. Switching from grabs of funk, punk, reggae or heavy metal within mere moments of one another in the same song, bass player John O’Donnell reveals this is mostly done to keep himself entertained. “I get bored pretty easily,” he laughs, “so when I’m writing songs I like to pretend I have my own personal iPod on shuffle and just switch up the song every time I get bored, and put it all into one song and see how it goes!” Their unique and often bizarre take on what they do doesn’t stop with the music either. Their film clips are laden with the likes of sasquatches behaving inappropriately, body paint, masks and costumes, and are always loads of fun, a feel which O’Donnell explains the group try to bring to their live shows as well. “For our last Halloween gig our singer [Ryan Miller] basically painted his whole body red and then got naked about four songs in! It was quite confronting! But there’s always a good sense of humour to what we do and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Well, we take the music seriously, but the performance should be fun.” With the boys set to hit a number of venues in their forthcoming Funkcore Slayered Fest tour, O’Donnell
confesses the name is a bit tongue-in-cheek. “We’re just having a bit of fun with the whole ‘core’ thing. For the most part we’re just a heavy funk band, but with all the tours we’ve done, and all the time we’ve spent in the van, we always find ourselves listening to bands like Slayer, Pantera and Parkway Drive, then we rock up and play some funk music at out gigs. We think that’s quite bizarre so we thought we’d celebrate that a little bit. And plus it’s just a strange name and we like stuff like that that.” The band’s most recent single Fish Stew is another diverse, funky and epic masterpiece
which is definitely another gem in the catalogue, however, O’Donnell says the band may have some extra surprises up their sleeves at these shows. “We’ll probably be dropping a couple of little snippets of some new stuff that we’ve been working on. We’ve got a new song called Cranky Old Bastard and another one called Funkageddon, which no one has heard before so that should be exciting. We’ll also throw in a couple of jam tracks, and we like to ask the audience for help with the lyrics whenever they can.” Once this tour is done, O’Donnell reveals the group will be aiming to continue playing gigs for the better part of the year. “At the moment we’re just finishing up booking our winter tour, and then we want to hit a full Australian tour.” WHEN & WHERE: 20 Feb, The Beer Garden, Surfers Paradise; 21 Feb, Beetle Bar THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 33
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
★★★★
album reviews
BECK
THE HOLIDAYS
Capitol/EMI
Liberation
There are many albums where esteemed artists break from the mould of their musical oeuvre, an action that proves divisive, having hardcore fans either gnashing their teeth or ravenous for more. Not many have drawn hordes of fans based on that one album blip – yet Sea Change has been a record that has stood as a solitary bastion to gentle, intricate songwriting without the pomp and bombast that Beck is known for. Many admirers are fans based on this album alone. Yet it seemed there would never be a repeat performance in these nuanced sonic locales, and after 2008’s Modern Guilt saw Beck create a songbook rather than songs, some thought it might be the end of his studio recordings altogether.
There’s more than a few flashes of The Holidays of old to be found on Real Feel, but this record offers so much more than the tropical indie that summarised 2010 debut Post Paradise. A four-year break has given the band the technical skills and creative scope to write songs with kaleidoscopic vision, the sounds bouncing around the record in a floating state, pulling you up and away as you listen in and get lost.
Morning Phase
But Beck has always done what he wants, and with Morning Phase he veers back into the beautiful introspection of Sea Change with a brace of
Real Feel
eloquent, sustained sounds. After the prologue of Cycle, the first moments of Morning even mirror the soft, melancholy lilt of The Golden Age – yet rather than feel like cribbing from past endeavours, it comes as a hushed embrace, a wonderful return to the fold. Whilst the hushed weariness and thick, lush orchestration that Sea Change brilliantly evoked is here, there is a sunnier disposition in places too – songs like Heart Is A Drum and Blackbird Chain are more akin to ‘60s folk-pop troubadours. Let’s hope Morning Phase is the birth of a new era and not just another flight of fickle fancy. Brendan Telford
Long Now immediately tells you that you’re about to embark on an adventure – the synths are sci-fi, while the drums and piano are straight thriller. Simon Jones’ vocals soon arrive, albeit with sonics far richer than their first record, and together it all makes for an ideal intro. All Time High stands out as single fodder and on first listen you’re quickly taking the bait, but repeated spins show the track to be fairly shallow; Voices Drifting is way
PAPA VS PRETTY
ST VINCENT
EMI
It’s testament to Annie Clark’s individual and idiosyncratic talent that even as she crosses a typical scattergun of styles to find some unexpected corners for her synthesised muse, it all remains singularly hers. It’s in those moments THAT beauty emerges from apparent chaos; Bring Me Your Loves is one such moment, a whirling dervish in a Turkish market, before collapsing into the title plea. That so-identifiable voice of hers going from longing to near threatening to matter-offactly informing Birth In Reverse’s ‘ordinary day’ includes putting the bins out and masturbating. And you simply accept it as truth.
White Deer Park does have its near misses – Rawle’s voice often overpowers the song’s musicality, and alternatively, flimsy lyricism is shielded by interesting harmonics (Rain Check). That being said, the hits are a complete bullseye. Sliding comfortably into ‘90s pop-rock, Suburban Joan Of Arc intensifies from pure enjoyment to a soaring conclusion, only to be outdone by anchors of the album’s second half, While I’m Still Young and Dementia Praecox, 34 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
more intriguing, with layers of effects and cutting guitar combining to make you pine for the afternoon sun in your eyes. The Phoenix-aping Japan Window again challenges the expected, with a variety of sections feeling foreign yet super inviting, while the back-end and additional percussive elements during the final few tracks push through some languid moments before Morning Workout bursts in conclusive colour. Real Feel is a confident move forwards from a band that could’ve easily got lost in the indie flood, and although not defining, it definitely feels good. Benny Doyle
St Vincent
Loma Vista/Caroline
White Deer Park Rather than filling the shoes left by debut United In Isolation, Sydney’s Papa Vs Pretty have taken some time to gently tiptoe from the past, with key moments of second record White Deer Park carving their own place in the heart. All 12 full-length tracks are doused with frontman Thomas Rawle’s gritty belt, flipping to an honest, crisp and enthralling falsetto.
★★★ ½
★★★ ½ revealing a delicate, poignant weight. The true success of White Deer Park is first single My Life Is Yours, a sophisticated narrative of lost love. Delving deep into passion and doubt, Rawle’s vocals are excruciatingly tender, possessing an honesty not altogether found in To Do or Smother, additions that instead encapsulate Papa Vs Pretty’s capacity for shredding rock‘n’roll. White Deer Park is surely a fan favourite, but equipped with certain gems, it also has the potential to move anyone who has experienced life’s mishaps. A healthy progression from an album that seemed impossible to top. Mat Lee
There are echoes of the Love This Giant project with David Byrne: Digital Witness has some of the stutter that marked that collaboration’s territory – although here it’s provided by keyboard taps rather than genuine wheezing brass. Working with the Talking Head emeritus appears to have given Clark more
★★★★ focus, although occasionally an idea still meanders and drifts away, rather than Clark selfediting as she probably should. Then again, this is of the art side of pop, so such discipline may not even be relevant to her work. Elsewhere, Clark dips into some perhaps unexpected grab-bags. Prince Johnny is machine-made doo-wop making a You’re So Vain for this century, while the quietly soaring I Prefer Your Love is plaintive kind of soul, undercut by the title’s postscript ‘to Jesus…’. It’s the little asides and afterthoughts that keep you a bit off balance, yet captivated. She remains special. Ross Clelland
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 35
album reviews
★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
★★ ½
BAYSIDE
SIETTA
VANISHING POINT
LO-FANG
Hopeless/Unified
Elefant Traks/Inertia
Rockstar Records
4AD/Remote Control
Rhythmic and deafening drums greet us in Cult’s opener, Big Cheese, and a grinding, metalesque guitar riff slides into the unique and gripping vocals of Anthony Raneri. Bayside have returned with their sixth record, and to say it sounds huge would be an understatement. Put headphones on and it’ll sound like you’re being suffocated by a sea of organised chaos. When Time Has Come rolls around, it’s clear that every part of every song serves a purpose. If you’re keen to get into Bayside but don’t know where to start, track five, Pigsty, would be your best place.
Sietta’s second album is even more staggeringly impressive than its predecessor, beginning slowly and hauntingly with the opening refrain of Let It Go. This Darwin-bred hip hop ensemble’s original sound shines particularly bright in Disturbingly Beautiful, which features a complex and infectious beat complemented expertly by Sietta’s famed vocals. The most powerful track on the album is undoubtedly Agree To Disagree – energy, musical prowess and sass in equal measure. The album closes as it began, Invisible opening slowly and building into a particularly chilling and heartfelt tune. This release embodies all their musical talent and energy.
Personnel changes and seven years removed from predecessor The Fourth Season, these Melburnians continue to play to their (substantial) strengths. An hour-plus of deeply melodic, lush prog-metal, vocalist Silvio Massaro possesses an urgent, soulful quality suggesting he could sing the Yellow Pages and still engage, here lifting majestic Let The River Run and As December Fades to grand heights. Symphonic flourishes are thankfully no mere window dressing; pointed, thoughtful guitar lines increasingly seep into your subconscious. Boasting anthem-in-the-making a la power metal gem When Truth Lies, the European market beckons.
On paper, this should be a brilliant record: 4AD-released indie-electro, composed by a classically trained multiinstrumentalist with an ear for grooves and a mind for heartfelt lyrics. Unfortunately, the sum of these parts is oddly less than presented individually. Clunky lyrics and all too often meandering compositions wound every great idea. Immaculately produced, the album does have shades of hip indie electroniceers James Blake and Twin Shadow, but the songs themselves just don’t quite stand up. Pleasant and enticing, but ultimately a little hollow – hopefully it’s simply an inauspicious start to Lo-Fang’s career.
Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Brendan Crabb
Andrew McDonald
Cult
The Invisible River
Daniel Cribb
★★★ ½
Distant Is the Sun
★★ ½
Blue Film
★★★★
★★★ ½
PHANTOGRAM
THE FRAY
THE NOTWIST
WILD BEASTS
Universal
Sony
Spunk
Domino/EMI
On their second LP, NYC duo (and sometime Flaming Lips/Big Boi collaborators) Phantogram donಏt feel like dancinಏ much like the office gossip doesnಏt want to tell you something juicy you wonಏt believe. So, as if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Naked and Famous are running the DJ booth, Black Out Days sees Sarah Barthel wail about ಯa thousand voices in my headರ, Howling At The Moon gets cartoony-gothic and Celebrating Nothing confesses to indulgent self-destruction, all under a veneer of glossy leather-pop. Voices has enough bite to leave a mark but isn’t as menacing as one might hope.
Helios is The Fray’s attempt at convincing the world they didn’t peak too early. Stuart Price (The Killers, Madonna) was recruited to provide a fresh take on the band’s direction, yet his electronica influence only serves to detract from the band’s greatest strength – Isaac Slade’s iconic voice. Opener, Hold My Hand is a nice showing of their tested and true form of light rock, but mostly Helios is characterised by the band’s struggle to redefine their identity. The Fray may well see success like How To Save A Life again, just not with anything on this record.
The Notwist, those of the dark German indie rock leanings, have finally dived full-force into electronic experimentation on Close To The Glass. Call it their OK Computer, with even more experience and confidence, if you have to compare it to something. There’s delicately used sparseness, powerful segues between acoustic and electronic sections, and the overarching angst Notwist do such a good job of harnessing. A few tracks, like Run Run Run and Lineri, sway towards dubby dance – probably a tip of the hat to Four Tet and Caribou’s remixes – but this is definitely a late-night-alone album.
Wild Beasts have been on something of an evolutionary arc with each album showcasing their willingness to dig deep into creative corners. Present Tense continues that trend, taking them further into the world of lush electronica. Daughters dials up drama like a subtler Depeche Mode, harnessing tension and some abrasive sonics to create an absorbing dynamic within a fairly standard song structure. Sweet Spot is just as engaging but rides on Thorpe’s hooky chorus melody, while New Life is Fleming’s strongest vocal performance to date. This is the most measured and confident release from Wild Beasts.
Voices
Mac McNaughton
Helios
Ash Goldberg
Close To The Glass
Cam Findlay
Present Tense
Chris Familton
36 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
E V A W D N SOU G YIN A L P
2CD AUSTRALIAN TOUR EDITION FEATURING ‘OPPOSITES - LIVE FROM GLASGOW’
www.biffyclyro.com
OUT FEB 21
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 37
albums/singles/eps
★★★★
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD Vegemite Flightless/Remote Control Sing about what you know, they say, and clearly Stu from KGATLW loves Vegemite. It’s hard not to enjoy such a pop delight, drowned in distortion.
ST VINCENT Digital Witness Caroline St Vincent proves it’s possible to make interesting, upbeat pop music with weird production flourishes that you still want to dance to.
FEMME
GREENTHIEF
JACKIE ONASSIS
Cult
Voyage
Juliette
Hopeless/Unified
MGM
Independent/Sony
Rhythmic and deafening drums greet us in Cult’s opener, Big Cheese, and a grinding, metalesque guitar riff slides into the unique and gripping vocals of Anthony Raneri. Bayside have returned with their sixth record, and to say it sounds huge would be an understatement. Put headphones on and it’ll sound like you’re being suffocated by a sea of organised chaos. When Time Has Come rolls around, it’s clear that every part of every song serves a purpose. If you’re keen to get into Bayside but don’t know where to start, track five, Pigsty, would be your best place.
It seems like forever we’ve been hearing Greenthief ’s name bandied about on local tour bills and in the odd bit of airplay, without any lengthy releases to sink our teeth into. Finally debut Voyage has landed, and not only lives up to anticipations, it does exactly what its namesake suggests. The journey is one that ricochets from unwitting guitar noodling to ballsy, flamboyant psych-rock throughout (and housed singularly in opener Gypsy). Julian Schweitzer helms the Melbourne trio with a voice harbouring bits of Thom Yorke and a ’70s-tinged vibe echoing Mars Volta’s progressive lines. It’s a safe journey but it’s a damn enjoyable one.
A surprisingly fresh and suave twist on hip hop, Juliette is vibrant and full of life. Jackie Onassis’ signature chilled backbeats anchor each song, keeping you focused. With each track deservedly earning its place on Juliette, from the bouncy Special Occasion to the melodic Said And Done, their blend of smooth electronics and intense, sometimes expletive, lyrics (it is hip hop after all), inevitably compels you to love Australia’s new Hilltop Hoods. Jackie Onassis have tapped into a rare power to make a fun yet sophisticated hip hop EP, appealing even to those self-proclaimed haters.
Carley Hall
Brie Jorgensen
Daniel Cribb
Shock FEMME aka Laura Bettinson writes, produces, records, does the art and incidentally rules at all of those things. Fever Boy is lighthearted fun with a dark edge and hell of a hook for a chorus.
★★★★
THE NOTWIST Spunk With more bass than all of their previous songs combined, The Notwist still have elements of the dreaded folktronica movement they are basically responsible for, but the sounds are much more interesting.
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS Stranger To My Happiness Shock With a soulful shuffle and Jones’ amazing vocals, Stranger To My Happiness is one of those many tracks where Jones and the DapKings get everything right. Chris Yates
38 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
★★★★
BAYSIDE
Fever Boy
Close To The Glass
★★★½
SIETTA
★★★
★★★½
WE ARE THE IN CROWD
PHANTOGRAM
The Invisible River Elefant Traks/Inertia
Weird Kids
Universal
Sietta’s second album is even more staggeringly impressive than its predecessor, beginning slowly and hauntingly with the opening refrain of Let It Go. This Darwin-bred hip hop ensemble’s original sound shines particularly bright in Disturbingly Beautiful, which features a complex and infectious beat complemented expertly by Sietta’s famed vocals. The most powerful track on the album is undoubtedly Agree To Disagree – energy, musical prowess and sass in equal measure. The album closes as it began, Invisible opening slowly and building into a particularly chilling and heartfelt tune. This release embodies all their musical talent and energy.
Hopeless/Unified
There’s a sense of forced angst, forced earnestness and forced world-weariness. Even so, it’s hard to hold any of it against them.
On their second LP, NYC duo (and sometime Flaming Lips/Big Boi collaborators) Phantogram don’t feel like dancin’, much like the office gossip doesn’t want to tell you something juicy you won’t believe. So, as if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Naked and Famous are running the DJ booth, Black Out Days sees Sarah Barthel wail about “a thousand voices in my head”, Howling At The Moon gets cartoony-gothic and Celebrating Nothing confesses to indulgent self-destruction, all under a veneer of glossy leatherpop. Voices has enough bite to leave a mark but isn’t as menacing as one might hope.
Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Pete Laurie
Mac McNaughton
With a focus on the ‘pop’ and an almost complete disregard for the ‘punk’, Poughkeepsie pop-punkers We Are the In Crowd wear their influences clearly on their sleeves throughout Weird Kids. Opener, Long Live The Kids is all Evanescence in its epic pianos, driving guitars and soaring female vocals, while tracks like The Best Thing (That Never Happened) and Manners are pure Avril Lavigne brattiness.
Voices
live reviews
THE NATIONAL, LULUC
Brisbane Riverstage 11 Feb The grass is soft and the sounds are subdued with Luluc soundtracking plenty of laybacks as dusk does its thing. The former Melbourne pair, who now reside in Brooklyn, are delightful, if fairly vanilla, though banter about supermarket guitars and the occasional bit of abrasion from Steve Hassett gets your attention. We then follow the backstage footage as indie-rock heroes The National emerge in extended septet form, the regular five-piece filled out by a two-man brass section to make the grandest of indie bands sound even grander. Frontman Matt Berninger is
committed a crime, but the focal point in the group’s sound really comes from drummer Bryan Devendorf, who, despite looking like 30 Rock’s Judah Friedlander in a pink trucker cap, manages to carry the night’s momentum with workhorse-like intent. Later in the set during Graceless, the band show their human side, completely stopping the song to start again after some comical microphone issues, but otherwise the main set is immaculate.
a previous solo tour. Sincere and good-natured, he’s every bit a folk troubadour, with delicate fingerpicking and rhythmic strumming showcasing just how comfortable he is on his instrument. McLaren’s themes are mature; wry observations of friends or musings on the concept of death mean his writing and delivery echoes in the tune of Bob Dylan and John Denver, with closer Farewell This House beautifully illustrating this contradictory inner world.
Even after two hours though, there are still boxes to tick, and the band don’t disappoint, roaring through an encore that features Berninger getting manhandled (and misdirected) in the crowd as he exorcises political demons with Mr November, which is followed by the customary closing triumph that is Terrible Love. But then, just when we’re all expecting the
Josh Pyke begins by building Bug Eyed Beauty layer by vocal layer, hushing the cheering crowd. There is something magical in watching a musician so perfectly articulate their singular vision right before your eyes. The arrangements are painstakingly crafted but still spontaneous and dynamic through the entire set. A few harmonies, a makeshift kick drum from the
THE NATIONAL @ BRISBANE RIVERSTAGE. PIC: SKY KIRKHAM
designed to sweat in a sharp three-piece suit, however, the Dressner and Devendorf sibling bonds are broken with bassist Scott Devendorf back in New York looking after his newborn. The band doesn’t miss a beat though, with stand-in Logan Cole zeroing down on the bottomend with the focus of a hawk, allowing the Ohio sons to take us on a journey through the most intense and refrained moments from their past decade of songs. Moving beneath crisscrossing lights and a giant video screen, The National give us so many pinnacles. Mistaken For Strangers is propelled with an urgency that you can’t shake, Sea Of Love spills over into a rousing, harmonious climax, while Conversation 16 practically demands that we admit to our sinful ways with the howling refrain of “I’m evil”. Berninger is as intense as ever, stalking the stage like he’s just
THE NATIONAL @ BRISBANE RIVERSTAGE. PIC: SKY KIRKHAM
band to walk off to the sides, they instead move closer, huddling at the front of the stage, ditching any form of amplification to lead a torch-light singalong of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks. To turn a space as vast as the Riverstage into a campfire for thousands is an impossible feat, but The National have long been a band that have defied expectation, the final stand tonight making us feel alive in the most communal of ways. Benny Doyle
JOSH PYKE, JACKSON MCLAREN Old Museum 15 Feb Left-handed songwriter Jackson McLaren is young but seasoned, having accompanied Josh Pyke on
made clear in a few songs, like The Doldrums and Vibrations In Air. The gratitude towards his fans is evident, and his banter is tangential and hilarious. “This will be my ‘last song’,” he cheekily says to the crowd before returning for the encore. Love Lies is favourite set bookend, the vocal layers still looping hypnotically as he walks off the stage. Amorina Fitzgerald-Hood
BIG IRON, ANGHARAD DRAKE
The Hideaway 15 Feb Brisbane-based folk songstress Angharad Drake enhances The Hideaway’s laidback ambience with her minimalistic
JOSH PYKE @ THE OLD MUSEUM. PIC: MARKUS RAVIK
body of the guitar and an iPad’s piano key is all it takes to recreate just enough of the density of Pyke’s recorded work. At the core of it though, he’s a powerhouse performer. It is impressive how tightly he executes the intricate guitar lines and wordy songs – and with a voice that cannot be faulted. Presumably benefiting from vocal training, the falsetto reaches of Order Has Abandoned Us, Our House Breathing and The Summer are spine-tingling. He moves across his entire catalogue tonight, from the haunting to the jaunty. Memories And Dust has the whole room softly singing along, so too Sew Your Name and the gloriously cuss-filled Lighthouse Song. White Lines Dancing is the embodiment of Pyke’s ability to marry tender melodies with bittersweet lyrics about love, loss and fear of time running out. That tension is
yet beautiful melodies. Taking the stage armed only with an acoustic guitar can be a tricky gig to master, however Drake seems a natural. There’s something about her voice that commands complete attention, while compelling you to learn her story. There’s also a soothing quality to her songs, which make you feel as though everything is going to be alright: an astounding quality coming from a performer so young. When called upon, a foot pedal creates sweet accompanying harmonies, yet it almost seems unnecessary as her voice is so alluring on its own. Included in her setlist is a cover of Passenger’s Caravan, before the performance is rounded out with a beautiful original. The Big Iron lads bring a heavier artillery to proceedings – double bass, drums, banjo as well as acoustic and electric guitar are THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 39
live reviews the ingredients for this ultimate alt-country hoedown. The entertainment starts right from soundcheck, as they test out the sound with a quick rendition of Slim Dusty’s Duncan. Once the set actually begins it quickly becomes apparent that theirs is a performance with just the right amount of everything: entertaining and light-hearted banter between songs, admirable musicality, laughter, seriousness, drinking, dancing and camaraderie. This balance is highlighted when the banjo player creates a laugh by leaving the stage mid-set for a quick bathroom break, only to come back moments later to take vocal duties for an incredibly powerful rendition of The Kill Devil Hills’ Drinking Too Much. While the song is being performed, the frontman buys the band a round of drinks, which adds a touch of playful irony to the equation. Their own songs are just as compelling – tracks like Milton (a relatable ode to our very own inner city suburb) make you laugh, while Matilda inspires playful dancing. What’s most impressive about the Big
Iron set, however, is that they’ve successfully managed to bring an element of style to the country genre, without compromising its carefree and joyous nature. As these guys are relatively new to the scene you’d be forgiven for not recognising the name, however, you’ve now been told – Big Iron are a band to watch! Jazmine O’Sullivan
THE STEADY AS SHE GOES, OCCULTS, BEN SALTER, KATE JACOBSON & OLA KARLSSON Black Bear Lodge 13 Feb Starting off the night in the front bar is a truly acoustic set as Texas Tea-ian Kate Jacobson and Gin Club stalwart Ola Karlsson play a brace of hushed folk and country-tinged tunes without the aid of amps or microphones. A stillness
descends over the raptured audience as the duo’s harmonies melt into each other – a lovely way to begin the evening. A last-minute inclusion, Ben Salter takes to the back stage in electric mode and becomes a veritable one-man-band. He has been incorporating more electronics into the mix, but as the guitar loops, and beats and choral effects mount, it is Salter’s impassioned voice and the strength of his songwriting that remains the focal point. Highlights include a contemplative Once In A Lifetime, The Cat and the beautifully wry yet heart-wrenching West End Girls, while a few new tracks seep into the mix. Melting out of the strangely staid country playlist in between sets like black molten lava, Occults change the mood irrevocably, all seething menace and malevolent glee. Their gothic garage-punk is one of the most revelatory experiences in the Brisbane music scene at the moment, and it’s a testament to the trio that this
still resonates on a bill that sees them playing against type. Sam McKenzie’s menacing vocals and basslines, Jasmine Dunn’s lurking guitar and Bruce McNairn’s thumping drums all coalesce into a seething beast. Standing on stage like a Machiavellian harbinger of death and despair, The Steady As She Goes launch into a setlist taken from debut record Dangerous & Dead. The guitar slinger melds together Morricone tension with gothic dread, creating a studied sojourn into a dystopian loner’s view of the world. From the seductive swagger of Give Me War to the desolate instrumental title track, The Steady As She Goes commands attention. Regardless of whether it is the moody crawl of Sinking City and Ironmonger, or the ‘80s new wave netherworld that Pagan! Tell Your God To Ready For Blood echoes – The Steady As She Goes occupies a very unique corner of the local music scene, and are an exciting proposition for the future. Brendan Telford
arts reviews portrayed by John Jarratt) was perfectly deployed – mostly jovial, maybe a little bit dopey, he became something truly horrific when his mask slipped to reveal the sadistic bastard lurking beneath the surface.
WOLF CREEK 2
WOLF CREEK 2 Film
In cinemas 20 Feb Monsters need some sense of mystery about them if they’re going to get under your skin. Use them sparingly in a story and there’s a good chance they’ll be able to insinuate their way into your nightmares. Reveal too much about them or simply give them too much exposure and there’s every possibility they become less terrifying. In Greg McLean’s 2005 home-grown horror film, Wolf Creek, the character of murderous bushman Mick Taylor (unforgettably 40 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
McLean’s sequel, Wolf Creek 2, gives viewers more Mick, and the law of diminishing returns takes effect as a result. It’s mainly due to the plotting, which was lean, mean and spare the first time around but comes across a bit threadbare in this second outing as Mick makes life bloody miserable for anyone who crosses his path; mainly nice-guy British tourist Paul (Ryan Corr, vividly displaying his character’s fear and misery). The filmmaker and star still deliver accomplished work – McLean knows how to gradually ramp up tension, effectively stage sequences of carnage and mayhem and make the best use of his remote, isolated locations, and Jarratt has a great handle on the unhinged fury that burns within Mick. Guy Davis
NEBRASKA Film
In cinemas 20 Feb In Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, Woody (Bruce Dern) wants to travel from Montana to Nebraska to claim the million dollar prize he won from Mega Sweepstakes Marketing. Despite being told by his sons, David (Will Forte) and Ross (Bob Odenkirk), and grumbling wife Kate (a hilariously pottymouthed June Squibb), that his winning letter is a scam, Woody won’t let up. David eventually indulges his father and they make the road trip to Lincoln,
NEBRASKA
Nebraska, via Woody’s hometown of Hawthorne, where he is the talk of the town. Ross and Kate meet them there and an awkward family reunion ensues when all of Woody’s brothers are invited over for a meal. A black and white film about family, determination, small town mentality, ageing and looking back on one’s life, Nebraska is riddled with lumbering, awkward scenes – though interjected with snippets of comedy-drama brilliance. While at times the portrayal of ‘simple’ small town folk feels condescending and classist, other instances perfectly capture familial tension among people who have little in common but their gene pool. A solid ensemble led by Dern’s vague and senile Woody, whom you can’t help but feel sorry for, well timed deadpan humour and drily delivered lines keep the film steady. Nebraska balances the ugly side of relationships with the realisation that we are capable of going to great lengths to make our loved ones happy. Stephanie Liew
Casting Call
Auditions The Arts Centre Gold Coast presents the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical
Jesus Christ Superstar Supervising Director Kris Stewart (resident director Wicked) Choreography by Ben Veitch (So You Think You Can Dance) We are seeking singers and dancers in a volunteer capacity for this extraordinary experience. (The roles of Jesus, Judas and Mary will attract paid honorariums, details tba)
Auditions – March 2014 Performance Season- June 2014 To register interest, follow the link to our opportunities page
www.theartscentregc.com.au/opportunities/ Registrations close COB 17 March 2014 Contact/Enquiries
Scott McCaig – Production Coordinator mccaig@theartscentregc.com.au #VOEBMM 3E 4VSGFST 1BSBEJTF t www.theartscentregc.com.au
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 41
LICENSED SENIOR TATTOO ARTISTS WANTED BUILD YOUR OWN BUSINESS WITHIN OUR BUSINESS REACH YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS BEACHFRONT STUDIO, EXCELLENT INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE EMAIL: info@bondiinktattoo.com.au
LIFE IS NOISE PRESENTS
AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2014 with special guests
TUESDAY APRIL 29 CROWBAR Tickets from lifeisnoise.com, oztix and the venue.
sargenthouse.com / russiancirclesband.com
42 • THE MUSIC • 12TH FEBRUARY 2014
the guide
LYON APPRENTICE Member answering/role: Adam Lyons – vocals/guitar/percussion How long have you been together? Nathan and I have been writing music together for a long time (since high school), however, we’ve been playing in other bands as well. We decided about three years ago to start the demoing process for Lyon Apprentice, but it’s taken us this time to work out what exactly we wanted to do with the project. 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? Nathan is usually the DJ when we are driving/traveling/drinking. I’ve even seen him take over the music when we are in bars and venues to spin a few tracks. But I’d have to say Foals if I had to choose one band. Would you rather be a busted broke-but-revered Hank Williams figure or some kind of Metallica monster? I’m not going to lie, I had to Google who Hank Williams was. I like the look of him and his hat, so I’ll go with Hank Williams. I don’t know how I feel about being a monster. Which Brisbane bands before you have been an inspiration (musically or otherwise)? We listened to Savage Garden quite a bit when we were younger. The first gig we ever went to was theirs in 1998 at the Rockhampton Music Bowl. Our parents drove us down from Mackay for it and it was pouring rain. One act we have been enjoying lately is Vancouver Sleep Clinic. What part do you think Brisbane plays in the music you make? Regardless of who and where you are, you are a product of your surroundings. Whether that is family, friends or music. Even though we are from the Gold Coast, I think subtle influences rub off on you even if you aren’t looking [for them] to do so. Is your band responsible for more make-outs or break-ups? Why? I’d like to think make-outs. No one would like to think that their music pulls people apart! It’s meant to bring people together! But I can’t confirm or deny that this is actually the case. What’s in the pipeline for the band in the short term? We will be delivering a third track from our debut EP, Be Honest, Be Wild, Be Free very soon, with the release date of the EP set for late March. A few more local shows will be announced around then, as well as preparing for Canadian Music Week in May. Lyon Apprentice play Bleach* Festival, Robina Town Centre Promenade, Gold Coast on 20 Mar (5pm). Photo by TERRY SOO.
THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 43
eat/drink
DO US A FLAVOUR Flavoured beers: for the days when you’re torn between having a beer and having something different. Here are some beers with that little twist. Illustrations Brendon Wellwood.
COFFEE
CHOCOLATE
On sunny afternoons when you can’t decide between an early beer or a late coffee, look no further than TSA Brewing Co Double Espresso – the coffee-flavoured beer that won the World’s Best Flavoured Beer in 2012 at the World Beer Awards. The WBA described it as a “smooth and creamy mouthfeel”. Sensual.
A rich dark beer and a top example of chocolate-flavoured beers, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is the proverbial crème de la crème (so to speak) of the category with its impressive back catalogue of awards. Try it over ice cream for a tasty treat.
BERRY
HONEY
For a different, sweeter brand of fruit-flavoured beers, Edinburgh-based brewing company Innis And Gunn’s Melville’s Strawberry and Raspberry Beers are light and summery. They’re recommended to be drunk over ice for the perfect hot weather brew.
A must-have for dedicated sweet-tooths and a mustavoid for dedicated vegans, try Samuel Adams Honey Queen. This is one for those who like their flavours rich and decadent. We can imagine that this one would be doubly sticky if accidentally spilled on yourself, though.
APPLE For an interestingly flavoured beer that simultaneously flatters your tastebuds and does its best to keep the doctor away, check out Unibroue Éphémère Apple, the apple-flavoured beer.
The
PLOUGH INN
Monday Ribs, Rumps & T-Bone ALL $24 Tuesday Ribs, Rumps & T-Bone ALL $24 Wednesday Food Specials | Live Band Thursday 1kg Mussels $20 | Live Band Friday Live Band | Drink Specials Saturday Live Bands All day Sunday Live Band | Sunday Jugs 18+ Arbour Bar Now Open Wed-Sun THE PLOUGH INN | www.ploughinn.com.au
44 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
eat/drink EATIN’ OUT
BEACH HOTEL 1-4 Bay St, Byron Bay beachhotel.com.au Answered by: Dominica Costello What’s one food you can’t live without? A good
old fashioned chargrilled steak. That chargrill flavour is second to none! What’s the design/ atmosphere of your restaurant? The Hotel has recently undergone renovations to create a whole new vibe in the
restaurant. The new menu incorporates local produce from Byron and the surrounding areas. We even feature our favourite beer with the Stone & Woodbattered fish and chips. Who is serving/cooking and what makes them special? The team in the kitchen is made up of a group of local chefs born and bred in Byron and the surrounding areas. Some of these chefs have branched out over the years working in cities and have returned with a great passion and greater knowledge of
their industry. The chefs know the ins and outs of Byron and the best place to source the freshest produce. What should I order when I come down? We offer sticky pork belly sliders with hoisin for the afternoon snack craving, perfect with a schooner of your favourite beer. Then we offer light meals such as beetroot and buffalo milk haloumi salad with pot-roasted lamb. For something a bit more substantial we have our chargrilled 300gm 150-day grain fed sirloin steak!
WHAT’S APP’NIN’ CLEAN & GREEN EATING Who says eating well is hard? With the Clean & Green Eating app on hand, eating macro, organic, raw or all three at every meal is as easy as fast food (almost). Shopping lists, a 122-strong recipe file that includes drinks and snacks and an On-Hand function where you can punch in whatever is left in your crisper take all the stress out of being wholesome. There’s also estimates of kitchen time (not the misleading cooking time) so you won’t accidentally lock yourself away for hours cooking.
DRINK UP
TAPS @ MOOLOOLABA Cnr The Esplanade & Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba tapsaustralia.com.au Answered by: Kim Ferguson What’s your bar’s specialty drink? Craft beers and ciders from Australian micro breweries. The Brookevale Union Ginger Ale has been a popular choice with a sweet and warming
sensation as you drink your pint served on ice. What drink turns you off? Bad beers turn us off! We love fresh, quality unique beers that give you something to talk to your mates about after that first sip. What makes your bar different? Taps @ Mooloolaba is the only venue of its kind in Australia. Twenty-eight beer taps throughout
BAR FOOD RECQS
Croquettes – Those delicious deep-fried cheesy parcels are named after the French word for ‘crunch’ and that is exactly what you will do. Repeatedly. Chicken Karaage – Often described as the Japanese version of popcorn chicken, it is mandatory to like karaage. It feels much less greasy than the Colonel’s chicken but tastes just as good. Wasabi Peas – Superior to the standard beer nut, the wasabi pea is always crunchy, relentlessly spicy and makes you feel slightly healthy because it’s green. The heat in these babies is the ultimate bartender ploy to get you drinking more. Vegetable Fries – We’ve all eaten potato fries but how about chunky strips of eggplant, all crispy on the outside and gooey inside?
the venue, off the walls and in your tables. You pour your own beer! It’s an interactive unique venue that allows you to taste and be selective with your drinks. Taps @ Mooloolaba has an extensive food menu for lunch, dinner and late night munchies along with a great wine list, delicious cocktails and best of all live music Thursday to Sunday.
with friendly staff, good music and quality beer.
Who will I meet at your bar? Music lovers, foodies, craft beer fanatics and anyone who has had a long ‘hard’ day at the Mooloolaba Beach. It’s a chilled-out vibe
Who is pouring at your bar and what makes them special? Taps staff are all trained to know how to pour the perfect craft beer and are there to help you pour yours. THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 45
the guide qld.live@themusic.com.au
FRONTLASH
TOURING THIS WEEK
WEIRDLY WONDERFUL
Michael Gondry has directed Metronomy’s new Love Letters clip. Maroon hasn’t looked this good outside of Suncorp Stadium.
TO THE EXTREME Okay, Sochi seems like it’s got a myriad of fuck-ups going on behind the scenes, but how good has it been watching Olympic snowboarding primetime on free-to-air! Beats dressage and badminton any day.
DOH TO WHOA Our intrepid editor Steve Bell has fulfilled his Simpsons fanboy dreams by eating a Krusty Burger and drinking a Duff in Moe’s over at Universal Studios. Now just that Weezer Cruise to suffer through, poor bloke...
QUEENSLANDER!
BACKLASH WE GET IT
Surely the money spent on by-election junk mail could be used for the greater good of the local area instead? Tell us more about your rubbish policies...
FEEL THE FORCE
PUT IT INTO GEAR
Gold Coast foursome Stellar Green are going to drop a sonic boom on us when they launch their new single Refuge at The Tempo Hotel, Friday with Ninth Of May and Arctic, and Surfers Paradise Beer Garden, 13 Mar.
You probably want to act fast if you were thinking of going to the Clutch show Friday at The Zoo; there’s only a few tickets left. Heavy Roller and The Blackwater Fever, pictured, are now added to the bill. $50+BF through Oztix.
LOVE TO LOVE HIM
RIDE THE LIQUID
Toast Brissie garage icon Jonny Romeo when he returns to town, performing a special show at The Waiting Room as part of Being Jon Romeo. O’Toole Project and Happy Times are also on the bill, happening Saturday.
Every Saturday up till 29 Mar, the Imperial Hotel, Eumundi is holding their weekly acoustic sessions in The Green Room. Enjoy some chilled out Saturday brews with the likes of Shannon Carroll, pictured, Jimmy Mac, The Merrys and more.
FLOAT YOUR FANCY
FAST AND FURIOUS
Whatever your mood, The Floating Bridges have the sounds in their canon to connect with you. The rock/funk/roots/ whatever outfit travel south from the Sunny Coast to the GC, playing The Loft with Jahkaya and Rohan Nitschke, Saturday.
The Rock N Roll BBQ is back at The Underdog this week, with beers and live tunes to get your Sunday sesh started. Kicking off from midday, you can catch JJ Speedball, pictured, BMX Ray, Monkey Island, Unpeople and Concrete Lips.
WE CAN ONLY DREAM Why oh why did the story about LA Clippers star Blake Griffin smacking Justin Bieber at a Starbucks have to be false. Biebs needs to know what the five fingers said to the face!
EARLY RISERS CLUB Alkaline Trio at 11am; AFI at 2.30pm – some of punk rock’s finest are practically being used as offerings to the sun at Soundwave.
THIS WEEK’S RELEASES… PAPA VS PRETTY White Deer Park EMI THE HOLIDAYS Real Feel Liberation ST. VINCENT St Vincent Loma Vista/Caroline SEAN PAUL Full Frequency Atlantic/Warner
FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 46 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
the guide qld.live@themusic.com.au
FUTURE SOUNDS
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
MILES AWAY FROM HOME
The Elephant Hotel in The Valley – formerly the Elephant & Wheelbarrow – will officially uncover its modern new look on 26 Feb from 6.30pm, with tunes from garagepop band Velociraptor plus food and drink specials.
Townsville’s Three Mile Road are heading to Brisbane’s Alchemix Studio to record their second EP, and thought they might as well play a show at The Tempo Hotel on 28 Feb with locals The Moose and Georgia Mae. Plus, it’s free!
PERSONAL BEST RECORDS
ON THE MUSIC STEREO So Long, See You Tomorrow BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
JONNY ROMEO
Love Letters METRONOMY
Name: Jon Romeo
Real Feel THE HOLIDAYS Yellow & Green BARONESS Bankrupt! PHOENIX Twin Forks TWIN FORKS Boxer THE NATIONAL
VARIED VOICES
THINK ABOUT IT
Some of Brisbane’s most intriguing songwriting prospects play Hangar at The Waiting Room, 8 Mar, with Shem Allen, Cowper, pictured, and Amela running through tunes wonderful, bizarre and memorable. $10 and BYO.
Clever Kids sums up My Fiction’s rise over the past 18 months – hear their punchy indie-rock 13 Mar, Beetle Bar; 14 Mar, The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba; and 15 Mar, The Loft, Gold Coast. Michelle Xen & the Neon Wild support at all dates.
Gilded Pleasures THE GROWLERS Beloved I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN Elizabeth Rose EP ELIZABETH ROSE
Best record you stole from your folks’ collection? There was nothing worth stealing, though I remember defacing a Freddie Fender record with KISS style face paint and getting punished. First record you bought? This is slightly embarrassing... Tiffany’s second album Hold An Old Friend’s Hand. Record you put on when you’re really miserable? Classical music, shedding a tear or two to Mozart. Record you put on when you bring someone home? It used to be Jeff Buckley’s Grace... Not really bringin’ people home now in my old age. Most surprising record in your collection? Besides Tiffany’s Greatest Hits? Paris Hilton’s debut. Last thing you bought/ downloaded? Lorde – Pure Heroine. Being Jon Romeo play The Waiting Room on 22 Feb.
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
DOGGONE IT
Art-rock is the flavour of the evening at Hangar, The Waiting Room on 12 Apr. Arundel will warm your cold souls with their electro-washed tracks, while the night takes on full technicolour with Dinas Emrys and Kior also performing.
Forty Five will be launching their debut album In The Web, 1 Mar at The Underdog. Joining them will be Brisbane stalwarts Army Of Champions, GC punk kings Friends With The Enemy and reggae crowd pleasers Kingston Stompers.
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EP FOCUS
DESERT BLUES CARTEL Name: Dick Desert EP Title: Carrington Street Demo How many releases do you have now? This is the inaugural release by Desert Blues Cartel. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Columbia was at the forefront with Tennessee not far behind. Rather than inspiration for using acoustic instruments such as piano, violin and guitar we were uninspired to use drums, bass and electricity. What’s your favourite song on it? Too Drunk To Fuck and no, it’s not a cover of the classic Dead Kennedys’ song. We’ll like this EP if we like... Waking up with a hangover and straight away starting all over again. There is no redemption in this EP. It is for the listless, lacklustre and the morally corrupt. Desert Blues Cartel play Nimbin Hotel on 21 Feb, Cardigan Bar on 22 Feb and Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall on 23 Feb.
SINGLE FOCUS
FUTURE SOUNDS
THE OWLS
FLIP IT AND REVERSE IT
ASTRAL SPACE CORE
Member’s name: Joey Bourke
Sydney hip hop crew Reverse Polarities, renowned for politically charged lyrics, rapidfire rhymes and high energy live performances, have finally released their debut LP On The Contrary. The Joynt, 1 Mar, with KryptamistiK and Rivermouth.
Melbourne prog visionaries Alithia have returned from Budapest with their debut long-player To The Edge Of Time, and before they head back to that part of the world for some extensive touring they’ll play Beetle Bar, 7 Mar.
BLAST FROM THE BRASS
SMASH AND GRAB
Dynamic horn-centric party band Bullhorn bring the groove with launch shows for new single So You Think. Catch them 28 Feb, New Globe Theatre; 1 Mar, Solbar, Maroochydore; and 24 May, Byron Bay Brewery.
It’s going to be a seven-hour metal blowout at Corwbar, 8 Mar, when Collision unites headbangers. Bands featuring on the day include The Matador, pictured, bayharbour, Revelations, Enfield, Far From Paris and Bitter Lungs.
TURN THE CORNER
BORN DESTROYERS
Stripped and laid bare, the new Phil Smith album Year Of The Dog documents an unquestionably shit year for the musician. Hear Smith vent his grievances when he launches the LP at Old Museum, 8 Mar with support Megan Cooper.
One of the hottest young metal acts in the country is Prepared Like A Bride, the band in fine form after recently concluding the Boys Of Summer tour. They headline at Thriller, Coniston Lane, 22 Mar and Expressive Grounds, GC, 23 Mar (all ages).
Single title: Krakow What’s the song about? Our singer Josh was on a trip in Europe and fell in love with the rich history of Poland. How long did it take to write/ record? The song came together really quickly after Josh had returned from Europe as we all had a good idea of where we wanted to go with this song. Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? The track is from our third EP, Own The Streets which is due for release early-2014. What was inspiring you during the songs writing and recording? Apart from the obvious influence of Krakow, we tried to strip back the song writing process and go for simple songs with great melodies. We were listening to a lot of BRMC and Arctic Monkeys. We’ll like this song if we like... The Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Kasabian or Arctic Monkeys. Do you play it differently live? It’s mostly played the same live as in the studio. Our producer Lachlan Mitchell really got the best out of our sound so it works really well live. The Owls play at The Bearded Lady on Feb 23 with support from The Furrs.
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19 FEB LE PARTI SOUL W/ DJ REDBEARD (8:00PM TILL LATE) + BOTTLECOCK (10:00PM) + MONKEY ISLAND (9:00PM) 20 FEB STUDENT NIGHT: NIKOLAINE & BLUE HONEY (9:30PM) EMMA WALL & THE URBAN FOLK (10:30PM) 21 FEB UNSOUGHT DUKE (9:00PM) + REVERIE BLUE (8:00PM) 22 FEB NOVA & THE EXPERIENCE (9:00PM) + THE ROYALES (8:00PM) 23 FEBEXPOSED #6 HEAT 4 EXPOSED #6 HEAT 4: CASH 4 KAOS (7:00PM) SPOOK HILL (7:45PM) SLACKSMITHS (8:30PM) DECEMBER NINE (9:15PM) DEVEL (9:45PM) 24 FEB HOSPO NIGHT: JORJA MAY (9:30PM) + ZEEK POWER (8:30PM) 25 FEB MARK J (9:30PM)+ GUESTS (8:30PM)
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THE MUSIC • 12TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 49
opinion QMUSIC NEWS THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON INK DEAL
ADAMANTIUM WOLF
OG FLAVAS
METAL, HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH LOCHLAN WATT
URBAN AND R&B NEWS WITH CYCLONE
Brisbane indie act The Trouble with Templeton are pleased to announce their signing to seminal UK indie label Bella Union for the release of their debut album Rookie for the world excluding Aus/ NZ. The label, famous for acts such as Fleet Foxes, Beach House and The Flaming Lips, were attracted to the band after founder Simon Raymonde discovered the group’s work at BIGSOUND. ‘MAP’ OUT YOUR 2014 Looking for guidance on how best to plan out your professional pathway for the year? QMusic’s Music Action Plan (MAP) sessions connect you with an industry profession in your field, to assist with setting goals and putting the right steps in place to achieve them. The one-on-one career guidance session for individuals and bands run for one hour. For more information, and to book, visit www.qmusic.com.au. BLEACH* CALLS FOR VOLUNTEERS Bleach* Festival 2014 is looking for volunteers to assist with delivering the exciting new program that runs from 7 – 23 March. There are numerous roles available across the festival and a variety of options to suit your availability. Experience this innovative cultural event firsthand and be a part of this incredible cultural festival on the Gold Coast! For more information, and to apply, visit www.bleachfestival.com.au. WANT TO KNOW MORE OR BECOME A QMUSIC MEMBER? For these stories, memberships and more, go to www.qmusic.com.au.
50 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
MEDADETH
The chaos of Soundwave arrives this week (!), with the almighty, dominating force of the Australian festival circuit tearing it up for two weeks. It’s often the heavy music fan’s dream, and the heavy music publicist’s worst nightmare – an event and surrounding phenomenon where I just let myself be swept between the current of both the interior and exterior workings of the event’s boundless fun, limitless passion, and downright logistical insanity. Funnily enough, the only time I haven’t been was the first year in 2007… perhaps it was because I had already seen Hatebreed six months prior, Parkway Drive played Brisbane every month or two back then, I somehow hadn’t completely clicked with Deftones yet, and didn’t much care for +44, MxPx, Thrice, Eighteen Visions, Behind Crimson Eyes or the rest of the bill. I do recall, however, that the line-up pretty much doubled in size and intensity in 2008, and there was no way in hell I wasn’t going to be there. I haven’t missed an instalment since. The Sidewaves keep coming… mostly for Sydney and Melbourne, though at the time of writing, Terror, Letlive. and Your Demise had just announced a show for Brisbane and Perth. I would be comfortable in saying that Soundwave has truly set a new precedent for festival sideshows… it’s not often that punters are given a chance to see almost every band on the line-up play a more intimate show. Whether you’re willing to pay twice or are just not into the festival experience, the amount of options we have for the next couple of weeks
is pretty out of control and no doubt financially straining. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted’s solo project Newsted was originally scheduled to play with Megadeth and Volbeat, before Dave Mustaine of Megadeth chucked a sad and had them kicked off and replaced by Whitechapel. Newsted have since jumped on in support of Testament, with Volbeat joining forces with Filter and Hacktivist. Megadeth have since spat the dummy and cancelled their Australian appearances altogether, with Mustaine seemingly punishing his fans due to his own inability to swallow his pride in relation to his very public war of words with promoter AJ Maddah. Almost defiantly, Megadeth will still make the trek all the way from India to New Zealand to play the one festival show they had scheduled there. With the ridiculous and often bigoted views he has frequently voiced in recent years, the quality of their latest effort Supercollider, and lame stunts like this, I’m starting to wonder if Mustaine just loves to be hated. Back to the information at hand, A Day To Remember, The Ghost Inside and I Killed The Prom Queen are also teaming up for Sydney and Melbourne sideshows. Gwar, Amon Amarth, Satyricon and The Black Dahlia Murder will roll plenty of heads together, as well as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Glassjaw and Dir En Grey for both Sydney and Melbourne. Pennywise, Authority Zero, Trash Talk and Stiff Little Fingers have also been revealed to be carving up just Melbourne together. Interstaters might want to start grabbing some cheap flights before they all disappear as well.
A great deal has been written about the new generation of alt-soulsters, cloud rappers and illwave renegades making contemporary urban music so exhilarating globally. But Australia also has its buzz acts – like Darwin’s electronic soulsters Sietta. Singer-songwriter Caiti Baker and muso/producer James Mangohig return with 2014’s first key album in The Invisible River – a fusion of ‘90s neo-soul, epic trip hop and post-dubstep. Sietta’s big premiere came in 2011 with The Seventh Passenger. It encompassed the compelling Dark Passenger, Baker writing figuratively about her experience of depressive illness. The gothic yet transcendent Invisible River is bolder again, with progressive production, sumptuous arrangements and accomplished songwriting. Sietta have reunited with longtime collaborator Countbounce (TZU), though today Mangohig is himself an in-demand producer. Sietta’s current single, Agree To Disagree, is the LP’s most traditional number – but, while Baker has an old affinity with the blues, this has a funky swagger. However, Sietta are as much futurists. The stellar Let It Go, issued last year, radically reinvents Massive Attack’s stately trip hop with gospel harmonies, harp, Latin guitar and percussive beats. And Sietta go beyond Jessie Ware’s nouveau quiet storm to create something more dramatic with the string-laden The Hunted. As a nice surprise, Baker duets with Melbourne’s Hailey Cramer on the melodic Greener. Sietta’s SoundCloud is a goldmine – they’ve uploaded a cover of The Weeknd. Don’t sleep! @therealcyclone
SIETTA
the guide qld.gigguide@themusic.com.au Major Leagues + The Ocean Party + The Good Sports: The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba
THE MUSIC PRESENTS Wire: The Zoo 19 Feb Future Music Festival: RNA Showgrounds 1 Mar Mikhael Paskalev: Alhambra Lounge 4 Mar The Growlers: Black Bear Lodge 5 Mar, Coolangatta Hotel 6 Mar Bleach* Festival: Gold Coast 7-23 Mar A Festival Called Panama: Tasmania 8-9 Mar Billy Bragg: The Tivoli 20 Mar Caspian: The Tempo Hotel 20 Mar Melbourne Ska Orchestra: The Hi-Fi 21 Mar Calling All Cars: Beach Hotel 28 Mar, The Zoo 29 Mar, Solbar 30 Mar The Jungle Giants: Rics Big Backyard 29 Mar, Alhambra Lounge 30 Mar (U18) Monster Magnet: The Hi-Fi 5 Apr Loon Lake: The Zoo 5 Apr Sally Seltmann: Black Bear Lodge 10 Apr
WED 19
Jarrah & The Lionhearts + Devin Luke: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley
Steve Earle & The Dukes: The Tivoli 15 Apr
Skream: The Tempo Hotel (Bowler Bar), Fortitude Valley
Suzanne Vega: Brisbane Powerhouse 15 Apr
Stellar Green + Ninth Of May + Arctic + The Shapes: The Tempo Hotel, Fortitude Valley
Allen Stone: The Zoo 16 Apr
Cloud Control: Brunswick Hotel 16 Apr, Beach Hotel 16 Apr, Story Bridge Hotel 12 Apr, Paddington Tavern 13 Apr, Komune 13 Apr, Noosa Heads SLSC 17 Apr, Solbar 17 Apr, Jubilee Hotel 19 Apr, Boardwalk Tavern 19 Apr, Coolangatta Hotel 20 Apr,
Jake Bugg: The Hi-Fi 23 Apr Ozomatli: The Zoo 23 Apr
The Jezabels: The Tivoli 6 May Arctic Monkeys: BEC 7 May Northlane: The Hi-Fi 22 May
The John Steel Singers + Jeremy Neale: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley Soul’sa: Cloudland, Fortitude Valley
Future Music Festival Safari Warm-Up Brave Party feat. Mitch Hills + DJ Simon Says + DJ Indie Andy – 2 VIP double passes up for grabs: Royal Exchange Hotel, Toowong
Non Cents with + Bryce Davis + Six Shooter + Chris Miller: Elsewhere, Surfers Paradise
The Pressure: The Press Club, Fortitude Valley
B.O.S.S.: Empire Hotel, Fortitude Valley Jabba: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane Underground Sounds Open Mic Night + various artists: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane Dave Chappelle: QPAC (7pm & 10pm), Southbank Syren + Temple Step Project: Solbar, Maroochydore
Spaghetti Rock with + Daggers: The Underdog, Fortitude Valley
Eminem + Kendrick Lamar + J. Cole + 360 + Action Bronson + M-Phazes: Suncorp Stadium, Milton
Hanlon Brothers: The Vault, Southport
Zed Charles + Hobo Magic: Taps Australia, Mooloolaba
Wire + Per Purpose + Multiple Man: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley
The SideTracked Fiasco: The Beer Garden, Surfers Paradise
THU 20
Major Leagues + The Ocean Party + The Good Sports: Alhambra Lounge, Fortitude Valley Rohan + Baltimore Gun Club + Periapsis: Beetle Bar, Brisbane
Melody Beat: The Waiting Room, West End Clutch + Heavy Roller + The Black Water Fever: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley
GIG OF THE WEEK EMINEM: 20 FEB, SUNCORP STADIUM
Groovin’ The Moo: Townsville 4 May
Mondo Rock: Eatons Hill Hotel, Eatons Hill
Open Mic Night + various: The Loft, Chevron Island
Bec Whitehead: The Vault (7pm), Southport
India.Arie & Joss Stone: The Tivoli 20 Apr
Open Mic Night + various artists: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane
Unplugged + various artists: The Elephant Hotel, Fortitude Valley
Jazz & Shriaz feat. various: The Vault (4pm), Southport
KC & The Sunshine Band: The Tivoli 19 Apr
Locky: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane
Debauchery Behind The Beard Vol 2 + various artists: The Bearded Lady, West End
Orlando Furious + Multiple Man + Upclock + Enderie Nuatal + Shrapnel + Nana Vigilante + The Workshop: The Underdog, Fortitude Valley
Byron Bay Bluesfest 2014: Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm 27-21 Apr
Snitch feat. Arrivals + Malibu Stacey + We Were Giants: Coniston Lane, Fortitude Valley
Garden Of Swing: Cloudland, Fortitude Valley
Diamond Dave: The Underdog (Public Bar/6.30pm), Fortitude Valley
The Wailers: The Tivoli 16 Apr
Alex Bowen: The Joynt, South Brisbane Milk Crate Comedy Night + various: The Loft, Chevron Island The Music Kitchen feat. Motorway Ends + more: The Tempo Hotel, Fortitude Valley Richie Sambora + Orianthi: The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley
Pete Murray + Patrick James: Twin Towns, Tweed Heads
SAT 22
Jaywah: The Underdog (Public Bar/5.30pm), Fortitude Valley
The Vernons + San Mei: Elsewhere, Surfers Paradise
Cookie Jar feat. various DJs: 633 Ann, Fortitude Valley
Masses + Bare Grillz + Multiple Man + Bat Nouveau: The Underdog, Fortitude Valley
Monkey See, Monkey Do: Empire Hotel, Fortitude Valley
Sampology: Alhambra Lounge, Fortitude Valley
The Never Ever: Event Cinemas, Brisbane
Frazer Goodman + friends: The Vault, Southport
Kings of Country Rock: Hamilton Hotel, Hamilton
Mother’s Cake + Cause & Effect + Tusk + The Buzzbees + Alex Edwards: Beetle Bar, Brisbane
Pete Murray + Patrick James: Villa Noosa Hotel, Noosaville
Motion DJs: Irish Murphy’s (Upstairs), Brisbane
FRI 21
Michelle Xen & The Neon Wild + Back Back Forward Punch + Motion Picture Actress + 8 Bit Love: Alhambra Lounge, Fortitude Valley The Sidetracked Fiasco + The Given Things + Reud Mood + Flannelette: Beetle Bar, Brisbane The John Steel Singers + Jeremy Neale: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley Dolly Parton: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall Tyrone Noonan: Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point Therein + Somnio + Charlie Fingers + Wisdoms Realm: Chardons Corner Hotel, Annerley Darren J Ray: City Golf Club, Toowoomba Willy Angelo & The Basement Hustle: Cloudland, Fortitude Valley Earth Frequency After Party + various artists: Coniston Lane, Fortitude Valley Bloodshed Remains + Trainwreck: Crowbar, Fortitude Valley Creme Friday + various DJs: East Broadbeach, Broadbeach Teapots + more: Eat Street Markets, Hamilton Bombs Away! + Tooshoes + Benibee + various DJs: Eatons Hill Hotel, Eatons Hill
Jabba + B-Rad: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane Little Bastard: Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane Signature Series: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End Alex Bowen + Aquila Young + Scott Dalton: Loft, West End Dave Ritter: Logan Diggers Club, Logan Central The Coronas + Locky: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane Western Front + Flavour Machine + Jarrah + Houses: New Globe Theatre, Fortitude Valley The Dames: Queen Street Mall (5pm), Brisbane The Lazy Valentines + Shanon Watkins: Royal Exchange Hotel (Beer Garden), Toowong Mr Troy: Saltbar, South Kingscliff Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall with His Merry Men: Solbar, Maroochydore Bandito Folk + The Phoncurves: SoundLounge, Currumbin Amos Pella: Story Bridge Hotel (The Corner Bar), Kangaroo Point DJ Ritchie: Story Bridge Hotel (Shelter Bar), Kangaroo Point Brother Fox: Taps Australia, Mooloolaba Big Iron + Kate Jacobson: The Crosstown Eating House, Woolloongabba Alex Bowen + Aquila Young + Scott Dalton: The Loft, Chevron Island Pocketlove: The Press Club, Fortitude Valley
The Hunting Hour: Black Bear Lodge (5pm), Fortitude Valley Various DJs: Black Bear Lodge (8pm), Fortitude Valley Dolly Parton: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall Andrea G Band: Brisbane Jazz Club, Kangaroo Point The Australian Bee Gees Show: Brolga Theatre, Maryborough Desert Blues Cartel: Cardigan Bar, Sandgate Thriller feat. Aversions Crown + The Schoenberg Automaton + Hunt The Hunted + De Memoria + Nicolas Cage Fighter: Coniston Lane, Fortitude Valley Crisis Alert + Rort & Shackles: Crowbar, Fortitude Valley Phat Ass Drop feat. various DJs: East Broadbeach, Broadbeach Louisahhh! + Maelstrom + Jensen Interceptor + Giv + Audun + Stretch: Elsewhere, Surfers Paradise Trainspotters feat. Magenta Voyeur + Blonde on Blonde + Windrest: Grand Central Hotel, Brisbane Alf An Ant + Pete Townson: Imperial Hotel (The Green Room), Eumundi Motion DJs: Irish Murphy’s (upstairs), Brisbane Berst + Locky: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane Little Bastard: Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane Devil’s Kiosk: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End Normie Rowe: Logan Diggers Club, Logan Central
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 51
the guide qld.gigguide@themusic.com.au Mantra Trio: Logan Diggers Club (Bravo Lounge), Logan Central
Seventh Avenue: Cloudland, Fortitude Valley
Cover Story + Ger Fennelly: Mick O’Malley’s, Brisbane
Singer Mali + Emma Dean + April Fish: Dowse Bar (Iceworks), Paddington
Dave Graney + The Stress Of Leisure + Tylea: New Globe Theatre, Fortitude Valley
Glass Towers + Willow Beats + Von Villains + more: East Broadbeach, Broadbeach
Goldroom (DJ Set) + Slumberjack: Oh Hello!, Fortitude Valley Eddie Vedder + Glen Hansard: QPAC Concert Hall, South Bank The Dames: Queen Street Mall (12pm), Brisbane Nova & The Experience: Ric’s, Fortitude Valley Soundwave 2014 feat. Green Day + Avenged Sevenfold + Alice In Chains + Rob Zombie + Placebo + AFI + Korn + Trivium + Down + DevilDriver + Newsted + Biffy Clyro + Richie Sambora + Rocket From The Crypt + A Day To Remember + Mastodon + HIM + I Killed The Prom Queen + Filter + Pennywise + Jimmy Eat World + Glassjaw + The Living End + Panic! At The Disco + Stiff Little Fingers + Desaparecidos + ? ? ? + Living Colour + Asking Alexandria + Alter Bridge + Baroness + Testament + Clutch + Gwar + The Porkers + Nancy Vandal + Soundwave + more: RNA Showgrounds, Bowen Hills
KERSER: 22 FEB, THE HI-FI
Jabba + Ragdoll: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane Major Leagues: Solbar, Maroochydore
Rued Mood + Race Of The Harridan: The Underdog, Fortitude Valley
The Badlands: Taps Australia, Mooloolaba
Jon Romeo + Happy Times + The O’Toole Project: The Waiting Room, West End
Kerser: The Hi-Fi (18+/ under-18s), West End Angels Ink: The Hideaway, Fortitude Valley
The Kite String Tangle + Kilter + Tincture: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley
The Floating Bridges + Jahkaya + Rohan Nitschke: The Loft, Chevron Island
Bloodshed Remains + Trainwreck: Upstairs 199, West End
Afterwave with Chasing Closure + Faleepo Francisco + Junior Danger + The Atlas + Brooksy & Co: The Tempo Hotel, Fortitude Valley
SUN 23 Ann Vriend + Ewan Mackenzie: Black Bear Lodge, Fortitude Valley
Detroit Swindle: The Tempo Hotel (Bowler Bar), Fortitude Valley
Jump Jive & Wail: Brisbane Jazz Club (6pm), Kangaroo Point
Pete Murray + Patrick James: The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley
Devil’s Kiosk: Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna
The Dames: Brisbane Powerhouse (3pm), New Farm
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52 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
Art Of Sleeping + In2nation + The Flumes + Asa Broomhall: Eumundi Ampitheatre, Eumundi
Brisbane instrumental band: Immigrant is currently auditioning funk/rock drummers to replace a previous band member who has moved over seas. The band is in the process of finishing an album (songs already completed) and starting to gig in and around Brisbane. The successful drummer will have their own transport and a love for finding the groove! Samples of Immigrant’s music can be found at: www.reverbnation. com/immigrant If interested, please contact Richard (bassist) on 0409 821 829 (richardgwdurocher@gmail.com) Ad ID: 4-13646
Desert Blues Cartel: Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall, Brisbane Coisa Linda: Lock ‘n’ Load Bistro, West End Eddie Vedder + Glen Hansard: QPAC Concert Hall, South Bank Pete Murray + Patrick James: Redland Bay Hotel, Redland Bay Exposed Competition feat. various: Ric’s, Fortitude Valley The Brodie Graham Band: Solbar, Maroochydore Crisis Alert + Rort & Shackles: Sun Distortion, Brisbane The Owls + The Furrs: The Bearded Lady, West End Xens Arrival + Columbus + Dr Bombay + Chasing Grey: The Tempo Hotel, Fortitude Valley The Kite String Tangle + Kilter + Tincture: The Zoo, Fortitude Valley
MON 24
Rob Hackwood Duo: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane Unipalooza feat. The Gators + Hound: QUT Gardens Point, Brisbane Mayday Parade + The Story So Far + Real Friends: The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley
TUE 25
Woody Lives Here: Irish Murphy’s, Brisbane
The Bug feat. Blue Harmony + Caroline Hammond + Craig Claxton: New Farm Bowls Club, New Farm Looking Through A Glass Onion with John Waters: QPAC, Southbank Eddie Vedder + Glen Hansard: QPAC Concert Hall, South Bank Unipalooza feat. The Good Sports + Love Signs: QUT - Gardens Point, Brisbane RiffRaff: The Press Club, Fortitude Valley Terror + Letlive + Your Demise: The Tempo Hotel, Fortitude Valley Comedy Night + various: The Vault, Southport
tour guide qld.gigguide@themusic.com.au
INTERNATIONAL
Jurassic 5: Eatons Hill Hotel 22 Mar
Wire: The Zoo 19 Feb
Sebadoh: The Zoo 23 Mar
Eminem: Suncorp Stadium 20 Feb
Absu: Crowbar 23 Mar
Richie Sambora: The Tivoli 20 Feb
Shapeshifter: The Northern 23 Mar
Clutch: The Zoo 21 Feb
Orphaned Land: The Rev 23 Mar
Skream: Bowler Bar 21 Feb Dolly Parton: BEC 21, 22 Feb
Thirty Seconds To Mars, White Lies: Brisbane Riverstage 30 Mar (AA)
Detroit Swindle: Bowler Bar 22 Feb
Kodaline: The Hi-Fi 1 Apr
Mother’s Cake: Beetle Bar 22 Feb
Bobby Keys & The Suffering Bastards: Eatons Hill Hotel 1 Apr
Eddie Vedder: QPAC 22, 23 Feb Singer Mali: Dowse Bar 23 Feb Mayday Parade, The Story So Far: The Tivoli 24 Feb Terror, Letlive, Your Demise: The Tempo Hotel 25 Feb Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: BEC 26 Feb Velociraptor: The Elephant Hotel 26 Feb The Wonder Stuff: The Zoo 27 Feb
The Rolling Stones: Brisbane Entertainment Centre 2 Apr Kylesa: The Hi-Fi 2 Apr A$AP Ferg: The Hi-Fi 3 Apr St Lucia: The Zoo 4 Apr Glass Animals: The Hi-Fi 4 Apr Monster Magnet: The Hi-Fi 5 Apr 3 Inches Of Blood: Crowbar 10 Apr Tyga: Arena 12 Apr
Slow Magic: Alhambra Lounge 27 Feb
Suzanne Vega, Seth Lakeman: Brisbane Powerhouse 15 Apr
Derrick Carter: Bowler Bar 28 Feb
Steve Earle & The Dukes: The Tivoli 15 Apr
Madeleine Peyroux: The Tivoli 28 Feb
Allen Stone: The Zoo 16 Apr
Mango Groove: Eatons Hill Hotel 1 Mar Eric Prydz: Family 1 Mar Brian McKnight: QPAC 2 Mar
The Wailers: The Tivoli 16 Apr Kris Kristofferson: Lismore Workers Club 16 Apr, Empire Theatre 17 Apr, QPAC 18 Apr, Jupiters Theatre 19 Apr
Arctic Monkeys: BEC 7 May
Dan Sultan: The Zoo 8 Mar
Temples: The Zoo 8 May
Nina Las Vegas: Bowler Bar 8 Mar
Jonny Craig: Crowbar 8 May, Tall Poppy Studios 9 May (AA)
John Farnham: BEC 10 Mar
Michael Buble: BEC 12 May
The Smith Street Band: The Zoo 14 Mar
Fleshgod Apocalypse: The Hi-Fi 14 May
The Gin Club: The Underdog 14 Mar
The English Beat: The Zoo 18 May
Sunnyboys: The Northern 14, 15 Mar, The Tivoli 28 Mar
We Are Scientists: The Zoo 29 May James Blunt: BCEC 2 Jun
Baby Animals: Eatons Hill Hotel 14 Mar, Coolangatta Hotel 15 Mar, Racehorse Hotel 4 Apr, Alexandra Hills Hotel 5 Apr
Armin van Buuren: BEC 4 Jun
Young Franco: Bowler Bar 15 Mar
Ellie Goulding, Broods: BCEC 5 Jun (AA)
Illy: The Zoo 15, 16 Mar
Bastille: BCEC 13 Jun (AA)
The Little Stevies: Gasworks 16 Mar
Finntroll: The Zoo 18 Jun La Dispute, Balance & Composure: Trinity Hall 19 Jun (AA), The Hi-Fi 20 Jun
Luca Brasi, Postblue: Crowbar 22 Mar, The Lab 23 Mar (AA)
Andrew Strong: The Commitments: The Tivoli 25 Jul
NATIONAL Pete Murray: Villa Noosa 20 Feb, Twin Towns 21 Feb, The Tivoli 22 Feb, Redland Bay Hotel 23 Feb
Charles Bradley: The Hi-Fi 4 Mar
The John Steel Singers, Jeremy Neale: Black Bear Lodge 20, 21 Feb
Mikhael Paskalev: Alhambra Lounge 4 Mar
Kreator, Death Angel: The Hi-Fi 19 Apr
Neko Case: The Hi-Fi 5 Mar
KC & The Sunshine Band: The Tivoli 19 Apr
The SideTracked Fiasco: Surfers Paradise Beer Garden 20 Feb, Beetle Bar 21 Feb
The Growlers: Black Bear Lodge 5 Mar, Coolangatta Hotel 6 Mar Everlast: The Zoo 5 Mar, Solbar 6 Mar, Byron Bay Brewery 7 Mar Neil Finn: Nambour Civic Centre 6 Mar, QPAC 7 Mar Bruno Mars: BEC 7 Mar Public Enemy: The Hi-Fi 7 Mar Lionel Ritchie: BEC 10 Mar Yo La Tengo: The Zoo 11 Mar Pharrell Williams: The Marquee 12 Mar (AA) Gretchen Wilson: Eatons Hill Hotel 13 Mar
India Arie, Joss Stone: The Tivoli 20 Apr Ozomatli: The Zoo 23 Apr
Little Bastard: Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall 21, 22 Feb Kerser: The Hi-Fi 22 Feb (AA and 18+)
Jake Bugg: The Hi-Fi 23 Apr
The Kite String Tangle: The Zoo 22, 23 Feb
Michael Franti & Spearhead: The Tivoli 23 Apr
Born Lion: SCU Unibar 27 Feb, Ric’s Bar 1 Mar
Dizzee Rascal: Eatons Hill Hotel 24 Apr Holy Fuck: The Zoo 24 Apr Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch: The Hi-Fi 24 Apr Front Line Assembly: Transcontinental Hotel 24 Apr
D At Sea: Solbar 27 Feb, The Loft 28 Feb, Crowbar 1 Mar Wil Wagner: The Spotted Cow 27 Feb, Crowbar 28 Feb, Sun Distortion 1 Mar (AA), The Time Machine 2 Mar (AA)
Iced Earth: The Hi-Fi 14 Mar Toby Keith: BEC 14 Mar
D.O.A: Prince Of Wales 27 Apr
Sticky Fingers: The Zoo 28 Feb, Coolangatta Hotel 1 Mar
Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails: BEC 17 Mar
Russian Circles: Crowbar 29 Apr
Lior: Old Museum 6 Mar
KT Tunstall: The Zoo 30 Apr
The Holidays: Elsewhere 6 Mar, The Zoo 7 Mar, The Spotted Cow 8 Mar
D.R.I: The Hi-Fi 1 May
Baths: Alhambra Lounge 20 Mar
Hugh Laurie: QPAC 2 May
Caspian: The Tempo Hotel 20 Mar
The Acacia Strain: The Lab 3 May (AA), Thriller 3 May, Expressive Grounds 4 May (AA)
Billy Bragg: The Tivoli 20 Mar, The Northern 21 Mar Chicks On Speed: Alhambra Lounge 21 Mar Gang Of Four: The Hi-Fi 22 Mar
The Naked & Famous: The Hi-Fi 5 May Jason Derulo: BEC 5 May Cults: The Zoo 6 May
Architecture In Helsinki: The Hi-Fi 12 Apr Cloud Control: Story Bridge Hotel 12 Apr, Paddington Tavern 13 Apr, Komune 13 Apr, Brunswick Hotel 16 Apr, Beach Hotel 16 Apr, Noosa Heads SLSC 17 Apr, Solbar 17 Apr, Jubilee Hotel 19 Apr, Boardwalk Tavern 19 Apr, Coolangatta Hotel 20 Apr Buried In Verona: Crowbar 19 Apr, The Lab 20 Apr (AA)
Boy & Bear: Sunshine Coast Function Centre 26 Apr, Empire Theatre 27 Apr, Lismore Workers Club 14 May The Jezabels: The Tivoli 6 May Vance Joy: The Hi-Fi 6 May
The Stiffys: The Joynt 22 Mar
Rüfüs: Coolangatta Hotel 9 May, The Tivoli 10 May, Beach Hotel 8 Jun
Halfway: Brisbane Powerhouse 23 Mar
Northlane: The Hi-Fi 22 May
Calling All Cars: The Spotted Cow 27 Mar, Beach Hotel 28 Mar, The Zoo 29 Mar, Solbar 30 Mar Toehider: Crowbar 27 Mar, Shark Bar 28 Mar Scientists: Transcontinental Hotel 27 Mar Toehider: Crowbar 27 Mar, Shark Bar 28 Mar Babaganouj: Black Bear Lodge 28 Mar The Angels: Caloundra RSL 28 Mar, Coolangatta Hotel 29 Mar Boom Crash Opera: Lone Star Tavern 28 Mar, Racehorse Hotel 29 Mar, Sirromet Wines 30 Mar The Jungle Giants: Ric’s 29 Mar, Alhambra Lounge 30 Mar (U18)
The Presets, Australian Chamber Orchestra: QPAC 26 May The Paper Kites: The Northern 13 Jun, The Hi-Fi 14 Jun Keith Urban: BEC 17 Jun
FESTIVALS Soundwave: RNA Showgrounds 22 Feb Good Life: RNA Showgrounds 28 Feb Future Music Festival: RNA Showgrounds 1 Mar Mojo Burning Festival: New Globe Theatre 15 Mar Bluesfest: Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm 17-21 Apr
Jimmy Barnes: Sirromet Wines 30 Mar
Easterfest: Queens Park 18-20 Apr
Harmony: Black Bear Lodge 3 Apr
Groovin The Moo: Townsville Cricket Grounds 4 May
Loon Lake, Jeremy Neale: The Zoo 5 Apr
Hits & Pits Round 3: The Hi-Fi 9 May, The Northern 10 May
Kate Miller-Heidke: The Tivoli 5, 6 Apr
Brisbane International Jazz Festival: BEMAC 4-8 Jun
Caravãna Sun: Beach Hotel 28 Feb, Solbar 1 Mar, Brunswick Heads Hotel 2 Mar
Skid Row, Ugly Kid Joe: Eatons Hill Hotel 26 Apr
Martha Davis & The Motels: New Globe Theatre 19 Mar
Twelve Foot Ninja: The Zoo 21 Mar, Shark Bar 22 Mar
Band Of Skulls: The Hi-Fi 21 Jun
Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds: Black Bear Lodge 16 Apr
Six60: The Hi-Fi 2 Mar
The Stray Sisters: The Zoo 18 Mar
Melbourne Ska Orchestra: The Hi-Fi 21 Mar
Adolescents: The Tempo Hotel 3 Jul
Greenthief: The Northern 11 Apr, Norville Hotel 12 Apr, Crowbar 18 Apr, Kings Beach Tavern 19 Apr
Bliss N Eso, Horrorshow, Seth Sentry: Riverstage 24 Apr
Dragon: Kedron Wavell Services Club 20 Jun, Twin Towns 21 Jun
The Crimson Projekct: The Hi-Fi 28 Jun
Sally Seltmann: Black Bear Lodge 10 Apr
Christine Anu: Southport RSL 7 Mar, Old Museum 8 Mar Frenzal Rhomb: Coolangatta Hotel 7 Mar, The Hi-Fi 8 Mar Jakarta Criers: Oh Hello! 7 Mar, The Loft 8 Mar Elizabeth Rose: Alhambra Lounge 8 Mar, The Factory 28 Mar
FRENZAL RHOMB: 8 MAR, THE HI-FI
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014 • 53
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THE B(ADD)EST OF KEVIN SPACEY THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995) CHARACTER
Roger “Verbal” Kint/Keyzer Soze
RUNDOWN Soze blackmails crims (including Kint, who suffers from cerebral palsy) to destroy a ship full of cocaine.
WHY BAD? TWIST, he’s Soze, has been faking cerebral palsy.
NOT THAT BAD He’s kind of endearing, and you feel bad for him for like 9/10 of the movie.
AND THE BEST… Actor In A Supporting Role at the 1996 Academy Award
AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) CHARACTER
Lester Burnham
RUNDOWN Hates his life and is infatuated with his daughter’s best friend. Is later brutally murdered.
WHY BAD? As a dad and husband, quits his job after blackmailing the company, and starts smoking pot. So, a regular guy.
NOT THAT BAD Kinda charming in his free-roaming way. Like I never wanted him to die.
AND THE BEST… Actor In A Leading Role at the 2000 Academy Awards
HOUSE OF CARDS (2013 -) CHARACTER
Francis ‘Frank’ Underwood
RUNDOWN A congressman who will do anything to get what he wants, after being passed over for the Secretary of State job
WHY BAD? Extortion, affairs and murder are all in a day’s work: “Sex is about power,” he says. It’s like Mean Girls for politics except without the redemption.
NOT THAT BAD He breaks the fourth wall to let the audience in on his plans. How kind.
AND THE BEST… Nominated for Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama at the 2014 Golden Globes 54 • THE MUSIC • 19TH FEBRUARY 2014
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