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OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS WE'VE BEEN REACHiNG OUT TO (READ: BUGGiNG!) A WHOLE HEAP OF ARTiSTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THEY'VE JOiNED iN BY TURNiNG BLANK CONVERSE SNEAKERS iNTO ONE OFF PiECES OF ART BY PUTTiNG THEiR OWN PERSONALiTiES ON THE CANVAS, ADDiNG COLOUR, DESiGN, HUMOUR AND iMPRESSiVENESS.
24TH OCTOBER - 29TH OCTOBER 2013
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THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 3
Deakin Deak in Unive Universit rsity CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B
DEA0637
THE AUTOMOBILE WAS INVENTED IN GERMANY. NOW IT’S BEING EVOLVED AT DEAKIN.
Since 1886 the automobile has been re-invented and evolved to become the many modern vehicles you see today. In fact, cars are so widespread it’s hard to imagine a world without them. But now the automobile as you know it is being transformed at Deakin University. Emerging as a global leader in carbon fibre research, Deakin’s Carbon Nexus facility is developing new composite materials to make cars lighter and safer. Imagine your vehicle being made of the same carbon fibre used in a Formula One race car or Boeing aircraft. Not only would it be lighter, faster and more fuel efficient, but its performance in an accident would be greatly improved. It’s just another way Deakin is changing the world of the automotive industry. Discover the world of Deakin research and innovation at deakin.edu.au/worldlythinking
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 1
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 5
You know when you hear a song that’s the perfect soundtrack for whatever you’re doing? I love when that happens. It makes an ordinary moment feel so...extraordinary. That’s why wherever we go,
our music
goes with us.
mini.bose.com.au | 1800 173 371
2 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 5
themusic 23RD OCTOBER 2013
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INSIDE FEATURED Dan Aykroyd Drinks Limp Bizkit In Their Shoes Jamie Farkas The Breeders Stonefield Lenka
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REAL HOT BITCHES
“IF YOU’RE CAUGHT IN A TIDAL WAVE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW BIG THE WAVE IS, YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT WITH NO CLUE.” - KELLEY DEAL OF THE BREEDERS (P38)
“THE ESSENCE OF BEING A HOT BITCH IS JUST TO OWN IT.” - TELEEESHEAH SUNRIZE, HEAD MISTRESS OF REAL HOT BITCHES (P42)
Real Hot Bitches Gwar Fall Out Boy Rolo Tomassi Prince Rama
BETWEEN DRUNK PUBLICISTS AND DODGING BURRITOS, WE WRAP-UP THE AUSSIE EFFORTS AT NEW YORK’S CMJ FESTIVAL. ON THEMUSIC.COM.AU
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REVIEWS Album: Feelings Live: Yo La Tengo Arts: A Small Prometheus Film: Prisoners Games: Shadow Warrior Gear: BKE Beat Thang Drum Machine
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FESTIVAL SIDESHOWS
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“LIKE A GOOD FUCK BUDDY, THE POLYPHONIC SPREE’S TIM DELAUGHTER LIKES TO MAKE SURE BOTH PARTIES INVOLVED GET SOMETHING OUT OF A NIGHT WITH HIM.” - ANDREW MAST REVIEWS THE POLYPHONIC SPREE (P57)
“I’LL TURN IT OFF IN A MINUTE, I NEED TO PRAY!” DAVID LIEBE HART TOUR DIARY. ON THEMUSIC.COM.AU
web 8 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
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THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 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 • 23 OCTOBER - 29 OCTOBER 2013
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Your new regular Saturday late night after-party goes ghoulish for Boombox Social Halloween Burlesque at The Hi-Fi on 26 Oct, featuring Creepy Burlesque by Miss Shell Ma Belle and Jessabella Gory Go-Go Dancers Magenta Rose and Tiny Tinx. Expect banging rock tunes, candy, DJs, hula hoops and prizes for the best dress-ups. Heels On Decks and Jean L’Rock promise to spin mean tunes on the ones and twos.
Have you given Absolutely Fabulous/Little Voice star Jane Horrocks’ cover of Joy Division’s Isolation a spin yet? Don’t be shy, it features The Damned’s Rat Scabies on drums and Scott Firth (now of PiL) on bass. She’s also covered other post-punk tracks such as Hashish by Hawkwind and Nag Nag Nag by Cabaret Voltaire, but there are no plans to release this material physically as yet. Buy the shit out of it on iTunes though and you never know.
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Third-year acting company and production students at VCA present two plays for the Contemporary Plays Season between 25 Oct and 1 Nov. Eddie Goes To Poetry City by American playwright Richard Foreman will be directed by Richard Murphlet and It’s An Earthquake In My Heart by Chicago-based performance group Goat Island will be directed by Robert Walton. For more info head to vca.unimelb.edu.au MELBOURNE
see
morph
He was once “laying that, playing that G-thang” as Snoop Doggy Dogg, then he emerged from a giant cloud of smoke as the enlightened reggae don Snoop Lion. But wait for it... Now Calvin Broadus Jr is set to shake cities as Snoopzilla, the new title giving props to funk maverick Bootsy Collins – the great Bootzilla – and tying in with his forthcoming album 7 Days of Funk. We, for one welcome the cornrowed beast, and look forward to his sidewalk splitting booty-shaking jams at Big Day Out early next year.
rummage
It’s the Garage Sale Trail 2013! For your yearly dose of junk you definitely don’t want or need, but on a whim purchase. This Saturday is the day to get yourself the weird fish brooch you always desired, the ridiculous Indian headdress you think you’ll wear to a party one day (you wont/shouldn’t), and a pair of granny slippers. It’s also the perfect excuse to walk into other people’s garages and take a stickybeak through their possessions. There were 7,000 open across the country last year, and presumably there’ll be more this time around.
watch
Tonight is the premiere of Ja’mie: Private School Girl on ABC at 9pm. Chris Lilley’s We Can Be Heroes/Summer Heights High creation doesn’t need the publicity, she’s perfectly capable of handling all that herself, but we figured we’d throw in our two cents. It’s going to be great – we finally get to see the divine Miss King in her natural habitat. The sixpart series will be aired by HBO in the US and by BBC in the UK. Ja’mazing.
read
Get ready for plenty of juicy truths in Ricky Ponting’s tell-all autobiography. A few choice extracts have already started doing the rounds, and it seems that whether the former Aussie cricket captain is discussing our board of selectors or dressing room issues with Pup Clarke, he’s not going to hold back. Ponting: At The Close Of Play comes out 1 Nov through HarperCollins. THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 11
national news news@themusic.com.au EMINEM
THE AMITY AFFLICTION
WARPED RAMPS UP WITH SECOND ANNOUNCE
HIS NAME IS WHAT?
Marshall Mathers. Slim Shady. Eminem. Call him whatever you want, just make sure you’re calling that name from the stadium grass when the Detroit MC – one of the biggest rappers in the game – brings his ludicrously large Rapture event to east coast capitals. The bill, headed up obviously by the real Slim sizzle, will also feature a veritable feast of smooth MCs, including Compton wunderkind Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z favourite J. Cole and our very own 360. It happens 19 Feb, Etihad Stadium, Melbourne; 20 Feb, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; and 22 Feb, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, with tickets on sale 31 Oct.
FLUME SET TO MAKE A SPLASH AT 2013 ARIAS
Having already been announced as the producer of the year – for work from his bedroom no less – Flume looks set to scoop another set of awards with eight nominations in total for the 2013 ARIA Awards. Flume’s fighting it out against Birds Of Tokyo, Guy Sebastian, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Tame Impala for the highly coveted album of the year. Other multiple-nominated names include Big Scary, Sarah Blasko, RüFüS, Vance Joy and The Drones, while acts including Thy Art Is Murder, Sheppard and The Preatures have collected their first ever nominations. For the full list of this year’s nominees head to ariaawards.com.au, and make sure you tune in on GO! 1 Dec when the event is staged at The Star Event Centre, Sydney.
ALL SHOOK UP
The King is dead – all hail the king of psychobilly! Canadian horror roller Evil Elvis will be putting down the burgers and picking up the guitar when he arrives Down Under for his biggest run of shows here yet. The Surfin’ To Hell tour sees the Toronto legend fronting an all-Aussie all-star backing band, featuring Joey Phantom from Fireballs, Andy Wicked of Dogsday and Rory ‘The Panther’ George. The band play 31 Oct, Wickham Park Hotel, Newcastle; 1 Nov, The Music Lounge, Sydney; 2 Nov, Transcontinental Hotel, Brisbane; 4 Nov, Reverence Hotel, Melbourne; 8 Nov, The LuWow, Melbourne; and 9 Nov, Devilles Pad, Perth.
THE DISEASE SPREADS FURTHER
Adding to an already ball-tearing rock’n’roll line-up, wrestling great Chris Jericho will be leading his Fozzy troops back out our way to latch on to the S.T.D. party with headliners Steel Panther and Buckcherry. Get along early for a body slamming of epic proportions when then five-piece open up these dates: 6 Dec, Brisbane Riverstage; 7 Dec, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney; 8 Dec, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne; 12 Dec, Metro City, Perth.
UNDER THE HAMMER OF FROST
Following the success of last year’s tour, Iced Earth will be spreading their Worldwide Plagues tour, playing east coast shows next year in support of forthcoming record Plagues Of Babylon, which will land in January. One of the most formidable forces in heavy metal, the Americans will perform with Elm Street 14 Mar, The Hi-Fi, Brisbane; 15 Mar, Manning Bar, Sydney; and 16 Mar, Billboard The Venue, Melbourne.
“FACIAL DISCRIMINATION” [@ROYALCHANT] NICELY SUMMARISING THE BEARDS GETTING REFUSED US VISAS. 12 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
A few legends and some locals have joined the Warped Tour bill for 2013, with Swedish champs Millencolin heading up the list, alongside local titans The Amity Affliction, ska dudes Reel Big Fish, as well as Confession, Hands Like Houses, Buried In Verona and Hand Of Mercy. They join already announced names like The Offspring, The Used and Parkway Drive, making this a kick-arse event for all the punk and hardcore heads out there. Warped Tour Australia takes place 29 Nov, RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane; 1 Dec, Barangaroo, Sydney; 6 Dec, Exhibition Park, Canberra; and 7 Dec, Birrarung Marr, Melbourne.
STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES
EARLE-Y BLUESFEST SIDESHOW ANNOUNCED
Hot damn there are some sweet Bluesfest sideshows getting announced, with a bunch starting to trickle in. The bearded champion of Americana Steve Earle will lead The Dukes along with Kasey Chambers at three dates, happening 15 Apr, The Tivoli, Brisbane; 23 Apr, Enmore Theatre, Sydney; and 24 Apr, Forum Theatre, Melbourne. Wrap yourself up in some of the finest storytelling this side of Nashville. Proudly presented by The Music.
national news news@themusic.com.au ALLEN STONE
BETH ORTON
ROLLING ON REGARDLESS Another Bluesfest sideshow presented by The Music is that of Allen Stone, the young Washington soul musician with those shining blonde locks and incredible pipes. You will be hypnotised and on your feet when he performs 12 Apr, Corner Hotel, Melbourne; 13 Apr, Metro Theatre, Sydney; and 16 Apr, The Zoo, Brisbane.
KICK YOUR SHOES OFF
Dance with Newcastle quintet Seabellies when they embark on a large national tour to show off Fever Belle, the band’s second album, and one which has come from sessions in Sydney, Melbourne and Berlin. Witness the nomadic tales come to life 21 Nov, Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane; 29 Nov, Flyrite, Perth; 30 Nov, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; 1 Dec, Mojos Bar, Fremantle; 11 Dec, Brass Monkey, Sydney; 12 Dec, Heritage Hotel, Bulli; 13 Dec, Rad, Wollongong; 14 Dec, Goodgod Small Club, Sydney; 21 Dec, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle; and 27 Dec, Northcote Social Club, Melbourne.
FROLIC IN THE FOREST
An iconic annual staple of the festival calendar is Woodford Folk Festival, and it will return from 27 Dec to 1 Jan for its 28th year, featuring a program that is spilling over with acts from every pocket of arts you could imagine. A few of the 500 performers that will taking part in this year’s event include Beth Orton, The Basics, Clare Bowditch, Matt Corby, Tim Finn, Half Moon Run, Julian Marley, Busby Marou, Buffalo Tales, Chance Waters, Thelma Plum, Brendan Maclean, GANGgajang, Jordie Lane, Babylon Circus and The Twoks, while speakers such as Benjamin Law, Denise Scott and even former Prime Minister Bob Hawke will be sharing colourful tales. In addition, there’ll also be cabaret, burlesque, arts and crafts, food, fashion, a children’s festival and plenty more, so try something new this new year’s period, or simply reconnect with your dear old friend, Woodford. Presented by The Music.
“PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES ARE LIKE METH FOR RICH WHITE GIRLS” THE STARBUCKS CRANK IS MOVING ACCORDING TO @SPENCERLENOX
KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND
GOOD TIME RAYS
Finally, the sellers of 100 million albums, shakers of da rump KC & The Sunshine Band will be wheeling out all their classic tracks – Get Down Tonight, That’s The Way (I Like It) and more – on headline dates across the three east coast capitals. Celebrate a group that changed the face of pop music by heading out 17 Apr, Enmore Theatre, Sydney; 18 Apr, The Palace, Melbourne; and 19 Apr, The Tivoli, Brisbane. And you guessed it, all dates are proudly presented by The Music.
EVOLUTION OF A MAN
POST UP IN THE PAINT
HAVE TO BE HEARD
SOLDIER ON
Forget about a sole man and a microphone, Brian McKnight is ready to give us the full experience, announcing a full band tour for next year. The American R&B superstar plays 2 Mar, QPAC, Brisbane; 3 Mar, Enmore Theatre, Sydney; 5 Mar, Palais Theatre, Melbourne; and 7 Mar, Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Whether they are working through postrock density, shoegaze layers or black metal bloodshed, Deafhaven stand as a unique and uncontainable band and for the very first time they are bringing their far-reaching musical horizons to Australia, with capital city dates early next year. The five-piece play 8 Jan, Crowbar, Brisbane; 9 Jan, Annandale Hotel, Sydney; 10 Jan, Corner Hotel, Melbourne; and 11 Jan, Rosemount Hotel, Perth.
You already know that Waka Flocka Flame goes hard, so all that’s left for you is to go hard with him when the Atlanta MC shows off his smooth flow in our parts for the very first time. He plays 18 Dec, Billboard The Venue, Melbourne; 19 Dec, Metropolis, Fremantle; 20 Dec, The Hi-Fi, Sydney; and 21 Dec, The Hi-Fi, Brisbane.
Ol’ mate James Blunt is getting in plenty early with these dates, but hey, it just gives you a bit more time to stretch the pipes to belt out You’re Beautiful with him, are we right or are we right? The Brit strummer will tour mid 2014, playing 30 May, State Theatre, Sydney; 1 Jun, Civic Theatre, Newcastle; 2 Jun, Brisbane Convention Centre; 7 Jun, Royal Theatre, Canberra; 8 Jun, The Plenary, Melbourne; and 13 Jun, Riverside Theatre, Perth. Tickets for these all ages dates are available Monday. THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER • 13
local news vic.news@themusic.com.au GO VIOLETS
M-PHAZES
FACE TO FACE
SUPPORTIN’ THE SINGERS
With just weeks before their new album hits shelves and their live, gritty goodness infiltrates venues across the nation, The John Steel Singers welcome fellow Brisbanites Go Violets (pictured) to their Everything’s A Thread Album Tour this November. Opening the show at the Ding Dong Lounge on 8 Nov is Neighbourhood Youth and then at Karova Lounge, Ballarat on 9 Nov will be The Ocean Party.
KILBEY COMIN’ ROUND
Undefeated champion of RocKwiz, ARIA Hall Of Famer, polymath and modern day renaissance man Steve Kilbey is touring Australia in November. Backed by Fremantle music identities Shaun and Adrian Hoffmann and a string section, he delves into his unrivalled back catalogue of solo releases, collaborations and Church classics. The Morning Night will be providing support as they tour the launch of their album Amberola. Catch the show on 10 Nov at the Northcote Social Club.
COMING HOME TO YOU
Southern rock royalty Lynyrd Skynyrd has heralded the calls of their devoted fans, announcing their very first Australian shows since the band’s formation. Boasting a rich and prolific history of more than 60 albums, Lynyrd Skynyrd are reunited and reignited, and will deliver a fiery, guitar-driven assault on The Plenary on 11 Feb.
HEY SISTER
Sydney five piece Sister Jane are set to launch their brand new single Whole Wide World at the Old Bar on 9 Nov with guests Buried Feather. The single, taken off their forthcoming second album Frontier, is equal parts sonic sidestep and emotional evolution.
WHAT A STEAL
Brisbane hard rockers Like Thieves, fronted by powerhouse vocalist Clint Boge (The Butterfly Effect), have announced an east coast tour in the wake of the recent success of their EP The Wolves At Winter’s Edge. To accompany their new single Killing Reason, the band have released a live video of the song. See Like Thieves when the come to the Corner Hotel on 30 Nov.
SHED YOUR SKIN
Techno auteur Shed has announced his debut Australian tour. On his latest album, 2012’s The Killer, the German producer melts and merges rough and demanding dancefloor skeletons with shockingly detailed melodies, harmonic structures, irresistible hooks and airy arrangements. He performs at Smalltown at Melbourne Music Week on 17 Nov.
CRONIN GLORY
Bay Area garage-pop master and feel good rocker Mikal Cronin is headed to Australia for the first time this November. He’s been getting tongues wagging with fresh sunny, fuzzy take on punk rock. Catch Cronin at Noisey Mountain at The Residence for Melbourne Music Week on 18 Nov. It’s free, too – just RSVP via Vice.
“I’M THINKING ABOUT YOU RIGHT NOW” - @JAREDLETO ATTEMPTS TO SEXT 14 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
Face The Music reveals its full program online, with additions to the speaker line-up including Ball Park Music’s Sam Cromack. Applications for FTM’s Digital Learning Hub Workshops and Meeting Opportunities are now open for one-on-one and workshop opportunities with ARIA Award-winning artist/producer M-Phazes, Tim Shiel (Musician, Faux Pas, Goyte) and legendary German musician Oval. There’s arranging Strings For Your Music with Georgia Fields, Pre-Production with Jimi Maroudas, the APRA Songwriting Masterclass with Courtney Barnett and more. Register for workshops at facethemusic.org.au by 10 Nov.
SPACED OUT
The Murlocs return with Space Cadet. The song packs some very clever R&B guitar muscle with Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s distinct vocal stamp finely counter-balancing by floating on top with reckless spontaneity. They launch the single at Barwon Club, Geelong on 22 Nov and The Tote on 29 Nov.
BELL OF THE BALL
The long awaited 2014 Bell Shakespeare season has been revealed. Co-artistic director John Bell launches the season with The Winter’s Tale. Damien Ryan makes his main stage directorial debut with Henry V. Justin Fleming’s new version of the deceitful comedy Tartuffe is directed by Peter Evans, who also re-envisages A Midsummer Night’s Dream in The Dream. And Bell Shakespeare reunites with the Australian Chamber Orchestra to present Intimate Letters.
BARE ALL
Miss Jugoslavia & The Barefoot Orchestra is a composed theatre work by Tania Bosak that tells the incredible true story of one man’s self-displacement under the highest of stakes. It makes its debut in Melbourne at Fortyfive Downstairs from 30 Oct to 10 Nov.
LLOYD ‘N’ LIONS
Along with supports The Young Lions and backed by a full band, Alex Lloyd takes his new album Urban Wilderness to Wellers, Kangaroo Ground, 28 Nov; Kelvin Club, Melbourne, 29 Nov; Ferntree Gully Hotel, 30 Nov; Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne, 1 Dec.
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BILLBOARD SATURDAYS SAT 26 OCT
+ WE TALK YOU DIE PRESENT FRIENDSHIPS
#5" 30/24 SAT 23 NOV
%,):!"%4( 2/3%
STRATOVARIUS WED 23 OCT
SUN 24 NOV (MATINÉE SHOW) MARSHALL OKELL & THE PRIDE THU 28 NOV
FRACTURES (SINGLE LAUNCH) FRI 29 NOV
"!44,%3()03
+ VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC FRI 13 DEC
WEDNESDAY 13 FRI 1 NOV
BAM BAM
$10 CARLTON JUGS & $10 BURGERS W/CHIPS WEDNESDAY $12 COOPERS JUGS
THE AGE MUSIC VICTORIA AWARDS WED 20 NOV
SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER
MATINEE SHOW
MANSION ALASKA YUM YUM CULT SMILES FOR RIFLES
CHIC AND NILE RODGERS
EVENING ALBUM LAUNCH
GLASFROSCH
FRI 13 DEC
GELIDO SQUAREHEAD ADAM SIMMONS VS BRIAN O’DWYER MONDAY 28 OCTOBER
FUNKTOBERFEST – FINAL NIGHT
ARTHUR PENN & THE FUNKY TEN
WAKA FLOCKA FLAME
UP UP AWAY SPUNK MACHINE $10 JUGS OF CARLTON
WED 18 DEC
TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER
RESIDENCY – FINAL NIGHT
PURPLE TUSKS
THE DAVID SIMMONS SEXTET TRIO HAMBONE & THE PROSPECTORS
ICED EARTH
COMING UP
SUN 16 MAR
TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX: ARTHUR PENN & THE FUNKY TEN (MONDAYS IN OCTOBER) PURPLE TUSKS (TUESDAYS IN OCTOBER) GRANDSTANDS (WEDNESDAYS IN OCTOBER) SOL NATION – SINGLE LAUNCH (NOV 1) KUMAR SHOME & THE PUNKAWALLAHS (NOV 7) CIRCLES – ALBUM LAUNCH (NOV 8) JERICCO – ALBUM TOUR (NOV 9) SEX ON TOAST (NOV 14) DANCE GAVIN DANCE – USA (NOV 15) MAJOR TOM AND THE ATOMS – ALBUM LAUNCH (NOV 16) HUNDREDTH – USA (NOV 22) DAUGHTERS – USA (JAN 17)
DARK TRANQUILITY THU 27 MAR
FRI DECEMBER 6 KELVIN CLUB, MELBOURNE tickets on sale now from lifeisnoise.com, oztix and the venue
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 15
local news vic.news@themusic.com.au CATHERINE TRAICOS & THE STARRY NIGHT
SONIC STREWTH
AN APPLE A DAY
As the Applecore Backyard Festival outgrows the backyard, Applecore presents a new, oneoff event, The Tribute Series. Headlining two nights at the John Curtin Hotel is Sonic Strewth, performing songs by the iconic band, Sonic Youth. Three Imaginary Boys will also be performing songs by The Cure on both nights. The show on 28 Nov is rounded off by Look Who’s Ween playing the best of Ween, and the 29 Nov show features The Smokes doing The Strokes.
AARON & JOHN
‘The sweetest voice in music’ Aaron Neville and ‘voodoo music masters’ Dr John & The Nite Trippers are teaming up for a doubleheader of a Bluesfest sideshow, celebrating the musical diversity of New Orleans blues. See both acts at Hamer Hall on 21 Apr.
JAM WITH JIMMIE
Jimmie Vaughan, one of the greatest and most respected guitarists in the world of popular music, is coming down under for Bluesfest and some sideshows. Supporting him at his headline show at the Corner Hotel on 17 Apr will be Nikki Hill.
STARRY SKY
Catherine Traicos & The Starry Night release their new album The Earth, The Sea, The Moon, The Sky on 29 Nov and have announced a short but sweet tour to support it. Hear it in a live setting when Traicos and co come to the Spotted Mallard on 6 Dec. Traicos also plays a free solo late arvo show at Pure Pop Records on 8 Dec. Presented by The Music.
IT’S ELECTRIFYING
As a prelude to the third annual cinema program, The Shadow Electric is once again opening up its band room for 12 shows over ten days and nights from 1 to 10 Nov. The 2013 series includes the likes of The Ape, Pluto Jonze, Little Scout (album tour) and Palms (album tour), Courtney Barnett (EP launch), Bored Nothing, The Spoils and Ben Salter. There’s also a Hope Street Records showcase featuring the spectacle that is Bombay Royale. For details visit shadowelectric.com.au.
COOKIN’ WITH GAS
The free Gasworks Spring Music Festival returns to the luscious Gasworks Arts Park for yet another year, offering audiences a superb run of free springtime concerts throughout November. In 2013, the festival will feature legendary Indigenous performer Archie Roach on 17 Nov and Rebecca Barnard of Rebecca’s Empire fame on 24 Nov.
“EARLIER THIS YEAR, I WAS AT A BAR AND THE DJ PLAYED GANGNAM STYLE INTO HARLEM SHAKE. I FELT SO PLEASED. IT WAS SPRINGTIME IN MY HEART.”
FEEL MY VÄTH
Notorious partier, techno don and Future Music Festival favourite Sven Väth will be making his annual pilgrimage south for the national dance event, and will curate his Cocoon Stage once again, headed up by Chilean superstar Luciano. The festival’s on 9 Mar at Flemington Racecourse.
RUFFIAN IT UP
It’s been three years since Canadian indie rock trio, Born Ruffians, graced our shores, and they’re soon to return for a couple of shows including one at Northcote Social Club on 30 Dec. Now touring as a fourpiece, the Ruffians bring with them new material from their latest release Birthmarks.
LIFE SOUNDTRACK
Songs That Made Me unites four of Australia’s finest female singer/songwriters, Katie Noonan, Abby Dobson, Angie Hart and Martha Marlow, to share stories of their influences, artistic journeys and the landmark songs that have sound-tracked their lives. The performance will be held at the Thornbury Theatre on 30 Nov. 16 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
- VAMPIRE WEEKEND’S @ARZE TAKES JOY IN THE SIMPLE THINGS
NOTHING WILL MARR IT
The venue for the Melbourne leg of the 2013 Warped Tour has been confirmed by promoter AJ Maddah, with the event set for Birrarung Marr, near Fed Square, on 7 Dec – not Flemington Racecourse, as previously thought.
THE MASTER
Member of influential turntablist crew Invisibl Skratch Picklz (ISP) and the Beastie Boys’ resident DJ Mix Master Mike is performing at The Espy on 21 Nov.
IT’S ALL GOLDEN, BABY
The Golden Plains line-up has dropped! Without further ado, here are just a few of the acts playing alongside headliners Public Enemy at the Supernatural Amphitheatre from 8 to 10 Mar: You Am I, Flying Lotus, Neko Case, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Yo La Tengo, Cut/Copy, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, The Dr Ones, Chet Faker, Adalita, Gold Panda, Cosmic Psychos, Seekae, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Hiatus Kaiyote, Los Coronas, Osaka Monaurail, SixFtHick and many more.
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 17
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WED OCT 23RD
Trivia with Pat 8pm
THURS OCT 24TH
Richie 1250 on the decks from 8pm
FRI OCT 25TH
Ali E on stage at 7pm
DJ Vince Peach
TUES $
10 RS
from 9pm
SAT OCT 26TH
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OR (BEEF MI) U O L A H
Green’s Dairy Angel Ensemble at 7 30pm
SUN OCT 27TH
Steve Lucas from X plays 6 - 8pm
“FLUID LEARNING PRESENTS BRUNSWICK RACONTEURS - A NIGHT OF AMATEUR SHORT STORY TELLING FROM 6PM�
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18 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
2 FOR 1 MAIN MEALS
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HUGH MCGINLAY & THE RECESSIVE GENES 50pm
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drink
Dan Aykroyd Words Lachlan Marks. Photos Kane Hibberd. Drink Words Stephanie Liew, Hannah Story, Benny Doyle, Callum Twigger, Sally-Anne Hurley. Photos Holly Engelhardt.
drink
HIGH SOCIETY D
an Aykroyd used to be on a mission from God. Now he’s on a mission from Globefill Inc to sell as much of his world-famous Crystal Head Vodka as damn possible. So you gotta start with the vodka questions, otherwise you run the risk of being called a “fucking hosebag”, as was the case when an SBS host refused to let him steer the conversation last week. That said, The Music is all about the booze and blues so we give him a light stir and set him off about his holy grail of alcohols. He means business: the shades are on (and they’re not coming off as our photographer will soon find out), he’s sharply dressed in his official CHV suit and ready to spiel. “Yes, we’re running at battle speed,” he admits. “Anyone selling a book or a DVD or a record or a download would be doing the same thing – it’s just basic Marketing 101. That said I’m so thankful that I’m pushing a product that I can really believe in. You know what? I did sell a few bad movies… selling it on Wednesday and knowing it was gonna be dead by Friday. Having a quadruple award-winning fluid in this beautiful bottle that people are embracing makes my ‘selling’ job really easy and fun.” The design of the product alone, which is based on the same legend of the 13 crystal skulls that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg used to cook up the fourth Indiana Jones film, has proven widely popular, with Crystal Head Vodka bottles now lining the shelves of everyone from your local metalhead to upmarket bars worldwide. Aykroyd acknowledges that its success in Australia mirrors that of his homeland of Canada. “I think it appeals to a rebellious, anarchic streak that we share.” He grins. Popularity does have its drawbacks, however; plenty of liquor stores are forced to keep the prized bottles under lock and key and back in 2011 a group of thieves in Los Angeles made off with a whopping 21,000 skulls that were then sold on the black market. “We had a tractor trailer in one of our distribution point warehouses and a team got in, they got into the tractor, which was still attached to the trailer, and they drove straight through the fence and got away with it! I didn’t reveal it publicly. I waited till we needed it. We had a launch coming up and the LAPD had been so ineffective in finding out who it was, and the insurance guys couldn’t work it out either, so we gave them three to four months so as not to interfere with the investigation then I revealed it. It was half-a-million dollars’ worth of the vodka. My quote at the time was, ‘I don’t condone crime, but I’m really happy that people can consume my vodka at a discounted price!’” As you can tell, Aykroyd is a businessman and he knows a good publicity op when he sees one. When The Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour came into view, he and his counterparts put into action a proposal to see his company enter a partnership with the ageing rock titans, the result of which is his most prized accolade: becoming the official vodka of the tour. At first it seems 20 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
like a tasty cash grab for the Xmas dollars you’re gonna spend on dad (and it is), but Aykroyd explains his friendship with the band is longstanding and includes him inviting Keith, Ronnie and Daryl for an extended stay on his farm only a few years ago. Before he’s even finished his sentence we’ve blurted out a question almost as a reflex -– “holy shit, did you guys jam?” “Absolutely. Every night around the campfire they pulled out the guitars and harp and we sang old blues songs. My uncle is right into George Formby and he plays the banjo. Of course Keith knew exactly who Formby was so we had a wonderful time eating and drinking and staying up till four or five in the morning playing those songs. Keith would rise at three the next day of course… that said, I did most of my real partying with those guys a long time ago.” There are plenty of people that would say Aykroyd indeed partied too hard back then, given his very public discussion of a deep belief in ghosts and extraterrestrials. Ghostbusters may have been a straight-up comedy, but its roots are within Aykroyd’s own passion for the supernatural, growing up in a household that celebrated what lies beyond our own known dimensions. “Look if you wanna talk survival of the consciousness after death, residual spirit phantom energy, mediumship, transmediumship, channelling spirits from the beyond – well that’s a multi-generational thing in my family starting with my great, great grandfather Sam, an Edwardian spiritualist. In the ‘30s and ‘40s we had our own transmedium, his name was Walter Ashhurst… one day in a trance he knelt over the back of a chair and drew a diagram. It turns out later that he was channelling [Charles Proteus] Steinmetz, the physicist. My grandfather, a Bell Telephone engineer, took it to the engineers
Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head Vodka campaign blitzes through Aus as he announces the spirit is the official vodka for The Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour. Lachlan Marks learns the OG Blues Brother also has his own Ghostbusters hotline these days, advising on mediums that might help in “getting people to cross over successfully”.
“OH I’VE ADVISED PEOPLE ON WHO TO CALL...”
at Bell Telephone who explained it was a diagram for a very high-oscillating crystal radio, which my grandfather then concluded was probably designed to communicate with the beyond.” Despite his unnerving and wide-eyed enthusiasm for the paranormal it does seem like the lights have dimmed on the prospect of a third Ghostbusters film, with Bill Murray now famously playing the elusive Roadrunner to
his Wyle E Coyote. When future projects are raised he says he treasures a solid 30-year run in the business and harbours no bitterness if his marketability as a leading man may have “dropped off over the years”. So rather than titillate fans with minor trivia about a film we kinda know isn’t getting made anytime soon (like everybody else will be doing), we’ll leave you with the one and only Dr Raymond Stantz directing us to the real Ghostbusters that he believes deserve the attention nowadays. “Oh I’ve advised people on who to call... in terms of mediums that might help them with getting people to cross over successfully. All the time. People come to me with ghost stories everyday,” he says earnestly. “The parallel world is right beside us. Every single state in the USA has a serious paranormal investigation team, if not every county. Everywhere I go people ask me to come and see their great team work and they go about it in a very, very professional way.”
“EVERY NIGHT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE THEY PULLED OUT THE GUITARS AND HARP AND WE SANG OLD BLUES SONGS.”
AYKROYD ON THE ORIGINS OF ECTOPLASM: “Charles Richet coined the word ectoplasm. He saw an ectoplasmic hand come out of a medium’s stomach. He said, ‘I hate this. I’m a medical researcher and this defies everything I believe in but now I know I have to believe in it’. Is that DNA from the medium or from the entity they are channelling? That is a great scientific quest. Eusapia Palladino, who my dad writes about in his book A History Of Ghosts, was a young woman who could transchannel and she would open her mouth really wide and ectoplasmic forms would come out. I would love to get some of that and test it. I wish that some serious scientist would link arms with me to go forward on this but they don’t. They’re not interested in this.”
CELEBRITYENDORSED BEVERAGES CIROC
P Diddy endorses the suave grape vodka Ciroc, promoting an elite lifestyle accompanied by friends and glamour. Features flavours such as Coconut. Diddy also refers to himself as “Ciroc Obama” on ocassion.
CRUNK!!!
If your libido is a little lacklustre, Lil Jon created an energy drink infused with horny goat weed and other energy-promoting extracts to get the cogs of your rusty sex machine moving.
ABSOLUT VODKA
Zach Galifianakis, and Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, promote Absolut by creating a Golden Girls-style skit featuring beehive wigs and dramatised shaken martinis.
MMMHOPS
If you’re still harbouring some nostalgia for ‘90s pop music, and you wish you could almost taste it, well, we’d like to introduce you to Mmmhops pale ale beer. (MMM) Bop to MMMBop while drinking Hanson’s own Mmmhops. Mmm.
AVION TEQUILA
This real brand of tequila was given free publicity in the TV show Entourage when one of its characters, Turtle, promoted it. The endorsement came about because the tequila’s creator, Marquis Jet tycoon Kenny Dichter, grew up with the show’s creator and director Doug Ellin. THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 21
drink
INCIDER INFO With more kinds and flavours of cider than ever before, Sally-Anne Hurley explains why the apple-based brew ain’t just for ‘weak-stomached girls’ and ‘hated-on hipsters’.
L
ike 40 is supposedly the new 30, or orange the new black, cider could very well be the new beer. Now hold on a minute, I’m not bagging out the goodness of the latter nor assuming anything could ever really replace it as our nation’s favourite type of alcohol. I mean, I love a cold, frothy schooner or a Corona with lime on a hot afternoon as much as the next person. But our love affair with cider is growing by the minute and it’s staking a big claim as the new, trendy drink ‘round town. Cider has long been a popular choice of beverage in Europe, particularly the UK. Maybe our close connection to our brothers and sisters from the motherland is a contributing factor to our newfound love of cider and the rise of our consumption of the beverage over the past few years. According to a recent report released by market research company Roy Morgan Research, since 2011, consumption of cider by men between the ages of 18-24 alone has increased 50%, with the number of women drinking cider in the same age bracket rising by a staggering 132%. These statistics represent a number of things to different people. Someone like myself, a cider lover, would look at that and say, “Wow, that’s a whole lot of Aussie cider drinkers and woohoo, I am one of those awesome (and young) people.” Others interpret this as cider being a drink for the “hipsters” or for girls
“IT’S NOT JUST FOR THE GIRLS WHO ALLEGEDLY CAN’T HANDLE THEIR GROG.” who can’t handle “real grog” – I have in fact been told both these on several occasions. So what is it about this drop that has young Aussies frothing at the mouth and how can we, the weak-stomached girls or the hated-on hipsters, possibly convince the non-believers why cider is just so gosh darn good? Let’s break it down, shall we? First of all, there’s a bit of history behind the drink. I don’t know about you, but I personally love stories about the good ol’ days and the way things used to be. Everyone and everything has a backstory and when people are a part of something with tradition, they generally feel like they are a part of something special (whether it is or not is another thing, but who gives a toss what others think, right?). People have been crushing and chopping up apples to make cider for centuries – even in the BC era. So that means there is a huge chance even Jesus had a drink of apple cider at some point. I 22 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
mean, he liked wine, so clearly the man had good taste. You don’t see people sitting around a table late Saturday night discussing the history of Bacardi Breezers now, is my point. There isn’t a deep and meaningful story behind it that adds a timeless quality or links generations together. Secondly, humans need and want variety. Cider has come a long way from its traditional apple days. Nowadays, you can get all kinds of different flavours and tastes in both dry and sweet ciders. Wild berry, strawberry and lime, mango and raspberry, blackcurrant, winter cider (still not
fully sure what that consists of, but it tastes good) and more. Not to mention, all the different brands of cider that you can get now – Bulmers, Rekorderlig, Pipsqueak, Castaway and Magners are just some that spring to mind. Generally, Gen Y doesn’t like to stand still, so to speak, and stay in their comfort zones. Perhaps the spike in cider love over the last couple of years is a reflection of young Aussies wanting to continue to try new things and think (or drink) outside the norm. Finally, in the interest of breaking down barriers, cider doesn’t discriminate. It really does appeal to almost anyone. I mean, put the two points I’ve been banging on about previously together and you can see that the appeal of cider is almost endless. It’s not just for the girls who allegedly can’t handle their grog, or for the hipsters, or even the old European chaps who used to crush the apples themselves, or – God willing (excuse the pun) – Jesus. I like to think of it as the Switzerland of alcohol: a neutral domain that can bring people from all walks of life together – obviously not in a war safehaven kind of sense, but to bring on good times, happy taste buds and thoroughly quenched thirsts. Embrace it, alcohol lovers, cause something tells me the ol’ cider isn’t going anywhere.
DRINKING GAMES We know you’re not meant to play drinking games after the age of 16, but hey, sometimes nostalgia gets the best of you, and no one has any drugs, and there’s no gigs on, and you’ve just got to gather around the kitchen table with more alcohol than you could probably get through in a year. Make some sangria, call some friends, eat an entire loaf of bread and get prepared: Hannah Story talks you through it.
KING CUP
NEVER EVER HAVE I EVER
King Cup is your standard drinking game. Everyone has played it, everyone has a horror story, everyone wishes they hadn’t hurled in the sink afterwards. It’s just the way it goes. It’s disputable what the real rules are (everyone has their own variations), but it goes like this: lay out your cards in a circle face-down. Take turns picking a card. You do the action that corresponds to the card: usually, drinking. When you get a king you put booze into the vessel and make a rule. It continues until the final king is picked up, and someone has to drink the King Cup. One time the vessel was a dog’s bowl. One time the lethal mixture was two parts bourbon, one part Cruiser. We all thanked God we didn’t get that one.
Usually a number in King Cup leads to a quick game of Never Ever Have I Ever. But we figured it deserves its own spot in the Drinking Game Hall of Fame because of its capacity to humiliate and bring people together, all at the same time. One person will make a statement about something they’ve never done. Everyone who has done the thing drinks. And so it continues. It usually reveals something horrible you never knew, and is a perfect way to break the ice with a new group of friends. What better way to bond than by admitting that you have both watched Paris Hilton’s porno? It’s a relationship killer though, so don’t play with your significant other.
GOON OF FORTUNE
“MAKE SOME SANGRIA, CALL SOME FRIENDS AND GET PREPARED.”
Goon of Fortune is a decidedly ‘rural’ drinking game, apparently. It seems to generally involve the great outdoors, which is just not something city-dwellers are good at. You tie a goon sack (cask wine, whatever) to a clothesline and then spin it around. Whoever it lands on drinks the goon. Because of the position (hanging) it goes straight down your throat/all over your face. If you don’t own a clothesline, try a ceiling fan, but in that case maybe go with white wine? It wont stain your carpet so bad. Note: you will vomit, even if it’s just because you’ve been watching the clothesline spin for two hours.
MAO Because every time we play Mao, we have already been drinking, we can’t be sure if Mao has no rules, or if it has lots of rules. It’s a standard card game: you get seven cards from the deck, you take turns putting a card down. There seem to be four or five set rules that one player knows, and then penalises the others – with a shot and a card. You’re supposed to be able to discern what the rules are by watching other people fuck it up. If you win the round (call Mao at one card left, when you have none you win), you make up a rule, and penalise the others. It goes on until everyone either passes out or leaves the authoritarian state. We can’t tell you what the rules are though, that’ll spoil it.
RIDE THE BUS Ride the Bus is exhausting to explain. When we first played I had no idea what was happening, and then everyone somehow managed to gang up on one person who ended up having a pretty bad night. Set out ten cards in the shape of a triangle. Everyone playing gets four cards. A card from the wide end of the triangle is turned over. If you have a card with the same face value, you put your card down, and the set is discarded. Then you nominate someone to drink. Keep turning over cards along the row, and then on the other rows. In the other rows of the triangle, you can up the amount of drinks allocated. It’s over once the bus is gone, and whoever has the most cards left is the loser.
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE DRUNK
drink
CALL YOUR EX
Or text them. Same goes for your mum. And also your friends’ mums. Just put down the phone.
FACEBOOK OR TWEET
Your insightful stream-ofconsciousness observations and witty quips are actually hideously misspelled nonsensical ramblings.
PLAY SPORT
Even if you’re actually co-ordinated, balls, bats and booze don’t mix. Also, it is not the appropriate time to show off your handstand skills lest you land on your neck.
VISIT THE ATM
You WILL walk away leaving your card or cash or both behind.
BIKE RIDE
Don’t drink and drive; don’t drink and ride.
GO TO THE MOVIES/THEATRE
You don’t wanna be the guy reeking of booze and laughing constantly at things that aren’t even funny. People hate that guy.
GROOM YOURSELF
The inebriated should not attempt to shave or remove body hair using other methods (particularly around the genital area), cut or colour their hair or paint their nails.
COOK AN ELABORATE MEAL
No one wants to see you stumbling around half-naked preparing a roast and trimmings while muttering “I’m Nigella, mmm, scrumptious!” and narrowly avoiding burning yourself.
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 23
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AN ALTERNATE GUIDE TO OUTDOOR DRINKING Gardens Grab a six pack and head to the Edinburgh Gardens, North Fitzroy* to soak up the sun and good vibes this summer. Think carnies in the park, music in the rotunda, picnics, ice cream, dogs and getting daytime drunk. (*or Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra/Carlton Gardens/Queen Victoria Gardens etc.) Playgrounds/Parks Probably wait until all the kids are gone for this one. But once the families have left, bust out the bevvies and reclaim your kingdom of swings and slides. Hey, you’re an adult, and you’re allowed to do what you want, right? Just make sure that you dispose of bottles and cans appropriately for obvious reasons. Have some respect for your youngers. Beaches Sun, sea, tiny grains of sand making their way into all your orifices, all while you suck or sip on your sauce of choice. It’s a summer standard, and even those who are wary of the water can’t deny that there’s something relaxing about getting tipsy with the sun on your back, waves lapping the shore .
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Backyards Old faithful and the obvious choice for those paranoid about being fined for drinking in public. You get to choose your own tunes, fire up the barbie or stock up on chips and dips, and choose whether you want peace and quiet, a few good mates, or your whole crew (backyard size permitting). And then when you’ve had a few too many, the couch or the bed are mere steps away. Outdoor Cinemas IMAX screens and surround sound systems are one thing, but there’s just something extra special about sitting on rugs and blow-up chairs in the park (Moonlight Cinemas, Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra) or bean bags or chairs on a rooftop (Rooftop Cinemas, Rooftop Bar and Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinemas, St Kilda), snacking and drinking while you wait for the sun to go down and the movie to start.
OUR TOP OUTDOOR DRINKING VENUES Siglo, CBD This is the cocktail bar to go to if you’re looking for something a little bit fancy, or if you’ve got a special occasion or some spare cash that’s burning to be spent on good quality booze. Nestled in the CBD above The Melbourne Supper Club, Siglo’s open-air rooftop terrace overlooks Collins Street and Parliament House.
Wesley Anne, Northcote When the sun goes down the most romantic beer garden in town can be found at The Wesley Anne in Northcote. Think open fires, candles and trees adorned in fairy lights. Caters to all, whether you’re after a place that’s familyfriendly, has share plates for groups, or is suitable for some casual wooing. The Espy, St Kilda After a hard day’s work wading in the water, tanning on the beach or strolling along the pier, walk up St Kilda’s Esplanade and order a round at iconic establishment The Espy. Sit outside and watch the sun go down over the sea. Corner Hotel, Richmond It’s a sunny Saturday and you’ve got nothing planned. After a late brunch, amble over to live music staple the Corner Hotel in Richmond and gather 24 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
a gang of mates ‘round a wooden table on the rooftop. Polish off some jugs and hang around until the bands start playing. Saturday sorted. The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy Sometimes you just really want a pub parma, burger, enchiladas or fish and chips; whichever pub meal’s got you salivating, the Standard’s sure to make it. A Fitzroy favourite, the Standard Hotel features plenty of live music, an outdoor garden and a leafy canopy under which you can enjoy a cold one or five. Tyranny Of Distance, Windsor Hidden down an alleyway off the Windsor end of Chapel Street, Tyranny Of Distance has got breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts on the menu (that paella is killer) as well as an extensive beer, wine and cocktails list. Plus, there’s free wi-fi. Howler, Brunswick The hip, new kid on the block, Howler in Brunswick is a converted warehouse space. With live music up and running, plans to incorporate an art gallery and theatre performance space, and an Asianstyle hawker food menu, it’s also got an impressive outdoor space: log seating, eye-catching lights, steel sculptures, plenty of greenery and a killer bike rack.
DAN AYKROYD’S COCKTAILS CRYSTAL HEAD COCKTAIL PARTY “It has no sugar. It has no glycerine. It has no citrus oil. It’s the virgin canvas for bartenders.”
DAN AYKROYD’S PUNCH IN THE HEAD “It’s 2 ounces of Crystal Head, pineapple juice, lychee, liqueur from Pernod Ricard and a little soda water.
PORTLAND SWEET ‘LIL PIGGY “In Portland, Oregon I saw a guy do this: a maple sugar cube, wrapped in bacon with bitters, blueberry syrup, hibiscus syrup and the Vodka.”
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 17
CHUCKLE PARK
drink
FERDYDURKE
Who’s pouring and what makes them special? Rose is the newest addition to the Chuckle Park team. She has a way of making all who frequent Chuckle Park feel special. Makes a killer coffee. Super friendly with a splash of sass. 322 LITTLE COLLINS ST. CBD CHUCKLEPARK.COM.AU
Answered by: Jack Trist Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. Chuckle Park is an oasis of fun. Refreshment and sustenance to the soul and body in the form of great tunes, tasty morsels and cool cocktails. What is your signature drink? Chuckle’s Passion Punch. Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. Everyone is welcome at Chuckle Park. Sightseers and shoppers wanting a pit stop to refuel; office workers wanting a quick escape before heading home; regulars who just love to hang out in the space and have called it their own.
What is the best drink to f inish off the night? Over winter, a hot mug of Chuckle Berry Finn goes down a treat. Like drinking an alcoholic black forest cake. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Our Bloody Caesars are the best in Melbourne – coupled with a meatball wrap, you’ll be right as rain. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? THE BIGGEST BOTTLE ON THE SHIP!!!
31 TATTERSALLS LN. CBD FERDYDURKE.COM.AU
Answered by: Sam Lyddy Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. A chill atmosphere in a lofty/attic-style space of beautiful timber, views and relaxed lighting. Atmosphere can range from being chilled to a party vibe on weekends. What is your signature drink? The Ferdydurke. Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. They usually are a chilled out yet fun crowd that love good drinks and quality music. Who’s pouring and what makes them special? Yui, fiery exciting girl with a big and kind personality; Adam, chilled and attentive; and Akane, a good, gentle soul that gives a shit.
Does the bar have a music component? Jazz, left field and instrumental hip hop, house, disco, disco house, experimental, electronic, Latin, funk, Afro. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? A single malt. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Classic Bloody Mary: a bit spicy, and a few hotdogs. Bread and sausage with condiments and other toppings... mmmmm. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? A decent smooth rum. Goes great with coconuts and I can share it over a banter with my mate Wilson.
HELL’S KITCHEN
PARIS CAT JAZZ CLUB
20 CENTRE PL. CBD
6 GOLDIE PL. CBD PARISCAT.COM.AU
Answered by: Russell Tarbett Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. Affectionately known as Hells, this intimate laneway bar overlooking Centre Place delivers food, drinks and ever-changing tunes from noon till late every day. What is your signature drink? Whiskey Sour. Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. Hells has been a staple watering hole for the local arts scene, but its warm and welcoming atmosphere is enjoyed by all who climb the stairs. Who’s pouring and what makes them special? No matter who you find behind the bar at Hells, 26 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
Does the bar have a music component? Chuckle Park has a DJ playing every Saturday night, playing eclectic electronic remixes of everyone’s favorites to the more obscure.
you know that you are going to get quality drinks and food without the bullshit attitude. Does the bar have a music component? Usually there’s a DJ at the bar with crate of records. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? Try something from our short but solid list of scotches. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Have a crack at the Hells Bloody Mary made with our house-infused chili vodka. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? If the barman was Timmy Stratton, hands down Fernet Branca.
Answered by: Serge Carnovale Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. 1930s French post-war bee-bop era. It’s lush, dimly lit and laid-back. Between Little Bourke and Lonsdale Streets and parallel to Hardware Lane is a short alley called Goldie Place. What is your signature drink? Our martini is popular! Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. The club has a strong live jazz music following and attracts all age groups. Musicians, tourists, music lovers of all ages frequent the club. Who’s pouring and what makes them special? Ash pours
a cool martini and is very passionate about his music. Does the bar have a music component? We have live jazz four nights a week and sometime feature up to six shows in that time. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? My favourite is Frangelico and fresh lime on crushed ice. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? A Berocca, some eye patches and a Miles Davis CD. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? A bottle of Crystal Head.
M O O N L A ND I N G 2 0 1 4 W O R L D TO U R
WITH
S U N D AY 8 J U N E THE PLENARY O N S A L E M O N D AY 2 8 O C T O B E R F O R E XC L U S I V E P R E - S A L E I N F O R M AT I O N G O T O F R O N T I E R T O U R I N G . C O M
FRONTIERTOURING.COM | JAMESBLUNT.COM N E W A L B U M M O O N L A N D I N G F E AT U R I N G T H E H I T S I N G L E B O N F I R E H E A R T O U T N O W THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 27
PUNCH LANE
drink
SAINT & ROGUE to stay on a little longer and head upstairs for dinner. Friday nights we have an outstanding mix of professional men and women winding down from the working week.
coming back and have helped us stand the test of time.
43 LITTLE BOURKE ST. CBD PUNCHLANE.COM.AU
Answered by: Martin Pirc Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. A well worn-in Melbourne haunt that is just touching its second decade. Hints of European overtones, icon red leather chairs sat on by The Beatles during their 1963 Australian tour, wine swept walls and old world charm. What is your signature drink? By the glass wall of wine. Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. Customers in search of a watering hole that is about quality wine, beer and spirits. Our crowd knows a good thing, keep
What’s pouring and what makes it special? Domaine Pegau’s Vin de France called Plan Pegau. Domaine Pegau commands serious prices for their Chateauneuf du Pape wines and this is a great little juicy complex wine. Does the bar have a music component? We’ve embraced modern technology through Sonos which give us access to millions of tracks at the touch of a button. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? Grand or Rare classified Muscat from Rutherglen. Liquid dessert that puts a smile on everyone’s face. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Good wine doesn’t hit as hard as cheap and cheerful. If all else fails, a Bloody Mary. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? Bottle of rum to go with the many coconuts I will have to eat to stay alive!
THE RUM DIARY BAR
582 LITTLE COLLINS ST. CBD SAINTANDROGUE.COM.AU
Answered by: Shane Breen Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar? Little Collins Street, adjacent to Southern Cross Station, Saint & Rogue Public House and Kitchen: a place that gets back to the roots of a quality pub. It combines a mix of the old pub feel with modern elements to create a relaxed space to meet, eat and drink. What is your signature drink? Erdinger.
Who’s pouring and what makes them special? Our bartender Harry is pretty special. He’s learning to be a surgeon but he’s a great bartender! Does the bar have a music component? We always play some background beats. What is the best drink to f inish of the night? Sullivan’s Cove Double Barrel Whisky. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Jameson and soda with a bacon and egg sandwich. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? Johnny Walker Black Label.
Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar? During the week we see long lunches and after work drinkers catching up for a pint. Many choose
THE WAITING ROOM make up the team at The Waiting Room – national cocktail competition finalists, fine spirit aficionados, someliers and even a Guinness World Record holder to name a few.
334 BRUNSWICK ST. FITZROY RUMDIARYBAR.COM.AU
8 WHITEMAN ST. CBD CROWNMELBOURNE.COM.AU/THEWAITING-ROOM-BAR
Answered by: Hamish Goonetilleke
Strachan, Nick Dennis, Tash Sorensen and Eric Jong.
Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. Distressed timber and a nautical theme. Warm, cosy and inviting. It’s a bar you get stuck in because you’re having so much fun and the vibe is electric!
Does the bar have a music component? Old school ‘60s and ‘70s, new dub, acoustic Thursdays, DJs late on Fridays and Saturdays.
Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. The 1940s-influenced Waiting Room is the perfect hideaway for an intimate evening or just to relax.
What is the best drink to f inish off the night? Zombie!
What is your signature drink? Queens Park Swizzle.
What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Hainan chicken and a shot of rum.
Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. Frequented by stars and general public alike, the clientele can be quite mixed. Whether it is for a quiet coffee and snack during the day or shared plates and cocktails at night, all are welcome.
What is your signature drink? Dark’n’stormy and Pina Colada. Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. Easygoing, fun crowd. Generally 25-39 and love their rum and old school tunes. Who’s pouring and what makes them special? The staff are varied but all love their cocktails, fun and rum! Josh Crawford, Andy 28 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? Banks Of Endeavour: blend of five 1996 vintage rums presented in an engraved decanter. 35th in Top 120 Spirits!
Answered by: Joel Heffernan
Who’s pouring and what makes them special? Some of Melbourne’s best bartenders
Does the bar have a music component? Acoustic piano with some of Melbourne’s best contemporary and jazz musicians. At night, eclectic sounds of progressive house and nu-jazz. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? A simple Rutherglen Tokay or a perfectly balanced Old Fashioned is the best way to sip the night away. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? The staff favourite for tackling the toughest of hangovers would be a Red Snapper – basically a London Dry Gin-based variation of a Bloody Mary. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? The Crozet Cuvee Leonie 1858. It boasts the Guinness World Record for the most expensive bottle sold at auction.
VON HAUS
WOLF’S LAIR
drink
Who’s pouring and what makes them special? The staff at Von Haus are just as unique as our customers. They all have a great interest in food and wine, which enables them to find the perfect drop for the right person.
1A CROSSLEY ST. CBD VONHAUS.COM.AU
Answered by: Deven Marriner Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. Built in the late 19th century, Von Haus is rustic, cosy and just a little bit like a well-stocked lounge room. We are all about enjoying good food and wine in a relaxed and unpretentious space. What is your signature drink? Wine. Wine. Wine! Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. We have a diverse yet discerning crowd – people who like good food, good wine and good music. Melbourne is a creative melting pot and we get them all.
Does the bar have a music component? We don’t have live music. We sponsor Blue Juice on PBS. Blues, soul and roots being the tunes we love. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? For the last drink of the night nothing beats Laphroaig Quarter Cask Single Malt Whisky. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? HAIR OF THE DOG! Beer always makes everything better. We rotate a number of craft beers, and found that Sample Pale Ale does the trick every time. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? Leroy Bourgogne Rouge 1999. Amazing!
OFF JIMMY WATSON LN. CARLTON WOLFSLAIR.COM.AU
Answered by: Simon McCulloch Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar. Hidden deep in the woods is a secret lodge where you can hide from the world, or sit in the trees and plan your conquest of it. Whilst there, enjoy a selection of fine beers, wines and unusual spirits mixed to perfection. What is your signature drink? Skirtlifter. Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar. From 18 to 80, everyone is welcome. We do attract a lot of Melbourne Uni students and lecturers. What’s pouring and what makes it special? Butch Morgan Shiraz from Barossa – a huge red, with
tonnes of fruit. Lucky Duck Cider – a local brewed that’s fun in the sun. Blue Sun Pinot Gris from Canterbury – great wine, let’s help after the earthquake! Does the bar have a music component? Delightful selection elevator music on repeat. What is the best drink to f inish off the night? 1942 All Saints Liquor Muscat. What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? $20 hand shandy and two Panadine Forte. If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? Nebuchadnezzar of a Jimmy Watson Trophy Winner.
CLUB 23 Who’s pouring and what makes them special? A team of industry proportions, we have gathered people who have worked all over and on all levels of the industry, creating a bubble of perspective and know-how that delivers time and time again. LVL 3, CROWN TOWERS. SOUTHBANK VONHAUS.COM.AU
Answered by: Adam Verratti Briefly describe the design/ atmosphere of the bar? A luxurious destination club for those in the know. With lavish custom-designed environments and an elaborate balcony, and home to a unique perspective of the Melbourne vista.
Does the bar have a music component? Thursday from 6pm: Carmen Hendricks & The Soul Remedy Band. World class DJs spinning all weekend long. What is the best drink to f inish of the night? Macallan 30-yearold in a crystal-cut rocks glass with one cube of ice.
What is your signature drink? The Peppercorn’s Blush.
What’s your advice for tackling a hangover? Pick yourself up, have a cup of Assam English breakfast tea with some kind of electrolyte sports drink and then get awesome again and repeat the night over.
Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar? International faces and Melbourne’s people in the know. Trend-savvy clientele who have a taste for the best are what help to create the atmosphere that is renowned as the hottest space in town.
If your bartender was stuck on an island and could only save one bottle from the bar of the sinking ship what would it be? Remy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6, a rare edition of the Louis XIII incased in a black crystal decanter.
drink it up with
www.themusic.com.au your drinking companion THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 29
music
STILL HANGIN’ ‘ROUND After a 15-year layoff, Hunters & Collectors – one of Australia’s most cherished homegrown rock’n’roll bands – are dusting off the gear to reinforce why they were always considered such a fearsome live proposition. Frontman Mark Seymour takes Steve Bell into the inner sanctum of one of Australia’s most insular and innovative outfits.
H
unters & Collectors were one of the defining bands of the Australian scene throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, their powerful, hardhitting aesthetic and tireless work ethic forging them a massive following during the death throes of the previously lucrative pub circuit and beyond. They didn’t always achieve the critical acclaim that they clearly warranted but they always possessed a large and fervent fanbase, their years of hard work having transformed them into a consistently taut live proposition. And then of course there were the songs. Everyone these days knows the ubiquitous Hunnas hits such as Holy Grail, Throw Your Arms Around Me and Say Goodbye, but they had in their armoury a clutch of anthemic numbers which acted like a panacea to their sweaty and adoring throngs, the sense of community in those packed pubs and clubs almost sacrosanct. On the eve of their long-awaited comeback – first prompted by an offer to support Bruce Springsteen, which quickly morphed into a full-scale reunion tour – Hunters & Collectors’ frontman and songwriter Mark Seymour is reflecting on how the pub circuit shaped his band back in the day, given how unforgiving the crowds could be to bands that didn’t have their shit together. “Yeah I think it did, I think it refined our sound,” he concedes. “Although the last thing we did in ’98, I guess you could call it a pub tour but it was so big – we were playing to such big crowds – that it sort of developed into a sort of concert-like environment, which is why we ended up being able to play okay when we did [massive 2009 bushfire benefit] Sound Relief. We’d just learnt a lot of things about how to play as a big presentation. I think to get out of the pubs and to play on a bigger stage in Australia without actually having any significant international success is a pretty hard thing to pull off, because in the end you’ve still got to play in Australia. You’re not going anywhere else.” Seymour wrote at length about his tenure in Hunters & Collectors throughout excellent 2008 memoir Thirteen Tonne Theory, and one of the most interesting aspects was the band’s regimented internal dynamic – it functioned almost like a union rather than a run-of-the-mill rock band. “I think there’s an element of honesty there that endured. Look, ticking my own box, I tend to bring that out in people,” Seymour laughs. “I’m not frightened of stepping up – if an issue has to be addressed, it has to be addressed straight away. I just think that there was a real hard, fierce sense of identity and determination in that group that enabled it to last as long as it did, even though we had quite mixed commercial fortunes. But I think that everybody really enjoyed performing. The gigs were always really exciting – some were better than others of course – but we always enjoyed that, which sort of saved us.” He’s since forged a respectable solo career, but if all went well on this impending reunion could Seymour ever imagine writing for Hunters & Collectors again? 30 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
“No,” he states emphatically. “I’m not going to do it. I’ve been asked a few times, but I just won’t cross that line. I definitely stepped away. The thing is that the last couple of albums were really difficult to make, and I pretty much pulled my head in. The beauty of the band was its willingness to keep pressing on, but when Hunters came back and we made [1998’s final album] Juggernaut, which was... okay – I wouldn’t say it’s great – but I was just really struggling to find a way to put really catchy choruses in there: all the basic songwriting tricks, my toolkit, I’d just lost it. “And I think it had a lot to do with the fortunes of the band and my relationship with them – there were a lot of issues surrounding the publishing that I think were eventually going to sow the seeds of the band’s demise as a creative outfit. I think those issues are still there – there’s nothing personal in any of that, but I’d made my mind up that for me to grow as an artist and a songwriter I have to work outside that band, and I made that decision a long time ago.” The publishing dispute that Seymour’s referring to was his infamous decision to split his songwriting royalties equally between the band members, one which subsequently cost him a lot of income – does he regret this altruistic gesture? “Ah, I don’t really have a clear answer to that,” he offers after a lengthy pause. “You know, I think
“THERE WAS A REAL HARD, FIERCE SENSE OF IDENTITY AND DETERMINATION IN THAT GROUP” there have been times when I’ve regretted it in the past, but I’m also willing to accept that I wanted to embrace that community. I wanted to be a part of it, and that was the price I had to pay. I think that the way that the song splits were designed didn’t reflect well on my relationship with a couple of key individuals in the band, which I think is just a personal issue more than anything else. But the band’s come back after all this time and it plays really well, which is essentially what it’s greatest strength was – it was just a fantastic live band – and I’m happy to embrace that. But I think the songwriting question is a whole different ballgame. And I’ve just got to mature – it’s about my own maturity and growth really as much as anything else.” WHAT: Crucible: The Songs Of Hunters & Collectors (Liberation) WHEN & WHERE: 25 Jan, The Hill Winery, Geelong; 8 Feb, All Saints Estate, Rutherglen; 22 Mar, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 31
music
IN WITH THE OLD Most fans prefer Limp Bizkit’s older material and won’t even give their new record a second listen, but Fred Durst couldn’t care less. The vocalist talks with Daniel Cribb about overcoming tragedy and freeing themselves of expectation.
J
uggling a million things at once, it’s the developments of the latest Eastbound & Down episode that is in the foreground of Fred Durst’s mind when he answers his phone. “I’m a big fan of Danny McBride and I’ve been watching it since the get-go. I really enjoy it, man. It’s really funny, and it just seems like it’s going to be really outrageous,” the frontman begins from the midst of an intense recording session. “I’m doing a little something here with, believe it or not, Billy Ray Cyrus,” he says. “He’s got this song about paying attention to what’s going on in the world and getting your shit together and doing something about it.” It’s not a stretch to conclude the song may have something to do with Miley’s twerking in August, but when asked his thoughts on the subject, it becomes clear that Billy is probably within earshot. “I think she’s doing her own thing, you know, and whatever she’s doing is obviously to leave a mark, and it looks like it’s working.” Durst spends most of his time in the studio these days, and when he’s not working with other artists, he’s finalising mixes for the new Limp Bizkit record, which, after numerous release date changes, will finally see the light of day in the first quarter of next year. But, unlike the Cyrus family, Durst admits Limp Bizkit aren’t really expecting to produce career-defining material in Stampede Of The Disco Elephants. “This whole thing of people only touring an album or something to market or push, I mean, realistically, with Limp Bizkit, how many of you guys are going to sit around and want us to play a bunch of songs that no one knows? How many of those songs can we possibly fit into our set without boring the shit out of everybody?” Soundwave 2012 was the band’s first Australian tour since fan Jessica Michalik died during their set at the 2001 Sydney Big Day Out, so the reunion was always going to be an emotional one. “It was good to come back and dedicate our whole experience and our return to [ Jessica]. It was amazing; we loved it and didn’t want to come home. It just felt like there was so much emotion and passion...We promised our fans that we would come back and do a proper tour outside of the festival market, 32 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
so we’re coming back over there to get our feet wet and have some fun. Limp Bizkit is a very unique experience and we want to share it with you guys.” Stampede Of The Disco Elephants’ first single, Ready To Go, which features Lil Wayne, was released in April, and will no doubt be one of the new songs incorporated
album has something fresh and exciting that I’m prone to be drawn to a little bit more right now.” One of the aforementioned trials was the departure of DJ Lethal last year. After leaving the band at the start of 2012 due to drug and alcohol abuse, he made amends and was welcomed back, only to be kicked out shortly after. “We decided he needed some time to work on some personal things. It wasn’t great for us, it was shocking, but we have nothing but the greatest wishes for Lethal and we just sort of kept quiet about it and are just trying to stay focused and move forward and be better people.” Before the new record comes out next year, the band will be releasing a couple more singles. Such a drip-
“HOW MANY OF THOSE SONGS CAN WE POSSIBLY FIT INTO OUR SET WITHOUT BORING THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYBODY?” into the set. It sits somewhere between 2011’s Gold Cobra and 1999’s Significant Other. “We wanted to leave some character in there and not polish things up. I think it feels very exciting. I love all the things we’ve done because I’ve lived through them and I put my heart into them and went through the trials and tribulation of being in our band and appreciate everything we’ve done. I surely think this
feed approach to releasing a record is only possible due to the band leaving major label Interscope and signing up with Cash Money Records in February. “There’s no pressure; no one over your shoulder at all, everyone’s doing their own thing. [Cash Money Records] are like, ‘Hey, you’re Limp Bizkit, go be Limp Lizkit and enjoy yourselves’. Nobody’s chasing another hit, chasing a song that sounds like an old song or chasing a format that’s popular amongst music buyers. It’s put the excitement back into the seed that was planted when we got together and first started making music for ourselves when there was no one listening. It’s still hard to erase the fact that there are people anticipating and there’s opinions out, but for the most part, we’re back to no pressure.” WHEN & WHERE: 27 Oct, Festival Hall
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 33
style
IT’S A SHOE-IN
I
n Their Shoes is a major worldwide creative project that involves musicians across the globe coming together in the name of charity to hand design Converse sneakers. These oneof-a-kind shoes will be auctioned off on eBay this month, which is our national Breast Cancer Awareness
Shoe and music enthusiasts, prepare yourselves. You could potentially be the owner of sneakers that your favourite artist has not only touched, but personally designed. Some local and international bands got out the textas, drew on some Converses and are auctioning them off to raise much-needed funds for charity.
NUGGETS INSPIRED (ART BY JASON GALEA)
PORTUGAL. THE MAN
BLOODS THE BLACK KEYS
GROUPLOVE
34 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
Month, with all proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation or a charity of the artist’s choice. Over the course of 18 months, local and touring musicians were asked to create a design using nothing more than a pair of plain white Converse sneakers and Sharpie fabric markers. Bands such as Portugal. The Man, Bloods, The Black Keys, Grouplove (whose vocalist Hannah Hooper’s own Converse creation for her tour manager actually inspired the initiative), Frightened Rabbit, Bon Iver, Santigold, You Am I, Skrillex, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, James Blunt, New Order, Kimbra, Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis and Red Hot Chili Peppers all rolled up their sleeves and exercised their art skills for a good cause.
and close on Tuesday 29 Oct, with starting bids from $99. The designs and full list of contributing artists can all be found at intheirshoes.com.au.
The auction will go live at ebay.com. au/intheirshoes from Thursday 24 Oct at 6pm
YOU AM I
BON IVER SKRILLEX SANTIGOLD
FRIGHTENED RABBIT
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 35
music
BRAND CAMP General Manager of VICE Records Jamie Farkas informs Simone Ubaldi that although illegal downloading “pretty much destroyed” the music industry, brand partnerships are the way to fight back.
A
s General Manager of VICE Records, Jamie Farkas is the weathervane of the new world order. A keynote speaker at the 2013 Face The Music conference, Farkas will address the local music industry on career benchmarks, building an online fanbase and the right time to tour overseas, but the real wisdom she brings is about the power of brand partnerships. “[In] the music industry, it’s no secret, but illegal downloads pretty much destroyed it for a minute there and people have really struggled with ‘What is the answer?’, ‘What is the new business model?’” Farkas says. “I think in the last year, the answer has come out and I think brands are a huge part of that.” VICE Records launched in 2002 with the release of The Streets’ Original Pirate Material. An extension of the VICE magazine trademark, the label was seen as a natural bolton for the rapidly expanding media company. “Music has always been something really integral to VICE’s DNA. VICE is a youth culture brand and music is an integral part of youth culture. Outside of that, music is just something that everyone is really passionate about here.” Farkas describes her own relationship with music as a lifelong devotion. Growing up in a house that had a record player in every room, she tried desperately to learn an instrument – any instrument – but failed miserably. At the age of 16, she rushed into her parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night, in the throes of an epiphany: ‘There’s business behind music. I’m really smart and I can do that!’ she exclaimed, becoming a summer intern at Caroline Records shortly afterwards. When Farkas came on board in 2003, VICE magazine was established as the hipster bible, but the company was on the verge of a radical expansion. Over the next decade, it would grow from privately owned, selectively distributed indie snark to a media empire worth an estimated $1.4 billion, with Rupert Murdoch as a business partner. Along with the record label and a film production arm, VICE launched VBS.TV (an online TV channel), Noisey (an online music channel) and various other lifestyle-themed channels and sub-sites. Then, the pièce de résistance: VICE launched a holistic marketing agency called AdVICE In 2008, to take the amassed audience 36 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
from their multitudinous platforms and “make it possible for brands to reach key demographics and deliver a targeted message through traditional and innovative advertising opportunities”. VICE Records is a humble enterprise, in terms of music distribution. It has eight artists on its roster currently and has released albums or singles for roughly two dozen acts since its inception. But the music arm of the VICE empire has a vastly more complex role than just putting music out. Under the direction of Farkas, Vice Records does music supervision for VICE TV and film projects, books talent for VICE events, programs festivals and, perhaps most importantly, connects artists to advertisers. “We’re not just a label,” Farkas agrees. “What we do well is work with our sales team and our creative team. There are a lot of clients that the company works with that have music initiatives and we’re really instrumental in coming up with what those programs are going to be.”
Currently, VICE is working with Ray-Ban on its ‘Envision’ campaign. “The whole idea is that you see art differently,” Farkas explains. “For example, we did one with Action Johnson, who is a trained chef. He was playing a festival in Brooklyn, a block party, and we got a food truck that Ray-Ban, er, allowed us to do. He curated the whole menu and actually cooked in the truck for his fans. It was a really great way to showcase him as an artist.”
“THERE’S BUSINESS BEHIND MUSIC. I’M REALLY SMART AND I CAN DO THAT.” Farkas has no qualms about musicians playing minstrel to their corporate sponsors. It is, she asserts, the only way forward for the music industry. And while VICE are very, very good at building “brand alliances” between advertiser and artist, they are hardly standing alone in the field. “As a company, we work with brands all day long. Labels that are maybe more traditional or companies that are 100% music-based, at this point brands are an integral part of their business as well. The model has just changed. Brands give artists access to do things that they frankly just couldn’t do without a partner, that I think are amazing. Making sure that you work with the right brands for the right artists is the harder part. Making sure that everyone comes out happy and that it’s a fruitful relationship for brands and artists, that’s the important thing.” WHAT: Face The Music WHEN & WHERE: 15 and 16 Nov, Arts Centre
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MAKING WAVES
bass – the Aria Pro II – and that’s the bass that she played in the Pixies. And that guitar – her Les Paul – ended up being the guitar that Joe [Santiago] played in the Pixies.
It’s been 20 years since iconic album Last Splash marked the transformation of The Breeders from a side-project to stars in their own right, and to celebrate they’ve pulled the classic line-up back together. Guitarist Kelley Deal tells Steve Bell about learning your instrument on the job and being caught in an alterna-rock tidal wave.
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riginally forming in 1990 as a vehicle for then Pixies’ bassist Kim Deal to get her stockpile of songs out into the world at large, The Breeders eventually became one of the most influential bands of the massive ‘90s alternative rock boom. They’ve continued on to this day in various incarnations – coalescing around dual guitarists Kim and her identical twin sister Kelley – but it’s their 1993 second album Last Splash for which they’re most remembered, and to celebrate its birthday the Deals have brought the “classic” rhythm section (bassist Josephine Wiggs and drummer Jim Macpherson) back into the fray to tour the album as it was intended. “It’s been going fantastic – it’s been super fun,” Kelley enthuses about the US leg of the reunion tour. “Everybody knows what you’re going to play and they want to hear that record, so they’ve given us permission – it’s like this wonderful clean contract with the audience: ‘This is what we’re doing and you obviously want to see this, otherwise you wouldn’t be here, so now we’re all going to have a good time and enjoy ourselves!’ That’s what it feels like, a big celebration. “It’s been a blast working with [ Jim and Josephine] again. It doesn’t feel like any time has gone by – I feel like that’s probably not a good thing somehow. Somehow one of us should have morphed into something really, really special somewhere along the line, but everybody seems to be exactly the same as they were twenty years ago, myself included.” Fittingly, the milestone celebration began in rather ad hoc fashion, with the Deal sisters perched on the couch reflecting on the passage of time. “That’s exactly what happened, exactly,” Kelley laughs. “It was one of those things, like, ‘I don’t know, it’s been twenty years – should we do something about that?’ and the answer straight away was, ‘Yeah, we should probably play a show’. ‘Where would we play?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Want to just play one show?’ ‘I dunno.’ Should we ask the others?’ ‘Yeah, awesome!’ So [Kim] touched base with Josephine and I touched with Jim, and we got answers back straight away going, ‘Yeah, that sounds great!’ Then we just went from there, and of course [The Breeders’ UK label] 4AD heard about it and re-issued Last Splash [as LSXX] – it’s a beautiful package.
“It was really fun [finding the bonus material]. Some of the live stuff – not all of them – sounded really good, but some of them were really hard for me to listen to; ‘My god, why am I singing so out of tune? No, we’re not using it!’ But then a lot of it was really good, because we’d practiced and practiced and played and practiced – a lot – so we were good live.” The story of how Kelley couldn’t actually play guitar before joining The Breeders has become rock’n’roll lore, but it seems that it was this unfamiliarity with her instrument – combined with some traits of laziness – which ended up forging The Breeders’ live talents. “That is indeed true,” she smiles of her initial ineptitude. “I did own a bass guitar and a bass amp, although I couldn’t really play it – I played like somebody who couldn’t play bass guitar. Kim would play acoustic guitar for an early duo that we played in occasionally – we both sang and Kim played guitar – and I tried to join her on bass for a couple of tunes, to step it up a bit. And it’s weird, because Kim took that
“But we practiced a lot. I’m really bad at practicing by myself. Josephine said recently that when we’d play festivals – which are notorious for not having good monitors and you not being able to hear anything – that it was such a good thing that we’d practiced as much as we did, because it was so easy to play live. But the reason that we practiced so much was that I needed the practice, but I wouldn’t practice by myself – I needed the whole band to gather round and practice with me. It’s one thing to sit there and play your part on guitar by yourself, but it’s another to stand up and hear the racket that everybody else is making and then play your part and sing at the same time. So yeah, I needed a lot of practice.” Little could Kelley have known at the time that the album they were crafting – anchored by its brilliantly off-kilter single Cannonball – would go on to be so revered, and that The Breeders would play such a pivotal role in that ‘90s guitar explosion.
“IF YOU’RE CAUGHT IN A TIDAL WAVE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW BIG THE WAVE IS, YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT WITH NO CLUE” “It’s one of those things where you don’t realise at the time – I knew, ‘Ooh, this grunge thing certainly seems to be taking off ’, of course you’re aware of it – but it’s not until years later that you realise, ‘Wow, that was a movement’, like the Sixties was a movement,” she reflects. “You don’t know while you’re in the middle of it how big it was. If you’re caught in a tidal wave you don’t know how big the wave is, you’re in the middle of it with no clue, so it’s interesting now that the dust has settled and some years have gone by to look back and see what impact it had. We’ll see if it becomes just yet another footnote, like hair metal for instance, or if it’s something that keeps resonating with people.” WHEN & WHERE: 26 Oct, Release The Bats, Palais Theatre
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music
FIELD OF DREAMS When Andy Hazel catches up with two of the four Stonefield sisters, singer/ drummer Amy and guitarist Hannah Findlay, they discuss striving for a “big” sound, trusting their instincts and youngest sister/bassist Holly’s propensity to disagree with the rest of the band. ith the release of their debut album, Stonefield move from being a band about which the talk of their gender, age and hype may actually be drowned out by the music. Many have opinions about the Findlay sisters (and some who have an opinion can even name a Stonefield song), but soon their crashing riffs, pile-driving drums and fullthroated vocals look likely to be leaving firm impressions the nation over. When making the album, bigness, the sisters agree, was the goal.
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“It’s so nerve-wracking,” says drummer, singer and songwriter Amy Findlay with a laugh. “You distance yourself from it, and you’re not sure if it’s big as you think it is. You keep on listening more, and as time goes on you think: ‘Ahh, maybe it’s not that good’,” she laughs nervously. Nerves are to be expected for an album on which so much is riding. Since exploding onto the scene in 2010, the four sisters released singles and EPs that garnered high rotation and quickly saw their fanbase 40 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 2013
expand. Touring followed, including a set at Glastonbury, an all-important ‘whoah!’inducing visit to Corner Hotel to see Band Of Skulls that resulted in the band using their producer Ian Davenport, and hours and hours of practice. While three years may seem a long time, it’s also a mark of careful confidence. “I think it worked out perfectly,” says Amy. Guitarist Hannah agrees: “It was good for us because we had that extra time to write. Our songwriting developed and it gave us time for our experiences to sink in so we knew that this is really what we want to do.” The album itself is the product of much collaboration. Not only with Davenport and engineer Tim
Palmer (U2, Pearl Jam) but for the songwriting too. A worthwhile experience, says Amy: “We didn’t want to write with anyone; we had to feel like we had the same vibe going on. We wrote a few things with Adalita, that was really, really fun, but that song didn’t end up fitting with the album. It’s an awesome song, but it was a completely different thing to everything else. We also wrote with The Delta Riggs, which was completely cool. They came up to our place, set up in the lounge room, we kicked mum and dad out for a couple of days and jammed,” the sisters laugh. “That was fun. Jared from Eagle & The Worm as well. Those two [collaborative efforts] made the album,” says Amy. While a fun energy courses through the album, lyrically a couple of themes recur: power dynamics and proving yourself. “Because we’re all sort of at this age where everything changes and so much happens in your life – becoming an adult, that kind of thing,” she says matter-of-factly. “The whole ‘proving yourself ’ thing… obviously that’s a big part of it and it’s important because… debut album, here we are! Especially because it’s been three years since we were Unearthed by triple j, so it was important that we came back with something really good and we weren’t just a hype band. We definitely wanted to prove ourselves,” she says, pausing. “I think that we’ve got good instincts – that’s pretty much what we’ve run off of the whole way through. Even picking a manager and label and all that stuff, it’s all about instinct.” Amy’s instinct is a guiding force for the band as Hannah explains: “Mostly we do agree on stuff but, if we don’t, normally it’s just one person that doesn’t agree – Holly,
the youngest,” she laughs. “Normally Amy is the leader and if she thinks really strongly about something then we have a lot of trust and faith in her.”
“OUR SONGWRITING DEVELOPED AND IT GAVE US TIME FOR OUR EXPERIENCES TO SINK IN SO WE KNEW THAT THIS IS REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO DO.”
A word likely to be used a lot over the coming months, and one they’re not bothered by, is ‘mature’. “I feel like we have probably matured,” Hannah smiles before Amy interjects, “As people and musically… I don’t know, we’re still very youthful,” she laughs. Hannah continues, “I guess we are for 15-23 year olds, compared to when we first started. I guess we have matured a lot.” One thing that hasn’t changed however, is their love of rock. Other teenagers might go from twee folk to hard house in the space of three years, not the Findlays.
“Well, Sarah who plays keys is really into bands like Parkway Drive,” says Amy, attempting to outline the diversity of her sister’s listening habits, “which is weird because she’s probably the most placid… very pretty and cute,” the sisters crack up laughing. “But she’s into…” starts Amy, “really heavy stuff as well,” continues Hannah. “And you pretty much did a jazz course.” “Yeah,” she agrees, “but I was never really into jazz. I was open to trying it and learning about it and stuff but always felt out of my depth singing anything but rock. It’s so true that as teenagers you’re into rock and later something else. So many people we know were into grunge when they were teenagers and now they’re into ‘tekkers’ [laughs], which is weird. But we’ve carried through with a love of it.” WHAT: Stonefield (Wunderkind/Illusive) WHEN & WHERE: 26 Oct, Corner Hotel; 2 Nov, The Loft, Warrnambool; 7 Nov, The Setts, Mildura; Nov 8, Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 9 Nov, Djerriwarrh Festival, Melton; 28 Nov, Kay Street, Traralgon; 29 Nov, Ferntree Gully Hotel; 30 Nov, The Hill Winery, Geelong; 13 Dec, Meredith Music Festival, Supernatural Amphitheatre THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 41
music
ROCK THE CRADLE Once a contributing member of the Australian experimental collective Decoder Ring, Lenka’s move to America has seen her transform into an international superstar, writes Jazmine O’Sullivan.
L
enka has embraced her recent journey into motherhood with open arms – it’s more than evident upon listening to her latest album Shadows, which contains samples of the in-utero heartbeat of her son on the track Two Heartbeats, a lullaby – No Harm Tonight – which was written for him during the late stages of her pregnancy, and a more maternal energy when compared to her previous albums. Lenka reveals that while she’s happy with the album title Shadows, it wasn’t her first choice. “I was originally going
to call it Lullabies For Adults,” Lenka confesses, “because that’s how I made it to sound. But my managers said, ‘Maybe think about something else...’ It’s a lullaby album, and that to me means night time; you listen to it when you’re toning down your day, so shadowy. There are also some references to shadows in [the album], and I also see the songs as my shadows; this vague idea that they are remnants of me. It’s about reflection, reminiscing, dreaming, regret, memories and things like that.” It was all the way back in 2009 when Lenka performed in Australia last,
dance
and with so much changing for her since then she’s thrilled to have the opportunity to share her new sound and concept with audiences in her home country. “[This tour] has been a long time coming. I’ve been trying to get back for the last few years but because I’m signed to a US major label they didn’t really want me to tour over here, so I’m just very excited. It’s been hard to get it going and now it’s finally happening! Hopefully I can put on some really good shows and make it worthwhile.” Fans can expect a heavily string-laden band to accompany Lenka for her upcoming shows. “I’m trying some new stuff [with this tour]. It forces you to re-imagine the songs when you strip them back acoustically, or in a different way. I mean, sometimes I amp them up, like I’ll add a chorus or a disco beat, but at the moment I’m bringing them down with violin and acoustic guitars, because it’s a lullaby album and I want to keep that sort of tone. “I’ve been enjoying this [new] line-up,” Lenka continues, “I recently did a tour like this in the States and it was so nice; it just created this really mellow, yummy vibe, I almost wanted everyone to have a nap!” she laughs. “It was just really cosy and sweet and the strings are such beautiful instruments, they bring such emotion. Having done so much touring and jumping around the stage I’m happy to have a little break from that. I might go back to it further down the track, but it’s nice at the moment to just focus on the music and let it breathe.” WHAT: Shadows (Skipalong) WHEN & WHERE: 26 Oct, The Workers Club
DANCE IS A BITCH
Our own Real Hot Bitches take us back to the ‘80s for a bit of Look.Stop.Bop as part of Melbourne Music Week. Izzy Tolhurst fills us in on what to expect.
H
ead Mistress Teleeesheah Sunrize, woman at the helm of Melbourne’s dance troupe Real Hot Bitches (RHB), is all about Lycra, glitter and passionate movement. The group proudly claim to “share a love of leotards, legwarmers, crazy mullet wigs, OTT makeup, Swayze and of course fabulous ‘80s songs that we perform synchronised dance routines to” and are gracing us with their enthusiasm and luridness for Look.Stop.Bop at Melbourne Music Week (MMW). Sunrize was recruited in almost the most quintessentially Melbourne way imaginable. It was, “on a tram,” she recalls. Bound for a circus–themed photo shoot, Sunrize decided to don a “full-body Lycra suit” and was quickly approached by a woman who enquired enthusiastically, “Do you wear that all the time or is this just a one-off?” That was Molly Moonshine, who started the Melbourne Bitches in 2008. She was also Head Mistress prior to Sunrize’s appointment. Moonshine scribbled down her details and when Sunrize revisited the note, she was “totally blown away when I looked at their website. I had found my future!” As a result, Sunrize now regards herself as, “a full time hot bitch. Glitter will forever be following me around in my house, and wherever I go.” Sunrize says RHB comprises “all different types of bitches” and while the group is proud of its diversity,
42 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
there’s also a basic, shared essence to being a RHB: “There’s bogan bitches, and they love the Kiss and Def Leppard classics; they’re a bit more feisty. Then there’s bitch-hop bitches – they love Salt N Pepa and the bling. And then there’s ShowPony bitches, who just love to strut it up. But the essence of being a hot bitch is just to own it. Having a good time and feeling the music… It’s giving people the chance to have the confidence of a rock star in a really fun, casual environment. We bring bags of Lycra and glitter, and make sure everyone feels comfortable and in the bitchin’ zone. And it’s amazing; people show up and
they look very shy and you think they’re not going to channel it, but as soon as someone starts raiding the Lycra bag, everyone goes mental!” At MMW, RHB will take over Albert Coates Lane for a post-work dance class, engaging the public with “show-pony stretches (which is much more about showing off your Lycra then actually stretching), and bitch-ercise” amongst an array of outrageous moves. “We really like doing stuff with the public; that’s key to what we are. So being able to do it in the shopping mall area in Melbourne, it’s perfect. It makes us very approachable… and I think once it gets going, people won’t be able to resist.” Look. Stop. Bop (dance classes) run 18 to 22 Nov, Melbourne Music Week, various locations. More info: melbourne.vic.gov.au/mmw
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PREPARE THE BATTLEFIELD
reserved for pop mega-stars who are bland enough to not offend potential advertisers. At the time of writing, that petition had over 43,000 signatures and counting. But what does Urungus think of Gwar’s chances of actually getting to play the Super Bowl half-time show? “I’m not so interested as playing the half-time show as I am actually playing the game. And showing all these Americans just how stupid it is, by ripping apart all of the other teams. But if the human race absolutely can’t take another set by bands as terrible as The Black Eyed Peas or Bruno Mars, I suppose Gwar will step in there. Maybe with some other metal bands. I mean, it just makes fucking sense, a metal Super Bowl show.”
Gwar have pillaged and marauded throughout space and time, defeating all foolish enough to oppose them. So when lead singer Oderus Urungus gets on a roll, Tom Hersey hits record on a dictaphone and tries not to get killed.
“I
guess I should be happy that people are interested in my band… But for some reason I’m not!” Oderus Urungus, the aeons-old space alien and lead singer of Gwar, is in a cantankerous mood. Or at least a mood more cantankerous than is usual for his quarrelsome self. He’s had to talk to a slew of goddamned music journalists in a row. How many you might ask? “Five hundred!” Urungus yells, groaning as yet another interview commences. “Ask me anything,” Urungus finally acquiesces. “About Gwar, Soundwave, Battle Maximus, the history of the universe… Anything a space asshole might know.” Well, Oderus, seeing as you bring it up, why don’t we start with the history of the universe? “That big bang, that’s bullshit. The Master created the galaxy and all forms of life. Then I was born, fully grown, and I dropped from a syntho-womb into a gladiatorial arena where I joined the Scumdogs of the Universe. The Master created the Scumdogs so he could have war and that made everything more interesting. Where it goes from here, I don’t know. Because we actually defeated The Master a few albums ago, so it’s complete chaos out there now… But don’t believe these scientists of yours, they’re full of shit.” Now that’s cleared up, there’s the new record and the band’s upcoming Soundwave run, which will mark their second Australia tour. Since the band’s last visit, Urungus and his band of Scumdogs have had to grieve the loss of guitarist Flattus Maximus. Pretending to be space aliens is all good fun, but when discussing Maximus – a character played by Cory Smoot – passing less than two years ago, Urungus lapses into the voice of Dave Brockie. “After we lost Flattus, it was a dark time for Gwar, but we decided we had to carry on and create an album that he would be proud of from the place in the cosmos where he’s looking down upon us. We weren’t going to let death stop Gwar. After a brief spell of tragic news, yes, even Gwar can have bad days, we bounced back.” As though to prove his point, Brockie quickly finds his voice as Urungus again: “When fate deals you a fuckedup set of cards, you can take that as an opportunity to
display your matchless superiority, and that’s exactly what we did.” That’s all Urungus really offers about the new record, except
Even if that show never happens – and let’s face it, chances aren’t that great – Urungus and Gwar are still going to be putting on their newest show the world over. Meanwhile, ahead of their return to Australia, Urungus breaks down what unsuspecting bohabs (Gwar-ese for ‘fan’) can expect from the Scumdogs. “We’re going to spray shit all over you. And we’re going to treat you to the most awesome rock’n’roll show out
“WHEN FATE DEALS YOU A FUCKED-UP SET OF CARDS, YOU CAN TAKE THAT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISPLAY YOUR MATCHLESS SUPERIORITY.” mentioning in passing that it’s probably more thrashy. Needless to say though, Battle Maximus rules. It doesn’t really require any extra promotion on the frontman’s part. And that’s partly due to the fact it received an indirect and entirely unexpected promotional push when a Gwar fan decided to start a petition to get them to play the half-time show at the 2015 Super Bowl, despite the spot generally being
there. And we’re going to steal your girlfriends and stick them in our meat grinder and we’re going to crush your skulls with our giant broadswords, and even though all of your friends will be dead and you’ll be covered in blood from head to toe, you’re still going to say ‘that was the best fucking time I’ve ever had in my life’.” What would it take to destroy Gwar? “I suppose we would have to be disintegrated by some kind of Death Star-like plasma beam. I mean, we would have to be physically killed. And that’s something that I’ve sought my entire life, my own death, but I haven’t been able to achieve it yet, so I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon.” WHAT: Battle Maximus (Metal Blade/Rocket) WHEN & WHERE: 1 Mar, Soundwave, Flemington Racecourse
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THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 45
music
BREAKING TRADITION Although embracing classic rock, guitarist Joe Trohman tells Brendan Crabb that US superstars Fall Out Boy have no desire to be revivalists churning out “someone else’s record that was written thirty years ago”.
“I
think guys are pretty shitty at multi-tasking,” Fall Out Boy lead guitarist Joe Trohman laughs during a recent tour stopover in Washington DC. “So it’s better for us guys to focus on one thing at a time. I personally don’t believe anybody’s good at multi-tasking. I think even when someone seems like they’ve been working on a lot of projects at once, in real time they probably haven’t. It’s very hard to sit there and change mindsets constantly. I prefer to put [total] focus into each thing that I do, therefore hopefully it won’t come out like crap.” Despite their multitude of ventures, this career tunnel vision means the Chicago pop/punk/rockers have never sought to undertake any half-heartedly. Thus, after four mega-selling studio albums, a comic book, fashion line, video game remake and more, in 2009 they announced an indefinite hiatus to pursue other projects. Frontman Patrick Stump released his solo debut, Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley played in metal supergroup The Damned Things and bassist Pete Wentz kept busy with electro-pop project Black Cards, wrote a novel and hosted reality show Best Ink.
In February, their comeback was confirmed. Alleviating any fears their drawing power had waned, the global success of latest LP, Save Rock And Roll – featuring collabs with Big Sean, Courtney Love and Elton John – has cemented their major player status. “I think the word fresh is a good attachment,” Trohman enthuses. “We’re not sitting there going like, ‘We’re here to save rock‘n’roll’. We’re putting into play the thought that rock‘n’roll doesn’t have to be this traditionalist style of music. If you want to be traditionalist about it, go listen to Dixieland jazz, Christian gospel music and Delta blues, which is where a lot of it came from, and old country stuff. “Otherwise, it really doesn’t just have to sound like Led Zeppelin, whom I love, or Black Sabbath, whom I also love. It should be constantly pushing things forward, constantly changing and growing, and I think it’s been doing that since it was dubbed ‘rock‘n’roll’ in the fifties. To turn it into a retro 46 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
genre will only bury it six feet under. So that’s sort of what we’re trying to get across; the idea that it should be pushing boundaries and doing something fresh.”
and we’re not out there trying to write someone else’s record that was written thirty years ago. “[Classic rock] is an important part, just as much as music itself. Tonnes of classic genres are very evident within our back catalogue and our new record. It’s just that if you believe that only classic rock, or only old blues rock [is] the only rock that should exist then you’re stagnating rock’s growth
“WE’RE NOT SITTING THERE GOING LIKE, ‘WE’RE HERE TO SAVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL’. WE’RE PUTTING INTO PLAY THE THOUGHT THAT ROCK‘N’ROLL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS TRADITIONALIST STYLE OF MUSIC.” So the ‘retro rock’ movement doesn’t really wash with him? “I’m not saying it doesn’t wash with us,” the axeman clarifies. “I think a lot of it can be great, and a lot of it can be done in a really interesting way. If you listen to our records, we incorporate plenty of that. We incorporate tonnes of classic rock influences. We also don’t limit ourselves to what we listen to,
and the idea of rock becoming this future music. Rock is an attitude and it is a mindset, too.” Australian fans will witness this forward-thinking ethos on stage during their upcoming arena tour with Melbourne’s British India. This follows Fall Out Boy’s intimate theatre shows here in March. “We didn’t go away for maybe a long time in terms of actual time, but in the music world nowadays, where everything really relies on the fifteen minutes and then refresh your blog kind of timeframe, three-and-a-half, four years is kind of a long while. We know we still have a lot of real diehard fans in Australia, but as far as the response [in March], we had no idea that would come into play. That obviously warranted us coming back and doing something bigger.” WHAT: Save Rock And Roll (Universal) WHEN & WHERE: 26 Oct, Festival Hall
ROLLING WITH IT
word ‘fun’ isn’t something you’d usually associate with music like ours but we have a really, really, good time playing and I think that definitely comes across live.”
The upcoming run of shows for UK jazz/ grind/art/core/punk act Rolo Tomassi will the band’s best ever according to James Spence. He gets a little cheesy for Tom Hersey.
“I
t’s just a shame it’s taken us so long to get back,” Rolo Tomassi’s James Spence admits. After a well-received run on the Soundwave festival and a spot supporting Architects, the band are now finally coming back to headline their own shows, and according to keyboardist/vocalist, everyone in the band is stoked. “The Soundwave experience was wild but certainly outside of what we’re used to usually so to do things in our comfort zone is ideal. I’d like to think we can translate on a large stage as well as a small one but in terms of
intimacy and energy, club shows are usually where it works best.” The band’s also looking forward to introducing Aussie fans to their third full-length record, last year’s Astraea. But, with the album being as complex, fast and challenging as it is, how does it translate live? “The most obvious difference is how much faster everything ends up being played. It’s fairly natural when you’re playing things nightly that it ends up being faster and as a result more energetic and intense. [Also], the
music
Spence is also looking forward to introducing Australian fans to guitarist Chris Cayford and bassist Nathan Fairweather, who both joined the band last year and marked Rolo Tomassi’s first line-up change since 2005. “I can barely remember what it was like without them. I’ve never felt as comfortable onstage as I do with them playing with us. The initial transition was a bit weird but that’s probably only because we’ve never had to change members before and we were playing mainly older material but now we’re playing a set of songs that the five of us wrote together, it’s the best it’s been as far as I’m concerned. Before they joined they’d played in a few different bands together which certainly helped in terms of onstage chemistry. Without wanting to be too cheesy with it, I definitely feel there’s a lot more unity with our performance as a five-piece and that’s largely down to those guys. Everyone is pulling in the same direction.” It’s because of that unity in the band that Rolo Tomassi are looking to get back into the studio. “We get home from this tour and it’s all stations go on album number four. Hoping to have it early in the second quarter of next year but we won’t be rushing. We’ve come this far and we need to make sure it’s something we feel is worth releasing that’s better than the previous record and builds on what we’re doing.” WHEN & WHERE: 27 Oct, Reverence Hotel
DYSTOPIAN PIZZA
music
Prince Rama spun dough on a record player, and Taraka Lawson tells Callum Twigger you can turn different songs into great pizza if you use your imagination.
P
rince Rama are Taraka and Nimai Lawson, two Brooklynite sisters who put cosmology, tantric nudity and glitter onto almost everything they get their hands on. They make electronic music with such garish pop sensibility it’d actually be popular as hell if they didn’t mix it in with a heap of nonconsumer-friendly content like ziggurats, utopia/ dystopia theory, academic analysis and performance art. But duh, that’s what makes them the fucking greatest. In August, Taraka was bitten by a rabid raccoon in New York City’s Central Park. She described the raccoon to the Gothamist as “having no centre of gravity”, a description you could describe as Ramaesque, but it seemed in really bad taste to ask how it felt to be bitten by a rabid raccoon and what pre-frenzy rabidity and rabies antiviral treatment collectively felt like, so we talked about her weekend instead. “I’m chilling here with my cat, I just got back from a trip upstate,” Taraka confirms. “I was gone for the weekend apple picking. It’s the first weekend of fall here, so what we do when it reaches fall is go out apple picking. Do apples even grow in Australia?” Dude, apples grow in Australia. Prince Rama recently posted on their Facebook about a pizza party, with heaps of pictures of trendy people. “We did this pizza DJ set,
where we got basically twenty songs that kind of have something to do with fun topical pizzas toppings – it had to be pretty concrete, like Mean Mr. Mustard or something – so then you go okay, ‘I can visualise a mustard pizza,’ or something a little more abstract, like November Rain by Guns N’ Roses, which you know, I think about November Rain being a really sad-looking Thanksgiving dinner on top of a pizza. “We gathered twenty songs of this nature, and we got these metal plates, and a friend of ours got a record cutter to cut the sounds into the plates, basically making a mould of the record. Instead
of pressing lacquer into the record player, we started pressing pizza dough. And we’re like, ‘We’re gonna do a pizza DJ set where we’re just DJing records made out of pizza.’ It sounded totally insane, like we’d just cracked open a pizza fossil record. We did that last week; we kind of built installation stuff too, round at a gallery in New York. We created this whole pizza universe.” As for her plans for the more immediate future? “I’ve got another manifesto about pop music and the apocalypse. You can’t put everything into music. I know people ask, like, ‘How do you do the art? You do writing, you do cooking, you do relationship advice columns… what’s up with you guys?’ But for us it’s like none of it is really separate from the music. For us, writing is visual music.” And her goal for this Australia tour? “I just want to learn to be the best bogan I can be.” WHEN & WHERE: 27 Oct, Melbourne Festival, Foxtel Festival Hub THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 47
music
POSITIVE AGGRESSION As one of the wildest, most frenetic drummers on the planet, Brian Chippendale is a man apart. He breaks down the perceived intricacies of Lightning Bolt with Brendan Telford.
L
ightning Bolt have crafted a truly unique trajectory into the world of noise rock. The duo, comprised of Brian Chippendale (drums, vocals) and Brian Gibson (bass), have evolved in their own inimitable way, crafting five albums in the process. Yet it’s always been in the live arena where Lightning Bolt have held their own, intent on smashing out incendiary performances that constantly break down the fourth wall. “Yeah, we’ve always had that interest in the physicality of the performance, the weird inclusiveness of performance and all of that,” Chippendale says. “For me on the drumming side pushing myself physically in some ridiculous way would make sense. Most of our shows are compacted, so it’s as if four hours went by because it’s 110 degrees [Fahrenheit] in the room and there’s zero air, so everything’s compressed. Maybe that’s why people like music shows, because you’re judging it on energy expulsion, you’re dealing with three hours of time in a forty-five minute set or something.” Lightning Bolt started as an art project, and certain features of their shows - playing in amongst the crowd, Chippendale’s crudely-crafted mask and the staccato anything-goes delivery of both instrumentation and vocals - are alluring aspects of this enigmatic act. “The process has made them, or reinforced the themes and steered the ship in that direction, for sure. That is one thing that I am grateful for from playing on the floor for so long is that it’s made me become a much more physical drummer than I was. I mean I have always been fairly physical about it, I’ve put everything into it, but it’s stopped me from getting lazy. There are many shortcuts for a drummer, but if you are on the floor, not willing to use a PA and really need to go for it to properly fill out a room, there’s not a lot of shortcuts left.” The duo have other creative outlets – Chippendale with his solo guise Black Pus as well as his artwork and comic strips, Gibson a video games artist – yet it’s the catharsis of getting behind the kit that really drives Chippendale. “For the last two years the elevator in the building where Brian and I practice has been broken, so after I play, say, a solo show, I’ve got seven hundred pounds of really 48 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
awkward equipment to carry up these three really long flight of stairs. When I take it down it takes a day; it’s like twenty-three trips or something up and down these stairs. But I noticed recently after a solo show I was lazy, so it took me two days to get it all upstairs, then
for me, and it’s important – it’s survival, like my daily dose of mental stability. Not that I go crazy otherwise, but it’s a healthy way to get through a lot of stuff.” The incremental shifts in aesthetic have been from something garish and larger-than-life to a willingness to embrace their darker side. “At the very beginning I think we were very cartoonish, and I think over time we lost a little of that. Definitely not as people, but for some reason the music has lost a little of that sense of humour, I sometimes think. Maybe even my vocal stylings have gotten a little more serious
“AS SOON AS I GOT IT ALL AND SET IT UP AND SAT DOWN TO DRUM, I FELT GOOD AGAIN.” set the shit up on the third day, and I felt kind of depressed for those couple of days. Then as soon as I got it all and set it up and sat down to drum, I felt good again. As the years have gone by, for better or worse, I’ve become addicted to the act of drumming. I mean, I could probably switch over to running or something; it’s a form of exercise. It moderates my brain and moderates my energy levels, it’s great for that sort of thing. It’s a great exercise routine
whereas before it was a little chirpier... when I listen back to the first couple of albums we did, especially our second album, Ride The Skies, it’s all super jerky and quick changes and loads of starts and stops, and it feels hyper, like kids... I mean I put on a freaking mask! It’s this strange balance; some of our shows can be quite aggressive, which then turns the set into something pretty dark. But at the same time it feels weird, I mean, c’mon! This is Lightning Bolt! We’re not Slayer or anything. For the most part people are there to have a good time, and whilst the music can go to a dark place... We’re not dark people, you know? So the cartoonish aspect comes from aggression rooted in positivity.” WHEN & WHERE: 26 Oct, Release The Bats, Palais Theatre; 30 Oct, Corner Hotel
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 43
50 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
reviews
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
This week: See an edgier and meaner Hugh Jackman in Prisoners, Ron S. Peno gets darker and melancholic with The Superstitions and Young & Restless + The Nation Blue = the awesome noise of High Tension.
FUTURE OF THE LEFT
How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident Prescriptions/Remote Control Wow. Check your expectations at the door, because How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident – the fourth long-player from Welsh reprobates Future Of The Left – is an insane voyage down the rabbit hole, an endless gamut of trippy twists and tawdry turns. Their usual unrelenting pace has been superseded by a new respect for nuance and space, including some forays into slow tempo realms, but even these moments are caustic and creepy.
★★★★½
TRACK LISTING 1. Bread, Cheese, Bow And Arrow 2. Johnny Borrell Afterlife 3. Future Child Embarrassment Matrix 4. The Male Gaze 5. Singing Of The Bonesaws 6. I Don’t Know What You Ketamine 7. French Lessons 8. How To Spot A Record Company
9. Donny Of The Decks 10. She Gets Passed Around At Parties 11. Something Happened 12. The Real Meaning Of Christmas 13. Things To Say To Friendly Policemen 14. Why Aren’t I Going To Hell?
Of course frontman Andy ‘Falco’ Falkous’ awesomely twisted worldview is still proudly prevalent – waved frantically throughout like a pennant at some fucked up pageant – and the stylistic change in how it’s musically shrouded doesn’t dilute its impact one iota. The lyrics are brilliantly acerbic, targeting a slew of disparate marks and skewering them mercilessly. The stand-out is undoubtedly Singing Of The Bonesaws – a razor-sharp diatribe delivered in a hammy ‘60s TV presenter voice – although Falco’s croon during near-ballad French Lessons is fantastically unnerving, How To Spot A Record Company marries power and precision perfectly and closer Why Aren’t I Going To Hell?’s faux-gothic country shtick works wonderfully before descending into relative chaos. Musically, the recently reconfigured four-piece is in fine fettle – the guitars are requisitely heavy and the rhythm section both in sync and innovative – and they hold nothing back, meaning that the aesthetic risks are richly rewarded as the band’s undeniable charm seeps through the carnage. Ballsy, bizarre and brilliant. Steve Bell
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 51
album reviews
RON S PENO & THE SUPERSTITIONS
HIGH TENSION Death Beat Cooking Vinyl
Anywhere And Everything Is Bright Rocket
Under the Superstitions banner, the idiosyncratic but genuine talents of Peno are allowed to range across a variety of styles, but remain identifiably his. The high plains country keening of his Darling Downs work is mostly – though not completely – sidelined. The songs here more often come on his darker croon, still of an often melancholic longing, but delivered as part of possibly the most complementary and cradling band he’s fronted since Died Pretty’s finest hours. In fact, in the jangle of the opening Say It Isn’t So, the urgent Myself In Thee, and even more so as Tim Deane’s rippling piano and organ entwine with Mark Dawson’s distinctive softly martial drumming on Destination Unknown, DP enthusiasts will feel very comfortable.
★★★★ As main collaborator and guitarist, Cam Butler seems to have helped find the balance of heart and head that lets Peno wrench the emotion from his guts, but to remember it’s there to serve some very good songs, and not just fall into melodrama. But it tends to all lead up to the final Call Your Name (To Say Goodbye) – an ebbing and flowing moody little epic with Peno’s increasing desperate loss hauling the band along with him as it goes. Even the crack in his vocal as he calls “It’s the time…” on the relationship seems both uncontrived but just right. Ross Clelland
Bringing together members of Young & Restless and The Nation Blue was always going to be a blueprint for great things. But don’t call this a supergroup. High Tension are nothing but their own entity, and with Death Beat they put a sizable rocket under the Aussie hard rock community. The record roars into life with Blaze Up, the track leaving you in no doubt the quartet are playing for keeps. And if volatile songs like Collingwood and Mountain Of Dead could spit in your face they would, and do so with a smile. The shrieks of frontwoman Karina Utomo cut into your skin like knife blades and are omnipresent across this debut. She loses her shit at will while vitriolic punk rock explodes forth relentlessly. Guitarist Ash Pegram maintains that perfect balance between fully charged and completely lost, while the formidable bass work of Matt Weston gives
MOTORHEAD
FEELINGS
ADA
Create/Control
Motorhead don’t appear too concerned with winning new fans. Instead, they seem intent on delivering more of the fast-paced, no bullshit rock they’ve been cranking out for almost four decades. And if that was the aim of Aftershock, mission accomplished.
Before Philadelphia Grand Jury’s untimely demise, fans of lo-fi indie rock wouldn’t have been too hyperbolic to foresee the Sydney trio leading the sound into the future, even if it took them the rest of their lives.
Aftershock
Songs like End Of Time and Going To Mexico fill the Ace Of Spades and Doctor Rock-shaped holes. Even though they don’t really offer anything new, it’s a formula that works and the slightly fresh take on it delivers two more solid rockers. With Silence When You Speak To Me, Motorhead deliver the kind of boot-stomping, chest-thumping chantable crowd-pleaser that you know would sound even better live. And Last Woman Blues makes for the perfect early album breather, with its strippeddown blues a stark contrast to every other track. But the real stand-out in Aftershock is Death Machine. It’s exactly what you 52 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
★★★ ½ these tracks enough weight to drag you to the bottom of the ocean. Once Dan McKay has banged the whole thing into shape with his rhythms, Death Beat is all but ready for war. Produced by Melbourne-based Kiwi rock pig Tom Larkin, the Shihad drummer has managed to capture and contain High Tension’s fire without diluting it on record. And although there are slight reprieves like Astral Plane, for the most part this is music designed to maim. Fire warnings need to go out in capital cities and regional areas before these guys return to the road. Benny Doyle
Be Kind, Unwind
★★★ ½ want from a Motorhead song called Death Machine. In a pretty consistent track listing of one heartstarter after another, the only real letdown is Dust And Glass. Does anyone really need a slow jam where Lemmy huskily laments lost days, lost nights and some other old clichéd slow song bollocks? Although, Phil “Wizzo” Campbell’s shredding solo almost saves the day. Almost. Kilmister is 67. Motorhead is 38. No man or band should be rocking this hard after so many years. But if you told Aftershock that, it would kick you in your balls before rocking them right off. Pete Laurie
Thankfully the premature disbandment has something of a happy ending with frontman Simon Berkfinger’s Feelings providing somewhat of the follow-up. But is it any good? Well, Be Kind, Unwind doesn’t match the spark or the enthusiasm of his previous outfit’s debut and, it certainly seems, he really misses his old bandmates. Breaking it down track by track proves more challenging as there simply isn’t a Casino or a Ready To Roll or a Good News or anything that could truly become one of those staple triple j classics. Forerunning single One In A Million does however feature one of Berkfinger’s finest hooks and delivers its sentiment
★★★ beautifully, while Intercourse only just falls short. New York Summer cooks with some of the fine ingredients of old, but losing a lover has always sparked Berkfinger’s creative side nicely. Be Kind, Unwind will quench the thirst of some diehard Philly Jays fans, some will even find some solace in at least some of these tunes. But overall, the material just isn’t quite there, the album tends to fall short as an entity and simply just doesn’t quite reach the heights or the hooks the Berkfinger we all know and love is entirely capable of. Ben Preece
album reviews
★★★★
★★★
★★★ ½
★★★ ½
ANGIE
HELLOGOODBYE
KATAKLYSM
PAPA
Turning
Everything Is Debatable
Waiting For The End To Come
Tender Madness
Old Friends/Shock
Nuclear Blast
With the maturity of their songwriting and charismatic vocals of Forrest Kline, it’s hard to believe Hellogoodbye are only onto album number three. On Everything Is Debatable’s 11 electro folk pop-fuelled tunes, synths and guitar leads play just as an important role as Kline’s vocals in the winning over the listener. 2010’s Would It Kill You? seemed to lack something the band’s debut promised, but with a new drummer and bassist this release pertains an unbridled energy and intriguing sense of depth and dynamic. You might question the overuse of synth or drum samples, but you can’t deny the record’s solidity.
Canadian extreme metal exports Kataklysm continue to keep it real, this time enlisting the tidy production talents of Zeuss, who has worked with Suffocation and Chimaira in the past. There’s plenty for the whole family to enjoy here; from the groove laden If I Was God - I’d Burn It All, to the military stomp of Under Lawless Skies. The sound is crisp and full, there’s good separation of all instruments and Maurizio Iacono’s vocals cut through like a frickin’ laser beam. Tear the scab off a beer can and try not to bob your skull to this one.
There’s a pop sensibility and sentimentality weaving throughout Tender Madness’s 12 tracks that makes it the ideal summertime soundtrack for those whose tastes lean towards the commerciality of Kings Of Leon or The Killers. The vocals of Darren Weiss (who doubles as drummer) actually smacks a little of Brandon Flowers, with a fragile mid range timbre that sounds on the verge of breaking at any given time. Put Me To Work sets the grandiose tone for an album with tracks that flow from pop-infused rock (Young Rut) to introspective ballad (If The Moon Rises) without skipping a beat.
Daniel Cribb
Glenn Waller
Glenn Waller
Rice Is Nice Sydney’s queen of punks Angie Garrick ditches the bands and her last name in Turning, her first solo foray. Lead single Parallels is a lo-fi scuzzball chugging along on a staccato rhythm while Garrick sneers with static-fuelled disdain and a seductively sleazy guitar line weaves in and out. But this track is the exception. Most of the eight songs lurch, stutter and crawl through a deliberate myopic haze, dystopic, anguished laments from a psychotropic underground, clawing their way out of the scum-lined mire long enough to leave aural scars before disappearing back down the hole. Brendan Telford
★★★
SEPULTURA
★★★ ½
Loma Vista/Caroline
★★★ ½
★★★ ½
THE HEAD & THE HEART
VARIOUS
VARIOUS
Kitsuné Maison 15
Let’s Be Still
Kitsuné/[PIAS] Australia
Love To Love You Donna
Sub Pop/Inertia
The undisputed kings of South American metal have released an LP with a title that sounds more emo band name than thrash album; does this mean Sepultura are mellowing with age? Not really, but this album is a departure from the colossal riffery of previous efforts. Grittier and sounding more like their first few albums in terms of sloppy production value, the intentions may have been noble in an up-yours punk ethos kind of way, but unfortunately the riffs are instantly forgettable.
Let’s Be Still is as bold as it is versatile, The Head & The Heart sampling styles and beautifully utilising the three voices on offer. From melancholic to spritely, the record’s subtle genre shifts are exciting – Charity Rose Thielin’s Summertime is a surprise burst of energy following some poignant storytelling and the appropriately-named Shake, climactic in turn. Josiah Johnson’s inherently sad Josh McBride explodes into a magical, unexpected three-part harmony, contributing to the extraordinary collection of the album’s first – and better – half. Sadly, the record plateaus, but where else could they go?
With every season, French fashion and music label Kitsuné release another swishy compilation to soundtrack their catwalk shows. And like their wearable creations, their 15th signature collection comes tastefully coordinated to appease aspiring hipsters, though this one lacks the diversity of previous adventures. It’s possible to generalise offerings by Go Wolf and Jonny Pierce as being ‘a bit Phoenix’, or to celebrate The Swiss and Horixon as downtempo Mylo-isms. But knowing what goes with what is the fashionistas forte, and even when Kitsuné aren’t presenting their best face they’re still putting on a decent show.
Glenn Waller
Mat Lee
Mac McNaughton
The Mediator Between The Head And The Hands Must Be The Heart Nuclear Blast
Universal Almost 40 years ago Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte rather seminally introduced Donna Summer to the delights of the electro disco dancefloor. This month a bunch of seasoned dance producers salute the late great diva with this mixed bag of stomping remixes. Frankie Knuckles works over Hot Stuff, Chromeo funk up Love Is In Control and Laidback Luke blows up MacArthur Park into an electro tech workout. While it’s impossible to improve I Feel Love, the application of modern production and even more banging beats to Summer’s many solid gold classics produces fun irreverent results. Guido Farnell THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 53
singles/ep reviews
★★★★
★★★½
★★★★
BAIO
LUCY ROLEFF
TIRED LION
Mira
Longbows
All We Didn’t Know
Home
Future Classic
Gaga Digi
Bird’s Robe Records
This accessible, bass-driven offering should appeal to all electronic music fans to some extent – occasionally even drawing on a folktronica sound. However, given its shift in tone between a dance and chill-out release, it never fully settles into a singular mood. The standout title track’s marching melody mingles with laser sounds and garbled vocals, which result in an upbeat, otherworldly feel – The X-Files set in a club. Meanwhile, the funk vibe of Welterweight recalls late ‘90s electronica in the vein of New Order’s Blue Monday. At times understated, this bright, intricate EP is undeniably solid.
This atmospheric, emotive folk offering has a distinctive fairytale quality, notably through its use of flute and simple strings elements. These stripped-back compositions create a starkly haunting tone. Roleff ’s brooding voice drives dark track Bodies with the air of a commanding, old-world priestess. Her expressive vocals have a certain mysterious charm, exacerbated in this track by a touch of huskiness. Though commendable for its experimental use of unmelodious instrumentation, the engrossing, stormy-weather feel of this EP will be best suited to those with particularly moody dispositions. She plays at Grace Darling Hotel on 30 Oct.
Independent/Firestarter Distribution
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
SOLKYRI Blow-you-away beautiful, lush post-rock featuring gorgeous vocals from Hannah Cameron that range from soft to biting. Swells with hope and expectation.
THE POTBELLEEZ FT BOB Magic Number Ministry Of Sound Australia “What is the maaagic numbah-bah-bah?” “Bah” is right. Sounds like a boombox in a laundromat dryer but not as fun. One-speed apathy.
EARLY WOMAN I’m A Peach Mistletone Traipses through the first half before wrapping around you like cotton wool; guitars, drums and Ben Montero and Hannah Brooks’ harmonising vocals crash around the repetitive, catchy melody.
JENNIFER KINGWELL Kissing In Tutus Independent Aims to break the mould with avant-pop melody, layers of percussion and vocals, and orchestral arrangements. However, the showy aesthetic overrides substance.
GEOFFREY O’CONNOR Jacqueline Chapter Music A sweet ode with romantic imagery – favourite line: “Your nipples pointed to the skies.” O’Connor’s dreamy croon, ‘80s electronic drums, undulating synths, vocoder – all you could ask for. Stephanie Liew
54 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
Stephanie Tell
★★½
★★★
GUINEAFOWL
MY PIRANHA
I Hope My City Loves Me Still
The Free-P
Dew Process/Universal
This outfit’s distinguished sprawling grunge pop incorporates the echoing reverb of ‘90s psych rock with frontwoman Sophie Hope’s naïve but powerful voice. Though her sugary vocal style is irksome in gentler moments (parts of Too Much Of Nothing), they’re unique and refreshingly bright amongst the coarser sections of this release. Opener Just Don’t See It ends with some wonderfully howling vocals blended into dense instrumentation for a misty, spectral finish. This EP strikes a fine balance between grittiness and sweetness in an infectious, adventurous manner, showcasing the clear merits of female-driven alt.rock groups.
Independent
This punchy offering pairs the often overlooked, rhythmic qualities of ‘80s pop with ultracatchy melodies. Guineafowl’s commanding vocals in Little Death (Make It Rain) drive this beat-heavy single, which showers the listener in an overthe-top concoction of electronica throughout the chorus. The synth-laden title track effectively employs a groovier, more subtle pulse that launches into a typically upbeat, anthemic party chorus. The highly polished production on this EP ensures a smooth, pop offering, but unfortunately it lacks heart, surrendering moments of intimacy through techniques such as double-tracked vocals.
This high-energy release combines Jet’s clean rock sound with Oasis-style whining vocals. These are backed by thick, distorted guitar sounds that border on generic. The Free-P lacks that fundamental rawness that sets apart truly great rock acts from those that simply tick all the boxes by favouring high production values. For instance, I Was Born Yesterday illuminates the way in which vocals dominate this EP, not allowing the music itself space to breathe. Though each song employs a clever use of dynamics, the grindier, blues-rock of closer We Got Soul demonstrates the edge missing from earlier tracks.
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
★★★½
WILDCAT GENERAL STRIKE Hell Is Empty The Devils Are All Here Independent Occasionally offering hints of a more contemporary, jangly Real Estate aesthetic, this ambient opener/title track is like the score to a prom scene in a John Hughes film. Moody fuzz and a longing melody (Let The Old World Break In) channel The Jesus & Mary Chain, but instead of relying on an abundance of synth sounds frequently heard in retro-style dream pop, Wildcat General Strike’s gentle tempos, restrained cymbals and heavy bass let understated guitar melodies speak for themselves. This immersive ‘80s experience is thoroughly enjoyable despite clear derivative qualities. Stephanie Tell
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 55
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live reviews
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE Foxtel Festival Hub 20 Oct Like a good fuck buddy, The Polyphonic Spree’s Tim DeLaughter likes to make sure both parties involved get something out of a night with him. If we, the audience, respond to all his moves enthusiastically he doubles the effort until we are all writhing and screaming in ecstasy. But tonight there seems to be a slight disconnect. Response to the Texan visitors’ new material is polite but DeLaughter is looking for more. Previous Melbourne visits have been unhinged evenings of passionate over-sharing. Everyone feels needed at a Spree gig.
Determined not to be participant in a dud root, DeLaughter calls for a drink/smoke break. He casually calls for the house lights to go up – “I want to see you” – and begins to chat. He tells us about his day (he sat by the Yarra) and quizzes us about our weed habits, inviting us to blaze up – “it’s safe in here” – and suggests we turn the place into a “big bong box”. It’s worked. We relax back into each other – audience now working up to DeLaughter’s level of expectation. Before we realise, the Spree are symphonic rocking the fuck out of us. There are the crowd favourites in the form of Light And Day, Soldier Girl and 2,000 Places plus they throw in an onlyreleased-in-Japan rarity, possibly titled (according to some online digging and YouTube viewings),
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE @ FOXTEL FESTIVAL HUB. PIC: ANDREW BRISCOE
Tonight, the ‘pop-up’ performance space is a swampy armpit of hot air (DeLaughter calls it “the box”) – it’s 30 degrees outside, it’s fatjogger’s-jock-strap degrees inside. There’s a few sound glitches (the 16-piece band are rumoured to be a tough mix – there’s a lot more going on than at a run-of-themill rock gig) but they pull off a delirious reading of The Monkees’ psychedelic anthem Porpoise Song. Strings, voices, rhythm section and electronics swoop to a false climax before pulling back for the type of extended bridge that normally sends Spree audiences into a frenzy. Tonight it’s met with mere approval by applause. DeLaughter is visibly rattled. He already seemed scattered, even to the point of forgetting the name of the band’s new album for a moment. But now, when he stops to talk a bit about The Monkees there are no takers.
disagreement amongst the crowd. “Rocky Horror!!” implores one fan referring the band’s recent Splendour tribute to the rock musical. “Do your own songs!” rebuffs another fan. DeLaughter is torn – he wants to please everyone. The band confers until another voice cries out for My Umbrella. DeLaughter is overjoyed to hear this reference to his old band Tripping Daisy’s “first song”. It is performed. And then followed with Rocky Horror’s Time Warp which finds DeLaughter off stage and watching his own band from the back of “the box”. He climbs back up to assure us all that it’s been good for him and to check if it was good for us. We leave before there can be awkwardness about breakfast in the morning. Andrew Mast
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE @ FOXTEL FESTIVAL HUB. PIC: ANDREW BRISCOE
The Best Part. [The latter comes with a DeLaughter tale of how it was cut from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack – “I blame Clooney”.] Later, there’s even a moment where the band play to fade, leaving DeLaughter to conduct us as a mass choir. When last-song is called, DeLaughter is finally satisfied with our input as we express disappointment at having to finish just as he figured out our pleasure points. He promises one more song. But even then he’s not ready to leave us a sticky mess quite yet. “Encore?” he asks without one band member having left the stage. Ah yeah, let’s keep this thing going… Soon the audience is yelling random requests (top prize to the joker calling for Talking To A Stranger), there’s even a
the Festival Hub sees around 100 people at the outset of his set. Leading a four-piece band onto the stage, Mason seems chipper and eager to work his way through the intelligent-yet-slack funk that epitomises his style, like a warmer Ian Brown. He opens with Lost And Found from Boys Outside and the whole room is instantly switched on. With Scottish accents peppering the crowd and occasionally bursting forth in affectionate heckling, Mason seems to be right at home, his own brogue lending his lyrics a melodic fluidity. “So, uh, does everybody know who I am?” he asks bashfully, wearing old paint-spattered shirt and jeans. The crowd respond resoundingly. Listing his favourite things about Australia as he works his way through highlights from his albums (a list that includes Bad Boy Bubby, The
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE @ FOXTEL FESTIVAL HUB. PIC: ANDREW BRISCOE
STEVE MASON
Foxtel Festival Hub 15 Oct Seeing Steve Mason’s name on the Melbourne Festival lineup was something few people remember doing and most ignored. Including “(ex-Beta Band)” wherever his name is mentioned makes Mason the definition of unjustly overlooked, though this is partly by his own design. Recording as King Biscuit Hour before releasing Boys Outside in 2010 and this year’s Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time, regardless of what name he is using, Mason’s songs are about the vibe, and tonight’s performance is redolent with it. Doubts about his popularity and the oddness of his selection for Melbourne Music Festival are confirmed when the excellent makeshift venue that constitutes
Saints and, more bizarrely, Alan Jones: a name that does not go down well with his fans though confusion between the racing driver and the shock jock seem to explain it), Mason invests as much energy in examining his sexuality (Am I Just a Man?) as he does with “f ighting back against the established powers, who are revolting in [his] opinion” (Fire and Fight Them Back). Ending his set with the euphoric Beta Band highlight Dry The Rain, Mason is then brought back for an encore by an insistent crowd. “Well, we’ve only learned the set so we’ll read out the names of the songs we played and whichever ones get the loudest cheer, we’ll play again,” he says. And so we hear Lost And Found and a fantastic Oh My Lord and Boys Outside one more time. Not bad at all. Andy Hazel THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 57
live reviews
YO LA TENGO Hamer Hall 18 Oct Fade, Yo La Tengo’s newest album, is about as accurate a summation of the band’s manifesto as they’ve ever delivered. Its cracked pop tunes ooze the awkward individuality of this band, and the prospect of witnessing these songs performed in the grandiose surrounds of Hamer Hall is delectable. The three arrive at the front of the stage and begin with an acoustic version of the new album’s opening number Ohm. It’s a subtly affecting start with their vocal harmonies echoing through the hall and the song’s mantra of “Resisting the flow” pretty well summating the
crazed reaction, but album closer Before We Run encapsulates the delicate brilliance that finds the band deserving of a Melbourne Festival guernsey. Sugarcube and Little Eyes are fairly tokenistically thrown in the mix and, though it’s a bloody long time coming (we’re around two hours in now), the band finally descend into some kind of improvised chaos. The second, and über-badass, version of Ohm would have spelled a perfect end to proceedings, all fuzzy guitars and vocal harmonies as equally perfect as the first time around. Alas, the band persist well into the third hour of a show that would’ve been far more effective in a small, beery bandroom – especially the second half. Samson McDougall
YO LA TENGO @ HAMER HALL. PIC: ELAINE REYES
trajectory of the band over the years. They follow this with the sleepy Two Trains, which gives guitarists Ira Kaplan and James McNew the opportunity to grapple with the acoustics of the space, deliberately broadcasting and tweaking feedback from their half-wrecked guitars while Georgia Hubley chips out the beat on a stripped drumkit. From here the first set ebbs more than it flows and though a few numbers jump out – Periodically Double Or Triple off Popular Songs gets a rousing response – one can’t help wondering what lies beneath the sheets to the rear of stage. After a decent drinks break the band return for the electric set and again it’s the Fade songs that shine. Paddle Forward is a sonic dunking and Is That Enough (for all its cuteness and patchy sound mix) pulls a 58 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
pitch-perfect and performs before an enthralled audience. The Las Vegas-based indie-rock band climb ever higher with each track from their debut album, Night Visions. With a distinctive blend of African beats and poprock rhythm underlying tracks such as It’s Time, Demons and Amsterdam, the band soars with their affirmative anthems about overcoming pain and relishing the euphoric moments in life. It is the statuesque Reynolds who undoubtedly commands the night with his towering, charismatic presence, continuously sweeping across the stage with nimble dexterity while simultaneously singing and playing any of the four different types of drums spread across the floor. He is backed very strongly by the slick performances of his band members, all of whom also provide
YO LA TENGO @ HAMER HALL. PIC: ELAINE REYES
IMAGINE DRAGONS, 44TH SUNSET Palace Theatre 16 Oct Perth-based 44th Sunset sets the tone with their eclectic fusion of pop, rock’n’roll, a touch of folk and country. The haunting vocal marriage between Nik Thompson and Jess Clancy is especially effective. Dan Reynolds’ day is going from bad to worse. A few minutes into Imagine Dragons’ first track at their only Melbourne show, the frontman accidentally splits the drumhead of his massive, side-mounted signature drum. A quick rotation of the drum, however, and the show goes on. Reynolds is
The Workers Club 19 Oct
There’s a modest crowd out early to catch Crêpes. The youngsters play the most generic type of indie rock/slacker pop but put in a passable effort. This scribe can’t help but feel sorry for them when close to the end of their set they’re almost drowned out by a handful of overly vocal audience members. The aforementioned crowd disperses quickly and does not reconvene for the start of Tales In Space’s set, which is their loss. The Sydneysiders start their set with an explosive thud courtesy, for the most part, of their Korg bass; however, there isn’t much
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD @ CORNER HOTEL. PIC: GLENN W
backing vocals to complement Reynolds’ earthy, powerful voice. As the band tease the crowd in the lead-up to their current two charttopping singles, the anticipation is palpable. Reynolds proudly lets the crowd sing the opening verse of On Top Of The World before joining in. When they save the best for (nearly) last, and the long drum introduction of Radioactive starts to thunder, young men literally wipe tears from their cheeks. The crowd on the upper levels threaten to bring the floors down with their enthusiastic jumping. It is the definitive dream moment of anyone who attends a rock concert. Every detail of this show – from the carefully selected and timed lighting design to the band’s seasoned rapport with the audience – is already finely honed in anticipation for Imagine Dragons meteoric career trajectory. Ching Pei Khoo
THE CAIROS, TALES IN SPACE, CRÊPES
change in the level of aural assault as they switch to a regular electric bass guitar. The really full sound works in their favour, as does their brand of indie pop/rock which, at times, carries faint echoes of Franz Ferdinand at their twitchy best, as evidenced on Holiday. Considering that they are playing to a less than full room, they put on an engaging set from start to, well, almost the finish. Their final song, Starwars, is somewhat of a letdown though, being a departure from the rest of their set in its relative tunelessness. The inclusion of the chorus lyrics/melody of Air’s Sexy Boy does little to remedy this less-than-inspiring number. Interest is piqued while watching The Cairos set up when a black mannequin torso is placed in front of the drums. By the time they start their set, however, it appears to have been removed, which is a pity, as, with the benefit of hindsight, it proves to be one of
live reviews the few interesting points of their show. The beginning of the band’s set is far more subdued than that of Tales In Space and appears to set the bar for the remainder of their time onstage. The quartet are impressively tight, with all members keeping pace with some quick chord changes. It’s just a pity that before long you realise that the same cannot be said for the vocals. Off notes and out-ofkey harmonies are bountiful and prove to be more than distracting after a while. The Brisbanites are at their weakest with their slower moments although, thankfully, there are few of these. In terms of overall performance, The Cairos have been outdone by their East Coast tour mates, Tales In Space, which is great for Tales In Space, but not for the headline act. Dominique Wall
uninspiring – is a harbinger for the rest of the night’s bands, so at least they are on message. Dropping keys and adding guitars dials up volume and vibe as Living Eyes take the stage. The misfortune of a broken guitar amp seems to inspire their strongest chunk of the set, with an awesome middle third that trails off slightly. They sound joyously live; you know that you’re watching a band belt it out, rather than just listening to someone duplicate something they’ve recorded, which may be why there’s an earlier era sound to them, and they’ve definitely got a drumbeat you can get lost in. Static, amps, and excitement build to overflow for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, with a surprisingly long 18 minutes until the first serious crowd surf, and a crowd stoked to be here.
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD @ CORNER HOTEL. PIC: GLENN WALLER
WALLER
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD, LIVING EYES, HIEROPHANTS Corner Hotel 19 Oct While Swan Street swarms with a groomed, post-races crowd, those at Corner Hotel are in stark contrast: plenty of ratty, shoulder-length hair; flannos; and even a vest with “Rock, Rock, Rock, Rock” emblazoned on the back – this is a crowd ready to do so. Hierophants inspire some decent shoulder jiving and headbopping early, although their tempo changes are of the jarring, slightly discomforting type where lyrics rush to fit a beat. Their undeveloped stage banter – while
and voice-as-instrument elements that contribute to the richness already built by talented musicians. Seven is a lot of people to manage onstage, but they are strong, and – the measure of a truly engaging gig these days – there isn’t a waving iPhone screen in sight. Jen Sheridan
MATT CORBY, BEAR’S DEN, BREE TANTER Festival Hall 18 Oct Bree Tanter cuts a slight figure during her intimate, 30-minute opening set while facing a distracted and noisy crowd impatient to see tonight’s headliner. The former member of The Middle East is flanked by
MATT CORBY @ FESTIVAL HALL. PIC: LOU LOU NUTT
Their thrashy reputation belies how much more widely popular their live performances could be. They’re infectiously exciting to watch and it’s a testament to their increasing popularity that they make the size jump from Northcote Social Club to Corner Hotel without losing any audience density or vibrancy. Wrapping with a 15-minute song sees the crowd wear thin before the set ends, and leaving an amp squealing after they’ve left the stage (having finished with their backs to the audience) has everyone stampeding the door. But the fuzz and reverb is great for the rest of the set, and contributes to the feeling that you’re listening to an awesome rock band that stands up to comparison through the ages. They’re not just enthusiastic, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have skill and interesting arrangements to back it up, with great harmonica
possible by a three-piece band. Their distinctly American sound (frontman Andrew Davie even wears a cap decorated with the Californian flag), seems at odds once banter starts revealing the lead singer’s distinctly London accent. Yet the Brits do country folk well. Isaac is a soft, dreamy song with acoustic guitars and banjo that provides a distinct country twang, while Agape is a classic country love song with pining lyrics such as, “I’m so scared of losing you/I don’t wanna know who I am, without you.” The man of the hour Matt Corby enters solo with his acoustic guitar and opens with Lighthome, under a spotlight, which sets the tone for a performance that is equal parts intimate and rousing. Corby delivers in Made Of Stone, which he starts solo on piano, holding himself back before
MATT CORBY @ FESTIVAL HALL. PIC: LOU LOU NUTT
a backing band, yet she almost blends into the stage as the soft mood lighting blends everything into a purple haze. Going through her recently released Jaws EP, Tanter’s beautifully written lyrics punch through and her hushed voice makes whispery appearances later on during Matt Corby’s set. In moody song Redwoods, Tanter’s soft voice, which tends to blend in rather than stand out, is simply an added layer against a lazy-drone backdrop of alt.rock guitars. Tanter is one of the night’s clear highlights. Next up, UK outfit Bear’s Den turn it up a notch with a hearty dose of country- and folk-inspired music. Like their cohorts Mumford & Sons, Bear’s Den specialise in a cheery brand of foot-thumpin’, thigh-slappin’ tunes. Unlike Tanter’s minimalist arrangements, Bear’s Den don’t shy away from layering as many hooks and melodies as humanly
breaking out into an animalistic growl as the band joins in. The diverse audience of chaperoned teen girls, 30-something yuppies and pot-smoking surfer dudes are all equally swept away by Corby’s performance, as he moves between serenading, bluesy ballads and even some beatboxing. Throughout the set, it seems like Corby is singing to every individual member of the audience. In Runaway, sparse guitars brilliantly accompany this song about a love that just didn’t work out. During Big Eyes Corby’s strong vocals perfectly offset Bree Tanter’s delicate timbre in a duet that lulls us into complete silence. Singles Resolution and, of course, Brother result in a sing-along complete with waving Zippo lighters. Corby knows exactly when to pull the punches to intoxicate the crowd via that voice. Delima Shanti THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 59
arts reviews
PRISONERS Film
In cinemas Prisoners is a surprisingly strong film. ‘Surprisingly’, because, from the outset, it didn’t look to have much going for it. I expected a rote, straight-to-DVD story – something enjoyable enough, but that was hampered by Hugh Jackman’s perfect beard and wavering American accent. Instead, it is exactly those things, but made pretty damn sublime by the incredible eye of cinematographer Roger Deakins, who expertly mines the film’s pallid suburban neighbourhoods for all their oppressive normalcy, and finds such earthy, elemental qualities in scenes shot inside mere campervans and muted office spaces. And there’s flashes of something else, too – something edgier and meaner in Jackman that I’d not seen before. His cartoonish physicality here is hulking and brimming with a genuine menace.
A SMALL PROMETHEUS Dance
Arts House to 20 Oct It starts with a spark. Dark figures strike matches, light candles. The heat makes the sculptures crackle and click and the room is filled by music with a mind of its own – yet rhythmic enough for the dance to begin its slow build. Until crunching machine beats make everything geometric. A Small Prometheus revolves around two central ideas: the consequence of the flame and the dance of order and chaos. The result is a work that veers from incredible stillness to frenetic detail. At one point we are in the dark, five dancers in a pose or a match-striking trance; next we are mathematical and adrenalised. Over the hour these choreographic and structural motifs are repeated and adjusted, each version
PRISONER
Theatre
Theatre
Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio (finished)
Chapel Off Chapel to 20 Oct
Teenage Riot, by Belgian performance group Ontroerend Goed, features teenage performers voicing their distress with the world as it is – a world blemished by the mistakes of their elders. It is the second part of a trilogy by Ontroerend Goed that addresses adolescence. The first part, Once And For All We’re Going To Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up And Listen, featured at the 2009 festival while the third part, All That Is Wrong is appearing later this festival. However, it is not necessary to see the other parts to fully appreciate Teenage Riot.
Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig is told completely from protagonist Tom’s (Lyall Brooks) perspective, a loveable idiot. He meets Helen (Lulu McClatchy), whose only role in the piece is to be fat and rip through killer one-liners. Jeannie (Cassandra Magrath) is Tom’s crazy ex who thinks she owns him and Carter (Patrick Harvey) is Tom’s arsehole best friend. What follows is the increasingly less endearing Tom being thoroughly incapable of standing up to “societal prejudices” about fat people. While granted this is meant to be the point of the play, never at any point do you believe that Tom actually really loves Helen because their relationship doesn’t progress past a multitude of “I really like you” and self-conscious
The performers retreat into the privacy of a room, a teenage hideaway, constructed on the stage. The goings-on within are filmed by the performers and projected via live feed onto the front wall of the room outside. It utilises the language of self-
SMALL PROMETHEUS
I’d really wondered what Jake Gyllenhaal would bring to his role. I’ve seen great potential in him go to waste on bad movies. But here, he’s all backstory, which starts him on strong footing. He has a facial tic, which in many other actors’ eyes would play as affected, but he makes it part of the language of his character. He hunches and shuffles around with the heavy air of a funeral, which is such a wonderful inversion for the character of a cop – and a Gyllenhaal hero cop, at that – in a film like this. There is atmosphere, and elegance to every frame of Prisoners. It isn’t amazing, but it is strong, memorable and gorgeous.
a slant on the ever-turbulent interplay of cause and effect.
Samuel Hobson 60 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
TEENAGE RIOT FAT PIG
broadcasting and YouTube; the camera is the silent confidant amplifying their grievances.
TEENAGE RIOT
Stephanie Lake’s lithe and exacting choreography sets the tone with its snake-like ability to change tempo and theme in a blink. It creates a fluidity that initially seems at odds with the fire motif and the more architectural parts of the dance, but helps to make A Small Prometheus a sizzling, organic beast.
Whilst referencing the hypersexualisation of youth in the media and entertainment industries and the impact this has, the work also draws upon a deeply honest investigation of teenage sexuality – love and lust. The work is often chaotic, appropriately communicating the energy, anger, fear and hope of adolescence. Teenage Riot is honest, affecting and formally exciting. We are made all too aware that these teenagers understand what is wrong with the world. The adult audience is told, “You are not an example; you’re a warning.”
fat jokes. Further, the entire work is built around the rather offensive premise that Tom is doing “a good thing” by going out with a fat person. Despite the faults in the writing, each actor does well in their roles, with Harvey and Magrath managing to develop their kiddy pool-deep characters to a point where they become interesting. Further, Brooks and McClatchy’s dialogue and interactions are entertaining at times, especially in the opening scene. Nevertheless, the play’s treatment of “fatness” is constantly superficial and it is clear that on this issue LaBute has no idea what he’s talking about.
Paul Ransom
Oliver Coleman
Ben Meyer
What really powers this show is Robin Fox’s beguiling soundscape. With everything from struck matches to boiling kettles woven into its insistent heartbeat, the crash of messy reality and imagined exactness is played out with every shift in emphasis.
games
★
Knock Knock is an indie horror game. While not particularly scary, it is horrible. The most exciting thing that happened while I was playing happened when I found a typo in one of the boring bits where you have to read heaps of text (there is one section where you have to read 11 pages of irrelevant and uninteresting backstory).
In fact, the angry-looking protagonist is actually the scariest thing in the game. Much scarier than the dude who has a box on his head – or the ball of leaves that rolls around. What’s really annoying is how much you have to listen to his gibberish, when the cliché creepy girl who’s stalking you talks in perfect English. It also had this weird attempt at a meta-narrative where at the start of the game it says it’s not actually game, but an interactive meditation given to the developers by a mysterious third party. Yeah, nah.
In a nutshell, you play a sleep-
Oscar M Nicock
KNOCK KNOCK Ice Pick PC/Mac
swapping out the Duke for Lo-Wang – a badass SinoJapanese warrior with a penchant for muscle cars, cigarettes and katana decapitations. He channels the stereotypically East Asian ki to cast the equivalent of spells and healing. The upgradable abilities aren’t really enough to convince you to take on too much extra side-searching, but it’s the thought that counts.
SHADOW WARRIOR
★★★
Devolver Digital PC The Build game engine should be familiar to the hearts and minds of gamers over as it formed the basis for the incredible Duke Nukem 3D in the ‘90s. That game, probably the first of its kind to feature payable strippers, was the talk of schoolyards worldwide. The initial Shadow Warrior was built to the same specifications and largely felt similar while
invisible spectre named Aiden since early childhood.
deprived lodger who, for some reason, can only speak in gibberish and needs to survive until dawn each night. You know you’re in for a wild time when the primary game mechanic is waiting. The creepiness is meant to come from all the eerie footsteps and banging on doors and creeking floorboards. However, when you realise that it doesn’t mean anything and you’re rarely ever in any kind of danger, the game becomes a chore.
The game feels similar to the original in terms of the ability to run around and destroy the shit out of any poor bastards stupid enough to work for the opposition. Oh, and there’s demons. Lots as scary-as-fuck demons. Chopping is pretty good fun – there is nothing quite as great as seeing limbs separate from torsos and heads roll in your wake and it does get pretty gory. A good dose of cinematics early on engage you enough to follow the action through, though in the wake of several recent releases the relatively linear game path feels a little claustrophobic. Still, the awesome ‘80s action film feel and entertaining dialogue make this well worth a look.
★★½
BEYOND: TWO SOULS SCEE PS3
David Cage decided video games needed to grow up. Juvenile fantasies like Halo and Skyrim held back the medium’s credibility, went his logic, and its success in reaching a broader audience. Cage, Beyond: Two Soul’s outspoken creative director, diagnosed the industry with ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’. With gaming itself in peril, Cage assembled a crack team of Ellen Page, Willem Dafoe and a cutting-edge motion capture studio, and propelled them into space in search of a life-saving creative specimen. Years later, they returned with Beyond. With talent like Willem Dafoe on-side, and Cage’s insistence that story is the crucial missing spice in the video game fried chicken, you’d expect Beyond’s tale to depth-charge other studios’ offerings out of the water. It’s definitely as ambitious as any Hollywood production. Ellen Page plays Jodie, an orphan who has co-existed with an
The story begins with the first outbreak of her psychic powers, her admission into the care of a supernatural research facility, and covers her growth as a frustrated teenager and eventually as a reluctant soldier in the CIA’s paranormal ops program. Pretty exciting. But the grand narrative is a flailing, unfocused mess, spread too thin across the game’s marathon 15+ hours. There are plenty of mind-numbing tangents, covering anything from homeless life to researching Navajo desert spirits. In terms of in-game choice, I can elect what meal to cook for a date with some jerk, but I can’t prevent an innocent man I’ve possessed from landscaping his own face with a shotgun. Ultimately, the player has zero say in the majority of Jodie’s macro-level decisions. Rather than rivalling Mass Effect’s lattice of choices, which can lead to the extinction of entire races, Beyond made me feel like Alex in A Clockwork Orange: my hands restrained from the controls, and my eyes kept open with forceps. Cage has misdiagnosed the video game industry. Many video games already feature meaningful story and choices. Mass Effect carpet bombs Beyond in terms of impactful decisions. Walking Dead is the reigning king of emotive characters. And Beyond’s shallow quick-time events and confused story withers next to The Last of Us’s masterful blend of satisfying mechanics and a carefully bowed narrative arc. Beyond is a lesson in how interaction can’t be neglected in the name of story, and how a developer’s hubris can painfully backfire. Michael Pendlebury
Simon Holland THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 61
muso
BKE BEAT THANG DRUM MACHINE
Drum machines always spin me out. On one hand I can’t keep my hands off them and on the other I lose interest when I have to start programming. I don’t like chores! This, however, is cool. BKE have made the effort to provide pads and buttons that are dedicated to almost every sound you’ll need at any given time. This is a simple machine to use yet incredibly powerful. You can use it on the go with its battery charged or you can integrate it with your
BOOMERANG III PHRASE SAMPLER
computer and use the BTV VSTi application that comes with each Beat Thang. There are numerous I/O options and you can use the unit as a controller for your computer for increased processing power while maintaining that hands-on feel. This is a pretty affordable option, at $799, that will bring the fun back to making grooves, loaded as it is with guitar and keyboard effects and a squillion drum samples. Barry Gilmour
FOCAL SM9 STUDIO MONITOR
This week I thought we’d look at one product that really takes itself seriously – the Focal SM9. These are studio monitors at a level most engineers never come across. With a three-way monitor and a two-way monitor in one cabinet, Focal have produced something that can really put itself in any environment comfortably. You can reduce the amount of bass to listen to all the details in your mids and really bring out those micro details. There are controls on the side panel to switch between StandBy, Direct and Focus modes 62 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
The latest incarnation of the original Boomerang launched in 1995 is the Boomerang III Phrase Sampler, which sports a ton of new features, including the hosting of up to four independent loops, different play modes, half speed/one octave down, reverse, fade and many other functions. The sound quality is fantastic at 48Khz/20 bit, so the pedal won’t affect your tone in the slightest, and having multiple loops at the same time enables the user to erase and re-record loops
while other loops are playing. In addition, having a master loop enables you set up a percussive beat to quantize to so all your loops stay perfectly in time. Add the ability to sync loops together, have them run in freeform (for ambient soundscapes), and to drop the pitch and speed down an octave for basslines, and you have an extremely versatile tool for composition, live performance and improvisation. Reza Nasseri
GOLDEN AGE PROJECT COMP 54 COMPRESSOR
depending on what you want from the monitor and the level of transparency is what you’d expect from high-end esoteric studio monitors. These are not cheap at a tad over $8000 and considering their size, at 35kg each, they’re not light. There’s so much to say about them, and the technical details, pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeter and the level of detail produced speak for themselves. These are true reference monitors from a true master of loudspeaker design. Barry Gilmour
I loved this as soon as I saw it. A true old-school compressor, built the old-fashioned way before integrated circuits took over, with proper resistors and transformer balanced line input and output. You can link two of these together for stereo operation and it even has true relay-switched bypass to completely remove the circuitry from the signal path. It’s often the case with vintage
equipment that the sound quality delivered is so desirable that prices on the second-hand market are relatively high. With this unit delivering the same kind of qualities as classics like the 2254 yet only costing around $449, that beautiful vintage sound and old-school build quality is at hand without paying a fortune. Barry Gilmour
classies classies.themusic.com.au FILM & STAGE OTHER FIREWORKS, PYRO & SPECIAL FX Explosive Entertainment Specialists. 1800069007 www. blasopyrotechnics.com.au iFlogID: 23026
MUSIC SERVICES LEGAL / ACCOUNTING
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SOUNDPARK REHEARSALS
Very comfortable and super relaxed studio with large wood and stone tracking room and isolation 3 booths. 24tk Pro-tools, loads of vintage recording equipment (inc tube/ribbon mics, over 20 classic pre’s neve etc, urei/emi compressors/eq’s, 24tk Tape, classic Fx, Vintage instruments (Ludwig 60’s drums, Vox/Fender/ ampeg Amps, Hammond, Wurli, Grand Piano plus Lots More. $600 day (11hrs) with engineer or $60 per/hr. Without engineer $450 a day (14hours), Great Deal. See soundparkstudios.com.au for full list and photos. Contact Andrew for enquiries 0425 706 382 or email idge72@hotmail.com iFlogID: 22046
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50 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
the guide
HOLLIE SMITH How did you begin? We are lucky in NZ to have amazing musicians everywhere. This is a new group I’m working with and this will be one of our first gigs. I have worked with all of them in some capacity with other projects or whatever. They’re flash. I just tell them what to do and it’s done. Sum up your musical sound in four words. Honest, soulful, amaaazing – maybe? If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? Prince, I think. Although I’d rather be sharing the stage. You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life could be up there. Or D’angelo’s Voodoo. Or… this could go on for some time. Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? After opening for Coldplay in Auckland, giving Chris Martin and Roger Daltrey from The Who shit about something, and then sitting down at a friend’s bar for Chris and me to play bartenders all night. Why should people come and see your band? Because it will be the best thing you’ve ever seen, I like to think. When and where for your next gig? AWME’s New Zealand showcase: 15 Nov, The Hi-Fi. Website link for more info? Holliesmith. co.nz or holliejsmith on Facebook and Twitter for day to day bullshit.
eat
gigs
opinion
travel
eat
THE SLAP The time has come when all Australians heed the call to gather around the barbecue, sink a few ales, swat at the inevitable flies and share something imbued with the essence of charcoal to eat, as Dylan Stewart eulogises.
GET CREATIVE ON THE BARBECUE OYSTERS
If you think this salty mollusc is only palatable when raw and zesty, cheese and herbs have the ability to transform any food.
DOUGHNUTS
These diabeticinducing desserts are greatly enhanced by the barbecuing process, the heat helping to caramelise the sugars. Nothing is better than one of these warmed crispy treats!
WATERMELON
O
ctober’s a funny time of year. The winter chill, its sporting codes and long nights are rapidly moving into the abyss of our collective psyche, and although daylight savings has kicked in, we’re still getting used to functioning in a different – albeit only slightly – timezone. Summer is on the horizon, but it will take a few really warm days before shorts and singlets become the fashion du jour (yes, some parts of Australia have experienced unseasonable warmth already, but bear with me here, I’m making a point). The hum of lawnmowers can be heard on the suburban soundscape and the smell of freshly cut grass wafts over fences to indicate we are in the throes of spring. Soon, though, these sensations will be joined by that other glorious mainstay of the warmer months: the barbecue. First comes the faint smell of charcoal, growing more and more aromatic over those first few minutes. Then that sudden, shocking sizzle of the first piece of food slapping upon the grill hits your ears and human nature instinctively draws us to the cooking process. Whether meat or vegetable, all distractions are ignored, our eyes and ears honing in on preparing a sumptuous, char-grilled meal for ourselves – or, as is often the case, for our friends and family. It’s been this way for millennia. Although the stainless steel hood, the gas tank and the pasta salad that often form part of the barbecuing experience have been around a relatively short time, the concept of cooking food over an open flame is as old as fire itself. We might mock them as precursors to the presentday human race, but the cavemen and women who first managed to control fire in the Middle Pleistocene period (think 781-126 thousand years ago) had larger brains than their own predecessors. It’s unsurprising, then, that one of the first things they did with their newfound intelligence was find an animal, kill it and cook it over a fire. Sure, the furthest many of us come to hunting for food these days is stalking the supermarket aisles, and even
66 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
when we’re camping we’ll throw up a cast-iron plate over the embers to cook more accurately. There’s something appealing, though, about the primitive notion of cooking a piece of flesh to the point where it’s not only rid of bacteria, but also draws that smoky flavour of the flames. If we just wanted to eat a hot meal, we would no doubt use one of the multitudes of modern cooking appliances found in the average kitchen. Oven, stovetop, microwave, steamer, kettle, toaster, slow cooker; the list goes on. There seems to be less skill required when cooking in the kitchen though. An oven can be pre-heated to a precise temperature. A steamer or rice cooker can automatically tell you when your food has reached the desired state. And the only ‘work’ involved in cooking in a microwave is to remove any foil from your meal. Try telling a story to friends while you all huddle around a rice cooker. It would not only have to be as riveting as a Hollywood thriller, but you’d also be telling it in a race against “the ding” that indicates your food is ready. There’s a certain kind of nostalgic romance about cooking on a barbecue that’s not just limited to the act of cooking itself. In the fresh air of a backyard, a park or a campground, voices are naturally freer of inhibitions, allowing stories to be told enthusiastically, flamboyantly and with gestures. There’s no bench space restricting your movements; no competing conversation that needs to be respected (as much). And the neighbours? When paired with the slap and sizzle of food on the grill, the sounds of laughter and a crappy stereo blaring through a bathroom window is, if not an invitation to pop round with a six-pack of their own, then a validation that everything is alright with the world. When you fire up the barbecue this summer, take a moment to tip your hat to our ancestors, their primitive fire-cooking ways and, for God’s sake, make sure the grill is hot before you slap that steak down.
Already a popular partner for goat cheese and rocket salads, this fruit has progressed to patty status in making sweet/savoury burgers. You can also experiment with other fruits as well, such as bananas in their skins, peaches, pears, etc.
ROMAINE LETTUCE
Lettuce, as well as its leafy cousins like cabbage and brussels sprouts, go great with oil, herbs or salad dressing on the grill. It’s all about supplementing the fluid lost in the cooking process with added fats and sauces.
AVOCADO
If your average guacamole isn’t cutting it anymore, the process of grilling avocados provides a great smoky flavour. Be sure to use olive oil and lemon juice and have a clean grill on a low heat.
travel
BLUE LAGOON ETIQUETTE: BEST PRACTICES
THE EDGES OF TWILIGHT
NUDE UP IN THE LOCKER ROOMS
Nothing says, ‘I’m iffy on you locals’ like covering yourself with a towel when you’re getting changed. Let it hang out, relax and enjoy the welcoming nods from the regulars.
You havent haven’t lived until yyou you’ve ve ridden a snowmobile on an active volcano. Iceland gives Benny Doyle such an opportunity.
SCRUB YO’SELF
And while you’re standing around just as God made you, have a shower and scrub yourself down. This will make sure the lagoon remains as clean and hygienic as possible.
MINIMAL MOTION IN THE OCEAN
Well, geothermal spa – but you get it. Your mad bomb dives might score you perfect tens at your backyard pool parties but here they’ll win you no friends.
GET DIRTY
That soft stuff beneath your toes is silica mud, and it exfoliates, brings out inner glow and does all sorts of other things you read about on lady products. Smear that gear on.
CLOSE YOUR EYES
You are swimming in an open-air lagoon in Iceland surrounded by molten rock – it doesn’t get much more relaxing, so soak it up and enjoy.
T
he temperature has dropped into minus territory and I’m rugged up like the Michelin Man, trying to squeeze a racing helmet down over my head. Our husky Icelandic guide notices that I’m struggling and gives it a little tap on top which does the trick. We’re about to go snowmobiling on Mýrdalsjökull, a glacier that rests expectedly on an active volcano named Katla. Scientists have stated that the cavity should erupt every 40 to 80 years; the last recorded eruption was in 1918. Our guide says that we can only go out for an hour so if the thing blows we can outrun the lava. I’ve never felt so alive. This is Iceland. It’s a country that stirs something inside you and causes you to breathe deeper, gaze longer and think just a little bit more. Most things you experience here are so unique you can’t completely compute them, and even in reflection it’s hard to put yourself back in that moment and acknowledge the magnitude and scope that came with whatever you were doing. Like speeding at 60 clicks across a volcano; gazing at the crevasse between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates; watching icebergs break off a glacier. It’s a country that makes you feel small and insignificant in the massive scheme of it all. Because there’s culture shock. When you visit a foreign destination and can’t read a train map, or you point at a menu and end up with pig’s ear stew. Then there’s Iceland. At many points on the trip it doesn’t even seem like we’re on Earth. The remote Nordic island spits, steams and bubbles, filling us with childlike curiosity as an elaborate science experiment plays out all around. And outside of Reykjavík, the horizon is generally devoid of trees, with moss quickly replacing grass and minimal fauna to be seen. Far from seeming cold, however, all this comes across as cinematic and inspiring. From the moment we depart London and begin chasing the spring sun north around the earth’s curvature, the trip immediately feels like something extraordinary and
about as far removed from a standard ‘weekend break’ as could be. At one point I’m lying in the back of a people mover as it powers down a single lane road and all that surrounds us is hardened black lava. The desolation seems to roll into the infinite. Tool plays on the stereo and the prog metal whirs with the same intensity; it sounds like it was written for the moment. I remember reading an article about the making of Bjork’s Post, and how she sourced a long microphone cord so she could sing out to the ocean. It all makes complete sense. Basing ourselves out of Reykjavik City Hostel isn’t so much a smart decision as the only choice on our backpacking budget. But it gives us a central base to explore the city and surrounding areas, and provides us with a social environment where we can share stories and pick up handy tips on where to eat and what to check out around the place. During our four days in Iceland I see more water cascading over cliff edges that I ever have in my life. I eat lobster soup and freshly caught flounder that practically dissolves in my mouth. I even manage to learn a bit about the country’s Viking heritage, which the Icelandic people are immensely proud of. The sun doesn’t disappear the entire time we’re here. The closest we come to darkness is between the hours of 11pm and 3am, when a perpetual dusk settles over our heads. When we appear from Pravda, one of the prize clubs in Reykjavik on Sunday morning at 4am, the sun is belting down like it’s noon. It makes the street meat hot dog just a little harder to digest, but it’s pretty unique nonetheless. And no trip to Iceland is complete without a visit to the Blue Lagoon, the iconic geothermal spa situated in the country’s south-west tip. It’s on the way to the airport, making it the perfect final stop for any holiday in the north, and the experience is medicinal, extracting the last of the Jägermeister from our pores to see us leaving totally refreshed and invigorated. Because this is an island getaway, but just not as you know it. THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 67
the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
FRONTLASH
LIVE THIS WEEK
DANCING QUEEN
Paula Abdul has been announced as a member of the judging panel for the forthcoming season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Roll on 2014! Beats us why the Ten Network ever tampered with the original format to create the über-confusing fail Everybody Dance Now.
AHA-HA-HA-HA If you’re scared Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa will pale in comparison to the multiple TV series, don’t be. The laughs come thick and fast and look out for Michael The Geordie!
TARGET PRACTICE Our in-house (and everyone’s fave) photographer Kane Hibberd has done a lot of evil shit to bands over the years in the search for the perfect shot. On 30 Oct, he’s gonna let you throw stuff at him to raise money for the St Vincents Hospital Dare campaign. $20 gets you three throws and you can donate at stvincentsfoundation.com.au/kane
SCREAMING WITH JOY
BRIMMING WITH BEERS
Screamfeeder (pictured) take some time out from supporting The Breeders to perform their own shows at The Tote on 26 Oct with Linc Le Fevre & The Insiders and Tender Bones and The Thornbury Local on 27 Oct with Small Storm.
Lucy Wilson’s (pictured) debut 7” Full To The Brim frolics between folk, pop and poetic storytelling. She teams up with Lincoln le Fevre (TAS) and Jen Buxton (NSW) for a launch gig at the Reverence Hotel on 27 Oct from 2pm.
BOOM AND BELLE
VERY GOOD NO GOODS
For avid lovers of Aussie postpunk and hardcore music, the complete ensemble of Boom Crash Opera are performing at The Flying Saucer Club on 25 Oct featuring special guests Belle Roscoe combining classics with new hits.
The Impossible No Goods are a Melbourne experimental jazz band performing on 25 Oct at The Tote, accompanied by genre-bending, bizarrely named special guests such as Great Earthquake and Colostomy Baguette.
DON YOUR CAPE
GET IN EARLY
America’s Joey Cape (pictured) is a punk, rocker, troubadour and a shit-kicking cover artist. On 26 Oct at Reverence Hotel Cape, his US pal Brian Wahlstrom and local friends Jamie Hay and Nathan Seeckts pay an acoustic tribute to Tony Sly.
Early Woman (pictured) is an improbable collaboration between comic/poster artist Ben Montero and journalist/documentarymaker Hannah Brooks. They launch their debut single at Boney on 25 Oct. Support from A Gender and Dead Calm.
KOO-YEAH
ME & MIKE
Kooyeh’s brand new album Soul Cleansing is setting dancefloors alight with its mix of hard hitting reggae, soul, hip hop, roots, pop and Motown grooves. Catch the nine-piece at The Nightcat 25 Oct and The Central Club 26 Oct.
Fresh from an Australian/New Zealand tour with The Drones, Mike Noga will be sticking around in Melbourne a little bit longer to play a month of Wednesdays at The Yarra Hotel. Tonight (23 Oct) is the second last show, so get down to it.
REVENGE ON KANE
BACKLASH TRASH TALK
Dear neighbour in apartment across the hall: If you’re taking the rubbish out and a used wax strip falls out, pick it up! #unsavourymorningsights
LILO CLINIC Apparently Lindsey Lohan has her sights set on opening a rehab centre and naming it after herself. Actually, the LiLo Clinic does have a nice ring to it.
SMOOTH CRIMINALS Parents who let their high school-aged kids get Botox before their proms. 68 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
THIS WEEK’S RELEASES… LINKIN PARK Recharged Warner FUTURE OF THE LEFT How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident Remote Control KATAKLYSM Waiting For The End To Come Universal FEELINGS Be Kind, Unwind Create Control
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the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
ALBUM FOCUS
ALBUM FOCUS
AURORA JANE BRIANA AT BENNETTS
DO YOU MEAN IT?
Briana Cowlishaw is a jazz/ pop artist hailing from Sydney. You can watch her belting out songs from her album Paper Mache City, featuring the single of the same name, when she performs at Bennetts Lane on 26 and 27 Oct.
New Empire (pictured) return with debut single Say It Like You Mean It from their third LP, In A Breath. They’re touring the country this month, stopping off at The Toff In Town on 24 Oct with guests Ash Gale and Jessica-Jade Bruce.
Answered by: Jane Hole Album title: Holding Pattern Where did the title of your new album come from? Holding Pattern is a lyric from the opening track Arival. It represents the human condition and the finite balance between dream and waking life. How many releases do you have now? This is the fourth fulllength album and the fifth release from Aurora Jane. How long did it take to write/ record? Most of Holding Pattern was written and recorded over two months this winter. Previous recordings and a truckload of inspiration from the preceding year touring provided plenty of momentum once the creative floodgates were opened.
CREEPSHOW The Espy will host the Creepshow Halloween Festival on 26 Oct, featuring bands, burlesque and DJs: Sydonia, Gay Paris (pictured), Chaos Divine, Ten Thousand, Marlow, Sentia, Red Remedy and Dear Stalker just to name a few. Doors 4.30pm.
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Being told by some doctors that I’d never play music again due to hand surgery instilled a new passion, honesty and openness into my songwriting. Written like my life depended on it, from the heart. What’s your favourite song on it? I really love the opening track Arival. Musically, it encapsulates the free creative space we traverse as a trio. Will you do anything differently next time? This process was very fast-paced (exciting 15-hour days) so next time I would like to have more reflective time for the tracks, especially during mixing.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
FINNA SEE ‘EM
Following on from their August ‘welcome back’ shows, Have/ Hold (pictured) are now on the road in support of their new 7”, Song For Bill Of The Trains/ Dexamphetamine Blues. Catch them at the Old Bar on 25 Oct.
Finland’s Korpiklaani are setting course for Australia for the very first time. With roots set deep in traditional Finnish folk music, Korpiklaani add a hearty helping of galloping metal. See them at the Corner Hotel on 23 Oct.
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When and where is your launch/ next gig? The album is launched nationally in November but the very first launch is at The Evelyn on 31 Oct. Website link for more info? aurorajane.com
THE GRAND RAPIDS Answered by: Sasha L Smith Album title: Great Shakes Where did the title of your new album come from? Great Shakes is the name of the title track from our debut album which is being released on Melbourne label Psyche Ward on 18 Oct. How long did it take to write/record? Written across a period of two years. The tracking and overdubs were pretty quick but the mixing was quite drawn out, so it’s nearly three years from tracking to release. Hopeless lot, we are! Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Playing, writing and recording with talented, cool dudes and recording in an awesome studio (Sing Sing) with a great engineer, Callum Barter. Was a very drawn out process but wholly enjoyable and very educational. What’s your favourite song on it? Great Shakes: reverse guitar intro, drone-fest, then a one-chord wig-out to blow a hole in the sky. Will you do anything differently next time? Much faster, much cheaper, more impulsive, more sitar, less parking fines, more pedals, more space, no space disco, more drone outs, less kebabs, more paisley and more tambourines and maracas. When and where is your launch/next gig? Yah Yah’s, 26 Oct. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ thegrandrapids
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 69
the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
ALBUM FOCUS
THE LITTLE STEVIES Answered by: Beth Stephen Album title: Diamonds For Your Tea Where did the title of your new album come from? Diamonds For Your Tea is the title track from the album. It’s a song that sums up the last couple of years for Byll in particular, becoming a parent for the first time and serving another little human on a level never imagined. How long did it take to write/record? This album took us a year to make. Byll gave birth to her first child and I went back to uni to complete my Masters. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? I think it’s safe to say that at least half the album is directly reflective of my nephew’s arrival and the effect he’s had on our whole family. What’s your favourite song on it? I wouldn’t have a favourite, but one that people have started to ask about a lot is Shattered Dreams. It’s the story of our nana’s life. Will you do anything differently next time? We learned a lot from the making of this record. We learned that we can play just about any instrument given the time, and that was a really empowering experience. We look forward to making more albums with this attitude in the future. When and where is your launch/next gig? The Thornbury Theatre, 25 Oct. Website link for more info? thelittlestevies.com
70 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
LIVE THIS WEEK
ALBUM FOCUS
WALKER Answered by: Jordan Walker Album title: Common Ground Where did the title of your new album come from? Originated from one of the song titles, expressing the balance in my life. Trying to find common ground with others and also what I plan to achieve later on in life. How many releases do you have now? Released my first single City We Knew back in July before releasing the album last month. How long did it take to write/ record? Time-frame expanded over three months, when originally it was only planned for six-seven weeks. Easily learnt that song composition takes time and the more time you put in the better it will turn out. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? It’s always a great feeling after a gig seeing the smile on people’s faces after hearing your own music. This drove me to put in 100% with each and every one of these songs.
FLOATING IN A PONTOON
GET SCHOOLED
Off the back of her new single Pontoon from Vs Head Vs Heart, and its accompanying film clip, Emma Louise (pictured) has been performing shows in theatres around the country. See her at Ormond Hall on 25 Oct with Holy Holy.
Sunday School is a new event happening at the Public Bar on Sundays from 12pm all through summer. The first event is on 27 Oct and features Jonny Telafone (pictured), Miss Destiny, The Angel & Baby Chain and Deadset.
SECOND COMING
CALL OF SIRENS
Saint Jude are set to launch their second album, Saint Jude II, on 25 Oct at Howler. If you haven’t checked out the venue and its menu yet, here’s a good chance to do so. Supports from Ponyface and Sugar Fed Leopards.
Perth’s roots-rock powerhouse The Siren Tower are currently touring the nation off the back of their new single King River, which is an exploration of the past, and will be stopping by at The Espy on 25 Oct.
SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
DEVIL AND THE DEEP
Kim Salmon and Leanne Cowie (The Scientists) have recorded an album of new Salmon/ Stranges compositions. Before playing ATP’s Release The Bats festival, Kim + Leanne launch their first 7” single Freudian Slippers on 24 Oct at The Tote.
Amnesty After Hours presents The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea at Loop on 23 Oct. This 52-minute documentary looks at the circumstances and decisions that lead someone to become a ‘boat person’. $5 on the door, starts at 7pm.
What’s your favourite song on it? Stuck In The Middle. My favourite to record and never thought it would turn out as good as it did. Will you do anything differently next time? As any artist would say, of course I would. Certain approaches could have been eliminated and some introduced to speed up the process, but it’s all for the experience! When and where is your launch/ next gig? Launching the album 26 Oct at the Revolver Bandroom. Full band behind me and some great support acts; you won’t want to miss it. Website link for more info? facebook.com/ jordanwalkermusicpage
UP THE DRAMA Echo Drama are a nine-piece dub/reggae group playing a free event at the Retreat Hotel on 24 Oct. The assembly is led by a Zimbabwean soul singer, stitching together different soundscapes in a modern perspective.
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THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 71
the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
SINGLE FOCUS
JENNIFER KINGWELL Single title: Kissing In Tutus What’s the song about? Occupy Wall St, creative dissent and kissing in the street. How long did it take to write/record? This one was a bit of a slow burner; it’s over two years since I started writing it! Is this track from a forthcoming release/existing release? Yes, it’s the lead single from my debut release, The Lotus Eaters, coming out March 2014. What was inspiring you during the song’s writing and recording? The Occupy movement, radical cheerleaders, the Times Square Victory Kiss, images of people kissing at riots, and an ex who asked me to write a happy song. Do you play it differently live? Yes, it’s much more of an epic art rock tune live, now I’ve added drums and bass to my line-up. When and where is your launch/next gig? 25 Oct at the Empress Hotel, supported by Beloved Elk and Plum Green. Website link for more info? music.jenniferkingwell.net
BEHIND THE SONG LUKE SMITH FROM HAVE/HOLD
BEYOND THE MUSIC
ROLLIN’ WITH ROLEFF
On 25 Oct Kingston Crown (pictured), Empra, Holliava and Third Earth play the Evelyn Hotel to raise money for Beyond Blue. Beyond Blue’s work is aimed at achieving an Australian community that understands depression and anxiety.
Having just toured Europe, Melbournian Lucy Roleff (pictured) is launching her Longbows EP on 30 Oct at Grace Darling Hotel with guests Prudence Rees-Lee and Mallee Songs. She will play her exquisitely layered melodies.
PLAYING CATCH
WARNING SIGN
Rock For Catchment is a yearly charity event for Catchment Youth services, a refuge for homeless teens in the northern suburbs. On 26 Oct from 1pm at the Evelyn Hotel, see Barbarion (pictured), The Charge, My Left Boot, Long Holiday and more.
On 26 Oct at the Retreat Hotel, instrumental surf/garage Melbourne act Beware! Black Holes will be performing, combining genres and their multiple influences to mould a unique conglomeration of styles.
IGGY MAKES IT POP
WALKING THE WALK
Aussie-born rapper Iggy Azalea takes some time out from supporting Beyonce to play her own show at Trak Lounge on 25 Oct. It’ll be her only club appearance in Melbourne so make haste if you wanna see her Work.
Guitarist and vocalist Van Walker was born and raised on the windswept prairies of north-west coast Tasmania and a solid diet of Bob Dylan. Hear his hillbilly tales when he performs at the Drunken Poet from 4pm on 27 Oct.
Single title: Song For Bill Of The Trains What’s the song about? Abject human failure. Keep your eyes peeled, and you’ll see some rough stuff when getting around a large city. Have/Hold perform at Old Bar on 25 Oct.
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72 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
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THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 73
opinion
OG FLAVAS
ADAMANTIUM WOLF
WAKE THE DEAD
URBAN AND R’N’B NEWS BY CYCLONE
METAL, HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH LOCHLAN WATT
PUNK AND HARDCORE WITH SARAH PETCHELL
What was Lil Wayne thinking? The rapper has signed Paris Hilton, with her “tantalising voice”, to Cash Money Records, and guests on her EDM-fuelled comeback single Good Time. Hilton debuted with 2006’s Paris, entailing the ska Stars Are Blind (actually, a guilty pleasure). Hilton’s celebutante status has been challenged by Kim Kardashian, but she’s shrewdly transformed herself into a DJ, even playing Ibiza’s Amnesia. But the year’s reinvention is surely that of Destiny “Miley” Cyrus, who, having “murdered” her Disney alter ego Hannah Montana, is now a subversively provocative urban/country/rave star. Nashville’s ‘trashy’ Princess Of Twerking has exposed the limitations of mainstream feminists, whose didactic commentaries and tut-tutting reinforce patriarchal stereotypes of good girl/bad girl, rather than ask why, when a female rebels, her body – or sexuality – is her only available tool or weapon. (Cyrus was once a pro-abstinence teen.) Dr Luke’s Wrecking Ball is an epic Rihanna-esque dubstep ballad that deals with emotional vulnerability – Cyrus’ split from her The Last Song co-star Liam Hemsworth – as well as the blurring between iconoclasm and (self )-destruction. The streetwise Bangerz features rappers galore – Nelly is perfect for Pharrell Williams’ hillbilly punk 4X4. Yet Cyrus’ main producer is Atlanta’s Mike Will Made-It, previously responsible for Ciara’s ace Body Party. Here, his Drive symbolically mimics Adina Howard’s ‘90s Freak Like Me. Ironically, Cyrus has revealed West as her mentor – some hot mess. ogflavas@themusic.com.au
CALIGULA’S HORSE
It’s approaching that time of year again where some of us start thinking about what albums are going to make it into their ‘best of 2013’ lists… where did the months go? The latter statement seems redundant, but honestly the older I get the faster things seem to fly by. Thankfully, the quality and quantity of heavy music being released is only increasing – something even more evident on a local scale. Let’s have a look at some world class albums offered up by Queensland in recent times… Grave Upheaval – Untitled It’d almost be cheating to call Grave Upheaval’s debut album Untitled, because it simply has no title. It’s not called anything. Untitled is just there because you can’t leave the space blank in a magazine. Similarly, the release is also void of track titles. It certainly doesn’t lack substance however. Like a foul, suffocating blackness spewing up from the darkest of souls, it would almost be a complete miss to classify Grave Upheaval as ‘death metal’ if it wasn’t for the fact that there’s nothing else it could really fit into. It kind also sounds like death in a way that will have you questioning what the modern wave of ‘death’ bands even have to do with the idea of dying in the first place. Somehow maintaining a perfect balance between a lo-fi atmosphere and instrumental clarity, if you’re interested in having your mind slammed by a wall of pure darkness, check it out. Caligula’s Horse – The Tide, The Thief & River’s End
LIL WAYNE 74 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
As far as I’m concerned, Australia has not so much become a hotspot for great progressive rock/metal as it has become the leading destination for it. With
bands like Karnivool and Dead Letter Circus leading the charge, it’s time to officially welcome Caligula’s Horse to the fold. These guys sit more so on the metal side of the fence, thanks largely to a distinct Meshuggah influence that sits underneath a majority of the album. It’s hardly derivative or mechanical though, and while that unique Australian progressive rock sound remains dominant, metallic pieces of Katatonia, Devin Townsend and Opeth bring The Tide, The Thief & River’s End into a realm of its own. There’s a great deal of musical wizardry here, and if any of the other acts mentioned in this paragraph tickle your fancy this would be worth your time. ROME – Self-Titled Devolved was once Australia’s answer to Fear Factory, albeit a more extreme and less radiofriendly version. Once their mainman headed off overseas though, the original members all remained or eventually returned to Australia and the Devolved name faded into relative obscurity. What we have with ROME is the original members of said band with a new drummer, essentially picking up where things were left off back in the day and adding in some flavours of the last decade of metal evolution. No longer defined by the cold and technological concept of their former moniker, this band’s debut album displays more raw emotion than Devolved could have ever hoped for... but don’t think they’ve started adding in pretty choruses or anything. This effort is relentless and crushing, modernised and maybe the most straight-up brutal and crunching, yet groovy and catchy album delivered from the Sunshine State all year.
This week I’ve been pretty amazed at how the punk and hardcore communities rally around their members. When someone gets into a spot of trouble, people are always willing to help out. Newcastle hardcore act, Safe Hands, had been touring Far North Queensland with Rolo Tomassi when they came to a sudden stop after hitting a kangaroo. Thankfully, no one was hurt but the band was left with quite the dent in their van and their budgets. Anyone that has hit a ‘roo before knows that it is not a cheap fix, so the band put out a call for any help their fans could offer. Within a few hours, the word had spread virally with people in other bands sharing Facebook posts to try and help Safe Hands in whatever way they could. Within 24 hours, according to a subsequent Facebook post from the band, they had almost been cleared out of shirts and “bought so many records that we were actually charting on Bandcamp”. The generosity and help of fans and a community of bands did help put a dent in the debts the band now has and “also restored all of our collective faiths in humanity”. The band reports that they are not out of debt yet, but they’re closer. To be realistic, their EP Oh The Humanity and their debut full-length Montenegro are fantastic records, so if you’re a fan of the band or loud, heavy, noisy hardcore you can still help the band out by buying a couple of records and keeping an ear out for a benefit show in the coming months. wakethedead@themusic.com.au
opinion
FRAGMENTED FREQUENCIES
BEYOND THE SPEAKERS
GOOD TIMING
FILLING THE DEAD AIR WITH RACHEL CORBETT
A COMICS GUIDE TO COMEDY WITH KIRSTEN LAW
OTHER MUSIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE WITH BOB BAKER FISH
There’s despair in the air. But rest assured good music doesn’t need to use calculated titillation to create interest. This point was hammered home earlier this year by a receding German expat with a strange moustache who now lives in Santiago de Chile. AtomTM‘s HD (Raster Noton) and in particular his song Stop (Imperialist Pop) is a protest song about right now. Stop (Imperialist Pop) offers a robot voice over shuffling, clipped electric hums and funky glitches. It’s austere, without a trace of humanity, yet the beat is strangely addictive and the whole piece feels like a missive from the future, warning us of the dangers of consuming corporate mediocrity. “Sonic invasion from nation to nation,” the robot offers, “Gaga, Gomez, Timberlake, give us a fucking break.” HD is a challenging album, AtomTM’s palette of highly artificial bleeps draws on techno and glitched-up electrics yet packages them as palatable electro pop with a cheeky sense of humour. His track Empty is even more pertinent with the “Empty MTV” refrain and lyrics like “mp3 killed the MTV.” A hilarious, chin stroking nerd funk warning delivered, in a peculiar moment of cultural zeitgeist, just a few months before we needed it.
ATOM TM
TANK GIRL
I’m pretty sure no woman has ever gone to war wearing a pair of heeled boots, but as I looked down past my ‘one size fits no one’ camouflage onesie, I realised: there has to be a first time for everything. Audio equipment in hand, our little radio show arrived at a scene of unimaginable carnage ready to document an important historical moment. Acres of land lay out before us, pockmarked with ditches and puddles, huge tracks dug deep into the earth from the countless battles that had been waged and won, and over to our left stood five lone tanks slowly idling in the sun, preparing to engage with the enemy. The fact that we had made our long journey here by air-conditioned bus, with a driver waxing lyrical about the recent date he’d had in a food court with a woman he met in a massage parlour, was indication enough that we were in no real danger here, despite the dress code and the scene laid out before us. We were not deep within the hot and perilous valleys of Afghanistan or seeking shelter from angry enemy fire. We were, in fact, in a field 20 minutes out of Christchurch, NZ with a couple of hobbyists from a company called Tanks For Everything, getting ready to drive a tank over a car. This all began when Universal Pictures approached us wanting to find a way to celebrate the release of Fast & Furious 6 on DVD and remembering there was a car chase that involved a tank, we realised we had our tenuous link sorted. Within no time our producing team had ascertained that while driving a tank is illegal in Australia, over in the land of the long white cloud you can not only drive one, you can also
plough one right over the top of a car. What a glorious display of destruction and waste! We knew this was a battle we needed to fight. Looking out over the tanks and the muddy paddock we would be driving them through, I knew, even with my limited understanding of the male mind, that when blokes imagine heaven, this is probably what they see. I knew then and there that my ovaries would be of little use to me here, so I sent them a message to take the day off and strode confidently to my first wild stead. Flash forward three hours and I was covered head to toe in dried mud with steam rising from my underpants as the midday sun heated my sopping wet onesie. Those giant puddles that had laid out before us were not just for show, they were opportunities and as I ploughed each vehicle through them with increasing pressure on the accelerator, it became clear that the skinny jeans I had on under my borrowed army gear were probably destined for the garbage bin; climbing in and out of an armoured vehicle really isn’t aided in any way by wearing a pair of strides that can only be described as ‘painted on’. Sartorial mistake aside, by the end of the day I had gone from the quiet captain of a 1998 Toyota Paseo to the daring master of a Ferret, Saracen, FV432, T-55AM2 and Centurion Battle Tank. As the sun set over the muddy field, five cars lay crushed and broken in our wake. Three radio announcers stood proud and confident, the victors of an epic battle. And one set of ovaries, slowly returned to their post, ready to readjust once again to civilian life, never to forget their time at war.
And now I bring you, without further ado, the pigtailed ingénue, queen of the Bluetooth earpiece, star of stage and (personal) screen (device), Miss Stella Wilkenson. Well, actually, I can’t take credit for bringing her to you. That credit would go to her mother, the omnipresent voice in the earpiece, who arguably masterminded Stella’s breakout YouTube hit of 2008, Marshmallows And Clouds. Marshmallows And Clouds is, after all, the reason we’re all here tonight – to experience the edgy new image of a childstar “all grown up”. Right? As Stella walks us through the elements of her new tween self, the 11-year-old runs a rollcall of exploitative personas: there’s the Miley phase, in which an appropriately bare outfit serves as a canvas for Stella’s… soul (?). And the Rihanna phase, which can only be summed up by the twin phrases “sexy milk” and “sexy blood”. (You can find out more about those mouth-watering words at next year’s MICF.) The wonderful thing about Grisabel Comedy’s latest show is the way it cleverly unpacks all the things we cringe at in pop culture representations of young women. Rachel Davis and Isabel Angus were the recipients of the Fringe’s Best Comedy Award, and the most heartening part of that is that Edge! actually is edgy – not because of Stella’s prematurely racy dance moves, but because it wears its feminism on its sleeve – a trait missing from far too many shows scared of alienating their audiences. Edge! might alienate some, but it certainly knows the value of a well-timed step too far.
EDGE! THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 75
opinion
HOWZAT! LOCAL MUSIC BY JEFF JENKINS
SPOOKY SOUNDS
What kind of music do ghosts listen to? Sheet music. That terrible joke is a way of revealing that two of Howzat!’s favourite bands are celebrating Halloween. Vaudeville Smash have done a special fright night EP, V-Grade Horror, while Fiona Lee Maynard & Her Holy Men are launching Addison Heath’s video for their song Beware The Bad Bad Man with a gig at The Flying Saucer Club on Halloween night, 31 Oct, with prizes for the scariest costumes. V-Grade Horror (available through iTunes and Bandcamp) features four tracks: Ghouls (from the acclaimed debut album, Dancing For The Girl), Night Vision, Become The Night and Zombies Ate My Neighbours. Asked if they did anything to set the studio mood, singer Marc Lucchesi says they had “a seance invoking the spirit of Mikey Jackson, to infuse our body so we could channel the Thriller.” Vaudeville
76 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
Smash asked Katie Noonan to play the female role in Become The Night but, when she was unavailable, they got Tiaryn Griggs. “She sounds beautiful,” Marc says. “It’s a love song, sort of a Halloween version of Endless Love.” What frightens you most? Marc: “Babies that look like old people, and old people that look like babies.” Fiona: “Essendon winning another premiership before Richmond.” Marc’s favourite scary song is Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, which became The Exorcist theme. Favourite scary movie? Marc: “The Fly [1986 version].” Fiona: “The Mothman Prophecies.” The scariest thing that’s happened to you in the music business? Marc: “Seeing my first picture of Steely Dan.” Fiona: “Realising that music has very little to do with the music business and that I’d continue to immerse myself in music, regardless.” Vaudeville Smash are trick-or-treating with their “spooktacular” show at Northcote Social Club on 1 Nov.
VAUDEVILLE SMASH
BOOM TIME
The great Boom Crash Opera have signed to Liberation Music. Their new best-of The Best Things features two sparkling new songs, I Am and You Can’t Stop The Sun. They play at Flying Saucer Club, 25 Oct.
TOP TWEET
Peter Taggart: “Not a single woman nominated for the Best Album ARIA. PM Abbott defends move, says five women nominated in the Best Female Artist category.”
HIP HIP
54 years ago today, Johnny O’Keefe flew to the US for his first American tour. “Australia has a great lot of talent,” he said. “We have artists as good as the best Americans. All we need to do is show them.”
HOT LINE
“Sweet Vodka Cruisers and posers and losers/It’s hard to make sense of the boys that she chooses” – Myles Mayo, The Broken Heart Junkyard.
Wed 23. 7pm - Amnesty After Hours Film Night present: Between the Devil and the deep blue sea - $5 on the door
Thurs 24. 8pm - Tailor Birds, Rachel by the Stream, Earthwire. $10 Fri 25. 9pm - Mokumo Andy Ukhtomsky & Tomsk | Disrute Grimey Slimez | Cleverhands Tim Heaney | King Bird Of Paradise Julian Castles | Visuals By Isaac Christie. FREE ENTRY
Sat 26. 10pm - Circuit Theory Deep house and techno featuring: Token | C:1 | Rory McPike Disrute | Andy Ukhtomsky FREE ENTRY
Sun 27. 11am - A name is a label pop up shop.
Sunday 27. 3pm - Babaushkabot Ruffles | Virtual Proximity FREE ENTRY
THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013 • 77
the guide vic.gigguide@themusic.com.au CQ Fridays+Various DJs: CQ, Melbourne
THE MUSIC PRESENTS Wolf & Cub: Oct 24 Northcote Social Club New Empire: Oct 24 The Toff In Town Active Child: Oct 26 Melbourne Recital Centre The Cribs: Oct 26 Ding Dong Lounge Horrorshow: Oct 27 Star Bar Bendigo; 28 Saloon Bar Traralgon; 29 Ding Dong Lounge El Vez: Oct 31, Nov 1 The LuWow 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 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, The Crooked Fiddle Band: Nov 8 Corner Hotel
Gil Askey + Roger Clark Quartet: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond
The John Steel Singers: Nov 8 Corner Hotel; 9 Karova Lounge Ballarat
Jennifer Kingwell + Beloved Elk + Plum Green: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North
Face The Music Conference: Nov 15, 16 Arts Centre
Beyond Blue Fundraiser feat. Kingston Crown + The Corsairs + Holliava + Third Earth: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Patrick James: Nov 22 Northcote Social Club Catherine Traicos & The Starry Night: Dec 6 Spotted Mallard; 8 Pure Pop Records
Sarah McLeod: Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully
Pond: Dec 19 Corner Hotel Solange: Jan 7 The Prince Half Moon Run: Jan 18 Karova Lounge Ballarat; 19 Corner Hotel Future Music Festival: Mar 9 Flemington Racecourse
GIG OF THE WEEK ACTIVE CHILD: OCT 26 MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE
Billy Bragg: Mar 13 Palais Theatre
White Summer + Kashmere Club + Winter Moon + Rattlin’ Bones Blackwood: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Slow Club feat. The Primary + Howard + Tangrams: The Tote, Collingwood
Allen Stone: Apr 12 Corner Hotel
Kate Ceberano + Guests: Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Geelong
Jimmie Vaughan: Apr 17 Corner Hotel
Dear Plastic + Kalacoma + Sleep Decade: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
The Science Test + Kim Salmon + Leanne Cowie: The Tote, Collingwood
KC & The Sunshine Band: Apr 18 Palace Theatre Aaron Neville, Dr John & The Nite Trippers: Apr 21 Hamer Hall Steve Earle & The Dukes: Apr 24 Forum Theatre
Catch Release + Philemon + Boyeur: Great Britain Hotel, Richmond Whitley + Seagull: Karova Lounge, Ballarat Tailor Birds + Earthwire + Rachel By The Stream: Loop, Melbourne Wolf & Cub + Zeahorse: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
WED 23
Tim Pledger’s Sandwich Jesus + Guests: 303, Northcote Gutter Gods + Velvet Whip + Leather Lickers: Bar Open, Fitzroy Stratovarius + Eyefear + Darker Half: Billboard The Venue, Melbourne Open Mic + Various: Bonnie & Clyde’s Cafe & Cocktail Bar, Thornbury The Love Bombs: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Korpiklaani + Guests: Corner Hotel, Richmond Dizzy’s Big Band + Peter Hearne: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond The Timbers + Matt Glass: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North Matt Corby + Bree Tranter + Bear’s Den: Geelong Performing Arts Centre (Playhouse Theatre), Geelong Cold Hiker + Alta: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood The Amity Affliction + Chelsea Grin + Stick to your Guns + In Hearts Wake: Palace Theatre, Melbourne Roots of Music feat. Passerine + Pinn’d + Echo Drama: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Beyonce + Iggy Azalea: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Backwood Creatures + Strine Singers: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Secret Good Times Club (Open Mic) + Various: Tago Mago, Thornbury
Open Mic Night with Brodie: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Wine, Whiskey, Women feat. Freya Handley + Beth Cleary + Anna Cardell: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne Den Hanrahan: The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy Dave O’Connor + Brixton Chuck + Muscle Magic: The Tote, Collingwood
THU 24
Artie Styles Quartet: 303, Northcote
Bricks + Lung + Street Fangs + Bombs Are Falling: Bar Open, Fitzroy Afrovival & The Oil Can Project + King Bell + Randy Borquaye + Mpaphi Nfandizo + Suzanne Watts-Nfandizo: Bella Union, Carlton South The Shuffle Demons: Bennetts Lane, Melbourne Tiger Funk Live + DJ Moonshine: Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy Reverend Funk & The Horns Of Salvation: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Next feat. Bronson + Scar The Surface + Armoured Earth + I, Valiance + more: Colonial Hotel, Melbourne
Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats + Ben Wright Smith + Liam Gerner: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Sarah McLeod: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury Anna’s Go-Go Academy: Victoria Hotel, Brunswick Lunaire + Apollo Apples + Maladaptors: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
Saint Jude + Pony Face + Sugar Fed Leopards: Howler, Brunswick In Tribute To Tony Sly +Joey Cape + Brian Wahlstrom + Jamie Hay + Nathan Seeckts: Karova Lounge, Ballarat Johnny Cash The Concert feat. Daniel Thompson + Stuie French + Tamara Stewart: Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool Warren Earl & Atomic Rockers: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Grey Ghost + Special Guests: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Have/Hold + Oslow + Darts + Kill Taker: Old Bar, Fitzroy Vardos: Open Studio, Northcote Emma Louise + Holy Holy: Ormond Hall, Melbourne
Booka Shade (DJ Set): Prince Of Wales Showground, Bendigo Jarek + The Cheeses + The Spinset + RDzJB + The Winters: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar), Footscray The Shadow League + Kings Cup + Break The Wall + Self Help: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray Melbourne Fresh Industry Showcase + Various: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Doc Halibut + Steel Birds + Olivers Army: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Priestessa + Old Hat: Tago Mago, Thornbury Diamonds Of Neptune + Earl Spaceman + Jordan Walker + Denver: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick The Dead Heir + The Citradels + Scurvylicious + Sam Cooper: The Curtin, Carlton Danny Stain + Aaron Thomas: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne Stella Angelico + Stevie & The Sleepers + That Gold Street Sound + Sugar Fed Leopards: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda VCA Fundraiser + New Estate + Ana Nicole + more: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
PAUL DEMPSEY: OCT 24, 25 THE HI-FI
FRI 25
Boss Moxi: Penny Black, Brunswick
Tub O Vas: Baha Tacos, Rye
Take Your Own + Bateman + Public Liability + Death By Death Ray + Break The Wall: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray
Funk Buddies + Captain Groove: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Beyonce + Iggy Azalea: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
The Look of Love - The Songs of Burt Bacharach & Hal David feat. Jack Howard: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
Vicuna Coat + Guests: Tago Mago, Thornbury
Rock For Refugees feat. New Dub City + The Flybz + Birdz: 303, Northcote
Albatross + Special Guests: Central Club Hotel, North Melbourne
Dave Hole + Charlie A’Court: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Paul Dempsey + Olympia: The Hi-Fi, Melbourne
Engineered Sound: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond
Booka Shade + Special Guests: The Prince, St Kilda
Archer + Slippery Sid James: Cherry Bar (Afternoon), Melbourne
Royal Chant + Claws & Organs + Indian Red: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North
New Empire + Ash Gale + Jessica-Jade: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Thunder Road - The Songs of Bruce Springsteen: Corner Hotel, Richmond
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 78 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
Boom Crash Opera + Belle Roscoe: Flying Saucer Club, Elsternwick
Shirazz: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Go Genre Everything + God’s Come: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine Red X + Pensive Penguin + The Lost Day + Mark Campbell: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Traditional Irish Music Session with+Dan Bourke & Friends: The Drunken Poet (6pm), Melbourne
actor photographer artist designer filmmaker model writer producer musician
THU 24TH
Thursday Acoustic
WIL WATSON (Brisbane) Roots Session from 8.30pm SAT 26TH
BAKERSFIELD GLEE CLUB
change your preference. find your next step.
HonkyTonk
5.oopm TO 7.00PM SUN 27TH
SIMETwoNUGENT BAND Sets from 5.00pm 197A BRUNSIWCK ST FITZROY 3065 (03) 9417 5955
what’s next?
“Live At The Lomond� THU 24TH 8.30PM
FRI 25
TH
9:30PM
T.B.C. WARREN EARL & ATOMIC ROCKERS (Bomb-a-billy)
SAT 26
TH
9:30PM
MARTY KELLY & THE WEEKENDERS (Saturday night specials!)
SUN 27
TH
5:30PM
MOONSHINE WHISTLERS (Early jazz roots)
SUN 27TH 9:00PM
KEN MAHER & TONY HARGREAVES (Acoustic roots)
TUE 29
TH
8:00PM
IRISH SESSION (Celtic ďŹ ddlin’ & diddlin’)
ALL GIGS FREE ~ EXCELLENT RESTAURANT AND BAR MEALS
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THE MUSIC â&#x20AC;˘ 23RD OCTOBER 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ 79
the guide vic.gigguide@themusic.com.au Mr Black & Blues + Shorty (Collard Greens & Gravy): The Drunken Poet, Melbourne
Wunderlust + O Littleblood + Fraudband + Dog Act: Empress Hotel (3pm), Fitzroy North
Dale Ryder Band + Bad Boys Batucada + Ms Butt: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda
The Strange + DD Dumbo + Andre + Honey Badgers: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda
Trjaeu + Electric Sea Spider + Drooling Mystics: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North
The Siren Tower + Secret Tsunami + Ezekial Ox + LeBelle + Willow Darling + Michael Badger: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda
Rock For Catchment feat. Barbarion + Heaven The Axe + The Charge + My Left Boot + Long Holiday + Digger & The Pussycats + more: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Lord Rar + The Big Face & The Boogie Woogie Boogie Board Boys + Rouge Wavs + KT Spit + Nose Blood Catharsis: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Twista + Special Guests: The Espy (Gershwin Room), St Kilda Pandora’s Box - Homecoming Ball + Various: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Bear Witness + Jack The Stripper + Sick Machine + Removalist + Bloodwolves: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood Various DJs: The Gem, Collingwood
The Little Murders + Dave Wright & The Midnight Electric: Great Britain Hotel, Richmond
Kooyeh: Jewell Of Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
The Love Bombs: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Clowns + The Deep End: Yahoo Bar, Shepparton
SAT 26
The Refunds + The Pension + The Grunes + Dick n’ Stein: 303, Northcote Sarah McLeod: Baby Black Cafe, Bacchus Marsh French Island Music & Arts Festival + Various: Baha Tacos, Rye Lamarama: Bar Open, Fitzroy Banquet Of The Undead Hallows Eve Party + Kingston Crown + Centre & The South: Barley Corn Hotel, Collingwood Briana Cowlishaw: Bennetts Lane, Melbourne Into The Mystic - The Songs of Van Morrison with Joe Creighton: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Idiot Fest #69 feat. The Flangipanis + The Unprettier + LeSuits + Lennin Mkarthey + Strawberry Fist Cake + Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge + The Kujo Kings + Menage-A-Ska + more: CBD Club (5.30pm), Melbourne Rippinlife feat. RedX + The Rumours + Imogen Brave + MC Nate + Vice Grip Pussies (DJ Set): Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Boss Moxi + Special Guests: The Tote, Collingwood
KOOYEH: OCT 25 THE NIGHT CAT; 28 JEWELL OF BRUNSWICK HOTEL
Clannad: Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Kooyeh: The Night Cat, Fitzroy
The Little Stevies: Thornbury Theatre (The Velvet Room), Thornbury
Kangaroo Skull + Phil Samartzis + Dave Brown + EPA: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Shudduhberry + Teleporter + Band-Brawl!: Great Britain Hotel (4pm), Richmond
Spoonbill + Staunch + DJ Griff: Howler, Brunswick
Slow Club feat. The Impossible No Goods + Great Earthquake + Colostomy Baguette: The Tote, Collingwood
Open Decks + Various DJs: The Thornbury Local, Thornbury
Fall Out Boy + British India: Festival Hall, West Melbourne
Paul Dempsey + Olympia: The Hi-Fi, Melbourne Behemoth + Hour Of Penance: The Prince (Band Room), St Kilda
The Alan Ladds: The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy
John Patrick & The Keepers: The Cornish Arms, Brunswick
Lily Rouge + Black Aces + La Belle: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Clowns: The Dive Bar, Geelong
Yseult Mantelli + Katie McNamara: Empress Hotel (3pm), Fitzroy North
Marty Kelly & The Weekenders: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
The JVG Guitar Method: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne
Sex On Toast + 23AOA + Mose And The Fmly + Red Rockets of Borneo + Back Back Forward Punch + more: Music Land, Fawkner
Creepshow Halloween Festival feat. Sydonia + Engine + Gay Paris + Chaos Divine + Death Audio + Ten Thousand + Anna Salen + The Killgirls + Head Filled Attraction + Marlow + Shadowgame + LeSuits + Sentia + Red Remedy + more: The Espy, St Kilda
Made In China + Lily Rouge + Rabid Zulu: Newmarket Hotel, Bendigo Twin Beasts + Special Guests: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Takin’ Cover: OneFourteen, Mentone ATP Release The Bats feat. The Breeders + Fuck Buttons + The Scientists + Television + Pop Crimes (The Songs of Rowland S Howard) + The UV Race: Palais Theatre (12.45pm), St Kilda Ben Smith & The Noise Diary Chapter: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy In Tribute To Tony Sly feat. Joey Cape + Brian Wahlstrom + Jamie Hay + Nathan Seeckts: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray Batpiss + The Kremlings + Captives + Swhat: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar ), Footscray Walker + Hunting Season + Amistat: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran
Party Vibez + Impasse + Caged Grave + Vicious Cycle: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Kate Ceberano + Guests: The Palms, Southbank ATP Release The Bats feat. Sleep + Lightning Bolt + Forest Swords + Total Control + Hoss + The Spinning Rooms + White Walls: The Prince (12pm), St Kilda The Kin + Kisshead + Mercia Wise: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Screamfeeder + Linc Le Fevre & The Insiders + Tender Bones: The Tote, Collingwood Lenka + Devin Luke + Tom Kline: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Ol’ Timey Music Jam with Craig Westward: Victoria Hotel (5pm), Brunswick
Beyonce + Iggy Azalea: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Sebastian’s Rock n’ Roll Swing Dancing: Victoria Hotel (6.30pm), Brunswick
Bang feat. Antagonist AD + Headcheck + Your World In Ruins: Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne
Eric Bogle: Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre, Wangaratta
Black And Blue: Shamrock Hotel, Kyneton Isaac De Heer + Great Earthquake: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Orlando Furious + B Deep + Beige Rainbow: Tago Mago, Thornbury
Stonefield + Special Guests: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Fiona Lee Maynard & Her Holy Men + Los Dominados: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine
The Cribs + Guests + The Pretty Littles: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Kill Shott + Smokin Mirrors + Midnight Alibi + Black Fuel: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
John Montesante Quintet + Samantha Morley: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond
Edward Mountain & Friends + Synestatic: The Brunswick Hotel (5pm), Brunswick
The Grand Rapids: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy
SUN 27
Kinematic + Jeff Samin: 303 (4pm), Northcote Windjammer Brass Quintet: 303, Northcote
Mayfair Kytes + Jaala + Sam Lawrence + Cy Gorman: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Guitarscapes meets Snotjerk + adnkm + Kerang Jefferson: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North Limp Bizkit: Festival Hall, West Melbourne Moonshine Whistlers: Lomond Hotel (5.30pm), Brunswick East Ken Maher & Tony Hargreaves: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Prince Rama + NO ZU: Melbourne Festival Hub, Melbourne Dylan 66 Revisted & The Best of The Byrds + Paul Wookey & The Zimmermen: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
Eric Bogle: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury
MON 28
Lebowskis Present The Guthries + Alistair McLean Trio: 303, Northcote Arthur Penn & The Funky Ten + Up Up Away + Spunk Machine: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Smith Street Soul Train + Various: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood Paul Williamson’s Hammond Combo: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Seabellies: Spirit Bar & Lounge, Traralgon The Daryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra + Fem Belling: The Apartment, Melbourne Let’s Get Funny At The Brunny + Various: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Jules Boult & The Redeemers: Rainbow Hotel (4pm), Fitzroy
The Black Molls: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda
Rolo Tomassi + Palm + With A Secret Death + Totally Unicorn + Stockades + Fourteen Nights At Sea + Jack The Stripper + Urns + Jurassic Penguin: Reverence Hotel, Footscray
Trust Punks: The Public Bar, North Melbourne
Lucy Wilson + Lincoln Le Fevre + Jen Buxton + Georgia Mac: Reverence Hotel (Beer Garden/2pm), Footscray
Tim & Kellie + Small Storm: The Thornbury Local, Thornbury Stella Angelico + Guests: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
TUE 29
The Harmaniax: Spotted Mallard (4.30pm), Brunswick
Mark Lockett Trio: Bennetts Lane, Melbourne
Alana Conway: Stones Of The Yarra Valley, Coldstream
Low Fly Incline + Brooklyn Hookers: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Rod Fritz + Rowan Roebig + Essay Edwards: Tago Mago, Thornbury
The Nerve + Guests: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
Archer + The Long Gone Daddies: The Bridge Hotel (4pm), Castlemaine Lucid Planet + Valley + Trash Palace: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Beers & Balls feat. The Sinking Teeth + Summer Blood + Hug Therapist: The Brunswick Hotel (Beer Garden/2pm), Brunswick Van Walker: The Drunken Poet (4pm), Melbourne
Movement 9: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Smith Street Soul Train + Various: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood Irish Session: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Yellowcard + Toy Boats: Palace Theatre, Melbourne My Sweet Revolver + Exile + Lazarus Mode: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Briana Cowlishaw: Bennetts Lane, Melbourne
James Kenyon: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne
Open Mic Night with Nicolette Forte + Friends: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda
Mr Black & Blues + DJ Max Crawdaddy: Cherry Bar (3pm), Melbourne
Gunn Music Artist Showdown + Various: The Espy (Gershwin Room), St Kilda
Mischievous Thom + Josh Romig: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 80 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013
The Sweets + Martin King + Hollie Joyce: The Workers Club, Fitzroy
the end
IS TONY ABBOTT RIGHT? CLIMATE CHANGE HUH?
Abbott & Co. are not great believers that humanity’s fuckingup of the planet has caused our environmental mayhem.
PROS No more carbon tax.
CONS No more humanity.
FUTURE Abbott dreams of a future where we all wear weather-resistant Lycra.
GAY MARRIAGE HUH?
The Libs aren’t too big on guys holding hands, let alone imagining a bare-backing honeymoon.
PROS No same-sex marriage registers for cashstrapped wedding guests to worry about.
CONS A slump in the local market for “Congratulations on your big fat gay wedding” cards.
FUTURE We are guessing Abbott won’t be invited to his lesbian sister’s engagement party…
EVOLUTION HUH?
“I don’t say that evolution is a complete and entirely satisfactory scientific explanation of the origin of man.” (2010, Fairfax)
PROS He’s not looking so foolish following the discovery of the homo erectus skull in Georgia.
CONS But how does he explain all the monkey business with that tax-funded expense rorting?
FUTURE Same as it ever was.
82 • THE MUSIC • 23RD OCTOBER 2013