issue one/january 2010/i’m free
MUZAI RECORDS BANDICOOT TRANSISTORS SANDFLY BAY THE GUEST GIVEAWAYS GIG GUIDE REVIEWS
Has your blood been exposed to someone else’s blood? Maybe you have picked up hepatitis C. For information support, ring 366 3608 or 0800 22 472 (22HEPC) Call 0800 224or372 (22HEPC) Hepatitis C Resource Centre, Level 2/90 Or check out www.hepc.org.nz toHereford find outStreet, more Christchurch about hepatitis C
Best Young Adult Books
The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness $27.99 City of Bones Trilogy - Cassandra Clare $19.99 The Undrowned Child - Michelle louric $35 Gone - Michael Grant $22.99 The Red Necklace - Sally Gardner $19.99 The Astonishing life of Octavian Nothing - M. T. Anderson $35 The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman $19.99 Brigands M.C. - Robert Muchamore $39.99 The 10pm Question - Kate De Goldi $29.99
79 Hereford Street , CHRISTCHURCH . Ph: 0800 726 774 / 03 379 2882
EDITORIAL
CONTENTS
If you’re reading this, I’m already dead.
six news and tidbits eight dear steve nine transistors twelve sandfly bay fourteen wheat pasting sixteen muzai records twenty bandicoot twenty-two the guest twenty-four vincent konrad twenty-five maja klaassans twenty-six reviews twenty-eight easy eats twenty-nine gig guide thirty cartoon/giveaways
Unfortunately the stresses that accompany putting together a magazine when you and your colleagues have NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK YOU’RE DOING have taken their toll on me. As I write this I am in the throes of a mental crisis which is incomprehensible and frightening in its magnitude. Soon I will be gone, but before I spray my brains out all over this beautiful macbook, I have some advice for all of you readers: Don’t do anything worthwhile, especially not when it includes interviewing bands, write-ups on fantastic new independent labels from Auckland, deadserious advice columns and a whole bunch of other AMAZING SHIT, such as in this, the debut issue of Tally Ho! Magazine. It’ll just stress you out too much, bros. Thanks for reading! - Deaditor.
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
5
TALLY HO! WAS MADE BY... editor will edmonds associate directors mike ellis, kit hunter-welsh creative directors stephen nouwens, alice tappenden pr director sandy burton-davis contributors alex adank, vincent konrad, christopher andrews of www.thebigcity.co.nz, david klein, fran miller-pezo ADVERTISING If you would like to advertise in the magazine, please e-mail us for a rate card. tallyho.magazine@gmail.com www.tallyhomagazine.co.nz
6
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
tidbits Auckland’s Street Chant will support The Dead Weather for the entire Australasian tour, exciting news! Everyone at Tally Ho! wishes the band all the best for their relocation to Melbourne. If you haven’t heard Street Chant before, they write amazing heavy pop tunes and have more punch live than most bands in New Zealand. Check them out at St. Jerome’s Laneway festival before they fly away.
On January the 29th, Tally Ho! Magazine will be celebrating our debut issue of the magazine. Featuring The Nevernudes (AK), The Body Lyre (Welli) and Ouch My Face (Melbourne). Held at Christchurch’s Franz Tormers Art space & store on Bedford Row. Christchurch Cats, make sure you attend and help us party down! This is an incredible line-up, is all ages and is only $10 on the door. Wow! Cheers Franz Tormers.
Roger Shepherd has retaken control of integral New Zealand label Flying Nun. The label has been owned by Warner music for the last five years. Look out for re-releases of The 3D’s and other Old Flying Nun classics, as well as fresh releases from new bands from around the country. We won’t get into the rumours quite yet, but from the whispers we’ve been hearing, it’s a very exciting time for Flying Nun and New Zealand’s music scene at large.
Brian Jonestown Massacre rocked New Zealand audiences when they last graced our shores in late 2008. They have recently recorded a brand new album in Iceland and Berlin which is pretty freaken’ phenomenal. What an exciting time to see BJM! They play at Auckland’s Transmission Room on Monday the 8th of March and Bodega Bar in Wellington on the 9th.
toltech
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
7
“Dear Steve... I made my friend a friendship bracelet a few weeks ago. I recently overheard him telling someone he thought it was gay. Do I confront him and let him know that I’m hurt, or keep quiet and risk resenting him for the rest of our friendship?” -Burt. What’s so gay about a tie on your wrist? I think your friend has issues comitting to anything in life, especially your friendship and most likely all women he’s ever met. It would have started with his mother cradling his head as a child, giving him a false sense of security that he’s been making up for all his life with ‘witty’ remarks on bracelets. Is this guy a racelet (racist towards bracelets)? Should we make giant friendship bands, tie him up and throw him in the river? No-one has given me a bracelet... does this mean I have no friends? You should be lucky you even have a friend, even if he’s false and a raging racelet.
REAGAN !!!
8
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
REX
transistors michael ellis
Chances are you’ve probably heard of The Transistors by now. They received a fair amount of press recently when their cosmic corner rooftop show was shut down by the city council, leaving them with a nasty five hundred dollar fine for disturbing the peace in the central city. LAME. Seeing the Tranny’s play that day was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in town, well, ever. The rooftop performance was one of FIVE shows they played that day (surely this must have broken some kind of chch record???), and I was also lucky enough to catch them playing at Goodbye Blue Monday later that night. Shit got buckwild - it was amazing. These three gentlemen have the rare ability to turn a room of respectable human beings into a chaotic swarm of hyperactive bodies, bouncing around like pogo sticks to the steady beat of Olly’s drum. James screams at the audience whilst strumming his guitar like a lunatic, and Colin IS the coolest/tallest looking bass player in the world. Not only is this band incredibly exciting to watch live, but they have ACTUAL good songs. Lots of them. If you want to hear these tunes, you can purchase their recently released debut album “Shortwave”, recorded by Bob Frisbee (coolest name ever) in Auckland early last year. Having toured with the likes of The Mint Chicks, Pierced Arrows, The Datsuns and The Situations, as well as having played many other shows up and down the land of the long white cloud, The Transistors are finally starting to get the attention they deserve. A few weeks back, The tally ho! boys and myself had the pleasure of hanging out with James & Olly for an “interview”. In this instance “interview” meant “talking a whole lot of shit and laughing our arses off” or lmao-ing as the kidz say these days... tallyhomagazine.co.nz
9
TH: When did you guys form? Olly: Well in ‘87 i left the exponents cause Jordan was getting too big for his boots... James: And I left DD smash, Olly: We formed Hello Sailor the following year. TH: with Graeme Brazier? Olly: Yup, I kicked him out of the band. Ah this is the worst interview of all time. James: Nah we formed last year, recorded an album at the start of this year, and uh yeah... should be due out any time. Olly: We’ve been together since 2002. TH: so how old were you guys when you first started playing together? Olly: Sixth Form. TH: and have you guys always been a punk rock band? James: Yep Olly: Well we were like a crap rock band for the first 5 years and then our, ah, skills got better. James: Or worse. TH: So what sorts of bands are you guys listening to? Olly: Right now? TH: Yeah or just in general, like influences? James: Consult our myspace mate, it’s all on there. Olly: You haven’t done your research have you mate? TH: Sorry, what are you guys called again? The Transgenders? James: …….
Olly: Nah, just all the 60’s punk stuff moving into 70’s punk stuff, moving into 80’s punk stuff, sort of dropping off at the 90’s it sort of goes downhill from there, there are a few jems but it kind of stops there. TH: You guys kind of have a Replacements vibe in my opinion. Are you fans of The Replacements? James: Thank you, they’re my favourite band of all time. Olly doesn’t like them, but yeah thanks for that. We also apparently have an early Goo Goo dolls vibe. Olly: That’s a genuine quote, and also an old man said we play great jazz funk. That was when we were on the ferry and we played for an hour and a half. TH: did you actually play jazz funk or did you play like, your songs? Olly: Oh we werent playing anything, we were trying to do the sort of most reserved acoustic instrumental cover of Sonic Reducer and he was like “JAZZ FUNK YEEAH!” James: He’d sold all of his musical instruments to visit his parents in Tauranga. Olly: So he had no idea how he was gonna get home and he kept saying “ You guys aren’t going Tauranga way are you?” James: We just got out of there as quickly as we could. TH: So you guys have played some pretty sweet tours and shows,
photos by chris andrews
where to from here? Olly: I think we’ve probably peaked, but it’s a sort of a false peak, kind of like germany in the 1920’s James: That’s exactly what we’re like haha. Nah I think we did those tours when we weren’t quite ready for them, I think on average we were playing about 20minute sets. We’ve got a lot more material now. TH: If you guys could be any animal or animal hybrid, what would you be and what would you do? Olly: All of my favourite animals are sort of really endearing animals but useless ones, like some sort of donkey daschund hybrid would be the worst animal of all time, you know I’d do nothing, but they’re my favourite animals. James: I’d probably go for a monkey-bat. TH: I always thought you’d be more of a pelican/zebra. When I look at you that’s what I get. Olly: When I look at you, I get.. Panda bear, shaven, mixed with a sheep James: With the face of a pig. Olly: And the odour of a pig. TH: What about Colin, what would he be? Olly: Probably a giraffe mixed with another tall animal. James: Is there something on stilts? Olly: Are there any famous ginger animals? James: Ah! He’d be a giraffe skeleton! Olly: The skeleton of a giraffe.
sandflybay kit hunter-welsh and will edmonds
Somewhere amongst the rolling hills of cashmere there is noise being made. Set to a backdrop of white-picket fences, needlessly huge cars and teenage boredom, the five young men making this glorious racket have been chipping away for a good three years now, and what once was started as a way to kill time as thirteen year olds in their first year of highschool has evolved into much more. Taking the years of experience garnered at such a young age and combining this with a natural flair for songwriting – and with an average age of only 18 years old - the band are poised to make a splash in New Zealand’s highly competitive indie/rock scene. 12
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
We briefly caught up with Sandfly Bay to ask them a few questions regarding their past, present and future. So how exactly did Sandfly Bay get it’s start? We started off as a high school band in third form, Ben wasn’t in a band yet. We were a 4 piece, Me Tom, Sacha and Jack. We got rid of Sasha within the year because he didn’t quite fit with the sound. Moved on to our singer Slade, stuck together for a year. Then we got Ben because our bassist decided to leave. We’ve gone through a few sounds - kind of poppy back in the day but kind of alternative rock now.
What’s it like being a young band in Christchurch? It’s pretty fun. Beats doing homework every night and school crap. When you first start you don’t get many gigs, but you try to get your name out there and you meet a lot of people and work your way up. It’s been real fun to watch us progress from being these highnut third formers and its getting up there.
What would you like to achieve as a band? Definitely keen to get recording an album at some point.
Who are some of the New Zealand bands you admire? Thought Creature is a pretty obvious one, but Jack likes Phoenix Foundation and stuff... we’ve all got our different tastes.
Because some of you guys are finishing high school and you’re a high school band are you going to persevere? Definitely, it’s the main reason we’re staying in Christchurch next year - so we can stick together as a band and see how it goes.
Got plans on where you would record this album or is it just in the early stages? We’re thinking about going to Aranui. Apparently they have a good recording set up, but it’s just the laptop stuff at the moment.
tallyhomagazine.co.nz 13
wheat pasting FRAN MILLER-PEZO 14
Hidden in alley ways and under overbridges, street art, in the form of wheatpasting is hiding in plenty of corners of the urban landscape for those who are eagle eyed enough to see it... Not many people know it well, but wheatpasting has increased as a style of street art in Christchurch this year. Internationally, this method of street art has become widely recognised, and brought fame to a few of those who do it. Such has been the case for Shepard Fairey, whose Barack Obama inspired piece, Hope, became an icon of Obama’s political campaign. Another such American street artist, who goes by the name of Swoon, displayed wheatpaste works in The Museum of Modern Art. In spite of all this, in the eyes of the law, it is still vandalism. Wheatpasting gets its name from the glue like substance, usually made from wheat flour, which is used to paste the image up. It is quite difficult to remove, however over time it disintergrates, and like other forms of street art, is a temporary medium of expression. Tally Ho took the opportunity to talk to one artist, Dialone, who is responsible for some of the art seen around Christchurch. What encouraged you to start wheatpasting? The concept that the street could act as an art gallery which was free to the public.
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
Where does the inspiration for pieces come from? Anywhere and everywhere. I’m a very observant person, always mentally noting events or significant items in my environment for future use because I’m terrible at keeping a notebook. Music and trying to get to sleep seem to be where my most potent ideas manifest themselves. My latest work which is still in progress is a campaign inspired by Boxi’s ‘Embrace’, a painting that addresses the them of post-apocalyptic grey romanticism. I won’t say much more than that. What is the process you go through to create an item? Usually it would just be a process of note-taking and pushing the idea around in word form. This tends to lead to simultaneous sketching and concept development. After this normally lengthy process of development I’ll execute the paste-up with whatever materials I have around. Do you ever worry about being caught? I used to far more than I do now. Wheat-pasting tends to be viewed as an act much less hostile than spraypainting. Maybe it’s because of it’s temporary nature or the fact that it’s just not as predominant as graffiti art and therefore people aren’t quite
sure yet how to approach it. There are also plenty of golden excuses that you can actually save yourself with when wheatpasting as opposed to when using spraypaint. The majority of the time, passers-by seem to really appreciate the mark you’re making. How do you feel about other forms of street art? It’s become so diverse now. If we were to talk about graffiti art in general, I normally don’t have a problem with it. For me personally, I’m opposed to the superfluous ‘gang-tags’ that decorate every fence in Christchurch. But I’m completely supportive of the work where an artist has poured time, money and energy into the development and execution of a wellconsidered piece. Plus, there’s nothing quite like seeing a harmonious colour scheme splattered across a grey wall.
What would you say to people who think its all just vandalism? It is to a certain degree and I’m not going to try and defend it. They can continue to think what they will, I’d rather be creating than debating. Do you think Wheat paste will ever become an accepted form of art in society? Hopefully not. But once consumer culture gets a hold of the aesthetic, (which it probably already has to some degree) people will turn their heads up at it a little less. Even if it does, as street artists we’ve got to continue to develop and personally I’m interested in subverting the techniques of advertising and pushing the boundaries of those even further to create a new breed of street art that advertising won’t be able to in turn, adopt. tallyhomagazine.co.nz 15
muzai sound WILL EDMONDS
After spending a year in Auckland, I came away jaded. New Zealand’s biggest city, in my eyes, was a fetid wasteland of too-tight jeans, expensive hair cuts and a local scene that was as pretentious as it was boring. With the exception of noisy-pop bands like Street Chant, Wilberforces and Dear Time’s Waste, it seemed like Auckland’s live music scene was concerned less with good tunes, and more with ‘scene’ politics, band rivalry and looking cool. I needn’t have worried, however, as big things were on the horizon for Auckland city. 16
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
Out of a small inner-city flat less than twelve months ago, plans were being made to start promoting the glut of new punkinfluenced bands popping up all over the city. God Bows to Math, with their brand of Shellaccum-Nirvana influenced noise, Nice Birds with a brooding and aggressive take on 80’s post punk, and Bandicoot’s unclassifiable racket share an undeniably aggressive, loud and DIY aesthetic that is now the defined sound of Auckland label Muzai. I spoke with Benji Munro-Jackson about the reasons behind building his own label and where he plans to take it in the future. What was the impetus for you starting your own label? I guess that basically there were some bands in Auckland that I thought were being overlooked.
PHOTOS CHRIS ANDREWS/MUZAI I was a journalist for a while, and was being told “these are the bands you should interview”, rather than these are the bands that should be being interviewed and should be being looked upon as being awesome, original bands. In all honesty, it was seeing God Bows To Math supporting Sora Shima [that started things off]. God Bows had the bigger and more responsive crowd. It made me realise that they needed to be championed a lot more. So you basically just wanted to get these bands out there? Yeah, definitely. It’s never been about making money off these bands, or walking around like “Yeah man, lets get paid, I own a label.” I believe there is a sound and aesthetic associated with your
label, which is quite obvious, and that these bands [on muzai] all have something in common; whether it’s genre, shared members or even just a shared value system. Would you agree with this and is this something you aim for? I kind of think that the incestuous aspect of band members being in other bands just happened naturally. You know, it’s like “I’m in a band that you really like [that’s on the label] and you’re in a band that I like [that’s on the label], lets get together and mess around.” [In terms of the ‘Muzai Sound’] I’m not sure if Martin agrees, but originally it was supposed to only be noisy bands. Even now with bands like Sherpa who are one of the poppiest bands on the label, they still have that noisy element. So yeah, there is definitely a shared aesthetic or whatever.
tallyhomagazine.co.nz 17
“The whole concept of being prolific and pushing something is because you care about it a great deal, and fuck knows I care about every single one of the bands on the label...”
Because to begin with there was that quite pronounced noisy element, do you think that in the future that will still be the case? Whatever sits with the stable, really. It’s kind of just about shared attitudes. If there’s some band out there that just wants to make all this money, it’s like... we’re not really the label for you. Has Muzai been modelled on any other labels? Are there labels that you really look up to and which have influenced the direction you’ve gone in? I have a massive hard-on for Sub Pop, but then a major company bought them out. So Maybe Sub Pop from a few years ago. Also, Secretly Canadian. I like their kind of dealings and their kind of ethos towards working with bands, like everything should be split evenly. Also, Touch and Go.
18
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
Has there been a positive response in general to the label and your output? It’s been pretty fucking incredible. When you have a young band like Bandicoot playing Big Day Out, being number one on Radio scope for successive weeks – that’s national, man. Do you have big plans for the future in terms of the label, or are you just going to keep things slow burning? For the moment [we’ll keep it] nice and slow burning. There’s a few big EPs coming out next year, and we’re going to just keep building. Can you elaborate on what those EPs are? Bandicoot’s debut EP is coming out, the new Nice Birds EP, a Cat Venom EP and a God Bows To Math album.
You guys are very prolific considering the amount of time you’ve been running… I guess it’s just because we give a shit, really. We’re not just going to do one release and just sit back, which is kind of the problem you have with bands in the music scene in general. They lead up to this one EP release and then don’t do anything proactive afterwards. [On the other hand] There are bands out there that do that and still continue being active in the scene. Like with God Bows, there was an EP release in Wellington, an EP release in Auckland, heaps of interviews... they’re not just sitting back going “Ah well, that’s a job well done.” You’ve got to be prolific, really. The whole concept of being prolific and pushing something is because you care about it a great deal, and fuck knows I care about every single one of the bands on the label.
Do you have any plans for a big Muzai Records tour or anything like that? Maybe. There was an idea to put together a big full-scale invasion tour around March, not bringing every band on the label, but maybe having certain bands meet up in different centres. Unfortunately with the logistics at the minute and the time that I’ve got, I don’t think I could really put together a massive A Low Hum style tour. Besides, if I did I wouldn’t do it any justice, so not just yet. But who’s to say… six months ago if you’d asked me if I was going to have any of our bands playing at the Big Day Out I would have thought you were out of your fucking mind, but things change. Maybe in six months time we’ll be touring Australia or something.
tallyhomagazine.co.nz 19
BANDI At the tender age of six months old, Bandicoot have already accomplished more than most bands ever do. As you’re reading this, the three-piece have just played the Big Day Out at Mt Smart Stadium, along with the likes of The Horrors, Kasabian and Muse. They’re also set to join the bill at this year’s Campus A Low Hum in Bulls. Not too shabby for a bunch of fifteen year olds, which brings me to the crux of the matter. Ever since I heard the snotty punk of ‘Emotional and Dirty’ and watched it steadily climb the charts of New Zealand’s biggest student radio station (where it maintained it’s number one position for three 20
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
weeks), I was hearing people comment on their age. Things like, “Yeah, they’re pretty awesome for a young band.” It’s understandable. Three teenagers in a noisy, aggressive punk rock band making a huge splash within months of forming is obviously a noticeable phenomenon- but these comments detract from the fact that this band is actually incredibly good, rather than just incredibly good “for their age.” For those who haven’t seen Bandicoot live, they’re an absolute tour-de-force. For me, one of the best gig experiences of 2009 was catching Bandicoot live at the Rising Sun. They were the first band on and whilst there was a crowd of almost nobody, they performed a blinder of a set.
ICOOT On record, the band has just as much vitality. From the opening chords of ‘Emotional and Dirty’ to the aggressive riffing and thunderous drumming of ‘Fighting Tigers’, it’s obvious that Bandicoot are channelling the best of 80’s underground American punk and alternative music. Despite the patronising nature of the music industry in New Zealand (and particularly Auckland) towards young bands, Bandicoot have been lucky enough to strike a deal with the soon-to-be legendary Muzai Records. Through this label, it’s clear that this band’s talent will be fostered in a way that allows them to stay true to themselves and their artistic vision. In summary: Bandicoot rule, you drool.
article
‘JURASSIC WARFARE’ EP. After tearing up radio charts across the country and being one of the youngest acts to appear at the Big Day Out, noise-pop three piece Bandicoot have released their sophomore EP, ‘Jurassic Warfare.’ On their 2009 free-to-the-net “Happy Talking” EP, Bandicoot created the sonic equivalent of mixing pop rocks with cola — with the chemical reaction in this case being a fizzing, barely-controllable eruption, overflowing with energy and fun. Less than a year on, ‘Jurassic Warfare’ amalgamates the raw aural fireworks of the debut EP with a heap of new ideas and approaches thought up during Bandicoot’s meteoric ascent up New Zealand’s street-level buzz ladder.
WILL EDMONDS tallyhomagazine.co.nz 21
stephen nouwens and michael ellis After recently playing with The Guest, I fell in love with these boys and their pumping loud garage sound. Through supporting bands like Die! Die! Die! and Magic Eye, The Guest have found their niche in the Christchurch music scene as a kickass band who are worth seeing time and time again. I had the honor of taking the boys out on a date and acquired the help of Vincent Conrad (Christchurch designer, see his article), and Alex Adank (Christchurch photographer). Together we travelled out to Sumner, consumed plenty of Fish N Chips and beer and had the lads dress up and parade around the beach, while we (mainly me) got a little (well a lot) drunk. 22
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
How long have you guys been together? About four months. We started officially in August; that’s when we got our shit together. Our first gig was at Als bar to a crowd of about 30 people and we played four songs to our parents. Our favourite show so far would probably be Goodbye Blue Monday with Bits & Pieces, it was a pretty good show, we liked it. We wanted to stay but the security guard was a dick. What was your worst show then? We opened for two metal bands at Al’s Bar with Rangiora skinheads and two minutes before we got on stage, 50 skinheads piled through the door all demanding some metal. It was our 2nd gig and we were just shitting ourselves. It was scary.
How do you best describe your sound? Well there’s a band called Garageland, from nineties flying nun who we’re really into. Obviously we try to be as original as we can, we definitely have big influences though. How’d you come up with the name the guest, is there a tale? I fuckin’ hate it. If we come up with a better one we’ll change it, but we can never agree on anything else. Maybe “Mad Max and the Violence”? Haha. What about “The Purple Baboons” or “The Red Ponys”? ........... If you could fly around the world in a hot air balloon, what small animal, or animal hybrid would you take with you? A salky.
A salky? It’s like some weird mythical seal thing or something, or maybe like a Pokemon? I’d probably take a Pikachu, you’d be able to generate electricity and watch TV and shit. TG: Yeah, maybe... But a Ditto would be way better, cause that could be everything, if you need fire or water, you’re sorted. Good call. What have you guys been listening to this week? Grizzly Bear, The Dead Skeletons, Singapore Sling, Beirut’s “March of the Zapotec,” The Shins, The Smoking Acid EP by Brian Jonestown Massacre. Fantesticle. tallyhomagazine.co.nz 23
My name is Vincent, and I am (among other things) a designer of clothes. It started as a whim, and since I didn’t have any plans for the foreseeable future, I decided to follow it up. A few short years later and here I am – a qualified fashion designer writing about my work for a hot new magazine. While I have worked personally for a few people, my main body of work is the collections we created for our fashion shows at school. This last collection was formed out of nightmares and madness, one of my aims being to make something that people will think is pretty or elegant at first glace, but which has some more horrid deeper meaning. In short I wanted to trick people into liking things that they find disturbing. It is also very character based, as I find that having a persona to build on is the most natural way to design. This is also the case when working with a client. Ultimately I am just trying to figure out what character they play, then drafting a design that will suit it. I’ve little interest in clothes that have no back-story.
24
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
Vincent Konrad verysillyman@gmail.com www.tinyurl.com/fansofvincent
stephen nouwens
past the light
Before heading to my interview with the astonishing Maja Klaassans, I prepare by collecting all the necessary items that my journey will require. This consists of sixteen sheets of clean paper, an art-line pen, cigarettes, and a bribe snack to sweeten any deal I give her. Meeting her outside the Christchurch art gallery, she leads me through a building to her favourite hide-away spot, tells me she’s nervous, lights a smoke then sits down and motions me to follow. To ease her nervousness we share breathing techniques and take a little time to relax and oxidize, before I start my questioning rampage. I question her on the beautiful yet almost haunting show in September, which if you were lucky enough to have been at, was a beautiful set of portraits and sculptures with an underlining moth theme. Maja takes a slow drag, pulls a half-smile, looks away, then explains her work to me, from moth eggs, to moth
wings, to moths on paper. “When I was younger, I was asked to bring the washing in, but I didn’t. I waited until that night to go out and do it, and found the washing covered in moth eggs. It was the first time I had to make the choice between the beautiful, and getting in trouble.That’s why. It’s beauty. I wanted my work to show that.” Now, I’m going to give you a little advice as an interviewer. Always. Bring. Treats. After some sneaky negotiating I traded my delicious custard and black berry tart, for some hint to if we’ll be seeing another show anytime soon. I get a “yes,” “maybe soon,” “maybe in some time,” half-smile explanation, which as Maja gets up to leave, I realise is a fairly common response to most things. Personally, I cannot wait for whatever this mysterious twenty-year-old artist has to offer, and I’m most definite that we will hear more of her soon. Hopefully in our city!
tallyhomagazine.co.nz 25
reviews THE GLADEYES Psychosis of Love Psychosis of Love is the debut full length from Auckland pop band The Gladeyes. Far from being a first meeting of the band, this is a collection of songs from their previous 6 EPs, forming a delightful sampler that chronicles their progress to this point. Those who know the band will be familiar with most of the tracks, but the Gladeyes deftly avoid any troubling crossovers from EP to album format. The tracks have been embellished and polished, given subtle musical flourishes that still retain the heart of the original tracks. It’s these touches that have seen Gwen Norcliffe and Jade Farley work solidly on the album for the past few years, with the assistance of some of NZ’s favourite musicians – James Milne, Ryan McPhun and Henry Oliver. However, the album remains a work of the duo – tales of layabout boys and lost relationships, obsession and plans of revenge, and
26
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
love, love, love. The stories are frequently told through characters, personifying the girls’ lives in the dating game, with each song full of insight and feeling. Your Address is just cute enough to not be creepy; Petit Chouchou struggles to accept that that boy has found someone new, while One Million Kisses is downright euphoric in getting over him. With these tracks and others, Psychosis of Love is one of New Zealand’s best pop releases, in a year full of them. -David Klein
LAWRENCE ARABIA Chant Darling
It’s been three years since Christchurch’s James Milne, aka Lawrence Arabia unleashed his musical genius onto those that would listen. If you haven’t heard of Lawrence Arabia, he was in pop darlings The Brunettes for several years, and fronted the Reduction Agents. Chant Darling, Lawrence Arabia’s latest offering is 10 tracks of unashamable pop gems. Each song will get
ingrained in your brain and I promise you’ll be singing them in your sleep. Having recently won the prestigious Silver Scroll award for song writing, it is understanable that the highlight of this album, of perfectly crafted tunes is Apple Pie Bed. The chorus (much like other songs on this album) is infectiously catchy. Lyricaly, Chant Darling covers a broad range of topics, but he is at his best singing about relationship frustrations, such as in Beautiful Young Crew- “we love each other, we hate each other, we are afraid of each other, because we want to screw each other..”. Lawrence Arabia is making his mark on the New Zealand music landscape with this album. -Fran Miller-Pezo CAMERA OBSCURA My Maudlin Career Camera Obscura will be gracing New Zealand’s shores in 2010, to promote their new album My Maudlin Career. Camera Obscura, hailing from Glasgow have
produced another morose indie pop album in their fourth effort. The album kicks off with the single “French Navy” which doesn’t really set the tone for the album well. It is more in the league of “Hey Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” from their previous release, “Lets Get Out Of This Country” [2006, Merge Records]. Most of rest of the album is slower, sadder and a little bit country. The musically upbeat songs, Honey In the Sun and French Navy, feel like they’re just there to stop you from crying in your obligatory twee cup of tea as you follow vocalist Tracyanne Campbell’s tales riddled with vulnerability and unrequited love. The instrumentation, which is heavily laden in strings sometimes distracts from what would otherwise be some beautiful and simple songs. Die hard Camera Obscura fans will still love it, and seeing them when they tour will still be a special treat, however My Maudlin Career might be a bit much for those still trying to find their feet in the world of melancholy twee. -Fran Miller-Pezo
tallyhomagazine.co.nz 27
easy-eats Matsuri Japanese (Poplar lane) You won’t get better value for money than Matsuri. A dollar-a-piece Sushi is authentic and tasty, but the best kept secret in the cheap food world are Cheesy Balls. Both Vegetarian and Teriyaki Chicken are delicious and a steal- just four dollars for six and seven dollars for twelve. Big Bowl (Manchester st, opposite Bedford row) You can identify this place by its funky graffiti script, pumping music and buzzing arcade machines, reminiscent of a bygone era of gaming at your local chippy. I wish there were more places like this, where you can play Street Fighter with your mates and pick up a burger at 3am.
Mayur Indian restaurant (Lichfield Street, near Cashel) If you want that delicious lunch time feed of Indian and you don’t want your dahl to taste like dirt at Tulsi, look no further than Mayur. Vegetarian options are six dollars and meat mains are nine, with naan and rice included. You can’t go wrong with the tasty, well-presented food and friendly staff. I recently had my favourite dahl and it was better than many places where I’ve paid considerably more. 28
tallyhomagazine.co.nz
gig guide Addison, Nazarite Vow & Day Break Sat, 23rd Jan - Als Bar
Laneway Festival Mon, 1st Feb - Auckland City Central
Campus A Low Hum Sat, 23rd Jan - Mon, 25th Jan - Bulls
An Emerald City Fri, 5th Feb - Goodbye Blue Monday
East Brunswick All Girls Choir (Aus) w/ T54 Wed, 27th Jan - Dux De Lux
The Mamaku Project “ElectrOrganic Summer Sessions Tour” Fri, 5th Feb - Als bar
Ouch My Face w/ East Brunswick All Girls Choir Thu, 28th Jan - Wunderbar
Grant Hart (USA - Husker Du / Nova Mob) NZ Tour Sat, 6th February - Als bar
Nevernudes & Ouch My Face w/ O’lovely Thu, 28th Jan - Goodbye Blue Monday
Rippon Festival Sat, 6th Feb - Rippon Vineyard, Lake Wanaka
Luminate Festival Thu, 28th Jan - Tue 2nd Feb - Cannan Downs, Takaka Hill Chocolate Strings w/ Mad Faces Fri, 29th Jan - Dux de Lux Marianne Dissard, Flip Grater & Delaney Davidson Fri, 29th Jan - Harbour Light Cafe Tally Ho! Magazine Launch Party Ft. Ouch My Face (Aus), Nevernudes (Akld), The Body Lyre (Wlgtn) Fri, 29th Jan - Franz Tormers Joanna Newsom Sat, 30th Jan - Repertory Theatre Sounday 2010 - The Handsome Family, Phoenix Foundation, P-Money & More! Sat, 30th Jan - North Hagley Park Tally Ho!and Ninjatunes Presents Daedelus Sat, 30th Jan - Goodbye Blue Monday Jens Lekman Sun, 31st Jan - Wunderbar
Gypsy Fever Summer Tour Thu, 11th Feb - Als bar Sacha Vee - Debut EP Release Sat, 13th Feb - Double Happy Saints & Sinners Tour: Tami Neilson, Lauren Thomson and Jackie Bristow Sun, 14th Feb - Harbour Light Faith No More w/ Eagles Of Death Metal Tue, 16th Feb - Westpac Arena Trivium - Into The Mouth Of Hell We Tour Thu, 18th Feb - The Bedford Tally Ho! & Red Panda Presents - The Ruby Suns! Fri, 19th Feb - The Media Club Health Mon, 22nd Feb - UCSA 2010 Orientation, Canterbury University The Cribs Thu, 25th Feb - The Bedford tallyhomagazine.co.nz 29
foxy adventures part one
stephen nouwens
sexy giveaways! WIN DOUBLE PASSES TO GRANT HART (HUSKER DU) Thanks to Hootenanny Productions, Hit Your Head Music and BFM, we have three double passes to give away to the amazing Grant Hart. To be in to win, email us at tallyho. magazine@gmail.com, letting us know what your favourite Husker Du album is and which show you would like to attend.
Grant Hart is performing in Auckland, Feb 3rd at the Kings Arms. Napier, Feb 4th @ Cabana. Wellington, 5th Feb @ San Francisco Bath House. Christchurch, 6th Feb @ Als Bar 6th Feb w/ Sleepy Age. Dunedin, 7th Feb @ Chicks Hotel w/ Robert Scott. COPIES OF “SHORTWAVE” BY THE TRANSISTORS UP FOR GRABS. Our favourite pals in the Trannies have given us three copies of ‘Shortwave’ to give away to you muppets. If you’re keen to get your hands on a copy of one of Tally Ho’s top 20 Records of 2009 (check that article online at tallyhomagazine.co.nz), then send us an email telling us which member you’d most like to date and why. But make sure it’s Colin. WIN DOUBLE PASSES TO THE TALLY HO MAGAZINE! RELEASE SHOW. To celebrate the launch of the first issue of Tally Ho! Magazine, Red Panda, Franz Tormers and Tally Ho! Are proud to present the best early night you’ll ever have. Featuring the Body Lyre (Wellington), Nevernudes (Auckland) and Ouch My Face (Melbourne), this night looks set to be absolutely incredible! Email tallyho.magazine@gmail.com with your name and a hilarious personal anecdote to be in to win.
tally ho! and ninjatunes present...
saturday 30 january goodbye blue monday free