The Music (Melbourne) Issue #6 by TheMusic.com.au

# 0 6 • 1 8 . 0 9 . 1 3 • M E L B O U R N E • F R E E • I N C O R P O R AT I N G

ADALITA

“ I D O N ’ T WA N NA B E T I E D D O W N T O A N Y R U L E S ”

fitness

APPS

drink

LOCAL OCAL TEQUILA

art

SAILOR AILOR JERRY

culture

DOGS OGS IN COSTUME

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 3

4 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 7

themusic 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

#006

INSIDE FEATURES Adalita

Rudimental Spectacle: The Music Video Exhibition Hernan Cattaneo

feature

Sailor Jerry Horrorshow Lamb Of God Parkway Drive Jeff Bridges Ngaiire Michael Hohnen Sports Phone Apps Tumbleweed Brett Sheehy Davey Lane The Naked & Famous Asta The Barons Of Tang Disclosure

REVIEWS

“IT WAS PROBABLY WHAT THE PUBLIC HAD BEEN WAITING FOR – A BIT OF DANCE MUSIC WITH A BIT OF SOUL.”

“IT FEELS INSULTING TO CONDENSE IT DOWN TO JUST THAT SONG AND THE BAND PERHAPS UNDERSELL THEIR OWN GROWING POPULARITY.” - JEN SHERIDAN REVIEWS THE PREATURES (P75)

- KESI DRYDEN OF RUDIMENTAL (P22)

FRINGE FESTIVAL GUIDE

CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE FOR Q&AS, FEATURES AND LISTINGS. (P41)

theatre

Album: Chvrches Live: The Drones Film: Stories We Tell Theatre: Straight Gear: Mark Gilbert Wolf Mail Signature Guitar Games: Space Ace

THE GUIDE

“THERE’S SOMETHING IN OUR DNA THAT CRAVES AND DEMANDS THAT WE GET TOGETHER WITH MEMBERS OF OUR TRIBE AROUND A METAPHORICAL OR LITERAL CAMPFIRE TO TELL STORIES.” - BRETT SHEEHY, MTC ARTISTIC DIRECTOR (P35)

Cover: The Bon Scotts Local News Gig Guide Eat: Challenges Drink: Turbo Tequila Travel: Tassie’s Live Music Culture: People Who Dress Dogs Sport: Peddle Parties The End: 50 Shades Of Charlie Hunnam

8 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

review

NOW THAT THE HANGOVER HAS SUBSIDED, WE REFLECT ON THE MASSIVE WEEK OF BIGSOUND WITH VIDEO, NEWS AND INTERVIEWS. CHECK IT OUT AT THEMUSIC.COM.AU

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 9

CREDITS

PUBLISHER Street Press Australia Pty Ltd GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast EDITOR Bryget Chrisfield ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR Cassandra Fumi EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Stephanie Liew MUSO EDITOR Michael Smith GIG GUIDE Justine Lynch vic.giguide@themusic.com.au SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR Jeff Jenkins CONTRIBUTORS Aleksia Barron, Atticus Bastow, Steve Bell, Luke Carter, Anthony Carew, Oliver Coleman, Rebecca Cook, Adam Curley, Cyclone, Guy Davis, Dan Condon, Simon Eales, Guido Farnell, Sam Fell, Tim Finney, Bob Baker Fish, Cameron Grace, Tom Hawking, Andrew Hazel, Brendan Hitchens, Jeff Jenkins, Kate Kingsmill, Baz McAlister, Samson McDougall, Tony McMahon, Fred Negro, Matt O’Neill, Josh Ramselaar, Paul Ransom, Dylan Stewart, Stephanie Tell, Izzy Tolhurst, Nic Toupee, Dominique Wall, Glenn Waller, Matthew Ziccone

THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 18 SEPTEMBER - 24 SEPTEMBER 2013

see

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Kane Hibberd

lol

PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew Briscoe, Holly Engelhardt, Jay Hynes, Lou Lou Nutt NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Brett Dayman ADVERTISING DEPT Leigh Treweek, Tim Wessling sales@themusic.com.au ART DIRECTOR Matt Davis

Melbourne Fringe’s opening night party is on this Friday at the North Melb Town Hall, with the festival running to 6 Oct. Be sure to check out this years program at melbournefringe.com.au (pictured: A Chekhov Triptych).

ART DEPT Nicholas Hopkins, Eamon Stewart vic.art@themusic.com.au ADMIN & ACCOUNTS Loretta Zoppolone Shelley Neergaard Jarrod Kendall Leanne Simpson

We are ACHING for Ja’mie: Private School Girl, the new six-part comedy series by Chris Lilley. After the snotty l’il bitch dominated We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High, the upcoming series reportedly documents Ja’mie King’s final few weeks at Hillford Girls Grammar School and, according to ‘sources’, Jonah Takalua is back from Tonga and set to make an appearance. PLEASE can Greg ‘Mr G’ Gregson perform a random song and dance number as well?

apply

accounts@themusic.com.au DISTRO Anita D’Angelo distro@themusic.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS store.themusic.com.au CONTACT US Tel 03 9421 4499 Fax 03 9421 1011 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au 584 Nicholson St, Fitzroy North 3068 Locked Bag 2001, Clifton Hill VIC 2001

The inaugural White Night Melbourne took out the Best Special Event category at The Helpmann Awards this year and you still have time to register your expression of interest to participate in the 2014 event. Head to whitenightmelbourne.com.au and make sure your application is in before 1 Oct. There are separate sections for Music/Bands and Dance Groups/Dancers so just do it now before you forget and then it’s too late. The insomniac’s delight returns to our pukka city on 22 Feb next year. MELBOURNE

run

There is a feral pig on the loose in Pilbara, Western Australia, and he is coming for your beer. Yep. It’s only been a week since Abbott claimed government and we already have bushfires and overcast days and a feral pig wrecking the place. He drank 18 beers in less than two days, which sounds small, but for a pig seems like quite a lot. The pig, that The Music have lovingly nicknamed Wilbur, actually sounds like he’d be fun to hang out with.

ralph

return

Canada’s Arcade Fire have put a date on their musical return, with the band announcing that their fourth fulllength, Reflecktor, will land in our lives 1 Nov – plenty of time to get these songs flowing through us before they visit as part of Big Day Out 2014. The lead single and title track places yet another unique feather in their cap, and with acclaimed director Anton Corbijn directing the black and white creepiness it marks a pretty special return for the indie troupe.

Louis Tomlinson of One Direction vomited all over the place following a big hit at a charity football match in Glasgow. There’s not much else to the story, but the mere knowledge that this took place gives us great joy.

star

Well, not star so much as “appear in” Angelina Jolie’s new movie, Unbroken. All you have to do is be a thin male between the ages of 17 and 50, with no tattoos, please, and your own car (so you can drive to Queensland; did we mention it’s on the Gold Coast?). You could then meet Jolie and her kids and get paid to act as a person in a POW camp in WWII. You’ll also be given a haircut. Budding thespians, remember: this could be your big break andyou get a free haircut. THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 11

national news news@themusic.com.au KINGS OF LEON

RIDE ‘EM COWBOYS

Nashville sons Kings Of Leon will be playing a special one-off show live on Sydney Harbour, 18 Nov, and thanks to Channel [V] you can score tickets to the show. Tying in with the title of their sixth record, the [V] team will be heading to each capital city to conduct a Mechanical Bull riding comp, with the best buck in each state getting a double pass to the exclusive show, return flights and accommodation – boom. Be in the running to win by heading to these locations: Forrest Place, Perth, 20 Sep (12.30pm to 3.30pm); Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, 22 Sep (11am to 2pm); Queen Street Mall Stage, Brisbane, 24 Sep (11am to 2pm); and Federation Square, Melbourne, 25 Sep (11am to 2pm).

NEVER FEAR, SUMMER BEATS ARE HERE!

After being seemingly everywhere throughout 2010 and ’11, Miami Horror removed themselves from our map, decamping to the sun-drenched playground of California, putting together a new record while based in Los Angeles. Now, the rainbow disco dons are bringing it back to where it all began, playing a run of summer dates as part of Sets On The Beach, Perth, 8 Dec; the new Groovin’ The Moo curated festival The Plot, Big Top Luna Park, Sydney, 14 Dec and Palace Theatre/ Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne, 15 Dec; and a club show at Oh Hello!, Brisbane, 21 Dec.

SMOOTH OPERATORS

Don your Sunday bests and get on down to the silky sounds of The Bamboos. With a new album in the can, they’ll be lighting up venues on their Fever In The Road tour: 29 Nov, The Hi-Fi, Brisbane; 30 Nov, The Factory, Sydney; 5 Dec, Capitol, Perth; and 7 Dec, Forum Theatre, Melbourne.

After reintroducing his Whitley moniker with Even The Stars Are A Mess, Lawrence Greenwood is set to grab fellow Melburnian Seagull and jet out on an extensive national tour that will reach every capital and a selection of regional areas. Catch the shows 17 Oct, Caravan, Oakleigh; 18 Oct, Howler, Melbourne; 19 Oct, Barwon Club, Geelong; 24 Oct, Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 25 Oct, Bendigo Bank Theatre, Bendigo; 13 Nov, Transit Bar, Canberra; 14 Nov, Captains, Batemans Bay; 15 Nov, Rad Bar, Wollongong; 16 Nov, Goodgod Small Club, Sydney; 17 Nov, Small Ballroom, Newcastle; 28 Nov, Alhambra, Brisbane; 29 Nov, Woombye Pub, Sunshine Coast; 30 Nov, Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast; 7 Dec, Amplifier, Perth; and 8 Dec, Mojo’s, Fremantle. In between those headline shows, Whitley has also been called on to help with the festivities at the up A Day On The Green shows featuring Bernard Fanning, The Cruel Sea, Sarah Blasko and Bob Evans. These dates happen 2 Nov, Bimbadgen Winery, Hunter Valley; 3 Nov, Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton; and 9 Nov, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley.

LIMP BIZKIT

HAVE MICKEY AVALON AT YOUR HOUSE PARTY

This shit be happening for realz. Notorious wild man Mickey Avalon is touring Australia next month and he’s just decided to make one extra stop. How does this affect you? Well, the stop could be your house. Head to krbde.com and upload your finest (or most tragic) party photo to enter and Mr Avalon could be turning up at your home with a DJ and a PA system to play for you and 20 of your friends while no doubt pissing off your neighbours all night long. Registration closes on 23 Sep, with the proper tour hitting Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 18 Oct; Capitol, Perth, 19 Oct; Metro Theatre, Sydney, 20 Oct; The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 24 Oct; and Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast, 25 Oct. All this is proudly presented by The Music.

“THE HARVEST FESTIVAL LOOKS LIKE IT’LL BE CANCELLED. WELCOME TO ABBOTT’S AUSTRALIA” CAMERON ATFIELD [@CAMERONATFIELD] GREETS THE MANY SAD FACES. 12 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

BACK ON THE SADDLE

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?

“Welcome to the jungle punk/Take a look around... It’s Limp Bizkit and they’re about to fuck up your town. Rap metal’s most dividing group are returning to Australia, ripping through a run of capital city headline dates with their full original line-up. After drawing arguably the biggest crowds of the day during Soundwave 2012, it’s obvious people still have a soft spot for the Nookie and giving it all for such a thing – you probably do too. So get along to one of the following dates next month: 25 Oct, Riverstage, Brisbane (all ages) 26 Oct, Sydney Entertainment Centre (licensed/ all ages); 27 Oct, Festival Hall, Melbourne (licensed/unlicensed); and 31 Oct, Metro City, Perth. Tickets go on sale Friday.

BLACKENED IS THE END

Returning for the first time since 2006, Sweden’s Dark Tranquillity will showcase their provoking new record, Construct, with a run of shows. Find out how moving metal can be by heading along to Capitol, Perth, 25 March; Billboard The Venue, Melbourne, 27 Mar; The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 28 Mar; and The Hi-Fi, Sydney, 29 Mar, all ages.

national news news@themusic.com.au BODYJAR

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS

ONE IN A MILLION

There are few Aussie punk acts more loved than Bodyjar, and after a little sabbatical (their incredible No Touch Red shows notwithstanding) the guys are making a big return with a brand new swag of tunes and a national tour to showcase all the fresh cuts and those old singalongs that we fucking love. New album Role Model comes out on UNFD 18 Oct, and the guys take to the road soon after, playing 31 Oct, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle; 1 Nov, The Hi-Fi, Sydney; 2 Nov, Corner Hotel, Melbourne; 15 Nov, Rosemount Hotel, Perth; 16 Nov, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; 22 Nov, The Hi-Fi, Brisbane; and 23 November, Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast. Tickets on sale now, with the tour proudly presented by The Music.

WEDNESDAY 13

STAB IN THE DARK

Punk doesn’t come to you any more horrific than Wednesday 13, and since emerging from North Carolina almost a decade ago, lead tormentor Joseph Poole has continued to deliver balls out insanity. And quite perfectly for fans in these parts, Wednesday 13 fly over the Pacific for three east coast dates to tie in with the band’s night of nights – Halloween. Let the blood run free and enjoy the freakiest party of your life when the band present their latest record The Dixie Dead at The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 30 Oct; Metro Theatre, Sydney, 31 Oct (all ages); and Billboard The Venue, Melbourne, 1 Nov. Tickets go on sale this Thursday.

RIFF IT OUT

Two of Europe’s newest garage psych kings, Kadavar and Blues Pills, will be teaming up for a double bill of rad proportions at The Rosemount, Perth, 21 Nov; Mojo’s, Fremantle, 22 Nov; Cherry Fest, Melbourne, 24 Nov; Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, 26 and 27 Nov; ANU Refectory, Canberra, 28 Nov; Factory Theatre, Sydney, 29 Nov; Annandale Hotel, Sydney, 30 Nov; and Crowbar, Brisbane, 1 December.

ONLY WAY IS FORWARDS

Introducing Future Music Festival 2014: Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Knife Party, Hardwell, Eric Prydz, Kaskade, Paul van Dyk, Baauer, Markus Schulz, ATB, Dada Life, Chuckie, Arty, Martin Garrix, Chase & Status, Rudimental, Tinie Tempah, Naughty Boy, 2 Chainz, Cut Copy, Sub Focus live, Netsky live, R3Hab, Bassjackers, Adventure Club, Carnage, Deniz Koyu, Dannic, Dyro, Monsta, Timmy Trumpet, Walden, Tenzin, Will Sparks, Sven Vath, Paul Kalkbrenner, Dubfire, Gesaffelstein live, Maya Jane Coles, Brodinski, Gorgon City and Kaytranada. Yep, it’s massive. The event will roll into Brisbane, TBC, 1 Mar; Perth, Arena Joondalup, 2 Mar; Sydney, Randwick Racecourse, 8 Mar; and Melbourne, Flemington Racecourse, 9 Mar. In addition, Future’s underage spin-off Good Life will be doing it for the kids in between the main dates, with those events happening in Brisbane, 28 Feb; Perth, 3 Mar; Melbourne, 7 Mar; and Sydney, 9 Mar. Stay tuned to theMusic.com.au for venue and ticket info, with tickets on sale 1 Oct.

“STARING AT YOUR PHONE TO HELP AVOID AN AWKWARD SITUATION” IN WILL FERRELL’S [@WILLYFERRELL] LIFE, THERE’S PROBABLY A FEW OF THOSE.

CELEBRATING LIFE

In tribute to the late, great Tony Sly of No Use For A Name, Lagwagon’s Joey Cape and Brian Wahlstrom, who both played with Sly in side project Scorpios, will partner up for a run of dates Down Under. Expect setlists that touch on plenty of stripped back punk rock gems from the gents’ respective careers and help toast a hero that was taken far too soon. Cape and Wahlstrom play 25 Oct, Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 26 Oct, Reverence Hotel, Melbourne; 30 Oct, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle; 31 Oct, Annandale Hotel, Sydney; 1 Nov, Crowbar, Brisbane; 2 Nov, The Loft, Gold Coast; and 3 Nov, Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley. Fans can also expect a tour record from these shows to be released on Fat Wreck Chords in 2014 – that means sing your heart out goddammit!

CHANGING THE NORM

Perth hardcore types Saviour are capping off a busy 2013 by... yeah, staying busy. They are partnering up with Sydney metalcore crew For All Eternity and WA buddies Anchored to launch their brand new record, First Light To My Death Bed and will perform 25 Oct, Rosemount Hotel, Perth; 26 Oct, YMCA HQ, Leederville (all ages); 2 Nov, Footscray Phoenix Youth Centre (all ages) and Bang, Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne; 5 Nov, The Basement, Canberra; 6 Nov, Sohier Hall, Ourimbah; 7 Nov, Snitch, X&Y Bar, Brisbane; 8 Nov, Tall Poppy Studio, Brisbane (all ages); 9 Nov, Annandale Hotel, Sydney; and 10 Nov, Masonic Hall, Blacktown (all ages). THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 13

local news vic.news@themusic.com.au BEC LAUGHTON

HUGO RACE & THE FATALISTS

RACE TO IT CAN’T STOP LAUGHTON

Brisbane’s indie soul songstress Bec Laughton has a knack for penning a killer pop hook, and is soon to take over stages around Australia for her Darkest Love single tour. With a recent performance at Red Deer Music and Arts Festival, a QMA Award and finalist position in the International Songwriting Competition, her name’s bound to pop up more and more. Check her out at the Paris Cat on 18 Oct.

MAKIN’ TRAKS

Get geared up for 15: A Celebration Of 15 Years Of Elefant Traks – an elephant-sized party presented over two nights. The two-day passes have sold out inr ecord time, but single day passes are still available. The stellar line-up consists of: Hermitude, Horrorshow, The Herd, Jimblah and Sietta, on 22 Nov at the Corner Hotel and Urthboy, The Tongue, Joelistics, Astronomy Class, The Last Kinection, Sky’high and Jane Tyrrell on 23 Nov at the Northxcote Social Club.

GET IN QUIK

Hip hop fans will be pleased to hear that DJ Quik and Kurupt are coming together to tour Sydney and Melbourne for the very first time as part of the inaugural West Coast Icons Tour: a fitting name for two of the West Coast’s most recognisable and influential figures. With hours of hits between them and a dynamic and energetic live show full of West Coast bravado, this show will be reflective of the legacy of two illustrious careers. See it at Billboard on 18 Oct.

APING AROUND

On the back of their chunky debut single Crawl Back, The Ape’s self-titled debut album is out 4 Oct. The Ape, in case you need reminding, is exiled Spanish crime boss riff legend Raul Sanchez (Magic Dirt) on guitar; skin slamming, boy wonder Gus Agars (The Dark Horses) on drums and vocals; style king Pat Bourke on bass and piano; and the artist formally known as Tex Perkins on vocals and guitar. Catch them at Ding Dong Lounge on 11 Oct and Caravan music Club on 13 Oct.

WIDE-REACHING

Now in its sixth year, Australasian Worldwide Music Expo will once again showcase a huge line-up of global roots music with 50 worldclass artists performing over four days and nights from 14 to 17 Nov at venues across Melbourne. This year’s program features the likes of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Hollie Smith (NZ), Sola Rosa (NZ), Indigenous trailblazer Stephen Pigram, Damien Dempsey (Ireland), Dereb The Ambassador (Ethiopia/Australia), guitar maestro Jeff Lang, The Twin Beasts (formerly The Toot Toot Toots), Knox (Fiji), The Orbweavers, Grizzly Jim Lawrie and more. Earlybird passes are on sale now at awme.com.au.

“STILL UNSURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THE WORD ‘PANTIES’”

– MAMMALS HAVE ISSUES, TOO; JUST ASK COSMIC DOLPHIN [@COSMICDOLPHIN]. 14 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Hugo Race has recently returned from an extensive concert tour of Europe with his Italian-based Fatalists project. After receiving acclaimed reviews from European press, Hugo Race & The Fatalists (pictured) embark on a national tour across the countryside in support of their latest album, We Never Had Control. Joining them will be special Italian guests Sacri Couri. They perform at The Workers Club on 20 Sep (album launch), the Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine on 21 Sep and Post Office Hotel, Coburg on 29 Sep.

HEAR THE STATIC

To celebrate the release of their second album Beneath The Static And The Low, Australian electronic duo Audego have announced some launch shows, including one at The Toff In Town on 10 Oct with bass-heavy beats duo Friendships and installation artwork from Melbourne artist b0yd0g, as well as Sui Zhen and Leaks. Audego have become well known for their live shows, which are a sensory overload of synths, turntabalism, live beat programming and abstract visuals.

BAD BEASTS

Romping hooks, rock-solid rhythms, and a live show that’ll knock you off your feet; formerly The Toot Toot Toots, it’s business as usual for Melbournebased powerhouse quintet Twin Beasts (pictured), who are about to tour the country with new single Badlove. Catch them at Barwon Club, Geelong on 4 Oct; Northcote Social Club on 26 Oct; The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine on 8 Nov; and Baha Tacos, Rye on 29 Nov.’

NEED MORE IRON

It’s already been revealed that Iron & Wine will be visiting Australia again in April 2014 when they were announced in the initial batch of acts for Bluesfest, and now sideshows have been confirmed, including one at the Forum Theatre on 22 Apr. Texas based singer-songwriter Sam Beam will have his full band in tow, in order to bring the material off the lush new album Ghost On Ghost to life.

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MADRE MONTE LAMINE SONKO & THE AFRICAN INTELLIGENCE KUMAR SHOME & THE PUNKAWALLAHS

COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX:

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PORTER ROBINSON AND THE M MACHINE LIVE SUN 20 OCT

WEDNESDAY 13 FRI 1 NOV

CHIC AND NILE RODGERS FRI 13 DEC

THE MUSIC â&#x20AC;¢ 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 â&#x20AC;¢ 15

local news vic.news@themusic.com.au LITTLE SCOUT

CIRCLES

CIRCLING OVERHEAD

Australian metallers Circles (pictured) will release their debut album Inf initas on 14 Oct, and will be launching it at the Evelyn Hotel on 8 Nov with guests Head Filled Attraction, Glass Empire and Conjurer. As the follow-up album to their critically acclaimed The Compass EP in 2011, Inf initas mixes up cutting edge production techniques and innovative progressive metal that pushes the boundaries of the listener’s experience.

OWL SAY

The Owl And The Pussycat comes alive during the Melbourne Fringe and this year is certainly no exception. They’ll host three shows a night during the festival, including the likes of Edinburgh/ New York smash hit Eight; the romantic optimism of Kissing Booth; the merging of paint, dance, music, theatre and art instillations in Painted Pictures and the musical comedy Gouti: The God Of Them All. The festival runs from 18 Sep to 6 Oct.

YOUNG AT HEART

The RocKwiz team is assembling a cavalcade of stars for special live shows to celebrate the music of Australia’s most famous songwriting and production team: Vanda and Young. RocKwiz Salutes Vanda And Young will feature an eclectic mix of Australian heritage artists alongside contemporary stars, performing songs written, played or produced by Vanda and Young. It’ll be hosted, of course, by Julia Zemiro and adjudicated by Brian Nankervis and the RocKwiz Orkestra will back the artists. It all takes place at the Palais Theatre on 8 Dec.

SURF’S UP

New Zealand band Surf City’s forthcoming album We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This continues their love affair with psychedelic, reverb-swathed guitar pop, drawing from their Flying Nun forefathers The Clean and The Chills, as well as the fuzzed-up dream pop of The Jesus & Mary Chain and the loopy noise of Animal Collective. Surf City launch their new album at The Gasometer Hotel on 20 Nov. 16 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

MARCH ALONG With album number two hot off the press and their Hungry Kids Of Hungary tour done and dusted, Little Scout (pictured) are thrilled to announce the dates of their own album launch tour, as well as a music video to accompany single March Over To Me. The new release Are You Life is a stunning work of dense arrangements, layered distortion and striking vocal melodies. See Little Scout perform at the Shadow Electric with I, A Man on 3 Nov.

THE LOCALS Indicating Stereosonic’s strong grass roots approach to developing Australian talent and fostering artists early career, the festival has announced it will feature over 300 Australian acts. Supporting headliners David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Armin van Buuren in Sydney’s leg (Melbourne Showgrounds, 7 and 8 Dec) will be the likes of Sunshine, Boogs, Chardy, Joel Fletcher, Papa Smurf, Orkestrated, Mike Callander, Rob Pix, JPS vs NAM, Stevie Mink, Audixx, Bexie and many more.

AFTER DARK As part of the Circus After Dark season at Gasworks, on 25 Sep from 6.30pm the Brown Brothers will be hosting Prosecco After Dark – a pop up bar offering circus-inspired cocktails out on the Gasworks terrace. It’s all part of the strange and wonderful Melbourne Fringe Festival.

GOOCHIE COO Gooch Palms are heading out on their first headline tour, celebrating the release of their new single. The title track from their debut album Novo’s, the single is all sweet nasally vocals, scuzzy garage sounds and lucid surf-style guitar tones. See ‘em getting sweaty at The Barwon Club, Geelong on 3 Oct and The Tote on 4 Oct.

“REMEMBER: IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BECOME A CHILD PRODIGY.”

– GUARANTEED CONAN O’BRIEN [@CONANOBRIEN] IS STILL SHINING FOR HIS CHANCE.

ALL IN THE IRIS

Considered one of the finest artists of her generation, Iris DeMent has returned with her first album of original music in 16 years, Sing The Delta. The LP brings the delta to life through timeless songs, DeMent’s richly evocative voice and support from a cast of first-call musicians. DeMent – who has sung duets with the likes of Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris and John Prine – returns to Australia for the first time since 1998. See her live at the Thornbury Theatre on 5 Dec and Meeniyan Town Hall on 6 Dec.

HAPPY YOU

I Oh You has announced a huge fourth birthday celebration to be held at Flagstaff Train Station on 16 Nov, as part of Melbourne Music Week. They’ve purposefully curated a line-up which is full of some of their closest friends and Melbourne bands that have been playing I Oh You parties since 2009 and making huge waves in their own right across the world. The night features Yacht Club DJs, Gold Fields, Northeast Party House, City Calm Down, Neon Love (one-off reunion show), SNKDKTL DJs, Indian Summer and Acolyte.

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 17

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PERFORMANCE ANXIETY Words Samson McDougall. Photos Kane Hibberd.

After losing a member of her musical family in Dean Turner, Adalita found strength in pursuing the solo career he encouraged her to forge. On performing live, she tells Samson McDougall: “I’m still nervous but I’m not fearful. I think there’s a difference.”

“I

t was just packed with weird cats,” Adalita Srsen says, of her musical birthplace, Geelong’s Barwon Club in the late-‘80s/early-‘90s. “[There were] all these young people that just came from maybe dysfunctional families or whatever and didn’t have anywhere to go and just needed a scene... [It was] like, ‘Yeah, we’re weird but we’re proud and this is what we do and this is the music we love and this is what we wear and this is how we talk and this is the hairdo I’ve got’. And, you know, you just felt like you had a family in that kind of scene.” From this scene emerged the band that would define Srsen’s musical existence for the next 20-odd years, Magic Dirt. Magic Dirt occupied that rare musical space that appeals in equal measures to radio tastemakers (they even appeared on John Peel’s BBC radio show in 1997), career-making (or breaking) label types and a wide spectrum of the public. They were a popular band that maintained their edge. They hovered around the fringes of mainstream success, seemingly enough to make a go of it but without ever really forgetting where they’d come from. Key to the band’s emergence and successes was the pairing of Srsen and bass player Dean Turner. Their relationship, musical and otherwise, formed a platform from which Srsen developed her own musical chops. “It was completely accidental, I had no ambition to be in a rock band or make music, it wasn’t something

was probably too afraid to keep doing it.”

ROCK’N ROLE MODEL

The first, and self-titled, Adalita album dropped in 2011 after a prolonged recording process. Sadly, Turner was never to see the fruits of his encouragement as he passed away during the production of the record from a rare form of cancer in August 2009. He was only 37 years old. The resultant debut album is pure emotion on wax. Armed with nothing but an electric guitar and what had developed into some serious songwriting abilities, Adalita laid a benchmark that would be incredibly difficult to better.

Although not her “sole purpose of being a musician”, young girls could do far worse than looking up to Adalita. Samson McDougall approves.

Understandably, it was a highly charged undertaking, and the subsequent tours came with their fair share of apprehensions. For Srsen, the prospect of standing on stage, alone with a guitar and her new batch of songs, was nerve-wracking to say the least. “I did all those solo shows with the last record and went through all that

“I FEEL LIKE NOW I’VE GOT TO A POINT WHERE I’M NOT SO FEARFUL ANYMORE.” that I did or loved or [that] was on my radar at all,” Srsen says of her teenage years. “I’d always written poetry, so I had words and things. So then I started learning the guitar, self-taught from a book, and then I started putting the words of my poetry with my music and then recorded little things on cassettes, when cassettes were around. Then I met Dean and he heard the tapes and he said, ‘These are great songs, we should do something’. I was like, ‘Okay’.” Needless to say, the thing took off – the Magic Dirt chapter of Adalita’s story is now well told. But Turner was also to play a vital role in the next instalment of his friend’s story: the birth of the solo artist, Adalita. “Dean really encouraged me to branch out and try these other songs and I was really nervous about it and kind of didn’t want to do it because I was too nervous playing live,” she says. “I didn’t mind the recording part, I enjoyed that, but live, I thought, ‘I can’t do this, it’s too hard’... Early on even Dean was surprised that I kept doing the shows because he thought I 20 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

pain – as well as pleasure, don’t get me wrong. It was good fun, but when it was hard it was hard. So I feel like just ‘cause I went through it all and faced my fears with it, I feel like now I’ve got to a point where I’m not so fearful anymore. I still get the butterflies and I’m still nervous but I’m not fearful. I think there’s a difference.” With new record, All Day Venus, Adalita just seems excited to get out and hit the road. It’s a different beast of a record in almost every

A bit of an outsider, like many of us Adalita found home on the sticky carpets of suburban venues. When quizzed on who exactly her role models were back in the early days, she says it was mostly about aligning herself with the freaks and geeks that were able to incorporate their weirdness into their art. “People like Kate Bush, mainly because she was unique, her songs were so different and she was, like, kooky and interesting and just so different to everything else,” she says. “I’ve felt weird, I’ve always felt like I was a bit of a weirdo, which, you know, I’m not alone in that feeling – I’m a bit of a black sheep or I’m an outsider... Kate Bush is someone that I felt aligned with in that way and I felt supported in my psyche and what I was doing... Even people like David Bowie, you know, and then all the alternative bands like Sonic Youth and Mudhoney and Iggy Pop, you know, I felt aligned with all those people and really inspired and I felt buoyed by what they were doing ‘cause they were just doing what they wanted to do. There were no rules and they were just making up their own music.” Adalita’s an accidental musician who does it her own way and she comes across as a fucking good sort to boot. As a role model, and she most certainly is, this is good. Even better, Adalita maintains she lives her life how she wants to live it, and prefers to let her music speak for itself. “I guess I’m really supportive of women and young girls in music and I hope that what I do encourages them but I definitely wanna live my life and not be afraid to make mistakes,” she says. “The connection I have with my fans and the whole role model thing is through my work. I don’t wanna watch myself and what I do, I just do what I do and if that inspires people, great. I like to set a good example through work. You know, I work hard and I enjoy what I do and I treat people right, just your basic kind of things, and I hope that I emulate that and that comes across. But that’s not my sole purpose of being a musician – to be a role model. It’s a nice thing that comes with it.”

way; it’s a band record for a start, with the bass and drum sounds she missed so much rumbling beneath the guitar. Srsen’s unmistakable vocals and guitar playing draw a line back to the debut, but this is a much grander affair. “I still wanted it to be lush and beautiful and spacious, so I kept that minimalist attitude throughout – I didn’t want to overcrowd or overcook it or make it this big bombastic record,” she says. “I just wanted it to be like the first record in that cinematic spacious quality but just have a band and have the pedal on. “I kept it really, really, really minimal and I just wanted the guitars and the vocals to be there and just do their thing and tell the story... But I really wanted to push for really, really simple – just a skeleton that’s draped in a few flowers; nothing too meaty, nothing too overdone, not what you’d expect.” Along with the three drummers used on the recording of All Day Venus – no less than Jim White, Hugo Cran and Lee Parker – friend Matt Bailey played bass and

there’s a guest spot from violinist Willow Stahlut. Bailey remains in the upcoming tour band and will be joined by drummer Dan McKay and second guitarist Lewis Boyes. The recording represents Adalita’s first time as master of puppets. Not only did she write most of the constituent parts for every instrument, but she took charge of the arrangement in order to best tell the story she set out to express. “I feel confident that I actually explored the ideas and I made them happen,” she says of the outcome. “That was a pretty big deal – anyone would be nervous about that, I would imagine. I was sort of in charge and had to make it happen... [I] put my trust in others and everyone just delivered, I was really lucky I picked some amazing musicians and they all stepped up to the plate... “I don’t wanna get too dramatic but I think most of the people that are on the record realised how much of a big deal it was for me and they were all really

sensitive to the project and everyone was so lovely and awesome. I feel really emotional about it all. I think it’s really a sacred space and bringing people into that space you’re taking a chance and hoping for the best.” Adalita says she set out to produce a band record as “minimal and bare and essential” as her previous solo works; a record as bare bones in terms of parts, narrative and themes, and not diluted in any way. She’s keen to push the live band even further, to relish having

the power of three other musicians plugged in and on stage and cutting loose. “The way we’re jamming and the way Lewis makes up his parts – I’m just making a whole other new take on the songs,” she says of the live approach. Interestingly, no formation of the band were ever brought together during the recording of the album. “It’ll be the same songs and it’ll sound similar but live I don’t want to copy the record too much, it’s a whole other beast... I don’t wanna be tied down to any rules. The record’s the record, put it on if you wanna hear that. But if you come to the show this is how we’re gonna play it.”

WHAT: All Day Venus (Liberator) WHEN & WHERE: 29 Sep, A Show For Casey, Simonds Stadium, South Geelong; 11 Oct, Barwon Club, South Geelong; 12 Oct Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 13 Oct, Corner Hotel THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 21

music

FROM THE UNDERGROUND

is all about... that whole community vibe. Even when we go on stage, we feel like a little community.”

Over the past 12 months, Rudimental have truly broken through to the mainstream. As they return to Australia, Matt O’Neill speaks to founding member Kesi Dryden about the decade prior.

udimental seem relatively easy to categorise. Their hit singles, debut album, lifespan and genealogy sketch out a pretty conventional career arc. Formed in 2010, it’s only taken them three years to transition from anonymity to ubiquity. Their 2012 single, Feel The Love, debuted at #1 on the UK charts. Their 2013 debut album, Home, did likewise. They’re pop producers. Drawing heavily on UK-specific dialects like drum’n’bass, garage and funk, they’ve strategically collaborated with popular soul vocalists (Emeli Sande, for example) to invade the mainstream. They’re Mark Ronson. They’re Chase & Status. Surely? Co-founder Kesi Dryden politely disagrees. “We don’t want to be misunderstood as a pop act,” the producer says. “A lot of pop acts are manufactured and we are the opposite end of that. There’s a real traditional vibe. We write the songs together, we produce together and we perform live on stage together. There’s nothing manufactured about it.” There’s actually a lot more to the group than their immediate success would suggest. For starters, their history stretches a lot further back than 2010. While Rudimental was only officially assembled in 2010, most of the group’s four members have known each other since they were kids. “Yeah, that’s true. The four of us have individually been producers and songwriters for a number of years now. Through our teenage years, that’s what we got into and that was our hobby growing up. About six or seven years ago, we decided to start doing stuff together. “We’ve all been friends from a young age and we’ve all been making music, but it’s only been in the last six or seven years that we really thought about working together and that’s when stuff really started to take off. We started DJing on pirate radio stations in the UK and just spreading our sound – and we got a really great response.” Initially, Rudimental had a lot of difficulty selling their sound to labels. Their decision to blend their drum’n’bass and garage instrumentals with old-school soul and reggae flavours stood at odds with increasingly popular styles like brostep and EDM. It’s only by virtue of a label’s commitment to experimentation that they’re enjoying their current success. “It was probably what the public had been waiting for – a bit of dance music with a bit of soul,” Dryden suggests.

“I think the chart scene in the UK went into a bit of a bad place. There was a lot of music coming out that was sort of soulless. People would produce a track, send it off; somebody else would write it, send it off; somebody would vocal it, send it off. There was no connection with the music. We like to write songs from scratch and be a part of the whole process. We’ll never ever make a beat and just send it to somebody. We have to be there. That’s what it’s all about. That’s how you get the traditional vibe. I think the UK was waiting for something like that to happen.” There’s a lot of depth to the quartet’s work. Not just musically, either. They’ve a strong social conscience. Prior to their mainstream breakthrough, each member of the band was involved in assisting underprivileged youth on a professional basis. It’s actually something Kesi Dryden would like to continue as Rudimental grow more successful. “Definitely. We’ve all come from working with underprivileged kids in different areas in London. Often, areas seen as negative areas. It’s a big part of us; giving back to the community. It’s kind of what Rudimental

Even in their collaborations, they’ve maintained a community outlook. Their album is rife with unknown vocalists and performers that Rudimental have tried to give a platform – John Newman, for example. Originally unknown, he’s followed up his success with Rudimental’s Feel The Love with his own chart-topping hit, Love Me Again. “Most of the vocalists on our album, aside from Emeli Sande and Alex Clare, were up-and-coming talents we found around London,” Dryden explains. “A number of people we’ve worked with for a long time and a number of them, like John, we just found at open mic nights. It’s great to give a platform to these artists. You know, it was only a year or 18 months ago that we needed a leg-up, so it’s great to be able to turn around and help out other artists as well. To turn around and see people like John develop their own successful solo career on the back of that is just a wonderful feeling.”

“WE’VE ALL COME FROM WORKING WITH UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN LONDON.” Rudimental aren’t opposed to popular success. They’re simply opposed to cynicism – music as product. Their ambitions are clearly linked to getting their music heard by a wide array of audiences. It would be dishonest to claim otherwise. Still, they want to do it organically and respectfully. With integrity, in other words. “It can get a bit worrying, at times. We don’t want to get seen as a pop act. At the same time, though, it’s great that our music is transferring across to a popular audience. It’s good to see that a lot of people are enjoying our music. It’s a hard balance to crack – but we believe we’re making music the right way. “Hopefully, people will understand that,” he smiles. “This is our first album and I think we’ve got a long way to go and a lot more to come out of us. You know, we’ve been working together for a long time, but we’ve only just got the opportunity to do this full time. It’s just the start of Rudimental.” WHEN & WHERE: 21 Sep, Festival

Hall; 9 Mar, Future Music Festival, Flemington Racecourse

film

IN MOTION Thanks in part to his hairstyle at the time, music video artist Darcy Prendergast serendipitously stumbled upon a goldmine for his first ever live-action shoot, he tells Simon Eales.

nimator and music video artist, Darcy Prendergast’s practice seems like a pretty clandestine operation. Every day he wakes up, feeds his dogs, and walks down the street to his studio to spend the next 18 hours piecing together the concepts and art for his latest films. He works on several at once, in the most painstaking ways, specialising in stop-motion and clay-mation. He’s currently working on projects for Paper Kites, Georgia Fair and Horrowshow.

Two of Prendergast’s previous works feature alongside a whole range of other video artists like Josh Thomas, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze in the upcoming Spectacle: The Music Video Exhibition, which plays at ACMI in Melbourne over summer. The first adds to the mosaic of remarkable clips made for Gotye songs. Prendergast’s stopmotion work on Easy Way Out is very much in the style he developed working on Adam Elliot’s award-winning film, Mary And Max. In it, Wally de Backer drones through the frenetic and circular motions of an entirely animated nine-to-five world.

music

In the final few moments of the clip, a piece of graffiti is clearly visible, reading ‘CG sucks’. It seems like the calling card of an artist avidly against the alienation of computer-generated graphics, and for a handcrafted aesthetic. “I wouldn’t say it’s a mantra, but it’s definitely a philosophy for me,” Prendergast says. “I try and do everything in camera where possible. I love the organic and tactile nature of stop-motion, the fact that you can see it’s made from raw materials.” The second film, for Bombay Bicycle Club’s Beg, is different. It’s filmed entirely in live-action, a first for Prendergast and his studio, Oh Yeah Wow. So foreign was live-action to them that a few bands actually paid for the Oh Yeah Wow guys to learn the skills to shoot them live. The film depicts two guys freestyle dancing, and gradually undressing through the streets of Melbourne’s inner-north. The dancers booked to perform in the video pulled out the night before the shoot, “so we had to find new dancers and time was ticking down”, Prendergast tells. “I was in Melbourne Central and this group of African kids yelled out to me, ‘Nice hair, bro, nice hair!’ – I had dreadlocks at the time – and I just thought, ‘What if…?’ So I said, ‘Do any of you guys dance?’ and all 20 of these kids jumped up and started popping and locking excitedly. I’d hit a gold mine.” The group of kids introduced Prendergast to a dance crew of older guys walking past, two of whom, Deng and Dan, shot the clip the next day. “They’ve got some phenomenal skills,” Prendergast says. WHAT: Spectacle: The Music Video Exhibition WHEN & WHERE: 26 Sep to 23 Feb, ACMI

MASTER AT WORK Hernán Cattáneo discusses how he successfully alternates dad duty and deck wizardry with Cyclone.

rgentina’s Hernán Cattáneo saved ‘prog’ back in the 2000s, introducing elements of techno, house and deep grooves. So revered in Melbourne is the DJ/producer that he’s scheduled to play an epic, five hour-plus set at The Prince this month. “I really enjoy playing long sets,” Cattáneo affirms. “I’m not doing them every weekend, but every now and then, when there’s a very good place or crowd, like in Melbourne, I pride myself on doing a long set.” Cattáneo has DJed in some improbable venues – one of them Liverpool Cathedral, the world’s fifth biggest, in 2011, alongside Danny Howells. The gothic revival building survived German bombing in WWII and survived the rave. The gig was, Cattáneo says, “mindblowing”. Cattáneo’s interest in music began with New Wave acts like Depeche Mode in the ‘80s. But it was discovering Chicago house and Detroit techno that prompted him to DJ. Cattáneo secured an important residency at Buenos Aires Clubland. Here, he impressed visiting DJs such as Sasha, John Digweed and Paul Oakenfold. Oakey did much to expose Cattáneo outside of South America, issuing his music through Perfecto. And Cattáneo forged an alliance with the Liverpool club brand Cream. He eventually launched his own label empire Sudbeat in 2009. 24 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Cattáneo has circulated countless singles and mix-CDs (the last his 2012 volume in Renaissance’s Masters Series), but is yet to cut an ‘artist’ album – although 2010’s compilation Parallel came close, being stacked with his own productions. “The original Parallel was maybe intended to be only my productions or remixes of stuff, but then the problem is I like music a lot! I don’t have a big ego, so I don’t mind sharing the credits.” Cattáneo admits that he’s been “thinking about” an LP. “This is something I’m gonna end up doing sooner or later – maybe next year or maybe the other. I’m definitely

gonna make an ‘artist’ album soon.” In the meantime, Sudbeat will release its first album from Israel’s Guy Mantzur. And Cattáneo plans a label comp: “The label is growing very nicely, so we are very happy with it.” Cattáneo is invariably touted as an ambassador for South America’s burgeoning dance scene, but he actually resides in Barcelona, Spain, with his young family. The city is more convenient for a globetrotting DJ. Yet he returns home often – not only to play, but also to take his wife and kids for a visit. “Of course, you miss it and at some point, some day, I will go back to live there.” Indeed, when not travelling, or at home administrating Sudbeat, plotting his radio show, or checking out new music, Cattáneo is about his three daughters, all aged six and under. “They keep me very busy,” he says. “I spend time with them – taking them to school, or to the park or to the swimming pool or whatever we can do – and make sure that they have all the love they need. I enjoy that a lot.” WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep, The Prince

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 25

THE RUM REBELLION art

26 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Street artist R.J Williams was commissioned to paint a mural for Sailor Jerry’s pop-up Sydney bar, modifying a classic Hawaiian design by Norman Collins. To make the culture clash complete, Williams got it tattooed on himself. Pics by Cole Bennetts

17.

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 27

music

BLOOD IN THE BACKYARD Nick Bryant-Smith aka Solo of Sydney hip hop duo Horrorshow talks to Chris Yates about how he hopes their track Own Backyard will get discussion going about the issues that Indigenous Australians face.

“I

’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reading about Australia’s history in the last couple of years – way more than I ever did as a teenager because I was too preoccupied by my own ups and downs and shit.” After four years of touring their second album, Inside Story, Horrorshow have finally released their third LP, King Amongst Many. The album has been embraced by the young hip hop duo’s fanbase and received acclaim both for Solo’s lyrics and producer Adit’s track construction. One of the more immediately striking tracks on the group’s record is Own Backyard, which features Indigenous rapper Jimblah and deals with injustices faced by First Australians. “The things that really spurred the track on was the book The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper, about the death of Cameron Doomadgee, and quite frankly it’s fucking outrageous what happened in regard to the government and the police response to the community being upset about Doomadgee’s death,” he says with conviction. “Learning more about that story and the injustice of it, and the fact that it happened in our very recent history – it’s just not something that you hear people talk about or acknowledge very often. I also bought the book Blood On The Wattle by the historian Bruce Elder, which I bought in the gift shop of the airport at Alice Springs. It was this physical object that came back with me from that journey. It goes through all the different massacres that have happened to Indigenous people throughout the early history of Australia. I was just reading page after page of this stuff and realising how atrocious these parts of our history are, and I really wanted to write something that was going to acknowledge that and ask the question: ‘What are we gonna do about it now? How are we going to take responsibility?’ “I think it’s really important that as Australians we stop pushing the history and reality of what’s happening now in Indigenous communities out of our minds. We need to start to talk and acknowledge and deal with these issues now. I don’t support people who consider it something from the past, or something that they have nothing to do with or take no responsibility for. ” As a white Australian Solo was very conscious of not trying to be seen as talking on behalf of the Indigenous 28 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

community, but offering his own perspectives. He mentions very specific examples, such as the death of TJ Hickey in 2004, which has not been forgotten by Indigenous Australians or the wider community

brains out there, or provide an avenue for people out there who feel like I do to have their voice heard... I wanted to get an Indigenous MC on there for their perspective. When I hooked up with Jimblah I knew that he was the one to do it, because he has such a powerful voice and presence and he speaks about these issues so beautifully.” Solo says while he’s under no illusions that a song can solve a problem, music is a powerful starting point for a

“I ALSO KNEW THAT GIVEN MY PLATFORM AND MY POSITION IN HORRORSHOW I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE SOMETHING THAT COULD REALLY GET INTO PEOPLE’S BRAINS OUT THERE.” in Redfern, but has not been discussed in the mainstream media for a long time. He was very careful to be respectful to Indigenous Australians and their culture, and part of that included inviting an Indigenous rapper to contribute their own perspective to the track. “I also knew that given my platform and my position in Horrorshow I had an opportunity to write something that could really get into people’s

discussion and a trading of perspectives. “While I see a lot of my younger contemporaries making hip hop and sticking to safer topics and wanting to make party tracks, I see myself as having something of a responsibility in bringing some of these issues to light, and to speak on them in a public way. I think that’s a really powerful tool in working out what we’re going to do next.”

WHEN & WHERE: 26 Sep, Corner Hotel; 27 Sep, Star Bar Bendigo; 28 Sep, Saloon Bar, Traralgon; 29 Sep, Ding Dong Lounge (AA); 17 Oct, Karova Lounge; 18 Oct, The Wool Exchange; 19 Oct, Sprung Festival

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THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 29

illustration of a band born from geographical coincidence but bound in blood. “I’ve known Chris [Adler, drums] and John [Campbell, bass] since we were 17 and we all turn 41 this year.” says Morton. “Chris and Willie [Adler, guitar] are brothers so they’ve known each other since day one – and have grown up together – and Randy not much less than the rest of the guys. We’ve all known each other and were friends long before we were even in a band and long before we were doing anything but playing basements and parties and stuff, so we’ve all taken this trip together.

music

GOD COMPLEX American metallers Lamb Of God bottomed out in an emotionally complex year. Back on the upswing Simon Holland catches a word with guitarist Mark Morton to talk about the ride. Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton misinterprets an innocent ‘Whachoobinupto’ as a literal question. “I’m at home in Richmond, Virginia. Just finished picking some blackberries with my daughter actually. Its real nice man, real nice. She loves it. I live out in about eight acres or so back in the woods so when the wild blackberries are out we go and pick them and my wife makes cobbler out of them.” Did someone pass on the number for Forrest Gump by mistake? “Nah man, that lifestyle still exists. My neighbours got a bunch of chickens, there’s fresh eggs over there. They’ve got goats. I took a picture and put it on my Twitter of a whole family of wild turkeys crossing my driveway this morning. I caught a peek of them nice and early when the sun was still coming up.” The derailing of the conversation takes a bizarre twist. In 2010, Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe rejected the presence of an overeager fan that jumped on stage, and assisted him off the stage while playing a show in Prague. The fan, a Czech national named Daniel Nosek, aged 19, hit his head and later died from the wounds sustained from the impact. Czech officials arrested Blythe with charges of manslaughter in 2012 and sent the singer through the judicial ringer. Imprisoned in a foreign county, Blythe was left to fend for himself before a fundraising effort saw him released on $200,000 bail. The jury acquitted Blythe of the charges in March of this year. The tragedy was well-documented at the time through media filters, though the desecration of the band’s name was largely compounded by a general lack of understanding for mitigating circumstances of a gig and metal was once again demonised as an unsympathetic killing machine. The split reaction from Blythe had seen the dagger of fate enter and twist with a disembowelling action. The ride for Lamb Of God was anything but easy. The rusty axe of eastern bloc justice threatened to decapitate the band, and while Blythe was eventually released on bail and subsequently acquitted, the six-month trial had indelibly left the indents of a death grip on all involved. For the duration of this six-month eternity, the band came within a hair’s breadth of losing it all. “You know the old saying, ‘You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone,’ it’s completely true,” reflects Morton. “But when we talk about being faced with changes in career and those kinds of things – yeah, those are things

30 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

that you think about but they are not even on the same scale as what the real ramifications of that situation were.” Despite having been asked a thousand times before, Morton pauses to compose his words carefully: “That tragedy in Prague definitely renewed my gratitude for the situation that we’re in as a band. You know, we’ve been doing this a long time, but being faced with that situation made me feel really lucky that we’re able to continue to do this. That said, I think it is important to stress that that was certainly not the worst part of that situation. I mean, that situation was about Daniel and his family, so any sort of concerns that we may have had about our career, or that kind of thing, paled in comparison to that kind of tragedy of Daniel being injured and subsequently losing his life, and the trauma and grief that his family had to go through – and are still going through. So I think that is, to this day, something that we all really think about all the time.” The two discussions, while polar opposite in theme, link to provide an

“I haven’t known any different experience, I think we have that Lamb Of God way of keeping ourselves humble.” adds Morton. “If anyone gets a little too full of themselves, there’s always four other guys right there that are ready, willing and capable of knocking your ass back down to earth because we all know each other so well. You can’t get too high on the totem pole before someone is going to remind you who you are. It keeps us humble. And, I mean, we stay at home. You and I started this conversation just shooting the shit about what I did today and I went out and picked blackberries and hung out on the driveway. I’m from here, you know what I mean? I never left. I never moved to Hollywood or NYC when the band started hitting the big time. It’s just not who I am. Most of my friends and people that I hang out with don’t really talk about what I do. There’s a whole ‘nother life outside of Lamb Of God.” The well-adjusted, but increasingly rare, outlook reflects deeply woven moral values, spun from a cloth of historical brutality and injustice in the region. This level of passion and reflection has a way of filtering through the arts and Richmond, Virginia is no exception to the rule, giving birth to more than its fair share of internationalcalibre talent. The old ‘something in the water’ chestnut is met with laughs but Morton is quick to assure that Lamb Of God is only one cog in a complex wheel.

“YEAH, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT YOU THINK ABOUT BUT THEY ARE NOT EVEN ON THE SAME SCALE AS WHAT THE REAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THAT SITUATION WERE.” “Municipal Waste are killing it, they’re from here.” remarks Morton with a touch of fatherly pride, a suggestion he laughs about: “We’ve taken them out on tour, but I don’t think we mentored them. They’ve made it on their own, which has been great to watch. We do have some great mentors down here, though: There’s a band called Gwar and they’ve been doing it a long time. They took us out very early on and they’ve taken Municipal Waste a few times as well. I think if anyone is the town mentor it’s been Gwar. They’re still doing it and I think as these bands come up and out of Richmond, hanging out with Gwar is really the rite of passage. It’s like, you know, you’ve got something going on when Gwar takes you out. It’s always a good little christening for your career and we’ve been able to pay that back. We’ve taken Gwar out a couple of times now and they can open for us,” he laughs. “That’s kind of an ongoing joke.” WHEN & WHERE: 22 Sep, Festival Hall

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music

TEN YEARS OF INSANITY As Byron Bay heavy-hitters Parkway Drive celebrate a key milestone, vocalist Winston McCall discusses a decade of bruises, breaks and beatdowns with Brendan Crabb.

“T

he first goal was to ‘make friends, mosh hard’,” Parkway Drive frontman Winston McCall laughs when asked – just prior to their tenth anniversary tour – for the metal/hardcore mob’s initial motivation. “It sounds stupid, but that was literally it; ‘Let’s make the heaviest band possible, so we can play the youth centre, and kids can go mental’. That was it. Then that goal literally changed two weeks later, when someone said, ‘Hey, you wanna go play Brisbane?’ Then it changed again to, ‘Let’s try and do this release, then let’s do a tour and then let’s continue touring’, and it just kept growing and growing. “It really has been one of those things where the goalposts kept moving, and the goals were never massively long-term. They just slowly became bigger and bigger, simply because the opportunities became bigger and bigger. So it’s nuts to be ten years on, and still to be able to remember the feeling of playing the youth centre at our first show. A decade – fucking hell,” he laughs. As suggested, the Byron Bay quintet weren’t always the arena-reaching, gold record-selling, world-conquering juggernaut easily eclipsing the achievements of every Australian metal or hardcore act before them, while subsequently inspiring a whole new generation of home-grown heaviness. Aside from playing numerous hardcore bills during their formative years, they built a degree of their early following via metal shows, supporting the likes of In Flames and Shadows Fall, and also appearing at the Metal For The Brain festival in 2005. McCall is audibly astonished when this scribe mentions being among the crowd of approximately 50 punters during their midday slot at the latter. “No way, you saw that? That’s awesome. I think it was the first time we ever came to Canberra. [Playing metal shows] was always weird for us, because we weren’t metal guys. We were definitely playing like metal music, but we still called ourselves a hardcore band. I remember playing Metal For The Brain and it was a full-on freak-out for us, because it was like, ‘We’re playing a full metal show, we’re not just playing with one metal band on a hardcore gig’. And we always felt out of place. It wasn’t 32 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

that we were made to feel out of place, it was just that we were that insecure we felt that way,” he laughs. “We didn’t quite get it, [that] people didn’t really give a fuck what we looked like, they just wanted to hear music. The fact that people have chosen not to judge us, and have just

now-stale metalcore sound that peaked during their gestation. To acknowledge what the growler describes as an “insane” decade, they’re embarking on a national tour, and will also play Warped Tour later in 2013. Fans will be sated to hear Parkway have been rehearsing longabsent material from 2004’s Don’t Close Your Eyes EP and 2005 debut LP Killing With A Smile in preparation for said commemorative shows. “We’ve got a release coming out just before, which we haven’t announced yet,” McCall adds. “It’s something that we haven’t done before, and it’s definitely something retrospective.” Despite the “just roll with it” ethos guiding their

“IT’S NUTS TO BE TEN YEARS ON, AND STILL TO BE ABLE TO REMEMBER THE FEELING OF PLAYING THE YOUTH CENTRE AT OUR FIRST SHOW.” listened has been really cool, and that’s happened worldwide. You’re talking about genres where labels get thrown around for absolutely everything, and the fact that people have just chosen to go, ‘Yep, that music’s okay, I’ll choose to like that’ is cool.” Therefore, they’ve forged a fanbase spanning the entire spectrum of heavy music en route to becoming a major draw at home and abroad. They’ve also transcended associations with the

immensely successful career, having reached such a momentous milestone The Music inquires as to whether the vocalist envisions Parkway Drive lasting two decades. “I have the ambition of being physically able to continue for that long, so we’ll see how we go,” he chuckles. “There’s certain band members who are grey-haired and certain members who are semi-balding already. My back is completely screwed. We’ve always talked about how funny it would be if we continued doing it at that age, and what the hell would involve being on stage. Would it just be weird to see me being semi-grey haired, having a walking stick, and still screaming like a pissed off teenager? I don’t know if it would work, but if we’re still liking what we do then it would be great to continue.” WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep, 21 Sep and 22 Sep (under-18), Palace Theatre

I CATCH DEAD PEOPLE Jeff Bridges sees dead people – and “books ‘em” – in his latest feature film. Guy Davis talks to him about bizarre premises and donning cowboy hats. evotees of The Big Lebowski tend to know Jeff Bridges as The Dude; devotees of great acting tend to regard Jeff Bridges as The Man. For more than four decades, he’s been turning out performances that range from richly funny to intensely emotional – sometimes he’s subtle to the point of microscopic, sometimes he chews great chunks out of the scenery. For years, though, he was regarded as a terrific but somewhat undervalued actor who could never quite make the leap to full-blown stardom. Maybe it was his tendency to place his characters above his own persona – the great film critic Pauline Kael once said Bridges “may be the

most natural and least self-conscious screen actor that has ever lived.” Bridges is still a character actor, but he’s also finally getting his dues – his performance as dissolute country singer Bad Blake in 2009’s Crazy Heart earned him an Academy Award, his performance as the equally boozy lawman Rooster Cogburn in True Grit saw him nominated for the same award the following year. And one can see echoes of those distinctive turns in his work as Roy Pulsipher, a grizzled Old West marshal now stalking the afterlife, doling out justice to wrongdoers who refuse to stay dead, in the supernatural action-comedy R.I.P.D. (as in Rest In Peace

Department). Roy’s the very best at bringing the dead back alive, so to speak, so he’s a little reluctant to find himself partnered with an R.I.P.D. rookie in the form of recently-killed cop Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds). But the pair may be the only ones who can stop an army of undead lowlifes from making Earth a living hell... or, you know, un-living hell. “It’s a bizarre premise, but I like bizarre premises,” chuckles Bridges in his inimitably laid-back fashion. “I remember when someone pitched me the project, I couldn’t quite grasp what they were talking about. Then I read the script and I had to keep going back a page or two and saying ‘Did I just read what I read?’ Something like that is certainly attractive to me. And then when you’ve got wonderful guys like Ryan and Mary-Louise Parker and Kevin Bacon to play with, well, that makes it even more fun.”

film

And, of course, Bridges is rarely gonna pass up an opportunity to play a cowboy, even one who’s been dead for 150 or so years: “Whenever I get to wear a cowboy hat, it’s always a good time for me.” Still, R.I.P.D. is a little more tech-heavy than most cowboy stories – there are your increasingly common lashings of CGI and such bringing the Department’s enemies to life. Bridges is no stranger to special effects, having appeared alongside a massive animatronic ape in the 1976 version of King Kong and alongside a computergenerated version of his younger self in Tron: Legacy. Now is his early 60s, Bridges continues to keep busy (he’s got the fantasy adventure Seventh Son coming out early next year), but acting’s just one string to his bow – he’s also an accomplished musician and photographer. WHAT: R.I.P.D. In cinemas now

MUSIC THERAPY

music

Ngaiire reached out to a musical hero via email and a songwriting stint in Japan ensued. Kate Kingsmill also learns that the Papua New Guinean-born singersongwriter’s debut album reflects personal tragedy.

he ancient Romans thought of creativity as a divine spirit that would come to an artist from some distant and unknowable place. As a songwriter, Ngaiire knows all about this whimsical, mysterious force. “It’s all kind of a little bit blurry. You don’t know where these feelings are because you’re just tapping into this whole different world,” she says of the songwriting process. “That’s the amazingness of music and taking you to different places.” When Ngaiire finally embarked on the songwriting for what would become her debut album – after years of singing with Blue King Brown, Monsieur Camembert and Paul Mac – she contacted jazz pianist-composer Aaron Choulai. “I just sent him an email and said, ‘Hey, man, I just really love what you do. Can I come over to Japan and hang out with you a bit and write some music?’” Ngaiire laughs when she recounts Choulai freaked out a little bit, before stressing, “But I’m so glad that he agreed to take a leap of faith with me.” The pair then spent two weeks in Japan, writing by day and drowning in potato wine by night. “I always feel like when you’re writing, a song will always tell you what it wants to be, especially if you’re co-writing with somebody else,” Ngaiire shares. “It sounds a bit weird, but it was just like a nut that you had to crack and you just had to

keep cracking and keep cracking until it burst open. And once you got there it was the best feeling. Nothing could really replace the feeling of having completed a song. It’s a very exciting process, and it’s a very spiritual process as well, and I’m just so privileged to be able to do this.” Ngaiire’s early musical experiences also suggest a spiritual bent. Growing up in Papua New Guinea with a pastor father, Ngaiire was always around, and often singing in, churches: “I’ve obviously wavered away from that a little bit now!” There was a lot of reggae and traditional music on the radio – and then there

was Cliff Richard. “Any exposure that I had to western music was probably Cliff Richard, because my mum was madly in love with him!” The album’s title, Lamentations, is a nod to Henry Purcell’s Dido’s Lament. But it also reflects some personal tragedies Ngaiire navigated during the album’s creation. “I had two people in my family die at the beginning of the process, I was in a car accident, we were working our way through the album budget really quickly and I was starting to panic about where we were going to get the rest of the money [from]. I had to make sure that everyone was fine while I was in bed with a fractured spine. I guess I envisioned doing the first album as a smoother experience, but it was both a nightmare and very rewarding. I was just so into making this sound really good, and nothing else mattered.” WHAT: Lamentations (Independent) WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep, Baha Tacos; 21 Sep, Northcote Social Club THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 33

music

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE Ahead of October’s inaugural Boomerang Festival, Gurrumul Yunupingu’s long-term collaborator and spokesperson Michael Hohnen explains to Tyler McLoughlan that transcending cultural boundaries doesn’t have to always be serious business.

“I

t’s been a great year; it’s been a great, amazing six years…” says Gurrumul Yunupingu’s bassist and creative director Michael Hohnen of Darwin-based label Skinnyfish Music. He’s audibly beaming as he summarises the long list of his friend’s accomplishments that in the past few months alone have included collaborations with Flume, Yolanda Be Cool and Delta Goodrem, a performance on The Voice, a special recognition award at the National Indigenous Music Awards and the biography release of Gurrumul – His Life And Music. “He takes it all in his stride you know, he just says, ‘Oh yeah, what’s next?’” says Hohnen. “He loves getting recordings, like after that Delta collaboration thing on The Voice, he loved listening back to that afterwards and I think that’s the way he enjoys these experiences the most – to actually listen back to great production after the event and relive it, that’s probably his biggest indulgence. The Opera House shows [to coincide with the biography release in May] were mixed really beautifully by some ABC people and you know, he rang me, hounded me until he got a mix of those recordings. Mainly that’s how he feels; he won’t go, ‘That was great’, he’ll go, ‘I want to hear that recording’, then I’ll hear him listening to it with total glee and enthusiasm and excitement… There’s so much gone on [this year]; we did Splendour last month, we’re doing BIGSOUND soon, but Boomerang is something that’s on the horizon, the long weekend there. And for that we’re doing quite an intimate special show.” Held at Byron Bay’s Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, the inaugural Boomerang Festival is the partnership initiative of Bluesfest director Peter Noble and leading cultural creative Rhoda Roberts. Billed as an Indigenous festival for all Australians, it brings together music, arts and culture from 11 countries. “I think it will differ partly in the context,” Hohnen suggests of the Boomerang set. “There’s the setting of Boomerang which will be very diverse and cultural and I think that will create an extra ambience that you wouldn’t get just doing a normal concert. We’re bringing our own sound guy and he knows Gurrumul very well 34 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

and Gurrumul has an incredibly impressive dynamic range, and when he’s working with great production and the setting is right, he really works a whole PA... He really works that to his advantage and uses his voice dynamically. In terms of Boomerang I think Aboriginal people

The Chooky Dancers who are infamous in the northern communities for their take on Zorba The Greek. “Gurrumul’s whole extended family is 10,000 people in north-east Arnhem Land; they have their own language, culture, ceremony, dance, everything. So what these guys have done is traditional dance moves to like a club remix beat of Zorba, so I’m sure – well I’m not sure – but there’s bound to be the talk of some sort of collaborative dance thing or them jumping on stage when he is playing. I don’t know because I never really know what will happen with Gurrumul until we actually turn up...” he laughs, explaining that although careful logistical preparation is

“HE’LL GO, ‘I WANT TO HEAR THAT RECORDING’, THEN I’LL HEAR HIM LISTENING TO IT WITH TOTAL GLEE AND ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT.” have a different way of expressing themselves – not just in one medium – and Boomerang is a whole range of different mediums from dance, art, storytelling, music and other things that are happening there, and I think people who come will get swept up by the whole environment. It’s great.” Of the hugely diverse line-up, Hohnen says Gurrumul has a fondness for fellow Elcho Islanders

required for the blind performer, every show incorporates an element of wonderful spontaneity. It almost certainly serves to balance out the weight of Gurrumul’s position as one of Australia’s most important voices, too. “Everyone treats him so sort of seriously as an icon that everyone’s a bit serious and so what we try and do halfway through the show is lighten things up. Often you don’t know what to do until you get to an event because it’s really good to pick up on the mood of the whole [thing]. It will be a great environment and a great atmosphere and he’ll be very comfortable.” WHO: Gurrumul WHEN & WHERE: 5 Oct, Boomerang Festival, Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm

KINGS OF LEON

THE NEW ALBUM

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THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 35

fitness

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE Getting fit can be a chore, especially if you’re a physically inactive 20-something whose greatest sports achievement to date happened long ago in a preteen bout of NBA Jam. But fear not, ye non-lifting technophiles – Mitch Knox has found a couple of handy apps that might pull you from the brink of total inanimation yet. Illustrations by Sophie Blackhall-Cain

“A

nd in the future, we don’t need horses. We have motorised carriages called automobiles.”

“If everybody’s got one of these autowhatsits, does anybody walk or run any more?” “Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun.” “Run for fun? What the hell kind of fun is that?” – Doc Brown and the wisest drunken cowboy in the West, Back To The Future III. What kind of people run for enjoyment? Some apparently sane people, probably, but it’s safe to say it’s mostly masochists, and all of the Flashes. True, it’s widely accepted that regular exercise is a crucial part of living well, but – unless you’re way into self-flagellation at 9km/h, or a metahuman speedster who runs at unbelievable velocities just to feel freedom in the wind – it’s also widely accepted that it’s about as enjoyable as giving a tongue-bath to the worst person you know while they talk at length about their recent digestive problems. But enjoyable or not, exercise really is good for you. Luckily, some savvy smartphone-app developers have recognised that it’s not laziness that keeps us pinned to our cushioned surfaces – it’s a lack of motivation (and, honestly, a lot of laziness) – and have set about finding ways to make fitness interesting. You might be open to, for example, Nexercise (iOS, Android, free). Developed by a group primarily made up of University of Pennsylvania postgraduates, Nexercise is all about using technology to motivate yo’ sedentary self through incentives and rewards. The suspiciously positive copywriters on the app’s website do a great job of selling

36 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

it, saying they believe that exercise “doesn’t have to be boring”, and that “you don’t have to drastically change your lifestyle to be healthy”. Those are both easy messages to get behind, especially because the people this app is made for generally prefer not to drastically change anything about themselves in the first place.

you can choose from activities based in aerobics, cycling, running, walking, yoga, weightlifting and more – but, basically, it’s a gold-star machine (albeit it a slick-looking and user-friendly one), handing out pats on the back for doing things that any pre-20th century human being would have done 12 times before breakfast. They give you a medal for, like, exercising on consecutive Mondays – although, that kind of positive reinforcement unquestionably feels pretty good. And if you’re content to spend hours at the computer in pursuit of XP to level up a virtual character, then there’s no reason that mentality can’t transfer to a more physically mobile setting, right? Just think of it as a real-life boss fight, only the loot when you succeed is not dying of a heart attack at 35.

Using Nexercise, you earn experience points (XP) and rewards for completing challenges or obtaining achievements for milestones such as exercising for more than 30 minutes or working out on a holiday. You can share such personal victories and other trivia about your now-booming fitness levels with your friends via social media, but please don’t. Nobody wants you to do that.

Of course, if you’re less a fan of being Pavlov’s dogged and more a fan of drama, tension, the undead and having your heart torn from your chest, then Zombies, Run! (iOS, $4.49 – or the recently released Zombies, Run! 2) could be up your alley. The Kickstarter-funded brainchild of British app developers Six To Start and Orange Award-winning author Naomi Alderman, Zombies, Run! casts you as Runner 5, one of a small number of human survivors after the inevitable awakening and encroachment of the living dead. Each run is treated as a “mission”, in which you journey out into the big, bad, zombie-filled world for supplies or to find people – that sort of thing – with each being woven together through an evolving episodic storyline that’s been so well received it even has its own fan fiction. Between the engaging narrative, the pulse-raising missions, the gripping cliffhangers and the ever-present shuffling masses, it’s like taking part in a real-life episode of The Walking Dead, but with fewer insane ex-cops.

To its credit, it is surprisingly diverse –

“THERE’S REAL POTENTIAL THERE TO BE ABSORBING AND INTELLIGENT ENOUGH THAT THE MOTIVATION TO GET UP AND GET MOVING IS SO SUBTLE THAT YOU DON’T EVEN REALISE YOU’RE BEING PRODDED INTO ACTION.”

As though being chased by zombies through the streets (okay, so minimal imagination is required, but the gradual crescendo of undead moans certainly helps in making the whole thing genuinely unnerving) isn’t fun enough, there is also a huge gameplay component to the app: runners can use the supplies they’ve gathered on their missions (the amount of which will vary dependent on the distance covered) to custom-build and upgrade a virtual representation of Abel Township, the struggling human settlement from which you launch your runs. Users can compare and contrast their settlements via ZombieLink, the app’s online service, through which mission stats, run maps and personal improvements and progress can also be viewed. It’s a video game meets a TV show meets a fitness app that doesn’t just say getting fit shouldn’t be boring – it actively goes out of its way to make sure that it damn well isn’t. So, are we getting fit yet? Well, Nexercise comes off as a mobile version of the Wii Fit mentality, being so encouraging that you feel accomplished simply for breathing: “You moved today. Good job, buddy.” But that’s actually not as motivational as its ultra-optimistic creators seem to think. Or maybe it is to some people. Not the sort of people you want to know, though. But Zombies, Run!? There’s real potential there to be absorbing and intelligent enough that the motivation to get up and get moving is so subtle that you don’t even realise you’re being prodded into action. You feel good not because you exercised, but because you helped save the people of Abel Township from certain doom, and that’s worth getting off the couch for. THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 37

music

SMOKIN’ ‘WEED Tumbleweed’s classic line-up first reunited a few years back, and now they’ve finally gone the whole hog and released a new album. Frontman Richie Lewis talks to Steve Bell about turning their back on nostalgia to remain relevant.

or a while in the ‘90s, Wollongong rockers Tumbleweed were one of the hottest bands in the country, dominating the airwaves with a stream of fuzz-laden singles, EPs and albums, and taking their powerhouse live show all around the globe both on their own and alongside a slew of high-profile bands such as Nirvana, Mudhoney and The Lemonheads. The original (essentially “classic”) Tumbleweed line-up split in 1995 and it wasn’t until a 2009 offer from Homebake to reform that they played together in anger once more. That initial foray went well enough to prompt more ecstatically received shows and now the five-piece have taken matters to their logical next step with the release of new album Sounds From The Other Side, following a realisation that they needed some new tunes if they were going to be more than a mere nostalgia act. “That’s exactly the catalyst for deciding to record again in the first place,” frontman Richie Lewis recalls. “A few years ago we thought, ‘Well, what are we? Are we a nostalgia act or are we a band?’ Bands write stuff and bands record stuff and bands are creatively vibrant and relevant, not only for the musical landscape out there but personally, you know, to challenge yourself creatively. That’s what we wanted – we wanted that outlet in our personal lives. “But at the same time, as far as the band goes and the legacy of whatever Tumbleweed is from our years of being together, we’re not an RSL act, we’re not a nostalgia act – we can’t do that, it’s not we’re about as people or as a band. We’re totally against that sort of shit. We did it for a little while and it was fun – we didn’t think that was going to happen – and when we realised that we still had chemistry as a band and as people we were left at that crossroads, and it was either, ‘Okay, let’s stop now because we’re not going to do that anymore, or we write stuff’. It’s very exciting to be at the tail-end of that decision and have the record in the can.” Once they’d decided that new music was required to remain relevant, Tumbleweed roped some old colleagues back in and basically just waited to see what happened next. “Well one thing that we’ve always done is just try to be ourselves, and just try to be natural and organic and leave a certain amount of what comes

38 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

out up to the spirits or the synchronicity of life, and I suppose just the synchronicity of the five members,” Lewis reflects. “With our previous releases there were things that we didn’t like about them: we didn’t like the cleanliness of [1992’s self-titled debut],

“We thought that the person that had gotten closest to that ever was [producer] Paul McKercher, so he was one of the definite things – we thought, ‘Okay, if we’re going to do this we’re going to do it with Paul, because the sound that he got on Galactaphonic was the most definitive Tumbleweed sound’. Also we wanted to record it that same way, which was to two-inch tape, and to try and keep those elements the same as in the original days. We wanted to keep almost the blueprint for what we did back in ’92, however bring [in] the musical knowledge we’ve acquired since then – just growing up and playing lots of different music with different people – and write better songs.”

“‘WELL, WHAT ARE WE? ARE WE A NOSTALGIA ACT OR ARE WE A BAND?’” but we thought that Galactaphonic (1995) sounded pretty cool. There were some songwriting issues; what we wanted to do was write the record that we’d always wanted to make but we didn’t feel that we’d made. We were always a little bit disappointed with our albums back in the day because we just didn’t think that it sounded like what we thought we sounded like when we played live.

The new album sounds defiantly Tumbleweed – they were often pigeonholed as ‘stoner’ or ‘grunge’ back in the day, but where does Lewis see them sitting in the overall scheme of things? “I’ve never seen ourselves as a stoner rock band,” he tells. “I do like stoner rock – I like the sound of it – but we don’t write those sort of songs. And as far as grunge, well, not really – what is that anyway? I sorta think that we’re just a rock’n’roll band – back in the day we were inspired by a lot of great rock’n’roll from The Stooges to local bands like The Celibate Rifles and The Stems and early Hoodoo Gurus, whatever. There was so much stuff that contributed to our sound, and before Nirvana came along we were making very similar music but it just didn’t have a name – it was just Australian alternative music, or Australian independent music. Rock’n’roll.”

WHAT: Sounds From The Other Side (Shock) WHEN & WHERE: 21 Sep, The Espy

EXPERIENCING OURSELVES This week the Melbourne Theatre Company announces its 2014 season, titled Illuminate, and Artistic Director Brett Sheehy tells Simon Eales that the program reflects his vision to make the MTC “Melbourne’s home of live storytelling”.

“A

couple of things that we did this year were firsts,” Melbourne Theatre Company Artistic Director Brett Sheehy begins. “We did our first family show in a decade. We’ve negotiated our first international tour in 30 years, with Rupert going to

Washington next year. We did the first festival of independent theatre, which brought 86 new artists into our orbit. In ’14 we really just wanted to build on all of that.” Three exciting productions are linchpins of the season. Noël Coward’s Private Lives, starring Helpmann Award winner Lucy Durack and Leon Ford, opens in January. Ibsen’s Ghosts, directed by West End doyenne Gale Edwards, and David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, directed by Alkinos

Tsilimidos, round out the marquee trinity. There’s a real sense of collaboration between great minds throughout. Falk Richter and Chunky Move’s Anouk van Dijk combine for MTC’s first ever dance work, Complexity Of Belonging, and the Working Dog team that created The Dish, The Panel and The Castle will bring the world premiere political satire, The Speechmaker. Eight-time Tony Award-winning musical, Once, comes to The Princess with its original director, John Tiffany.

theatre

The company will continue its mission to inject all shows with vivifying currency. Simon Stone, who’s championed this attitude in recent years, will direct Lally Katz’s Julie Forsyth vehicle, Neighbourhood Watch. Another Australian premiere is Olivier Award winner Mike Bartlett’s Cock, directed by Leticia Cáceres and with an original score by Missy Higgins. Cáceres and Higgins are just two out of the strong contingent of women artists represented. Sheehy says the company will also run a mentoring program for women directors. Sheehy has placed a big focus on inclusion and innovation through the company’s Open Door initiative. The NEON season of independent theatre returns, MKA curating added readings and events. MTC Literary Director Chris Mead will curate the Cybec Electric program, which aims to develop upcoming writing talent for mainstage berths. Another new scheme designed to welcome diverse cultures into the fold is MTC Connect, a collaboration with Multicultural Arts Victoria. “Both what is on stage and the people watching what is on stage need to start reflecting Melbourne and the people on the streets… We need to start building bridges so that those people start coming and seeing their stories on stage... There’s something in our DNA that craves and demands that we get together with members of our tribe around a metaphorical or literal campfire to tell stories.”

CHANGING TYMES

music

That guy from You Am I and/or The Pictures has got around to releasing music under his own name, and as Davey Lane tells Ross Clelland, he’s got plenty of ideas, songs, and styles to go on with. s rock’n’roll dreams go, Davey Lane is living a pretty good one. He plays guitar in what he still calls his “favourite band of all time”, You Am I. Gets called on to play sideman to the likes of Barnesy, and with The Pictures had an outlet for his own work.

‘We need the songs by Thursday’.” His own assessment: “Mostly it’s just me dicking about in my boffin cave.”

“It’s my life, and it’s my hobby – and that’s got to be a good place to be.”

The first result of said “dicking about” under Lane’s own name is The Good Borne Of Bad Tymes, the first of a number of EPs covering a range of styles. “It started out being a full album,” the guitarist explains. “But it seemed to have two really different sides to it – the guitar-poppy one people might expect, and the other which leant more on keyboards and vocal effects.

But after The Pictures “just sort of ground to a halt”, Lane had to consider what came next. “I worked out there was no expectation of what a record with my own name on it should sound like,” he says. Right now, he’s often a one man band. “I can demo just about everything at home,” he explains. “Can do most of the guitar, bass and keyboard stuff, but I’m the usual ‘guitar player as frustrated drummer’ – a few Ringo drum fills, and then ask Brett [Wolfenden – one-time Pictures drummer, and now in Davey’s solo band] to be clever with it. “It’s a real freedom. I can make a record that sound ‘passable’ - and not have to watch a red light telling you you’re spending $700 a day just playing around.” And releasing under his own Field Recordings label, “There’s no expectation, no one breathing down your neck saying,

“I love records that go different places, that can take a bit of a left turn

through it. But this just seemed a little stilted, a little too disjointed – it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be Tubeway Army or The La’s,” he jokes. “So I just decided to split it in two, and each is a little more cohesive.” Like many a good songwriter, the EP’s title goes with a lot of accepted wisdom about the art and craft of it – that the best songs come from heartbreaks and troubles. “That’s always, yeah!” Lane heartily agrees. “I’ve rarely written a good song when everything’s fuckin’ rosy – maybe you’re just too busy enjoying yourself?” WHAT: The Good Borne Of Bad Tymes (Field Recordings/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep, The Wool Exchange, Geelong; 21 Sep, The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine; 3 Oct, Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 5 Oct, The Tote THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 39

fringe

GUIDE TO THE MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL

circus

CANVASES

live art

ASORE

THE WOOLGATHERER

performance WOLF CREEK

comedy HERE COMES YOUR MAN

cabaret

PIC BY SARAH WALKER

welcome

SIDE EFFECT

TOBIAS MANDERSON GALVIN PIC BY MAX MILNE

he year was 2013. In the afterglow of another poisonous Federal Election, anarchy had descended upon Melbourne once again.

Children would be slain. Vision would be taken from the people. No boats would make it to the mainland. But in the heart of the capital city (come on, we all know that’s what Melbourne is) a bright light burnt yet. The Melbourne Fringe Festival has returned and with it a staggering 4,000plus artists, 300-plus events and an unstoppable energy of autogenesis. Words by Tobias Manderson-Galvin.

MY FIRST MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL 2008, I spent the full three weeks wearing nothing but a pair of red speedos, a leather jacket, hair rollers, black cowboy boots and speaking exclusively in third person. I’d spent six months with a personal trainer building the body of my dreams. I’d slept with the director to get the role. The show was on late, and we sold out every night. When producers from ‘real’ theatres came I did the worst show of the season. We were fringe, staying fringe and even more fringe next time we did a show in a carpark where we chained up an actor for three days for what we told him was character research. None of this was going to happen anywhere else and all of it could be witnessed by the punters.

MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL IS OVER THE HILL THIS YEAR Thirty years old but before we send it out to pasture, it breaks its leg in a race and we shoot it in the head. Before it’s retired to be the pet of a privileged, pigtailed girl of the outer suburbs, Fringe shows no sign of slowing down. This year includes the stalwart Fringe Furniture (explains itself ), the new Digital Creatures/Digital Gardens series showcasing new digital works and forms, as well as the ever popular North Melbourne Fringe Hub (a semi-curated chain of venues with some of the best work, making your mind up for you somewhat).

42 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

THE BEST THING ABOUT MELBOURNE FRINGE FESTIVAL (Which we’ll now call ‘MFF’ or ‘motherfucker-fucker’ for short) I’ve been going to Adelaide Fringe (bigger) for as long as I have MFF, and Edinburgh Fringe since last year (way bigger, and started the movement) but what keeps MFF ahead of the rest is that it is the only one that hasn’t sold out. The Fringe movement was created as a counterpoint to major arts festivals; at their best Fringes comprise the shows that are too obscure, too fucked up, too hard for mainstream audiences – at a quarter of the cost. Unfortunately as time has gone on most Fringes have been overrun with mainstream anyway. What makes Melbourne Fringe the best is it is separate from major venue groups and other edge festivals. Melbourne keeps its Comedy fest, Spiegeltents, etc.

UNSEX ME

separate so MFF gives you a towering level of fringe competition. The best artists of Melbourne, Australia and internationals-who-could-make-it-here know they’ve got your attention – they’re ready and willing to throw down for it. Fringe acts are rarely supported by tax dollars, mining funds or corporate sponsorship; it’s more likely the risk has come from the artist. Fringe epitomises what Melbourne does best; like boutique Mexican street-food vending, fixie bike riding, Day of the Dead-themed barber shops cum graffiti art galleries cum fetish expos cum crafternoon disco dance party cum laneways. Melbourne does niche like nowhere else and MFF is THE annual festival where it all goes down.

HOW TO FRINGE: A ONE-PART SERIES OF ONE Part 1: Read The Music’s Fringe Festival Guide 2013.

PUNTERS AND ARTISTS ALIKE: I do hereby declare the 2013 Fringe Festival open!

MKA SHOWS THIS FRINGE WHAT: Kids Killing Kids 20 Sep to 3 Oct, Fringe Hub, North Melbourne Town Hall, The Warehouse WHAT: Unsex Me 28 Sep to 5 Oct, Fringe Hub, Lithuanian Club, Son Of Loft WHAT: Side Effect 20 to 27 Sep, Fringe Hub, meet on steps of North Melbourne Town Hall

john gabriel borkman September 18 – September 29 Written by Henrik Ibsen Translation by William Archer Directed by Peter King Performed by Cory Corbett, Jim Daly, Ezel Doruk, Will Freeman and Russell Walsh Designed by Peter Corrigan Venue: La Mama Theatre

spoilt September 19 – September 29 Written and performed by Liz Skitch 1 ACTOR 60 MINUTES 6 SPOILT WOMEN Venue: La Mama Theatre

All part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2013 at Australia’s home of Independent Theatre

squid stamp: The Technology Show September 28 – October 6 Written and presented by Squid Stamp Directed by Mark Samual Bonanno Performed by Isabelle Clara Mason and Samantha Wojcik Venue: La Mama Courthouse

La Mama Theatre 205 Faraday Street Carlton La Mama Courthouse 349 Drummond Street Carlton www.lamama.com.au info@lamama.com.au +613 9347 6948

the woolgatherer October 2 – October 6 Written by William Mastrosimone Directed by Kerry Armstrong Performed by Laura Wheelwright and Lee Beckhurst Design by Gina Gascoigne

Venue: La Mama Theatre THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 43

venue

HIS, HERS AND INBETWEEN’S

movies and songs and performers and she makes an hour play miming the whole way through.”

Chapel Off Chapel’s Ibrahim Mustafa takes Paul Ransom through their contribution to this year’s Melbourne Fringe.

et’s face it, we like our Fringe to be a bit, well, Fringey and not just an ersatz comedy festival. We want to see a bit of risk-taking, hear the odd note of irreverence. Fortunately, the programming bods at Chapel Off Chapel have got themselves a gender-bending, lycra-clad, song-filled fivesome of Fringey frivolity that well and truly ticks those boxes. From the solo cabaret of Melissa Langton to a brand new musical about the dreaded suburban peloton, Chapel plays host to shows that examine gender

roles and the emerging phenomenon of the MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra). As Chapel’s Ibrahim Mustafa likes to put it, “We got new, we got old, we got musicals. It’s a pretty diverse range here; and also just a little bit raunchy.” The standout is perhaps the brilliantly conceived Kitsch In Synch, Pollyfilla’s cleverly deconstructed dive into the repetitive world of the housewife. Part kitchen sink drama, part comic exploration of mid-century gender expectations, it’s a compelling piece of ‘sample’ theatre. “She mashes up a whole heap of things from old

circus

It not only elevates the lip-sync but gets to the very heart of what Fringe festivals were originally about: experimentation on a shoestring. “It’s something you can pick up and take anywhere. It doesn’t need a massive stage but when you see it you think, ‘wow, this is a really great performance’.” The satirical musical, Song Cyclist, starring Martin Lane (Les Mis), takes the contemporary scourge of the weekend cyclist in his often indecently tight replica Tour de France get-up and matches it to the similarly distressing idea of business failure. “I’ve seen some of the songs in rehearsal and it’s so funny,” Mustafa enthuses. “David Peake, the composer, is such a unique talent. He’s so young and doing it all himself; a whole new musical. It’s just incredible.” As if a musical about waxed forty-somethings isn’t a raunchy enough idea, Manliness: The Angle Of My Dangle edges the thermometer up a few more notches. Yes, this is a drag show about what it means to be a man but the drag here is a king, not a queen. Well known to some for her crossgender creations Sexy Galexy explores the often onerous and ill-defined expectations surrounding manhood from a decidedly feminine perspective. At the other end of the cabaret spectrum struts Fabulous Singlette Melissa Langton and husband Mark Jones. They’re back in Melbourne for A Singer Must Die, their excursion into lust, choc-coated coffee beans and moral turpitude. Of Langton, Mustafa waxes lyrical: “Mark Jones and her are just a killer combo. He’s so dry and she’s so big and loud and kinda out there. And y’know, this is the first solo cabaret thing she’s done in ages.”

JUGGLING WITH GAS Albert Park as circus central? Yes indeed, folks. As our lion taming correspondent Paul Ransom discovers, Gasworks Arts Park is the biggest tent in town for circus fans this Fringe. “Circus, especially in Australia, has become a little bit more expressive,” declares Francesco Minniti, the man behind Gasworks’ extensive Fringe circus program. “These days, circus performers aren’t just one trick ponies. They’re not doing skill sets but movement to convey a story. Circus has grown up.” Not just grown up but also expanding its footprint in festival land. “Once upon a time you’d look in the circus section of the [Fringe] guide and you’d be lucky to find three shows. Now there’s pages of it.” Festivals are not simply embracing the uptick in contemporary circus but also latching onto the notion of the ‘hub’. When Francesco Minniti was looking for venues to host his eight show Circus After Dark season it was the team at Gasworks Arts Park who put their hands up, even if they couldn’t call themselves the Fringe circus hub. For Gasworks’ publicist Cara Williams the marriage of venue and circus was ideal. “We’re fortunate to have fully sprung floors and a really heavy weight bearing rig, so we’re able to host multiple circus events. [However], we also recognise that circus is a very valued art form in Melbourne but also in some ways still kinda under-appreciated. So we’ve really made a conscientious effort to host circus events here.”

44 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Over the three Fringe weeks, Gasworks will play host to a staggering 60-plus performances, of which the Circus After Dark program forms the very flexible backbone. From the mind boggling acrobatics of Elixir to the more sensual and narrative Asore, the eight companies on the bill explore both the physical virtuosity and storytelling dexterity of post-Cirque circus. For Francesco Minniti, it’s all part of the greater diversity on offer in modern circus and, more particularly, in the Gasworks Fringe program. “There’s something like Another Point Of View which is

more family but then there’s shows like We Should Quit which has got more adult humour. We also go all the way to a really contemporary show like At The Last Gasp.” With its embrace of psychological narrative, physical theatre and dance, At The Last Gasp explores the edges of the circus aesthetic. The show examines our relationship with the forbidden and, more pointedly, death. Although it uses traditional skills sets like trapeze and acrobatics, it takes them to new and sometimes darker places. Minniti is clearly impressed. “I’m a big fan of anything that explores some other idea or theme or narrative other than ‘this is just another trick’.” Over in Cara Williams’ corner though, the upcoming Fringe marathon represents an opportunity for Gasworks to further underline its burgeoning rep as Melbourne’s independent circus HQ. “We have the largest array of circus at any venue during Fringe, and we’re considered by Fringe to be the circus venue.” Now that’s a neat trick.

SOAPMELON WHAT’S IN A NAME?

SEP

19-21 9:30PM

SEP

26-28 7:00PM

TUXEDO CAT 17-23 Williams St, Melbourne 9660 9666

Gas Works Theatre 21 Graham St Albert Park

1st - 5th October Tue - Fri 6:45pm Sat 1:15pm & 6:45pm

www.melbournefringe.com.au

$23 Full $18 Concession $20 Group $15 Cheap Tuesday Book tickets @ www.gasworks.org.au

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 45

performance WINTER IS COMING

Describe your show in a tweet? A silly bit of sexy nerd fun #vince’sboob Who is your favourite Game of Thrones character and why? We love Tyrion Lannister because he’s so clever and a bit sexy. Vince likes Khaleesi because he always gets mistaken for her. It’s the same for Michelle and Hodor. He’s the greatest. So kind and gentle. He will probably win the game of thrones. Go Hodor! Or maybe Jon Snow’s boyfriend, Sam. What has made you parody the show? It’s such a rich world to work with and the way it has injected itself into our culture is so sneaky and clever! It’s absolutely exploded so we

A MIDNIGHT DREARY

couldn’t ignore it. Maybe it’s not even a parody; it’s kind of a bad taste tribute. We really love Game of Thrones and we like making fun of ourselves so it just made sense. We originally started working on something about LARP (live action role play) because that’s such a funny and interesting little subculture and it sort of led us to Game of Thrones. What’s the craziest thing you have seen or done today? We watched as our country voted in Prince Joffrey as our new PM. That was pretty crazy. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Run Girl Run by Grit Theatre, Eight, A F*#king Mad Tea Party, Wizard Sandwiches, there are too many! We’re going to just hook up live feeds and sit in a van and watch all of the shows at the same time. Do you have a van? WHEN & WHERE: 28 Sep to 5 Oct, Fringe Hub, Upstairs at Errol’s

Describe your show in a tweet? The show is a fun and frightening performance of four classic horror stories. Like a theatrical ghost train ride.

also having to hold your pee!

What’s your favourite scary movie? Without a doubt, The Exorcist; even after 40 years it’s as scary as it gets.

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Rama Nicholas in Death Rides A Horse. Was blown away by the preview of this show: it’s a one-woman spaghetti western. SEE IT!

What’s the most challenging thing about doing a one-man show? Remembering 50 minutes worth of lines and

BUSHPIG

Describe your show in a tweet? Bushpig is a coming-of-age fable on acid, with a dozen characters that you swear you’ve met before and will most likely never want to meet again. It’s has comedy, satire, a dash of Tina Arena, and music entirely conjured up with a magical loop pedal. How are you involved in Fringe this year? I am the writer, performer and producer of Bushpig.

which in many cases turns out to be an advantage, especially when your first two ideas aren’t viable. In theatre it’s often the cheaper, simpler solutions that are the most effective. The other challenge is in marketing the show (especially on a pittance) and once again, you’re pushed to come up with cheap, effective solutions. Thankfully the internet is free, so you’re only really limited by your creativity.

What is challenging about Fringe? Having no money,

WHEN & WHERE: 19 to 28 Sep, The Owl And The Pussycat

46 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

What’s your favourite midnight snack? Banana and chip sandwich: it’s both healthy and bad for you at the same time.

WHEN & WHERE: 18 Sep to 4 Oct, Samurai AV

SPOILT

Describe your show in a tweet? Parody of six different women who are all a little spoilt... but in a nutshell it is WIGS AND SHOES!

theatre. So much history. So many layers of black paint.

Were you spoilt as a child? Yes. Very.

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Solo Act: Part One: 1 + 1 = 1...?

What excites you about performing at La Mama? It is the birthplace of Australian

What’s one indulgence you can’t resist? BBQ Shapes.

WHEN & WHERE: 19 to 29 Sep, La Mama

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 47

performance ALL WAR IS DECEPTION What’s the craziest thing you have seen or done today? Well, it wasn’t today but recently I had to enquire about tutus. When it came to the time when I had to purchase it, the woman in the shop said, “I thought this was all a joke when we spoke on the phone. The only men who enquire about tutus are football players and blokes who want to pull a prank on a friend.” Craziest thing to date was surfing Uluwatu in Bali… Even crazier was driving in Bali traffic! Craziest thing today… gaffer taping props… I mean, I just woke up!

Describe your show in a tweet. Firearms and flamenco! Philosophy and fantasy! Original music and beautiful choreography, all within the world of a child’s toy-box. Is one particular war the focus of the piece? There are two: 1940, WW2 and 2001, Afghanistan.

What do you prefer: love or war? LOVE! What show won’t you be missing in Fringe? Sensorium and Potion curated by Anna Briers of Red Gallery and Boss Octopus also showing at The Portland Hotel. WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep to 1 Oct, Portland Hotel, Locker Room

NOT AXEL HARRISON from the farcical extremities of this premise. As mistaken identity abounds, we embrace the suspension of disbelief.

Describe your show in a tweet. Florist must impersonate notorious hitman Axel Harrison for 60 minutes... after resourcefully strangling the real Axel with a telephone cord in scene one. What makes you laugh? It’s the most serious situations that most need to be diffused with humour. So the more serious a topic is, the more I feel the need to laugh at it. You don’t need to make fun of a clown, ‘cause clowns are already funny (they’re often not, but the point remains). The humour in Not Axel Harrison arises from the bemusing scenarios that result 48 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

What’s your favourite gangster f ilm? Miller’s Crossing for its story world and offbeat Coen brothers humour. Reservoir Dogs for the ingenious, dialogue-driven way in which the story unfolds. Snatch for its intricately tangled plot. Goodfellas for its glorious stereotypes and the psychotic stylings of Joe Pesci. And Not Axel Harrison because it’s my Fringe production that draws inspiration from all of the above. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? I’ll be seeing as much theatre and comedy as time permits. My philosophy with the Fringe is to seek out acts that I haven’t seen – ideally never heard of. Take a chance on something like I hope people will take a chance on my show. WHEN & WHERE: 18 to 29 Sep, Revolt, Studio B

JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN

Describe your show in a tweet. John Gabriel Borkman: your classic family drama, only with just males and vaudeville. What excites you about performing at La Mama? The opportunity to work with people passionate about theatre and all the various forms it comes in. The possibility of new work and of course, new ideas about old work. Anything can happen there which is what the arts is all about. Why shouldn’t sisters date the same people? More often than not it seems to end tragically, whether it’s a terminal illness

or a considerable drop in decibels of your speaking voice. Shocking stuff. What do you f ind funny? Generally when people haven’t attempted to replace their own head with that of a wolf – I mean, why wouldn’t you? Digitally or otherwise. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? John Gabriel Borkman! Amidst MKA’s UnSex Me and Kids Killing Kids, and Black Faggot. WHEN & WHERE: 18 to 29 Sep, La Mama

THE BLACK CAT What’s your favourite line from the show? We have booze and the air of discontent. Who could stay away?

Describe your show in a tweet? Late 19thC Paris: four performers “improvise” a show. Politics, terrorism, religion, love, art – are all bids for a better world deluded? What interests you most about Aristide Bruant? Aristide, a nightclub performer at “The Black Cat”, is a flamboyant individualist. He has made a career out of being himself, and then being more of himself. He has a lot of sympathy for the losers in the social dogfight, but he has no intention of remaining one of them. There’s a conflict within him between his anarchist beliefs and his bourgeois aspirations.

What’s a nightmare you’ve had recently? Last night I attended a conference naked. I was under the impression it would be polite to do this because it expresses humility and openness. No-one else had the same idea. Things got worse when I ended up hanging out of a car while being pursued by hooting truck drivers and bikie gangs… Then the police got involved… There was possibly a high speed nude chase through the Florida Everglades with crocs and a fat, racist sheriff… I’m guessing this is a normal dream before an arts festival. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? We are bringing the kiddies, so Alice In Wonderland and Kapow!. WHEN & WHERE: 29 Sep to 1 Oct, Bebida Bar and Café

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 49

comedy ANDY & DARCY ARE: HOME ALONE

Describe your show in a tweet? A fast-moving, heart-warming, musical comedy laugh-fest. From two adult-children who refuse to grow up. #qanda What do you f ind funny? Things we probably shouldn’t – like farts, genitals, the word ‘genitals’, and vegans. The show definitely takes on influences from the likes of Mighty Boosh, Monty Python and Tim Minchin, so it’s fair to say that we like silliness. #qanda When was the last time you watched the movie Home Alone? Andy: Every Christmas I watch Home Alone 1 and 2 because I like to pretend Macaulay

Culkin is actually Steve Buscemi and vice versa. Darcy: I don’t recall, but I was old enough to question the seeming immortality of the bad guys. I remember one scene where a huge toolbox rolls down a flight of stairs and crushes them; you do NOT walk away from that kind of incident. Does this show reference the f ilm? Actually, the film references the show. But no, we’re not at all affiliated. Though in one scene, Andy falls down the stairs on a go-kart into a pile of marbles and then is pecked in the face by a parrot. No, wait, sorry, that’s a lie. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? So very many! Love, Factually, The Mile High Club, Radio Variety Hour, Sitcom Theme Song Singalong, Jolene, Kitsch In Synch… WHEN & WHERE: 26 Sep to 5 Oct, GH Hotel, The Darkroom

SATAN’S FINEST

MICHAEL BURKE IN CUBEHEAD

Describe your show in a tweet? An adult wearing a giant self-made Rubik’s Cube on his head while traveling through a surreal adventure to happiness; but that is quite deep-sounding. It is surreal comedy about happiness and life... with three surprises! What do you prefer about comedy over law? It is just a big healthy eating pyramid. A little bit of reality adulthood and a little bit of silly ‘I am wearing a giant Rubik’s Cube on my head for a good part of an hour while dispensing surprises and all weird surreal’. I love law because it is mentally stimulating and I love comedy because I can wave my arms about and make funny sketches.

What is easier: mastering the Rubik’s Cube or the mysteries of life? I don’t know how to do either, but I went skiing recently and I only fell over once. What scientif ic fact makes you tick? Time and scale. Scale is mental. That there is a tiny quark inside a tiny electron inside a tiny molecule inside a tiny compound, inside a table inside a house inside a planet inside a galaxy inside a universe that is massive... and they are all made from the same thing! What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Impromptunes, Neal Portenza, Lessons With Luis, String Theory, Pat Burtscher and Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall. WHEN & WHERE: 18 to 28 Sep, The Tuxedo Cat, The Jackle

SOAPMELON I saw a few shows there at the Comedy Festival and in Fringe last year. It has become a small hub unto itself. Good atmosphere, always someone interesting hanging around. Plus, it means I am not doing my own front of house which makes me feel like a bit more of a real performer.

Describe your show in a tweet? RT: “@TonyAbbottMHR More excited to see Satan’s Finest than I am to Scrap. The. Boats. Or whatever I said. #comedy #heavymetal #lol” What’s your favourite metal band? Ever since the Soviet Union dissolved there’s been a dearth of bands composed primarily of heavy base compounds, but Madonna is still doing an admirable job. Or Meshuggah. They’re good. What do you think disappoints the devil the most? Satanist’s Cartesian propensity for verbose 50 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

and seemingly incongruously confused and misapplied vernacular, and goatees. What’s the craziest thing you have seen or done today? Writing this the day after the election I can safely say it was when my little brother mixed Coco Pops with Nutri-Grain, FOR LUNCH! What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Twirling On The Spot To NIN by RMIT’s Humanities Collective, and the Radio Variety Hour. WHEN & WHERE: 29 Sep to 6 Oct, The Tuxedo Cat, The Wild Pony

Describe your show in a tweet? Wordful words and thoughtful thoughts from a stand up guy. No really he is a standup. One man’s look at it all, from the park bench of life. What’s your reason for getting into comedy? Honestly, I got into comedy as a means of controlling things a bit more. Seemed a way to see more stage time and work on my stage presence (I also act from time to time). Now it is a thing I have to do. It is bigger than me; these thoughts they just sneak up on me. What excites you about performing at Tuxedo Cat?

What do you prefer, soap or melon? I suppose it depends on what I am doing with them. They each have their pros and cons for different tasks. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? I do wish I’d had some time to look over the guide. Things have been pretty hectic with rehearsals and warm-up gigs. But I will certainly be trying to fill out my evenings with as much comedy, but also some good theatre or maybe something really experimental. Who knows, it is Fringe after all. WHEN & WHERE: 19 to 28 Sep, The Tuxedo Cat, The Jackle

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comedy HAIRY SOUL MAN

THE EXPERIMENT of boredom; then it caught and shot off under his fold out bed. It was 1989 and I was easily spooked by this kind of thing. I blamed the fire on lightning.

the moment? I just recently discovered this awesome soul lady from London, Laura Mvula. Nowadays you can get access to so much interesting music via the Information Superhighway. It’s an exciting time to be alive. Describe your show in a tweet? A comedy music extravaganza backed by a ten-piece soul band, Hairy Soul Man will slowly undress your inhibitions and make sweet passionate love to your imagination. What’s the sexiest aspect of the show? Well I would say me, but that would make me look full of myself. So I’m going to say… me. Given the nature of soul music the songs are already very sexy. I advise audiences to bring a spare pair of underpants because of how sexy they are; this goes out to the men as much as the women. Who’s your favourite band at

What’s the best joke you have heard lately? I am watching a lot of Louis CK at the moment. He has this great joke about when “a man and a women are on a date, at some point in the night the lady might say to herself, ‘I’m going to let him have sex with me tonight’ but the man has no idea and keeps trying new all this new shit to impress her”. I love that; the lady really is the gatekeeper of making love. Usually the guy has already said yes before the date has started, he’s just waiting for the go ahead. WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep to 5 Oct, Fringe Hub, Lithuanian Club

THE DC3: MODERN UNCONSCIOUSNESS

Describe your show in a tweet? Comedy? Dance party? Art installation? Fucked if we know. We take you inside the world’s most exclusive nightclub – or is it? What’s the best aspect of combining comedy and music? Poets are the world’s unacknowledged legislators. Humourists are lesser – yet somehow greater. It’s a higher art but the way you disguise it guarantees everyone will patronise it. Besides, we heard comedians get all the chicks. 52 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

What’s the best joke you have heard lately? My existence. Who’s your favourite band at the moment? The Arseless Chaps. Their new single Cool For Catamites is a killer. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? The show where the performers give it all up and get a day job. (Funny – can’t seem to find it in the program...) WHEN & WHERE: 28 to 5 Oct, Fringe Hub, Lithuanian Club

What do you f ind funny? Melbourne comedians. I like the dangerous bad boy/ girl ones. Sabrina D’Angelo, Madeleine Tucker, Luis Brown, Geraldine Hickey, Charles Barrington, Oliver Clark etc. The list could go on for literally another seven names.

Describe your show in a tweet? The Experiment is where we find out whether Melbourne’s best alternative comedians are funnier than a small dog. Have you ever fucked up an experiment? How? I burnt down a friend’s caravan by accidentally letting fireworks off inside when I was eight. I was playing with the ‘idea’ of letting off one of those spinning top things and bringing the lighter close to the wick out

What’s nightmare you had recently? I had a nightmare that the Liberals won and we all lost. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? The Gypsy Wood show: it’s going to be the most nutso bizarre brilliant thing at this year’s Fringe. I’ll also be seeing Sabrina D’Angelo’s show, Lessons With Luis, Luke McGregor, Dave Callan and Randy. WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep to 5 Oct, Fringe Hub, Lithuanian Club

TWICE SHY

Describe your show in a tweet? Twice Shy thinks that love is fantastic and sometimes hilarious. It’s easy to forget this, so we made a comedy show to remind you. Are you shy when off stage? We are both a little awkward and shy in our own ways, but I think there is a bit of Twice Shy in everyone. Tell us a recent embarrassing story? I was standing in a very long and quiet line at my local electorate to vote, when a woman and her young son strolled happily along selling

refreshments. A woman in line behind me, also with her young son, greeted the woman in a friendly tone. She then asked whether she was aware that her son (the one selling refreshments) had been bashing her son at school. An extremely awkward conversation ensued. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? The Experiment, MKA: UnSex Me, Lou Sanz Speaks Easy, A Singer Must Die and Lady Sings It Better to name but a few. WHEN & WHERE: 18 Sep to 1 Oct, Loop

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comedy BARRY MORGAN: ORGAN IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

HUNTER SMITH: APPRENTICE HETEROSEXUAL story and I like it quite a bit when people are injured. What excites you about performing at the Tuxedo Cat? The Tux Cat is a great venue and I feel really lucky to have nabbed a spot right in the middle of the action. I am most looking forward to hanging around the place and catching all the other great acts on at The Tuxedo Cat.

Describe your show in a tweet? Help Barry save the shop: buy an organ, learn his handsfree method and tap your feet to your favourite rock anthems on an ‘80s organ! What is your favourite instrument other than the organ? A mouth organ! What do you f ind funny? How easily normal people can become enthusiastic about playing an organ! What is the craziest thing

you have seen or done today? Taking a booking for a home organ party at a camp site in the Flinders Ranges! No power. My goodness, I’ll have to put a pump organ onto the roof racks of the Toyota Crown Royal Saloon. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Spoilt by Liz Skitch at La Mama. WHEN & WHERE: 20 to 29 Sep, Fringe Hub, Lithuanian Club

SOCIAL NEEDIA: THE EPIDEMIC couldn’t resist – I had a hit of Gmail. Thankfully I only broke momentarily. I got back on track and carried out the rest of my detox successfully. So in total, I went offline for 72 hours. It was the longest 72 hours of my life.

Describe your show in a tweet? Dear @iPhone @Facebook @ Twitter @Instagram @LinkedIn @_googleplus, I’m totally addicted. I even tried a detox. #socialneedia #helpme #please What’s the longest detox you have had from your phone or social media? I set myself a three-day online and social media detox, to try to cure my addiction. About six hours into day one, I fell off the wagon. I 54 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

What do you f ind funny? Bathroom selfies, definitely – with poor lighting and half an arm in shot, they’re never going to be flattering. I love Siri’s occasional passive-aggressive responses, and can’t believe that some people have no idea their Facebook privacy settings are all set to public. Best of all are people who like their own Facebook posts and retweet their own tweets. They’re my heroes. What’s the best joke you have heard about social media? That Jessica Simpson writes her own tweets. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Hopefully I won’t miss any of my own! WHEN & WHERE: Sep 19 to Oct 5, Portland Hotel, Locker Room

Describe your show in a tweet? The show is about my adventures trying to go straight after a lifetime of being gay. It covers my blatant homosexuality, trying to seduce the ladies, and turning to the church for (bad) advice. What do you f ind funny? I like when things get pretty awkward. I love a good

What’s a recent dream you’ve had? Last night I dreamt that I wanted to be a Pink impersonator because she must be making some serious coin. I couldn’t do any of acrobatic crap that she does, though – I just coloured my hair in with a highlighter, mumbled my way through Get The Party Started and counted my cash. Nailed it. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Luke McGregor: My Soul Mate Is Out Of My League and The Good Girl. WHEN & WHERE: 26 Sep to 5 Oct, The Tuxedo Cat, The Jackle

WOLF CREEK THE MUSICAL

Describe your show in a tweet? RT: “@jesus: this is gonna be bigger than me lol #sozjohn #yolt” Is there a lot of gore and blood in the musical like in the f ilm? Only due to shoddy props and backstage clumsiness. Our budget prevents us from having much planned gore, but there are a few particularly violent scenes that couldn’t do without it. Has Greg McLean see the show? Yes! Writer/ director of Wolf Creek, Greg McLean, did come along and see our show. He was a real darling and didn’t

try to sue us or anything like that. What a gentleman! Name a couple of the song titles from the musical? In terms of what you guys are allowed to print, we can only give hints to some of the song titles, such as: Welcome To The “Unlawful And Unwanted Sex Act” Shed and Goodbye “Unlawful And Unwanted Sex Act” Dungeon. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Our own, as we have no choice. Also Pat Burtscher and Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall. WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep to 5 Oct, Fringe Hub, Lithuanian Club

1st - 5 th OCTOBER

24th - 28th SEPTEMBER

ANOTHER POINT OF

VIEW

GASWORKS ARTS PARK Times: 24th Sept: 8:30pm 25th-27th Sept: 8:00pm 28th Sept: 2:30pm & 8:00pm

FROM $

Revolving around the whimsical existence of two sisters living a toy box life of solitude, Another Point of View presents the curious turn of events that occur when an unexpected phone call comes through from a phone that never rings. An enchanting mix of aerial hoops, contortion, aerial rings and hula hoop, Another Point of View is an absurd tale of sisterhood, the struggle for freedom and the binding power of love.

WE SHOULD QUIT GASWORKS ARTS PARK Times: 1st - 4th Oct: 9:15pm 5th Oct: 3:45pm & 9:15pm

FROM $

An impeccable union of traditional circus and contemporary clowning provides the structure for the physical comedic feat, We Should Quit. Award winning circus perfomer Avan Whaite provides the direction for this compelling show, which incorporates Chinese pole, corde lisse and acrobatics to tell the story of two cogs who are stuck in the daily routine of life. When their habitual schedule of life becomes unstuck, chaos ensues.

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music & cabaret MOOSHIM

HERE COMES YOUR MAN

Describe your show in a tweet? The life and times of a contract killer through the stylised lens of a cabaret. ‘X’ believes he’s heartless until his heart sings back. What are the personality traits for a contracted killer? Methodical, patient, practical, well trained and adaptable. Must have extremely resilient physical and mental capabilities in order to operate in high-stress environments/ situations. A severe lack of empathy for living beings. How does the interactivity of this show differ to others? The interaction is an ever present

part of the show’s atmosphere. It’s a cabaret so it’s a core requirement to the medium. What makes it unique and true to the show’s content is how our anti-hero views his audience. Some audience members will find that they have ulterior motives. Some may be accomplices in X’s misdeeds. Others may have contracts of their own. What is the craziest thing you have done today? I buried my girlfriend in a pile of socks. She said she needed “only one pair”. That’s where we disagreed with each other. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? SO hard to think about seeing shows when you’re performing in 13 of them yourself. But at this stage, probably A Chekhov Triptych and It’s Happening In The Space Between My Face And Yours. WHEN & WHERE: 19 Sep to 3 Oct, The Tuxedo Cat, The Puffer Fish B

THE MARIONETTES LIVE

Describe your show in a tweet? The Marionettes are a mixture of funk/soul with some pop thrown in. Think Maceo Parker’s horn lines and improvisations, fused with Aretha’s voice, coupled with Winehouse’s progressions. What’s your favourite band at the moment? The Bamboos, The Cat Empire and Saskwatch. Who would you prefer to be: the puppet or the master? Without 56 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

doubt, the master! We must be in control to take the music to weird and wonderful places. What’s the craziest thing you have seen or done today? I had to literally tell a music student of mine to stop licking the piano. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Hopefully ours. WHEN & WHERE: 20 Sep and 4 Oct, Tony Starr’s Kitten Club

panicked at what would occur if the ball reached my paralysed self. Memory fails me as to whether I closed my eyes, vomited, or the players were just teasing me and would always pull back at the last moment. I now live in old hospital ward, that’s been turned into dodgy accommodation. Put a theory to that one, Freud... Describe your show in a tweet? Mooshim is a cinematic improvisational ensemble that have been influenced by minimalism, post-classical, Eurojazz and Musique Concrète. What’s your favourite sound? The resonance after any note in a room with great acoustics. What’s a recent nightmare you’ve had? When I was sick, I thought the narrow corridor of my room was a long hallway. At the end of the ‘hallway’ was a ball, bouncing from wall to wall, like a bad game of pong in a hospital ward, and the players are working against its spectator. I feared that it insinuated impending doom. The ball moved closer, while I

What does avant-garde mean to you? Avant-garde is either dead or passé and I fear it’s probably the latter. The terminology, to me, has become associated with those too lazy to either deconstruct their work or move past the pretentiousness associated with the culture formed around the would be Stockhausens, Cages and Schaeffers. There’s amazing new music being made out there, but I wouldn’t insult it by calling it the mentioned title. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? I think Rachael Dease’s work will be a treat and Moving Scores sounds like an amazing project. WHEN & WHERE: 21 and 22 Sep, The Substation

CLASSICAL VS JAZZ: THE ULTIMATE HARP BATTLE

Describe your show in a tweet? Two harpists locked in an aural battlefield of cross-genre rivalry to resolve that gnawing question: is classical better than jazz?

Apart from the harp, do you play any other instruments? Catherine plays the piano, I (Michelle) play bass guitar – but wish I had more time to play her!

Any genre of music you dislike? Country music and dubstep.

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Beau Heartbreaker.

Who are your jazz idols? Dorothy Ashby and Miles Davis.

WHEN & WHERE: 2 to 5 Oct, Revolt, Ballroom

OULO L A L A L . DR

U. . .

T is OMING OU C

CLUB VOLTAIRE 14 RAGLAN ST, NORTH MELBOURNE 23RD - 24TH SEPT 27TH SEPT 29TH SEPT 7.30PM; FRI 27TH 6.00PM (60MIN)

S H E ’ S W H AT W O U L D H A P P E N I F T H E M A D H AT T E R A N D A L I C E H A D A K I D

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circus ELIXIR

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW

career in acrobatics. I auditioned for the national Institute of Circus Arts and began my acrobatic training at the age of 21. What’s the f irst circus show you remember seeing? That would be Traces by Les Sept Doigts De La Main and it was absolutely fucking wild! It’s still the best show I’ve ever seen and the benchmark to compare anything I create.

Describe your show in a tweet? Another Point Of View is a circus show based on two girls who have never seen the outside world and have only ever spent time with each other. Longest you have stayed inside? The longest any of us have stayed inside would have been a whole week, while rehearsing this show... and we started going a bit crazy. Is there any speech during the performance if the girls understand each other

without it? The only speech during the show is the girls saying a single word to each other on the phone. What’s a nightmare you have had recently? Waking up and not having anyone left on the planet. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Definitely wont be missing Lacrima or any shows at Gasworks this Fringe! WHEN &WHERE: 24 to 28 Sep, Gasworks Theatre

NOT DEAD YET How old were you when you decided to run away with the circus? I didn’t run away with the circus, I fell in love with the circus. But she is a hard mistress that you soon learn is actually a he, but it gets a bit awkward to talk about socially.... so thanks for that. Worst injury you’ve sustained? I call four shark hooks through my back lifting me off the ground an act, not an injury... so perspective is important here. If you’re asking about long term injury, then the answer is that it’s all emotional and hence none of your business. Craziest thing you’ve seen or done today? Today I did a back-flip while swallowing a sword and I watched my dog eat a snail. Describe your show in a tweet? Freak-show stunts, mind over matter and mental feats! Not Dead Yet, an evening with Aerial Manx, the world’s most extreme sword-swallower. 58 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Hopefully mine. It would be awfully awkward for everyone if I wasn’t at Not Dead Yet. WHEN & WHERE: 1 to 6 Oct, The Butterfly Club

Describe your show in a tweet? Amazing acrobatics and feats of strength performed by two scientists in an attempt to create the elixir of life. At what age did you start acrobatics? I began breakdancing at 15 years old. After several years of spinning around on my head and doing flips in the park I decided to make a switch to a

If you didn’t run away to the circus what would you be doing? I was always interested in 3D graphics for games and multimedia. That and breakdancing. So maybe making breakdancing video games. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Absolutely won’t miss any of the shows at Gasworks! Also I can’t wait to see Death Rides A Horse by Rama Nicholas. I saw a preview of that at Theatre Slam and holy balls is that woman talented and funny. WHEN & WHERE: 1 to 5 Oct, Gasworks Theatre

...WE SHOULD QUIT

Describe your show in a tweet? It’s a comedy with bits of circus interspersed, set in a forgotten office inhabited by these two idiots. When was the last time you worked in an off ice? Neither of us have ever worked in an office, so a lot of the humour comes from our misinformed opinions of what life as an office dweller would be like. What’s your favourite team sport? Solo synchronised swimming. Is performance something you won’t quit? Hopefully not... the severance pay isn’t very

impressive. Actually, we’re having too much fun to even think about stopping anytime soon. Especially since I’m a clown; I believe clowns are like good wines that only get better with time. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? At The Last Gasp is looking really good. Hopefully we’ll be able to get out and check out some non-circus related stuff too. We’ve been eyeing off Lady Sings It Better and Die Roten Punkte at the Fringe Club; they were awesome last year! WHEN & WHERE: 1 to 5 Oct, Gasworks Theatre

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 59

live art & performance CANVASES

Describe your show in a tweet? Exploring gender roles with movement, projection and paint. People get painted on. There’s also a killer soundtrack. #thingsgetcrazy Who is your favourite painter? My favourites are those who cross over into live or interactive art. I saw John Baldessari’s Thirteen Colorful Inside Jobs earlier this year, where a painter spent the entire duration of the exhibit changing the colour of the wall. It’s more about painting as a process than a final result.

What is your favourite colour? Red. How many canvases have you ruined? There’s no such thing as a ruined canvas! Some of the best things created are by accident. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? I won’t be missing Conjunct or Sex Poetry Booth: Sloppy Seconds. I’m also looking forward to seeing the rest of the offerings at Club Voltaire. Canvases is lucky to be part of a great line-up! WHEN & WHERE: 2 to 6 Oct, Club Voltaire

A F*#KING MAD TEA PARTY

Describe your show in a tweet? A F*#king Mad Tea Party invites you into a carnival-esque wonderland. Take tea with Wonderland’s mad characters!

filled visions are entrancing.

What’s your favourite tea? Gotta love my spiced winter chai. And chilled fruitylicious for summer.

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Blindness, Dorian, Now, The Burlesque Underground, Winter is Coming, The Technology Show and Eight.

What is your favourite f ilm version of Alice In Wonderland? Tim Burton is a one of my idols. His artistic, fantasy60 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

What do you f ind funny? I laugh at myself for my inability to stop on a swing. I’m afraid of wearing the tread on my shoes.

WHEN & WHERE: 18 to 28 Sep, Norm

DR LALA LOULOU

Describe your show in a tweet? A pleasure lab. It was Dr Lala Loulou’s idea: “Improvise moves, sounds, song and stories with your loop pedal and with the audience, create vocal lala loulou orchestras and dance and drum the boom di boom boom whilst eating chocolate.” How did Dr Lala Loulou get involved in medicine and or performance? It involved a Google search of expressive dance, a physical education teaching job based in circus arts and creative dance in Mildura, and being inspired by Anna Halprin and G Hoffman Soto a

year later... Suddenly medicine became anything that involved pleasurable experiments with movement, story and sound. Anything you can reveal about the show? Hmmm, yes; let’s just say it isn’t just Dr Lala Loulou’s coming out ritual. What’s the craziest thing you have seen or done today? My house was clean. What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? The Experiment, Poetry Community Night and You Stole My Life, Tim Minchin. WHEN & WHERE: 23 to 29 Sep, Club Voltaire

THE WOOLGATHERER

Describe your show in a tweet? A haunting and beautiful tale about the immense effect two strangers have on each other’s lives: both the light and the dark.

memory and can’t recall anything, except from my time in New York last year when I had lots of strange and wonderful encounters with people on the subway. They’re a lot more forward there. I’m thinking of being on the tram or on the street in Melbourne and I just remember everyone on their phones! I guess that’s why this play is important. I don’t think people are connecting as much anymore; people are afraid or isolated or both. But collectively, as a human race, we need each other.

How does the title relate to the content? The title of the play is very clever; it isn’t what you expect. It involves my character, Rose. I won’t say any more than that because it’s something people will discover while watching.

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? I always try to see some of the circus shows or the dance shows. I’ve seen some incredible circus stuff in past years and Fringe is the only time it’s around.

What is your strangest encounter this week? I’m scanning my

WHEN & WHERE: 2 to 6 Oct, La Mama

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circus & design

design

FRINGE FOCUS: CREATIVE PROGRAMS With Creative Producer Emma Mayall. What excites you about this year’s Fringe? I have to say that the festival itself – with all the theatre and circus performances and the array of creative talent across so many different genres – is the most exciting thing for me. In particular, too, the creative program which I’m working on, which involves three keynote events: Fringe Furniture, Digital Gardens and Digital Creatures. What’s important about the Digital Gardens initiative in this year’s festival? Digital Gardens is really important initiative because of, in particular, the idea of this year’s [theme]: ‘Make It True’. It’s all about the way that the digital influences or affects or is very much permeated

DIGITAL CREATURES: IVAN TINOCO’S, WHISPERING PINES

throughout real life. And so with Digital Gardens it’s been very exciting collaborating with a developing company called Gravity Four. They have developed an amazing, non-combative, multi-player virtual reality game called Wander. The most exciting thing is it also uses a new technology called an ocular rift, which is a virtual reality head gear and controller, so you can get a full immersive experience in the game. Fringe have partnered up with Gravity Four to place or to embed certain aspects of the Fringe Festival into the actual game.

ASORÉ If you didn’t run away to the circus what would you be doing? That’s a very hard question! I couldn’t be sure. My family is full of artists and actors, so I think I would of eventually ended up the arts one way or another!

Describe your show in a tweet? What series of rare events leads someone to a life in the circus? ASORE mixes the tradition and elegance of a 1920s travelling circus with the sensuality of contemporary circus. A4 invites you behind the curtain, where nothing is as glamorous as it seems. What do you think is the greatest thing about the 1920s? The sophistication, elegance and the fashion. 62 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

At what age did you start loving the circus? I’d say by around 14 years old. I joined The Flying Fruit Fly Circus at the age of 11 though it wasn’t until I got a little older I become serious about it and realised how happy it made me!

How did you go about programming Digital Creatures? We partnered up with Little Creatures brewery and their dining hall out in Fitzroy. We did an open call to animation, video and film works. The whole key thing about Digital Creatures is that it’s open access; anyone can submit a film, a video work and can be part of that program. Why do you think art and events like Fringe are so important to Melbourne’s cultural identity? I think that the Fringe in particular is very unique because it is an open access festival. So any artist, performer, circus performer, poet, visual artist with a voice in Melbourne can present for Fringe. It gives artists their voice rather than being mediated through a curator or an organisation. What’s the most important aspect of having interactive elements in a festival like Digital Gardens? In terms of participation in the arts it’s one of the most fundamental and important things. So the idea that an audience [at] a gallery or a festival or anything creative that is happening is not just being a passive audience member, but you are indeed apart of that creative production, not just sitting in a seat and being dictated to. Does having an open access festival create a more of an artistic environment? Everybody’s experience of the arts is different. Some people prefer to have a very private experience and some people love the active. Active participation really enhances the person’s involvement and interest and care for the arts; being involved makes you feel very inclusive. It’s about a two-way dialogue. Open access is important because it brings down the barriers that there are certain things in the arts you can’t touch because it’s a very special thing and you’re very removed from it, when in fact the arts is for all and for everybody to interact with and enjoy in whatever way they want to. In my perspective it’s putting the power back to the public, to the viewer, letting them know they are free to engage in the arts however they wish.

DIGITAL CREATURES: JORDAN HIGGINS, THE GUARDIAN’S TALE

What show(s) won’t you be missing in Fringe? Definitely – all the shows in the circus hub and all other circus shows! I know most of the circus artists performing at this year’s Melbourne Fringe and I will without a doubt be supporting them by watching their work as I know it’s not easy putting on a Fringe show. WHEN & WHERE: 1 to 5 Oct, Gasworks Theatre

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SEPTEMBER 20 - OCTOBER 5 TUE-SAT 10.30PM, SUN 9.30PM (NO MONDAYS) BOOK NOW! www.melbournefringe.com.au OR 9660 9666

Andy & Darcy are:

Home Alone

The world is a scary place; full of monsters and potential arrests. So Andy and Darcy decide to stay inside for the evening, spending it singing silly songs, telling tall tales, and aligning awesome assonance.

They guarantee at least one laugh with a variety of comedy and music in this musical comedy variety hour!

Book tix @ melbournefringe.com.au

Tickets Full $20 Conc $18 Group (4 ppl) $16

Dates September 26th / 27th / 28th October 3rd / 4th / 5th

Location TIME 7PM (60 mins)

Upstairs at the GH 1 Brighton rd, St Kilda THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 63

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64 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

ALMOST FAMOUS

music

Now that Kiwi outfit The Naked & Famous are in their 20s, vocalist Alisa Xayalith tells Ben Preece that the band have “become more refined and settled in the way [they] create music”.

t wouldn’t be too strange an analogy to liken Passive Me, Aggressive You, the 2010 debut album from The Naked & Famous, to something as obvious as kerosene. No matter which way you look at the international success of this New Zealand five-piece – the syncs, the reviews, the tours, the festivals, the general acclaim – it’s safe to say that Auckland hasn’t seen anything that has sparked a fire so great in some time. Lyrical content oozed a youthful view that connected with the right party kids at the right time, while the sound itself was very much ‘of the now’, sharing space with the likes of Passion Pit and Empire Of The Sun that reinforced this blend of electro as a credible genre of music. Flip forward a couple of years and second-album syndrome seems inevitable. The fivesome toured relentlessly so, once they eventually stopped in mid2012, it took them a couple of false starts to truly hit their stride. They decamped to Los Angeles, sharing a home a couple of minutes away from the bustle of West Hollywood in the deceptively beautiful and serene environs of Laurel Canyon and truly knuckled down writing their second release, which would eventually become In Rolling Waves. “Looking back, it’s all a bit of a blur,” confesses vocalist Alisa Xayalith. “We were just touring non-stop for about two-and-a-half years. I feel like playing that many shows just changes you and we’ve gained a lot of experience. We really had to just stop touring to get into the writing properly. When we began writing, we decided it was important that everything was playable live. We always took a song into the rehearsal room to make sure there were enough people even to push the buttons and, if there was something extra that a physical pair of hands couldn’t handle, we’d go back to the drawing board and rewrite what we needed to rewrite to feel that way of working.” In Rolling Waves isn’t a drastic departure from Passive Me, Aggressive You by any means, if anything it’s the older, wiser sibling that still possesses that vital feeling of youth and freedom, but is more assured and confident.

“We’ve never really been a band that has written in a thematic way or with a message,” Xayalith explains of the band’s songwriting process. “This one is a collection of moods and experiences. We were 18 or 19 when we wrote that first album and definitely didn’t have the experience that we

and London’s Alan Moulder mixed the record. The band entered the Sunset Sound studio earlier this year with engineer Billy Bush and immediately set to work. “The first day was the most exciting first day of anything I’ve ever experienced,” Xayalith reveals. “We were going to be spending the next three weeks there, every single minute of every single day, and it was so fun! When we wrote the songs, we had rehearsed them and that had helped everybody get to know their songs inside and out. The stress of being in the studio wasn’t there as it was all so positive. Billy Bush mixed the last record but we’d decided he’d be engineer this

“THE SPECIAL THING ABOUT BEING IN A BAND IS THAT YOU HAVE THAT SUPPORT STRUCTURE.” all have had now that we’re in our 20s. I feel that has really come through on this record and the songwriting and all the creative decisions we decided to make. Even the lyrics, I feel like we’ve become more refined and settled in the way we create music.” The Naked & Famous band members Thom Powers and Aaron Short co-produced In Rolling Waves, Justin Meldal-Johnsen (M83, Beck, Nine Inch Nails) co-produced two tracks

time around as we had an amazing opportunity to work with Alan Moulder – his repertoire and back catalogue of what he’s worked on was immense. I feel like this record has had some really cool people work on it.” It wasn’t all rosey though, Xayalith says she battled through writer’s block: “Being creative, there are so many highs and lows – there were weeks where I felt like I was a terrible songwriter and I never achieved anything and I was never going to do anything as good as what I’d done in the past. I was able to turn that negativity into something creative. It was definitely the cathartic release I needed to truly feel like this album was anything worth pursuing. WHAT: In Rolling Waves (Universal) WHEN & WHERE: 24 Jan, Big Day Out, Flemington Racecourse THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 65

music

GROWTH SPURT Young Tasmanian songstress Asta has come a long way from the excitable schoolgirl who took out triple j’s 2012 Unearthed High competition. A year on, the budding performer brings Mitch Knox up to speed on the eve of her first headline tour.

t all happened so fast for Asta Binnie. One day the unassuming teen was just another aspiring musician and the next she’d won Unearthed and all the prestige and notoriety that comes with it. The now-19-yearold overachiever has since played some high-profile support slots with Birds Of Tokyo and Hungry Kids Of Hungary among others, released a trinity of singles and was shortlisted for the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition – and now she’s about to embark on her debut headline tour. Despite the accolades and meteoric rise, the rock star life isn’t always all it’s cracked up to

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be. “I’ll be broke at the end of this tour!” Asta laughs. “I’m spending all my money on this tour! So after that, I’ll be on the streets and begging for food. But it’ll all be worth it.” A lot of the money, admittedly, has gone towards costumes for the tour – “I’m pretty drawn to mega-‘80s clothing … and anything gold or silver,” she admits – but one would have to assume the rising costs of life on the road would also be attributable to the recent acquisition of a live band to back her visually colourful performances. Not that Asta’s complaining. “It’s

really good. Before, I was playing with a DJ, which really wasn’t me. I was always itching to have a band, so I’m loving it. It’s been such an amazing change. The sound is a lot bigger. It’s less electronic; it has more of that natural rawness now. It’s more rocky! … And what I hope is for people to come out of a show and just be like, ‘Yeah, that was really solid. That was really rockin’, that was tight.’” Fans of Asta’s more minimalistic style needn’t despair, however – she pays special attention to where she comes from, musically. “A few of my tracks will be quite stripped back – that was, you know, where I started. It used to just be me and my guitar, so I do love to do one or two songs just playing on my guitar.” Although the money situation is likely to be a bit tight for the foreseeable future, Asta nonetheless hopes to fit in some studio time post-tour, with an eye to having an album out “by the end of this year, or early next”. But first, she faces a classic “giant leap” scenario as she makes the jump to bona fide headliner, and she seems genuinely excited about the prospect. “I am just really, really looking forward to bonding with my newly acquired band members, and also playing to rooms full of my own fans. I haven’t been able to do that – I may have done it a few times, but I think it’s really special to be able to play your own shows, your own headline shows that people have bought tickets to see. The energy is definitely different, so I’m really looking forward to it.” WHEN & WHERE: 4 Oct, Northcote Social Club (Over-18s eve); 5 Oct, Phoenix Youth Centre (AA afternoon); 6 Oct, Northcote Social Club; 28 Dec – 1 Jan, Falls Festival Lorne

GYPSY KINGS Attempting to describe The Barons Of Tang’s sound, double-bassist Julian Cue tells Kate Kingsmill, “We’ve got a lot of quite quiet instruments playing in a very loud band.”

he Barons Of Tang play tiny punk clubs in America, massive folk festivals in Europe and gypsy bars in Northcote, but this is not a band with an identity crisis. Punk and folk music may sit at opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but to doublebassist Julian Cue, they are almost the same thing. “You could call punk rock a more modern, suburban folk music, if you want to analyse it too much!” He laughs. “Folk music is just music of the people… I guess sonically it’s got some conventions. When you say ‘folk music’, most people think of Irish folk music, but folk music can be anything from music from Mali or Indonesia or – so it doesn’t actually mean anything.” Musical bowerbirds The Barons Of Tang take cues from all around the world, from French manouche jazz to Eastern European gypsy folk. “There was a while ago when there were all these indie bands that were playing with a calypso twang, which I quite liked actually,” Cue confesses. “It sort of comes in waves, the sounds that people are trying to make at any given time. Ours is just a little less hip or something! It’s just a little bit more obnoxious.” Perhaps boisterous might be a better word? “It inspires some sort of convulsion,” Cue agrees. 66 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

As a seven-piece band wielding more exotic instruments such as an accordion, saxophone, double bass and bass clarinet, The Barons Of Tang’s songwriting process is also a little more unconventional. “Because it’s not as guitar-driven as a lot of bands, and we’re not an especially vocal band either,” Cue explains, “the way we come up with melodies and stuff like that – we rely a lot on the dynamics of the reed instruments to carry the melody or express a feeling. I guess we’ve got one foot in orchestral composition and one foot in more modern rock’n’roll composition, so we meet somewhere in the middle.”

After six years touring relentlessly, The Barons Of Tang finally started recording their debut album, titled Into The Mouths Of Hungry Giants, last year. “We were pretty excited to look at recording an album as [a way of ] making an extravagant version of these songs,” says Cue. “Just in a production sense, having a chance to put in various instruments that we don’t get to use all the time like a dulcimer or a toy piano or even a contrabass clarinet. We’ve got a lot of quite quiet instruments playing in a very loud band, so it can be tricky to know how to mix that as it often is in a live context as well. And trying to capture the energy, which is really our thing. It was hard, but we’re pretty stoked with the results.” WHAT: Into The Mouths Of Hungry Giants (Bird’s Robe Records) WHEN & WHERE: 8 Nov, Corner Hotel

much as possible live. You know, you get all these acts that say they play live, and then unload a few laptops and mixers or whatever and press play,” he argues. “That’s not live. If you say you’re going to play live, the least you could do is actually fucking play live. It’s so important for us that there’s something going on stage so you’re not just staring at the back of a laptop. It has to be dynamic, it has to be entertaining.” It’s pretty good to see that Disclosure still preach what they practise; it could’ve been easy to become jaded after the umpteenth interview on the topic. The whole ‘crossover’ thing has been thrown at them constantly, with the Lawrences apparently figureheads for groups such as AlunaGeorge and Duke Dumont to step out of the ‘underground’. How does Lawrence feel about all this? “Ummm, well, I mean, good, good,” he says. “I mean, it’s great that there are people who listen to our music and have that much of a mind about it. I don’t really know what the term ‘crossover act’ means in terms of us, even now. Does it mean we’re making music to cross over, or does it mean that we’ve made underground music and for some reason it’s in the charts? No one seems to know; I think that’s kind of unclear in the term. But personally, I think we’ve just carried on making the music we were making when we were considered underground. Now that it’s gotten popular, people consider it mainstream.

WHITE NOISE UK duo Disclosure are the biggest dance act in the world right now, which means a lot of talk. Cam Findlay cuts through the crap with Howard Lawrence.

“M

an, so sorry Cam,” Howard, the younger of the two Lawrence brothers and one half of Disclosure, says the third time our interview is cut off. “We’re driving at the moment, and there was this tunnel.” It’s been a very controversial couple of months for Howard and his older brother Guy, with every major music publication establishing an opinion on the young brothers. “We haven’t really done anything except shows, which means we really haven’t had any time to think about anything else other than playing shows,” Lawrence stresses. In this day and age, where every single artist is meticulously examined thanks to the internet, it’s practically unheard of for two young brothers to become the most prominent players in the dance game within three months. Not that that’s the case here; Disclosure have been around for four years, at least. Along with the obligatory glowing reviews of Settle – an album that blends pop structuring with deceptively simple and entrancing bass and dub – there’s been just as many accusations of ‘playing the game’. A few major publications have said that Disclosure are pandering to what’s popular; one has said they’ll be the death of what’s popular in the UK’s much-loved house scene. It’s a hell of a lot of reading into two guys who, honestly, don’t care, as long as they’re making music people will dance to. “I’d say there really hasn’t been any change,” Lawrence responds thoughtfully on the topic. “I think that the main difference is the stuff that we’re listening to has changed slightly. We’ve just moved onto different stuff. And I mean that about us and people in general. When we started, we were listening to a lot of house music, and it’s just kind of broadened to a lot of other different things now, really. House music has always been a big part of what Disclosure is and now suddenly it just seems that house music seems to be dominating the charts. Which is obviously great for us, but it does put us in this strange situation. Like, people saying that we’re playing house music because it’s popular. That’s simply not true; it’s always been what we’ve done. And I

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think, if you listen to our music, there’s a lot more to it than that anyway.” One example: their live show. If you’ve managed to catch a Disclosure show before, either live or filmed, you would have noticed the obvious attention the brothers Howard give to the visual aspect of their gigs. It’s become a calling card for the duo in our current climate where a ‘live’ DJ can be someone who simply presses play on Ableton and dances around for an hour. “It’s really important for us that there’s something going on onstage, always,” Lawrence says. “It’s pretty lucky in that our music kind of lends itself to that. You know, it’s pretty simple to pull out all the percussion and have different pads and things for it. It was kind of a learning curve to get to the point where we are now... I mean, it’s taken us a lot of time to get comfortable playing all these different parts at once. And obviously, you can’t play every part of every track, but we try to do as

“I think it’s frustrating when you meet these people who think that being in the mainstream is a bad thing,” Lawrence responds when asked if that gets on his nerves. “Obviously, changing your music to get into the mainstream is probably a bad thing, that’s the wrong way to go about it. But we’ve just kept doing what we’ve been doing naturally, which is writing pop-structured songs in the style of house and garage music. And yeah, there’s a lot of people saying that we’re some kind

“IF YOU SAY YOU’RE GOING TO PLAY LIVE, THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS ACTUALLY FUCKING PLAY LIVE.” of new movement. That we’ve become some poster [children] or something. Like, as if they look at who we’ve worked with and make some kind of connection. Honestly, AlunaGeorge, and all the other guys we’ve toured and played with, it was just a matter of meeting them in certain situations. When we started all these projects, none of us knew each other. We just met via the music we were playing. There’s no conspiracy; they like what we do and we like what they do.” Luckily, Howard Lawrence seems pretty relaxed on the whole issue. It seems he’s been prepared to accept the obstacles that obviously pop up with such fame, and the two have kept their heads on straight. “When we started, we were never worried about what was gonna get into the charts; you can’t be, that can mess everything up. We were just making the music that we wanted to make at the time. That’s still what we’re doing.” WHEN & WHERE: 2 Oct, The Prince (all ages); 5 Oct, Listen Out, Observatory Precinct, Royal Botanic Gardens Listen out, Centennial Park THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 •67

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reviews

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

This week: Battle the hordes in Total War: Rome II, zombie cop film R.I.P.D doesn’t live up to expectations and Kings Of Leon return after their infamous meltdown.

CHVRCHES

The Bones Of What You Believe Goodbye/Liberator An album worthy of all the hype, The Bones Of What You Believe undeniably solidifies what we’ve kinda already known – Chvrches are goddamn brilliant.

★★★★

TRACK LISTING 1. The Mother We Share 2. We Sink 3. Gun 4. Tether 5. Lies 6. Under The Tide

7. Recover 8. Night Sky 9. Science/Visions 10. Lungs 11. By The Throat 12. You Caught The Light

The tracks that started the media maelstrom for the Glasgow trio – The Mother We Share, Gun, Recover – are all accounted for, so the album feels familiar. But no matter how many times you listen, the music still sounds fresh. Purity Ring is a pretty obvious point of relation from the last few years, and The Knife have their weird little fingerprints all over this album, too. The arching futuretronica created by Iain Cook and Martin Doherty is jittering and awkward, but fun and uplifting. They’ve found emotion in machines – an inspired feat. And thanks to the pure vocals of diminutive frontwoman Lauren Mayberry, beautiful imagery is generated and the textures she provides make songs like Night Sky rise to glorious heights. When the record arrives at Science/Visions, however, you almost forget about the moments of saccharine joy that you’ve just been given by the band, because for four enthralling minutes shit gets dark. It’s the album’s most abrasive moment, and arguably its best, with the crawling, scratchy synths and loops cutting into you with Fuck Buttons-esque disregard. It stands as the pinnacle of the listening experience, allowing the record to then trail off naturally to the complete comedown of You Caught The Light. And following those concluding notes, it’s clear you’ve listened to something pretty special. Benny Doyle THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 69

album reviews

ADALITA

ESKIMO JOE

Liberation

Dirt Diamonds/Inertia

Whilst many pundits were floored by the sparsity on Magic Dirt siren Adalita Srsen’s 2011 eponymous debut, it must be noted that her evolution has been in constant broiling motion ever since she screamed and squalled out of the pit of Geelong over two decades ago. The no-wave nihilism relaxed, pop machinations wormed their way in, pub-rock mantras sidled up beside them, personal barbs softened and bloomed. On second solo release All Day Venus, this amorphous shape-shifting continues, yet it’s the confidence to embrace the various facets of her musical DNA when and where she sees fit – regardless of how it may look – that truly enamours here.

If you’ve been following Eskimo Joe since they burst onto the Australian music scene in 2001 with their debut album Girl you may find listening to their sixth album, Wastelands, a conflicting experience. Squinting at your speakers while scratching your head is a warranted response, as the band have reinvented themselves in a very interesting way.

All Day Venus

Kicking off with the distorted drudgery of the title track, the sonic heaviness hits us like a freefalling anvil: something we didn’t realise we’d miss until Adalita forces it upon us. Her vocals soar above it all with defiance, and this steadfast trait

Wastelands

★★★★ permeates the record. Elsewhere there is the dark-ringed snarl of Annihilate Baby, the haunted stoicism of I Want Your Love and the heaving insistence of My Ego. All Day Venus could do with an equilibrium of sparse tracks though, as songs tend to bleed into each other. The plaintive pounding drums are simplistic, as are the bottomless carnage of the riffs; yet when delivered with such purpose and a curled lip, the force is unstoppable. Melodicism is not left behind either, with tracks like Warm Like You offering bountiful hooks. It is here that Adalita feels truly at home, using the brutality of noise to cushion the blows of her personal demons. Brendan Telford

With its intense synth, somewhat cheesy vocal melodies and upbeat, dancelike-it’s-the-‘80s drumming, it’s not until the fourth or fifth listen that the overpowering electronic vibe of Wastelands really begin to make sense. Encompassing a wide range of new instrumentation and songwriting techniques, this album is surprisingly refreshing for the band’s sixth record; Disgrace and Sad Song are unlike anything they have released. Utilising their own

KINGS OF LEON

THE BLOODY BEETROOTS

RCA/Sony

Hussle/Ministry Of Sound/ Universal

Mechanical Bull Since achieving major commercial success with their fourth album, Only By The Night, in 2008, Kings Of Leon have become a band whose fans are divided between the diehards and their new, more mainstream followers. Their sixth studio album, Mechanical Bull, is a clear reflection of that. Bright pop/rock numbers, like catchy first single, opener Supersoaker, will appeal to a wider audience, as will big stadium rock tracks like Rock City and Don’t Matter, boasting big sounds and guitar solos that could easily be mistaken for Queens Of The Stone Age or even Bon Jovi in parts. Tracks like Temple play even more into commercial radio airplay territory, with its jangly guitar sounds and an intro that’s undeniably similar to The Cure’s Friday I’m In Love. In contrast, the rest of the album seems to take its influence from 70 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

★★★ studio during the writing and recording process has allowed them to take their time – a commodity that has hindered this record while allowing for obvious benefits. It seems they got carried away and have drifted too far from anything that really presents raw emotion. A lot of people were up in arms when the band announced their sixth record would materialise through a Pozible crowdfunding campaign, but the results yielded from the exercise more than justify their decision. With such a drastic evolution, it’ll be interesting to see where their next record will venture. Daniel Cribb

Hide

★★★ ½ the band’s strong alternative indie roots with punchier, grittier songs like Coming Back Again and Tonight, whose driving guitar riffs, interesting melodies and powerful vocals definitely deserve a second listen. A handful of well-crafted ballads, like the moving Wait For Me and Beautiful War, are also true to form and really allow singer Caleb Followill’s trademark gravelly vocals and heartfelt lyrics to shine through, acting as a reminder that this really is a Kings Of Leon album after all. It’s an album of two halves and one that is sure to divide their fans and critics. Helen Lear

This week Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo presents to the listening public the much anticipated second Bloody Beetroots album, Hide. The amusing cover of Hide seems to celebrate the illustrious Sir Bob’s move to America where it seems he has become trapped in some kind of Escape From L.A. scenario and is trying to soundtrack his way out of desperate situations with the Beetroots’ trademark punkrocktronica. The results are not too dissimilar to Kavinsky’s recent album, OutRun, but what distinguishes The Beetroots from like-minded contemporaries are the stadiumsized beats specifically designed to ignite complete mayhem at festivals all over the world. Much like Daft Punk’s recent album, Hide also features many high profile collaborations that are sure to pique even

★★★ ½ the most casual of listeners’ curiosity. There’s been plenty of talk about that collaboration with Paul McCartney, who features on the sinister love song Out Of Sight. Elsewhere Tommy Lee belts the skins on the vicious Raw before staging a dummy spit as the track briefly shifts gear into camp hi-NRG electro disco. Crass’s ever outraged Penny Rimbaud gets on his soapbox for a rant on The Furious, advocating anarchy while The Beetroots move from Nymanesque orchestral repetition into riot beat chaos. The Bloody Beetroots give us one wild roller coaster ride of an album. Guido Farnell

album reviews

★★ ½

★★★ ½

★★★★

DAMN TERRAN

KATE NASH

MACHINEDRUM

THE FLATLINERS

Damn Terran

Girl Talk

Vapor City

Dead Language

GaGa Digital/Independent

Have 10P Records

Ninja Tune/Inertia

This trio’s gritty new record flaunts crunching guitar riffs cushioned by scuzzy distortion. A grainy, melancholic haze underpins Lachlan Ewbank’s coarse vocals while the band tear away at their distinct ‘90s grunge-rock sound. While the grinding, chord-driven Wrong Things sees Ewbank exude the engrossing apathetic vibe of Kurt Cobain to great effect, Ali Edmond’s vocals on So Ordinary and menacing live favourite, Rebel, provide a nice point of difference. Though a little repetitive and missing the frenzied spirit of their live show, Damn Terran is a more than solid debut.

Theoretically, there’s so much to love about Nash. She’s transformed from cutesy nondescript indie pop to riot grrrl-inspired rock. Yet her significant feminist arguments are too often lost in Girl Talk, with mediocre songwriting and poor delivery – see the cringeworthy Rap For Rejection. Nash nails romantic disappointment in OMYGOD! and female friendship bonds on Sister, when she lets her voice and inhibitions go. The vocal screeches teeter on ugly, but feel more visceral than wordy balladeering. Girl Talk is another step in shaping Nash as a singer-songwriter, but lacks the consistency to make it memorable.

Fiercely underground, Travis Stewart’s Machinedrum project has for the past decade delivered the kind of tasteful tech that has served as a guiding light for the more discerning dance floors around the world. Machinedrum lands this month with a concept album that is intended to feel like a late night walk through the boroughs, districts and suburbs of some megapolis. Beneath the glossy veneer of production, Machinedrum amalgamates diverse dance styles to create a cohesive and palatable but ultimately experimental sound. Taking us from the ghettos to the affluent suburbs, Vapor City offers deep immersive listening.

New Damage/Cooking Vinyl

Stephanie Tell

Sevana Ohandjanian

Guido Farnell

★★★★

With Cavalcades – an album as diverse as it was poignant, relevant and emphatic – looming ominously in the background, following up with another in a similar vein would do more injustice than good. Dead Language has grittier production, conspiring in an overall darker sound, the pop element dialled down, the band putting all the focus on brazen riffs and brash passages of wrought anxiety. First single, Drown In Blood, gives the album some initial direction, yet it’s the frenetic pace of Sew My Mouth Shut, Quitters and Bury Me where the band feel most at home. James Dawson

★★★★

★★★

THE BARONS OF TANG

ISLANDS

QUASI

DREAM THEATER

Ski Mask

Mole City

Dream Theater

Into The Mouths Of Hungry Giants

Stop Start/Inertia

Domino/EMI

Roadrunner/Warner

The fifth album for Canadian quirk merchants Islands, Ski Mask is a mixture of their most loved releases – yet it’s this amorphous nature that takes some of the unpredictable sting out of their tail. Still, Wave Forms is a beachside calypso for bookish types; Becoming The Gunship is a maudlin sojourn into breathy, anthemic passive aggression; a snarky lounge crawl serves Shotgun Vision; the upbeat balladry hides behind contemplations of addiction in Nil. Nick Thorburn has always known his way around all imaginable forms of pop hook – while there is less variation here, the earworms remain in fervent force.

Quasi, the eclectic rock duo of Sam Coomes (Pink Mountain, Heatmiser) and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag), enters their third decade as an intermittent band with the ramshackle double album Mole City. There are no barriers or limits between these two, and it’s always an excellent listen. Fuzzed-out-to-fuck guitars, intricately simple drumming, addictive squalls (You Can Stay But You Gotta Go), ditties (RIP), freak jams (New Western Way), pop wails (The Goat), prog hiccups (Headshrinker), Eastern refractions via Wayne Coyne (Geraldine) – all present and accounted for. Mole City is playfully weird, but above all else a truly fun rocking album.

Having fully adjusted to life A.P. (After Portnoy), Dream Theater have afforded rhythmic juggernaut Mike Mangini greater opportunity to add his distinctive flavours. On their 12th LP, the US prog-metallers place greater emphasis on heavier crunch, recalling 2003’s Train Of Thought. There’s the anticipated melange of soaring, cinematic melodies (Behind The Veil, The Bigger Picture), dizzying arpeggios and time signature changes (The Enemy Inside) and some filler. Their expansive, orchestration-laden side hasn’t been neglected, and multi-part, 22-minute Illumination Theory is a suitably grandiose finale.

Brendan Telford

Brendan Crabb

Bird’s Robe Enthrallingly chaotic yet expertly precise at the same time. If there were a way to sum up The Barons Of Tang’s debut LP, that would be as good as any. It’s not easy to describe in a few words; just as it is not easy comprehending their whole sonic concept. The Barons’ “post world core” sound – a melting-pot of metal, punk, gypsy, tango and other genres – is a thing to behold: something to which words don’t do justice. If you’re after something novel and exciting, this is most certainly it. Lukas Murphy

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 71

single/ep reviews

★★★★

★★★

★★★½

LUNARS

LURCH & CHIEF

SHERIFF

Happenings

Wiped Out

Roughhouse Hymns

Stand And Stare

Independent

RIP Society

Come Walk With Me

An eerie mood dominates the urban cacophony that is this offering. The instrumental Black Bay is a ghostly opener, paving the way for a textured experimental-rock release in the vein of Spaceman 3. The atmospheric goodness of Lunars’ style is conveyed in multi-layered track, Love One Day. This song incorporates twinkling chimes meshed with dark guitar chords and a mystical, marching snare. Andrew Kluchareff ’s powerful, off-key vocals are highlighted by disjointed melody lines backed by tuneful harmonies. Ideal music for contemplative bedroom sessions, Happenings exudes a uniquely joyful clanging within distorted soundscapes.

Amongst the strong soul grooves and steady-rock backing band, it’s the male and female vocal combo that sits in the foreground here. Reminiscent of Florence Welsh, Lili Hall’s authoritative voice carries the melody in powerful opener Mother/ Father, supported by Hayden Somerville’s energetic shouting technique. This track has a funk flavour and contagious spirit that is somewhat lacking on many of the songs that follow. However the EP’s inoffensive pop flavour is interrupted by the pounding track On Your Own, which employs varied dynamics to takes the band’s standard rock format to exciting proportions. They play Ding Dong Lounge, 5 Oct.

Demonstrating a range of rock styles, Roughhouse Hymns predominantly exudes a gothic, western feel akin to that of Graveyard Train. This is most obvious with Sheriff ’s many baritone male vocalists singing in unison on The Royal Chase. A horror-rock song with rockabilly influences, its overdriven guitars and ghoulish vocals are sure to inform a great live song. While some tracks are too busily put together, the bluesy, Americana-styled The (Butt Slappin’, Beard Shakin’) Pagan Boogie is a satisfying closer, though mellow in contrast to the rest of this furious release. They play The Tote, 21 Sep.

Interscope

Stephanie Tell

ROYAL HEADACHE Royal Headache return with a spring in their step and Shogun shows off that scratchy soul vocal. Organ drone/guitar wheeze to fade feels like coming home.

ALL TIME LOW FT VIC FUENTES A Love Like War Hopeless Records The beige chorus brings this down, not the verse. Is the ‘you and me against the world’ mentality a pop-punk trope yet?

MIA Straight and sing-song to begin with but soon morphs into a beat-frenzied, loose cluster of both everyday and unearthly noises. Nails it.

JAMES BLUNT

★★★½

Bonf ire Heart Warner Take Blunt as you know him, douse in annoyingly positive-attitude folk, take away any real sense of emotion and this is what you get.

ACTIVE CHILD FT MIKKY EKKO Subtle Vagrant Records Choirboy vocals at the club; sounds simultaneously sophisticated and sweaty. And does Mikky Ekko ever not absolutely slay it on his guest appearances?

MIAMI HORROR FT SARAH CHERNOFF Real Slow Neon Gold Records Pleasant enough, but haven’t we heard this before? 72 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

★★★★

SURES

THE WALKING WHO

TIM FITZ

The Night Hero Waste Time Getting Better

Mansions

Unscene

Independent

Ivy League Punchy opener The Night conjures up images of carefree road trips to music festivals. This song’s youthful enthusiasm will have a broad appeal and seems destined for radioplay. The rest of the EP takes a decidedly gentler approach, drawing on the breezy early-‘90s rock of bands like The Stone Roses. Rather than demanding your attention, from Hero onwards, this collection exudes soothing tones while it cruises past you pleasantly. Although Jonas Nicholls’ vocals have a distinctive whiney tinge, they work seamlessly within Sures’ surf and skate-infused sound without grating.

From the seductive vocals to backing keyboard, Have You Seen The Colours smacks of Jim Morrison in his heyday and encompasses the overall sound of this release. Mansions’ retro aesthetic moves away from the experimental rock sound du jour. Rather, The Walking Who revel in their appropriation of the psych-laden rock of the’60s. Pollen Of The Hour exemplifies this through its lengthy, meandering guitar solos; the perfect score for an alien invasion. The EP rounds off with stripped-back, soulful ballad Dead Man’s Alter, which provides balance while demonstrating the band’s versatility. They play 21 Sep, The Toff In Town.

Varied in tone but with an emphasis on the futuristic, this EP mixes a familiar, poppy Australian twang with soft ambience cushioned by wandering bass. However it’s the darker moments on Unscene that really shine through. This is apparent in haunting opener The Wanderer as well as the sultry Fractures with its dystopian Blade Runner aesthetic. While a more mainstream love song in melody and tone, Poem Of Suburbia is a particularly infectious track, featuring ecstatic male vocals over a bubbly concoction of textures not dissimilar to Animal Collective. Electroindie fans, keep an eye on Fitz.

Stephanie Tell

THE BANDS THE INDUSTRY THE LOCALS THE ENCORES THE DJS THE GIGS THE PRODUCERS THE CLUBS

THE ARTISTS THE FESTIVALS THE GROUPIES THE ALBUMS THE TOURS THE FANS

LIVE NOW! THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 73

74 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

live reviews

THE CAT EMPIRE, TINPAN ORANGE, ANIMAUX Forum Theatre: 12 Sep Local soul-funk seven-piece Animaux play tightly and seem to love the chance to support locallads-done-good The Cat Empire tonight. Vocalist Alex Lahey shifts effortlessly between singing and tenor sax duties, making it all look deceptively easy. The threepronged horn attack in numbers like Wave Of Change give their music plenty of pizzazz, and they finish their set with the upbeat Questions And Exclamation Marks.

building from its mellow opening to the trumpet sound that brings the party vibe into full effect. Singer Felix Riebl is all smiles as he closes his eyes and loses himself in the moment. The Latin element of their sound gets an airing during the track as a mini percussion solo sees Riebl take to the bongos for a blast. Sleep Won’t Sleep is well received and was meant for the live arena, with lyrics yelled by audience members in the know. A few dancers join the band onstage, including a male decked out like voodoo icon Baron Samedi. The dancing element is a nice inclusion and not overdone since the spotlight always remains on the musicians. With a handful of albums to fall back on, the band pull out crowd favourite Sly and the crowd jump about like insane South American

THE CAT EMPIRE @ FORUM THEATRE. PIC: GLENN WALLER

Quite the contrast to Animaux, Tinpan Orange embrace a more indie aesthetic. Singer Emily Lubitz looks very A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in a white frock and floral head gear that work well with her pixie-like stage demeanour. Kicking off with a slowed-down cover of the theme song for ‘90s Aussie kids’ show Round The Twist, Tinpan Orange continue with their own brand of bluesy roots-driven pop, including the laidback Flowers. Already featuring The Cat Empire’s Ross Irwin on keys tonight, Lubitz’s husband Harry James Angus makes a brief cameo with his trumpet, which draws cheers from the now-sizeable audience. The cheering continues as The Cat Empire take to the stage to perform for this sold-out home crowd. First single and title track from their latest LP Steal The Light breaks the ice perfectly,

and controlled, howling vocals. Bravely filling in for a range of vocalists, Bee’s efforts pay off. Although slightly scaled back from the ensemble that supported The Temper Trap earlier this year, Mt Warning are no less mesmerising. Their restrained, simmering melodies build layer upon layer and often end in sudden bursts of intensity. Lyrics are sparse and poetic (“castles made of sand”) and the bridges are platforms for Bee and his bandmates to duet and harmonise. Bee luxuriates in the music by dancing on the stage with eyes shut, or by jumping down to join the crowd while encouraging everyone to express themselves passionately. The band’s early hit Burn Again is a hypnotic crawl that creeps up and seizes you unexpectedly

Sun. What distinguishes the band are the solid, multi-range talents of Mikey Bee and the clarity of his musical direction. Ching Pei Khoo

THE PREATURES, CHELA, HOLLOW EVERDAZE Northcote Social Club: 11 Sep There’s only a handful of punters to shuffle into the centre of the floor when Hollow Everdaze kick off the night, which is a shame, because this band deserves a much bigger audience. The young four-piece are engaging and have presence; there’s a bit of Kurt Vile drone to the

THE CAT EMPIRE @ FORUM THEATRE. PIC: GLENN WALLER

soccer fans. Brighter Than Gold brings the main set to an end. The band’s encore comprises The Chariot, which keeps the punters amped, and then it’s All Night Loud. The Cat Empire exit the stage as the hometown heroes that they undoubtedly are. Glenn Waller

MT WARNING The Workers Club: 10 Sep Admitting that they probably have “not slept for a week”, lead vocalist Mikey Bee still delivers an energetic and inspiring performance to kick off Mt Warning’s East Coast tour, which includes BIGSOUND. The Tuesday night crowd in this part of town is rather sedate but they filter in thick and fast when they hear Bee’s strong guitar chords

with its catchy rhythms and swirling vortex of sound. Crowd favourite Forward Miles is dreamy and surges with determination. Bee – adopting a James Deanlike image – chats warmly to the audience between tracks, but sound-system distortion muddies his words and jars this interaction. A video projection on the back screen shows a burning tower on endless loop – a reference to the cover of their new single Youth Bird and an apt visual for their musical style. The single itself – the last track the band play in an all-too-brief set – is a highlight that opens with Bee’s soaring vocals against a background of incessant guitar strumming, the story unfolding with themes of loss and abandonment. A familiar theme in Mt Warning’s repertoire is that haunting sense of loss of youth and security, but there are also bursts of optimism and reflection, as in Sinking

singing (in a great way) but with a lot more energy and pace. It’s an odd mix warming the Northcote Social Club stage for The Preatures; next up is Chela, whose cookie-cutter hipness (New Balance sneakers – check, flat-brim cap – check, sports jersey – just like the blogs told you to wear last week, so check) sets teeth on edge. She starts with a bit of Grimes-lite, moves onto some Bat For Lashes-esque material and seems to be having fun. It’s all well and good to be of-the-moment, but others are doing this better right now in Melbourne, and doing it more in-tune with well-written lyrics. Luckily, The Preatures are here to save us, and they come out swinging from the start. They’re dynamic and on-form, and they’re just so fucking cool – there’s square acreage of black leather jackets and too many audience THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 75

live reviews members are probably now contemplating whether or not they can pull off white jeans. In recent interviews, frontwoman Isabella Manfredi observed audiences are getting more into their shows and feeding back new energy to the band when they’re performing, but that’s in part to do with how much better they’ve become at connecting with the audience. Compared to their December 2012 gigs supporting San Cisco, when there was an edge of caricature to Manfredi’s ‘70s/’80s rock goddess performance, they seem comfortable and into it and the crowd laps it up. They’re hard to pin down, with echoes of Fleetwood Mac, although songs led by Gideon Bensen are more

GHOSTPOET, OSCAR KEY SUNG Corner Hotel: 14 Sep Oscar Key Sung, electro darling and half of Oscar & Martin and Brothers Hand Mirror, is a perfect support for Ghostpoet with his glitchy, quirky beats. The elegant combination of laptop, sampling and looping devices is impressive. He apologises for being low key, but says he wants to make us dance and the front rows are bopping. He carries himself like some musical Basquiat and is so perfectly comfortable in his tech-musical universe that it’s like watching him in his living room. Oscar Key Sung’s angelic falsetto is beautiful. He

again. His abstract, poetic lyrics are lost in smudgy mic technique and slurry intonation, but there’s something else missing. There’s a blurry, intelligent, gloomy atmosphere to his records that doesn’t translate live. Like Tricky, who makes amazing records but plays terrible live shows, there’s a confused sense in how Ghostpoet brings these tracks to life. Ghostpoet has some pretty interesting material but it feels like he’s an artist finding his feet in the live format. Survive It is played almost like a dance track and loses all its bereft, lonely softness. And the odd decision is made to play Cash And Carry Me Home like a club anthem. He admits the band are jetlagged as he fucks up the lyrics to Dial Tones and has to start again. The track loses most of its magic with the absence

GHOSTPOET @ CORNER HOTEL. PIC: MATT ALLAN

reminiscent of an earlier era, and his smooth performance certainly brings out the crowd’s woo girls. The rest of the band are hitting it, although with two pretty big personalities up front there’s not much room left in which to make their presence felt. The audience is bamboozled when Manfredi asks who’s here because of their single Is This How You Feel? – it feels insulting to condense it down to just that song and the band perhaps undersell their own growing popularity. While wrapping up with the hit certainly brings plenty of enthusiastic dancing (and even a little air guitar), it’s promising that another highlight of this rocking, sexy show comes from new song Better Than It Ever Could Be. Jen Sheridan 76 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

thanks us as he sips his tea and the curtains are drawn shut. We’re interested to see how London MC/producer Ghostpoet (aka Obaro Ejimiwe) will translate his gentle, moody, curiously chilled beats and slurring, abstract poetry into a live format. He arrives onstage – an ominous presence in a huge hooded overcoat. Supported by a three-piece band – keyboard, drums, bass and synths – Ghostpoet operates samples with his right hand. A lot of the offbeat, down-kilter of his latest record is much more energised for the live show. He opens with Gaaasp, a sludgy track from his first record, and moves on to more recent material such Them Waters and Plastic Bag Brain. Compared to the gloomy, woozy version on the record, Meltdown is pretty hype and ups the tempo for a bit before Cold Win brings the monotonous atmosphere back

and harmonies to those gathered for this Sunday matinee show. However, playing as sole support for The Orbweavers, it feels like a bold venture to manage electric guitar and loop pedals alone. This is not to suggest it can’t be done with immense fluidity and success, but Shiver Like Timber’s set certainly leaves us hovering awkwardly. There are echoes of PJ Harvey and even a little bit of Adalita, but for the moment it is without the full robustness of either. Dircks’ intensity and confidence grows as the set edges to its conclusion, which pleases the family friendly crowd sprawled lazily across the venue floor. Moons, ceiling roses and the names of The Orbweavers’ favourite Melbourne suburbs – Footscray, Brunswick and

GHOSTPOET @ CORNER HOTEL. PIC: MATT ALLAN

of Lucy Rose’s haunting voice. The keyboard player stands in to supply this vocal part, but it’s just not the same. Someone chucks a bra on stage and Ghostpoet doesn’t seem fazed by it. For an encore, Ghostpoet brings out Finished I Ain’t and Us Against Whatever Ever and with these he finally finds his groove. Kate Kingsmill

THE ORBWEAVERS, SHIVER LIKE TIMBER

Northcote Social Club: 15 Sep Shiver Like Timber (the musical endeavours of Sydneysider Betony Dircks) bring sweet ideas, chords

Spotswood, among others – now adorn the stage. When the headliners take their places, acknowledging the traditional owners the land, they face a committed and humbled crowd. Celebrating the release of dual single Ceiling Rose/Match Factory, The Orbweavers cushion this centrepiece with tracks taken predominately from 2009’s Graphite And Diamonds and 2011’s Loom, dazzling the audience with their unity and knowledge. Leading lady Marita Dyson admits towards the end of the show that this set takes on “a bit of a waterway theme”, which makes sense given song titles such as Horse Shoe Lake. This song is a recollection of Melbourne’s natural history that Dyson says is about “things you hold in your mind that are something else in reality”. The band eloquently fuse tales of antiquity with a modern twist.

live reviews Dyson and lead guitarist Stuart Flanagan are tremendous orators throughout the set and they speak profoundly on the history of Melbourne’s architecture and landscape. Their apparent thirst for knowledge is genuinely inspiring and the audience engages with each nugget of information while investing in the emotion of every accompanying personal anecdote. Tracks outside this theme are also played, including You Can Run (a song for their adopted greyhound, Fern). With the scent of verbena and rosemary filling the bandroom (also provided by the band), an hour spent with The Orbweavers is a thoughtful conversation about spirit, adventure, home and history, not to mention the great music.

The Drones have always been a no-nonsense band and tonight is no exception. Keyboardist Steve Hesketh starts playing the twinkling notes that start I See Seaweed while other band members are still picking up guitars. The brooding How To See Through Fog follows as the band slowly work up to the thundering trio of older songs: Minotaur, Baby2 and Locust. There’s not much talking in between songs during the first half of the set. While we miss frontman Gareth Liddiard’s excellent banter, this does mean the set moves along smoothly. Sharkfin Blues is the obvious mid-set highlight; just about everyone in the room joins in enthusiastically for the “na-nanah” section and drunken hugs are exchanged all over the place.

Izzy Tolhurst

After Sharkfin Blues, Liddiard

THE DRONES @ THE HI-FI. PIC: LAURA ANDERSON

THE DRONES, HARMONY The Hi-Fi: 13 Sep Harmony open with a short song that gradually transforms into Fourteen, from their 2011 self-titled debut. Singer/guitarist Tom Lyngcoln treats his guitar like a dangerous snake, writhing around and attacking it to extract noise. Harmony are a band of contrasting sounds – Lyngcoln’s rough guitar scrambles around the thudding rhythm section while his shouted vocals are offset by the beautiful-yet-ominous three-part harmonies of the female singers. The set is a fairly even mix of old songs plus a few from their upcoming album Carpetbombing, including set highlight Do Me A Favour and closer Green On Blue.

In The Mine. Once the rest of Harmony join them onstage, it’s an 11-strong group sing-along. The Drones might not offer any hope for the future, but they provide the best possible soundtrack for the apocalypse. Josh Ramselaar

TRIPLE J HOUSE PARTY The Hi-Fi: 7 Sep After an extended delay, Tyler Touché opens up the night looking rather serious as he works through his list of remixes. For all his stiff shuffling, Touché is only 17. He is, after all, pretty new to the airwave-love his music receives on triple j – so

THE DRONES @ THE HI-FI. PIC: LAURA ANDERSON

finally hears the handful of punters half-jokingly yelling Bon Jovi requests and obliges with the first verse and chorus of Dead Or Alive. The crowd laps it up and the band obviously enjoy it too – it’s a rare bit of sheer-dumb fun from a group that have made doom and gloom their business for the last decade or so. The set finishes on a chaotic cover of Chuck Berry’s Down Bound Train that sees Liddiard all but throw his guitar at his amp before collapsing to his knees and attacking his pedals to create a wall of screeching noise. The three female singers from Harmony join in for the encore of Why Write A Letter That You’ll Never Send. “This song offers no hope. Just like us,” is how Liddiard introduces the final song of the night: a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Diamonds

employs. It’s hard to characterise his diverse style, but you do get a clear sense of how it differs from other DJs with the arrival of follow-up act, Cassian. Waltzing onto the stage with confidence, Cassian brings those underwater sounds for which he’s known, with heavy dubs and everything sounding like it’s been drowned in deep bass. His remix of Michael Jackson’s Rock With You sounds like it came from an entirely different artist. But then, this is what we like him for. In case people are unsure, remixing Anna Lunoe & Touch Sensitive’s hit Real Talk reminds them of that. It’s about this time that the artists and some extras get with the house-party theme, dancing onstage and generally mucking about. The punters jump up

THE DRONES @ THE HI-FI. PIC: LAURA ANDERSON

that awkwardness is almost endearing. His DJing could be described as pretty standard, but it certainly gets the crowd moving early on, mixing ‘80s funk beats with modern electro. His touch is pretty light-hearted with his own songs, such as his break-out track Baguette, featuring plenty of synth jams and nu-disco beats for a cheery atmosphere. The party really starts up with the arrival onstage of Wave Racer. There isn’t too much time for shuffling while he works the knobs to bring in complex layers to familiar songs like Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, and then melds them into something reminiscent of patterns from his FBi Minimix. There’s a greater focus on vocal mix-ups as he cruises through his set. Blasting speakers accentuate each bassline drop and the crowd adjusts to the variety of paces Wave Racer

to get into Nina Las Vegas’ Instagram snaps and greedy hands grapple for the free merch that’s flung into the crowd. And then, of course, Flight Facilities land to uproarious cheers, having dominated triple j’s airwaves with some of their epically tailored sounds that only a duo modelling pilot’s hats could achieve. The goggles help as well. Forget playing their more chilled stuff, Flight Facilities come straight out with a heavy ShockOne number to raise the beat up. Nina Las Vegas rounds out the night with the kind of remixes she’s known for, adding to the atmosphere created by the night’s stellar cast. The crowd definitely have no reason to be disappointed. In fact, it’s a party town with her, really. That must be how she scored the surname. David Nowak THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 77

arts reviews

STORIES WE TELL Film

In cinemas 26 Sep Truth and the perception of truth is the driving force in Sarah Polley’s new film, a documentary exploring her family history. The frustrating thing about this film is that to go into any depth on the story would give an insight that would distort a first viewing, so, the description of this film really needs to be on its style and not on its content. Most films, even documentaries, latch onto a central subject and every other character assists the telling of the material. This film is the complete opposite. The characters around the central characters are the backbone and for this aspect Polley should be commended. At the same time, the reason this isn’t done too often is the difficult task of assigning emotion attachment. This brings the viewer into a

R.I.P.D. Film

In cinemas now

While its length will hold back enjoyment, it will have your mind puzzled and plagued with thoughts on the design of the documentary and its quest for truth. Matthew Ziccone 78 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

However, Precipice III wasn’t so much an earnest gathering of the righteous but part of the development of an artwork called Howl: The Parade Project. Just as human societies everywhere celebrate and commiserate with parades – think Christmas pageants, funeral processions and Grand Final motorcades – so too artists are always seeking ways to re-imagine and reinvent. As part of their re-contextualisation of the parade/protest as art event, the Aphids team were asking their audience not only to reflect on their own experiences but to ponder what kinds of parade they might be drawn to.

A twist on the buddy cop concept, R.I.P.D. is the tale of two heavenly law bringers hunting down escaped dead souls on earth and, of course, they have to save the world. With Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges taking the helm, these two characters are likeable and the action is different enough from other films to have a nice feeling of originality. It’s an adaptation of a comic book series of the same name and has such a strong feeling of ‘comic book’ to it that it’s a nice break from the ‘Nolan’ effect that the last bunch of blockbusters have thrown us. The casting of Jeff Bridges as a ghost cowboy who is seen by mortals as a blonde model is fun and there are some good jokes that push through what is an incredibly predictable and simple storyline. Which is fine if it weren’t for the feeling that this film could have had so much more. The entire world is so unique but its script just didn’t move around in it.

STORIES WE TELL

frustrating opinion because Polley is brilliantly messing with convention to show an incredible idea – that truth is the perception of truth – making this film incredibly honest while also producing a very vague documentary. The viewer constantly struggles to connect with anything, which is sort of an anti-feat considering her fascinating family history.

most as exciting Saturday night material, but in an increasingly atomised and apathetic society they cut across much of what many of us find disquieting.

As primarily public and disruptive events, parades and protests are not just traffic stoppers. Picking up this idea, the Aphids team drew us into a world where people march to celebrate everything from ‘invisible’ groups in society, (like contact

RIPD

Every aspect of the story is quickly answered, not leaving any room for the imagination. The film just feels like failed potential. So many interesting and funny concepts are half thought out, and if played fully would have made this film the talk of the moment rather than: “A ghost cop movie? Meh”. Matthew Ziccone

PRECIPICE III

Arts Event (Aphids) Open Forum What is a parade? What does a protest look like? How do these things intersect? These questions may well resemble essay topics and may not strike

of their little boxes to share food, wine and ideas in a public setting. Paul Ransom

STRAIGHT Theatre

Red Stitch to 28 Sep Written by DC Moore and directed by Dean Bryant, Straight is a play that places a young married couple’s commitment, patience and values under the microscope. When uptight British couple Lewis and Morgan have the unexpected pleasure of one of Lewis’ old uni mates, Waldorf, landing on their pokey flat’s doorstep out of the blue, a spark is ignited in Lewis that threatens to upset the equilibrium of his marriage. Matters aren’t helped by the addition of hippiecum-amateur porn star, Steph, who further fans the flames of Lewis’ piqued interest in taking a walk on the wild side. With only four cast members and being very dialogue-driven, Straight is an interesting show about loyalties and peer pressure. Music is used

PRECIPICE III PIC BY: BRYONY JACKSON

lens wearers or asthmatics), to the unheralded life of the single individual, in this case the temporarily anointed Rosemary. Whilst undeniably an academic and somewhat indulgent exercise the process stirred sediments in need of a good prod. In a world where social experience is increasingly mediated by a third party (like this one right now), the physical directness and community fusion allowed for by the religious parade or the rainforest protest is perhaps one of the few remaining avenues of genuinely democratic voicing and shared emotion left to us. Perhaps without realising it, Precipice III achieved this ‘goal’ by bringing a group of strangers out

to imaginative effect, not only during scenes but between them, when the lights dim and the actors frantically rearrange the space for an upcoming scene. At times tonight the dialogue comes off sounding a little forced, but as the play continues and the actors find their rhythm, any opening night jitters are erased as the crowd laps up the at times cringe-worthy situations in which the characters find themselves. Standout performances are delivered by the two more sexually liberated characters, Steph and Waldorf, who provide plenty of laughs, especially Steph, whose charismatic vagueness at times threatens to steal the show. Glenn Waller

games Amnesia’s tense formula of hide and seek by candlelight, A:MFP was surely destined for greatness.

★★★

AMNESIA: A MACHINE FOR PIGS Frictional Games PC/Mac

This world is a machine: a machine for pigs. A:MFP’s tagline seems to promise horror disciples an arresting visual palate – an infernal assembly line of conveyer belts, great cogs and macerators, piping out a broth of swine-based body horror. Layering this imagery onto

And there’s plenty to like about this game. The discovery of an endless network of steam engines and refuse pits deep beneath Mandus’ meat factory is initially fascinating, drawing the player into the bowels of the earth’s crust in search of some ultimate madness. A superbly written set of memoirs and voice journals offers lovely gore poetry, including “I will bury my snout into your ribcage and eat your heart.” But the horror falls short. The player never sees inside the crimson pipes which supposedly house unspeakable crimes against the flesh, and the sense of imminent danger vital to survival horror is absent for most of the experience. When the patrolling monsteroids finally arrive, their caricatured forms are animated with the loveable shuffle of Super Mario 64’s tombstone Thwomps. Ultimately, A:MFP’s tantalising swinepunk theme remains halfbaked, and the scares are too few. Mike Pendlebury

rescue his girlfriend from an alien warlord. You’ll be on permanent high alert looking for the prompts, and there are just enough breaks to catch the drift.

★★★★

SPACE ACE

Digital Leisure Inc. PC Space Ace is a golden era cartoon adventure game from legendary animator Don Bluth (The Land Before Time, The Rats of NIMH). As a game, Space Ace mashes together a Disney movie, Dance Dance Revolution, and learning pi to a thousand decimal places.

★★★★½

RAYMAN LEGENDS Ubisoft

WiiU/Xbox 360/PS3/PC/ PS Vita A trail of tequila worms writhe underfoot, burly luchadores beat their chests and flamenco skeletons strum the tune of Eye of the Tiger. Welcome to Rayman Legends. This game is amazing: pure platforming bliss. Behind the gorgeous painted visuals, I could smell the mathematics at work: every jump, slide and

My one gripe with the game is the lifeless overworld. I couldn’t help feeling detached from the adventure itself. I never developed a sense of place or purpose and, hence, the greater narrative suffered. Picky game reviewer hangups aside, Legends is brilliant. If you’re one of the 12 people who own a WiiU, do yourself a favour and splurge. Andrew Sutton

Would Space Ace fit in with this generation of gamers in realistic terms? Probably not. The years have been unkind to simple electronic entertainment in terms of user expectation, but for those prepositioned to a bit of fun that will consume your life for about an hour Space Ace will zap the entertainment neuron perfectly. Simon Holland

The player has to react at lightning speed to on-screen prompts that guide the hapless protagonist through space to the battlements above. A wince and thirty one corpses later, I’d secured yet another dirty victory.

punch perfectly accommodated into the level design. Legends is a delight. Hell, I even enjoyed the underwater levels. Picking up where Origins left off, Rayman and his pals must save the Lums hidden in an absolutely ridiculous levels. Underwater hideouts, collapsing towers, a world made of hot dogs – Legends has it all. The attention to detail is astonishing. Every nook and cranny should be explored to ween out everything Legends has to offer. Despite being a multi-platform release, Legends was clearly built for the WiiU. The gamepad allows the player to directly interact with the levels’ infrastructure.

The game itself is a genuine ‘holy-shit-what-just-happened’ moment from the get-go and you’ll find yourself holding your breath for most of the ride. The most striking aspect of the gameplay is the overwhelming charm that a game of that time period exudes. It was a time where adventure was encouraged, and not much was demanded of a player to check in and enjoy a game.

★★½

TOTAL WAR: ROME II Creative Assembly PC

My tent rave went berserk: thirty Samnite skirmishers and one confused horseman fumbled into each other mindlessly, apparently driven by the sounds of ancient Italy’s most secretive silent disco. Either that, or the Samnite AI had calculated the tent fabric would be a suitable shield from the torrent of Roman spears that sailed down from

TW:R2 is a game of encouraging design decisions, dragged down by agonising missteps. The series’ core battle simulation has benefited from increased unit variety since Shogun 2, and the nuanced positioning of your legions in anticipation of the barbarian hordes spilling over the horizon is still gripping. But the eventual melee combat is spoiled by miserable AI and floaty collision physics, leaving many brawls looking like a prematch soccer handshake ritual. Meanwhile, the turn-based metagame can’t compete with the depth of Europa Universalis IV and Civilization V: Brave New World. The pretty bloom lighting on ocean breakers doesn’t make up for the sterile icons masquerading as a user interface, the unexciting tech trees and the capricious diplomacy system. Unpatched and unmodded, I can’t recommend this game for anything besides an immediate update from Creative Assembly. Michael Pendlebury THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 79

muso

STUDIO CREDITS

PRODUCERS: Alela Diane and John Askew

STUDIOS: Flora Recording & Playback, Portland; Miner Street Recordings, Philadelphia; The Map Room, Portland

MIXING ENGINEER: John Askew

STUDIOS: The Mix Foundry and Scenic Burrows, Portland

MASTERING: Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering

ARTWORK: Diane Chonette

SINGING HER GOODBYES Determined to get something positive out of a bitter divorce and ensuing period of emotional chaos, Alela Diane made an album. She talks candidly to Michael Smith.

ortland-based singersongwriter Alela Diane got her start on stage in 2003 thanks to an invitation from Joanna Newsom. She’d already released a debut album Forest Parade independently, and since had been quietly building her catalogue and profile before putting together her own band, Wild Divine, who opened for Fleet Foxes in 2011. Her current album, About Farewell, was borne of her reaction to the breakup of her marriage. “It’s much simpler than the previous record,” Diane suggests, “and the way I approached it was a lot simpler. But I did have a couple of very important collaborators on this record that do make the sound a lot fuller. “I started tracking the vocals and guitar live to tape… I think that that was just, in part, because of the songs. The songs are very personal and pretty intense, and when I started this record I didn’t have a clear-cut plan of where it was going to go or what was going to happen with it. I just had the songs and it just felt like I needed to record them as soon as possible.” Those basic tracks were cut to tape at Flora Recording & Playback Studios in Portland with producer John Askew, whose credits include albums for The Dodos and Hosannas. The studio itself belongs to producer Tucker Martine, who’s worked with My Morning Jacket and The Decemberists. The 1600-square foot studio control room boasts an automated 32-channel API Legacy with Uptown automation, with an additional 24 monitor inputs with auxiliary sends and eight pair of bus faders with inserts. More importantly for Diane, the studio has a Studer 820 24-track 2” tape machine.

80 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

“I like the warmth that tape is able to give,” Diane admits. “And I like the experience of recording in that slower way. The whole record wasn’t tracked to tape – I’m not a complete purist – but I do think that the quality of tape gives the original tracks quite an intimate feeling.” Askew actually began the sessions on About Farewell as the engineer rather than producer. “I had decided to do some demos with him, so we did those in December 2011 and then I was like, ‘I should just start recording this,’ and I loved the studio we were working at so we just started it. I was in the thick of a very chaotic time in my life and decided to just, simultaneously, pop in a studio and do something productive with all the chaos.”

“I WAS IN THE THICK OF A VERY CHAOTIC TIME IN MY LIFE AND DECIDED TO JUST, SIMULTANEOUSLY, POP IN A STUDIO AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE WITH ALL THE CHAOS.” The piano and flute on the record were then put down in another studio, Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia, by the other important collaborator in the project, Heather Broderick. “After I recorded the original tracks I did a lot of vocal harmonies and tracked some additional guitar myself, and then Heather and I had toured together briefly on the European leg of the Wild Divine tour and we just really hit it off. She had a really good sensibility with music and I thought she could bring something really interesting to the table. She wrote all her own parts.” The strings for About Farewell were then done at The Map Room, Portland, by Holcombe Waller, with drummer Neal Morgan, a member of both Joanna Newsom and Bill Callahan’s touring bands, playing on a few tracks. Diane finished mixing with Askew and Broderick earlier this year at his own Scenic Burrows, which has 16 channels of Dangerous Music D-Box, a summing mixer/monitoring system, along with Logic Pro and ProTools 10, and The Mix Foundry, owned and operated by Adam Selzer and featuring a 36-channel Neotek IIIC. And life has improved for Alela Diane, who can perform comfortably without being swept up by the emotional pain the songs were born from. About Farewell, by Alela Diane, is out now through Spunk.

2 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

muso

MARK GILBERT WOLF MAIL SIGNATURE GUITAR

If we ask guitar players why they choose and play the guitars they do, an interesting story usually presents. While interviewing French Canadian bluesman Wolf Mail recently, this was very much in evidence. Mail plays Mark Gilbert guitars, and exclusively so. They met at one of Mail’s gigs in Tasmania where Gilbert lives and the relationship developed after Mail played Gilbert’s Thylacine theme guitar. Playing the result of their collaboration, the Wolf

Mail Signature Guitar, I can speak for Gilbert’s remarkable detail as a luthier. The high-end componentry includes Gotoh 510 machine heads, a goldplated Schaller 457 bridge and a TV Jones P90 neck pickup with full copper shielding in the cavity. But it’s the wood that really sells this guitar; figured Tasmanian blackwood that just sings to the feel. Steve Flack

STRAUSS SRT-15 VALVE AMP

The Strauss SRT-15 is a small, lightweight, simple to use tonemachine where you’re instantly rewarded with warm, clean, tube sparkle by simply plugging in and turning up. There are two Ruby Tubes 12AX7s in the preamp, driving two Ruby Tubes EL84s in the power amp, with a total of 15 watts pumping through a 10”, 8 ohm Eminence speaker. There are two inputs available, with Input 1 as the ‘Normal’ channel and Input 2 as a ‘Bright’ channel. Both channels 82 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

sound great and are a matter of personal taste in whether you’re trying to achieve a rich, smooth tone or going for some twangy grit. The one-knob tone control makes it almost impossible to dial in a bad sound, and adding a bit of reverb helps enhance depth and colour. The on-board tremolo is nice and swampy for a bit of Southern charm, and kicking in a classic overdrive results in wonderful, smooth ‘chocolaty’ tones. Reza Nasseri

MOOER PURE BOOST

The Mooer Pure Boost is one of the many Micro Series of effects offered by Mooer Audio, a Chinese-based company that already has a wide array of products including nearly 50 mini stomps available for purchase on the Muso City website. The Pure Boost is a great little pedal that brings new meaning to the term True Bypass, because even when it’s switched on and left in a neutral position your tone remains exactly the same. There are three

small knobs for bass, volume and treble, and one large knob for gain. Turning up the volume on the pedal does exactly that – you get more than enough boost just through a clean amp – and sticking it in the effects loop is a great way of getting a good lead tone with your drive engaged. Also, the on-board two-band EQ can be really helpful by cutting some of the highs and lows and boosting the mids for a nice, singing lead tone. Reza Nasseri

FOCUSRITE FORTE

This is hot. The new Focusrite Forte USB 24-Bit /192 is a serious new breed of high-end portable USB audio interface. It works with PC and Mac and connects to your DAW. This is a two-in and four-out, high quality interface with two remote-controlled mic preamps with the kind of

sonic quality you’d expect from Focusrite. The unit is housed in a solid aluminum case with a colour OLED screen and a big intuitive control knob. It really does look the part, hits the pro design philosophy spot on and feels like a well-built device. Performance is pristine. Barry Gilmour

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THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 83

the guide Answered by: James Manolios How did you get together? We all met at a black tie liberal fundraiser. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Whimsical, raucous, post-modern folk. If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? Violent Femmes when they toured Why Do Birds Sing? You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother.

THE BON SCOTTS

Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? The flamboyant gay horn getting naked onstage at the Corner Hotel during the headline band set. He showed the packed room everything, after stealing Flap!’s entire bottle of vodka. Why should people come and see your band? Because one of us has an excellent moustache, I’m Greek and hairy and we have the most FABULOUS baritone to ever grace a stage in Melbourne. The singer looks like a hobbit and we have two lovely ladies who balance it all out. So whilst you may not like our music, we are great to look at. When and where for your next gig? Darebin Music Feast, Wesley Anne 10th Anniversary Spectacular, 22 Sep. With Sal Kimber & The Rollin’ Wheel, Georgia Fields, Bedroom Philosopher plus more. Website link for more info? Facebook.com/thebonscotts or thebonscotts.com Photo Lucy Spartalis

eat

drink

travel

culture

sport

the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au

FRONTLASH

LIVE THIS WEEK

JERK ALERT

Even the annoying PE instructor’s whistle won’t put you off new Kelis song Jerk Ribs. It’s downloadable for free at kelis-offical.com or her Facebook page. The bass and brass combo will destroy you.

SHORE THING

UNFORTUNATE FATHER

ANCIENT GREECE

Geordie Shore on spring break in Cancun? Why-aye!!! And congrats to the show’s star Charlotte Crosby on winning Celebrity Big Brother in the UK ahead of 5ive’s Abz Love.

As part of their Monday night residency, The Baudelaires (pictured) hit the stage at The Evelyn Hotel on 23 Sep with Papa Maul and Aimee Volkofsky. Their sound is a blend by ‘60s psyche influences with overdriven shoe-gaze guitars.

Following on from some mesmerising performances this year, Olympia (pictured) will headline their last Melbourne show of 2013 with a five-piece band on 20 Sep at the Grace Darling Hotel, supported by sublime local electronic duo Alta.

HARSH SEASON

CAR CHASE

Melbourne-based American alt. folk songwriter Lucas Paine and his band The Cutting List will launch their new EP Chasing Winter on 20 Sep in the Northcote Uniting Church Chapel. Seymour Hollow and Aimee Volkofsky will support.

As part of his single launch tour, Davey Lane will play at the Bridge Hotel (Castlemaine) late on 21 Sep. You’re The Cops, I’m The Crime is a brooding, psychrock stomper with crunching hiphop drums and a soaring chorus.

SISTER ACT

COLD SPHERES

DOG PADDLE

How does Dannii Minogue even have enough hits for a bestof? This Is It: The Very Best Of contains 19 tracks. We thought This Is It was by her sister Kylie and how did we not know the Minogue sisters released a duet of ABBA’s The Winner Takes It All!?

Ever-bewitching, The Orbweavers (pictured) follow the launch for their transcendent new single Match Factory/Ceiling Rose last weekend with a seated show at the Caravan Music Club on 20 Sep. Jacky Winter will support.

Singer-songwriter Ben Kelly (pictured) is playing a horde of shows around the state this week, including some at the King Lake Hotel, Dogs Bar (St Kilda) and the Jewell Of Brunswick on 20, 21 and 22 Sep respectively.

BRISBANE BANGS

ECSTATIC ESCAPE

Heading to the Substation (Newport) on 21 and 22 Sep to perform as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Mooshim brings his unique blend of minimalism, improvisation and cinematic music to the stage that has awed Melbourne audiences from afar.

Launching their new single, Meth Leopard will be hitting the Old Bar stage on 20 Sep. Support on the night comes from Euphoriacs, who’ll play their first show after a hiatus, as well as ESC, Pete Bibby and Damien Minards.

BIGSOUND HANGOVER We came away from Brisbane’s annual BIGSOUND in love with Adelaide bands Bad// Dreems and Ride Into The Sun. Others to watch: Bloods, Citizen Kay, New Brutalists and bluegrass band Mr Cassidy.

BACKLASH

OILS AIN’T OILS Not even So You Think You Can Dance US host Cat Deeley can pull off wet-look locks with formal attire so just don’t.

RETAIL FAIL To the Topshop sales assistant who mispronounced zine (as if the ‘i’ were a ‘y’): you do know it’s short for magazine, yes? 86 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

THIS WEEK’S RELEASES… NIRVANA In Utero (20th Anniversary Reissue) Universal GROUPLOVE Spreading Rumours Warner THE BLOODY BEETROOTS Hide Ministry Of Sound CHVRCHES The Bones Of What You Believe Liberator

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LIVE THIS WEEK

NO SPIT BILLS

BEER GOGGLES

For their Money Over Bull$hit tour (named from a lyric of Amazing, the third single to be pulled from their ARIA charting album), Spit Syndicate hit the Barwon Club, the Evelyn Hotel and Phoenix Youth Club on 20, 21 and 22 Sep respectively.

Wine Island, the new double album from Brendan Gallagher is funky, bluesy, gritty, a little bit country and a little bit rock’n’roll. His tour hits the Flying Saucer Club on 20 Sep and Barwon Heads Bowling Club on 21 Sep.

SINGLE FOCUS

JACK ON FIRE Answered by: George Hyde

RIDER MUST HAVE ANDREW KERRIDGE FROM THE HOLIDAYS What’s the f irst item on your rider for this tour? In the early days it was about sorting out the perfect beer to get us through a sweaty evening. But then when we asked for Powerade for post set hydration, it was amazing. The Holidays are touring nationally. Check The Guide for dates.

Single title: Easy Money What’s the song about? The song is about how a person’s life can change or go bad by making a rash decision. How long did it take to write/record? The single had been floating around for some time in rehearsal. We’d even played it live a few times, so putting it together happened reasonably quickly. It took about a day and a half. Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? We will be releasing our as of yet untitled fulllength record early in 2014.

SUMMER MIXERS A co-headline tour will see Chance Waters (who’ll be launching his new single) and The Griswolds (pictured) hitting the Northcote Social Club on 19 Sep as part of the Darebin Music Feast. They’ll be joined by Lime Cordiale.

ESSENTIAL TOUR ITEM KRIS SCHROEDER FROM THE BASICS

CROSSING STARS

DRUNKEN FEVER

Local songbird Melody Moon will be launching her latest single Bridges at the Wesley Anne on 20 Sep. Melody’s combo of guitar, cello, double bass and three-part harmonies are set to be a highlight of the Darebin Music Feast.

Mississippi singer-songwriter Cory Branan (pictured) will bring his hushed, dry whiskey voice and sharp edged story-song lyrics to the Reverence Hotel on 20 Sep, with Tasmanian troubadour Lincoln Le Fevre and local legend Darren Gibson.

What item must travel with you on tour? These days my essential travel item has become my memory foam pillow. You never know what you’re going to get with these outback places, and a good night’s sleep is priceless. The Basics are touring nationally. Check The Guide for dates.

What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? I had a piano teacher when I was younger. He told me to make sure that my music always told a story even if it had no words; he inspires all the music I make. We’ll like this song if we like... It’s got plenty of chuggy guitar sounds. If you like that sort of thing you may enjoy. Do you play it differently live? We try to stick to the script as much as possible but sometimes we may get overexcited and take it up a notch or two. When and where is your launch/next gig? The single launch is at the Old Bar on 21 Sep with Tinsmoke and Matt Walker. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ jackonfireband

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the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au

DJ BOOTH

POSEIDON’S TRASH

DUKE FIRST

To celebrate their new single Split, the title track from their forthcoming album, The Ocean Party (pictured) are performing at Yah Yah’s on 21 Sep with The Ancients, Great Outdoors and Melbourne Cans.

Folk-rock outfit Yorque (pictured) and Miss Eileen & King Lear will release their debut EPs at a special all-ages launch and artist showcase on 21 Sep at the Northcote Town Hall as part of Darebin Music Feast.

BRAVE STRAYS

HIGHLY STRUNG

People often come and say it reminds them of early Orbital/ Underworld stuff. One of my favourite records of late!

Local troubadour and activist Les Thomas and his Survivor’s Tale album launch hit the Thornbury Theatre on 20 Sep with Justin Bernasconi and Cat Canteri of The Stillsons. The album is complemented by a world-class line-up of supporting musicians.

With violins, violas and a hardanger (Norwegian fiddle) Bowlines are three eclectic string players whose music is crafted from classical, jazz and world sources. They play at Northcote Uniting Church on 21 Sep for Darebin Music Feast.

Brian Eno, Shadow, Editions EG 1982

TWOS AND THREES

WHOLE LOTTA SHOWS

Folky, jazzy twin sisters Alanna & Alicia host an afternoon of sweet harmonies and fine songwriting at Bar 303, Northcote on the afternoon of 22 Sep as part of the Darebin Music Feast. They’ll be joined by Mae Trio and Eva Popov.

The Jacob Pearson Band’s perform at Musicland (Fawkner) with Damen Samuel Band and Yoshito, at Whole Lotta Love (Brunswick) with Acoustic Fox and at Cherry Bar with Bleeding Rose and Iain Archibald Band on 19, 20 and 22 Sep respectively.

OWEN HOWELLS HEELS ON DECKS Answered by: Cassie & Shell When did you know DJing was the gig for you? When we met each other we bonded over rock‘n’roll. About four years ago, we were chatting over $4 pizzas; we discussed our dislike for introverted DJs. That’s when Heels On Decks was born. What’s your most memorable musical moment? Shell: Finally seeing the Beach Boys live after loving them forever. Cassie: Visiting Graceland and Sun Studios where rock’n’roll began. What release should everyone have in their collection? Blondie’s Greatest Hits. Timeless tunes, creates a party vibe, great singalongs and appropriate for daggy dancing. Who’s the act everyone will be talking about in 12 months? King Of The North. One of the best local bands around; their live gigs are amazing. Their classic sound reminds us why we love rock‘n’roll.

LIVE THIS WEEK

5 CHOICE CUTS

Daphni, Yes, I Know, Jiaolong 2011 I like the drums, the vocal and even the occasional reverberated crazy bit; love it! Paranoid London, Paris Dub, Paranoid London Records 2012 A bassline that’s well worth the long wait for. Daniel Avery, Naive Reception, Fabric 2012

Beautiful and straight creepy at the same time. Round One, I’m Your Brother, Main Street 1994 Uplifting record with a weird little intro, and it works a treat on the dance floor most times. When and where for your next gig? 28 Sep, Gutterhype Records. Website link for more info? facebook.com/owenhowellsmusic

What can punters expect to hear when you’re in control of the dancefloor? There will be sounds of fist pumping and air guitar, whooping and applause in reaction to our go-go dancing, hula hoops, big hair and colourful style. When and where is your next gig? Boombox Social at The Hi-Fi on 21 Sep. Website link for more info? facebook.com/heelsondecks

PREMATURE DEATH To coincide with the release of his new EP Wasted, Roscoe James Irwin (pictured) will be touring the east coast, including a headline matinee launch show at The Workers Club on 22 Sep with Ben Wright Smith and Al Parkinson.

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the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au

LIVE THIS WEEK

RESPECT YOUR FOOD

WIDOWED TRAMP

Channelling some inspired moments in the annals of folk, country, blues, psych-rock and pop, James Teague (pictured) will play at the Reverence Hotel front bar on the arvo of 22 Sep, backed by the confident solo stylings of rocker JP Swallow.

Before the core duo of Lost Animal (pictured) head to the US (which will include showcases at New York industry festival CMJ), they’re playing their first official headline show for the year at the John Curtin Bandroom on 21 Sep with Ladydreams.

SINGLE FOCUS

THE SEVEN UPS Answered by: Trent Sterling Single title: Eight Revolutions

AFTER THE GIGS JOEL QUARTERMAIN FROM ESKIMO JOE What do you do after the gig is over when on tour? Retire to our rooms with a hot chocolate and a blanket. Eskimo Joe is touring nationally. Check The Guide for dates.

What’s the song about? No lyrics, but it was written at the time of the Arab Spring, so the title’s a tribute to that. How long did it take to write/record? This was our first song we played together. About two years later and we’ve finally got it recorded. Getting vinyl pressed in this country can be a difficult process. Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? This is the A-side from our 7” record.

SEXT KITTEN

PAINT IT BLACK

Sextet The Tiger & Me (pictured) weave a rare mixture of styles and sounds, from whispered ballad to fevered maelstrom, and charming pop to explosive, dirty rock. They play at the Bain Marie pop up bar (Northcote) on 20 Sep for Darebin Music Feast.

Having locked down a date for their debut EP release, Flyying Colours (pictured) are playing just a handful of shows before launching their first single Like You Said, including one at the Retreat Hotel on 21 Sep with Sydney outfit Black Lakes.

WAR ELEPHANTS

PINK MOON

On 19 Sep, three bands join up for a night of prog, psychedelica, funk and metal at the Bendigo Hotel (Collingwood). Headliners A Gazillion Angry Mexicans will be supported by Electric War Babies and A Basket Of Mammoths for their debut gig.

Reforming to play a series of show in Australia, legendary UK acid folk band Fuchsia will play at the Edinburgh Castle on 21 Sep. They’ll be joined by the mystical Trappist Afterland as well as Lunars following his Happenings EP launch.

What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? I just wanted to play gritty, unpretentious funk. You can also hear pretty clear rock influences in the guitar intro and riff. We’ll like this song if we like... Anything out on Daptone. ‘70s car chase funk. Getting down!

WARM UP FOOD ADALITA What do you usually eat before a gig? Hot chips. They digest easy. And I usually try and do it four hours before the show. Adalita is touring nationally. Check The Guide for dates.

Do you play it differently live? We jam it out a bit more, but in the end it’s just about layin’ it down. When and where is your launch/next gig? We’re launching the 7” at the Evelyn Hotel on 28 Sep. It’s Grand Vinyl Day, and support comes from legends Echo Drama. Website link for more info? facebook.com/thesevenups

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THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 89

opinion

OG FLAVAS

ADAMANTIUM WOLF

WAKE THE DEAD

URBAN AND R&B NEWS WITH CYCLONE

METAL, HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH LOCHLAN WATT

HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH SARAH PETCHELL

Hip hop has had super-crews forever. Early on there was the Native Tongues – more about common artistic objectives than branding. The Wu-Tang Clan turned hip hop into a franchise. Fast-forward and hip hop has Los Angeles’ controversial Odd Future. While the elusive Earl Sweatshirt’s debut Doris should be the most anticipated, Sony has seemingly afforded a bigger push to another MC from another crew – A$AP Ferg (AKA Darold Ferguson, Jr) of Harlem’s A$AP Mob who is premiering with his caliginous Trap Lord. He recently toured with his homie A$AP Rocky. A$AP Yams (Steven Rodriguez), a successor to Loud Music’s Steve Rifkind, started A$AP Mob (the A$AP stands for ‘Always Strive And Prosper’) as a collective of rappers, producers and other urban creatives, and now presides over the label A$AP Worldwide. Rocky, who has co-opted the Deep South’s chopped & screwed, got props for his futuristic beats more than his rapping on LONG.LIVE.A$AP. Alas, Ferguson, previously a fashion industry “hustler”, is a similarly predictable lyricist. He shadows those EDM DJs jacking trap, yet his take is – commendably – minimally street, not rave. Still, Trap Lord’s production just isn’t as mindblowing as LONG.LIVE. A$AP’s. After the post-dancehall single Shabba (featuring Rocky), Ferguson offers few dope new tracks – though the opener Let It Go is killer with voodoo percussion. Most inspired is the gothic Lord with ‘90s rap relics Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – it’s their illest collab since Mariah Carey’s Breakdown. ogflavas@themusic.com.au

A$AP FERG 90 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

WE SET SAIL

The 12th annual BIGSOUND has come and gone. Though I was asked to speak on the heavy music panel at the world famous Brisbane-based industry event, and was in fact quite flattered, prior commitments meant that I had to decline. However upon looking at the actual lineups of the showcases, I became puzzled as to the relevance of my attendance. Though a very small number of slightly heavier rock and punk bands did appear, there was no metal or hardcore to be seen out of the approximately 120 unpaid performances. Bigsound is self-described as having “a reputation as the best and most relevant music industry event in Australia”. Just last month Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah was listed as being the most powerful Australian music figure. Soundwave’s successes have been fuelled almost entirely by bands from the heavier ends of the spectrum. Can you see what I’m getting at here? According to their 2012 financial statement, operating body QMusic received over $500,000 in government grants that year. The argument could be made that classical and jazz aren’t getting a look in either - but the fact is they don’t operate within the same venues, the same publications, the same radio stations as typical BIGSOUND acts and heavy bands. Paul Voge, owner of Brisbane punk/hardcore-oriented independent record store Kill The Music is quite frustrated by the situation. His band We Set Sail applied to play the event in 2011 “when they put the call out for ‘punk and hardcore bands; nothing came of it and no bands we were familiar with or knew made it to the lineup, which was discouraging”.

In the wake of the Soundwave announcement, the Big Day Out announcement, Hits & Pits 2.0, Poison City Weekender, Break The Ice – well, you get it – a question has been on my mind: are there too many festivals? Dance and indie music events were pondering that 18 months ago, but is the punk and hardcore scene starting to go the same way?

He thinks there’s a lot to be gained by including heavier bands, offering “we would be treated as an equal and we would be given opportunities to make an impact”.

Thinking about it made me take a step back and look at things a little more broadly. Is there such a thing as too many tours? And at what point does it become too many?

Jaddan Comerford, owner of the Melbourne-based UNFD label (Northlane, Deez Nuts) doesn’t think that “the established hardcore bands could get much out of playing BIGSOUND”. He does however think that “there could be some merit in a few key players banding together to put on a branded event, which I’m sure BIGSOUND would get right behind”.

As a music journalist/editor, not a week goes by without my being sent a press release about this international band touring, or Northlane doing yet another Australian tour, or a hardcore line-up at Phoenix or Chatswood Youth Centres. There definitely is a point where it’s hard to keep track.

Trad Nathan, owner of live heavy venue Crowbar and former member of The Amity Affliction, stated that “at no point during the development of my bands or shows have QMusic or BIGSOUND ever contacted myself or my peers about developing music in the greater Brisbane area, despite many bands and associates reaching out to them for showcases and advice”. He’s puzzled: “How do tens of thousands of album/ ticket sales for bands of certain genres count for nothing until there is a clear benefit to BIGSOUND to ride the coattails of countless hours of practice, multiple jobs and the fruits of everything sacrificed?” He doesn’t want to see funding cut, but rather “a governing body established to create equality in the distribution of allocated funds to both build and represent the greater community of various genres in Brisbane.” I agree. I would love to be invited again to speak at BIGSOUND 2014, but please put some heavy bands on a showcase and let us truly be a part of it.

From the perspective of the promoter, there’s the issue of competition for venues and often competition to get you through the door of their show rather than the show of the other guy down the road. Multiple shows on the same night are not as rare an occurrence as they once were. Which leads to the next question: now the punter is spoiled for choice, does that devalue the live experience? I know I’m guilty of the old, “Well, I’ve seen band X four times, I can skip the fifth.” This week’s column is full of questions, but they’ve been plaguing me since I first heard a promoter friend complaining about the situation. And unfortunately, I’m not sure of the answers. wakethedead@themusic.com.au

opinion

INTELLIGIBLE FLOW

TRAILER TRASH

THE GET DOWN

HIP HOP NEWS & COMMENTARY WITH ALEKSIA BARRON

DIVES INTO YOUR SCREENS AND IDIOT BOXES WITH GUY DAVIS

FUNKY SHIT WITH OBLIVEUS

COURTNEY BARNETT

There’s been some interesting discussion about hip hop and white privilege in Australia this year, perhaps most notably prompted by Urthboy’s excellent blog post on the topic (if you’ve not read it, I’d recommend catching up at bit.ly/12po79x). However, the recent cover of Kanye West’s Black Skinhead by indie singer Courtney Barnett serves as a reminder that this is a problem that extends far beyond the reaches of Australian hip hop and into the broader artistic population. If ever a reminder was needed that maybe, just maybe, predominantly white audiences don’t quite ‘get’ the racial history of America and how hip hop became a form of expression for the black population, it couldn’t have been more perfectly packaged than hearing a young white woman turn a politically charged anthem into a cutesy ballad where the N-word was substituted with “chickens.” When I heard it, I couldn’t help but think that while Australian hip hop has a lot to figure out in terms of how it can relate to its US roots, at least there’s a lot of respect in the community for the black Americans who introduced us all to the craft. Whether you love or hate Yeezus, anyone who knows anything at all about hip hop and its politics will recognise that West did something powerful in releasing an anti-populist record with a theme of race in modern America, and that pretty much nobody else should try and ‘reinterpret’ what he put out there. Australian hip hop has its issues, but I can’t name any artist in the genre dumb enough to get up on national radio and cover Black Skinhead, so that’s something.

My man-crush – oh, hell, let’s call it what it is: a maninfatuation – on James Spader has been profound and ongoing, beginning with my first viewing of the cheesy classic Tuff Turf (the first of his two collaborations with one Robert Downey Jr.) way, way back in the day. Now I know I’m not the only person to have an appreciation of the fella, because if the existence of the internet has revealed anything, it’s that everyone and everything has a legion of devotees. But I’m bracing myself for a lot more folks to join me in the Spader web now that Joss Whedon has selected the guy to play the villainous Ultron in his Avengers sequel, appropriately titled Avengers: Age of Ultron. Given that every single human being on the planet saw The Avengers at least eight times, it’s highly likely that Avengers: Age of Ultron will gross something in the neighbourhood of nine trillion dollars at the box office when it opens mid-2015. But how many of those viewers will actually know what an Ultron is, why it’s Age of said Ultron and why Ultron has it in for the Avengers? I’m guessing not many, if any. Okay, some will know. But I never miss an opportunity to use the phrase “Not many, if any.” So in the interests of keeping all y’all up to speed, I did a little research. And the upshot, according to the learned folks at showbiz trade journal The Hollywood Reporter, is that Ultron is “a crazy robot that wants to eradicate humanity”. Created by scientist Hank Pym – aka Ant-Man, who’s getting his own 2015 big-screen adventure to be directed by The World’s End’s Edgar Wright – he’s an adamantium automaton with

a highly developed, artificially intelligent brain who gets the wacky idea that the likes of “kindness, empathy and nonpsychopathic elements of any kind” are for chumps and that mass extermination of the human race is the way to go. Apparently, he also has a big ol’ pile of electronic daddy issues, which is making him sound more and more fun by the microsecond. So are we gonna be seeing Spader in a metal get-up? Is he doing some motion-capture business a la Andy Serkis? Or are we getting that distinctive Spader voice emanating from a wholly CGI creation? Whedon and Marvel aren’t spilling the beans just yet, with press releases stating only that “the Emmy Awardwinning actor will play Ultron”. Mysteriouser and mysteriouser, one might think, if they had no qualms about using a madeup word like ‘mysteriouser’. However, Whedon did break his silence a few times when it came to his casting decision. “Spader was my first and only choice,” he said. “He’s got that hypnotic voice that can be eerily calm and compelling, but he can be very human and humourous.” He added that Ultron wouldn’t be some unsettlingly rational machine like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. “Spader can play all of the levels. He’s the guy to break the Avengers into pieces. Bwah-ha-ha-haha.” Yes, Whedon actually did a supervillain laugh, which makes you either wanna give him a high-five or steal his lunch money, the big dork.

JOSS WHEDON

AGENT 86

This month, I’m hyping the edits that have been rocking my Friday weekly at Bigmouth in St Kilda and what better way to start than with the go-go funk of Agent 86’s most recent edit, Give It To Me Baby? This is THE tune for this summer, hands down! Released through Chopshop and holding true to whatever Rick James was on about the first time, the mega horn blasts and fat bassline will have you doing the shuffle guaranteed. While I’m there, Chopshop head honcho DJ Butcher has so many dope edits on his Soundcloud page that you can’t help but feel the love from his native Greece. He effortlessly blends disco, electro, house, jazz and hip hop to create block-rocking blends that are made for dancefloors. My money is definitely on his Got Soul mash-up from Eric B & Rakim for the head spins that I guarantee will arrive when you play this out. But don’t discount the fact that he also rocks Art Blackey’s Ping Pong into a horn-fuelled frenzy, he grooves out CCR’s Suzie Q with the big-beat treatment and he gives Aphrodite’s Child a helping hand of ‘60s psychedelica on their classic, Loud Loud Loud. On a similar tip, Beatport stalwarts Sugar Hill have done us proud and concocted a wicked version of the Cassius classic, Feeling For You, which has even more disco party action than the original. Speaking from experience, the mini-skirts shake to this jam and with that, I am out of here. THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 91

opinion

HOWZAT! LOCAL MUSIC BY JEFF JENKINS

NEXT TOP MODELS

Andrew Duffield has had an interesting relationship with Models. He joined the band in 1979; he quit the band in 1979. “Well, I guess the first time we all dissolved the band,” Andrew points out. “It was after an afternoon gig on the back of a truck in Lygon Street, so that was a bit different.” An offer to record for Vanda & Young saw Models reunite. Andrew then quit, for a second time, in 1982. “I was exhausted with the changing line-up,” he explains. “Okay, Johnny’s out, Buster’s in; Buster’s out, Graham and John are in; Mark’s out, James is in; Graham and John are out, Barton’s in. Something like that.” Andrew returned at the end of 1982, created the band’s breakthrough hit, I Hear Motion, and was then sacked in 1984. “You know, we weren’t like the Farriss brothers, sticking it out with brotherly unity, or a bunch of schoolmates like The Birthday

92 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Party. There wasn’t that kind of natural cohesion, I guess. And just when I thought the band was sounding one particular way, we’d change. It really did do my head in! Anyway, I was at this election party, begrudging the fact that some of our contemporaries have it a little more together than we do: Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Hunters & Collectors – take your pick.” Another partygoer joined the conversation: “But,” he said, “you guys were more shambolic… I mean that in a good way – shambolic like The Clash!” Andrew laughs. “Clearly, the red wine had kicked in. I felt good about that comparison for about 20 seconds, then got maudlin about the election again.” The good news is Models are together again – Andrew, Sean Kelly, Mark Ferrie and Barton Price. They’re playing at Ding Dong on Friday and Saturday. “This line-up has a lot going for it,” Andrew says. “Barton and Mark together are fantastic.”

MODELS

And there are new Models recordings. “If we can get some tracks together to sell at this week’s gigs, we will. They might be a bit rough, a bit shambolic even, but in a good way, I hope.”

KATE EXPECTATIONS

Interesting tweet from Kate Miller-Heidke last week: “My husband is writing a pop song about how the man must wait for the woman to orgasm before the man ejaculates.”

SALUTING SLIM & TIM

Australia’s country king Slim Dusty died a decade ago this Thursday, aged 76. Cancer claimed Slim’s life when he was working on his 106th album, Columbia Lane. And happy birthday to our greatest living rock star – Tim Rogers is 44 on Friday.

HOT LINE

“You can take the agony, the ecstasy is all mine” – The Dames, All Mine.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live At The Lomondâ&#x20AC;? THU 19TH 8.30PM

BILL JACKSON B BAND (Contemporary alt-country)

FRI 20

BLUESTONE JUNCTION (Bluegrass-a-billy)

SAT 21TH

RORY ELLIS BAND (Deep contemporary blues)

SUN 22ND

MERRI CREAK M

9:30PM

Wed 18. 6pm. The snap short project - screening

9:30PM

The Snapshort Project is an online social video experiment

Thurs 19. 8 pm - Twice Shy

5:30PM

Fringe Festival comedy show $15

Fri 20. 10pm - Caribbean Funk

9:00PM

Caribbean music is a delicious cocktail of African rum, Tropical fruits and a hint of funk. Lucas Posada | Jorge Hernandez | Manchild | Visuals: Ange Barnett

TUE 24 8:00PM

Thankyou City | Alex David VJ: BlueMD

LoopdeLoop is an animation challenge. Screening uploaded loops from around the world.

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IRISH SESSION (Celtic ďŹ ddlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; & diddlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;)

ALL GIGS FREE

Tues 24. 7pm - LoopDeLoop

MARTY KELLY & THE WEEKENDERS (Acoustic roots)

Sat 21. 10pm - Chameleon Records

C7 &( - $ &(-

(Sweet harmony country)

SUN 22ND

~ EXCELLENT RESTAURANT AND BAR MEALS

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the guide vic.gigguide@themusic.com.au Brendan Gallagher + Liam Gerner + The Alan Ladds: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick

THE MUSIC PRESENTS Illy: Sep 20 Corner Hotel Ngaiire: Sep 20 Baha Tacos; 21 Northcote Social Club Rudimental: Sep 21 Festival Hall Jinja Safari: Sep 25 The Loft (Warrnambool); 26 Barwon Club (Geelong); 27 Forum Theatre; 28 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) Foals: Sep 26, 27 Palace Theatre The Paper Kites: Sep 28 Forum Theatre Horrorshow: Sep 29 Ding Dong Lounge; October 17 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 18 Wool Exchange (Geelong) Xavier Rudd: Oct 2, 3 Forum Theatre Twelve Foot Ninja: Oct 4 Corner Hotel The Jungle Giants: Oct 4, 6 The Hi-Fi; 5 Karova Lounge (Ballarat) Asta: Oct 4 Northcote Social Club; 5 Phoenix Youth Centre Yo La Tengo: Oct 18 Hamer Hall Archie Roach: Oct 18, 19 Arts Centre Playhouse Katchafire: Oct 19 The Hi-Fi Andy Bull: Oct 20 Northcote Social Club Wolf & Cub: Oct 24 Northcote Social Club

WED 18

Sandwich Jesus + Tom Noonan + Chris Young + James Maguire Band: 303, Northcote Jaju Choir + The Grand Rapids + Lioness Eye: Bar Open, Fitzroy Open Mic+Various: Bonnie & Clydes Cafe & Cocktail Bar, Thornbury Jackson Firebird + Villainy: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Alison Wonderland: Corner Hotel, Richmond Mo Soul with +Jen Knight & The Cavaliers + Jess Palmer + DJ Vince Peach: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Dizzy’s Big Band + Peter Hearne: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Tulalah + The Mae Trio + Liv & Peppi + Farrow: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Jennifer Kingwell: Jewell of Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Cory Branan: Karova Lounge, Ballarat Hail To The King feat. +Kira Puru + Mojo Juju + Stella Angelico + Abbie Cardwell + Simone Page Jones + Haley (Twincest): Northcote Town Hall (Main Hall), Northcote Quarry Mountain Dead Rats + The Royal Jellies: Northcote Town Hall (The Bain Marie), Northcote The Pretty Things Peepshow: Red Bennies, South Yarra Roots of Music feat. +Velma Grove: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Miss Eileen & King Lear + Nigel Wearne: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Secret Good Times Club (Open Mic)+Various: Tago Mago, Thornbury Open Mic Night+Various: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick

New Empire: Oct 24 The Toff In Town Active Child: Oct 26 Melbourne Recital Centre The Cribs: Oct 26 Ding Dong Lounge Boy & Bear: Nov 1 Wool Exchange (Geelong); 2, 3 Forum Theatre Nancy Vandal: Nov 2 Reverence Hotel Bonjah: Nov 2 Ding Dong Lounge Dan Sultan: Nov 2, 4 Thornbury Theatre; 9 Theatre Royal Castlemaine Violent Soho: Nov 4 Corner Hotel Jordie Lane: Nov 7 Beav’s Bar Geelong; 8 Theatre Royal Castlemaine; 9 Thornbury Theatre; 10 Caravan Music Club Oakleigh The Barons Of Tang: Nov 8 Corner Hotel Face The Music Conference: Nov 15, 16 Arts Centre Pond: Dec 19 Corner Hotel Future Music Festival: Mar 9 Flemington Racecourse Billy Bragg: Mar 13 Palais Theatre

Alone With Tiger + Lemon John + Papa G & The Starcats: The Curtin, Carlton Wine, Whiskey, Women feat. +Zoe K + Alice Williams: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne Collage+Various: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Strumarama feat. +Bipolar Bears + Eddie Ink + Heidi Everett & Hotel Echo + more: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda Rosey: The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy PurePop’s Classic Album Show Two feat. +Shannon Bourne + Sarah Carroll + Simmeau: The Toff In Town, Melbourne East Brunswick All Girls Choir + Duns + Sarah Mary Chadwick + Tom Lyngcoln: The Tote, Collingwood Slow Club feat. +Heads Of Charm + Sucks + Outerwaves: The Tote, Collingwood Simply Acoustic+Matt Wicking + Guests: Wesley Anne, Northcote Palace Of The King: Whole Lotta Love, Brunswick East Vulgargrad: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy

THU 19

Cookin On 3 Burners: 303, Northcote Aye Candy + Awkward Insects + Extreme Wheeze + Isaac De Heer & The River Tracks: Bar Open, Fitzroy Cory Branan: Beav’s Bar, Geelong Brian Kennedy + The Germein Sisters: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Reverend Funk & The Horns Of Salvation: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Alison Wonderland + Willow Beats + LDRU + Tomderson + Cant Say DJs: Corner Hotel, Richmond

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra: Forum Theatre, Melbourne The Delta Riggs + The Walking Who: Karova Lounge, Ballarat Ben Kelly & Band: Kinglake Pub, Kinglake Bluestone Junction: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East The Cannanes + Guests: Newmarket Hotel, Bendigo

GIG OF THE WEEK ALISON WONDERLAND, SEP 18 CORNER HOTEL The Staffords + The Stray Melodics + Have Hold + New Manic Spree: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Southern Stars + Darren Wright: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond RMIT Visual Arts Fundraiser feat. +Sleep Decade + Mallee Songs + Pascal Babare + Teeth: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy The Tattered Sails + Ben William + Guests: Great Britain Hotel, Richmond Bill Jackson: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Jacob Pearson + Damen Samuel + Yoshitoro: Music Land, Fawkner Chance Waters + The Griswolds + Lime Cordiale: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Hail To The King feat. +Kira Puru + Mojo Juju + Stella Angelico + Abbie Cardwell + Simone Page Jones + Haley (Twincest): Northcote Town Hall, Northcote Dan Parsons + Band: Northcote Town Hall (The Bain Marie), Northcote The Pretty Things Peepshow: Red Bennies, South Yarra Plymouth Reverends + The Ivory Elephant + The Rolling Perpetual Groove Show: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar ), Footscray Melbourne Fresh Industry Showcase+Various: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Sacri Cuori: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Kim Salmon: Tago Mago, Thornbury Thomas Hugh + Jessie Storm: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine The Groves + Kung Fu In Technicolour + The Braves + The Velvets: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Catch Release + Amy Alex + Sarah Stone: The Curtin, Carlton Woodward & Rough: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne R.A. The Rugged Man + Special Guests: The Espy (Gershwin Room), St Kilda The Deep End + Villainy + The Love Bombs + Lisa Crawley: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Pepperjack + Beloved Elk + The Bon Scotts + Leigh Dallimore: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda Cured Pink + Nathan Gray + Abstract Mutation: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Jherek Bischoff + Surprise Guests: The Toff In Town, Melbourne

Midnight Express with+DJ Prequel & Ed Fisher: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room / 11pm), Melbourne Slow Club feat. +O Littleblood + Psalm Beach + Snowy Nasdaq: The Tote, Collingwood Spider Goat Canyon + Hotel Wrecking City Traders + Silence Dead Silence: The Tote, Collingwood Dustin Tebbutt + Packwood + Ariela Jacobs: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Songs in the key of Tom Waits feat+Nigel Wearne + Luke Watt + Sarah Carroll + Lachlan Bryan + Jeb Cardwell + Alanna & Alicia + Marisa Quigley + Jim Green: Wesley Anne, Northcote

The Tiger & Me + James Teague: Northcote Town Hall (The Bain Marie), Northcote Lucas Paine + Seymour Hollow + Aimee Volkovsky: Northcote Uniting Church, Northcote Parkway Drive + Thy Art Is Murder + Outsiders Code: Palace Theatre, Melbourne Hernan Cattaneo: Prince Of Wales Showground (Bandroom), Bendigo Cory Branan + Lincoln Le Fevre + Darren Gibson: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray Albert Salt: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Moreland City Soul Revue: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick The Essence of Rrrromance + Fire & Theft: Tago Mago, Thornbury

Blame Smarty feat+Seri Vida: Willow Bar, Northcote

Sforzando + Catgut Mary + Cabbages & Kings: The Bendigo, Collingwood

Acolyte + Riff Fist + Ben: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy

Tank Dilemma: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine

FRI 20

Initials + Revellers + Max Goes to Hollywood + Summer Blood: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick

Electro Experience feat. +Cam Goold: 303, Northcote

Dave Graney: The Cornish Arms, Brunswick

Ngaiire + Lester The Fierce + We Are The Brave: Baha Tacos, Rye

Captain Moonlight Party: The Curtin, Carlton

Caravana Sun + Sammy Owen Blues Band: Bar Open, Fitzroy

Traditional Irish Music Session with+Dan Bourke & Friends: The Drunken Poet (6pm), Melbourne

Money Over Bullshit Tour+Spit Syndicate + Joyride: Barwon Club, South Geelong Strawberry Fields Launch Party feat. +Kenny Larkin + Stimming + Oisima + Collarbones + Child: Brown Alley, Melbourne

Wilderbeast: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne

The Orbweavers + Jacky Winter: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh

Kings & Queens feat.+Heritage + Veludo + Branch Arterial + Low Speed Bus Chase + Lucid Planet + Arabela + My Sweet Revolver: The Espy (Gershwin Room), St Kilda

Rock Dungeon feat. +British Steel + Highrider + Kiss The Vyper: CBD Club, Melbourne

Remi + Citizen Kay + Soliliquy + more: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda

Chris Wilson: Cherry Bar (5.30pm), Melbourne

Emergenza: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda

Led Zep Celebration+Fiona Lee Maynard & Her Holy Men + Bec & Ben + Various: Cherry Bar, Melbourne

Sick People + Sewercide + White Walls + Infinite Void: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood

Illy + Allday + Tuka + Elemont: Corner Hotel, Richmond Models + Montero + Intoxica: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Gianni Turcio: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Fuchsia + Trappist Afterland + Sons Of Ionian Sea + The Grand Rapids + Anatman: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North The Eternal + Okera + Arbynth + Rainshadow: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy

1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 94 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Cherrywood + Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk + Junk Horses: Northcote Social Club, Northcote

Hailgun + Flowers For Cops + Release The Hounds + Aitches: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Hernan Cattaneo: The Prince (Bandroom), St Kilda Lot 56: The Thornbury Local, Thornbury Throwing Frisbies + Rayon Moon + Richie 1250 & The Brides of Christ + The Mighty Boys: The Tote, Collingwood The Poly’s: The Vineyard, St Kilda

THU 19TH

THURSDAY SESSION

GEORGE HYDE & JOSH SEYMOUR Acoustic from 8.30 pm

SAT 21ST

CORAL LEE & THE SILVER SCREAM R&B, Blues, Rockabilly Two Sets 5 to 7 pm

SUN 22ND

DUNCAN GRAHAM AND THE CO-ACCUSED Two Sets 5 to 7 pm

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ORDER FROM STORE.THEMUSIC.COM.AU THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 95

the guide vic.gigguide@themusic.com.au Hugo Race Fatalists + Sacri Cuori + The Spoils: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Les Thomas + Justin Bernasconi + Cat Canteri: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury Melody Moon + Matt Glass & The Loose Cannons: Wesley Anne, Northcote Davey Lane: Wool Exchange, Geelong SiB + Lonesome + Nick Murphy + Lucy & The Diamonds: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy

SAT 21

New Estate: 303, Northcote The Monday Project: 303 (5.15pm), Northcote Cory Branan: Baby Black Cafe, Bacchus Marsh Aztec Electronic Music Night feat. +Nahuatl Sound System: Bar Open, Fitzroy Brendan Gallagher: Barwon Club, South Geelong A Dead Forest Index + Matt Bailey + Amaya Laucirica + Extreme Wheeze: Bella Union, Carlton South Damien Leith: Bennetts Lane, Melbourne The Bastard Children + Francis Francesco + Juke Baritone & The Swamp Dogs: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh The Ugly Kings + Rumour Control + Stone Revival + Tane: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Talk Like A Pirate Day feat. +Alaskan Thunder: Club DV8, Melbourne Beach Fossils + Terrible Truths + Mining Boom: Corner Hotel, Richmond Models + Montero + Intoxica: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne John Montesante Quintet + May Johnston: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Fuchsia + Trappist Afterland + The Boy Who Spoke To Clouds + Lunars: Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Brunswick Spit Syndicate + Joyride + Guests: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Rudimental + Gorgon City: Festival Hall, West Melbourne High-Tails: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood The Volcaniks + The Surf Thang: Great Britain Hotel, Richmond Musikunst+Various: Great Britain Hotel (4pm), Richmond Pludo: Inferno Nightclub, Traralgon, Traralgon Rory Ellis: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Redro Redriguez & His Inner Demons: Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea Calexico + Tiny Ruins: Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan Ngaiire + Lester The Fierce + We The Brave: Northcote Social Club, Northcote The Stevens + Pearls: Northcote Town Hall (The Bain Marie), Northcote The Imprints: Open Studio, Northcote Parkway Drive + Thy Art Is Murder + Confession: Palace Theatre (Under 18 Show), Melbourne Green Hatch Effect: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy

Black Lakes + Flyying Colours: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Frankenbok + Dreadnaught + Alarum + Earth + Desecrator + Se Bon Ki Ra + more: Reverence Hotel, Footscray Bang feat. +Hellions + Guests: Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne Gleny Rae Virus + Soft Gold + Little Rabbit: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Ben Kelly & Band + Steve Davies: St Andrews Hotel, St. Andrews Local Ambience with +Local Group + Special Guests: Tago Mago, Thornbury Living Death Fest feat.+Disentomb + Internal Nightmare + The Seaford Monster + Seminal Embalmment + Involuntary Convulsion + more: The Bendigo, Collingwood Hugo Race Fatalists + Sacri Cuori: The Bridge Hotel (8.30pm), Castlemaine Davey Lane: The Bridge Hotel (11.30pm), Castlemaine King Leghorn + Sons of Thunder + Elevator Talk + The Pockets: The Brunswick Hotel (9pm), Brunswick Cheeky Goose + Monique Shelford: The Brunswick Hotel (5pm), Brunswick Broderick Smith: The Cornish Arms, Brunswick Lost Animal + Ladydreams + Conrad Standish + Twerps DJs: The Curtin, Carlton Cisco Ceasar: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne Tumbleweed + Sun God Replica + Bruce!: The Espy, St Kilda Drunk Mums + Legends Of Motorsport + The Mighty Boys + Mangelwurzel: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Emergenza: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda The Native Cats + Bitch Prefect + Sarah Mary Chadwick + Exhaustion: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Dark Arts #3 feat. +Angel Eyes + Asps + Dire Ears + Manticle & Doll Disorganisation + DJ Linsey Gosper: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Lucky Ali + Guests: The Hi-Fi, Melbourne Robert Hood + Matt Radovich + Mike Buhl: The Liberty Social, Melbourne Up Up Away + DJ Liam McGorry + DJ Manchild: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda The Clip Clop Club: The Sam Knott Hotel, Wesburn Mooshim: The Substation, Newport The Migrations: The Thornbury Local, Thornbury The Delta Riggs + The Walking Who + Palace Of The Kings: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Teenage Libido + No Anchor + Skul Hazzards + Deep Heat Super Group: The Tote (Front Bar / 4pm), Collingwood Sheriff + Bitter Sweet Kicks + I Am Duckeye + Vice Grip Pussies + Don Fernando + Sotis + more: The Tote, Collingwood Frilly Knickers Jazz Band: Wesley Anne, Northcote The Midnight Scavengers + The Quietly Spoken Sons Of Lee Marvin: Willow Bar, Northcote

CHANCE WATERS: SEP 19 NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

The Ocean Party + The Ancients + The Great Outdoors + Melbourne Cans: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy

SUN 22

Alanna & Alicia: 303 (3pm), Northcote OPA: 303, Northcote The Dufranes + Matt Glass Band + Jay Stevens: Bar Open, Fitzroy Ross Hannaford & The Critters: Caravan Music Club (3pm), Oakleigh Matt Dwyer & Magnatones: Cherry Bar (3pm), Melbourne Jacob Pearson + Iain Archibald + Bleeding Rose: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Rufus + Motez + Crooked Colours: Corner Hotel, Richmond Chasr + 30/70 + Taj + Kindred: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Lamb Of God + Meshuggah: Festival Hall, West Melbourne Ben Kelly & Band: Jewell of Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Duncan Graham & His Co-Accused: Labour In Vain (5pm), Fitzroy Merri Creek: Lomond Hotel (5.30pm), Brunswick East Marty Kelly & The Weekenders: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Thy Art Is Murder: Musicman Megastore, Bendigo The RRRRRockets!: Northcote Social Club (2pm), Northcote Nai Palm + Remi: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Parkway Drive + Confession + Higher Power: Palace Theatre, Melbourne Money Over Bullshit Tour+Spit Syndicate + Joyride: Phoenix Youth Centre, Footscray Chris Wilson: Rainbow Hotel (4pm), Fitzroy James Teague + JP Swallow: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar / 3pm), Footscray Cardwell: Royal Oak Hotel (4pm), Fitzroy North Pennyweight: Shamrock Hotel, Kyneton Tracy McNeil Band: Spotted Mallard (4.30pm), Brunswick Girls of the North Lands feat. +Sarah & Liz Taylor + Jen Pearson + Merry Prain + Laura Baxter + Michelle Meehan + Phoebe StrettonSmith + Kate Tucker: Tago Mago (5.30pm), Thornbury

Phil Para: The Bay Hotel, Mornington The Bellwethers: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine Jaspora + Scrimshaw Four + Dan Krochmal: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick The Ovals + Mushroom Horse: The Brunswick Hotel (4pm), Brunswick The Fluzzies + The Knave + Crepes: The Curtin, Carlton 7th Birthday Party feat. +Raised By Eagles + The Alan Ladds + Van & Cal Walker + Liz Stringer + Rosey: The Drunken Poet (2pm), Melbourne Dale Ryder Band + Bad Boys Batucada + Ms Butt: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Sick People + Sewercide + Dribble + Velvet Whip + Sick Machine: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Sacri Cuori: The Post Office Hotel, Coburg Waz E James: The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy Andy White + Kavisha Mazzella: The Toff In Town (3pm), Melbourne Jimi Hocking: The Westernport Hotel, San Remo Roscoe James Irwin + Ben Wright Smith + Al Parkinson: The Workers Club (Afternoon), Fitzroy The Large Number 12s: Union Hotel, Brunswick

MON 23

Lebowskis Present+Helen Cantanchin & Co + Paper Plane: 303, Northcote Cherry Jam+Various: Cherry Bar, Melbourne

TUE 24

Calexico + Tiny Ruins: Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne Kill Shott: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Rufus + Guests: Corner Hotel, Richmond Craig Beard + Tom Lee + Dennis Close: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Madre Monte + Lamine Sonko & The African Intelligence + Kumar Shome & The Punkawallahs: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Jazz In The Attic+Various: Ferdydurke, Melbourne Smith Street Soul Train+Various: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood Irish Session: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Peter Combe & Newspaper Mama Band: Melbourne University Forecourt, Parkville Them Swoops + The Red Lights: Northcote Social Club, Northcote A Chekhov Triptych: Northcote Town Hall, Northcote ManChoir: Northcote Town Hall (The Bain Marie), Northcote Vincent’s Chair Trio: Open Studio, Northcote Discovery Night feat. +Cinema 6 + The General + Adam Hickman: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Open Mic Night with +Nicolette Forte + Friends: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda Sisters For Sisters+Various: The Toff In Town, Melbourne The Septemberists: Wesley Anne, Northcote

HAIL TO THE KING FT MOJO JUJU: SEP 18 AND 19 NORTHCOTE TOWN HALL

1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 96 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

Rufus + Motez + Safia: Corner Hotel, Richmond The Baudelaires + Papa Maul + Aimee Volkovsky: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Monday Night Mass feat. +Exhaustion + East Link + Leather Towell + DJ Brian Turner: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Electric Guitar Circle with +Kim Salmon: Northcote Town Hall (The Bain Marie), Northcote Passionate Tongues Poetry+Various: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Lillis + Rattlin’ Bones Blackwood + Adam Hynes: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda The Black Molls: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda Mandek Penha + Fire Cracker Barrel + Toxic Lipstick: The Toff In Town, Melbourne

# 2 • 2 1 . 0 8 . 1 3 • M E L B O U R N E • F R E E • I N C O R P O R AT I N G

JAPANDROIDS “ W E ’ R E A P R E T T Y B L A C K A N D W H I T E BA N D ”

music

KINGG KRULE

film

CHLOËË GRACE MORETZ

travel

HOLI LI FEST

fashion

ONESIES NESIES

MORE MUSIC THAN EVER AND A SHITLOAD OF OTHER STUFF! THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 97

culture

PRIMED FOR PREJUDICE Some people p p sayy it it’ss a waste of time time. Other people say it’s an incredible waste of time time. Giuliano Ferla starts talking about creative dog grooming, but pretty quickly changes topic.

lot of people think that creative dog grooming is for lonely, sad and pathetic individuals. Before I wrote this article I thought the same. After writing this article, I still think the same. But I should tell you straight up, this article is much less about creative dog grooming than it is about prejudice. Just in case you’re new to it, creative dog grooming is where a dog groomer dresses their dog up to look like something that is not a dog. Sometimes this involves dressing the dog in a costume. Sometimes this involves cutting the dog’s hair into shapes and dyeing it so that the dog looks like Yoda, or a Sesame Street character. The cynical prick in me immediately categorises creative dog grooming as ‘child beauty pageant for the infertile’. So, I started writing this article which very quickly became a collection of mean things to say about anyone involved in creative dog grooming. Because that was my impulse. But it got very boring very quickly, and to be honest, I didn’t really like myself for writing those things. So in the spirit of turning things around, I’m going to turn this thing around. This piece is now about prejudice. About a year ago I was at a party with a bunch of pals. We were all sitting and drinking as pals are wont to do. We were talking religion as drinking pals are wont to do. I mentioned that, although I see myself as being an atheist now, I really appreciated parts of my Catholic upbringing, and that if I had a kid, I’d probably raise them Catholic. Silence. One of my girlfriends says, with extreme incredulity, ‘How could you possibly want to raise your child to be a sexually repressed homophobe?’ I then found myself on the receiving end of quite a bit of backlash. It was pretty fucked. I know you’re probably thinking, ‘Does this guy want some cheese with that white whine?’ But I’m getting to the point, just gimme a sec. Prejudice seems to me to be based upon this faulted human impulse to lump everything into broad categories, whether it’s in regards to race, religion or hobby. By doing this the individual who belongs to that category 98 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

becomes depersonalised, objectified, sexualised, the target of ridicule, etc. I believe this impulse is the catalyst for a lot of prejudicial ‘-isms’. It just so happens that this quickness to judge people on superficialities appears to me to be one of the fundamental challenges of humanity. Broad generalisations lump individuals into categories. And this kind of thinking only serves to reinforce dichotomies and push people further apart from mutual understanding. Resolution is made distant as each side hardens their opinion against a depersonalised ‘other’ that represents everything they oppose. The goal becomes not to achieve a peaceful outcome, but rather to out-shout and cut down an opposition that thinks differently or has a different set of values. And on and on. With vast application. The reason I’ve so dramatically upended this little opinion piece is because I’ve caught myself being hypocritical, and I wanted to be honest about it. When I was a kid we had Encarta the CD-ROM encyclopaedia, and I remember playing and replaying the snippet from Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech that went, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” I think this pretty much sums up the kind of attitude I’d like to have. Not that it’s going to stop me from making snap judgments about people, but at least being aware of it is a step. (Now that I think about it, my other favourite thing to do on Encarta at this time was to listen to the attractive sounding New Zealander girl reading the numbers one to ten. I got excited whenever she said ‘six’ because it sounded like ‘sex’.) All this said I still think creative dog grooming is a massive waste of time. But I’m going to try not to be a dick about it. The national pet grooming expo is on next month, suitably called GroomEx. It includes a keynote speech from one Dr Sandi Rogers, a herbalist and naturopath. What that has to do with dog grooming is beyond me. It’s on the 16 and 17 Oct at Melbourne Convention Centre. I will not be there.

Pics from Super Buddies (2013)

drink

DISTILLATION EDUCATION

SONGS THAT MENTION TEQUILA

Apparently pp y the whole ‘salt-shotsalt-shotlime’ way of downing tequila is all wrong. Samson McDougall gives us a lesson on the authentic stuff.

Pee Wee Herman’s Tequila Dance (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, 1985)

emember that time you got fucked up on tequila and then... Ok, maybe you don’t remember it, but we do. Don’t deny it. You were messy as fuck. It doesn’t have to be like that now, though. Tequila’s changed... Wait, wait, wait, no it hasn’t. But you have. Haven’t you? You messy little monkey. There’s been a bit of an influx of proper Mexican style food and beverage getting itself all up in the cities of late. A whole brood of trippers have been buzzing around the bottom end of North America in search of the real enchilada, and they’ve brought a bit of that hot sauce back to the glass frontages of Australian towns to try and turn a quid or two. Don’t get me wrong, this can only be a good thing. It wasn’t so long ago that the only ‘Mexican’ you could find in Australia spoke in a borderline racist faux-Mexican accent on the TV and came in a yellow box at the supermarket. We’re now coming around to the idea that tacos don’t come with a crunchy shell and that nachos are pretty much a Frankensteinian Texasisation that don’t really exist south of the border. And beneath this awareness lurks another embarrassing truth: that nasty tequila that left you in the gutter outside that 21st in Mandurah isn’t really the stuff the Mexicans drink. Australian tequila maker/importer Nick Reid knows what the Mexicans drink. Studying in Mexico a while back he was introduced to the drop and fell in love (he also met his future wife over there, but that’s another story). He and a couple of mates are now producing their own brand, Tequila Tromba, and schooling Australians on their beloved tipple. He dispels a couple of myths about the drink. “There will never be a worm in a bottle of tequila,” he says – apparently it only exists in tequila’s cousin mescal, and the practice is some hangover from the US prohibition years. Unfortunately, you can’t trip out from tequila, so it’s no excuse for that time you got busted smashing letterboxes in Wodonga: “[It’s] the only spirit which

100 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

is a stimulant and not a depressant; it may be along the lines of that. Maybe if you drank a couple of bottles of it, you’d feel pretty ordinary the next day.” Much like champagne, the name ‘tequila’ is bound by geographical region, or appellation of origin, in Mexico. This area is limited to five states, and means that Reid and his buddies are bound to these regions for the production of their brew. Much to their good fortune, they got a couple master tequila makers on board to get the recipe sorted. A few years down the track and the influx of decent Mexican restaurants is making it easier for Reid and his cohorts to educate a largely non-straight spirit drinking Australian public about sipping the good stuff. “When you’ve got a 100% agave tequila, you don’t need the whole shotting thing,” says Reid. “When you lick the salt, sip on the tequila and suck on a lime, basically you’re just hiding or killing off the flavour of something nasty you’ve just drunk. Whereas with a good quality tequila you’re just trying to savour it, much like you would a good Scotch or cognac.” There are plenty of 100% agave tequilas available in Australia. Reid reckons a good place to start with the sipping is chasing each mouthful with a mix of tomato and citrus until you get used to the flavour. Or check out a paloma: tequila, grapefruit, soda, lime and salt. “People’s perception of tequila is starting to change,” he says. “Everyone had that night out where they had five shots at the end of the evening then spewed and fell down the stairs and woke up and said they’re never gonna drink tequila ever again. That type of tequila’s called mixtos or 51% agave tequila. When they make the tequila they use half the sugars from the agave plant and then they mix it with 49% of maybe cane sugar or corn syrup... The plant takes about seven or twelve years to mature, so there’s a lot of love that goes into growing the agave plant. When you drink it you wanna drink just the sugars from the agave plant, not from the cane fields.”

Tequila Sunrise by Cypress Hill feat. Barron Rick (1998) Tequila by YoungBloodZ (2006) How Much Tequila (Did I Drink Last Night) by Steve Goodman (1979) Mexican Moonshine by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers (2004) **not just a song also a line of Tequila by Rodger Clyne.

BOOMERANG FESTIVAL

A NEW WORLD INDIGENOUS FESTIVAL FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS

ARCHIE ROACH

Photo Mick Richards

ERNIE DINGO

WITH LOU BENNETT, EMMA DONOVAN & DELINE BRISCOE AND A 10 PIECE ENSEMBLE

WANTOK: SING SING

GURRUMUL

THE CHOOKY DANCERS

THE MEDICS

AIRILEKE

QUIQUE NEIRA (CHILE)

1 3 3 P E R FO R M A N C E S A N D E X P E R I E N C E S FROM MUSIC TO WORKSHOPS FIRE GATHERINGS DANCE PARTICIPATIONS COMEDY SPEAKERS AND MORE!

LAUNCHING THE BOOMERANG INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS FILM FESTIVAL (BIIFF)

FRIDAY 4TH - SUNDAY 6TH OCTOBER T YA G A R A H T E A T R E E FA R M B Y R O N B A Y FOR FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAM VISIT WWW.BOOMERANGFESTIVAL.COM.AU FESTIVAL & CAMPING TICKETS ON SALE NOW 02 6685 8310 / WWW.BOOMERANGFESTIVAL. PRINCIPAL MEDIA PARTNER:

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 101

eat

BATTLE OF THE BULGE Benny Doyle consumes almost two per cent of his body weight in burger and (barely) lives to tell his competitive eating tale.

here’s something rather primitive about wanting to consume 1.5kg of food. It’s a macho game, but when the chips are down – and deliciously salted – it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to gorge your way to glory, and a gift voucher. Food challenges used to be a very American pursuit. It goes with the greased up mentality of the ultimate fast food nation. However, big bites are starting to weigh in right across Australia. Shows like Man v. Food have made feasting a prime time practice, while the explosion of ‘soul food’ in restaurants and bars around the country has brought burgers, wings and tacos back in vogue. I will confess, though. Away from the public domain, my friends and I have long liked to test our waistline with ‘eating challenges’ – sometimes for money, always for pride. From last man standing events (Pizza Hut buffet), endurance tests (first person to eat 4kg of peas) to competitions of mental toughness (finish a super size Slurpee the fastest), we’ve pushed ourselves to the limits in the name of boredom. But nothing we’ve conjured up has ever posed such an almighty challenge as the Phat Bastard Burger. Found at Longboards Laidback Eatery & Bar under Q1 on the Gold Coast, the Phat Bastard consists of a 300g wagyu patty, fistfuls of bacon, pulled pork, coleslaw, onion rings, cheddar cheese and salad, all lumped within a brioche that seems to weigh as much as a loaf of bread. The challenge is to finish the burger – plus a serving of fries – within 30 minutes: no help, no leaving the table, no vomiting. That’s happened once according to our waitress, Brylee Hockings, and it wasn’t pretty. Hopefully there’s no repeat performance this evening. When my friend and I say we want to attack the Phat, her eyes light up. “Oh what, the Phatty?” We nervously nod and the kitchen’s quickly put on notice. Hockings informs that since the burger was introduced at the beginning of this year only eight people have 102 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

completed it. She offers up a few successful techniques that range from separating ingredients and dividing portions to letting the bun soak in water, just like the competitive hot dog eaters. At that moment I order a jug of the clear stuff, while my buddy still orders a pint of Kronenbourg – audacious. When the burgers finally emerge all patron eyes turn to our table. The thing is roughly the size of my head. An egg timer is then placed on the table, we’re briefed, counted in, and it’s on. The first five minutes are probably some of the most enjoyable eating I’ve ever experienced. I’m offensively hungry, yes, but the burger is incredible – flavours haven’t been compromised for the sake of novelty size – and the combination of mayo and tangy barbecue sauce balances the saltiness of the meat perfectly. A large portion of my bun is soaking in the water, I’m working away at the chips – ‘This is doable’, I think to myself. Then all of sudden my stomach starts panicking, and frankly, I would too. There’s my average guy guts just chilling out, regular Saturday night, expecting a constant flow of amber fluids, only for huge mouthfuls of food to start raining down upon it. My insides don’t know what to do with the excess. Meat sweats kick in at around the halfway mark, and not long after all my motor skills begin to slow down, my body suffocating in consumption. Twenty minutes are gone and my friend has thrown in the napkin – half his burger and beer still in front of him. I persevere almost until the end; however, when the timer rings I’m staring at close to an entire brioche. We failed, but as we learnt tonight, most do. Head chef Laurence ‘Loz’ Bowers hasn’t even conquered the Phat. As with most feats of extreme eating, this isn’t something you’d want to do a lot, or even again. But as Hockings admits, “No one had done it on the Gold Coast.” And that’s what it’s all about. For like the Big Oyster in Taree or the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, the Phat Bastard Burger has put Longboards on the map. We leave the restaurant with no mention of dessert.

ARE YOU HUNGRY ENOUGH?

Named after Con Giatrakos, owner of Branditt Avenue Takeaway in Shepparton, it’s the equivalent of ten normal hamburgers – a genuine monster.

A 1kg burger with 600g (gents)/300g (ladies) of chips. Head to Captain America’s in Ferntree Gully and have a crack – you’ve got an hour to do it.

Head down to the Kodiak Club in Fitzroy and size up to their buffalo hot wing challenge. Eat 60 of those band boys in an hour and they come for free.

eat/drink

CHECKOUT

WHO’S COOKIN’

CO YO COCONUT YOGURT When it’s pay day get this one. It’s damn rich so lasts for days. Cost: 250g approx $9

FOOD TRIPPIN’ EATING AROUND THE USA WITH SOFIE MUCENIEKAS AND LLOYD CHICAGO

JOHN AYALA Which cafe/bar/ restaurant do you cook at? Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder Address: 48- 50 Bridge Road, Richmond Three words that describe the place? Contemporary cafe fare. If you were a patron of your establishment what would you select from the menu? Entree: House made ham hock terrine with maffra cheddar Served with? Pinot gris

CHICAGO

Started off the morning at Grandma J’s with some deviled eggs with bacon, followed by one organic sausage patty topped with egg and cheese with a side of Hawaiian mac’n’cheese, rice and pineapple, and a bowl of the works (egg, bacon, cheese, kale, potato, mushroom, side of stewed apple) and about 8 coffees. Cute decor, lovely staff, crazy-delicious food!

FOOD IS ART

Main: Twelve-hour braised lamb ragout with hand rolled gnocchi, parmesan, broad beans, crispy sage and brown butter Served with? A gutsy red! Dessert: Anything our pastry chef Claudia makes. Served with? More grog

What’s the average price of a main? $21 Three ingredients everyone should have in their pantry? Good cheese, good bread and great wine. If your food was compared to music what style would it be? Urban R&B and soul with a dash of hip hop.

“MY DOCTOR TOLD ME I HAD TO STOP THROWING INTIMATE DINNERS FOR FOUR UNLESS THERE ARE THREE OTHER PEOPLE.” - ORSON WELLES

What music is likely to be playing in the kitchen when you’re cooking? Maxwell, John Legend and Nina Simone. Where do you usually eat after your shift? Good home cooking with my partner; we love a good roast dinner. What’s your dish of choice to enjoy after work? A wedge of European cheese and a hearty glass of wine. Is your chef lifestyle more Anthony Bourdain or Pete Evans? Can’t I be both? Website link for more info? rhcl.com.au

THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 103

travel

CHANNEL SURFING

Jan Wisniewski hears the local music scene in Tasmania with fresh ears during a trip home.

he runway of the Hobart International Airport is the figurative welcome mat for my return to Tasmania. As the seatbelt light flickers off, there is mass movement as visitors and ex-pats alike wait impatiently for the blustery walk across the tarmac. With their heads squashed against the overhead lockers, two separate families recognise each other. “We’re off to the Salamanca Market and then to this MONA thing.” “We’re doing the same. Probably see you there.” While tasting the local fare at Salamanca has long been on tourist hit-lists, the Museum of Old and New Art has gained Tasmania an unprecedented amount of attention since it opened in early 2011. The site, funded by professional gambler and art collector David Walsh, has lent Hobart significant cultural clout and, along with the Brian Ritchie-curated arts festival MONA FOMA and its wintery cousin Dark MOFO, has delighted both locals and visitors in recent years. But Walsh’s gifts to his state should only be a starting point for those hoping to get a proper taste of Hobart. The rise of ‘café culture’ in ‘Hip Hobart’ has been covered extensively by in-flight magazines and lifestyle lift-outs and with an influx of creative types promised by the state government with the development of the $75 million Academy of Creative Industries and Performing Arts in coming years, it seems like Hobart is ready for its cultural boom. But seemingly unbeknownst to many is the already established live music scene that waits to be revealed with a little nighttime wandering. The Hobart waterfront is the evening hotspot, offering a mix of classy bars in the Salamanca precinct and sleazier clubs on the water’s edge. To avoid the abundance of puffer jackets and top-40 mixes you can head uptown where you can find a scattering of live music venues. While The Waratah and The Republic play host to triple j touring bands and local, customer-friendly original and cover acts, venues like The Brisbane Hotel and, more recently, The Grand Poobah offer performance avenues for those who like their music a little more experimental, punk or metal. 104 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013

During my visit, The Poohbah beckoned. With a hardcore show in the main band room, I take a right and enter the subsidiary Kissing Room. The night is a mix of musical styles: Despondent guitar pop, angry keys and pop culture references, a solo cinematic guitar swooning over a set-long vocal loop and noisy doom dirges. Free from genre expectations and rock’n’roll pretensions, those onstage are able to play to an audience of friends and acquaintances who provide them with good-natured heckling and their full attention. Local musician Steve Wright, who has played with bands such as Bi-Hour, Wasted Idol and Manchester Mourning as well as participating in the Hobart Improv Collective explains the satisfaction of such occasions: “It is hard to put my finger on what motivates me to play live, but I think it is partly to do with the different setting. There seems to be a change in dynamic when you’re playing, particularly with improvisation. I would say that the vast majority of the best versions of songs I have played on have been live, and, in general, it seems like a lot of the most coherent improv I’ve done has been in that environment too.” The live music environment stretches beyond just established venues, with private abodes and art spaces such as Rat Palace providing warm surroundings for the music community to assemble in. Spend a little time at events such as these and you begin to see many familiar faces. But the talent runs deep and it is this collaborative spirit that has led to the creation of some great music. In recent years this has been captured by Hobart music stalwart Julian Teakle (The Native Cats, Bad Luck Charms, Frustrations) with his Community compilations, released through his own Rough Skies Records label. The quality and diversity apparent on these releases is proof that Hobart music has continued to flourish since the days of The Stickmen, Sea Scouts and The Nation Blue. So next time you venture down to the island state, keep an open mind and listen out for the rumblings of local music for a taste of a truly independent and unique culture that long predates the curiosities of Walsh’s wonderland.

TASSIE MUSOS Asta – winner of triple j’s Unearthed High 2012, this singer-songwriter will be bringing her sweet electro-pop tunes to this year’s Falls Festival. The Scientists Of Modern Music – an electro-synth group consisting of Cal Young and Simon McIntosh. They’re regulars on the Aussie festival circuit and are known for their sharp dress sense and wild antics at gigs. Enola Fall – an indie/rock/pop foursome who won Amplified Awards for ‘Best Tasmanian Band’ and ‘Best Indie/Pop’ in 2008. Lincoln le Fevre – from the Derwent River, this stalwart of the Tassie punk scene has won several Amplified Awards. His highly anticipated split-7” with Jen Buxton through Poison City Records has just been released. Luca Brasi – a five-piece punk rock band who love their state so much they named an album after it.

ASTA

sport BICYCLE ACCESSORIES

PEDAL POWER

PIMP YO’ BIKE. BASKET

An obvious one, but a staple. Useful for holding groceries, flowers, dogs, tiny babies, etc.

HORN

Sometimes a bell just doesn’t cut it; no matter how angrily you ding it, it still sounds polite. An obnoxious horn is able to really communicate, ‘Don’t stand in the bike lane, ya fuckin’ idiot’.

Parties powered p byy bicycles. bicycles y They are out there there. Giuliano Ferla explores the options.

HANDLEBAR STREAMERS

Indulge your nostalgia for the ‘80s and ‘90s with some of these. Bonus points if they’re glittery, metallic or pastelcoloured.

STICKERS

Flames, unicorns, Sailor Moon, skulls, cats, Nic Cage – whatever you’re into, somewhere on the internet you can find stickers of it. Let your bike proudly display to the world the kind of person you are.

WHEEL SPOKE BEADS

For those who long for the days before they turned 12 years old.

here I am pedalling the shit out of some crapped out old bike. People surround me, clapping in rhythm. They are so psyched about my pedalling that they are dancing. I can hear music – no wait, I am music. I am making music and disco lights happen with my pedal power. Am I passing out? NO! That’s just the strobe light. Holy moly, I’m peaking on that E I took. I could ride forever. Blood is coursing through me and all my little blood cells are dancing too. “Faster!” they say in chipmunk voices. “Faster or we’ll kill you!” I pedal faster. I know what you’re thinking and, no, I’m not that pill-popping, mono-testicular Lance Armstrong. I’ve just pedalled a pedal party. Dismount. Come down. People are going to read this. I have to make sense. I am at Falls Festival in Tasmania. The next three days are the best party of my life. Or at least they would be, if I hadn’t completely made up this story. So let me unpack this a little. At the Falls Festival they had ten-minute dance parties powered with bicycles. Eight people jump on cycles and pedal away. The cycles are hooked to generators, the generators run to the DJ booth, the DJ booth runs to the speakers, the speakers blast music, and about 300 people do their dance thing. Pretty swell idea. I would like to try that. I wanted to check and see if my imaginings matched up to reality so I called Greer Allen from Magnificent Revolution, whose company ran the pedal disco at last year’s Falls. While I’m sure the punters were having a blast, she was not. “They asked me to come back but I just turned it down because I don’t really like Falls Festival; I haven’t been exposed to that crowd in a very long time.” Let me fill you in: Magnificent Revolution are an environmental organisation who aim to educate through sustainability events. The Falls Festival kinda flopped in Allen’s eyes. She continued, “[The punters] kinda didn’t get it – they were all just pinging on drugs and pissed out of their skulls and they didn’t really have any time to go, ‘Wow! This is good!’ It was a battle.”

But Magnificent Revolution do a whole gamut of things, not just pedal parties. They do kids’ breakdance competitions, pedal-powered smoothie makers and pedal-powered cinemas. (I forgot to ask Allen if the noise from the bikes and the generator drown out the sound of the movie. In my head this leads to some kind of positive feedback loop whereby to make the sound from the movie louder you have to pedal faster which in turn makes more noise. The whole process then continues ad infinitum or until the cyclists’ legs fall off. Or until the end of the movie… Or what if maybe you could power whole cities by giving party-kids in their early twenties copious amounts of LSD, putting them on generator bikes and letting them cycle through their hallucination? Utilitarian hedonism? Hedonistic utilitarianism?) But Magnificent Revolution have a message. Their focus is education. And hey, I’m all for that. But what if I also have the very specific desire to drink and cycle? Is there a place for me and my needs? Apparently, there is. All over Europe and America they have something called the Pedal Pub (aka party bike, pedibus or bierbike). Twelve people sit on bike stools around a central bar and pedal, while the chauffeur steers and the publican pours. Looks like a poor man’s limousine, and you get to be obnoxious at a slower pace. I might enjoy that. They don’t have them here in Australia so I looked at YouTube videos. Look, I’m going to be honest with you. The pedal pub is one of those ‘seemed like a good idea at the time’ ideas. I mean, despite the fact that working out while drinking makes you feel terrible, what the hell are you meant to do when you need to go to the toilet? The more I look at the videos and read about the pedal pub, the more it seems like a stupid idea. H.G. Wells once said, “When I see an adult riding a bicycle I no longer despair for the human race.” I think if he saw the pedal pub he would change his mind. THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013 • 105

the end

50 SHADES OF CHARLIE HUNNAM

NATHAN MOLONEY KNOWN FOR

Being a just-out teen in the UK Queer As Folk (1999).

HOW SHADE-Y? Hey, he was just 15.

PROS He got to act alongside Aidan Gillen, future star of The Wire and Game Of Thrones.

CONS Everyone thought he was ‘just a pretty boy’.

IF YOU LIKED THIS CHARLIE…

Check out other pre-US fame roles in kiddie soap Byker Grove and hammy gang film Green Street Hooligans.

LLOYD HAYTHE KNOWN FOR

Being the campus lady-killer pom in Undeclared (2002).

HOW SHADE-Y? Never trust him with your girlfriend.

PROS

This was Judd Apatow’s unofficial Freaks & Geeks sequel with Seth Rogen.

CONS He still wasn’t trusted with an American accent at this point.

IF YOU LIKED THIS CHARLIE…

Check him out in failed teen soap Young Americans.

JAX TELLER KNOWN FOR

Being a moody biker in Sons Of Anarchy (2008-2013).

HOW SHADE-Y? Ummm… where to begin: drugs, guns and porn for starters.

PROS Oh yeah, them too.

CONS When he yells, you can hear an English accent.

IF YOU LIKED THIS CHARLIE…

See him with fellow SOA star Ron Perlman (in drag) in 3,2,1… Frankie Go Boom and Pacific Rim.

106 • THE MUSIC • 18TH SEPTEMBER 2013