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2 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 3
THIS WEEK
exclusive STREAM THE NEW ALBUM FROM SYDNEY SINGER-SONGWRITER BERTIE BLACKMAN IN FULL. WE’RE ON GROUND AT THE FACE THE MUSIC CONFERENCE IN MELBOURNE SO HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU FOR MORE.
NEED TO KNOW WHAT NEW MUSIC TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON? CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S RELEASE WRAP.
premiere WE’VE GOT YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW VIDEO FROM PERTH INDIE-POP FAVES SAN CISCO. 4 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 5
CREDITS PUBLISHER
Street Press Australia Pty Ltd
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast
NATIONAL EDITOR MAGAZINES Mark Neilsen
EDITOR Daniel Cribb
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kane Sutton
ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR Cassandra Fumi wa.arts@themusic.com.au
GIG GUIDE Justine Lynch wa.gigs@themusic.com.au
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Bryget Chrisfield, Steve Bell
THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 12 NOV - 18 NOV 2014
CONTRIBUTORS Aarom Wilson, Adam Germano, Adrienne Downes, Amber Flynn, Andy Snelling, Annabel Maclean, Athina Mallis, Bailey Lions, Chantelle Gabriel, Christopher James, Claire Hodgson, Eli Gould, Emilie Taylor, Gareth Bird, James Hunt, Jeff Kit, Jeremy Carson, Joseph Wilson, Josie McGraw, Jessica Tana, Kane Sutton, Kershia Wong, Kitt Di Camillo, Liv Gardner, Lukas Murphy, Luke Butcher, Mac McNaughton, Marcia Czerniak, Mark Neilsen, Matthew Tomich, Michael Caves, Michael Smith, Rachel Inglis, Rebecca Metcalf, Rob Nassif, Renee Jones, Ross Clelland, Scott Aitken, Simon Holland, Tess Ingram, Tom Birts, Taelor Pelusey, Zoe Barron.
PHOTOGRAPHERS Ebony Frost, Elle Borgward, Jacinta Mathews, Paul Bartok, Ashley Westwood, Kieren Chew, Rhys Machell, Ted Dana
ADVERTISING DEPT Parada Vimolmal parada@themusic.com.au Mike Lyon mike@themusic.com.au
party
see
Shiptease is back for another year. There’s seven hours of underground house, techno and deep vibes to enjoy, all of which will be taking place on a boat, departing Sardine Jetty, Fremantle at 10am on 15 Nov. Melbourne house & bass diva Lola Heart headlines the billing, with Perth DJs Zina, Paul Scott, Acebasik, Tom Love and Reece Woodward also featuring. Ticket includes all food and drink, and can be purchased from stickytickets.com.au.
After raising the bar for their first birthday party in September, Breakdown is set to return with all the necessary ingredients for another big party, this time delving a little deeper into the seemingly endless supply of Perth party rockers. The lineup sees Joe Revell, FDEL, Miss Demeanour, FTW (pictured), Roxright, Underbeat Trust and G-Money. Get in on all the action on 14 Nov at The Velvet Lounge.
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CONTACT US Tel 08 9228 9655 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au 1/205-207 Bulwer St, Perth WA PO Box 507 Mount Lawley WA 6929
PERTH
Nominated for an Australian Music Prize for their debut record, progressive 4 piece rap/beats crew Daily Meds are back with sophomore album Sour Milk, a powerful snapshot of our times captured through ferocious raps, soaring vocals and next level beats. The band’s skilled bravado has seen them support Wu-Tang Clan, DJ Premier, Rahzel, Horrorshow, Urthboy, Drapht and Thundamentals, and onstage Woodford, Peats Ridge, Manifest, Bigsound and Subsonic – as part of their national tour, they’ll be hitting up Flyrite this Thursday night from 8pm.
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national news news@themusic.com.au J MASCIS
TOY STORY SHORT HAWAIIAN VACATION (2011)
TOY STORY MORE
FROM THE CLOUDS
Dinosaur Jr frontman and guitar-guru J Mascis returns to Australia in February next year for the first time since early 2012. Premiering new release Tied To A Star, the second album in his solo catalogue, he’ll be playing shows around the country and bringing Magic Dirt front woman Adalita along for the ride. He kicks things off 13 Feb, Melbourne Recital Centre, before playing 19 Feb, The Zoo, Brisbane; 20 Feb, The Sound Lounge, Gold Coast; 21 Feb, Factory Theatre, Sydney; and 23 & 24 Feb, Perth International Arts Festival (with Mogwai).
WISH GRANTED
Canadian contemporary folk musician, Juno nominee, Polaris Prize listed artist and ECMA winner Jenn Grant will release her fifth album Compostela on 20 Nov, and will be visiting our shores for this year’s Woodford Folk Festival and a slew of headline shows early next year. She has recently performed at Primavera Sound, SXSW and The Great Escape, garnering critical acclaim from all corners of the world. She stops by Camelot Lounge, Sydney, 8 Jan; The Triffid, Brisbane, 11 Jan; Fremantle Arts Centre, 18 Jan; and Yarra Hotel, Melbourne, 22 Jan. More dates on theMusic.com.au.
ALIVE AND KICKING
Keen to get back to Australia before the year is out, rotating international rock supergroup The Dead Daisies are looking forward to their latest tour around the nation. The 2014 line-up includes singer Jon Stevens (Noiseworks/ INXS), guitarists David Lowy (Mink/Red Phoenix) and Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses/ Psychedelic Furs), bassist Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy/Whitesnake), keyboardist Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses/Hookers & Blow), and drummer Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne/ Billy Idol). The group will play the Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 30 Nov; Rosemount Hotel, Perth, 4 Dec; The Triffid, Brisbane, 5 Dec; and Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, 7 Dec.
MAE FOR MARCH
In 2015, it’ll be ten years since Virginia power pop five-piece Mae released their most successful album, The Everglow, and since it’s been seven years since the band were last here, for Soundwave 2008, they decided they’d celebrate the tenth anniversary of The Everglow with an Australian tour. Supported by special guests Nova & The Experience, Mae play 5 Mar at The Brightside, Brisbane; 6 Mar at Miami Tavern, Gold Coast; 7 Mar at The Small Ballroom, Newcastle; 8 Mar at Baker St, Sydney; 12 Mar at The Roller Den, Sydney; 14 Mar at Corner Hotel, Melbourne; and 15 Mar at Amplifier Bar, Perth.
WOULD YOU BELIEVE… HYPOCRISY ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM AFTER THE DEATHS OF THATCHER AND WHITLAM? KNOCK ME DOWN WITH A FEATHER. @ABCNEWSINTERN TELLS US HOW IT IS IN THE WAKE OF GOUGH WHITLAM’S MEMORIAL SERVICE. 8 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
It’s official – Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mr Potato Head and the rest of the much loved cast of Toy Story will be returning to the big screen in a brand new adventure – Toy Story 4 – in 2017. Pixar Animation Studios will once again be producing, John Lasseter – who directed the original feature that started it all – is directing and Walt Disney Pictures is releasing the fourth instalment in the franchise that saw Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unkrich, earn $US1.1 billion at the box office worldwide.
SPANDAU GOLD
In describing the moment saxophonist Steve Norman stepped forward at London’s Albert Hall to play his solo in the classic, True, and comparing it to the late Clarence Clemons at a Springsteen concert, Rolling Stone’s critic wrote, “the ecstasy was that kind of loud.” Australia gets to experience that ecstasy and more in May when one of the biggest bands out of the UK in the 1980s, Spandau Ballet bring their Soul Boys Of The Western World Live Tour to Australia. The tour is titled for their new film, the second highest grossing film in the UK on release earlier this month. Spandau Ballet play 13 May at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 15 May at Qantas Credit Union Arena in Sydney, 19 May at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and 22 May at Perth Arena.
NAS
NAS CELEBRATES 20TH
Certainly one of the most revered rap albums ever released, Illmatic celebrates the 20th anniversary of its release this year and its creator, Nas, short for Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, is going to perform it, start to finish, in the flesh for the first time in Australia when he arrives in January. With Nas headlining on 24 Jan at Melbourne’s Sugar Mountain festival, The Music proudly presents his headline run of sideshows: 20 Jan at The Tivoli, Brisbane; 23 Jan at Enmore Theatre, Sydney; and 27 Jan at Metro City, Perth.
WED 13TH NOVEMBER
PARLOUR DJS THU 14TH NOVEMBER
KRISTY LEE (USA) + HUSSY HICKS
FRI 15TH NOVEMBER
SUGAR SHACK DJS SAT 16TH NOVEMBER
A WHOLE LOT OF LIVE MUSIC… TUE 19TH NOVEMBER
TEQUILA!
COMING SOON SAT 22ND NOVEMBER THE DELTA RIGGS 9 NORFOLK ST FREMANTLE
THEODDFELLOW.COM.AU
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 9
local news
FRONTLASH LIKE MIKE
After kicking a stage invader in the face last Wednesday at a Sydney show, NOFX frontman Fat Mike has made friends with the punter, inviting him to party with the band over the weekend.
SETTING THE RECORD Congratulations to all those who took out WAM Awards over the weekend, with special mention to multi-award winners Timothy Nelson & The Infidels, Kucka, Pond and The Love Junkies. Bring on next year’s festival!
NEVER ENDING STORY Disney/Pixar have confirmed Toy Story 4 is happening, giving June 16, 2017 as a release date. Let’s just hope they don’t mess up one of the greatest animated movie series of all time.
wa.news@themusic.com.au
ANOTHER PLANET
MARIKO MORI
Now travelling as Grace, WA singer-songwriter Grace Woodroofe, who splits her time between Perth and Los Angeles and is fresh off a national tour supporting alt-j, has released a new single, Pluto. Taking the opportunity to showcase not only the single but also some of the new material she’s been writing with, among others, Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio and Sam Spiegel of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grace is heading out a national tour that sees her performing 29 Nov at Mojo’s.
BLAZING UP
He’s produced some of the biggest hip hop anthems of our time for the likes of Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Baauer, Kanye West, Eminem, TI & Rihanna, Mariah, Cam’ron, Diddy and Rick Ross, and now Just Blaze is bringing that expertise to back to Perth for a club show at Ambar on 2 Jan next year. Standards Down, Philly Blunt, Beni Chill and Benny P also DJ.
FESTIVE SEASON
The line-up for the 2015 Perth International Arts Festival has just dropped, and there are some big names travelling to the west coast. The bill features acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, the undeniably talented Rufus Wainwright, indie-pop sensation London Grammar, American alt-rockers Spoon, ‘80s hiphop pioneer Neneh Cherry, Chet Faker, Mogwai, Parquet Courts, J Mascis and Bombino. The program also features an extensive line-up of classical musicians, theatre, dance performances and art exhibitions, including ones from Mariko Mori and Tracey Moffat. Check out the plethora of talented acts from 13 Feb – 7 Mar.
NUMBERS APLENTY TOY STORY
BACKLASH DROP OUTS
The inevitable artist cancellations for festival season has begun, with Norwegian duo Röyksopp pulling out of Southbound days after Swedish electro popper Robyn.
VANCE JOY
Seven-piece drum & bass group Freqshow have a couple of gigs coming up toward the end of the month, which will be their first metro-based shows in over six months. 26 Nov sees them play Mojo’s Fremantle with local favourites Dilip ‘n’ The Davs, and on 29 Nov, they’ll be joined by the jazz-electro giants Ensemble Formidable for a show at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle.
HANG-UPS Our thoughts go out to those affected by The Rolling Stones cancelling their gig at Hanging Rock due to Mick Jagger having a throat infection. We know them feels all too well.
JAILBREAK AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was charged with attempting to procure a murder last week, only to have them dropped shortly after it was made public. That’s something you don’t hear every day.
10 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
REJOYCE KING GIZZ
GIZZARD’S FIFTH
It’s got to be six months since the last so it must be time for another album from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Please welcome I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, their fifth album in two and a half years, and fresh from two months of touring through the US, UK and Europe, the boys are back for a short, sharp December run around the nation. Supported by The Babe Rainbow, 13 Dec sees them play The Rosemount Hotel and 14 Dec at Mojo’s.
Just announced as supporting artist on the North American leg of Taylor Swift’s world tour next year, Vance Joy has added a second show to his own next tour, 19 Mar at Astor Theatre.
HAVE A SAY
Ships in the Night is a bimonthly gig that combines the musical and the spoken, and 27 Nov sees RTRFM presenter and UWA and ECU lecturer Daniel Midgley speaking; Creative Writing doctorate Eva Bujalka presenting on ritual human sacrifice and religious mysticism; plus slam poet Alex Kannis, Creative Writing PhD candidate Simon Cox, writer Xanthea O’Conner and law student Andy McNeil. Music-wise, Mitch McDonald from The Love Junkies will we playing solo; Dear Hella brings a round of folk-country to the table, plus MC Tristan Fidler, Aunty Mabel and even you can have a say in front of the mic. Get down to 459 Bar from 7.30pm.
local news wa.news@themusic.com.au DJ GRMM
TINPAN ORANGE
IT’S THE GRMM
Diplo-approved DJ GRMM, aka 24-yearold Benn Markos from Sydney – has made his way to the forefront of Australian dance music. With his single Electrify on high rotation on triple j, not to mention hitting #2 on the iTunes electronic chart and garnering more than half a million streams on Soundcloud, GRMM’s one to watch. He’ll preview new single Circles and a whole lot more when he plays live at Mondo, 5 Dec and The Coconut Club, Subiaco, 6 Dec.
STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE
STORY TIME
Rounding out this year’s Sonic Sessions season are Emily & Jesse Lubitz – founding members of much-loved Australian folk act and festival favourites Tinpan Orange. Since forming in 2004, Tinpan Orange have charmed audiences right around the world with their timeless songwriting and delicate and original brand of neo-folk music. The siblings are using this opportunity to tell stories of their songs and how Tinpan Orange evolved from a barefoot trio busking on the streets of Darwin to one of the nation’s most captivating live bands. Head along and be captivated on 29 Nov at Fremantle Arts Centre.
A new local label from The Disappointed’s Mark Neal and Michael Strong has emerged. Going by the name Blue Grey Pink, it aims to help artists find unique and innovative ways to connect with their audience. To celebrate launching onto the scene, they’re having a party with some of the new artists on their roster, featuring The Disappointed, Sidewalk Diamonds, Archer & Light, Late Night Hysterics and Girl York. Head down to Osborne Park Bowls club from 4pm on 30 Nov to get in on it.
Chaos Divine have released their first single from their forthcoming third studio album. The track, titled Soldiers, will be part of a massive single launch at Amplifier Bar on 21 Nov, with Victoria’s Alithia, Tempest Rising, and Bury The Heard providing their support on the evening.
SILVER JUBILEE
WAMTASTIC+
World music superstars The Gipsy Kings will be bringing their gypsy flamenco, genre-bending sound to Perth next year as part of their 25th Anniversary Tour. It’s been five years since they were here last, so you’ll be able to hear tracks from their latest record Savor Flamenco in the flesh, plus the classics that have helped them become the highest selling artist in French music history. Get ready to groove at the Riverside Theatre on 13 Apr next year.
SOLDIER ON
The WAMi Awards last Friday night were a massive success and demonstrated just how much talent we have in this state. Timothy Nelson & The Infidels won five awards out of the seven awards they were nominated for; Kucka won three awards; Pond won two and Jodie Regan won the coveted Golden WAMi and Management Award - props to all, it was a fantastic evening.
CHRISTMAS CHEER
The guys who used to own one of the best music stores in town (RIP), Fat Shans, are putting on a Christmas party this year to raise funds to buy presents for orphaned children. They’re also holding an art exhibition for the month of December, which will be launched on the night of the party, and while they’re at it, they’ve given The Limbs their blessing to launch their EP at the event too. Foam, Tired Lion and Skullcave are playing as well. Dig on the festive spirit and support a good cause on 4 Dec at The Bird.
PROJECTILE PARTYING
If politically driven metal is the question, then here’s the Molotov Solution. Off the back of their surprise hit record Insurrection the band are bringing Brisbane’s As Paradise Falls and Perth’s Iconoclast to Rosemount Hotel, 20 Nov and YMCA HQ, 21 Nov.
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 11
music
ROAD TO DISCOVERY While discussing their new album with Bryget Chrisfield, Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear and drummer Taylor Hawkins make various musical connections: prog was the “weirdo music” for “misfits” Smear’s age and one of his favourite bands, Yes, is currently fronted by a childhood friend of Hawkins.
T
o mark their 20th anniversary, Foo Fighters approached their eighth album, Sonic Highways, differently: each of the eight tracks were recorded in a legendary studio in a different American city, where the band worked with and met a variety of guests. Frontman Dave Grohl chose not to put any words down until the last day of recording, so that information he garnered from his interviews with local legends could inform the songs. Also, a Grohl-directed HBO documentary titled Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
or whatever – that she finally got to the point where she had to leave and didn’t have time to sing on the song, so that was a bummer. But, you know, we’ve done some work together before, we’ll do it again.” When Smear remembers the LA music scene around the time that Germs broke out, Jett’s groundbreaking all-girl group springs to mind. “The scene kinda revolved around The Runaways before punk rock, which was just before... So The Runaways was the inspiration for me and my best friend to start a band, because it was just that realisation like, ‘Hey, they’re the same age as us and they’re actually doing this, and playing great gigs at places that we like to go to’... It seemed so far-flung
listing them off to me and I was like, ‘Oh, I had no idea,’ like, ‘Oh, really? The Sex Pistols? All these other bands love prog?’... We didn’t have punk rock, but the weirdo music we had was prog and it was just nuts. I mean, it was really appealing to, you know, the misfits my age.” There was a “sort of Police-style band” where Hawkins grew up in Laguna Beach, California. “I loved ‘em,” he recalls. “I knew the drummer, he was, like, six or eight years older than me, and I would follow him around and he’d kinda give me little drum lessons here and there, you know?” Reggae was big where Hawkins lived, but he dug The Police. “I think that even The Police themselves would never call what they did reggae. I mean, it was sort of infused. They took aspects: they took the beat of reggae and added it to sort of rock music. I guess you could really call it more like ska. I really loved all the early-‘80s ska.” Of Smear’s five older sisters, four “were all grown up and outta the house by the time [he] was born”, which left Smear growing up in the house with one sister. “From just hearing [music] through her bedroom door I discovered a lot of bands – that’s how I discovered Queen,” he allows. “She would just get a new record and play it to death for a week and so, whether I liked it or not, I got to know it really well.” “The first concert I ever saw was Queen, my elder sister took me to that,” Hawkins tells. “And then after that I saw David Bowie on the Let’s Dance tour [fact check: it was actually called the Serious Moonlight tour]. I was,
“YOU SHOULD JUST BE IN A BAND WITH YOUR MATES AND WHOEVER NEEDS TO GET BETTER WILL GET BETTER OR WHATEVER.”
– eight episodes, each one shining a spotlight on the musical history of a single city – is airing in the lead up to the album dropping worldwide on 10 November. We find drummer Taylor Hawkins in Malibu. “I had practice and then I just wanted to jump in the ocean, so I jumped in the ocean,” he drawls. “I love the sun. I mean, it’ll kill ya eventually but, whatever. I’m already starting to shrivel, man, my skin’s already starting to look like a fucking baseball mitt.” At his home in Los Angeles, California, Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear reflects on which Sonic Highways city he most connected with: “Um, New Orleans... Most places I go to [touring with Fooeys] we’re there a day, I don’t really get to know them. But because we were there for a week in every place, I really fell in love with all these cities. But New Orleans was super-special. And usually I’d just hide in my room when I’m in New Orleans... I don’t need to be hungover for the show,” he laughs. Some of the legends Grohl interviews for the TV series are Dolly Parton, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Paul Stanley, Slash, LL Cool J and Buddy Guy. In New York, the Fooeys called upon Joan Jett, who produced guitarist Pat Smear’s iconic punk band Germs’ only album, 1979’s (GI). On whether Jett brought up any Smear stories that his bandmates would have previously been unaware of, the guitarist admits, “Sometimes ones [stories] that I don’t remember... Maybe she was lying, I dunno, hahaha. “She was actually going to sing on the song, but we got so behind schedule that day – with lighting or cameras 12 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
before that, you know, everybody was ten years older and played a way you knew you could never play, and just were these gods on a faraway stage. And The Runaways were just kids our age playing.” Smear is a self-confessed Yes fan, so how much of a spin-out is it for him that Jon Davison, a childhood friend of Hawkins, has been fronting Yes since early 2012? “It was real exciting,” Smear acknowledges. “Me and Taylor just went to go see them play with him – Taylor’s buddy – singing. And it was surreal, but it was really great. It’s funny, a friend of mine called me today and said, ‘Hey, I’m doing an article for MOJO called ‘Prog Roots Of Punk Rock’, about how many really punk bands have their rock’n’roll roots in prog. And he started
like, ten or 11, you know.” When asked whether he has any recollection of the first time he went out partying without parental supervision, Smear responds quickly, “No, I don’t at all. I was a kid in the ‘70s and it was just a lotta parties and a lotta music and a lotta drugs [laughs].” From the first time Smear heard rock’n’roll, around the age of 12, he knew right away he wanted in and discovered early on the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. “It’s everything,” he opines. “I learnt that from my first band: take the band by who you wanna be with. Everybody can improve or get better, you know, I wouldn’t go out and be in a band with four strangers that all played really well. I mean, you should just be in a band with your mates and whoever needs to get better will get better or whatever, but I think that’s the most important part.” In the Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways trailer, Grohl says, “You can tie all these places and people together with these sonic highways.” This quote prompts a conversation about how music connects us. “It’s not dissimilar to the Germs logo,” Smear observes. “When we were kids and had a band we had a logo, which was just a blue circle, and it really meant the same thing as the sonic highways... everything’s connected and just that whole crazy musical thing that happens.” WHAT: Sonic Highways (Sony) WHEN & WHERE: 7 Mar, nib Stadium
PLAY IT COOL
Foo Fighters traverse new territory with their Sonic Highways songwriting/recording approach, and creating a HBO series to pique fan excitement also sets a precedent, which leads Bryget Chrisfield into a discussion with drummer Taylor Hawkins about U2’s blighted promo campaign: “[Songs Of Innocence] just kinda sounds like a fart any way you listen to it.”
“W
hat happened to U2, man?” Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins thinks aloud. “I don’t think people are that hyped on them.” This probably has something to do with the fact that our ears were forced to digest their latest, 13th album Songs Of Innocence in a similar fashion to the aversion therapy A Clockwork Orange’s teenage protagonist Alex endured while being forced to watch violent images for long periods while his eyes were held open with specula. “Yeah! Kinda like the musical version of that,” Hawkins plays along. “I liked all the YouTube footage of all the crap: ‘What the fuck is this shit doin’ on my phone, dog? Get this shit off my phone, dog!’ Haha, it was like, HAHAHAHAhahaha. “I mean, I think they probably thought it was gonna be a great idea, ‘Here’s the deal: everybody who has an iPhone, gets your record. And they get it for free!’ And they thought, probably, ‘Well that’s pretty awesome!’ but they didn’t really take into consideration the Big Brother feeling that kinda goes along with like, ‘[In menacing voice] You have the new U2 record’... You couldn’t get rid of it and
they actually had to come up with an app to get rid of it, that’s horrible. “I don’t know that any of that new album has anything great on it,” Hawkins continues. “I listened to it once, but it’s so marred by that whole sort of, like I said, Orwellian, 1984 extreme that it just kinda sounds like a fart any way you listen to it.” Our conversation prompts Hawkins to ponder Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways, the visual means for promoting his band’s
music. “You know, it’s so hard for me to even have a point of view. I mean, I dunno, maybe some people will go, ‘[In douchebag voice] Oh, wow! Foo Fighters have an HBO series. Oh, what, are they fuckin’ movie stars now?’ I mean, who knows? Some people will think that, you know. We’re obviously not the underdogs anymore necessarily. “And so, you know, I think of U2 in that position and it kinda feels – I can’t really say I feel sorry for them, because you can’t feel sorry for a band that owns a hotel,” he laughs, “but I think at the end of the day they’re still probably a band that want people to like their music so, I dunno. I mean, they’ll go out and do some fuckin’ stadium tour and everybody will buy tickets and then they’ll be fine, you know.” The realisation that you’re no longer cool has still gotta be hard for a band deal with. “Of course,” Hawkins agrees, “and nobody wants to be the butt of a joke, you know. And it’s hard to remain cool and still be a big band, that’s hard to do. Are The Stones cool still?” Always. “I guess so.” Keith Richards is way cool. “Yeah, of course he is.” Then Hawkins takes it there: “But, let me ask you, do you think that we’re not cool anymore?” Amazingly cool. “BE honest, be honest!” “You guys come across as really regular and very approachable and that’s important.” Hawkins lets this sink in: “I guess so. Well that’s all a sham, you know that. We’re all assholes driving around in limousines [laughs].”
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways is currently screening on GO! THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 13
music
FUCK THINGS UP Punk rock’s crown princes of comedy are once again heading to our shores. Mark Hebblewhite got hold of guitarist and founding member Eric Melvin to find out all the latest from the NOFX camp.
“W
hen we first came down to Australia we really had the chance to get out and meet people, go to parties, people’s houses and really enjoy ourselves,” says Melvin, musing on early tours to our shores, including a legendary run of shoes in support of 1994’s Punk In Drublic LP. “We can’t really do that anymore – the shows have got bigger – things are a little less personal now, but it’s great to be able to play for more people.”
Melvin says the band has started writing a follow up record to 2012’s SelfEntitled. “It’s still early on but we have some new material written – at least some parts and ideas written. Right now all I can tell you is that we’re looking to record a new record this coming spring or summer and we hope it will be out by the end of next year. We’re also working on the second season of the backstage passport documentary.” Backstage passport is what the name suggests – a no holds barred look at the chaos and debauchery of a NOFX tour. Does the band ever regret exposing their own bad behavior? “Oh
music
yeah… I ask myself all the time… ‘Do I really want anyone to see how me and my band mates act when no-one’s around? It’s weird though for some reason I think we want to expose ourselves in that kind of way. I mean, we’re also writing a book – a history of the band – which is going to have some incredible stories in it.” Considering the personalities, dramas and drug and alcohol abuse associated with NOFX, the fact that the band has managed to keep the same lineup since 1991 is a minor miracle. “Look I know it’s pretty incredible,” agrees Melvin. “Three of the guys have been there from the beginning – we still call El Hefe the new guy and he joined over 20 years ago. I think what keeps us together is simple; we like the same sort of music, we’ve struggled together for so long to make things happen, and they have, so we’ve been able to share the victories. But most of all, we like each other. Don’t get me wrong, we have our fights, but we always want to get back in the van and do it again. Maybe we’re gluttons for punishment – I don’t know?” Aside from his NOFX duties Melvin also has plans to try DJing, with sets organised in a number of Aussie cities. “It’s a just a great chance for me to spin old punk rock records that I remember from the days when me and Mike would sit around listening to music and talking about how cool it would to have a band. I also have a guilty pleasure of liking dance music and I’m trying to find a way with DJing to combine this with my love of punk rock. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m not scared to fuck things up though so it should be fun.” WHEN & WHERE: 15 Nov, Metro City
SHADES OF GREY Thirty years into their uncompromising career The Mark Of Cain are showing no signs of losing momentum. Bassist Kim Scott tells Steve Bell that you can teach old war dogs new tricks.
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delaide power merchants The Mark Of Cain have been laying pretty low since touring their fifth long-player, Songs Of The Third And Fifth, around the country in early 2013. Now they’re returning armed with that album’s third single and a birthday to celebrate to boot. “This year’s our 30th year, so we contemplated getting out there and doing some celebratory shows,” explains bassist Kim Scott. “We talked about maybe even picking a couple of albums and doing them back-to-back in their entirety – but in the end my work has always been challenging in terms of finding the time, and John [Scott – guitar/ vocals] was struggling at the time with family responsibilities and of course [drummer] John Stanier’s availability is always limited because of the other bands he plays in – Battles and Tomahawk are usually either recording or on tour – so getting his time is always a challenge, which is where [temporary drummer] Eli Green fitted in last tour. So we thought we should just have another crack, and we’re really looking forward to getting back into it.” The rhythm section is integral to The Mark Of Cain’s live power, but Scott claims that having a different drummer doesn’t alter things on stage too substantially. 14 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
“Eli’s 22 years old and an incredible talent and it’s just worked really well,” he gushes. “We had to find a drummer who could… not fill the shoes of Stanier because we weren’t looking to replace him, but someone who could execute the songs as tightly and as well. We said, ‘Here’s four or five songs’ to a few drummers we were talking to... Eli turned up and because he’s classically trained and teaches drums himself he transcribed it all into sheet music! We’re sitting there going, ‘What the fuck?’... And he just played everything flawlessly to the point where he was telling us how our parts went!”
And despite routinely strong albums The Mark Of Cain have always been best experienced loud and live. “When John and I started the band 30 years ago... he always had a firm view of how we wanted to perform,” Scott recalls. “Seeing bands perform live influenced us a lot. For me one of the big turning points was supporting Big Black at Adelaide University... They were visceral in their approach, and we’d had a degree of that from our earlier influences like Joy Division, but it wasn’t until we experienced Big Black that our sonic fell into place. Someone described us once as ‘English melody meets American sonic’, and it’s that American sonic – that intensity and the visceral bass and drums that you feel in the gut – that’s really hard to capture live.” WHEN & WHERE: 15 Nov, Rosemount Hotel
DEBUT ALBUM OUT ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14TH. AVAILABLE ON ITUNES, SPOTIFY AND OTHER GOOD ONLINE RETAILERS OR AT UPCOMING SHOWS.
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PRE ORDER NOW STORE.THEMUSIC.COM.AU
FRIDAY 21ST NOVEMBER AMPLIFIER BAR
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METAL UNTIED DOWN UNDER THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 15
music
RELEASE THE BEAST Thelma Plum chats to Jazmine O’Sullivan about stalking M-Phazes while making her latest EP.
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helma Plum has come a long way since she released her first single Father Said back in 2012 at the incredibly young age of 17. That same year she won triple j’s unearthed competition which allowed her to perform at the National Indigenous Music Awards, before releasing her hugely successful debut EP Rosie, and subsequently sharing stages with both local and international superstars. Following the release of her second EP Monsters now upon us, it becomes all the more evident just how much she has grown as an artist since those early stages – her humble guitar is swapped for a more complex, modern
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and mature soundscape, which manages to showcase her serene vocals and songwriting prowess to a greater degree. Helping her out with the beautiful backing beats found on the EP is legendary Australian producer M-Phazes, a pairing which came about as Plum reveals, “I have always loved [M-Phazes], everything he touches is amazing. I’d been listening to Illy’s album and I remember listening to the backing of his tracks and thinking, ‘Wow this is incredible,’ like all the noises when you take away the vocals and strip it back, so I pretty much stalked him” she laughs. “I was at an album playing in Brisbane and I kind of stalked my way backstage and
I said to Illy, ‘Please let me meet Phazes,’ and then I just hung around until he met me!” Exploring a new avenue of style and composition in her music was of course exciting, but as Plum admits also daunting at times, making the help of M-Phazes all the more valuable. “I suppose I just wanted to do things bigger and better this time around, but I’ve just never really known how to do stuff like that. I’ve only ever made music with just me and my guitar, so it was really good to be able to find somebody who could help me do that. This EP is a big change for me, but hopefully a good change.” The EP also sees the teenager delving into slightly darker territories, aptly surmised by the work’s title, to which Plum explains, “The songs are about not the happiest of times, they were all written at a time when something not so great was going on, and they all kind of fit together because of that. I actually feel like this EP is my monster.” New sounds and styles coming from the studio mean Plum is now able to explore new territory with her live show, introducing a bigger and bolder sound to her gigs along the east coast. “Yeah, I’ve got a cool band joining me now which I’m pretty excited about because I’ve never played with a band before! I’m also a little bit nervous because I guess people who have come to my shows before have only ever seen me on stage with just a guitar, but yeah it’s a full band now and we’ve tried to make the whole set sound a bit more like the new EP, so I guess the live show will be a little bit more dancey than it used to be.” WHAT: Monsters (Warner) WHEN & WHERE: 14 Nov, Players Bar, Mandurah; 15 Nov, Amplifier; 16 Nov, Newport Hotel
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN Dusky’s bass house is hot – even Calvin Harris is playing it, Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman tell Cyclone.
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ondon’s underground house combo Dusky – Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman – came into their own after an audacious change in direction that saw them go from making nu-prog to deep, techy, bassy house three years ago. Fast-forward to 2014 and they’re already selling out shows on November’s extensive Australian DJ tour, igniting ‘Dusky mania’. “That’s good to hear!” Granger-Howell says. “We’ve really enjoyed our previous tours in Oz. The culture in Australia is pretty similar to the UK, so the parties aren’t too different.” Granger-Howell and Harriman grew up on drum ‘n’ bass, then UK garage, both DJing as teens. The pair of ravers likewise have formal musical training – Granger-Howell, a pianist, studied composition (at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, no less) and Harriman production. The pals were collaborating under the name Solarity when in 2011, having cut the album Stick By This for Anjunadeep, a subsidiary of Above & Beyond’s trance powerhouse Anjunabeats(!), they decided to rebrand themselves as Dusky. “There was a gradual change in the sound of our Solarity project during 2010 to 2011 when we were working on our first album,” Harriman explains. “We always let our music follow our tastes and interests and, for various reasons, we found ourselves gravitating to a more straight-up house and techno sound. The album was originally going to be a Solarity one but, about halfway through the writing process, the Anjunadeep guys suggested we consider another alias as
16 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
our sound had changed so much. Dusky was born as a result.” Dusky gained momentum in a seemingly short time, their LP impressing Radio 1’s Pete Tong. In 2012 they relished a huge club hit with Flo Jam on Dogmatik Records – later an ‘iTunes Dance Single of the Year’. This year has been about consolidation for Dusky. They curated a night at Fabric, but have also played Ibiza, Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival, and Glastonbury – which Harriman recalls as “awesome”. In July Dusky launched a label, 17 Steps, with their Love Taking Over EP. “The vision is simple – to put out music that we believe in and that we like,” says Granger-Howell.
Dusky have been linked to the deep house revival, but they might yet reinvent themselves again. “Breakbeat could be an interesting one!” GrangerHowell teases. “Both old skool and nu-skool. It depends on which way the scene changes in terms of whether it would connect with people, though…” Fans will hear fresh Dusky material on their Australian dates. “We’ll see what the crowd’s like in terms of what direction we’ll ultimately take the set in... There’ll definitely be a whole load of new music from us in there.” WHAT: Love Taking Over WHEN & WHERE: 14 Nov, Ambar
GETTING OUT MORE With his album Exits, Steve Smyth travels from the front bar of his local, to Hollywood, and back home. Via Spain and Paris. Ross Clelland follows along. s he walks in with his wellworn – but well loved – guitar, you get the feeling Steve Smyth wouldn’t often have said instrument far from his reach. There’s something old school about him. The stories he tells speak of the joy he finds in the music. He’s still smiling at the fact he’s only just
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returned from touring Europe, to find a record company gearing for his second album, Exits. Perhaps it comes down to people just putting you on the right path. Cue wobbly focus flashback sequence: the teenage kid from the south coast of NSW, getting up to sing at the local pub, but still doing the real world carpentry apprenticeship. And by chance knocking on a door looking for a place to plug the tools in and finding Jack Lowry, recently arrived from Oregon, who wandered out when the boys were on a smoko, “with this gorgeous old Gibson guitar, and he just played and chatted
– and I just couldn’t believe such beauty could come out of a piece of wood”, as Smyth now explains it.
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“He became a mentor to me. I’d grab my guitar and go round with a 2L bottle of Coke and watch the sun go down, playing tunes.” The dots were joined: “I’d find Tom Waits – so Jack would take me through Screaming Jay Hawkins, Sun Ra, Howling Wolf. I was like ‘What the fuck is this, and where do I get more?’ I was the same about hearing Edith Piaf or Debussy or Louis Armstrong.” That range comes through on Exits, as Smyth aims to “go from raw to tender, with a thread of me holding it together”. Flash forward to connecting with history in another way, recording Exits in the Hollywood Hills with Joey Waronker (Beck and R.E.M. drummer) and Gus Seyffert. Was Smyth after distance from ‘home’? “Maybe partly that,” he ponders. “I was actually deterred a bit. I was a bit starry-eyed about the idea of LA, as much as the actual place.” “But once the boys showed me their city, it became something real, but still with the myths built into it. We’d finish a track, and roll down the road to The Satellite, and see The Zombies – then they’d introduce me to the bass player from The Kinks! I’m trying to be all cool about it but [I’m] thinking, ‘Fuck! That’s really him!’” WHAT: Exits (Ivy League/Liberation) WHEN & WHERE: 19 Nov, Four5Nine Bar; 20 Nov, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; 21 Nov, Redcliffe On The Murray, Pinjarra; 22 Nov, Mojo’s Bar; 23 Nov, Indi Bar
LOOKING BACK
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He’s done the greatest hits, done the duets album, so how was Jimmy Barnes going to celebrate 30 years since going solo? By inviting friends and family to revisit their favourite songs with him, as he explains to Michael Smith.
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o where does someone like Jimmy Barnes start when he’s thinking about putting together something to celebrate the fact that he’s been rattling around the traps as a solo artist for 30 years? Remembering the Standing On The Outside album that Warner had pulled together to celebrate the Cold Chisel legacy by invited various artists and bands in to reinterpret those classic songs, Barnes had an idea. “I spoke to Diesel, said, ‘D’you want to do one?’ He said, ‘I wanna do I’d Die To Be With You Tonight.’ I spoke to The Living End, they said, ‘We want to do Lay Down Your Guns.’ I spoke to Shihad, they said, ‘We wanna do Love & Hate.’ There was stuff like When Your Love Is Gone – I just wanted to hear John [Farnham] sing it,” Barnes chuckles. “Still On Your Side was the obvious choice, for me, for Bernard [Fanning]. I sent two songs to Tina [Arena] and she came back, ‘I want to do Stone Cold,’ and the version she’s done is just phenomenal. Then Mahalia [Barnes] picked Stand Up, ‘cause she wanted to do something funky and Sly & The Family Stoneish. David [Campbell] Walk On – the opening lines of Walk On talk of finding the Great White Way, ‘David, you’re from Broadway, come here, you’re singin’ it!’” The process of recording 30:30 Hindsight began with Ride The Night Away, which originally appeared on Barnes’
second solo album, 1985’s For The Working Class Man, co-written by “Little” Stevie Van Zandt from Springsteen’s E Street Band. “Steven sent me the song,” says Barnes, who opened for Springsteen on his Australian tour in March, “yet we hadn’t met, so I went up to him and said, ‘Hi, I’m Jimmy,’ and he said, ‘I know who you are, you got my song,’ and he told me the story of how it came about. [Drummer] Steve Jordan kept coming ‘round and playing drums on his couch until he said, ‘Okay, I’ll write a song with ya,’ and we wrote this song. So I said, ‘Can you get a day off to record it?’ And he said, ‘I’ve gotta fly to Lillehammer and
do this film as soon I finish this tour.’ I said, ‘Well fine, I’ll fly there,’ and he said, ‘What are you doin’ tomorrow?’ I said, ‘I’m free.’ So he came over to my house expecting to maybe spend an hour, maybe two – he played lead guitar on the track – and walk away, and he just had such a great time in the house he ended up staying for 15 hours.” Also joining Barnes on 30:30 are Baby Animals, Jon Stevens, Keith Urban and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, as well as Cain’s band, Journey. And yes, Cold Chisel are about three-quarters through recording another album. WHAT: 30:30 Hindsight (Liberation) WHEN & WHERE: 22 Nov, A Day On The Green, Kings Park THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 17
trackby-track
BRAGGING RIGHTS The poverty and Centrelink payments are long gone as Scott ‘Kerser’ Barrow goes from underground to a KING on his new album. He takes us through the LP track by track. The Truth
Lonely At The Top
We thought we’d start it [the album] off with a straight hip hop banger, boom-bap style. I just spat three verses and a chorus and it’s just a confident, I’m still here, dominance track.
It’s like explaining my position in rap. The way I came up, without the radio and television and all this marketing, without that I feel like I’m at the top of a different genre.
C-Town That was like visualising parties in Campbelltown and what goes on at those parties in Campbelltown and probably in a lot of suburbs across the country. That was more of a party-banger; we thought we’d go from The Truth and keep it upbeat and still have that old Kerser flavour.
Any achievements I throw in my lyrics and it makes it so much easier to write. Plus I love to brag [laughs]. 225 feat. Ray, Jay UF That has Ray on the first verse – that’s my older brother – and it’s got Jay UF, who’s our best mate who we went to school with on it as well. It was pretty crazy writing that one. We started writing raps together, all of us years ago when we were
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teenagers, and we actually got to sit down and write that over a few drinks, which we hadn’t done in years, so that’s a pretty special song on the album. Taken Away I wanted to do a bit of a movie theme and put it in the rap. Like a script from a movie but something that actually… shit that actually does happen. I did it from a male’s point of view and from a female’s as well. ‘Cause I’ve got female fans as well, so you’ve gotta try and broaden your lyrics and write stuff so that they can relate to them [the songs] as well. That was definitely on my mind throughout, not just that song, but the whole album. Fantastic When Nebs made that beat, it just had that real gangster sound and yeah, I just enjoyed rapping on that one, I felt really good at the time. I think when I wrote that I’d just come off a festival run and I was just feeling really good about where I was at in my career. Underground I’m still underground, ‘cause I’m not on the TV, I’m not on the radio, but I’m still very well-known. I was trying to explain that [on the track] and I’ve been wanting to do a track, like, in that style for a while and when Nebs [his producer] did that sample I just thought that was perfect beat to rhyme on for it. WHAT: King (Obese) To the read the full track by track, head to theMusic.com.au
CLASSIC DOCTOR As Daleks, Cybermen and the rest tried to take over the universe beyond, space time was never silent. Liz Giuffre chats to the fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, about the symphony of sound behind Dr Who. he Doctor Who Symphony Spectacular is returning, new, updated, improved, and including real life Doctor number five, Peter Davidson, to run the proceedings. The idea, he thinks, is simple. “We tend to watch film or TV and we don’t tend to really listen to the music. We’re aware that it’s there, but often not really aware of how much it contributes to your viewing experience. And this was an opportunity to put the focus on the music as opposed to what’s happening on the screen. We still show clips at the concert, but you’re hearing and seeing a full orchestra playing the music.”
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Of course classic Whovian music has a special Australian connection, the show’s theme written by expat Queenslander Ron Grainer, and much of the formative ‘incidental’ music written by Dudley Simpson. “It’s marvellous when you hear the theme done by the orchestra, immensely powerful music. My part is to come in and introduce pieces of music, and it’s nice to have that connection to the audience, and I like to make those bits between the pieces of music informal. The fans love the music and we have lots of additions in terms of monsters and aliens running around the auditorium trying to scare the heck out of people – it’s very much a theatrical experience too.” With a tour featuring a full orchestra as well as various players, monsters and bit parts, there’s obviously a very 18 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
interesting mix of personalities to deal with. “Yes makes backstage very interesting,” Davidson admits. “Every city we go to we’re auditioning people to be Cybermen or Daleks or whatever, and it’s quite an art. They often can’t see much while they’re running along ledges or whatever. “Certainly in the last tour we did in January there was a piece from the classic era that was re-imagined for the orchestra, which was really popular, so I’m hoping that will happen again. Of course [in my time in the early 1980s] we had the very famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop doing our music. And
it was more, I would say, incidental music, than an actual piece of music. Although you could sense, towards my time in the show and after, that these composers wanted to spread their wings. What happened when the series came back [in 2005], they had production means and a budget to get music recorded by a full orchestra. And the composer, Murray Gold, he wanted to write pieces of music for an orchestra, rather than just incidental bits, and it became a really big part of the show. So I’m quite envious of the quality of the music. I’m not knocking the Radiophonic and it was very much a part of the show and I loved it.” Given how much of that classic era experimentation with sound has now been acknowledged as inspiration for ‘new’ forms of music like EDM, who knows what might come around next. WHAT: Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular WHEN & WHERE: 31 Jan, Perth Arena
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 19
★★★½
album/ep reviews
ARIEL PINK
TV ON THE RADIO
pom pom
Seeds
4AD/Remote Control
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Ariel Pink only gets weirder on his latest release, pom pom, which continues to blur the line between impenetrable solipsism and catchy pop writing. At times it’s so invasive and creepy that surely Robin Thicke would be proud of him. Other times it’s as pleasant and enjoyable as an evening stroll through the park. This double album takes a good 68 minutes to wade through, during which time Pink traverses his usual outré-pop territory and more. Put Your Number In My Phone is a sunny slice of saccharine soliloquy, bordering on nonsense. Plastic Raincoats In The Pig Parade is similarly absurd and upbeat in disposition. Goth Bomb is a ridiculously frantic and terrifically kitsch addition to your next Halloween playlist, while Dinosaur Carebears, well, the title speaks for itself. The camp qualities and grotesque imagery of Black Ballerina highlight the album’s main
EMI
appeal and also its most divisive quality. Pink aims for such an overwhelming of the senses that it often feels as iff the album’s excesses exist purely for their own sake; you have to wonder whether he even knows what half of these lyrics mean. The overall effect has pom pom often feeling similar to a purposely lo-fi Hollywood film that has paid large amounts of money to look like an indie film; it aims for cult and novelty status, yet never transcends its own silliness. At the end of the day, it lacks any substance or sincerity. Nevertheless, if you’re after some earworms to mix in your beetlejuice, pom pom is an entertaining listen. Roshan Clerke
VARIOUS
20 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
You is as cool as any of the synth-pop being dished by the likes of CHVRCHES at the moment. Ride initially takes a listener to a dark, contemplative world of piano and strings, though impressively turns into a sprawling life-is-short-getamongst-it pop parable of grand heights. Across Seeds there’s so many different moods shaded by intriguing soundscapes, horns, electro-glitches, beautifully considered harmonies and tender lyrical moments for their departed friend, and with the TVOTR touch, it works. Tyler McLoughlan
King Obese
Kobalt
Sall took responsibility for nominating which tracks many of the artists covered, which may explain a number of off-the-cuff performances that hardly suggest a life-long love of the originals. Some of it is poorly judged, such as Barry Gibb’s retro comedy experiments and The Cure’s hopelessly lost Hello Goodbye. Much of it is ugly, with many instances of geriatric former wild men overcompensating their lack of youthful vim with colostomy bag-rupturing histrionics, as Roger Daltery, Sammy Hagar and ‘80s metal poodles Def Leppard
The straight up Quartz launches their fifth record into a clanlike musical ritual of handclaps, layered harmonies and percussion that allows Tunde Adebimpe’s affective vocal to open hearts for the first of many times. Lead single Happy Idiot is undeniably instant, a moment of pure melodic clarity. A culmination of carefully constructed dancepunk that at times recalls Mark Knopfler’s dry double-tracked vocal over a simply executed guitar rhythm, the key single at first does a disservice to an album that’s due a magnetism that demands repeat listens. Lazerray is fun, fast and fuzzheavy rock, but then Careful
★★★½
KERSER
The Art Of McCartney
What could possibly go wrong? The 11-year project of producer Ralph Sall, The Art Of McCartney features the timeless songs of Paul McCartney – Beatles, Wings and solo material all included – covered by “the World’s Greatest Artists” including Kiss, Brian Wilson, an immensely gravely Bob Dylan, The Cure and, erm, Steve Miller – twice.
Seeds is the first album for the Brooklyn outfit since the passing of bassist Gerard Smith, and as usual it’s brimming with the unexpected in a way that only a band comprising a producer and a pair of visual artists is capable of.
Kerser’s success demands an explanation. How has Kers found himself near enough the top of the heap?
★½ all confirm they’ve devolved into cartoon parodies. Some of it is just downright unsanitary, as the bestial groaning of Billy Joel would normally be associated with a man wrestling extreme constipation. Against the odds, Heart appear to be one of the less rigor mort-icised acts here, Yusuf (formally Cat Stevens) steers clear of the schmaltz and Corrine Bailey Rae’s Bluebird is splendidly soporific. But despite these faint glimmers, it seems inevitable that curious historians will one day ponder what exactly McCartney did to deserve this. Christopher H James
On the mic Kerser seems so near and so immediate you could touch him. So while he drifts of into the harshness, violence, and anger that would otherwise alienate (many of ) us, Kers’ presence – the feeling that we walk with him –holds our attention. Here the best example of that is Forever. Our host’s guttural, grinding delivery gives way to a reflective swoon of a chorus. C-Town is surprisingly approachable: another example of Kerser taking otherwise confronting content while excluding no one. Of course, any Kerser release is also a Nebs release. Kerser acknowledged as much by calling his debut The Nebulizer. Nebs proved he’s one of Australia’s best beatsmiths first with his clique That’s Them. He proves
★★★ it again here, probably peaking with the stop-start otherworldliness of Smokin’ Up. On that track Kers tries to explain, “why they all listen, from the kids in the commissions to the people running businesses”. The more time you spend with Kerser, the more you realise he’s eloquent, playful, lighthearted, endearing: all with a menacing undercurrent. That’s a set of traits that describes all of the most commercially successful rappers of the last 20 years. Perhaps success isn’t the issue. With attributes like that, how could he fail? James d’Apice
album/ep reviews
★★★★
TRUST PUNKS Discipline
★★★
THE NEW BASEMENT TAPES
Spunk
Lost On The River
Auckland five-piece Trust Punks keep it short and not-sosimple on debut LP Discipline. Enveloped in dissonance yet imbued with an innate sense of melody, the seven tracks on offer are as indebted to effervescence and catharsis as they are to tension and repetition. Opener Doubt in particular is raucous, tremulous and buoyant (the echoed “Better to leave it be” could be the sign-off to many an indie-pop band). But there is the tethered electronics of Leeds United, the krautrock-run Gordian Knot and the brutal buzzsaw closure of Enemies to drag us back into the shadows.
Harvest/EMI
Brendan Telford
Taking cues from the Wilco/ Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue project, Bob Dylan is here recycled with music added to lyrics penned with The Band in 1967, following his nearcrippling motorcycle accident. The driving force is T-Bone Burnett, sometime Dylan sideman and collaborator with many, who leads this grouping. There are some hits and misses: Rhiannon Giddens’ sea-shanty Spanish Mary is quite lovely, contrasted with Costello getting bluesy and misogynist on Married To My Hack. It’s an interesting curiosity - with some musical worth.
★★★
BRANT BJORK & THE LOW DESERT PUNK BAND Black Power Flower Napalm/Rocket Stoner-rock alumnus Brant Bjork sticks to his chosen path on ‘solo’ effort Black Power Flower. Regular conventions such as repetitive riffs, roared phrases and astral/mystical iconography remain front and centre on the likes of Controllers Destroyed and Soldier Of Love. The brew is watered down on Buddha Time (Everything Fine) and Stokely Up Now, preferring more obvious rock traditions, but Boogie Woogie On Your Brain and Hustler’s Blues prove Bjork ain’t about to leave the Kyuss/ Fu Manchu gravy train just yet.
★★½
EX COPS
Daggers Downtown/Create/Control Ex Cops describe themselves as “nomadic”, a possible reference to their eclectic handling of rock, pop and R&B, so it’s not too much of a stretch to similarly describe Daggers. Dutch singer/ model Amalie Bruun’s voice shines on bluesy torch songs like Burnt Out Love, Wanna Be (featuring a sizzling cameo from LP) and the title track. But then there’s annoying faff like Pretty Shitty and the fittingly titled White Noise. Everyone’s favourite narcissist Ariel Pink warms up Tragically Alright, but the notorious touch of Billy Corgan has made this too much of a mess to judge favourably. Cam Findlay
Brendan Telford
Ross Clelland
MORE REVIEWS
themusic.com.au/music/album-reviews
★★★★
PETER BIBBY
Butcher/Hairstylist/ Beautician Spinning Top Bibby has a partiality for sardonic malapropisms, skewed bucolic ballads and a voice trammelled into broken glass and dirtflecked whiskey. It’s a weirdly heady mix, and on excellently monikered debut, Butcher/ Hairstylist/Beautician, introduces a carnivalesque series of baroque characters, all presented with a wild-eyed energy. The share-house recollections of Goodbye Johnny and the brilliantly wasted ramshackle debauchery of Friendshighlight an intrinsically distinctive voice. And with song titles like Hates My Boozin’, Stinking Rich and Cunt, Bibby paints a deliciously perturbing picture.
★★★½
★½
SINCERELY GRIZZLY
VARIOUS
Black Night Crash/MGM
Fearless/Unified
Over a year in the making, the debut album from Adelaide art-punks Sincerely Grizzly is a shotgun blast to the chest, aiming for the heart and the jugular in equal measure. Their literate and pop-cultural predilections stand out on killer tracks I’m Nucky Thompson, This Is Atlantic City and the epic, multilayered closer, Kafkaesque. The trio’s aural approach, balancing ferocity with earnestness, intertwines with the vocal transgressions and guttural screams on a razor’s edge (seen most clearly on Catholic Guilt), but their innate sense of melody is never lost on this assured album.
Things this compilation proves: Taylor Swift’s songs are catchy regardless of how many guitars and hoarse screams try to bastardise them (thank you We Came As Romans); The 1975’s Chocolate makes for a surprisingly apt pop-punk tune once Knuckle Puck stick their whiny American vocals on it; yelling your throat raw on Wrecking Ball takes away some of its emotional resonance (courtesy of August Burns Red), and no one, I repeat, no one, needs a nu-metal version of Turn Down For What, featuring Ice T. Leave that in the early noughties’ Upon A Burning Body.
Halves
Punk Goes Pop Vol. 6
Daily Meds – Sour Milk Robert Wyatt – Different Every Time Sarah Humphreys – New Moon Monster Magnet – Milking The Stars: A Re-imagining Of Last Patrol Neil Young – Storytone Spain – Sargent Place Various – Cut Copy Presents Oceans Apart Eric Bibb – Blues People
Sevana Ohandjanian
Brendan Telford
Brendan Telford THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 21
live reviews
THE MADDEN BROTHERS, RED INK Crown Theatre 7 Nov Having between them hit success with Good Charlotte, The Voice and some peculiar KFC commercials, Joel and Benji Madden grabbed the past decade with all four hands. Handing Joel a ‘Most Popular New Male Talent’ Logie, Australia has embraced the Madden brothers for all they’re worth. Befitting their “prestige” status, Crown Theatre turned it on for the tattoo-and-leather-blazoned siblings. Kicking off this Greetings From California tour gig, Aussie rock hopefuls Red Ink amped up the selfie-obsessed
the duo’s stage presence remained subdued throughout the first hour. Again, despite the stiff movements, the duo matched one anther beat for beat. Switching tempo throughout, their highly rehearsed style suited them. Between songs, the boys took time out to acknowledge their rabid fanbase. Infatuated with Perth, they described their profound love of the place and people. Their latest smash hits, U R and Love Pretenders, were as well received as previous successes. Relying on audience participation at opportune moments, the duo knew how to rouse the alreadyberserk audience. Of course, Good Charlotte hits Girls & Boys and I Just Wanna Live were made to be blared through their high-pitched, nasally vocals. Telling stories of adolescence, bad decisions, the music
THE MADDEN BROTHERS @ THE CROWN THEATRE. PIC: CALEB MACINTYRE
crowd with energetic original tracks and covers. Thanks to lead vocalist John Jakubenko’s manic stage moves, Red Ink deserve a big tick across their work. The stage lighting up with bursts of red, the crowd then went bonkers for the American duo’s awe-inspiring entrance. Fusing archival footage and bright colours over the backdrop, the performance carried a fond sense of nostalgia. Outlining the aura of the event, their latest tour transports us to California’s sunny climes, so delving straight into their Greetings From California album, The Madden Brothers strove to bring Perth fans in on their new adventures. As the crowd’s shrill screams and “I love you” shout-outs echoed throughout the Crown, the duo launched into bright-eyed hits Dear Jane and Brixton. However, despite the energy of the tracks, 22 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
Various venues 8 Nov
The WAM Saturday Spectacular was back for another year and with more than 50 of WA’s most exciting artists playing over seven stages, it was going to be the perfect end to what had so far been a fantastic few days of WAM festivities. Siblings Eliza and James Rogers, otherwise known as Patient Little Sister, welcomed a steadily growing crowd into Universal Bar with a set of soothing, folksy goodness, before Jacob Diamond launched into Happy Hour with a set full of constantly-shifting intensities that held the entire bar’s attention. The crowd was
FLOORS @ THE WAM FESTIVAL SATURDAY SPECTACULAR. PIC: JACINTA MATHEWS
industry and Australia, the brothers’ bright sense of humour delivered many honest moments. Bringing on friend/musician Danny Ross, their covers of Free Fallin’ and Hotel California tugged at heartstrings and nostalgic vibes. Switching from electric to acoustic, their renditions of GC classics Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous, I Don’t Wanna Be In Love and Last Night showed a different side. The set’s final tracks delivered an ode to Middle America, with Brother boasting a harmonicainduced aura. Saving the best for last, California Rain and Bad tapped into their immense dynamism. Fittingly, the show ended with a rousing rendition of We Are Done. Don’t worry fans; they will definitely be back. Tom Munday
WAM SATURDAY SPECTACULAR
Dashing over to the Mustang Bar, Our Man In Berlin set an atmospheric mood as soon as the falsetto vocals began. The group’s electronic indie-pop was perfect as night began to draw in. The Flower Drums took us down to an ambient feel with romantic synth and soft rock electronica. Some of the tunes sounded slightly ‘80s-influenced, with very few vocals, yet there was a consistent covering of guitars and steady bass, with all three members swaying to the ever-tranquil feel of their performance. The Bird had been absolutely chockers all day, much thanks
COIN BANKS @ WAM FESTIVAL SATURDAY SPECTACULAR. PIC: ASHLEY WESTWOOD
wowed by David Craft’s voice, his velvety smooth baritone vocals worthy of a country great – and definitely a nice change from the higher ranges that have been popularised of late. Over to the Block Party Stage and as it turned out, The Amani Consort proved they may as well have been conceived for the express purpose of rocking these sorts of environments. They were a little shy on the evening, but the golden tones of Gunns and their wide-angle lens psychedelia was welcome, and Clinton Oliver’s intimate chirp seemed to echo from some lost part of the Laurel Canyon. One of the most vivacious performances on the all-ages stage was a set from The Brow (formerly The Brown Horn Orchestra), whose unique blend of ska, brass, funk and hip hop
compelled a small group of punters to shuffle and dance in a funk fashion. Their ability to break into rap at any moment and confidence in their jazz improv was massively impressive.
to Apache, who proved why they’re one of the nominated bands to slot in at Southbound festival with a ferocious rock set, complete with all the energy and enthusiasm from a band stoked to be part of the WAM festivities. Their raw musical skills worked a treat, especially considering the venue, and they showed us exactly why they’re one of the most exciting bands in Perth at the moment. The crowd seemed to ebb a bit for Ghetto Crystals – a shame, because they were actually one of the highlights of the day. The garagey trio, containing ex-Abby May member KT Rumble and San Cisco drummer Scarlett Stevens showed that simple can be effective. They provided a hell of a lot of catchy bass lines, which is never a bad thing, but Rumble’s lyrics were the standout in their
live reviews performance; blunt and often comical, they told stories and kept the crowd attentive. Anyone who skipped out on them should be kicking themselves. Block Party Stage continued to go off, with help from Coin Banks, who warmed the crowd’s collective cockles into the chilly evening with the aid of his versatile eight-piece band. His roots-based hip hop brimmed with everyday content that anyone could relate to as he brought the crowd together like a real MC should. Back to the C.I.T Stage, Margaret River favourites Stillwater Giants hit the stage sporting ridiculous novelty hats, though their set was anything but. The boys drew the crowd in early on in their set, with fans keen to get as close as possible. Their three-part harmonies were enthralling, particularly in the breezy Give Into Me. The Floors were tasked with wrapping things up at the venue, and they totally let loose. Straight out of the gate they were plagued with a broken drum kit and forced to compete with a loony
Jesus fanatic, but that didn’t dissuade them. Insane riffs and spectacular drumming by Ashley Doodkorte had the entire amphitheatre jamming along to pure, unadulterated rock’n’roll for the remainder of the night. It was by this time that The Bird had developed a slow-moving line outside the venue, another testament to the popularity of none other than Perth’s favourite grunge-rock trio Foam. The band coursed their way through their set with fizzing howls of rage and it was at this point that people began to mosh, which is always a great sight to see inside the small venue. But if people thought that was intense, the WAMi winners of Best Heavy Act 2014, Puck, took things to the next level. They confessed their set hadn’t really changed for the good part of a year up until that night, and the new track they slotted in was probably the highlight, with awesome growls and super heavy riffs that had people going absolutely nutty. Hamjam closed out the evening in style with their grungy surfpop stylings and had people
leaving the venue feeling buzzed and thoroughly satisfied.
proving we have the best local scene in the country.
Dream Rimmy closed out the night at Flyrite, re-creating the ‘90s lo-fi psychedelic shoegaze with ambient vocals from lead singer, Ali Flintoff. The entire band exuded energy and continued to produce outstanding songs. It became a hypnotic experience, with colourful sounds, not to mention characters, on stage. There’s great potential here; a must-see spectacle and musical high.
Kane Sutton, Joseph Wilson, Emilie Taylor, Christopher H James, Charmaine De Souza, Scott Aiken
Although they may be better suited to claustrophobic indoor settings, The Love Junkies nonetheless commanded the Block Party stage like seasoned headliners. Their rising star was evident by the spontaneous audience participation during Maybelene, as they deftly alternated between sweet melodies and explosive punkgasms, before wrapping the night up with the gory love-fest Blowing On The Devil’s Strumpet. All told, it was well and truly a fantastic day for WA music, and it went a long way towards
To read the full review head to theMusic.com.au
MORE REVIEWS
themusic.com.au/music/live-reviews
KATY PERRY @ PERTH ARENA. PIC: ABBIE CRIBB
WAM Opening Party Rodriguez
arts reviews Cooper (McConaughey), who they enlist to travel to the farthest reaches of space to help save the human race.
INTERSTELLAR Film
In cinemas
★★★★½ In Interstellar, Earth is down to its last generation or so of humans. They’re a populace being terrorised by dust clouds that bring not only whipping winds, but make growing new food nearly impossible. NASA, officially long-dead, hides a sleeper cell deep in the heart of the dust-clogged farming district that, by mysterious means, crosses paths with ex-pilot
A bold, unabashed film, Interstellar has already started to divide people. Some have felt it exposition-heavy (and it is), while others have thought it also too heavy on the symbolism. But Interstellar is also earnest, hopeful and ambitious. The film’s few stumbles are admirable human ones, and dwarfed by far by the enormity of what it’s trying to achieve. Personally, Nolan’s made a film firmly bursting from his previous work. Doubling down on his famed narrative ‘steadfastness’, it’s a typically propulsive effort of such singularity it’s deafening. A movie whose life thrums on inside of you afterwards like the toll of a great bell, Interstellar has great big ideas to bound around in, and a determination to show you impossible, wonderful things. Sam Hobson
TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT Film
In cinemas
★★★½ Two Days, One Night is a rarity in cinema. It’s a film about the real, and unromanticised drama that we face in daily life. Marion Cotillard plays Sandra, a woman who, on returning to work after taking leave to treat her mental illness, is notified she’s been made redundant. In her absence, her 16 co-workers were instructed, because of cuts, to either to vote to keep her employed, or vote for a bonus. Just as Sandra begins to sink into despair, a friend calls, and tells her that she has grounds for the vote to be recast. Her boss agrees, and so Sandra spends her weekend – two days, one night – visiting the houses and afterhours workplaces of her colleagues, pleading with them to reconsider.
One Night is a fascinating little parable; one that aches to be unpacked, just as it floods you with worry for the pain Cotillard’s terrific Sandra will shortly face. But Sandra’s got it; though she’s suffering, she’s wonderfully strong, completely realistic about the terrible proposition she’s bringing to her co-workers. House by house, she’s gracious, exhausted, mortified by her task, brought to tears by the support she receives from some, hurt by others she considered friends, taunted by petty workplace bureaucracy, and haunted by her depression. Sam Hobson
What the Dardenne brothers have crafted with Two Days, THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 23
24 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
the guide
TEMPEST RISING
Answered by: Vin Trikeriotis Album title? Transmutation Where did the title of your new album come from? Transmutation is the conversion of one species into another. As a species we are forever evolving, for the better or for worse... only time will tell. How many releases do you have now? 2012 EP/demo Calm Before The Storm; 2013 single DTF; 2014 single Wretch; debut album Transmutation. How long did it take to write/record? Transmutation is a beast that took us 24 months to create. We had a few road bumps along the way, but we have come out stronger as a band, and as a group of friends. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? The music that we write is my release. I channel my rage, fears, desires and emotions directly into my lyrics. My personal experiences and the way I feel about the world was my inspiration. What’s your favourite song on it? Wretch. It is a song about the way people react to the choices I have made in my life. Will you do anything differently next time? We will be more prepared. We are already ten songs into pre-production on album two. We want to have it released less than 12 months after Transmutation debuts. When and where is your launch/next gig? 21 Nov, Amplifier Bar. Website link for more info? facebook.com/tempestrisingofficial
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 25
eat/drink
N PALE ALE M Coming up to summer, everything gets brighter – including the colour of your beer. Pale ale is clean, crisp, fruity and perfect for the warmer weather. Words Taylor Yates.
VALE IPA
STONE & WOOD PACIFIC ALE
An Australian interpretation of IPA, using hops from New Zealand, America and Australia, this beer will woo you with its strong pine and citrus notes, with a hint of passionfruit.
Inspired by the Pacific Ocean, you’ll be glad to know this one doesn’t taste like sea salt – it’s fresh and tropical in flavour – and because they don’t filter it (you loose flavour if you filter it), there’s a bunch of yeast floating around at the bottom of the bottle, giving it a distinctly home brewed feel. Like with Coopers, you have to give the bottle a bit of a gentle tip or roll to mix up the yeast.
COOPERS ORIGINAL PALE ALE
TWO BIRDS BANTAM IPA
Fruity and floral, yet slightly bitter. Quite sharp in the way of citrus, with the lemon punching right through from the first sip. Goes well with spicy foods, stir fries, poultry, seafood and salads. Gently roll on its side before opening to rid of the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
Full in flavour and reminiscent of fruit salad, this India Pale Ale is clean and smooth. It also has a lower alcohol content than the standard IPA, so lightweights, this may be your new favourite beer.
LITTLE CREATURES PALE ALE
FAT YAK PALE ALE
Fresh with citrus and stone fruit characters, with quite a distinctive bitter aftertaste.
Very floral with melon and citrus flavours. Have this one with slightly spicy Spanish tapas or something tomato-ey.
HEAVY STUFF On the flipside, we’ve rounded up a few beers for a few of you who are looking for something a touch heavier. Or you know, a lot heavier. Hanging out at 10% ABV, we present to you The Bruery’s Autumn Maple – which is as sweet at it sounds. A step further will have you drinking Sam Adams’ Utopia, 29%. Still not convinced? Maybe give BrewDog’s Tactical Nuclear Penguin a shot; it’s 32% and has notes of roasted coffee and chocolate. But if coffee and chocolate aren’t your thing, BrewDog’s End of History might also suit you. At a bit of a jump, this one’s sitting at 55%… but if you really wanna get the party going (and potentially ending) pretty quickly, you can’t go past the ultimate: Brewmeister’s Armageddon. 65% – need we say more?
26 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
CHART WRAP
UP TO THE PLATE
HUMP DAY TUNES
MOMENTUM BUILDER
Hindley has been working hard in 2014, releasing a mixtape at the beginning of the year and picking up performance slots and venues all over the city when he turned 18. He’ll be launching his debut EP Pine Wood Bones on Thursday at 459 Bar.
Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars seem to be everywhere at once recently, and naturally, they’re bringing their heavy, rootsy indiepop to the Rosemount Hotel this Wednesday night. Catch them, plus The Lammas and Matt Cal.
Hypnotic teenage singersongwriter Thelma Plum has been constantly building momentum over 2014, and is bringing her new EP Monsters to Perth, this Saturday at Amplifier Bar.
TIMELESS
JUST CHILL
CROSS COUNTRY
Prolific DJ Hot Dub Time Machine has been wowing audiences around the country recently by taking his show to the country’s best theatre venues. He continues the trend when he plays at The Astor Theatre this Friday.
If you’re in the mood to cruise through your Saturday night, head to The Bird – they’ve got The Regular Hunters, Golden String, Mei Saraswati and Xanthea taking to the stage, and it’s gonna be chill.
Alabama-born Kristy Lee is making her way to WA this week to showcase her thundering vocals and nourishing rhythms. She’ll be performing Thursday at The Odd Fellow with Morgan Bain supporting.
QUICK SMART
TRIPLE THREAT
BACK ONCE AGAIN
Melbourne-via-Perth stalwarts Split Seconds released a new EP not too long ago, and they’re bringing it back to their hometown this weekend. Catch the new tunes in the flesh for the first time, Friday at Amplifier Bar.
Indie-rockers San Cisco play three shows at Mojo’s this week, incidentally the area where the band members grew up. Tickets are still available for their show on the 16 Nov. 12pm if you’re under 18, 6pm for 18+.
It’s been four years since punk rockers NOFX were last in the country, and now the wait is finally over. Get your fix of new and old tracks when they play Metro City on Saturday night.
HELPING HAND
OH, BILLIE!
GET BUSY
Sydney-based solo hip hop artist NJE returns to Perth for a show run by his label The Essence Entertainment, aiming to provide an avenue for up-and-coming rappers. Friday at The Civic, with Jaks, Reality and more.
Billie Holiday’s new EP takes on a number of influences surrounding soulful country music, and you can hear it all when she launches it at Fly By Night on 14 Nov.
Grammy Award-winning dancehall superstar Sean Paul returns to Perth as part of his national tour this weekend, bringing fellow Grammy winner Mya along for the ride. Metro City this Friday.
FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU
Flight Facilities have taken out the #1 placing on this week’s Carlton Dry Independent Music Charts with their debut full-length, Down To Earth, claiming pole position on entry. The result sees last week’s titleholders, Hilltop Hoods and Walking Under Stars, drop a spot to #2, pushing Missy Higgins (Oz) and Jimmy Barnes (30:30 Hindsight) down a notch each too, to #3 and #4 respectively. Resurgent songstress Lanie Lane’s second album, Night Shade, enters strongly at #6, but can’t quite break beyond Vance Joy’s Dream Your Life Away, which steps up a place to #5 this week. Re-entries this week come from Thundamentals, whose one-time #1, So We Can Remember, is back in the top 20 at #15, just outpaced by The Delta Riggs’ Dipz Zebazios, which reappears at #14. On the singles ladder, Brissiebred pop factory Sheppard see yet another single on the charts with Smile making the week’s highest entry at #6, just below their still-performing mega-hit Geronimo (#5). West Australian indie-poppers San Cisco aren’t far behind, with comeback cut, RUN nabbing them #7 on debut. Top album-makers Flight Facilities also made an impact in the singles world, with Sunshine, featuring Reggie Watts, stepping out at #14, only a few spots behind earlier single, Two Bodies, (#11) and this week’s only other new entry, Odd Mob’s Is It A Banger?, which comes in at #10 for the week. Honey-voiced Brisbane muso Airling also finds herself back in the charts this week — Wasted Pilots makes its return at #20. THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 27
the guide wa.live@themusic.com.au
ALBUM FOCUS
HAVE YOU HEARD
Sean B, who produced the album would send beats to us, we would write during the week then hit the studio on the weekend. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Firstly the beats we were getting sent, plus Jake and myself trying to push one another in our writing. Just being in the studio on certain nights when that magic happens, was inspirational in itself.
750 REBELS Album title: Kold Heat Where did the title of your new album come from? The working title for the album was originally called ‘Bring It To Ya City’. After getting bored with this, we ran with Kold Heat, which was a name of a track I’d demoed two years earlier. How many releases do you have now? 16 releases between us all on the label Karsniogenics, plus a tonne of material with other indie labels, vinyl, tapes and CDs. How long did it take to write/ record? Some tracks were recorded three years ago, but the majority was done in the last two years.
What’s your favourite song on it? For a long time now its been Magnum Opus but since the album’s been out, I’m diggin’ tracks like The Paper and False Idols. Will you do anything differently next time? Each release is a milestone, a snap shot in time, since I’ve been buried in this project for along time I don’t have a clue on what’s next, or what approach I would take on the next project.
always dreaming of floating in the costmic universe and listening to the sound of nothing or perhaps extraterrestrial beings - I’d have to bring Blue Planet Eyes - The Preatures
RUBY MAY How did you get together? After singing my entire life and thriving in school musicals came the age-old question when I finished school – what do I do with music now? So I taught myself guitar and got out there. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Acoustic, fun, happy vibes.
Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? The greatest rock‘n’roll moment would be given the opportunity to play at Amplifier Bar - or even Patersons Stadium during the AFL finals. All very surreal experiences. Why should people come and see your band? Music is healing - if this is the only way I can bring joy to a life I will. When and where for your next gig? Sea Sheppard Fundraising Tour, 16 Nov, Fremantle Sailing Club.
If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? If I could support any band in the world it would have to be an artist named Tom Misch. You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? Apart from
ALBUM FOCUS
ALBUM FOCUS started many tracks over a year ago we can’t really get going until we are under the pump.
DAILY MEDS Answered by: Roleo Album title? Sour Milk Where did the title of your new album come from? Sour Milk is a track off the album... it was actually the name of the beat I did, then Billie Rose ran with Sour Milk as a metaphor for a relationship turning sour. How many releases do you have now? This is our second album. We also have done one EP and a rare demo from back in the day. How long did it take to write/ record? The guys wrote most of the lyrics over the last six months or so, although we 28 • THE HEE M MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? We are all disillusioned with many aspects of local and international politics, as well as many aspects of our own lives and relationships, and it really shows on the album, which is quite dark. What’s your favourite song on it? As a crew the one track we all really love is Sour Milk, it’s a very different track for us. Will you do anything differently next time? Too early to think about that really... but I think we might try to do a concept album, either lyrically or musically. When and where is your launch/next gig? Flyrite, 13 Nov; Mojo’s Bar, 14 Nov. Website link for more info? dailymeds.com.au
THE BUDOS BAND
of ‘70s hard rock and early metal in a meaningful way.
Answered by: Jared Tankel
What’s your favourite song on it? Magus Mountain
Album title? Burnt Offering Where did the title of your new album come from? This is our offering to the world and it’s super fried, burnt and fuzzed out.
Will you do anything differently next time? Just get further down the path we’re on. Website link for more info? thebudos.com
How many releases do you have now? This is our fourth full-length. How long did it take to write/ record? This was a fouryear process of writing and recording and mixing. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? We finally tapped into our love
S U P P O R T I N G
I N D E P E N D E N T
A U S S I E
M U S I C
THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014 • 29
the guide wa.gigguide@themusic.com.au
THE MUSIC PRESENTS SAN CISCO: NOV 15 + 16, Mojo’s Bar VIOLENT SOHO: NOV 19, Prince Of Wales; NOV 20, Dunsborough Tavern; NOV 21, Studio 146, Albany; NOV 22, Capitol THE DELTA RIGGS: NOV 21, Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; NOV 22, The Odd Fellow; NOV 23, The Avery CW STONEKING: NOV 22, Rosemount Hotel; NOV 23, Mojo’s Bar
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS: DEC 12, Capitol; DEC 13, The Prince Of Wales THY ART IS MURDER: DEC 17, YMCA HQ; DEC 18, Capitol BREAKFEST: DEC 26, Belvoir Amphitheatre SOUTHBOUND: JAN 3 & 4, Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton 65DAYSOFSTATIC: JAN 5, The Bakery
THE SMITH STREET BAND: NOV 29, Rosemount Hotel COLAB FESTIVAL: NOV 29, Oak Lawn, UWA Nedlands
GIG OF THE WEEK NOFX: 15 NOV, METRO CITY
PIERCE BROTHERS: DEC 5, Settlers Tavern, Margaret River; DEC 6 Indi Bar
WED 12
Trivia: Albion Hotel, Cottesloe Krisiun + Truth Corroded: Amplifier Bar, Perth
Last Night feat. +Closure In Moscow + Avastera + Roswell + Amberdown: Amplifier Bar, Perth
Randa & The Soul Kingdom: Balmoral, East Victoria Park
Karaoke: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge
Open Mic Night with+Shaun Street: Carine Glades Tavern, Duncraig
Siren Song Enterprises: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah
Adam James: Citro Bar, Perth Trivia: Como Hotel, Como Yes: Crown Perth, Burswood Jan Preston’s Boogie Circus: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
Trivia: Captain Stirling, Nedlands
Trivia: Herdsman Lake Tavern, Wembley
CLUB GUIDE
THU 13
Zel: The Aviary, Perth
FRI 14
Dusky: Ambar, Perth
Dose 2.0+Various DJs: Flyrite, Northbridge Laura Jones + Gavin Herlihy + Aarin F + James A + PJ Stokes: Geisha Bar, Northbridge Benjamin Sebastian + NDorse: The Aviary, Perth Culture: Grime Party with +Mike Midnight + Deadweight Crew + Dellity + Mandem Mitch + more: The Good Shepherd Bar, Leederville Breakdown Dance Club feat. +Roxright + FDEL + Joe Revell + Miss Demeanour + more: Velvet Lounge, Mt Lawley Bombs Away: Villa Nightclub, Perth
SAT 15
Dirtyphonics: Flyrite, Northbridge
Chris Gibbs + Andrew Bond + Craig Skelton: Brook Bar & Bistro, Ellenbrook Karaoke: Brooklands Tavern, Southern River
Thirsty Merc: Friends Restaurant, Perth
C.W. STONEKING
THU 13
The Justin Walshe Folk Machine + Stoney Joe: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle
Hindley + Filthy Apes + Beckon + DJ Silence + Tape Duck + No Shortcut Home: Rosemount Hotel (459 Bar) , North Perth Adam James: Rubix Bar & Cafe, Perth Gordy’s Memorial & Open Mic with +The Acitones + more: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Shotdown From Sugartown: Swallow Bar, Maylands Little Lord Street + Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars + James Bosley: Swan Basement, North Fremantle Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars + James Bosley: Swan Lounge, North Fremantle Thirsty Merc: Swings Taphouse, Margaret River
Karaoke: Indi Bar, Scarborough
Andrew’s Open Mic Night+Various Artists: Clancys Fish Pub, Dunsborough
Jeremias Sosa + Mambo Chic: Kidogo Art Institute, Fremantle
Jack & Jill : Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge) , Burswood
Jessie Gordon Quartet: The Laneway Lounge, Perth
Howie Morgan : Lucky Shag, Perth
Open Mic Night with +Kris Buckle: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough
Hussy Hicks + Kristy Lee: The Odd Fellow, Fremantle
Element with +El Dario + Jimi J + Saul Bliss + JaFunk: Geisha Bar, Northbridge
The Swamp Stompers + Kate Stroud + Jordan McRobbie: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle
ShipTease feat. +Lola Heart + Zina + Paul Scott + Acebasik + Tom Love + Reece Woodward: Sardine Jetty, Fremantle
Dougie May + Jeff Strong: Moon Cafe, Northbridge
Zel + Jay M: The Aviary, Perth
Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars + The Lammas Tide + Matt Cal: Rosemount Hotel (459 Bar) , North Perth
Dove: Paddington Ale House, Mt Hawthorn
Best Years of Your Life with +DJ Anton Maz: Rosemount Hotel (Backyard) , North Perth Assad + Erasers + Craig McElhinney + Taiga Masaku: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Karaoke: Swinging Pig, Rockingham Infused Knowledge with +Mike Midnight + Phoebe: The Bird, Northbridge James Flynn: The Laneway Lounge, Perth Courtney Murphy: The Saint, Innaloo Virtual Insanity: Universal Bar, Northbridge
Desmond White: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Daily Meds + Mathas + Marksman Lloyd + Roleo: Flyrite, Northbridge St George’s Cathedral Consort: Fremantle Arts Centre (Inner Courtyard) , Fremantle
Trivia: The Saint, Innaloo Off the Record: Universal Bar, Northbridge
FRI 14
Split Seconds: Amplifier Bar, Perth Hot Dub Time Machine: Astor Theatre, Mount Lawley
Greg Carter: Gate Bar & Bistro, Success
Howie Morgan Duo: Balmoral, East Victoria Park
Monty Cotton: Grand Central, Perth
Mike Nayar: Belgian Beer Cafe, Perth
Ben Merito: Lakers Tavern, Thornlie James Wilson : Lucky Shag, Perth Flooded Palace + The Disappointed + Sidewalk Diamonds + Stuart Orchard: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Open Mic Night with +Chris Kinna: Peel Ale House, Halls Head Jetpack: Prince of Wales, Bunbury 13 Circles + Nevsky Prospekt + Windows To The World + Bury The Heard: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Trivia: Vic, Subiaco
Hip Hop Kara”yo!”ke: The Bird, Northbridge
Leather & Lace: Belmont Tavern, Cloverdale Tandem: Best Drop Tavern, Kalamunda Vicktor: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge Frenzy + DJ Misschief: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah Various Artists: Brooklands Tavern, Southern River DJ Boogie: Clancys Canning Bridge, Applecross Friday Fiesta+The Wal-Tones: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle Why Georgia: CornerStone Ale House, Butler
S U P P O R T I N G
I N D E P E N D E N T
A U S S I E
M U S I C
the guide wa.gigguide@themusic.com.au James Wilson : Crown Perth (Meridian Room) , Burswood Matty T Wall: Denmark Hotel, Denmark Various Artists: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough Elise Lynelle + Shameem: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Billie Rogers: Fly By Night, Fremantle Chris Gibbs: Gosnells Hotel, Gosnells Vdelli: Herdsman Lake Tavern, Wembley Justin Cortorillo: Indian Ocean Brewing Company, Mindarie Retriofit: Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda DJ Grizzly + Various DJs: Lakers Tavern, Thornlie Daily Meds + Childs Play + Joshua Charles + F.A.M.: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Karaoke: Newport Hotel (Two Sparrows Bar) , Fremantle
Beaufort Street Festival feat. +The Amani Consort + Anna O + Coin Banks + Crisis Mr. Swagger + The Flower Drums + Foam + Fox Cat Rabbit + Grace Barbe & Afro Kreol + Hideous Sun Demon + Jamie Oehlers Trio + Joni In The Moon + King of the Travellers + Child + Lanark + Lionizer + Marksman Lloyd + Matty T Wall + Moana + Nicola Milan & The Stray Cat Club + Oakland + Old Blood + Our Man In Berlin + Polly Medlen Band + Scalphunter + Silver Hills + Spacemanantics + Stoney Joe + The Acitones + The Brow + The Caballeros + The High Learys + The Little Lord Street (Duo) + The Southwicks + Thee Gold Blooms + Tired Lion + Tomas Ford’s Bad Music Rave Party + Beaufort Street Festival: Beaufort Street Festival, Mt Lawley Hussy Hicks + Kristy Lee: Bootenal Family Tavern, Bootenal Various Artists: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge
Wide Open Mic+Various Artists: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Trivia: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
TUE 18
Open Mic Night with+Shaun Street: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge Perth Blues Club feat.+Rupert Trio + Gerard Maunick + Red Stone Sinners: Charles Hotel, North Perth
SAN CISCO: 15 + 16, MOJO’S BAR The Mark Of Cain + Scalphunter: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Human Abattoir+DFC + Facegrinder + 9 Foot Super Solider + Population Control + Fetus Fertilizer: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Trivia: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle
San Cisco + Gunns: Mojo’s Bar (Under 18s) , North Fremantle San Cisco + Gunns: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Dream Rimmy + Dean Eyeball: Moon Cafe, Northbridge Thelma Plum: Newport Hotel, Fremantle
Tandem: Brook Bar & Bistro, Ellenbrook
RTRFM’s Block Party feat.+Jo Lettenmaier + Will Bixler + DJ Veeness + Kid Tsunami + Dennis Gedling + more: RTRFM (Car Park) , Mount Lawley
Chris Gibbs: Carine Glades Tavern, Duncraig
One Trick Phonies: Sail & Anchor, Fremantle
Chiefs: Causeway Bar, Victoria Park
Optamus: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
The Shovel and The Gun + Big Al & The Deacons + The Suntones: Railway Hotel (Beer Garden) , North Fremantle
Thirsty Merc: Charles Hotel, North Perth
DJ T King: Swallow Bar, Maylands
Thirsty Merc: Ravenswood Hotel, Ravenswood
Hussy Hicks + Kristy Lee: Redcliffe On Murray, Pinjarra
The Avenue: Chase Bar & Bistro, Baldivis
Easy Tigers : Swinging Pig, Rockingham
The Swamp Stompers: Redcliffe On Murray, Pinjarra
Slaughterhouse 5 + Circle One + The Shops + KT Rumble + ST Cartlidge: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
Wayne Green’s Ragged Company: Clancys Fish Pub, Fremantle
The Regular Hunters + Golden String + Mei Saraswati + Xanthea: The Bird, Northbridge Tandem: The Boat, Mindarie
The Volcanics + Maurice Flavel’s Intensive Care + King Cactus + The Rearfenders: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth
The Sou’West Vintage Fest+Shotdown From Sugartown + The Justin Walshe Fireside Trio + The Moonshine Stills: Clancys Fish Pub, Dunsborough
The Get Down with +Aslan + John Safari + Klean Kicks: Rosemount Hotel (Backyard) , North Perth
Howie Morgan : Sail & Anchor, Fremantle
Nightowl: Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge) , Burswood
John Read Band: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
Various Artists: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough
Cabin Fever: Swan Basement, North Fremantle
Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars: Earl of Spencer Historic Inn, Albany
Candy: Parker Nightclub, Northbridge Thelma Plum: Players Bar, Mandurah The Swamp Stompers: Prince of Wales, Bunbury New Breed feat. +Icarus Lives + Cetana + Lung Capacity + The Shallows + The After Project: Railway Hotel, North Fremantle
John: Swan Lounge, North Fremantle Frenzy + Greg Carter: Swinging Pig, Rockingham RAW Artists showcase feat. +Dark or The Day + James Atles + Raksha + The Western Suburbs + Veronica’s Assassin: The Bakery, Northbridge Eteana + Dream Rimmy + Kashikoi + Henry Kissinger: The Bird, Northbridge Various Artists: The Highway Hotel, Bunbury Thirsty Merc: The New Centurion Hotel, Midland Nightmoves: Universal Bar, Northbridge Leon Tioke: Wintersun Hotel, Geraldton
SAT 15
Thelma Plum: Amplifier Bar, Perth Wire Birds: Balmoral, East Victoria Park
DJ Squinty: Brighton Hotel, Mandurah
Mark Wilkinson: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth GALSWA Opening Night The Best of Broadway+Various Artists: Fly By Night, Fremantle
Huge: The Shed, Northbridge Soul Corporation: Universal Bar, Northbridge
SUN 16
Andrew Winton: Balmoral, East Victoria Park Jeanie Proude: Belmont Tavern, Cloverdale Kizzy: Bentley Hotel, Bentley Siren & Assassin + Rob Hinton: Boab Tavern, High Wycombe Pride Sensations +Various Artists: Brookfield Place, Perth
Various Artists: Gosnells Hotel, Gosnells
Various Artists: Brooklands Tavern, Southern River
Sean Paul + Mya: HBF Stadium, Mt Claremont
Galloping Foxleys: Clancys Fish Pub, Dunsborough
Various Artists: Hyde Park, Perth
Various Artists: Como Hotel, Como
Frenzy: Leisure Inn, Rockingham Greg Carter: Leisure Inn, Rockingham NOFX: Metro City, Northbridge San Cisco + Gunns: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Karaoke: Newport Hotel (Two Sparrows Bar) , Fremantle Split Seconds: Prince of Wales, Bunbury Formidable Vegetable Sound System + Mr & Sunbird + Lexie Mgee & The Channel Three + NDorse: Railway Hotel (Beer Garden) , North Fremantle Laura Bernay: Rigby’s Bar, Perth
Kris Buckle: Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough Mark Wilkinson: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Aaron Spiers Big Band Feat. Libby Hammer: Fremantle Arts Centre (Front Garden) , Fremantle Various Artists: Gosnells Hotel, Gosnells
Thelma Plum: Newport Hotel, Fremantle Indigo Duck + Nate Lansdell: Peel Estate Winery, Karnup
Hans Fiance: Crown Perth (Lobby Lounge) , Burswood Diana May Clark: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Doug Stanhope: Fly By Night, Fremantle Ben Merito: Lucky Shag, Perth Strummers Guitar Fundraiser with+Various Artists: Mojo’s Bar, North Fremantle Tori Amos: Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre (Riverside Theatre) , Perth Bex & Turin’s Wide Open Mic: Rosemount Hotel, North Perth Barefaced Stories: PRIDE Edition+Various Artists: The Bird, Northbridge Open Mic Night with +Josh Terlick: The Laneway Lounge, Perth
Blues on the Verandah with +Paul Ubana Jones: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River Voudou Zazou: Swallow Bar, Maylands James Bosley: Swan Lounge, North Fremantle Caroline J Dale + Tashi + Simon Bazely: Swanbrook Winery, Henley Brook Micah + NDorse: The Aviary, Perth Hannah Mae & The Hoodwinks + Simone & Girlfunkle + Sam Wylde + Tashi: The Bakery, Northbridge Laneway Sessions with +Gavin Shoesmith: The Laneway Lounge, Perth Howie Morgan : The Saint, Innaloo John Digweed: The Stables Bar, Perth Retrofit: Universal Bar, Northbridge Anderson: Wanneroo Tavern, Wanneroo Kim Thair: Whistling Kite, Secret Harbour
MON 17
Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars + Old Blood + Matt Cal: Indi Bar, Scarborough
Various DJs: Brass Monkey Hotel, Northbridge
Various Artists: Kalamunda Hotel, Kalamunda
Trivia: Clancys Canning Bridge, Applecross
Siren & Assassin: Leisure Inn, Rockingham
Final Song Lounge for 2014 feat. +Various Artists: Ellington Jazz Club, Perth
S U P P O R T I N G
Flava Dee: Crown Perth (Groove Bar) , Burswood
I N D E P E N D E N T
A U S S I E
M U S I C
32 • THE MUSIC • 12TH NOVEMBER 2014